The Crystal Ball 2013 Week 5

How firmly has baseball fever gripped Pittsburgh? Newborns are being dressed in Pirate onesies in the maternity wards, fans are jumping off bridges, in celebration for once, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are playing Wiffle Ball on the ice after practice. The Steelers picked the exact right time to have a crappy rebuilding season.

Opening Kickoff

Bill Belichick tied Chuck Noll for most career wins at 209. Hey, maybe after Belichick retires he can be completely ignored like Noll is these days.

The Way It Was

This week, it would seem that quarterbacks were the big story in the NFL. You know, unlike every other week.

Jake Locker is out 4-8 weeks with a hip injury, while the team turns to Ryan Fitzpatrick and auditions additional quarterbacks. Christian Ponder, E.J. Manual and Brian Hoyer were all hurt in the last week. And Mark Sanchez's season is done while RGIII still doesn't look himself. Perhaps allowing your quarterback to run is not the best of ideas.

Speaking of quarterbacking disappointments, after one unimpressive start, the Raiders have demoted Matt Flynn to third string. At least he'll always have that one magical end of season start in Green Bay. Frozen Tundra of Dreams.

Peyton Manning eviscerated the Philadelphia defense, clarifying two distinct things. Manning is virtually unbeatable in the regular season, and Chip Kelly completely forgot about that pesky defense thing during his first NFL training camp.

Tampa Bay finally released Josh Freeman. I'm shocked, I figured Greg Schiano would continue to horribly mismanage the situation and leak out more rumors about his former quarterback. After the drug accusations, supposedly rigging the team vote to strip Freeman of his captaincy, charges of oversleeping and missing the team photo and team meetings and fining the quarterback for team in fractions I honestly expected to hear things like Freeman came to work with a Hello Kitty lunch box or he whistled in the bathroom.

Prior to his release, Freeman claimed he has been the victim of a smear campaign by Buccaneer management. I think Freeman is as much to blame in how things went down as the team. But you cannot tell me that this man who was once looked upon as a team leader, and acted as one, could suddenly be so bad. I think Freeman is the victim of a smear campaign by the soon to be unemployed Schiano, and unfortunately Freeman is handling it in no way professionally.

And my favorite quarterback story, Baltimore's Joe Flacco chucking 5 interceptions as his Ravens fell to the Buffalo Bills. Hee hee, yeah, the Steelers may suck this year, but they didn't wildly overpay for an average quarterback. who merely got hot at the most opportune time ever. I can't wait until they cut him in 2015.

The Ravens made a trade with Jacksonville for left tackle Eugene Monroe and the Steelers did the same with Arizona, claiming Levi Brown. That ought to solve everyone's problems. Wait, Levi doesn't also play linebacker, defensive back and defensive end? Dang it.

The Steel Pit

Steelers 27 - Vikings 34

And again, the defense is the issue. Yes, the offense did commit more turnovers that led Vikings points, the impetus on the loss goes to the defense.

The defense gave up several plays of over 50 yards, which is against the philosophy of the team. The Steelers defensive philosophy is to give up little plays in order to stop large plays. Even if that means giving up 10 little plays in a row. Unfortunately, now they can stop neither play. Nor can they take the ball away. The Steelers have now become only the second team in NFL history start the first 4 games of the season without a single defensive turnover. So proud I am.

In looking for positives, rookie running back Le'Veon Bell looks like a winner, kicking butt throughout the game. Even without decent blocking Bell managed to give Pittsburgh a running game, something his backfield mates have been unable to do. However, said blocking is at a critical point, since Mike Adams has devolved into a joke at this point. Jared Allen ate Adams for lunch all day Sunday, came back for seconds, a snack, and pulled a chair up for dinner.

And now add this little factoid to your knowledge base. Mike Tomlin has accomplished something neither Chuck Noll or Bill Cowher could accomplish by leading a Steelers team to an 0-4 season start for the first since 1968.

Do you get the impression that Tomlin has never faced this level of adversity in his coaching career, and has no idea what to do to correct the problem and right the ship? Here's hoping he can figure it out, and soon.

As if Steeler news could not get any worse, on Sunday defensive end stalwart and Steel Curtain anchor L.C. Greenwood passed away. Greenwood was an amazing player and a colorful character on a team that filled with them. If Greenwood had been on any other team, he would have been a first ballot Hall of Famer. But by being a great part on a team filled with them, he has been sadly forgotten by the selection committee bent on not putting too many players on from the same team. It's a shame and hopefully one day greatness will be recognized.

Terry Bradshaw remembered his former teammate with a touching tribute.

Hopefully, things will get better from here. Hopefully.

Only In Faux NFL Reality…

The NFL has found itself entangled into a legal war with singer M.I.A. over the obscene gesture she flashed during the Super Bowl XLVI halftime show. One, how is this even a story and two, why didn't Goodell destroy her that night? He's losing his touch.

Wait, he is losing his touch. Due to the time it takes to convert Oakland's stadium from baseball to football, the NFL had to move today's Chargers/Raiders game to 11:35 PM ET. That's twice this season Goodell and the NFL have kowtowed to Bud Selig and MLB. Did Roger lose a bet or something, or forget he runs the National Football League, the most powerful sports organization in the world, except for the Premier League, the SEC, the World Cup, and a few other soccer leagues and sports organizations around the globe.

Could this be true, could throwback uniforms be going away? Oh happy day! It's time to celebrate the.....wait a minute. Ok, now I'm worried. What does the NFL have up it's sleeve to replace that revenue stream.?

The seedy story broke this week that alleged Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Todd Haley's wife was sexting nude images of herself to other men, and that the Haley's may be swingers. I could care less what people do in the privacy of their lives, but good gravy keep it there. See, I thought it was bad as the losses piled up, and I muttered, now I know how Browns fans feel like. Well after this story, now I know how Jets fans feel too. This season stinks.

Evidence is mounting against former tight end Aaron Hernandez as prosecutors work to build their case against him. Color me unsurprised.

Upon Further Review

This week marked the release of the investigative book, "League of Denial: The NFL, Concussions and the Battle for Truth". The book details how the NFL over the last 20 + years used its resources and power to deny football's link to brain damage and the damage done by repeated concussions.

Goodell worked to get in front of the story, sending out an email to the NFL fans database detailing the leagues safety initiatives and how the NFL has been striving toward improving the overall safety of the game while keeping its integrity.

Goodell's email and pushing his leagues safety campaign while downplaying the impact of the book come on the heels of his denial that the league misled former players when they reached a settlement of the concussion lawsuits and the NFLPA launching an investigation of the Terrelle Pryor incident. The NFL still claims proper concussion protocol was followed, but the NFLPA has numerous questions after Pryor claimed he doesn't even remember the game.

And the NFL lost yet another player to suicide, when former Charger Paul Oliver took his own life. Oliver did it in the most horrific fashion imaginable, snapping and killing himself in front of his wife and children.

I have been pounding the drum since Goodell and the NFL started their initial "safety" campaign nonsense that the entire initiative was a smokescreen, not designed to actually improve safety but to merely create the impression of change in order to satisfy a changing public viewpoint toward the ultra violence and damage inflicted by the game of football. If making a few superficial changes here or there, or slapping a few dollars down on studies and research would calm an uneasy viewing public, then it would be worth the investment in order to continue selling a premium product without actually doing anything.

This new book exposes my hypothesis as true. It shows how the NFL has known for a long time the connection between football and long term brain damage. Instead of doing something about it years ago, Goodell's predecessor Paul Tagliabue created his own smoke screens, downplayed the connections, commissioned biased studies and threw money at research and committees that never intended to improve safety. And when Goodell took over, he toed the company line until he saw it could threaten the bottom line, and then upped the subterfuge ante.

Goodell seems to have a complete lack of self awareness since even before the book was due to be launched, and with the other issues swirling around, he still took to the airwaves with announcements to shake up the preseason and post season, looking to expand the current playoff format. It's staggering to me that he could claim to be concerned about player safety while lobbying to put players additionally in harm's way by adding more games.

I know on Tuesday evening, I will be tuned in to PBS to watch Frontline's League of Denial. I love the game of football, and the NFL in particular. But unless they get a change in leadership that brings about a sea change in how the league faces the issue of brain damage that spreads changes to all levels of football, massive changes will be forced upon them. And the forced changes will be from the paying public, and potentially destroy the NFL forever.

He Said He Said

"I'm, for example, was a teammate with Jerome Bettis. Jerome Bettis was a teammate with Carnell Lake. Carnell Lake was a teammate with Mike Webster. You know, I mean, we're all connected." - Steelers safety Troy Polamalu on how the Pittsburgh Steelers are a family

I think a few former Steelers are denying this connection right now, not wanting to be associated with the hot mess that is the 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers

"Chudzinski may have some guys on his team looking at the brass cross-eyed for trading Trent Richardson after two weeks, but it’s a tribute to Chudzinski that the players are playing as hard as any group in the league." - The MMQB's Peter King

You hear that Pittsburgh? Playing hard! There's no way Mike Adams is at this point. If he just stood in front of the defensive end that would be an improvement.

“May have to give ol’ Thunder an IV after that one.” - Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, on the Broncos’ horse mascot who runs the length of the field after Denver scores, after the team dropped 52 points last week

That's funny Peyton. Good off the cuff quip. Once again, I'll point out the obvious. Have this offensive explosion in the post season Peyton, you know, when it means something.

“I think a big part of it is we all want to win for this guy. The line plays like, ‘Don’t let Peyton get hit.’ The receivers are like, ‘Run that route exactly the way it should be run.’ It goes to defense and special teams too. It’s a sign of unselfishness." - Broncos receiver Eric Decker on how the team plays so hard and well for quarterback Peyton Manning

Let me get this straight. Decker feels it's a sign of unselfishness for each player to play all out for the benefit, and glory, of one man. That makes sense. Especially since Manning will "humbly" take all the credit. Isn't that why people got all worked up about Tebow a few seasons ago, because he got too much credit for the wins?

“But at the end of the day, I know it is all in my best interests to sit out and let the concussion settle down.” - Packers tight end Jermichael Finley discussing the concussion he suffered in Cincinnati

Hey, maybe players are starting to get how dangerous concussions really are. I'm not giving Goodell any credit though.

"Not since Bobby Petrino has one man been so ill-suited for the National Football League." - SI.com's Doug Farrar

Ouch.

"Make a difference today. Love Clint" - Pirates manager Clint Hurdles signature line on his daily inspirational emails he sends to hundreds of people, including friends, family, coworkers, former teammates and players and others who have impacted his life.

Baseball aside, no matter what he did with the team, Clint Hurdle is an amazing man. Read this article, and if you don't feel inspired you need to check your pulse.

Idiot of the Week

This week's idiot is professional linebacker and amateur nimrod Terrell Suggs. Suggs followed suit of his former teammate, current ESPN talking head and justice obstructer Ray Lewis in making allusions and claims that Roger Goodell was responsible for the blackout during last year's Super Bowl. Unlike Lewis, Suggs came right out and accused Goodell of turning off the power in order to allow the 49ers to get back into the game.

The impetus of Suggs' conspiracy theory is based upon the Ravens/Broncos playoff game, where Suggs spied Goodell cozying up with Broncos owner Pat Bowlen before the game. Yes, the league commissioner talking with one of the owners for whom he works, the fix is totally in!

Never mind that Goodell repeatedly was seen cozying up with Ray Lewis throughout the NFL playoffs, never mind that it was obvious after a certain point that any close call went the Ravens way and never mind that Ray Ray's last hurrah was an obvious storyline that the NFL and Goodell will milking for all it's worth and wanted to succeed, so why would they jeopardize such a fairy tale finish?

The simple fact is Goodell preaches up an down to never do anything to tarnish the shield, and works tirelessly to not just maintain the NFL's cash flow, but to increase it. By causing a power failure at the Super Bowl, Goodell would make the league look like amateur fools. And if such an intentional action came to light, it would put a permanent stain on the league and give rise to questions regarding what else the league has covered up, including concussions and other potential cheating scandals such as Spygate. This would not only tarnish the shield, but also irrevocably damage revenue streams.

While I tend to think Goodell is as sneaky and manipulative as they come, and would not put such an action past him, he does factor in risk/reward in enacting his machinations. And risking damaging future revenue, league integrity, the questioning of league decisions and his administration and opening the league to investigation and potential lawsuits would not be, in Goodell's mind, worth the reward of increasing the competitiveness of one game, even if said game is the Super Bowl.

This line of thought just highlights and emphasizes something I've known for quite some time. Terrell Suggs is an idiot.

On Tap This Week

Hey, not bad last week. A nice little rebound from the previous week's sadness.

Last week: 10-4

Thursday: 1-0

Season to Date: 41-23

This week, well I kind of did these fast and loose, taking a few guesses. Let's see if I have any clue what's happening.

Sitting at home, wondering where it all went wrong: Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Tampa Bay, Washington

Sunday

Seattle (4-0) at Indianapolis (3-1)

Seattle has been flying high with a pounding offense and stifling defense. But Indy has shown some spunk, spanked Seattle's division foe San Francisco and been part of an overall AFC dominance over the NFC this season. Home cooking wins.

Colts over Seahawks

Jacksonville (0-4) at St. Louis (1-3)

Sorry, my bad. The Browns never ran up the white flag. Jacksonville, on the other hand....

Rams over Jaguars

Kansas City (4-0) at Tennessee (3-1)

No Jake Locker, Tennessee looks vulnerable and finally at a point to come back down to earth. I smell potential trap game for the exuberant Chiefs.

Titans over Chiefs

Baltimore (2-2) at Miami (3-1)

Maybe Joe Flacco can toss 6 interceptions this week. Boy I sure hope so.

Dolphins over Ravens

Philadelphia (1-3) at New York Giants (0-4)

Neither team is playing particularly good defense right now. I'd give New York the opportunity to get one in the win column, but their offense may be worse than their defense.

Eagles over Giants

New Orleans (4-0) at Chicago (3-1)

I'm still not sold on Chicago. But I am 100% buying into New Orleans with Sean Peyton accessory.

Saints over Bears

New England (4-0) at Cincinnati (2-2)

If I'm right, do you realize Cleveland will end the day in sole possession of first place in the AFC North? Man, the Pirates have a winning season and make the playoffs, and the whole world goes screwy.

Patriots over Bengals

Detroit (3-1) at Green Bay (1-2)

Now's where we see the real Green Bay offense, and they are gonna kick some butt. Or at least I see Detroit choking.

Packers over Lions

Carolina (1-2) at Arizona (2-2)

Arizona is in a decent position for this point of the season, so why would they trade their left tackle? It's either because they have someone better in waiting, or he sucked big time and Arians just stuck a problem on his former team with whom he may still hold a grudge. I bet its both.

Cardinals over Panthers

Denver (4-0) at Dallas (2-2)

You bet against regular season Peyton at your own risk.

Broncos over Cowboys

Houston (2-2) at San Francisco (2-2)

I can't figure out this years San Francisco team, one week they seem awesome and the next just terrible. Houston, however seems in worse shape.

49ers over Texans

San Diego (2-2) at Oakland (1-3)

The revitalization of Philip Rivers continues, although no one outside of California is going to stay up and watch.

Chargers over Raiders

Monday

New York Jets (2-2) at Atlanta (1-3)

Does anyone even think the Jets are the better team despite the better record? Yeah, I didn't think so either.

Falcons over Jets