Steelers Bye Week Blues

No more fumbles, turnovers, or INTs in the Bye Week...

Ahh the bye week.  A time that my wife always looks forward to.  She always marks the bye week on the calendar in our kitchen because she knows that is the weekend where on Sunday I am not particularly glued to the TV, but can go and do "other" things.  Things like picking apples, going to get pumpkins, going for a hike, you know...all that other crap (I mean stuff) that normal guys that don't follow football do.  The other day I asked someone who I know doesn't follow football, "What do you do on Sunday??"  He told me how its just like Saturday!  I was very intrigued by the proposition.  However, if you think I'm giving up on football...think again.

The bye week is something that is different.  For instance, the Steelers almost always have an early bye week.  Don't know why, but out of the last 6 years their bye has probably fell either Week 5 or earlier every year.  The bye week is something that is certainly a "play by ear" type of experience for me.  If the Steelers win going into the bye week, all is well with the world.  You can sit back and enjoy any football you can and know that your favorite team is resting at home on top of the win they just achieved the previous week.  If the Steelers lose before a bye week, then that's the scenario where if I might not even watch any football.  The thoughts of the previous loss seem to linger the longer I watch other teams play and eventually I get fed up and watch something else.

With all that being said, you can imagine my thoughts as I sit on my couch typing this and the Steelers are resting on top of an 0-4 record.  Yep, its not pretty any way you slice it.  The Steelers have had it all this year.  Injuries to key players, turnovers, sloppy play, and an inability to make any significant plays when the team needs it the most.  One thing that I know for sure, is that the Steelers do have the capability to turn this ship around, but whether this team has the intestinal fortitude to actually go out and do that is another question.  Lets look at the Steelers' schedule following the bye week:

Week 6 - Steelers @ Jets
Week 7 - Steelers vs Ravens
Week 8 - Steelers @ Raiders
Week 9 - Steelers @ Patriots
Week 10 - Steelers vs Bills

The hill is steep the next 5 weeks, but nothing is impossible.  I'm trying to stay positive here!  If the Steelers can't beat mediocre competition maybe they will show the ability to step up and beat the better teams in the NFL.  If they can win 3 of the next 5 games, I'd consider it an overall victory.  The Steelers need to go on a serious run to turn this thing around, and I'm not talking about playoffs...just making something about of a "nothing" season so far.  So, enjoy if you are like me you will dread this bye week...try not to have those "Bye Week Blues"