That was an ending that was very, very painful to accept. Having come back from a 21-3 deficit to make it a one-score game with less than a minute remaining, it seemed like everything was destined for yet another big Steeler comeback in the postseason. As we all saw, that was clearly not the way things panned out.
This was particularly painful on a personal level for me, having lost my grandmother last August. She was a huge Steeler fan, through and through. When she was alive, I'd call her after every game to talk about her hometown Steelers, among other things. After the Steelers won close games against both Baltimore and the Jets to clinch a trip to the Super Bowl, I was convinced against my better judgment that they would win it all just for her. It's kind of a slap in the face knowing that Pittsburgh was that close to sealing the deal. But that's life. No such thing as destiny, it seems.
It's funny; in all other walks of life, I'll scoff at superstition, but when it comes to sports I somehow lose all ability to think rationally. Case in point: I've opted not to shave or cut my hair for weeks on end, all the while keeping my mouth shut in an effort not to jinx 53 men who have no real-world relation to me whatsoever. As I kept my mouth shut and my appearance unkempt, I heard nothing but cocksure predictions that the Packers would stomp Pittsburgh. The only stomping that occurred involved my heart, of course, but it would have been satisfying to see the trash-talkers get their due.
The straw that breaks the camel's back in all this, however, is the foolhardy bet I made with one of my buddies, a big Packer fan. He, being an avid fan of body art and tattoos, proposed a bet in which the fan of the losing team would have the winning team's logo shaved into his head. Suffice to say that I'm not looking forward to hanging out with my friends tomorrow. At least I'll get a free haircut. Here's a "before" picture, hideous beard and all:
The "after" picture will come tomorrow. If anything, the mutilation I will endure tomorrow will be a marked improvement. I've already shaved the beard.
All in all, it was an excellent year of football loaded with excitement. Parity is surely the theme in the modern NFL, which is good news for all fans. Consider this factoid: only three different teams have represented the AFC in the Super Bowl since 2003: the Patriots, the Colts, and the Steelers. All three of those teams have been knocked off in the Super Bowl since 2007. The Pats and Colts have yet to return. This may be a sign of major change in the AFC, especially with the Jets leading the charge to upend the three powers holding the conference hostage. I'm not completely happy about the prospect of not seeing the Steelers back in the mix, but it will certainly help the NFL as a whole if every team truly is on an even playing field.
Having sobered up a bit, I can take a little more solace in the fact that Aaron Rodgers and Desmond Bishop, two former Cal football players, have won rings (with Rodgers being the first Cal quarterback of all time to win the Super Bowl).
Now that this whole mess is done and over with, I think now I can finally kick my own ass enough to leap into the job market (the sooner I score an interview, the sooner I can get the damn Packer logo off of my skull).
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