"I don't care," Ramon Foster was telling me, even though he actually really, really cares.
No, not about the Steelers' 28-24 less-routine-than-it-might-have-been beating of the abysmal Browns in single-digit temperatures Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field. Not even the coldest soul could have cared about that.
Let the big man finish.
"I don't care about money. I don't care about the individual stuff. I don't care about the Pro Bowl. I don't care about anything but getting my behind to Minneapolis," he continued, and this was just a throat-clearing. "This is it. This is everything. Look around."
I didn't.
"No, I mean it. Look around."
I did.
"Look at this group we've got. Look at the talent. Look at this chance that's in front of us. We have to get there. I mean, we have to get there."
And why shouldn't they?
Really, why not?
Because the stars might be rusty after nearly a month between big-time action?
Yeah, I can see that, so let's start there. Admirable as it was that this job got done offensively by Landry Jones, Stevan Ridley and oh-my-goodness JuJu Smith-Schuster, the chill in its wake is that Antonio Brown will be returning from his calf injury, and Ben Roethlisberger and Le'Veon Bell will have been held back for almost as long.
Not to criticize Mike Tomlin's call on this, by the way. It was a no-brainer.
But, before we all get fixated on Foxborough again, it's worth noting that whichever of the possible opponents arrives here in a couple weeks will have been playing in high-intensity, high-stakes affairs, while the Steelers' schedule since the loss to the Patriots will have seen the NFL's most depleted team in the Texans, the NFL's only winless team in the Browns, and then an actual bye on top of these two virtual byes.
Maybe that will affect the offense for only a quarter or so, but small sample sizes count in single-elimination playoffs. Especially when it comes to the precious element of timing.
"I don't think so," Martavis Bryant was telling me, and he'd know more than most about the effect of a long layoff. "It's all about what you do in practice, how hard you go at it. If we focus, we do our jobs, that's not a problem."
Assume he's right.
So again, why not?
____________________
Because someone at some point along the road will shut down this offense?
That's the Steelers' singularly greatest strength, so that's most important. But sorry, it requires quite the leap of logic to see that happening at this stage. Presuming AB can get back to full health -- and no one should ever doubt anything about this particular individual's physical preparation -- the Steelers have simply too many weapons, too much diversity, that not even some of Todd Haley's less-than-imaginative play scripts can hold them back. This offense just finished No. 3 in the NFL in total yards, No. 7 in scoring, and all of that ascended in recent weeks.
"We've just kept getting better," Marcus Gilbert said. "We've scored on everybody. The sky's the limit for this offense."
That can't reasonably be disputed, considering that against the NFL's playoff qualifiers, they popped the Titans for 40 points, the Vikings for 26 points and the Patriots for 24, and that without counting Jesse James' touchdown-that-wasn't.
And that's not to ignore that Smith-Schuster was blossoming into an impact receiver well before finding the Browns on the schedule. His nine catches -- on just 10 Landry Jones targets, incidentally! -- brought 143 yards, and his kickoff return touchdown brought another 96:
"When Antonio Brown isn't here," the kid would say, "we take his plate and eat off it."
Yet another splash weapon for this offense, one few could have expected this past summer, is the sweetest of desserts.
____________________
What about the defense?
Well, in spite of T.J. Watt's breathtaking entrance upon the team introductions Sunday ...
[caption id="attachment_520570" align="aligncenter" width="640"]
T.J. Watt being introduced to the Heinz Field crowd Sunday. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS[/caption]
... the sky isn't the limit on that side of the ball. Not without Ryan Shazier. Not without a consistent seal on the rushing edges. And not, as we witnessed yet again, without the secondary limiting big plays.
Here again, the Browns pulled off five plays of 30 yards or more, including this 54-yard heave from DeShone Kizer to Josh Gordon:
Nice toss and all, but I did mention these were the bleeping Browns. There also were passes of 56 yards and 34 and more.
Small wonder Mike Mitchell was surly afterward:
Uh, should have advised covering the kids' ears on that one.
Thing is, he's right. Meaning both that the pass coverage has been unacceptable and that, as he put it, "That starts with me." Ever since that uplifting stretch in which the defense limited opponents to 17 or fewer points in six of seven games, the opponents' point totals have been 28, 20, 38, 27, 6 and 24. And that 6 in there came against quarterbacks being plucked off the street in Houston.
That's lousy. There's nowhere to hide from it, some players' protests notwithstanding. Resting Cam Heyward was a factor, but not that big. The problem's been the problem even when he's been out there.
Tomlin was asked about his defense breaking the franchise's sacks record with 56 total, six today, and he fairly responded with praise: "I just think a lot of the guys are growing and maturing as players and within the scheme that we're employing." But he also would stress later, albeit with a broad brush: "We'd better be getting better, me included. That's what life is about. That's what this profession is about."
That's certainly what the NFL playoffs are about: Hot teams, or teams that keep improving, survive. The defense has shown it at times, but not yet fully since Shazier's injury. Sunday offered a good, if hardly mandatory chance, to advance that. It didn't happen.
It's a worry. Particularly once they run into a truly gifted offense such as that of Los Angeles or New England.
But it can be overcome. They've been good for a long stretch once, they've had time to at least adjust to Shazier's absence in terms of roles and communication, and they've got Joe Haden back. (It was telling, by the way, that Tomlin sent Haden back onto the field for Cleveland's final drive, well after Haden had been told he was done for the day.)
The latter can't be underplayed.
"Joe's everything for us," Mike Hilton told me. "He's the stabilizer."
What's missing?
These Steelers have a generational triumvirate on offense, an experienced and effective line, multiple secondary passing options beyond AB, and they've got a defensive front that's as productive on the pass rush as they've had in more than a decade, as well as, at the very least, talent in the secondary.
"We've got the people," Stephon Tuitt would tell me in his usual hushed tone. "We know we've got the people."
____________________
So what's missing?
The ability to bounce back when adversity or distractions hit?
Um, no.
The fire, the passion?
Um, wow, no.
In what amounted to a mostly meaningless outcome, the Steelers' reserves stepped up against ... OK, so it was the Browns, but it's still a lot of second-stringers vs. all first-stringers, which could conceivably be seen as a fair matchup if it weren't Cleveland:
Dear Lord, that was the final play of the second 0-16 season in NFL history. Congrats and condolences to all concerned.
But it takes a mental toughness to stay sharp against a collection so spectacularly inept.
That was L.J. Fort seeing Kizer shift his line to the left, then never looking to his right as Fort drilled him into the Allegheny.
"Oh, I lit up when I saw that line move," Fort told me.
That was Tyler Matakevich being so excited about blocking a punt that, when I asked which hand got the ball, he didn't remember. I swear.
"No idea," the backup they call Dirty Red said. "I was way too wound up. I'm sure it hit something, right?"
And yeah, that was the fifth-year backup quarterback combing off the cobwebs to win a game that, had the Patriots lost, would have needed to be won. Browns or Clowns, he still completed 23 of 27 passes for 239 yards with a touchdown and a pick, and that'd be terrific against the scout team on a Wednesday morning.
"I sat around this place for five years preparing for moments like this," Jones said.
Quality young man. What a job that must be, huh?
I've been writing this for the past three years, but this is a great group. There's a reason they've reached at least the NFL's second round of playoffs the past two years. There's a reason they've steadily progressed each of the past three years, including this one. It's because of the terribly under-appreciated coaching staff -- it often feels like no one in Pittsburgh will fully respect what Tomlin, in particular, has achieved here until he's gone -- but it's also about the chemistry, the camaraderie.
And that passion Foster was exhibiting way up at the top of this piece.
He isn't alone.
"Minneapolis," Martavis told me with a shake of his head. And this from the guy begging to get out just a few weeks ago. "That thought, Minneapolis ... the Super Bowl. I can't even."
Neither can Heyward:
"Minnesota, baby! Ice cold just like this," Sean Davis told me, referring to the temps Sunday that bottomed at 5 degrees with the wind chill. "Yeah, man. We're looking good. Thirteen wins. Swept the North. Finished the season with a dub."
That's W, as in win.
"But Minnesota, I don't know," Davis continued. "I think last year, when we got to the AFC Championship, maybe I was a little too excited. I don't want to do that this time around."
Excited? But he was a rookie.
"Yeah, I know. But still, it really didn't work for me. So I want to take it one game at a time. But I'll tell you this: We're on a good path."
An inevitable path, it seems, in some minds. If only because they prefer not to process the alternative.
"This is when you do it. Right now," Vince Williams was telling me. "There's no waiting. There's no thinking about how much talent might be here next year or the year after. This is ... this is a great football team. You hear me? A great football team. There's only one place for us to end up."
MATT SUNDAY GALLERY
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Steelers vs. Browns, Heinz Field, Dec. 31, 2017. - MATT SUNDAY / DKPS[/caption]
WHAT'S BREWING
• Our staff's 2017 Year In Review project opens Monday morning with the Top 25 Moments piece. Everyone contributed to the discussion, the writing, the production. This is always fun.
• Matt Gajtka has intensive coverage from Detroit of Daniel Sprong's return and more from the Penguins' latest loss.
• Penn State fans, hope you didn't miss any of Audrey Snyder's weeklong coverage from Arizona of the Fiesta Bowl. Her content quantity -- four files immediately after the victory -- is exceeded only by her quality.
• Reminder: All of our recurring features -- the weekly ones, plus those in the Daily Fun Thing cycle -- will return beginning tomorrow. Thanks to all readers for their understanding, as the week break allowed some of our staff to slow down a bit over the holiday.
VIDEO
Dale Lolley and Christopher Carter revisit Steelers-Browns:
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