Do we fear The Jungle? Do we walk into the den of the sleeping lion, waiting anxiously for it to awake?
No, any jungle is Our Jungle. Nothing could sleep knowing the Steelers are coming. Not with half the crowd waving our Towels. Not with a rookie quarterback under center. It's time to put this upstart threat back where it belongs. One last time before a week off, we must again prove why we are at the top of the AFC food chain. The Cup of Us Against The World has been refilled and everyone's drinking from it. Today, we put the kiddies to bed and get violent.
- Confidence was not shaken after an extremely difficult loss to Hated Baltimore.
- All that happened this week, the fines, lack of recognition, crowning our adversaries, will only serve to anger the real power in the AFC North.
- The Steelers defensive leader, James Farrior, returns at a perfect time.
- Dick Lebeau was slapped in the face all week. Andy Dalton's gonna be the one to pay for it. There's a reason, since his return in 2004, no rookie has beaten Dick Lebeau's defense in a legitimate game (Pittsburgh rests its starters when Baltimore beat it in Week 17 of 2007).
- Expect a tight defensive battle. You may notice a faint scent in the air...sort of smells like...a Steelers interception. A few of them.
Who Wants It?
Brother Ben, this is your game. You're gonna lean on your defense, but you're sick of some recent performances against this team, especially in their house. You're en fuego right now, and you know with time and patience, you can make the plays you need to make.
Three straight games of 300+ yards, smart decisions, Antonio Brown short, Mike Wallace long and dashes of Heath Miller have cooked up some great offensive football the last few weeks. The Church sees no reason why this slows down for Brother Ben today.
Song Of Choice
This week, the Song of Choice will not be described as if it's a bottle of wine, as one reader rightly pointed out last week. The Church doesn't drink wine, therefore, could not describe the experience of drinking it.
Instead, we're cranking "Bleed It Out" by Linkin Park. A tremendous stand-up-and-yell song that mixes with several genres, making it one of the more popular songs of the past few years.
Up-tempo is how The Church likes it. Shoutability. A song that even gets the Church Dog fired up. The first few simple notes are musical invitations to start yelling, like an undiscovered team introduction song.
"here we go for the hundreth time/hand grenade pins in every line/throw 'em up and let shine/goin' out of my <bleep>ing mind."
Benediction
- May the lendendary Coach Lebeau answer his critics the way he usually does; by completely dismantling an opposing offense.
- May Brother Lawrence Timmons flow to the ball and wreak havoc, whether starting inside or outside.
- May Brother Hines' return to the field inspire those around him, and intimidate defenses that saw him put a once-prized draft pick on the ground.
- May Brother James Harrison outlast the talented Andrew Whitworth in a battle of the season kind of match-up.
- May we ride into our late bye week with a thunderous victory.