The title “My Worthless 2 Cents” that I came up with isn’t one I feel I can take full credit for, but is a story in itself, so here it is. I was in the 8th grade at the time, and found myself tagging along with my older sister (a senior in high school), as she was a part of the high school theatre group who would work as ushers for local community theatre productions. Working as an usher at a production of “Harvey”, the dad for one of my baseball friends came up to me at intermission and handed me two pennies and asked me to go back to the dressing area and find the lead actor in the play. I was to give him the pennies and tell him “this is from the guy with the big nostrils, giving you his two cents worth”. I thought this was funny so I agreed to do it, especially since I knew the two were friends. I go to the dressing room and deliver the message and the “gift”. The response I was given was even better. The actor told me to return the pennies and I was to “tell the guy with the big nostrils to take his worthless 2 cents and shove them right up his big nostrils”. So that’s it. This is my 2 cents after sitting on the latest Steelers game for a bit. This is quite the opposite of my Knee Jerk Reaction article, so I get to bring everything full circle. You might tell me to take my worthless two cents and shove them up my nostrils, and that’s okay, because we are friends and I don’t look at it as personal.

I am going to break things down into three categories: One, something I feel stronger about. Two, something I have softened on a bit. Three, something that didn’t really change.

SOMETHING I FEEL STRONGER ABOUT

The Steelers offense. After several years of complete ineptitude and mediocrity, I am finally starting to feel like the Steelers have an NFL offense again. I am especially confident with Russell Wilson at the helm. The Steelers are still working hard to balance rushing and passing, but both are kicking it into gear enough for the Steelers to put up over 400 yards in back-to-back weeks. Top that off with higher scoring and this is a team that you could believe in.

SOMETHING I’VE SOFTENED ON

Coach Tomlin. I know there aren’t a lot of coach Tomlin naysayers out there, but you need to hear me out on this. I was starting to question a lot of things from Coach Tomlin myself over the last year, but the last four or five weeks have shown me a lot. I am now seeing that Coach Tomlin has been able to allow Arthur Smith to do what he needs to on the offensive side of the football. And although I know Tomlin has suggestions on defense, I don’t think he is controlling it. I feel like for the first time in a while he is giving more autonomy to the coaching staff and it has paid off. I’m not nominating him for coach of the year yet, but I am liking what I’m seeing right now.

SOMETHING THAT HASN’T CHANGED

NFL officiating. I’ve really reached a point where I don’t know what the NFL officials are doing on the field. These guys seem like they are in way over their heads. I don’t know what it takes for T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith to get holding calls. I don’t know what pass interference is. And we all know that you really can’t get anywhere close to Patrick Mahomes without a flag flying. My personal opinion is that it’s time that the NFL bites the bullet and hires full-time officials. These guys need the offseason work to be able to prepare and call games the way they need to be called in the NFL. Unfortunately I know that the league will not change until we as fans withhold the money and force them to change

There you have it. My worthless 2 cents. Maybe you liked it, maybe you didn’t. Maybe you want to tell me to shove my worthless two cents up my big nostrils. Maybe you have your own worthless 2 cents you would like to share. If so please feel free to share it in the comments below, I might look at it and tell you to shove it up your big nostrils…but that’s okay, because we are still friends.