Steelers Hard Knocks

Steelers Reportedly 1 Of 3 Finalists For HBO’s Hard Knocks

Leave a reply

According to Fox Sports anchor Tomm Looney, the NFL and HBO have narrowed down the pool of finalists for HBO’s Hard Knocks to the Pittsburgh Steelers, NY Giants, and Chicago Bears.

While this may be true, it doesn’t pass the sniff test to me at first pass. Those three teams are all eligible to be ‘forced’ to participate under the NFL’s recent rule change which allows the league to select participants if they meet certain criteria. The Steelers, Bears, Giants, Bills, Cardinals, Jaguars, Raiders, and Rams all fall under that umbrella. Teams that meet the following specifications cannot be forced to be on the program:

  • Have made the playoffs in one of the previous two seasons
  • Have acquired a new head coach
  • Have appeared on Hard Knocks within the last 10 years

Obviously the Steelers are not protected by any of those parameters. What raises suspicion though is the fact that the league was reportedly only going to implement the rule if there were no volunteers. According to the commissioner himself last Thursday, there are many teams who are interested.

“There are several clubs that are interested in doing this. I just don’t have an update on which club, whether it’s going to be a volunteer or if it’s somebody who is going to have to fulfill the obligation. But I’m sure that decision will be made pretty soon”, said Goodell last Thursday. He added, “…it’s important for all clubs to contribute to it in some fashion. I think we designed a very interesting concept that allows teams if you have a coaching change not to have that be an issue, but also have some kind of rotation to it.”

I think it’s no secret at this point that the Steelers organization as a whole is not interested in being on HBO. In fact, Mike Tomlin went as far as to say that it was “a joke” when asked about it a month ago. Either way, we’ll know for certain who will be the focus of the show in the not too distant future. Last year, the Bengals were announced as the participants in early June if that has any bearing on this year’s announcement.

le'veon Bell

Ohio State CB Bradley Roby Pleads Guilty To Lesser Charge

Leave a reply

Former Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby, who was charged with operating a vehicle while impaired last week, has plead guilty to a lesser charge in court this morning. The draft prospect plead having “physical control” of a vehicle while under the influence, a non-moving charge that carries no license suspension or points on his license. Essentially, after he takes a required 3 day alcohol awareness course this week, the matter will be resolved.

In a statement to ProFootballTalk, Roby’s agent said, “Though my client, Bradley Roby, maintains his innocence and feels he would have been completely exonerated had he taken this matter to trial, Bradley has accepted the prosecutor’s offer of a reduced charge to ‘physical control’ to bring closure and finality to this situation ahead of next week’s NFL draft.”

Roby was reportedly very high on the Steelers radar before this point. How does this effect his stock in the eyes of the Steelers organization? Let us know in the comments or in the forum.

steelers draft

911 Caller Said Bradley Roby Almost Hit Kids Before Passing Out

Leave a reply

Columbus police have released the 911 call that led officers to find former Ohio State CB Bradley Roby allegedly passed out in his car. According to WBNS-10, the 911 caller stated that Roby was driving his vehicle not long before police found him passed out in his vehicle.

Here is the transcript from the 911 call: “Hi, I’m just leaving BBR on Vine and some black Dodge Charger just almost hit a bunch of kids on the sidewalk. And now, the driver is passed out drunk on the side of BBR in black Charger with Georgia plates.” BBR is a restaurant in downtown Columbus, just down the street from the Convention Center.

When the news broke last week, Roby’s agent released a statement saying that the star cornerback was just sitting in his car when officers approached him, and that he had a BAC of .008 which is well below the legal limit. His agent didn’t comment on why Roby reportedly failed the field sobriety test. After the news broke, Roby himself posted a photo confirming the .008 breathalyzer reading.


With the draft quickly approaching, the Steelers are no doubt investigating this matter, as Roby was one of the top cornerbacks who the team expressed interest in. Roby has a court date scheduled for tomorrow.

le'veon Bell

Mike Adams Told Attackers To Hit Him According To Surprise Witness

2 Replies

The trial for the 3 men accused of attacking Steelers tackle Mike Adams took an unexpected turn today when a surprise witness for the defense took the stand. According to a report by WTAE, Shariea Cox took the stand today as a surprise witness for the defense. In her testimony, she described Adams as drunk and said he appeared aggressive the night he was attacked last spring.

According to Cox, Adams had trouble keeping his balance that night, and said he was loud and yelled obscenities. She testified that the men suggested that Adams pay for their food, and he refused.  “I’m not paying for anything. Hit me. I want you to hit me. Do you know who I am?”, Cox claimed in her testimony today.

Michael Paranay, Dquay Means, and Jerrell Whitlock are being tried on a range of charges from conspiracy to attempted homicide. In Adams’ account of the events, Means brandished a gun, and Paranay hopped on his truck, saying, “We got a nice one here.” A few seconds later Adams was punched in the side of the face and then stabbed in the abdomen.

Adams said he saw Whitlock’s face as he pulled the knife out, before the defendants ran off. The witness said she saw Paranay punch Adams in the face, but did not see Means show Adams a gun, or see Whitlock stab Adams. I’ll reserve my personal opinion, but something clearly doesn’t add up. Thanks for stopping by and don’t forget to share with your friends.

 

David Decastro contract

Report: Antonio Brown Has Fired Agent Drew Rosenhaus, Considering Roc Nation

Leave a reply

Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has fired agent Drew Rosenhaus according to a report by Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports. According to multiple sources, Brown is considering hiring Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports. Roc Nation sports is a new agency founded by recording artist Jay Z. The 3 football clients the firm represents are Victor Cruz, Hakeem Nicks, and Jets quarterback Geno Smith.

If he does in fact sign with Roc Nation Sports, the firm will not see any new money from Antonio Brown. His $41.7 Mil contract runs through 2017. Brown proved he was a true number one receiver last season amassing a career high 1,499 yards, 110 catches, and 8 touchdowns.

le'veon Bell

Arraignment For Ravens RB Ray Rice Pushed Back Until Thursday

Leave a reply

The arraignment for Ravens running back Ray Rice, which was originally scheduled for today, has been pushed back until Thursday according to The Baltimore Sun. Rice was originally facing domestic assault charges, but a grand jury indicted him on a more serious charge of 3rd degree aggravated assault- a felony. Rice’s then fiancée was originally charged with the same domestic assault charge, but the charges against her were later dismissed.

Strangely enough, Rice and his fiancée got married a day after he was indicted. If Rice is convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 3-5 years in jail. Personally, I’d be surprised if he served a day in jail if he’s found guilty. While the NFL can (and should) come down on Rice with a fine or suspension, they haven’t done so yet. The league is likely waiting for the legal process to run it’s course before deciding on a punishment.

The grand jury indictment asserts that Rice did attempt to cause significant bodily injury to his fiancée in Atlantic City on February 15th. You can view the indictment here.

Ray Rice Indictment

Ryan Clark

Antonio Brown And Ryan Clark: An Off-Season Drama

Leave a reply

Antonio Brown didn’t like what Ryan Clark has said about the team in recent months, and Ryan Clark didn’t like that Antonio Brown didn’t like it. In an interview with Tribune reporter Alan Robinson, the Steelers wide receiver shared some of his thoughts on Clark’s recent musings in the media.

“When you see things like that, it shows you how guys feel when they’re not part of the team anymore,” Brown said regarding some of Clark’s comments. “It’s a form of bitterness or taking a shot at the team because you’re not there anymore.” Brown went on to say that comments like Clark’s show a lack of recent camaraderie that the team needs to improve on. Mainly, Brown is referring to Clark’s openness about his teammates using marijuana.

“When you see people taking shots who were on the same team and wearing the same jerseys, that’s a sign of not having that team camaraderie. That’s something we need to get back, something we haven’t had for the past two years.” Brown went on to say that Clark’s behavior likely stems from his affiliation with ESPN. “He’s getting into his career as a reporter and trying to get those things in the works,” Brown told the Trib. “I don’t think he meant any harm taking those shots to players as individuals, I just think he was trying to make pointers and make himself sound smart on ESPN.”

Well, it didn’t take long for Ryan Clark to respond to Brown’s statements. Shortly after the article was published, and the somewhat sensational headline grew legs on social media channels, Clark took to Twitter to share his opinion.

 

At first, Clark doesn’t seem bothered by Brown’s feelings, but in the span of a few minutes, his tone changes rather drastically. Clark isn’t new to sharing his candid feelings on Twitter. The former Steelers safety recently returned to Twitter after deleting his account last year, due to his sometimes blunt opinions not sitting well with certain fans.

After spending a couple months on the free agent market, Clark signed a one year deal with the Washington Redskins last month. Before signing with the Redskins, many people speculated that he was not going to return to playing football, but rather take on a full time analyst gig.

What do you think? Is Antonio Brown right? Are Clark’s opinions due to bitterness, or are they just said in effort to get attention on ESPN?

NFL-Draft-Pittsburgh

NFL Hopes To Extend The Draft

Leave a reply

The NFL is hoping to extend the draft from 3 days to 4 days sometime in the future. In an interview with NFL reporter Jeff Darlington, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell revealed the league’s goal of stretching the draft coverage.

“We’re looking at a lot of options with respect to the draft to create even more excitement around the draft,” Goodell said in the interview. It begs the question- How much draft day coverage would most people want to watch? I can’t imagine waiting an extra day for the last round or two would be considered “must see tv” for the average fan.

Goodell also said he was unsure if the draft would return to April, or if it would remain in May. Ironically, the Rockettes show that supposedly caused the scheduling issue at Radio City Music Hall was postponed.

Lamichael_james606

49ers Have No Intention Of Trading RB LaMichael James

Leave a reply

San Fransisco 49ers general manager Trent Baalke told the San Francisco Chronicle today that the team has no intention of trading LaMichael James.

How is this relevant to the Steelers? Some people have suggested that the team should trade with the 49ers on draft day. The notion stemmed from an article published last week…on the Sacramento Bee. Coincidentally, the author is the same writer who, in my opinion, flat out made up how much Mike Wallace was demanding from the Steelers when he was a free agent, but I digress.

According to the article, a source said that the team was shopping the running back for a possible trade. In February, when asked about the possibility of trading James, Baalke said, “No discussions. LaMichael is a 49er. He’ll continue to be a 49er.”

Rumors of a possible trade escalated when James did not attend voluntary workouts earlier this week. When questioned about his absence, the 49ers GM said his understanding is that LaMichael James is working out in Texas due to the recent birth of his child. He reiterated that there were no plans to trade the running back.

le'veon Bell

2014 Draft Prospect CB Bradley Roby Charged With OVI

Leave a reply

Former Ohio State cornerback Bradley Roby has been charged with OVI (which is basically the same as a DUI outside of Ohio if you’re wondering), according to WBNS TV in Columbus, Ohio.

The incident occurred on April 20th when police officers reportedly found Roby sleeping in his car. According to the court documents, officers were not able to wake him. When they opened the unlocked car door, they smelled alcohol, which led to a field sobriety test which he subsequently failed.

Roby’s agent released a statement about the arrest.

Bradley was sitting in his parked car in a parking lot when he was approached and questioned by an officer.  He was fully cooperative and willingly submitted to field sobriety and breathalyzer tests.  His BAC test registered a negligible .008 and after further testing at the police station, he was very quickly released on his own recognizance.  There are no other charges, and we are confident that this matter will be resolved quickly and favorably for Bradley.

Sounds innocuous enough, though, I wouldn’t expect an agent to very well say, “he’s guilty”. The minimum BAC for a charge of OVI is .08, so it is curious why he would be charged if his BAC was as low as his agent claims. Roby has a court date Friday. With this happening so soon before the draft, teams will be scrambling to get the facts on this case to determine whether or not his draft stock should diminish. This isn’t the first off-field mishap for Roby. He was suspended for the home opener last year due to a disorderly conduct charge resulting from an incident in a bar in Indiana.

Obviously not all of the details are in yet, but if I was a betting man, I’d wager this doesn’t have a significant impact on his draft stock.