Sunday, December 17, 2006

It's Official: Steelers NOT Worst Defending Champs Ever

Eat it, 1999 Denver Broncos.

With their seventh win of the season, this year's Steelers officially avoid the ignominy of having the worst record of a defending champ by Rumphing the Delhomme-less Panthers 37-3. And really, thank fuck for that. As much as I'm stilling reveling from last year, it tends to wear on one hearing enough of the Steelers detractors using the Murphy's Law-themed first half of this season as some sort of justification that last year's team was wholly undeserving of the Super Bowl title. Let's conveniently ignore that the team was 15-1 the year before, shall we?

There are far, far more suffering sports franchises out there, but I was born in 1982, so the extent of my Steelers glory prior to 2005 was four lost AFC Championship games at home and Neil O'Donnell's lancing of my soul. Having a team that gets tantalizingly close year to year but fails to close the deal is pretty damn dispiriting too.

Chances are Roethlisberger will get whatever brains he has remaining sorted out in the offseason and return somewhere close to form next year, provided the Steelers can firm up their O-line and rouse Cowher out of his fugue. Some fans might wonder whether Pittsburgh should tank its final two games to get better draft position. Under different circumstances, I might be inclined to agree, but they have the Ravens and Bengals coming up and I'll be damned if the Steelers should lie down for AFC North foes when they could instead injure all their key players hurt their playoff position.

And if I can break up the homerism a bit: the day after the Steelers won the Super Bowl I was called into work at 8 a.m. (I had gone to bed 4 a.m.-ish and had fervently requested the day off). I threw up on my lap on the drive into work (I was on the highway and couldn't pull over) and threw up again in the bathroom when I got to the office. My Seahawks (and Duke) supporting colleague, somehow not hungover himself, got in many a hearty laugh at my expense. So there, Seahawks, some minor measure of revenge. So let's be pals, you losers.

3 comments:

swing4 said...

In my mind's eye, you have on a "Drink Like a Champion" t-shirt while in the car. You turn right to avoid throwing up on yourself, but Jean Grey is sitting in the passenger seat, wearing a matching, cat-sized DLAC t-shirt. To spare her, you turn left to lean out the window, but don't make it in time. Your lap suffers the consequences while Jean silently judges you.

PUNTE said...

That whole time, I thought it said, "What are you, Denise?" I was wondering, "Who the fuck is Denise?"

Dweeze said...

A panel from All Star Batman and Robin was near the top of things I never expected to see at KSK. And Swing4 tops it off nicely with a comment referencing Jean Grey.