The Sports Monitor

It's Media Day at the Super Bowl, so something needs to stand out. It didn't take very long for Randy Moss to create headlines. The 49ers' Moss said he's the greatest wide receiver ever to play the game. "Now that I'm older, I do think I'm the greatest receiver to ever do it," he said. Whoa. There's some guy named Jerry Rice that immediately comes to mind. Moss is talented, but he's also known for being moody and taking plays off.  Heck, I'll take Hines Ward before I'd want Randy Moss on my team.

Hines Ward is a class act. Today, he'll be known as a Pittsburgh Steeler for life after announcing his retirement. Hopefully, he'll be known as a Hall of Famer several years down the road.

The Steelers' loss to the Broncos in the playoffs still is fresh in my head, even though in was way back in wild-card weekend. Also notable from that loss was a comment made by Hines Ward after the Steelers' surprising loss 29-23 loss: "This will stick with (us) a lot as one of the worst games we ever lost." Yeah, that was a tough loss to take, but I'm not sure it cracks this list: Steelers lose 24-7 to the Raiders in the 1976 AFC Championship Game. The Raiders beat a Steelers team without Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier. This was probably the best Steelers team of all time and the injuries prevented the Steelers from winning three straight Super Bowls. Steelers lose to Cowboys 27-17 in Super Bowl XXX. Neil O'Donnell makes Larry Brown the Super Bowl MVP.  Steelers lose to Patriots 24-21 in AFC Championship Game in January 2002. Troy Brown returns a punt for a TD. Steelers lose to Chargers 17-13 in AFC Championship Game in 1995. Ugly loss to a team th...

I'll admit it. When Ben Roethlisberger left the field in the second quarter Thursday night, I thought the Steelers were going to lose to the Browns. There was no way Roethlisberger was going to return from that injury, I thought. The heck with losing to the Browns. From the looks of that injury on the replays, I thought you could kiss any dreams of a Super Bowl run goodbye. Yeah, I was way off on that one. Roethlisberger returned to start the second half and the Steelers did just enough to beat the Browns on national television. It looked like one of those games the Steelers would squander away. Hines Ward and Heath Miller each lost a fumble inside the red zone, and the Steelers started another drive inside the Browns' 40-yard line and came away with zero points. Ward, as a side note, didn't have another catch after that fumble. Even at the end, with Roethlisberger doing his best Willis Reed, it looked like the Browns would take the lead after the Steelers w...

After almost a day to digest the Steelers' loss to the Ravens on Sunday night, there are a few things still unanswered. -- If Shaun Suisham can't be relied upon to kick a field goal, why still have him on the team? Kickers are booting 50-yard field goals with regularity these days, so why can't the Steelers find one? Yeah, I know Heinz Field is an awful place to practice your craft if you're a kicker, but this wasn't a 50-yarder, either. I'm not sure if the delay of game penalty on the Steelers' last drive was planned or not, but it certainly wouldn't have been my call. You either go for it or kick the field goal. The punt shouldn't have been an option. -- Will the NFL review the hit on Hines Ward? It certainly looks like only Steelers get helmet-to-helmet penalties these days. -- I thought the line was fine protecting Ben Roethlisberger. -- Antonio Brown looks like a star in the making. -- Rashard Mendenhall appeared to have Ch...

Former Steelers wide receiver Plaxico Burress will be released from jail in a couple days. That doesn't mean the Steelers should actively pursue Burress once he's free and a deal between the players and owners happens. I've seen it before. Burress, as talented as he may be, also is wildly inconsistent. He'll also be 34 years old when a season eventually begins, not exactly his prime as a football player. Those are just two reasons why. And I'll give you three more: Mike Wallace, Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown. Those are three young receivers I'm impressed with. Wallace's contributions have been evident. Sanders and Brown have a bright future in front of them. Then there's that guy who can dance a little, Hines Ward. The Steelers are fine at receiver. There's no need for Burress to return.

Ugly. There's no other way to describe Sunday's dismantling of the Steelers by the Patriots. Whatever Tom Brady wanted to do, he did. Whatever the Patriots defense wanted to do, it did. The final score really did not indicate how bad it was. Hines Ward's streak of consecutive games with at least a catch came to a painful end. Yeah, nothing went right. The Patriots' defense was supposed to be vulnerable. Their offense wasn't supposed to be as lethal. Heck, the Browns beat this team. And the Browns beat the Saints, too. What's that mean for the Steelers going forward? Their line looks bad -- real bad. The defense can't stop the pass. It's one thing for Drew Brees and all of his weapons to shred them. But Tom Brady doesn't have the talent at receiver that Brees does. Yet, Brady looked magnificent Sunday night. Even Carson Palmer looked good against the Steelers last week. There's no doubt injuries have taken a huge toll. Bu...

It's typical to argue about officiating in any sport. One bad call there, another missed call here, and, who knows, maybe the other team could have won. At least that's how it works if your team is on the losing side of the equation. Then there are the blown calls. You know the type, the ones where everyone in the stadium knows it was a terrible call. Then, television replay confirms it and your blood pressure goes through the roof. Meanwhile, the officials just stand there waiting for the commercials to end and for the next play to begin. But what happens when the officials enforce a bad rule? That's what happened after Hines Ward caught a touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger in the Steelers' win over the Browns. Only in the world of the NFL can a player have possession of the ball, get two feet in bounds, roll over and have it not called a touchdown. The official said Ward did not maintain control of the ball. Presumably, he meant after Ward did his second rollover...

The overwhelming story leading into Sunday's Steelers-Bengals divisional showdown has been the anticipated meeting between Steelers receiver Hines Ward and Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers. The last time the two met, Ward ended Rivers' season with a crushing block. He fractured Rivers' jaw early in the game. Steelers fans loved the play. Steelers haters call the move a cheap shot. The NFL banned such a block in the offseason, dubbed the Hines Ward Rule. But it didn't rattle Ward. I'd like to see Ward rattle Rivers again. The idea behind making a rule because a wide receiver is too tough is just silly. It's OK for a defensive back to knock out a wide receiver, but a receiver can't put a lick on a DB. Jack Lambert was right when he said quarterbacks should wear dresses. But now it appears the league wants linebackers to wear them, too. Pretty soon, it'll be flag football. I'd like to see Ward land a few more hits before that happens.