Do you really think James Harrison is lacking effort? That guy is always around the ball and running as hard as he can.

HERE WE GO STEELERS HERE WE GO!!

Hey Franz, you might want to jump to another bandwagon. If you have purchased any Harrison jerseys or have a terrible towel, give them to someone more deserving.

I assume you are a diehard fan, so I wont trash you.

But this isnt a serious post. They always deserve our support. This team won 15 in a row when I was dying in a hospital room. I survived something after people had given up hope for me. They didnt quit. I wont quit.

Fun story about that. Brett Keisel wrote me a card when I was in the hospital (my cousin told him about my story) and he signed an autograph. Brett was still a backup at the time, but he was one of my favorite players. He had a motor, and I believed given the chance he would be a huge stud. I met him a couple years ago at training camp and told him who I was, just wishing to thank him for what he did for me. He remembered writing the letter, years later, and grabbed me in a big bear hug, crushing me (Im 6’4", 265). If we give up on them, shame on us.

Go Steelers!

ps Jeff Reed’s sister is really cool and down to earth. If he ever decides to punch another bathroom up, she could be our kicker (apparently according to him and her, she used to kick his ass at field goal competitions).

They’re not gonna lose it just because of a temporary slide.

and i wore my Steeler jersey to work the next day. This guy said to me, “Aren’t you embarrassed to wear that shirt?” ( i live in VA) I said, “Are you kidding me? I’m very proud of my team and i support them no matter what!! They need it and deserve it now most of all!!!” I will never stop supporting my team. Whoever wrote this article is a bandwagon fan.

I only like the steelers cuz they won the SB….

But, I dont agree that Timmons quit..sure, he makes mistakes but, he is in his first year as a starter…and kemo and starks have been ok..sure, kemo makes mental errors, but they all do!

Heck if I was a fan when we lost the AFC title game to the Chargers, watched Kordell get washed up and “embraced” Tommy Maddox as our QB, then I think I have earned dawning the Black and Gold

A proud fan since 1992, I was 8 then, my uncle was a major 49niners fan and he’d watch games on Sunday. One day I sat with him loved the American Football right away, he gave me the ins and outs of the sport (from what I could comprehend at that age) and being from the Carribean the closest team was the Dolphins, but, being 8 and all, I just liked the Steelers colors, the uniforms etc. So I decided to stick with them.

Jump to 1995, by now I understood the sport well and became a major fan! Was lucky to see them make the SB in 1996, and stayed a true fan for 10 years when they won it in 2006! It’s been a long time coming!!!

Just got to question why someone would even think about giving up on the team. Why wouldn’t you support them? This maybe condesending, but to consider giving up on the team is ludacris, true fans do not do that. How many times have we gone through a crappy week only to watch the Steeler’s come out and pick our spirits up with a victory. I can only wish I lived close enough to Pittsburgh to go to one of their remaining games and cheer away. We already got a story from a poster about getting a lift when he was hospitalized from the Steeler’s and I am sure there are many more out there.

Yes, some of the players may have seemed to give up, but we don’t on them. There are more players still working their asses off to win games than we see players giving up. To address your Starks and Kemo comments. I think we we’ll be very happy by signing them. Kemo is one of the best pulling guards in the league already and it is his second or third year starting. Look at how many games Starks has shut down the oppossing rusher, Allen, Dumervill, Odom to name a few. To say the O-Line is pathetic as some people have said is crazy. They have played very well with the exception of a few games. Giants were said to have the best O-Line coming into the year and they got rocked a few games.

Gonna say if you want to give up give up, but don’t call yourself a fan. True fans stick with the team through thick and thin no matter what.

There’s a team in Cincinnati that could use your support. You fit their fan profile just fine.

is that this question just doesn’t need to be asked. Of course those men deserve our continued support. The other stuff about men giving up is so much clap trap that it is ludicrous.

If you are then you have a right to not support them. After all, that would mean you always get it right. That would mean you are always mentally and physically capable to achieve 100% of your ability. That would mean you aren’t human. If you are human you need to make up your mind and support your team or become something that Steeler Nation doesn’t like….a bandwagon, sunny day follower. If that is what you are then you don’t get to be called a fan. There aren’t too many people that know exactly what is going on in the locker room and in the heads of the players and coaches. All I know is MY team is not doing well, but I don’t just drop them because of that.

This is in no way pointing a finger because that would put another twist in the irony of this comment, but I am saying “are you in or out?”

If you are not a fan of the Steelers then no they don’t deserve your support.

If you are a fan of the Steelers then yes they deserver your support.

I think it’s rather simple.

To be clear, I am a Steelers fan since my birth in the city of Pittsburgh. I will never root for another NFL team. I attended games in old Three Rivers Stadium in the 70s and watched the Steelers win their first 4 SuperBowls after the team was horrible for many years. I’m a football guy, have coached for 25 years and have great passion for the game.

My point was this – the Steelers are testing my passion as a fan. The term ‘Fan’ stems from the word Fanatic. A Fanatic makes total effort toward his goal. As Mechem expressed above – the effort level of the players recently has been shocking. How can the fans be more passionate about the game than the players themselves? I’m not condemning all of the players, but enough of them are playing poorly enough to make the whole look really bad.

Hines Ward sat on the bench and cried after the Cleveland game. I don’t think his tears are in response to losing per se. He sees that his team is not the same team as just one season ago. There is something missing. I don’t say this with any pleasure. The Steelers do not look like the Steelers I have watched my entire life. I hope they turn it around. Roster changes were going to be needed anyway. Now, it looks like more changes are needed than we ever thought.

You deserve their best effort. When they give that effort, they deserve all of our support and affection. I’m just not seeing it right now.

… When I saw Hines, without a smile (and at times actually upset and scowling). I can honestly say, whether he drops a pass, misses a block, looses the battle to a CB or runs a poor route… he always smiles at least a “My Bad”/“Guess You Saw That”/“You Caught Me There” big wide grin – - then he gives it 150% on the next play (and usually makes an unbelievable catch or a block that makes Troy say, “Glad that wasn’t me he hit”). I’m sure that really eases tension and helps pick-up the O-Team spirit. When Hines lost that, you know things are in the pooper. Did anyone notice he was looking to the sidelines a lot during that scowling?

GIVE UP ON THE BLACK & GOLD… HELL NO !!
GIVE UP ON THE CONFUSED & UNDIRECTED OR UNPROVEN… HELL NO !!
Give up on some lazy, phone-it-in, ’where’s my next contract’ players (and coaches)… damn right !!!
My message to those guys is simple, “Walk south into the Ohio River until your helmet floats”.
There’s a lot more guys (maybe girls too) out there like Harrison was, if given a chance, who would be proud to wear the Black & Gold and earn the right to do so.

WE OWE IT TO THE HERITAGE, THE PAST AND PRESENT HARD-WORKING PLAYERS, THE ROONEY FAMILY, THE CITY, THE CURRENT STEELER NATION AND THE PAST STEELER NATION ROOTING FROM THE CLOUDS TO ALWAYS WAVE THE TOWEL WITH A ‘HINES-LIKE’ SMILE :)

Nope, can’t do that! I have been a fan for far too long! I’ve worn my jersey or t-shirt or coat after bad games and bad seasons and heard all the comments that make me want to snap on bandwagon fans. I’ve sat in my living room and yelled at the television like the players were actually going to hear me. I’ve jumped for joy after great games and ignored phone calls after bad ones. It’s all just part of being a true fan. Yes, in my house my son is jokingly grounded after any loss. Yes, when we’ve had bad games and my husband or I has said "hmmm maybe I’ll just rout for the * " there have been jokes about divorcing the “bandwagon” fan. Its just the normal progression of the fans when they truly support their team. However, the sun sets and then rises again, and we are right back in our Steelers clothes…getting ready for the day in our bathroom decorated in Steelers fashion…preparing to answer all the comments coming with the standard responses after a bad game/season. So, that’s just how it goes. I agree with hollywood…I can’t wait to see the smile return to the face of Ward. Good day or bad day that smile makes my day! Welcom back Franz! Glad you stretched your legs and sat back down. We all need to do that sometimes.