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Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has done tremendous work for the Pittsburgh Steelers during his storied 13 season career with the team, but it’s safe to assume he won’t be playing much longer.
This reality is something the black and gold need to begin addressing right now as they evaluate the future at their quarterback position.
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PBS and its show Frontline aired the highly anticipated documentary ‘League of Denial,’ a look into the National Football League’s handling of concussions Tuesday night. Reactions have ranged from astonished to let down. For those like me who have followed the NFL long enough, the information provided was nothing new. [Read more…]
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Things “Joestradamus” has in common with the Chicago Bears: we’re both 2-0.
According to my prediction this week, we should both have no problems making it 3-0.
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The offseason in Chicago usually leaves fans cringing and complaining about what the team did (or didn’t do) to “get better”. This offseason, however, has set the Chicago Bears up to take a huge leap forward this season and for many to come.
Part 3: NFL Draft
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Have no doubt about it, the Pittsburgh Steelers are still one of the premier teams in the NFL, but unfortunately that doesn’t always equate in the game of fantasy. Injuries and a resulting inconsistent offense has fans and fantasy owners alike hoping for more than the petty 20.3 points per game (tied for 21st) they put up in 2011.
Here are the guys in Pittsburgh that you should have on your list come time to do the fantasy draft.
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Just so you know, the Colts have made a few major changes this offseason.
Bill and Chris Polian are gone. In their place is new general manager Ryan Grigson, formerly a member of the Philadelphia Eagles’ front office.
Oh, and former coach Jim Caldwell also is out of town. The new guy? Chuck Pagano, who spent the 2011 season as the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator. Word is he plans to do away with the Colts’ familiar Tampa 2 defense and install a hybrid 3-4 scheme.
The Colts have some new coordinators too, you know. Bruce Arians, who was the team’s quarterbacks coach from 1998-2000 and previously served as offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers, is back in Indy to conduct the offense (Clyde Christensen isn’t gone, though. He’s quarterbacks coach now). Greg Manusky, who in 2011 was the San Diego Chargers’ defensive coordinator, now has that position here.
Any other offseason, these would be HUGE stories that would command their own blog posts. But this offseason? We hardly have heard a peep from or about any of these guys. There’s only one story surrounding the Indianapolis Colts right now: the very public dilemma between Peyton Manning and owner Jim Irsay that eventually will lead to the four-time MVP’s exit from town.
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It’s not that the New England Patriots secondary is the worst in NFL history- I still think it’s a tie between the 1995 Atlanta Falcons (after Deion $anders and Tim McKyer left, D.J. Johnson was their “best” DB) and the 2010 Houston Texans (you and I could have burned them for a TD…if we had a good QB getting us the ball).
It’s that the Patriots have the worst pass defense in the NFL this season, and they have quite possibly the worst secondary in the history of “really good NFL teams.” Think about that- what NFL team that routinely appears in the top 5 of many power rankings is also DEAD LAST (as the Pats are in passing yards allowed per game) in one of the four major statistical categories (passing, rushing, rush defense, pass defense).
Opponents routinely do to New England what British redcoats tried to do it in the 1770s- destroy it!
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This might be as good a chance to get that first win of 2011 as the Indianapolis Colts might get in this second quarter of the NFL season.
The Colts (0-4) welcome the similarly struggling Kansas City Chiefs (1-3) to Lucas Oil Stadium at 1 p.m. today in search of a victory that has eluded them thus far this season.
There are several reasons why Indy can come out on top in this battle of division cellar dwellers who both won their divisions in 2010 (how quickly things change in the NFL).
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The sprained left foot of QB Ben Roethlisberger might be the least of the 2-2 Pittsburgh Steelers‘ injury problems this week. Coach Mike Tomlin told the media this week that he expects his quarterback to play on Sunday when the embattled AFC champions host the 3-1 Tennessee Titans.
Outside Linebacker James Harrison requires surgery to repair a fractured orbital bone near his right eye and will be out “for a number of weeks.”
Harrison sustained the injury in the third quarter of Pittsburgh’s 17-10 loss last week when a portion of his helmet struck him in the eye as he collided with a Houston Texans player.
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This one hurt. In more ways than one.
Not only did the Indianapolis Colts fall to 0-4 with their 24-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium, the team also incurred injuries to several difference-making players — one such injury among the ugliest the sport has seen.
The Colts were competitive, but they still have a long way to go in terms of closing the deal, especially if some of the injured players are out for any extended time.
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The similarities between Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and Illinois Fighting Illini leading rusher Troy Pollard go further than just the amazing coincidence in names. There’s the hair thing too!
You’ve seen Polamalu’s shampoo commercials, right? “Troy Polamolecules dude.”
You can go here for more. But let’s learn more about the man nicknamed “bucket o’ hair.”
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Curtis Painter has been the subject of much opinion during his tenure as the backup quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts — most of those opinions negative.
He’s not a NFL-caliber QB. Anyone would be better than that no-talent waste of a draft pick.
Are these opinions really the case? Is this thinking based on his play in meaningful games (his total is one, last Sunday’s 23-20 loss to Pittsburgh)?
True, the former Purdue field general has looked mostly poor in his outings, but last week’s game-tying drive (never mind Kerry Collins‘ possible concussion … or Peyton Manning’s long-term health uncertainty, for that matter) should be enough to say that it’s time to find out once and for all how Painter stacks up as a NFL QB.
It’s time for the Colts to start Painter.
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