Category Archives: Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club of Buenos Aires

#SteelersWorldWide 2018 Photos from Buenos Aires and Tandil, Argentina

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The Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club of Buenos Aires started as a joke. It was 2001. Ben Roethlisberger was a freshman at Miami, Ohio. Rookie Kendrell Bell was the toast of St. Vincents, an inside linebacker who drew as many comparisons to Jack Lambert as he did to Levon Kirkland or Hardy Nickerson. Jerome Bettis was ramping up for what would be his final season as a full-time starter.

And there, in a little cement office perched on the terrace of a house on Jose Marti situated between Jose Bonifacio and Juan Alberti in the middle class porteño neighborhood of Flores, an ambitious US expat who’d been living in Buenos Aires since March hung his Pittsburgh Steelers flag out on the first day of training camp.

Months later, when that same expat got to see his first game of the season, the Steelers-Titans Monday Night game at the end of October, he wrote an email summary of the game and declared himself as “President of the Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club of Buenos Aires.”

  • It was a fan club of one.

While some Argentines were curious about the NFL, there was a reason why ESPN showed the Sunday and Monday Night Games on tape delay – no one watched them.

Yes, there were other Steelers fans in Buenos Aires, including one Argentine Dr. living north of the city. A Dr. who understood what the names “Greg Lloyd” and “Carnell Lake” meant. A Dr. wise enough to offer nuanced opinions of Kordell Stewart when queried.

Yet, even if the internet was a fixture of Argentine daily life in 2001, Google remained in its infancy and social media was yet to be born.

  • Steelers fans struggled to find one another.

That was 2001, this is 2018, and for the 2nd straight year the Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club of Buenos Aires participated in the #SteelersWorld wide.

#SteelersWorldWide, #SteelersWorldWide 2018, Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club of Buenos Aires

Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club of Buenos Aires @ 2018 #SteelersWorldWide

This year we opted to go to La Boca’s Caminito and whatever the Steelers faithful lacked in quantity we made up in quality. A couple of fans who were there in 2017 couldn’t make it, and we even added a new fan who got her baptism into Steelers Nation at the Steelers-Ravens game last December as the guest of none other than Franco Harris.

#SteelersWorldWide Province of Buenos Aires

#SteelersWorldWide 2018 in Tandil, Province of Buenos Aires

This year, elsewhere in Argentina, Matias Furlan and another joined in the #SteelersWorldWide movement from Tandil, which sits in to the South of the Province of Buenos Aires.

Tandil is a beautiful city and an excellent place to vacation if you’re looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of Buenos Aires. Its also the place where I vacationed in the week leading up to Super Bowl XLIII, where there wasn’t a lot of electricity generated by the coming Super Bowl.

And, in fact, the owner of the Pittsburgh Pinturas branch looked at my rather funny when I held up a copy of Jim Wexell’s Steeler Nation in front of his sign.

  • But as Matias’ picture proves, Steelers Nation presence in Argentina is strong, and it is growing.

#SteelersWorldWide is the brainchild of a contingent of Steelers fans in Mexico, and there are legions of them. And, as the photo shows, SteelersNation in Latin America begins just south of the Rio Grande and continues all the way down to the tip of Tierra Del Fuego!

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Football americano (o fútbol americano o futból americano o fobal americano)

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A raíz del artículo que escribiera el Hombre de Acero en este blog Steel Curtain Rising acerca del argentinismo “Choto”, se me ocurrió reflexionar acerca de la lengua, el deporte importado y la asimilación de culturas diferentes.

  • Como no soy especialista en cultura, ni soy un lingüista, este artículo recorrerá el camino de la reflexión y no el de la certeza académica.

En Argentina, todos los deportes, con excepción del pato (nuestro deporte nacional, que consiste en que ocho jinetes por bando, disputan y tratan de embocar el “pato” dentro de un aro) son deportes traídos de afuera.

Alejandro Villanueva, Dri Archer, Landry Jones

Alejandro Villanueva en acion por los Steelers durante 2015. Photo Credit: El Confidencia

Así ocurrió con el fútbol a mediados del siglo XIX, traído al país por estudiantes británicos, llegados para la construcción del ferrocarril. El primer club fundado por aquí fue el Buenos Aires Football Club, el 9 de mayo de 1867. Más tarde se fundó Alumni, club que ganó la mayor parte de los torneos durante la etapa del amateurismo.
Junto con el juego, se importó asimismo el léxico que le era propio.

  • Se incorporaron anglicismos como referee, lineman, offside, forward, backs, goal, goalkeeper y asi…

Alumni, ganó 10 torneos en el fútbol argentino amateur

A medida que el deporte se popularizó, estos términos se fueron argentinizando. Y es aquí que ocurre el fenómeno de la asimilación cultural del deporte en una sociedad determinada:

  • Un deporte se nacionaliza o populariza cuando la gente se apropia de su lenguaje.

Independientemente de la academia y de la forma en que se incorporaron esas palabras con origen en el idioma inglés, el pueblo adquirió el vocabulario según sus figuras fonéticas. Referee devino en referí, foul en ful o faul, center forward pasó a ser centro fobal, offside orsay y laiman evitó la incomodidad de las dos palatales “nm” de lineman.

  • Los veteranos de más de 70 recuerdan a jugadores de leyenda, y rememoran “…había un centro jaf…” por center half.

Más de 120 años después de la fundación del fútbol argentino, en la década de 1990 se produjo el desembarco en estas pampas, del football americano, de la mano de la televisión por cable y de la transculturización global. Fueron épocas en las cuales se imponía el mandato predominante de la clase media argentina según el cual debíamos “integrarnos al mundo”.

Y esa integración ocurrió, pocos años después de haber salido de la oscuridad más profunda de la última dictadura cívico-militar, en lo social, en lo político (en palabras de nuestro canciller de la época, iniciamos un período de “relaciones carnales con los Estados Unidos” -sic-) y en lo económico.

Algunos argentinos nos topamos con las televisaciones de los partidos de football americano de ESPN en español. Al principio las imágenes no detenían el zapping, hasta que un día un amigo viajero me explicó las reglas básicas del juego.

  • No muchas, sino las suficientes como para poder seguir y disfrutar de un partido y por supesto, los Pittsburgh Steelers

Y los nuevos aficionados nos topamos con dos nuevos léxicos: uno en inglés y el otro en español mejicano que es una mezcla de español férreamente defendido e ingles digerido (algunas veces y otras no: ingles directo). Lo que podríamos llamar “vocabulario del football americano nacionalista mejicano” incluye los nombres de los clubes invariablemente traducidos. Por ejemplo los Halcones marinos de Seattle, o los Acereros de Pittsburgh.

Tengo la impresión de que el football recorre en México, el mismo camino que el fútbol soccer recorrió en Argentina. Es así que el término Quarterback fue aprehendido popularmente en su forma de traducción fonética como “coreback”.

  • Y nosotros en el sur, estamos un poco perdidos.

Por un lado luchamos contra la visión que muchos compatriotas tienen de nosotros: un grupo de excéntricos raritos, snobs, amantes o, lo que es peor, sumisos consumidores de la cultura norteamericana for export (la peor cara de la riquísima cultura norteamericana).

  • Por otro lado, buscamos el vocabulario correcto. ¿será línea de golpeo o line of scrimmage? ¿Balón suelto o fumble?

Balón? Nosotros aquí llamamos pelota a casi todo lo que sirva para practicar un deporte. Entonces será ¿balón o pelota? ¿Prospect o aspirante? ¿Será la argentinización directa desde el inglés o la traducción al español vía México? (Por suerte a nadie se le ha ocurrido llamar “vil o canallesco José Verde” a Mean Joe Greene)

Será el tiempo y el uso de los aficionados (fans, hinchas, fanáticos o fanaticada?) lo que tendrá la palabra final.

Si este deporte algún día se populariza (y creo que depende más de la decisión que tome la NFL de difundir el Fútbol Americano en el cono sur, que de nosotros mismos. A esta altura creo que los medios todo lo pueden) tal vez sea con la incorporación de un vocabulario popular y nacional.

Taim uil tel, mi amigo… Taim uil tel.

El Dr. de Acero (con la colaboración del prof. Marcelo Vallejos)

 

 

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“Pases de Pantalla Chotos a Bryant” – Steelers Football Meets Argentine Lunfardo

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It is said that you really reach fluency in a second language when you feel comfortable enough to joke around in it. I can attest to that reality. After 4 or 5 years of living in Argentina, that I was able to call (and this was before caller ID reached universal status) and greeting them with “Hola, gallego“* and delight in their utter inability to figure out who I was.

The Steelers struggles against the Browns gave me the chance to turn the paradigm on its head:

  • Does an imported foreign institution finally gain cultural currency when the locals can apply slang terminology to it?

A few days after the Steelers narrow win over the Browns, I WhatsApped my friend, and sometime site writer, Gustavo Vallegos, El Dr. de Acero, asking what another friend, who is a notoriously harsh critic of the team at times, had thought of the game. HE hadn’t heard from our friend, but offered his own criticism:

“lo que me preocupaba, cuando empiece el partido con estos pases de pantalla a Bryant chotos con no avanzaba ni dos yardas….” 

For those of you who don’t read Spanish, what Gustavo is talking about is the Ben Roethlisberger to Martavis Bryant bubble screen passes, and the entire Todd Haley horizontal offense the Steelers tried to mount, instead of trying to pound the ball with Le’Veon Bell or hit Bryant and Antonio Brown downfield.

But the key word there is “choto….”

“Choto” is a very Argentine word, and is likely exclusive to the dialect of Spanish spoken in the Rio de la Plata. What does “Choto“ mean….

…Well, this is a family friendly site, so any translation needs to be made with care. “Choto” means to, hum, let’s say a certain piece of the male anatomy that’s short, and one that comes up short at shall we say in opportune times. “Gallego,”* which in certain contexts can be highly disrespectful also has much more affectionate, and playful uses.

  • There’s no such lighter side to labeling something or someone as “choto.”

And that’s the beauty of this anecdote. There’s no real English translation of “choto,” there’s no single English word or expression that carries the exact cultural or linguistic weight. Yet, “choto,” very much describes the play of the Steelers offense, save for Antonio Brown and Jesse James, on Sunday against the Browns.

With all that said, I realize this could quite well be the linguistic equivalent of a “You had to be there” type of moment. If so fair enough. But if you can’t quite fully grasp the linguistic side of it there’s something else that you should be able to hang your hat on….

 

Steelers Fans Buenos Aires, #SteelersWorldWide, Steelers Nation Argentina, Steelers Argentina

Steelers fans gather in Buenos Aires for #SteelersWorldWide Photo

The Steelers Nation’s colony in Argentina might be small, but the porteños are making Steelers football their own!

*Taken literally a “gallego” as an immigrant or a descendant of an immigrant from the province of Galacia, in Spain; colloquially saying “Hola gallego” is sort of like saying  “What’s up hoss?” albeit it comes with an affectionate barb, because the stereotype of a gallego is someone who is always a half step-behind the times.

And if you want to follow an Argentine who does really know something about Steelers football, follow:

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Steelers Fans in Buenos Aires to the Obelisco for #SteelersWorldWide!

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Pittsburgh Steelers fans will gather at Buenos Aires’ Obelisco on Sunday September 3rd as part of the #SteelersWorldWide Photo.

Think Big, start small. I’d like to say that’s how all of this got started. And, in some ways it is true, because this movement goes way beyond what any one Pittsburgh evangelist could ever hope to do.

  • The leg of my life journey that took me to Buenos Aires began in 2001, in an effort to open new horizons.

Opening those new horizons meant switching jobs, switching languages, switching transport modes, swapping suburban living for city life and giving up a fair number of comforts in a quest to gain something new, something unique. Those were all challenges I was happy to make.

  • But there was one sacrifice that pained me more than all (but one) of the others.

That was giving up the ability to watch the Pittsburgh Steelers. From Steelers 1994 season until the 2000 you could count the number of Steelers games I missed on one hand. When the decision to head south came up, a friend of mine asked once while at Baltimore’s legendary Purple Goose Saloon, founding HQ of the Steelers Fan Club of Maryland, “So what are you going to do about the Steelers?”

As he later recounted the story to someone else, relaying, “When I asked him that, he actually paused….”

Back in 2001, NFL Sunday Ticket was a included in DirectTV Argentina’s standard offering, but DirectTV was well beyond an English teacher’s means. High speed internet and streaming were years away, certainly when measured in budget terms if not in terms of technology. So be it. You take the good with the bad.

So I resigned myself to the reality that for the next portion of my life I’d be following the Steelers by hurriedly loading Pittsburgh Post-Gazette articles into memory on a dial up modem, and watching Monday Night and Sunday Night games broadcast on tape delay at 2:30 am on ESPN. But I also remained determined to do what I could to spread the word about the Black and Gold to anyone who was interested.

One of the things I noticed about porteño culture celebrate the triumphs of their soccer teams by posting flags whether they root for Boca, River, Racing, San Lorenzo, or Velas Sarfield. So on the opening day of the Steelers 2001 training camp, with permission of my hosts, hung my Steelers flag on the terrace of the home I was living in. My Argentine “Aunt and Uncle” were amused by it.

  • Any passers by who paused at the bus 141 and 55 stop in Flores’ Jose Marti and actually noticed the flag could have only been puzzled.

Times change. Before Steel Curtain Rising was founded, I’d do post-game summaries by email signing off on as “President, Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club of Buenos Aires” which was a club of one.  Although it took me until the Steelers win in Super Bowl XLIII, I’ve met and befriended several other Steelers fans here in Buenos Aires. And our movement is gaining momentum….

Steelers fans Argentina, Steelers Buenos Aires Steelers World Wide Photo,

The movement is growing, and on Sunday September 3rd, Steelers fans in Buenos Aires will gather at the Obelisco to take a group picture. We’re starting bright and early at 10:00 am. Bring your Steelers gear.

Bring your terrible towels and, as we await the first Steelers regular season opener to feature Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant on the field at the same time, let’s show the world that Steelers Nation’s Latin America contingent stand united from the Rio Grade to the Tierra Del Fuego!

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Fanaticos de los Pittsburgh Steelers en Argentina al Obelisco! 3 De Septiembre 2017

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Siete días antes del inicio de una nueva temporada, tendrá lugar en Buenos Aires y en más de 50 ciudades alrededor del mundo, un evento muy especial para la Nación Steeler en general y para mí en particular.

Ese día, en el Obelisco, el sitio donde en 1812 se izara por primera vez la bandera argentina en la ciudad de Buenos Aires, los fanáticos acereros de esta parte del mundo, nos reuniremos para tomar la foto oficial de los Steelers fans.

Steelers fanaticos Argentina, Steelers Buenos Aires,

Cuenta la historia que allá por 2013 en Monterrey, México, un grupo de fanáticos mejicanos se reunieron para ver un partido, luego del cual, se tomaron una fotografía para inmortalizar el momento. Un año más tarde la idea de unir en una imagen a los hinchas acereros de todo el mundo, comenzó a tomar forma en la cabeza de Guillermo Vargas, un conspicuo aficionado, quien desde hace 36 años reside en la ciudad de Washington. Aquél 2014 participaron no más de tres ciudades mejicanas.

Desde entonces Guillermo y otros amigos se ocuparon de esparcir la idea a través de las redes sociales: hoy, a 4 años de aquella primera experiencia, sitios tan lejanos como Budapest, Londres, Heidelberg, Bogotá están entre las 53 ciudades de 10 países.

Semejante despliegue de esfuerzo comunicacional y de amor por los colores aurinegros no podía menos que atraer la atención de la organización de la familia Rooney. Así es que los Pittsburgh Steelers prometieron difusión y reconocimiento.

Asique la cita es el próximo domingo 3 de septiembre, en el Obelisco, justo en la intersección de las avenidas 9 de Julio y Corrientes, a las 10 de la mañana.

En la cancha Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, James Harrison y LeVeon Bell. Fuera del emparrillado (sea en las gradas o frente a un televisor) en cualquier punto del planeta, NOSOTROS. La hinchada acerera. Juntos seguimos escribiendo la historia de los Pittsburgh Steelers. Con letras doradas…

y negras.

El Dr. de Acero

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Steelers Lose to Ravens Rapid Reaction

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Well folks, in our heart of hearts, everyone in Steelers Nation knew the 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers magical mystery ride had to end at some point. Most didn’t think that sad event would occur vs. the Baltimore Ravens. But it did.

This isn’t the time to point fingers or single out scapegoats, far from it, but the truth is the Steelers failed on the fundamentals on several levels:

  • The Steelers offensive line struggled to win the battle of line of scrimmage
  • The Steelers corners had difficulty covering the Raven’s receivers
  • The Steelers reverted to their early season form, committing all sorts of costly penalties

At the end of the day, on this night at Heinz Field, the Baltimore Ravens simply played a better game, and were a better team.

None of that should detract from what this team has accomplished under Mike Tomlin during 2014. This is a young team that found its identity down the stretch. And if they came up short in the playoffs, there are now 30 some players who never wiffed post-season football, including the likes of David DeCastro, Martavis Bryant, Markus Wheaton, Stephon Tuitt, and Kelven Beachum, who now know what it is like to buckle the chinstrap in a game that is for all of the marbles.

Yes, this playoff loss to the Ravens was a disappointment. And as it is probably the final game for Ike Taylor, Troy Polamalu, and also perhaps James Harrison and Brett Keisel, its a sad way to end.

But the 2014 Steelers have no need to hang their heads in shame. They returned the franchise to the post-season after twin 8-8 seasons and, hopefully, in the process learned some valuable lessons which they can build on.

Its now 2:14 here in Buenos Aires. Thanks to Carlos, Carlos, Claudio and Sergio who came out to Sugar to join Gustavo and I for the game at Sugar in Buenos Aires. Steel Curtain Rising will have a full analysis later tomorrow.

Until then we ask everyone in Steelers Nation to join us in saluting the 2014 Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Watch Steelers vs Ravens in Buenos Aires

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The Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club of Buenos Aires is calling on all of the Black and Gold faithful in the porteño capital to join us to watch the Steelers-Ravens game at the bar Sugar, in Palermo.

Mind you, this is an informal gathering, but Sugar is the top expat bar in the city, and regularly shows NFL games. It will also give you a chance to meet El Dr. de Acero, the master behind this site’s Spanish articles, making Steel Curtain Rising the only bilingual blog in Steelers Nation.

Consider the Steelers track record when El Dr. de Acero and yours truly see games together:

That’s 5-3. Not a perfect record, but we’ll take it. Be part of the trend. Join us at Sugar (Costa Rica 4619) to watch the third Steelers-Ravens match up at Heinz Field during the Mike Tomlin era.

Go Steelers!

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Mira Steelers Contra Ravens en Buenos Aires Con Fanaticos del Negro y Oro

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Queridos amigos de la Nación Steeler.

 

Contra todos los pronósticos de mediados de temporada, los Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5) han ingresado por derecho propio y con autoridad a la postemporada y mañana, en la noche de Buenos Aires, recibirán en Heinz Field a los eternos rivales de división, los Baltimore Ravens (10-6)

  • Los Acereros llevan ventaja histórica de 15-7 (3-0 en postemporada).

En los juegos disputados este año hubo una victoria para cada equipo. Sin embargo, el último encuentro disputado en Pittsburgh, el QB Ben Roethlisberger ingresó al libro de records al lanzar por segundo juego consecutivo, 6 pases de TD y alzarse con la victoria por 43 a 23, tomando revancha del primer encuentro en Baltimore en donde estos se impusieron por 26 a 6.

  • La intensidad será invitada de honor a esta noche.
  • Intensidad en las tribunas y en el campo de juego.
  • E intensidad en cualquier lugar del planeta en donde se reúnan al menos 2 fanáticos de los Steelers para acompañar a su equipo.

Allí donde ondeen las Terribles Toallas Amarillas.

Buenos Aires no podría ser la excepción. Aquí también ondearán la Toallas Amarillas. El punto de reunión será el Sugar Bar, en Costa Rica 4619, en el Barrio de Palermo.

Allí los esperamos un rato antes del partido.

Go Steelers!

El Dr. De Acero

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Super Bowl XLVIII: Loss for Chuck Noll Coaching Tree, Victory for “Steelers Football”

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Well Super Bowl XLVIII didn’t quite end the way Steelers Nation wanted, not that the faithful had an overriding rooting interest in the outcome. Still John Fox, as a representative of the Chuck Noll Coaching Tree, had a chance to add to the Tree’s Lombardi count and came up very short as Peyton Manning pulled a…. Peyton Manning.

As it stands, the Chuck Noll Coaching Tree’s Lombardi count remains at 6, counting Chuck Noll’s 4, Tony Dungy’s 1 and Mike Tomlin’s 1. 6 Lombardi’s is nothing to sneeze at, but it would have been nice to see Fox pad the total with a 7th, if for no other reason that Fox and Tomlin the only one’s left to continue the Emperor’s legacy.

Unfortunately, Fox’s team look woefully unprepared, as pointed out by Behind the Steel Curtain editor Neal Coolong. Adding insult to injury was the Hall of Fame Selection committee’s decision to black ball Jerome Bettis.

Still, all was not lost.

Seattle Wins Playing Steelers Football

Steelers Nation can take heart in a moral victory of sorts. Defense has always provided the foundation for the Pittsburgh Steelers greatness. Yet, the NFL today is all about offense. The old adage that “Offense wins games, defense wins championships” has been replaced by new conventional wisdom that “Perfect offense defeats perfect defense.”

  • Except in this case Seattle’s defense was far more perfect that Denver’s supposedly unstoppable offensive juggernaut 

And the running game, another staple of Steelers football, also played large in Seattle’s title run.

Of course once Steelers Nation finishes patting itself on the back for this “moral victory” (should they choose to do so – few other Steelers outlets are pedaling this line) there then comes a sobering reality:

  • Seattle’s defense is far more potent than the Steelers defense is now, or is likely to be in the near future. Le’Veon Bell, however is closer to reviving the Steelers running game.

If there is a bright side, it is that Seattle built it defense quickly. Does it seem like it can only be three seasons ago that the Steelers shut out Seattle in their rebound for the Debacle in Baltimore? No it doesn’t. But three seasons it is.

All the more reason for Kevin Colbert and company to make this draft count while Ben Roethlisberger‘s championship viability remains.

Excuse Making to Stop?

Seattle’s victory in Super Bowl XLVIII brings another potential plus to Steelers Nation. It perhaps opens the door to the possibility that the incessant and annoying excuse making for Super Bowl XL might stop.

The Steelers won Super Bowl XL fair and square bringing Jerome Bettis “home” in the process and perhaps now that they have their own Lombardi to shine, Seattle fans will accept that fact and move on.

Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club of Buenos Aires Predicts Super Bowl, Outcome

As we close the page on the NFL’s 2013 Season it is only fair to recognize who got it right, from the very get go. And he happens to be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers Fan Club of Buenos Aires.

Carlos Montaldo is an Argentine in his 40’s who speaks little English and has never been to Pittsburgh. He’s also a Steelers fan (and an upstairs neighbor.) And he LOVES football (the real kind, not futbol).

Very early in the season, he predicted that the Super Bowl would come down to Denver and Seattle. He stuck to it all year long. And when everyone and his brother was predicting a Denver victory, Carlos called it for the Seahawks – and backed it up with 100 dollars (and that is no small expression of confidence, if you know how precious dollars are in Argentina.)

Kudos to you Carlos!

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Watch Tower: Can Cowher Counter Balance Phil Simms’ Anti-Steelers Bias?

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NFL week 6 brings the Pittsburgh Steelers at the New York Jets and a decision by CBS gives the Watch Tower a chance to shift its focus from “print” to broadcast journalism.

The Chin to Commentate on Steelers-Jets Game

The news of course is the announcement that former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher will join Jim Nance and Phil Simms in the booth to call the game, adding intrigue for a number of reasons.

Bill Cowher once mentioned that he did not know how preceded Chuck Noll as coach of the Steelers. That man was none other than Bill Austin, and ironically at 0-4 the Steelers are amidst their worst start since Austin’s final year in 1968.

  • But that’s not CBS’ real motive here.

CBS is taking an unprecedented step in sending out his studio team to cover their respective former teams, meaning that Boomer Esiason will do the Cincinnati-Buffalo game while Shannon Sharpe returns to Denver to commentate on what promises to be the NFL’s version of the Hunger Games – Denver vs. Jacksonville.

Its an interesting broadcast concept, although one my fairly ask why not ask Dan Marino to do Miami’s game.

Steelers Nation’s Golden Lining? Can the Chin Compensate?

For Steelers Nation the prospect of Cowher joining the Nance and Simms in the booth perhaps offers a golden lining. Bill Cowher has pledged to call the game, which speaks well of him.

And Steelers Nation needs no homers. But with that said, Steelers fans undoubtedly have one hope:

  • Can Cowher compensate for Phil Simms’ anti-Steelers bias?

For the record, the Watch Tower liked Phil Simms as a player, and respects him as an analyst (his comment “What is this, World Cup soccer?” after an extremely “ticky tacky” roughing the passer  was golden.)

  • But Phil Simms has an anti-Steelers bias, plain and simple.

Steelers Nation has long complained about this, but the Watch Tower can prove it!

As regular readers know, Steel Curtain Rising is written out of Buenos Aires, Argentina. And yours truly is married to a beautiful Argentine woman. My wife accepts and sometimes even enjoys (although its hard to get her to admit it) watching Steelers games with me.

But being Argentine, she knows nothing of Phil Simms alleged “Anti-Steelers bias.” Moreover, she most certainly doesn’t even know the name “Phil Simms” nor does she recognize his voice or face.

  • Yet every time Phil Simms does a Steelers game – without fail – at some point she’ll ask “Is it me, or is this guy favoring the other team?”

This isn’t scientific proof, but its as close as you’re going to get. An unknowing, neutral observer has repeatedly picked up on Simms bias against the Steelers. (Although to be certain, Simm’s anti-Steelers bias is nothing compared to the anti-Steelers bias that Cris Collinsworth barely attempted to hide while at NBC.)

Hearing Bill Cowher commentate a Steelers game should be interesting. It says here that if the Steelers:

  • Force Ben Roethlisberger to run for his life
  • Miss tackles
  • Get burned on long completions
  • Cough up the ball
  • Let Geno Smith write his diary in the pocket
  • Fail to produce turnovers

Then Bill Cowher should call them out for each and every one of those failings.

But when Simms decides bend over backwards in his praise of how the Jets have managed to fill the position for the back up place kicker holder position while criticizing the Steelers practice squad decision choices, hopefully the Chin will perk up and defend the Black and Gold’s honor.

Thanks for visiting. To read more analysis of the media that cover the Steelers, click here to read more from Steel Curtain Rising’s Watch Tower.

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