Yesterday was a sad day for Steeler Nation. Myron Cope, long-time voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers and inventor of the Terrible Towel, passed away at the age of 79.
John has already posted a very nice tribute elsewhere on this site but as someone who bleeds Black and Gold, I would also like to say a few words about Cope. He loved to refer to himself as “Cope.” Not many people can refer to themselves in the third person and not come across as a pretentious ass but he could. And that was just [...]

by John Cihon

By now, most of Steeler nation is aware of the passing of Myron Cope. Cope, for those outside the Pittsburgh area, was the color analyst on the Steelers’ radio network from 1970 until 2004, the longest amount of time any individual has announced the same team in NFL history.
He was an unabashed fan of the team he covered, not even attempting to contain his enthusiasm during games. I think that was one of the traits that endeared him to Pittsburghers the most. He wasn’t slick, and he wasn’t smooth. You could feel like [...]

Once in awhile you come across something which makes you scratch your head in utter confusion. The ending of “No Country For Old Men.” That’s going to win the Oscar this year, write it down. All of Pearl Jam’s albums after Vs. Pretty much every episode of “Lost.”
Add to that list the first off-season moves by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Let’s start with the ones which do make sense. Pittsburgh released tight end Jerame Tuman, linebacker Clint Kriewaldt, and kick returner Allen Rossum this week. No surprises there.
Kriewaldt and [...]

Somebody once said, “Cheaters never win and winners never cheat.” That person was probably a loser. If being a modern day sports fan has taught us anything, it’s that honesty is not the best policy. You want to become the all-time greatest home run hitter? You cheat. You want to become the greatest pitcher of the modern era? You cheat. You want to win three Super Bowls in seven years? You cheat.
The problem with all this cheating is nothing can be done about it. Oh sure, rules can [...]

Happy Valentine’s Day, or as I call it, “Buy Your Woman Some Shiny Bling Or Suffer The Consequences” Day. Since I’m all about the theme posts, I wanted to do something sort of romance-oriented today. But what? I guess I could talk about my love of the Pittsburgh Steelers, the finest professional football team ever created. Or I could discuss my newfound man-crush on everybody’s favorite scruffy little buddy, Eli Manning, the man who saved us from the great scourge that is the New England Patriots. Or I could discuss the various [...]

by John Cihon

The rules in place for the NFL Pro Bowl are designed to create a game where the chance of injuries is less, but they also serve to create a game that is heavy on offense, and this year was no exception. Both the AFC and the NFC put up such potent offenses that a punter wasn’t called into service after a turnover on downs until the third quarter. The passing-heavy offensive game also served to mirror the direction the NFL in general seems to be heading in. It’s been said that defense wins championships, and [...]

I like Ben Roethlisberger. The guy has a big arm, doesn’t bring his bimbo girlfriends around for important games, and he’s a winner. But there’s something about him that bugs me. I can’t explain why exactly but the above interview, given to Jim Rome last week, is a perfect example of where this feeling comes from.

Ben says everything between him and WR Hines Ward is just groovy. Nope. No problems here. If only those gosh darn stupid sportswriters would stop misquoting him and trying to stir up shit. Notice how he mentions [...]

by John Cihon

Don’t worry Pittsburgh Steelers fans, the choke by the New England Patriots against the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLII last night ensures that the Steelers still are the greatest Super Bowl dynasty team of all, and there’s no need to start a debate.

On the other hand, Big Ben Roethlisberger’s comments about wanting a tall wide receiver started a debate with Hines Ward that played its way across the national media. However, Ward’s anguish about Big Ben’s desire for a taller receiver is absolutely misguided. If Pittsburgh gets a tall wide receiver, [...]