The Pittsburgh Steelers have been the most consistently relevant football team in the NFL since they started winning with Head Coach Chuck Noll in the 1970s. Part of what makes this team so special year after year is Steeler Nation. They had a loyal following even in the early days when they never had a winning season, and now the city of Pittsburgh bleeds black and gold.
Former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger knows better than many others just how loyal the Steel City is. The former first-round selection spent 18 seasons playing in Pittsburgh and led his team to three Super Bowls, winning two.
On a recent episode of his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, he and his co-host Spencer Te'o discussed how recent lake-effect snows buried Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills. Roethlisberger applauded Bills Mafia for their dedication. The franchise offered fans $20 an hour to come and shovel out the stadium so they could host their recent game against the San Francisco 49ers.
Te'o was curious about which fan bases he feels are the most loyal. He said that clearly, the Steelers are at the top of the list, but Roethlisberger insisted that he qualify his answer before listing any teams. In doing so, he explained why it is not the Dallas Cowboys.
"I think there's a difference between quantity and quality," explained Roethlisberger. "There are some teams that have a ton of fans, which some will ask, 'Doesn't that make them the best?' Not necessarily. Like the Cowboys, quote-unquote 'America's Team.' Tons of fans. If they weren't watching every game in Jerry's World, air-conditioned, great seats, like all this that and the other, if it happened that there was no roof, and it snowed, a crazy blizzard, I've been in Dallas for a crazy blizzard. If there was no roof and the snow came and they asked fans to come and shovel the stadium, they're not getting many. They'll get some die-hards. Actually, most of those fans will come because they've never shoveled snow before. Quality compared to quantity."
He said they can claim to be the greatest team in the country, and they may have a lot of fans, but those fans aren't the same caliber as Steelers or Bills fans. He said there are a few other teams that he believes belong in the top five of the league, but they are in no particular order.
The Green Bay Packers fans are near the top. He said any fans who go sit in sub-zero temperatures on backless bleachers deserve a lot of credit. The same is true of the New York Jets; he quickly pointed out that the New York Giants fans are different. Roethlisberger said Jets fans just want to win so badly. The Philadelphia Eagles fans may not always show "brotherly love," but they are dedicated to their team.
The final team he mentioned may shock some Yinzers: the Cleveland Browns. Roethlisberger said he knows he rarely gives that team credit for doing anything right, but the fans deserve respect. They just want to win and are living for a chance to win a Super Bowl.
The Steelers Gave Ben Roethlisberger More Questions Than Answers Against Browns
While Roethlisberger might respect how loyal Browns fans are, he certainly didn't see any reason the Steelers should have lost to them in Week 12. After the game was over, Roethlisberger vented some of those frustrations on an earlier episode of his show.
He said that he really questioned some of Head Coach Mike Tomlin's decisions. For example, he didn't understand some of the short-down and distance calls or why they would choose to have Justin Fields throw. He noted that Fields hadn't thrown the whole game, and then you put the game in his hands instead of relying on Russell Wilson, who helped them mount a comeback.
