Ball or Nuthin' » Steelers

Roethlisberger Suspended for Six Games

T Lamont — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 18:49:04 +0000

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been suspended for six games for violating the NFL personal conduct policy.

The suspension has the ability to be reduced to four games if (NFL Commissioner) Roger Goddell feels that Roethlisberger has made progress and if he is also able to steer clear of trouble between now and then. The league may recommend that Big Ben participate in mandatory counseling that it arranges.

The league did what it had to do. In the court of public opinion, the NFL had its hands tied. Being that we’re looking at Roethlisberger being involved in two separate assault incidents, Goddell had to show that the league is intolerant of certain acts. Roethlisberger has clearly demonstrated his ability to make poor decisions that have bordered on him becoming a criminal.

Similar to the Vick suspension, Goddell will re-evaluate the suspension before the season. The league also has the leeway to lenghten the suspension if Roethlisberger takes a step back.

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Holmes Trade Was Wrong Move by Steelers

T Lamont — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 02:08:45 +0000

Former Super Bowl MVP Santonio Holmes was shown the door by the Pittsburgh Steelers late Sunday night.

Holmes is one of two Steelers (we are all familiar with the other) whose names have been paraded in the news for inappropriate conduct. In addition to a 4-game substance abuse suspension to begin the 2010 NFL season, Holmes was recently accused of assaulting a woman.

After a season of 79 catches and over 1,200 yards receiving, Santonio was dealt to the New York Jets for a fifth-round pick. That’s right…a fifth-round pick…

Many are claiming that Pittsburgh was sending a message to its players, particularly troubled QB Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger, upon learning that charges will not be pressed against him in the assault case, issues a public apology. In a taped statement with the superstar resembling Steven Segal, he said:

“I’d like to begin by expressing gratitude for the thorough investigation process in Georgia and the Prosecutor’s decision not to bring charges. I know without a doubt it is the right conclusion. I don’t intend to discuss any details related to the events in Georgia. I am happy to put this behind me and move forward. I am truly sorry for the disappointment and negative attention I have brought to my family, my teammates and coaches, the Rooneys and the NFL.

Roethlisberger will have to excel without one of his proven deep threats.

“I understand that the opportunities I have been blessed with are a privilege, and that much is expected of me as the quarterback of Pittsburgh Steelers. I absolutely want to be the leader this team deserves, valued in the community and a role model to kids. I have much work to do to earn this trust, and I am committed to improving and showing everyone my true values. I am excited to get back to work with my teammates, and I am more determined than ever to have a great season. I intend to make my family, friends and the Steeler Nation proud on all fronts.”

But if the Steelers were indeed trying to make a point, I think they may have been unsuccessful. The party life is always an option for athletes, and those who can’t properly navigate it early in their careers usually never do. We can only hope that he doesn’t eventually harm someone, but a “message” like this one won’t be enough to really change him.

From a business standpoint, the decision was borderline dumb. Pittsburgh got nowhere near equal compensation for a standout wide receiver. It was obvious that they were trying to make an impactful move to prove a point, because if they would have shopped Holmes around they would have definitely received better offers.

Kudos to the Jets for realizing that there’s only limited risk here – and even that small risk is more than worth the loss of a fifth-round pick.

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Steelers Can’t Tame the Bengals

T Lamont — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 03:32:36 +0000

The Cincinnati Bengals have won 7 of their 9 games this season. I wonder how many of us thought that they won have 4 wins against AFC North rivals Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

That became a reality when the Bengals beat the Steelers 18-12 on Sunday at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.

In a game of dominating defense and special teams play, Cincinnati stood tall. Both teams scored 4 field goals each. The difference was a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown by the Bengals’ Bernard Scott.

The game was extremely competitive in the areas of net yards (Cin: 218; Pitt: 226), first downs (Cin: 14; Pitt: 16) and time of possession (Cin: 29:08; Pitt: 30:52). But in past years, this is precisely the type of game that the Steelers would find a way to win. Not today.

Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger:

”There was just something missing all day, I don’t know what it was. Something was weird about the day, I don’t know if it was the (mid-60s) weather in November. We just didn’t make the plays we normally make.”

Palmer didn't turn the ball over against the Steelers.

Come on Ben. You could have at least given some credit to the Bengals. Cincy’s beaten their foes for the second time this season, and their seven wins indicate that they are not the same team that went 4-11-1 last season.

Bengals’ WR Chad Ochocinco:

”This is a breath of fresh air to be at this point of the season and to be playing for a reason.”

With the Raiders, Browns, Lions and Chiefs remaining on their schedule, the Bengals look like they are in good position to make only their second playoff appearance since 1990. The Steelers still have two critical showdowns against Baltimore which will ultimately determine their standing in the AFC North.

”In the past, we would lose games like this,” Bengals’ center Kyle Cook said.

As far as Cincinnati is concerned, there’s nothing more refreshing than a break from the past.

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Steelers Vulnerable Without Polamalu

T Lamont — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 04:45:48 +0000

The Pittsburgh Steelers experienced another fourth quarter debacle. This time against the San Diego Chargers.

Fortunately for them, Pittsburgh had built up a large enough lead to withstand the late barrage. They won the Sunday night showdown, 38-28.

The Steelers established control of the game early as Ben Roethlisberger threw touchdown passes on each of the Steelers’ first two drives. They were also paced by Rashard Mendenhall, who had a career night with 165 rushing yards on 29 carries. Last year’s Super Bowl champs had put 28 points on the board before the Chargers put any points on the board.

Mendenhall averaged over 5 yards a carry against a struggling San Diego defense.

The Steelers entered the last quarter with a 28-7 advantage. The Chargers started their attempted comeback on special teams – Pittsburgh’s Stefan Logan had the ball ripped from him on a punt return. San Diego’s Jacob Hester ran the ball into the endzone for the first of the Chargers’ three fourth quarter TDs. The other two came on quick, traditional drives led by quarterback Philip Rivers.

Pittsburgh countered with 10 points of their own, making just enough plays and gaining the necessary first downs to keep the ball moving and eat up the clock. In the end, it was too little, too late for San Diego.

Although the Steelers’ offense looked very poised and efficient, their current issue lies within their defense. Without their defensive QB – playmaking safety Troy Polamalu – the Steelers have given up yardage and big passing plays that have allowed teams back into ball games.

Sitting at 2-2 in the AFC North, they’ve taken losses in situations that they normally wouldn’t have. The instincts of Polamalu would have done much to prevent comebacks from other teams who were pressing to make plays. The original timetable for Polamalu’s return was 3-6 weeks, so the Steelers won’t have much longer without him.

But this has allowed Pittsburgh to see how they would perform without the USC product.

A pretty safe assumption would be that the Steelers won’t ever want to see him injured again.

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Troy Polamalu Keeps the Madden Curse Alive

T Lamont — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 05:17:16 +0000

In what has become an eerily scary trend in the NFL world, Troy Polamalu is now the latest Madden cover guy to suffer some sort of setback during the year immediately following his selection (for those who are unaware, here is a quick synopsis of this dreadful phenomenon).

Will the Madden curse put two NFL players on the shelf in the same year?

In the season’s opening game on Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers triumphed over the Tennessee Titans 13-10 in overtime. Ben Roethlisberger led the Steelers on three clutch drives in the 4th quarter and overtime which set Pittsburgh up for possible scores on three straight possessions. The defending Super Bowl champs only scored field goals on two of those possessions, and a Hines Ward fumble kept them from scoring on the other.

But the Tennessee offense was dreadful. They were out of sync…and so many blocking assignments were missed which kept the Titan offense from gaining any momentum.

Although the Steelers came out the victors, the news on Polamalu certainly made them feel like the victims. Early diagnosis has the injury as a mild MCL sprain – and the estimate for the All-Pro safety’s recovery period has been set at 3-6 weeks.

Given all of the aforementioned history surrounding this Madden thing, there has never been a dual entry. This year’s cover of Madden 10 is shared between Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald. I’m not implying that anything is going to happen to Fitzgerald – but if I’m Ken Wisenhunt and the Cardinals get out to a comfortable lead, the superstar receiver would be watching more plays from the sidelines than he normally would.

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