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There are only two things I can’t stand in this world. People who are intolerant of enthusiastic head coaches showing their emotions and hugging players on the sideline and Pete Carroll.
As a life-long Steelers fan, I expect many things. One of those things is for the team to always have a shot at the playoffs, regardless of circumstances or record.
The Steelers may have started out 0-3 and 1-4, but after a thrilling and satisfying 24-17 victory over the Chargers, they went into their bye week with a 2-4 record and all the momentum their fans needed to believe they could rise up the standings and catch the Ravens for the AFC North crown.
With Baltimore sitting at 4-2 and with a victory in hand over the Steelers, this task would be tall. Thankfully, the Ravens weren’t on a bye last week. Nope. Instead, they had to travel to Seattle to take on a 5-1 Seahawks team that boasted MVP candidate Russell Wilson as its quarterback.
The Seahawks also had Pete Carroll as their head coach, a man who had won a Super Bowl, as well as multiple national championships when he was on the sidelines at USC.
I mostly despise Pete Carroll. I remember those regular season and postseason battles the Steelers had against Carroll when he was the Patriots head coach in the late-90s. He was so annoying, the way he would hug his players on the sideline or run on the field to give them a high five or slap them on the back.
Can you imagine a head coach doing such things?
But I was all about that this past Sunday. I wanted Carroll to be as enthusiastic as possible. I wanted him to make life miserable for the Ravens and John Harbaugh. “Go get’em, Petey!” I screamed multiple times in the early stages of Sunday’s game.
If the Seahawks, playing in front of their loud and enthusiastic fans (did you know they invented noise?), could take care of Baltimore, Pittsburgh would inch just a bit closer to first place.
Instead of that, Carroll and his too small for the moment players (and fans) let the Ravens do that thing where they were efficient enough on offense, superior on defense and automatic in the kicking game (Justin Tucker) and won going away, 30-16.
Now, the Steelers task just got a bit greater. Now, Steelers fans must choose a new devil to root for.
I should have known this would happen. I should have learned my lesson after last season, when I sold my soul to the Chargers and that dag gum Philip Rivers, not once, but twice.
Forget about the fact that I wanted the Chargers to knock off the Patriots in the postseason and prevent them from winning a sixth Super Bowl (silly of me to think Rivers would be up to that task). My real folly happened in Week 16 as I put all of my hopes and prayers into Rivers and the Chargers, when they took on the Ravens on Saturday Night Football. If the Chargers could have just put Baltimore away, the Steelers, who were nursing a half-game lead in the division, could have effectively gone on cruise control over the final two weeks.
Didn’t happen. And after I didn’t get my January consolation prize in the form of Tom Brady’s tears, I felt dirty.
After signing the same deal with Carroll, I now feel sick to my stomach.
Hey, Petey, I hope you’re paying attention to what has befallen Rivers and the Chargers. Not only did they lose to Devlin Hodges in Week 6, they fell to Ryan Tannehill in Week 7.
One year after being a playoff team, Los Angeles is 2-5.
Karma is coming, my man. May Seahawks fans get so fed up with your antics, they start calling for Jim Harbaugh to be your replacement.
Gross, I know, but this is what happens when you don’t do your job.