Pittsburgh Steelers Blogs

Are you exhausted yet? There was TOO MUCH DRAMA! (That’s a lie. There’s never too much.) Both nights of Wildcard weekend ended in tremendous excitement, wrapping up with a dramatic overtime ending that didn’t even warrant explanation of the new rules. I’m still appalled. Let’s just get The Final Drive started.

Continue reading "The Final Drive: 2012 Wildcard Weekend"

If Saturday’s games were any indication, then Sunday’s remaining Wildcard action should be entertaining as hell. Who’s got time for lengthy introductions though? Let’s break down this action!

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: 2012 Wildcard Sunday"

The 2011 NFL regular season ended with a bang with some great finishes and superb drama on Sunday. Records were set by a back-up QB, a team captain was benched for “quitting” and a fat-handed QB lost missed out on the post-season. The Final Drive must begin!

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 17, 2011-12"

I’m not sure what else you could have wanted from week 15 in the NFL. Two impressive streaks ended, the “Trap of the Week” proved to be true once again and one win never mattered as much as it did for Indianapolis. (And Candlestick Park was sans light… for a few second before auxiliary lighting come on. Not as much drama.) Many a-loser won on this day. Oddsmakers be damned! Get ready for The Final Drive!

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 15, 2011"

  

Week 15??? Really? Time goes by so fast! With the playoff races tight and Tebow versus Brady on the schedule, week 15 has everything you want. Let’s set-up for The Opening Drive!

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: Week 15, 2011"

HAHAHAHAHAHA. I’m sorry, did you want analysis of this latest edition of Thursday Night Football? …Really? Okay, here it goes.

NFL Network is the place for an AFC North division match-up that will serve as a measuring stick for both teams involved. We can see how serious Pittsburgh really is about winning their division by how hard they play against a supposed soft opponent. Cleveland can gauge itself versus the rest of their Northern brethren by mounting a valiant effort tonight.

Continue reading "Joe's 2011 Thursday Night Preview: ..."

The weeks are rushing by in the NFL with the playoff picture beginning to take shape. Two 11-game streaks could push their way to 12 and an NFC contender tries to get by without one of their biggest stars.

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: Week 13, 2011"

Another Monday night means another edition of The Final Drive! I’m going to skip right past the Thanksgiving Day games as we all saw what happened. (Right?) Lots going on in week 12, including another QB injury in Houston and more magic from Jebus and Teebs.

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 12, 2011"

Week ten in this still-evolving NFL season gives us several division contests that will give the winner a hold on first place and several games pitting garbage on garbage. Let’s run through what to expect from the weekend’s slew of games!

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: Week 10, 2011"

After a bunch of snoozers early Sunday, the late games went down to the wire and featured some fantastic finishes. Week nine did not disappoint, and neither will The Final Drive!

(5-3) New York Jets 27

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 9, 2011"

1. It was great to see some familiar faces. RB Kevin Faulk, DT Brandon Deaderick, LB Jerod Mayo, and OT Sebastian Vollmer all returned to action. Faulk, in his first game since being activated off of the physically unable to perform list, started the game in place of BenJarvus Green-Ellis.

Continue reading "Pick Six: Week 8"

Week eight in the NFL had close-calls galore, including one major upset from a previously winless team. What are you waiting for? The Final Drive starts right now!

(4-3) Tennessee Titans 27

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 8, 2011"

There are dozens of reasons why a draft prospect’s stock drops. Slow 40 time, out of shape, lack of ideal size, character problems.

Diagnosed with a form of cancer.

Marcus Cannon was an imposing offensive tackle for TCU projected as an NFL guard. He was agile for a big man and had great strength. Cannon was rated as a second round pick.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 8"

Week five is warmed up and ready to go, and that means The Opening Drive! A former “Dream Team” could turn into a nightmare in Buffalo and one of the best rivalries in football is renewed in New England. Let’s get into the games!

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: Week 5, 2011"

The NFL loses another undefeated, leaving only two, but the real story is the utter failures in Dallas and Philly. Did you miss them? Don’t worry. The Final Drive has got your back.

(2-2) Cincinnati Bengals 23

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 4, 2011"

Week four in the NFL season leaves us with three undefeated teams going for their fourth win. Early AFC powerhouses are also matching-up today, which may set the stage for eventual playoff tiebreakers. The Opening Drive kicks-off now!

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: Week 4, 2011"

Now THAT was a crazy week one in the NFL! We saw upsets a’plenty, including the Steelers getting slapped around in Baltimore, the Bills putting up a 40-burger and Tom Brady going postal. The Final Drive gets started right now.

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Week 1, 2011"

The first Opening Drive of the 2011 NFL season. God I missed this. On a day of remembrance, we also celebrate as Americans with the kick-off of our country’s favorite game. Here are the match-ups to watch in week one.

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: Week 1, 2011"

“Hello? Miiiiike…What’s goin’ on? I know, I know! Long time no speak, man. How you doin’?

“Yeah, I heard. Retired. I didn’t see that coming. But good for you.

Continue reading "Don't Be a Stranger, Mike Vrabel"

With a lock-out now imposed in the NFL, I decided to take a look back at the 2010-2011 season standings and see where I went right/wrong with my preseason picks. Starting with the AFC, here’s what I predicted… and then what really happened, along with a five-star scale of my correctitude.

Continue reading "How Much I Effed Up: The 2010 AFC Edition"

Are you all Super Bowl-ed out? Not until you read the Final Drive you’re not! After all the commercials, drama, alleged rape jokes, and seating malfunctions, there was a game on Sunday. Let’s break it down!

Continue reading "The Final Drive: Super Bowl XLV"

It’s finally here. After two weeks of hype and build-up (and an uber-lame Pro Bowl somewhere in there), the Super Bowl is upon us. The Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers are set to kick off later tonight with the Lombardi Trophy on the line. If you missed them, here are my takes on the rosters of the Steelers and Packers. Now let’s get to some analysis!

Continue reading "The Opening Drive: Super Bowl XLV"

Oh prop pets. How I love thee. Honestly, could there be any more inane and luck-filled practice than the time-honored tradition of Super Bowl prop bets?

For those of you who aren’t familiar, proposition bets (or prop bets, batch) are simply side bets. So instead of betting on the outcome, you’ll bet on which team scores first, who is the game’s MVP, or even what color the Gatorade dumped on a coach will be. Here are some of my favorite prop bets I’ve seen for Super Bowl XLV.

Continue reading "Super Bowl XLV: The Prop Bets"

Whatever the score, this Super Bowl will be known as the battle off the bands, er, teams, as two defensive powerhouses collide.  Watch, you may see some sparks fly, and duck if they come out of TV set.  It's men at work and the is the NFL primo game. 

Continue reading "Pack - Steelers: Hits, Hard Hits"

With the strain Ben Roethlisberger’s escapades put on the Pittsburgh Steeler organization in the offseason, many thought they would barely be able to even make it to the playoffs, much less make it all the way back to a seventh Super Bowl. Yet after all the drama, the inconsistency on offense and injuries to key positions, the Steelers went 12-4 are back in the big one. With a rough loss to the Patriots and a failed comeback against the Jets in the regular season, the Steelers didn’t look as reliable as usual. After huge wins over the Ravens and Jets in the playoffs, the Steelers have scrapped their way to Dallas. Let’s break down the roster.

Continue reading "Joe's Super Bowl XLV Preview: Pittsburgh Steelers"

This is it. The best Sunday of football in the entire football calendar. (Yes, better than the Super Bowl.) Today we get to see the Bears and Packers meet up at Soldier Field and the Steelers and Jets rough it up in Pittsburgh. Here are the breakdowns of today's action.

Continue reading "Joe's 2011 NFL Opening Drive: Conference ..."

 So that was a fun weekend, right? After some delicious divisional round fun, the stages are set for Conference Championship Sunday in the NFL. Before that, let's take a look at how this weekend's games went down.

Continue reading "Joe's 2011 NFL Final Drive: Divisional Round"

After the fantastic endings and upsets from the Wild Card round, the NFL playoffs are back with the Divisional round! We get two division rivalry rematches in the AFC while we get another pair of regular season rematches in the NFC. Let’s delve into some football!

Continue reading "Joe's 2011 NFL Opening Drive: Divisional Round"

The Patriots haven’t lost to the New York Jets in the playoffs. I did not know that. N.E. is 2-0 thanks to a 26-14 win back in 1985 and a 37-16 blasting in 2007. Naturally these results have no bearing on what happens on Sunday, but I find these facts interesting.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Divisionals"

I was sitting in my living room yesterday, watching the Eagles-Packers game, and my Dad--out of nowhere--said, "Can you believe that it has been about 20 years since we had a good team? Earlier today I saw a stat about how Bernie Kosar took us to the playoffs in his first three years in the NFL."

Continue reading "Cleveland Browns: The Losing Continues"

Yeah…. who thought that this would be a good game? Oh who cares? It’s football!

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Thursday Night Quickie: ..."

We saw drama in Tennessee, a slaughter in Minnesota and a near-comeback in New England. Oh NFL week eleven, how I heart you. It's Final Drive time mutha-trucka!

(2-8) Buffalo Bills 49

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 11"

No time to waste until week 11 starts! The games are getting good...

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Opening Drive: Week 11"

Last week the Patriots offense rolled up over 450 yards and scored 33 of 39 points. It’s the kind of offense fans have been waiting for all season long. The sweetest part was New England carved up the best defense in the league in the process. The fans can get used to this, but will it last?

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 11"

I thought it was one of the most interesting training camp stories. The Patriots drafted punter Zoltan Mesko. He would be assimilated into New England’s special teams with second year long snapper Jake Ingram and fourth year kicker Stephen Gostkowski already in place.

Continue reading "Hours Before Kickoff: Week 10"

Let’s stop the whining and crying about how the National Football League is being to comforting of injured players, and too strict on head hunters. Yes, this goes out to Troy Polamalu, James Harrison and countless others.

Continue reading "Helmet Hits Warrant Fines, Suspensions"

     Are Big Daddy’s readers loving road-trips to Florida yet? The Saints continued their Sunshine State dominance Sunday afternoon, turning Big Daddy’s memorable birthday weekend into an unforgettable one by pummeling Tampa Bay. Big Daddy’s co-workers were all smiles at the rock on Monday after the Black ’n’ Gold served notice to the pro football world that they are ready to defend last February’s Lombardi trophy. The resounding win ignited the spirit of the Who Dat Nation as they celebrated Big Easy style deep into the night, reveling in the fact that the Saints appeared to get their swagger back and are now well-positioned in the wacky NFC standings. In this edition of the

Continue reading "Big Daddy Welcomes Chris Ivory to the Party"

As week four in the NFL season ends, turmoil exists across both conferences as no team has established itself as a dominant force. Here are my takes on the stories of week four.

(3-1) Atlanta Falcons 16

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 4"

 

Week four is here and with it comes bye weeks. Grr. Here are the storylines to look for this weekend.

Continue reading "Joe's 2010 NFL Opening Drive: Week 4"

Week one of the NFL is in the books, with plenty of upsets and last-minute finales. Here are the games that grabbed my attention over the first NFL weekend. Overreactions begin!

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 1"

 

No division in football may be as physical as the AFC North. Even though the Steelers have the rings to back them up, QB woes leave the division in doubt. Can Baltimore claim the throne or Cincinnati repeat? Here's my take on each team's chances: 

Continue reading "Joe's NFL 2010 Season Preview: AFC North"

If your jaw dropped five feet from the amount of Jahri Evans’ new contract, understand a smile of equal distance stretched across the face of Logan Mankins’ agent Frank Bauer.

 

Continue reading "Market Value Set for Mankins"

2009 Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes was traded to the New York Jets for a fifth round pick in this year’s draft. Holmes spent his first four years with the Pittsburgh Steelers and had one year left in his contract.

Continue reading "Pittsburg Steelers Santonio Holmes ..."

Although it is way too early to make any definitive statements about a 5-11 team, I definitely think these guys are headed in the right direction.  First they hired Mike Holmgren on as the president of football operations and then Holmgren decided to keep Mangini on as head coach.  I questioned Mangini’s tactics during the season but the fact is that the guy had to implement a culture change in Cleveland.  It was going to be a rough season either way, but once he was able to root out the guys that didn’t want to work and play smart football, this team ended the season on a 4 game winning streak that included the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers.  The addition of Tom Heckert from Philadelphia will also give them a boost at the GM position. 

Continue reading "Are the Browns Playoof Bound?"

It’s the kind of injury that believers in playing it safe use as an example. WR Wes Welker injured his knee when he planted his left foot to change direction, but the knee gave away. People believe he tore his ACL and MCL, ending Welker’s season just before the playoffs.

Continue reading "Pick Six: Week 17"

After another dramatic Colts win, the still-undefeated Saints try their luck against the Cowboys on Saturday night while the second seed in the AFC is on the line on Sunday. Let's start the Opening Drive of week 15 in the NFL!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 15"

1. Usually, if I'm watching the Rams game and they play terribly, which has typically been the case for the past few years, there is at least a consollation prize for me. The Steelers win and since they're my favorite team anyways, it takes the edge off of the Rams getting their brains beat in. Four the past four Sundays, this has not been the case. The Steelers and Rams have both lost, forcing me to be 0-2 each week. The worst part, is the Steelers are winning for most of the game before tanking it on defense for the last drive. It's been like watching the 2008 baseball Cardinals. That team always had leads but ended up blowing more than 30 saves. If they had won half of those games, they would have won the division that year. The Cardinals didn't have Jason Isringhausen for most of the season due to injuries and mental issues. Sure, he may not have been the best guy for the job, but he was designated as the team's closer. The Steelers have been without their closer for most of this season. Troy Polamalu is just one defender out of 11, but the guy is all over the field making plays that other players just don't make. It took less than a season for the NFL to turn his one-handed interception on opening night against the Titans into a commercial.

Continue reading "The Steelers are No Longer Providing ..."

With three utterly craptacular contests on Thanksgiving, I’m looking forward to a little competitive football this Sunday. However, it’s not until Monday that the real showdown of week 12 takes place. Let’s get some Opening Drive in your diet!

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: week 12"

With all of the surprise upsets, there’s no way I can take the time to properly address them all. I’ll hit the best and worst of week 10 in this edition of the Final Drive! 

(3-6) Tennessee Titans 41

Continue reading "Joe's Final Drive: Week 10"

There were a few games I couldn’t even pretend to drum up a story for. Monday night’s Baltimore v. Cleveland match-up is beyond ugly. Still, there's plenty of drama for the week 10 edition of the Opening Drive! 

Continue reading "Joe's Opening Drive: Week 10"

Pro Bowl balloting is open to the public. Choose wisely.

 

This year New England fans will have a tough time rationalizing Patriot players worthy of being selected. The offense’s big three of QB Tom Brady and WRs Randy Moss and Wes Welker will get their share of votes. Beyond them…good luck.

Continue reading "Pro Bowl Ben?"

After the last few years I’m beginning to wonder how many times I’ve thought to myself, “The Cowboys should have won that game.”  So many big games come to mind:

 

Continue reading "History Repeating: The Lost Inches"

Tuesday evening hangover…

Here are some of my astute observations from the Cowboys’ Monday night victory against the Panthers:

     1. The Cowboys played a very gritty game.

Continue reading "Tuesday Evening Hangover: Dallas ..."

Good morning fantasy friends!

Today is Saturday September 26, 2009 so you have a little more than 24 hours to get your fantasy act together or you may end up with that crucial week 3 L.  

Continue reading "Welcome to Fantasy Land!"

Critics be silenced! The Chicago Bears have defeated the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers!

Continue reading "Bears Shock Steelers with Late Field Goal"

Somehow, someway, the Chicago Bears found a way to win this game and earn their first victory of the season against the defending Super Bowl Champs The Pittsburgh Steelers, 17-14 at Soldier Field on Sunday.

Continue reading "Bears, Cutler Make It Happen over Pittsburgh"

Welcome back fellow degenerates, here are my Week 2 NFL predictions:

 New England over New York

New Orleans over Philadelphia

St. Louis over Washington

Jacksonville over Arizona

Continue reading "Week 2 NFL Predictions sure to go right."

Continue reading "Joe's Gameday Preview: Steelers at Bears"

It is the time of the year where we bid adieu to our Sunday trips to the local outlet malls and Bed, Bath and Beyond. Where, as men, we stop our tofu and salad diets in the name of our loved ones who are repulsed by our manly guts, and turn the grill up to happiness. No more flavored waters, playing cards with the in-laws or going to the zoo with your kids- no, my fellow men, it is Football season. It is the dawning of imported German sausage links, cheap-hardcore domestic manly beers (ok, maybe Light beers, let's be honest, we are a little fat), and the most destructive hard hitting American game filling our heads with fantasy stats, eye-popping hits, and hope for a glorious triumph.

Continue reading "Fall Springs Eternal- It is once ..."

It's time to make predictions for the NFL season. It should be a bit easier since most of the games from Week 1 are already out of the way. Also, my picks for the week were submitted before the games began, just not here.

Steelers over Titans (was submitted here prior to the game)

Seahawks over Rams

Falcons over Dolphins

Bengals over Broncos (Brandon Stokely, are you flipping kidding me?)

Vikings over Browns

Colts over Jaguars

Saints over Lions

Bucs over Cowboys (Tampa's definitely rebuilding now)

Eagles over Panthers

Ravens over Chiefs (Survivor/Lock of the week)

Texans over Jets

Giants over Redskins

Cards over Niners (San Fran is back)

Packers over Bears

Patriots over Bills

Chargers over Raiders

 

I'll look at my final results after the Monday night games are over, but those should be a couple of sure things too. Now here are my division and playoff picks for the year. Number indicates seed in playoffs.

AFC North

1 Steelers (Still the Champs)

5 Ravens (No more Rex Ryan)

Browns (QB controversy could last all year)

Bengals  (Marvin Lewis' last year with this mess)

 

AFC South 

2Titans (Running game + defense > Kerry Collins)

Colts (No more Dungy, no more dominance)

Texans (Every year a sleeper pick, every year a disappointment)

Jaguars (Maurice Jones-Drew can't play every position)

 

AFC West

4 Chargers (Another year of underachieving due to Norv Turner, no relation)

Broncos (No Cutler, no problem)

Chiefs (If they can hang with the Ravens, they can hang with this division)

Raiders (The PUNCHline of the AFC West. Ba dum shing!)

 

AFC East

3 Patriots (Brady's back, but the defense is starting to get old)

6 Dolphins (The Tuna won't let them be a one-year wonder)

Jets (Mark Sanchez will have his growing pains, but will be in the playoffs next year)

Bills (TO will provide entertainment, but that's about it)

 

NFC North

1 Vikings ( AP showed yesterday why he went number 1 in fantasy)

6 Packers (Rodgers is ready, defense is solid again)

Bears (Urlacher being out for the year is tough, too tough for the Bears to win)

Lions (Stafford starting might be the right call, but not to win games this year)

 

NFC South

2 Falcons (Atlanta will post back-to-back winning years for the 1st time in franchise history)

Saints (Brees threw 6 tds yesterday. I was right to be unhappy when I missed out on him in fantasy)

Panthers (Delhomme might be done winning games as a NFL QB)

Bucs (Already time to look towards next year)

 

NFC West

4 49ers (Decent team wins worst NFL division)

Cardinals (The second biggest hangover of the year)

Seahawks (That game was ugly yesterday. Needing a half to break away from the Rams doesn't look too good)

Rams (I'm still going to cheer for them, but in the end, another high draft pick could help. Bulger is awful)

 

NFC East

3Giants (Manning's new receivers appear to be ready to help)

5 Eagles (Probably pick them to win if McNabb doesn't get hurt)

Cowboys (Now that TO is gone, we'll see that Romo was the bigger problem all along)

Redskins (They could easily win the NFC West, this is the AL East of football)

 

I'll wait to pick the postseason until we get there. League MVP is Drew Brees.

 

Anyone who missed the US Open yesterday missed some crazy stuff. There was Roger Federer's dominating win over Novak Djokovic, including this magical shot to set up match point.

Continue reading "NFL Opening Weekend and US Open"

Now that the preseason is over, let the countdown to the real games begin.

The Dallas Cowboys open their 2009 NFL season on the road Sunday, 12 noon, in Tampa, Florida.
The Cowboys’ organization improved the team’s chances of finishing the season stronger by the decisions they made during the off season.

Continue reading "Dallas Cowboys "Reel" 09 Season Begins Sunday"

The Cardinals continued their dominance of the National League Central this week, going 5-1 on a road trip with a blown save on Sunday, meaning it could've been a 6-0 trip. Last night the Cards got a boost from John Smoltz who was rocky early, giving up three runs in the first two innings, but he stuck with it and shut out the Brewers over the next three innings before turning it over to the bullpen. The Brewers had their chances for a knock out blow, but they couldn't capitalize, just as the Cards couldn't do so with runners in scoring position. When a team goes 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position and can still grind out a win, that's the make of a championship caliber team. Even when they don't play that well, they win.

Continue reading "Cards Continue September Tear and ..."

I understand that Shaquille O'neal is a man that transcends just the NBA, but watching him attempt to play against other athletes in their own sport is extremely difficult to swallow.  Watching Shaq attempt to swing a bat was like watching a baby giraffe trying to walk.  It was hard to watch yet I could not take my eyes off of it, like a car accident.  The 7'1" O'neill attempted to out-slug Albert Pujols, out-spike beach volleyball stars Misty May and Kerri Walsh, and out-throw Ben Roethlisberger, needless to say he could not out-do anybody at anything.  The show is a half hour too long and the hosts are extremely annoying.  The most important part of the show, the actual competition, takes place in the last fifteen minutles of the show making the first 45 minutes irrelevant.  Here are some short examples of the show from Youtube:

Continue reading "What is Shaq thinking doing this ..."

American football is starting in gain ground around the world. In some countries football is known as American football or Gridiron football, most Americans don't understand American football has been growing in popularity for more than 50 years.

Continue reading "Coaching German Football Players"

         Ah, summer's end. The kids are getting ready for school, the Pirates are firmly ensconced in last place, and hurricane season is in full effect. Time for some pre-season football!

Continue reading "Preseason: Vick, Stallworth, and ..."

Dave Dameshek, an ESPN.com podcaster gave kudos to Andre Agassi today ( http://sports.espn.go.com/stations/player?context=podcast&id=4352192) on his podcast for his infamous mantra “ Image is everything” which Agassi stated in a Canon commercial over fifteen- years ago.   Still, Dameshek argued, Agassi’s words seem fitting today as some top athletes currently find them-selves in a position of trying to restore their image due to off-field episodes that seemingly rattled their once squeaky clean perception.   On Tuesday, TMZ released the feared truth; Lebron James was in fact dunked on by a Syracuse Guard named Jordan Crawford several weeks ago at the Lebron James Camp in Ohio. James reportedly may have confiscated the tapes, with the help of some Nike representatives until TMZ finally got a hold of them, somehow.   In a book entitled The Beckham Experiment, author Grant Wahl explained, with the help of Los Angeles Galaxy star Landon Donovan, that it was indeed Beckham’s unwillingness to embrace the savior of American soccer that disallowed the sport from gaining any ground in becoming a main stream sport in America.        Ben Roethlisberger will not only be fighting off defensive lineman next year but also some woman in a civil law suit who is accusing him of rape.   Michael Vick wants to find a team to play for and be forgiven for killing dogs ( or having them killed) while Manny Ramirez is trying to battle back from a 50-game suspension for doing drugs.   Because of their unfortunate off the field episodes, all of these for-mentioned athletes have one thing in common; they all have an image to be restored. However, the only way for these athletes to ever be perceived by the fans and the media as the cream of the crop again is to do what Adrian said Rocky should do; win.   After being accused of rape in 2003, Kobe Bryant lost endorsement deals, respect from some of the fans and the media, and most of all his integrity. A few years later Bryant ranted on sports talk radio shows complaining that he needed better teammates that could help him win. The next season, Bryant was booed by his home fans at his first home game and ridiculed by opposing fans on nearly every road trip.     But slowly but surely Bryant worked himself back into public approval. In 2008 he was the NBA’s MVP, in the 2009 Olympics he helped lead team USA back to the gold,  and in the same year his Lakers were the world champions. While there are still people who dislike Bryant, let’s concur, most fans and journalists today associate Bryant with words like champion, winner and phenomenal athlete, as opposed to all the other negative things that use to pop into their minds.   Less than a year after Ray Lewis was acquitted of murder chargers due to a plea bargain he chose, he returned to the NFL, and led his team to the Super Bowl while garnering MVP honors. Although Lewis was not chosen after the Super Bowl to repeat those infamous words “ I am going to Disneyland” by Disney World, Lewis has steadily inched his way back into public acceptance. Since the 2001 Super Bowl Lewis has been featured in commercials, done numerous television spots, put on the cover of Madden 2005, been involved in community services, and been selected to numerous pro bowls and is still highly regarded as one of the best linebackers in the league. While we can’t solely attribute Lewis’ resignation to his 2001 Super Bowl MVP, we can certainly conclude it was the match that ignited the fire.   While Muhammad Ali was supported by many fans for deciding not to enter an unpopular war, some of the media was not as approving . After three years of not being allowed to fight, Ali returned to the ring to defeat nearly every foe in his way and eventually regained the title by defeating George Foreman. Today, almost nobody calls Ali unpatriotic or points to his unwillingness to go to Vietnam. I think it is safe to say that Ali’s success after being allowed to fight again left no room for ridicule; His success simply overshadowed his questionable decisions.   Beckham, Vick, James and Big Ben all should try to take similar routes to take back up to the top. Sure, giving charity is nice, having your family by your side is touching, and appearing in commercials is a good gesture, but nothing says more than winning. Just look at Alex Rodriguez whose image is shakier than a Los Angeles earthquake. No matter how may MVP’s he wins, Yankee fans will only forgive A-Rod if he helps them win a ring.   If Beckham wants to quite the Los Angeles Riot Squad at games, he must lead the Galaxy to a winning season, embrace the LA scene, pay for his team’s dinner, and perhaps even win a championship. If not, than enjoy your flight back to London and thanks for nothing.   Vick cannot just come back and play-football, he has to enable fans to fall in love with his joy stick speed again. Maybe even take his team to the playoffs all while being a good teammate.   Ironically, James decided not to shake hands with the Orlando Magic after losing in the Eastern Conference finals. James confiscation of the tapes at his camp shows the same characteristic; poor sportsmanship. No matter what happens, if James continues to fail, media and fans will helplessly point to the two incidents as an indication of James’ failures. Mantras such as “ James cannot win because he does not know how to lose like a man” will certainly be uttered by some.   Roethlisberger is sord of an enigma because he has already won two Super Bowls. If he gets out of the mess he is currently in does he have to come back and win another Super Bowl to re-envent his image? Not necessarily, since he is already a proven winnner, but I guranatee that if he does come back and continue to be succesful that the incident in Lake Tahoe will be all the more easy to be forgotten, guilty or not guilty. If he returns and never wins again, than talk of “ Ben only won the big one because he was in a proven sysytem” will be all the eaiser to say.    If we dare, let us take a tip from Manny Ramirez. After coming back from suspension Ramirez has batted 347, with four home runs and 17 runs batted in. While the rest of the world may have issue, Ramirez is adored in Dodger land, ala take a look at Wednesday night’s grand slam. A lot of that has to do with the fact that the Dodgers are in first but put it this way, if Manny was batting 215, with one home run and three RBI’s since his return, and the Dodgers were in last place, would he still obtain standing ovations?   I understand that winning does not cure all. A murderer is not fully forgiven if he lifts up the championship trophy, nor should he be. My gist, however, is that above all winning can replenish an image more than Gatorade can quench your thirst.   Don’t agree? Then why aren’t guys like Mike Tyson and Allen Iverson note-ably thought of for their outstanding talents first and foremost? Because their off- the field and even on -the-field misshapes have never been followed up with great success.   This argument as a whole might also seem simplistic. It is human nature that when somebody does something bad, you tend to forgive them after a while, especially if they do a good dead. But some things cannot go over-looked. Can a wife ever forgive her husband for cheating, no matter how many good deeds he does? But that is the beauty of sports. In almost all cases, winning can make fans and media forgive. Doing steroids is bad until you hit a grand slam in the World Series, right?   Charles Barkley once suggested and was even ridiculed for stating that athletes should not be looked at as role models. “A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?" Barkley argued. While Barkley was urging fans to simply evaluate a player based on his on the field performance we as fans can never make that leap. Image, like Agassi said, is everything and the only way to ever restore a damaged one is to come back on the field and win.  

Continue reading "James, Vick, Manny, Beckham and Big ..."

                  COME ON! Haven't we seen this kind of thing before? Bettis went threw it, now Ben. This whole thing is

Continue reading "BEN ROETHLISBERGER IS NOT A RAPIST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ..."

Hello, everyone, and welcome to my new Steelers Blog.  My name is Nicole, and I live in a little town called Butler, just an hour out of Pittsburg. I have lived here all of my life, and have been

Continue reading "It's another Steelers Blog!"

                  Mr. Dan Rooney is the best owner in all of sports. I mean the guys an Ambassador. You know he's only that because of how great an owner he is! Now don't get me wrong here, he's more than capable, but the fact of the matter is if he didn't have the success he's had with Steelers, would he be. Well that said, there's nobody more deserving right? The guys Irish, and like he said, he's the only one that will actually walk the streets of Ireland and talk to people. Those other suit and tie, can't get my hands dirty politician's won't do that. The guy still walks to the games. Every Sunday he walks to the Steeler games from the North Side. That's pretty cool.

Continue reading "AMBASSADOR TO IRELAND, MR. DAN ROONEY"

                  Can the '09 Pittsburgh Steelers win the Super Bowl in Miami and repeat as champs? I say hell yes. Not the easiest thing to do in sports though. Last team to do it was the cheatn Pats in 03-04. Let's go over this team and schedule and make a decision from there.

Continue reading "2009 Pittsburgh Steelers, Can They Repeat?"

As OTA's and minicamps progress while training camp begin to roll over the horizon, America's favorite sport nears its regular season.  While nobody knows how well teams will do in a season with the randomness of injuries and several other factors, it's always interesting to look ahead at the schedule and prognosticate.  Unlike most people, I'm not going to give just a win or loss for each game, rather I'm going to predict how many times the Steelers would win if they played a team 10 times.  For instance if the Steelers were playing a very crappy team, I would say 9/10 or 10/10.  At the end i will add up the wins and divide by 10, giving us how many wins they will have this season.

Continue reading "Steelers Game By Game Preview of ..."

During the 2008-2009 season, an encouraging pattern appeared.  The Steelers would start the game well, at some point fall behind, and in the 4th quarter, Big Ben would engineer a game winning drive.  This phenomena reared its head during the regular season, but in the biggest game of the year, Super Bowl XLIII.  Why is the leader of such a sub par offense (22nd in the league during the regular season) the engineer of so many come from behind wins? When examined, two major reasons can be found.

Continue reading "Why Ben Roethlisberger Will be the ..."

Coming off a super bowl victory last season, hopes couldn't be higher for the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers, as they should be.  While the team is returning 20 out of 22 starters from that super bowl run (only losing Larry Foote and Bryant Mcfadden), things begin to look bleak as we look at the possible roster a year from now.  In 2010, the Steelers will have an alarming number of key players that will be free agents if these players do not re-sign.

Continue reading "Trouble Ahead for the Steelers"

Chris Perry along with 5 other players were cut yesterday in order to make room for the players drafted this past weekend.  While I was never a huge Perry fan, we did waste a 1st round pick on him and I always wished eh would succeed and become a franchise back if not a 3rd down option…yet that never came to be.  With his release his fate as an NFL rusher is pretty much sealed.

Continue reading "Tuesday Thoughts"

      Well the 2009 Draft has come and gone. Although it didn't go the way many expected I think the Steelers still had a good draft. Mizzou DT Ziggy Hood was the Steelers first pick and he will be a solid force up the middle for many years. He more than likely won't start this year but that'll give him time to develop.

Continue reading "Pittsburgh Steelers 2009 NFL Draft Recap"

           Which catch do you think is the greatest? All the old boys still go with the Immaculate. No surprise there, but I dont think they give Santonios' a chance. I think Santonios' Catch is not only greatest in Steeler history, but all time NFL history!

Continue reading "Greatest catch in Steelers history, ..."

        I don't know about you guys, but with only 6 days left until the biggest event of the offseason and I can hardly wait. This is the time of year we get to see some new faces added to the roster and see who the future stars of the Steelers are going to be. The Steelers rarely add players through free agency, as evidenced by this offseason, and this is the payoff for fans who've been waiting all offseason for news on the Steelers.                                                                                  

Continue reading "Only 6 More Days! Who do the Steelers Draft?"

So, ten weeks and nine games into the season, what is it fair to say we have? One probable loss (at New England), four TCOB games (i.e., no excuse for losing, not if you want to be Super Bowl champion: home against KC, Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Denver), and an equivalent number of toss-ups (at Cincinnati and Cleveland ... mostly because they're division games, at Minnesota, at San Diego). Leaving us with an intriguing stretch run that features two games against the Super Bowl champions, one game against Peyton Manning and his flying circus, and one game against a team that could very well be looking for its first victory since December 2007.

Continue reading "Breaking Down the Ravens Schedule, part II"

                Six time All-pro LB James Harrison turned down the third offer made by Pittsburgh today. Harrison signed with Pitt. in April 2006 to a four year 5.5 million dollar deal that ends at the end of the 2009 season. Obviously the Steelers would much rather keep Harrison than watch him lead some one else's defense through the playoffs and into the Superbowl like he did this year. He was absolutely unforgiving with his 59 tackles, 16 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and 1 record breaking interception. LEGIONDARY!!!  Thank you James Harrison for the awesome year of football, hope to see you in black & gold in 2010.

Continue reading "Good news, Kind of, Not really"

As football fans across the globe cast their longing eyes in the direction of the April draft, I decided that now might be a good time to reflect on draft classes of the last 10 years. Too often in this business, we rush ahead to the next big event without taking pause to evaluate the past and learn from it. In a way, this study will still be a celebration of the coming 2009 draft as I believe it will shed some light on certain overlooked trends that no one ever stops to consider. I will begin with a class by class showdown of sorts at the quarterback position over the last 10 drafts.  This is part III in the series:

Continue reading "NFL Quarterback Draft Class Showdown: 2004 vs 2003"

       So free agency just started and already it's going crazy. I heard that they are even talking about a non-capped year in 2010. But I guess, with the economy being as bad as it is, even owners might have trouble coming up with enough money to shell out to these athletes. Who, in my opinion, should just be glad that they get to play. I can barely find a job, these guys complain about not getting enough millions!!! 

Continue reading "Free Agency Day 1, already going ..."

Ben Roethlisberger's legend just keeps growing. Peter King of SI.com recently reported that Big Ben played the Super Bowl with a broken rib. Just another chapter in the legend of the 26-year-old quarterback who now has more Super Bowl rings than three-time NFL MVP Peyton Manning and Brett Favre and two-time MVP Kurt Warner. 

Continue reading "BIG BEN'S LEGEND GROWS"

Most Super Bowl responses came out on either Monday or Tuesday of this week, but I needed a few days to catch my breath. I've spent most of the week wearing Steelers clothes, getting excited greetings from a guy at the Tin Can who looked like hw was out of an Adam Sandler movie and the occasional joking heckle from the other side of my weekly poker game. All the negative comments directed towards me stopped once the game ended and the Steelers brought home the Six Pack to Pittsburgh. After a game that exciting and nearly devastating, I'd even high five this girl (you know the one I mean).

Continue reading "Super Bowl XLIII Champs"

I think it speaks volumes for what the mentality must have been on the Zona bench after they scored, that just 2 days after their D-Coordinator was canned.  If Zona could have held at the end.....(blown coverage on Holmes catch), Zona would be celebrating.  But I am not a "what if" guy......Rothlisberger showed why he gets the big bucks!  However I will end by saying this; To anyone that is being honest with themselves, there was a clip by the Steelers on the Harrison

Continue reading "NFL Officiating"

Well, we got a coach--Todd Haley. Did you know that he is the son of Dick Haley, long-time Pittsburgh Steelers personnel director? Dick Haley was personnel director from 1975 to 1990, I think. Now, that is some impressive pedigree...Todd also worked as receivers coach and passing coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys when Bill Parcells was head coach. He was also receivers coach for the New York Jets in the late 90s when they went from 1-15 in 1996 to 12-4 two years later. In other words, this guy is a winner, and he has impressive credentials. He was not hired just because of his success the last 2 years with the Arizona Cardinals. I am encouraged by the hiring.

Continue reading "Excellent Choice - Todd Haley Named ..."

Now THAT was a finish. With toes touching and his hands grasping, Santonio Holmes drove a stake into the collective heart of the Arizona Cardinals and their fans. It was the last score of a thrilling fourth quarter that saw the Cardinals rally from thirteen points down to take a 23 – 20 lead with 2:37 left on the clock. That was 35 seconds more than the Pittsburgh Steelers needed to drive 78 yards to the end zone, regaining the lead and winning the forty-third Super Bowl. I won’t waste your time recapping plays like James Harrison’s 100-yard interception return or Larry Fitzgerald’s 64-yard catch and run. You watched those on Sunday. Instead, I’ll try to hit the nuances and little snippets you may have missed as you stuffed down wings and left the room during gameplay so you wouldn’t have to miss a commercial.

Continue reading "Joey A's Final Drive: Super Bowl XLIII"

Superbowl XLIII is over and the Pittsburgh Steelers now have their 6th championship. They defeated the Arizona Cardinals by a score of 27-23. Both teams put up a solid effort but in the end the fans from Pittsburgh got to waive their Terrible Towels and watch their beloved team "win one for the other thumb."

Continue reading "Superbowl Aftermath"

Patriot Gets Pissed On 

New England Patriots star quarterback Matt Cassel was urinated on by some moronic booze bag last Friday night at ESPN’s Tampa Bay Super Bowl fiesta.

 

Continue reading "Kurt and Brenda Warner and a Patriot ..."

I will admit, I was cheering for the underdog Cards who shocked me and a lot of people by taking a 23-20 lead by just over 2 minutes to play in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl.  Then Ben Roethlisberger showed his mettle, and toughness and led his team down the field with little resistance. Soon, they were knocking on the TD door. And, Santonio Holmes, the wide receiver, pushed the door in with a brilliant catch on the sidelines for the late score. 

Continue reading "Steelers score last and prevail 27-23 ..."

Congratulations Pittsburgh Steelers for your Super Bowl XLIII win, you earned it, you clearly are the best team in '08, yadda, yadda, yadda.

*breathe*

Now that I got that out of my system, let me get to the point: The Patriots have two years to win one more championship within the 2001-2010 seasons to earn the designation Team of the Decade. If the time period was up, then no one could question the title. But because there are two years left and the Steelers as presently composed is built to challenge for another championship over the next few years, the Pats need one more ring to make it four and give them a lead the Steelers can't tie.

Continue reading "Team of the Decade"

If anyone were reading this they would know it's been a while since my last posting. I haven't posted anything i a couple months and the main reason for that is that I've been so pissed of after the majority of Penguin's games that have occurred since then. I've been waiting for this team, the one that got off to one of the best starts in franchise history, to turn things around and return to top form. Consistently I have been disappointed. If we don't blow a lead we spend the majority of the game trying to come from behind. I don't know what's wrong. It could be the coaches, bad team chemistry, injury, missing players who we lost in the offseason, not getting enough production from the players we signed in the offseason, lack of energy, lack of effort, or a combination of all of the above.

Continue reading "AAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!"

Well, Pittsburgh won the Super Bowl again.  Santonio Holmes won the MVP, which makes me happy as we are fellow Buckeyes from the same years.  After the Super Bowl, I always get excited for the Draft (no, I don't care about the Pro Bowl).  This year, however, I started gearing up for the Draft in about the first week of January.  I don't know where the new focus came from, but I have been checking big boards/ espn.com/ watching a lot of College Football Live to get a glimpse about who will go where.  I of course am a Bengals fan, so I've been looking to see who they would draft.  I really think that OT is the best bet, despite what many people on bengals.com have been suggesting (RB, WR, DE).  I can understand taking a DE if some of the OTs are off the board, but it simply won't help, as the O-Line was putrid last year.  Stacy Andrews is worthless, overpaid, and very injured, thus I feel he won't be back.  Levi Jones is best suited as a backup, as his age is starting to show.  Anthony Collins and Nate Livings played well in fill-in spots, but they're untested. 

Continue reading "Super Bowl is over, time for the Draft"

It's been seven years since Pats fans have faced a January without playoff football and 2008 has finally come to an end.

Congratulations to Steelers, I don't think anyone could argue that they were an undeserving Super Bowl champion. They faced adversity toward the end of the game but came through on the biggest stage and for that they have to be respected. Of course I could point out that they didn't have to face Tom Brady but let's just put 2008 to bed once and for all.

Continue reading "Good News Patriots Fans, it's the Off-Season!"

 

           Each week, I will look into my (never wrong, just misinformed) crystal ball and give my predictions for that weekend’s games.  I will prognosticate on all the playoff games each week.  Keep in mind, that this is for entertainment purposes only, and that I do not endorse any sort of legal or illegal gambling.  That being said…let’s see what’s in my crystal ball!

Continue reading "Predictions Super Bowl XLIII"

Despite the fact that I would kind of like to see the Arizona Cardinals pull off an upset victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers, I think that the Yellow and Black will prevail in this one.  The way I see it, the Cardinals are good enough to score two TDs, but not more than one field goal.  The Steelers, on the other hand, will also get two TD scores against an Arizona defense that really isn't that great (unless they can force turnovers, which the Steelers don't give up), plus kick a few more field goals to pull out the win.

Continue reading "Super Bowl Prediction: Steelers 23, Cardinals 17"

I’m Not Picking the Winner

 

By now everyone in the country who is on TV, writes for a newspaper, blogs, or breathes has made their Super Bowl pick.  I’m not going to do that.  I will not succumb. 

Continue reading "I'm Not Picking the Winner"

Before I talk football, I want to vent about the Blues a bit. Prior to the All-Star break, the club managed to win at Chicago and mount a ridiculous comeback to win at Boston. If not for a horrible missed call by the refs (this isn't just about me being a homer, if a guy catches the puck in his glove and the entire catching portion of the glove is across the goal line, it's pretty obvious that so is the puck) in the home game against the Blackhawks, the Blues easily could've been riding a four-game winning streak heading into the break. So with seven points in their last four games, how do the Blues come back from the break? By blowing a home game against one of the worst teams in the Eastern (and in my opinion weaker) Conference. It was 1-1 with two minutes left and we allowed a goal when they were outnumbered 4-2 in our zone.

Continue reading "Super Bowl XLIII"

Continue reading "Super Bowl Pick's"

After two weeks of so-called experts and reporters breaking down each team's strengths and weaknesses and what Kurt Warner's favorite food is and what Big Ben likes in music and dislikes ...it's nice to have the game just a mere 24+ hours away. I do like the hype to an extent, but once you hit Thursday, Friday and Saturday of Super Bowl weekend...you're ready for the game!

Continue reading "Super Bowl XLIII Prediction"

Now that I’ve adequately covered each individual team, now it’s time to analyze the game between them! It’s the last game of the season so it’s also the last edition of the Opening Drive!

Continue reading "Joey A's Super Bowl Opening Drive: Game Preview"