I was wondering when this announcement would be made. The NFL, let alone the Steelers, could in no way justify allowing Clark to play.

Adolf Oliver Nipples: netweavr: I was wondering when this announcement would be made. The NFL, let alone the Steelers, could in no way justify allowing Clark to play.

Apparently the doctors have cleared him for his last two healthy scratches, so if he went it would be OK. I just don't see it being worth the risk.

He nearly died last time. I don't really care what his doctors got paid to say. Clark dying on the field was a distinct possibility. This is a nationally televised playoff game. The NFL would be idiotic to take that risk.

The Steelers should release hords of Anopholes mosquitoes with malaria, he'll be the last man standing.

/Thank God for the sickle cell

walkerhound: The Steelers should release hords of Anopholes mosquitoes with malaria, he'll be the last man standing.

/Thank God for the sickle cell

[i45.photobucket.com image 550x363]

 

GAT_00: The Steelers have a good chance of losing, and it's because Mendenhall is out. If they get past the Broncos, they go no further.

Blahblahblah SIX RINGS! Blahblahinsult BIG BEN! Blahinsultinsult Tebow SUCKS!

Good move. Football isn't that important, even if the docs have cleared him to play.

Mike Tomlin is a good man

Here's what I don't get: why is he even flying to be on the sidelines? Why doesn't flight make him I'll?

/glad he isn't going to risk it

I'd really like to pick Denver in this game, but I just don't see it. The Chiefs held them to 3 points and the Steelers are twice the defensive team they are, even without Clark.

Plus, it seems to me the crowd could be neutralized in this game. They've been all in on Tebow, everyone was telling them how stupid it was, but it was happening. Tebow was winning games and how cares how it was done and this is really happening and even Saint Elway was buying in and they told you so! But then the wheels came off when NE came to town, they've lost three in a row, and KC having nothing on offense and still winning was the ultimate reality check.

If the Steelers can score a TD early in the first half, the crowd will go into "oh crap now what" mode, not just for that game but for next season as well. The crowd will be completely out of it.

netweavr: I was wondering when this announcement would be made. The NFL, let alone the Steelers, could in no way justify allowing Clark to play.

me too. i was surprised it took them this long. hey, did you see jackson's post game press conference? he looked REALLY p.o.'d...gives me hope for next year.

"I talked to my doctors and we actually had a plan in place for me to play. All things pointed to me going until (Tomlin) told me I can't. He said he wouldn't have let his son play and so I'm not playing either," Clark told ESPN. After hearing that, Clark said he couldn't argue with Tomlin's decision. "I appreciate coach caring about me more than this football game," he said in the ESPN interview.

"If he is in any more danger than any of the other 21 men on the field, then we err on the side of caution," Tomlin said at a news conference. "It is a big game for us, but it is a game," he said.

Tomlin is an awesome coach.

Fundamental Thereom Of Farkulus: netweavr: I was wondering when this announcement would be made. The NFL, let alone the Steelers, could in no way justify allowing Clark to play.

me too. i was surprised it took them this long. hey, did you see jackson's post game press conference? he looked REALLY p.o.'d...gives me hope for next year.

I'm still miffed Tom Cable lost his job.

Hillbilly Jim: Here's what I don't get: why is he even flying to be on the sidelines? Why doesn't flight make him I'll?

/glad he isn't going to risk it

It's the stress on his body of actually playing and exerting energy, not just the altitude.

Amongst my Christmas booty; 2 Terrible Towels (one w/ Super Bowl years printed on it, one plain), Steelers sweat pants, Steelers autograph football (blank, I need to find some of those guys). Effectively tripling my Steelers-logoed items.
The kids picked a theme and ran with it, 1st towel was from my brother-in-law (thanks Rob).

Relevance to the story? None. Fark you.

Steelers!

p the boiler: Mike Tomlin is a good man

I agree. He thought about killing the guy, but it looks like he has decided not to.

Tebow will never have to worry about his kids having such things. Sickle cell needs to be passed to a child.

Adolf Oliver Nipples: They have the top-ranked defense in the NFL .

With that rushing defense? You can't be serious. And no, peddling out "Peter King-ish" YPG stats isn't going to sway anyone with a minuscule amount of football knowledge.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamdef

Needless, I see virtually no way the Steelers lose this game unless they just completely implode. If your LBs have size and can pursue Tebow and your Corners can play Man (PITT has both of those) I don't see Denver putting up enough points to win the game. The Chefs and the Bills have offered up the "playbook" to beat Denver and Tebow...and Pitt's defensive personnel is almost across the board better than both of those teams.

jayhawk88: I'd really like to pick Denver in this game, but I just don't see it. The Chiefs held them to 3 points and the Steelers are twice the defensive team they are, even without Clark.

Plus, it seems to me the crowd could be neutralized in this game. They've been all in on Tebow, everyone was telling them how stupid it was, but it was happening. Tebow was winning games and how cares how it was done and this is really happening and even Saint Elway was buying in and they told you so! But then the wheels came off when NE came to town, they've lost three in a row, and KC having nothing on offense and still winning was the ultimate reality check.

If the Steelers can score a TD early in the first half, the crowd will go into "oh crap now what" mode, not just for that game but for next season as well. The crowd will be completely out of it.

If the Steelers score 2 TDs it's over. However, coming out with a win could still cost them if they come out banged up moreso than they are. The Steelers and Texans are the two teams probably least physically ready for the playoffs.

INeedAName: jayhawk88: I'd really like to pick Denver in this game, but I just don't see it. The Chiefs held them to 3 points and the Steelers are twice the defensive team they are, even without Clark.

Plus, it seems to me the crowd could be neutralized in this game. They've been all in on Tebow, everyone was telling them how stupid it was, but it was happening. Tebow was winning games and how cares how it was done and this is really happening and even Saint Elway was buying in and they told you so! But then the wheels came off when NE came to town, they've lost three in a row, and KC having nothing on offense and still winning was the ultimate reality check.

If the Steelers can score a TD early in the first half, the crowd will go into "oh crap now what" mode, not just for that game but for next season as well. The crowd will be completely out of it.

If the Steelers score 2 TDs it's over. However, coming out with a win could still cost them if they come out banged up moreso than they are. The Steelers and Texans are the two teams probably least physically ready for the playoffs.

That's a big "if" given Mendenhall is out, Big Ben is injured, it's a road game, and Denver's D is good.

All you people picking Denver, please remember to call your bookie this week. I want that line to stay low.

GimpyNip: Man, imagine if all black people had sickle cell? The Broncos wouldn't be able to draft or sign any black players BUT their opponents couldn't use theirs either when they play in Denver! Sure Denver would go 8-8 every year but that's usually good enough to win the West and get a home game.

This is easily one of the stupidest comments I've read in a while. Apologize. Damn it, APOLOGIZE!

Wow, "I wouldn't let my own son play, so I cannot justify having you play". I always had respect for Mike Tomlin, and now I know his priorities lie with the livelihood of his players.

jaylectricity: GimpyNip: Sure Denver would go 8-8 every year but that's usually good enough to win the West and get a home game.

This is only the second time in the last 10 seasons that the AFC West champ had less than 10 wins. And only once did the champ only win 10. Every other year was 12-14 wins.

They also rarely have more than one team with more than 8 wins. Usually it's been one decent team and three chumps, which means the one decent team gets an easy 4-5 wins within the division. That tends to skew the win total of the division winner. San Fran this year is a good team but it isn't your typical 13-win team, nor is New England.

"It is a big game for us, but it is a game," he said.

"I talked to my doctors and we actually had a plan in place for me to play. All things pointed to me going until (Tomlin) told me I can't. He said he wouldn't have let his son play and so I'm not playing either," Clark told ESPN.

Wow. Hard to not have just a shiat ton of respect for Tomlin on this one. That guy's a class act. I was going to root for the Tebows for the lulz but now I just can't. Go Steelers.

Pratty: Good move. Football isn't that important, even if the docs have cleared him to play.

Hopefully his replacement steps up and plays well in Clark's absence....and that Denver wins anyway.

/I can dream, right?

ITT people getting up in Omar Tomlin's jock gushing at how he cares about player safety. In every other instance he throws the guys out there when he can get away with it. Can't tell you how many times Batman Polomalou has been roving the secondaries of Gotham.

You can tell Tomlin cares about player safety by how few cheap shots the Steelers have been fined for, and the fact that there is no rule against blind side helmet to helmet blocks named after one of their receivers.

He's a Free Safety. You don't even NEED a FS to play DEN. The ball won't go more that 15 yards off the LoS. And you play press-man with 9 in the box.

It's a non-issue. It's Tebow for Tebow's sake!

/Ravens fan

lennavan: "It is a big game for us, but it is a game," he said.

"I talked to my doctors and we actually had a plan in place for me to play. All things pointed to me going until (Tomlin) told me I can't. He said he wouldn't have let his son play and so I'm not playing either," Clark told ESPN.

Wow. Hard to not have just a shiat ton of respect for Tomlin on this one. That guy's a class act. I was going to root for the Tebows for the lulz but now I just can't. Go Steelers.

I have always hated the Steelers, whom are my "local" team, but I grown to respect the organization.