Santa Claus and Tomlin Don't See Eye to Eye

It has been a tradition of the years, in which ex-Steelers coach Bill Cowher used to go along with, that sports announcer Bill DiFabio would dress up as Santa and have some fun at a press conference before Christmas.

Well, Bill Cowher ain't the coach of the Steelers anymore and current coach Mike Tomlin didn't think it was all that funny.

At first, Tomlin seemed like he was cool with it and willing to go along with the little comedy skit, but that didn't last long as Santa (DiFabio) began to get on his nerves.

"What have you got for me, Santa?" said Tomlin just before he invited Santa to come up the table in the front of the room and sit next to the head coach.

After over five minutes of hearing DiFabio go on and on Tomlin had enough. After offering to toss a football to DiFabio, Tomlin just said:

"If that will get you out of here,".

Needless to say, the loss to the Tennessee Titans in week 16 really got under his skin and for good reason.

To end the news conference Tomlin said that he is not treating the Steelers final regular season game against the Cleveland Browns as an exbition or a game with no importance which it is.

Cincinnati Bengals Look to Get Revenge on Hines Ward

It was only few week ago in week 7 when Hines Ward broke Bengals linebacker Keith Rivers' jaw on a crushing hit which sent him straight to the hospital and the Bengals definitely haven't forgotten.

In week 12 the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals will face off again and you better believe that the Bengals cross hairs will be pointed straight at Hines Ward's back to invoke some form of revenge for the hit on Keith Rivers.

Hines Ward is arguably one of the hardest hitters in the NFL today, hard to believe at times that he is actually a wide receiver. I don't think anyone on offense hits as hard as Ward, in fact I can't even think of any offensive player that hits with the force that Ward can. The guy could easily play linebacker.

Although almost anyone would be worried about an entire professional football team out to put a lick on then, Ward just says:

"I always keep my head on a swivel," Ward said. "It's football. ... Their heads should be on a swivel."

"I continue seeing those blocks, they've been going on the entire age of football," Ward said. "There's nothing cheap about it. ... If I really was trying to hurt Rivers, I would have gone low on him and tried to take out his knee."

Needless to say, even though the Steelers will be heavily favored, the Steelers vs. Bengals rematch will be one to watch just to see if they go after Ward or if he delivers another crushing blow to one of the Bengals.

HINES WARD'S HIT ON KEITH RIVERS IN WEEK 7

Steelers Sign Cornerback Roy Lewis

Since the Pittsburgh Steelers have had some injury trouble at cornerback with both Deshea Townsend out with a hamstring injury and Bryant McFadden out of action due to his broken arm, Pittsburgh decided to take a chance on rookie cornerback Roy Lewis.

Steelers cornerback Bryant McFadden will miss his fourth consecutive game in week 11 against the San Diego Chargers, but the cornerback is hopeful that he can return when the Steelers take on arch rival Cincinnati Bengals on November 20th at Heinz Field.

McFadden had the cast on his broken forearm taken off two weeks ago.

"It's been very, very tough not being able to contribute," says McFadden, "Regardless of when I get back out there, I have to pad it up. If I'm not 100 percent, it's something I have to deal with."

To make some room for the rookie Lewis, the Steelers had to cut wide receiver Dallas Baker who played in eight games this season, but only caught one pass for 6 yards.

Banged Up Big Ben Might Play Against Colts

A separated shoulder, a torn ligament in his left pinkie finger, but Big Ben Roethlisberger still thinks he will be able to play against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday in week 10.

Got to give him credit, Roethlisberger is one tough dude! In fact the guy is starting to remind me of Brett Farve playing through injuries like this! Being tough definitely is a huge plus playing professional football, but you have to think with Pittsburgh's chances to do something in the AFC this season, is it a wise decision to play against the Colts when you have a backup like Leftwich who proved he can hold his own against the Redskins.

Big Ben has been out of practice all week trying to heal up enough to be able to make the start against the Colts, but if he can't go, Byron Leftwich will get the call from coach Mike Tomlin. Leftwich played great in relief of Roethlisberger last week's win over the Washington Redskins throwing for a touchdown and 127 yards with no interceptions.

Willie Parker Right Back the Injured List

Just when you thought running back Willie Parker would finally be back as the feature running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers, he injures his shoulder and is put right back on the injured list once again.

When Parker is in the backfield for the Steelers, Pittsburgh is extremely tough on offense. Not saying that Big Ben and company aren't great offensively, but with Willie Parker as a legitimate threat in the running game, the Steelers are that much harder to defend for the opposition.

One positive in this Steelers' injury report is it isn't Parker's knee that is keeping him out of action this time. I know having another injury isn't good news at all, but if it was his knee that kept him out of four games this season, then he might have had to be shut down for the season.

There are a couple injuries that a running back can sustain that can be considered a danger zone area for either a career ending injury. One is the ankles, if a running back consistently gets ankle sprains or needs surgery on the injured ankle, then the players future is in serious doubt. The other is the knee, if a running back has bad knees after injuries that is a big red flag for his future.

Fortunately, Parker's status for Sunday's match up against the Indianapolis Colts is uncertain, which is always good news as they haven't completely ruled him out of action just yet.

Big Ben Goes Down in MNF Win Over Washington Redskins

Big Ben Roethlisberger has had his fair share of injuries in just a short time as the Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback, but no one ever questions his toughness as no injury has kept the Super Bowl champ down for long.

It wasn't a pretty sight for any fan of the Steelers Monday night when Big Ben attempted a quarterback sneak in the second quarter against the Washington Redskins and went down hard on the same shoulder that he injured in the first game of the season. The injury didn't seem all that serious as Roethlisberger jogged into the locker room, but it was enough for him not to return in the second half.

Although no football fan wants to their favorite team's backup quarterback come into an important game, but Steelers backup Byron Leftwich played a great taking over for Big Ben as he lead the team to victory over the Redskins 23-6.

Byron Leftwich's stats were pretty impressive, better than what Roethlisberger was able to do against Washington in fact, as he threw for 129 yards and a touchdown completing 7 of 10 passes. Not bad, not bad at all!

As for Big Ben he will undergo an MRI on Tuesday on his injured shoulder. His status is uncertain on whether he will play against the Indianapolis Colts next week.

Tough Schedule for the Steelers

As if getting beat by the New York Giants in week 8 wasn't bad enough, the Steelers have a very tough schedule ahead of them, especially in the next three weeks.

The Steelers will continue to be tested over the next few weeks as they will face some really good teams.

In week 9, the Steelers will go up against yet another tough NFC East team in the Washington Redskins. Not only are the Redskins supporting an impressive record of 6-2, but they also have the best rushing attack in the league lead by Clinton Portis who has 944 yards and 7 touchdowns so far this season.

In week 10, Pittsburgh go up against Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Although the Colts have been as good as expected this season, any time Peyton is on the gridiron for Indianapolis, the Colts always will be force to be reckoned with.

And finally in week 11, the Steelers will go up against LaDainian Tomlinson' San Diego Chargers. Much like the Colts, the Chargers haven't really lived up to expectations this year, but Phillip Rivers is playing phenomenal and LT is finally back on track so they will be dangerous from here on out.

Although I believe the Steelers could go 3-0 over the next three weeks, it won't be easy as all these teams will be looking at winning their divisions and any loss could be devastating to their chances.

Expect some really good Pittsburgh football in November!

Big Ben Throws 4 INTs in Loss Against the Giants

It was a battle of great quarterbacks in Big Ben Roethlisberger and Eli Manning. It was a battle between arguably two of the best defenses in the NFL, but the Super Bowl champion New York Giants showed why they were the better team on Sunday night.

Through three quarters of play, this possible Super Bowl preview was living up to the hype with the Steelers leading 14-9, but the fourth quarter was another story altogether as the Giants outscored Pittsburgh in the fourth quarter 12-0.

The Giants defense in the final quarter was just suffocating as they consistently sacked Big Ben (5) and picked off number 7 a total of 4 times. It wasn't just containing Roethlisberger that resulted in the sixth win of season for the Giants, a key safety after a long snap flew over the head of the punter into the back of the endzone.

Although for the majority of the game was a well fought fight for both teams, the Giants were just too much for the Steelers on Sunday beating Pittsburgh 21-14.

The only real positive to come out this game in week 8 was another good game out of running back Mewelde Moore who rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown. With Moore becoming a consistent back, the Steelers will be able to depend more on the running back thus limiting the pressure on Big Ben.

Santonio Holmes Apologizes for Marijuana Charge

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes may have learned his lesson after sitting out the loss to the New York Giants this past Sunday night. Holmes issued a apology for being charged with possession of marijuana last week.

"I would like to apologize to my teammates, the Steelers organization, my family and the fans for my actions that caused me to miss Sunday's game," Holmes said. "I recognize that I made a mistake and understand the significance of my actions and will not make any excuse for my behavior. I look forward to putting this behind me and being accepted by my teammates and the fans as part of this team."

In the sports world today, it seems like every player whether it be in professional baseball, basketball or football has a criminal record of some kind. It is unbelievable really when you hear the news at night now, when whatever station you are watching gets to the sports news of the day it is almost guaranteed to hear about some professional athlete that has broken the law. It is either marijuana, performance enhancing drugs, domestic abuse or something crazy.

Hopefully one day this will not be the case, but if all the role models for our children keep breaking the law athletes of the future are doomed to follow in their foot steps.

Week 8: New York Giants vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

In what could possibly be a Super Bowl preview, the defending Super Bowl champion New York Giants will take on the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 8 at Heinz Field.

This will be a matchup of strong defenses and potent offenses. The Steelers have arguably the best defense in the NFL and will definitely put some solid pressure on the Giants Eli Manning for the first time this season.

The Giants on the other hand have been pretty impressive on offense and were able to put up points even without superstar wide receiver Plaxico Burress on the field a few weeks ago which shows their versatility on the offensive side of the football.

So far this year the Giants they have the best offensive line in the league, but they will be up against on of the best defensive lines against the Steelers have shown that no one runs on Pittsburgh and have put some serious pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

The Steelers are favored in this game by about a point and a half, but that will tell you that even Vegas has no idea how this game will turn out.

If Big Ben can play the way he did a couple weeks back against the Jaguars (which was awesome!) and the defense lives up to its reputation, then Steelers should improve to 6-1 and get that much closer to wrapping up the division in their journey to another Super Bowl.

The Hines Ward Bounty

Over the years many players in the NFL have claimed that certain teams have put a "bounty" on opposing players. A "bounty" would basically be a price on someone's head, like giving the opposing player a monster hit or making sure that player checks into the hospital. Usually players would put a bunch of money in a hat and who ever lays out the player with a "bounty" on his head would win the money.

The lastest supposed "bounty" was on the head of hard hitting Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward by the Baltimore Ravens Terrell Suggs. When Suggs was asked about the "bounty", he was quoted as saying this"

"Did you all put a bounty out on that young man (referring to running back Rashard Mendenhall)," Suggs replied, "Definitely. The bounty was out on him and the bounty was out on Hines Ward, we just didn't get him between the whistles."

It is no secret that Ward is quite possibly the hardest hitting, in terms of blocks and tackles, wide receiver or offensive player in the NFL right now, if not all-time. He just lays people out cold and has recently put is hard hitting skills to use and getting fined by the NFL for it.

Supposedly, the NFL feels this "bounty" situation has gotten so bad that they are starting to do investigations into the problem. Personally, I think the whole bounty thing is pretty cool as long as no one gets seriously hurt like Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett did last season.

Santonio Holmes Deactivated After Marijuana Charge

The Steelers are flying high at 5-1, being arguably the best team in their division (AFC North) and quite possibly in the AFC, but things just got a little harder for Big Ben and his boys after Pittsburgh's wide out Santonio Holmes gets sidelined after being caught by police with three joints in his car.

Even though the Steelers will probably be alright without Holmes in the lineup, it couldn't have come at a worse time as they go into week 8 against the 5-1 New York Giants.

"At this point we've chosen to name him as inactive," coach Mike Tomlin said after yesterday's practice, in which Santonio Holmes was not present. "His situation has created somewhat of a distraction and we want to minimize that as much as we can and remain focused on the task at hand."

It seems this season no team has been able to avoid some sort of trouble with their players in the NFL, especially at the wide receiver position, Steelers week 8 opponent could tell you that after dealing with their superstar receiver in Plaxico Burress problems all season long.

Holmes will sit out the game against the Giants, but the no decisions have been made by the league in terms of suspension or further discipline for the three year man.