I'm not the kind of guy to cry over
spilled milk. As I prepare myself to attend a Super Bowl party later
today to watch a game in which I have little interest, I can't help
but think about how the Steelers squandered yet another season with a
team that should have, at the very least, made it into the playoffs,
if not the Super Bowl.
When a team begins its season by being
played to a draw by the less-than-dynamic Cleveland Browns, you know
there is a problem and it originates at the top. I have always been a
fan of Mike Tomlin, but how can you explain fielding a team brimming
with talent to so little effect, if not an issue of coaching?
I can't.
Sure there was some drama within the
Steelers ranks. Bell sitting out the season in a snit for one
example. The front office miscalculated when they supposed he would
eventually show up for practice rather than lose nearly $10 million.
Clearly he is willing to sacrifice short term-money for long-term
wealth. Or, maybe he just doesn't really want to play football
anymore. That's a possibility. In either case, his talent was missed,
particularly in the scramble in the season's closing days to squeak
into the playoffs. Then there was Antonio Brown who may have so
poisoned his relationship with the team that he can't effectively
come back.
But, historically, these sorts of
troubles aren't reserved just for the Steelers. Every team has its
drama.
Nope, the Steelers missing the playoffs
is a failure of leadership plain and simple. And because it is, I
don't see a way through. Next season will be a repeat of this season.
Talent and opportunity wasted.
Now I find myself forced to pull for
the Rams today, if I even pay any attention at all. What a waste.
