3
Dec
2012
John Harbaugh shares awkward post-game handshake with Mike Tomlin (VIDEO)
(via usatoday.com)
In case you turned off the Steelers-Ravens game after the final whistle, you might have missed this post-game exchange between head coaches Mike Tomlin and John Harbaugh.
After coming out on the losing end of a hard-fought 23-20 battle against their division rivals, John Harbaugh swallowed his pride and stepped toward midfield to congratulate Tomlin on the win. But Tomlin was having none of it, and tried to pull the ol’ drive-by handshake, barely even looking Harbaugh in the eye.
That’s when Harbaugh tightened his grasp on the Steelers coach’s hand, physically pulling him back into the exchange, so he could make sure that Tomlin really heard and appreciated his heartfelt congratulations. Watch for yourselves:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
23
Sep
2012
Watch the vicious, illegal (& un-flagged) hit that knocked out Darrius Heyward-Bey (GIF)
If you’ve been listening to the debate over the replacement refs, and wondering exactly how they impact the game negatively or jeopardize player safety, I give you Exhibit B (Exhibit A HERE).
Oakland WR Darrius Heyward-Bey left today’s Raiders-Steelers game on a cart, after taking this brutal helmet-to-helmet hit in the endzone from CB Ryan Mundy:
(via mocksession.com)
Heyward-Bey was knocked unconscious, and laid motionless on the field before being taken to a local hospital with a neck injury. No flags were thrown on the play.
9
Sep
2012
Peyton Manning feeling it in first win with Broncos (GIF)
Tonight, it was vintage Peyton.
After much hype and build-up, in his first game back in over a year after neck surgery – and his first as quarterback of the Broncos – Peyton Manning looked like the Peyton of old in leading Denver to an impressive 31-19 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
(Photo: AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)
Manning looked in complete control of the offense, directing the show in the no-huddle, and going 19 of 26 for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns … including the 400th (and 401st) TD of his career, becoming only the third player in NFL history to do so (Favre, Marino). To secure the win, Manning had to lead the Broncos back from a 19-14 deficit early in the 4th quarter, and did so with ruthless efficiency, including a 71-yard pitch and catch to Demaryius Thomas that put Denver ahead for good.
WATCH PEYTON’S GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS HERE
28
Aug
2012
Worst. Steelers Tattoo. Ever. (PIC)
Via Reddit/r/nfl comes this photo of one Steelers fan’s remarkable new tattoo, and … well … let’s just let the picture speak for itself:
(Photo via reddit)
No words … They should’ve sent a poet.
Apparently, this work of art was created by this tattoo artist named Brian (of “Brian’s Tattoos” in central PA), who actually has a history of inking people with his child-like drawings, without one hint of intended irony. He even posted this image to Facebook as an example of his “work”, and Brian adamantly defends his portfolio (his other tattoos are equally inspiring) against anyone who dares to hate. One glance at his Facebook page, and you immediately realize that Brian is either the most delusional, meth-addled tattoo artist in history, or is playing a huge joke on everyone.
Let’s hope it’s the latter, but either way, I feel badly for Brian’s poor subjects, who have to live with this “art” on their bodies for the rest of their lives.
BONUS TATTOO AFTER THE JUMP
17
Apr
2012
The Steelers throwback uniforms are fairly ridiculous (PICS)
The Pittsburgh Steelers unveiled their 80th-season throwback uniform by posting pics on their Twitter page today, and let’s just say … yikes.
(Photo: Pittsburgh Steelers via SI.com)
This bumblebee-esque monstrosity was apparently inspired by the original 1934 Pittsburgh Pirates, and was chosen “to show a unique part of Steelers’ history”:
“We wanted to use a jersey that we wore early in our history as we celebrate our 80th season,” Steelers’ President Art Rooney II said. “We have never used those jerseys since the 1934 season and I think our fans will be excited to see our players wear them in action this year.”
More uniform pics here, and after the jump. And while our initial reaction was horror, the more we look at it … yeah, they’re still pretty bad. There’s a reason these unis were left on the shelves for 80 years. And the socks aren’t helping.
Unfortunately for fashion aficionados everywhere, the Steelers will don the throwbacks for not one, but two home games this year.
13
Jan
2012
Broncos-Steelers Wild Card shocker: mic’d up (VIDEO)
(Photo: Hyoung Chang, DenverPost.com)
When Tim Tebow and the Broncos upset the Pittsburgh Steelers in their wild card playoff match-up last Sunday, most people theorized that divine intervention had a something to do with it. But true football fans understood that it was actually the arrogance of coordinator Dick LeBeau and the Steelers defense – who stacked the box all day and challenged Denver to throw the ball downfield – that allowed Tebow to pass for 316 yards and 2 TDs (including 204 yards to Demaryius Thomas), and knock the defending AFC champs off their throne.
As usual, the NFL Films crew was on hand in Denver to capturing all the sights and sounds from the game for their super-awesome SoundFX program. For this contest, they had Ben Roethlisberger and Elvis Dumervil mic’d up, along with countless parabolic mics roaming the sideline to pick up all the extra-curriculars. So enjoy as we get to watch the action unfold through the eyes of the players and coaches on the field, in what will already go down as a game for the ages:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
8
Jan
2012
Tim Tebow and the Broncos stun Steelers; Demaryius Thomas scores 80-yard OT game-winner (VIDEO)
Who's got two thumbs and is more popular than Jesus? THIS GUY! (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images via Yahoo.com)
Pretty much every “expert” in the media had written off Tim Tebow and the Broncos heading into this weekend’s Wild Card match-up against the the heavily favored Steelers. And for good reason. The magic seemed to have run out for Tebow and Denver, having lost their last three games in ugly fashion and backed their way into the playoffs, with Tebow’s fabled mystique noticeably deteriorating toward the end of the season.
Today, in an ironic role reversal, Tebow and the Broncos found themselves ahead early and having to fight off a furious comeback attempt by Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers. Tebow threw for one 2nd quarter score on a 30 yard bullet to Eddie Royal and ran for another to give Denver a 20-6 halftime lead. But Roethlisberger rallied Pittsburgh in the second half, tying the game on a 31-yard strike to Jericho Cotchery with just under 4 minutes remaining and sending things to overtime.
Then came “Tebow Time”: with the Broncos’ season on the line, Timmy did what he does best and came up with a huge play when it mattered most. On the very first play of overtime, Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas in stride at the 40 yard line for an 80-yard walk-off touchdown, giving Denver a stunning 29-23 victory:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
19
Dec
2011
Turn Out The Lights, the Party’s Over … Transformer Explodes at Candlestick Park on MNF (GIF)
Tonight’s 49ers-Steelers Monday Night Football contest was delayed prior to kickoff when a transformer exploded at Candlestick Park, plunging the stadium into darkness. The explosion was captured by ESPN’s aerial cameras, and was converted into glorious GIF format by the ever-awesome GIFulmination:
(via mocksession.com)
The first outage came at 5:19pm local time, delaying the start of the game for 20 minutes before power returned. But early in the second quarter, with the 49ers leading 6-0, the lights went out again. This time, the delay lasted 16 minutes before play resumed.
Steelers LB James Harrison, serving his one-game suspension, chimed in via Twitter:
If I cant play then can’t nobody play… Lights out!
RIP Don Meredith.
13
Dec
2011
James Harrison suspended one game for hit on Colt McCoy
(Photo: ESPN.com)
In an unprecedented disciplinary move, the NFL has suspended Steelers’ LB James Harrison for one game following his helmet-to-helmet hit on Browns QB Colt Mcoy last Thursday (VIDEO HERE). It was Harrison’s fifth illegal hit against a QB in the past three seasons, which qualifies Harrison as a “repeat offender” and therefore made him subject to suspension.
From the league’s official statement:
Harrison was penalized for roughing the passer in last Thursday night’s Steelers-Browns game for an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit against a defenseless quarterback, Cleveland’s COLT MC COY. In addition to four fines for illegal hits against quarterbacks in 2009 and 2010, Harrison also was fined twice for unnecessary roughness during that period. Harrison totaled six fines in that two-year period.
The 2011 League Policies for Players manual states: “Players who were fined for violations in 2009 or 2010, and whose fines were either partially or fully upheld, will be considered second and/or repeat offenders under this policy.”
Prior to now, the league had only levied fined against players for such behavior, but Harrison has been the poster child for the league’s new policy against helmet-to-helmet hits for years now. Despite the fact that Harrison plans to appeal, there really is no defense for the way he lowered the crown of his helmet directly into McCoy’s facemask the way he did on this play. Roger Goodell had finally seen enough, and decided to drop the hammer.
Whether or not you agree with the legue’s crackdown on vicious hits, this is the NFL today … like it or not. And after years of fines and warnings, it’s clear that Harrison still just doesn’t get it. Maybe missing some actual game time will get through to him.
BONUS GIF OF THE HIT AFTER THE JUMP
31
Oct
2011
Antonio Brown’s Touchdown Dance is … um … interesting? (GIF)
When Steelers’ second-year WR Antonio Brown scored his first career NFL touchdown yesterday, helping his team to a 25-17 win over the Patriots, he was understandably overcome with excitement. So much so that Brown was inspired to break out this dance-strut-type-thingy in the endzone:
(Image via mocksession.com)
As much as we love the enthusiasm, we’re not exactly sure what Brown was going for here. Some have speculated that it was a tribute to Billy “White Shoes” Johnson’s “Funky Chicken” (not even close) or the Carlton Banks (maybe), while others have suggested that Brown is mimicking carrying his own big swinging balls through the endzone (most likely).
Either way, we like it. We’re not even sure why, but we like it a lot.
