Roethlisberger hosted a charity event in Pittsburgh following the week of OTAs. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

What We Learned This Week in the NFL Offseason:

• Keyshawn Johnson goes after Justin Bieber
• Former wrestler calls out Tony Romo
• Eric Mangini hired by San Francisco
• Tim Tebow’s NFL career shockingly likely over
• Steelers Ben Roethlisberger hosts charity event to benefit Make-A-Wish

Sometimes the covering the offseason in the NFL can resemble a TMZ broadcast an awful lot.  How else can you explain Justin Bieber getting any kind of NFL news?  Well apparently this week formerly overrated wide receiver and now currently overpaid ESPN “analyst” Keyshawn Johnson went after the pop star for driving too fast in their neighborhood.  No word on whether or not Keyshawn would also like Bieber to stay off of his lawn, but we can only assume so.  Reports are that Justin was speeding his Ferrari through their neighborhood as Johnson was helping his 3 year old daughter into her electric car and Johnson hopped into his own Prius and followed the singer to his home where he says he witnessed Bieber switching places with an African-American passenger as they pulled into Bieber’s garage.  Johnson tried to confront the teen idol and is now telling anyone who will listen about his complaints about The Biebs.  Even more Keyshawn called Bieber “entitled” and said the whole neighborhood is frustrated at Biebs’ driving habits and overall etiquette.  I don’t know about you but Keyshawn Johnson calling someone else “entitled” gives me a giggle.  It’s kinda like the pot calling the kettle entitled.  Good luck to you and your neighborhood watch, Keyshawn, I hope you get those wild teenagers under control.

Since we’re covering cross-overs of pop culture into the NFL we might as well continue with another story that brings be to the laughing point.  Former WWF or WWE or whatever they’re calling it these days wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin called out Cowboys QB Tony Romo on his radio podcast this week.  Austin opened up the radio show to calls from listeners and was asked if he was a Dallas Cowboys fan.  He said that he was if the Cowboys “could get their (expletive) straight…”  He went onto add,

“My problem with Dallas is I think Tony Romo is a damn good quarterback, but he (expletives) the bed at the most inopportune times.  So when I look for leadership, I can’t say that Tony Romo is the clear-cut leader.”

Awesome.  Nothing like a former pro-wrestler who’s competitions had pre-determined outcomes, calling out your competitive abilities.  Romo has got to be feeling good about that.  Apparently Austin has a football background, having previously received a full football scholarship to the University of North Texas to which he dropped out to become a pro wrestler.  I’m not trying to start a debate here but, pro wrestling, honestly how is that still a thing?

The NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers have hired themselves an offensive mastermind in Eric Mangini this weekend.  If you’re not sensing the sarcasm, you’re clearly new to this blog.  Mangini is most commonly known at the coach who blew the whistle on the New England Patriots ‘Spygate” scandal when he complained to league officials that Belichick’s Patriots were filing his Jets’ defensive signals.  Mangini has most recently been an “analyst” for my favorite network after being fired by the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets.  The 49er’s second half offensive rally fell short in the Super Bowl and now that the offense lies squarely in QB Colin Kaepernick’s hands I suppose they felt that Mangini could be the perfect guy to get the best out of him.  Granted, Mangini didn’t have talented quarterbacks or offenses to coach in Cleveland but the man had Brett Favre in New York and went 9-7, failing to make the playoffs so yeah, good move San Fran.

Reports are that Tim Tebow’s “camp” is acknowledging that his NFL career might be over.  In other shocking news, the sky is blue.  If you want more information on how Tim Tebow is feeling today, consult ESPN.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hosted his second annual charity event for his foundation over the weekend.  The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation works with the Make-A-Wish Foundation as well as K-9 Police and Fire Units.  Ben hosted an event which featured his teammates, Maurkice Pouncey, Heath Miller, Brett Keisel, Kelvin Beachum, and Landry Jones offering their full support.  Roethlisberger’s K-9 foundation provides grants to police and fire departments in the Pittsburgh area as well as cities where the Steelers travel.  Roethlisberger also contributes to the Make-A-Wish, granting wishes to children with terminal illnesses.  Last year alone Roethlisberger helped grant 14 wishes along with raising $25,000 to fund wishes.

“It means a lot to me.  We are in such an awesome spot.  I have such an opportunity to give back to the community I call home.  Pittsburgh is home to me.  I love doing things for the community, for the kids, for people, just helping out.” – Ben Roethlisberger

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Tony Romo; no longer being paid to drive the Cowboys bus. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

What We Learned This Week in the NFL Offseason:

• Dallas Cowboys reward mediocrity by giving Romo giant contract extension
• Weak QB Draft class pays off for average QB’s across the league
• Steelers host Ahmad Bradshaw but still no contract
• James Harrison still unsigned, Steelers reportedly not interested in re-signing

Apparently Jerry Jones had a few extra million dollars to burn this week as he gave Tony Romo a Joe Flacco-sized contract extension which included $55 million guaranteed.  Jones made Romo the highest paid Cowboy in franchise history with the 6-year $108 million extension and made it known Spiderman-style that with great contract comes great responsibility.  Jones stated,

“He is going to have high expectations.  He is not going to be paid to be a bus driver.”

That could explain a lot as far as why the Cowboys have been so disappointing this past decade or so.  If Romo has been splitting his duties between quarterbacking and driving the bus, no wonder why he’s not focused enough to lead the team into or deep into the playoffs.  Hopefully they’ve hired a full time bus driver now and Romo can focus his entire attention on the Cowboys offense.  I’m sure it’s going to work out perfectly and they’re not going to choke out of the playoffs or fail to reach the playoffs entirely at all.  Another stellar business move by Jerry Jones.

Speaking of mediocre quarterbacks, the lack of quarterback talent in this year’s NFL draft class has paved the way for underperforming current NFL quarterbacks to become hot commodities.  Kevin Kolb, who as you might remember, had like a half a good season in Philly backing up Michael Vick and turned that into a lucrative contract in Arizona, only to have to battle with John Skelton for the starting position because as it shockingly turned out, he wasn’t a very good quarterback after all.  Kolb is expected to sign with the Buffalo Bills, who recently released Ryan Fitzpatrick.  With an open spot in the desert, Carson Palmer might be headed to Bruce Arians’ offense as the Raiders might be looking to replace the aging underperforming QB with Matt Flynn.  So many average quarterbacks, so little time left before minicamps start.

The Steelers hosted former Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw last week and even gave him a physical but Bradshaw left the team facilities and the city without a contract.  As Craig pointed out so eloquently last week, it seems as though there’s no clear plan for the Steelers free agency this offseason.  Aside from re-signing several players to recreate the 2005-2009 rosters, there has been very little progress made to address the very real needs at running back, pass rushing, and the secondary.  The NFL draft is just a few weeks away and it’s starting to look like the Steelers will go pass rusher for their 17^th overall pick in the first round but I can’t help but notice the glaring weaknesses in the rushing game that seems to be being ignored.  I realize there is time to draft a running back in the later round and there is some speculation of the Steelers going for UCLA’s Jonathan Franklin in the later rounds since Todd Haley seems to prefer the tiny backs to the big bruisers Steeler Nation is more familiar with.

Something Steeler Nation is not familiar with still even weeks after his release is the idea of seeing James Harrison in a different uniform this season.  Last week there was some buzz surrounding the linebacker as his agent released that he’d be willing to return to the Steelers.  That report was quickly followed with reports from the Steelers front office stating the brass had informed Harrison they were no longer interested in him.  I’m not quite sure what’s going on there but I think it’s a mistake all around.  Unless there is something else going on that we don’t know about or Harrison’s agent is talking out of his ass, I don’t see any reason why, if Harrison was now willing to pay for less after testing the market and not getting any offers, the Steelers wouldn’t want to bring him back in if the reports that the coaching staff were behind re-signing him were true.  I don’t get it.  I don’t like not getting what the front office is doing.  I feel like the Steelers ownership and front office have ran a very transparent operation for a long time, they reward players who’ve stuck with them, release players who they think cannot contribute any longer, and build back up through the draft each year.  I think the policy has worked well so far but at the same time I can’t remember the Steelers having this many holes that need addressed at one time.  At this point there’s nothing else to do but have faith in the Steelers, as well as criticize every move they do or don’t make until the season kicks off.

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Red white and blue goes very well with Black & Gold. Mandatory Credit: Greg Bartram-USA TODAY Sports

When Ben Roethlisberger met with the media before practice on Wednesday he was asked to comment about the Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.  His response, “He plays for “America’s team” right? I think the Steelers are the world’s team.  We just want to go beat them.”  Well done Ben.  If you were raised in Steeler Nation, you were raised to hate the Cowboys right along with the Browns and Bengals.  This goes long before the Browns turned purple and even before Belichick picked up his first video recorder.  In 1978 the Cowboys dubbed themselves America’s Team in their own highlight reel video and they’ve been referred to that ever since, even though we all know who the real America’s Team is.  Ever go into a new city and immediately find a Dallas Cowboys bar?  I didn’t think so.  The idea that the Cowboys are still “America’s Team” is a joke for many considering they’ve been rather competitively irrelevant for many years but it is good to dig up the old rivalry feelings for the upcoming matchup.

My hatred of the Cowboys started as a child, but it began in my family before I was born.  I am told my grandmother was never fond of Ed “Too Tall” Jones and I distinctly remember my Pap expressing extreme hatred towards Jimmy Johnson when he was hired.  In fact, our family always followed Dan Marino’s career down in Miami because he was the hometown kid but the year Johnson coached the Dolphins my Pap never watched a game of theirs out of protest.  I never liked Troy Aikman, have always been rather vanilla towards Emmit Smith, and I’ve always disliked Michael Irving.  I was raised to believe that Jerry Jones was the devil himself.  Well not seriously, but you get the idea.

I was told stories about those Super Bowls against the Cowboys in the 70s and always wanted to see the Steelers reach that level again.  In 94 when the Steelers fell 3 yards short of a Super Bowl berth my heart was broken.  I was glad to see the Cowboys fall short in their respective NFC Championship that year to the 49ers.  The very next year as Jim Harbaugh’s Hail Mary was batten down in the endzone of Three Rivers Stadium and sealed the Steelers trip to Super Bowl XXX I’ll never forget the goose bumps my dad got.  What was even better than the Steelers going to the Super Bowl was the fact that they were facing the Cowboys.  To this day I am forever convinced that Neil O’Donnell was paid off by Jerry Jones to blow the game and throw those interceptions to Larry Brown.  I mean seriously, who throws two damned near identical passes to the same guy in the same spot on the opposite team twice???

Lately there hasn’t been much reason to hate the Cowboys.  I’m actually finding it rather entertaining watching Jerry Jones turn into Al Davis.  Sometimes you feel bad for Tony Romo, but then you remember he’s a Cowboy so that moment is fleeting.  There is still, however, the long standing debate over the whole “America’s Team” thing.  There shouldn’t even be a debate really.  People aren’t going all over the world to post pictures of themselves with a Cowboys shirt on the Great Wall of China; they’re there with a Terrible Towel.  The Steelers fans are always known for “traveling well” but in reality the stadiums all over the country fill up with Steeler fans that have relocated from Pittsburgh, planted roots and started whole new generations of Steeler fans living in Dallas, Miami, Phoenix, etc.  The first time Heath Miller catches a pass in Cowboys stadium will tell you exactly who America’s Team is.

This Sunday’s game is a tough one for the whole “smack talk” against the Cowboys.  If the Cowboys fan you’re smack talking with thinks their boys will win easily, their most likely admitting that their team blows seeing as how the Steelers have had their worst losses against crap teams.  If they think it will be a close game, they think their guys are good and the Steelers will most likely win and complete their sweep of the NFC East.  This isn’t, however, just a “must-win” game, this is one of three must-win games the Steelers have to finish the season.  True, they can lose to the Cowboys and still make it into the playoffs if all goes well at home next week against the Bengals, but why leave things up to chance?

In addition, the Steelers and Cowboys are having a social media showdown to determine who is the more popular team.  Fans are encouraged to “Like” their team’s site on Facebook and “Follow” their team’s twitter feed and the results are being tracked.  Click the link below and you’ll know what to do.  Spread the word.  Currently, there is no surprise that the Steelers are winning but it’s on you Steeler Nation to go out and make sure to seal the victory for the true America’s Team.   Screw that, I like the title of the World’s Team a lot better anyway.  Go Steelers!

http://www.steelers.com/fan-zone/SocialShowdown.html

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Mendenhall wants more support from Steeler Nation. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE

What We Learned in Week 6 in the NFL:

• The honeymoon of the 2012 NFL season is over for some fans and players
• Even Andy Reid thinks Jason Garret has clock management issues
• Patriots can’t win anymore with just their offense
• Steelers release Wes Saunders and rookie NT gets arrested

The best and worst part about the NFL is the fact that you never know what’s going to happen each week.  You can do your best to predict and hypothesize based on stats and previous games, but once that game kicks off it could go in a completely different direction than what’s expected.  Sports are truly the only real reality television.  Who would have thought that after six weeks of football, depending on who wins tonight, there might be only 2 or 3 teams in the AFC with a winning record?  That might benefit the Steelers with their slow start, especially given the fact that all of their losses are to AFC teams. (more…)

Happy Birthday Pittsburgh Steelers

What We Learned This Week in the NFL Offseason:

• Former Giant Amani Toomer says Tony Romo is better than Eli Manning
• Vikings’ Adrian Peterson Arrested for resisting arrest
• Still no progress in contract talks between Steelers and Mike Wallace
• The Pittsburgh Steelers turn 79 (more…)