It started with a fight, and ended with a cry.
He said we would unleash hell and trust me, hell was unleashed. We didn't need hell, we needed heaven on our side. Stairway to "seven," remember?
So, despite the fact that the sun is shining brightly and it's Friday, today is nothing short of dismal.
Playoff hopes have all but vanished, washed away by the shores of Lake Erie. The mistake by the lake is now put on Pittsburgh. Lake Dreary has cast itself and unleashed it's frigid furry into the dog-pound and onto the Steelers for the first time in nine games in Cleveland Brown stadium.
I was stunned. Trying to justify between a gaping jaw and stuttered mumbles of confusion, and understand what in the world happened to my Pittsburgh Steelers? To my reigning champs? To my six-pack, sixburghen, s.o.b.'s. To my one large order of football champions with a side of Lord Stanley? (Maybe the other way around.) None-the-less. C'mon guys, the Brownies? the (now) 2-11 Betty Crocker Fudgie or Cake-like Brownies? How many Super Bowls have they won? Oh, yah, zero, zip, nada.
I mean, it's not like I am going to become a fair-weathered fan and start cheering elsewhere. I can at least still smile at the fact that we are the leading NFL team with six super bowl championships on our hands. And the Browns are still 2-11. Pretty awful, and still the worst in the league as far as numbers go.
Embarassing that we lost, but if I am going to try and stay positive, I just tell myself that you can't win 'em all. Right? I mean, we don't want to turn into the New York Yankees and become that team.
You can't win 'em all.
But you can at least salvage some dignity. Right?
Wrong.
I am not embarassed so much by the fact that we lost to the Bengals, Browns, Ravens, Chiefs and Raiders. Ok, yah I am pretty embarassed...BUT, I am MORE embarrassed by our team chemistry, or lack there of.
Where in the world is the discipline? The leadership? The professionalism on this team?
If I acted or did any of the things that are reported by nearly half of the team, I would be without a job and struggling to find another.
Let's recap:
A distraction, yes, but I don't know if it is even relevant to mention Santonio Holmes and his marijuana mishap last season since he went on to be the Super Bowl MVP and all, but the bicep flex has GOT to STOP.
So,
I'd say it started with Jeff Reed and his antics with a towel dispenser. First off, that story sounds ridiculous to begin with. Really Reed? A towel dispenser? Really??
Okay, so dust under the rug. Minor blip in the Rooneys stark free Steeler team image. Let's move on.
Right when preseason is about to begin. When the hype of the 2009-10 season is about to get underway and all of the fans are super pumped and all "Seven-upped" or "Stairway to Sevened" out, some chick out in Nevada decides to blame Benny Boy for sexually assaulting her.
Nicely timed, round of applause. Immediately all focus of preseason prep shifts from football to fondling.
Next up, Reedy boy is at it again. Although this time he chose a human to raise his fists too, a policeman at that. And it was because the policeman was doing his job, trying to cite Matt Spaeth for using the open air and parking lot as his own personal port-a-potty.
Let's face it, policeman have had it with Pittsburgh right now. They are on edge for obvious and unblameable reasons. So when Jeff Reed turns into Muhammed Ali after a quick celebration for beating the Browns (ha!), police won't handle that lightly.
Round of applause, again, please. Way to go. This was on top of Reeds subpar recent performances anyhow, and his inability to make tackles as well.
Bill Cowher? Is that you? I knew it.
Okay, I am going to keep tredging on.... Ben takes a pretty nasty hit in the Bengals game and sustains a concussion. In the next set of downs, Batch breaks his wrist. I tell you what, if there has been any hell unleashed, it's been against rather than for us.
After finding out that Ben would not be playing against the Ravens in a fairly important game, Hines runs his mouth. Basically talking smack on his quarterback.
What were you thinking Ward? He is your TEAMMATE. You don't talk down about a teammate, ever.
So, the problem with Pittsburgh? Chemistry. Team Chemistry is largely amiss and it is extremely obvious.
James Harrison is a scary man. And when you see him whipping his helmet and screaming at teammates on the sidelines during the Browns game last night, it's a scary, scary situation.
I'd kill to be a fly on the wall of that locker room.
There are a lot of young guys as well as experienced, older guys on this team that for some reason when faced with the adversity of losing, do not mesh well at all.
While the veterans are hanging their heads with shame, the rookies are shaking theirs with disgust.
Bruce: "Shhh, it's okay hunny. It'll get better. Shhhh."
Maybe it is the deadly force of everyones ego bouncing around the room. There is no camaraderie, no leadership. No one individual stepping up and saying "we need to 'come together, right now, over me.'"
Sing it to me Lennon.
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