Hmmmm... it seems ludicrous to believe such a thing doesn't it? I mean... it's just a yellow cloth with a little writing on it... isn't it? If it weren't THE "Terrible Towel" you'd probably use it to wipe sweat off of your forehead or to dry some dishes. It's just an ordinary towel... but yet... if you were where I was in the wee hours of the Iraqi morning you may believe differently.
It is true that the Steelers have lost... even in the playoffs... as I've waved Myron Cope's (rest his soul) Terrible Towel through the air. They've even lost one... yes, only ONE Super Bowl... while I've been waving said towel. However, they have won SIX Super Bowls, more than any other team in NFL history. Is it a coincidence that these famed towels have been waving for every one of them... something that started during the Steel Curtain era of the 1970s?
There were, I would imagine, over 50,000 of these towels waving at Heinz Field on a cold and snowy Saturday evening, so what is so special about MINE? If this particular towel indeed possesses the powers of magical proportions, does it not make sense that everyone else's towels are just the same? BUT... then I wouldn't be writing this blog right now because the significance of the whole event wouldn't exist. :)
So... let us start from the beginning... I wake up at 12:20 AM and make my way to the boy's room and then to the coffee shop for a tasty cup of hot tea. I am back in my room in bed with the TV on just before kickoff... and the game begins! Baltimore starts with the ball... and eventually has to punt. The Steelers proceed to drive the length of the field, capping the drive with a 2 yard touchdown run by Rashard Mendenhall. BOOM 7-0! Then something happened... something quite unexpected. Baltimore drove the length of the field to even the score at 7. No worries, right? We'll get it back... it was a good opening drive... even a great one. Ben drops back... he's hit... looks like a harmless incomplete pass... but wait... a Raven defender picks up the ball that was sitting there motionless for over 3 seconds and trots into the end zone. The challenge flag is thrown to no avail as the replay clearly indicates it was a fumble. 14-7 Baltimore... all in a matter of 27 seconds' time! Still... we're ok... it's a one score game... until on the first play of the next drive... Mendenhall fumbles... Ravens ball yet again... and they would make the Steelers pay again. A touchdown from Flacco to Heap makes it 21-7. After a Steelers missed field goal just before halftime the score remains 21-7 at the half.
Let's start the second half... Steelers get the bal first. It's a good opportunity to build some momentum. They move the ball a little bit and stall out rather quickly and have to punt. Following the punt... I get up out of bed... and I grab THE TERRIBLE TOWEL off of the top bunk of my bed! This is where everything changes... Baltimore has the ball... and here we go...
A screen pass to Ray Rice... BOOM... out comes the ball, and the Steelers have it deep in Baltimore territory. It doesn't take long, after a big run by Mendenhall, for Ben to find Heath Miller in the end zone for the score. 21-14. Next Baltimore possession... Flacco looking deep for Heap... finds Ryan Clark instead who returns the interception to the Ravens' 25 yard line! A few plays later... Ben to Hines Ward for the touchdown, and we're tied at 21!!! Baltimore has the ball once more... surely they're going to move it this time and retake the lead. It was the second play of the drive... a mishandled snap from center... Flacco fumbles... Steelers recover leading to a field goal by Shaun Suisham, and they take a 24-21 lead. Oh, but the terrible towel is not done quite yet. After a couple insignificant possessions the Steelers line up to punt from their end zone (the ball was on the 10). Baltimore returns it for a touchdown... what a dagger to the heart... but wait... There's a flag on the play... holding on the Ravens at the Steelers 19 wipes the points off the board. Baltimore is still in business, though, at the Pittsburgh 29. They move it to the 6. It's 3rd and goal. Flacco has his man, Anquan Boldin, he hits him... but the pass is dropped! Baltimore settles for a field goal. We're tied at 24. The Steelers get the ball with about 4 minutes to play. The drive starts out good... but a sack of Roethlisberger for a 9 yard loss leaves them with 3rd down and 19 from their own 45. Ben is going deep... WHAT IS HE THINKING??? Just get the first down!!! It's caught... a perfect strike to the rookie Antonio Brown!!! It's first and goal at the 5! After a few tough runs... Mendenhall caps it with the roughest of all of them... and scores from the 2 yard line on a powerful second effort to give the Steelers a 31-24 lead. The Steelers squib kick the kickoff after a 15 yard penalty, and Baltimore starts at the Pittsburgh 48. The defense stands tall... one incompletion... then a huge sack... it comes down to 4th and 18... this is it... 1:03 to play. If they don't make it the game's over. Flacco has Houshmanzadeh... right in his hands... and he drops it!!! That's it... the game is over!!! The final score is 31-24, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to the AFC Championship game for the 4th time in the last 7 years! :)
Now... do you believe in the power of "THE TERRIBLE TOWEL"???? HERE WE GO STEELERS!!!! One win away from the Super Bowl!!! Happy Sunday everyone!
Peace, Love, and Poker
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