Big Ben Gets Served

[joejlitz]

Well this is your opinion and we know you don't like the "morality" stance that the NFL has been taking lately but I have thought and still think that your "doomsday" views on where the NFL is headed with what Goodell and others are doing is extremist at best. I think they would lose FAR more fans if they let this league go the way of the NBA or even MLB where they didn't take a tough enough stance on things of this nature and everything got out of hand to the point that both leagues have lost plenty of fans because of the overall view of the league itself.

Word.

[joejlitz]

What exactly has happened in the NFL to do with the "moral crusade" that has made the NFL an inferior product? In fact, I think the NFL is probably becoming more popular than it ever has been which doesn't happen when a league is putting forth an "inferior product" or even one that is becoming that way.

Super Bowl XLIV - most...watched...television...program...EVER.

[joejlitz]

I just can't get past the fact that Mister Super Bowl QB thinks he is so entitled that he just pulls out his cock-a-doodle-doo in front of a bar chick and thinks she's gonna go down like the Titanic.

If he doesn't clean up his act, he's gonna end up like Broadway Joe. "I wanna kiss you."

[Nfl Fan]

Oh, and Nfl Fan, I'm from the Portland area so I got to see a lot of Dixon in college and like the Ducks pretty well myself so I was pretty happy when we picked him up in the draft and I do think that he has the skills to be a good NFL QB.

Yeah, Dixon had a heck of a senior year. Front runner for the Heisman and Oregon ranked #2 with three very winnable games left. Shame about his knee. I was happy you drafted him too, but didn't figure him to see much of the field. He had a great game last year against Baltimore (Baltimore, right?) until that one ill-fated pass. As much as this Seahawk fan dislikes your Steelers, you'd find me rooting for them like a second team with Dixon at the helm.

[mattb47]

Oh, and Nfl Fan, I'm from the Portland area so I got to see a lot of Dixon in college and like the Ducks pretty well myself so I was pretty happy when we picked him up in the draft and I do think that he has the skills to be a good NFL QB.

Yeah, Dixon had a heck of a senior year. Front runner for the Heisman and Oregon ranked #2 with three very winnable games left. Shame about his knee. I was happy you drafted him too, but didn't figure him to see much of the field. He had a great game last year against Baltimore (Baltimore, right?) until that one ill-fated pass. As much as this Seahawk fan dislikes your Steelers, you'd find me rooting for them like a second team with Dixon at the helm.

Yea...I wasn't sure how much of the field he would see either since we were pretty set at QB but I guess it showed how much they liked him. He did play VERY well against Baltimore which was a game that no one really thought we would even be in without Big Ben and apparently that running TD he had was not a planned run, that was him reading the defense and making a play which makes it all the more impressive.

And to be honest...I'm from the northwest so I do have a soft spot for the Seahawks too and cheer for them when it doesn't conflict with my cheering for the Steelers.

[Munboy]

Is it bad that I was just driving, and the DJ on the radio said, "Another two women has come forth to accuse..." I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Then she went on "Steven Segal of sexual harassment."
I was all

But it's bad that my mind immediately thought that.

[steelerfan513]

I see what you're saying matt, but Roethlisberger isn't as easily replaceable as you make it out to be. I classify Roethlisberger as a franchise quarterback, in that he is young and his presence means that the team will always be a playoff contender at worst and a Super Bowl favorite at best. It's impossible to get that kind of stability from a single player at any other position or from any number of draft picks. That's why teams that inquired about the availability of Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Philip Rivers, Aaron Rodgers, etc. would get laughed at: it's impossible to get fair compensation for a franchise quarterback.

I know there are quite a few people that disagree with my classification of Roethlisberger, but I'm as convinced of his ability as I possibly can be. The Rooneys were too when they gave him the richest contract in franchise history, and Roethlisberger's career statistics and accomplishments support my argument. I've heard nearly every argument that he isn't an elite NFL passer, and none of them has convinced me yet.

Dennis Dixon could turn into a good starting quarterback; I don't deny that he has potential. But Roethlisberger is already an elite NFL quarterback and hasn't shown any signs of a drop-off in play, and no one can guarantee (or even say with a high degree of probability) that Dixon, Jimmy Clausen, Sam Bradford, or any of the other unproven quarterback prospects in the league or in the draft can bring the type of stability Roethlisberger can almost guarantee assuming he can control himself.

Obviously, all other things being equal, I'd rather root for a team that isn't quarterbacked by an immature a**h*** and possible rapist, but with Roethlisberger I'm willing to put up with it. He's going to be employed by an NFL team regardless of whether the Steelers trade or keep him, so I'd rather him be on the team I'm rooting for because he increases its chances of winning tremendously.

[moochman]

Your argument about Troy not throwing the TD pass is ridiculous...they would not have even been to that game if they didn't have Troy so what exactly is your point? And even if they had been to that game, Fitz probably would have went nuts far before he did without Polamalu in the secondary. I wouldn't go as far as to say that Big Ben is "disposable", but I think people are exaggerating the impact not having him will have because of the strength of the rest of the team. Will they possibly lose a game or two that they might have won otherwise? Maybe, but that depends on how the replacement for Big Ben ends up performing too.

What exactly has happened in the NFL to do with the "moral crusade" that has made the NFL an inferior product? In fact, I think the NFL is probably becoming more popular than it ever has been which doesn't happen when a league is putting forth an "inferior product" or even one that is becoming that way. People will always live at the limits of what is considered "ok" in the eyes of the authority, a stricter view on what is ok will improve behavior and keep these guys out of more trouble than they would have otherwise been in. More relaxed views is how you get to the point that the NBA has been at and is now working to correct...things got out of control and now it's a much tougher road to bring it back to where they want it to be.

Look, I can no more say that the Stillers win without Troy, anymore than you can they win without Ben. To lose your QB for behavioral reasons will hurt your team short term, and possibly long term. Winning breeds winning, and so losing breeds Lions, er, losing. Take away Ben and your team is worse, thus an inferior product is made for sake of a moral publicity stunt. While you may say, numerically, the NFL is more popular than ever, I would argue that it is so due to exposure and availability, rather than fan growth. There is more NFL on TV than ever, but there are also more empty seats every Sunday. The quality of the product is seen in the quality of the fans. Stadiums not full, games blacked out. These are not signs of popularity, but a declining product.

The NBA example doesn't work, NBA are very visible, while NFL players alomst invisible inside their helmets.

[scottaa1]

I just can't get past the fact that Mister Super Bowl QB thinks he is so entitled that he just pulls out his cock-a-doodle-doo in front of a bar chick and thinks she's gonna go down like the Titanic.

Yeah... who does he think he is, President?

[joejlitz]

Looks like Ben is staying (quoth a "source"):

Steelers don't plan more Roethlisberger trade talks, see QB staying

The Pittsburgh Steelers don't anticipate trading quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a source with knowledge of the situation said Thursday, and expect him to be with the team next season.

The Steelers aren't talking to any teams about Roethlisberger right now and don't plan to do so, according to the source. They essentially consider it a dead option.

Rest of Article: www.NFL.com