Hey Pittsburgh Steelers fans, Steelers writers have varying opinions

"BTSC: “Preseason doesn’t matter.”

"Also, BTSC: “‘Why preseason matters.’”

That is a comment I saw recently on social media, or whatever that had to do with some article posted by a Steelers writer on Behind the Steel Curtain. It was similar to many comments I’ve seen over the years from frustrated readers who can’t seem to grasp that different writers from the same publication could have different opinions about the same subject.

I didn’t think I’d have to point this out to anyone, but most publications do have many writers. Take the sports section of (insert whatever newspaper that you don’t hate and won’t lead to a 400-comment “discussion” that will have the BTSC manager angry with me here), for example. There are usually a few columnists and even beat writers who have varying opinions about something. One writer might hope that the doomed Trans American flight bound for Chicago is landed safely by Ted Striker, while another columnist might say: “They bought their tickets, they knew what they were getting into. I say, let ‘em crash.”

It’s hard to blame you for not thinking there are many unique individuals in the sports writing world. After all, in this day and age of fan-type sites and social media, there must be a gillion voices out in the atmosphere writing about the Steelers and other NFL teams on an endless basis. It’s easy to forget that there are actual human beings behind these articles. Heck, I just read seven BTSC articles, and I can’t remember who wrote any of them.

Besides, with everyone linking every article to social media these days, does anyone even www websites anymore? I suppose it’s easier to see a sports site as an author-less entity when links to articles just appear out of nowhere on your Facebook page or Twitter feed.

“Damn it, this BTSC must be on the fritz. Just the other day, it said it hated the idea of an 18-game regular season.”

But, no, it’s not on the fritz. While I may love the idea of the Steelers giving veteran cornerback Joe Haden $22 million to play through the 2021 season, fellow BTSC writer Flip Fisher may feel the team should have used that money to sign three Willie Gay-type corners, plus a backup tight end (in Flip’s defense, the Steelers tight end depth is abysmal in 2019).

Then, there are those frustrated fans who may or may not know that sites such as BTSC have different writers with different opinions, but they definitely DO NOT want any writer to talk about a specific topic, a topic, for example, that starts with A and ends with B.

I don’t know what the article was about that some site (not BTSC) posted on Facebook recently, but someone actually said: “If you talk about this one more time, I will unlike this page! This is your last warning!”

Oh, really? You mean, you will no longer read this content that you totally get for free? How will that site ever bounce back?

Again, I didn’t think I’d have to point this out to anyone, but BTSC, for example, has some writers who want to talk about the train wreck that is Antonio Brown, while others just want to focus on those X’s and O’s.

Take me. I’m supposedly a journalist (although, some think I’m just a clown—I’ve seen the memes). How could I not talk about Brown, arguably the greatest receiver in Steelers history, who had, perhaps, the messiest divorce? How is that not a relevant topic, even if he’s no longer in Pittsburgh?

But if I do write anything about Brown, I know I’ll have to read at least one comment that looks similar to this: “Hey, do we have to keep reading about people who are no longer with the Steelers?” And then I’ll write a defensive comment. And then that person will retort with something like, “Hey, Tony, you know I love your work, so please don’t take offense to my comment that seems to be totally offensive, but I’m just exhausted from hearing about Antonio Brown. I just want to focus on the players who are still here!”

Really? You’re exhausted from reading about something? That sounds like a medical issue that goes well beyond the game of football. If I were you, I’d call your healthcare provider.

Anyway, as someone usually points out whenever someone else says, “Do we have to keep talking about (insert whatever exhausting topic you hate right here)!?!” you’re not obligated to read an article about a topic you do not like, but you can’t do anything about it existing.

Fortunately for you, the way things are going with technology, there may be a time when you can say, “Siri, write an article about the Steelers special teams,” and you’ll have one to read and discuss within seconds. But that time isn’t here yet.

However, this may be your lucky day. The Brown story has been such a roller coaster (he's now a Patriot!), I feel like Austin Powers while trying to come to grips with the logistics of time travel in the movie, The Spy Who Shagged Me.

In other words, I’ve gone cross-eyed and don’t know where to start.

Finally, the Steelers began the 2019 season with a 33-3 butt-whippin’ at the hands of the World Champion Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sunday Night Football; BTSC will publish many articles about that game and countless others over the course of the regular season.

And those articles will be written by many different folks. Some may like stuff. Some may like other stuff.

I suggest you don’t worry about this sort of thing, and just enjoy yourself.