20 years ago

[tbsteel]

..and a day.

And what a day it was.

September 19, 2004. Let's set the scene:

I was in my second year of college. The apartment I was living in at the time looked like something out of a bad 70s porn movie. The carpet was this ugly, puke-ish brown color that was covered in stains of dirt, cigarette ashes, tobacco spit, and spilled bourbon. I honestly don't think we owned a vacuum cleaner. Why buy a vacuum cleaner when you can invest that money in the bank of Jim Beam? The walls were scattered with various marks, scuffs, and the occasional outright hole. I have a scattered memory of most of those days, and especially nights, but I can recall one time we were messing around and I accidentally put a hole in the wall of my friend's bedroom. So, naturally the only way to make it right was for me to go back to my bedroom and put a hole in the wall of my bedroom, which is exactly what I did. Simpler times. It was the type of place that when the parents visited you'd be sure to meet them downstairs in the parking lot and hope the stench of the place didn't follow down after you.

I didn't get the Steelers game on television that Sunday, and in those days there was no streaming for a broke college kid to still see the game, so I believe we were probably just watching another game when the news broke. If I recall correctly, it was probably some CBS cut-in that showed the Maddox arm injury and the news that Big Ben was coming into the game. I remember scrambling back to my bedroom and pulling up the game online to follow along to the play-by-play updates. We were down 20-0 in Baltimore. His second pass was an INT, and I remember being gutted. But then? The big chunk plays started to come. And then the first TD. And afterwards, as I would watch the highlights and replay them over and over, there was a 20 yard dart down the seam to Randle El. A pump fake and a touch pass low and away from a closing Ray Lewis to Hines Ward for his second TD. Yes, believe it or not the Steelers used to be able to throw multiple passing TDs in a single half of football, it was quite fun.

We didn't win, but man I wish I could've bottled up the excitement I had that day and the excitement that would keep building over the weeks to follow. And to those who would say that Big Ben was carried by that team and just some "game manager," I'm sorry, but with all due respect you are completely wrong. That team with Tommy Maddox needed OT to beat a terrible Raiders team in their home opener and then were getting completely embarrassed down 20-0 in their second game by the time Big Ben took his first snap. He was the primary reason that wasn't just some run-of-the-mill Cowher team and instead became arguably the best team in football that season. Back in those days, Steelers.com used to have a forum and there used to be a board at I believe a site called DraftSteel.com that I would post at as well, and I can remember some sweet fan actually mailing me VCR copies of the Patriots and Eagles games that year, which I'm sure I still have stashed somewhere, because of how special those games were.

We didn't win it all until the following year, but that 2004 season still has to be my high water mark as a Steelers fan. It was truly a magical time to be a Steelers fan. Time is a fickle thing. I know those days and those feelings aren't coming back, but I'd love to experience something similar to that again, even if it's not really deserved. I live in Cincinnati now and I think of those poor, long-suffering fans who have known nothing but heartbreak. Why shouldn't they get to experience something similar to that? I had my turn on that dopamine rollercoaster. Why should I get another ride?

20 years later, if we were fortunate enough for something comparable to that to happen again, while the emotions wouldn't swell as high as they did in 2004, I think I'd have a deeper appreciation for it now if we landed another young franchise QB who had genuine promise. I hope that Omar Khan and company were fans in 2004 and had some of those same feelings.

[stillthere]

I hope that Omar Khan and company were fans in 2004 and had some of those same feelings.

Omar was already working for the team. He has been on staff since 2001 when we got him from New Orleans.

[Deebo]

Wasn't it the very next week the Steelers went to Mia for Ben's very first start and the game was either pre or post hurricane? The football lawn jarted into the mud after a Steelers punt?

[Havoc]

And to those who would say that Big Ben was carried by that team and just some "game manager," I'm sorry, but with all due respect you are completely wrong.

How you throw is more important than how often.

Ben averaged nearly 9 yds per attempt in 2004 & 2005 (8.9).

Ben made a play or 2 every game few QBs in the league could make. Plays that told me he had a chance to be special. Impact plays.

Cowher didn't get a ring until Bettis was a part time player and he had a playmaking big armed QB to make plays and throw downfield. We surprised teams, unleashed our young mega talented QB and threw downfield in the first half of games more than expected in our 2005 post season Lombardi run.

Even in the 70s era the separator was the QBs, not the RBs.

[Pabst]

Was a freshman in college that year.

Didn't watch the game, as I had free 50 yardline tickets to the Chiefs home opener. Remember watching the scoreboard and thinking "wow, glad i skipped that one" until they flashed the stat line showing Ben was playing.

[Jobu]

Wasn't it the very next week the Steelers went to Mia for Ben's very first start and the game was either pre or post hurricane? The football lawn jarted into the mud after a Steelers punt?

Yes, Ben’s first start was in a post hurricane Miami down pour…
The lawn dart game was also the Fins, but IIRC, it was a Monday Nighter in Pittsburgh.

[Thrillsseeker]

..and a day.

And what a day it was.

September 19, 2004. Let's set the scene:

I was in my second year of college. The apartment I was living in at the time looked like something out of a bad 70s porn movie. The carpet was this ugly, puke-ish brown color that was covered in stains of dirt, cigarette ashes, tobacco spit, and spilled bourbon. I honestly don't think we owned a vacuum cleaner. Why buy a vacuum cleaner when you can invest that money in the bank of Jim Beam? The walls were scattered with various marks, scuffs, and the occasional outright hole. I have a scattered memory of most of those days, and especially nights, but I can recall one time we were messing around and I accidentally put a hole in the wall of my friend's bedroom. So, naturally the only way to make it right was for me to go back to my bedroom and put a hole in the wall of my bedroom, which is exactly what I did. Simpler times. It was the type of place that when the parents visited you'd be sure to meet them downstairs in the parking lot and hope the stench of the place didn't follow down after you.

I didn't get the Steelers game on television that Sunday, and in those days there was no streaming for a broke college kid to still see the game, so I believe we were probably just watching another game when the news broke. If I recall correctly, it was probably some CBS cut-in that showed the Maddox arm injury and the news that Big Ben was coming into the game. I remember scrambling back to my bedroom and pulling up the game online to follow along to the play-by-play updates. We were down 20-0 in Baltimore. His second pass was an INT, and I remember being gutted. But then? The big chunk plays started to come. And then the first TD. And afterwards, as I would watch the highlights and replay them over and over, there was a 20 yard dart down the seam to Randle El. A pump fake and a touch pass low and away from a closing Ray Lewis to Hines Ward for his second TD. Yes, believe it or not the Steelers used to be able to throw multiple passing TDs in a single half of football, it was quite fun.

We didn't win, but man I wish I could've bottled up the excitement I had that day and the excitement that would keep building over the weeks to follow. And to those who would say that Big Ben was carried by that team and just some "game manager," I'm sorry, but with all due respect you are completely wrong. That team with Tommy Maddox needed OT to beat a terrible Raiders team in their home opener and then were getting completely embarrassed down 20-0 in their second game by the time Big Ben took his first snap. He was the primary reason that wasn't just some run-of-the-mill Cowher team and instead became arguably the best team in football that season. Back in those days, Steelers.com used to have a forum and there used to be a board at I believe a site called DraftSteel.com that I would post at as well, and I can remember some sweet fan actually mailing me VCR copies of the Patriots and Eagles games that year, which I'm sure I still have stashed somewhere, because of how special those games were.

We didn't win it all until the following year, but that 2004 season still has to be my high water mark as a Steelers fan. It was truly a magical time to be a Steelers fan. Time is a fickle thing. I know those days and those feelings aren't coming back, but I'd love to experience something similar to that again, even if it's not really deserved. I live in Cincinnati now and I think of those poor, long-suffering fans who have known nothing but heartbreak. Why shouldn't they get to experience something similar to that? I had my turn on that dopamine rollercoaster. Why should I get another ride?

20 years later, if we were fortunate enough for something comparable to that to happen again, while the emotions wouldn't swell as high as they did in 2004, I think I'd have a deeper appreciation for it now if we landed another young franchise QB who had genuine promise. I hope that Omar Khan and company were fans in 2004 and had some of those same feelings.

Thanks for sharing. Awesome stuff. I made the trek into the burgh for that Patriots game. It was a fantastic day and so was the next week when we beat Philly had to watch that one on TV though. Patriots had like a 20 game win streak or something iirc. Followed by Philly a week later that was undefeated I believe.

[Deebo]

..and a day.

And what a day it was.

September 19, 2004. Let's set the scene:

I was in my second year of college. The apartment I was living in at the time looked like something out of a bad 70s porn movie. The carpet was this ugly, puke-ish brown color that was covered in stains of dirt, cigarette ashes, tobacco spit, and spilled bourbon. I honestly don't think we owned a vacuum cleaner. Why buy a vacuum cleaner when you can invest that money in the bank of Jim Beam? The walls were scattered with various marks, scuffs, and the occasional outright hole. I have a scattered memory of most of those days, and especially nights, but I can recall one time we were messing around and I accidentally put a hole in the wall of my friend's bedroom. So, naturally the only way to make it right was for me to go back to my bedroom and put a hole in the wall of my bedroom, which is exactly what I did. Simpler times. It was the type of place that when the parents visited you'd be sure to meet them downstairs in the parking lot and hope the stench of the place didn't follow down after you.

I didn't get the Steelers game on television that Sunday, and in those days there was no streaming for a broke college kid to still see the game, so I believe we were probably just watching another game when the news broke. If I recall correctly, it was probably some CBS cut-in that showed the Maddox arm injury and the news that Big Ben was coming into the game. I remember scrambling back to my bedroom and pulling up the game online to follow along to the play-by-play updates. We were down 20-0 in Baltimore. His second pass was an INT, and I remember being gutted. But then? The big chunk plays started to come. And then the first TD. And afterwards, as I would watch the highlights and replay them over and over, there was a 20 yard dart down the seam to Randle El. A pump fake and a touch pass low and away from a closing Ray Lewis to Hines Ward for his second TD. Yes, believe it or not the Steelers used to be able to throw multiple passing TDs in a single half of football, it was quite fun.

We didn't win, but man I wish I could've bottled up the excitement I had that day and the excitement that would keep building over the weeks to follow. And to those who would say that Big Ben was carried by that team and just some "game manager," I'm sorry, but with all due respect you are completely wrong. That team with Tommy Maddox needed OT to beat a terrible Raiders team in their home opener and then were getting completely embarrassed down 20-0 in their second game by the time Big Ben took his first snap. He was the primary reason that wasn't just some run-of-the-mill Cowher team and instead became arguably the best team in football that season. Back in those days, Steelers.com used to have a forum and there used to be a board at I believe a site called DraftSteel.com that I would post at as well, and I can remember some sweet fan actually mailing me VCR copies of the Patriots and Eagles games that year, which I'm sure I still have stashed somewhere, because of how special those games were.

We didn't win it all until the following year, but that 2004 season still has to be my high water mark as a Steelers fan. It was truly a magical time to be a Steelers fan. Time is a fickle thing. I know those days and those feelings aren't coming back, but I'd love to experience something similar to that again, even if it's not really deserved. I live in Cincinnati now and I think of those poor, long-suffering fans who have known nothing but heartbreak. Why shouldn't they get to experience something similar to that? I had my turn on that dopamine rollercoaster. Why should I get another ride?

20 years later, if we were fortunate enough for something comparable to that to happen again, while the emotions wouldn't swell as high as they did in 2004, I think I'd have a deeper appreciation for it now if we landed another young franchise QB who had genuine promise. I hope that Omar Khan and company were fans in 2004 and had some of those same feelings.

Thanks for sharing. Awesome stuff. I made the trek into the burgh for that Patriots game. It was a fantastic day and so was the next week when we beat Philly had to watch that one on TV though. Patriots had like a 20 game win streak or something iirc. Followed by Philly a week later that was undefeated I believe.

I rememeber that Philly game. They took an aerial shot with Burress, Ward and ARE doing some poses in the huddle. Man what a time to be a Steelers fan even if it ended prematurely. Cheating ass Pats