Category: Football

Ben, most people would turn you away

Trading Roethlisberger. Where to begin? Where does it end?

As the NFL Draft approaches, it’s OK to feel conflicted, Steeler fans. Honest. It’s only human.

Maybe you disapprove of Roethlisberger’s actions, but you understand that he’s a great QB, and that he’s vital to the success of the team. That’s perfectly reasonable.

Maybe you’ve looked at the facts, and you don’t think they add up. Maybe you’re firmly on Ben’s side. You think things have gotten out of hand, and the alleged victim (or victims) aren’t trustworthy sources. That’s your right. No charges have been filed, but we’re all playing judge here, let’s admit it. Everyone has their own verdict.

Maybe you want the Steelers to rid themselves of Roethlisberger in any way possible. You think the guy’s a creep, and you don’t want to have anything to do with him. It’s a perfectly reasonable stance.

It’s a tumultuous time in Steeler nation, and fans are taking sides. But let it be known that most of these stances have legitimate points, whether you agree with them or not. All of these opinions should be respected.

(Except for the opinion that “if Cowher was here this wouldn’t have happened.” That’s both irrelevant and absurd. Though he may not always act the part, Roethlisberger is a grown man. You can’t pin blame for his decisions — or any other player’s off-field decisions — on Tomlin any more than you can pin blame on your boss for your co-worker’s DWI.)

It all comes down to priorities. What do you want from your football team? Wins above all else? Do you really need your quarterback — or any other player — to be a role model?

Personally, I just don’t know if I can root for the guy anymore. That’s the truth. And that’s why I want the Steelers to trade Ben. I think the pattern is too upsetting. I’ve read the most recent police report, and from someone who’s read his fair share of police reports, it’s disturbing.

Is it he said/she said? To a certain extent, yes. But I’ve got to be honest, I just don’t feel like dealing with these trials and tribulations. Enough is enough.

If we struggle for a short period of time, if the Steelers go 6-10 … so be it. I love ‘em, but their success isn’t the most important thing in my life. I just want a team I can root for without hesitation.

And from a strictly football standpoint, now might be the time to trade Ben, if anyone will have him. He’s already won two Super Bowls, but with his recent history of concussions, and the way he plays the game (which I love, by the way) … well, he’s the type of QB who could easily see his career cut short. I know he’s an ox, but a body can only take so many big hits. And coming off a great statistical season, his on-the-field value may never be higher.

Now, I’m not going to play revisionist. I’m not going to act like Ben’s not a great QB. He is. The Steelers couldn’t have won those two Super Bowls without him. This is fact. For those who want to point to his Super Bowl XL performance, I’ll direct you to the three previous playoff games in the same year. Acting like the Steelers were some dominant force who could have plugged in anyone at QB and won those Super Bowls is silly revisionism and it speaks to a lack of football knowledge. It’s not true.

But does that mean we could never win a Super Bowl again without him? Of course not. One way is not the only way.

It looks like an impossibility at this point, but my suggestion was to trade Ben to the Rams for the #1 overall pick. Would I draft Sam Bradford with that pick? No way. I’d be saying, “Suh me!”

That’s right. I’d take Ndamukong Suh and I wouldn’t stop there. I’d grab a cornerback, safety or linebacker with the other first round pick. I’d go defense-heavy throughout the draft. Basically, I’d attempt to build the most dominant defense the league has ever seen. I think Suh will be such a force that he’ll make any defense significantly better. I think we could move him up and down the line in a 3-4. Add him to a defense with Harrison, Hampton, Woodley, a returning Aaron Smith and Troy Polamalu, plus an influx of young talent, and I’ll take my chances with Dennis Dixon.

Is this crazy? Who knows? Most Super Bowl-winning teams have great quarterbacks these days. It’s a passing league, but I’d make it really hard for the other team to pass (or run) with any effectiveness.

Can’t get Suh? How about pairing Eric Berry with Polamalu? How about Rolando McClain to put some young talent in the LB corps? How about Kyle Wilson? Get impact defensive players. That would be my plan.

The possibilities are out there. But they’d definitely be in the years AB — After Ben. Whether or not you can get with that is completely up to you.

If Ben stays on the team, will I root for him next season? I don’t know. I’ve never had this reaction of disgust and disappointment with an athlete before. It’s hard to say. I do know one thing, though. My Polamalu jersey will be the go-to garb next season. The #7 will remain on the hanger, in the dark closet.

***

And once again, thank goodness for the Penguins. I don’t know if there’s a single thing I dislike about the Pens. Talk about a team that deserves all of our love and respect — and then some. All of this Ben stuff is really just a sideshow to the NHL playoffs right now.

(But what a sideshow it is!)

Week 17 of the NFL regular season: Makin’ it right

The NFL has a problem. The last two weeks of its regular season are often rather … lacking. Too many teams don’t care about winning. When your season only has 17 weeks, and one or two of them are almost unwatchable, well, that’s a problem.

This is not another debate about What The Colts Did. It’s not about whether or not they should have gone for the undefeated season. I understand why they rested players. Everyone understands the reasoning. This is about giving the Colts, and other teams in the same situation, a reason to want to win the last game of the season. And for that matter, it’s also about giving 2-13 teams a reason to win.

I realize I’m a little late to this party, considering the playoffs have started, and everyone’s forgotten about this by now, but hear me out. There’s been some discussion about this. Roger Goodell alluded to doing something with draft picks. The Commish basically said, and I’m paraphrasing, that teams need to be rewarded for trying to win, but they can’t be punished for not trying to win.

My idea may not be a complete solution to the problem, but it certainly won’t hurt matters. It’s not drastic, either. No draft pick rewards, no sanctions or penalties. Nothing like that.

Week 17 should be “NFL Rivalry Week.” Every team should play a divisional game in the final week of the season. It could rotate between teams each season. That’s it. That’s the whole idea.

Now, although the Texans might not care to beat the Jaguars when neither team has a reason to win, this won’t be true for all teams. Send New England to Miami in Week 17. Bring Dallas to DC. Let the Steelers battle the Ravens or the Browns. Some teams, perhaps most of them, are too proud to lose divisional games. This happened in 2003, when Baltimore beat Pittsburgh in a hard-fought overtime game, 13-10. The Ravens had already sewn up the division. Their seed was set. Yet, they played their starters, and won.

(Sure, maybe that grueling win took too much out of the Ravens, and it might have been a factor in their playoff loss against Tennessee the next week. But that’s not the point here. The Ravens tried to win. That’s the point.)

This would also give us another ready-made argument: “Team A doesn’t want to beat their divisional foe? Have they no pride? How can they expect to win in the playoffs? Where’s the killer instinct?” (Not like we need any more of those discussions.)

So there we are. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s an improvement. I’m not sure a perfect solution exists in this case.

So, Jim Zorn…

He was stripped of his play calling duties in mid-October. The man who replaced him in the role was enjoying retirement and calling bingo games before taking over. The man who originally relieved Zorn of said play calling duties? Resigned. A new GM was hired. It’s also been reported that Mike Shanahan is now discussing the head coaching position with the ‘Skins.

And yet, Zorn remains.