The Ol' Fumblerooski

Trickery, chicanery and hijinks. 

Anybody who's played football knows the slippery spheroid (the football itself) can be tricky to handle at times. It can be especially tough to hold onto, especially in wet, cold conditions that frequently occur in places like Pittsburgh and, yes, Foxboro, Mass.

Fumbles happen ... but it always helps if the football is a little under-inflated, making it softer and easier to grip.

A hat tip to our pal Richard over at YinzBurgh BBQ, the best Southern-style barbecue in Pittsburgh, for pointing out this massively stat-backed analysis by Warren Sharp at Sharp Football Analysis.

Mr. Sharp analyzed the New England Patriots' amazing ability to avoid fumbling the football since 2007.  Detailed research by Mr. Sharp includes this tidbit:

"The 2014 Patriots were just the 3rd team in the last 25 years to never have lost a fumble at home!  The biggest difference between the Patriots and the other 2 teams who did it was that New England ran between 150 and 200 MORE plays this year than those teams did in the years they had zero home fumbles, making the Patriots stand alone in this unique statistic."

A coincidence? Does Bill Bellichick cheat in the woods?

This all gets back to the absurd, preposterous NFL policy of allowing the teams to supply and control the footballs they use on offense.

The NFL, which controls every last detail down to the type of socks worn on the field, does not have game-day officials or its own equipment people supplying the footballs used in a game. The NFL created this mess; now the lawyers Goodell & Co. get to stew in it during the very week the league is in the world's media spotlight.

The NFL Looks Foolish in its "Culture of Cheating"

Distractions? What distractions?

During the build-up to the Super Bowl, the media-consuming public is usually subject to non-stop minutiae of the most tedious sort about all the possible storylines, players, coaches, quirks, proposition bets, Xs and Os, and other minutiae in the most agonizing detail.

Not this year.

The New England Deflatriots have seen to that.  This year, virtually the only story has been the one about Deflated Footballs, splashed all over the mainstream news channels in addition to the usual sports outlets (except for the NFL Network, and even they can't totally ignore it).

Good. Coaches hate distractions during game week, and this is the grand-daddy of them all.

Bill Belichick, the ultimate mastermind control freak, can deny and declaim all he wants, but he looks foolish in all his sheepish "Don't know" statements. Tom Brady, in all his wide-eyed "candor," cannot bask in all the wonderfulness that usually accrues to him.

Best of all, the New England Patriots once again are tainted and tarnished by the label of Cheats. They embody what former Carolina Patriots GM Marty Hurney called "a culture of cheating." Even Don Shula has been heard describing Bellichick as "Bill Bellicheat."

And the NFL itself looks foolish because of how colossally stupid it's been for the league to have ever allowed footballs used in a game to be managed by anybody but league officials. Why?

This is supposed to be the NFL's undisputed week in the spotlight. It is, but for the wrong reasons. It's not been a good year for Roger Goodell.

More NFL idiocy, ugliness and situational ethics

Nice timing, Zygi Wilf, Mark Wilf, Rick Spielman and all the other Minnesota Vikings decision-makers who announced yesterday afternoon that, yes, accused child abuser Adrian "Whoopin'" Peterson will play on Sunday.

The Vikings need to find a new sponsor-backdrop screen
for their news conferences, now that Radisson has suspended
its sponsorship of the team. Shown: Vikings GM Rick Spielman.

Wolf, the team owner and a notorious sleazebag, and Spielman, the general manager, weren't at all clear on what factors went into their decision, so we can only surmise it had nothing to do with, or everything to do with the fact that Minnesota running backs averaged 2.0 yards per carry on Sunday.

Clearly, Wolf and Spielman, however, would have us believe their decision to welcome back Peterson had little to do with Sunday's abysmal on-field performance by the Vikings' offense, which looked dreadful without the star running back in a 30-7 loss at home to the New England Patriots. The Vikings' owner and management team want Peterson on the field to help the team be more competitive. Winning, or attempting to win, trumps everything. It seems to be a classic example of flexible, situational ethics.

Karma Trumps Situational Ethics?
Then, to spice things up later on Monday, a Houston TV station reported a second mother of another four-year-old son of Peterson's has come forward to also accuse him of accusing that boy in a separate incident. The television station reported that other mother of the second four-year-old filed a report with Child Protective Services but no charges have been filed yet.

And, in an announcement that must have surprised the Vikings late Monday, one of their "sponsor partners," the hotel chain Radisson, displayed uncommon good sense by issuing a statement to the effect that they were suspending their sponsorship of the team, effectively disassociating themselves from the Vikings.

Evidently, Radisson takes all this more seriously than the Vikings do:

"Radisson takes this matter very seriously particularly in light of our long-standing commitment to the protection of children," said the company's statement. "We are closely following the situation and effective immediately, Radisson is suspending its limited sponsorship of the Minnesota Vikings while we evaluate the facts and circumstances."

Sponsorship money. Now that's something the NFL understands.

Meanwhile, the Steelers' next opponent, the Carolina Panthers, left it to head coach Ron Rivera to announce yesterday that star defensive end Greg Hardy remains with the team and is not suspended, but may or may not play on Sunday night vs. the Steelers in a prime-time nationally televised game.

We'll get around to talking about on-the-field football at some point soon. We still like the game itself and some of the people playing it.

The NFL has major problems, as on-the-field football news takes a back seat ... and actually seems pretty trivial right now

Because this week's Steeler game was the weekly made-for-TV-that-nobody-wants-to-watch unless-it's-your-team-Thursday night special, Steeler Nation has a few extra days to brood over the state of our team, in which we all have an emotional investment, at the very least, if not a financial investment, not to mention the Black 'n Gold blood that runs through our collective veins.

We still love our Steelers, warts and all, but there's other stuff going on in the cesspool that has become the NFL, never mind that the games themselves (on the field) have become a mostly unwatchable mess ...

Holy cow. 

Ray Rice, Janay Rice, the Baltimore Rayvens and their prideful Baltimoron No. 27 jersey-flaunting fans -- they just don't get it -- may be taking some twisted, misguided solace and relief in the knowledge that the latest ugly, ugly news from the NFL has at least temporarily bumped their own sordid, disgraceful Domestic Violence story and the NFL's self-appointed "independent investigation" off the front pages for the moment.

The Steelers' own Art Rooney II and the New York Giants' John Mara, both lawyers, are overseeing that investigation, by the way, to be run by former FBI Director Robert Mueller, who has ties to a law firm that has done business with the NFL for years.

And for as much heat as Roger Goodell has been taking (deservedly so), let's not overlook Ray Rice's culpability in all this. Those punches to Janay's face came too easily, too casually, and he expressed absolutely no concern after cold-cocking her. He was entirely too comfortable slugging her.  Think he hasn't done that sort of thing before?

But for now ...

The NFL now has to deal with star running back Adrian Peterson facing charges of child abuse (and an arrest warrant), as reported by TMZ, Deadspin and other national media outlets, as well as immediate NFL Player Twitteridiocy... from the likes of Roddey White.

All this follows, of course, on the heels of assorted sordid, ugly, unsavory, unseemly and unwanted news from the NFL over the past few days: (Ray McDonald, Greg Hardy, Roger Goodell); ... weeks: (Jerry Jones; Johnny Manziel, Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount); ... months: (Darren Sharper, Josh Gordon, Jimmy Haslam, Davone Bess, the Pouncey Brothers); ... and recent years: (performance-enhancing drugs, HGH, Richie Incognito, Aaron Hernandez, Michael Vick, Terrell Suggs, concussions, Jovan Belcher, Alameda Ta'amu, Chris Rainey, Riley Cooper, Mike Adams, Jonathan Vilma, Ben Roethlisberger, Donte Stalworth, the Bountygate scandal, Gregg Williams, Spygate, Bill Belichick, Ray Lewis, Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp, Leonard Little, taxpayer-funded stadiums, various other ignominious absurdities, etc.), etc., etcetera, ad infinitum, ad nauseum.

The parade of arrests just goes on and on.

A fine little rogue's gallery you've got there in your playpen, Roger Goodell (lawyer) and the association of billionaire franchise owners that employ you -- an association of franchisees ("League") that may be even more powerful, exclusive and unsavory than the U.S. Senate, complete with an anti-trust exemption, taxpayer-funded stadiums and an unbelievable "non-profit status" that boggles the mind and is disingenuous at best on the face of it.

It's getting tougher and tougher to buy what the NFL is selling. 

Links:
Phil Mushnick: "Ray Rice, Ray Lewis, and the Absurdity of the NFL"

Chicago Tribune: "NFL's Bogus Investigation Further Soils Reputation"

PFT: "Mara, Rooney to Oversee Investigation"

Colin Dunlap: "Rooney II in No-Win Situation"

Yahoo Sports: "Just How Independent is 'Independent Investigation Going to Be?"

ABC News: "Who's in Charge of NFL Investigation"

Bill Plaschke:  "Goodell needs to be cut, quickly and coldly"

The Daily Kos: "Dear Roger Goodell"

Yahoo Sports: "Contradictions in the Ray Rice Scandal"

"With the 15th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers ... "

With the 15th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers ... should pass on players with "red flags," question marks, lack of motivation, "character issues" and unresolved legal problems, criminal charges and general douchebaggery.

Just our opinion.

One player projected to go in the Top 15 is Michigan tackle Taylor Lewan, who still faces arraignment, on May 19th,  related to assault charges, including aggravated assault. Lewan's name has also been linked to consistently dirty play and other ugliness. No, thanks.

Less serious, but still a bit of a concern, is when we hear about reports like Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin "blew off" a meeting with an NFL coach because he was "tired." If Benjamin was that worn out from the job-interview process for a job that could pay millions of dollars, he and his agent shouldn't have scheduled the meeting.

Aside from that one reported incident, Benjamin looks like he could be a big-time receiver in the NFL, but his on-field film also shows a raw player who drops a few too many passes to merit being the 15th overall pick, in our opinion.

With so many other excellent receivers (and other players) available in this draft, the Steelers don't need to roll the dice on a player who is a developmental project with "upside." Not at wide receiver or any other position.  Not with the 15th pick; not after consecutive 8-8 seasons.

There is room for improvement on this team, that's for sure, and the 15th overall pick should be an immediate plug 'n play starter and immediate upgrade over the incumbent. Not just a guy, but an impact player. Sound reasonable?

Lots of players in this draft have had various issues, ranging from suspensions for "team violations" to  fairly serious legal problems, etc. The Steelers themselves have been bitten in recent years with wasted draft choices such as Alameda Ta'amu and Chris Rainey, who were later-round picks, but still wasted picks -- and a waste of time, money, and effort.

We can tolerate a certain amount of leeway, but there is no reason to spend the 15th overall pick (or any draft choice) on a guy with red flags, question marks, legal problems and "character issues."

Speaking of character issues, The Onion reports offers a story headlined "NFL Increasingly Worried About Character Issues of Fans." In an unrelated story, The Onion also report that "Dad Announces Plan to Honk When He's Out Front."

The NFL Cesspool: Sheer Ugliness, Painted With a Very Broad Brush

Sometimes Joey Porter's Pit Bulls can't help but wonder what we're supporting with our cable TV payments and emotional/financial investment in the NFL. As much as we love the game itself ...

It's getting tougher and tougher to buy what the NFL is selling.

If you're a fan of the NFL, we recommend you read the entire "REPORT TO THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE CONCERNING ISSUES OF WORKPLACE CONDUCT AT THE MIAMI DOLPHINS."  Read the whole damn thing. All 144 pages.

And if you watch the NFL Network, you may have noticed the terse mention on Friday of Darren Sharper. He faces ugly criminal charges that are about as ugly as ugly gets without the word "murder" involved, as in the case of Aaron Hernandez.

Words that come to mind thinking about the NFL in the wake of these most recent stories: Shameful, despicable, sordid, criminal, idiotic, vile, base, offensive, disturbing, off-putting. Cesspool.

The report on the Dolphins was compiled by a law firm hired by the NFL to present findings on the escapades of the oafish Richie Icognito and his pals, Mike "Free Hernandez" Pouncey (twin brother of Steelers' center Maurkice "Free Hernandez" Pouncey), John Jerry and, apparently, the entire Dolphins coaching staff and management organization. If the coaches deny it, they're lying.

The Pouncey twins, wearing their cute little
"Free Hernandez" hats expressing their support of
accused murderer
Aaron Hernandez, former NFL player

The report makes clear and lays bare the sheer ugliness in Miami, and you can be pretty sure we're still not getting any near the full story. As columnist Greg Stoda of the Miami Herald wrote, "Forget locker-room mentality; the Miami Dolphins have a prison-yard mentality."

When all this broke a few months ago, any number of Incognito apologists made the point that the sort of behavior described in the report is common across the NFL, as if that makes it okay. If so, let's keep in mind our cable TV dollars pay for the precious "locker room culture" and lifestyle of the players described in the report.

Richie Incognito made nearly $5 million last year alone, even with the suspension. The 24-year-old Pouncey made nearly $3 million, and Jerry made more than $1.5 million. Five million dollars in one calendar year: In what other line of work could the incomprehensibly stupid, oafish, porcine, boorish, loutish, obtuse, bullying, dense Incognito make that kind of money?

And you wonder why your cable bill is so high?

How some people are able to maintain jobs is a wonder. You'd think Stephen Ross, the billionaire owner of the Dolphins, would want to clean house. Fire everybody. Sever ties with all the coaches and several players, including Incognito, Pouncey and Jerry and probably others.

Does Richie Incognito and his pals have sisters, mothers, wives and/or girlfriends? What do those women think about their boys now? The same guys who "jokingly" threatened to assault and gang-rape the sister and mother of Jonathan Martin, who threatened to kill Martin (even as fellow NFL player Aaron Hernandez [he of the "Free Hernandez" cap worn by the Pouncey twins] faces murder charges), and who threatened to shit in his mouth?

Karma has a way of swinging around on people. There is no way to polish the turds that Richie Incognito and his pals threatened to shit in the mouth of Jonathan Martin and fling at others in positions of weakness, including rookie players and the assistant trainer who happens to be of Japanese descent. If any NFL team adds Incognito to its roster, shame on them. They will have relinquished any claim to the word "character" ever again.

And then there's the NFL Network, the league's own. Darren Sharper, presumably, won't be on the NFL Network anytime soon. We'll just have to rely on Michael Irvin, Warren Sapp,. et al,  for the kind of precious insight, pithy wit, jocular mirth and "expert analysis" we just can't get anywhere else. Yeah.

Friday was a dark day for the NFL, and it's getting tougher and tougher to feel good about so much that the NFL presents. Why are we supporting these people anyway?  Roger Goodell?

Links:

Greg Doyel, CBS Sports: "After Richie Incognito Gets a Taste of His Own Medicine ..."

Slate: "The Best Report on Bullying Ever"

Will Brinson: "Dolphins Lack Leadership from Top to Bottom"

Deadspin:  "Darren Sharper Allegedly Drugged, Raped Women in Four States"

William Rhoden, The New York Times: "A Vile and Graphic Report"

The Sacramento Bee: "Harbaugh: Jonathan Martin Can Resume Successful NFL Career"

Look out. Cleveland.

Here we go again. Twice a year for the past 50 years or so.

Cleveland. The Browns.

Last Sunday, a Cleveland team that had seemed to be on the rise reverted to being the Browns. Despite cornerback Joe Haden intercepting two Andy Dalton passes and returning one for a touchdown, and despite limiting the Bengals to one third-down conversion in 14 attempts, the Browns still managed to surrender 41 points, including 31 in the second quarter.

You think the Steelers had a bad second quarter when they let the Lions score 27 points? The Browns out-did that, allowing the Bengals to score 31 points vs. zero for the Browns -- despite Cleveland controlling the clock for 11 minutes, 18 seconds to Cincinnati's 3:42.  How does that possibly happen?

Send in the Clowns.

Cleveland had two punts blocked, one returned for a touchdown. The Browns coughed up a fumble, which was returned for a touchdown. And quarterback Jason Campbell was terrible.

Campbell had played well the previous two weeks but was nursing bruised ribs, although he claimed they didn't affect him. Against the Bengals, he tossed three interceptions, had a pass batted down at the line and missed a wide-open Jordan Cameron in the end zone.

On the road in miserable conditions rainy and windy, the Browns coaches for some reason had Campbell throw the ball 56 times. He completed 27 of those 56 attempts (less than 50 percent).

The three picks, combined with the two blocked punts and fumble returned for a touchdown buried the Browns.

On Sunday, the Steelers will be in Cleveland. Wacky things happen in Cleveland.

Buried in Cleveland last Nov. 25th

We all remember last year's Calamity in Cleveland, Nov. 25th, when the Steelers committed eight turnovers, including five fumbles lost (eight fumbles altogether). Charlie Batch threw three horrific interceptions and had more than a few off-target throws. The Steelers committed stupid, ill-timed penalties, dropped passes, managed just 49 yards rushing, and were one-for-nine on third down. It was ugly as ugly gets.

Granted, there's been a lot of roster turnover on both teams since then. The Browns have actually played pretty good defense for most of this season, but their offense has been erratic at best.

With both teams at 4-6, this is a pivotal game for both the Browns and Steelers. There's no predicting this one, except Lake Effect Snow is forecast for Sunday in Cleveland.

It's likely to be messy and ugly. It's Browns-Steelers.

Has the NFL Jumped the Shark?

This post will go over like a Led Balloon; skip it if you don't want to read anything negative about the NFL.

First, let's be clear: Joey Porter's Pit Bulls remain passionate and emotionally invested in football generally and the NFL in particular.

We love the game of football that appeals to the kid in all of us who played ball in the backyard, in the street, on oil-slicked rock-hard fields, in high school, in college, in highly competitive venues, in crazy situations of all kinds. Intensely. We love football.

But ... this latest bullshit with the oafish, reptilian Richie Incognito and his ignorant apologists is yet another major turnoff in a series of diminishing returns.

The NFL is perilously close to jumping the shark.

As heretical as it sounds, the NFL has lost some of its patina that appeals to the kid in all of us.

The NFL is a multi-billion dollar business. During Roger Goodell's tenure as commissioner, it feels like the NFL sold it soul somewhere along the way.

It's increasingly tough to overlook ... 
the golden goose that is television, with its ceaseless fawning, incessant babble, over-saturation of coverage, Thursday night games, Sunday night games, late-season Saturday games, Monday night double-headers -- oh, and, of course, the all-too-frequent and lengthy commercial breaks during games -- the NFL doesn't seem so special and fun anymore.

It's increasingly tough to overlook ...
performance-enhancing drugs, steroids and human growth hormone; absurd rules changes; rampant bounties; institutionalized extortion, thuggery, hazing, browbeating as "initiation" rites; concussions, CET, brain damage and early-onset dementia; designated "strike zones;" deliberately targeted knee hits prompted by the new rules governing upper-body hits; constant and eternal roster attrition from injuries, injuries and more injuries; the continuous legal squabbling; the ridiculous regular-season games in London and Roger Goodell's continuing threat to move franchises to London (from Jacksonville and maybe other cities) and Toronto (from Buffalo).

It's increasingly tough to overlook ... 
the many, many player arrests (from the seriously disturbing Aaron Hernandez  murder case to the insanely absurd Alameda Ta'amu incident on Pittsburgh's South Side); cretins like Michael Vick; blockheads like Riley Cooper; jerk owners like Jerry Jones, Zygi Wolf and Dan Snyder; asshole coaches like Rex Ryan, Joe Philbin, Greg Schiano, Gregg Williams, Bill Bellichick, et al; Todd Haley and his wife; the selfies; the constant Tweets by clueless self-absorbed idiotic athletes, self-imporant talking heads and former-player blowhard "analysts" like Ray Lewis, Michael Irvin and Warren Sapp; the breathless bloggers, the uber-analytical Pro Football Focus Sabremetric-type "experts" who are about as fun as actuaries ... and so on, and on, and on.

It all detracts, takes its toll, from what used to be a more enjoyable, fun diversion and, yes, a passion that still means a lot to us.

Football is supposed to be a game, but it's got "business" written all over it.

It's as if Roger Goodell and his minions never heard of the adage,"If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Joey Porter's Pit Bulls remain deeply invested in the whole scrambling omelette, but ... there is something to be said for perspective and balance, if you will, if not wisdom.

We still watch the Steelers closely, with passion and intensity, but ... we're also watching the Aaron Hernandez and Richie Incognito situations, along with all the other crap, almost as much as we're watching the games.  The bad with the good; you don't get one without the other.

If you can't say something nice about someone ...

Confusion in Pittsburgh. Ugliness in Miami.

It's been a tough week. Steeler fans are looking for answers and hope. Steeler players are fumbling for excuses.  Steeler coaches -- who knows what they're doing?

The most sort-of interesting thing we heard from Mike Tomlin's weekly news conference on Tuesday was the following statement, which raises more questions than answers:

“I take responsibility for the players we have drafted since I’ve been here, not only in recent drafts, but since I’ve been here. Because it’s the truth.”

Tomlin's statement could be interpreted a couple of ways:

1. Tomlin assumes stewardship of the players drafted by the Steeler' front-office personnel decision-makers and placed under his care -- somewhat like a first-grade teacher "takes responsibility" for the children sent to school for guidance and direction. ... Or ...
2. Tomlin actually has final-say decision-making responsibility for selecting the players in the draft; which would be news to us but not, presumably, to Kevin Colbert, the general manager of the Steelers. In other words, Tomlin decides which players to draft. If so, that might explain some of what appears to be his infatuation with certain players, and why some players either were overdrafted (not to name names) or shouldn't have been drafted at all (not to name names).

As for the ugliness in Miami, ugh. We suspect what's been reported down there occurs to some extent on many other teams across the NFL -- maybe not to that extent, though.  If true, and it sounds like it just might be true, what Richie Incognito allegedly did goes far beyond "hazing" and "bullying."  

It's criminal: Extortion, harassment, terroristic threats, etc., and it sounds like it was (and continues to be) condoned by other players and the coaching staff in Miami. Shame on them. It's tough to see that kind of behavior shrugged off, sanctioned and even institutionalized.

Just another black mark for the NFL, and it is an especially ugly one. What a colossal turn-off for fans even as invested and impassioned as most of us are.

What We Learned We Already Knew

Ben fumbles.

The 2013 Steelers aren't nearly talented enough to play mistake-prone football. The Steelers are a bad football team, but we knew that. 

Against New England, they were non-competitive.

Penalties, interceptions, sacks allowed, a sack-fumble, dropped passes, sloppy tackling, missed assignments, lousy blocking, blown coverage, crummy punting, inability to get off blocks, general confusion, ad nauseum ... the Steelers put it all on ugly display in Sunday's embarrassing 55-31 fiasco in Massachusetts.   

They were steamrollered.

Rob Gronkowski: Wide open, romping and running free.

This game marked a new low. The 55 points allowed were the most in franchise history, and the game wasn't even as close as the lopsided score indicated. 

More than 600 yards allowed; three Patriots' receivers with more than 100 yards each; 198 yards rushing allowed -- it all added up, and the Steelers allowed Tom Brady to complete 29 of 33 passes to compile a perfect passer rating.

The defense was manhandled. Yet again, the Steelers' linebackers were virtually invisible, and their play worsened after rookie Vince Williams left the game with a concussion, not that he had played well beforehand. The Patriots ran play after play to their left side, and the Steelers' defensive players were not up to the job. 

Stevenson Sylvester couldn't get off blocks, Steve McClendon was run over, Lawrence Timmons was spun around, Jarvis Jones looked lost, and LaMarr Woodley was absent. 

They're not good enough.

Danny Amendola: Wide open.

The secondary was run past, through, around and over. Every one of them. Ike Taylor got burnt, William Gay couldn't cover, Troy Polamalu was consistently out of position, Shamarko Thomas was over-matched, and Ryan Clark was slow. 

This game made painfully clear what we suspected: Ryan Clark can't run anymore. He just can't run. He can talk, though.

The offensive line can't block, but we knew that, too. Emmanuel Sanders dropped a pass that hit him between the numbers. Le'Veon Bell dropped two passes, including one that clanged right off his hands, and he clearly missed assignments. 

Jericho Cotchery showed up. Good for him. Antonio Brown made some plays. Cameron Heyward showed some flashes. Heath Miller tried.  

To our untrained eyes, it seemed all the players tried ... mostly, however, they're just not good enough.

Can it get any worse?  Yes. It can always get worse.