Writerbuckeye wrote:
I get that it is just your opinion, but it isn't logical if what we're seeing on the field is real. Logic would dictate that all teams as bad as Cleveland would be fighting to the end of each season (for their jobs, teammates, etc.) but that is not what we see.
We see some teams tank the season when they are no longer playing for anything of consequence, and others that do not.
I honestly believe this begins and ends with the coach. If they like and respect the coach, they will continue to fight to win; if not, they will tank the season. I believe the reason we saw those Cleveland teams tank at the end (so badly) under Romeo was they didn't respect him. Like him? You bet, he was soft on them for the most part. But not respect.
As a Steelers fan, I'd agree with that. Remember your games with them last year? In the first game, Pittsburgh won a close game where one could easily say a brainless Anderson interception deep in Steeler territory (taking at least 3, if not 7 potential points off the board) could have wound up costing them a legit shot of winning. In the late-season rematch, Pittsburgh blew them out.
This year, in the first game, Pittsburgh wins 27-14. A Cribbs return provided half those points. In the second game, Cleveland was just as bad offensively (only TD set up by a Cribbs return inside the Steeler 10 and his tough running in key moments really took the stink off Quinn's poor numbers), but their defense played hard the entire game and shut down Pittsburgh's offense. That says that, regardless of how their players personally feel about Mangini, they're at least playing hard for him and giving everything they have.