Just so my millions of readers know, I'm going away for the weekend, so there will be no posts until Sunday at the earliest. Try to get through the weekend without my wisdom, I know it'll be hard.
With the Steelers Super Bowl bound, I figured they deserved their own post. This is another theory I’ve been working on for a while now, and I think this is a great time to bring it up.
Success always breeds imitation in sports. Because of this, it’s a wonder why more teams haven’t tried to copy two of the most successful franchises in NFL history, two franchises that are so similar, sometimes it seems the only difference between them may be their colours and the conferences. I’m talking about Big Blue and the Steel Curtain, the Big Apple and Steel City, the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
These two teams have been two of the most successful, classy, and well run organizations in the history of the NFL. The Steelers have had more success as of late, winning six Super Bowls in the modern era, with a possible seventh on the way, compared to three by the Giants. However, in terms of historical success, the gap is closed quite quickly, as the Giants have won four NFL Championships (pre Super Bowl era), putting the final Championship count at 7-6 Giants.
When we look at the similarities between these two franchises, however, it’s not all about statistics. The runnings of these franchises, as well as their ideologies on and off the field, are nearly identical. Both franchises have been owned by the same family since their creation, with the Mara Family owning the Giants since 1925 and the Rooney family having control over the Steelers (who were originally known as the Pirates) since 1933. Both teams are tightly run within these two families, and the families are known as the classiest in the league.
The similarities don’t end here. When you think of either of these teams from a football standpoint, there is one main thing that comes to mind; tenacious, smash mouth defence. Whether it’s Lawrence Taylor barrelling around left tackle or Mean Joe Greene and Jack Ham stuffing a runner in the backfield, the Giants and Steelers are known for defence. The new generation of defensive players hasn’t disappointed either, with Troy Polamalu and Michael Strahan leading the way.
Comparing these two teams is like really like splitting hairs. The Giants have a .540 all time winning percentage, the Steelers’ is .520. The Steelers have 18 Hall of Famers, the Giants have 15. Six defensive player of the year award winners for the Steelers, four for the Giants. They can’t even pick different rivals, with both teams’ main rivals, The Eagles and Ravens, being from the bird family. Like I said, splitting hairs.
When you take in all these factors, it almost seems as though Dan Rooney and Paul Mara meet at their very own NFL owners’ book club, brainstorming ideas to make their respective teams better. Based on the success these two teams have had, it makes you wonder why more teams haven’t joined the club.
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