'There's a lot of bad blood' between Browns, Steelers
Are the Steelers guilty of borderline dirty football?
"Those are your words," a Browns assistant coach said with a wry smile.
Who has the edge in righteously indignant motivation in today's Browns at Steelers grudge match?
Pittsburgh, because Kellen Winslow Jr. lost his head (and $5,000) and nailed linebacker James Farrior the last time the teams met at Heinz Field?
Or Cleveland, because Hines Ward knocked Browns cornerback Daven Holly out
of his gourd with a more recent cheap shot (another $5,000 worth) Sept. 9 at Cleveland?
"There¹s a lot of bad blood between us and Cleveland," Farrior said.
However you argue it, fur could fly off the fun today when the Browns (5-3) and Steelers (6-2) tear into each other.
Even the PR guys are chippy.
Cleveland's media handout has the Browns leading the series, 55-54.
Pittsburgh's version gives it to the Steelers, 56-55, including two playoff wins.
The Steelers have smack-down bragging rights, having gone 14-1 against the Browns since Chris Palmer was sent away, a 2-2 mark against Pittsburgh in tow.
Steeler fans, though, might be getting bored with this kind of year. They were 6-2 or better under Bill Cowher three times this decade.
Pittsburgh never had its team hijacked. Dealing with expansion, Cleveland is going half crazy over 5-3.
You hear things like, "The team has come together right before our eyes," from General Manager Phil Savage.
And:
"The players have gone from hoping to thinking to knowing that we can win."
If the Browns lose, a chill-out factor creeps over the warm, fuzzy foundation laid by a three-game winning streak. But ...
If they win behind more good stuff from Derek Anderson, a racing optimism gains 100 more yards.
Suddenly, the Browns would be tied for first place at 6-3. Anderson's 2007 record as the starter would be 6-2. The eyes of every quarterback-needy team would be on him as he approaches restricted free agency.
The Browns would entertain trade talks with an open mind. They would listen to offers not only for Anderson, but for 2007 No. 22 overall pick Brady Quinn.
It is worth noting that after a Browns season 30 years ago, the team had to decide whether to commit to former first-round pick Mike Phipps or promising underdog Brian Sipe.
The Browns wound up trading Phipps to Chicago for a late first-round pick in 1978. They used it to select future Hall of Fame tight end Ozzie Newsome. Sipe developed into an NFL MVP in 1980.
The 2007 Browns are living on the edge. They crawled out of 14- and 15-point holes to win their last two games.
The Steelers have bludgeoned four visitors to Heinz Field by a 111-26 score, including Baltimore 38-7 last Monday night.
"We're probably going to have to play our best game of the year," Browns Head Coach Romeo Crennel says.
Speaking of warm and fuzzy, Farrior waxed poetic about living on the Steeler side of the rivalry.
"There's something special about being in Pittsburgh," he said. "We're sort of the heartbeat of the city. When we lose, the whole town is kind of down."
The Browns would love to disappoint him and them.