Steelers/NFL
MONDAY BUZZ COLUMN
Did I mention that the Steelers are lucky?
They faced six backup quarterbacks in a row if you don’t count Andy Dalton’s one –series appearance in the December 13th game in Cincinnati.
They lose to a guy who had been with the Ravens for about an hour and a half and was cut by his previous team for over sleeping.
They finished the regular season in Cleveland against a third stringer and get into the playoffs only because the Buffalo Bills beat the New York Jets on the last day of the season.
Then they get Pacman Jones and Vontaze Burfict.
That may have been the biggest stroke of luck of them all.
If the Bengals are smart, and there may not be a bigger if on Earth, by the time you read this, they will already have cut both of those losers.
And that’s what they are –losers.
Burfict and Jones were a minute and a half away from having played a major role in ending the Bengals’ role as a perennial loser in the playoffs and they just couldn’t handle it.
Burfict saw a Steelers wide receiver in a defenseless position after a ball had sailed 10 feet over his head and he couldn’t help himself.
Taking the cheap shot was more important to him than winning the game.
Jones is a slightly different story. He’s a moron. That’s been well established and the Bengals deserve everything they get for having him on their team, but it was ridiculous for him to be penalized 15 yards for his part in the ridiculous skirmish that included Joey Porter.
The rule book clearly states that assistant coaches are not allowed on the field. That doesn’t give Jones the right to put his hands on Porter, but Porter should have been penalized for being there.
It should have been offsetting penalties.
It was ridiculous for the Steelers to be rewarded with a chip shot field goal because the officials lost control of the game.
Despite all of that, the Bengals deserve everything that happened to them Saturday night, including the extra 15 yards given to Jones, for having those two idiots on their roster.
There is plenty of video out there to prove that Burfict’s presence on the field is a concussion waiting to happen.
If the league is really serious about player safety, the Bengals, who know better than anybody what kind of player Burfict is, wouldn’t have him on their team.
And when they cut him, which I would have done before midnight on Saturday, nobody would pick him up.
But Burfict is a really good player and he would show up on somebody’s roster in a hurry. Maybe in time to play in another playoff game.
Ben Roethlisberger emerged from the game a hero because of his toughness and rightly so, but he didn’t play well enough to avoid going five years without a post season win.
The play that changed the game was a poorly thrown incomplete pass.
Give Roethlisberger credit for playing through the pain and giving it a shot but he had nothing to do with the spectacular comeback.
That was a gift from Pacman and Vontaze.
The Steelers were lucky to have them in Cincinnati.
STEELERS HAVE TO THINK LONG AND HARD ABOUT DRAFTING A LONG-TERM QB IN 2016
-Whatever happened to Mike Vick? Remember when the Steelers signed him in August after backup Bruce Gradkowski broke a finger?
I have no use for Vick as a human being, but I thought it was a great signing and was looking forward to seeing what he could do with all the weapons on the Steelers’ offense.
Vick was signed for exactly what happened in Cincinnati Saturday night. As insurance against having to put the game on Landry Jones.
The Steelers made it clear by signing Vick late in the preseason that they had no confidence in Jones.
Vick was supposed to be a guy who could give them a legitimate chance to win if Roethlisberger went down for an extended period or if he had to fill in for him late in a close game.
As it turned out, bringing Tommy Maddox out of retirement again would have been a better move.
We probably won’t know until later in the week what kind of shape Roethlisberger will be in for the Broncos game, but if he is capable of throwing a football the length of your back yard, he’s a better choice than either Jones or Vick and that’s a case of bad management.
Vick had sat for almost the entire preseason before he was given a job by his friend from Virginia, Mike Tomlin. He failed his friend miserably.
If he couldn’t beat out Landry Jones, he doesn’t belong in the NFL.
Roethlisberger will be almost 35 at this time next year and, after not missing a snap for two years, seems to have become injury prone.
Between now and July the Steelers need to make finding an experienced, dependable backup quarterback a major priority.
It might also be a good time to think about using a draft pick on the guy who will eventually replace Roethlisberger permanently.
Is it possible to have a sports news website without news?
the proof is in the tiops pudding
On D’s defense it’s not like the Pens played recently, Boyd declared for draft, pitt hopes played, no injury updates on brown, Ben or williams, or d had another child
Brady, Rodgers, Luck, Roethlisberger, Newton, Palmer, Brees, Wilson, Rivers, E Manning are my top 10 in order.
Luck is a ridiculous pick after the year he just had, IMO. I probably swap him and Newton, and move Brees up to 5ish.
Potential free agents I would look at…CB:Jeremy Lane, Janoris Jenkins, Prince Amukamara. S: Eric Weddle (pay cut), Tashaun Gipson, or keep Allen 1 more year and make Jalen Ramsey or Jayron Kearse the #1 pick.
As most have said, Steelers will be competing for titles the last 3-4 years of Ben’s career. Don’t waste a pick on a player who will never dress. Late round picks should be attempting to stock the OL/DL/TE positions. Top picks should be on the back 8 of the D and WR’s. Sign a guy that can go .500 if Ben misses a few games.
Why doesn’t anybody think Cincy is lucky that Ben got hurt? It was a 15-0 game and Pitt wins by double digits if Ben stays healthy….but only Pittsburgh got breaks at the end…
Is Burfict that good? The Cincy DL is VERY good and does a great job keeping him clean to make plays. I personally think they would not have any problem replacing him with a guy just as good minus the stupidity.
Aaron Donald hasn’t played a game in over a week, but he just became one of the biggest stars in the NFL. Los Angeles will make him a legend. #h2p
where does he rank in your top 5?
If I had to win a game right now, using current players but with a historical context, umm…
You don’t know 5 guys that play defense in the NFL do you? Dude, just check your Madden game guide. How about soccer. You strike me as a soccer fan. Who are your top five favs?
Pens are on a roll under the new coaching regime….
Letang and sid suckss stan
They’re so good that they got a whole point tonight!
Against Carolina!!
yeah and how did chubby Fraud did ?
And the lazy Russian with his usual penalties when game matters
Nlpples, like what you’re seeing tonight on the ice ?
Comment by OU812 ignored. Unignore this user
Jan Hejda
Pregame lineup instant buzz FAIL
Ha! Scuderi healthy scratched tonight
You know he’s literally been alternating games to with Roszival, right? I mean, literally since he’s got there. Idiot.
Sam must not have noticed when when he didn’t play against the penguins in the second of back to back games last week. It’s that kind of attention to detail that has you thinking Connor McDavid is centering Daniel Sedin.
Hawks extended Joel Q contract. 3years 18m
Bylsma extends sam’s wiener by 3 inches every time sam sees him.
Maloni needs some help – Can everyone provide their top 5 to this non-sensical question…
Thinking of it through HISTORICAL context, If you had to choose a CURRENT QB to win you a game RIGHT NOW, who would it be?
We are asking for a top 5, but if you can name 3-ish and a possible 4th with a caveat attached to them, we’ll take it.
Top 3 are the toughest but my 4th would have to be Shane Falco. Sugar Bowl aside, you have to put S. Falco in the top 5 considering his full body of work.
Where would you put “steamin'” Willie Beamin?
5-8 range. Wait no… 4-8
I think you’re being incredibly unfair to both Paul Crew and Paul Blake.
Nlpples… Here Nlpples, Nlpples.
Nlpples you’re out of your league and your mom’s calling. Other than being a Mike Mitchell fan, of course, your contribution to this site consists of picking on a retard from Montreal.
I didn’t know you were from Montreal.
Probably right…. The only reason I would consider it is because I see the Steelers getting better over the next 2-3 years which puts them at the back end of the draft where top QB rarely make it to. This year is an anomaly where you might have a guy like Wentz drop way down in to Pittsburgh’s range. He needs grooming and can get that over 2 years much like Aaron Rodgers under Farve. Again it’s just a thought…. D-back is obviously the big need.
This is how you reply to another comment.
Entirely too much risk involved for a team that is in a position to win now and has holes to fill.
I think you can find value at the qb position in middle rounds. I’m with jay in that we need to fill holes, but I also wouldn’t mind taking a flyer on someone in the 4th round to see how they mature over the next year or two. Landry Jones isn’t the answer so why not give someone else a shot? I certainly wouldn’t make a qb a priority though, as I feel Ben has at least 3 good years left in him and this team has the playmakers to win now. And FFS, draft a corner.
Because you’re wasting a pick on more middling junk. You’re better of signing Matt Cassel.
There are currently 8 starters that were drafted 100 or below. I’m not saying do it, but the option should at least be entertained. And yeah, Matt Cassel certainly looks like a viable option. THATS who I want when Ben retires.
That’s all well and good – how many of them were drafted after college basically did away with pro sets and went to spread offenses, no longer developing a legit NFL quarterback?
Landry Jones 4th rounder
Obviously Defensive back is the biggest need in the draft. No question. That said, if the Steelers can address the CB position via free agency and Sa’u Cravens falls to the second round. I might consider Carson Wentz as a top pick. Draft him, let him sit behind and learn from Ben for a year or more likely 2.
I think a decision like that is 2 / 3 years away. It’s too early to do something like that now.
http://youtu.be/aTmJQVmh-Xk
Burfict suspended 3 games
Won’t believe it until it’s on instant buzz and post dated
So I was off by one game… and it’s now confirmed that the NFL views Martavis Bryant smoking weed as a bigger problem than Vontaze Burfict trying and, in multiple instances, succeeding in seriously injuring players on the field. Judging by how this has played out in the past, you have to wonder how many of those games he’ll even have to serve by the time the season starts. You know the Players Association will be there lobbying against this infringement on his God-given right to concuss and twist the ankles of other players.
Jan Hejda
Please tell me that the report I just read was wrong and Tomlin didn’t give Porter a game ball after the win.
Oh? He did? I love it.
whats up with all the negativity and thumbs downs here
That’s what nlpples does professionally. He roams sports blogs giving posters “Thumbs Down”. It’s quite lucrative.
Yea, i accounted for all 4 “thumbs down.” Not that they matter at all, but i actually made it -5 since youre worried about it.
Now at a -6. ALL ME!
I’m sure it’s his full time job after being fired from KFC
I’ll give you this DePaoli, you’re the first to accurately point out that Big Sack wasn’t playing a spectacular game before he got himself hurt, doing among all things, holding onto the ball too long. Too many fans boys among the media types creaming themselves like high school girls because Big Overrated returned to the game after being “hurt”. People need to stop confusing how bad the Steelers other QB options are with Ben being “elite”.
Big Ben was awful last game, and really the 2 before. Most people will say the same thing, but the story that sells is, Landry sucked so much dlck that a wounded Ben still did better and gave his team more chance to win. Of all the people that had a hand in winning that game, almost all of the Steelers would be at the bottom of that list. But crazy things happen in the playoffs and hopefully they can earn their next victory, and hopefully 2 more after that. Either way, you’ll still probably bltch about something, because, well…… Read more »
Yep – Ben has had three sub-par games in a row. And Ben is elite. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.
Sorry. Roeth is a great QB, maybe best professional football player playing the position of QB, but he’s not an elite QB.
He’s easily top 5 in the league. Which means top 5 in the world. That’s good enough to be “elite” in my book.
Your book has pictures and no words. Btw, he’s 5-8 not top 5
Id love to hear this list…
5-8 in any order would be Rivers, E Manning and Ben.
Thats 3. 5-8 would be 4 spots. Youre bitchy and not bright. Terrible combination.
That hurts coming from you.
So would I. Asinine.
Stanch, give me your top 5.
You said he’s 5-8 – give me your top 5.
If I needed to win one game … Brady, Brees and Rodgers are top three. This year aside, you have to put P. Manning in top five for his full body of work over his career (hope he proves me wrong Sunday).
3-2-1…here comes Nlpples…
You have to put Manning in there? You’re out of your mind. Brees doesn’t even belong in there at this point. Brady and Rodgers are no brainers. Brees might round out the top 5 for me, but even that is a stretch. Manning is nowhere near the top 5 as we sit today. Hell, I thought you were going to be bold and put Cam Newton in there. I might. He’s sure as shit higher on the list than Peyton Manning.
Jesus Christ you really couldn’t put together at least 5 worthy QBs? I mean, arguments can be made for Brees, Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, and Andrew Luck. But the fact that you can only name 4 while throwing in a caveat for Manning shows you just talk out of your a$s and shows you either can’t comprehend what you are watching, or just are not watching. #bitchy&dumb
If we’re throwing in “body of work,” i have to re-assess – because I left out Favre, Montana and Marino. But I assumed we were talking about the 5 best QBs….you know….now.
This year aside, you have to put D. Marino in top five for his full body of work over his career.
Stanch, that’s fair. When I hear people say Ben is elite, and I take issue, I think about it in historical context. He’s not elite when you think of all-time QB’s. One could argue, and I’d agree, that he is considered elite when compared to the QB’s playing today. 32 teams, and if Ben is somewhere between 4-8 you could argue he’s elite.
You’re embarrassing yourself and I think you may lack the intelligence to realize it. First Ben is not elite, but he is if you put it this way…. then he climbed up your list between 4-8, not 5-8, this after failing to come up with 4 decent names in your top 5…. then you claim you are looking at your list in historical context, but only name current players, and offer up the historical caveat for JUST Manning initially. EVEN THEN, you rank Drew Brees over Peyton Manning? Admit defeat, all of your arguments are as incompetent as you. Or… Read more »
Nlpples, settle down. You’re clearly all worked up over Obama’s state of the union redress tonight. I know it’s a big night for your kind. How many gay, black, Democrat non-sports fans are coming to your mom’s house for the pre-speech reception? First, I only listed 4 QB’s to elicit a response from you (see my “3-2-1 here comes Nlpples” post within seconds). Second, I’m acknowledging that I didnt articulate my argument well. For years I have disagreed with fan boys like yourself who have claimed and continue to claim Ben is “elite” because I was considering that characterization in… Read more »
The fact that Peyton is still on your list is a little ridiculous – what does he have this year? Something like 9 TDs and 17 picks?
Stanch, I admitted in my first post that got Nlpples panties in a bind that Manning’s having a terrible year but I can’t ignore the entire body of work over his career. The dude has been a primiere QB throughout his career, a zillion pro bowls and a Super Bowl winning MVP. Clearly more cerebral than Big Sack. Guess that we’ll see what he’s got left Sunday.
btw- be careful Ben’s TD-INT ratio isnt awesome either.
We can flesh this out a little if you want:
Career TD – INT Ratio:
Peyton Manning – 2.14:1
Ben Roethlisberger – 1.85:1
John Elway – 1.32:1
Brett Favre – 1.51:1
Dan Marino – 1.67:1
I think Ben will be okay.
With you wiping his ass he will.
You should make up some more stuff. It’s going really well so far.
“Yeah – but you know the other thing? Ben’s lack of size and mobility really hurts his chances….” -Maloni
If we’re going to look at his ENTIRE body of work, he’s been a career choke artist when the games actually matter – does that not factor in? The lack of moxy has to count for something.
Youre right, im a little jumpy, but its the first ever State of the Union Redress so im not sure what to expect.
Also, please explain to me what the differentiating factor is that makes John Elway elite and Big Ben not. Is it Elways sub 80 QB rating? 56% completion percentage?
Giant horse teeth.
Since you got nothing, I’ll help you. Big Ben and Elway are highly regarded for one reason: they’re winners. They could play like shlt all game long, but in crunch time, when their teams need a score to win, they are/were consistently unstoppable. The comebacks and will to win created Elway’s legend, and it is doing so for Roethlistberger now. The extra gear he has found the past few seasons will only help cement his elite status even more.
You’re referring to Big Rape in the past tense right douche?
Debate is not your strong point.
Ok – fair comment. And one I’d probably agree with. I’m not putting him in historical elite-ness. I bet he makes the hall of fame, but he’s never going to be Dan Marino Joe Montana or Tom Brady.
No idea if he makes the HOF, I dont think he should based on his career to date. Time will tell.
He has two rings, and been to three super bowls. He’s getting in.
hahah…whata f^%$wad…pull the fish hook out of yur mouth Gay, Black, Democract
Nipples, I can’t argue with that. I’m bitchy.
Why is nlpples sensored but Bitchy isn’t? WTF is wrong with this site.
If you were actually “looking forward” to seeing Vick play for the Steelers, why wouldn’t you write about that? All we got was a terrible Benz article on Vicks past and Dale’s somewhat in-depth piece on what Vick thinks he can (but can’t) accomplish on the field. With all the negatives and impeccable hindsight you deliver, it would be a nice change of pace that some people would appreciate. Could also bring on a more educated following.
he did. 8/31/15 (I’ve got time on my hands). “Steigerwald: Mike Vick says he learned his lesson and not the lesson everyone is thinking about.” he goes on to says something along the lines of ‘I believe the steelers could win 10 games with vick as their starting qb…’
Wow. What a ridiculous statement by John now. At the time it may have been debatable. But good god, not now haha.
Either way,
My callout was really on DePaoli. He’s reactionary and doesn’t stick his neck out with opinions. If you want your opinion respected, stick your neck out and claim things before they happen. I don’t need to read that the Penguins haven’t been very good or that the Steelers are lucky. I watched the same game as you did bub. And can see the same thing. In short, tell me something before I already know. That’s all.
haha. i didn’t even realize this was a d article. i thought this was a steigy. two articles by monday after a win? never thought i’d see the day…
I’m instantly buzzed as to how two guys can get “personal four” penalties
I wouldn’t waste a draft pick on a “long-term QB.” Use those draft picks up on players that will support the team that currently has a franchise QB. When they suck after Ben or when Ben starts deteriorating, and have a lower draft pick as a result, then start looking. It’s bad enough they wasted a pick on Landry Jones.
Couldn’t agree more. To truly have the best chance of drafting a long term franchise replacement you need to pick at or near the top of the draft, using 2nd or 3rd round picks now in the hopes of finding a diamond in the rough only hurts their chances of fielding the best team possible now while they have a proven franchise QB. Do everything possible to win now and worry about the replacement when it comes time to replace Ben.
Unless an obvious one falls in your lap like Rodgers did with Green Bay. The key to long-term success is the QB. Everyone knows that. At the same time, the QBs coming out of college now are generally crap because everyone is running a garbage non-pro style system. So the diamonds in the rough are generally non-existent.
Positional coaches are on the field almost every time there is a stoppage, regardless of situation. Look at the still shot floating around twitter of the 9 positional coaches on the field for the Bengals during during a injury time out. Luck is only part of the game, they still needed to move the ball to get into that situation to get “lucky”.
You’ve posted this several times now and I’m not sure what it is supposed to prove other than “don’t dare say anything bad about the Steelers”. Yes coaches from both teams were on the field but that doesn’t make it any less wrong for either team or any less correct that there should have been offsetting penalties because of it.
Also, it really wouldn’t be a big deal if it was the first time there as been an issue with Porter being on the field inappropiately. It’s becoming a trend with him that should be concerning.
Im tired of hearing excuses from media outlets and journalists using this as an excuse. It happens every game, by every team. Not sure how that can be misconstrued as me saying dont dare say anything bad about the steelers, but cool go with it.
What excuse? How could it even be an excuse when the Steelers won? As usual you’re tired and upset because someone said something negative about your beloved Steelers and it’s very transparent.
Betting the Bengals will let Pacman Jones walk away in free agency and consider that message enough. Burfict will get a game or two suspension and the league will consider that message enough. All of which is to say the next time the Steelers face Burfict, they will need to get him off the field. Chop him – do whatever it takes, but get him off the field. It’s not a matter of retribution, but protecting your players, because this guy is another injury to one of the Steeler star players (Bell, Roethlisberger, Brown) just waiting to happen. Ample evidence… Read more »
Game was anything but luck. Bengals would have players the quality of Burfict (5-6 million cap hit undrafted free agent) or jones (2 million cap hit) if they didn’t also come with 2 cent heads. We have a salary cap. Bengals circumvented it by taking on talented head cases.