Tiki Barber's Comeback Not Going So Well

In all the craziness of the past couple of days of NFL signings we all kind of forgot about Tiki Barber. He made headlines earlier this offseason when he announced he would make a comeback. Yet, no one has picked him up. Our friends over at FitzandVig.com pointed out that Tiki is most likely going to have to try to play in the UFL next season and show that he still has something in the tank. I think this whole comeback thing was a stupid idea and was doomed to fail from the beginning, so it's really not all that shocking. There are just too many young players that a team could bring in that have a better chance of being productive and will have about 1/2 the ego.

There is one story out there from opposingviews.com that claims Tiki is about to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but I just can't see that being true.

Harrison Apologizes To Goodell

"The interview that I did and the comments that I made about Roger Goodell were inappropriate, at the least," Harrison said. "They were way out of line, and I was speaking out of anger and frustration at the time. Any comments that I made that offended anyone, I apologize."

Harrison had every right to be upset with Goodell, and for the most part I don't actually mind most of what he says. I thought it was wrong he ripped his teammates, but with the stuff about Goodell I didn't really care. Still, this is smart, there is no reason to have your boss any more pissed at you then he already is. Plus, his comments were pretty over the top.

Plaxico Burress to Giants, Steelers?

Apparently the gun toting wide receiver has his selection of where he wants to go whittled down to 2 teams, The Steelers and the Giants.

I'm not a big fan of Plaxico and don't really want him, but if he comes to the Steelers he can't hurt. At the end of the day he's 6-5 and would be a huge target for Ben in redzone situations.

He spent 5 years in Pittsburgh before the Giants so who knows, it could work, but I don't see him getting more than 600 yards.

I'm going to ignore this, but if Plaxico came back home, I guess I would be alright with it.

Some Football Stuff (2 UPDATES)

Matt Hasselbeck signed with the Tennessee Titans yesterday. I really like this move for both parties Hasselbeck needed to get away from Seattle as nothing has been going on there for a while and Tennessee needs to move on from the Vince Young/ Kerry Collins era. Hasselbeck won't hurt the team and will keep them competitive. Also, it will be a great transition until Jake Locker is ready to go.

Defensive end Charles Johnson agreed to six-year, $76 million deal, including $32 million guaranteed with the Carolina Panthers. Good thing the Panthers didn't lose him as he is really the only thing going on in Carolina other than Cam Newton. Do I believe he was a little overpaid? Yea, but what can you do.

The Redskins and Vikings have made a deal involving Quarterback Donovan McNabb. The deal is getting held up right now because McNabb's feelings are hurt about some contract stuff, but the deal is going to get done. I love the move for Minnesota who needs a QB to bridge between now and the Christian Ponder era (burst out laughing). I STILL believe in McNabb and I know he still has a few more good years in the tank. The Viking will be in the playoffs because of him.

A league source tells us that the Pittsburgh Steelers have found a way to keep their biggest free agent in town. Cornerback Ike Taylor has agreed to terms on a four-year deal, per a league source. This is a great move for the Steelers who locked up their best cornerback in a weak secondary. Ike is a lifetime Steeler and this should probably be his last contract in the NFL.

The Cowboys made some cuts yesterday. The Cowboys have released running back Marion Barber and receiver Roy Williams, Pro Bowl guard Leonard Davis and kicker Kris Brown will be cut. All of these players are underachieving except for Davis. Roy Williams should have been cut 2 years ago and Marion Barber needs to be a 3rd down back in the worst way.

***UPDATE***

It's easier to just keep adding to this post, so here is what else is going on...

- "The New York Jets addressed the No. 1 item on their free-agent list, coming to terms Wednesday morning with wide receiver Santonio Holmes, according to a league source. The deal is for five years and $50 million with $24 million guaranteed (ESPN)"

You knew they would resign him, but that is a lot of guarnteed money, I would think this is going to make it tough for the Jets to sign Asomugha, but I guess you could always restructure deals to make it work.

- Jacksonville Jaguars signed Paul Posluszny, which I think is a nice signing. He is a guy I wish the Patriots drafted a couple years back and he is coming off his best year in which he had 151 tackles.

- Not shockingly the Titans will be cutting Vince Young tomorrow.

- The Redskins have signed Donte' Stallworth.

- Packers resigned kicker Mason Crosby.

- Takeo Spikes will leave the San Francisco 49ers for the San Diego Chargers.

***UPDATE 2***

- DeAngelo Williams will be staying with the Carolina Panthers. Terms: Five years, $43 million, $21 guaranteed.

- Eric Weddle has resigned with the San Diego Chargers.

Ben Roethlisberger Getting Married

It's good to see that the best QB in the NFL is getting hitched this weekend. Ben Roethlisberger and Ashley Harlan are set to marry.

It shows a lot of strength in Ben's character to ignore all the rumors and speculation surrounding that Georgia night and all the stupid bigots that are calling him a rapist when in fact he did nothing wrong. Ashley Harlan is a lucky woman to find such a stud. It's good to see that Ben's fairy tail life just got better.

Best of luck you kids.

P.S. James Harrison is invited to the wedding, so I guess that proves the reporter made that stuff up. Nice try media.

Breaking News: Writer For The James Harrison Story Lied

When the story broke yesterday, I was fine with pretty much everything he said for the exception of the Ben/ Mendenhall comments, but since the story broke from Men's Health author Paul Solotarof a lot of things haven't added up. 1 is that James Harrison vehemently denies saying any of the stuff about his teammates and 2 this scumbag author also said that a lot of players have called him up backing James Harrison up. If that is the case, why wouldn't they call up Harrison instead of searching for some no name author for some dumb magazine. This is just another situation when people gang up to pick on poor James Harrison.

Also, on another note, good for James Harrison for going after the commissioner rather then doing the pussy Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Peyton Manning technique by showing signs of weakness and saying, "we gave up a lot, let's just get it done" approach to the strike. This is the only strike where people are siding with the players and that's what you give people.... C'mon guys fight the machine man.

Also, with the picture above with James Harrison and the guns. The story is called Hitman, and in the video game Hitman that's what the character does, everyone needs to shut up about that.

Crazy James Harrison, Being Crazy Again

This is what James Harrison said of BMack, I mean Roger Goodell yesterday:
"If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn't do it," Harrison told the magazine. "I hate him and will never respect him."

His other descriptions of the commissioner include an anti-gay slur, "stupid," "puppet" and "dictator."

Well if I called my boss a fag, stupid, a puppet, dictator and that I flat out hate him, it probably wouldn't go well. And even though there is a strike going on right now, its eventually going to end, and your eventually going to helmet to helmet someone James and then Roger Goodell is going to go all Monty Burns on you and make your life miserable.

I'm torn on Goodell though, sometimes I think he takes small things too seriously and is very hypocritical when it comes to "player safety", but I also think he has done a good job of cleaning up the NFL's image.

But regardless, I'm going to agree with James Harrison because he has black and yellow on.

Hines Ward Obviously Framed For DUI

"Ward is claiming that even though he was cuffed for the offense, he wasn’t intoxicated. “From our preliminary investigation, we can tell you that we are confident that the facts will show that Hines was NOT impaired by alcohol while driving,” his rep Andrew Ree" Ward was "caught" "drunk driving" while in Georgia.

See, obviously the cops were out to make another athlete into a bad guy. It's sickening to be honest. First Casey Anthony is found innocent, then Catherine Greig is granted probation and now this. Just another case of some yahoo cop trying to make a name for himself. Since it was in Georgia I'm pretty confident in saying that the cop was most likely racist and seeing a Asian/Black guy driving is like prime rib to a dog down there. It's a shame that America hasn't got past all of this racism by now.

I swear to God Steelers.....

Apparently the Steelers are on Tiki Barbers short list of teams he would like to go to if he were to return to the NFL.

I would be beyond pissed if I had to watch this overrated piece of shit on my team. Tiki Barber is someone who I have always hated my whole life. I hated the fact he was a Giant, the stupid way he carried the ball and if he takes up Rashard Mendenhall's time running the ball I will be even more pissed.

I don't even know why Barber's return to the NFL is a big deal to be honest, he hasn't played in years, and wasn't even that good when he did. So Steelers please don't sign him, I would hate to have to root for him.

Roethlisberger's Foot Still A Problem?

Ben Roethlisberger recently made comments that he may need foot surgery, and there has been an uproar from fans, because of it. It seem they are backing off those comments today...

"There's nothing new there," Tollner (Roethlisberger's agent) said. "The doctors elected not to do surgery and to let it heal. If it ever got worse, they might have to do something. Ben is kind of surprised that it's getting the attention. He hopes and expects never to have surgery on it. The foot was feeling better after the season, with the extra time this offseason, it's feeling great."

It sounds like Big Ben will be good to go, but the fact that surgery is still being discussed has to be a little concerning. I think they are going to have to wait till they get him in some serious practices and see how that foot reacts. The good news is that it doesn't sound like the foot has got any worse.

Since DP Isn't Around...

There's just a few things I'd like to say with impunity:

Hockey is better than basketball. The game is better. The players are more athletic.

Daisuke sucks. His 18 win season was luck. He's never been a true member of the Red Sox, he only cares about what's good for him and not what's good for the team. He's been allowed to do his own thing, and his career has been plagued by injuries because of that. There's no such thing as a gyroball.

The Perkins trade was a mistake.

Hideo Nomo is not the Japanese Jackie Robinson.

Ben Roethlisberger is a rapist. He got away with rape because of a misogynist cop who had befriended Ben earlier in the night, and because he surrounded himself with off-duty cops from PA. He wasn't an idiot to go to that bar, because he was smart enough to protect himself.

Oh, and Tom Brady is much better than Roethlisberger.

College football players shouldn't get paid. USC and Ohio State are SCHOOLS. Athletes get plenty of benefits when they attend these schools. Paying people to attend one's college is wrong.

Barry Bonds is a cheat, a liar, a clubhouse cancer, and a scumbag. He hates Boston, he hates baseball fans. Any Boston fan that likes him is misguided.

Rex Ryan is an overrated, walking (waddling) reality TV show who likes sniffing feet and putting videos of his wife on the internet for everyone to see. And any Boston fan who likes a team from New Jersey, even if they hate the local football team, is a traitor.

You know what, not liking hockey and hating the Patriots, are we really sure DP is from here? I met him in high school, and I've seen pictures and heard stories from his childhood here, but I don't know for certain. Where is DP actually from?

-The Commodore

Black and Yellow vs. Red, White, and Blue

Athletes occasionally say some pretty stupid things. But Rashard Mendenhall has surpassed them all. Here are some of his tweets after US Special Forces killed Osama Bin Laden:

"What kind of person celebrates death? It's amazing how people can HATE a man they have never even heard speak. We've only heard one side..."

I've heard him speak. He puts out videos all the time, talking about how he wants to kill me. He'll probably keep putting videos out even though he's dead, Tupac style.

"We'll never know what really happened. I just have a hard time believing a plane could take a skyscraper down demolition style"

I think anyone of reasonable intelligence knows what happened. A pair of 176,000 pound 767 planes flying at 520 miles per hour can do some serious damage. Even to a big building. I know Mendenhall majored in sports management at Illinois, but I for some reason question his credentials when it comes to physics. Call me crazy.

This isn't about the Steelers, this is about an idiot being an idiot. And it just pissed me off. I used to like Mendenhall, even though he was on the Steelers. Now, I hate him almost as much as Big Ben.

-The Commodore

Fuck the Whole Pick By Pick, The Draft Is Tomorrow

DP's Picks:
24. NO: Corey Liuget, DT, Illinois
25. Sea: Christian Ponder, QB, Florida State
26. Balt: Brandon Harris, CB, Miami
27. Atl: Bruce Carter, OLB, UNC
28. NE: Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
29. Chi: Jonathan Baldwin, WR, Pitt
30. NYJ: Phil Taylor, NT, Baylor
31. Pitt: Mike Pouncey, OG, Florida
32. GB: Marcus Cannon, OL, TCU

BMack's Picks:
24. NO: Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
Fills the need at DE for the Saints, and adds a good pass rusher to a team that really needs one.

25. Sea: Jake Locker, QB, Washington
I like Mallet a lot, but with all the questions surrounding being a booze bag and what not I think Seattle takes a pass. I also like Locker a lot and if Seattle can bring back Matt Hasselbeck for one more year I think he could be real good.

26. Balt: Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado
Ravens need to improve thier defensive backfield, and Smith could end up being the 2nd best CB in this draft.

27. Atl: Adrian Clayborn, DE, Iowa
Was projected to be a top 15 pick last year, but dropped in this years rankings (nerve damage/5 less sack then 2010), could be a steal this late in the first round.

28. NE: Nate Solder, OT, Colorado
Dude is huge (6-foot-8 319 pounds), and the Patriots could be very thin on the OL depending on what happens with the CBA/free agency.

29. Chi: Gabe Carimi, OT, Wisconsin
The Bears have to find a way to protect Cutler, this is a good start,

30. NYJ: Cameron Heyward, DE, Ohio State
Big, strong pass rusher is exactly what the Jets need, but what makes him special is he is great against the run.

31. Pitt: Danny Watkins, OG, Baylor
Not a sexy pick, but lets be honest the Steelers have to find a way to protect Big Ben.

32. GB: Justin Houston, LB, Georgia
Gives the Packers another OLB pass rushing option other then just Matthews. Houston is also versitle, and could eventually be a DE, another need for the Packers.

Steelers News: Don't Call It A Comeback

Dick LeBeau comes back and LaMarr Woodley gets tagged.

Dick LeBeau said Tuesday he will be back for a 10th season as the Pittsburgh Steelers' defensive coordinator. There were rumors that he would retire or go to the Cardinals after this season, but all mean nothing as the 73 year old signed a one year deal. LeBeau is the best defensive coach in the NFL, I'm not just talking about defensive coordinators I'm talking about all coaches in the league. He consistently has the Steelers in the top 5, and even if pieces leave he still is able to find someone to fill in the role and be a great player. I'm glad he's back because when the Steelers go back to the Superbowl this year it will be a good way to end his career.

Also the Steelers are about to franchise LaMarr Woodley which is great because he is one of the best outside LBs in the league. He is unbelievable and is a sack master on the end which causes constant pressure. He will also be a key piece in their superbowl run this year especially if it comes to getting in certain QBs who get shook by being put to the ground a couple times.

Some Super Bowl perspective on Super Bowl XLV

The way the Packers won the Super Bowl XLV is how you draw it up, right? Pretty much every important player on the Packers except Charles Woodson and Ryan Pickett was drafted or acquired as an undrafted free agent. You really need to give Ted Thompson credit for shrewd drafting both in terms of starters and backups. Not since the 2003-2004 Patriots has there been such a deep team that is so good at filling in for injured starters. Oh yeah, and he saw that he hit the goldmine in Aaron Rodgers (the same guy who completed 23 consecutive passes at one point in 2004 and yet was drafted 24th overall in 2005) and stood up to Mr. Wrangler.

In addition to being happy for a good team that stuck to their guns in the face of what’s-his-name, hopefully the Super Bowl gave me some perspective to some Patriots fans who were devastated by the Jets loss. I’m painfully aware that the Pats blew a golden chance to win a fourth Super Bowl with home field, but the playoffs are a crap shoot. All you can do is put yourself in the best position possible to win. In a quarterback league, the Pats had the MVP who had 36 touchdown passes and a defense that was playing better by the week in the second half of the season. It all meant nothing because the Jets were better than the Pats that day. Same thing goes for the Steelers, who were supposedly built for the playoffs and a championship.

It is REALLY hard to win Super Bowls in this era and after watching the events of last night, I appreciate the Pats winning three of four to an even greater degree. The year-to-year differences between teams so stark that winning consecutive titles seems less possible by the day.

This Packers defense, which held together despite losing its leader, isn’t much difference personnel-wise than the unit that gave up 51 points to the Cardinals in last year’s playoff game. Many fans compared these Steelers to the 2008 version that won the Super Bowl in dramatic fashion but are leaving out the fact that they went 9-7 last year. My point? While it’s a natural reaction to be disappointed when your team doesn’t win the big one, it’s damn-near impossible to cruise to a Super Bowl title anymore. So much luck is involved that you need to appreciate when your team succeeds and understand that parity is what drives the NFL. As I said yesterday, even when you’re NFL royalty like the Steelers, nothing is guaranteed.

A few other things:

* I would like to talk to those analysts who tried to make the point that if Ben Roethlisberger won, his 3-0 Super Bowl record would be more impressive than Tom Brady’s 3-1 mark. Just as I questioned why Joe Montana’s 4-0 record is so hallowed, I don’t understand this logic at all. Are they trying to say it’s better to lose in conference championship game than the Super Bowl? Isn’t the point to give your team a chance at the title? Someone please help me here.

* Does anyone else find it disturbing that there is such a disparity between the respective NFL and MLB Halls of Fame? How is it that Cooperstown has become the Hall of Very Good by allowing Phil Rizzuto and Bert Blyleven into its doors while Chris Carter and Curtis Martin can’t make it to Canton? Look, I understand that baseball has been around much longer and there’s a different voting system because of different value placed on players. But there is still something wrong with both voting processes. Let’s use Bill Simmons’ pantheon levels for all sports and be done with it.

* You proved me right in one sense, Rashard Mendenhall. Your fumble helped seal the game for the Packers and made it clear that he can’t be counted on as an elite running back consistently in the playoffs.

What A Game

You just knew going in that this was going to be a great Super Bowl. Two teams that are so evenly matched, with so much history, there was just no way this was going to be a blowout. To be honest at half time I was shitting myself. Even though Pittsburgh was down 11 they had all the momentum after that last scoring drive before the half. On top of that the Packers were losing one player after another. Woodson broke his collar bone, Driver was out (maybe forever), and even Sam Shields went down. With the way the Steelers were starting to be able to throw the ball I thought the loss of 2 out of their 2 3 CBs would be the end of them.

Even on top of all the injuries the game just didn't feel right for the Packers. How many times did they drop an easy pass? How many times did they end up a yard short? Honestly, it just didn't feel like a game the Packers were going to come up with.

Yet, looking in hindsight maybe it was meant to be. Favre's final sendoff was this year, and he gets to watch a QB that has already broke out of his shadow. I mean he has as many rings as Favre, and already has been a better QB, as you could see in this game it was Rodgers lack of mistakes that brought the game home. No picks usually leads to a win, and that is something Favre never seemed to learn.

On top of that you had the Lombardi special come out on HBO. My father and I getting to go to Green Bay, and even losing a friend who was a die hard Packers fan. Maybe it was just meant to be...

Still, there was 2 mins left with 1 timeout, Steelers only down 6, and Roethlisberger was on the field. Haven't we seen this before?

He hit a couple passes, but in the end just came up short. It happens, and he gave them a shot, but this year it was just the Packers year.

No Parades for Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude (noun): enjoyment obtained from the troubles of others (German)

As a Patriots fan, it's nice to see the Steelers lose. Apart from Mike Tomlin, there's really not much to like about that team. By the way, had Pittsburgh won, I would have written how Mike Tomlin doesn't get nearly enough credit as he deserves. Probably because he's not as secretive as Bill Belichick, not as preachy as Tony Dungy, and not as loudmouthed as Rex Ryan. The guy just coaches a football team and does a damn good job at it.

As a Patriots fan, and as someone who dislikes the Steelers, and who has an intense animosity (coupled with respect) toward Ben Roethlisberger, I'm relieved this morning. But I'm not happy. I'm not from Wisconsin. My team got bounced, early, again. So I recommend to my fellow Patriot fans not to smile so smugly today. Because for the last two seasons, we've enjoyed watching NFC teams doing our dirty work, and eliminating our rivals.

I do think that this game thoroughly exemplified what the NFL is truly about these days. There were about 10 quality teams in the League this year. And there wasn't much on paper that separated them from each other. Green Bay lost 6 games this year. They lost to the Falcons once, then beat them. The Patriots lost to the Jets, then beat them, then lost. The Steelers lost to the Jets, then beat them.

These games really do come down to execution on a few key plays. Last night, Pittsburgh's turnovers pretty much cost them the game. But there were also potential big plays that never materialized. Green Bay muffed an early punt, but fell on the ball. The entire shape of the game changes if that one play changes.

It's a League of execution. So while Patriot fans shouldn't be jumping for joy for a parade in Wisconsin, they also shouldn't be moping about. Our team in Foxborough, though imperfect, has sufficient talent to be among those 8 to 12 good NFL teams. They just need to execute. It's simple to say, difficult to do.

-The Commodore

Pat O's Super Bowl XLV preview

OK. I admit it. I flip-flopped about this Packers-Steelers Super Bowl in a way that would make Glenn Ordway proud this week.

Up until Wednesday, I thought there was no way the Steelers lose Super Bowl XLV. Perhaps it’s their recent legacy that led me to that conclusion. Similar to how many people had visions of Tom Brady’s previous February heroics going into the Giants-Patriots Super Bowl in 2007 (beyond the 18-0 record), I just kept thinking about how the Steelers are the team with the hardware of late.

The problem with that logic, as I’ve learned as a Pats fan who’s been punched in face repeatedly since 2005, is that the Steelers winning two Super Bowls since 2005 has nothing to do with what happens tonight. After giving it more thought, I like the Packers more and more in this game for a few, somewhat obvious, reasons:

* Even with Maurkice Pouncey in there, the Steelers were going to have problems with Cullen Jenkins and B.J. Raji. Pouncey’s injury makes things even tougher for the Steelers’ line.

* This has been said over and over, but the Packers’ ability to spread opponents out like the Patriots did to the Steelers this year bodes well for them. I’m not saying it translates to Aaron Rodgers throwing for 400 yards, but it will certainly make their unimpressive running game less of a factor.

* As great as Ben Roethlisberger is when outside of the pocket, he does have the propensity to fumble with 28 over the past three years. I’d be shocked if the Packers don’t send Charles Woodson (7 sacks the past three years) on a corner blitz at least once or twice. If you’re wondering why I said earlier that past performance has no bearing on today’s game, yet I’m referencing stats from three years ago, it’s because individual trends are the ones to keep an eye on.

Key to the game: Rashard Mendenhall. If he runs hard between tackles like he did against the Jets, I don't see the Steelers losing this game. The problem is that he hasn't shown great consistency against the top defenses. How he plays will help determine how long Rodgers is on the field for and how the Packer secondary approaches coverage for Mike Wallace.

The Packers and Steelers are evenly matched in terms of coaching and key injuries. The Steelers are missing Pouncey and Aaron Smith while the Packers are missing (among others) Jermichael Finley and Ryan Grant. Warren Sapp made the point on Inside the NFL yesterday that we haven’t seen a bad Super Bowl in a long time. For once, I agreed with that overrated dumpster. That trend will continue this year and it’ll be a great game.

Even though I suck at predictions, I’m going with Green Bay 31-28. Rodgers pulls a Roethlisberger and drives down the field for a game-winning touchdown late. I look forward to Pearce losing something for once.

SUPERBOWL!!

Pittsburgh and the greatest QB in the league and has ever lived... BEN ROETHLISBERGER


Vs

Packers and a lot of questionable gay sex with Aaron Rodgers and the Mack Family

Dueling Couches Super Bowl Show

With the big game only a couple days away DP and I stepped up our games and did our podcast from an actual radio studio, so the audio should be a lot better.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Thanks to our man Scott Beer for hooking up the the studio.

Now it's time for all of you to put your 2 cents in about the game. I want to hear some predictions from all of you in the comments section.