ESPN Ranks Steelers #18

Disrespect. It's really one of the best motivators in life. Giving guys a chip on their shoulder is usually a great way to get them to perform to the maximum of their abilities.

This especially holds true with sports, and very true with Ben Roetlisberger. He has consistently been underrated by pundits, and "journalists" throughout his career. Tell him he can't do something, and whether good or bad he just doesn't listen.

ESPN has come out with their pre-season "power rankings" and the Steelers are in the bottom half. The rankings can be found here.

Now you'll notice next to their record from last season there is a neat little blurb from some guy named Chadiha. If you don't know who he is his full name is Jeffri Chadiha and he is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.

He was insightful enough to predict a Cowboys Vs. Chargers Superbowl at the beginning of last years postseason. He had quite a few bold statements in his post season prognostication column from last year. Here are his 10 predictions:

1. Tony Romo finally will know what a playoff win (or two or three) feels like

Well he sure got this one right. Tony Romo did find out what a playoff win feels like, but only one. So much for that Chargers vs. Cowboys tilt.

2. The New Orleans Saints will not reach the Super Bowl

Burn man. I guess we all know how this one turned out.

3. The Green Bay Packers will be this year's surprise team

To be totally honest I had a hard time remembering what the Packers did in last year's Superbowl, so I checked. I was very "SURPRISED" to see that they were eliminated in the first round.

4. The Eagles aren't going anywhere without more help from DeSean Jackson

This one is true. This is probably the first one he got right out of the NFC thus far, although is saying the last Wildcard team will get knocked out of the playoffs by the highest ranked team playing that week earth shattering?

5. Brett Favre will not be a problem in Minnesota

Don't be sad Favre had a pretty good run, it's just I think those two BACK-BREAKING int's he threw at the end of the game were a big problem for Minnesota.

I wonder if he had better luck on the AFC side?

1. The Patriots won't make it past the first round

Correct on that one. The Baltimore Ravens beat up on the Patriots.

2. Colts fans eventually will see the wisdom of resting starters in late-season games

I can't really say if this one is true or not as the Colts did make the Superbowl, but there is really no evidence to suggest it was because the starters got a rest.

3. The Jets will remind us why they don't belong in the playoffs

Was knocking out your pick to represent the AFC and making it to the AFC championship game a good enough reminder?

4. The Bengals will play better once the postseason begins

These are the guys who didn't belong. The Steelers more or less gave them a postseason birth, if the first thing you think of when you think of the Bengals is improved postseason play you haven't been paying attention.

5. Norv Turner will not keep the San Diego Chargers from winning the Super Bowl

The best way to predict what will happen in the future is to look to the past. If you want to know what kind of performance you are going to get from an athlete or coach just look at what they have already done.

Here is the link to the full article.

So what have we learned? Well first we learned that Jeffri Chadiha is not psychic, which we all more or less knew. Secondly we learned that the you don't have to be correct to write for ESPN, again something we more or less knew. So what did Jeffri have to say about our beloved Steelers?

Their star quarterback (Ben Roethlisberger) is suspended for up to six games, and they traded their star receiver (Santonio Holmes) to the New York Jets. What else do you need to know? (Chadiha)

Relevant points? Sure. The loss of Big Ben for 6, but probably 4, games is big. Can the Steelers win without Ben though? Yup. How do I know this? Again I look to the past. They've done this before. Big Ben missed four games in 2005 and how did this team respond? By winning the Superbowl.

Another thing that ESPN's rankings don't take into account? The return of both Troy Polamalu and Aaron Smith, and the addition of Bryant McFadden to help shore up our secondary. That was the Steelers big problem last season, a swiss cheese corps of Defensive Backs and the lack of one of the most dynamic players in the league. The Steelers may have lost Willie Colon, but they drafted a blue chip Center.

ESPN has them as the worst ranked 9-7 team from last season. In fact there were four teams with 8-8 records, 3 of them are ahead of Pittsburgh. So keep up the disrespect ESPN, just hope you find it in your hearts to give the Steelers props in the playoffs.