The Immaculate Deception

It was exactly 40 years after what many say was the greatest play in professional football history, a play that symbolized the transformation of a long time patsy into one of the greatest and most decorated franchises in American sports. It was a play that provided the world a glimpse of a turning point, a glimpse of the next great sports dynasty. On the day that Steeler Nation began Christmas early by celebrating the 40th remembrance of what is now referred to as the Immaculate Reception, the 2012 Steeler team did their damnedest to squash the day in Grinchlike fashion.

Yesterday's 13-10 heartbreaking loss to the hands of the Cincinnati Bungles ended not only the Steelers' season, it ended the agony, stress, and frustration that it's players, coaches and fans shared all season long.  For the second time in eight days, the Steelers lost the game on a late Ben Roethlisberger interception.  For the fifth time this season, team leader and comeback virtuoso Roethlisberger failed on an opportunity to navigate his team to a game winning or tying score.  Fifth time.  For arguably the seventh time this season the Steelers lost a game that they should have won.

The sad Steelers now sit at 7-8, out of the playoffs and guaranteeing now highly scrutinized coach Mike Tomlin his first non-winning season in his six year tenure.  If the season concludes according to script, the Steelers will listlessly pull up short against the Browns in six days, thus rewarding the team with it's first losing season in nine years.

A team with Roethlisberger, Heath Miller, Mike Wallace, Maurkice Pouncey, Antonio Brown, Lamar Woodley, Lawrence Timmons, Troy Polamalu, James Harrison, etc., etc., finishing under .500??  The last losing season was in 2003, and that was a team in transition, particularly at the quarterback position.  The 2012 edition may also be in a state of transition with elders Harrison and Polamalu showing their age, but that shouldn't be the case with the quarterback.  Big Ben is 30 years old, and in his ninth NFL season.  Certainly no rookie, but certainly not even close to being over the hill by NFL QB standards (see Manning, Peyton).

Perhaps it's just gloom and doom this morning, but to me, Ben is looking a little more like a later years Brett Favre than that of Manning or even his idol John Elway.  He looks like the guy that is still trying to heroicly win the game solely on physical talent, without blending in the experience and savvy that nine NFL seasons have given him. Whether it was yesterday, or last week in Dallas, or even in the earlier stages of the season in Oakland and Tennessee, Ben failed to do what a franchise quarterback is paid to do.  Plain and simple.

Let's hope I'm completely wrong on this.  Let's hope this can be figured out, and that the Steelers can make a few more runs before the Roethlisberger window closes for good.  Whatever is going on with Ben and this 2012 team is not working.  Again, let's hope that this is a temporary glitch, and not a glimpse of another major turning point in the Steelers' history.


HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS PF READERS!!!!