FanHouse RyanClark

In case you hadn't noticed, sports these days are all about Goliath. In 2009, the Steelers, Lakers, North Carolina Tar Heels and now the Yankees have all won titles in their respective sports. Cinderella is yesterday's news. The teams that win these days are the teams that always win, and if you think that's boring, well, tough. You can kiss one of Derek Jeter's five World Series rings.

So with that in mind, we need to be really careful about overlooking the Dallas Cowboys.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. All you ever hear about the Cowboys is what's wrong with them. Terrell Owens was a pain. Roy Williams is a loudmouth, too, and isn't good enough to replace T.O. Tony Romo's too concerned with his golf game and his high-wattage love life to ever attain his potential. The new stadium is ridiculous...

Following the 2009 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers were set to have a number of key players hit unrestricted free agency, including James Harrison, Hines Ward, Ryan Clark, and Heath Miller. Earlier this offseason, the Steelers locked up Harrison with the second-richest contract in franchise history.

On Saturday, ESPN's John Clayton reported that Ward agreed to a four-year, $22 million deal (that's only $20 million less than what Matthew Stafford received for never playing a down in the NFL) that will keep the physical receiver in Pittsburgh for the remainder of his career.

The Steelers have $19 million in cap room with only a talented cornerback and a slew of mediocre or injury-prone linemen heading to free agency. So everything's great, right?

Well, take a look at this list of Steelers who are getting ready to head into the final year of their current contracts (thanks to davaughnci for pulling a list together over at Football's Future Forum): RB Willie Parker, LB James Harrison, WR Hines Ward, TE Heath Miller, C Justin Hartwig, S Ryan Clark, CB Deshea Townsend, DE Brett Keisel, NG Casey Hampton, K Jeff Reed.

Steelers safety Ryan Clark developed a reputation around the NFL this season as being one of the most physical, hardest hitting safeties in the league. By now, I'm sure you're already familiar with his work. During the Steelers' 27-23 win against Arizona in Super Bowl XLIII, Clark tried to develop a new tackling strategy, and it's one that probably won't be catching on any time soon, and for good reason -- it doesn't work.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Taking a short walk from the Super Bowl media center to the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Tampa, I decided to count up how many fans I walked past wearing Steelers garb, and how many wearing Cardinals apparel.

The result? I saw 37 fans in black and gold, and exactly zero in red and white. It's safe to say the Steelers are going to have home-field advantage on Sunday.

Super Bowl week is just as much about the carnival atmosphere as it is about the actual game. Tuesday is Media Day, which historically means plenty of inane questions, some ridiculous publicity stunts, and a lot of stuff you'd never see during a typical NFL week. Like, say, NFL Network's Deion Sanders getting called out by a smiling Ryan Clark. (Click the photo above for the video, or just go here.)

Super Bowl week is just as much about the carnival atmosphere as it is about the actual game. Tuesday is Media Day, which historically means plenty of inane questions, some ridiculous publicity stunts, and a lot of stuff you'd never see during a typical NFL week. Like, say, NFL Network's Deion Sanders getting called out by a smiling Ryan Clark. (Click the photo above for the video, or just go here.)

Troy Polamalu is arguably the best safety in the NFL, but the guy who plays next to him -- Ryan Clark -- is the hardest hitting. At least according to teammate Larry Foote. And I suspect Willis McGahee, Wes Welker and Matt Jones all might agree.

Troy Polamalu is arguably the best safety in the NFL, but the guy who plays next to him -- Ryan Clark -- is the hardest hitting. At least according to teammate Larry Foote. And I suspect Willis McGahee, Wes Welker and Matt Jones all might agree.

Steelers safety Ryan Clark and Ravens running back Willis McGahee had one of the most violent collisions you'll ever seen on a football field during the AFC Championship. But while McGahee spent Sunday night in the hospital, Clark says that to him, it was nothing out of the ordinary.