Despite the misguided hopes of some die-hard Pittsburgh Steelers fans, the team will not be headed to the postseason this year.

And that's OK.

Sure, after winning the Super Bowl last year, it was assumed the Steelers would be poised to make a run, much the way the New England Patriots did in grabbing three titles in four years.

The Patriots, who were responsible for knocking the Steelers from two Super Bowls by defeating them in AFC Championship games in Pittsburgh, had the team makeup to return.

Oddly enough, the Patriots were never viewed as a preseason favorite to reach the Super Bowl again, yet, going against conventional wisdom, they found the way.

Pittsburgh, some said, would follow that same pattern. The team lost only three starters, running back Jerome Bettis, defensive lineman Kimo von Oelhoffen and wide receiver-returner-and occasional quarterback Antwaan Randle-El, so go ahead and make those Super Bowl XLI plans.

Granted, none of those three did anything extraordinary: Bettis was losing steam and his better, consistent performances were behind him. Randle-El was a No. 3 receiver at best who would break off a good return about as often as he lost yardage trying to escape, while von Oelhoffen was a steady contributor on the defensive line but was replaceable.

The writing was on the wall a year ago that making the playoffs this year was a given. Remember, Baltimore had tailed off offensively while the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers, led by star running backs Larry Johnson and LaDainian Tomlinson, just missed because the Steelers won their final four games to slip in and grab that sixth and final playoff berth.

The rest, as they say, is history.

The Steelers rode the momentum into Super Bowl lore and should enjoy winning it.

The Steelers of this year are being compared to the first Patriots team that won the Super Bowl. They got a little too comfortable the following year and missed the playoffs. Then they bounced back and won the next two championship games.

Could that happen to Pittsburgh? Hardly, since it might need overhaul, not just some fine tuning.

Still, Steeler fans should enjoy last season and hope there's a similar one coming soon.

As I said in a column before the season, enjoy the ride. It's been a bad one, but a higher draft pick could help the team more than finishing at 8-8 or 9-7.

In times like these, I think about my high school chemistry teacher, Mr. McClellan, a rather large man who resembled actor Joe Don Baker's character of Buford Pusser in those "Walking Tall" movies.

His favorite saying used to be "I got mine." After waiting 26 years for the Steelers to win the Super Bowl, I'm not greedy. Go ahead and let someone else win it this year. I'll still enjoy last season and hope better days are around the corner.

Until then, I got mine.