The Sports Monitor

Enjoy the holiday today. Eat lots of turkey, watch lots of football and have some pumpkin pie.

I always loved playing football video games. Whether it was Madden, Techmo Bowl or some other game of the week, if it was football, I wanted to play it. The fun part of the game was trying to pad stats of the players I controlled. If it was second-and-short, I was chucking the ball deep to try to get the passing touchdown for my QB and the yardage for my receiver. Fourth down? I was going for it. Didn't matter where the ball was. It was like that for the entire game. Unless the game was on the line. Then I used the plays that worked to get the first down, touchdown or field goal -- whatever was needed. I couldn't help but get that same feeling about the Steelers for the last game-and-three-quarters. It seemed after Ben Roethlisberger's back-to-back games with six touchdowns that the offense was different. It was like they wanted to pad the statistics of Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger and anyone else involved in the passing game. Don't believe me...

Finally. The Pittsburgh Steelers cut LeGarrette Blount Tuesday. The move comes after he left the field before the end of Monday's win against the Titans. I guess he was upset with the lack of playing time. Poor, poor Blount. He was lucky to stick with the Steelers that long. They should have cut him after he a running back Le'Veon Bell were busted with pot during the summer. But the Steelers kept Blount anyway. My guess is they wanted some depth at running back. If Blount had been a fourth-string lineman, he would have been cut back then. Instead, Monday was his last game in a Steelers uniform. The Steelers will have a bye week to sort out their running back picture behind Bell, who rushed for 204 yards. Maybe Ben Tate?

So, what's your opinion of the Pittsburgh Steelers today? A week ago, they were pegged as possible Super Bowl contenders. Today, well, not so much. A thoroughly disappointing 20-13 loss to the New York Jets will do that. Especially since the game wasn't that close. The Jets are a bad team. And for some reason, the Steelers have been losing to bad teams. Too much. Part of that is the way the NFL is set up. They want parity. They have it. Part of it is the Steelers aren't an elite team. The good thing is you don't have to be an elite team to get to the Super Bowl. Oh, it most definitely helps. But if you make the playoffs, all you have to do is get hot. Can the Steelers do it? Sure. You just can't count on it just yet.

OK, here's something positive about the Pittsburgh Pirates. They made the right moves with qualifying offers to catcher Russell Martin and pitcher Francisco Liriano. Both players rejected the $15.3 million, one-year deal by Monday's deadline. Martin's choice was a no-brainer. He'll get some serious coin real soon. Liriano? Can't blame him. He could have taken the money and hoped for a big offer next season. But I'm guessing he'll do better. The Pirates will get a draft pick as compensation if Liriano and Martin sign. So the Bucs have covered their bases, so to speak. It's better this year, than, say, last year when they passed on A.J. Burett and got nothing when he signed with the Phils.

Tickets seem to be available more now for Steelers games than I can remember. I wasn't able to make it to Sunday's game for the retirement of Joe Greene's No. 75, but as soon as I heard they did "Renegade" with Greene's highlights, I really wished I was there. Well, here's the next best thing. Maybe there will be better ones turning up soon.