Today's win was a culture changing win

[Murdock2420]

(09-27-2021, 04:26 PM)Synric Wrote: I don't like this take... Yes alot of players are new to the Bengals vs Steelers rivalry but a Rivalry game is something instantly understood. These guys have grown up with High School rivalry games and college rivalry games.. we even have rivalry games in pop warner.

There is a big difference between a rivalry game and what this series had become for a few years. The late hits, the animosity, it was brutal. 

I remember at the time when things were at their worst in the series players from the steelers saying they viewed the Ravens as a rival and that is was a hard game but respect was on both sides, but there wasn't a respect for the Bengals. That mindset is what is gone from the younger guys. Sure, they have a rivalry with a division opponent and want to win, but there wasn't any of the late hits and cheap tactics that had been around this series for years. The only pushing and shoving I saw was one time when a steeler DLman pushed Carman after a block was finished. Another OL calmly walked Carman away. 

There was never a time on the board where it was all... ohh it's Ravens week or ohh it's Browns week. And if the players don't turn this back into the big bad boogeyman team from Pittsburgh I think it is a better mindset.