The Pittsburgh Steelers take great pride in the traditions that are a foundational part of following the franchise. The Steel Curtain, Renegade, and having the logos only on one side of the helmets are a few of those, but the most important is the Terrible Towel. History has had a way of handling teams or players that disrespect the Terrible Towel, and it seems like Trevor Lawrence has become the next one to do so.
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Pittsburgh Steelers are looking forward to their 2023 Week 8 matchup against the Jaguars and Trevor Lawrence
Steelers Take Offense To Lawrence's Comments
On The Rich Eisen Show on Thursday, Rich Eisen was looking back at the comments made by the Jacksonville Jaguars starting quarterback and wondering if Steelers fans are overreacting. Eisen began the segment by wondering if the fans in Pittsburgh were just a bit quick at jumping to defend the traditions of their franchise.
"The Pittsburgh fans, you can't even come close to a whiff of sounding disrespectful when it comes to them and their traditions. And I think Trevor Lawrence has been coming a bit aware of such a thing."
What Eisen was referring to, as the Eisen Show rolled a clip of, was Lawrence making a rather off-handed comment in regards to the Terrible Towels that are sure to be out in droves when the Jaguars come to Acrisure on Sunday. Lawrence didn't necessarily come out swinging against Pittsburgh, but it was the smirk and way he seemed to shrug off the possibility that the Terrible Towels would impact the game.
Lawrence called the beloved Terrible Towels "the little yellow towels" that the fans wave around. While it may seem like a harmless comment, the Steelers fans didn't take kindly to their prized piece of history being summed up by Lawrence as being nothing more than little towels. After they showed the clip of Lawrence's comments on his show, Eisen - with an amused look on his face - asked his crew to point out in the clip where the supposed disrespect was.
Eisen saw the same clip that we all did, with Lawrence making his comments on the 2023 Week 8 meeting between the Steelers and Jaguars, but Eisen doesn't necessarily approach it from the perspective of a Steelers fan.
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Pittsburgh Steelers fans use their Terrible Towels to take over whatever stadium they are in, which makes a home game all the more intense
Steelers Fans Are Being A Bit Fragile, Thinks Eisen
Eisen, while giving Steelers fans their traditions, doesn't really see the same disrespect that fans in Pittsburgh did. Perhaps it is because Eisen wasn't part of Steeler Nation when the Cincinnati Bengals took their shots at the Terrible Towel. That instance showed people why the Terrible Towel is one of those traditions not to be messed with.
When the Bengals used the Towels to clean their shoes during a victory in the 20005 season, it was a brutal shot in the face of the Steelers franchise. History will remember that the Steelers knocked the Bengals out of the playoffs later that season. If you mess with the Towel during the season, the football gods will make sure it comes back around. Even with history on the side of Pittsburgh, Eisen continued to be amused at Steelers fans taking offense to what Lawrence said.
"Where's the disrespect? Where's even the whiff of the disrespect? Where's even the hint of the whiff of the disrespect from this sweetheart of a 24-year-old, who gave the appropriate flowers about playing there...? Well, it was referring to the Terrible Towels as the little yellow towels."
That shows the massive gap between the national media and the way Steelers fans feel about things. Just seeing the lack of worry or concern on the face of Lawrence when the Towels were brought up made Steelers fans grit their teeth, but then he made the comment. Eisen's co-host, TJ Jefferson, said that when he read about the backlash from Pittsburgh over what Lawrence said, he was eager to hear it himself. However, the real thing left Jefferson wanting because he expected some direct, rage-inducing bulletin board material.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Edge Rusher TJ Watt is eager to introduce Trevor Lawrence to what a Pittsburgh home game feels like
Did Lawrence mean to disrespect the Terrible Towel? I believe he did, and the laugh and grin said enough to Steelers fans. He might be prepared, but if you don't take the atmosphere at a Pittsburgh home game seriously, then you are in for a seriously painful welcome to the scene. The 2023 Week 8 matchup is right around the corner, and after what Lawrence said, expect the stands to be absolutely painted yellow with Terrible Towels. If he didn't understand before, he will after a few moments.
How many times will the Steelers sack Trevor Lawrence on Sunday?
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