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I remember John Madden often saying something to the effect that the reason he retired from coaching was because the highs from winning could not offset the lows from losing. In the wake of this past Sunday's superbowl loss, I can understand from where he is coming. It hurt, and it hurt bad. It's almost as if winning, when it does happen, feels like a relief, so that one doesn't have to feel the pain of loss. Sure, in time the pain will fade and we can all look back and see this season for what it was---one in which the Steelers exceeded so many expectations and overcame many obstacles. No doubt, the season as a whole was a success. However, to come so close and to fall short is excruciating. I'm glad the Steelers came back from their 21-3 deficit and made a game of it, but I have no doubt I would have slept easier in the following nights had it just ended up being a blowout. Being so close---I think that is why it was so painful to lose. I really don't know any obnoxious Packers fans, and had they been playing anyone else but the Steelers, I likely would have been rooting for them. And, there is definitely no shame in losing to that team. I'd much rather lose to the Packers than the Raven, Jets or Patriots. However, losing is losing, and all but one team does it at the end of the sesaon every year. I've avoided watching any replays thus far, and I'm not sure when I'll be able to bring myself to do that. I keep hearing in my head the sound clip that was played on Fox right after the Mendenhall fumble, in which Kevin Greene tells Clay Matthews, "it's time". Sends chills down my spine, but in the wrong way! If only that were LeBeau telling that to Polamalu or Harrison and seeing it come to fruition. The most painful aspect of this loss for me is that they overcame such a large deficit and 3 turnovers and still managed to come within 90 yards of winning a seventh championship. Had they pulled off the legendary comeback, it would have ranked right up there with the best superbowl finishes of all time, and the Steelers would have been on the right side of history. As it is, the Steelers are now a footnote in history for this one. Anyway, the pain is slowly fading, and soon I may even be able to turn on ESPN or the NFL network. I've long been way too emotionally invested in the Steelers. Being a die hard fan is such a strange thing. We put all that hope and energy into something over which we have no control. But, I've been doing it for nearly 40 years, and, god willing, I'll be doing it for the next 40.

I'm not sure I would have slept better if we had been crushed. The Steelers made a game of it, and very easily could have won if a few plays had gone the other way. That makes me feel much better about the character of the team in general, and also about the future of the team. If we'd been blown out 45-10 or something like that, I don't think I could feel so good about the offseason or next season.

No one can predict the future - who knows, Ben may do something stupid again in the offseason, or maybe just the SB jinx will catch and we'll miss the playoffs again like in 2009. Or we could not even have football at all. But right now, I wake up and feel pretty happy about the season overall and optimistic about the Steelers' future, and I'll take that over the memory of a SB humiliation.