There are plenty of moments that fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers will never forget. The storied franchise has given the fan base so many memories throughout the organization's history and there are too many to count. One game in particular that sticks out in this century (aside from the three Super Bowl appearances), was the 2008 AFC Championship Game against rival, Baltimore Ravens. Legendary safety, Troy Polamalu's pick-6 off of Joe Flacco sent Pittsburgh to another championship, but another play that defined the physicality of the team's defense will never be forgotten.
PITTSBURGH - JANUARY 18: Teammates look on as Ryan Clark #25 of the Pittsburgh Steelers lie on the field Willis McGahee #23 the Baltimore Ravens after Clark laid a hard hit on McGahee during the AFC Championship game on January 18, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. McGahee was taken off the field on a backboard by medical personnel (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
Ravens' running back, Willis McGahee was crossing over the middle of the field with less than four minutes to go and Baltimore was trying to drive down the field to inch closer in what was a 9-point lead for Pittsburgh. He met Clark after catching the pass from Flacco and a hit that could be heard all the way up the Duquesne Incline occurred. It was a vicious helmet to helmet hit that, at the time, was not called a penalty.
The Ryan Clark hit on Willis McGahee In the AFC Championship Game will forever be a Steelers Ravens moment il never forget Almost 15 years later @Realrclark25 #Steelers #ravens #HereWeGo #pittsburgh #baltimore #football pic.twitter.com/C4zZUyl3bd
— matthew luciow (@Luciow1992) December 7, 2022
Clark recently joined Trey Wingo on the Pro Football Network and spoke about a number of things, including the play that officially iced the game and sent the Steelers to Super Bowl XLIII where they beat the Arizona Cardinals.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DECEMBER 19: Safety Ryan Clark #25 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on during the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Candlestick Park on December 19, 2011 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Karl Walter/Getty Images)
Clark told Wingo that if the hit would have occurred in today's era of football, he may have ended up behind bars:
"Oh, I would go to jail," Clark said when thinking about what would happen if it had happened in 2022.
The retired safety and now ESPN analyst, also went into detail about the hit and explained that he knew exactly where McGahee was going to be because of something that happened the week before against the then-San Diego Chargers:
"The week before Darren Sproles, we're playing the San Diego Chargers at the time. Darren Sproles is on the right side of Philip Rivers, he moves him to the left. They throw him a little angle route. He scores like a 50-yard touchdown, because me and Troy are basically just back there lunchin' because we were winning."
Steelers free safety Ryan Clark drops back into pass coverage during the Cardinals 21 to 13 win over the Steelers at the new Cardinals stadium in Glendale, Az on August 12, 2006. (Photo by Mike Moore/Getty Images)
"I studied that the week going into the next week. Willis McGahee, we're in the same situation. [Joe] Flacco goes and moves Willis McGahee to the other side. I was like, 'Hmm, this is familiar.' And so we were in a different coverage this time. I give them the exact same look I had the week before so they'd feel like, 'We got him. This is what we want to do.' And I just remember planting my back foot. When he started moving, I started running and I was like, 'I'm just not going to stop until I run through his face mask.'"
The collision will forever be remembered by fans of the organization, and while Clark was joking about going to jail because of the hit, he certainly would have been suspended in today's day in age. He wasn't even fined back in 2009.
What do you remember about the vicious hard hit from Clark on McGahee in the 2009 AFC Championship Game? Let us know in the comments below!
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