FanPost

The Man in the Mirror

The Steelers face the task they face in many of the seasons of late: Self assessment and dealing with adversity. The crossroads of the season have arrived. Players and coaches alike are (I hope) self evaluating and team evaluating. The promotion of Dwyer to #1 back is a pretty good indication that the Steelers are taking the task at hand seriously. I used "promotion" of Dwyer vs. the demotion of Mendenhall for a reason. I'd like to keep this as positive as possible. While the Steelers, seem unlike any other team in the league, taking team & brotherhood to a unique level~ the individual self-examination still is important. Let's say you had the opportunity to be the man in the mirror and could speak to individual players in a way that would be constructive. Criticisms without a plan for improvement is incomplete. I'm going to start with Charlie Batch. I really like Charlie. He seems to be by all accounts a very good man, good teammate and team leader. Clearly, Charlie isn't a spring chicken. He is, in fact, the oldest non-kicker in the league. His arm strength isn't the greatest but, no one could ever accuse him of not putting forth his best effort. So here is what my reflection in the mirror to him would be: Stay focused. Stay clear-headed. Don't wear the glove on your throwing hand... your control improved when you took the glove off. Trust your guys, even if they make a mistake. Your own attitude/mindset is critical for the young guys around you to maintain their own mental soundness, especially if they screw up. No one expects much from you: Too old, too slow, too fragile. Don't believe it. You aren't Ben. You don't need to be either. Be confident, be strong. You can do this... you've done it before.

The opinions shared here are not those of the editorial staff of Behind the Steel Curtain or SB Nation. These posts are not approved in any way by the editorial staff of this web site.