When Did Physical Become Dirty?

The answer to the above question: Sunday October 17th, 2010. The day the NFL decided to make a statement. The day James Harrison was penalized for a hit on Cleveland Browns' receiver Mohamed Massaquoi. A penalty that would later cost him $75,000 in fines. (Which by the way makes a lot of sense. Since you can obviously hit a player in the face after a play and only get fined $25,000.) It's the day Harrison became a poster boy for NFL"discipline". It's the day Roger Goodell started destroying the game of football.

Sunday's game against the Oakland Raiders was no fun to watch. It was great that the Steelers won 35 -3. But the referees were ruining the game with terrible officiating. The game had no flow. It was mundane and hard to watch. The crowd chanted " Refs Suck!" throughout the game. The penalty called on James Harrison for a clean hit on Jason Campbell was for landing, and I quote, "with full body weight on top of him". I personally have never heard of that penalty. It's like they are making up rules as they go. Earlier calls on Ryan Clark and LeMarr Woodley, both for 15 yards each, were equally egregious. I have stated in this blog before that I do not like to comment on officiating. I have always felt that it is just an argument that cannot be won, that you cannot come to a definitive conclusion. But after Sunday's game, I had to comment.

Actually, you can not fully blame the refs. This problem comes from the front office. Fuhrer Roger Goodell's Field Marshall, Herr Ray Anderson, is putting tons of pressure on the refs. They are throwing flags because they are afraid of missing a call and getting disciplined themselves. Ron Cook wrote a great article in the Post Gazette about the whole subject. There are claims that the NFL is targeting the Steelers. I don't think that is true. The Steelers have been the darlings of the NFL for years. However, they are targeting James Harrison. I believe the refs have been told to watch his every move, and they are. One can also argue that he brought it upon himself with his comments after the aforementioned Browns game.

"I don't want to see anyone injured. But I am not opposed to hurting anyone. There's a difference. When you're injured, you can't play. But when you're hurt, you can shake it off and come back. I try to hurt people."

As recently as last year, those comments would have been heroic. He would have been admired for such an attitude. This year, he is admonished and branded a thug. It's just not right. Big hits made this game the most popular sport in America. Harrison is a physical player, not a dirty one. The Steelers are a physical team, not a dirty one.

What do you think this guy would say about all this?

I'd love to hear his opinion.

I did reads Jack Hamm's opinion. "It should come down to common sense." He said, "The officials should know what's a dirty hit and what is not."

Amen Jack.

It appears Goodell is blind to what his policies are doing to this great sport. But he is not. He is looking at the bigger picture. He is looking ahead to the upcoming collective bargaining agreement in March with the NFLPA. He and the owners want an 18 game season. The players are against it. The players are concerned with more injuries. They also want better medical benefits for NFL veterans. Goodell is playing the safety card now to weaken the union's position in March. Deep down, safety isn't Goodell's highest priority. He has no morality, he's a lawyer. He knows it's hard for the players to take a safety stance on the schedule, and argue for more benefits, and be against the new crack down on physical play. He is positioning himself to look like the good guy. And positioning the union to look like hypocrites. Although, I will predict that one major point of contention will be Goodell's power. Another point will be the process for establishing fines. We may not have football in 2011 my friends. A lockout or strike is quite possible.

So let me answer the question again. When did physical become dirty? I'll change my answer. Physical became dirty when money got further involved. Let's face facts. At the end of the day, money is what this is really all about. And we all know who is really behind this: Evil Spock!!

Does The Emperor Have No Clothes?

We all knows the Hans Christian Anderson tale. We all heard it as kids. Two weavers promise the Emperor, who cares for nothing but his clothes, a new set of clothes from a cloth that can not be seen by anyone who is unfit for his position. Or who is just hopelessly stupid. The emperor himself can not see the cloth, but pretends that he can for fear of appearing unfit for his position; his ministers do the same. After the con artists dress him in the pretend cloth. The Emperor marches in procession before his subjects. During the procession, a young boy yells out that the Emperor is wearing nothing at all. The other subjects then take up the cry. The Emperor cringes, suspecting that the assertion is true, but holds himself up proudly and continues the procession.

This is the way the situation appears right now. That Coach Mike Tomlin is the Emperor. Bruce Arians and Dick LeBeau are the ministers. Tom Brady is the young boy who showed that the Steelers were naked. And Steeler Nation has become the subjects that take up the cry.

After Sunday nights thumping of the Steelers by the Patriots, everyone took up the cry. I read it on blogs. I read it in newspapers. I watched it on ESPN. Everyone is wondering if this is going to be a repeat of last year, and for good reason. The Steelers were 6-2 at the half way mark last year. They then lost 5 in a row and ended up 9-7 and out of the playoffs. The Steelers have now lost 2 of their last 3 games. The team appears to be slipping. And the fan base is naturally worried. The players are concerned also. Here is a quote from Mike Wallace:

"We got to stop it early. Last year we let it come up on us too fast. Things got in over our heads too fast and it was hard to bounce back, especially in the division we are in. "

I'll actually cut Arians a little slack, which I rarely do. With Starks and Kemoeatu out, the Steelers were missing most of the left side of their offensive line. And when Ben's security blanket, Hines Ward, was knocked out of the game at the end of the first quarter, I knew the Steelers' chances were slim. Although I have to question Rashard Mendenhall only getting 11 carries. Not a good game plan.

LeBeau will get no slack. Tom Brady sliced and diced the Steelers' 4th ranked defense. LeBeau was out coached. This is where the Emperor was missing his clothes. There was no pressure on Brady the entire night. His uniform was spotless at the end of the game. Brady threw for 350 yards. He threw three touchdown passes to a rookie tight end. There were no sacks and no turnovers. The Emperor was exposed, naked, and humiliated. The Steelers' defense looked lost. The Patriots went with a two tight end offensive scheme that froze the Steelers' defense. Even Polomalu looked lost. He described the loss as "incredibly humbling". This defense has lost it's edge. It has not been dominating since Ben came back.

In the fairy tale, the Emperor refused to see the reality of the situation. He couldn't swallow his pride and admit he was wrong. There are many tales and stories with similar lessons. In Jim Collins' book, "Good to Great", he tells the story of Admiral Stockdale, a famous Vietnam War veteran and former prisoner of war. Collins tells of how "Good to Great" companies use the "Stockdale Paradox". It basically states that you must maintain unwavering faith that you can and will prevail in the end, regardless of the difficulties. And at the same time, you must have the discipline to face the brutal facts of your situation. The Emperor couldn't face the brutal facts. I believe the Steelers can prevail. But right now, the they have some brutal facts to face.

Does the Emperor have no clothes? It's a good question. I hope the Steelers' coaching staff is taking it up. And if the Emperor is naked, I hope he is putting some of his old clothes back on for the Oakland game on Sunday.

Two Bad Calls

As it is with most of Steeler Nation, I tend to be very emotional when it comes to my team. As you a can deduce from reading my last blog. Even though I am so emotional, and even though the name of this blog is "Brash and Bold", I try not to let my fervor blind me when writing about the team. It's probably a stupid endeavor. The title of the blog gives me permission to be a raving idiot. So when I see the Steelers commit three penalties in a row in the 4th quarter of the game, costing them 50 yards, my reaction is to blame them, not the penalty calling. And most of the time I am right. By the way, I do the same with the Mountaineers in my other blog. So what happens this time? Three days after I chastise the Steelers for committing stupid penalties in the 4th quarter of Monday night's game, the NFL sends the Steelers a letter apologizing for two of the three penalties that I wrote about. I am glad that Coach Tomlin filed a complaint to the NFL, and that the NFL responded the way they did. But no one likes eating crow. However,

I stand corrected. Only one of the penalties was stupid. But, I also stand by my opinion of the Steelers 4th quarter play. The team gave up many games last year in the 4th. And they are not playing well in the 4th quarter this year. Does anyone remember the end of the Baltimore game? I was going to compare the Steelers 4th quarter play to Marc-Andre Fleury's 3rd period play this year. But Fleury had a great game last night against the Tampa Bay Lightening. The Pens beat the Lightening 5-1. Fleury had 15 saves and .938 save percent. So you see, improvements can come later in the season. As I do for the Pens, I hope the Steelers late game woes have ended. Fleury looked good tonight, and the Steelers weren't as bad in the 4th against the "Bungles" as I thought they were.

I'll be more careful of such criticisms in the future. And I decided to fire one of my advisers. Evil Spock, you are out of here!!

How to Turn a 20 Point Lead in to a Nail Biter: A Lesson from Dick LeBeau.

How do you turn a 20 point lead into a nail biter? I'll give you three ways:

1. Stupid Penalty
2. Stupid Penalty
3. Stupid Penalty

I swear, it's during games like the Steelers 27-21 defeat of the "Bungles" on Monday Night Football that I find out just how much I love this team. The Steelers kill me when they blow big leads. I am sure it affects many of you the same way. Your blood pressure rises. You can't take your eyes off the television. You snap at anyone who tries to talk during the plays. You throw or kick something across the room and scare the dog. Thank God there is not a gun or brick in the room, or you would need a new television. I was at a sports bar in Alexandria Va Monday night called 815 Southdside, a common watering hole of mine and a big hangout for Steelers fans. And I had to refrain from throwing my pint of beer.

Here is the scenario: It's about half way through the 4th quarter, around the 13 minute mark, Roethlisberger throws a deep right pass to Miller, pass intercepted by Williams at the Cincinnati 49. So if that's not bad enough, Flozell Adams gets hit with an Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty to give the Bungles another 15 yards. After that Palmer throws an incomplete pass to Ochocino, but wait, another 15 yards penalty. This time it's Casey Hampton for Roughing the Passer. Next play, Palmer incomplete to Owens, but wait again, a third penalty for 20 yards. Here it is boys and girls, Ike Taylor for Defensive Pass Interference on Owens. Do the math folks, the Steelers just gave up 50 yards, and the Bungles didn't even have to complete a pass. Two runs by Cedric Benson later, the score is now 27-21. The next drive by the Steelers ends with a missed Jeff Reed field goal, wide left from 46 yards. And my mother wonders why I drink.

To give credit where it is due, the Steelers defense did keep the Bungles from scoring on their final possession. The game ending with Harrison and Taylor breaking up a pass to Shipley on 4th and 5.

What worries and bothers me about all this is consistently bad play in the fourth quarter? It is to reminiscent of last year. And remember, the Steelers were 6-2 at this point last year, and supposedly a Super Bowl contender. None of us want to go through that again. And it's not just penalties. We are currently ranked 4th in total defense and 1st in rushing defense. But here is the kicker, we are ranked 24th in passing defense. So the strategy to score on the Steelers is simple, throw the ball. And when do our opponents throw the ball? In the 4th quarter when they are down and need to score. The problem is, it works.

Dick Lebeau is a great defensive coordinator, probably one of the greatest ever. He is in the Hall of Fame and the guys love playing for him. But our 4th quarter defense can not consist of giving up yards and committing stupid penalties. I thought Bryant McFadden coming back would help remedy that problem, but it really hasn't. William Gay is playing better this year. I am not going to condemn him for getting burned a few times by T.O. I personally can't stand T.O., but he is a great receiver.

Steelers Nation just needs to hang in there and pray. Pray that LeBeau can fix this problem. And if he does. Maybe, just maybe, we will be climbing the Stairway to Seven.