Tuesday, December 20, 2011

This One's On Mike!

The Pittsburg Steelers did not need Big Ben to beat the 49ers last night. They went 3-1 without him last year and with all due respect to Jim Harbaugh’s crew and their inflated record, this is not a team capable of winning playoff games. What the Steelers did need was a QB that can plant his back foot while throwing. I have nothing bad to say about Ben, the man is an absolute superhuman that can and will play through anything. However, a week after praising Mike Tomlin's coaching maturity I feel he made a horrendous mistake. What separates the best baseball managers from the average ones is the ability to tell a star pitcher he’s done for the night. That one minute and often overlooked skill is the difference between Grady Little winning a world series and lining up at the unemployment office. Last night Mike Tomlin showed why he would not be a great baseball manager. I didn’t have the luxury of watching Ben in practice all week as he did, but after his first series it was very clear to me that the Steelers would be better off without him. Let Charlie Batch manage the clock a little bit or let Dennis Dixon make things happen with his legs. Not only would that have provided Ben with a better opportunity to play on Saturday, but it would have also given the Steelers a better chance to win on Monday night. You don’t ask Ben if he can play because the answer is always yes – you tell him he's not ready!




AND THAT’S THE BRUTAL TRUTH!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

James Harrison Suspended! Seriously?


Last Thursday night James Harrison did what has become very popular as of late not to do……his job. In an era where our political leaders are indecisive about every little issue, we outsource all our production and allow our streets to be “occupied” by a militia who’s majority of members aren’t really sure what their cause is other than to inconvenience people more employable than them, we arrived at the point where we punish linebackers for hitting quarterbacks! Seriously? Have we really become that soft? If we are going to take hitting out of football, we might as well take the engines out of our cars, speakers out of our home theatres, and alcohol out of whiskey.

AND THAT’S THE BRUTAL TRUTH!

Barry Bonds – A Tragic Figure


I will not debate the character of Barry Bonds but I will say that he is most likely a better human being than Ty Cobb ever was. What I will say however about Bonds is that instead of celebrating what he has done for baseball, he was unfairly singled out in one of the most ridiculous legal investigations that this country has ever seen. We can all safely assume and get over the fact that Bonds took steroids following the 1999 season and was a decade behind 75% of major league baseball in doing so. Bonds did not bring steroids to baseball, on the contrary, by opening everyone’s eyes to the now undeniable truth he actually took steroids out of baseball. He made a clear statement in 2001 and the few years that followed to the league and the country – you want to allow steroids in your pastime, let me show you what real talent can do with it. Throughout the 90’s he was a premier ball player and most likely (though will never be confirmed) led the league in “unjuiced” home runs and slugging percentage during that era. Had he retired prior to the 2000 season having never touched the stuff, he would have retired as an undisputed first ballot hall-of-famer and arguably the best all around player of all time, combining power and speed as the only 400/400 man ever while playing gold glove caliber defense throughout his career. I do not condone steroid use in any sport, but condemning a ball player for using steroids in 2001 is like condemning a bank manager for authorizing a sub prime loan in 2006. While agreed that it was a poor decision it was the norm in the industry at the time. Similarly, perjury is a serious offense in a real court case, but just like the Bill Clinton perjury charge, to hold a man accountable for lying in court over something he never should have been there for in the first place is a clear abuse of the system. As far as his legacy goes, hopefully over time he will be recognized as the greatest player of the era, and the era should be remembered as the period when Major League Baseball unofficially allowed steroid use. As for Cooperstown, if he’s not inducted then the entire concept of the hall is worthless.

AND THAT’S THE BRUTAL TRUTH!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Tomlin is Growing Up as a Coach – You Play This Game to Win!

I have been very critical of Mike Tomlin as a coach ever since he took over as head coach of the Steelers despite his remarkable success in that role. I felt as a rookie he cost the team a playoff win against Jacksonville by misevaluating the importance of a 2 point attempt and then by being afraid to put the ball in the hands of his franchise QB. I felt that in last year’s Superbowl he panicked and started coaching a desperate game early in the first quarter and only down by 7, a decision that resulted in going down by 14 and a tougher hole to climb out of. I felt that over the years he coached soft with a 4th quarter lead allowing for potential comebacks, and I felt that he was slow to make mid game adjustments when the offence had difficulty moving the ball. Theses feelings are not the result of me being a Monday Morning Quarterback as in all these cases I was critical before the snap and the ensuing bad results. Last night however, the coach that took his team to 2 Superbowl in 4 years showed coaching brilliance that only a polished and superb coach can understand. Up by 4 and a 4th and goal from inches away in the later stages of the 4th Quarter, the broadcasters were all over Mike Tomlin for going for 7 when 3 would have all but guaranteed either a win or overtime. Had they been playing in Foxborough I would tend to agree with that logic, but great coaches understand the specific nature of each situation as Mike Tomlin did last night. This game was in Pittsburgh, in prime time, against the Cleveland Browns. You don’t play for worse case overtime at home against the brown to give them an opportunity for a lucky Josh Cribbs return. Conversely, you play for the win against a team who has not won in your house since Bush’s first term. You make it - game over, you miss and you have Colt McCoy (who will one day be a great QB) pinned against his own goal line and having to deal with a Dick Lebeau Defense. Going for it, despite not making it was the right move. I didn’t expect him to go for it in that situation but was proud of him that he did. In his 5th season, I am pleased to say that Tomlin has now graduated into and elite head coach.




AND THAT’S THE BRUTAL TRUTH!

Antonio…Rhymes With Santonio! (Plays like him too)

Going into last season, Steelers Country was concerned about their wide receiver core in a league becoming more and more about the pass. Santonio Holmes, their big play threat and former Superbowl MVP was gearing up for his first season with the Jets. Hines Ward, the greatest all around wide receiver of an era wasn’t getting any younger. Mike Wallace, their returning second year receiver may have become a victim of the sophomore jinx, and if the name Limas Sweed means anything to you no further comment is necessary. What took place in the wake of this worry was the emergence of the greatest passing attack the Steel City has ever seen, more productive than when Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw was throwing passes to a tandem of hall of famers, more explosive than when Larry Fitzgerald was catching his touch downs as a Pitt Panther. Under the tutelage and mentorship of number 86, Mike Wallace has emerged as one of the most dangerous wide outs in the game, and Antonio Brown in only his second year has emerged as a premier all around wide out combining route running, great hands, speed, separation and above all awareness. His punt returning skills help provide great field position and most of all he is a proven clutch performer. While Mike Wallace creates 60 minutes of deep threat offence each week that this team hasn’t seen since the days of Lynn Swann, there’s a new Santonio in town and his name …Antonio.




AND THAT’S THE BRUTAL TRUTH!

Saturday, December 3, 2011

Brady Has Reached A New High - He's Hate-Worthy!


It has become fashionable this year to refer to Aaron Rodgers as the best quarterback in the game. The media introduced this phenomenon early in the season when the reigning Superbowl MVP picked up where he left off last year and it quickly became an echoed sentiment by the uninformed part-time watching football public. While there is no question that Rodgers is great, and in Manning’s absence he probably took over as the number 2 play caller in the world, it remains an undisputed fact in my mind that Brady is still the best. If you are a Pats fan this reality is great news for you. If however you cheer for a team that was declared “The Dream Team” by the same personalities who anointed Rodgers as the king of the NFL, then this reality might be a little harder to digest. While Eagles fans typically display the highest level of class and sportsmanship (“now that’s sarcasm!” – Homer Simpson), the vengeance that Tom Brady can bestow upon a less than worthy opponent can evoke tears in even the most optimistic of fans. Rodgers is an awesome QB, but to be “Hate-Worthy” … you know, that’s an echelon that Aaron Rodgers has yet to conquer.

AND THAT’S THE BRUTAL TRUTH!