Long, strange trip finally comes to an end
From the notebook of a sportswriter who was glad he was alone when the Chargers finally outlasted the Chiefs to end the Steelers无毛视频� season:
无毛视频� If you need an explanation of how the matrix involving those three teams worked itself out on Sunday, you probably shouldn无毛视频檛 be reading this column.
无毛视频� Tunch Ilkin was with me early in the afternoon 无毛视频� as were all the media covering the Steelers this season 无毛视频� but he was 无毛视频渨ith me无毛视频� in the belief that the Steelers would beat the Browns, the Jets could beat the Dolphins, and the Bengals should beat the Ravens.
无毛视频� That was the woulda-coulda-shoulda trifecta. 无毛视频淏ut Chase Daniel is quarterbacking against the Chargers,无毛视频� Tunch said with skepticism.
无毛视频� Hey, I told him, Chase Daniel is already a folk hero in Missouri, and he无毛视频檚 been in the league long enough that he won无毛视频檛 just go out there and curl up in the fetal position as the K.C. QB. I told Tunch that I believed the Chaser could do it.
无毛视频� 无毛视频淒idn无毛视频檛 he cost me a bowl bet a few years ago?无毛视频� someone else asked, to which I replied, 无毛视频淵ou无毛视频檙e getting him confused with Blaine Gabbert.无毛视频�
无毛视频� And then we went out and watched the Steelers suffocate the Browns in one of those games in which you must scratch the surface with a rusty nail to criticize.
无毛视频� Yes, the Steelers have become that team again down the stretch, a team whose major malfunctions are not quite so obvious.
无毛视频� And I know all about the defense. But, one time I did a double take after thinking I saw Aaron Smith jack a Cleveland lineman back with his arms to force an off-tackle play out wide, and then rip those arms down 无毛视频� with the lineman flailing to the ground 无毛视频� to pursue the back out of bounds.
无毛视频� It wasn无毛视频檛 just the arms that fooled me, but Cameron Heyward无毛视频檚 big body, his presence, made me double-check whether the number was 91 instead of 97.
无毛视频� It was one of those games in which you don无毛视频檛 even write about Ben Roethlisberger, who, in spite of a couple of picks, was attuned to managing the offense with precision.
无毛视频� He无毛视频檚 become quite the game manager, and that无毛视频檚 meant as more of a compliment than it used to mean to Roethlisberger, whom Ken Whisenhunt once had on puppet strings because of Ben无毛视频檚 youth.
无毛视频� No, Roethlisberger is now the ultimate game manager because he calls his own plays at the line, and it无毛视频檚 coming off seamlessly.
无毛视频� When the fans can snooze through that, you know he无毛视频檚 doing a great job.
无毛视频� So even though there are some holes to be patched as the Steelers transition out of their last era, they无毛视频檝e clearly found a dominating defensive lineman and an old-school QB who can run the game by himself. They无毛视频檝e also found a running back, depth for their offensive line, and a pass-rusher in Jason Worilds this season.
无毛视频� On that note, I believe the Steelers will find a way to keep Worilds, even if they need the franchise tag to do it. But those stories are for another day.
无毛视频� So, while those covering the Steelers in the press box were complaining that the story wasn无毛视频檛 in the three games being won by the Steelers at the time, that the story could 无毛视频� and would 无毛视频� linger into the night, those covering the Browns were scrambling on cell phones to get a better handle on the firing of the coach that was being reported on the Internet by those not even in the stadium.
无毛视频� 无毛视频淲ant to switch teams?无毛视频� one busy Browns reporter asked of one complaining Steelers reporter.
无毛视频� As the Steelers无毛视频� lead became insurmountable amidst the steadily falling rain, the crowd, of course, grew smaller. But, it grew more feisty as the out-of-town scores rolled in. The woulda-coulda-shoulda trifecta hit 无毛视频� just like the previous week无毛视频檚 superfecta 无毛视频� and the party moved inside.
无毛视频� The defense was the story Sunday, not only because it played well but because that无毛视频檚 the unit upon which the off-season patchwork will take place. And Brett Keisel and Ryan Clark, because of their age and contract status, might be saying goodbye.
无毛视频� They both said they could still play, and would if the Steelers deem them necessary. And, I see possibilities in that regard.
无毛视频� I also had to check in on Troy Polamalu, who said in the middle of the season that he wants to return, but whose serious-mindedness could lead to a change of thinking at any time.
无毛视频� Troy still has a year left on his contract, says he wants to fulfill it, and I无毛视频檓 not so sure the Steelers will ask him to take a pay cut. He could just call their bluff the way James Harrison did and finish his career in Southern California.
无毛视频� Harrison wasn无毛视频檛 a national treasure coming off another Pro Bowl, so I have my doubts that the Steelers will want to foul up the farewell to this icon.
无毛视频� When Polamalu was asked how he played this year, he said, 无毛视频淲ell, we无毛视频檙e eight and eight无毛视频� to once again live up to everything I无毛视频檝e taught my child about championship character and humility.
无毛视频� Troy was asked in a follow-up to explain the difference in his team in the second half of the season. 无毛视频淲e无毛视频檙e winning,无毛视频� he said without any hint of sarcasm.
无毛视频� All three wily vets 无毛视频� Keisel, Clark and Polamalu 无毛视频� were asked if they were going to watch the Chiefs try to beat the Chargers. 无毛视频淎s soon as you guys quit talking,无毛视频� said Keisel. 无毛视频淣o, my son无毛视频檚 in the championship game of his Christmas basketball tournament,无毛视频� said Clark. 无毛视频淎h, no,无毛视频� said Polamalu. All three answers described those three men perfectly.
无毛视频� In the press box after interviews, many of the writers were in a quandary. Either they had to write new stories based on the result of the 4:25 p.m. game, or they had to at least tweak the stories they had already written. It was a waiting game to be sure.
无毛视频� 无毛视频淗ey, Wexell, you were right about Chase Daniel. He really can do this,无毛视频� one writer shouted down to me as I was finishing up my game story.
无毛视频� I replied that Chase could become the king of both Missouri and Pennsylvania if he keeps his lead on the Chargers, and surely no one has ever done that.
无毛视频� 无毛视频淪tan Musial did,无毛视频� came the unexpected, and correct, reply.
无毛视频� As the Chiefs began their final fourth-quarter drive of a tie game, I bid adieu to what was becoming a party in the press box. I received some strange looks, as in 无毛视频淗ow could you miss this?无毛视频� but I wanted to manage my time properly and figured the Chiefs无毛视频� drive and possible overtime would coincide with my 45-minute drive home.
无毛视频� So, I was alone in my car when I heard on the radio that the Chiefs had missed a 41-yard field goal which would无毛视频檝e sent the Steelers to the playoffs.
无毛视频� There was a thud, to be sure, but there wasn无毛视频檛 that sickening feeling of Sid Bream sliding under a tag or Neil O无毛视频橠onnell throwing short on fourth down. It was more 无毛视频淚 went all the way through 400 must-win scenarios the last two weeks for this?无毛视频�
无毛视频� The radio station provided a moment of comic relief when someone in the background began shouting in lament of the missed kick, and the talk-show host scolded him to 无毛视频渟top being a baby.无毛视频�
无毛视频� No, you无毛视频檙e a baby.
无毛视频� No, YOU无毛视频橰E A BIG FAT BABY!!
无毛视频� But, the feeling moved from comedy to tragedy as referee Bill Leavy called forward progress to negate a fumble return for a touchdown in overtime by the Chiefs.
无毛视频� When I got home and watched the replay, it was obvious the pile was still moving forward and that the touchdown should无毛视频檝e stood. And after the Chargers won, I learned that Leavy had botched another call when the Chargers illegally lined up seven men to one side of the center on the earlier K.C. field goal miss. I also learned that the Steelers can expect another apology from the league.
无毛视频� Really 无毛视频� and I swear I say this once a year 无毛视频� the league should apologize for employing Leavy. This is the guy who officiated Super Bowl XL and later cried to a reporter that he 无毛视频渒icked无毛视频� calls that should无毛视频檝e gone against the Steelers. This played into the populist contention that the Steelers received an inordinate amount of breaks in that game, but I无毛视频檓 still waiting for someone to correctly point one 无毛视频� just one 无毛视频� out to me.
无毛视频� Leavy didn无毛视频檛 help his credibility in future games by moaning about that Super Bowl a few years later, and, yep, he无毛视频檚 still killing the Steelers today.
无毛视频� These Steelers had a chance in these playoffs. You saw what a mediocre Ravens team did last year with the right momentum, health, leadership and quarterback. The Steelers have the same, and would无毛视频檝e been a tough out in these playoffs.
无毛视频� This was far from the injury-ravaged team that lost to Tim Tebow无毛视频檚 Broncos a few years back. This was a hot team with a hot quarterback and they would无毛视频檝e had to play in Cincinnati, where the Bengals and their fans have watched this horror show before.
无毛视频� I have seen this movie before, too. After Cincy comes Peyton Manning and the hope that someone else beats Tom Brady. But, the script got thrown in the can by a bad kicker and a worse official. What a long, strange trip this season has been.