12 bye week confessions of a Pittsburgh Steelers fan

The Steelers have reached the second week of their bye, and let’s face it, I need to meet my quota of articles during a time when not much news is out there (except for the whole Mike Tomlin possibly becoming the head coach of Bishop Sycamore rumor).

Anyway, I thought it would be fun to take this time to bring to you 12 confessions that may or may not cause my Steelers fan card to be revoked.

1. I just don’t feel excited about the Steelers this season. Don’t get me wrong, I want them to do well. I do enjoy watching the games. For example, I did scream “YEAH!” when James Pierre ended the Broncos' fourth-quarter comeback bid by intercepting Teddy Bridgewater in the end zone in Week 5. But it’s just not the same for me this year. Maybe it’s just life. Maybe I feel deep down that the team just doesn’t have “it.” I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it’s me. Maybe it will turn around. Maybe this team will have me acting all irrational again—breaking televisions, swearing, forcing my neighbor to pound on his wall, etc. We can only hope.
2. As a consequence of my lack of total excitement about the 2021 Pittsburgh Steelers, I really, really enjoyed their bye this past weekend. I didn’t watch one second of NFL action, save for highlights of games on YouTube. Maybe I’m just exhausted by the 24/7/365 nature of today’s NFL, an era where the league has mastered being relevant at all times. I will say that this is the first time since I’ve been writing and podcasting about the Steelers where it’s really felt like a job to me. Maybe that’s why I’ve become so much more objective over the past year or so. I suppose it’s necessary--and perhaps even professional--when preparing for an article or a show.
3. The plus side of the job-like feel of my 11-year hobby is that the Steelers could go on to finish 3-14 this year, and I’d still have a blast writing and doing podcasts each and every week. I believe I’m more passionate about my “work” than I am about the Steelers at the moment. That’s a good thing, I suppose. After all, there will be a 3-14 season eventually. I need to be ready.
4. I like the Cowboys. I know I’ve said this before, but it’s true. It’s not some sort of tongue-in-cheek deal, either. I actually like the Cowboys. If the Steelers stopped being a team tomorrow, I’d move to Dallas—or at least buy a television package that would allow me to watch every single Cowboys game. Actually, I probably wouldn’t have to do that. After all, they don’t call them America’s Team for nothing—the ratings speak for themselves. How much do I admire the Cowboys and their rich history? So much, that if I met Jerry Jones, I’d channel George Constanza when he met George Steinbrenner in Seinfeld's The Opposite episode and admonish him for taking that beloved blue star on that shiny silver helmet and reducing it to a laughingstock over the past 25 years.
5. I don’t like the song, Renegade. I’m serious, I don’t get the hype. I don’t see it. I saw Styx in concert, and they were just okay.
6. I think Black and Yellow is a song that better represents the modern-day Steelers. In fact, when I hear that tune, I immediately think of my favorite football team—kind of like the Pirates and the Sister Sledge disco hit, We Are Family. My mom even thinks that Pittsburgh’s own Wiz Khalifa wrote B&Y specifically for the Steelers.
7. I’d rather see Dua Lipa in concert than Styx. In fact, I’d rather hang out with her than Jack Lambert.
8. This is going to get me into deep trouble with Bryan Anthony Davis, but I actually like Baker Mayfield. I think it’s those Progressive commercials. They’re just so well made. And not to scandalize my mom even more, but she loves Baker, too.
9. I really like Lamar Jackson.
10. I really like Joe Burrow.
11. I may have a screw loose. After all, I’m the same person who grew up hating Bernie Kosar, Warren Moon and Boomer Esiason—and he’s even a fellow left-hander. Perhaps those people I always argue with on social media are right; maybe I really am suffering from low testosterone. They say you mellow as you age, so...
12. I’m more excited about the 6-1 Pitt Panthers and the possibility of them having a magical finish to their season than I am about the Steelers and their last 11 games.