Those fishing for a little extra controversy for this Sunday's matchup between the Cowboys and Steelers were given some bait when Ben Roethlisberger told the *Pittsburgh Post-Gazette *that the Cowboys may be "America's Team," but that the Steelers could be "The World's Team."
While this may be good fodder for Cowboy and Steeler fans (who have never been overly fond of each other over the years), Tony Romo brushed off the comment as a simple joke. Romo laughed when he was asked about the quote.
"I don't view it in any capacity," Romo told the Pittsburgh media in a conference call Wednesday. "I think Ben knows how to have fun with you guys."
Romo went on to talk about the similarities of the two franchises.
"He's played for a franchise that's had great success over the years for a long time now," Romo said. "We've obviously had a lot of success over the last 50 years as well. I think you're looking at a couple very, very strong franchises that have been around for a long time. I think it's great to play for an organization like this. I think that's what (Roethlisberger's) telling you."
The Steelers and Cowboys have appeared in more Super Bowl games than any two franchises in the NFL and have been two of the most popular teams in sports since the 1970's. The Steelers at six Super Bowl victories, have one more than the Cowboys. Roethlisberger was the quarterback for two of those Super Bowls.
The two Super Bowl victories are what separate Roethlisberger and Romo in the minds of many people.
Roethlisberger has played nearly two more full seasons than Romo and has just under 5,000 yards more than him for his career. But their career completion percentage and quarterback rating are actually very similar with Romo actually being slightly higher in both categories. Roethlisberger's career completion percentage is 63.3 compared to Romo's 64.8. Roethlisberger's quarterback rating is 92.7 while Romo's is 95.5.
But on the other hand, Roethlisberger has 10 career playoff wins under his belt and Romo only has one.The Cowboys have struggled to establish a home-field advantage at Cowboys' Stadium this season and Steelers fans have been known to be well represented at road games.
Romo and the Cowboys will have to get off to a quick start to ensure that the crowd of America's Team remains louder than the crowd of "The World's Team."
