Best of the Mid-Season Reports

Every season I post a Mid-Season Report when the Steelers reach the halfway mark. I always have fun writing it. Here are some of my favorite mid-season memories:

• The Controversial: Leave it to Steelers fans. We cheered when Deion Sanders almost broke his neck in week 1. Cowboys druglord Michael Irvin and others were outraged. (1997)



• Dumb Move of the Year: Lee Flowers injured KR Jahine Arnold, who was having a great pre-season, by drilling him in a no-contact drill during practice. Arnold missed the first several weeks of the season because "I had to keep him from getting that 1 yard." Yeah, whatever - someone needs to teach Lee the difference between practice and live games. (1998)



• The Jamain Stephens Award: this inagural award for absolute stupidity goes to - who else - Jamain Stephens! Stephens became probably the only veteran player ever to get cut on the first day of training camp after he showed up overweight and collapsed during sprints. (1999)



• Player who Made Me Look Stupid: PK Kris Brown. After I bashed the Steelers for getting rid of Norm Johnson for a rookie (I believe I remarked that "Brandi Chastain would be a better kicker than Brown"), Brown came in and has made all 11 of the field goals he has attempted. He won the game in Baltimore, he kicked a 51 yarder against Atlanta, and he leads the conference in scoring. Woops... (1999)



• Dumbest Move by an Opponent: In week 7, the Bengals inexplicably put Scott Mitchell into a live football game. He threw an interception on his first pass and was later sacked in the endzone by Joey Porter, sealing a 15-0 Steelers shutout. (2000)



• Best Image of the Year: The National Anthem before every game. (2001)



• Brilliant Quote of the Year: After losing big to the Steelers in week 3, Bills DT Pat Williams declared, "Our team is way better than theirs. They don't impress me. Not at all." Record after 8 games - Steelers: 6-2, Bills: 1-7. (2001)



• Unsung Hero of the Year: Vince McMahon. If it weren't for the XFL, Tommy Maddox would probably be back home selling insurance. (2002)



• The Kordell Stewart Award (most hated player): OT Todd Fordham. He may be the worst player in the 71 year history of the franchise. (2003)



• Most Out of Place Moment: When the Steelers celebrated their 1000th game in week 8, there were several taped congratulatory messages played on the scoreboard from such out of place celebrities as Sharon Osbourne and Toby Keith. But none was worse than P. Diddy, who went on a 5 minute rant about how he "loves all y'all" and how the Steelers are his "boys". (2003)



• Shocker of the Year: Joey Porter defied death twice in the span of a week. First, he escaped a Colorado shooting with nothing more than a minor injury to his rear end. Then after the week 1 game against Baltimore, he got into an argument with The Murderer and escaped unharmed. (2003)



• Best All-Time Sports Ranking Without Allowing Any Time Whatsoever for Historical Perspective: I turned to the two guys who sit next to me at Heinz Field and started a heated debate over whether the Randle El lateral [vs New England] was the dumbest play in Steelers history about two minutes after it happened. (2005)



• Horrifying Image of the Year: In week 8, cameras caught the corpse of Raiders owner Al Davis as it was propped up in the owner's box. (2006)