SBNation.com has a so-true-it-hurts article on what we should expect from the press in Ben Roethlisberger’s return against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday:
If the Steelers win, a facile story of redemption will be spun.
It’s just how these things work. An athlete can mess up in any conceivable way. As long as he atones somehow and returns to victory, this is path taken by the media according to the tacit laws of simplistic sports morals. And people wonder how those feelings of entitlement get fostered.
If the Steelers lose, the distraction storyline will be a constant for at least a month.
Just as a troubled player who wins is feted with redemption, the loser is further saddled with being a millstone around the neck of all his teammates. This would be especially the case for Roethlisberger, who is rejoining a team that had been playing very well in his absence and now faces a team they are widely assumed to beat.
This might be a good game to watch with the sound off.