By Chris Gates I have come to three concrete conclusions so far this NFL season: 1) Officials play too big of a role in games, 2) The league does a horrible job of governing conduct on and off the field, and 3) Roger Goodell has zero consistency in his rulings. James Harrison was fined $75,000 for a borderline hit on Mohamed Massaquoi of the Cleveland Browns early this season. Since, three players have been fined a combined $75,000 for throwing actual punches during games. How does this make any sense? Two weeks ago, Richard Seymour took out his frustration on Roethlisberger. After Read more [...]

By Chris Gates I fear we're on the cusp of falling in to a far too familiar place. Right after the 2010 NFL Draft I analyzed the Steelers entire roster. Later I went on air and said that this team could very well repeat 2009 with another disappointing second half. Now, after season-ending injuries to both Willie Colon and Max Starks on the offensive line and defensive end Aaron Smith out until at least the start of the playoffs, my bleak outlook may be coming true. And the situation is so similar: the Steelers are currently 6-2 and viewed by many as one of the elite teams in the league. Read more [...]

By Chris Gates The Pittsburgh Steelers have won their opening two games of the season. That’s the win total most of us hoped for after four games. So I can’t help but wonder what will happen when the Steelers hit their Week 5 bye. This team could legitimately be 3-1, or dare I say 4-0, after four games. Then Ben Roethlisberger returns. What will happen when he does? Popular opinion is that he’ll turn this floundering offense in to one that actually scores touchdowns. That will likely be the case. As a result, the Steelers defense won’t have to force seven turnovers to Read more [...]

By Chris Gates Oddly enough, it’s fair to say the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense is the best in the AFC North after one week. Let that sink in for a second. OK, now that you’ve taken the short amount of time to deduce I’m a dummy and know nothing about football, let’s look at the facts from week one. The Steelers’ 15 points in a 15-9 win over Atlanta Sunday proved to be the most points scored by an AFC North team in a victory. Baltimore was the only other AFC North team to win, with a 10-9 decision Monday night against the New York Jets. The Ravens’ offense continually Read more [...]

By Chris Gates New special teams coach Al Everest told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review he has four goals for the return teams. They are: 1. Ball security. 2. Positive yards. 3. Return the ball in scoring position. 4. Scoring touchdowns. I’d love to hear what his plans are for kick and punt pursuit. While the Steelers defense was the popular choice to blame in 2009 for their 9-7 record and failure to make the playoffs, other factors played a significant part. For one, the offense was horrendous inside the redzone. Another was time of possession in the fourth quarter. But the third Read more [...]