Former Ravens Lineman Savages Steelers

The AFC North regularly produces noteworthy on-field matchups, but that's not all that ropes viewers in. They're the rare four-team unit that has a culture surrounding them, an identity built around brutal cold and rivalries that exceed usual football smack talk, and few relationships define that dynamic more than that between the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Both teams have spent the 21st century experiencing general success, each winning two rings apiece, but that hasn't stopped the two from sleeping with one eye open. Offseason moves made by one of divisional neighbors routinely results in big news in the others' circle, with two annual matchups nearly guaranteeing fireworks.

That hatred clearly manifests on the gridiron, and apparently holds up with time.

Former Ravens offensive lineman Mike Flynn sure maintains the strong emotions he once had to deal with in-game, spending 10 seasons between 1998 and 2007 filling multiple positions along the front line and spending more than his fair share of snaps staring down the black and yellow helmets that looked to collapse his pocket.

"Very hateable team, very hateable city, very hateable fan base," Flynn said in a recent interview with Recruiting Board. "I still dislike them. I like seeing them lose more than the Ravens win. A lot of that has to do with we lost a lot of tough games to them, and still do."

It took a few years for his Ravens to punch back at the long-dominant Steelers, who'd already won four championships to the newly-established Baltimore team's zero entering the 2000s. The Ravens winning it all in 2001 was around the time he started feeling a shift.

"It was never a rivalry until, finally, in 2000, when we finally bit back," Flynn continued. "We won in Three Rivers Stadium for the first time in Ravens history. Then it became a rivalry, and it got nasty. You name it, fights in the field, fights going out to the bus. They were great to play in. I do miss that."

Flynn credits the well-traveled Steelers fan base for always showing up and keeping things interesting, as their energy has helped shape the team's image through the modern day. And his account remains consistent with what you see today, with a bitter air remaining between two highly-competent organizations each attempting to return to the NFL's mountaintop.