By Jeremy Hritz Right now, it still hurts for Steelers fans. Two of our most hated opponents will battle for the AFC crown that we proudly wore last year. And in the NFC, we have to watch the other hated Harbaugh and the Eli Manning-led New York Giants. While Sunday will no doubt be agonizing as it reminds us of what could have been, it is time to move on. And what better way to do so than taking a closer look at the 2012-2013 Steelers' opponents. Opponents’ 2011 Records: 103-105 (.495) 2011 Playoff Opponents on 2012 Schedule: 4 - Baltimore, Cincinnati, Denver, New York Giants Divisional Read more [...]

It is Friday so I wanted to take time out to breakdown the math of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell as it relates to fines so everyone is on the same page as to what cost what and where the best bargains are going forward. To make it easy on everyone, I will use pictures and caption each. Everyone ready? Here we go. I hope this helps clarify the Goodell fine math and helps players around the league get a better idea of where the bargains are. DISCLAIMER: I did not consult with James Harrison before writing this post. Read more [...]

It did not take Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to recover as a fan favorite as he is ranked 5th overall in jersey sales according to new data released by NFLShop.com from the period running from April 1-Aug. 30. Troy Polamalu is the top rated Steelers player in jersey sales as he finished 3rd overall behind Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews of the Packers. In total there are six Steelers players in the top 20 as Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, James Harrison and Rashard Mendenhall also made the list. The Steelers edged out the Packers in overall jersey sales with the Cowboys finishing 3rd overall Read more [...]

The Steelers take on the Eagles tonight at Heinz Field in their second preseason game of the 2011 season. The roster is sorting itself out slowly, but there are still a few battles and spots that have yet to won. The starters should get a little more playing time tonight as the entire team looks to improve on their overall dismal performance last week against the Redskins. As I do every week, here are my 7 things to watch for tonight. Climbing Hills - 4th year offensive lineman Tony Hills is slated to start at right guard tonight to show his position flexibility and make a run at the spot. Chris Read more [...]

Hines Ward beat Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap in the first round of the Madden 12 cover contest and is now in the Sweet 16 squaring off against 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis with the winner moving on to face the winner of the Andre Johnson, Michael Vick match-up. Make sure to vote for Hines. Ward is winning more than Charlie Sheen as of late as he and his dance partner Kym Johnson also advanced to the next round of Dancing with the Stars. Perhaps Hines is on the Tiger Blood. The Steelers brass were present at the University of Texas Pro Day on Tuesday to get a good look at Aaron Williams, Read more [...]

Scott Brown has the run down of running back Rashard Mendenhall and his support via his Twitter account of Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and his analogy between the NFL and the slave trade. I have a sneaky feeling that Mendenhall will soon disappear from Twitter like Ryan Clark did a short time ago. 140 characters is hard to get your point across in. The media loves that kind of stuff. Pat Kirwan has the Steelers taking old man Danny Watkins in his latest mock draft and Steeler Nation heads exploded around the world. I wrote a piece for the haters last night on Watkins and whether or Read more [...]

From the "Who Cares File", quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was voted the third most disliked person in sports by Forbes. I thought Forbes was a business media outfit and who the hell did they round up for this poll? Tom Van Riper was interviewed by Joe Starkey to discuss the list on 93.7 The Fan. Regardless, I think all of the negative Roethlisberger press is on tail end now. As long as he stays clean now, the hard stuff should be behind him. That is of course until Dog Fancy releases its poll. I am sure Michael Vick will be No.1 on it as well. To sum up the negativity against Big Ben in Pittsburgh, Read more [...]

The Las Vegas Review-Journal has a great story on rookie running back Frank Summers as he gets ready to head to his first NFL training camp. Summers reportedly struggled to pick up the playbook in minicamp because the terminology was much different from what he was used to in college. The work ethic is there though for Summers. Frank the Tank will be a popular guy at training camp with the fans. Some odds makers are reporting that the Steelers may be a landing place for Michael Vick, but Vinnie Iyer of the Sporting News gives a more realistic look at teams interest in Vick around the league. Read more [...]

Head coach Mike Tomlin said on Thursday that second-year receiver Limas Sweed does not have the inside track on the No. 3 wide receiver spot and in fact said the No. 3 receiver job vacated by Nate Washington is wide open. When asked who else is in the mix, Tomlin said, "All the guys other than Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes." Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith, nose tackle Casey Hampton, linebacker James Farrior safety Troy Polamalu and safety Ryan Clark were all absent from this week's OTA session. Dale Lolley seems to think the Steelers have more of a fire burning in them that the 2006 Read more [...]