why don't i like something else?
this is the worst time of year to like a sport. at the end of a regular season prior to the elimination rounds when the last few games played determine who gets the goodies (like weeks off and games at home) and who has to go without and face a very long climb to get to the summit and win everything.
If my team was out of contention I wouldn't care - I'd just enjoy Christmas and the holiday season. If my team was beating everyone and be 13-0 I wouldn't care, barring the spectre of injury they would have the important points of the year locked up.
No, my team is locked in a 10-3 deadlock with another divisional team as they season heads into the gun-lap. and what's worse is that if the team remains locked - and both finish a theoretical 13-3 - then my team will not get the goodies due to them losing the tie-breaker to their rival.
here's how it COULD play out:
1. Pittsburgh win the division going 13-3 or something, but winning the division outright thus enabling them to score one of the two bye weeks that go with landing the top two seeds in the AFC.
In addition if they finish tied with New England they own a tiebreaker over them (beat them in oct) thus in theory Pitt could obtain homefield throughout the playoffs entirely and go in as the #1 seed. This doesn't have a very good historical record for Pitt, as the last 4 times they've secured the #1 seed they've lost the game at home. #2 seed is much more preferable.
2. Pittsburgh finish tied with Baltimore (their division rival) or behind the Ravens giving them the #5 seed and first wild card spot. Yep, tied with the Ravens will drop them potentially from #1 to #5. And unlike the old days (before the reshuffle in 2002) when the top wildcard had one home game now there is no such luxury. Wildcarders (as I call them) have to hit the road from Day 1 of the playoffs.
What annoys me the most is that if Pitt go 13-3 they have to do this. Go and play in a stadium of a team who could be 11-5 or 10-6. Heck, last year the 13-3 Saints had to go to Seattle to play the 7-9 Seahawks. How is that fair???? Not fair for the Saints apparently cos they lost that game....
If Pittsburgh go on the wildcard route they'll have to repeat their 2005/6 formula when they traveled to Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver in three straight weeks and won all three. That was the first time ever a team had done that and gone on to win the Superbowl (they did beating the Seahawks in Detroit for SuperBowl 40). 2 other teams have done it since, including the defending champion Packers this year.
However as tough as that schedule was this year's one, on paper could be even tougher.
If Pittsburgh go on a wildcard route in the New Year they'll face - probably, either Houston (who beat them in Sept) or Denver. And the latter has other issues given the fact that 2 members of the Steelers are diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia and risk their health in playing in Denver (due to the altitude).
They win then they'll probably go to either New England or Baltimore.
Beating the Patriots and Brady in New England is virtually impossible (unless you're a Jet) and I don't give Pitt a chance in hell of succeeding. The only reason they won in 2005/6 was that the Patriots got knocked out by Denver in the semis. Brady and the Patriots really are the Steelers' kryptonite.
Baltimore. This is where Pitt lost 35-7 on opening day this year. And the Ravens will be rested following the bye and mad as hell. Yep, good luck with that route.
If Pitt win in either of those unlikely venues, they then have to travel to THE OTHER ONE and win.
I don't see it happening. and if in the all likelihood they do ALL that. Their reward??
The Superbowl, probably facing the Packers, the team that beat them last january and is currently undefeated at 13-0.
I'm not being defeatist and saying Pittsburgh can't do all those things, but those are long odds. I'm just a little upset that a 13-3 team might have to be a wildcard. Surely they deserve one home game if not a bye week?
Nope, apparently not. Poo.
If my team was out of contention I wouldn't care - I'd just enjoy Christmas and the holiday season. If my team was beating everyone and be 13-0 I wouldn't care, barring the spectre of injury they would have the important points of the year locked up.
No, my team is locked in a 10-3 deadlock with another divisional team as they season heads into the gun-lap. and what's worse is that if the team remains locked - and both finish a theoretical 13-3 - then my team will not get the goodies due to them losing the tie-breaker to their rival.
here's how it COULD play out:
1. Pittsburgh win the division going 13-3 or something, but winning the division outright thus enabling them to score one of the two bye weeks that go with landing the top two seeds in the AFC.
In addition if they finish tied with New England they own a tiebreaker over them (beat them in oct) thus in theory Pitt could obtain homefield throughout the playoffs entirely and go in as the #1 seed. This doesn't have a very good historical record for Pitt, as the last 4 times they've secured the #1 seed they've lost the game at home. #2 seed is much more preferable.
2. Pittsburgh finish tied with Baltimore (their division rival) or behind the Ravens giving them the #5 seed and first wild card spot. Yep, tied with the Ravens will drop them potentially from #1 to #5. And unlike the old days (before the reshuffle in 2002) when the top wildcard had one home game now there is no such luxury. Wildcarders (as I call them) have to hit the road from Day 1 of the playoffs.
What annoys me the most is that if Pitt go 13-3 they have to do this. Go and play in a stadium of a team who could be 11-5 or 10-6. Heck, last year the 13-3 Saints had to go to Seattle to play the 7-9 Seahawks. How is that fair???? Not fair for the Saints apparently cos they lost that game....
If Pittsburgh go on the wildcard route they'll have to repeat their 2005/6 formula when they traveled to Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Denver in three straight weeks and won all three. That was the first time ever a team had done that and gone on to win the Superbowl (they did beating the Seahawks in Detroit for SuperBowl 40). 2 other teams have done it since, including the defending champion Packers this year.
However as tough as that schedule was this year's one, on paper could be even tougher.
If Pittsburgh go on a wildcard route in the New Year they'll face - probably, either Houston (who beat them in Sept) or Denver. And the latter has other issues given the fact that 2 members of the Steelers are diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia and risk their health in playing in Denver (due to the altitude).
They win then they'll probably go to either New England or Baltimore.
Beating the Patriots and Brady in New England is virtually impossible (unless you're a Jet) and I don't give Pitt a chance in hell of succeeding. The only reason they won in 2005/6 was that the Patriots got knocked out by Denver in the semis. Brady and the Patriots really are the Steelers' kryptonite.
Baltimore. This is where Pitt lost 35-7 on opening day this year. And the Ravens will be rested following the bye and mad as hell. Yep, good luck with that route.
If Pitt win in either of those unlikely venues, they then have to travel to THE OTHER ONE and win.
I don't see it happening. and if in the all likelihood they do ALL that. Their reward??
The Superbowl, probably facing the Packers, the team that beat them last january and is currently undefeated at 13-0.
I'm not being defeatist and saying Pittsburgh can't do all those things, but those are long odds. I'm just a little upset that a 13-3 team might have to be a wildcard. Surely they deserve one home game if not a bye week?
Nope, apparently not. Poo.