Being a Realist vs. "whining and complaining"

Hey brother, I think you may be confusing a real list with a pessimist?

Maybe not yourself, but some of the others you're referring to.

Pessimist
1.
a person who habitually sees or anticipates the worst or is disposed to be gloomy.

There's a big difference in being realistic and somewhat critical about things based on the state of our team and finding fault in almost everything the team does. I believe most of the ones you're referring to are of the latter

I do appreciate you taking the time to make this post and let people know where you stand on things ,it does help to understand where you're coming from.

 

Wow having group therapy and were not even halfway into the season.It might be wise to rid of all your guns and ammo to family members or friends, that's not connected with the Pittsburgh Steelers till after the football season. Seriously i too can get pretty twisted with results like Sundays..with that i will move on. :innocent:

 

My wife might agree with that statement..

 

My two cents. I think a lot of us want to think that if a guy is making the type of coin these guys do that they should be thankful every day and want to work their butt off; but that goes against human nature. Let's face it most of us don't go to work every day saying "I am so thankful for my job, I am going to bust my duff to make this company, agency whatever the best that it can be and I will be rewarded for it." That doesn't mean I think that we go in thinking "I don't give a crap" either. But most likely, we view performance of our job as a combination of getting by and understanding what we are willing to put in to advance.

Now why wouldn't we think pro football players would be the same way.

What gets me is not so much whether these guys recognize how lucky they are, but do they recognize what being competent means. I view the Patriots as a very competent organization. They are a team that constantly is re-assessing what they need to do to get better. "Logan Mankins is still a Pro Bowl Guard - who cares we need another TE who can catch, he is getting old, we need to adapt" is the message from Belichek.

The Steelers lately are not appearing too competent.
---That is why a TE like Cameron Jordan can be wide open on the opposite side of the field because corners and safeties commit a cardinal sin in getting roped into the play action and completely blowing off their responsibilities to cover their side of the field - these are the type of mistakes not happening once in awhile but really 2-3 times a game.

---That is why Ben always will hold the ball too damn long inside the 25 or 30 yard line, take a sack, and blow a FG opportunity - he still does this over and over again, it happened against Jacksonville...granted 2 plays after we got the pick 6.

---That is why a front office signed players for far too high a cost for years in hopes of chasing another SB without recognition that with the changing rules for rookies (4 years vs 6 years) you need to more quickly get new talent on the field rather than grooming them for 5 years. In turn this has reeked havoc on the ability to sign a good free agent or two.

I think of Chuck Noll who was reputed to be a guy who didn't stay up to 1AM every morning preparing for games or evaluating talent or playbooks, rather he went home at about 5PM or 6PM. But yet he was able to build a powerhouse for 10+ years just being a guy who demonstrated competence and let the players, coaches know what was expected. I miss that.

 

I'm glad to see somebody understood my post...not sure what was so confusing about it. Basically I enjoy watching them and am a die-hard, but I don't care to the point where I let it ruin my day anymore. I used to be livid for days after a loss. In the Super Bowl against Green Bay, I accepted in the 2nd quarter that they were going to lose based on how the game was going. I never let it bother me for 5 minutes after the game was over...

 

Always appreciate your responses Glenn. You're right, there is a difference between a realist and pessimist. There are definitely plenty pessimists on this board. I guess all of us can sound pessimistic at times, but I always try to point out positives, when I see them. We were an absolute complete team for one game this season, and afterwards, I was very pleased with what I saw. But I made "realistic" comments on here after that game that it was only one game, and they had to show that type of performance for more than just against Carolina. Then....what happened the very next week to one of the worst teams in the league?! That's why I had made those comments the previous week, because against Tampa they fell flat on their faces, and unfortunately, haven't done anything else since... :-/

 

Even when this team won there are those that come out and believe that the team should had won by 20 points or more. Maybe they gamble? Maybe some just want to get the masses worked up??

Even when the Steelers went 12-4 under Tomlin it still wasn't good enough for some people. At some point some people will never be pleased. For some people the complaint will be about one thing or another.

 

Its been sometime but you are totally correct. We have for the last number of years let inferior opponents hang on until the end where we come away with a 3 point win. Well we don't have that problem anymore lol..

Sometimes we have to be careful what we wish for huh? We are now not having to worry about close games haha

 

I don't think your post was confusing - way back on page 1 I was just asking about the first couple of sentences, as they didn't seem to add up to the same point.

 

I don't believe in an inferior opponent at the professional level. I surely hope our players don't believe in the idea of an inferior opponent. I remember a cocky Tom Brady going into the 2007 SB vs the Giants seeming to believe in an inferior opponent. Didn't work out so well for him and the Pats that year.

I believe that all teams in the league have the talent to compete and win. On any given Sunday the stars can align for any team and that team can play like the best team in the league. Or the team that appears better on paper shoots themselves in the foot multiple times to level the playing field.

Realistically, there isn't much that separates the teams with the worst record in the league from the team with the best record in the league.

The Texans had the worst record in the league last season at 2-14. 9 of their losses were by 7 points or less.

 

I appreciate the fact I can come in here and read different views on our steelers

that means
all of you


I would be more optimistic if
Ben would improve on his game and the GM was sh$tcanned

hey gamecock coastal is on vacation in your neck of the woods
take him to myrtle waves for me or waccamaw pottery

 

haha...it's in the 60's here today, maybe 70...too cold for Myrtle Waves now. As for the pottery, we could take a visit there but it'd be "urban exploration."

 

I guess the best way to explain my original point was that professional athletes aren't held to the same common job standards as we are; yet get paid millions of dollars regardless of how bad they're failing to execute their job...dunno really how else to say it...lol

 

You might want to try a Xanax. I've never taken one but seen my sis in law takes them like Pez candy. She couldn't snap at her kids cause she barely knows they exist.

 

I'd go with
Halcion

 

Being a coach I get much more frustrated and invested in my own team vs. the Steelers. But being that coach I look at this team and ask where is the heart or the passion that you played with to get to this level. Just being a tremendous athlete does not necessarily get your ticket punched to the NFL. You had to bust your a$$ etc. to get into this league. Don't be satisfied with just being there. I think for years we had this leadership and it was passed down through the vets. I think it skipped a generation so to speak...

Games don't ruin my days like they used to but I am very frustrated right now because there is potential on this team they just are not living up to it. It would be different if we had a roster like Jacksonville but we don't and that is the frustrating part for me. We are not getting the most out of our players for whatever reason...

This is why Kobe is my favorite athlete of all time. The guy is not happy unless he is winning. And he dedicates all of his time to making himself better. I don't like some of his off-court issues he has had but in terms of drive I wish more guys had that. It would make professional sports in general that much more fun vs. guys collecting a check...

 

Yep, got that. And I agree. Like you, I work in education and have numerous similar stories to tell about work/pay etc.

 

Great post Hawkeye. I highlighted some of your points and responded below:

#1 - There is none. I truly believe the majority of the reason is because they are paid too much. Rookies are paid like $500,000 or so a year at the least. For a lot of them, they're satisfied. They're able to buy their cars, pay their parents house off, etc. Higher draft picks like 1st rounders are guaranteed millions right off the bat. The league needs to completely reformat the way they are paid. Players in general have acquired a sense of "entitlement" attitude the past 10-15 years, and it's because they're paid too damn much. They took a step in the right direction when they totally revamped the rookie salary scale a few years ago, but they have a long way to go. The #1 thing they need to do is start paying players a base salary based on the # of years in league, and include incentive bonuses based on performance. I also feel that part of the problem is the lack of coaching players up to play to their full potential, and pushing them to go the extra mile to become a better player. This team has been missing that for 7 years now. I thought Joey Porter was going to inject this passion immediately into the defense, hopefully he will be able to in time. Hell, I'd LOVE to see him take over for DL!

#2 - exactly part of my point in my original post

#3 - coaching...hands down

#4 - Kobe is also my favorite for this very reason. While he gets paid ridiculous money, he has a passion for being the absolute best he can be, and holds the same standard for his teammates around him.

#5 - the only thing Kobe was ever guilty of was making poor decisions with infidelity. He was actually a victim in a way, of extortion. The girl knew exactly what she was doing when she originally hooked up with him. Accuse him of rape, make it a huge deal, then accept a settlement instead." I believe the same thing happened with Roethlisberger, and the second incident in GA was just being a copycat from the first incident.

 

I am a realist but I don't want to get back to the 1980's mentality of expecting lackluster teams every year that surprise once in a while.

 

This board is very good therapy after a loss. I'll admit it, at one time I was depressed and in a pretty foul mood until mid week when the Steelers would lose. Now I'm pretty good come Tuesday. I've tried hard over the years to not let it affect my relationships with others but given the mood that I found myself in after a loss it's bound to have had a negative impact at times. Fortunately, my wife is a very gracious and long-suffering individual that's put up with my Steelers obsession over the years. I've gotten much better and have learned how to prioritize things over the years. I'm still a big fan and obviously hate it when we lose, but in the grand scheme of things I now realize that it doesn't really matter.

 

Much better for the soul to just accept things aren't good than trying to lie to yourself as if everything is hunky dory...

 

One philosopher described the pessimist/optimist/realist comparison once as this and I heard it used in a sermon not too long ago and it stuck with me. He said a pessimist believes the wind will never stop, an optimist believes it's only there for a while, and a realist adjusts the sails. I consider myself a realist because I don't think this team is a Super Bowl contender and that keeps me from investing emotionally as much. I think this team is pretty fine on offense and I think we have a truly great #1 WR, RB, qb going forward and those are really important pieces. My pessimism lies more on the defensive side of the ball where I don't see much of a silver lining ON THE ROSTER since Worilds hasn't performed up to par and is up for a contract. Allen was just paid and doesn't look like a true #1 and we don't have a replacement for Ike. Considering how our drafts have panned out in these past few years I just don't see much of a reason for optimism there. That's why I think it is realistic to not view us as world beaters for the foreseeable future. However, I don't think it would be right of me to call out people that do or belittle them or whatever. You've got a right to be wrong. I've got a right to be wrong. We equally have the right to be optimistic or pessimistic. It is like some people think that they have to agree with and be agreed with all the time or there is a problem. I really take rants with a grain of salt and ESPECIALLY the game threads. When people are mad they vent and that just happens. Things like "I'll never watch the Steelers again" or whatever I just consider hyperbole. Even if they are literally saying that how in this whole wide world does that effect me personally? They aren't turning on ME. They are turning on the Steelers. I know people that will get mad if you criticize movies or music or whatever they like and it's almost like they think that by me not liking what they like it is the equivalent of me not liking THEM. That is not the case. We are all die hard fans here. Lots of times I meet people wearing Steelers gear or they compliment mine and I tell them about this site and I've never seen any of them show up. Let's face it. We are all hardcore Steelers fans. We might disagree on certain points but we DO agree that the Steelers are the greatest team ever and if some moron clowns fan comes here to talk smack we will all stick together and hold them off until TTF hits the ban button. That means we are closer than we know. Think about it.