Pittsburgh Steelers at the Bell Lap

Technically speaking this is supposed to be a piece evaluating the season at the three-quarter mark and I’m late. But I decided that it didn’t make sense to be so legalistic about this that I ignored the opportunity to have the results of yesterday’s game to provide additional information and insight into where the Steelers stood at this crucial time of the year. Boy, I am so glad I did.



I hope that most of you understood and appreciated what you saw last night. If not I fear that you may miss the point of being a fan of professional football. In the movie Star Trek Nemesis the Federation earns the respect and friendship of the Romulans because the Enterprise engages in a heroic and costly battle with a more powerful Romulan ship. For those familiar with Star Trek lore, a similar situation resulted in the creation of an alliance with the Klingons years earlier.



I would strongly urge that, for a couple of days at least, that we set aside the horse racing aspect of the season. Yes, the team struggled against a clearly inferior opponent. Yes, it was an ugly win. Yes, depending upon the progress of the injuries incurred last night, the Browns game could be the beginning of the end of a promising championship run. But every so often we get to witness a game whose impact and value is timeless. You’ve probably read Maryrose, Homer J. and others recount a Browns/Steelers game from 1964. A Pittsburgh team that was going nowhere in particular dominated a Browns team that would eventually go on to win the NFL Championship (their last championship of any kind, by the way). If you are a Steelers fan and was alive and aware at that time, you will carry the memory of that encounter to the grave.





Last night Big Ben made his claim to be included on the Mount Rushmore of Steelers players. In the process he made believers of not only Steelers fans but a national audience and the NFL Network (the Romulans). A game that nearly everyone thought would be a lopsided snooze became a compelling drama; probably too compelling for the digestion of Steelers Nation, but that should not stand in the way of our appreciation of what transpired as great football. Now I know that a lot of people openly or secretly can’t really stomach Ben. He’ll always be a sex offender in their eyes, a drama queen, and a stubborn, greedy player who will put himself and his team at risk because he doesn’t realize that sometimes discretion is the better part of valor. That is precisely why he got hurt last night. And to those people I say, too bad. Maybe you would be happier finding another team to root for, at least until Ben retires, because the argument is over. I had a friend who was so obsessed with keeping to a schedule that he never really appreciated what he was doing at the moment. His eyes were constantly on the next thing. Our problems are going nowhere. There will be plenty of things to worry about next week. For now, do yourself a favor and allow yourself to dwell on the greatness of Steelers football.



http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2011/12/9/2623784/steelers-browns-nfl-week-14-mike-tomlin-ben-roethlisberger-afc-playoffs



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good read

Good read. I enjoy these kind of commentaries that come from the heart of a fan and don't try to overwhelm you with stats and stuff.

Another great find, fer. Articles like this help to keep us all grounded and not as reactionary over an ugly win.

Here's to hoping our guys get healthy ASAP and ready for the final push to the Super Bowl!