There was a pretty delicious sound bite in John Harbaugh's Monday press conference regarding the last time his Ravens matched up against the Steelers, a nail-biter of a Pittsburgh win in Week 13 that was ultimately the difference in determining the AFC North championship. The Baltimore head coach said he was happy that his team broke Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's nose, which sounds a little too sadistic, until you hear it in context:
"[Roethlisberger]’s a tough guy...I was glad we broke his nose. And then I was very impressed that he played through it, you know? Obviously, you can throw very effectively with a broken nose. He proved that. We’re going to try to get after him like we always do [on Saturday]. He knows that ... that’s the key to stopping him: you’ve got to get him down. You can’t let him extend plays, and when he does ... you’ve got to cover [his receivers]. And that’s easier said than done."
What I love about this quote is that it perfectly embodies the Steelers-Ravens rivalry. These are divisional opponents who hate hate hate each other, yet there's obviously a tremendous amount of respect there. You have to love that, no matter who you're pulling for this weekend.
And now I'll leave you with a video of the hit - courtesy of defensive tackle Haloti Ngata - that left Roethlisberger's nose hanging off his face. You know, just in case, like Harbaugh, you enjoy that kind of thing: