If It Ain't Steel's 2013 NFL Not-So-Midseason Reports, MVP and Super Bowl Predictions

by Jayden and Jason

The NFL season is now past the midway point and we at If It Ain’t Steel are once again throwing our two cents in to the 'midseason awards and predictions' hat.

(Aside: We were down for approximately two weeks and missed getting this out after Week 9 or 10 at the latest. The choices, though, are no different now from what they were a week ago.)

Week 11 is in the books and we're now at a crucial point for a lot teams. It's the time of year when the cream rises to the top individually and as teams are concerned. 

Without further ado, let's just get into the midseason awards and predictions for 2013. We'll start off with...

Comeback Player of the Year: Running Back LeSean McCoy, Eagles, or Outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, Ravens - McCoy leads the league in rushing yards (1,009), averaging 4.7 yards per carry, and in total yards from scrimmage (1,408), touching the ball 247 times, all of this after missing four games and only rushing for 840 yards last season.

But If It Ain't Steel's choice for the midseason winner and the season-award prediction is Terrell Suggs. Suggs suffered a partially torn Achilles tendon requiring surgery in the Spring of 2012, sidelining him for the first six games of the season and causing him to miss a total of eight games. He was largely ineffective and finished the season with just two sacks

Fast forward to 2013 and a fully recovered Suggs is wreaking havoc once again. He is tied for 6th in the NFL in sacks with nine (in 10 games) and has 65 tackles, which is 26 more than the NFL sack leader Robert Mathis - keep that name in mind for later.

Coach of the Year: Andy Reid, Chiefs - Andy Reid is the only one in the discussion. The one-loss Chiefs have already improved upon its win total from 2012 of 2-14. The NFL record for win improvement from one season to the next is 10 (the Colts from 3-13 in '98 to 13-3 in '99, and the Dolphins from 1-15 in '07 to 11-5 in '08). Reid and his team are well on their way to breaking that record. At 9-1 they are tied atop the AFC West with the Broncos and could easily make it to 13-3 or better in the regular season and could go a long way in the playoffs - earning Reid the award in the process.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Outside linebacker Alec Ogletree, Rams, or middle linebacker Kiko Alonso - With 65 tackles, 55 solo, six passes defended, three forced fumbles and a 98-yard interception return for a touchdown, Ogletree is definitely in the consideration for defensive rookie honors.

But our choice for the midseason winner and the season-award prediction is Kiko Alonso. Alonso, the second-round pick out of Oregon, leads his team with 112 tackles (including amassing a very impressive 22 tackles in a loss to the Bengals), leads them in interceptions with four (which is also tied for second in the NFL), has four passes defended and both a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. More worthy candidates could emerge over the next few weeks, like Sheldon Richardson or even our pre-draft favorite Kenny Vacarro, but Alonso is the current leader in the clubhouse.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Quarterback Geno Smith, Jets, or running back Eddie Lacy, Packers - The talented West Virginia product has the requisite tools to be a starter and star in the NFL. Smith was thrown into a difficult situation when Mark Sanchez went down for the season and has played well, leading the Jets to a 5-5 record so far after the team was 6-10 all of last season.

But the one we've chosen as the midseason winner and the season-award prediction is Eddie Lacy. Coming out of Alabama, there were concerns about Lacy: he had injury issues, he had bigger numbers against lesser opponents and he was the beneficiary of an NFL-caliber offensive line in college. Well, he's silenced his critics, yours truly included, and has become the main back in the Packers offense. He leads all NFL rookies with 696 yards rushing and a 4.0 yard average. While there's still time for him to be caught, say maybe by DeAndre Hopkins, he has a strong hold on the lead for now.

Defensive Player of the Year: Free Safety Earl Thomas, Seahawks, or DE/OLB Robert Mathis - Thomas is the "Road Runner", because when he catches you you're through! (Thank you, John Gruden.) He has 78 tackles this season to along with seven passes defended, four interceptions and two forced fumbles. According to his coach, also, the 2012 All-Pro is just hitting his stride. "There's no end to the potential Earl has," said Pete Carroll, "because he's so fast and he's so tough, but more than that, he's just so driven to be great."

Even with such a résumé, though, our midseason winner and the season-award prediction goes to Robert Mathis. The 6'2" 245-pound Mathis has been a strong-side defender throughout his career. Now with the switch to 3-4 defense, Mathis is the primary rush LB and doesn't have to set the edge and so just pins his ears back and attacks. Because the position change has buoyed his sack total, Mathis no longer has a pre-game meal - he simply eats left tackles for lunch. With 13.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a safety, Mathis is in good position for 21.5 sacks - a career-high - and DPOY award.

Offensive Player of the Year: RB Jamaal Charles, Chiefs, or QB Peyton Manning, Broncos - Charles is all over the field. He runs the ball, catches passes out of the backfield, plays the option (w/QB Alex Smith) and even runs the Wildcat. He is the key to the Chiefs' offense.

However, our choice for the midseason winner and the season-award prediction needs no introduction. Peyton Manning has been nothing short of brilliant all season. Seeing Joe Flacco's image all over Peyton's city before the NFL's opening Thursday Night Kickoff caused this Bronco to stampede the Ravens and then never looked back. With a 118.3 QB Rating, almost 12 points higher than the next passer, a 69.9% completion rate, and 34 touchdown passes against only six INTs (a near 6-1 ratio), Manning just may get the award that eluded him last season. If so...

MVP: QB Peyton Manning, Broncos - Yes, Cam Newton, Calvin Johnson, Jamaal Charles and Drew Brees are in the discussion, but it may be against the Law to choose anyone but The Sheriff this season. His numbers are better across the board over every other QB in the league and he's poised to break Tom Brady's record of 50 TD passes set in the 2007 season, on a pace for 54. He isn't just the best player on the best team, he is the captain that drives the wagon train - they won't arrive at their destination in February without him. You don't get much more valuable than that.

Super Bowl prediction:

A few years ago, this would have been a prediction for the AFC Championship game. Now it's the final game. And while the 49ers, Patriots and Bengals may have something to say about it, Seattle Seahawks vs. Denver Broncos.

Three months of football are in the books, and in three more months we'll know how many of these will have come to fruition. Until then.

Steelers Look For 2nd Win In "Grudge Match" Against Ravens

via steelers.com

“It’s a grudge match. It really is. It always seems to be close." - Brett Keisel on rivalry with Ravens.

Whether it could be labeled a "grudge match," a blood bath or the 'best rivalry in the NFL' (to which it is often referred), one thing is very certain - these teams just don't like each other.

When the Pittsburgh Steelers and the defending world champion Baltimore Ravens take the field Sunday afternoon, one player new to the rivalry may not be able to get himself acquainted.

Outside linebacker Jarvis Jones was diagnosed with a concussion early this week and is listed as questionable for the game Sunday. He practiced fully on Friday but must still pass a concussion test.

If he is unavailable, fellow outside linebacker Jason Worilds will start in his stead. Something with which defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau is just fine.

"If you look at the video and, really, the team record," said LeBeau, "you will see that Jason {Worilds} played pretty dag gone well last year....Jason has always been excellent at {the point of attack}. He is a good, growing young player. We are glad we got him."

Be it Jones or Worilds, they will need to get to quarterback Joe Flacco and to stop running back Ray Rice. While Bernard Pierce has been a valuable compliment to him, Rice is still the main man to stop.

Since the start of 2011, when Rice gets 20 or more touches (carries and receptions) in a game, the Ravens have a 22-2 record. However, when Rice gets fewer than 20 touches the Ravens are only 7-11.

Rice's value is undeniable. The Steelers run defense, unfortunately is ranked 22nd in the league, giving up 114.8 yards per game. What helps is that Rice is only averaging 2.8 yards per carry this season providing a dynamic that might lean in the Steelers favor.

While the Steelers still must contain Ray Rice if they expect to win, it doesn't end there. As LeBeau also said, they have "a good corps of wide receivers that can go deep. They kind of live on that big play..." Point blank, the Ravens have the weapons to hurt the Steelers by going deep.

They are led by wideout Torrey Smith who is fourth in the NFL in receiving yards with 568, including a 20.3 yard per catch average. Another player to watch out for is rookie Marlon Brown. His three receiving touchdowns are already fourth most by a rookie in team history.

The Steelers secondary would seem to be up to the task as it is ranked fourth best in the NFL allowing just 196 yards per game.

Speaking of wide receivers, the Steelers have their own who's leading the league in receiving categories.

Antonio Brown has been targeted 53 times by Ben Roethlisberger this season resulting in 41 catches and 498 yards. He is second in the NFL in receptions, behind Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans - who haven't had their bye yet. AB average 12.1 yards per catch and 99.6 per game. He is also second amongst all wide receivers, again minus Houston's Johnson, with 27 receptions for first downs.

“...He's our No. 1 guy,” offensive coordinator Todd Haley said on Thursday. “When Mike {Wallace} left, {AB} knew he had an opportunity to step into that role. He's embraced it, he's worked hard and he's making plays. That's tough to do when you're ‘the' guy because that's the guy that generally sees double coverage.” - http://tinyurl.com/k9myxhv

Truth. Case in point was the play that led the Steelers' lone touchdown scored against the Jets last Sunday.

On the 55-yard strike to Emmanuel Sanders last Sunday, the Jets were in the old "46 defense" with strong safety Dawan Landry cheating over to Antonio Brown's side, while free safety Antonio Allen was in the box for a blitz or hot read. i.e. AB was doubled covered which allowed Manny to take Antonio Cromartie one-on-one.

Teammates have even said that AB is even better and that he isn't taking any downs off. Manny had previously been the better route-runner of the two (especially three), but AB has been running his routes with greater precision than ever before, leading to possible record-breaking numbers.

AB is currently on pace for 131 receptions and 1,593 yards, which would decimate his previous career highs of 69 catches for 1,108 yards (in 2011), and would rearview mirror Hines Ward's team record of 112 catches in a season and Yancey Thigpen's team record of 1,398 yards.

With all that said, two things still need to be considered going up against the Ravens Sunday: the fact that, as successful as they were with them last week against the Jets, don't expect the Steelers to run as many screens against Baltimore, and Le'Veon Bell must continue to get better.

While Bell has battled injuries, after making his debut he’s become the clear top option for the Steelers. Though having a slow start as a runner, averaging only 2.84 YPC, he has shown promise and has done a very nice job as a receiver catching all seven of the passes targeted his way for 100 yards. He has also shown his blocking skills with no pressure being surrendered on his 16 pass-block snaps.

Yet, Bell is capable of offering more to this offense. With the ZBS and outside-run blocking, if he trusts himself and his teammates and displays a little more patience, he can be very good for this team for a very long time.

The Steelers will be up to the task regardless, though, as linebacker Terrell Suggs knows all too well.

"This is a team," Suggs told NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala, "they're never going to say die."

A team facing its bitterest rival. And it all resumes Sunday afternoon.

~

TIDBITS: Jarvis Jones (concussion) practice participation was adjusted to "limited" Friday; listed as questionable for Sunday. Still must pass concussion test.
The rest of the Injury Report is as follows: Keisel, Gilbert, Heath all probable; Wheaton, Gordon both out

Ravens: ILB Josh Bynes (hand), Out; NT Ngata (elbow), OLB Upshaw (foot), CB Webb (thigh) all limited on Friday and all listed Questionable.

The Ravens have added linebacker Jameel McClain to their roster, the club said Saturday.

~

"@MarkKaboly_Trib: Did you know that the OL the #Steelers put out for the 2nd half of the season opener last year is 100% different than it is right now"

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...)

Without Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers Fall Again to Ravens, 13-10

The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated...or something like that. Thanks to Jayden for holding down the fort while I was...incapacitated last week. Without her, this blog wouldn't survive. Now, on to the game...

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens have played some epic battles over the years. This, though, wasn't one of them...

In ugly fashion, the Steelers lose their 3rd in a row to Ravens and 4th in the past six regular-season match ups against them, 13-10.

Though congratulations goes to the Ravens, a lot of blame must go around for this loss. Penalties, turnovers, poor clock management, wasted timeouts, and outmatched special teams all contributed.

The backbreaker was a Jacoby Jones 63-yard punt return for a touchdown. It was the difference in points and the only touchdown the Ravens scored. It was his third in five weeks. Jones is also the first Ravens player to post three combined return touchdowns in a season. - http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8651279&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

For the first time all season I actually have to question Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley's play calling. Why was he throwing so much with an injured quarterback when Jonathan Dwyer was running so well? When a running back is averaging 4.6 yards per carry (12 carries for 55 yards), don't try to outthink the room. Feed the hot hand!

But an obviously hurt Leftwich kept throwing and despite it being apparent that he needed to pull himself or that he needed to be pulled. Maybe you can blame Tomlin for keeping him in, because those hits added up to being too much on BLeft and he just couldn't throw after awhile. But Mike Tomlin said he wasn't close to putting in Charlie Batch. - http://tinyurl.com/cyda7oa

Nonetheless, with the win, the Ravens (8-2) took control of the AFC North, moving two games ahead of the Steelers (6-4). The win was Baltimore's 12th straight win in the division, which ties for the longest such streak in the league since division realignment in 2002. The Steelers had won seven straight games at Heinz Field. - http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8651283&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

After giving up a touchdown 43 seconds into the game, the Steelers were held to a field goal the rest of the way by a Ravens defense without key players. The Ravens flustered a hurting Leftwich into 17-of-38 passing for 201 yards and an interception. The Ravens forced two turnovers, leading to six points. - http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=8651385&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The other turnover was by wide receiver Mike Wallace. Wallace wants a high-end contract at the end of the season, but hasn't shown ample reason to receive it. He has already had a problem with dropped passes, but Sunday night he didn't exactly show great hands after the catch, either when he was stripped of the ball by Chris Johnson, a player who had only been signed by the Ravens this week.

In his post-game press conference, Tomlin said the Steelers didn't have signature plays in key moments. In fact, they only had one.

Not known for his mobility, in truth he looks like one of Jerry's Kids when he runs, BLeft ran for a 31-yard touchdown on the third snap of the game. He outran Terrell Suggs, broke a Bernard Pollard arm tackle and fell into the end zone hurting his throwing shoulder.

It was this very play, in fact, that defines why the Steelers lost. As good as he can be, BLeft simply isn't Ben Roethlisberger.

Big Ben has a 47% conversion rate on third-down throws this season, which is second best in the NFL behind only Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. The Steelers were only 5-17 on third down Sunday night.

Before the Monday Night Football game, Big Ben had the fifth-best quarterback rating in the red zone. He hadn't been intercepted in the red zone this season, either.

The difference between BLeft and Big Ben in this aspect is noticeable on two plays.

Monday night, Big Ben's 7-yard fade pass to Mike Wallace in the second quarter was his 13th red zone touchdown toss of the season.

Sunday night, down 13-7 in the third quarter, the Steelers drove to the Ravens' 4-yard line where BLeft made a throw to the right side of the end zone. Wallace was led too far and didn't get both feet down inbounds. Instead of going ahead, the Steelers had to settle for a field goal to make it 13-10.

Outside the pocket is where Big Ben tends to work his best magic, when he is scrambling around, extending plays and doing his Houdini routine. Again before Monday night, he had the seventh-best quarterback rating on passes outside the pocket. He had completed 63.6 percent of his passes and averaged 7.7 yards per completion.

When flushed from the pocket Sunday, aside from the touchdown run, BLeft had passes tipped or had his arm hit and was fairly discombobulated.

No disrespect toward BLeft, but he simply isn't Big Ben.

The Steelers are now 0-5 against the Ravens when Big Ben doesn't start. If he is indeed sidelined for the second Ravens bout, the Steelers playoff hopes may be sidelined with him.

The Baltimore Ravens: Rough Times Ahead?

If you are a Baltimore Ravens fan, you may not like what you're about to read. We have been debating whether to write this or not, and have decided that now is the time to do so.

We at If It Ain't Steel look at the game as football fans first, not just as Pittsburgh Steeler fans, and we have given the Ravens their due on more than one occasion. Check back through our posts if you don't believe. The most recent being the paying homage to Ray Lewis: http://ifitaintsteel.blogspot.com/2012/10/showing-respect-for-villain-known-as.html

But, I personally have been seeing something that has me scratching my head. I have been watching the Baltimore Ravens and have to ask what the heck happened to their team? Yes, I am well aware the purple and black has become black and blue with key injuries as of late, but I was asking this before the injuries.

This is a team that has been historically known to have a stout defense. Opposing quarterbacks had to look across the field at men like Ray Lewis, Terrell Suggs, Haloti Ngata, Jarrett Johnson and so on. If seeing those men did not put fear in you nothing would. They were fierce! Just ask Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. They were so fierce that Big Ben’s nose had its own Twitter (@BigBensNose) account for a while due to a hit taken from Ngata that turned his nose sideways on his face in 2010. The offense never had to score a lot of points because when your defense is only allowing opposing teams 14-17 points a game, you do not need a dominant offense. The only thing the offense had to do was not screw up.

The 2012 Ravens defense has not been that Ravens defense. I'm not the only one seeing this. - http://tinyurl.com/9lf333v

After the win over the Cowboys two weeks ago, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said of his offense that "there have been many, many times our defense carried a heavy, heavy burden over the years. For our offense....and our special teams to carry some of that burden is a great thing."

"I’m quite sure," he went on to say, "(the defense) is going to be doing the same through the course of the season. I have a lot of confidence in those guys. We are going to play really good defense.”

Really?

The Ravens are giving up an uncharacteristically high amount of rushing yards. In seven games this season they have allowed an average of 23 points per game (PPG). From 2008 to 2011, they were third in the league each year in points allowed with an average of 16.25 PPG. Even if you take away the Houston Texans butt-whipping, they still gave up nearly 20 PPG (19.7) in the previous six games to teams with a combined record of 15-24. That's 161 points allowed by a defense that had only allowed 266 all of last season.

Another example of this is that they have already allowed 1,000 yards rushing against them, an astonishing 142.6 yards per game (YPG). In the last three games alone, they have given up 622 yards rushing. That's 207 YPG, including a franchise-record 227 yards to a Dallas Cowboys team led by Demarco Murray. Not Don Perkins, not Tony Dorsett, not Emmitt Smith...Demarco Murray. Don't blame the injuries there either, because they gave 214 rushing yards to the mighty Kansas City Chiefs. As a contrast, last season the Ravens only surrendered 92.6 YPG.

The passing defense is just as bad this season. They have already given up 1888 yards through the air, which is 269.7 YPG passing. Last season they allowed only 193.6 YPG to opposing passers. Those numbers were also put up with their best corner, Lardarius Webb, in the lineup. How much will the Ravens miss Webb? He was their best cornerback in the last season and a half, stealing nine passes (incl. playoffs), tied for most in the NFL.

The Ravens were given a boost last Sunday with the return of Terrell Suggs, and he played surprisingly well, but it was not enough to stop the Texans, to whom this defense allowed to score a franchise-record 43 points.

All offseason the Ravens talked about the new high-powered, no-huddle offense that they were working on, led by their "elite" quarterback Joe Flacco. Both looked good in the first game against the Bengals, but have been a wildly inconsistent and enigmatic since. Being the NFL's most penalized team hasn't helped any. - http://tinyurl.com/8ep94g9

Last Sunday, Flacco had an ESPN QBR of 0.2, the lowest for any QB in that rating system since 2008. Against Dallas, he had just an NFL QBR of 76.3. His two best games were a decisive win against the Cincinnati Bengals where he had a QBR of 95.1, and a one-point win against the New England Patriots when he had a rating of 93.2. He has thrown for 9 TD passes and 6 interceptions, with a completion percentage of 59.5% and an overall ESPN QBR of 53.9 (100 is best) and an 84.0 in the NFL QBR system (153.8 is perfect...both of which are nebulous systems, by the way). Hardly, what I would call an "elite" quarterback. But, what I have seen with this new "high-powered" offense is that they have taken their true star out of the game.

The star I am talking about is Ray Rice. I know that Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has good intentions and wants Flacco to look as good as they say he is, but why take out your main offensive weapon in process? Since the start of 2011, when Ray Rice gets 20 or more touches (carries and receptions) in a game the Ravens are 14-0, when he gets fewer than 20 touches, they're only 4-6. So, why not utilize that weapon? Oh, that’s right, it doesn’t look as pretty when Rice is grinding for all those yards and controlling the clock and giving your defense a break. All those long balls look prettier. And chicks dig the long ball, right?

Point blank, while the Ravens certainly should avoid targeting their star player too heavily, sage advice for any team as it's akin to putting too many eggs in one basket, there's no denying Rice's value to that offense.

Yes, I know they are sitting at 5-2 going into the bye. Trust me, their fans are all-too gung ho to remind us of this on a regular basis. And I'm well aware that the Steelers have their own injury and defense-related issues sitting at 3-3. But, what a lot of those fans are not realizing is that the reality of this is a potential downhill spiral that could get much worse.

From the free agent releases and player-losses in the offseason, to the injuries to the team this year, to the inconsistent offense, to the upcoming five Pro Bowl QBs, one QB who was a Rookie of the Year runner-up and one Rookie of the Year QB in-waiting, the "ball so hard" crew could fall so hard if they don't do something soon.

Skip Bayless Wrong In Vilifying Ryan Clark For Ravens Comments; Steelers Make Special Change

"Genius doesn't work on an assembly line basis. You can't simply say, 'Today I will be brilliant.'"

Few sports broadcasters today exemplify that quote more than ESPN personality Skip Bayless. His comments on Thursday's episode of First Take regarding Ryan Clark's interview on the NFL Network this week prove that statement yet again. 

Clark, the starting free safety of the Pittsburgh Steelers, answered questions regarding the rival Baltimore Ravens. As expected, Clark spoke on the games themselves and how last year's games affected him.

"I will say this about the Ravens: Playing that first game last year and watching them dance on the field, seeing them fake an extra point while up 27 [points] already, it allowed me to understand how much they actually dislike us as an organization," Clark said. 

He admitted that seeing them do that left an impression: "It brewed and stirred up a little hate in me, also for me to understand how I have to approach playing them and how I have to look at them."

Clark rightly felt incensed at such a junior varsity move. There was a bit of poetic justice, though, as the Ravens promptly went out the next week and were beaten by the Tennessee Titans, 26-13. They had obviously put too much emphasis on beating the Steelers. Not once, but twice. 

After the week eight 23-20 win over the Steelers, the Ravens players gave their head coach, John Harbaugh, a Gatorade bath. Well, they blew their wad again and Joe Flaccid and co. went limp into the Seattle Seahawks game and lost 22-17. Clark referenced that also, noting a difference with the Steelers' team and organization.

"I still feel like, this organization, we worry about winning championships. We don't focus on beating one team," Clark pointed out. "It won't be Gatorade baths because we beat the Ravens. It won't be parties, it won't be bottles popping and confetti. It will be one game on our journey to win the Super Bowl and I always look at that."

The reason this is being written, though, is because of the usual crack analysis by ESPN's Skip Bayless. And by crack I mean he must be smoking it, because he took issue with what Clark initially had said during that interview. Clark was asked about his personal feelings of the Ravens and responded positively. 

"I get that question a lot and I don't really hate them," Clark told them. "I was working out with Terrell Suggs this summer before his injury and he's a really cool dude. He said it himself that people don't understand that we only hate you two or three weeks out of the year." 

Skip Bayless took exception with this.

Speaking to guest analyst former NFL player Marcellus Wiley, @marcelluswiley on Twitter, Bayless asked, "You bridged the gap between the old NFL and new NFL, what happened to the old NFL that I grew up loving? What happened to the man's game? What happened to blood and guts, and Steelers hating Ravens, hating Steelers, and Cowboys hating Redskins, Redskins hating Cowboys?" 

"This just turns my stomach to see a Raven and Steeler, both of them decent guys, but suddenly it's all peace and love because they worked out in Arizona in the offseason....If you're a Steeler, you don't associate with the Ravens because it can creep into your psyche that you kind of like the Ravens." 

Huh? "Like the Ravens?" We're talking on the field here. "Like?" Like them? Sorry, not on the field. After Stephen A. Smith told him that he was ridiculous, Bayless got a very poignant response from Wiley when he spoke about rivals. 

"Do you know that the best underlying emotion, when you're talking about competition, is love, not hate? Think about sibling rivalry: when you go against your brother, you want to go after your brother much harder than you want to go against a guy who was drafted to another team," said Wiley.

Wiley is not only right, but this is by no means anything new. Players, even of rival teams, often actually befriend one another. They text, call, hang out, golf and apparently work out together in the offseason and have for years. 

As Wiley referenced, Magic Johnson and Isaiah Thomas were very close all during their playing career, even famously giving each other a quick peck on the cheek at the tip-off of games. They also gave us some historic performances against each other and even almost got into fights and had to be separated a couple of times.

Bayless, though, didn't respond to a basketball example. So, I'll provide a reminder that Reggie White used to gather players from both teams to pray after the game. After the battle, they left it on the field. 

Another example is a little closer to home. After Ben Roethlisberger faced and was eventually absolved of sexual assault allegations, it was Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis who reached out to the maligned quarterback. Big Ben has even been quoted as saying that they text and or call each other regularly in the offseason. 

More impressive than reaching out to Big Ben was what he did before the 2010 Ravens-Steelers game at M&T Bank Stadium. Lewis took stadium security with him before the game and had all 'Ben is a rapist' type signs taken down and removed. A class act move and something that should be respected. 

So, what's Bayless' problem? Where was the vitriol regarding Lewis and Big Ben? This is a career for the players, this is their job. They know how keep it in perspective after the game is done, how, again, to leave it on the field. Wiley pointed that fact out also. 

"The fans are the ones who are supporting this mythology that we hate everyone on the other team."

Ryan Clark is boisterous, but he isn't belligerent. He expresses his opinion, but he isn't contemptible. He interacts with Steelers fans on Twitter and is always personable. Skip Bayless, despite having various valid points when you listen to the entire podcast on ESPN, was wrong overall in his assessment of Clark's sentiments and of the NFL.

I understand that Bayless is paid to cause controversy, to create headlines and to stir contentions among fans. The latter simply won't happen with this fan. Ryan Clark's respect for his enemy, per se, is commendable and he doesn't have to hate the Raven's players or team. 

Besides, I hate them enough for both of us.

~

Before a completely asinine Mike Wallace-to-Colts trade rumor on Thursday, some real news was released. Al Everest, the now former Steelers special teams coach was fired. 

The first alerts that came down to me were by Mark Kaboly and Jay Glazer. Kaboly tweeted that "Steelers special teams coach Al Everest just walked out the team facility with a handful of his belongings."

Jay Glazer tweeted this from his account "@JayGlazer: Steelers have parted ways with special teams coach Al Everest."

Shocking news. You don't see this type of thing happen two weeks before the start of the regular season. Like Kaboly said shortly after it happened, it's "hard to believe that Steelers ST coach Al Everest was fired for the play on the field. Had to be philosophical differences."

Amos Jones, who was the assistant special teams coach, along with Jerry Oslavsky and Ray Jackson, and reportedly in charge of a lot of what the special teams did anyway, has been promoted to fill the position. He is the third special teams coach under Mike Tomlin - Bob Ligashesky and then Everest.

Mike Tomlin had been disappointed with special teams efforts against the Colts. He said, "I didn't like our return game. [The play] was below the line." The Steelers special teams hadn't had a great preseason to the point of Everest's firing, but it was horrible either.

Tomlin released a brief statement, as can be found on the Steelers website, regarding the move: "We are continually evaluating our coaching staff and support staff, and we have decided to go in a different direction with respect to the coaching of our special teams. I want to thank Al for his contributions and efforts, and I wish him well in the future."

Everest had been an NFL special teams coach for 16 seasons and was starting his third season running the Steelers’ squad, and has since admitted his firing was a "shock" and said there were "professional differences." - http://t.co/zJ32YuFF 

Wishes and Hopes of a Ravens Fan

Ok, a friend of mine wrote the blog below. Since I love his spunk and he is a friend of mine and I will not trash him per se, but I will his article.


http://mrballsohard.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-pittsburgh-steelers-qb-ben_2.html#!/2012/08/the-pittsburgh-steelers-qb-ben_2.html


The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger got hurt in week 9 when he played my Baltimore Ravens. He told the media that he tore his rotator cuff. And people are telling me it’s not a big deal because it heals by itself. If the injury happened in Nov of 2011, and it’s still not 100% that’s a sign to me that it serious.
I am so thrilled to hear this news. I know that Big Ben might be young but he has taken a lot of hits during his career. So if he plays this year and plays like shit, I think the Steelers fans will want Big Ben head. I say that because I told those stupid fans that the Steelers will go 6-10 this year.



This is what I like to call wishful thinking. I know that most Ravens fans love the fact that Big Ben had a slight tear to his rotator cuff. That is every Ravens fan's dream: Ben being hurt and possibly not being able to play. But, that is simply not the case. Here is an article from today where Big Ben spoke to the media about this injury. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/48466532


Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Wednesday that he has a partially torn rotator cuff -- an injury from a Nov. 6 game against Baltimore.

"It just got extended the wrong way, and it was never an issue," he said. "I've dealt with a lot of pain, and it wasn't going to take me out."

Roethlisberger told reporters that it's a minor injury which hasn't limited him in training camp practices, and he's following a doctor's advice not to throw too much during walk-throughs and other situations where he can avoid it.

"You didn't see any drop-off in my play last year throwing the ball and you haven't seen it yet, and none of you guys would have known it if we wouldn't have talked about it today," he said. "I really thought it was kind of a non-issue since it happened so long ago, and it really is. I'm letting you know now: It's a serious non-issue because I'm just fine." When Coach Mike Tomlin was asked if the injury causes the team any concern, he answered, "None."


So, there you have it Mr. Balls So Hard. There is nothing to this to be excited about. Making mountains out of molehills is what I say.


Now that Big Ben has injured his rotator cuff, he needs that to throw it deep. I see their D will struggle as well as their Offense because there players are too OLD to play in the NFL. They do have young players but they have no experience playing in the NFL. With a not a good Defense and a poor Offense, the Steelers will have the worst season that they had with the Rooney Family.

If you are a diehard raven fan like me, you are thrilled that this could happen to your least favorite team in the NFL. They were the ones that laughed at our faces when Suggs got hurt in May. At least we can tell them that our key player got hurt ways before training camp, and it will heal up and be ready by week 1.


The fact that he thinks Terrell Suggs is going to be back by Week 1 is also laughable. Suggs himself has even stated that it will be sometime in November. I do not know of any diehard Steelers fan that has showed anything but respect for Suggs and his injury. We respect Suggs and we want him on the field because we want no excuses.

The claim that our team is old is also laughable. Our receiving tandem may be missing Wallace, but, trust me, he will be in a Steelers uniform by November 18th at the latest and, outside of Cotchery, they are all under the age of 26.

So, how are they old again? Our defense, that he says will struggle, was the top ranked unit in the NFL last season. So, how are they going to struggle again you say? Steelers fans have been hearing for the past two years. Our D is old, they are slow, they are done... Stop acting like Warren Sapp at the buffet and gobbling this stuff up. We proved the doubters wrong last season and we will again this season.

So, I will say this: I appreciate the spunk, kid, but you are so off base it's not funny and I will just end this with a little song. Keep Wishing and Hoping.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ-MVAzdUK4

Much Ado About Nothing, So Subscribe To Steel Curtain Radio

There has been a lot of news that has come down the pike this week regarding the Steelers that directly or indirectly involves them. Some of it seemed relevant, and some of it didn't. But given the time of year, it's much ado about nothing. 

Word came down a few days ago that Mike Wallace won't sign his tender until he absolutely has to do so. 

Um...ok. Who's that hurting?

The Steelers hired Todd Haley as the new offensive coordinator and he brought with him an entirely new offense. It would be in Wallace's best interests to show up, learn Haley's offense, and let his agent and the mighty Omar Khan work out the details of a long-term deal. Didn't Wallace learn anything from Hines Ward? 

But Wallace will take his sweet time signing a one-year tender offer that will pay him $2.74 million in 2012.  

This is especially idiotic when his own quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, was asked what had changed with Haley's offense. “Everything," he said during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Podcast. "The similarities would be on a shorter list. Off the top of my head, from what I've seen so far, there's a 90 percent change.” 

Again, who's that hurting? Moving on. 

We also found out that Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Phil Taylor underwent surgery to repair a torn chest muscle he injured while lifting weights. An injury which I myself endured once. A slight tear, 5%-10%, but a tear nonetheless. 

Taylor tore his left pectoralis major while bench pressing during the offseason conditioning program last week at the team's facility. The Browns said the surgery ''went well'' and the 335-pound Taylor is recovering now.

The team did not provide a timetable for Taylor's return, but Browns coach Pat Shurmur said Taylor would need ''months, not weeks'' to recover. He would not, though, rule him out for this season.

These injuries typically take six months-to-a-year to heal. I had my right arm hanging and couldn't work without pain for approximately six months. Browns linebacker D'Qwell Jackson missed most of two whole seasons with torn pecs. So this is definitely something to watch. 

Hard on the heels of the news of the Terrell Suggs torn Achilles injury we get news that Ed Reed has acknowledged contemplating retirement. 

Let me just say this first: No Suggs + no Reed = no Ratbirds defense. Period. End of sentence. They are two of their three best defensive players, including Haloti Ngata, and arguably two of their three best players period. 

Hours after getting that news, though, Reed was quoted as saying that he planned to continue to play football. "It's not about retirement, it's about my focus in the offseason, health, family and football," said Reed, who has had trouble with neck, hip, and shoulder injuries in recent years. "This is the time of year where players think through things. My goal is to play football in the years to come."

Reed, 33, went on to say where his focus is now. "A totally different focus now, trying to take care of my son, spend time with my son and my family," Reed said during the radio interview. "Other things have taken priority."

Reed can't be faulted for wanting to take of his family, but there's doubt that the Ravens organization would do everything but literally kiss his toes to keep in uniform. Their secondary suffers dramatically without him. His skillful play covered a multitude of sins the last two years, even while missing the first six games of '10, in that secondary. It's a secondary that certainly got better as the season progressed last year, but that would still suffer if he were to retire. So "will he or won't he?" is what Ravens and Steelers fans will be curious to find out.

Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported early on Friday that "Mike Adams and David DeCastro are NOT permitted to take part in any of the 10 OTAs. They will take part in mandatory minicamp June 12-14." 

The OTAs (Organized Team Activities) aren't so much a need for entrenched veterans, but essential for rookies who are looking to get acclimated to the pro game. So, though it's early, we'll see if this has any early effects. 

To close this out is like to encourage people to listen and subscribe to Lance Williams of Steel Curtain Radio. It's one of the best Steelers podcasts around and Big Swa always brings the real. You'll even get an earful of the Beastie Boys in the latest podcast. 

As someone who has been interviewed by him as well as someone who spends his own time and resources to bring as much Steelers information, history and overall content as possible, I completely endorse subscribing to his podcast. You can also follow him on Twiiter at @SteelRadio and the Steel Curtain Radio group on Facebook. A link to his website steelcurtainradio.com is on the front page of our Blog. So, as Lance always says, "listen, tell a friend and subscribe." 'Nuff said.

Terrell Suggs - Fall So Hard: Torn Achilles May Sideline Him For Season

Vinny Cerrato, via the Twitter account @1057TheFan, reported Thursday, May 2nd, that the Baltimore Ravens best linebacker and arguably best defensive player, Terrell Suggs, had torn his achilles, and was likely out for the 2012 season.

I couldn't be happier...or more upset.

Suggs being out for season for is a massive blow to the Ravens. - http://t.co/YKxzVPpc

As David Todd of thehammerspeaks.com says, "Suggs is more important to the Ravens defense than any single player to the Steelers defense. Troy, Silverback, Ike... Huge loss. Rookie Upshaw steps right in."

He's right. That one player will greatly affect the way the Ravens line up, the way they scheme and how much they blitz. Last year they were ninth in the league in blitzing, doing so over 36%. I expect that to increase. - http://t.co/GkqUUqAE

Last year Suggs had 70 tackles, 14 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and 2 interceptions, gaining him the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. So like I said, I couldn't be happier.

Suggs is expected to undergo surgery on his torn achilles next week. In this blogger's opinion, he is likely out for the 2012 season.

I have a torn achilles and know first-hand the pain and extensive rehabilitation involved. Terrell Suggs tore his achilles in a conditioning test Thursday, but expects to be back by October. - http://t.co/Zd7Q1rIR

Wishful thinking. Suggs turns 30 years old also in October. Even if he is able to return then, It's safe to wonder if he'll ever be able to produce at the same level again.

As I said earlier, I have an achilles tear. I've done my research on recovery and rehabilitation. The average timeframe for an everyday person, depending on severity, is nine to 15 months. Allowing for another three to nine months before you're playing a pick-up game with your buddies again.

On the other hand, the average return time for an NFL player from a torn achilles tendon, with the best surgeons, therapists and facilities available, is around 11 months according to a 2006 study.

October? In order to face the Steelers the next month? In other words, five months? Um...no. Again, wishful thinking. The absolute last person to listen to regarding a prognosis on an injury is the injured player. Realistically, Suggs simply won't see the field this year. Even if he were to make, he'd be largely ineffective.

I suppose the Ravens could take full advantage of the PUP list, as I've explained in a previous blog regarding Rashard Mendenhall, and make a decision on playing him or putting him on injured reserve at that point. Even then it's a stretch.

That, though, touches on why I couldn't be more upset. Playing the Ravens without Suggs is like the Ravens playing the Steelers without Ben Roethlisberger. He's that important. Were he to be able, though, to rehab and make it back by the November 18th Sunday night game, we'd know we wouldn't be facing the Suggs we all love to hate.

As alluded to before, the Ravens defense will not be the same without Suggs. Not at all. He isn't the massive presence that is Haloti Ngata, nor is he the emotional leader that is Ray Lewis. But the Ravens defense doesn't completely scare without Suggs.

As The Ravens Insider surmised, "What can the Ravens do without Suggs? Could go with Paul Kruger at rush LB and start rookie Courtney Upshaw at SAM or vice versa." (The strongside linebacker {SLB} is often nicknamed "SAM" for purposes of calling a blitz.)

That might be the lone bright spot for Baltimore in this: Courtney Upshaw, the Ravens 1st-round pick, played Terrell Suggs' spot on defense at Alabama.

It still won't be the same. Not without Mush Mouth.

They certainly can't depend upon Ray Ray who lost a step two years ago and compounded that by losing another step last year. Arriving to the point of attack late and simply piling on top of the actual tacklers hardly says "lean on me."

The Ravens have tossed around the idea of going after Osi Umenyiora a few occasions in the past. Even as recently as last year. Suggs' injury may cause them to look his way again. They could certainly use the help.

Whatever they do as a team is going to be of real interest because of the loss Suggs represents. I personally would love to see him argue with Skip Bayless again, or to see his face like this once again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCfYxY_pLiE&feature=youtube_gdata_player 

I'm afraid it just won't happen this year.

Scrutiny On The Bounty: The NFL, Saints and Inconsistency

It was September 29, 2008 against the rival Baltimore Ravens. Rashard Mendenhall takes the ball and gets hit by linebacker Ray Lewis squarely in his shoulder, fracturing it and putting him out for the season.

Before the next game between the two teams, during the "2 Live Stews" syndicated radio show on Oct. 17, Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs said that they had put a bounty on Hines Ward and Mendenhall. Suggs was asked, "Did y'all put a bounty out on that young man [Mendenhall]?" Suggs replied, "Definitely. The bounty was out on him and the bounty was out on [Ward]...we just didn't get [Ward] between the whistles."

It was March 2, 2012 when it was revealed that the New Orleans Saints had bounties not on a hated rival's key player, but on every opposing player in the NFL from 2009 to 2011.

Obviously, no one in the Saints organization was aware of what Ray Anderson, the NFL's executive vice president of football operations, said on the matter shortly thereafter.

Anderson told http://ESPN.com: "That 'bounty' notion is completely against the rules. To the extent that someone is engaged in that activity, we will look into it and address it. Yes, we've seen the comments and we're trying to determine the completeness of the circumstances."

Weren't the words, "completely against the rules" definitive enough?

Before I go any further, let me be clear about the fact that this blog post won't read like a breaking news report. I'll leave the fact-finding to Mike Florio of http://profootballtalk.com and Adam Schefter of ESPN, @profootballtalk and @AdamSchefter respectively on Twitter. This post will, though, entertain thoughts on the ramifications this may have on several fronts.

To that point, it was Adam Schefter who reported that NFL security had determined that there were between 22 and 27 defensive players on the Saints maintained a bounty program. It was defensive coordinator Gregg Williams who administered the program with knowledge of other defensive coaches.

The NFL scrutiny of the Saints began in 2010 when allegations were made that the Saints targeted such quarterbacks as Brett Favre and Kurt Warner. The investigation contains 18,000 documents totaling more than 50,000 pages.

Regarding the bounty program and the monies paid on different players and for different results, the NFL-issued release stated: “The payments here are particularly troubling because they involved not just payments for ‘performance,’ but also for injuring opposing players,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in the release.

“The bounty rule promotes two key elements of NFL football: player safety and competitive integrity. It is our responsibility to protect player safety and the integrity of our game, and this type of conduct will not be tolerated.  We have made significant progress in changing the culture with respect to player safety and we are not going to relent. We have more work to do and we will do it.”

The league’s release said that the program not only included payments for fumbles and interceptions, but also $1,000 for inflicting injuries that resulted in players being carried off the field and $1,500 for players being knocked out of the game.

The release also stated that coach Sean Payton, while not involved in the program directly, knew about the bounty and did nothing to stop it. For a certainty, a mistake on his part. One for which he will have to answer in some fashion.

Discipline for the Saints could include fines, suspensions and forfeiture of draft choices, per Adam Schefter. Commissioner Goodell will determine the discipline. Schefter also said, "a safe prediction: Saints will be disciplined far worse than the Patriots were for Spygate."

If that's the case, then, while Sean Payton won't get more than the slap on the wrist Bill Belichik received, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, who was also has been implicated, should get decidedly more than was divvied out in 2005.

It was reported by Pro Football Talk that, though the relevant portion of the release was somewhat unclear, it appears that Loomis may have lied to owner Tom Benson about the existence of a bounty program and/or failed to end the program after being told by Benson to do so.

If that is to be believed, you're looking at insolence and complicity. If it isn't to be believed and Tom Benson was involved, now you also have collusion and Goodell has a potential dilemma in front of him.

Goodell already has tenuous relations with the players, so another light-handed reaction to something done by an owner and/or GM will set relations on it's ear. Especially when considering how conversely heavy-handed he has been on them at times. Goodell and the NFLPA will have to work together closely on this matter to avoid having a noticeable limp as the NFL moves forward.

As it is, the NFLPA says it will study league's report on Saints' bounties. “Health and safety is a paramount issue to the NFLPA,” the union said in a statement. The rest of the statement and Pro Football Talk's commentary on it can be read here:  http://t.co/d8pOgn2L

Kurt Warner, who was earlier mentioned specifically as a targeted player said this about it: "It's definitely disappointing, but I won’t say that I’m completely surprised...that there were teams out there doing those kinds of things behind closed doors."

“I think that’s part of the game, and I think that’s part of the mindset,” Warner said. “And I’m not going to tell you that I haven’t believed that there was probably defensive players that got together and said, ‘Hey, you know, a thousand bucks for the first guy to knock Kurt out of a football game.’ I’m sure that’s been a part of our league for a long time.” http://t.co/Fq2yTj44

This is isn't the first time Gregg Williams has done this. The Washington Post reported that the Redskins had a bounty system for big hits on opponents under Williams, who was their defensive coordinator from 2004-2007, per Adam Schefter. Williams has since apologized for this "terrible mistake": http://t.co/13xhxP3n

Pro Football Talk suggested that, If Goodell really wants to punish the Saints, he should take away their franchise tag: http://t.co/MQxH0Inp

Doing so would strike an immediate blow to the Saints who, per a league source, used the exclusive version of the franchise tag on Drew Brees. He won't be able to talk to any other teams. So, if the Saints punishment is indeed coming by March 25, as Jay Glazer has stated, there is time to halt their dealings and  http://t.co/WH7jxQpH

That's just one option, of course, and I'm not here to debate punishments to be levied anyway. I don't sit on the rules committee, nor do I rule with an iron-mixed-with-clay fist, so I'll leave judgement to the purview of those in charge.

No, what comes into light for me is that there is an ancillary issue that is of the prime benefit to Steelers fans and true NFL fans. The development of this story forces NFL fans, and people in general around the country and world, who only read the sensationalistic headlines and snippets regarding the Steelers and their players, and even certain overly vocal Browns players, to acknowledge and turn their attention to actual and admittedly dirty players and coaches.

Those same ones will also have to put down their torches and leave the James Harrison witch hunt or be exposed as significantly less-than-intelligent. Harrison said he wants the opponent to feel pain when he hits them, to hurt them (similar to things said by many players over the years, including NFL darlings and Hall of Famers Deacon Jones, Chuck Bednarik and Dick "Night Train" Lane), but not to cause injuries. Certainly not as a part of some sort of bounty either. Clearly, there's a difference.

Mark Kaboly put it well when he said: "Ironic this is that @jharrison9292 (James Harrison's Twitter handle) got fined $20K for what was deemed a dirty hit to New Orleans QB Drew Brees two years ago" during the time of the bounties.

Ironic indeed.

As a Steelers fan, I'm keenly concerned with the highly resented implications, even outright accusations of the "dirty" play of the Steelers. Especially where it concerns outside linebacker James Harrison. Even more so now that this has come to light.

The NFL and Goodell have been very inconsistent in how the NFL's games have been called and how fines have been assessed. Except when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers and one James Harrison. The inconsistent practices of the former have caused even non-Steelers fans to wonder aloud if Goodell has some axe to grind with latter. When that happens, you know there is a problem with balance...or the lack thereof.

I won't demand an apology, a la Tom Hagen in The Godfather II, knowing that there are times when Harrison has, unfortunately, laid illegal hits. That would be excessive and, to be blunt, a laughable request.

I simply have desire to see Goodell handle this properly and without the cloak and dagger feel of Spygate. Not to mention handling the Saints problem with the same ardor he has used with another Black and Gold clad team and eliminate the myth of Steelers as a "dirty" team...at least until the next time the Steelers play the Cleveland Browns.