Quote Originally Posted by AtlantaDan View Post
I was attempting to recall if there has been a Steelers team with a 7-2 record with less enthusiasm for the Super Bowl prospects of the team at the time it hit 7-2 than this one.

There were the 1983 Steelers featuring Cliff Stoudt at QB which peaked at 9-2 before finishing 10-6. And there were the 1996 Steelers with Mike Tomczak at QB (with some Kordell mixed in) which peaked at 9-3 before finishing at 10-6.

Both teams were flawed at QB.

I guess this is sort of like 1983. In 1983 the hope was Bradshaw would come back from his elbow injury - he played one half in week 15 against the Jets until reinjuring his elbow and that was it for his career.

In 2017 the hope is that the version of Ben the Steelers have had for most of his career returns rather than a continuation of the mediocrity we have seen so far. Waiting for the return of prime Ben for one final playoff run in some ways might be as realistic as those of us old timers who were hoping for one final playoff run from Bradshaw in 1983.
Sorry, but I'm really not agreeing with the comparisons, and frankly I think there is plenty of enthusiasm for a SB run, myself included. Games like the Colts, in the past, we would have lost that game,( playing down to the competition). We found a way to win this one. We've played six out of nine games on the road, and won five.