THE FRUSTRATION OF BEING A STEELER FAN

Jay from "On The Sportslines" here. Those of you who know me or regularly watch the show know that I am a DIE-HARD Pittsburgh Steeler fan. What you may not know, unless you too are a Steeler fan, is just how frustrating that can be.

Now I know you're looking at me the same way my boy AP does when I say that. AP is a LOOOOOOOONG suffering Cleveland Browns fan, so he can't fathom that a fan of the team with the most Lombardi trophies would have anything to complain about. As he so often reminds me, "Dude, at least your team WINS."

Yes, the Black and Gold do win. Only the Patriots and Colts have more regular season wins in this decade coming into the season. Only the Patriots have more playoff wins and Super Bowls wins this decade than the Steelers.

When you root for a team that ALWAYS loses, you get numb to it. AP's passion for the Browns is no less than mine for the Steelers, but he's so used them playing badly and losing that his emotional investment isn't what it used to be. A Steeler fan's emotional investment would break the Richter Scale.

Spend a day like I did today (and like I do on a decent portion of the 16 football days that the Steelers play) in a Steeler bar filled from stem to stern with rabid fans in Black and Gold and you might begin to understand.

Yes, the Steelers do win more than they lose, but they NEVER do either the easy way. They don't get blown out nor do they blow their opponents out. In their 6 wins, their average margin of victory is 10.33 points, but most of that has happened in the second half or fourth quarter which means that us fans spend anywhere from 30-45 minutes riding a roller coaster of exhilaration and frustration before we can exhale a HUGE sigh of relief.

In their 4 loses, their average margin of defeat is 3.75 points and in all of them, the Steelers were ahead or had a chance to win but lost in the fourth quarter, thus subjecting their fans to pretty much an ENTIRE game on that same roller coaster before we collectively spew forth a stream of expletive-deleted invective. Today's overtime loss on the road at Kansas City was a prime exhibit.

The Steelers allowed the opening kick-off to be returned for a touchdown (they seem to allow special teams returns for TD's every week). Coaster going down. They followed that with a dominant 17 point second quarter giving them a 10 point lead at the half. Coaster going up. The third quarter was all Chiefs. Outscoring the Steelers 10-0 largely due to a pair of Ben Roethlisberger interceptions. Coaster going down. The high of the go-ahead touchdown was followed by the low of KC once again tying the game with a TD which ultimately sent the game into OT.

The Steelers won the toss and drove down the field, but just as they reached the outer edge of Jeff Reed's FG range, they INEXPLICABLY ran a sweep that lost 2 yards, knocking them out of FG range instead of just running it straight up the middle. They then elected to punt which resulted in a touchback (does ANYONE know how to execute a Coffin Corner punt anymore?). The Steelers then did the other thing they seem to do every week: give up a HUGE pass play that leads to a score. Matt Cassel to Chris Chambers, 61 yards. One chip shot FG later and the Steelers had their second 2-game losing streak of the season.

Every time the Steelers got a big run or pass play; every time they sacked Cassel; every time they stuffed the Chiefs, the bar was in ecstasy. Every time Ben was sacked or threw a pick; every time the Steelers were unable to convert a third down; every time the Chiefs scored, the entire bar was in agony. When it was all over and the Steelers had lost, there was absolute silence. You'd have thought someone had died.

I know, I know, a lot of you reading this will have ABSOLUTELY no sympathy for me and that's fine. But don't tell me that all you long suffering Browns, Jets, Lions and Raiders fans (I know that I'm leaving some others out, my apologies for the oversight and your suffering) wouldn't sell your football souls to go through the whiplash-inducing change-on-a-dime emotional roller coaster that just flat out drains Steeler fans every week - win or lose - especially if it meant you had a better than 50-50 chance to make the playoffs practically every season.

Steelers have done a lot of winning in my lifetime, including all 6 of those Super Bowls. Cheering them on to victory has been joyous as all heaven. It's also been frustrating as all hell.

ARTISTRY IN INDY

Jay from "On The Sportslines" here. Before I get into this post, I have to give one last congratulatory missive to my BFF (aka "The Other Half of My Brain") and host of our show, Nisa Cirulnick, on her engagement. Congrats Nisa Marie (you too AP)!

Those of you who regularly watch our little television program know that I have - on occasion - invoked William Shakespeare in my closings. Ever wonder what it was like to watch his genius unfold live at the Globe Theatre in London? Or what it must have been like to actually watch Michelangelo paint the Sistine Chapel; or hear Beethoven's 5th the first time it was ever played?

No? Well, I did as I watched Peyton Manning and Tom Brady Sunday night. There have been other QB's in NFL history who have had great overlapping careers, but few like these two. Set the Super Bowls, MVPs, Pro Bowls and even stats aside (yes, I know, that sounds crazy coming from me) and just simply watch these two play the position.

Both the Patriots and the Colts play what I call "Fast Break Football", a phrase I first coined back when Jim Kelly and the Bills were running roughshod over the NFL back in the '90s with their "K-Gun" offense.

"Fast Break Football" is now referred to as the "Spread Offense" and is run in various forms by practically all football teams, both college and NFL. But I dare anyone to tell me (sorry Mr. Brees) that any QB runs this wide-open, high-flying, 85-yard-TD drives-in-93 seconds offense better than Brady and Manning.

When they go head to head you just know that no matter what the score is at any point in the game, somehow it will come down to whichever one of them has the ball last. These two are an ESPN "Top Plays" segment unto themselves.

Defense is irrelevant in Patriots-Colts games. Defensive Coordinators might as well take the approach to stopping Manning and Brady that opposing NBA coaches took when playing Michael Jordan in his prime: "You can't stop him, you can only HOPE to contain him". Most of the time they couldn't. Just like most of the time no defensive scheme can contain Manning or Brady.

They've had solid running games behind them and no running games behind them. They've done it with no-name WR's and with BIG NAME WR's. It just doesn't matter, Manning and Brady just carve up defenses with the skill and yes, artistry of a master craftsman plying his trade at a level others can only aspire to.

Manning, gesticulating wildly before every play, moving his chess pieces around before the snap with definite method to what seems to be madness. Brady, calm and cool, calling the cadence while looking over the defense, zeroing in on the match-up that will result in a big play.

They both threw for over 300 yards and at least 3 TDs Sunday night - okay, so I couldn't keep the stats COMPLETELY out - and it did come down to who had the ball last (I won't get into Belichick's decision to go for it on 4th down - I'll leave that to the Rabbi). This time Peyton walked away the winner in the latest chapter of this ongoing, Canton-esque duel.

An AFC Championship Game match-up is possible (which sadly will mean that somewhere along the post-season way, my Defending Super Bowl Champion Steelers were knocked out), as the 9-0 Colts and 6-3 Patriots are far and away the class of their respective divisions. AGAIN.

I feel sorry for the NFC Champion. I highly doubt that they will be able to provide the winner of Manning- Brady, 2009 Part Deux (and the rest of us) with the same high drama and QB artistry in the Super Bowl.

Thus I'm hoping that the New Orleans Saints do manage to come marching into Miami on February 7, 2010. Drew Brees is the only other QB who has a chance to match Manning or Brady throw for throw, TD for TD. Patriots-Saints or Colts-Saints could be a very entertaining game, but for this former QB, nothing in the NFL right now tops Patriots-Colts, or more to the point, Brady-Manning.

Artistry, thy name is Quarterback. Quarterback, thy name is Manning or Brady. All others are mere mortals.