IX-The good folks over at Benstonium.com were kind enough to send me their newest Mike Tomlin press conference video in which coach Tomlin decides instead of unleashing hell, he is going to uncork some booze.
X- Yesterday's Mike Tomlin press conference was a day earlier than it normally is, but it was still full of lots of strong words that hopefully actually be followed up by some actual results on the gridiron come Thursday night. Tomlin announced a few injuries in the press conference and it sounds like William Gay will be out for sure on Thursday, Troy Polamalu is very doubtful as well, and it's looking somewhat questionable if we will see Hines Ward this week. Hopefully the decision on Hines Ward will be made prior to Wednesday so that Big Ben doesn't throw a hissy fit on national T.V. about Hines not playing. Starting tailback Rashard Mendenhall is expected to play, but he is a bit dinged up with a swollen and sprained ankle but he is still expected to play on Thursday Night.
XIII- Mike Florio of profootballtalk complains about how the Steelers and other teams are reporting their Injuries. The fact that Willie Gay suffered a concussion on Sunday certainly puts Pittsburgh in the spotlight on the concussion front once again. There are lots of stories and articles about former pro players who have suffered lingering long-term effects, and the Chicago Tribune frames a discussion on concussions by telling the divergent paths of former players Mike Ditka and John Mackey.
XIV-The New York Times Fifth Down Blog explores the old-school Raiders mentality and how some of the events of the past week fit in so well with the old Steelers and Raiders match-ups that were extremely violent and competitive. While it's easy to discount the Raiders as a horrible team, (which they almost certainly are), Bruce Gradkowski has certainly been a major upgrade at quarterback since he has taken over for Jamarcus Russell. Gradkowski had started for three different teams in the NFL and I think given the chance and the right system he could be a serviceable starter, especially if he played against the Steelers secondary every week. ZING!
XL-At this point Steelers fans are so disgruntled they are taking out their frustrations on animals. So in the spirit of taking our minds off this disaster that has become the 2009 season, I recommend all Nintendo Wii owners check out the brand new "Super Mario Brother Wii." The game is just a total blast with up to four people able to play at one time it makes it one of the best "party games" come along in a long time. For those of you who grew up playing the Nintendo classics, you will immediately love the sense of nostalgia that the game brings, but the actual game-play itself makes the game a must-own.
XLIII-Joe Burnett is one of the goats of Sunday's game after missing a sure-fire interception, but at least Burnett is owning up to his mistake and he sounds like he is prepared to come to play on Sunday, and with Willie Gay ruled out it sounds like Burnett and fellow rookie Keenan Lewis better be "on the details." Burnett had this to say on his twitter account:
Man Up, As a professional, I have to make that play! Im a competitor and i hold myself accountable.