THE PITTSBURGH Sports CHATTER

[POJO_Risin]

And again...this bullshit about Clay Matthews being the NFL player of the year. TroyP may be the best defensive player of his generation...

and James Harrison's stats as a disruptor are far superior to Matthews.

[SilvioDante]

So you have to ask yourself Silvio...what's the NFL up to. It is interesting how GOOD Green Bay is right now...considering a few weeks ago they almost didn't make the playoffs. Now they're the best team? It's also interesting how the NFL has handled the Jets, essentially sweeping the Favray shit under the rug, and the foot fetish shit. After the Steelers took a hit (literally) all season for bullshit late hit and spear calls, you have to wonder if shit isn't going to hit the fan.

I have a feeling we're going to see some shit calls this weekend. Hopefully...the blowout I suspect will commence.

I know what they want. #1 TV market vs. #2 TV market. They see a ratings bonanza! What they forget is that last years game was small market vs. small market and was the most watched game ever. I do understand that you don't need to pump the Steelers, they have the most solid fan base in all of sports. They will watch. You need story lines to get Average Joe American fired up, so that explains the hype machine. Personally, from a marketing stand point, a Steelers-GB or Steelers-Bears is the NFL equivalent to a "Original Six" final. That would be an easy sell I would think.

As far as the experts, I think it's personal. NO ONE at ESPN is "neutral". Sportscenter is the marketing arm of ESPN. They sell. The guys on show like that and Sunday Morning Countdown are moving product. Once again, don't need to sell the Steelers, but really, until last year, no one cared about the Jets. Just that fat bastard Boomer and one of the Mikes. They are the red headed step child of NY football.

[SilvioDante]

If you haven't seen this, the video is better. I love Tomlin:

Steelers' Mike Tomlin scolds ESPN's Bob Holtzman for talking plays

By Gary Mihoces, USA TODAY

PITTSBURGH -- The New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers aren't doing any trash talking, but Steelers coach Mike Tomlin fired a zinger Wednesday at ESPN reporter Bob Holtzman.

Before the Steelers' playoff game with the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, Holtzman reported the Steelers might use a gadget play.

"Two Steelers have told me, if they catch the Ravens in the right defense, they have a trick play ready to go today that they've never run before," Holtzman said prior to the game. He added it was a play on which somebody who typically doesn't pass would throw the ball -- and that it wouldn't be passing wide receiver Antwaan Randle El.

At Tomlin's Wednesday news conference, Holtzman ask him how much extra time it takes to prepare for coach Rex Ryan's Jets defense.

"It depends on whether or not you give him my plays, you know," Tomlin said with steely eyes and without elaboration.

After the news conference, Holtzman declined comment on the matter.

Against Baltimore, QB Ben Roethlisberger was the lone Steeler to throw a pass. Pittsburgh did run two end around with WR Mike Wallace for minus two yards.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

http://www.steelers.com/video-and-audio/videos/Mike-Tomlin---AFC-Championship-Game-Week-1-19-/33c90b2b-d71f-4f7e-85e4-9f12364b3f98

About the 1:30 mark....

[POJO_Risin]

Yeah...that was funny shit...

Pittsburgh was extremely quiet this week...attending to business...

That's going to be a fun game...

[BigBadBrian]

http://www.steelers.com/video-and-au...4-9f12364b3f98

About the 1:30 mark....

It was a closed practice so the reporter found out about the plays from a player.
A reporter's job is to report what he hears. you can't fault him for that.
Tomlin is barking up the wrong tree.
He needs to tell his players to shut the fuck up.

[chefcraig]

It was a closed practice so the reporter found out about the plays from a player.
A reporter's job is to report what he hears. you can't fault him for that.
Tomlin is barking up the wrong tree.
He needs to tell his players to shut the fuck up.

I agree with you to an extent, but let's face it, this was a judgment call by the reporter. Yes, it's the guy's job to report news, but that job also includes a certain amount of feasible responsibility when it comes to determining what is priority news to begin with. Bob Holtzman could just as easily spoke of the play after the game, where his reporting would not have affected the outcome. Instead, he did so before the game, leading Mike Tomlin or his staff to change plans and not run the play. It's one thing to report details after the fact, it's quite another to come up with a story by offering speculation upon what might happen, impacting events and thus causing an outcome. That isn't reporting news, it's manufacturing it.

[Von Halen]

It was a closed practice so the reporter found out about the plays from a player.
A reporter's job is to report what he hears. you can't fault him for that.
Tomlin is barking up the wrong tree.
He needs to tell his players to shut the fuck up.

Even though he's black, I like Tomlin.

You think Tomlin didn't tell his players to shut the fuck up? I'd bet money he did.

[Va Beach VH Fan]

It was a closed practice so the reporter found out about the plays from a player.
A reporter's job is to report what he hears. you can't fault him for that.
Tomlin is barking up the wrong tree.
He needs to tell his players to shut the fuck up.

No, that's not correct.....

Before every game, the broadcasters from network doing the game and the sideline reporters meet with the coaches a day or two before. During those meetings, the coaches talk about certain things they're going to do, under the stipulation that the network is not to divulge that until after it happens.... It's part of the contract and why the networks pay billions to the NFL....

[ODShowtime]

Primanti's have opened up two franchises here in God's waiting room, but given the general idea that everything legendary that is imported to this region loses something in the translation of quality, I've never bothered going. This despite the fact that one of them is within walking distance of my home.

Hopefully you live near the one on the beach! I've been to the one on... Oakland Park? From memory... Good stuff, I'm sure it's best the sandwich in that god-forsaken hell-hole. There are always cops there and one thing they know about is good sandwiches. Why can't they open one in Clearwater?

[Von Halen]

Green Bay 42 Pissburgh 17

[Va Beach VH Fan]

Green Bay 42 Pissburgh 17

Spoken like a true whiny Detroit fan....

[TFM_Dale]

I think the serial raper and the Steelers win the Super Bowl but if the Packers find a way to keep some heat off Rodgers it could be interesting. I'm just sick of asshole athletes that get chance after chance because they can play a sport well, Ben should be sharing a cell with OJ, not playing on the NFL's biggest stage.

[POJO_Risin]

I think the serial raper and the Steelers win the Super Bowl but if the Packers find a way to keep some heat off Rodgers it could be interesting. I'm just sick of asshole athletes that get chance after chance because they can play a sport well, Ben should be sharing a cell with OJ, not playing on the NFL's biggest stage.

While Ben didn't exactly murder two people, I do agree that it is a joke of all jokes that we are actually seeing stories pop up about he's changed and overcome what's happened to him...

What's fucking happened to him, the joke of all jokes.

I'll never be a Pittsburgh apologist with regards to Roethlisberger, and never will be. He's a fucking giant douchebag, and that's the end of that.

Roeth had the benefit of:

A: Being white (I don't care what the fuck you say, if a black dude has a white girl in that bathroom, he's going to jail)
B: Getting caught (I get the feeling that had this set for another day or two...payments could have been made...and we wouldn't have heard a thing about it (you know...like shit that happens probably EVERY weekend with regards to NFL players).

It's an interesting place to stand...being a Steelers fan, with this cat as the QB...

I know...the apologists will say he's paid for his crimes...or there weren't any crimes...or whatever...but he's lower than low...and there are things you SHOULDN'T be able to come back from.

With that said...GO STEELERS!

[POJO_Risin]

Uh...Fan?

Spoken like a true whiny Detroit fan....