PITTSBURGH — Jerramy Stevens wasn’t making any promises of victory last week, and Joey Porter didn’t respond with a few verbal jabs of his own.
This time, when the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers take the field, many of the faces have changed and the stakes won’t be quite as high. The Vince Lombardi Trophy isn’t on the line as it was in February 2006.
But that doesn’t mean the Seahawks (3-1) don’t have anything at stake.
“It’s about taking another step for us,” defensive tackle Craig Terrill said. “We’ve shown a little bit of what we could do, with a well-rounded game (in the win over San Francisco) last week, but we have to continue to rise to the challenge.”
This week’s challenge is facing one of the top teams from the AFC. Although they have seven new starters, and a different head coach in Mike Tomlin, the Steelers (3-1) appear to be just as formidable as they were in the Super Bowl season.
Pittsburgh’s defense ranks second in the league in yards allowed (258.5) and third in points allowed (11.8), while quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, running back Willie Parker and Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca are still cornerstones of the offense.
Among those who won’t be around are former head coach Bill Cowher and running back Jerome Bettis, both of whom are now doing television work after retiring from the NFL.
Porter has taken his loud mouth to Miami, where he plays for the Dolphins. (Stevens, incidentally, plays a few miles away in Tampa Bay.)
And Super Bowl MVP will probably be wearing street clothes because of a knee injury that is expected to keep him out of action this week.
Both teams suffered their only losses to Arizona — Seattle in Week 2, and Pittsburgh last Sunday — but have had otherwise solid seasons. It remains to be seen whether one, or both, can contend for another Super Bowl appearance, so for now the two teams have only the memories.
Or not.
“That was two years ago,” said Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander, who rushed for 95 yards in that Super Bowl after being named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. “They don’t have the same team, and we definitely don’t have the same team. It’ll be a challenge playing against this team.”
Alexander said several times during the preseason that this year’s Seahawks have more chemistry than the 2005 team. Last week, he reiterated the sentiment.
“I still like this team,” he said. “In 2005, we were 2-2, and in 2007, we’re 3-1. So we’re better.”
Alexander laughed, then added: “That means we’ve got some work to put in these next 11 weeks (to match the franchise-record 11-game winning streak of 2005).”
The Steelers, despite their victory in Super Bowl XL, were just as eager to separate themselves from the last meeting.
“It’s in the past,” Parker told reporters in Pittsburgh last week. “I’m pretty sure they are a little salty about the Super Bowl, but that game was two years ago. This game is a regular-season game, though it’s a big game.”
None of the Seahawks players spoke of revenge last week. Their sole focus was on the 2007 Steelers, no matter what happened in the past.
“Things change over the course of a year, let alone two,” cornerback Jordan Babineaux said. “We have to go to Heinz Field and play a tough football team.”
And no matter what happens, the Seahawks will try to leave the Super Bowl in the past.
“If the game comes up or there is a highlight, or a commercial or something where they show a highlight from that game, you kind of remember it,” Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck said. “But that’s all games.
“I’ve got a friend from Brockton, Mass., and it just really bothers me every time I see him, because we lost a game against Brockton in high school. If you play sports long enough, it’s just going to happen.”
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