Stuck in the Seventies
Subhead about Styx
By Sean Collier

If there is a Citizen Kane of in-stadium scoreboard entertainment, it is without a doubt the Heinz Field "Renegade" video, an exquisite montage of Steelers defensive assault set to Styx's 1978 hit. If you haven't been fortunate enough to attend a contest on the North Shore in the past few years, allow me to narrate.

The scoreboard surreptitiously fades to black, and the stadium grows quiet for a moment. An ominous and unmistakably 70's vocal ("Oh, momma, I'm in fear for my life from the long arm of the law…") slices through the silence as the JumboTron creeps into alternating black-and-white images of defensive unity and acrobatic slow-motion tackles. The intro reaches its harmonic conclusion, a scream erupts, and Styx triples the tempo into the song proper ("The jig is up, the news is out, they finally found me…") while the video cuts to staccato flashes of defenders delivering spine-rattling hits to petrified opponents. After two verses, the track leaps ahead to the a cappella bridge as the video shows eight final devastating impacts. The music stops, and the single word "Defense" appears on the screen.

The idea is to rally the crowd and, subsequently, the defense into a big stop. The song is strategically deployed, usually in the second half, when a stand is necessary; last season, the song led to a forced punt, turnover, or failure to score on 9 out of 10 occasions, according to WTAE.

This season, however, the Steelers D hasn't been forcing much of anything to occur with that kind of frequency. With the beleaguered secondary the primary scapegoat of a so-so season, the assorted renegades of the NFL have had little trouble scampering past the long arms of Dick LeBeau's hangmen and taking off toward the end zone.

Even in the Steelers' triumphant, losing-streak snapping defeat of the Green Bay Packers, "Renegade" backfired. Utilized with great vigor late in the game, the Packers responded by flying down the field and regaining the lead; Steelers color analyst Tunch Ilkin wondered aloud if the song had lost its magic throughout the '09 season.

No quantity of defensive miscues will dissuade Steeler Nation from rallying around the song, however. Midway through the following week's tilt with the Baltimore Ravens, John Moses of New Kensington dismissed the notion of shelving "Renegade" after some ineffective outings. "It's worked so much. You'll have some instances where it doesn't work, but at the same time, you've gotta let it ride."

That week, the video would be unleashed at the start of the fourth quarter. With Baltimore sputtering deep in Steelers territory and the game tied at 20, Derrick Mason dropped a sure touchdown in the corner of the end zone. Baltimore called a timeout, and Styx snuck up on the crowd. The frustrations of the Pittsburgh faithful, tormented by a tense opening 45 minutes, were loudly exorcised.

On the next play, William Gay neutralized Kelley Washington in the end zone, leading to a weak Joe Flacco toss out-of-bounds before Baltimore's Oniel Cousins was called for a late hit on LaMarr Woodley. With the Ravens driven back to a 3rd and 30 at the Pittsburgh 41, Ziggy Hood tracked down Flacco, toppling him as he threw. Penalized out of field goal range and decisively stopped, Baltimore was forced to punt.

"Renegade" had worked.

The Steelers scraped their way to a season-extending 23-20 victory with a Jeff Reed field goal nine minutes later. After the Styx-aided stop, the Ravens produced nothing but two feeble, ineffective drives, the norm for them on an afternoon that called into serious doubt their viability as a playoff squad. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, suddenly found itself with a decent chance at defending their Super Bowl title in the postseason amidst a crowded wild card field.

There's no witchcraft in "Renegade," despite allegations thereof in the 1980's. While late-game fan support certainly helps, the defense will win and lose games regardless of what's playing on the JumboTron. The song is a rallying cry and the anthem of Steeler Nation, and serves admirably in both respects. Furthermore, it usually provides one of the most thrilling moments at Heinz Field, sending the most dedicated fans in the NFL into an intimidating fervor.

And most importantly, it's infinitely better than that "Here We Go" song.