It’s been a long time since the Steelers have played a meaningful football game.

After almost eight months since the Steelers last took the field for a football game that meant something, Week 1 is a mere days away with action across the NFL kicking off tonight between the Chiefs and Ravens. Although some Steelers fans enjoy NFL football as a whole, others stick just to their beloved Black & Gold. Either way, just knowing that things are back can be very exciting.

But over these past almost eight months, a lot has changed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s a byproduct of today’s NFL which player movement in free agency as well as adding assets during the NFL draft. Having a team “run it back” with an entire unit has become more of a dream than reality.

With changes to the roster, and the fact 31 teams did not reach their goal last season, there are a lot of narratives surrounding every NFL team. With a franchise with such a ravenous fan base as a Pittsburgh Steelers, things get amped up even more. As many Steelers fans realize, having a hot take about the Steelers can generate a lot of traffic for media outlets, particularly those ones that aren’t directly covering the team. Opinions are widespread with every little detail going on.

For someone who is blessed enough to cover the Steelers on a 365-days-a-year schedule, sometimes it gets exhausting. Even though there are only three days until I will be waking up on a day the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing a meaningful game again, I found myself struggling for something that I wanted to put out there about the team on Thursday. Why? Because so much is already been said.

The Steelers have been analyzed, over-analyzed, and over-over-analyzed. With even the smallest move, there are those that have it as being the wrong thing and those who have it as being perfect. The people might not always be the same, but those opinions come out about every little thing. It’s been more than half a year of talking about what’s going to happen on the field rather than watching what’s happening on the field.

What’s the world we live in right now. The information is everywhere for Steelers fans to take in as much or as little as they choose. The fact that you were here taking in information I’m putting up there has me very grateful. But I also don’t want to be part of the problem.

What am I talking about? When you turn on the electronic device to catch the Steelers game on Sunday, sit down in a seat at the stadium in Atlanta if you are lucky enough to do so, or catch the game on replay because something in life kept you from watching it live, make sure you enjoy the moment. The reason we love the Pittsburgh Steelers is because we should enjoy watching them play. Yes, they can frustrate us when things don’t go their way. Yes, we celebrate together in victory and wallow in our misery and defeat. But if we can’t enjoy the games as they’re going on, what is all this discussion and taking in information all about? Is it worth it?

The bottom line is, don’t forget your first love that put you in this situation in the first place. That love is the Pittsburgh Steelers and watching them play professional football. Don’t lose sight of that fact. Enjoy the game. Don’t worry about whose take was right and if your opinion of a player or a coach is supported or disproved in the moment. That’s not more important than taking in the game.

Remember, it’s ultimately about the Pittsburgh Steelers playing football. It’s not about interviews. It’s not about opinions. It’s about their play on the field.

Let’s enjoy the game together on Sunday.