Nov 23, 2003 By Commentary Mike Ciarochi 5 min read

CLEVELAND – Where is Jim Mora when we need him? You remember Mora, don’t you? He coached the New Orleans Saints and gave us the now-famous line, “We didn’t do diddly-poo.” He moved from there to Indianapolis, where after a debilitating loss he was asked about the Colts chances of landing a playoff berth.

“Playoffs!” Mora said. “You’re talking about playoffs? We’re just trying to win a game and you’re talking about playoffs. Playoffs?”

Which brings us to the 3-7 Steelers, who visit the 4-6 Cleveland Browns today in what many are calling a key AFC North Division football game. It’s a key game, all right, but only in the sense that the loser gets a better draft choice next year.

Of course, it must be pointed out that Mora isn’t coaching football anymore and maybe his public comments are part of the reason. Steelers coach Bill Cowher would never make such a comment about his team, no matter how true it may be. Nor should he.

Granted, the Steelers are bottom of the barrel in the weakest barrel there is. The AFC North is without question the weakest division in professional football and the Steelers are pulling up the rear. Yet, the chance of reaching the playoffs still dangles out there as though it could erase a season’s worth of bad football.

So, what do you expect Cowher to do (aside from winning a game here or there)? Would you really feel any better if he were to admit that his team doesn’t deserve to be in the playoffs?

Of course not.

Many things are Cowher’s fault, but the weakness of the division isn’t among them. He’s only responsible for 25 percent of the division. He’s done his part to make the division bad, but only his part. Now, he has the privilege of allowing his team to believe it is playoff caliber, despite a record that includes wins over Baltimore, Cincinnati and Arizona and losses to everybody else through 10 games.

But, hey, facts are facts. The Steelers are only two games off the division lead. And, yes, they have a 2-1 division record.

What amazes me is how anyone can look at the last six opponents (Cleveland, the Jets and Baltimore on the road and Oakland, Cincinnati and San Diego at home) and surmise that they represent an easy stretch for a team that has managed all of three wins. How in the world can a 3-7 team look at any opponent as a win?

Well, I can say what Cowher can’t say. If the Steelers somehow sneak into the playoffs, the playoffs will be the true loser. It would cheapen the playoffs.

You know, it is somewhat strange to hear Cowher talking about division standings and playoff possibilities. It’s not strange because his team isn’t winning, either. If the Steelers, for example, were 7-3, Cowher wouldn’t allow even a whisper of playoff chatter in the locker room.

He would view it as a lack of focus. He would scowl at any reporter with the nerve to ask a question with the word “playoffs” in it.

But at 3-7, a shot at the postseason is the only motivating factor Cowher has at his disposal. Cowher accurately points out that his team earned its record; there have been no fluke losses. Nobody saw this sort of thing coming. A few had the foresight to predict the team might struggle because of inadequacies along the offensive line, but nobody had the Steelers pegged to lose seven of their first 10 games, just like nobody could have predicted Cincinnati winning five of its first 10.

But consider this. If NFL fans had a say in the matter, which team do you think they would rather see in the playoffs from the AFC North, Pittsburgh or Cincinnati? The Bengals would be league-wide playoff darlings if they were to win the division. At least for a week.

Which is why it is incumbent on the Cleveland Browns to do something about it. If the Steelers beat the Browns today, there will be great relief in the Steelers locker room. There would be a sign of life, a sign that the playoffs would remain a possibility.

If the Browns complete a season sweep over the Steelers, it would be over, mercifully, and we could go about the business of … whatever it is we do when the Steelers don’t make the playoffs.

We’ve been spoiled by the Steelers success since the 1970s. Spoiled to the point that we expect the playoffs like Bengals fans expect another No. 1 overall pick in the draft. The Bengals won’t get that pick this year because they haven’t earned it.

Just like the Steelers won’t make the playoffs because they haven’t earned it.

My wish is to have it end now, this fanciful yet fruitless hope against hope that by some magical, mystical, sadistic twist of fate the football gods will grace our city with a playoff berth.

The Steelers just aren’t good enough this year. Face it.

Strange as it might sound, Go Browns. End it now.

Sports editor Mike Ciarochi may be reached at mciarochi@heraldstandard.com.