I was raised in Northern Indiana, about the same distance in between Detroit's Lions, Chicago's Bears, and Indianapolis's Colts. My mom hailed from Pittsburgh and my Dad from Wisconsin in Packer Country, and my older brother was born in Denver and became a Bronco fan. (My little brother somehow became a Miami Dolphin fan, but no one's quite sure how that happened.)
So anyway, somehow my own loyalty ended up with Chicago--perhaps, if measured by mileage, Soldier Field is the closest from Culver, Indiana--though I flirted with the Indy bandwagon while I went to college about forty minutes northeast of the RCA Dome. And now, I live in Jacksonville.
I say that not to say that my loyalties are confused--they aren't really--but to say that I've been exposed to NFL fans of all different varieties. One of the few disappointing aspects of Jacksonville is that they don't really support their football team all that well, even though their first decade plus has been pretty impressive.
Steelers fans, on the other hand, know a thing or two about being fans. Again and again, Pittsburgh fans are at the top of the discussion about which professional franchise has the most intensely loyal fans. This past Sunday night, they showed why in Jacksonville.
The stadium was littered with those damn terrible towels. Their fans cheered early and often, sometimes eclipsing the home crowd. The atmosphere was electric; a welcome change, really. Jacksonville did strike first with a thrilling 72-yard interception return for a touchdown by DB Rashean Mathis, which whipped the townies into a frenzy and began the back-and-forth chanting that would go on until about the midnight hour, as professionals tried desperately to stick it out, dreading the next morning (I'm ashamed to admit that I was one of the many who bailed at the end of the third quarter in what was a one-point game at the time). Guess Jacksonville teal just still isn't my true color yet.
The Steelers did prevail in the end in a game they deserved to win, doubling up the Jags in first downs and nearly in yardage. Even still, the Jags hung on to a one-point lead past the 2:00 warning in the fourth quarter.
Garrard was solid again, completing 18 of 32 passes for 200 yards, a touchdown, and no interceptions. But the running game was also stagnant again: RB Fred Taylor carried ten times for 19 yards. And on defense, the secondary was shredded again (this time by a much better quarterback), with Mathis's interception being the exception rather than the rule.
Admittedly, the Jags' opening six-game stretch has been brutal, probably even more so than expected. This weekend gets no easier, as the Jags travel to Denver to play a good Broncos team with a hot quarterback. If they can somehow manage a road upset, then they'll be able to regroup on their bye week with a 3-3 record.
But if they lose, it doesn't take a mathematician to figure out the numbers game has definitely begun.
