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(11/20) Everyone is breathing a collective sigh of relief as QB Tommy Maddox has been released from the hospital by doctors who are procaliming him to be "perfectly normal". That is pretty miraculous after Maddox was taken off the field by an ambulance just three short days ago. Doctors are saying that he has suffered no damage to his spinal cord, which apparently is very rare for someone who temporarily lost feelings in their arms and legs. It is now up to Maddox as to when (or if) he wants to play football again. If he does come back this season, you have to wonder what this injury will do to his mental state. One of the worst injuries I ever saw was when Penguins star Kevin Stevens hit the ice face-first during the 1993 NHL Playoffs. When he came back the next year, he was never the same, both on and off the ice. Hopefully Maddox will not suffer the same fate.
Also: As expected, the Steelers have a new kicker. The reason however is unexpected. It turns out that Todd Peterson broke a rib in Sunday's game and will miss the rest of the season. That will probably end up being a blessing in disguise for Todd, because I think he would have been cut this week for sure. Anyway, the new sucker -- I mean, the new kicker is a rookie named Jeff Reed. He kicked at UNC and was cut this past summer by the Saints (who as we found out earlier this year already have a really good kicker). Reed now takes on every kickers biggest nightmare - kicking at Heinz Beach, where the Steelers will play 4 of their final 6 games. Not only that, but he'll have to do it in the December weather. Good luck, kid!.... The Steelers also signed LB Mike Jones. If that name sounds familiar, it's because Jones was on the team last season. He will provide depth at LB while James Farrior recovers from a sprained MCL. Meanwhile, a ton of other people are hurt. Besides Maddox, Farrior, and Peterson, the Steelers will also be without C Jeff Hartings (knee), S Mckeesport Mike Logan (groin), and CB Hank Poteat (knee) when they take on the Bengals this Sunday.

(11/5) It's kind of hard to believe, but the Steelers season is halfway over. It's been a strange one so far. The Steelers began the season with Super Bowl expectations, but quickly began playing awful on defense and got off to a demoralizing 1-3 start. However, they have picked it up since then, and now sit way atop the AFC North with a solid 5-3 record. Meanwhile, the AFC teams that dominated the Steelers in September are now struggling. You gotta love parity! It really makes things fun. Also, Kordell Stewart started off the season as the all-pro starting QB for the Steelers. Now some guy who was selling insurance a few years ago is lighting up NFL defenses. Yep, it's been a strange season indeed, but before we go ahead with the final 8 games, let's look back at the first half with the annual Mid-Season Report for your Pittsburgh Stillers.

(10/16) Jerome Bettis was cleared of all sexual assault charges brought by a 22 year-old slut back in August. The slut along with her uncle, a Penn State professor (reason #872 why Penn State SUCKS), allegedly developed an ill-fated scheme to extort money from the Bus. Well, I guess it didn't go too well. This just seemed fishy from the very start, and there were very few people in Pittsburgh who actually believed that she was telling the truth. Bettis is a good guy with a clean reputation. He was dumb to put himself into the situation in the first place, but he still doesn't deserve to have his reputation smeared by a worthless whore. The worst part about all of this is that it hurts women who actually are victims of sexual assault. Police and the public in general are less likely to believe them because of crap like this.

(9/24) Hall of Fame center and Steelers great Mike Webster has died of a heart attack at the young age of 50. Webster was arguably the best center ever to play the game. He played more seasons (15) and more games (220) than any other player in Steelers history. He was also a member of all four Super Bowl teams and a nine-time all-pro. He once went 150 games without missing a start. I don't know what else there is to say about his career - it was obviously stellar. Since his retirement in 1990, Webster has had numerous health and legal issues. He was actually living on the street at one point. This is a sad ending for Mike Webster, but #52 will always live on in the hearts of Steelers fans everywhere. I doubt there was any player in the history of the organization who showed more dedication to the game.

(9/20) Usually it is annoying when the Steelers have their bye week this early in the season. However, this year is different. The Steelers have never needed a bye week more than they need this one. The defense is in complete and utter ruin. They have given up 30 points in each of the first two games (the most they gave up all of last year was 26). Also, they can't tackle or handle the spread offense. Meanwhile, the offense leads the NFL with 10 turnovers, while the special teams gave up yet another costly kick return last week (to a decrepit old man, no less). This has been some of the most disgusting football of the Bill Cowher era.

So Who's fault is it? Well, according to many of the ignorant Pittsburgh fans, the blame falls solely on one man: Kordell Stewart. I am getting so sick of the "everything will be ok if we bench Kordell" theory. Granted, he is not ever going to be Johnny Unitas (or even Terry Bradshaw for that matter), but the guy is decent enough to win games as he more than proven with his 22-7 record as a starter in 2000-01. Besides, he is not the source of the main problem. How is benching Kordell going to fix the defense? The offense could have scored 29 points in each game and we still would have lost! No one ever realizes that defense - not offense - is what wins championships in this league (to prove this point, check out ESPN's list of the top 10 offenses in NFL history. You will notice that none of the top 5 won the Super Bowl that year). Defense is also the prime reason that the Steelers have been so successful in the last 30 years, and it is the prime reason why we are 0-2 this year. But there are stupid people who still insist that benching Kordell is the solution to everything - the defense, the offense, the special teams, the economy, the conflict with Iraq....

As awful as things look now, the season is still very young. The Patriots started 0-2 last season and won the Super Bowl. The 1995 Steelers (who were coming off a tough Championship Game upset just like this team) started 3-4 before winning the AFC. Also consider the fact that our division is a joke so far. The AFC North has a combined record of 1-7, and the one win only came because two of the teams were playing each other! The Steelers just need to regroup and start playing like a real team. I am being optimistic and hoping that they will be just fine, and that we will be laughing about this in a few weeks. But don't quote me on that.

(9/2) Now that the pre-season is finally over, it's time for some reflection. Every year the sports media feels the need to cover training camp and the pre-season in extensive fashion. This was even more evident this year because of the baseball strike. The only problem is that there is really not that much to cover other than a bunch of guys practicing, so the media then resorts to making up b.s. news stories out of nothing. Here are my favorite b.s. stories from this year:

• "Hines Ward Practically Demands to be Traded": After a hot day of practice in which he was moved around four times and didn't get one ball thrown to him, WR Hines Ward complained that his role seemed to be undefined. The next day it was front-page news. All of a sudden Ward was an unhappy player who was upsetting the team's chemistry. One idiot even compared him to Keyshawn Johnson!
  
  
• "Kordell Can't Win the Big Game": Did you know that Kordell Stewart single-handedly lost the AFC Championship Game last season? Yep, that's right - it had nothing to do with the fact that the special teams gave up two TD's, or that Jerome Bettis had like 9 yards rushing. It was all Kordell's fault, because he chokes in pressure situations, just like he did in 1997. At least that's what some of the media-types would have you believe. The truth is that Stewart threw two interceptions in that game during a frantic attempt to lead the Steelers to a comeback win. We were down 21-3 at one point - give the guy some credit for even making it close.
  
  
• "Antwaan Randle El Wants to be a QB": The Steelers biggest star of the pre-season made an innocent comment about wanting to play some QB (his college postion) in the NFL. The media, knowing full well how Kordell's "I want to be a QB and not a receiver" drama played out a few years ago, ran with it.
  
  
• "Oliver Ross Drives a Honda Civic": One of the local TV stations actually devoted a feature in which one of their reporters walked around the St. Vincents parking lot identifying which cars belong to which players.
  
  
• "The Running Game is in Shambles": Ok, I'll be the first to admit that Jerome Bettis didn't look too sharp in the pre-season, but I don't think that's any reason to completely dismiss what has been the heart and soul of the Steelers offense for the past 30 years.
  
  
• "The Washington Redskins Set an NFL Scoring Record": The Skins scored 34 points or more in every pre-season game, and apparently that is an "NFL Record". First of all, you can't set records in the freakin pre-season! But even more importantly, why should that piece of crap Steve Spurrier be given any credit at all for merely running up the score with his backup players? The Steelers starters beat the Redskins starters 24-0, but their scrub players scored 34 points on our scrub defense. Man, it's going to be a long season of Spurrier worship by the media.

(9/2) The Steelers have officially given up on 1999 #1 draft pick Troy Edwards. They traded him to the St. Louis Rams for a 6th round draft pick in 2004. Well, at least we got something for him! Edwards looked like he had a lot of potential after his rookie year, but has struggled since then by dropping passes and making bonehead special teams plays (like in last year's Championship game). I bet he'll do well on the Rams offense. Of course, I could probably do well on the Rams offense. The Steelers aslo made their final cuts. Nobody notable, except for QB Tee Martin, but we all knew that was coming.

(8/31) OL John Jackson has re-signed with the Steelers so that he can officially retire as a member of the team. Jackson spent 10 years with the Steelers before leaving via free agency after the 1997 season. I personally love these sign-and-retire deals. It's a nice way to honor players who spent so many years here. I hope we keep doing this in the future for players like Rod Woodson, Carnell Lake, and Gary Anderson.

(7/24) Training Camp 2002 opens today. This is exciting because it means football season is FINALLY here, right? Well, the truth of the matter is that training camp is fairly boring. Nothing really matters until we go to New England for that first game of the regular season. But that won't stop the local media from turning this into the biggest event of the year. Every day you will get to read a story about how some undrafted rookie made a diving catch in practice. "He has a real shot at making the team," coach Mularkey will say. Then the guy will get cut and no one will remember him come September. The media guys have to resort to making up stories in order to justify their free vacation to scenic Latrobe.

However, when it comes to over-hyping training camp, the fans are just as guilty as the local media. Listen to the talk shows this month - "Hey Stan, I really like that CB from North Dakota Tech who had that meaningless interception in the 4th quarter of the first pre-season game. Why are we still playing Chad Scott when this guy is obviously better??...."

Then there is the always exciting third-string QB battle. This year it's Batch vs. Martin for clipboard bragging rights. And of course the instant that Kordell throws his first incompletion, everyone will be calling for Batch/Martin/Maddox to be the starter. Ughhh!! Sorry to be such a wet blanket, but I just get less and less into this stuff every year. I love the first quarter of the first pre-season game because we finally get to see football again, but after that it's all meaningless crap. At least there are usually some heated battles for roster spots, but even that is lacking this year. Every starter is back, with the exception of Earl Holmes (who will be replaced by Farrior - don't even think that Fiala has a chance) and Rich Tylski (who will be replaced by Ross, Vincent, or Simmons). Yes, it will be interesting to see if Troy Edwards can keep his job, and to see if any of these draft picks explode the way Bell did last year, but that's about it. Oh well - it still beats freakin baseball.

(6/18) Homestead native Charlie Batch, who spent the last couple of years sucking hard for the Detroit Suckass Lions, has signed with the Steelers. I really can't make sense of this signing, especially after they gave Tommy Maddox a contract extension last week. The Steelers say Batch is a great insurance policy, but that's a real stretch considering the fact that Kordell Stewart has missed a grand total of 3 quarters in 7 years due to injury. Here are some of my best guesses as to why the Steelers signed Batch:

• Had to make absolutely 100% sure that Kordell Stewart will be the starter for years to come
• Tee Martin must have really pissed someone off
• Gives Batch's friends and family from Homestead the chance to see him hold a clipboard in person rather than on TV
• Wanted to recreate that whole "Killer B's" t-shirt thing that the Pirates had in the early 1990's (Batch, Bell, Burress, Bettis, Bruener...)
• After Johnny Unitas and Danny Marino fiascos, have to grab up every local QB just in case they turn out to be good some day
• Lions were so good last year - anyone from Detroit will add value to this team

(6/13) The Steelers filled their need for a third down WR today when they signed former Falcons WR Terrance Mathis, a 12 year veteran and a former all-pro who set a Falcons record in 1994 when he caught 111 passes. The Steelers had brought in both Mathis and former Lions star Herman Moore this week, but in the end I think they made the right choice. If you look at both of their careers, Moore is obviously the better player. He is a potential Hall-of-Famer while Mathis is not. However, if you look at what the Steelers need right now, Mathis is the better option. First of all, they want a fast slot receiver to replace Bobby Shaw. Moore is tall and plays outside. If they wanted another guy like that, they would've drafted Antonio Bryant. Secondly, Moore has barely played over the last 3 season due to injuries, while Mathis has only missed 2 games in his entire career. Mathis has also been productive more recently than Moore, leading the Falcons in receiving last year. The fact that he is a consistent veteran and the fact that he comes cheap (the league minimum for a veteran) makes this signing a real steal for Pittsburgh. It also signals the end for former first round pick Troy Edwards.

(6/11) In the 1990's, Steelers fans were used to seeing starters leave every year via free agency. That has all changed recently however. The Steelers have signed Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca to a six-year, $25.6 million contract which includes a $6 million signing bonus. Wow, that's a lot of money! Faneca has blossomed into "the best guard in the NFL" (according to Redskins legend and current Steeler OL coach Russ Grimm), but he was going to be a free agent after this season. Well, not anymore. Meanwhile, DL Kimo Von Oelhoffen, who had two years left on his contract, signed a two year extension that will pay him a nice fat $3.5 million signing bonus. Earlier this month, the Steelers signed LB Joey Porter to a contract extension. Add these three onto the already long list of veteran players the Steelers have locked up for the future. In fact, the only key players that will be free agents after 2002 will be SS Lee Flowers, OT Wayne Gandy, and RB Amos Zeroue - and don't be surprised if they get signed before their contracts run out. This is really great to see. I know I've said this a million times, but the Rooneys deserve a ton of credit for keeping their promise about the new stadium helping them compete. However, it should also be noted that this is becoming a trend in the NFL. The fans don't want to see popular players jumping from team to team, and after seeing what their colleagues have gone through, I don't think the players want that either. Just look at the Steelers - Earl Holmes passed up a huge signing bonus so that he could test the free agent waters, and he got screwed because of it. Now he has to spend his prime dodging beer bottles in Cleveland. His former teammates had to have been at least somewhat influenced by that.
Also: The Steelers are bringing in veteran WR's Herman Moore and Terrance Mathis for interviews. Both of these guys are way past their glory years, but they would both be awesome as a #3 WR (not to mention good mentors for Mr. "The Cops Always Pick On Me" Burress). I would love to see one of them sign with us, but I'm very skeptical. Meanwhile, Worthless Will Blackwell, who was cut three months ago after he caught like 3 passes over the last 4 years, has actually been working out with the team. Huh?! He just won't go away!

(5/25) The Pittsburgh Steelers won 13 games in 2001 and advanced all the way to the AFC Championship Game. They are one of the premiere teams in the NFL and will no doubt be one of the big favorites to win it all next year. It's almost hard to remember now, but not that long ago, the Steelers really sucked! Everyone in this town was really down on Cowher, Stewart, and the rest of the team. So when did it all start to turn? Well, if you ask me, the Steelers resurgence can be traced back to September 24, 2000. The Steelers had won just once in their previous nine games, and they were coming off a completely embarrassing loss in Cleveland. At the end of that game, QB Kent Grahm was sacked at the 10 yard line and the Steelers were unable to kick the easy game-tying FG. It was one of the most disgusting losses in NFL history. They came home to face the defending AFC champion Tennessee Titans, a team they hadn't beaten in several years. No one gave them a shot. I remember driving to Three Rivers Stadium that day wondering why I was wasting my time. But something strange happened that afternoon. The Steelers actually made it a game. In fact, they even had the lead late in the 4th quarter until Steve McNair came off the bench to rally Tennessee to a 23-20 win. It was a tough loss, but it was dramatically different from the week before. The Steelers played with heart, something I hadn't seen them do for a long time. And after that day, everything changed. I think when a sports team hits rock bottom the way the Steelers did in Cleveland, they sometimes just decide that they are sick of losing (witness what seems to be happening with the Pirates right now). There is no other obvious explanation for why the Steelers started winning all of a sudden. After all, nothing about the makeup of the team has really changed since we were losing. All the core players - Stewart, Bettis, Ward, Gildon, Flowers, Faneca, ect. - were there three years ago when the team went 6-10. The attitudes of the players and coaches seemed to shift dramatically after that Tennessee game. You could feel it as you left the stadium that evening. In my game summary, I said, "Hopefully this game is something they can build on", and sure enough, they did. The Steelers are 23-8 since then. Even though it was a loss, I think it was the most important game in recent Steelers history.

(4/15) Here we go - it's draft time again! And soak it all up too, because now that the Pens are not in the playoffs for the first time since 1990, Pittsburgh is headed for a sports blackout after this Saturday, and it won't end until training camp! At first this draft seemed simple - the Steelers would need a cornerback to replace Deshea Townsend - but then Townsend re-signed. And they would need a LB to replace Earl Holmes - but they signed James Farrior. So what do the Steelers need? With 21 of 22 starters returning next season, the Steelers are anything but desperate. However, this is the smartest drafting team in the league, so don't think for a second they're not looking at getting some impact players. Here is a look at what the Steelers may be looking for.

(4/15) Ok, last week we did the worst personnel moves in Steelers history, and trust me, there were plenty to choose from. However, a team with this kind of success (19 playoff appearances in the past 30 years) does not get there without making mostly smart personnel moves. The Steelers main specialty is the NFL Draft. They are the model by which the rest of the NFL tries to match. Since 1970, the Steelers have drafted eight Hall of Famers, twice as many as any other NFL team. With that in mind, here are the The 10 Best Personnel Moves in Steelers history.

(4/8) In honor of the upcoming draft, it's time to look back on some of the big personnel decisions that the Steelers have made in their first 70 years. The Steelers have made some brilliant decisions, but they have also made some, well, extremely dumb decisions! We'll look back on some of those brilliant decisions next week, but this week, let's take a look at those not-so-great decisions, because let's face it - they're funnier! Here are the The 10 Worst Personnel Moves in Steelers history.

(4/5) In a shocking move, the Steelers have decided to sign Jets LB James Farrior rather than Earl Homes. With no other options left, Holmes signed with the Browns. This is a very strange story. Before last season, the Steelers offered Holmes $4 million a year, but he decided to take a huge risk and play the free agent market instead. It turned out to be a costly mistake on his part. The market was awful for Holmes. He couldn't get a good offer, so he came back here this week (some would say he came crawling back), and it looked as if the Steelers were going to re-sign him. He passed their physical yesterday, and Bill Cowher also publicly came out and said he wanted Holmes back. Also, Holmes talked publicly yesterday about his desire to "come home" and play for the Steelers, the team that drafted him in 1996. There had been some talks with Farrior, but it seemed like just a decoy to get Holmes to sign back for less. So what the hell happened? Why did the Steelers choose Farrior over Holmes? One theory is that Holmes still wouldn't take their offer (and that all his "coming home" talk was just spin). Another theory is that he would have been disgruntled, since he would have had to sign back for way less than he was originally offered. If neither of those are true, then perhaps the Steelers just preferred Farrior. If that is the case, then I think this is an EXTREMELY risky move. Why in the world would you not re-sign your leading tackler when you could get him back for cheap? Why would you risk disrupting the chemistry of the NFL's best defense?? Farrior is an outside LB who will now have to move inside, which also means that Kendrell Bell goes from pass rusher to run stopper. And is Farrior a better player than Holmes? Consider this: he was a high draft pick in 1997 but did not make much of an impact, starting only 11 games from 1998-2000. He had a breakout season last year (as most players seem to do in their contract year), finishing third in the league with 143 tackles. Farrior is also quicker and more versitaille than Holmes, but again, Holmes has the experience and has been successful in our system. We will have to wait and see how this all plays out next year.

(4/3) The Steelers have lost their first unrestricted free agent. WR Bobby Shaw has signed a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coach Coughlin has promised Shaw a chance to start (yeah right) after the Jags release Keenan McCardell after June 1. I guess someone forgot to tell Tommy Boy that we're not in the same division anymore and that he can't use his "sign a Steeler and pump him for information" strategy anymore. Shaw was a decent 3rd down receiver but he is expendable. He did have his moments, like his team record 90 yard TD reception in Baltimore last season. Hopefully he will do well playing for Coach Suckass and his salary strapped team.

(3/29) The 2002 NFL schedule was released today. As we already knew, the Steelers will open up on Monday Night Football in New England. The home opener in week 2 is against the hated Oakland Raiders, and that game is on a Sunday night. Then the Steelers have a week 3 bye (even when we're good we get stuck with crappy early bye weeks). Finally, on Sept 29, the Steelers play a 1:00 game. Highlights on the schedule include two other Monday night games, at home vs. the Colts in October and at Tampa Bay for Christmas. The Steelers will also play the new Houston Texans at home (Kris Brown's worst nightmare), games at former division rivals Tennessee and Jacksonville, and our first game against New Orleans in almost a decade. Here is the complete 2002 Steelers schedule.

(3/25) The Steelers announced today something that everyone already knew - there is no way in hell they are going to match the ridiculous offer made by Houston to PK Kris Brown. Kickers are generally expendible, especially kickers that led the NFL in missed FG's. So the Steelers found a new guy to try to conquer Heinz Field's kicking challenges, and his name is Todd Peterson. The deal is for three years, $2.5 million. Peterson is a nine year veteran who has played for several teams. He kicked for the Chiefs last year, converting 27 of his 35 FG attempts. In other words, good enough. If the last 10 years have taught us anything, it's that we took Gary Anderson for granted. Remember when you didn't even think to yourself, "Is he going to make it?" Every FG was automatic - the only thing we used to get upset about is the fact that we got three instead of seven. Man, were we spoiled!

(3/23) In another unprecedented front office move, the Steelers have re-signed CB Deshea Townsend to a four-year, $4.2 million contract. The Steelers have never had this much depth in their secondary before. I've always said that I think Townsend is the most underrated player on the team. He will return as the no. 3 cornerback when on a lesser team, he'd defintely be a starter. The Steelers never used to re-sign players like this. I love it! Although I will admit that things are a bit different now than they were in the early days of free agency. Teams are starting to learn that it doesn't pay to overspend, especially when you turn into one of those teams that has to scrap everything for a few years just so you can start to rebuild (i.e. Cowboys, Jaguars, Ravens). Teams are also realizing that you can be much more successful by being smart and thrifty. The Broncos were 12-4 in 2000, but after they "upgraded" to the NFL's highest payroll in 2001, they failed to make the playoffs. Same deal with the Redskins. They were an up-and-coming playoff team in 1999, but it all fell apart when they started throwing out money to overrated players. This is why Townsend could not draw enough interest from other teams. I'm really hoping the same thing happens with Earl Holmes.

(3/23) The 2002 schedule isn't out yet, but it has been announced that the Steelers will open the season on Monday Night Football against the defending world champion New England Patriots. Wow! It will of course be a rematch of the 2001 AFC Championship Game. Wow!! It will also be the first ever game at New England's new CMGI Field. Wow!!! And it will be the first game for new MNF announcer John Madden. Ok, so not everything about this game is exciting....

(3/21) What do you get for having a miserable season in which you miss more FG's than anyone in the NFL and become the constant target of boo's at home games? Well, if you're PK Kris Brown, you get a sweet contract offer from the expansion team. Brown, who is a restricted free agent, received a 4 year contract offer from the Houston Texans. The deal is worth more than $1 million a year, plus it is guaranteed! Ain't no way the Steelers can or will match that. They will have to let Brown go. All they will get in return is a seventh round draft pick. Thus ends the strange journey which was Kris Brown's career as a Steeler. He had two good seasons before faltering last year. Everyone is well aware of his kicking troubles and the game against Baltimore which he cost us, so there is no need to recap. He took Kordell Stewart's job of being the player who gets booed heavily at home games. However, I really think that Brown is still a good kicker. Furthermore, I believe that he will be vindicated next year when someone else has the same problems trying to kick at Heinz "Kicker Hell" Field. Brown now gets big money and a chance to return to his home state. I wish him the best of luck and hope he does well.
Also: One restricted free agent that the Steelers did keep is OL Oliver Ross. He got a big offer from Cleveland, but the Steelers matched it. That almost certainly means the end of Rich Tylski's days in Pittsburgh. The Steelers are betting that the younger and heavier Ross will be worth keeping over Tylski.

(3/7) The Steelers have reached an agreement with TE Mark Bruener which should keep him in Pittsburgh for the rest of his career. The deal is for 5 years and will pay $14 million with a $3 million signing bonus. Bruener was the Steelers first round pick in 1995 and has since developed into the NFL's best blocking tight end, not to mention one of the more popular players on the team. Bruener is an all-around good guy who expressed his desire to remain with the same team his whole career. That is always a refreshing thing to hear in this day and age. The really great thing about Bruener's new contract (besides the fact that it will keep him here) is that his 2002 salary will only count for about $500,000 against the salary cap, freeing up over $1.5 million to sign other players. Now that the Steelers have some breathing room, will they pursue LB Earl Holmes? At the start of free agency, it seemed like a sure thing that Holmes would be gone. However, he has yet to receive as much as a phone call from another team, and two of the teams that were supposedly interested in him - Cleveland and Buffalo - have already filled their holes at ILB. The Steelers are bringing in other free agents, but c'mon - everyone knows the best guy for Earl Holmes' position is Earl Holmes. I really hope they try to get him back.
Other News and Notes: I must also commend the Steelers for their extraordianry efforts in keeping their current players. In the last two years, they have re-signed potential free agents Hines Ward, Jason Gildon, Jerome Bettis, Chad Scott, Dewayne Washington, and Mark Bruener to long-term deals. In the mid-1990's, at least half of those guys would have been gone. Yes, we lost Kirkland and Dawson along the way, and we may lose Holmes this year, but when you look at what is happening to the Baltimore Ravens right now, you have to give the Steelers all the credit in the world for managing their team. You also have to give credit to the Rooneys for keeping their word. They claimed that a new taxpayer-funded stadium would help them keep players and field a more competitive team. Everyone was skeptical (including me), but it sure looks to be paying off so far.... The Steelers finally cut two of their biggest bums, WR Will Blackwell and FB Jon Witman (Penn State sucks). Don't get too excited though - the Steelers cut Witman last year too, yet somehow he ended up being the starting FB for much of the 2001 season.

(2/25) The great Steelers linebacker tradition continues. The Steelers have reached an agreement with LB Jason Gildon that will make him the NFL's highest paid linebacker. Gildon will get $23 million over five years. He earned it too. After suffering through a couple of off-years, Gildon has come back to lead the defense and make the Pro Bowl two years in a row. He is also on track to become the team's all-time sack leader. They had to have him back, and now that they have reached a deal, they can lift the franchise tag and use it again next year if they need to. Gildon was the Steelers biggest free agent, but there are still others. This off-season should be a good one (for once). The Steelers are in great financial shape. Before signing Gildon, they were some $14 million under the cap. As much as it hurt to release Kirkland and Dawson last year, that actually ended up being a very smart move. The Steelers look good for next year, but there is always room for improvement. Here is an early look at the 2002 season, including a list of free agents and the Steelers opponents for next year.

(2/21) Free agency is just around the corner, but one player that the Steelers will not be losing is LB Jason Gildon. That's because the team has designated him as the franchise player, a tag that has been unused for the last couple of years. It's nice to see the Steelers making more of an effort to keep the team together than they did in the 1990's, especially after they cried for so long about how a new tax-payer funded stadium (with massively expensive personal seat license's) would help the team stay competitive. The Rooneys know they still have slack with the ass-kissing local media, but not with the fans. That leaves LB Earl Holmes as the only free agent starter left, although there are several role players (such as Bobby Shaw) who are also free agents. It's starting to look like they want to dump Holmes. They just signed John Fiala to a big incentive-laden contract. That sucks, but they also figure that Holmes will only be a two-down player next year, and you can only shell out so much for a two-down player. Still, this defense is so good, I'd be afraid to mess with its chemistry if I were Mr. Colbert.
Also: The Houston Texans failed to take any of our crap players, so WR Troy Edwards is still in limbo. Edwards found his nitch as a role player, but that is not what you want our of a #1 draft pick who makes over $1 million a year. The Steelers still may try to trade him or something.

(2/4) It's about time! Last year Lynn Swann finally made it into the Hall of Fame, and this year the morons who vote on this decided to finally recognize fellow receiver John Stallworth, the man who holds most of the Steelers career receiving records. I don't know why they finally chose to induct these two guys after years of screwing them both over. I think they just realized that the Pittsburgh Steelers of the 1970's were the greatest football team of all-time, and that they could not have won four Super Bowls without their wide receivers. Stallworth's best game was probably Super Bowl XIV. The Steelers were trailing the Rams in the 4th quarter when Stallworth caught two long bombs, one of which ended up being the game winning TD. The Steelers now have nine Hall of Fame players and a Hall of Fame coach from that team, and with Donnie Shell and L.C. Greenwood being finalists this year, there may be more to come.
Also: Special teams coach Jay Hayes was deservedly fired this week after the special teams gave up an unacceptable THREE touchdowns in the playoffs. The Steelers lost four games all year, and two of those losses can be directly attributed to the special teams.... You have to give all the credit in the world to the New England Patriots. Everyone said all year that the Steelers and Rams were by far the two best teams in the NFL, and the Patriots just beat both of them. What they did last night - the team introduction, the domination of the Rams offense, the last second FG - will be talked about for ages. They truly earned the right to be called world champions, and I hope they (and their fans) have fun shoving it down everyone's throats who said they weren't that good.

(1/24) Baltimore just continues to suck. Thomas E. Dewberry, a legislator from Maryland, wrote an angry letter to Pittsburgh Mayor Tom Murphy about the "horrific" treatment he and his son received when they attended last Sunday's game at Heinz Field. Dewberry, who was wearing a big Ravens coat, said, "Shortly after disembarking from our car, the so-called fans began harassing, embarrassing, abusing, and intimidating us." First off, you know that anyone who "disembarks" from their car is a snobby rich loser. He went on in the letter to say that he was "frightened" and that "people were getting into our faces, staring at us, provoking us." Oh, you poor, poor baby! Did the big mean Steelers fans hurt your feelings?? This guy wins the award for crybaby sissy of the century. If I went to a Baltimore game wearing a big Steelers coat, I would fully expect them to harass me, and they probably would. As a matter of fact, I seem to remember Tony Siragusa ENCOURAGING the Baltimore fans to not only harass Pittsburgh fans at PSINet Stadium, but to follow them into the restrooms and beat them up as well. I guess Thomas E. Dewberry doesn't think that's a problem! The truth is that if you've ever been outside of your house before (or in this jerk's case, if you've ever been outside your little rich-boy white-bred neighborhood), then you know that this sort of thing happens in any loyal sports town. As a fan, you can't just show up at your biggest rival's home stadium and expect the fans there to be cordial with you. If someone would have physically hurt this guy, then maybe he'd have a case. Instead he is just a baby and a sore loser, and if he ever shows his pathetic face in this town again, hopefully someone will welcome him back by tossing his sorry ass into the Allegheny River.

(1/23) Has anyone noticed that the teams that were good in the mid-90's are all good again? Pittsburgh, New England, San Francisco, and Green Bay all dominated the mid-90's. At least one of those teams appeared in a Super Bowl every year from 1994-1997. They also played in a combined 9 championship games during that 4 year span. Then they all went away for a few years. Everyone started to rebuild in their own way. Pittsburgh and Green Bay kept their core players and built around them. San Francisco and New England replaced some of their stars with people like Jeff Garcia and Tom Brady. Now all four were back on top this year, as each team had at least 11 wins this season, with the Steelers and Patriots advancing to the AFC Championship Game. It's amazing what a good organization can do. These franchises needed just three years or less to get back to contender status, while teams like the Cardinals and Bengals continue to suck year after year. I can't think of any other sport that is like this. Give credit to the NFL's proud franchises for refusing to lose for too long.

Most Appearances in the AFC Championship Game:

Team	Appearances	Times Hosted	Record
Pittsburgh	11	8	5-5
Oakland	10	4	3-7
Miami	7	6	5-2
Denver	7	4	6-1
Buffalo	5	3	4-1
New England*	3	1	2-0

* The Browns, Colts, Chargers, and Oilers/Titans have also been to 3 Championship Games

(1/14) On draft day 2001, the Dallas Cowboys front office personnel stood in their war room pondering what to do with their second round draft pick. The front office personnel wanted to use the pick on an inside linebacker from Georgia named Kendrell Bell, but arrogant owner Jerry Jones overruled them, instead opting to trade down and draft Georgia's QB, Quincy Carter. The Steelers quickly seized this opportunity, as they traded up in order to acquire Bell. That move paid off big time, as Bell not only won the Steelers starting ILB job, but dominated throughout the season. Today, Bell was officially recognized for his efforts, as he was named the NFL's defensive rookie of the year. Bell follows in the great tradition of Steelers linebackers, and certainly looks to have quite a career in front of him.

(1/13) Ok, I guess it's safe to call Baltimore-Pittsburgh a rivalry. After everything that happened so far this season - two tough games against each other, a race for the division title, a ton of trash-talking by both teams, Tony Siragusa telling the Baltimore fans to hurt the Pittsburgh fans, the Baltimore fans wearing t-shirts that say "Cleveland sucks but Pittsburgh swallows" - I think it was already safe to call it a rivalry, but now it's official. After Oakland's win over New York last night, and Baltimore's big win in Miami today, the Ravens will come to Pittsburgh next Sunday with a trip to the AFC Championship Game on the line. While this is the one outcome that many Pittsburgh fans feared the most, I say bring them on. We dominated them twice and should have beaten them both times. Besides, you don't get to the Super Bowl by playing crap opponents like Miami. If you wanna be this year's champs, you gotta beat last year's champs. Fortunately the Steeler players have more confidence than some of the fans. Either way this is going to be one hell of a game next Sunday. I personally can't wait!

(1/2) It doesn't seem that strange now, but think back to even a few months ago. If someone would have said to you, "Kordell Stewart is going to be in the Pro Bowl," you would have laughed your ass off! But that's exactly what has happened. Stewart joins RB Jerome Bettis, G Alan Faneca, and LB Jason Gildon as the Steelers representatives to the AFC team. For Stewart, this has to be some more amazing vindication. It's still hard to believe that he has come back from the absoulte pit of despair to be a great QB. Meanwhile, the Bus will be playing in his fifth Pro Bowl, while Gildon plays in his second. It is the first trip for Faneca, the Steelers 1998 #1 draft pick who has definitely proven to be a fine investment. One player not on the list is WR Hines Ward. This is an absolute load of crap. Ward is the most complete receiver in the AFC. Just ask any of the defensive backs he has either burnt or blocked into the ground this year. And if it's stats you want, how about the fact that he is closing in on 100 receptions and 1000 yards?? That's ok though, because Ward now has a chip on his shoulder, and I have a feeling he is going to show everyone why he is more than deserving of a Pro Bowl spot come playoff time.