Bulletin board fodder

So the Pittsburgh Steelers, or at least Steelers DB Anthony Smith, has guaranteed a Steelers win this Sunday at Gilette Stadium when the Patriots host Pittsburgh.

Sooooo not a good idea to give Patriots' Coach Bill Belichick and the Pats even more reason to try and beat your team ... wow.

You think Belichcik and company were pissed before? This could be really ugly Sunday.

UPDATE: This was posted on the Boston.com website:

One of the main themes in the Gillette Stadium locker room today was Steelers safety Anthony Smith's guarantee of a win.

"I don't know if we've ever come out and predicted victory or anything, and we've won a lot of games," quarterback Tom Brady said. "Whether you predict it or not, you've got to show up on Sunday."

Said safety Rodney Harrison: "The game is won and lost between the lines, not in the media. We've been in this situation before, where guys are talking. It just doesn't matter what you say, it's what you do."

Added outside linebacker Mike Vrabel: "If you went back and documented every time someone called their own shot, I mean, what are the chances? You're going to win or you're going to lose. Either way I don't think that prediction will have much bearing on the outcome."

Elsewhere, fullback Heath Evans said that Smith's prediction would be proven correct if the Patriots don't improve their performance, while linebacker Chad Brown acknowledged the comments could be used as motivation.

Linebacker Junior Seau also commented, noting that such a guarantee would never come from the Patriots. He was asked if there is such a thing as bulletin-board material for teams.

"There definitely is," Seau said. "Obviously, there is obviously a build-up before the game and that's the way this started. There is going to be talk every week. We're not going to pay attention to that. We're going to try to do what we do every week, which is work. Hopefully that will be good enough come Sunday. Come Sunday, all the talk will be between the white lines. It always is."