Random Thoughts From a Black-and-Gold Mind: Post-Super Bowl LII edition

The Super Bowl is over and the New England Patriots were vanquished and for many in Steeler Nation, there is much rejoicing. But with the Steelers getting so close, my black-and-gold mind is definitely in overdrive with “what-might-have-beens” and then some. So as always, I pass the ravings on to you. But first, I am obligated to throw a tickertape parade of penance for my blog sins from a week back. So a sedan of sorries go out to and for the following...

• For those of you who ended up humming Dionne Warwick’s Deja Vu all week.
• 1970s coin-operated beds
• Weird Al concerts
• Posting the three-way percentages of the 1992 Presidential Election
• Monty Hall’s toupee
• The Pirates front office ineptitude
• Those who eat fried Oreos as a main course at dinner

And now for this week’s edition of Random Thoughts From a Black-and-Gold Mind.

• Could the Steelers have beaten Philadelphia on Sunday? Possibly. But we’ll never know. It’s like being upset that your wife slept with the exterminator and left you and realizing that if she would have stayed...she could have stabbed you, stolen your kidney and sold it on eBay.
• Classy move by the Steelers guaranteeing Ryan Shazier a job in some fashion next year.
• Jesse James got a lot of publicity during a Super Bowl in which he did not play in. He’s now synonymous for the no-catch rule. So basically he is the poster boy for getting screwed. Cher performed a song called Just Like Jesse James, but it had nothing to do with having a touchdown called back.
• Expect a lot of drama when it comes to contract talks between Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers. I would love to see Bell remain a Steeler for life, but the Steelers don’t want a Flacco situation that has handcuffed the Ravens.

Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images

• Watching James Harrison and LeGarrette Blount play in the Super Bowl made me think of the Steelers “all eggs in one basket” approach at some positions. I get Mike Tomlin’s reliance on his “next man up” policy, but there’s got to be something better than sticking with a starter and letting the sub rot until he’s needed.
• So Art Rooney II wants to see Ben Roethlisberger stay in Pittsburgh longer than 2019. If so, they desperately need to upgrade at the backup QB position. Landry Jones can’t do what Nick Foles can and did.
• The hiring of Tom Bradley to coach the Steelers secondary was a pleasant surprise for me. The guy has been a DC at both Penn State and UCLA and has enjoyed great success with accomplished defenses. If Keith Butler doesn’t hear footsteps, than he’s not paying good attention at all.

And finally, I wonder what Jim Miller is doing these days.

Until next time, open up your ears and your brain and let these Matchbox 20 lyrics sync in...

She’s got a little bit of something, god it’s better than nothing

And in her color portrait world she believes that she’s got it all

She swears the moon don’t hang quite as high as it used to

And she only sleeps when it’s raining

And she screams, and her voice is straining

Take that for what it’s worth, Go Steelers and don’t stop Shalievin’.