Jaromir Jagr thanks for the memories. “Thanks for the memory.... We who could laugh over big things, were parted by only a slight thing I wonder if we did the right thing Oh, well, that's life, I guess But we were intelligent people No tears, no fuss, hooray for us Strictly entre nous Darling, how are you? And how are all those little dreams That never did come true? Awfully glad I met you Cheerio and tootle-loo Thank you Thank you so much for the memory”. “Thanks for the Memory”-Bob Hope-Circa 1938 Hockey made me cry today. On paper it was just another game. The Penguins vs the Panthers. On the ice skated two of the greatest players to ever play the game. Crosby and Jagr. There was no great fanfare leading up to the game. No hype. No over saturation of images, gaudy music or dramatics of an imaginary rivalry. For me though the game held a deep meaning. Crosby, the greatest show on ice, did not disappoint. He scored his fortieth goal with his third goal of the night. The ole' hat trick as we call it. Marc Andre Fluery, in one of his last home games as a Pittsburgh Penguin, had the fans filling the Igloo with chants of, “Fluery, Fluery, Fluery”. His shut out of the Panthers helped post the final score of 4-0 in favor of the “Pens”. Crosby, Fluery and the rest of the Pens look poised to make a solid run at Lord Stanley's cup in a few weeks. How lucky will we once again be? Our team, with two of the greatest to ever play the game in Crosby and Malkin, shall fill the city with pride. Bandwagon Pens fans will be glued to their TV sets in hopes that the black and gold will be victorious. The city will wait with baited breath in hopes of filling the streets again on a hot June day with another Penguins Stanley Cup victory parade. How lucky are we? How blessed are we? Yes, on paper it was another notch in the belt as the Pens prepare for the post season. For some of us last night; the game took on a deeper meaning. Those of us who have had “Father Time” steal our youth. Those of us who's hair shimmers with stands of gray now. Those of us who were lucky enough to be there long,long ago. Yes, children there were Stanley Cup celebrations before. Two of the greatest players to have ever played the game helped deliver us two back to back cups way back in the 1990's. Mario and Jags were the darlings of the city back then. They were young, talented and alive with pleasure. We were young, talented and alive with pleasure as well. These were high times back in the early nineties. Jags forever had a smile on his face. Why not? He was a boy who had escaped Communism in Czechoslovakia. He was a boy with blue jeans, a fast car and an adoring city of female fans. Life was different back then. The carefree seventies rolled into the fun eighties. The nineties began with more good times. Then boom Pittsburgh became Stanley Cup champions. You could see Jagr, Stevens or even Mike Lang out among us enjoying themselves. Perhaps it was “Donzi's” or “The Decade” or “Heaven”. Night spots that are all but a distant memory now. Much like those days of our youth. How fast twenty some years has gone. So when Jags took the ice here in Pittsburgh last night as a member of the Florida Panthers it peeled back the veneer of time. I was young again. Lean, just out of the Army, wild, crazy and fun loving. The world was new then. Jags played his hockey and I drank my “Wild Turkey” splashed with tequila. We were immortal. Last night there he was once again number “68”. His long flowing hair trailing behind him with strands of gray. His pumping pistons of legs were a little slower. He turned over the puck a few times to the younger, quicker defense men. He missed a few passes. Then the Pittsburgh Penguins paid respect to “68” for the time he'd spent with us. For the “Cups” he helped deliver. The two minute highlight featured Jags best plays and moments as a Penguin. The eighteen thousand fans in attendance filled the Igloo with a thunderous applause. Jaromir was home again. At last. With a heartfelt sign of affection he pounded his hand over his heart and waved at the crowd as if saying, “I love you too”. I ran into Mike Lang in the media booth we talked about the night we watched Mike Tyson loose to Buster Douglas in Tokyo. We sat in “The Decade” in Oakland and watched as Buster dismantled Tyson. “The Decade" is gone now. If you never were there; man you missed something special. If you never got to see Mario and Jags skate together; you also missed something special. My youth is gone now. You should have scene the "Show"; it was a wild ride back then! It was filled with long legged Italian women, dancing, late nights, laughter and mirth too. It was spent at joints like "Gene's Blues Bar" on RT 51, "The Decade" and the "Syria Mosque". It was spent inside the gone but not forgotten "Civic Arena" watching The Penguins and a kid named "Jags" do incredible feats of athleticism. Hockey made me cry today. Thanks for the memory Jags. I owe you a drink! sPenguins: The Kid's are Alright!
"Sometimes, I feel I gotta get away Bells chime, I know I gotta get away And I know if I don't, I'll go out of my mind Better leave her behind with the kids, they're alright The kids are alright..." The Who-The Kid's are Alright!-Circa 1965 Jake Guentzel, Josh Archibald, Conor Sheary, Scott Wilson and Ron Hainsey; The Kid's are alright to quote “The Who”. Yes, I know all 6'3 210lbs of Hainsey is thirty five years old. However, I'm certain that the “Fountain of Youth” springs eternal within him these days. At thirty five he's logged thousands of hours on ice. Hundreds of cuts, bruises and breaks have filled his medical charts. Certainly he's had a great career. I'm certain he was happy in Carolina. With one phone call and a plane ticket to Pittsburgh; he suddenly was thrust into a “we need your help and we need it bad” situation. Add an extra scoop of ice cream on top; you'll be playing with two of the greatest players to ever play the game. And we have a great shot to re-peat as “Stanley Cup” Champions. Deep within his hockey soul the little kid in him said, “Hockey's fun again!”. Guentzel and Sheary? Ages twenty two and twenty four are living the childhood dreams of playing in the NHL. Here's the thing though. They are both solid, young talent. The brilliance of Mike Sullivan to put them on the same line as Sidney Crosby has created one of the best lines in hockey. Why? Let me ask you a question. If you were playing with the guys in your Tuesday night pick up game; you'd probably have some fun, get a few laughs and enjoy playing with the boys. Right? But how motivated would you be to play your best game? Now if I told you you'd be playing with Sidney Crosby; do you think you'd give your best effort? Do you think you'd want not to disappoint him? Do you think you'd want not to blow your big chance? The Guentzel, Sheary and Crosby line can carry this team all the way to the “Stanley Cup” finals. Josh Archibald and Scott Wilson are both twenty four. They are filling in nicely while some of the old dogs of war heal up. Jake Guentzel, Josh Archibald, Conor Sheary, Scott Wilson and Ron Hainsey; The Kid's are alright to quote “The Who”. In June of 2014 when Jim Rutherford became G.M. of the Penguins his first move was to fire Dan Bylsma.
Bylsma had inherited a great team and won a Stanley Cup. Then he ran the ship aground. He let the Philadelphia Flyers literally “beat up” the Penguins in six games in the Spring of in 2012 in the Conference Quarter finals. . I personally was screaming for Bylsmas head after loosing to the inferior Flyers in 2012. I wanted to call the Penguins after the first two games and offer my services for a mere free jersey, stick, $500. and a promissory note to pay for my dental work. Why? Because I wanted to grab Scotty Hartnell by the throat and beat him senseless. “Tank, Tank, Tank, Tank. Tank”, I could hear the Pens faithful screaming at the top of their lungs as I was being escorted off the ice by all three refs. My face bloody and beaten. My front teeth gone like the geese in Autumn. “Tank, Tank, Tank”, would echo throughout the Igloo as I smiled a toothless smile at the fans. And just before I was thrown off the ice I would have turned around and made a mad dash for Hartnell as he was being taken off the ice on a stretcher. Leaping through the air I would have delivered a WWF style elbow to the crown of his nose. What if, what if. The saddest words of all are what if? Said the poet. Loosing to the Flyers was bad enough. But loosing to an inferior team because Bylsma would not “lower himself” to play “that kind of hockey” was "sick-a-ning"! In an attempt to not be sucked into the “Broadstreet Bullies” style of game. To placate the powers that be in the NHL and eliminate “Hanson Brothers-Old Time Hockey” in the game; Bylsma and Ray Shero let their team be picked on by the playground bullies from Philly. It took the Pens out of the rhythm of their game. End result? The Pens lost Conference Quarter-Finals 4-2. Pack Bags and go home. FYI in that 2011-12 campaign the Pens lead the league in scoring with 282 goals!!! That meant NOTHING to Philly! Outstanding! NOTE: Sid only played in 22 games that year. The following year the Pens lost in 4 games to the Boston Bruins in the Conference Finals. Although not as cut throat as the Flyers the year before; the Bruins played “knock em' sock em' robots” with the Pens. Pack Bags and go home. FYI in that 2012-13 campaign the Pens lead the league in scoring with 165 goals!!! Outstanding! Then somehow Bylsma blew a 3-1 lead over the Rangers in the second rd of the 2014 playoffs. They lost 4 games to 3. Pack Bags and go home. Goodbye Shero and Blysma. Hello Jim Rutherford. Hello Mike Sullivan! Fast forward to February 16th, 2017. The Jets came to Pittsburgh not to watch Sidney Crosby score his milestone 1,000pt. Which he did. The Jets did not come to Pittsburgh to advance themselves with a win in search of Stanley's Cup. They suck this year and will all be home during the playoffs. No, the Jets came to town that night to simply pick a fight with the Penguins. To pick a fight and take them out of the rhythm of their high octane scoring offense. To pick a fight, get the Pens reeling and maybe pull off a victory and deny Sidney his 1,000. pt. I turned to an NHL rep in the Press Box in the middle of the first period and said, “They are chippy tonight.” By the end of the game. Justin Schultz had a concussion delivered by a wicked hit. Malkin knocked Wheeler out. A may-lay broke out in front of the benches. The game was incredible! It had a little of everything. In the end the Pens won in an shootout! Now fast forward March 8th, 2017. Pittsburgh vs. Winnepeg. Mike Sullivan is Irish and from Boston. I have never been in a town where a fight can break out in the drop of a hat as fast as Boston. They like to fight in Boston! Sullivan knows that on occasion you must fight! And for you daisy pickin' , peace, love and hugs happy freaks let me explain something to you Cupcake. Sometimes in this world, YOU HAVE TO FIGHT! It may be to stand up to a Bully. Perhaps you have a rule that you don't take crap from anyone. Sometimes you declare it's a “fightin' kinda night”. This is something you will never, ever, grasp. I feel sorry for you! For you that can't grasp what I'm saying and cry, “There is no place for fighting in today's hockey!” Do me a favor, SHUT UP! If you don't understand why you need to shut up; you're too stupid, self righteous and too much of a whimp to explain it to you! Go drink some chamomile tea, sprinkle some patchouli all over you and feel free to tell the rest of the world how they should live their lives! Kudos to Jim Rutherford, Mario and Coach Sullivan for understanding that sometimes in this life you must rely on the special skill set that a player like Sesstito bring to the ice. And I'm not talking one game. Do you think the 2017 Capitals are willing to lay down and die? Do you think the Rangers want to go home early? The Blue-Jackets are waiting to prove something in 2017! Do I need to remind you of a hockey team who lead the league in goals, 282, in 2011-12. A team that was superior in every way to their opponents in the quarterfinals. A team who's head coach frowned on players like Sesstino. A team that was good enough to win back to back Stanley Cups. A team who had the two greatest players on earth on their team. A team called the Pittsburgh Penguins who lost to a bunch of bullies from “Phil-tha-delphia”. Oh, and yes my dear Cupcake friend I can now hear you saying with that "know-it-all" smug smile on your face, "Well, if they just eliminated fighting in hockey all together; you would not need animals like Tom Sesstito. There." Do me a favor Cupcake, SHUT UP! Go watch the "Purina Cat-Chow-Parade of Felines" TV show on Lifetime Network. And leave us hockey fans the hell alone! Sesstito-Thank God for “Goons”!
Steelers 2017:
Pink Chickens, Lizards, Ellen DeGeneres & Free Agent Gotta Gets & Gotta Goes! OK, so ask your self, were you happy with loosing to the eventual Super Bowl champions, The Patriots, in the AFC Championship game? Of course you weren't! So let's get “R-E-A-L” and talk “X's & O's” and how your Steelers can go to the big game in Minnesota next year! And before we start let me say this. If you're a causal football fan or simply like the Steelers because their your home team and they give you a reason to party on Sundays; great for you! Enjoy your hangover. I'm writing this from the perspective of someone who “LOVES” football. My love for her began when I was six and I saw Larry Czonka and the Miami Dolphins on an old Black and White TV in my Grandparents living room. Crashing into people looked fun. My love for the game comes from being hit so hard once on a football field I stumbled off the field like the scarecrow in the “Wizard of Oz”. Then I proceeded to throw up on the side line. After watching butterflies speak French to a pink chicken wearing a top hat for ten minutes, as I laid up against the team bench, I got myself up. I went to our head coach, who looked like a eight foot tall pink Lizard named Larry at that moment in time and space, and put myself back in the game. Then played the rest of the game. Incidentally, we won! Another "hit" that rocked my world was bestowed upon me by 6'5 280LBS of Bill "Bull" Fralic during practice at PITT one day. "Bull" is considered to be the "Greatest Offensive Lineman" to ever play college football. At impact I knew my bell was rung. The cherry on top was delivered by 5'11 270lbs of Fullback named "Iron-Head" who then buried his helmet in my spleen. More pink chickens singing, "What a long strange trip it's been" by the Grateful Dead filled my head. I love football. I love the Steelers. Politics suck. The human condition has evolved very little in the last three thousand years. And basketball is senseless. So I choose football, white wine, the sweet science of boxing, blues music, golf and football! So you casual fans will have no clue what I'm talking about when I talk about the changes the "Ler's" must make. So go turn on Ellen DeGeneres or whatever the hell you watch in the off season. I'm not going to throw out names. Just positions that need attention via free agency. If I were throwing out names; I'd say go get me Lawrence Taylor, Reggie White and Troy on Defense. Also please go get me Mike Martz out of the broadcast booth. Pay Bill Parcells whatever he wants to stand high in a tower above the practice field watching and observing. Parcells, Tomlin and Martz can all talk behind closed doors. Then your offense that is more than capable of scoring 30 or more points per game, WILL! Notice there was not mention of Todd Haley! Now that I'm done talking about dancing pink chickens and my fantasy list. Let's talk turkey. OFFENSE: The Steelers heard Ben's message loud and clear. His days are numbered. And my friends “NOTHING” assures you of another super star QB in the near future after Ben retires. NOTHING. Need I mention Bubbles Brister? A.B. “Ronald” Brown has a big bag of money now and is a Steeler for life. Lev Bell is locked down for at least one more year. Ben is healthy. The O-Line might be the best Coach Tomlin has had in his ten years as the helm. The Steelers needs are immediate if they want to get to the Super Bowl next year or God forbid the year after. The Steelers have never been big on Free Agents. They took a huge chance last year on Ladarius Green and got torched for $10 Million big ones! 1/Find that “other” free agent wide-out that can catch the ball over the middle in traffic and down field. His number one job, become so formidable he takes pressure off “Ronald”. 2/Focus on the growth of Jesse James at TE. Look for a Steelers version of a “Gronk”. Not the “overpaid “Tin-Man-Ladaruis Green. NOTE: His agent is the greatest of all time. He sold a damaged bill of goods for $20. Million Dollars to the Steelers! Cut Ladarius Green today! 3/Find me a Free Agent “Offensive Coordinator”. Todd Haley has gotta go! NOTE: Watch my commentary above to learn WHY. Haleys offense is a disgrace! And that's with one of the Top Five QB's in the NFL. One of the Top Three WR's in the NFL. With the most dynamic, well rounded running back in the NFL and the best rung back in Steelers history in Lev Bell. With a Top Five Offensive line too! Imagine how bad Haleys offense would be if he had marginal, average or bad players! DEFENSE: “D-LINE”: I loved the growth of Hargrave, AKA the Jaguar, last season. But we all saw what happened when Cam Hayward went down. The Steelers need to find that lineman who can rush, bring pressure and be a force to be reckoned with. Thus freeing Safeties and Line-jackers up to roam free and to BLITZ at will. “LINE-JACKERS”: Lawrence Timmons never lived up to his $47 MILLION DOLLAR contract he signed in 2011. For that kind of money I want "DOMINANCE". Not the occasional solid game. LT is 30 years old, is due to be paid $15 Million this season. I believe last season was his last gasp at greatness. You will spend $15 Million on an average LB at best. Who may or may not be a force this season. Cut Him! Today! I'd look to bring in his younger, faster, meaner, replacement NOW via free agency. Jarvis Jones: BYE, BYE, BYE. By the end of the season he was ridding the pine. Coach Tomlin made it clear via not being clear that Jarvis was constantly out of position and out of focus in 2016. Get me that stand up outside speed demon. Oh, we have him. His name is James “T-REX” Harrison! “DB's”: I need a strong safety who's molded in the image of Ronny Lott and Troy! And I need him now! I do know one thing. If the Steelers keep Todd Haley, it will be a miracle if pure talent alone gets them to the Super Bowl. OK, who stays and who goes amongst the Steelers free agents? If the old Tanker was G.M. of the "Ler's"; here's how he'd do it.
Timmons-Gone, you got the best of him last year and for $15 MILLION! I Can Load UP elsewhere. PS: I'd move "Chickalo" inside too! Jarvis Jones-Gone, Gone, GONE! The game is too fast and too big for Jarvis....Say hello to the C.F.L. D Willamims-Must Keep! And pray Todd Haley gets it through his head to rest "Lev' Bell" and not run him 50 Times a game! M Wheaton-Keep, but step it up son or it's the Greyhound Bus to Cleveland for you! C Wallace-Keep S Thomas-GONE! BYE! C-YA! The name of the game is "HITTING"! L Jones-OK, fine. You can stay. I guess...stand there and don't do anything. Here hold this clip board.... David Johnson-KEEPER! KEEPER! KEEPER! ROCK SOLID! And on the cheap at $600,00! Ladarius Green was paid $10 MILLION last year! You figure it out! R. Mathews-You can stay, but you're on notice! Get moving! Currently you're over paid by $550,000.......... C Manhart-Keep Ume & Anderson-let's see what you got Kid! And for goodness sake, Let's get "Big Al" signed so we can protect Ben's blindside! “No sympathy for the devil; keep that in mind. Buy the ticket, take the ride...and if it occasionally gets a little heavier than what you had in mind, well...maybe chalk it up to forced consciousness expansion” ― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas I met Hunter S. Thompson when I was working for “The National Football League Players Association” in Washington D.C. In the early 1990's. Hunter was speaking at George Washington University and I had connected to him through the public relations department at the University. Knowing full well Hunter was a football fanatic. I also knew mentioning that I would bring him an official “NFLPA” hat and tee-shirt and could give him a tour of our offices just might open the door. That tale is for another time; but let me say it was fun. So it is with Hunter in mind that I pen this prelude to the 2017 AFC Championship match up between my Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots. Or New England “As*****s” as Coach Mike Tomlin might call them. The Steelers bought their ticket via their pathetic victory over the Kansas City Chiefs over the past weekend. Pathetic? Yes, pathetic! The defense and special teams looks spectacular. Like a finely tuned Swiss wristwatch crafted with all the skill and perfection of a ageless time piece; all parts clicked in unison last Sunday night in Kansas. James "HOF" Harrison and Bud “Ba-boom” Dupree are now the most feared duo of outside linebackers roaming between the hash marks in the “League”. Timmons and Shazier bring all the power and impact of thunder and lightning. Ross Cockrell is the cerebral thinking man's corner. The Rookies are playing like seasoned pros. And Sean Davis hits like a freight train. Mike Mitchel is out to prove something! All is right with your Steelers “D”. Todd Haley's Offense was pathetic. But we will get to that loathing later. Fear and loathing abound as we head into New England. Fear them because they went 14-2 this season. Fear them because Tommy-boy has only thrown two INTS. Fear them because Tom Brady is motivated. Fear them because “Fish-Face” is a damn good coach. Fear them because they have home field advantage. There is no doubt that the Patriots are the most loathed team in the NFL. Yes, all of the familiar elements are there as to why the Patriots are hated. Jealousy, envy and desire lead the way. When others succeed and when we fail; the weak minded among us all too often let jealousy and envy creep into their hearts . Loathing for someone else who is better off than we are bloats our belly's with envy and inflames our hearts with hate. For the past sixteen years the Patriots have been the team to beat. This will be their sixth straight AFC Championship game. They have won four of the six Super Bowls they have played in. Their star quarterback is damn good looking, married to a super model and has more money than many small countries. And arguably may be the greatest Q.B. to ever play the game. I loath how he whines and cries like a schoolgirl after he takes the slightest hit. Remember Jim McMahon? Jimmy would just smile at you when you lacerated his kidney. Or Brett Favre? Hell, that boy would play with a punctured lung. Loathing the Patriots for all those reasons is OK. It's human nature to want to knock the top dog off his perch. Especially a whiney dog. Loathing the Patriots because they win through cheating is a whole other ballgame! “In a closed society where everybody's guilty, the only crime is getting caught. In a world of thieves, the only final sin is stupidity.” ― Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas The Patriots most prominent cheating scandals began in 1982 when they were playing the Dolphins in a blizzard. Enter snowplow operator Mark Henderson. Henderson who had permission to plow the sideline markers took it upon himself to veer onto the field and clear the snow from the exact spot that the Patriots kicker, John Smith, was about to kick a field goal from. Don Shula and the Dolphins went nuts! Smith made his field goal. Final score Pats 3-Tuna fish 0. Who could forget “Spy-gate” in 2007? The Patriots were filming everything they could. Like the scene in the 1980's movies “Porky's” when the horny teenage boys cut a hole in the girls shower and locker room and took all the free “peeky-poo's” they wanted. Old "Fish-Face" was "looky-louying" anywhere he could. The Steelers have had their sideline communications mysteriously malfunction during games at Foxboro. 41-27 was the final score of the Pats vs Steelers during the 2015 AFC Championship game. Many Steelers players believe to this day that the Patriots knew every play the Steelers ran. No one knows how. But they know. NOTE: I do not count “Deflate-Gate” as a scandal. It was a mountain fashioned from the dirt of a molehill. Perhaps the NFL felt as if they had to penalize the Patriots in a similar way that O.J. Simpson was sentenced to thirty three years for “armed robbery” in Vegas. We all knew it was payback for Nicole and Ron. “Deflate-Gate” , although small in it's criminality, would serve as the conductance for justice for sins of the past. The cherry on top is the fact that despite getting caught cheating the Patriots remain arrogant! That is the definition of an "A-hole". If not the definition of a socio-path! So in conclusion. Loathing the Patriots because they win is infantile. Loathing the Patriots because they win through cheating is just. As for your Steelers Offense; fear and loathing abound for your author. This might be the best offense that Mike Tomlin has had during his ten year stint at the helm. I believe it's a better offense than the one that won the Super Bowl in Tampa. The offensive line under the tutelage of Mike Munchak is the best in the NFL as of today. Ben is one of the top four QB's in the NFL. The other three are also playing this weekend. Lev' Bell is simply a tapestry of power, beauty, rhythm and blues, a hurricane, a majestic Hawaiian rainbow, a Rembrandt, a marvel to behold, a delight, a ballet dancer, a sledge hammer and the best back in the NFL. Antonio Brown is one of the top three receivers in the NFL. Dez Bryant and Beckham round out the trio. My fear and loathing of the Steelers offense lays at the feet of Todd Haley. There is a reason there were six head coaching positions open in the NFL and his phone did not ring. There was a reason some cherry college head coaching jobs were not filled by him. Those who know football and make their livings off the game would rather keep Todd Haley right where he is. In Pittsburgh. Please refer to below scores and numbers before we continue. Eagles 34- Steelers 3 Dolphins 30 Steelers 15 Patriots 27 Steelers 16 Ravens 21 Steelers 14 Cowboys 35-Steelers 30 Steelers 24 Bengals 20 NOTE: Boswell six field goals. NOTE: During these losses: Todd Haley's Offense scored 42 Points Chris Boswell scored 30 Points Steelers 18 Chiefs 16 NOTE: Boswell six field goals. Todd Haley is NOT A GOOD COORDINATOR! I have nothing against him personally. I'm sure he's a nice guy and would make a great special teams coach. For the record. Todd Haley did not play high school football. Todd Haley played golf in college. Why is this relevant? If you do not know the pain associated with the game. If you do not understand what it takes to get up and off the turf when you can't even breath and see straight. When you don't understand that even though most players are in excruciating, breath taking pain; they will tell you they are fine and not to take them out. That when you have never played the game at a superior level you have no concept of the flow and rhythm of the game. I will now drive my point home! Mike Munchak was one of the greatest O-Lineman to ever play the game. He's been in the trenches. His technique was near perfection. He has the first hand knowledge of combat inside the lines. He knows what works and what does not. He has imparted this sage like wisdom onto to his students. That is why he was able to shape and mold like clay a 6'6 330lb Marcus Gilbert. Gilbert who was tripping over his own feet and who was constantly reaching out to block a charging D-Lineman and turn him into a solid player, if not future Pro-Bowler. Munchak played the game at it's highest level. Get my point? It is simply inexcusable for the Steelers who have an abundance of offensive talent to have put up such dismal numbers during their losses. This offense should have been ready to roll on week one. We all expected them to put up thirty to forty points per game. Never happened. More sickening and tale of the evidence as to Todd Haley's lack of talent is the fact that our kicker in both the Cincinnati and Kansas game's had to produce the points to win. If it was not for Boswell we loose in Cincy. And this weekend the Chiefs would be New England bound. Haley had the ball on the Chief's 25 yard line or in the “Red Zone” seven times this past weekend and could not score! I could go on and on about bad play calling, bad judgment, not using all of his resources, bad game planning and more; but to what good? I do not own the team. I'm not the team's head coach. If the Steelers loose to "Fish-Face", Brady and all of New England; I simply will die a thousand deaths knowing in my heart of heart's that this Steelers team is as good if not better than the Patriots. They just have a bad offensive coordinator. I have no clue how this weekend will turn out. I have no clue if Todd Haley will suddenly figure out the secrets to football. I do not know if the Steelers can win “despite” Todd Haley. Like all of "Steelers Nation" I so badly want to beat New England because as Coach Tomlin said, “They're assholes”! I want revenge for the 2001 AFC Championship here in Pittsburgh. Who amongst us thought we would loose? I want a reckoning for the 2005 AFC Championship game. And I want to soak up the sun of “Super Bowl 51” in Houston, Texas. But most importantly like you, I bleed black and gold. “And that, I think, was the handle - -that sense of inevitable victory over the forces of Old and Evil. Not in any mean or military sense; we didn't need that. Our energy would simply prevail. There was no point in fighting - -on our side or theirs. We had all the momentum; we were riding the crest of a high and beautiful wave. So now, less than five years later, you can go up on a steep hill in Las Vegas and look West, and with the right kind of eyes you can almost see the high-water mark - -the place where the wave finally broke and rolled back.” Hunter S. Thompson-Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Who cares if Ladarius Green is out for Dolphins? Not "The Outlaw" Jesse James! by "Tank" Tantlinger1/6/2017
Ladarius Green was paid a four year twenty million dollar contract. That's five million a year. Plus, he got a nice $4.8 million dollar signing bonus. So for the 2016 season he was paid $9.8 million. Can we just call it $10 MILLION BIG ONES? Here's what the Steelers got for their money. In 2016 he played in six games. That means he was paid $1.6 MILLION per game! Or if you like he had eighteen catches . That means he was paid $560,000. per catch! Money well spent! Note: Sarcasim. Come Sunday as the eyes of the world and Steelers Nation focus on the Steelers vs. the "Tuna-Fish of Miami"; one Steeler will not, once again, be in a uniform. Green. Green who made his season debut in a black and gold uniform on November 16th as the Steelers lost to the Cowaboys 35-30. Where had all 6'6 280lbs of Mr. Green been prior to that? We don't know. We could not get a straight answer from anyone. Green had surgery to repair his ankle in January of 2016. He missed all of Spring training and all of training camp in Latrobe. Some suggested he spent July through November with his right ankle in an ice bucket. Some suggested he continued to suffer from concussions he sustained in 2014 and 2015 while still with the San Diego Chargers. Green came here with the reputation as a game changer. Heck he had 37 catches and 429 yards rec in 2015. (Note:) Remember that for later use "Cupcake"! No wonder we went after him. He got a big bag of money; then we heard crickets. We got a quick look at him for six games and eighteen catches. Then "BOOM"! "Hello, is this 'The Concssion Protocol Clinic'? Yeah, Green again. The kids got a rotten soft coco-nut for a head. We will need a bucket of cold water and a dark room again, please. How long? Who the hell knows!" Look, in a modern era when we have players committing suicide, notably Junior Seau-God rest his soul, because of brain trama due to head injuries. If Ladarius has a rung bell again and can't go Sunday against the "Miami Tuna-Fish" ; I trust the doctors know what they're doing. The man's life is more important than football. But what's got my goat is not the wasted $10 MILLION BIG ONES. It's the fact that for every damn week since training camp all I kept hearing from Steelers beat reporters were questions to Coach Tomlin of the same damn nature. "When's Green gonna play? OMG, OMG he's the second comming of Mike Ditka and Jerry Rice. OMG, when he's healthy he's gonna be the missing link to our Super Bowl dreams. OMG, I'm just simply gonna pee myself in anticipation." All this said with all the giddyness of a sixteen year old girl on way to prom. Then Steelers fans ,trusting that the "MEDIA" really knew anything about "FOOTBALL", bought into the hype around Green. In the mean time, "The Outlaw" Jesse James, 6'7 281lbs out of Penn State, was going to work every day. To date he has 39 catches for 338 yards rec. Remeber we spent $10 MILLION BIG ONES on Green because he had 37 catches and 429 yards rec. in 2015!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Remember? Good you get a cookie! Get the point? All the while ,"The Outlaw" was learning from the very best the game has to offer in his tight end Coach James Daniel. You don't know Coach Daniel? You should egg-head. He's been on the Steelers staff for 13 years! He made Heath Miller into "HEEEEEEATH!". Oh, and on occasion "The Outlaw" learned a few things from perhaps the gretest offensive lineman to ever play the game and now Steelers O-Line Coach, Mike Munchak. Did you actually watch Ladarius Green when he played his six games? I did with great intent. I wanted to know what "GOD" looks like. Could you hear the teen age prom queens gushing? "2,4,6,8 Ladarius is GREAT! I just adrore him!", I over heard the prom queens scream after his first catch! I watched too. Let me say this. My eighty seven year old Father can block better than Green. Hell, call up Conrad Dobler and his sixty two year old runied knees; he can block better than Green! So listen up "Cupcake"! Get your chin up and buckle up that chin strap. Because the Steelers will have their best tight end on the field come game time, "The Outlaw" ! Oh, one last thing. $577,228. That's Jesse Jame's salary for 2016. Money well spent! |
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