HENDERSONVILLE, Tenn. -- As another postseason begins in Pittsburgh, it’s hard to ignore the sand running through the hourglass, and the unsettling image of the top half of that glass starting to empty out.
The future Hall-of-Fame quarterback is 38 years old and, when the offseason arrives — let’s hope that’s a month from now — there are going to be tough decisions management needs to make regarding the future.
That’s why I loved hearing this quote from Mike Tomlin about Sunday night’s playoff opener against the Browns: “We recognize what’s waiting for us at the end of the week. We’re not going to spend a lot of time talking about that. We’re just going to continually work to be singularly focused in our day-to-day work, to create great days and push our chips toward the middle of the table knowing the bills are going to come due at the end of the week.”
There could be a franchise reset looming given the Steelers’ salary-cap constraints and the raft of potential unrestricted free agents — Bud Dupree, Mike Hilton, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Alejandro Villanueva, Matt Feiler, James Conner, Cam Sutton, Zach Banner.
That’s a column for another day. Right now, it’s about maximizing what we have left in a group that won the division and finished the regular season 12-4.
I liked how Coach T put the emphasis on the here and now. It’s all about narrowing the focus and getting through to the next round. Survive and advance.
As a player, I was lucky enough to make six trips to the postseason and appear in one Super Bowl. The money and lifestyle it affords you is great, but there’s nothing like making a playoff push with your brothers. It’s the closest a pro athlete comes to being a kid again and playing for nothing more than a trophy. And in this case — you know what I’m going to say — it’s about getting your hands on that sticky Lombardi.
I ended my career missing the playoffs in my last two seasons. It’s difficult to put into words what it means when you know the end is in sight, when the sand is bleeding through the hourglass. I can still recall going on the field against the Ravens for the last time and hugging Villanueva. To this day, I wish someone had taken a picture of that embrace. The moment was more emotional than actually announcing my retirement.
For me, it meant the ring chase was over and it was time to start the next chapter. It’s so hard to walk through that door to a new reality.
There won’t be many Steelers facing retirement when this season ends but, given the free-agent situation, there will be guys playing their last games in the black-and-gold in the coming weeks. That’s why I appreciated Coach T’s “chips toward the middle of the table” analogy. Let’s make the most of this run.
To be clear, I’m not saying the window is shutting at the end of this season for Ben Roethlisberger and his teammates. But our veteran club has to make the most of the next few weeks because another playoff year is not promised.
The Steelers have an excellent chance to get through to the second round if they remain focused on Sunday night’s task. The Browns are dealing with more COVID-19 issues that will leave them without their head coach Kevin Stefanski and Pro Bowl guard Joel Bitonio. Cam Heyward should have a field day with Bitonio’s replacement. Trust me, I’ve seen Cam take advantage of young and inexperienced guys.
Heyward was among the veterans Tomlin chose to rest in the regular-season-ending loss to the Browns. That was a wise decision by the coaching staff with an eye toward the postseason.
As an athlete and a human being, I hope Stefanski, his assistant coaches and the Browns’ players make a full recovery. But the show must go on without them. And let’s be honest, people don’t want to hear about your problems and, in some cases, are glad you have them. It sucks for the Browns, but it’s an advantage for the home team. You guys know as well as I do that if the roles were reversed, there would be mercy shown. They would laugh and pat the Steelers on the back as they walked off the field with a loss.
As for all the talk of the Browns catching up and potentially running the AFC North, it’s still laughable to me. They barely beat the depleted Steelers, 24-22, last week.
And don’t even get me started on those T-shirts:
CLEVELAND BROWNS
The Browns show off their T-shirts for qualifying for the playoffs, Sunday in Cleveland.
I respect the Browns, but I don’t like them. Some celebrate the small victories too much these days, and I’ve never been a fan of participation trophies. My advice to the Steelers is to press their advantage like an accelerator and push the throttle as hard as they can.
It’s win-or-go-home time!
Big Ben is committed to next year but, with the aforementioned list of free agents, there's work to be done to replace the potential loss of talent. That’s what makes this opportunity so special, this moment in time so poignant.
The chips are being pushed to the center of table. It’s time for these Steelers to be all in.