Chuck-Noll-Day

September 7th Is Chuck Noll Day

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On September 7th, the football season officially begins for Steelers fans. The team hosts the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field, with a 1:00 pm kickoff. The day has a new meaning now though, thanks to a senate resolution approved to commemorate the life of the legendary Steelers head coach.

The resolution, which was passed by Pennsylvania’s US Senators last week, designates September 7th “Chuck Noll Day”. “Chuck Noll was one of the greatest coaches in NFL history and played a huge part in turning the once downtrodden Steelers franchise into the powerhouse it has been for the last 40-plus years,” said Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) as he introduced the resolution last week. “The City of Pittsburgh and football fans across Pennsylvania will miss Coach Noll.”

Noll passed away last month at his home in Sewickley. He coached the Steelers for 22 years and brought four Lombardi trophies to Pittsburgh during his tenure.

“Chuck Noll provided the culture of success on and off the field,” said Bob Casey (D- Pa.). “Not only was he a great representative of Pittsburgh and a legendary coach who reached the heights of his profession, but more importantly, he inspired his players, his staff, and the entire Steelers Nation to strive for greatness.

“This resolution honors his milestones of creating the Steel Curtain and winning four Super Bowls. We will never forget the impact he had on all of Western Pennsylvania and Steelers fans across the nation and worldwide.”

Team President Art Rooney II said last month that the Steelers plan to honor Chuck Noll with a helmet decal or jersey patch this season. The details of which have yet to be finalized.

jimmy-smith-mug-shot

Another Raven Arrested- This Time It’s CB Jimmy Smith

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jimmy-smith-mug-shot

Ravens CB Jimmy Smith’s actual mug shot.

It’s been a busy offseason for the Baltimore Ravens. Usually you associate the phrase ‘busy offseason’ with free agent signings, coaching staff turnover, contract extensions, and things of that nature. In Baltimore’s case, it mainly refers to players being checked in and out of the Iron Bar Hotel.

Last night, Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith was arrested by Baltimore police officers for disorderly conduct. The incident occurred at The Greene Turtle in Towson, MD. Police arrived at the bar in response to a call about an unconscious woman in the bathroom. The call was made by the bar’s general manager according to The Baltimore Sun.

The responding officers said that Smith was in the bathroom with the unconscious woman when they arrived. The woman was apparently intoxicated, and Smith was assisting her while she was vomiting in the sink, according to police. Smith told the officers that he had done a photo shoot with the woman earlier in the evening. According to the police report, the officers later found what they suspected was a bag of cocaine in the woman’s purse. She wasn’t charged as of this writing.

Police said that after the paramedics arrived, officers repeatedly asked Smith to stay out of the way and he refused to comply, stating several times that he was helping the woman. Police said Smith became argumentative when they asked him to step into the hallway.

According to the police report, Smith was asked three times by an officer to leave the restroom before being escorted out to the hallway. Smith allegedly cursed at the arresting officer and asked him “What the **** are you gonna do?” When told again to leave, Smith replied: “**** you. What the **** are you gonna do?” Officers then placed Smith in handcuffs. According to the police report, at the precinct Smith told the officer: “The only reason you arrested me is so you could get on the news.You will see this tomorrow on ESPN.” The Ravens cornerback was released later that evening, and a court date is pending. The woman was sent to the hospital.

Smith’s arrest makes the fifth Ravens player arrested this offseason. The others who have been arrested so far are RB Ray Rice, (felony aggravated assault), OL Jah Reid (misdemeanor battery), WR Deonte Thompson (felony possession of marijuana) and RB Lorenzo Taliaferro (misdemeanor destruction of property, drunk and disorderly). One has to wonder at what point the media will start asking, “Has John Harbaugh lost control of his team?”

 

 

Maurkice-Pouncey

Source: Evidence Indicates Pouncey Not Involved In Assault

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Earlier, it was reported that Mike and Maurkice Pouncey were allegedly involved in an altercation last night in a Miami nightclub. In a recent report by ProFootballTalk, sources close to the situation tell them that the preliminary evidence indicates that the Maurkice and Mike Pouncey were not involved in the alleged assault.

According to the accuser, the Pouncey twins both assaulted him, and 4 bouncers roughed him up as well. The victim alleges that he suffered a chipped tooth from the encounter, and needed medical attention at the hospital. A woman he was with alleges that she required ten stitches from a laceration she received to her leg during the altercation.

Neither Pouncey twin has commented on the allegations, and while police acknowledge that there was an incident at the club last night, they have not confirmed that the Pouncey brothers are suspects. Stay tuned for more as it unfolds.

Maurkice-Pouncey

Man And Woman Allege Maurkice Pouncey Assaulted Them In Nightclub Last Night

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Maurkice Pouncey and his brother Mike were out on the town last night. The two were partying at the Cameo night club in Miami’s South Beach neighborhood, where the brothers were holding their annual birthday bash.

[xyz-ihs snippet=”CameoMap”]

The twins celebrate their July 24th birthday together early due to football obligations. Around this time last year, the Pouncey twins made headlines by being photographed wearing “Free Hernandez” hats at the same nightclub.

Last night’s alleged incident may potentially have greater consequences for the Steelers center though, if his accusers allegations prove true. According to the victim, who goes by the name Ricky Vasquez on his social media accounts, both Pouncey brothers physically assaulted him before 4 security guards came and threw him out. A female companion who was with the alleged victim corroborated his account, and claims that she was also assaulted by- specifically- Maurkice Pouncey. Vasquez describes himself on Twitter as “Event Host. Choreographer. Stylist. TeaOlogist. Free Spirit. Socialite.”

There is also another layer to this story, in that the alleged victim is said to be openly gay, and according to him, gay slurs were hurled while he was being assaulted. I’m not sure if it’s a coincidence, but it’s worth mentioning that the name Ricky Vasquez is also the name of a character on the show My So Called Life. On the show, Vasquez battles with gender issues and is the subject of gay bullying. (H/T to my wife.)

The alleged incident occurred somewhere shortly after 4:00 AM Saturday morning. The man who claims he was assaulted took to his Twitter and Instagram accounts shortly after the incident to share his story. Here are some of those postings:

*Warning* The language in the posts and video clips below may be offensive to some readers. You’ve been warned.

https://twitter.com/iAmRickyVasquez/statuses/487882374517362688

https://twitter.com/iAmRickyVasquez/statuses/487882405861421056

https://twitter.com/iAmRickyVasquez/statuses/487884349166354432

https://twitter.com/iAmRickyVasquez/statuses/487886010467254272

https://twitter.com/iAmRickyVasquez/statuses/487888435806736384

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Here’s some transcription of what Vasquez was saying in his Instagram videos.

“I didn’t know that stuff like this actually f**ing happens to people…All I can remember is standing in a crowded club and this big guy keeps hitting me in my back, I look at him and I’m like, OK, he’s obviously turned up. And he just keeps hitting me. I ignore it. I keep ignoring the guy — he’s calling me a faggot. I realize that there’s two of the guys. Now they’re both in my face. The next thing I know, Honey tries to break it up. One of them punches Honey in the face, the other one punches me or the same one, I don’t know. Security comes.”

Here is a collage the woman he refers to as Honey posted to her instagram account.

[xyz-ihs snippet=”PounceyAccuser6″]

The caption of one of Honey’s social media postings read, “Went inside @Cameomia 10 minutes just to be punched in my face by Marquise [sic] Pouncey for trying to stop him and his brother mike from beating the shit out of my friend @irickyvasquez. Filed a report even though the Police said nothing probably will be done about this situation. These athletes get on all these f**kin drugs and act an ass knowing they will be protected by these clubs because of how much money they spend in their clubs but I’m not gonna let this shit rest. I’m a female and I won’t Stand for no man putting their hands on me.”

According to Miami Beach Police spokespeople, they are indeed aware of the situation.”There was an incident that occurred at Cameo last night at 4:20 a.m., where an alleged assault took place,” Miami Beach Police Sgt. Bobby Hernandez told New Times.”We have not confirmed it’s the Pouncey brothers that are the subjects, but we are going to have detectives contacting the victims to investigate further.”

As with any story, one should definitely exercise caution before passing judgement. We’re only hearing one side of this story so far, but as the weekend progresses, I imagine more details will emerge.

 

 

Mike-Webster

Sony To Film Mike Webster Movie In Pittsburgh Starring Will Smith

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Sony Pictures plans to use the city of Pittsburgh as the backdrop for their upcoming big budget film. The movie is titled “Game Brain”, and is a drama focusing on the NFL concussion controversy. Hall of Fame center “Iron” Mike Webster, who died at the age of 50 in 2002, is reportedly the primary focus of the movie.

Webster earned 4 super bowl rings, 9 Pro Bowl nominations, and 9 All Pro selections during his 15 years with the Steelers. While the Steelers don’t officially retire jersey numbers, Webster’s #52 has not been reissued since his retirement. Resisting the urge to go off on a tangent here, but Mike Webster deserves more notoriety for his accolades and his tenure as the anchor of the Steelers offensive line. He had the longest career as a Pittsburgh Steeler, with Hines Ward’s 14 years coming in at a close second.

The story of Webster’s final years is a sad one. The retired center suffered from amnesia, dementia, and depression, as well as several other physical impairments from the abuse his body endured over his long NFL career. Aside from the physical and mental issues the hall of famer battled, he was also reportedly homeless and living in his pick up truck.

Mike Webster bought himself a Taser gun, used that on himself to treat his back pain, would zap himself into unconsciousness just to get some sleep. Mike Webster lost all his money, or maybe gave it away. He forgot. A lot of lawsuits. Mike Webster forgot how to eat, too. Soon Mike Webster was homeless, living in a truck, one of its windows replaced with a garbage bag and tape.

Webster’s story was thrust back into the national spotlight last fall when it was featured in the Frontline special “League Of Denial: The NFL’s Concussion Crisis”. You can watch the full video here: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/league-of-denial/

Mike Webster is featured mainly towards the beginning.

Back to the Game Brain movie…Will Smith is slated to star in the film. He will play Dr. Bennet Omalu, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy on Webster and the man who coined the acronym CTE. Omalu also performed tests on the brains of former Steelers linemen Terry Long and Justin Strzelczyk during his CTE research. About being portrayed by Will Smith in the movie, Omalu issued a statment saying that I’m “humbled that my hard work and contribution to the advancement of science is being recognized.”

The state of Pennsylvania awarded “Game Brain” $14.4 million in film tax credits, according to the Pennsylvania Film Office via the Trib. A portion of that money was originally awarded to Legendary Pictures, but filming had to be postponed. Steelers minority owner Thomas Tull is the founder and CEO of Legendary Pictures.

felix-jones

Felix Jones Is Still Waiting For A Call

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Veteran running back Felix Jones is in an unfamiliar position right now. It’s July, and he’s a free agent hoping to get a call from a team. Barring something extremely unlikely happening- that team won’t be the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Steelers traded Adrian Robinson to the Eagles in exchange for Felix Jones last August. Prior to that, Jones spent his first five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.  The move was a stop gap of sorts to bolster running back depth after Le’Veon Bell suffered a foot injury a few days prior to the trade. Jones was active for every game last season, but saw very few snaps as the season progressed.

Jones is confident he’ll find a place on another team. “I know something is going to happen, I have a gut feeling,” he told Tulsa World recently. Jones totaled 2,728 yards rushing and 11 touchdowns with the Cowboys before signing with the Eagles last spring. Last season, the former 1st round pick had 184 rushing yards, though, he did have nearly 3 times as many return yards by season’s end.

Although the life of a running back is short in today’s NFL, Jones believes he can still contribute. “I played the game for a few years,” he said. “I kinda got the hang for what’s going on in the NFL at my position. I know I can teach younger guys. Obviously I still got some gas in my motor.”

ike taylor

[Audio] Ike Taylor Is “Pissed Off About” Taking A Pay Cut

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Ike Taylor was on The Jim Rome Show today and spent a good amount of time sharing his feelings about his salary. At least, he shared his feelings about his recent decrease in salary when asked about it.

Ike was characteristically candid in his interview today, though, he was uncharacteristically critical. It was the first time he’s publicly complained about the new deal he took with the Steelers this spring. Taylor was slated to earn a $7 Mil base salary before renegotiating with the team at the beginning of March. The reworking of his contract saved the team $4.25 Mil, and took his 2014 cap number down from $11,942,404 down to $7,692,404.

A few months ago Taylor seemed satisfied with the deal, well, as satisfied as someone could be after agreeing to let go of over 4 million dollars. He wanted to retire a Steeler, and he knew his age and the tight salary cap made his release a possibility. Today, the veteran cornerback had lots to say about just how unsatisfied he was about it. “I’m pissed off about it, still am pissed off about it and I’m going to be pissed off until the end of the season about it,” said Taylor. “Did it hurt me? Hell yeah. Does it still hurt? Yeah, it hurts, but hopefully I can go in and bounce back this year, do what I need to do on the field and we will see what happens after.”

When asked if the pay cut made him want to work less or work harder, his answer wasn’t as direct. “It’s like you get to a point- ‘why me?’ Like I didn’t show my loyalty? You want to talk about a guy who’s going to come in in shape, not waiting to build up into shape when he gets to camp. Or you want to talk about a guy who’s unselfish and puts his team before his family and friends, you want to talk about a guy who has loyalty, yeah, it’s me. When you come to me and ask me for a pay cut, I’m like ‘Damn, out of all these people, you want to ask Ike?’ ”

Ultimately, according to Taylor, he just didn’t want to leave Pittsburgh. Pride was the biggest factor in the “tough decision”, and he saw what happened to other players who had let pride get in the way.

“By the end of the day, it is a pride factor. As a professional athlete and as a man in general, you have to learn to balance your pride. You have to learn when to use it and when not use it. At the time, I didn’t think it was the time to use it. I can use it on the field. I can use it with my offseason activities. I can use it for workouts and let that carry over.”

“I had seen a few guys who didn’t take pay cuts and went to other teams and it didn’t work out for them. So, at the end of the day, I didn’t want to leave Pittsburgh, point blank, period,” Taylor explained. You can listen to the majority of the interview below.

Antonio-Brown

Antonio Brown Is Number 23 On NFL’s Top 100

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The NFL Network continued their Top 100 players countdown last night, and Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown came in at #23 on the list. Ben Roethlisberger was 31 on the list last week.

Antonio Brown saw the biggest jump out of the players who ranked this year, going from unranked last year to #23 this year. Brown’s production exploded in 2013, so he deserves to be high on the list (arguably higher). Brown was 2nd in receptions last year with 110, and 2nd in total yards with 1498 (ahead of Calvin Johnson).

While the Top 100 rankings mean absolutely nothing, they do perhaps show that Brown is getting recognition from his peers. AB was as humble as always when interviewed about the Top 100. “I don’t want to be the judge of it…I’m excited for 2014. You can just look at my resume, and I’m going to continue to improve it.” When asked how he puts up numbers with the tall receivers, Brown wasn’t gift wrapping a sound bite.  “I’ve got a unique skill set…I don’t want to really talk about myself. I’m just honored to be on the list, and I want to continue to build, and you guys continue to watch.”

You can watch the video on the NFL site here: Antonio Brown NFL Top 100

Brandon_Flowers_(American_football)

Chargers Sign CB Brandon Flowers To One Year Deal

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The Chargers have signed cornerback Brandon Flowers to a one year deal. The specific terms of the deal haven’t been made publicly available, but the deal is reportedly worth up to $5 Mil. Early reports of the financial details indicate that the contract included a guaranteed base salary of $1.5 Mil, a guaranteed signing bonus of $1.5 Mil, and up to $2 Mil in potential incentives.

The Steelers were reportedly “interested” in Flowers, but the report never really passed the sniff test to me. Sure, the Steelers were going to keep their eye on the situation, but certainly they weren’t going to be one of the cornerback’s active suitors. Flowers had a substantial drop in his production last year. Many referenced Ike Taylor in the Flowers discussion, but based on his play last year, William Gay is the closer comparison.

With just under $6.5 Mil in cap space, the Steelers have ample room to shop for value free agents. Spending up to $5 Mil for a zone nickel corner (which Flowers looks destined to be) is not on the Steelers fiduciary to do list this summer.

Adam Podlesh

Patriots Waive Former Steelers WR Reggie Dunn

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Reggie Dunn, the speedster wide receiver the Steelers signed as an undrafted free agent last spring, has been waived by the Patriots. He has gone unclaimed on waivers and is free to sign with the team of his choosing. Dunn spent all of training camp with the Steelers last year before being released during the final round of roster cuts.

The former Utah kick returner saw time on the Packers, Browns, and Dolphins practice squads last season. He was with the Patriots since they signed him to their practice squad in January.