Blogs

Uncategorized

End of a Pittsburgh Football Era: Mike Tomlin’s Exit From The Steelers

R. H. W. Dorsey

In the last 69 years, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had only six head coaches. It’s hard to imagine in relation to other teams in the NFL.

It’s easy when you think about the culture of the Pittsburgh Steelers and how the Rooney family’s mentality of sticking with the same coaches evolved when Chuck Noll became the head coach of the Steelers in 1969. With the turnover of NFL coaches in this recent era, the Pittsburgh Steelers have done things a little differently. From 1969 to January 2026, there have been only three head football coaches for Pittsburgh, that’s a 57-year span. Before 1969, there were three head coaches in 11 years: Buddy Parker, head coach from 1957-64; Mike Nixon, head coach 1965; Bill Austin, head coach from 1966-68; subsequently, the three coaches with the longest tenure with the Steelers are Chuck Noll, 1969-91, Bill Cowher, 1992-2007, and Mike Tomlin, 2007-26. 

If you only knew the history mentioned above about the Pittsburgh Steelers, it’s reasonable to assume the organization has a unique philosophy when it comes to hiring talent to lead players on the field.  

As of this writing, coach Mike Tomlin is no longer the head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. On January 13, 2026, Mike Tomlin stepped down after 19 seasons of coaching the Steelers. He exits Pittsburgh with 13 playoff berths and 8 AFC North wins. With the Week 18 win over Baltimore, Tomlin has tied the record with former coach Chuck Noll of 193 regular-season game wins. Tomlin’s resignation comes after a heartbreaking loss the night before on January 12, 2026. The matchup was a Monday Night Football Wild Card AFC playoff game against the Houston Texans. The Texans handily beat the Steelers 30-6. 

The climate for a new coach in Pittsburgh seemed to have come to a frenzy in the weeks preceding Tomlin‘s resignation. It was common to see football fans on social media discussing Tomlin’s future at the end of the last few seasons. Tomlin’s fate has also been a subject of many conversations by broadcast sports analysts in recent weeks.

On a personal note, when you’ve lived in a city that has enjoyed the opportunity and accomplishment of gaining six Super Bowl Championships over the years, you come to expect the same level of excellence every year, whether it happens or not. Yes, we Steelers fans are a spoiled bunch. Two of the other major sports teams in the city (Penguins (hockey) and Pirates (baseball ) are no strangers to winning championships over their history. However, I’ll go out on a limb and say the Pittsburgh Steelers football organization is what makes Pittsburgh the most recognizable team in the sports world. Some will differ with my opinion. 

The 2025-2026 season is not over as of this writing. There are still divisional playoff games to be played this coming weekend. The conference championships will follow those games, and finally, the big dance, the Super Bowl, on February 8th in Santa Clara, CA. 

It’ll be interesting to see which two teams make it to the Super Bowl. The saying “any given Sunday” seems to hold true when it comes to football. 

This piece started with news about Mike Tomlin, and I’ll end it here: “Coach Mike Tomlin, you showed us excellence in coaching, a unique way of voicing your summaries of gameplay with the interviewers (Tomlin-isms), seriousness, and a sense of humor. Coach, you leave this football fan with the feeling that your standard will be the standard wherever you land. I suspect the Pittsburgh fans will expect no less from the next coach who leads this organization.”

R.H.W. is a freelance writer and author of multi-genre publications, and a lifetime Pittsburgh Steelers fan. 

Photo by Jean-Daniel Francoeur on Pexels.com

Uncategorized

Everything

R. H. W. Dorsey

As an older human, the lessons I’ve learned later in life are too many to list. As a child, I felt that getting to adulthood would unlock all the secrets of life. As a young adult, I thought, “Oh, this adulting thing must be trial and error.” I proudly call myself a student of life now. So, to answer the question, I’ll choose the first thing that comes to mind. Learning how to make pie crust earlier in life would’ve been nice. I’ve since mastered it, though.  

Uncategorized

News from the Author

R. H. W. Dorsey
Photo by Saliha Sevim on Pexels.com

As I reflect on my sporadic blog entries over the past two years, sports blogging took over. I love talking about the sports I enjoy as a spectator with like-minded people in my everyday life. With that said, there’s news on my writing and publishing pursuits.

The sequel to “Better Off Alone: The Carole Johnson Chronicles” in the series (tile TBD) is in progress.

Readers of the first installment can look forward to following Carole continuing her investigative activities in the aftermath of the end of book one. The book is slated for release in late Summer or by the Fall of 2024. I’m also concurrently working on an eclectic essay, poetry & prose, and quotes project.

Thanks for reading!

Blogs, Creative Writing, current events, NFL, sports, Sports Fans, Uncategorized

To the Victor, Go the Spoils

R. H. W. Dorsey
Photo by RODNAE Productions on Pexels.com

Superbowl LVII will be held on February 12, 2023, in Glendale, AZ. The event will mark the end of the NFL season 2022-23. The State Farm stadium will host this season’s best: The Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The field of play is said to have grass grown in Arizona instead of the artificial turf some athletes dread.[1] The non-contact injuries should be minimal or zero in Sunday’s matchup. Let’s hope for a safe and exciting game.

The Eagles ended their regular season with an impressive 14-3 record. The Chiefs’ end-of-regular-season record was the same at 14-3.

The winning team of this annual sporting event will hoist and receive the coveted (Vince) Lombardi Trophy: the goal of every NFL team at the start of the season (no matter how unlikely for some).

I’ve watched Super Bowl coverage since I was a young child. Most NFL fans I know watch even if our favorite teams haven’t made it to the dance, so to speak. Still, the celebrations of fans around the country and beyond make the Super Bowl game this coming Sunday more than just a football game. This year, recording artist and multi-music award winner Rihanna is scheduled to perform at half-time during the Super Bowl.

In four days from now, the victorious team will be able to reap the spoils of a Super Bowl win, trophy, and ring (not to mention mad bragging rights for a long while).

To the Victor, Go the Spoils!

R.H.W. Dorsey is a football fan, multi-genre author, and novelist.

[1] https://cronkitenews.azpbs.org/2023/02/01/arizona-super-bowl-2023-state-farm-stadium-field-prep/

Blogs, Creative Writing, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, sports, Sports Fans

AFC & NFC Championship 2023

R. H. W. Dorsey
Photo by Jean-Daniel Francoeur on Pexels.com

I can’t speak for every Pittsburgh Steelers fan, but there’s still football being played in the NFL on this late day in January. Even though my Pittsburgh team didn’t advance in the 2022-23’s post-NFL season, I’m still interested.

As I sit at home, eager for this day’s competition on the gridiron, I don’t have a horse in this race. I remain captivated by this sport, however.

First up today, 1/29/2023 is the NFC Championship game between the 49ers and the Eagles. Philadelphia will host San Francisco with a 3 p.m. E.S.T. kickoff.

Later today at 6:30 p.m. E.S.T., the Chiefs will host the Bengals in the A.F.C. Championship game. Cincinnati has defeated Kansas City in the last three matchups between these teams.

I’m not an analyst, so I won’t break down any stats or make predictions of how this fine Sunday will end for any of these teams. Later this evening, we’ll all know the teams that’ll meet in Super Bowl LVII on February 12, 2023, in Glendale, AZ.

What I will say is it’s a great day to watch football. These four teams have earned their spots as the NFC and AFC’s best teams this year.

Enjoy, my fellow NFL football fans!   

R.H.W. Dorsey is a multi-genre writer and Steelers fan.

Blogs, Creative Writing, current events, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, sports, Sports Fans, Steelers, Uncategorized

Thank You, Steelers for the 2022 Season

R. H. W. Dorsey
Photo by Jean-Daniel Francoeur on Pexels.com

Why thank a team that didn’t make the playoffs, you might ask? The struggles and small triumphs this season gives fans like myself hope for the next season of play for my Pittsburgh Steelers.

By mid-season this year, the Steelers had 2 wins and 6 losses on their record. On the team’s Bye in week 9, I heard whispers of gloom and doom via predictions of an ending fictional 5-12 record or worse. The fact that the Steelers’ season ended with 9 wins and 8 losses can’t be overlooked, considering the first half of the season was dismal. The 7-2 run to end the season can be called impressive, given the performance in the weeks before the Bye. Towards the last games of the regular season, the Pittsburgh Steelers had rallied with more wins than losses. What wasn’t so great was the fact of needing help from other teams to advance into the NFL playoffs. I can only speak as a fan of the team to say it’s not a good feeling to find your team in that situation. So, in the final week (18) of regular play, my Steelers hosted our division rival Cleveland Browns. The task was to win the game and hope the game being played concurrently by the Jets and the Dolphins would end up in a Jets win. The Steelers were still “in the hunt” for a Wildcard playoff spot at the beginning of the game, where they hosted Cleveland at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium. It was great to see the Steelers win the game against the Browns. Sadly, it’s now history that the Jets lost to the Dolphins 6-11. The Dolphins’ win dashed any hopes for an advance to the post-season by Pittsburgh. This scenario may sound familiar to those paying attention because it’s happened in past seasons involving my Steelers’ team. But let me say that the fact that this Pittsburgh team rallied the way they did is something to mention. It’s too little and too late, but now it’s time to move on to the future.

In my opinion, what most will call a disappointing season (and it was for diehards like myself that feel the Steelers should always be in the playoffs), is actually an opportunity. The opportunity comes in looking forward to a better season in 2023-2024. Hope is a beautiful thing.

This Steelers team has lots of young talent and seasoned veteran players to help with the rebuild for the next season. The head coach’s lead remains consistent, in my opinion. The consistency is referenced by the cohesiveness of the team by the end of the season. I can’t fail to note how the offensive line came together nicely in those last weeks of the season. It was exciting to watch.

The coming weeks and months will tell the story of how the team will look going forward into next season. There are free agency opportunities, as well as restructuring that will be done. Win or lose, the Steelers shouldn’t be counted out until it’s time to count them out. So, thank you, Pittsburgh Steelers, for showing your drive and heart in playing this game.

R.H.W. Dorsey is a multi-genre writer and Steelers fan.

Uncategorized

A Harrowing Week 17 in the NFL

R. H. W. Dorsey
Photo by Jean-Daniel Francoeur on Pexels.com

The past week in NFL play has been unprecedented. The on-field collapse of Bills’ Safety, Damar Hamlin, last Monday night (1/2/2023) made most spectators both attending and watching the broadcast hold their breath. The Bills were playing the Bengals at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati. The sudden fall to the ground occurred after Damar stood up from making a tackle on an opposing player. CPR was initially administered by athletic trainer Denny Kellington on the field as reported while fans watched the game. It was reported later that Damar wasn’t breathing and had a heart attack on the field of play. The life-saving measures done by the personnel on the field that night were phenomenal. It’s said Damar Hamlin’s heart stopped twice before he was transported by ambulance to the hospital. Still, the days that followed had his loved ones, teammates, the NFL, fans, and many around the country praying and hoping for a positive outcome for Damar. Reports of the former Pitt University player having a subsequent heart attack in the hospital were concerning to everyone in the days that followed his collapse. The University of Cincinnati Medical Center staff is being praised for the excellent care given to the young athlete with roots in this blogger’s hometown. As I write this piece, Damar is said to be speaking, posting on social media, and communicating well. I’d imagine there wasn’t a dry eye at the team meeting when Damar appeared over FaceTime on January 6th. The Buffalo Bills organization reported Damar was able to speak to his teammates and coaches that day. The game between the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots today, 1/8/23, was dedicated to the Damar. With the win by the Bills over the Patriots, the New England team is eliminated from the playoffs. The win gives the Bills the number 2 seed in the AFC. The game from 1/2/23 between the Bills and the Bengals has now been canceled by the NFL with no changes to week 18.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the decision to suspend the game the night of the incident when Damar collapsed on the field. Personally, as I watched the live broadcast, I had an issue that night. I don’t know why it took a little of an hour after the collapse of Damar and the pause of the game for the decision to be made to end the game. I understand the need to call the League office, and/or other higher-ups. However, it seems things could’ve been handled timelier. I have no doubt that rules and protocol either have been made since the incident or will be drafted – should a situation like this ever occur again (hopefully not).  

It was amazing to see how the entire NFL community and its fans came together to root for the recovery of Damar Hamlin. The Bills’ Safety’s charity that benefits kids in his former Pittsburgh neighborhood has received millions in donations since Damar’s injury.

Good Luck with your recovery, Damar Hamlin. You’ve got a lot of people pulling for you.

Blogs, Creative Writing, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, sports, Sports Fans, Steelers, Uncategorized

Remembering Franco Harris

R. H. W. Dorsey

This weekend in my city, plans were scheduled to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Immaculate Reception. Former Pittsburgh Steeler great Franco Harris played in the game that would set the Steelers on a future winning course. I was saddened to wake up this morning and hear that Franco Harris passed away the day before, on December 20, 2022. Franco was a 4-time Super Bowl champion and 9-time Pro Bowl athlete. He passed away just short of highly anticipated celebrations scheduled in our city to commemorate the Immaculate Reception. Franco had done recent interviews regarding that well-known milestone of that 1972 game. December 23, 1972, was the date of the game between the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers. The iconic play by Franco won that game with a final score of 13-7. The Steelers went on to play in the AFC championship game with the undefeated Miami Dolphins on December 31, 1972. The Steelers lost the game to Miami 21-17. However, the immaculate reception play began the historic future seasons of the 1970s championship Steeler team’s legacy. Coincidentally, the new Las Vegas Raiders are scheduled to play the Pittsburgh Steelers this weekend December 24, 2022. Some are saying today, with the news of Franco’s passing, a Steelers win this weekend would be symbolic and fitting for Franco’s memory.

The much talked about game in 1972 was held in Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Stadium. Unfortunately, at the time, the local games were blacked out for Pittsburgh and surrounding areas. Radio coverage was the only way for Pittsburghers to enjoy the game unless they were present in the stadium. I was a pre-teen during the game, but I already loved football since my older brother was a huge fan.

Franco Harris was considered a legend by many in the Pittsburgh area – my hometown. I’ve seen many Pittsburghers talk positively about Franco over the years of how he impacted their memories. He was well-known for more than football by the Pittsburgh community. I met Franco in a local mall’s food court, of all places, back in the 1980s. He had his then-young son with him. I had my young daughter who was pre-school age. I said hello, and Franco asked, “how are you?” That short conversation highlighted my memories of Franco, not counting his years with my favorite team – the Pittsburgh Steelers. I had the pleasure of seeing him play in person while working at Three Rivers Stadium in the late 1970s.

After he retired from professional football, Franco became active in the Pittsburgh area with community organizations. I could go on, but I’ll bring this to a close.

Pittsburgh Steeler fans lost a legend, but more importantly, his family has suffered a great loss. My prayers and condolences go out to Franco Harris’ family and loved ones.

Rest In Peace – Franco Harris.  

Blogs, Creative Writing, current events, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, sports, Sports Fans, Steelers

Next up: Monday Night Football for the Pittsburgh Steelers

R. H. W. Dorsey
Photo by Jean-Daniel Francoeur on Pexels.com

My last blog post was shortly before the match-up between my Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 8 of the NFL 2022-23 season. The Eagles won the game 35-13. Pittsburgh has faced 2 opponents since that fateful game. While that was three weeks ago, there was a Bye week after our hammering by the Eagles. The break was right on time, in my opinion. Week 10 came around, and Pittsburgh hosted New Orleans. The Steelers won the game 20-10. The defeat of the Saints seemed to be the boost the team needed at the time. Then, Week 11 rolled around this past Sunday, November 20th. The Bengals won the game 37-30. Pittsburgh’s defeat by Cincinnati in Week 11 took my team’s season record to 3-7.  

The Steelers are currently at the bottom of their AFC North Division (but tied with the Cleveland Browns, who have a 3-7 record also). The Browns have a slight edge by having a better conference record. Okay, so that’s the recap. There are seven weeks of football left. I’ll say my team is in a long home stretch of sorts. The Steelers are on the road for the next two games. Still, I hold out hope the Steeler will turn everything around. The current stats I’ve seen in the past day or two seem to indicate the Steelers aren’t any the hunt for any playoff hopes. I think the weeks ahead will be rough, but of course, anything is possible. I will say I take issue with some of the rhetoric I’m hearing on Steeler fan websites. In particular, the notion that my team should lose the rest of the games to get first and second-draft picks pollutes my ears. My hopes are the Steelers end with a respectable record – period. Who plays to lose? The notion is ridiculous to this fan.

Next up: The Steeler play Monday Night Football at the Colts on November 28th. The Steelers have a winning record for appearances on Monday Night. However, the 49ers’ win yesterday, on Monday Night Football, broke the tie between Pittsburgh and San Francisco (the 49ers now have 52). The Steelers are now number two on the list of most Monday Night Football wins at 51.   

I’m hoping I’ll have good news on my next blog concerning my Pittsburgh Steelers.

Here We Go, Steelers, Here We Go!

Blogs, Creative Writing, current events, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, sports, Sports Fans, Steelers

Steelers take on the undefeated Eagles in Philly

R. H. W. Dorsey
Photo by Jean-Daniel Francoeur on Pexels.com

This morning, October 30, 2022, I’m thinking of my Pittsburgh Steelers team. They head into Lincoln Financial stadium to play the Philadelphia Eagles with a 1:00 p.m. E.S.T. kick-off later today. I heard someone on a sports program yesterday mention the Eagles are a 10 1/2-point favorite to win over my Steelers. Pittsburgh is going into the game with a 2-5 record against Philadelphia, who are undefeated at 6-0 as of today.

Being the die-hard fan that I am, I can’t help but think of the phrase, “On any given Sunday, any team can beat any other team.” It’s way past ironic that the phrase is credited to Bert Bell, who coached the Eagles for five seasons and the Steelers for one season in 1941. Mr. Bell became the commissioner of the N.F.L. in 1946.

So with that phrase, I’ll cheer on my Pittsburgh Steelers. There’s a lot of truth to the aforementioned phrase since football fans have seen it happen. The bottom line usually comes down to who wants to win bad enough. A loss today by the Eagles wouldn’t hurt their record much at this point in time. The Steelers want and need to win this game as any team going into the home stadium of an undefeated opponent.

I’ll make this short and sweet, I’ve seen the Steelers be great before, and I’m looking forward to a great game of football. So, in the words of Bert Bell, “On any given Sunday….”

Here we go, Steelers, here we go!

Blogs, Creative Writing, current events, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, sports, Sports Fans, Steelers

Steelers Defeat Brady’s Buccaneers

R. H. W. Dorsey
Photo by Jean-Daniel Francoeur on Pexels.com

On Sunday, October 16th, 2022, my Pittsburgh Steelers experienced a big win with a 1-4 record coming into the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those four Steeler losses were consecutive, so my team went into Sunday’s game with the mindset of a must-win game marching order. I heard a sportscaster say on Sunday night after the game that our team was 1 1/2 games out of first place in our division. I’ll take that action on any given Sunday. (even if we’re at the bottom of the A.F.C. North) I love that glass-half-full mentality for my Pittsburgh Steelers team. There’s still 2/3 of the season to be played in the N.F.L. football 2022 season. I’ve seen my Steelers recover from what some call adversity before. I’ve been a Steelers fan throughout the years since the glorious 1970s. True Pittsburgh Steelers fans know there’s still hope on the horizon. Anything is possible for my Steelers. I dare not jinx us and sound the victory bell after one win. The week seven and eight teams coming up prove to be contenders. My Steelers are on the road for those matchups (The Dolphins and Eagles will host).

But for a moment, just let me revel in Sunday’s win against Tom Brady’s team. Brady is considered the G.O.A.T. of all N.F.L. quarterbacks. The Buccaneers came into last night’s game with a 3-2 record. It was a huge win, not in numbers but a boost to my team’s morale – especially since the win was on the home field. The 20-18 win against the Buccaneers was the spark necessary to get this Steelers’ team back on the winning track, in my opinion. In last night’s game, my Pittsburgh Steelers team utilized more of some of the unseen talent in the game. Let’s face it, everyone on the roster should play at NFL-caliber levels; they’re getting paid for it.

As it stands now, sadly, the rookie Pickett is on concussion protocol after Sunday’s game. Pickett became the starting Q.B. in week 5. However, the seasoned Trubisky got the job done last night. With Pickett’s injury (hopefully, he’ll be fine), we’ll see this original starting QB Trubisky front and center for week 7. The bottom line is that it’s all about teamwork and everyone standing up and getting the job done.

By R. H. W. Dorsey 10/17/2022

Blogs, Creative Writing, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, sports, Sports Fans, Steelers

Playing Football is to Win. PeriodT.

R. H. W. Dorsey

I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least mention the Raiders/Chargers game on Sunday night (January 9,2022). Being a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers fan, on the morning of 1/9/22, I knew there were three scenarios that needed to happen for my team to have any hope of playing in the NFL Post-Season. The first was the Steelers needed to defeat the Baltimore Ravens. A second scenario was for the Indianapolis Colts (9-7 record) to lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-14 record). The third scenario, and what some said was the most unlikely outcome, was for the Sunday night game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders to “not” end in a tie. Yes, a tie!

If you talked to the people watching the odds, I am sure they’d say the Raiders/Chargers game ending in a tie was highly unlikely. Those same people would’ve gone on to say this year’s Jaguars team would be a long shot at best for defeating the Colts. But, if you’re a football fan like myself, you know that on any given Sunday, miracles can and do happen. Both the Steelers/Ravens and Colts/Jaguars games were played simultaneously. Like a true Steelers fan, of course, I was monitoring the scores of the other game that would decide my team’s fate. When I saw the 13-3 lead by Jacksonville at halftime, I had hope. Still, my focus was on the Steelers game. At halftime, Pittsburgh was tied with Baltimore at 3-3. Hope came in the 4th quarter. Ben Roethlisberger and the entire team seemed to get even more energized. My Steelers didn’t stop battling and the game ended in NFL regulation time in a tie. (I’ll let the experts explain the details). Now, by that time, the outcome of the Colts/Jaguars game was final. To the surprise of myself and from what I heard some broadcasters mention yesterday, a Jaguar win was highly unexpected. But, the Jaguars went on to defeat the Colts 26-11. I can’t say it was a complete surprise to myself since I’m one of those people that believe that anything can happen in football. So, one scenario was down, and two more to go.

To say the overtime period of this Steelers/Ravens game was a nail-biter would be an understatement. With Baltimore winning the coin toss for overtime play, the pressure was on the Steelers to stop them. The wacky NFL overtime rules didn’t help any in the frustration of having to go to overtime for this fan. As it goes, if the first team to get the ball scores a touchdown, the game is over – fini. There’s no chance for the other team to even try, no matter how much time is left of the ten-minute overtime period (that’s in regular-season play). Thankfully, the Steelers were able to hold the Ravens and go on to get those coveted points needed to win the game 16-13. I need to say winning that game was a complete effort by every Steeler involved to get the team where they needed to be yesterday.

So there my team was, the Steelers, with only one more scenario to happen where they’d live to play another game – but in post-season. Before the upcoming Chargers/Raiders game kicking off at 8:20 pm EST. even started, there were some I heard say that the odds of the game ending in a tie were astronomical. In the hours before that night game, there was already talk of the Steelers going to play “probably Kansas City” in the Wildcard playoff game the following week. But, nothing was settled until the Los Angeles/Las Vegas game was to be over.

Let’s fast forward to the end of the Chargers vs. Raiders game on Sunday night (mainly because I hadn’t intended for this blog post to go so long). The score at the end of regulation time for the game was 29-29. This is where Steelers’ fans like me started to get nervous again. A tie score in regulation happens often, but an overtime tie – not so much. Now, the dreaded scenario of that game ending in a tie threatened to dash the hope we die-hard Steelers fans had for the last few hours after the win over the Ravens. At one crucial point in overtime, the score was matched at three points each. As time winded down, it appeared that the Raiders were going to take a knee and let the game end in a tie. For reasons I haven’t read about yet (and don’t care to know), the Chargers called a time out. For whatever reason, only the Raiders organization and coaches know – the Raiders decided to play to win the game. (It’s how it should be in my book, but who am I?). The Raiders went on to kick the game-winning field goal in overtime.

Why the fuss? Because what I’ve heard from football players throughout the years and especially last night is competitive sports is about winning and not trying to end in a tie (on purpose). I can’t exactly pat the Raiders on the back for doing the Steelers a favor, as I had seen some fans discuss on social media last night. The past history from the Steelers vs. Raiders aside, I was glad to see football being played. From what I understood, there was a chance for the Raiders to get into post-season with a tie in that game with the Chargers. What I do admire is the character of a Raiders team that plays the game as it was intended. Play to win. What else is there?