PSR Showdown
What Is The Mind-Set Heading Into Next Steelers' Season?

Fans Ready For More
By Rob Cochran
#1 Cochran

I remember watching an August 2004 edition of the #1 Cochran Sports Showdown when the question arose, "What will the Steelers' record be in 2004?" The consensus, at that point, fell somewhere between 6-10 and 9-7.

So, as the Steelers begin preperations for the 2005 season, it is difficult not to have a lot of very good feelings about the '04 version.

Certainly, the New England loss was a bitter pill. They didn't play well. They lost another championship game. Again. To New England. These are all things that get inside all Steelers' fans and gnaw away.

The larger story, though, is a team that went 15-1 with a rookie quarterback. When they lost to the Ravens in week two and Tommy Maddox went down, most of the radio talk shows had them finishing the season at a less than .500 clip.

There were many sub-plots to the team. It started in a hurricane in Florida. They had a great defense. A great running game with an unselfish, rejuvenated future hall of famer. They had a dominant offensive line. A great receiving corps. Good kickers. And, oh yeah, Ben did pretty well also. They had some great games (New England and Philadelphia) and some games they won "ugly." But, they won, and in doing so, created an energy not experienced here in quite a while.

In the end, the championship loss hurt. The fact that it was their fourth such loss in about 10 years made it worse. Against the Patriots, worse yet. But, in no way should one loss drown out the magic of those 14 straight regular season wins. Quite probably, we will never see such a streak again.

Above it all, it will bring us back as fans. The promise of tomorrow begins in another three months or so. The quest for the Super Bowl. Maybe this is the year they step up another notch; maybe they fall back Ð who knows? That's why they play the games. And, that's why we are fans. Go Steelers.

Rob Cochran is Chairman, President, and C.E.O. of #1 Cochran, Inc.

All Eyes On Big Ben
By Tony DeFazio
Pittsburgh Sports Report

We all know Ben Roethlisberger had a season for the ages. Rookie of the year, the winning streak, the fourth-quarter comebacks, Letterman, Chunky Soup ads...

So it'll be interesting to see what happens this coming season. Not on the field, he's already given us a good idea about what he's capable of. No, what's interesting will be how Big Ben, and the Steeler Nation, reacts to his time in the spotlight.

He gave fans some reason for concern with a mini-saga that played out the week following his three-interception performance in the AFC Championship loss. Afterward, he revealed that he had played on "broken toes."

Things turned odd the next day, when Bill Cowher took exception to his quarterback's toe-comments, saying #7 "does not have broken toes."

A few days later, Roethlisberger said he played most of the season on broken toes.

Shortly before the Super Bowl, Hines Ward was asked by ESPN's Dan Patrick if Roethlisberger's comments were his way of "looking for something" as an excuse. Ward said only, "I sure hope not."

But then it ended. Just like that.

It was almost as if no one, fans or media, wanted to talk about it.

A decade ago, Steelers' fans were quick to blame Neil O'Donnell after he had a similarly bad Super Bowl. They felt O'Donnell didn't take enough of the blame for the loss. O'Donnell did take responsibility for the first of Larry Brown's two interceptions, saying it was "on me." As for the second, rather than blame receiver Andre Hastings, who ran down the field blissfully unaware of the blitzing Dallas defense, O'Donnell said, "We win as a team, we lose as a team."

After his ugly playoff loss, Roethlisberger talked about broken toes. Toes that his coach said weren't broken.

While O'Donnell was scorned immediately afterward, Roethlisberger's comments were ignored. Disregarded by fans and largely overlooked by the media.

Seems Ben has, deservedly so, earned some slack.

Let's just hope he doesn't hang himself with it. We've seen that too many times in this town.