The Steelers' long walk back

[Galax Steeler]

In a season in which the light went on for a talented young playmaker named Antonio Brown and everything went black in San Francisco, over a span of 112 days in which their old and slow defense morphed like Benjamin Button into a unit more closely resembling young and unyielding, the Steelers find themselves on the precipice of historical significance in the very city in which they slinked to an embarrassing and unprecedented low two years ago.

Of more immediate importance is the potential for what can happen today in the state of Ohio when the Steelers (11-4) play in Cleveland against the Browns (4-11) and the Baltimore Ravens (11-4) play in Cincinnati against the playoff-hopeful Bengals (9-6) -- dueling AFC North games that will determine playoff seeding, travel schedules and, perhaps, a more palatable path to the Super Bowl.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12001...#ixzz1iDHOs0qH

[stillers4me]

In a season in which the light went on for a talented young playmaker named Antonio Brown and everything went black in San Francisco, over a span of 112 days in which their old and slow defense morphed like Benjamin Button into a unit more closely resembling young and unyielding, the Steelers find themselves on the precipice of historical significance in the very city in which they slinked to an embarrassing and unprecedented low two years ago.

Of more immediate importance is the potential for what can happen today in the state of Ohio when the Steelers (11-4) play in Cleveland against the Browns (4-11) and the Baltimore Ravens (11-4) play in Cincinnati against the playoff-hopeful Bengals (9-6) -- dueling AFC North games that will determine playoff seeding, travel schedules and, perhaps, a more palatable path to the Super Bowl.

But, as a subplot to the ramifications of what those results ultimately will mean, the Steelers can take another step toward erasing what has become their personal Super Bowl jinx -- the hangover that has followed each of their previous two Super Bowl appearances -- and make another emphatic statement about the direction of their tradition-rich franchise under Mike Tomlin.............


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12001...#ixzz1iDnwIMGL

[steelerdude15]

Great article.