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My Thoughts on Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes

Pat — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 15:28:19 +0000

It sure has been a busy week for Steeler Nation and not because the NFL draft is quickly approaching. It’s not even because of free agency moves made by the organization. The Steelers have been experiencing some unusual off-season publicity.

I’ll start by talking about the problems with Santonio Holmes. Holmes was traded to the New York Jets for a 5th round draft pick this past Sunday. I know what you’re thinking, a 5th round draft pick? The Steelers top wide receiver and Super Bowl XLIII MVP who is coming off his best season as a Steeler traded for a 5th round draft pick.

Actually, I’m not surprised by this, Holmes has been in trouble since his rookie season with the Steelers. He has had some domestic disturbance issues, substance abuse issues and was suspended once for possession of marijuana. Holmes was given several chances by the Steelers and told after the possession charge that the Steelers would not give him any more chances. Santonio chose to violate the league’s policy on illegal substances and the Steelers took action by sending him to NY for a 5th round draft pick.

On a side note, the Jets were the only team that showed any interest in Santonio Holmes, the rest of the league didn’t want to take the risk. Holmes is a great wide receiver but needs to think about how his off field actions affect his status in the NFL and right now, it’s not good.

Ben Roethlisberger continues to have serious issues off the football field. The issues go back to the motorcycle that almost killed him a few years ago. Ben has made some very bad decisions in his off time and the most recent allegations will probably lead to a suspension. Many experts believe Ben will face a minimum 2 game suspension, while others say as many as 4 games.

I really hope that Ben spends some time with someone like Tony Dungy and straightens up. I understand he’s a young, single guy but he’s also a very high profile NFL football player. He can’t put himself into situations like he has most recently in the Atlanta area and last summer in Nevada. The allegations against Ben may or may not be true and yes, the charges were dropped in both cases but, he will always have this hanging over his head.

You can see how I feel about both players, they are both young and made some very bad decisions and they both are going to face consequences. Holmes was cut loose from a city that has embraced him and would have been proud to see him retire in a Steeler uniform.

The people of Pittsburgh love Big Ben and want to see him succeed but this most recent fiasco will test Steeler Nation and really put him under the microscope this coming season.

Written by Pat Lovell - The Steeler Fanatic
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Steeler Fanatic Sells HinesWard.com to….

Pat — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:28:45 +0000

You guessed it.. Hines Ward!

It’s a rather long story but I approached Hines Ward’s business manager/ attorney a while ago offering to sell the domain to Hines. I’ve owned this domain since Hines was a rookie and used it for a fan site and affiliate site and Hines Ward branded www.MVP86.com

My thought and reasoning behind the sale of the domain was two-fold. I know Hines is getting near the end of his career and could use the domain for himself. The other reason is I didn’t want the domain to end up with someone other than Hines Ward.

After talking to his attorney and good friend Andrew Ree, we agreed on an undisclosed amount for the domain and a personalized game jersey. I’m not going to disclose the amount of the sale but it wasn’t an absorbent amount and I didn’t do this to make huge profits. I did this because I am a Steeler fan at heart and wanted Hines to have the domain.

Here’s a photo of the personalized jersey and the check made out to me from MVP86 LLC. which is his company. I’ve blurred out some of the information as I’m sure Hines doesn’t want his account number and address on the net. LOL

This will be a great conversation piece to add to my Steeler collection and a story to tell for a long time. It’s also an opening if I ever meet Hines in person.

Steelers Lose to Raiders and Need Help Bad

Pat — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 00:28:47 +0000

I haven’t been posting to the Blog that much but it’s not because the Steelers are stinking up the NFL. We are getting ready to sell our house and move out to the country so, we’ve been working on our house to have it listing ready.

These last few games have shown how vulnerable our secondary is and should tell the front office exactly where we need to draft or find a couple good corners via free agency.

Sure, Troy being hurt has been a big factor but our corners and back up safeties are not top caliber players. Townsend is getting old, Gay is terrible, Taylor is inconsistent, Clark and Carter are ok but, not what we need at safety, Mundy and Burnett are too inexperienced. You can see what I mean, our secondary is suspect and needs fixed.

Here’s the thing, Steeler fans go into every season with extremely high expectations and think we can win the Super Bowl every season. We love the Steelers and Steeler Nation puts everything they have into the game. Hell, sometimes I think the fans are more excited than the players each game and we probably are.

We don’t like losing seasons and this season we’ve lost 6 games and every one of them were winnable games. We didn’t get BEAT by any team, we beat ourselves every game, by terrible mistakes and most recently, horrible play by the secondary and special teams.

Don’t worry, I’m still gonna be rooting on the Steelers this thursday night when we travel to Cleveland to take on the Brownies. Cheap Steeler Tickets

Go Steelers

Pat Lovell

Steelers Lose Huge Game to the Bengals

Pat — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:36:04 +0000

Last week when thinking about this game I was pretty confident that the Steelers would come out on top of a very close game. I didn’t think the Bengals were enough of a team to handle our number one defense. Well, the defense played a pretty decent game but I didn’t plan for our offense, Ben specifically playing like crap.

I’m going to start with this and get it off my chest. I defended Jeff Reed after the Chicago game, defended him after the last Bengals game and even defended him after his 2 scuffles with the law. But, it’s time for Reed to be cut! He is personally responsible for missing the kicks in the Bears and Bengals games, he is responsible for missing tackles in every return Touchdown scored against our special teams. What the hell was that yesterday, he had a clean shot at slowing down or knocking the returner out of bounds and he let him run by. He is also responsible for his actions off the field, it’s obvious he has an alcohol problem and I’ve had enough.

Dear Pittsburgh Steeler Organization,

Cut Jeff Reed now, he is costing this team wins and responsible for terrible publicity off the field!

Sincerely,

Pat Lovell “The Steeler Fanatic”

Ok, enough about “the kicker”, which is how I will now refer to this worthless player. What on earth happened to Ben and the Wide Receiver’s yesterday. If Ben wasn’t over throwing them, they were dropping the ball. I still can’t believe Miller dropped a pass that hit him in the hands. Every WR dropped catch-able passes yesterday.

Why not work on establishing the run? Why not Blitz? Why did the Steelers step out of their game plan and play to the Bengals. That is very out of character and it cost us the game. A team should never let the other team dictate their game, especially at home.

We have a lot to work on this week and now 1st place is, in reality, out of reach, unless the Bengals implode. We have to fight and work very hard to end up with a wild card spot.

Suck it up and learn from the mistakes made in this game and most importantly, start looking for a kicker, NOW!

Pat Lovell
“The Steeler Fanatic”

Steelers Go Wide Left Against the Bears

Pat — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:53:21 +0000

The Steelers went into Chicago as the reigning Super Bowl Champs and riding the high of beating the Titans in overtime at home 10 days ago. They came out and dominated the first quarter controlling the ball for over 12 minutes and scoring on their first possession of the game.

Then came the 2nd quarter and the rain. I don’t know if it was the weather or the adjustments but the Bears turned around and dominated the 2nd quarter tying the game and going into halftime tied 7-7.

Well, you know how it ends….. Jeff Reed misses 2 field goals in the 4th quarter and Robbie Gould hits one with 30 seconds left in the game to win it.

I don’t know what to think about this game. We looked good for the most part, ran the ball decent (for a change), stopped the run (as usual), special teams played well and Ben played well except for a few under thrown balls but, I’m not sure that wasn’t from the rain.

The defense…. It’s funny how a team can take advantage of a starter being hurt and the Bears did that, well. They abused Aaron Carter all day long.

We are feeling the loss of Polamalu right now and Carter and the rest of the Defense need to step up. Did you notice the big plays took place right in front of Carter? I don’t think the two TD’s happen either, if Troy is in there. I don’t think the big pass plays to the Tight End happen either. We need Troy back and fast.

I’ll go easy on Reed after this game, he has done way too much over the last few years to get crap for missing a couple field goals, on the road and in the rain.

The loss stinks but it’s a long season and we know where the weaknesses were in this game. Time to regroup and go into Cincinnati and beat the Bengals.

Go Steelers.

Pat Lovell

Steelers Home Opener Photos

Pat — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 20:48:33 +0000

Some photos from the Steelers home opener on Thursday, Sept. 10th, 2009

Steelers Win Home Opener in Overtime

Pat — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:58:14 +0000

What a day.

I started the day getting up at 5am, eating breakfast, checking email and heading out on the road to Pittsburgh. I arrived at my Dad’s house around 1pm and was on the road to the game by 2:30. We got to our spot in the parking lot around 3:30.

We headed into the stadium around 6:30, walked through the Great Hall to see the new Super Bowl XLIII trophy (it was awesome and I’ll post a photo here in a while). We headed to Club West early for some food and and were in our seats early. It’s not every year, you open the season as the reigning Super Bowl Champions. I knew they would have a great opening ceremony and I was right. They started with a video montage of the Super Bowl, raised a giant 6 time champs flag and fireworks. The crowd was loud, proud and ready for some football.

Leading up to the game there were many activities going on around the stadium. Tim McGraw was live in Point state park, The Black Eyed Peas were there as well and they both played songs for the beginning of the game. I’m not a big fan of either, so it was ok for me. The excitement and enthusiasm of the crowd was great though.

Kickoff!

This is a good place to start the critique of the game, ladies and gentleman, we have a kick/punt returner and probably the best since Randle El left. Logan started off with a 40 yd kickoff return and did a great job all game. He’s going to be a big help this year.

The Offense was a little flat at first but Ben hooked up on a few nice passing plays. He also proved to me that he needs the pressure of the clock to make him very good. He was exceptional at the end of the half, the end of regulation and the OT. He is cool as a cucumber when the clock is ticking.

We are going to be in trouble unless Tomlin gets this running game in shape and that starts with the offensive line. We have 4 healthy running backs and need to take advantage of this now. Total Offense Grade = C (the running game brings this average way down) Big Ben and the WR crew Grade = B+

The Defense… wow. Troy came out and took control of the game early. He was in on every play, made some great tackles and a highlight reel interception. That one hand grab was incredible. We stopped the run and until Troy went out hurt, we dominated the Titans. After Troy went out, the Titans took advantage and did very well. Defensive Overall – Grade B+

The punter… Sepulveda was a stud and I am glad he is back. He backed the Titans up several times and bailed us out of some situations with his leg. Special Teams Grade = A

We played well when we needed to and walked away with a big overtime win but it cost us Troy Polamalu and the O Line is going to be criticized for a week. I think they are down playing Troy’s injury, the official report is MCL ’sprain’ and after seeing that injury on tape, he is going to be out 8-12 weeks (in my opinion) and that will hurt us.

A great day and I’m glad I went to the game, it was a great time.

Go Steelers.

Pat

Steelers Release Players to Adjust Roster to 53

Pat — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:17:25 +0000

Steelers reduce roster to 53
Saturday, September 5, 2009

PITTSBURGH ? The Steelers finalized their regular season roster today by releasing 21 players and placing another on the Reserve/Injured List to reach the NFL-mandated 53-player limit.

The team’s final roster includes three quarterbacks, four running backs, six wide receivers, three tight ends, nine offensive linemen, seven defensive linemen, eight linebackers, 10 defensive backs and three specialists (kicker, punter and long snapper).

The Steelers released the following players to reach their 53-man roster limit: quarterback Mike Reilly; running backs Carey Davis, Isaac Redman and Justin Vincent; wide receivers Dallas Baker, Tyler Grisham and Brandon Williams; tight end Dezmond Sherrod; offensive linemen Jason Capizzi, Jeremy Parquet and A.Q. Shipley; defensive linemen Sonny Harris, Steve McClendon and Scott Paxson; linebackers Bruce Davis, Tom Korte, Andy Schantz and Donovan Woods; defensive backs Roy Lewis and Anthony Madison; and kicker Piotr Czech.

Sixth-year veteran tight end Sean McHugh was placed on the team’s Reserve/Injured List and will miss the entire 2009 season after injuring his knee during training camp.

All NFL teams must trim their rosters to 53 players by 6 p.m. (ET) Saturday, September 5. Clubs may establish a practice squad of up to eight players after noon (ET) Sunday, Sept. 6.

The Steelers will kick off the NFL season at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10 when they host the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field.

Founder of Terrible Towel and My Favorite Announcer Dies…

Pat — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 22:25:52 +0000

Myron Cope, the legendary voice of the Pittsburgh Steelers who pioneered the clubâ€™s Terrible Towel, died Wednesday morning. He was 79.

In declining health even before his retirement prior to the 2005 season after a record 35 years of Steelers broadcasts, Cope died of respiratory failure at a nursing home in a Pittsburgh suburb.

â€œMyron touched the hearts of Steelers fans for 35 years and became one of the true legends in broadcasting history,â€ Steelers president Art Rooney II said. â€œHis memorable voice and unique broadcasting style became synonymous with Steelers football. They say imitation is the greatest form of flattery and no Pittsburgh broadcaster was impersonated more than Myron.â€

Cope, whose screechy voice was a staple of Steelers football from 1970-2004 as a color analyst on the clubâ€™s radio network, is best known for creating the Terrible Towel, the yellow cloth twirled by fans as a good-luck charm at Steelers games since the mid-1970s. His tenure is the longest in NFL history for a broadcaster with a single team.

â€œHis contributions and dedication to Steelers football were incredible,â€ Steelers chairman Dan Rooney said. â€œHis creation of the Terrible Towel has developed into a worldwide symbol that is synonymous with Steelers football.â€

Inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2005, Cope also is known for his many catch-phrases including Bee-uti-ful!, â€œOkel-dokel,â€ and â€œDouble Yoi.â€

When Cope retired, the Steelers opted not to replace the popular broadcaster, instead downsizing from a three-man announcing team to a two-man booth.

The Steeler Fanatic is Here, Are you Ready for some Football?

Pat — Sat, 03 Sep 2005 10:10:59 +0000

Well, here we are getting ready for another Season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, so I decided it was time to put my passion onto the web. I realize most of you may not know me, but I am a Steeler Fanatic. I have been following the Pittsburgh Steelers faithfully since I was a little kid and the just about all my family are Steeler fans. In fact, the area I grew up in is the half way point between Pittsburgh and Cleveland so there are a lot of Browns fans in our area as well.

The best part is going to the games with my Dad, we have been going to games for as long as I can remember. I have memories from when I was very young, once we waited in the area where the team buses brought the players to the games to see Joe Namath. I remember that like it was yesterday.

It’s something we both look forward to each year, I know I will remember these games and the time we spend together for as long as I live. I love going back and seeing friends and family that go to the games and arrive at the ‘tailgating’ areas as early as 8am.

I’ve been through the ups and downs, the highs and lows, the good years and the horrible years. I’ve seen Bradshaw, Lambert, Franco, Bubby, Malone, Kordell (those years were tough), Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Merril Hodge, The Bus, and almost every opposing team and their star players, and after all this, I remain a loyal fan. I still get chills when the players run onto the field, fans waving terrible and cheering “Here we go Steelers, Here we go”. I love the atmosphere in the Stadium.

You might not think that’s a big deal, but I live 7 hours from the Stadium and go to almost all the home games! I was born and raised not very far from ‘The Burgh’ in a small town that claims Bill Mazeroski as our most famous Resident. Couple that with a Steel Mill nearly in my back yard and a Father that worked his entire life in the Mills, and it very easy to be a Steeler fan. Being a Steeler Fan in the 70’s REALLY made it easy. Remember the Glory Years of 4 Super Bowl wins in 6 years?

My Mom and Dad still live in the house I grew up in but I moved to Bloomington, Indiana about 16 years ago for bigger and better things. Well, I found bigger and better things, I call them My Wife and Kids . We love it in Bloomington and have a great life here, but during Football Season it gets rather hectic trying to plan everything around my trips back to Pittsburgh. Thankfully, my wife is very understanding and knew I was like this Before we were married.

So, that’s my ‘brief’ story and the reason for this Blog. I’m going to take a lot of time during the early stages to put up as many ‘old’ photos and stories as I can while keeping up with the current season. Now that I think about this, I probably should have started this in the Off Season, nah…….what fun would that be.

Thanks for stopping by and if you are a STEELER FANATIC like me, get ready for a fun ride this year!

Here we go Steelers – Here we Go!