A Letter From the Editor: For this Steelers fan, hope springs eternal

As I sit here on the day of the Super Bowl, I prepare myself for the depression which is about to set in. Sure, the depression of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season ending has been there for weeks, but life without NFL football is certainly a dark cloud which hangs over most fans.

At this point, fans of 30 of 32 franchises have already turned the page to next year. Talking about potential free agents and prepping for the craziness of the 2019 NFL Draft leave fans with hope for the future.

Except for a lot of Steelers fans.

There is a contingent who don’t see any hope in the future. Le’Veon Bell is all but gone, Ben Roethlisberger is in the waning years of his career and Antonio Brown is likely to be traded away. Throw in the gaping hole which still remains at the inside linebacker position, a dire need at cornerback with Artie Burns’ failure and coaching issues across the board.

Doesn’t leave much to be excited about, right?

But when times are tough, and I would call these drama-filled days to be tough times, I remember the days of my youth when the Steelers were just struggling to win the ‘one for the thumb’. After each disappointing playoff loss, and dreadful season, I always had hope in the future. Call it youthful exuberance, but no matter who was the quarterback, who they drafted or who they picked up in free agency, I always had hope for the upcoming season.

I didn’t care what my dad, other family members or friends said.

Hope was always there.

As I get older, reality certainly clouds some of the hope, but I am a fan who never counts the Steelers out. While some are already predicting another mediocre season, I tend to be the optimist who always sees the Steelers’ glass as half full...not the other way around.

The Steelers have to go to Foxborough next year to play the Patriots. Most will predict a loss, but not me. I have seen this team shock the world before, and will almost always prepare for this to happen. They play the lowly Arizona Cardinals next season, and while most will suggest the team will drop another game to a losing team, I always foresee this trend going away, even though it hasn’t seem to as of late.

The offseason is just beginning, and regardless of who the Steelers take in the draft, or add in free agency, I will always, and I mean always, have faith in the team. While I might not agree with everything the organization/team/coaching staff/scouting department do, I choose to have the same faith as I did when I was a child.

With the Steelers watching the Super Bowl like their loyal fan base, I look ahead to 2019 with hope. Not for any specific reason other than I always look forward to seeing what the Steelers bring to the table — even when it leaves me broken and disappointed.

Enjoy the Super Bowl everyone! The dog days are on the doorstep.