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Ben and Steeler Nation are waiting for the word from Roger Goodell as to how long the suspension is going to be. If recent history means anything I would think it will be at least reduced to 4 games from the mandated 6.
I am basing that on the 2009 ruling of Michael Vick who was convicted of a crime. Granted what Ben is/was accused of is far more egregious in my view. No disrespect to animals of course but Ben is flirting with heinous acts far more despicable. And what Vick did is pretty despicable!
Nevertheless Vick was found guilty in a court of law and served a jail sentence. As for Ben, whether you believe his denials or the accuser the fact is the law saw no merit in any evidence or lack there of. That should count for something. In fact I was surprised Goodell dropped a 6 Pack Suspension on Ben.
Frankly I applauded it too. Roger showed some real balls as did the Players Union for not fighting it. Hey these guys need to learn playing pro ball is not a right no more than working at the local factory is. Yes you have a right to seek employment but you ultimately work for someone and represent their company and reputation! Deal with it.
Not to be overlooked also is that in most scenarios the fact that you are a star and vital to a team often influences these types of decisions. Perfect example is how many times do you see the sophomore get canned from the team only to see the star Junior get a quick reprieve on a Division 1 football team? Or how the rules for Denis Rodman or Manny Rameriz some how were different than they were for others? We all know the drill.
So in the end there is still the reality of playing football and what the Steelers need to do. So whether Ben misses 2, 4, or 6 games who starts for him?
Most believe it is the veteran and proven Leftwich. Which is not a bad choice. I would start Dixon however at least for the first game. Unless you have already decided he is never going to be a starter. Of course assuming Ben is staying for a while then the heir apparent is a bit premature to begin with. But what about trade value?
You need Dixon to show enough in a game that he is worth trading for or worth keeping! If you started from the jump he gets a chance to prove something. If he fails?
You can always go to Leftwich. He is ready. So why not just play Leftwich you ask?
Think about it? It is not like he has proven to be a big time starter. He has proven to be proven is about all. Brian had some quality seasons but he always gets hurt and he was never the 2nd coming of Terry Bradshaw or John Elway. And the reality is his ego is not that fragile to sit and back up the kid either. This is why he was brought back to Pittsburgh, to be a back up!
So if you start Dixon and he fails the worse case scenario is you play Leftwich. If you start Leftwich and he tanks then you are forced to go with the “unproven” guy!
The bottom line is you need at least a .500 record with these two filling in for Ben!
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And with pick #18 in the 1st round the Steelers stepped up to the plate. They took the big and agile center from Florida, Maurkice Pouncey. Thank You very much!
This was on my wish list from last year when the kid from California was in the pool. Ironically Pouncey is even better. And so perhaps the Pittsburgh tradition continues. Webster then Dawson, and now Pouncey. I really think this is the guy. Good bye Hartwig and good riddance. You are a heads up guy but I always thought you were a fraud.
Let me remind you off some history of Justin Hartwig: (From a 2009 post of mine)
Now granted he was the 2002 6th round pick for the Titans. And to his credit he played well for the Titans at times. In his breakout 2003 campaign Eddie George got his 7th 1000 yard rushing season and the Titans allowed a low 25 sacks on the year. And no, I do not know how many of them came through him. But I do know that after 47 starts in 3 seasons he signed as a free agent in Carolina. Tennessee did not keep him? In 2003 he was part of the 4th ranked offense. In 2004 they were the 11the ranked offense. In 2005 they were the 17th ranked offense. See a pattern here? Now was that all Hartwig? Probably not.
For in 2006, Hartwigs first season in Carolina, the Titans plummeted to 27th in the NFL in offense. That was also the Rookie season for QB Vince Young however. In fact the rushing game increased from 95 yards rushing per game in 2005 to 138 yrds rushing per game in 2006. 5th in the league in rushing in 2006. Of course some of that is naturally from running more with a Rookie QB who is also a rushing QB.
In 2007 the Titans continued to run well but the offense was still stale with again QB Vince Young. And with out Hartwig they ran the ball well in 2008 at 137 yards per game. Kerry Collins didn’t exactly light up the sky with passing numbers but he also did not look up at the sky from being sacked a lot. The Titans went 13 and 3 in 2008.
The point I am making here is no one in Nashville was crying over Hartwig’s departure. They improved in their record when he left every season. 8-8 in 2006 and 10 – 6 in 2007, and as we mentioned 13-3 in 2008. Granted they are a weak 5 and 7 this season (2009) but that is 1 more win then they had in 2005 with Hartwig, and even with the 2004 season! Again in the breakout season, Hartwig could brag over the 12 and 4 year. But it dropped off there after and the Titans did not keep the young center to fix it. Again that is not all his fault so let’s look at the Carolina experience.
In his defense he ended up being injured for the 2006 season in Carolina. The Panthers went 8 and 8 and ranked 24th in offense. In 2007 with Hartwig at center they went 7 and 9 and ranked 27th in offense. They did gain 11 more yards on the ground but it was a mediocre 14th rushing ranking in the league. And again was this all Hartwig’s fault? Not exactly all his fault. But Carolina released him for a younger, 2nd year player. Of course money may also have played into that.
So he arrives in Pittsburgh and I see what I see. The rushing is not that great, for a Super Bowl contender and a lot of sacks that seem to come up through the middle. Is he horrible? No he is not, he has made some good plays. But overall? He is a weak link to me. And am I alone in this?
Certainly not! When the 2009 draft came around all the pundits were expecting the Steelers to take the stud Center. They didn’t take a center true in the 1st round, but they did take a center or 2 even later on. So why they may not have felt as strongly as I and the Mel Kiper’s of the world they obviously saw what his previous employers saw. So why did he start again?
SO as you can see I for one was happy with the Pouncey choice! Yes we desperatley need to upgrade some defensive positions but this guy could not be overlooked. Nor could the position.
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