Pouncey Gets Some Heat After Playoff Loss

A player who isn't playing in a game usually doesn't get any blame or make any news. Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey manged to pull it off though. Pouncey didn't play in the Steelers' wild card playoff loss to the Denver Broncos Sunday, but managed to come under scrutiny for his remarks on Twitter.

Some fans took umbrage with Pouncey for promoting a rap song after the loss. Pouncey fired back with some unsavory tweets.

@stevegiglio season is over time 2 move on and get better!! What do u do for a living besides bothering me right now and reading my TL #lame



@scottalanlong dude u have 6 followers no one cares what u have to say!! Can u not see that!!


@stevegiglio I will idiot!! You enjoy your lame life!!


@Rick_D00Va why would I be mad I’m rich play for the steelers and have a awesome life!! Are u mad loser  

Of course there was an apology issued after that bit of madness.

@MaurkicePouncey



I like to take the time to apologize for my action. its just hard to end like that an i couldn’t help my team fight. 

Pouncey should've thought about what he was doing before engaging in a war of words. His team lost so he shouldnt've been trying to promote records in the aftermath. Bad choice. You have the offseason for that.
Secondly, your dealing with Steeler fans. No disrespect to them, but you're going to lose that argument every time out. Their diehard, hardcore fans who have a deep love for the Steelers, so they felt that he was putting himself above the team.

Sapp Calls Steelers Old And Slow

If you want to awake a sleeping giant this is the way you do it. After receiving a thorough thrashing by the Baltimore Ravens in week one, Warren Sapp went on Showtime's "Inside The NFL" and trashed the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Now everyone is entitled to a bad day and the Steelers just happened to have one in the first week of the season. Don't tell Sapp that, because he has a different take on the Steelers.

"The Pittsburgh Steelers. I have three things: old, slow and it’s over," Sapp says. "It’s just that simple. James Harrison told us that he was 70-to-75 percent. It looked more like 40 percent to me if you are looking at the ballgame I was looking at. And Hines Ward, Mercedes Sapp can cover Hines Ward right now. You have to be kidding me ... Mercedes is my 13-year-old daughter. She will cover Hines Ward in a heartbeat.

"And Troy Polamalu, Ed Dixon runs this crossing route. Troy Polamalu is trying to grab him to have a pass interference and he can’t even get close enough to grab him. [It] looked like he was dragging a wagon behind him. Touchdown Baltimore. Pittsburgh Steelers done."




Wow. Old, slow, and done. It's a bit early to write off the Steelers isn't it? They are the defending AFC champions and if they're old, slow, and done, the Ravens aren't too far behind them. I'd just say they came into the season limping a bit and the Ravens took advantage of it. They also played with a lot of emotion and a chip on their shoulder. The Steelers will be motivated by that loss and what Sapp had to say about them.

Steelers Lobbying For Burress

A long shot for Plaxico Burress' services might be the Pittsburgh Steelers. It might be highly unlikely but it seems that there have been some unnamed coaches lobbying for Burress' return to the Steel City. Of course they don't have final say on personnel nor do they cut the checks around there so wo knows if the Steelers front office will take a chance on Plax after the lockout.

In addition to the unnamed coaches that would like to have Plax back, Hines Ward would like him back as well and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger stopped short of saying he wants Plax at his youth football camp. 


"I've talked to Plax a number of times in the last couple of weeks," Roethlisberger said. "I told him, 'Hey, if you came back here that would be awesome, but I'm just happy to see you playing again' because he's a good guy."

Keep in mind that Big Ben and Plax were neighbors when they were teammates.

If the Steelers do happen to add Burresss that would likely mean the end of Antwan Randle-El. It would also cut down the playing time for promising youngsters Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders.

LaMarr Woodley Takes A Jab At Joe Flacco

The NFL offseason is typically quiet this time off year, with or without a lockout. There hasn't been too much news being made except for players taking up other occupations, talking trash, holding POW's (player organized workouts), and taking up space on the police blotter. 

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker LaMarr Woodley  has spent a little time amping up the hard hitting rivalry between the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. Woodley appeared on the NFL Network's All Access show and took a swipe at the Ravens, more specifically quarterback Joe Flacco. Woodley said that Flacco could never lead the Ravens to a Super Bowl since the Steelers stand in their way.

"No, not at all because they have to go through one team -- that's the Pittsburgh Steelers in that AFC Championship," Woodley said. "So in order for them to get to the Super Bowl, they have to beat us, and we're not gonna let that happen once we get that close. So that's not gonna happen in this lifetime."

He wasn't quite done there either. He did say that Cleveland's Colt McCoy would be a "great quarterback" and took a shot at the Cincinnati Bengals and their situation with Carson Palmer.

 "Well, honestly, when they play against us, it really doesn't matter whether he's there or not," Woodley said about Palmer and the Bengals.

You can't go against what he's said since the Steelers have ended Baltimore's postseason run the last two years. The tables might be turned if Baltimore can ever get them at home, but that's not guaranteed either since the Steelers play them well in Baltimore.

Hines Ward Might Be Dancing With A Bad Knee

After Super Bowl XLV, Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward underwent a surgical procedure on his left knee. All seems to be well as of now, but the Steelers might be a little concerned since Ward will be on ABC's Dancing With The Stars.

The surgery was to remove some cartilage, and Ward doesn't seem to be alarmed about possibly injuring his knee while going through what some would consider a recreational activity. He seems more worried about his feet, since he's been wearing those dancing shoes that can't be all that comfy.

"I'm not going to be jumping up or sliding all over the floor, but at the same time the knee is fine," Ward told Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I wouldn't jeopardize the football season over Dancing With the Stars. The doctors wouldn't have cleared me to do this. I don't think coach (Mike) Tomlin would have given me the OK if I wasn't ready."

If I were Tomlin I would've told him to stay off the show, but that's just me.  

Super Bowl Prediction

This is a pretty difficult decision to make for this year's Super Bowl. Green Bay and Pittsburgh are pretty evenly matched. They both have good quarterback play, strong defenses, and good coaching. It'll be a close game and there will be a lot of back and forth.

I feel the team that brings it defensively will win. I think Aaron Rodgers has the capability to pick on the Steelers' secondary if he's given enough time. Key word is if. The Packers' offensive line is suspectible to giving up sacks, so that matchup will be key. Same goes for the Steelers' offensive line. I hate to sound cliche-ish but this game will be won in the trenches. The loss of Maurkice Pouncey is a big one for Pittsburgh.

After all that, my pick is Pittsburgh 21-17.

Don't Make A Big Deal Out Of Roethlisberger's Late Night

I know Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is thought of as a creep. He has some moral issues and he's trying to change what others think of him. With the black cloud over what happened in Georgia during the offseason, whatever he does, whether he's out having a few drinks or trash talking at the local gym is going to be scrutinized. In some instances, like the so-called late night at the piano bar with his offensive lineman, the media is making something out of nothing.

Everyone says "it's Super Bowl week and he's out past curfew", like it's a bad thing. First, coach Mike Tomlin says it's a non-issue. If he doesn't think it's a big deal then so what. If he did think it was a big deal he handled it internally. Secondly, it's Super Bowl week! Do you really think the players are going to eat and sleep football while they're in Dallas. I don't think so. I know Roethlisberger has his demons, but lay off for a minute. He was out enjoying some time with his teammates, not out acting a fool or breaking any laws. He wasn't running around chasing skirts either. Look, these players aren't choir boys. They're grown men doing what they want to do. Would you like someone scrutinizing your every move just because you were caught with a prostitute. I don't think so. And just because you may be of moral high ground or are a bad guy doesn't mean you'll be a success or a failure on the biggest stage.

Remember Eugene Robinson? I know I do. He was the Bart Starr award winner, which champions players with morals and all that jazz, I didn't invent the award so don't ask. The night before the game he gets arrested for soliciting a prostitute that was an undercover cop. He wanted to pay $40 for some action and got busted. Me and my friend had a field day with that one. My friend referred to him as "big" Eugene and it was going to be $2 an inch. Anyway, you don't have to be a jackass to get caught up in wrongdoing. Even players thought to be the most righteous slip. And don't give me the crap about how Robinson's escapade foiled the Atlanta Falcons. The Denver Broncos were simply the better team and weren't going to lose.

Let me take you back some. Super Bowl XV, Raiders vs. Eagles in New Orleans. Dick Vermeil had his players on a tight leash and they played that way. The Raiders were out being the Raiders and whooping it up in the French Quarter. The Raiders won 27-10. They were looser and played like it while the Eagles were uptight.

You see, it doesn't matter what you do or how late you stay out, because that has no bearing on the team's performance on Super Bowl Sunday. Unless it's a Barrett Robbins situation. That didn't turn out too well for the Raiders.              

Pick A Towel, Any Towel

The producer of the Pittsburgh Steelers 'Terrible Towel' has a split loyalty in the upcoming Super Bowl.

Wisconsin towelmaker McArthur Towel and Sports has been making Terrible Towels for years. Now it wants to make one for Packers, since company president Gregg McArthur is a devoted Packers fan.

My suggestion is to churn out as many towels as you can and watch the money roll in. You can't miss on this business oppurtnity.   

Cromartie Throws Down The Gauntlet To Hines Ward

New York Jets corner Antonio Cromartie is at it again. In relatively tame week for by Jets standards, Cromartie lashed out Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Hines Ward. It wasn't explicit or mean spirited like the words he had for Tom Brady, but nonetheless he just couldn't keep quiet. He wasn't giving any credit to the other Steelers receivers Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown.

"I don't think he's a dirty player, but I know for a fact that he will hit you while you're not looking, "I don't think he's man enough to hit you when you're looking at him."


His thoughts on Sanders and Brown.
 
“They’re young guys, they’re still learning how to play at this level,” Cromartie said. “A guy like Mike Wallace, he’s maybe the best vertical guy that can get up the field. But I mean, the young guys, they do their job, and that’s all you can ask for them to do. You’ve got rookies coming in still learning how to play in the NFL.”


I expect the Steeler receivers to play with a chip on their shoulder tomorrow.


    

Quickie Playoff Predictions

Last week, I went 3-1, despite whiffing on the scores. This week is the final four of football and here are my predictions for the AFC and NFC title games.


Green Bay at Chicago- Based on both games this season, this will be a tightly contested game. Green Bay, specifically Aaron Rodgers has been hot for the last month. Chicago has been steady for most of the season. They split both games they played and both were close. I look for Green Bay to pull out a close win in hostile territory. Green Bay 23-17


New York at Pittsburgh- The Jets surprised a lot of people last week, including myself, by going into New England and laying the smack down on the Patriots. In the last two years the Jets have played and won all their playoff games on the road. This should be another tight game, just like I said about the Steelers last week, they have home field so therefore they should win. Steelers 21-17

Quick Playoff Predictions

The Divisional round of the playoffs has some good matchups this weekend. Here's my personal predictions on this weekend's action.

Baltimore vs. Pittsburgh- I have to take the Steelers in this one solely because of home field. Pittsburgh always seems to pull one big play out of their backside than the Ravens can. Steelers 17-13.

Green Bay vs. Atlanta- I'm having flashbacks to a playoff game from 1980 that also involved the Falcons. When they played Dallas at home and lost a 30-27 thriller in which they led most of the game. I see the same thing happening today with the Falcons losing a heartbreaker to the Packers. Packers 31-27.

New York vs. New England- The Jets need to ramp up their offensive game if their going to beat New England. The Jets do a lot of tough talking but right now their hurting and the Patriots seem primed to take advantage. For some odd reason I feel a blowout coming on. The Jets defense can only take them so far.
Patriots 30-13.

Seattle vs. Chicago- The Seahawks have somewhat become America's darling in the past few weeks. This could be a blowout or a tough defensive battle. However I do see the Bears coming out on top since they are at home and there is sure to be bad weather. Bears 20-10.

Terrell Suggs Doesn't Have To Say Much

Before the seaon started Baltimore Ravens linebacker fired the first shot in the Ravens /Pittsburgh Steelers feud. He wore a t-shirt that said  "You bet your sweet ass I hate the Steelers" at training camp.

Now he's wearing one that sums up how he'll always feel about the Steelers. It says "Hey Pittsburgh" with a
Raven telling the Steelers that they're number one. Unfortunately I don't have a visual for it.

This rivalry is old school. Almost like the old Raiders-Steelers rivalry. Old style football the way it was to be played.

Nah, there ain't no message," Suggs said. "Like I always say, I put on for my city. They rep their city and I'm repping mine. So, here we go. When it comes to football, it's the most physical game of the year. It's going to be a physical gang fight, just like the first two games were. "When we go down there, they always hit us with the number ones. I don't know how they act here because I've always been in the locker room by the time all the fans get here. I'm pretty sure we're hitting them with the number ones. It's whatever. We're just going to go play a football game."


There's no rivalry today that can equal the Ravens/Steelers blood feud today.