The Sports Monitor

Embed from Getty Images Every Steelers fan knows Antwaan Randle El. His pass in Super Bowl XL helped clinch the Steelers' fifth Lombardi. Now people might know Randle El for another reason: He's having trouble remembering things and having trouble walking down stairs. The Post-Gazette's story was a grabber, with Randle El saying he wouldn't play football if he could do it over again. Here's a quote: The kids are getting bigger and faster, so the concussions, the severe spinal cord injuries, are only going to get worse. It’s a tough pill to swallow because I love the game of football. But I tell parents, you can have the right helmet, the perfect pads on, and still end up with a paraplegic kid. There’s no correcting it. There’s no helmet that’s going to correct it. There’s no teaching that’s going to correct it. It just comes down to it’s a physically violent game. Football players are in a car wreck every week. He played football for nine sea...

Embed from Getty Images I've never seen an ending like that . Oh, sure, I've seen games play out like the scoring summary did from Saturday night's unbelievable wild-card game. Steelers take a 15-0 lead. It looks like they have the game in hand. The Bengals take the lead late in the game. The Steelers win it with a field goal in the waning seconds. That doesn't quite sum it up, does it? Not this game. Not the way it unfolded. Let's get back to the 15-0 part. Martavis Bryant gave the Steelers that lead with an incredible TD catch from Ben Roethlisberger. He actually caught it with his butt. I'm not sure how that was a football move -- but I digress. At that point, it looked like the Steelers were in control. Then Vontaze Burfict took over for the Bengals. Yeah, that guy. Burfict sacked Roethlisberger at the end of the third quarter, knocking Big Ben out of the game. Embed from Getty Images But all the Ste...

Embed from Getty Images There's a label attached to the Steelers this postseason: The team no one wants to face. Don't buy it? Monday Morning QB thinks so . Andy Benoit says an explosive passing game and creative defense makes Pittsburgh the most dangerous team in the AFC. I don't think the Ravens had any problems facing the Steelers two weeks ago. But, hey, the Ravens aren't in the playoffs, right? The problem with the Steelers is the defense. They might be creative, as Benoit suggests, but they're also vulnerable to the big play. The team seems to play up -- or down -- to its competition. So, again, there are no Ravens in the playoffs, so they can't be accused of playing down. However, the Steelers have to like their chances with the Bengals on Saturday. One Vegas line on Sunday night had Pittsburgh as a small favorite. Does that mean the Steelers could play down to Cincy? I'm sure the Steelers will be fired up. And it is the po...

Embed from Getty Images I'm already hearing talk about this year's playoff is unfolding like last year. You know how that went: The Steelers lost their starting running back in Week 17, then lost in the wild-card round against a divisional opponent. This year, DeAngelo Williams was injured in Week 17. And the Steelers face a divisional opponent -- the Bengals. That's where it stops. Williams has a sprained ankle, and is considered day-to-day. They also face an opponent that has a rich history -- of losing in the postseason. That's not to suggest that this game is a gimmie and the Steelers should book a trip to Denver. This will present it's share of challenges, namely A.J. Green and tight end Tyler Eifert. The Steelers will need to slow them down, no matter who's throwing the ball. But, if A.J. McCarron is behind center, that should be in favor of the Steelers -- also something different from a year ago.

Embed from Getty Images Cue the music... Here we go Steelers, here we go. Yeah, it's playoff time. Thanks to a little help from the Buffalo Bills, the Pittsburgh Steelers are back in the postseason. The wild-card team will play the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday night. That should be quite a showdown. But before we get into that game, let's look at Sunday's regular-season finale. It had the beginnings of the Ravens game from a week earlier, with turnovers costing the team and the Browns hanging around. Then the Browns realized they were the Browns. And some 200 miles away, Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick realized he was Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Steelers' defense showed some grit, Ben Roethlisberger found a receiver other than the irreplaceable Antonio Brown and the Steelers smothered the Browns at the end. And speaking of Brown, that was one heck of a season: 136 receptions for 1,834 yards. Imagine what he would have done with a healthy Ro...

View image | gettyimages.com Who had Ben Roethlisberger setting the NFL record for most yards by a backup in their office pool? 379. As in 379 yards passing. In a relief role. That's one heck of a day. Of course, it helps having two stellar wideouts like Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant to throw to. Yeah, and it's nice having the Browns on the other side, too, simply to add to the fun. Now the Steelers get a much-needed break before heading to Seattle. And, if you're keeping track at home, the Steelers (6-4) lead the Bills (5-4) and Jets (5-4) in the wild-card standings.

View image | gettyimages.com They can't be serious, can they? Ben Roethlisberger is questionable for Sunday's game against the Cleveland Browns. That's got to be some gamesmanship. If the Steelers can't beat the Browns without Roethlisberger, then maybe they aren't the playoff-caliber team they're supposed to be. It makes much more sense to hold out Roethlisberger this week. Add to it the bye week and he'll have two full weeks of recovery. Landry Jones is capable of leading this team. It's the Browns. It's at Heinz Field. Rest Roethlisberger. It's the smart move.

View image | gettyimages.com Now what? What do the Steelers do now that Ben Roethlisberger will be out for a couple more weeks? Well, to steal a phrase from the Raiders: Just win, baby. Whether they're playing without Le'Veon Bell, Maurkice Pouncey, Martavis Bryant or Roethlisberger the first time, the Steelers are somehow finding a way to win. The next man up, as coach Mike Tomlin likes to say, has stepped up. Landry Jones did. Well, he did what he needed to do -- get Antonio Brown the ball. Now, Pittsburgh enters Cleveland week knowing they'll be without Big Ben -- this time with a sprained foot -- but also knowing they're in the driver's seat for a playoff spot. If the season ended today, they'd be in. They're 5-4, just behind the Jets (5-3) and just ahead of the Bills (4-4) and Raiders (4-4). Anyone think they can't beat the dysfunctional Browns without Ben? I know they can. Then they get a bye. And a chance to regr...

View image | gettyimages.com There's something about this Steelers team that's growing on me. Of course, when your team pulls off an upset win directed by the third-string quarterback like it did in Sunday's 25-13 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, it's easy to like them. The Steelers are 4-2 and they still haven't played with Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell and Martavis Bryant in the same lineup. That offense can be scary good. But what really has impressed me has been the play of the defense, generally thought to be a work in progress entering the season. Yeah, the D gave up oodles of yards to Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, but the defense made the plays when it had to. And, in case you forgot, the Cardinals entered the game and still have scored the most points in the NFL. And the Steelers have held the Patriots to their lowest total of the season so far. It's only six games, and a lot still can happen, but right now, the ...

It's been a week, and all the NFL draft hype finally has settled down. Are you happy with the Steelers' picks? Can't say I am. I know the Steelers came across as happy with their selection of Bud Dupree with the 22nd pick overall. Let be back up a step. I get why they need linebackers. If the linebacker can pressure the quarterback, the cornerbacks don't have to cover the receiver for that long. The linebacker is a big part of their defense. So they've invested highly in them. And Dupree is a linebacker. If he pans out, they don't need a world-class CB to shut down an opponent. Now that that's out of the way, I still don't like the pick. One report had the Steelers happy because Dupree fell to him. Well, players fall for a reason. Like Jarvis Jones. I didn't like the pick then . I still don't like it. Then they took short corner Senquez Golson in the second round. He's not quite 5-9, but he's on the short side. I...

Didn't Antonio Brown just get paid? That was the first question that popped into my mind when I heard he wanted a new deal from the Steelers. I remember the details: Mike Wallace wanted more money than the Steelers wanted to offer, so the Steelers turned around and signed Brown to a $43 million deal over six years. That was 2012. Today, we learned that Brown will skip offseason workouts in the hope of getting a new deal. Honor your contract. It's that simple. Brown signed a deal that caused some people to scratch their heads at the time. It looked like a great deal for Brown. And after two seasons, it looked like the Steelers made a terrific call with the long-term deal. Brown had almost 1,700 yards receiving last year to go with 13 TD catches. That's a heck of a season. However, in exchange for long-term security, Brown looks like a bargain today. That's how it works. Or, at least that's how it's supposed to work. Now Brown wanted paid e...

So, how do you feel about the Pittsburgh Steelers now? Maybe a trip to the playoffs is enough to make you forget about those ugly early season losses. A win over a solid Kansas City team like Sunday's 20-12 win can do that. Now, the Steelers need a win next Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals for the AFC North crown. They're peaking at the right time, so anything's possible. And the way the defense played Sunday, it's not so wrong to think that. After all, Jamaal Charles, the main cog in the Chiefs offense, didn't do much. That's a big boost for a beleaguered defense. Sunday's win was enough to get me excited for a playoff run, something that's been missing for a couple seasons now. Let's savor the win before we get ready for the Bengals.

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.

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.

Chuck Noll has passed away. It still doesn't seem right to type those words. I know Noll was 82 when he died in his sleep Friday after being in ill health, but it doesn't seem possible. The news froze me when I heard it a little before midnight. Chuck Noll is dead? Wow. I couldn't believe it. He was a hero of mine growing up. How could you grow up in the '70s near Pittsburgh and not root for the Steelers? Noll was the firm hand guiding the Steelers to Super Bowl championships .    It wasn't that long ago when he was carried off a field winning a Super Bowl. And it couldn't have been that long ago when he stepped down as a four-time Super Bowl champ. That was a sad day. Today is even sadder. It's too bad we can't just push pause and stop and cherish those moments a little bit longer. But time moves on and all we'll have left is memories of The Emperor. Rest in peace. Steelers Nation mourns your passing. And thanks for the wo...

How does Steelers nose tackle Steve McLendon improve his grace on the field? Ballet, of course. Check out the video of McLendon at the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre:

Best defense of all time? There talking about those Seahawks from last night. They were impressive, but I'd pass on them. I'd take the 1974 Steelers, 1975 Steelers or 1976 Steelers over them. Give me the 1985 Bears too. In fact, I'd take those '76 Steelers over them all. That team gave up 9.9 points per game and pitched five shutouts. They would have capped a three-peat in Super Bowls had Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier, a pair of 1,000-yard backs, not missed the AFC championship game against the Raiders.

I watched Sunday as things fell into place for the Steelers to make the playoffs. Then the refs blew it. Twice, in fact. They missed a call on an illegal formation in the Chargers-Chiefs game. If they make the call, the Chiefs get a chance to kick the winning field goal again. That seemed to be the big news. I didn't see a lot of news on the fumble. The refs mysteriously blew a whistle, to signal the end of the play, on a fake punt by the Chargers in overtime. The Chiefs, however, insist they forced a fumble and no whistle was blown. If the play would have stood, the Chiefs would have gotten the winning TD in OT. Oh, well. It's not sour grapes. The Steelers put themselves in that position by losing to teams they had no business losing to. Hopefully, they'll be able to retool in the offseason.