Steelers recap - Monday Night Football

Yep. A late start to getting to the game. Smooth drive. Pouring rain. Major traffic. We'd roll, and then we'd stop. As we got twenty blocks from the stadium, there was nothing to see but a sea of black and gold, towels twirling, and the chant, "Here We Go Steelers, Here We Go." Any visitor would've wondered if he'd arrived in Pittsburgh instead of Tampa. It's truly amazing this fan base. We're everywhere.

The rain stopped just as we arrived at the destination where we were to meet my Steelers buddy. Tom, tired of driving and having taken a wrong turn, just pulled in and parked in one of the many neighborhood yards allowing parking, and we decided to forgo the tailgate to hike to the stadium for a bathroom, some dinner, and hopefully a dry area.

Our seats were not as nosebleed as they were several years ago, and I was more than grateful for the evening game, but September football in Florida? At over $100 a ticket? SO only worth it for the Steelers. By the time the game was over, I was a ball of sweaty, stinky mush. The crowd started out sparse but built by kickoff, and we were surrounded by Steelers fans except for the guy directly behind the woman next to my friend Grandpa Bob and me. The guy behind me? Obnoxious to the point of indecency.

The scoreboard nonsense was ridiculously loud, with the bass thumping so hard my heart began its jumpiness. That, coupled with the heat and my anxiety, made me wonder if I'd pass out and tumble into the rows in front of me. It was the kind of first half that had us leaping to our feet, towels twirling, vocals straining with the whoops and hollering. By halftime, the noise was at a more respectful decimal, mainly due to the Steelers defense.

Halftime, where Tony Dungy was inducted into the Buccaneers Ring of Honor, was nice. The Steelers and their fans love Dungy, a former Pittsburgh Steelers player, and coach. I enjoyed seeing the Bucs players of the past. As I told the woman next to us, I root for Tampa when they aren't playing my Steelers. She said thank you and then turned a bit witchy by the end of the game. She told Grandpa Bob, the nicest man on the planet, to fuck off when he commented on how well the Bucs fought to come back. Okay, then. Nothing like MNF.

Steelers:

• First of all, the Steelers plane had to reroute and land at the Clearwater airport instead of in Tampa on Sunday due to lightning. We actually passed the buses going in the opposite direction accompanied by four police escorts as we drove back from the Road Warrier Party. The players joked they thought they had been kidnapped, and it added to the way this season is going; drama, upon drama, upon drama.
• We play well on MNF. For someone that truly believes this and who hadn't any doubt that the Steelers would come to play, I was a bundle of raging, heart-pounding stress. On the first play of the game, we got a penalty. Seriously? Then, another, then another, and then four more - boom, boom, boom, boom. People, that is on the head coach. Tomlin has got to rein in these emotions. Hire a psychologist. A hypnotist. Someone who will get these guys to check their emotions at the entrance. 
• The defense, certainly not the curtain of old, had a lot to make up for, and they did just that...in the first half. Forced fumble.Two interceptions. A pick-six. The second half? Ugh. Same old, same old. It's like at 30-10, they went into the locker room and said, "Well, that's it. We did it. Whew." When will we learn this is a two-half game? Four quarters? Several hours? I'm not sure what is worse, leading the game and then watching the opposition slowly pick their way back or losing and having to come from behind. We can't seem to break the mold on either.
• Kicker Chris Boswell could also use some mental help. I hate when kickers go from money to will he/won't he. They have one job. Get this kid some help. I love Boswell and punter Jordan Berry, but right now, these two need an intervention.
• Roughing the quarterback was the major flag of the night--on both sides. And boy, did all of those flags set off the Bucs fan behind us. When Tampa got the flag, Ben was a phenomenal actor. When we got the flag, we were dirty, rotten players trying to kill FitzMagic. This is such a hard one, but players better believe that this season is all about protecting the quarterback. Don't touch these guys and if you do, for god's sake, do so without your entire body. Or your head. Or your hand. Tee Hee.
• The Bucs almost lost a guy when Isaiah Johnson ran into the wall while breaking up a Steelers touchdown. Johnson was completely in beast mode concentrating on defense, forgetting there was a wall at the end zone's back. A Steelers fan behind us (ironically wearing a Ryan Shazier shirt) started some ugliness, which set off the Bucs woman next to us. I told her the Steelers weren't that kind of fan and that the guy was just drunk. She responded with, "He's a friend of mine." I think he was her boyfriend and a friend of my Steelers buddy. He was just baiting her. Either way, she left the game in the opposite direction of him.
• Although I was a tad worried that his feet came out of bounds with his leaping antics into the end zone, Antonio Brown got his touchdown. Of course, I should've relied on Tony Toe Tap to make sure he knew where his feet were touching, but again I find that stuff immature. Let's start manning up. Run into the end zone and then do your happy dance if necessary.
• How is it that the stiff-arm is allowed? Seems to me, this maneuver is just as harmful as a face mask, horse collar, etc. And yes, I know, it's football. Blah, blah. But in the new regime of protecting these guys' bodies, I think the stiff arm to the head or face is certainly an issue.
• Tampa did well with Fitzpatrick's arm, especially on third down. I hope the Bucs keep him in the game next week over Winston. Why would you mess with the momentum? These guys trust the old man, and they really are magic with him.
• Flo-rida was a nice surprise at halftime. Not that I was anywhere near the ship. Once I get to my seat, my butt stays there. Plus, I wanted to see the halftime induction.
• Tony Dungy! Tony Dungy! What a great guy. He talked about his Christian values and coaching guys to be good role models in addition to being great players. For the most part, he succeeded, and those players, many of them on the field with Dungy last night, let the man lead them. I wish the NFL would turn over the dumb asses who screw up to Dungy. That should be a requirement. Fuck up, and you go to Dungy camp. The fines could pay for it. 
• Of course, I kept yelling, "We love you, Tony! And we never fired you!" Tee Hee. I'm sure that annoyed the woman next to us. But really, that was a stain on the Bucs organization in my book. But then again, it's a job, and the owners expect the job to get done. Mike Tomlin, a former Bucs assistant, and Tony Dungy prodigy had better heed those words.

By the end of the game, Black and Gold had taken over the stadium. The Bucs fans began leaving in droves before the two-minute warning. Uh? What? I don't understand that mentality. Stay until the end. Have some faith in your team. I mean, I had more confidence in the Bucs and the implosion of the Steelers than they did. Thankfully, they ran out of time. Gonna be a long season...but at least I got a win with the $$ I spent. Yippee!