For all of the whining and complaining by frustrated fans, here we are at the midway point of the 2023 NFL season and the Pittsburgh Steelers are firmly in the playoff hunt with a respectable 5-3 record.
Count me in as one of those frustrated fans. Not so much for the warts that the Steelers clearly have. I understand their issues, and agree with many of the negative takes making their way across the "Twitterverse".
However, the lack of patience with this team is maddening. The Steelers are barely one year removed from replacing a hall-of-fame quarterback with a rookie, and some people are acting like they should be undefeated and winning every game by 20 points or more.
Maybe it's the current state of society, where people expect to get their way immediately.
Maybe it's "X" (formerly known as Twitter), where people have a great outlet to express their frustrations.
Maybe it's the media, who stoke the flames of fan passion with hyperbole in order to gain viewers.
Or, maybe it's just me, whose blood pressure rises quicker with each year of advancing age. I know there have been times after a poor Steelers' showing this season that I've wanted to go outside and yell at the neighborhood kids to "get off my lawn"!
But seriously, when you take a step back and look at the big picture, this team has done relatively well considering the circumstances. And it's because of the warts that the Steelers currently have, that they should feel confident going into the last half of the season.
After all, Mike Tomlin’s group hasn’t come close to playing its best game, yet is right in the thick of things. They're in a lot better situation than last year at this time when the Steelers were staring at a 2-6 record.
So, please feel free to use the following Steelers fan guide to respond to all of the "haters" out there. Hopefully, it's as therapeutic for you to read, as it was for me to write.