Should NFL fans, especially Steelers, fans lower expectations of their teams?
For all but one NFL franchise, the 2017 season will likely be considered a “failure”.
That is, players, coaches, owners, and yes, even fans, set their eyes on the Vince Lombardi trophy as the goal for every season. After all, if you’re not playing to win a Super Bowl, then what is the purpose of playing sixteen-plus games, right?
However, the term “failure” should have its own level of expectations. In some cases, failing can mean progress, while in others, it can indicate a setback.
Yet, failing, in and of itself, is inevitable. There are 32 teams in the NFL and 31 of them will “fail” each season. How we view that “failure” is where I would like to discuss our expectations of teams, coaches, and players, particularly, how that relates to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
I, for one, feel that Steelers fans are incredibly spoiled. I base this opinion on my own observations, and even my own behavior prior to leveling my own expectations by comparison of other teams in the league. For example, Buffalo Bills fans were ecstatic to finally see their team make the postseason… for the first time (repeat, first time) in 18 years.
The Steelers, by contrast, have not only made the playoffs the last four seasons straight, and twelve times since the Bills last appearance. In fact, eight of the twelve playoff teams this season weren’t in the playoffs last season. That’s an incredible amount of turnaround which speaks volumes to parity in the league. Yet, even with parity, the Steelers are incredibly consistent year-to-year. Seldom are they out of the playoff race and while dropping to 8-8 a few teams, they haven’t had a losing season under head coach Mike Tomlin and have only dropped below the .500 mark twice (2003, 1999) over those 18 years of Bill mediocrity.
In an “Any Given Sunday” NFL where any team can win any week, expectations are sky high for some teams, and almost non-existent for others. Buffalo, Cleveland, New York Jets and other fanbases would kill for what Pittsburgh fans consider “failure”. I understand the disappointment of viewing a team as a Super Bowl contender only to see them fail to realize their potential. I get how the emotional investment in a game filled with passion can lead to frustration and resentment. But at the same time, we all need to pull back and realize just how good we have it sometimes.
Since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, the Pittsburgh #Steelers have the most:
Division Titles: 23
Playoff Berths: 30
Playoff Game Wins: 36
Super Bowl Wins: 6
— Dom Rinelli (@drinelli) January 10, 2018
That long track record of success could easily disappear tomorrow. The 49ers were a juggernaut and then they weren’t. Ditto for the Raiders and the Cowboys, who have also had peaks and valleys through their franchise history.
I’m not here to say you should jump up and down, excited to see the Steelers exit the playoffs early, but at the same time, I’m asking for some realistic observations when compared with the status quo. That quo isn’t the New England Patriots (who always win) or the Cleveland Browns (who always lose) rather it’s a team like the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders, or the Green Bay Packers, who were each considered potential Super Bowl contenders prior to the start of the 2017 season. Yes, each of those teams had their problems with key injuries or suspended players. Losing Aaron Rodgers hurt the Packers as did Derek Carr to the Raiders. Ezekiel Elliott‘s six-game suspension didn’t help keep the Cowboys above water either.
At the same time, Mike Tomlin has dealt with all of the above. He’s lost his franchise quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, to both injury and suspension. Rather than fold like a bad hand in poker, Tomlin continued to win with Dennis Dixon, Charlie Batch, Byron Leftwich, Michael Vick and Landry Jones. He has also had spells without his All-Pro running back, Le’Veon Bell, due to injury and suspension.
While those types of losses cripple other teams to the point where they can no longer compete, Tomlin’s teams soldier on.
Mike Tomlin has led the #Steelers to 14 NFL postseason games since becoming the team's head coach in 2007.
Eight NFL teams have appeared in 10 or more
13 NFL teams have appeared in 5-9
10 NFL teams have appeared in 1-3
1 NFL team has appeared in 0
playoff games from 2007-17.
— Dom Rinelli (@drinelli) January 9, 2018
Don’t get me wrong, exiting the playoffs early or failing to make it to the big game are far from pleasant moments. I doubt that was the goal of anyone in the Steelers organization, but this is still a game which has to be played, and there are winners and there are losers. The Steelers, overall, win more than others. Arguing over the semantics of a three-point win or a thirty-point win is also inconsequential to the final result: a win is a win.
And most teams would kill for wins. Cleveland has only had one in two seasons. Others have wallowed in mediocrity for a long period of time as well. So should our reaction, as casual observers of our favorite team, be to tear the house down?
Or shall we cherish what we, and other fans, do not have?
