:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/photo_images/8913359/151674605.jpg)
Steelers outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley got short with the media, according to the Post-Gazette, quickly dismissing any suggestions the Steelers may face their first 0-2 start since 2002.
That's certainly a long streak of winning at least one of the team's first two games. Many of those years, they won both of them. Facing a determined Jets team in Week 2 this year, though, is not going to be the same as facing the Tarvaris Jackson-led Seahawks, last year's Week 2 opponent following a loss.
"And we won't be 0-2" he stated, adding "Every week the mindset is to go out there and win a football game, and not start the season off bad. So far we're 0-1, and we'll manage to not go 0-2."
While this story is assured of being labeled as a guarantee of some kind, and it's beyond cliche to point out someone associated with the Jets will suggest they'll win this weekend as well, it's worth noting from a leadership standpoint. It's obvious Woodley has been one of the more outspoken Steelers players over the last few years. He's also been with the team long enough to know the makeup teams that win often have.
Woodley came into the league in 2007, and has not seen a losing season in that time. While only 22 of 184 teams in league history who started 0-2 have made the playoffs, the Steelers are one of those teams.
It was, in fact, the last time they started 0-2. After getting whipped by New England and Oakland to start the year, the Steelers won 10 of their last 14 games, losing three and tying one. They won the first-ever AFC North title.
While none of that means anything, Woodley's words mean a little more. He'll be judged by his actions on the field, which, all things being equal, usually speak for themselves.