Top Ten Reasons Every Steeler Fan Should be Thankful on Thanksgiving

Hey there and a Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours from me and mine. Just a little list I threw together to celebrate the holiday...I had more time on my hands today than Kerry Collins did against Detroit. And that's saying something. 

10. Mike Tomlin

The Steelers have a tradition of great coaches that goes back almost forty years. Of course, they've only had three coaches during that time, as opposed to the Raiders, who went through three coaches last week. Maybe I exaggerated a little, but I think the rest of the league could take a lesson from the Rooney family. Hire a good coach, use the quality players you have, and let him build a team around his system, not the system the last coach used, not the system the GM wants, but the system that you hired him to implement. Al Davis, take notes...

Thanks to the Rooneys for getting right.

9. The Cleveland Browns and the Cincinnati Bengals

There have been many years in the past when these were dreaded foes, and they made the Steeler defense shake in their cleats.

This isn't one of those years. In fact, playing the Bengals this year is more like a bye week. The rivalry between Pittsburgh and the "Ohio Players" has been one of the fiercest in the league for a long time, but it seems as if the Baltimore Ravens have become the biggest thorn in the Steelers' side. I don't think that will last very long, though. One night we'll all go to bed, and when we wake up, the Ravens will have moved to Los Angeles.

Thanks to Ohio for generally stinking up the joint.

8. Michael Vick, Pacman Jones, Terell Owens, Chad Johnson, etc.

Troublemakers just don't make it in Pittsburgh. Anyone remember Bam Morris? How about Eric Green? Both were decent enough players, but their off field actions cast them in a light that the Steeler organization would not tolerate. Be careful, Santonio...

Thanks to all these clowns for entertaining us on and off the field, but even bigger thanks for not doing it in Pittsburgh.

7. Mewelde Moore

Every second stringer is one play away from a starting job. In Mewelde's case, it was two. With both Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall injured, Moore played big when he was needed. If not for him, the Steelers might have found themselves a bit farther down the standings.

Thanks to the second and third stringers for getting it done when no one thought you could.

6. Jared Retkofsky

No more moving furniture for you, my man. Your rare and undervalued talent as a long snapper is earning you a heck of a lot more than twelve bucks an hour.

Thanks to Jared Retkofsky for making sure James Harrison will never have to long snap again.

5. The Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates are a storied baseball franchise dating back over a hundred years, with multiple world titles, a slew of Hall of Famers, and millions of fans. Unfortunately, because MLB refuses to install a salary cap, the small-market Pirates haven't been competitive since Barry Bonds was there, looking more like Arsenio Hall than a babyfaced Kimbo Slice. (It was all weight training and topical ointments! Suuuuure it was.) On the bright side, it leaves us more money for Steeler schwag, because you really only need one shirt and one hat to support a losing team. Who do you know that has a collection of Lions' jerseys? (Rhetorical question...every Lions fan has two jerseys: their favorite player, and Barry Sanders. I think it's Michigan state law.)

Thanks to the MLB Players Association for not understanding simple things, like economics and reality, thus giving everybody but New Yorkers and Red Sox fans more time to follow football.

4. Ben Roethlisberger

Let's do the litany of mediocrity, shall we? Cliff Stout, Mark Malone, Todd Blackledge, Bubby Brister, Neil O'Donnel, Mike Tomzcak, Kordell Stewart, and Tommy Maddox. Those are the QB's that came between Terry Bradshaw and Ben Roethlisberger. Any Steeler fan who stuck with the franchise for all those years deserves a QB like Ben.

Thanks to the team of doctors and surgeons responsible for the reconstruction of Ben's head, Now if only they could fix his offensive line.

3. John Madden

In the end, John Madden will leave an impressive football legacy behind him. He is a Hall of Famer, known for his coaching, announcing, and time as a player. He will, however, be remembered most for the string of video games that bear his name, likeness, and voice.

Thanks to EA Sports, the creator of the Madden football franchise, who will forever be responsible for making sure the wit and wisdom of John Madden will far outlive the man himself, including gems like "Ninety percent of football is half mental." Wow.

2. ESPN

For those of us who live in non-Steeler intensive parts of the world, i.e. the panhandle of Florida, ESPN has long been the best (and sometimes only) source of Steeler Nation Information. The internet may have changed that somewhat, but it will never have the appeal of Stewart Scott, Chris Berman, and company. It is because of ESPN and Sportscenter that people like myself have the oppurtunity to write our little nuggets of wisdom and have them read by people all over the country.

Thanks for Sportscenter, which you cannot stop, you can only hope to contain.

1. The city of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh is a rarity among NFL cities: it travels well. It doesn't matter where the Steelers play, they are always well represented by the ir fans. Arizona? Sea of Terrible Towels. Dallas? A lot of hardhats among those cowboy hats. Houston? Not really fair....Pittsburgh has more players than the Texans have fans. And Steeler fans are loyal (see #4). In the eighty-odd years of the franchise, the city and the fans have left an indelible impression on their team. Hardworking, blue-collar, and loyal, the team reflects iit's fans.

Thanks to the fans, who are an integral part of the Steeler family, without whom the franchise may have relocated to Oklahoma City by now.

Well, there you have it. Many happy Leftovers! Enjoy!