OK, San Diego Chargers' fans: Before you read one more word of this so-called "Playoff Preview," do me a favor...

Take that paper, sitting in front of you that has the stats and play charts from that Week 11, 11-10 football game, between the Bolts and the Stellars, and crumple it up  and throw it away.

That game don't mean jack!

I'm serious.  Ask yourself this: Are the Chargers a different team than that bunch of dopes that played at Heinz Field on Nov. 16? 

You're damn right they are!

Oh, here's another question: Are the Steelers the same team that played in that same game? 

You gotta be kiddin' me.  Not a chance.

For those of us who are partial to the Chargers, well, there's good news and bad news.

The good news is your team did something they hadn't done in the 2008 season—beat a playoff team.  And not just any playoff team, the playoff team—MVP Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.

Now, the bad news: If you're going to Pittsburgh to witness this divisional playoff battle on Sunday, bring your lunch pail.

Hey, I like Indy as much as the next guy, but in the Steelers, you're getting a football team—plain and simple.

These guys hit hard on every down, every play, offense, defense, and special teams.  They're not flashy. They don't have to be.  They're the "Stellars." 

If you go to Wikipedia and look up the word, "football," I'd guess that James Harrison's picture would show up above the fold; Keisel, Harrison, Polamalu, Woodley, Farrior, et cetera. 

Mike Tomlin doesn't need a membership card to Bill Belichick's "video tape of the week" club to prepare his team for this Sunday's contest.  The Steelers are already a fine tuned football machine.  Sure, it isn't pretty, but for my money, it sure is effective.

Ben Roethlisberger might still be "hearing the birdies" after getting blasted by the Cleveland Browns' pass rush, but you don't hear the Pittsburgh faithful even batting an eye.

Why?

They know what the deal is.  It's blocking, tackling, execution, preparedness—all the things that make the Steelers a very difficult "nut to crack."

This isn't "Indianapolis, Part Deux" coming at you, Chargers' honks. 

It's like trading in your marshmallow for a brick.  It's going to be time to play football.

Yes, that's all bad news...or is it?

Not all the news is bad from my side of the fence. 

These Chargers are not quite Dan Fouts' old Chargers either—a team that would fold up into a nice little ball once the weather hit 30 degrees and the game got rough.  And this more recent Chargers' bunch has been in some blood baths as of late, courtesy of a few games against not only Pittsburgh, but the Tennessee Titans as well. 

It certainly was a pleasant surprise when the Chargers responded so well in that 2007 game at LP Field in Nashville, when the Titans teed off on San Diego and started physically pounding on the Chargers, play after play.

After taking that abuse for about a quarter, the Chargers fired back and then some. I'm telling you, it was scary to see how much force San Diego came at the Titans with, as the game wore on. 

Things worked out pretty well that day.  The Chargers literally wore out the Titans with their own brand of physicality and pushed them aside in OT to grab a big road win. 

Then, San Diego verified their dominance over the Titans in round one of the playoffs a few weeks later at home, beating the Titans yet again in similar fashion.

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