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Steelers Seek An Edge

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 13, 2009

PITTSBURGH - Tom Brady. Tom Brady. John Elway.

Detect a trend?

No NFL team has lost more conference championship games at home in less time than the Steelers did during the 1994-2004 seasons - four of them in five tries, repeatedly costing them the opportunity to build an addition onto their already spacious Super Bowl trophy case.

The numerous January home-field losses defined former coach Bill Cowher's career for a decade, and left Steelers fans constantly wringing their Terrible Towels amid cries of "Why can't we win a big one here?"

There's something to remember from all those defeats, though: The other team's quarterback generally was pretty good.

And the opposing quarterback Sunday in the Steelers' seventh AFC title game in 15 seasons won't be Brady or Elway, but Baltimore rookie Joe Flacco, who did little in two regular-season games against them.

If any Steelers team of recent vintage appears equipped to cast aside the bad memories all of those January home-field losses, it may be this one - a team that, unlike those of the 1990s, has numerous players who have already won a Super Bowl in black and gold.

"To me this is the Super Bowl," Steelers WR Hines Ward said of the third Ravens-Steelers game in less than four months. "You don't want to have a bad taste in your mouth by losing and watching that team go to the Super Bowl."

READY FOR BRAWL: Think about all the collisions, bruises and trash talk that occurred during the Ravens' rugged playoff game against the Titans.

Now double it.

That's an indication of what to expect when the Ravens face their hated rivals, the Steelers, in Sunday's AFC Championship Game.

"It's two football teams that play a certain brand of football. It's physical football, it's fundamental, it's a very disciplined style of football," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "It's going to be a physical match, just like we had last week. That's the beauty of the NFL."

The Steelers won both of the previous games, 23-20 in overtime and 13-9.

The Associated Press

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