By Dave Crawley

Eleven quick seconds. That’s all it would take

To wrap up a season and make our hearts break.

A year of travail would end in despair,

Brought to a halt on a pass…and a prayer.

With a bow to the Broncos, who played with aplomb,

Did our season implode before Tim Tebow’s bomb?
Some say the Ravens extinguished the flame
With a mind blowing drive in that infamous game.

Ninety-Two yards in just two minutes plus?
Stop them, and coast through the playoffs. No fuss.
But Flacco went wacko. Each pass was a dart,
The final one piercing our black and gold heart.

Or was is Ben’s hit by the much maligned Browns
That ended our season with with horrified frowns?
Without a clear path through the playoffs, Big Ben
Would take to the field again and again.

Lights out in ‘Frisco. Ben’s down for the count.
They again face the Browns, as injuries mount.
Though Ben’s tribulations made Steeler fans groan,
In this MASH unit season, he wasn’t alone.

But don’t be downhearted. Wipe off that tear.
A 12 and five season’s a pretty good year.
Perhaps best of all, a Steeler with class
Made history, snagging his one-thousandth pass.

So let’s savor Hines Ward and his Ward’s Hall of Fame smile,
And the team that faced struggles with stoutness and style.
Which players return? Though we don’t really know,
They have reason to bask in a Black and Gold glow.