Does anyone believe anything Antonio Brown says anymore?
On Thursday morning, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown took to the Pittsburgh airways to do a radio interview with 93.7 The Fan as part of his apology tour. We are going to spend the next 24 hours dissecting everything Brown said piece by piece.
This time we want to talk about what Brown had to say about his former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. If you recall, Brown didn’t hold back from disparaging Big Ben publicly while he was orchestrating his trade to the Las Vegas Raiders. But now he seems to have changed his tune.
Do I hate Ben? No. Do I love Ben? Yes. Ben’s a great guy, great person, great quarterback, all the disappointment and frustration we had should’ve been hashed out but when ego and emotion get involved, a lot of stuff goes different ways.
You love Ben? That’s what you are going with now? After you took every opportunity to publicly vilify the guy less than a year ago now you want to suddenly wipe all that away as you desperately try to salvage your NFL career.
Keep it here for written quotes from our interview with @AB84. You can listen to the entire interview again here! https://t.co/YYHycEyG5k
The Steelers should ask Roethlisberger to take a pay cut.
There are really two big factors that will impact the Pittsburgh Steelers success the most in 2020. First is health. The top priority will be getting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger back on the field. The other big roadblock facing the Steelers this offseason is how to manage the salary cap and the team’s pending free agents.
As excited as we all are to have Roethlisberger back on the field, getting that $33.5 million cap hit isn’t something anyone is happy about. Especially considering Roethlisberger’s status is going to be in a state of flux throughout the offseason.
Unfortunately, when it comes to Roethlisberger and salary cap relief there isn’t must that can be done. Because of the 30 percent rule, there’s only so far Pittsburgh can cut. I’m not cap expert but from what I gathered, any restructure of Roethlisberger’s contract cannot put his 2020 salary more than 30 percent less than what his 2021 salary will be. Which works out to an option to save just over $3 million against the cap.
There’s always the choice for Roethlisberger to step up and rework his whole contract taking a significant pay cut. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has chosen to take well below market for several years.
When you consider Big Ben’s window to win is closing, do you all think he’d be willing to do that if it meant the Steelers could retain guys like Javon Hargrave and Bud Dupree?
Emmanuel Sanders implies Ben Roethlisberger was a jerk early in his career.
There was a time when the Pittsburgh Steelers had a chance to build one of the most dynamic receiving units of all time. But money split them up sending Emmanuel Sanders and Mike Wallace out of Pittsburgh, leaving only Antonio Brown.
Sanders spoke about his relationship with the Steelers and specifically, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger after his San Francisco 49ers won the NFC Championship. And Sanders admitted that he’d love to come back and play with the Steelers but also conceded his relationship with Roethlisberger. He implied Roethlisberger was a jerk early in his career which helped cause the rift.
Sanders went on to have a very solid career after leaving the Steelers. But if you are a Steelers fan you have to wonder once in a while what a receiver corps of Brown, Sanders and Wallace could have done with Big Ben throwing them the football. Or even if the Steelers would have decided to pay one of the other three instead of Brown.
A partial update to the injury of Ben Roethlisberger.
A Ben Roethlisberger update: He will see his doctors in LA Feb. 21 and hopes to get clearance to start throwing tennis balls and other light objects. He remains confident he will be ready for the Steelers' offseason work in May. Roethlisberger had elbow surgery Sept. 23.
It isn’t the update we’ve all been waiting for but it’s something. Steelers beat writer Ron Cook offered something of an update on the injured elbow and continued recovery of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Cook reminded us of what we already knew. Late February Roethlisberger will return to his doctor and will get something more official in terms of a timetable for recovery including starting to throw.
Roethlisberger suffered a season-ending elbow injury in the second game of the regular season. The hope is that Big Ben will be healthy enough to start offseason work when the team gets back together in May. Without Roethlisberger in the lineup, the offense fell off in a huge way.
Kansas City sits atop Touchdown Wire’s final 2019-20 Power Rankings, but coaching moves spur movement up and down our postseason list.
When we compiled the last Touchdown Wire Power Rankings of the regular season, we based them strictly on how teams fared in the 2019 season. That’s a tried and true formula and a fair way to judge how a team performed in that season.
Now, we’re going to take a slightly different approach. That’s because there already have been a lot of changes this offseason — coaching changes, changes at the top of the quarterback hierarchy and plenty of speculation about potentially significant player movement when the league year starts in March.
That’s why we’re taking a different approach to our postseason rankings. Yes, what a team did during the season will play heavily, but changes in 2020 also matter.
For example, the Washington Redskins were No. 31 in our rankings at the end of the regular season. But they’re moving up with the arrival of coach Ron Rivera, who will bring a sense of order that was previously lacking.
Now, that the Super Bowl has been played, it’s time for the final Touchdown Wire Power Rankings for the 2019-20 season.
32. Cincinnati Bengals
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(2-14; Previous rank: 32)
The Bengals were consistently dismal all season, and that’s why they’re holding onto the No. 32 spot. Head coach Zac Taylor is lucky to be returning for a second season, but owner Mike Brown has been unusually patient through the years. Maybe that patience will pay off this time. The Bengals get a great reward for being so bad. They earned the first pick in the draft, and it’s almost universally believed they’ll use it on LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, the 2019 Heisman Trophy winner. Burrow might make a big difference right away. But he needs help. The offensive line needs an overhaul, and it’s imperative that the team re-signs receiver A.J. Green, who can make Burrow look good in a hurry.
31. Carolina Panthers
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(5-11; Previous rank: 26)
We dropped the Panthers to No. 31 because they’ve had so many changes. And none of them are clearly for the better. Owner David Tepper continues to put his stamp on the team, and things are likely to get worse before they get better. Tepper fired coach Ron Rivera late last season. Rivera is highly respected around the league. Tepper replaced him with Matt Rhule, who has a reputation as a program builder on the college level but has never been an NFL head coach. Throw in Luke Kuechly’s surprise retirement and the parting of ways with tight end Greg Olsen, and the roster is worse today than at the end of the season. Plus, there’s no telling what the Panthers will do with injury-plagued quarterback Cam Newton.
30. Detroit Lions
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(3-12-1; Previous rank: 30)
Head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn held onto their jobs despite a disastrous season. The only reason I can see for that is that owner Martha Ford gave Patricia a pass because he played much of the season without quarterback Matthew Stafford. The veteran Stafford isn’t a world beater, but he puts up stats and keeps the Lions competitive. Stafford’s return will help the Lions, but Patricia and Quinn have to go out and acquire more talent if they’re going to contend for a playoff spot. If they don’t, they’ll be gone.
29. New York Giants
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(4-12. Previous rank: 28)
Head coach Pat Shurmur was fired, and that’s not a bad thing. But he was replaced by Joe Judge. That likely prompted many New York fans to say, “Joe Who?” because Judge wasn’t a household name. Judge was the special teams and wide receivers coach for the Patriots. His New England pedigree undoubtedly helped him land the job. But this is a tough gig. Shurmur and predecessor Ben McAdoo failed miserably. Judge doesn’t have a lot to work with besides quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley.
28. Jacksonville Jaguars
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(6-10. Previous rank: 29)
The Jaguars move up one spot in our rankings — mainly because they kept coach Doug Marrone but got rid of executive vice president of football operations Tom Coughlin. That should take pressure off Marrone, because Coughlin was a control freak and loomed over every move the coach made. Now this truly is Marrone’s team. His first big decision will be whether to start veteran quarterback Nick Foles or second-year pro Gardner Minshew. Neither is a bad choice.
27. Washington Redskins
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(3-13. Previous rank: 31)
Washington scooped up former Carolina coach Ron Rivera to replace the fired Jay Gruden and interim replacement Bill Callahan. That was the best coaching hire of the postseason. Now, the Redskins have an adult running the show. Rivera, a former linebacker for the Chicago Bears, is known as a players’ coach. That’s only partly true. He also is a no-nonsense coach, who is firmly in control of his team. His specialty is defense, but his first task in Washington will be to find out if the Redskins can win with second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins.
26. Miami Dolphins
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(5-11. Previous rank: 27)
Remember all the early talk last year about how the Dolphins were tanking and could go 0-16. That looked like a possibility for a bit. But coach Brian Flores held his team together, and the Dolphins started winning games, including the season finale at New England. They took themselves out of contention for the No. 1 overall draft pick. But they still could land their quarterback of the future with the fifth overall pick — perhaps Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa or Oregon’s Justin Herbert. In the meantime, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick will be around to guide the offense until a replacement is deemed ready for action.
25. Los Angeles Chargers
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(5-11. Previous rank: 25)
Next season will be one of change for the Chargers. They’ll be moving into a new stadium they’ll share with the Rams. More importantly, they should have a new look on the field. Veteran quarterback Philip Rivers is almost certainly done after 16 seasons with the franchise. That has fueled wild speculation that New England quarterback Tom Brady could be coming to the Chargers. There’s some logic to this one. Brady has said he’s open to playing for another team. He owns a home in Los Angeles. The Chargers need wins. They also need help at the box office. There might not be a bigger drawing card than Brady. Maybe this is a pipe dream, but it’s not an impossibility.
Rivera says he’s impressed with Haskins’ size and ability to move around the pocket and keep plays alive, much like Ben Roethlisberger does.
Though rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins is still a young and relatively raw football player, he’s shown some flashes of upside so far in his career, especially in the final two games of his season, where he threw for over 390 yards and four touchdowns combined.
Luckily, those were two games that new head coach Ron Rivera would have been available to watch, as he was no longer working with the Carolina Panthers after being fired. In that time, Rivera was able to see the potential that Haskins has and realize what his size can allow him to do while in the pocket and facing pressure.
While appearing on ESPN’s First Take on Friday morning, Rivera remarked that Haskins’ big body allows him to model a playstyle similar to Ben Roethlisberger. At 6-3, 230 pounds, Haskins isn’t exactly what we consider a ‘mobile quarterback’ in today’s NFL, but he doesn’t need to be. With the height to see over the line, and the bulk to take a few hits, Rivera things that Haskins can face pressure up the middle and stay poised enough to deliver the ball downfield.
It’s also interesting to note that Rivera finished this remark about Haskins by saying that he’s excited about the rookie’s potential, but he is still planning to pit a couple of veterans against him in the QB competition this summer, like Alex Smith, should he recover in time. Be it for a legit fight for QB1, or a way to keep Haskins looking over his shoulder, Rivera seems committed to avoiding the naming of a starter until the fall.
With the retirement of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning, it really puts the mortality of those great 2004 quarterbacks in perspective. Manning, along with Los Angeles Chargers QB Philip Rivers and Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger all came into the league together and now the first of this talented trio is calling it quits.
Roethlisberger is coming off of season-ending elbow surgery and there is no certainty as to if Big Ben will be back or how good he will be upon his return. But in the big picture, it does make you ponder just how much longer Roethlisberger has in him.
[polldaddy poll=10496257]
Roethlisberger’s current contract runs through the 2021 season, hence the options in the poll. If Roethlisberger plays out his current contract he will be 39 years old. Can you all see Roethlisberger lasting that long? More? Cast your vote and let us know.
As we near the 2020 offseason of the NFL, Tom Brady and the New England Patriots are in a situation they have never delved in before. Brady is a free agent come March 18. And although there is a strong chance he returns, other teams will be vying for his services. Here is a look at one of the teams that could be interested in Brady’s services. Should Brady consider signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers?
Case for Brady signing with the Steelers
Pittsburgh is well-ran organization that flexed its muscles in that area this season, when they were treading water at 8-5 under perhaps the worst quarterback room in the league, before missing the postseason thanks to a December swoon.
This is a credit to Mike Tomlin, who’s no-time-for-b*ll sh*t attitude is similar to Bill Belichick’s. Under Tomlin, the Steelers have one of the league’s very best defenses that should only improve with young starts like T.J. Watt, Devin Bush and Minkah Fitzpatrick.
On offense, Pittsburgh sports one of the league’s better offensive lines, but is in need of one or two more playmakers. JuJu Smith-Schuster is an excellent X-type receiver option with slot ability, but has struggled some as the team’s No. 1 receiver, while James Connor’s has cooled down as the team’s starting running back.
Luckily for Pittsburgh, they draft skill-position players well, particularly wide receivers. With James Washington and Dionte Johnson already showing upside, the Steelers can attempt to draft a receiver or two in what looks to be the best wide receiver draft class in recent memory, to help build an offense around Brady that would compliment their top-five defense.
All this would depend on Ben Roethlisberger retiring, of course, which is not out of the question. He’s severely beat up and will need surgery on his right elbow yet again. But this is unlikely.
Then again, Pittsburgh could decide they have a better chance at winning a Super Bowl with a healthy 43-year-old Brady than a beat-up 38-year-old Roerthlisberger, and jettison Big Ben in favor of signing Brady.
Case against Brady signing with the Steelers
The Steelers are in some salary cap trouble.
Pittsburgh enters this offseason with roughly just $1.4 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap.
The Steelers can cut ties with a few veterans to create some space to attempt to lure Brady, but they also have several key free agents, most notably EDGE rusher Bud Dupree, who has helped form a successful tandom with T.J. Watt.
Even if Pittsburgh opts to sign none of their major free agents, and do all they can for cap relief, they still may not have enough to give Brady the deal he wants.
Also, with hopes lying with the draft to build their offense, this means Brady is going to work with more inexperienced pro pass catchers, as opposed to veterans.
Additionally, Brady would be leaving the Patriots for one of their biggest rivals, and would compete in a conference with them and the loaded Kansas City Chiefs, while battling the Baltimore Ravens in the division.
How good is the fit?
Had the Steelers had the cap room to give this a realistic shot, it would be one of the more underrated fits for Brady this offseason. But alas, the Steelers are cap-strapped. And playing with a band of unproven youngsters, even if those players were all drafted by the Steelers — a team that almost always hits on their draft picks on offense — is not the most ideal fit for Tom.
Only Ben Roethlisberger knows if or when he will be healthy.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 2020 season hangs in the balance as the team and its fans all wait to find out if quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can fully return to form after a season-ending elbow injury. Over the next few months, there will be plenty of speculation but as former Steeler and current NFL analyst Ryan Clark noted, the only one who will know if Roethlisberger is back is him.
“I too look forward to seeing, can Ben come back in a better position than he was earlier this season,” Clark said. “Is his arm to the point where he can make all the throws he needs to make? The true answer is, only No. 7 knows.”
The team is supposedly getting an update on Roethlisberger’s condition and where he is in the recovery process in February. This update could set a plan in motion to find a temporary, or perhaps a permanent replacement for Roethlisberger.
