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Steelers staying in motion, leaving 0-4 in the rear view mirror

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin moved the Steelers out of Cleveland quickly after their win Sunday. Any idle time could be spent on dwelling on the past.

By Neal Coolong
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
I took a drive today Time to emancipate I guess it was the beatings made me wise -Pearl Jam

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin couldn't wait to get his 5-6 club out of Cleveland.

The "one day at a time" mantra be damned, unless Tomlin's in charge of when that day begins.

And ends.

Tomlin ushered his Steelers out of town after their  27-11 win over the Browns, their third straight victory. Tomlin had a schedule to keep. There's confirming the equipment was all packed, securing the injured players, and making sure to keep each player moving as much as possible. The mojo now surrounding the team is to be taken like underwear out of the drier.

Moving forward is a necessity, even if the present feels excellent. If the Steelers don't move forward, the warmth wears off and all their recent run of success will fade into the cold Thanksgiving night in Bal'more.

The same franchise that became the first to win three road playoff games could become just the second in NFL history to make the postseason after an 0-4 start. The 1992 Chargers started the same kind of 0-4 as the Steelers, except they lost all four of their games in the United States. The Steelers even defeated that Chargers team during that losing streak.

Once things got rolling for Bobby Beathard's squad, they probably didn't sit around long in Cleveland, after they defeated them in Cleveland in Week 11. They didn't have to play their rival on the road in just over four days, but Tomlin doesn't care enough to think about it.

A team in motion stays in motion. A team that's own quarterback said, after losing its fourth straight game, "we're pretty much the worst team in football." Perhaps now, if Ben Roethlisberger stopped to think about it, he'd remember the fact the men in that locker room and their coaches are going to be remembered as the worst starting team in the last 40 years.

Keep moving forward, coach. Move 'em all the way to Baltimore. Move them through Baltimore. Grab a turkey leg on your way back to town, then, keep moving forward to host Miami.

By the time the team stops moving, it may have accomplished something great. But Tomlin will let us hacks talk about that.

He's busy keeping the team in motion.

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