The Morning Cup of Black and Gold

Here is Monday’s Morning Cup.

Remember Darnell Stapleton?  No?  I would expect that unless you followed the Steelers offensive line like you had Bieber Fever, you would have no recollection of who this guy is or really, was.  Nonetheless, he is the lone Steeler grabbing headlines this morning.  Stapleton was signed in 2007 to the Steelers as an undrafted free agent.  He played for Rutgers in college and started at center for his last two years.

He did not start or play in one game during his rookie year.  In 2008 Kendall Simmons became injured early in the season, and Stapleton started 12 games (played in 14) for the Steelers.  He also got playing time during the Super Bowl (pictured above).  A meniscus tear in his right knee during camp the following training camp had him on injured reserve for the entire 2009 season.  The Steelers would end up releasing him.  He was signed by New England in 2010, but never played due to his bad knees.  2011 is bringing better fortune to Stapleton, which brings us to our article.  Stapleton is now the coach of the Women’s Football Alliance’s New York Sharks.  This article is interesting in the twist that Stapleton’s life has taken, but it is also interesting with a little insight about how a flag football league has now evolved into a full out tackling sport.  Read on, and I’m going to do some digging around about this WFA and see if anything of interest comes up.