He's Batman.

...and a rapist.

Done in one. Move on.

Senselessberger?

Reminds me of an interview with John Elway...whenever he was asked "Where are you?" after a vicious hit, he would answer "Denver" because he'd be right 50% of the time.

I hope he doesn't get slapped in the face by his moobs again. Poor guy will never live that one down.

Winterstar: Reminds me of an interview with John Elway...whenever he was asked "Where are you?" after a vicious hit, he would answer "Denver" because he'd be right 50% of the time.

CSB

I wonder how the Heinz Ward thing will play out, if it's not already resolved. It would be funny if all of a sudden all of his passes start going to Santonio Holmes and Mike Wallace more than Ward.

One more blow to the head and he won't know who he is.

Honestly, against Oakland, I'd start Dixon. He played pretty well against the Ravens and should have no problem with the Raiders.

FriarReb98: Ben's absence wasnt' the problem with the offense on Sunday. The offensive line's absence was the problem.

\and they need Troy back much, much more desperately

lolwut? They didn't allow any sacks.

I'd say the problem lies more with Bruce Arians' pop warner playcalling and the secondary (mainly the lack of Troy and the ineptitude of Willie Gay).

INeedAName: Honestly, against Oakland, I'd start Dixon. He played pretty well against the Ravens and should have no problem with the Raiders.


I agree.

MOSTLY CERVICAL KREMS: FriarReb98: Ben's absence wasnt' the problem with the offense on Sunday. The offensive line's absence was the problem.

\and they need Troy back much, much more desperately

lolwut? They didn't allow any sacks.

I'd say the problem lies more with Bruce Arians' pop warner playcalling and the secondary (mainly the lack of Troy and the ineptitude of Willie Gay).

Exactly. Dixon scores on a 20-some yard bootleg. Earlier in the game, Dixon scrambled through the defense for about 30 yards on a third down (though that got called back on a penalty). In college, Dixon was an option quarterback and was great at it. How many designed runs were called? Just one, and that happened to go for a touchdown. I could not believe they didn't call a single run for him in OT and give it a shot.

INeedAName: Honestly, against Oakland, I'd start Dixon. He played pretty well against the Ravens and should have no problem with the Raiders.

True but if he gets hit he'll break in half.

in spite of the fact that he will have no idea where he is

That's a handy skill set to have in Pittsburgh.

Helmetless on a motorcycle + football related cuncussions = Ben Mybrainsaburger

FriarReb98: Ben's absence wasnt' the problem with the offense on Sunday. The offensive line's absence was the problem.

\and they need Troy back much, much more desperately

I understand that the D hasn't been very good without him, but no one can convince me that a safety has more to do with winning NFL games than a QB.

FriarReb98: Ben's absence wasnt' the problem with the offense on Sunday. The offensive line's absence was the problem.

I thought the o-line played fine on Sunday--Dixon didn't get sacked and the team ran for over 150 yards. Their stupid holding penalties hurt a ton, especially when Dixon's scramble for 30+ yards was called back. Regardless, the entire team obviously did enough through the first 58 minutes to win that game. Then Arians called shiatty plays and gave the ball back to Baltimore in the final 2 minutes, and then the defense caved and allowed 2 field goals to lose the game. The Ravens knew that the Steelers would be rushing right up the middle each time and stopped them. Then in OT, the Steelers knew that the Ravens would be rushing between the hashmarks every time after the INT but gave up 30 yards.

After this game I don't have any reservations about Dixon being the long-term #2.

They should start Dixon again and let the boy use his legs more.

/Save Ben for the Playoffs.
//Playoffs?
///WHO-DEY

Kygz: /Save Ben for the Playoffs.
//Playoffs?
///WHO-DEY

The Steelers should sign Kimo Von Oelhoffen just for the playoffs. ;)

/Rollin' rollin' rollin'

Winterstar: Kygz: /Save Ben for the Playoffs.
//Playoffs?
///WHO-DEY

The Steelers should sign Kimo Von Oelhoffen just for the playoffs. ;)

/Rollin' rollin' rollin'

I was looking up videos of that and found a clip from 2005 of a bengals fan running onto the field and stealing the ball from brett favre after a snap, id never seen that , i loled, im gonna get some good use outta that on Bengals v. Vikings day

He is playing against the Bengals against on Sunday.

eazye1334: MOSTLY CERVICAL KREMS: FriarReb98: Ben's absence wasnt' the problem with the offense on Sunday. The offensive line's absence was the problem.

\and they need Troy back much, much more desperately

lolwut? They didn't allow any sacks.


He was too busy running the ball up the middle (as usual) to notice. How this guy keeps a job is beyond me, and I'd say that super bowl was won in spite of him last year.

I don't care what the guy 'did' for Peyton Manning, he's a farking hack.
I'd say the problem lies more with Bruce Arians' pop warner playcalling and the secondary (mainly the lack of Troy and the ineptitude of Willie Gay).

Exactly. Dixon scores on a 20-some yard bootleg. Earlier in the game, Dixon scrambled through the defense for about 30 yards on a third down (though that got called back on a penalty). In college, Dixon was an option quarterback and was great at it. How many designed runs were called? Just one, and that happened to go for a touchdown. I could not believe they didn't call a single run for him in OT and give it a shot.

Whooooooooooooooops:

He was too busy running the ball up the middle (as usual) to notice. How this guy keeps a job is beyond me, and I'd say that super bowl was won in spite of him last year.

I don't care what the guy 'did' for Peyton Manning, he's a farking hack.

You'd think with all the bad press about concussions in the NFL, they would be more careful about this. I just hope that he doesn't end up like Mike Webster.

///Go Cowboys!

"I'm Batman!"

Wait...what???

FROM WIKI ON MIKE WEBSTER (for those who don't know what I'm referring to)
After retirement Webster suffered from amnesia, dementia, depression, and acute bone and muscle pain. He lived out of his pickup truck or train stations between Wisconsin and Pittsburgh, even though his friends and former teammates were willing to rent apartments for him. In his last years Webster lived with his youngest son, Garrett, who though only a teenager at the time, had to act as the parent to his own father. Webster's wife divorced him six months before his death in 2002. He was only 50 years old.

capnmonkey:

I was looking up videos of that and found a clip from 2005 of a bengals fan running onto the field and stealing the ball from brett favre after a snap, id never seen that , i loled, im gonna get some good use outta that on Bengals v. Vikings day


Gus Gall. That guy probably saved that game for us. Brett and the Pack were driving, down 7, under a minute to go, Bengals had no timeouts, on the Bengal 28. Gus jumps in and stops play giving the Bengals time to regroup. Bengals sack Brett on the next play and squeak out a win, win the division, host the Steelers, Carson goes 1 for 1 for 70+ yars, Kimo rolls up Carson, Bengals lead for 3 quarters, Bengals lose, Steelers win it all.

Without Gus Gall that might have all been different.

/saw it in person
//cheered him all the way
///broke a tackle at the 15
////tackled on the 12
//almost made it

mr.fisher: FROM WIKI ON MIKE WEBSTER (for those who don't know what I'm referring to)
After retirement Webster suffered from amnesia, dementia, depression, and acute bone and muscle pain. He lived out of his pickup truck or train stations between Wisconsin and Pittsburgh, even though his friends and former teammates were willing to rent apartments for him. In his last years Webster lived with his youngest son, Garrett, who though only a teenager at the time, had to act as the parent to his own father. Webster's wife divorced him six months before his death in 2002. He was only 50 years old.

Very sad, and its an embarrassment and an outrage that the league and the NFLPA haven't done more to prevent it from happening, or take care of the guys it's already happened to. Reminds me of Ted Johnson, a former Patriot. I hope he doesn't end up like Webster.

Gus Gall from multiple angles. Poor video. (new window)

Quasar: bluorangefyre: INeedAName: Honestly, against Oakland, I'd start Dixon. He played pretty well against the Ravens and should have no problem with the Raiders.

THIS

We just got a good QB in there, now we're putting in one that generally takes five years to find a receiver.

I'm all for keeping injured players out of easier games (I recall them playing Troy way too early against the Bucs or some other crap team and he re-strained his leg a bit), but come on now. Ben had top passer rating (now down to 6) despite being one of the top most-sacked QBs this season, and he's not a good QB?

Don't pay any attention, there's no talking sense into him. To honestly say that after one mediocre game that Dixon is better to have out there says all you need to know about his mental state. It's people like him that conveniently forget the plays Ben makes by holding a little longer than some others but biatch about him taking more sacks. That's the trade-off with him, but I'm ok with that considering the results.

And yes, Dixon's game was mediocre. Let's not blow it out of proportion because everyone expected him to fail miserably and he didn't. I was pleasantly surprised and I'd love to keep him as a backup, but I'm pretty sure everyone saw him missing open receivers by the 3rd and 4th quarter. As the game got tighter, he got worse, and I wouldn't expect anything less considering his playing time before that.

eazye1334:
And yes, Dixon's game was mediocre. Let's not blow it out of proportion because everyone expected him to fail miserably and he didn't. I was pleasantly surprised and I'd love to keep him as a backup, but I'm pretty sure everyone saw him missing open receivers by the 3rd and 4th quarter. As the game got tighter, he got worse, and I wouldn't expect anything less considering his playing time before that.

You're right; Dixon had a good first NFL start. He'll be a good QB eventually. Batch or Ben would have won the game. I'm sure Dixon realizes that one of his assets in that game was the fact that the other team didn't know what to expect. That works well at first but Slash proved it doesn't work long term. From what I saw on Sunday, Dixon just needs experience.

I'm guessing if Pitt goes up big early with Ben in there, they'll swap him for Dixon.

Raiders or not, if your starting QB is healthy enough to play (ie, medically cleared), he's going to play.

DrZiffle: in spite of the fact that he will have no idea where he is

That's a handy skill set to have in Pittsburgh.

I was in The Bay Area a few months ago and my girlfriend, who lived there the first 30 years of her life, said she was lost. When I told her I could get us to our destination she asked me if if I knew where we were. I said no, but I grew up in Pittsburgh it's much easier to find things around here. I found it, thanks to CA's well marked freeways.

Ugh, let's never speak of that word, "Slash" again, unless you're talking about a top-hatted guitarist. Thanks! :)

From Ted Johnson's wiki: I knew he retired because of concussions but I didn't realize he got this bad: On February 1, 2007 Johnson made news when he told the New York Times that he suffers from amphetamine addiction, depression and headaches related to post-concussion syndrome and Second Impact Syndrome[1]. He placed some blame on his former coach Bill Belichick for pressuring him to participate in full contact practice drills three days after suffering a concussion in an exhibition game against the New York Giants in August 2002. Johnson reported that during the drills, he suffered a second concussion, and he argues that Belichick asked him to participate against the advice of the team's head trainer. Belichick denies these allegations. Some thought Johnson's revelation was suspect based upon a December 20, 2006 column in the Boston Herald where columnist Michael Felger said Johnson told him that he would have considered playing for the Patriots in 2006 had they asked (in the wake of a season-ending injury to linebacker Junior Seau).[2] However in a February 14, 2007 interview on the Dennis and Callahan Show on WEEI, Johnson claimed he wasn't being serious when he said that, and in fact stated he said it sarcastically.
The Boston Globe and the New York Times reported in February 2007 that Johnson shows early signs of Alzheimer's disease. [3]
On July 16, 2006, Johnson and his wife, Jackie, were both arrested after an alleged domestic violence incident at their home in Weston, Massachusetts, but refused to press charges against each other. The couple divorced in December 2006.
On January 28, 2009 he discussed his problems with concussions sustained during his pro football career and the impact it had on his life in a CNN article. He indicated he was very inactive for two years following his retirement, barely leaving the house, and described those as bad days. He describes himself as still occasionally suffering from anger depression and throbbing headaches. The implication is that he is feeling better recently however no details are provided.

BTW: Ted Johnson is 36 years old.

Semi-Sweet Melissa: Ugh, let's never speak of that word, "Slash" again, unless you're talking about a top-hatted guitarist. Thanks! :)

Sorry. I don't remember names well and his slipped my mind.

mr.fisher: From Ted Johnson's wiki: I knew he retired because of concussions but I didn't realize he got this bad: On February 1, 2007 Johnson made news when he told the New York Times that he suffers from amphetamine addiction, depression and headaches related to post-concussion syndrome and Second Impact Syndrome[1]. He placed some blame on his former coach Bill Belichick for pressuring him to participate in full contact practice drills three days after suffering a concussion in an exhibition game against the New York Giants in August 2002. Johnson reported that during the drills, he suffered a second concussion, and he argues that Belichick asked him to participate against the advice of the team's head trainer. Belichick denies these allegations. Some thought Johnson's revelation was suspect based upon a December 20, 2006 column in the Boston Herald where columnist Michael Felger said Johnson told him that he would have considered playing for the Patriots in 2006 had they asked (in the wake of a season-ending injury to linebacker Junior Seau).[2] However in a February 14, 2007 interview on the Dennis and Callahan Show on WEEI, Johnson claimed he wasn't being serious when he said that, and in fact stated he said it sarcastically.
The Boston Globe and the New York Times reported in February 2007 that Johnson shows early signs of Alzheimer's disease. [3]
On July 16, 2006, Johnson and his wife, Jackie, were both arrested after an alleged domestic violence incident at their home in Weston, Massachusetts, but refused to press charges against each other. The couple divorced in December 2006.
On January 28, 2009 he discussed his problems with concussions sustained during his pro football career and the impact it had on his life in a CNN article. He indicated he was very inactive for two years following his retirement, barely leaving the house, and described those as bad days. He describes himself as still occasionally suffering from anger depression and throbbing headaches. The implication is that he is feeling better recently however no details are provided.

BTW: Ted Johnson is 36 years old.

I actually didn't realize Johnson had gotten that bad either. It's really a damn shame, he was a good guy, one of the guys who took a pay cut at one point to bring in some expensive free agent. I actually worked on a house that belonged to the father of his girlfriend at the time (not sure if it is the same woman mentioned in the above article) and he came to the jobsite and said hello to all the guys. He seemed like a decent guy. I also didn't realize he is so young...

They took his helmet off on the sidelines of that game and I swore it Will Farrell.

/the unfocused stare

Another sad story of a player suffering from brain damage from football...
John Mackey (new window)

And as much as I think Rick Reilly is usually a treacley fool, I was glad he called this guy out (who tried to screw over Mackey as well as a bunch of other players...

Link (new window)