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Now the Zen master said: We'll see

1989.

Many may be too young to remember, and those that are old enough are probably starting to get a little senile (just kidding - I'm one of them).

I moved in to my Pittsburgh dorm room as a freshman in college. The super bowl wins were ten years in the past. But as a hometown kid amongst many from far away, I was proud of my Steelers. The first game of the year arrived against the hated Browns at Three Rivers Stadium.

I beamed as kickoff came. But those of you who remember know what happened. 51-0 Browns. At home. The first game of the year. I was crushed.

The front page of the paper the next morning had a simple caption: 51-0. It was placed over a picture of a Browns DB rolling in the end zone laughing about the beating they had just administered.

The stats were every bit as bad as the score. The Browns scored three defensive TD's, three offensive TD's and three FG's. We had 53 total yards. Bubby threw three interceptions, one of which was returned for a TD. We fumbled six times, lost five, with two returned for TD's. The time of possession was 40-20. It was probably the worst game I have ever watched the Steelers play.

To be clear, these Browns weren't what we think of today. They were the precursor to the Ravens and every bit as much a rival as the Ravens are now. But they weren't the defending Super Bowl Champs either. Not by a long shot. And we were at home.

My point is not to depress anyone or to bring up a bad memory, but rather to give perspective. Because as many of you know, the story ends much differently. Our season didn't end that day. We didn't fall apart and have the pieces blown in to the wind.

The emperor rallied the troops. We finished 9-7 (and beat the Browns in Cleveland along the way). We took a wild card spot and won the wild card game. We gave John Elway and his SuperBowl bound Broncos all they wanted in Denver in the second playoff game, but eventually fell 24-23.

The loss on Thursday was a far cry from the embarrassment I witnessed in 1989. It's a long season, and we have to trust it.

Although we can question Coach Tomlin's clock management on occasion, I have NEVER felt he was in danger of losing the team. He and his staff have proved in each of the last three years that they can and will rally the troops. They will again. And they have more to work with now than in 2013 or 2014 (and WAY more than Chuck Noll did in 1989).

Those of you on the ledge, step back. The defense will be better and more consistent as they gain familiarity with the system and with each other. The offense will start getting its weapons back in another week.

We may well see the Pats again if they make the playoffs.

And as the Zen master says: "We'll see"

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