The Sports Monitor

Did you see the report that Mike Tomlin and Jim Harbaugh are possible candidates for the Texas job? We're talking Texas Longhorns, not Houston Texans. I don't see it. You have two coaches from flagship franchises in the NFL that might go to the college ranks? I don't see it. The theory is there's no salary cap, the coach has ultimate control of the team, etc., compared to their NFL jobs. I still don't see. Can someone make a better argument?

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...

Before the season begins, here's my quick take on the league: AFC NORTH Pittsburgh Baltimore Cleveland Cincinnati AFC EAST New England New York Miami Buffalo AFC SOUTH Houston Indianapolis Tennessee Jacksonville AFC WEST San Diego Kansas City Oakland Denver NFC NORTH Green Bay Detroit Chicago Minnesota NFC EAST Philly Dallas Washington New York NFC SOUTH Atlanta New Orleans Tampa Carolina NFC WEST St. Louis San Francisco Seattle Arizona (QUICK EDIT: Seattle should be in last place here instead of Arizona.) Playoffs: AFC Wild Card: Baltimore over Houston, Pittsburgh over New York. AFC Division: San Diego over Baltimore, New England over Pittsburgh AFC Championship: San Diego over New England NFC Wild Card: New Orleans over St. Louis, Atlanta over Tampa NFC Division: Philly over New Orleans, Green Bay over Atlanta NFC Championship: Green Bay over Philly Super Bowl: Green Bay over San Diego Quick thoughts: Yeah, I know, I ha...

Steelers linebacker James Harrison knows how to make an impact. He does it on Sundays in the fall, usually with such reckless abandon that he inflicts punishment on his target. He did it again, with NFL commish Roger Goodell caught in the crosshairs. Harrison ripped Goodell in Men's Journal magazine, and along the way took a shot at teammates Ben Roethlisberger and Rashard Mendenhall. You can check out a story here , if you haven't heard the ruckus. And as swiftly as his words hit the Internet, the criticism followed. I find it ironic that the media longs for an athlete who speaks his mind yet when those comments don't agree with his or her view, the athlete is criticized. And don't read that as a defense of Harrison. It's not. There's plenty to dislike about Harrison's comments, which calling them over the top would be an understatement. However, who didn't think Roethlisberger's play in the Super Bowl hurt the Steelers? Anyone else ...

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.

Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians could be in jeopardy of losing his job. The Post-Gazette reported Tuesday that Arians might not return for the 2011 season. If that's the case, then I'm all for it. Of course, we went down this road last season when Arians' hold on the job was slippery. He stayed with the Steelers, so I'm not getting my hopes up. I never was thrilled with Arians from Day One. Maybe that's because he used to be with the Browns, and we all know how well the Browns have been since their return to the NFL. I know Arians has his defenders, and they like to point to the fact that he has a Super Bowl championship on his resume. However, how is Arians perceived around the NFL? If any other team across the league thought he was a good coordinator or had the stuff to be a head coach, surely the offensive coordinator of a former Super Bowl champ would have had his name come up in some coaching searches by now. That hasn't been th...

A colleague at work went to a Salt n Pepa concert on Friday in Cleveland. I guess it was a nice flashback to the mid-1990s for him, but I should have taken it as a warning sign. It turned into a '90s weekend when I watched the Super Bowl on Sunday. For each turnover, I couldn't help but be reminded of the Steelers loss to the Cowboys in Super Bowl XXX. If it weren't for Neil O'Donnell, the Steelers would have won that game. I think O'Donnell still is getting paid by Larry Brown, who was voted the MVP of the game because he made two of the easiest catches in NFL history. Brown parlayed that MVP award into a huge contract, which he never deserved. But back to Super Bowl 45. With the mistakes the Steelers made, it was impossible for me to not think of that horrible Super Bowl 15 years ago. Ben Roethlisberger had two interceptions Sunday, one of which was returned for a TD. Rashard Mendenhall had a fumble, costing the Steelers an opportunity to take the lead...

I'll get to more posts about the Super Bowl during the week, but I wanted to get this off my chest first. How can such a veteran team noted for poise and the ability to rally at the end of games, look so inexperienced running the two-minute drill? Right up to the end of Super Bowl XLV, I thought the Steelers were going to pull it out. It was a similar feeling I had at the end of Super Bowl XLIII when the Steelers beat the Cardinals. Instead, Ben Roethlisberger and Co. looked like they were running the hurry-up offense for the first time. Speedburner Mike Wallace did not know -- or couldn't hear -- what plays were being called. That's fine. But why still throw to him when he's raising his arms in the air. The Steelers should have had some plays ready and memorized for the end of the game, just in case they needed it. Maybe they did -- it just didn't show. It's amazing, after all the trouble they had, they still could have won at the end. Maybe...

There was a time in the late 1990s and early 2000s when Shaquille O'Neal was an unstoppable force in the NBA. Part of the reason for his dominance was his physique. He was big (7-foot-1) and tipped the scales at over 300 pounds. You couldn't stop him. The only way to slow him down was the aptly named Hack-A-Shaq defense. That's where the defenders would simply foul O'Neal when he got the ball close to the basket. The reason it worked, or at least gave the opposition a chance, was the poor foul shooting by O'Neal. Because Shaq was so big and strong, referees would allow the opposition to get physical with O'Neal. Sometimes, they got too physical. The problem was, no one else was allowed to get away with it on another player in the league. Which brings me to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Opposing defenses are teeing off on Big Ben, with some very questionable hits going unnoticed by officials. He's become the new Shaq. Roethlisberger isn...

There was lots of speculation about what was wrong with the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers. After Sunday's game against the Cincinnati Bengals, there's no mystery. The problem with the 2009 Steelers was the absence of safety Troy Polamalu. No ifs, ands or buts about it. Polamalu makes the Steelers. Without him, they simply are an average team. With him, he turns a team with a banged-up offensive line and a quarterback that looks like he can barely walk and breathe into a title contender. Polamalu's interception return for a touchdown Sunday kick-started the Steelers and turned the Bengals into the Bungles. Another Polamalu interception and a LaMarr Woodley pick-six later, and the Steelers beat the Bengals 23-7. It was quite a showing by the defense. And it all happened because of Polamalu. Polamalu's play the past couple weeks elevates him into the frontrunner for the defensive player of the year award. More importantly, it sets the Steelers up for a long pl...

I've been slow to warm up to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. After all the distractions this past year, I've stayed away from cheering him. Before I went to the Steelers-Raiders game at Heinz Field a couple weeks ago, I didn't wear my No. 7 jersey. I just couldn't bring myself to root for him. After Sunday's win over the Ravens, I'm starting to come around. Yes, it might be fickle, but you have to give the guy some props simply for what he's been playing through on the field. Whatever the problem is with his foot, you can clearly tell it's an impediment to his game. On top of that, he played through a broken nose in Sunday's come-from-behind victory. That's toughness. Roethlisberger's saying and doing the right things on and off the field. I took notice after the Raiders game when Roethlisberger asked about Richard Seymour's cheap shot. With an open microphone in front of him, Ben stayed above the fray. Whether he...

Before leaving town with their tails between their legs, the Oakland Raiders had a parting shot for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Hey, your field stinks ... or something like that. If it makes the Raiders feel better about their 35-3 loss at Heinz Field on Sunday, that's OK with me. For their complaining about the field conditions Sunday, the Raiders didn't seem to have a problem winning on it last season. And it could have been worse. Heinz Field will see plenty of action the rest of the week with Pitt playing on Friday and the WPIAL championships Saturday. I think the bigger problem is that the Raiders were exposed as an average team. Follow me on Twitter at twitter.com/green_rick .

I've seen enough of Jeff Reed. I grew tired of him last season when he gave half-hearted effort while trying to tackle the opposing team on kickoff returns. He put more effort into beating up towel dispensers than going after kick returners. I could let that pass. Besides, if the returner gets tackled earlier, then Reed wouldn't be put into that position. Make the kicks and everything is cool with me. Well, he's not making the kicks, which is the key job for a kicker. Sunday's miss (from 26 yards) against the Patriots was Reed's seventh in nine games. I'm sure his comments complaining about the fans and the Heinz Field turf didn't endear him to many. Now come reports that the Steelers are going to bring in some kickers Tuesday. If the Steelers are lucky, they'll have a new kicker Tuesday night.

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...

Mike Tomlin will be with the Steelers at least through 2014. To me, that's good news. I've been a fan of Tomlin's since he popped up on the radar screen during the team's coaching search to replace Bill Cowher. Tomlin's no-nonsense approach appeals to me, and I appreciate a coach who tells it like it is. I especially appreciate someone like Tomlin compared to coaches like Bill Belichick who offer non answers to simple questions. The move also provides stability for a team that has gone through an offseason unlike any other. The Steelers certainly do not need to go into training camp with a lame-duck coach.

It's been two months since I've posted last. To those that check out this blog with any regularity, I apologize. A lot has happened in the sports world since. The Penguins lost in the playoffs much earlier than anyone had hoped, the Pirates continued to lose at alarmingly frequency and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger was suspended by the NFL. I'm recently coming off a vacation to Cape May, N.J., that included a stop at Six Flags to ride Kingda Ka, among others. Maybe I'll have a post in the coming days on that trip, which was pretty cool. I also took some time to move my kids into another bedroom to make way for a new son or daughter coming in a couple months. The kids have their "new" room, and now we need to get their "old" room baby ready. And right after our Cape May trip, I threw out the first pitch at an Altoona Curve game. That was tremendous. I'm sure I'll post a video soon an add some additional thoughts. Again, thanks for rea...

The apology almost has become part of a professional athlete's uniform. Do something wrong, apologize and get along with your career. They all sound the same, probably because those apologies are written by public relations experts. They all know what to have their athlete say -- or not say. So after reading Ben Roethlisberger's apology Monday, I remain skeptical. But I'm not skeptical because of my preconceived notions. I remain skeptical because I've heard it all before. Back in 2006, Roethlisberger apologized to teammates, fans and his family after his near-miss with death after a motorcycle accident. "In the past few days, I've gained a new perspective on life," Roethlisberger said in a statement released by the team. "By the grace of God, I'm fortunate to be alive ..." Good. He's learned his lesson. He'll get his life on track. At least that's what I thought, and I suppose others did too. Then came the sex...

I wanted to see commissioner Roger Goodell step up to the podium Thursday night and announce that the Pittsburgh Steelers traded quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. I didn't care where; I wanted him out of Pittsburgh. Deep down, however, I didn't think it would happen. Despite all his problems, Roethlisberger still means something to the Steelers -- money. If Dan Rooney weren't cashing in his endorsement of Barack Obama with his ambassadorship to Ireland, maybe things would be different. He's more of a no-nonsense kind of guy. But with Art Rooney II calling the shots, I believe character still counts, but Rooney is more of a businessman. And in the NFL these days, it's a business. I don't think it was a coincidence that Roethlisberger's six-game suspension can be reduced to four games. I don't think it was a coincidence that the end of Roethlisberger's suspension would end when the Steelers have their bye week. And I don't think it ...

Maurkice Pouncey is a Pittsburgh Steeler. That's a good thing. The Florida center is a perfect fit for the Steelers. There's a lot to like about him, too. Sure, there are his physical attributes, but I was impressed with how, after he blocks one defensive lineman, he looks for more opponents. Some players hit their blocks and wait for a running back to go by them and head back to the huddle. With Pouncey, he attacks. And then he attacks some more. That will fit in nicely. What I really liked was his excitement with joining Pittsburgh. "I'm so happy to be a Pittsburgh Steeler," he told the Post-Gazette.  "I'm so happy they picked me. I just like the Steelers so much." That's refreshing. I can't wait to see him play.

The Pittsburgh Steelers should trade quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to send a message. The Steelers should trade Roethlisberger to protect their image, or their brand. The Steelers should trade Roethlisberger because he hasn't grown up. I've heard plenty of reasons why Roethlisberger should be sent packing, and I agree with most of them. But here's one reason that I haven't heard much: Trading Roethlisberger makes sense from a football standpoint. Yes. I think it would be a smart football decision to cut ties with a quarterback that has two Super Bowl rings. There are a lot of numbers that you can discuss when it comes to Roethlisberger. You can talk touchdown passes, interceptions, wins, comebacks and more. But there's one thing worries me about Roethlisberger: The number of concussions he has suffered. He has had at least three concussions. Chances are he has had more than that. How many more hits will it take to his head that will force him to r...