THE BLACK AND GOLD POST

The 2000 season was truly a roller coaster ride that tested the very depths of every Steeler fan's determination and grit. Three straight losses right out of the gate, including a last second botch against the lowly Browns that surely provided every high school coach in the Tri-State area with a valuable training tool. Then, just when things looked bleaker than bleak, five straight victories, three of which were on the road, and the Black 'n Gold is back in the playoff picture.

All was well; life was good. The beer tasted colder, children smiled and all seemed right with the world. Suddenly, in an instant, it was gone. Three more losses in a row, including two embarrassing performances at home against Philadelphia and Jacksonville and once again Cowher and Company was on the outside looking in. A mad scramble during the final five weeks when the Steelers won four times wasn't enough to put Pittsburgh over the top and, for a third straight year, our favorite team was on the outside looking in at the playoffs.

Some will point to bad calls as the reason. We've all heard the excuses and seen the plays. Lord knows we saw enough of them last year. While it is certainly frustrating it is not something that the players or the fans can dwell on. Good football teams don't have their fate hanging on a single play or single call on a week to week basis.

This is not to say the 2000 Pittsburgh Steelers were not a good football team. The team that handily defeated Jacksonville and the Jets on consecutive weeks was certainly a good football team, maybe the best in the NFL at that time. Conversely, the squad that made this same Jacksonville team look like a running juggernaut on a cold November night on national television or the squad that failed to show up for the contest against the New York Giants with their very playoff lives on the line was not a good football team.

The best way to describe the 2000 team was one of potential. One week they could be potentially great and the next they could be potentially poor. This went a long way to grind on the nerves of Steeler fans as well as bookies; hence the roller coaster ride. Hopefully, some of this potential we witnessed last year will parlay into this coming season and change this potentially good football team into a consistently good football team and a potential Super Bowl contender.

The off-season has been tumultuous. Gone are two individuals who were with this organization for a long, long time and symbolize the Steelers of the 1990's. These moves, however unpopular, simply exemplify the fact that this is more a business than a game. It also shows that the Steelers are not afraid to make such a decision in order to hopefully become a better football team. Only time will tell if the Pittsburgh Steelers of 2001 will be improved over their 2000 predecessors. The good thing is, potentially, anything can happen and, rest assured, we will be tuned in every step of the way

I think I've heard them all. Where's my newsletter? Has it become an annual newsletter? Was I placed on waivers or released from the PSFCOB?

All valid questions and I do appreciate the sense of humor. What I also appreciate is your loyalty and patience. Obviously, with the lack of a newsletter during this past season, I would be remiss in enforcing the subscription fee. As such, all those who paid the $5.00 annual fee are taken care of for this 2001 campaign.

At this time, plans are to have the next newsletter out sometime in August just prior to the start of the regular season and at least two or three editions during the season itself.

Some folks have asked about writing some articles for The Black 'n Gold Post. I encourage you to do so. Some PSFCOBers have already submitted some items and for that I say thanks and keep 'em coming.

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