Born a Pittsburgh Steelers Fan 2010s
This is the final installment in the “Born a Pittsburgh Steelers Fan” series. This is “Born a Pittsburgh Steelers Fan 2010s.”
Suspended
The 2010s got off to a rocky start. Ben Roethlisberger was accused of two sexual assault incidents. Subsequently, he was suspended by the NFL for the first six games of the 2010 season. The suspension was reduced to four games after a behavioral analysis and good behavior.
Backup quarterbacks Charlie Batch and Dennis Dixon held down the fort until Roethlisberger returned. When Ben returned, you could see that he was super motivated by the suspension. And, that would be good news for us fans!
At Least We Got There
The Steelers made it to Super Bowl XLV in 2010 to play against the Green Bay Packers. This was two of the most storied franchises in the NFL going head to head. The Steelers trailed the entire game, but they were clawing their way back into the game. Then, Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall fumbled the ball and the Packers converted it into a touchdown to ice the game.
Mendenhall was criticized by the press and the fans. I don’t think he ever recovered from it. His career nosedived and he retired early.
The Tractor
Brett Keisel was a huge defensive lineman for the Steelers. He was nicknamed “The Beard” because he had a long red beard. Kiesel looked like the Duck Dynasty guys. In 2012, he showed up at training camp driving a tractor. He drove a one hour commute on it. When asked, he said that it reminded of him of his childhood in Wyoming, where he worked on a farm. He continued, “Hard work pays off. You have to deal with adversity.” It was a little outlandish, but it drove home a good message for the younger players.
Another Fine Haul
In the 2010 draft, the Steelers hit it out of the park. They drafted center Maurkice Pouncey in the fist round, linebacker Jason Worilds in the second round, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders in the third round and wide receiver Antonio Brown in the sixth round. Pouncey is a likely Hall of Fame candidate. Worilds was a very solid linebacker when he retired from football to be a minister. Sanders and Brown joined wide receiver Mike Wallace as one of the finest group of young receivers in the league. They called themselves the “Young money crew.”
Building Blocks
The Steelers were gathering building blocks through the draft each year. In 2011, they drafted defensive end Cameron Heyward. Then, in 2012, they drafted offensive lineman David DeCastro. In 2013, they drafted running back Le’Veon Bell.
2014 saw another haul of young talent acquired through the draft. They picked linebacker Ryan Shazier, defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt and wide receiver Martavis Bryant.
In 2017, the Steelers picked linebacker T.J. Watt and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
They added quarterback Mason Rudolph in 2018 and traded up to select linebacker Devin Bush in 2019.
Bumble Bees
A new fad erupted in the NFL in the 2010s where a team could wear a throwback uniform one game a year. The Steelers picked the uniforms worn by the 1934 Pittsburgh Pirates football team. The players looked like “jailbirds.” They were an ugly, mustardy yellow with black stripes. The shirts had horizontal stripes. They came to be known as the bumblebee uniforms.
And, just so you know NFL commissioner and owners, I know this was a gimmick to sell more merchandising. I didn’t fall for it.
Bell and His Buddy
The Steelers signed running back LeGarrette Blount in 2014. He had a history of being a “head case” since his college days. This did not have a good effect on Le’Veon Bell. Blount, Bell and a female passenger decided to take a cruise while smoking pot. They were pulled over by an officer, who found a 20 gram bag of marijuana in the car. Blount and Bell were arrested for marijuana possession and Bell got a DUI. This tainted Bell’s reputation as a Steeler.
The Saddest Thing I Ever Saw
The Steelers were playing the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football on December 4, 2017. On a routine play, Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier lowered his head to make a tackle. But, he didn’t get up. He was motionless on the ground for what seemed like an eternity. I don’t think I breathed until after he was taken out on a stretcher.
He sustained a spinal contusion, and he had to have spinal stabilization surgery. He had to learn to walk again. His recovery was slow, but he vowed he would play football again. He kept us fans updated on his recovery including a video of him jumping up onto a table.
But, it wouldn’t be. Shazier retired from football in 2020. I know football can be dangerous. But, it’s so sobering when something like this happens. He was another amazing Steelers linebacker who might have made the Hall of Fame. But, his career was cut short. I will always be a fan of Shazier. He was a nice guy that didn’t deserve this.
Is This Real?
Wide receiver Antonio Brown achieved the dumbest NFL record I ever heard about. He caught at least five passes for at least 50 yards in 34 consecutive games. Week in and week out, I listened to the announcers talk about it. And, I read about it in the sports pages. And, I got sick of it!
I don’t believe this is a “real” record. I think it was made up to add excitement to games and give people something to talk about and write about. Just call me a conspiracy theorist.
Bye Dan
On April 13, 2017, Steelers owner Dan Rooney died at the age of 84. He had assumed primary ownership after his father, Art Rooney, died. This was another sad day for the players and fans. Like his father, Dan Rooney was beloved by the players and respected by the other owners. He even introduced the “Rooney Rule” to promote African American coaching hires across the league. During the Obama administration, he served as Ambassador to Ireland. His son, Art Rooney II, assumed ownership of the team.
Cracks in the Foundation
2018 brought a lot of attention to the Steelers. But, not the kind they wanted. Le’Veon Bell refused to sign his franchise tag, and sat out the entire season. Ben Roethlisberger was called out for calling out his teammates in the media. Ben made headlines again because of his reaction (or lack of a reaction) to the Steelers drafting quarterback Mason Rudolph.
Wide receiver Antonio Brown threw furniture out of his apartment window. Then, Brown threw tantrums on the sidelines during games, even getting into a heated argument with Offensive Coordinator Randy Fichtner. And then, Brown was cited for speeding over 100 miles per hour on a suburban highway. He got into an argument with Ben Roethlisberger at a practice and threw a football at him. Then, he stormed out of the facility.
When the team voted for JuJu Smith-Schuster as the team’s Most Valuable Player, Brown couldn’t handle it. He asked for a trade, and he attacked JuJu on social media.
Here’s my knock on Mike Tomlin. He needed to get this stuff under control. As soon as he saw something spinning out of control. it is his responsibility to take action. They should have traded Bell, and Brown should have been suspended for the season.
Minkah
In 2019, the Steelers made a trade with the Miami Dolphins to acquire safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. It will likely be one of the best trades in Steelers history since the Jerome Bettis trade. We finally got a playmaker like Troy Polamalu in the defensive backfield. Minkah is smart and has the tools to be a Hall of Famer in the future.
The Hit, But Not What You Think
On November 14, 2019, the Steelers played the Cleveland Browns. Defensive lineman Myles Garrett of the Browns got into a scuffle with Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph after a pass attempt. During the scuffle, Rudolph’s helmet was pulled off by Garrett. Then, Garrett swung the helmet and hit Rudolph in his unprotected head.
Center Maurkice Pouncey went after Garrett and they ended up rolling on the turf. This is why I love Maurkice Pouncey. Garrett tried to deflect responsibility by saying that Rudolph called him a derogatory name, but there is no way that ever would have happened. Garrett is a bum!
Bad Decision
On September 24, 2017, the Steelers were going to play the Chicago Bears. Colin Kaepernick, a quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, started a trend in the NFL where he would kneel down on one knee during the National Anthem to protest police brutality toward black people. In response, President Trump angered the NFL players by tweeting that those players who disrespected our flag and our military should be fired. And, this angered the players.
When I got home from church that Sunday, my sister-in-law called me and asked me if I saw the Steelers were not coming out of the locker room for the National Anthem. I literally said, “What are you talking about? That would never happen!” So, after I hung up, I turned on the television to see if it was true.
Sure enough, they showed it. And, I was the most disappointed with the Steelers as I ever was. And, I was ashamed of them. I always believed they were the class of the NFL and did what was right.
I didn’t watch that game. Instead, I went shopping with my wife. And, I stayed away from them for several weeks until Maurkice Pouncey manned up and apologized for it. I even wrote a letter to team owner Art Rooney II to express my displeasure. Of course, I never heard back.
The Army Ranger
Interestingly, this made national news because the team screwed up. Army veteran and offensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva was shown at the opening of the tunnel standing for the anthem with his hand over his heart. He was vilified by the team, and forced to issue a public apology. But, he was a hero to many fans, and his jersey sales skyrocketed.
Steelers fans posted videos burning their Steelers player jerseys, and many vowed to stop being fans. I’m sure they lost some fans permanently that day. It was probably the stupidest decision in franchise history.
