First – projects/stuff you want to discuss/let folks know about?
No – just the show. I’m pretty much dialed-in to that – especially now!
I know you got your fandom via your dad- I wanted to know though what do you think you identify with in his Pittsburgh roots – what has stuck with you do you think?
You know, I don’t know for sure. My dad – he always had a really strong sense of humor. He went to a very diverse high school in Pittsburgh and I think that helped his sense of humor – to be able to speak and relate to a lot of people from different walks of life. It’s like a universal language that I learned from as well through him.
I think I learned the term “Jagoff” before anyone else I knew in New England! And I read the Roy Blount Jr. book earlier than most kids too, I’m sure. But it is funny. I never lived in Pittsburgh but I speak of it as my ancestral land like some third-generation Americans do who get Ireland tattoos.
Watching now – how hard was it to see this team in a tailspin – what do you think has been the issue?
I think back to every Western I ever saw, where the old cowboy comes back in the end. When you have Ben there’s always a chance.
Last year was so depressing. But even so, it was exciting too. You felt they always had a chance. These last three weeks have been depressing. I mean, we’ve known we’ve been in the playoffs for forever, but it’s hard to be optimistic. If you would have said we’d start the year 11-0 – no one ever thought that could happen. But it was really hard to be optimistic.
Is there a support group for actors/comedians who are Steelers fans – you, Keaton, Rudd, Gardell, Manganiello, Goldblum – you could all talk work through Steelers issues together!
It was really exciting the first time I met Michael Keaton, and all I wanted to do was talk about the Steelers. My dad gets so excited when he learns someone is from Pittsburgh – the speed in which he calls me when he finds out is amazing.
But no – no support group. Joe was on the show recently for his new movie and I made it a point to spare viewers on camera from me talking about the Steelers, but off air we talk about it. He was in right after the Washington loss. We treated that like a blip – little did we know!
Watching Ben – you think fans really appreciate what they have had in him and what do you want to see happen with him seeing what you see in his play now?
I agree. Ben’s played for what – 17 years now? I don’t think fans truly appreciate players until they are gone. Every year they are in it due to Ben – that’s a big deal.
No matter how great the team plays or Ben plays though, there’s this six-year resume of the team that no other team can ever live up to. No matter how good the defense plays or is statistically, they’ll never be as good as those 70’s teams. It’s a tough spot to be in.
If a division rival ends up winning a Super Bowl – are you happy for them? Is it possible to be happy for another team?
I think I can find it in my heart to be happy for Cleveland. They’ve been bad for so long. But I could never be happy for the Ravens. I guess something nice can be due to Cleveland.
Growing up in New England, it was brutal rooting for the Steelers, especially in 2001 after losing that championship game. It was one of the worst days of my life. My biggest fear actually this year was that the Steelers would end up the second seed and play the Patriots as the seventh seed. I was confident if that happened the Steelers would lose.
I know your wife works for victim’s advocacy for gender violence – my wife works in human rights. How hard is it to convince them that with all of that work going on – that football matters!
Exactly! It’s not just because of what she does for a living either. Her father and brother were never sports fans, so I was the first guy in her life that was. For her to see another adult controlled by outside forces like sports does to you – that’s very jarring. I can’t even say it’s the fault of anything except the fact I was radicalized by my father as a child!
But I think I’ve gotten better. A lot of games I keep my eyes on my phone then watch the game replay after we put the kids to bed. I think my breaking point was the playoff loss to Jacksonville. After the game I walked downstairs and saw my six-month old kid looking at me, and I thought, “Why am I actively opting them in to this?”
It’s a joke I’m constantly working on. It’s a weird thing to ask your wife. To give me these four hours to watch this game, and I might come back worse than when you left me! If my wife went to a spa day she wouldn’t be coming back angry, right?
What have been some of the best Steelers moments or stories that mean the most to you outside of obvious Super Bowl wins?
The Christmas Ravens game where Antonio Brown reached over the goal line to win the game. I was in New Mexico with my wife’s family. As you know, once you’re married you spend if you’re lucky maybe half the time with your own family. I was upset watching the game – we fell behind early, but we kept creeping back. I called my parents screaming with my dad when we scored – he said it was a Christmas miracle!
I remember the Colts playoff game too. I was talking to my dad right before the fumble, talking about how we won the game when Bettis fumbled. He screamed at me “You fucking jinxed it!” and hung up on me!
Which memories are the most painful for you?
It’s weird. I can remember Steelers stuff to the core – I remember losses so deeply. I can pinpoint where I was sitting every time the season ended. The Ravens game where Antonio caught that crazy pass on the side of his helmet, I was doing SNL that night. The cue card guys knew I was a huge Steelers fan and I knew something happened because I heard them screaming about it.
The worst memories – the Chargers playoff loss in ’94. And the 2001 Brady-Patriots game when Bledsoe came in and threw the touchdown and they let up the special teams touchdown.
I’ve spoken to a lot of guys who talk about feeling dehumanized at times due to the proliferation of stats and fantasy football – any thoughts on how that’s affected your enjoyment of the game and players?
I try not to have any Steelers on my fantasy football teams – those are two separate things for me. I’d rather go 0-13 in fantasy football if it meant the Steelers winning one more game.
The Next Gen Stats stuff – when they put the Pro Football Focus rankings up when they introduce the players…that to me is weird. Imagine if it’s the Buffalo right guard’s first game, with his family watching, and the coolest part – you being introduced with your headshot on screen – and there’s this ranking – 79th of 81 under your picture. That’s a little on the nose to me.
Any memorable experiences with Steelers players?
There are two guys I really got s chance to meet and get to know. When I hosted the NFL Honors Award Show, I got to meet Franco Harris. He told me that if I was ever in town to give him a call. Well I had a chance to take my dad with me to dinner with Franco in Pittsburgh. My dad has met Obama, but he could care less about that compared to meeting Franco! Giving that to my dad was a gift.
And Franco – his integrity. He’s probably told many of his stories a million times, but when he tells them it doesn’t seem like it. Those stories are like gifts.
I also did standup in Pittsburgh a few years ago. I looked out and thought either there was a lumberjack in the audience or that was Brett Keisel at the show. I had a chance to meet he and his wife – they are lovely people.
Steelers minority owner Larry Paul also heard I was a big fan of the team and reached out to me and invited me to a game. Standing on the sidelines, you can talk to 100 people and 95 of them are Rooneys. They are all nice people. It’s not like I would like the Steelers more, but knowing how decent the owners are makes being a fan even more special.
Are you big on the history of the team?
I read a lot of books about them as a kid. I read a lot about them and know a lot about them, but not as much about those earlier days.
Lastly, do you think all those things that you loved about the Steelers growing up – they still hold true to you today as the game and team has changed over the years?
I do. Look, what drew me to the Steelers was my dad and the lore of the team he talked about with me. I was born in “73, so I missed those 70’s moments except for seeing my dad caring about them and showing me that. He gave me his Steelers Super Bowl win Sports Illustrated issues.
There have been enough years since then – but what matters is that they still do things the same way. They have the same uniforms, only three coaches over that time. That matters. Sure people can complain and say that when Ben throws the football 50 times a game it’s not Steelers football. But they still do things the same way as an organization. They are unique from other teams – and that matters as a fan.
