You have to be nuts to do what I do. It's not necessarily a glamorous position. You have to really love the game because most guys don't want to play it.

I think our 13 position players, whoever they are, would look at me like I was nuts if I didn't take those two guys. And I would lose some credibility.

Mr. Allen saved this franchise. I was on the team in 1996 when we had basically packed our bags and moved down to Anaheim [California]. He stepped in when approached by city officials to put a bid up to purchase the team and take us in a different direction. That's exactly what he has done.

We're all sort of like deer in the headlights, a little bit shocked and in awe, but at the same time we know we have to accomplish a mission.

This will probably be one of the most physical football games that has ever been. Pittsburgh's reputation speaks for itself, and people seemingly don't know a whole lot about us, but we're a pretty physical team as well.

You know, we've been an underdog all year long. And that's fine. I don't worry about the odds-makers and all that stuff. Nobody even gave us a chance near the end of the season, after we ran off 11 straight games, that we would even play for the NFC Championship, let alone the Super Bowl.