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Is going from 19-10 to 22-10 important enough that you don't just try to convert the fourth-and-4 and finish it off?
Is going from 19-10 to 22-10 important enough that you don't just try to convert the fourth-and-4 and finish it off?
Many years ago when I was reporting on preps, i covered a five-game state volleyball semifinal. The local team got its ash kicked in the first two games and was down big in the third. They rallied to force a fourth game but got blown out in that one for a 3-1 loss. I asked the coach about the rally in the third game, trying to balance my article with something positive. He grumbled that it took no intestinal fortitude at all to come back there. They weren't really in the match and it was likely just the other team letting up. They were never really in the match. For many reasons, that coach was an ashhole, but he was right in his evaluation of the match. That's how I feel about the Steelers last night. Scoring when they were down 21, then doing it again, doesn't impress me much. They showed no fight at all in the first half and got their butts handed to them in embarrashing fashion. They shouldn't be looking for positives today. Theys should be figuring out the major changes needed to get to the point of being real contenders again.
That reminds me of a reverse situation years ago at one of my papers. Local D-I mid-major women's basketball team made the NCAA Tournament, and played one of the national powers. Local team was only down by a couple points at halftime, hung in by single digits until midway in the second half before the national power pulled away and added a few more baskets in garbage time. Local team lost by, like 17 or so. Our sports section had versions of "they hung in against National Power, great run, memorable year, but it's over"-type stories.
News section also took a story and blared a headline on the front page that Local Team got its doors blown off. We tried to warn them that the final score wasn't really a reflection of what happened; but the news desk ignored us.
Next day, we in sports got a bunch of complaint calls from the school and various fans and readers for the new desk's ignorance.