{mosimage}Baseball is unquestionably America's pastime, it is the game which thoroughly and directly symbolizes the life we have and the life we live. Football however is truly America's passion because of the emotions evoked, and the inspired passion so uniquely revealed by the National Football Leagues late blooming champions.

At the onset of the 2004 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were a team looking for internal definition. As Tommy Maddux, their opening day starter was preparing for another fall of enduring physicality; something fascinating began to transpire.

Suddenly, and do check your programs and correct your scorecards, Tommy Maddux amazingly switched roles and became the victim necessary to embody the sacrificial lamb. Simultaneously, a gladiator was revealed and introduced into the world of western Pennsylvania football lore.

That opening Sunday while competing against long time regional rival Cleveland, severe physical injuries ended Maddux's afternoon and eventual season. This hasty, sacrificial exit however led the state of Pennsylvania to awake and embrace another great leader named Ben.... And this particular Ben couldn't even harness electricity with a kite!!

Roethlisberger, not Franklin, was his family name and this Ben would not allow defeat as a starting quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2004. And while Roethlisberger never proved his ability of harnessing electricity with a kite, this Ben harnessed intense love from fans with electricity generating from his golden right arm. Fifteen and one was how the team finished in 2004, and after cutting their teeth on that same opening day defeat which ended Maddux and introduced Roethlisburger; the Steelers would never again lose a regular season game which big Ben started during the fall of 2004. A gift far greater than that of harnessing raw electricity with a kite; at least to the members of the black and gold brigade.

However, this magical season for Roethlisberger and the Steelers was stopped far short of miraculous when the clock struck midnight on the post season. After a great regular campaign in which they attained the leagues best record and secured home field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Steelers won a close divisional battle against the Jets. They then waited patiently for their fairy godmother to arrive and thoroughly prep them for one last test, the A.F.C. championship game before the super ball! However, another problem arose, she never showed.

Who showed in lieu were the big bad defending Super Bowl Champion 2004 New England Patriots, with prince Tom Brady and king Bill Bellichek commanding the frontlines of this pigskin infantry. When the dust settled and the smoke vanished the Steelers had fought valiantly but were defeated by a superior team. The supposed championship miracle of 2004 ended without Roethlisberger making gridiron history as the first rookie signal caller to lead his team to a championship while going undefeated as a starter. An impressive, successful campaign absolutely, but one that ended without a championship and without completion of Roethlisbergers body of work. The Steelers miracle was buried and would need time to cultivate like a late blooming championship rose bush.

The first buds of that rose bush would not evolve until December of the next year but when they evolved it was a sight of football beauty. Beginning with a game on December 1^st 2005 against my favorite N.F.L. team of the past twenty two years; the Chicago Bears. The Steelers who were a little better than mediocre up to that point at seven and five truly re-captured their ‘04 magic in steamrolling the Bears twenty four to ten. The Steelers never looked back from that moment and began to stir their team chemistry into an antidote for the unfinished championship dreams of 2004. A late season surge coupled with a road warrior appetite and a tour of the leagues toughest mental and physical teams and environments would complete the unfinished

The Steelers finished with eleven victories in 2005, they were the sixth and final team to qualify for the american football conference playoffs. Despite a four game winning streak to end the season Pittsburgh faced a steep valley of playoff foes with the possibility of only road games on their path to championship completion.

The first stop Cincinnati. The Steelers cast as underdogs, according to the state of Nevada, faced off against their other rival from the Buckeye state and began a whirlwind of post season road victories that has never been matched.

The series of Steeler victories was impressive enough historically because it signified the first ever sixth seeded playoff team to advance to the Super bowl let alone capture it. However they fashion in which they achieved is pure evidence of a late blooming champion.

That January afternoon against the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh received a break from the gods; literally. On the Bengals third play from scrimmage offensively, Carson Palmer their all-pro quarterback broke two bones in his left ankle, finished for the afternoon. The Steelers gained confidence and led by Roethlisberger the Steelers executed, emerged and evolved into a road-victory savoring, battering ram.

Players on both sides of the ball started to emerge even larger and stronger than the previous year. Road warriors such as outside linebacker Joey Porter and strong safety Troy Polamalo on defense and players like Hines Ward, who eventually won Super Bowl forty M.V.P. honors, fellow wide receiver Antwan Randel El and veteran future hall of fame running back Jerome Bettis on offence.

The 05' Steelers ran the gamut of achieving victory in every imaginable difficult climate. After Cincy the Steelers traveled up up and away to the mile high city of Denver to battle the Broncos; a team who the previous week had defeated the defending champion Patriots. In this contest the Steelers showed their growth with a perfect blend of running and passing on offence. The defense was strong enough in the elevated climate and Pittsburgh emerged with a nine point victory and was a step closer to reaching Super Sunday.

Ironically enough the team Pittsburgh drew for the conference championship, the Indianapolis Colts, were in a similar situation that the Steelers faced only one season ago. Indianapolis was the squad with the best record in the league, a team who enjoyed the luxury of home field domination through deafening dome noise, a team whose all-universe quarterback, Peyton Manning, was quickly becoming the face of the N.F.L. and a team who seemed ripe for Lombardi's trophy. However, the Colts apparent championship bloom was premature.

That afternoon in middle America the Steelers ran rough shot over captain America and his utterly shocked supporting cast of Colts. The story of the contest was written by the men of the defense. Joey Porter lived in the Colts backfield, leading his team in tackles while sacking Peyton Manning on multiple occasions and forcing a fumble. Troy Palomalo was also extremely valuable to his defense as he sacked Manning, intercepted him and played stone solid against the Colts running game. This neo-steel curtain defensive effort was under the direction of Steeler defensive co-coordinator Dick Labou. Who coined the phrase "Fire Blitz" to describe this defensive scheme based on quickness and physical intensity. The contest was close, but neither Manning, nor anyone else in a Colts uniform were properly prepared and the Steelers were victorious. Although they won by only a three point margin they had completely physically dominated the leagues best team in it's own back yard.

The Steelers easiest game of the 05' run was the crowning achievement in Super Bowl forty versus the Seattle Seahawks. A rare winter city site for Super Sunday provided a huge advantage the Steelers didn't even need; a Super Bowl home game, sort of. Detroit, a city only four hours from Pittsburgh, as opposed to thirteen from Seattle, would host the game and allow Steeler fans to invade the Motor City. The Steelers won the game with a great blend of offence, defense and special teams. They captured their first Championship since 1979, Hines ward, who caught a touchdown, was the M.V.P. and Jerome Bettis who had announced his retirement several weeks prior, is a Detroit native and got a spectacular sendoff. The 2005 Steelers, a great team who grew into a champion.

The story of the 2006 Indianapolis Colts can be told in exactly the same manner. The Colts were the coolest kids on the national media block in 2005. A franchise with supposed championship chemistry and home field through the wickedly tough A.F.C. playoffs.

And just as the Steelers were defeated at home in the conference championship, the Colts were also eliminated at home and physically dominated. Therefore they were taken down a few pegs on the league's unofficial totem pole of popularity.

The 06' Colts finished the regular season with twelve victories, very impressive, but not quite as flashy as 2005. The only difference between the 05' Steelers and the 06' Colts is the fact that the Steelers did their late blooming on the road and in the playoffs a little more impressive. However, just as the Steelers were replaced by the Colts whom were kicked out of the sexy football spotlight by........the 2006 San Diego Chargers.

That being said, the Chargers still found a way to make it rain in Southern California. The poor bolts never escaped the first week of 2007, a first round home playoff loss to the New England Patriots made the Chargers so un-hip and granted late blooming hope to....the Indianapolis Colts.

After the Chargers surprising home loss, a game in which they led late and simply imploded, the Colts recaptured the magic, not to mention home field advantage, and evolved late blossoming into conference Champions with two playoff victories at the R.C.A. dome. First an easy blowout over the Broncos, followed by a conference clinching victory, in which they came back from eighteen over the Patriots. During the course of post-season play the greatest growth spurt for the Colts came as their run-defense, who failed miserably in September in October, evolved and bloomed in November and December. Safety Bobby Sanders returned from injury and sparked a defense who formerly struggled mightily against the run. Defensive end Dwight Freeney led a solid pass rush which got stronger in the playoffs and peaked last super Sunday.

In the end it was the Colts defense who led them to post season maturation culminating in a Championship victory over my favorite football team of the past two decades, the Chicago Bears. Peyton Manning was once again the N.F.L's student body president and further evidence of the late blooming champion.

That's right, professional football the nation's most popular sports league, a current multi-billion dollar net worth business, is now capitalizing on the elements of sports drama played to perfection by late blooming championship teams.

The N.F.L's post- season is a production of great substance and execution. This production has recently employed performing companies such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Indianapolis Colts. It now looks as though the Chargers are poised to capture the roll of late blooming champion. And San Diego's injury questions, smack talking, combined with their opponent for this Sundays contest only adds dramatic ammunition to that particular prospect. The Chargers have health concerns regarding their two most important players, Tomilnson and Rivers heading into this weekends A.F.C. championship contest. However these injuries seem to serve as only minor speed bumps en route to the final showdown and the team which awaits .

The New England Patriots are the essence of uber sports popularity domination. This is factual for far too many reasons than time allows to explain. Not in any way, and it would be impossible to even attempt, to deny the reality that is the New England Patriots thoroughly impressive body of work. For all those casual sports fans here's the Pats recent cliff notes summary. Since 2001 they've won three Super Bowl's and successfully reached the playoffs in every season but one. During this stretch New England has compiled a twenty two game winning streak, and, along with the N.B.A.'s San Antonio Spurs, has set the standard for excellence, professional management and community relations in the world of sports.

In addition New England found a way to succeed with intricate game planning, intelligent selfless players and perhaps the greatest quarterback in league history, Tom Brady. But those were just your big bros Patriots, the 2007 neo-Pats are a northeast killing machine with a completed roster of forty five Boston stranglers. The Pats destroyed teams in their path with a record setting offence, easily capable of scoring forty points by halftime. Most importantly though in 07, newly acquired superstar wide receiver Randy Moss has become the team's favorite, record-setting, offensive mercenary. Also of note, incase you hadn't heard, New England has gone through the regular season undefeated, possibly and probably the greatest team ever. And to add the needed controversy for a great American saga head coach Bill Bellicheck was caught cheating when his coaches were seen recording New York Jets play signals during an opening day contest.

Where does this leave the leagues freshest aspiring late blooming champs? Unfortunately, without much hope. San Diego is a well-deserved underdog going into Foxboro, Massachusetts this Sunday. Will the Chargers succeed, will they defeat New England and late bloom themselves into a championship celebration? The chances are slim and all faculty of human logic and rational though patterns would say unanimously "No". Which is exactly why the Chargers will probably end up holding the Lamar Hunt trophy for American football conference supremacy and a simultaneous ticket to the Super Bowl late Sunday afternoon in New England.

This is why the N.F.L. is America's passion and is becoming even more so; the late blooming champ. A team who was yesterday's news is now arriving, with inspired re-birth. Joel and Ethan Cohen couldn't have conceived the beauty of this dramatic tragedy.

However the great N.F.L. with it's new flair for drama has inspired this fan to appreciate, respect and admire the past two late blooming champs. So head sets and helmets of to the Steelers and Colts, two late blooming greats.

And as for the bolt-bearing Chargers, just another excuse to watch this Sunday!

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Lloyds Apple said:

Brigham, great first article man and welcome! I would have loved to have seen a fully healthy chargers team. With their top RB, QB and TE (leading receiver) hobbled or on the sidelines the chances were crushed. Had they been healthy, I really believe it could have been a toss up. The Giants-Pats game could be a good one too. The Giants running game mixed in with Eli who is on fire, along with a tough D and it could be very close. Also, in case anyone is wondering, we screwed up the publishing date of this articles. It's still a good read none-the-less.

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January 25, 2008
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JEH45 said:

	Enjoyed your article-thanks.
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January 26, 2008
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