With the start of the 2012 NFL season still 104 days away, the Pittsburgh Steelers are hard at work during OTA sessions. The Steelers are still in shock from last year’s early exit from the playoffs are looking to bounce back this season. Ironically, starting things off with a little revenge on the team responsible for their early exit, the Denver Broncos.
Fans still cringe at the thought of that shocking overtime defeat handed to them by Tim Tebow and the Broncos, with the sight of Demetrius Thomas breaking away from cornerback Ike Taylor and safety Ryan Mundy for the 80-yard game winning touchdown etched into their minds. Although Denver has since moved on from the unconventional ways of Tim Tebow, to future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, who was released earlier in the year by the Indianapolis Colts. The sting from last year’s overtime defeat still lingers amongst players.
Pittsburgh still holds a certain level of disdain for that loss, many feel that they loss to a mediocre team. Many cite that even though Pittsburgh had the better record they had to play at Denver’s Mile High stadium, something giving the Broncos a clear advantage. Cornerback Ike Taylor “It still burns a little, yeah. But, take away that game and look at my season. I had a great season.”
The season wasn’t there best, but it was better than losing to the Broncos in that fashion. Of Course they were without Safety Ryan Clark who cannot play in Denver due to his battle with the disease known as sickle cell, which prevents him from playing due to the high altitudes. “Denver is just Denver. Is what it is!” said Clark when asked how he feels about not being able to help his team and play in Denver. Many would claim that if Ryan Clark could have played the outcome of that overtime play would have been much different.
Pittsburgh has done some house cleaning and remodeling as of late. Key additions would be T Mike Adams and G David DeCastro. They also lost some of their veteran leaders like James Farrior and Hines Ward. “As leaders leave,” linebacker LaMarr Woodley said, “other guys around here become leaders.”
“What gives you motivation is not playing in the Super Bowl, getting eliminated in the first round, losing to a team we had no business losing to,” linebacker Lamar Woodley told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “It’s a team we should have easily beat. That’s motivation, watching teams play the week after us.”
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