Steelers Sign Shazier, Now Must Sign Roethlisberger Sooner Rather Than Later

by Jason Robinson and Jayden Matthews

"Shazier's 4-year contract with #Steelers is for $9.5 million, $9 million guaranteed including $5.23 M signing bonus" - Ed Bouchette via Twitter (@EdBouchette)

On Thursday, the former Ohio State standout became the sixth of nine Pittsburgh Steelers draft picks to sign a rookie contract, and the first to be signed with the new cap room money freed up from LaMarr Woodley's release. 

The versatile linebacker with blazing speed, or as one scout put it, "He's a blur," can play any of the four linebacker positions in the 3-4 defense and could likely make an immediate impact for the Steelers.

In college, Shazier played in 39 games at weak-side outside linebacker as well as inside. He totaled 316 tackles, including 101 tackles in 2013 when he was a first-team All-American, 14 sacks, 44 1/2 tackles for a loss, nine quarterback pressures and nine forced fumbles. 

Considering those numbers and his skill set, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly from his Twitter (@MarkKaboly_Trib) account, "The Steelers are going to use Ryan Shazier in sub packages to rush from the outside. Not exclusively, but there will be a package for that."

Speaking of prodigious numbers and skill sets, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger brings his gaudy career numbers back to OTAs with an, as was put by the NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala, "awfully instructive" and an excited demeanor, but without a contract extension. - http://on.nfl.com/1j4bpWH 

The news that Big Ben has risen to a new level of leadership is the best news to come out of OTAs. Shouldn't that be rewarded or at least acknowledged by the front office? 

Big Ben has said many times that he doesn't get involved with the business side of things, that he just wants to worry about football. But that doesn't mean he isn't aware of what's going on around him. 

In the midst of those post-OTA interview questions, he congratulated San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick on his six-year, $126 million contract. The real numbers, however, being just a two years for $28 million and "only $13M guaranteed." After year, however, it starts to turn in Kaepernick's favor. - http://overthecap.com/looking-closer-colin-kaepernick-contract-extension/

Some believe Big Ben is headed for a franchise tag that will earn him in excess of $19 million. His Salary Cap hit is set to be $18.895 million this season and $18.395 million in 2015. The Steelers should want to avoid this Cap hit and make sure Big Ben ends his career in Black and Gold. 

It's a process which only gets harder the longer they wait. Not only because of Kaepernick's deal, but because of what's to come. -  http://tinyurl.com/l2gvhz9

“Word around NFL is that when Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson get new deals next year, they will come in between $24-$25 million per year.” - Adam Schefter via Twitter (@AdamSchefter)

There is definitely a way to avoid this, however. If It Ain't Steel has actually covered it before, and it came hard upon the New England Patriot's Tom Brady's contract extension. 

"Rip up his current contract and redo it overall, which in effect turns his old agreement into a new one, and of course extend him....The New England Patriots did that very thing with Tom Brady, doing away with his old contract and its liabilities and most of his salary was paid as a bonus which doesn't count against the Cap. - http://tinyurl.com/k72gq7m

"In doing this the Steelers would not only save money but it would also allow them two years to clear up other money issues, freeing up money under the cap allowing them to re-sign their free agents and possibly sign other players....He is all about the team and will do what is needed to help the team. - http://tinyurl.com/ljeju3q

"The only drawback is the possibility of a per year salary being around $20 million." At the same time, though, the Cap numbers would be lower, which is the main objective here after all. 

That and to keep one of the best QBs in the NFL "excited." 

~

TIDBITS: Antonio Brown's 1,499 yards receiving in 2013 were by far the most in NFL history for a sixth-round draft pick.

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OLB Jason Worilds has missed five of the first six OTA practices because of a calf injury. He has been running and riding the stationary bike.

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“@jimwexell: Don't buy this nonsense about the #Steelers' no-huddle looking like all that. It was awful Wednesday, as it should in June.”

~

Sean Spence participating in Steelers offseason workouts http://t.co/wIP17r8pkV 

Baltimore "Holds" On To Turn Out The 49ers Lights, 34-31

Sorry this took so long to get out there, folks. I watched the Beyonce halftime show again...and then I watched it again...and again...and again...and well, I needed more alone time after that...(ahem)

Even though it was the Baltimore Ravens winning the Super Bowl, I have to admit to it being a great game. In fact, as Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco said, "it was f***ing awesome!" - http://tinyurl.com/b2ga2t5

Flacco torched the San Francisco 49ers defense for 192 yards and three touchdowns, going 13 for 20 in the first half. Flacco went 22 for 33 overall for 287 yards and three touchdowns Sunday. In our pregame article where we broke down whom we thought would win, we picked the 49ers. But the Ravens (ahem) held on to win. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2013/02/will-another-running-quarterback-lead.html

After an average, middle-of-the-pack season when he finished only 12th in the NFL in passer rating with 87.7 - even when missing three games, Ben Roethlisberger had a 97.0 rating - and throwing 22 touchdown passes against 10 interceptions, he was perfect in the playoffs throwing 11 TD passes and no interceptions, tying the record previously held solely by Joe Montana. All told, Flacco went 73 for 126 for 1,140 yards.

He also went four out of five for 106 yards and two touchdowns on third down, with the play of the day offensively coming late in the second quarter when Flacco hit Jacoby Jones deep for a 56-yard touchdown pass.

Congratulations on the MVP, Flacco. It was certainly deserved. But "elite?" Slow ya roll, youngin'.

Like Hip-Hop artist Nas said,
"You went platinum?...Oh, that's nice.
Now let me see you do the same thing twice.
Three times, four times,
Then a couple of more times..." - "Classic"

Merely as a point of comparison, Tim Smith set a Super Bowl rushing record with the Washington Redskins in 1988, rushing for 204 yards and two touchdowns in the Washington Redskins' 42-10 blowout of the Denver Broncos. Smith last played in the NFL in 1990 with the Dallas Cowboys. Last I heard, he was living in the Grey Bar Motel after being busted for drug distribution in 2006.

Now I'm not saying at all that Flacco is destined to have a roommate named Ben Dover any time soon, but the point is that this is the same quarterback who had the two lowest QBRs in the recent memory, 0.3 and 0.4, both this season.

I had a 0.2 just sitting on my couch after throwing the remote at the t.v. in disgust on Sunday. So, let's wait on the "elite" talk. (By the way, sorry about that, sis. Tell my brother-in-law that I'll get that repaired asap.)

To this point, I thought this was going to be a blowout and decided to just focus (closely) on Beyonce. Then Kelly and Michelle and jumped on stage, too, reminding us just how "bootylicious" they all still are. When I recovered from that, the 2 Broke Girls special promo aired. After coming to, I awoke to find the lights had gone out.

I totally missed Jacoby Jones putting on his new Skechers Go-Run 2 shoes and making the 49ers special teams look silly as he sped through them untouched for a 109...ahem...108-yard kickoff return.

I thought I was still out cold when I saw the lights inside the Superdome were out. I don't know what had happened...a circuit breaker tripped...a blackout...Ray Lewis crying so much that his crocodile tears shorted out some wiring... (Yeah, he was there. I don't see him, either. I had to look his numbers up in the stat sheet.)

It was finally found out what happened...

Since San Francisco was used to the dark, they went out after the more-than-30-minute delay and quickly scored 17 consecutive points to make things interesting and eventually pull it to 34-29.

The Ravens found a way to "hold" on, though, eventually stopping the 49ers on a fourth-and-goal at the five-yard line.

Everyone in the Superdome, except the referees, could see that Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith held on the play causing the pass from Colin Kaepernick to sail over the head of Michael Crabtree.

A livid Jim Harbaugh argued that Crabtree got held and bumped by Smith: "There's no question in my mind that there was a pass interference and then a hold on Crabtree on the last one."

No question in anyone's mind, Jimbo. Well, no one outside of Baltimore anyway. It stood, though, ending 34-31.

Oh, well...I swear, the Ravens got away with murder.

~

TIDBITS: Remember the 'guarantee' by LaMarr Woodley made that the Ravens would never win the Super Bowl as long as he's in the league/the Steelers have something to do about it?: I Wonder What Humble Pie Tastes Like to Steelers Linebacker LaMarr Woodley. - http://nicepickcowher.com/2013/02/04/i-wonder-what-humble-pie-tastes-like-to-steelers-linebacker-lamarr-woodley/

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What are the Steelers odds to win Super Bowl 48? According to Sportsbook.com they are 18 to 1.
These are the odds on the rest:

New England Patriots: 7 to 1
San Francisco 49ers: 8 to 1
Denver Broncos: 8 to 1
Green Bay Packers: 10 to 1
Houston Texans: 14 to 1
Baltimore Ravens: 14 to 1
Seattle Seahawks: 16 to 1
Atlanta Falcons: 18 to 1
New Orleans Saints: 18 to 1
New York Giants: 20 to 1
Washington Redskins: 30 to 1
Dallas Cowboys: 30 to 1
Chicago Bears: 30 to 1
Cincinnati Bengals: 35 to 1
Detroit Lions: 40 to 1
Minnesota Vikings: 40 to 1
Indianapolis Colts: 40 to 1
San Diego Chargers: 40 to 1
Philadelphia Eagles: 50 to 1
Carolina Panthers: 50 to 1
New York Jets: 50 to 1
Miami Dolphins: 50 to 1
St Louis Rams: 50 to 1
Kansas City Chiefs: 50 to 1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 60 to 1
Cleveland Browns: 66 to 1
Arizona Cardinals: 100 to 1
Buffalo Bills: 100 to 1
Tennessee Titans: 100 to 1
Oakland Raiders: 150 to 1
Jacksonville Jaguars: 150 to 1
http://www.sportsbook.ag/livesports/indexmember.php?sportsname=football

Will Another Running Quarterback Lead 49ers To A Super Bowl Victory?

(Hey! Didja know that two brothers were facing each other in the Super Bowl? Really! I'm serious. We figured that we'd better tell ya since NEITHER ESPN NOR NFL NETWORK HAS MENTIONED IT AT ALL. And now that you know...)

When you're at least 6'2" and in excess of 220 pounds, athletic enough to play multiple positions (and sports) and set NCAA records at a respected west coast university, you're expected to do well in the NFL....and that's just what Steve Young did.

The current version of the San Francisco 49ers multi-threat quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, had almost an impressive of a résumé, and is just a touch bigger (he's 6'4" 230lbs) than Young. Add to that, Young is "jealous" of what Kaepernick has going for him so early in his career. Attributes and assets that have him in Super Bowl XLVII against the Baltimore Ravens in what will be his ninth start.

“He’s got a lot of great weapons with the best offensive line maybe since the 2000 Rams, and maybe then since the ’92 or ’93 Cowboys,” Young said, via Pro Football Talk and Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “I mean, this offensive line is well ahead of most everybody else. That dictates terms...for Colin Kaepernick....I’m actually really jealous about the pistol. I think it’s such a cool thing.” - http://tinyurl.com/awqndzh

The Pistol is a hybrid of the Shotgun formation where the quarterback lines up four yards behind the center rather than the normal shotgun seven yards. It has the advantages of being able to be utilized as a read-option offense, and allows an athletic quarterback such as Kaepernick to be a dangerous X-factor.

Young had maybe the most iconic touchdown run in NFL playoffs history when he ran 49 yards while breaking five tackles on his way to a score. That was from under center. Imagine if he would have had an offense like the Pistol/read option. No wonder he said he's jealous.

As Young admitted, though and as the article made lucid, the 49ers are doing their best to keep him out of harm's way to best utilize his skills. Because a running-styled quarterback opens himself up to being hit more often. He's potentially in greater danger to injury.

How the Ravens attack this will determine their success. They had a look at a very similar offense earlier this season when they faced Robert Griffin III and the Washington Redskins. They didn't fair so well in that one, losing 31-28.

In that game RGIII passed for 242 yards a touchdown and 34 rushing yards, while running back Alfred Morris ran for 129 yards on 23 carries (a 5.6 YPC average). The Ravens had no answer early on, but adjusted as the game progressed. Still, they eventually succumbed to the combination of the multi-threat read-option QB and the bruising runner.

Exactly what they'll face in Kaepernick and Frank Gore on Super Sunday.

But the 49ers are far more than an option team. Kaepernick won't let the bright lights affect him, either. His first ever collegiate start was in hostile territory, the blue turf of Boise State, and all he did was pass for 243 yards and three touchdowns and to run for 177 yards and two more touchdowns.

That said, there are two main ways the Ravens can handle a Pistol/read-option offense: play back and adjust to what they hive you, which is much what they did against the Redskins, or attack with a form of controlled fury where your unblocked defender attacks from the outside to contain. Points which Greg Cosell breaks down very well here: http://tinyurl.com/b63to3v

Team defense is absolutely necessary against a QB with Kaepernick's skill set. They must hit him and hit him often. As said a few paragraphs earlier, a running-styled QB opens himself up to being hit more often. He's potentially in greater danger to injury. Something that Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs and Bernard Pollard are more than willing to do. - http://tinyurl.com/a5wnzns

It's that defense that has led the Ravens to winning the last three meetings with 49ers by combined score of 69-19, with the last game being a 16-6 win on Thursday Night Football on November 24, 2011.

But what of their offense? The Ravens have a QB who bears a bit of a resemblance to Steve Young also. Not only Young, but also Joe Montana.

Ravens QB Joe Flacco can join Young and Montana as the only QBs to finish a postseason with nine touchdown passes and no interceptions if he throws at least one touchdown and no interceptions. He’ll tie Young at that point. Less likely is his throwing three touchdowns and no interceptions to tie Montana.

Nonetheless, leading his team to four losses in their last five regular-season games and having the two lowest QB Ratings in recent years, Flacco has turned things around in the postseason. He has passed for an average of 276 yards a game to go along with the absence of interceptions.

On top of that, running back Ray Rice is controlling the ground game. With a balanced offense of Flacco, Rice and Anquan Boldin, the Ravens are a force and at times even surgical. - http://tinyurl.com/alzfuxd

However, one reason for that is the lack of pressure on the quarterback. Knowing the Ravens the way we do, Flacco can be rattled when hit. Not grazed, not glancing blows...HIT.

The 49ers defense can and will do just that. With Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, Aldon Smith and the rest of the NFL's third-ranked defense, they will look to do some purple-people eating. Aldon Smith alone had 19.5 sacks on the season and is likely salivating over the only 20th-ranked Ravens offensive line that allowed 38 QB sacks and 69 QB hits.

But this still comes back to the X-factor: Kaepernick. Gore and LaMichael James can be key for the Ravens to contain, but the amount of physicality the Ravens bring to Kaepernick that will be needed to limit him, intimidate him or even stop him is what will win or lose this game.

If the Ravens can do that, win. But I don't think they will be able to do it enough to get the win. I picked the 49ers in If It Ain't Steel's postseason prediction blog at the end of the regular season, and I'm not coming off of that. Take the 49ers with another multi-threat QB to win the Super Bowl over the Ratbirds. (I just had to...)

If It Ain't Steel's 2012 NFL Awards and Super Bowl Predictions

by Jayden Matthews

The NFL regular season has now ended and the debate can truly begin as to whom will win the yearly awards as well as which teams will take the coveted ultimate prize - the Super Bowl.

We at If It Ain’t Steel wrote a piece mid-season where we made predictions for the season awards based on what we knew then. Now that the season has shown us everything, we are going to follow that up to see if it has changed any and to make our official prognostications. Then, when the awards are announced, you can refer back to this to see if we hit it on the head (or, if Jason was wrong), and also if our Super Bowl prediction holds up. - http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2012/11/nfl-mid-season-grades.html

The MVP Award: We predicted that Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning would win this in our mid-season article, and that has not changed. Though, there is a candidate who ended up making a good case for himself: Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. A.P., also known as A.D. for "All Day", cemented himself in the Most Valuable Player talk with a monster year. After coming back from an ACL (anterior cruciate ligament) and MCL (medial collateral ligament) injury that some thought would sideline him for some of the season, A.P. did not miss a single game and coming within nine yards of the recognized single-season NFL rushing record. - http://tinyurl.com/a6d6tro

We still believe Peyton, "The Sheriff", has the edge because, like A.P., he came back from what some considered a career-ending injury. Some, myself included, didn't think The Sheriff would make it much past the first game, let alone all season. But he did far more than that, he led the Broncos to a 13-3 season and the first seed in the AFC Playoff chase. The Sheriff played the way he always played, deadly lethal, again making household names out of ordinary receivers. For those reasons, we believe that Peyton “The Sheriff” Manning will deservedly win the MVP award.

As for A.P., we still believe that, though this and the MVP awards could ultimately be flipped, "Purple Jesus" has the Comeback Player of the Year award...all day.

Defensive Player of the Year: We predicted the Houston Texans J.J. Watt at the mid-season and that, like our MVP, hasn’t changed. San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith was building a good resume, but in the end we still believe it will be Watt. He led the league with 20.5 sacks, had 81 tackles, 16 passes defensed (which is more than some defensive backs), four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a partridge in a pear tree. Though the Texans Defense struggled down the stretch, the AFC's Defensive Player of the Month for December didn’t. He may even be more feared right now than Clay Matthews...no quarterback wants to see No. 99 coming for them right now.

Coach of the Year: We really didn’t make a choice on this one because there seemed to be a lot of good choices at the time. Arguably, one could say that Indianapolis Colts "interim-head coach" Bruce Arians deserves consideration, naturally, though, he won’t get it because he is still just an offensive coordinator. If he could be, though, he would be my (Jayden's) clear cut choice. What Arians was able to do with the Colts, to keep them winning in the absence of their head coach Chuck Pagano as he battled cancer, is nothing short of amazing. No one really give the Colts a chance once Pagano went out, but Arians took the bull by the horns and led them to a winning season and a playoff spot. Even his former team's (former) players admit he's a good coach. Way to go Brucey!!! - http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/bears/post/_/id/4681828/spaeth-arians-helps-qbs-succeed

So, while there are only a few truly viable choices, this even put my partner-in-crime and I in a quandary of as to who should get the nod. So, we are each going to make our individual cases for who we think will win.

Jayden: John Fox I believe John Fox is the best choice for Coach of the Year. He took the Broncos from 8-8 last year to 13-3 this year and in the playoffs again. Yes, my partner argues that it was because of Peyton, and we both do say that Peyton makes any coach look great. While that is true, I still just think that he deserves the nod. Even though he has Peyton now, he still had to provide Peyton a dominant defense as a compliment in order to have a chance at the last dance. To his credit, he has done that. He has slowly built a great team in Denver that keeps a smile on John Elway’s face. Therefore, I believe he deserves that nod and should get it. Peyton doesn’t may not need coaching, but the rest of the players do.

Jason: My choice for the coaching award is, once again, Mike Smith of the Atlanta Falcons. But, I admit that his winning it in 2008 may put a damper on this prediction. Since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, there have been only been six repeat winners (Chuck Knox{3x}, Joe Gibbs, Mike Ditka, Bill Parcells, Dan Reeves and Bill Belichick {3x}), but I believe his team's consistant performance all season, pulling them up from an average 2011, gets "Smitty" the trophy this season.

Rookie of the Year: Andrew Griffith 1.5 - No, we didn’t have a clear cut choice then and we still don’t now that the season is over. RGIII and Luck are arguably the best rookies to come into the NFL at the same time in a long time. At the quarterback position at the very least. Both are playing very well and both will be in the playoffs this year as the 4th and 5th seeds in their respective conferences. So, we still are at a quandry over coming to a clear choice because an entire article could be written making a case for either of them. Not to mention the fact that another emerged as a solid choice, the rookie playing for the Seattle Seahawks: Russell Wilson.

Wilson has also played well enough to be in consideration for this honor. And oh, yeah, he has his team in the playoffs as well. So, with that being said, we're going to go out on a limb and say that the 2012 NFL Rookie of the Year will be Russell Luck III. We know it's a bit of a cop out, but we have no idea which one of these guys will win it.

That now brings us to our Super Bowl prediction, which naturally will not involve a repeat champion considering the Giants missed the playoffs. With the Pittsburgh Steelers also on early vacation, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger cannot participate in helping keep the streak alive of one of only three teams representing the AFC in the big show. However, while the Colts and the New England Patriots are in the playoffs, Manning is with Denver now. There is still a chance that either he or the Patriots Tom Brady, the other two QBs in this streak, could be in the Super Bowl and we believe the streak will remain intact.

We chose the Texans and the Chicago Bears as our early picks, and that has definitely changed. The Bears took a turn for the worse and missed the playoffs, and while the Texans at the time were arguably the best team in the AFC, they are not anymore. The Texans were sitting pretty in the No. 1 spot for a long time, but fell down to the third seed in the AFC and now may have to take their act on the road. We believe the Denver Broncos will come out of the AFC and that The Sheriff will fire his six-gun all the way to New Orleans and could walk away with another piece of jewelry in the process. On that, we agreed. The NFC, not so much.

As stated earlier, there will be a new team emblem on the NFC side of the Super Bowl ensign. My partner and I have once again disagreed on who that will be. Shocking, I know. So we are going to again make our case just like with coach of the year.

Jayden: I think the Seattle Seahawks will represent the NFC in the Super Bowl. They are playing lights out right now and have a very good defense. They have been on a tear as of late with Wilson and Marshawn Lynch going all "Beast Mode" on defenses. The though that they could not win on the road has been laid to rest with wins over Buffalo and Chicago. They have a ball-hawking secondary that can pick you off or force a team to fumble and are poised to make a strong run and make it to the big show. I know I may be wrong on this, but I like the Seahawks chances.

Jason: As long as Justin Smith is on the field, the defense of the San Francisco 49ers and the Colin Kaepernick-led offense will take them to The Big Easy. Linebackers Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith get more of the publicity, but defensive tackle Justin Smith is the glue to their front seven that solidifies a bruising and stingy unit. Add to that a running game led by Frank Gore, and the 49ers should see their first NFC Championship and Super Bowl berth since 1994.

There you have it, If It Ain't Steel's final 2012 season award and Super Bowl predictions. Come February 4th, we'll see how many of our prophecies came true.

Enlightened Steelers Fans Know Their Football - Male And Female

Ben Roethlisberger was on The Dan Patrick Show Wednesday morning and was asked about a number of things including the Denver loss. What has the media and football world reacting is a passing reference to the San Francisco 49ers' 20-3 victory over the Steelers on Monday, Dec. 19.

Roethlisberger had been hurt 11 days before against the Cleveland Browns, suffering a high-ankle sprain. Many, including myself, didn't believe he should've played in that game. He was hurt and was more important for the playoff run than this individual NFC game.

Now, understand, it isn't to be understated that Big Ben definitely knows what it means to play with pain. He has broken his thumb, torn cartilage in his knee, separated his shoulder and fractured a bone in his foot. Maybe his best "John Wayne" moment, though, came against the Ravens when defensive tackle Haloti Ngata broke his nose in December of 2010. He stayed in the game and ended up throwing the winning touchdown pass to Isaac Redman in a 13-10 Steelers win that decided the division.

But after the game in question, Roethlisberger called himself "the 49ers' best player." A game in which he threw three interceptions, was sacked three times and fumbled twice losing one. Big Ben was more of a liability than an asset as has been detailed in a previous blog.

Well, Dan Patrick asked Big Ben when the last time he felt a team was going after his knees, ankles or head.

"Um, wow, that's tough," Roethlisberger said. "I don't really complain about that stuff, either. But I think when we played San Fran I felt like there were some things going on, some extra... Now, obviously, I did have the ankle and I was playing, so there was kind of a bulls-eye on there anyway. But for the most part...it's just...guys play tough and you go into a game expecting it. I expect to be tougher than them." - http://www.danpatrick.com/2012/05/09/ben-roethlisberger-talks-about-head-injuries-graduating-college/

I'll be blunt: if the 49ers did target Big Ben's ankle in order to put him out of the game, good for them. I wouldn't expect anything differently. Not that I want my quarterback injured, but if you think that such things don't happen all the time, including with our beloved Steelers, and hasn't happened since football began, stop reading now. Go watch baseball or some non-contact sport, because football isn't for you.

That said, I'm not talking bounties and I don't believe either was the case with the 49ers. I watched every play of that game and saw nothing, absolutely nothing, to believe the 49ers did anything bounty related or set out to do serious damage to Big Ben's ankle. And to his credit, Big Ben never suggested that they did. That hasn't stopped the sports media on the whole from tossing it around in that light, though.

Point blank, if Steelers fans didn't make a brouhaha about illegally or immorally trying to take out Big Ben, that says something. An approximate 75% of Steelers fans are very knowledgeable. Knowledgeable to the point of not allowing emotion to cloud their thinking. No solid thinking fellow fan I know even whispered a thought of it then and not one is screaming it now.

    

In fact, Steeler Nation is not only known for having intelligent and enlightened fans, but for also having a vast and expansive array of intelligent and enlightened female fans.

Over the years I've gotten to know many female Steelers fans whom I can safely say have been as, or more, knowledgeable than some male fans. For example, go to any  Steelers message board, to Twitter or to most any Facebook group dedicated to the Steelers and you'll find that the female fans go at it with opposing teams' fans regularly and easily hold their own. Since we all know that being loud doesn't equate to being right, you don't see them merely shouting their opinions. They readily express their love and their viewpoints, but they're able to back up those viewpoints with empirical data and facts. Some can even just as quickly pull historical game facts out of the air as many men I know.

Don't just take my word for it, though. Take the word of a "Scarborough Sports Marketing survey of 220,354 residents in 75 United States markets." The Steelers have, "by far, the largest base of NFL fans who are women." - http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/2007-09-12-1171345338_x.htm

                 

So the next time you're watching a football and you're told that you think like a girl, it was probably a Steelers fan and was meant as a compliment.

                           

Harvey Levin Becomes Twitter Majority Owner

...or at least it seems that way.

Harvey Levin is the managing editor of TMZ.com and TMZ on TV. If you don't know what the latter is, it's essentially a television version TMZ.com, a news website with emphasis on celebrity gossip. You know, yellow journalism.

Or, in this case, Black and Yellow journalism.

-- Aside: Yellow journalism is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers or increase traffic to blog or website. (Ignore this article's headline, that was on purpose of course.)

This offseason has already had more than its share of rumors, speculations, incorrect reports and just plain misinformation. They have involved various Pittsburgh Steelers players like Hines Ward and his retirement rumors, but have mainly centered around the present and future of Mike Wallace.

Thursday morning brought its own fun when Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee reported that Mike Wallace wanted $120 million to go to the San Francisco 49ers. ~  http://t.co/gejrbxT5

Just like that, one report gets posted and the whole of Steeler Nation fortifies itself against Mike Wallace. Cue the Twitter #Take-A-Hikes and the Facebook Fond Farewells.

The virtual backlash was immediate and vociferous. Fans already had Wallace in another uniform and the Steelers going 8-8 next year.

I've come to expect that from fans to some degree, your typical fan knows a lot less than he or she thinks she does, but I expect more from the media. Especially the local media.

Nonetheless, the media, namely Ken Laird and Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, jumped right into the deep end with the fans via their Twitter accounts. This was part of their exchange:

"@Ken_Laird: If Wallace is thinking he's worth 15 mil per year, have to believe a holdout is coming. #Steelers"

"@ScottBrown_Trib: @Ken_Laird Can't see this ending well."

I felt like I was reading something from the TMZ guy with the goatee. What's his name? Mike Walters?

I mean, really? Has no one ever heard of "leverage?" So, no one has ever postured regarding contract demands? Stop! Just stop it. Wallace isn't leaving & isn't holding out. He NEEDS to play to be able to take advantage of free agency next season.

Honestly, it's hilarious how a report that Wallace wants big money shocks and dismays the fans and media. While I admit to tossing around the (slight) possibility of a holdout, I maintain that the probability of it is minuscule. Again, he NEEDS to play to be a free agent next year. Plus, if he were to hold out, he wouldn't play. No play, no pay.

So, to up and assume that a holdout is coming, and that the Steelers should immediately get rid of him and take the first round pick, is ludicrous. If you suggested this, please turn in your Terrible Towel as you leave the building.

BREAKING NEWS: Jason LaCanfora just reported that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger just broke wind while in bed with his wife. Details on whether or not he gave her a "Dutch Oven" has yet to be confirmed.

Make no mistake, Matt Barrows is reliable. This report is to be believed. Lance Williams of steelcurtainradio.com had Barrows on his podcast before the Steelers vs. 49ers game and even stated today that "Matt does solid work." - http://t.co/fRwqnMeZ

Mark Kaboly, also of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, tweeted, "I trust his report 100 percent."

So, trust in the report itself isn't in question, it's whether or not Wallace truly believes what was proposed in the report or, as I suggested earlier, was it just posturing?

The truth is that Wallace will come close to getting those numbers in 2013, unless a long-term deal is signed this year. But it will be performance based: the better the season, the higher the asking price can be pushed. As a point of example to that, Vincent Jackson got what amounts to a two year, $26 million deal after a slightly-better-than-average season.

So, it will happen. And you can't blame Wallace for asking either. The question in this instance is, "From whom?" The Steelers won't pay him that much. Period. Neither will anyone else this year, though. A great player with great potential Mike Wallace no doubt is, but just not $120 million great.

At this point, though, Wallace is basically already under contract. Why then should the Steelers pay more? Unless, of course, it's in a multi-year deal that's agreeable to BOTH sides. If not, the Steelers would still have the option of placing the franchise tag on him next year. The ball is still in the Steelers' court. They're in no rush, and rightly so.

So, don't get caught up in the TMZ journalism. (Or is it TRZ {Three River Zone} in this case?) Because fan and media reactions can be scary. And "fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering." And I don't want you suffering...

Steelers and 49ers GMs Talk Mike Wallace at NFL Combine.

The NFL Combine is here and the Steelers brass was present and accounted for. Ken Laird, host of http://sportstalk.triblive.com and Steelers beat writer from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and Scott Brown, also of the Trib, were on site to talk with Steelers GM Kevin Colbert.

Colbert talked candidly about what the Steelers are needing to do to get themselves salary cap healthy.

As of about 4:30 EST, the Steelers are almost at Cap Zero, down approximately $29.35 million in 2 weeks, now that Ben Roethlisberger has restructured. What needs to be remembered, though, is that this DOES NOT include the money that still is to be tendered to the exclusive rights (Steve McLendon, Isaac Redman and Jeremy Kapinos-and they have to take whatever is offered) and restricted free agents (Mike Wallace, Ryan Mundy, David Johnson, Ramon Foster, Keenan Lewis and Doug Legursky). That could take the Salary Cap/Rule of 51 number, especially once you consider whatever dead money (left-over prorated signing bonus money) that has to be added, to anywhere from $1.5 to $6.5 million. But, that's definitely easier to handle now.

Now, these are just raw numbers, mind you. But Steelers GM Kevin Colbert did address such issues when he talked to the media this morning. Colbert said, after being asked about slashing salary cap space to make room for Wallace’s franchise number, “We want to make sure Mike can finish his career with the Steelers. I’m very confident that Mike wants to finish his career with the Steelers and play with a great quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger.... We think he’s only scratched the surface in what he can do."

San Francisco 49ers GM Trent Baalke was on Sirius XM Radio this morning with Adam Schein and Rich Gamnon at the 2012 NFL Combine. Indirectly Baalke was asked about Steelers' unrestricted free agent wide receiver Mike Wallace and the comments he made about his mind "wandering" toward playing for another team.

Schein acknowledged in his questioning that he knew Baalke couldn't mention Wallace directly by name, as that would be "tampering", but he did ask if that kind of deep threat receiver would be the kind he would be looking for in the offseason. Baalke said, "We're looking for guys that can make plays. We feel that we have a couple that can and we're looking for some more that can make plays. Obviously there's guys in the league, that when they get the ball in their hand they can score, and I'm not going to talk about any particular player individual, but that's what you're looking for. You're looking for a play maker at the position. Guys that can turn a 3-yard hitch into an 83-yard touchdown. The more of those guys you have, the better you can be offensively. So, we are always looking. We feel there are some players in free agency that fit that mold and we feel that the draft has some guys that fit that mold. So, we're going to do everything we can to make the right decisions in that area."

The 49ers have only the one first round draft pick in the upcoming NFL draft and that pick is the no. 30. They're one of four teams that could look to sign Wallace to an offer sheet should he be tendered at a first round level.