Monday, December 31, 2018

Woulda,Coulda,Shoulda

If you would have told me after the Steelers win over Jacksonville that they would lose 5 of their final 6 games,I would have thought you needed a mental health check ! 
                          But after losses to Oakland, Denver, New Orleans, And the most painful loss against the Chargers..  At home.. This team "built for championships" has now won 3...Yes playoff games in 8 years.  Oh sure they've won the AFC North ,But it's like that t shirt.. I Won the AFC north, And All I got is this crappy T-shirt..
             In a season that saw the best game the Steelers played in years knocking the Patriots off the things to do list, They went to Denver and Laid a huge enough egg to make a few Denver Omelets..
      People blaming the officials for losses. ...
Yes, They sure didn't help.  But at the end of the day, Good teams complain about calls..
Championship teams rise above it, And win!! 
  Watching last nights game, I had to tell myself that a win is a win..  But that game shouldn't have been decided late in the 4th quarter.
               Teams like The Bengals should not be taken lightly, That being said, There's no excuse to let that team come into YOUR  house and play that close!
  The only game they dominated was the game against the Panthers  A team that had issues heading into the game. .
      The most surreal thing I've ever seen was after the Steelers game, The players stayed on the field, A good 2/3 of the fans stayed.. Watching the Browns/Ravens game on the jumbotron... Listening to the Steelers radio crew call THAT game.. 
      At the moment Mayfield threw the pick.  You could see the joy leave the Stadium. And that's the feeling that has been with this team the last 7 weeks.. From the highest highs, To the feeling of ... I can't put a single word for it. . Depression, Consolation, Anger..  I'm sure there are more, The point is, Championship teams find resolve after a rough time..  Average teams SAY  they're going to play with emotion.  I'd rather have a team full of guys who show results, Then a team making good sound bites...

 The bottom line is this..  Le'Veon Bell is not going to be a distraction next season, Hopefully that mess is cleaned up before the draft.  The Steelers have 2 young running backs who will create headaches for opposing teams for the considerable future.
 They have a trio(at least) of wide receivers who are top 5 or 10 in the league..
  A defense that is a few players short of being a top 5 defense overall. .
 And a quarterback who...  Ben is Ben..  His stats are amazing. But sometimes taking chances burns you.. 17 interceptions,A stat that jumps out and screams less risky throws!

 Next season will bring hope and optimism. . The question is, Will the Steelers just be OK.. Or finally jump to a Championship level?  Guess we'll all find out together..

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