07-15-2022, 03:10 PM
Losing the Super Bowl left me despondent for about two days. It was absolutely painful. However, once I emerged from the ashes, my predominant emotion was one of hope, and of pride. The Bengals are the g-damn AFC Champions. Some people will pooh-pooh that like it's somehow a cause for shame, but screw the hell out of that mindset. Getting to the Super Bowl is a reason to be proud of the Bengals, and I am proud of them. I don't know if Burrow and company will get back, but it's good knowing that they can over the next decade.
The Steelers playoff loss after the 8-0 mania of 2015 was a very different story, and far worse to me. That left me feeling empty inside. I wasn't even "angry" -- at least not after the initial outrage. I was just nothing. I felt like I had lost something important to me, like my very ability to watch American football was permanently damaged. That lasted years, and I think I might still be in that funk if not for the Taylor and Burrow regime. That's the worst loss I have ever seen, and it isn't close.
The Steelers playoff loss after the 8-0 mania of 2015 was a very different story, and far worse to me. That left me feeling empty inside. I wasn't even "angry" -- at least not after the initial outrage. I was just nothing. I felt like I had lost something important to me, like my very ability to watch American football was permanently damaged. That lasted years, and I think I might still be in that funk if not for the Taylor and Burrow regime. That's the worst loss I have ever seen, and it isn't close.
