Martavis Is Back in Town

[dbsfgyd1]

Any takers on when he show up at Steeler Head Quarters? It's is still not known if he has been cleared, but I would have to think it is imminent. Like maybe he shows up for mini camp?

[sandfan]

If he plays and stays clean he will be a great addition to the offense. I think that opinion is widely shared. Unfortunately the "if" seems to be pretty big. I imagine the issues with players over the past few years pushed the team to look more toward character in this draft. Hope that works.

[dbsfgyd1]

Smarts and hearts as they say. It's agreed the collective IQ arrow is pointing up.

[Chucktownsteeler]

I am very much pulling for this kid, but my heart tells me addictions are very tough to beat. I wish the NFL had a better way to deal with this that life-time bans. Maybe I'm getting older but to me that sounds like you are giving up on the person.

[dbsfgyd1]

Two side of the same coin. Chuck. We have Martavis the person, and Martavis the player. My heart is rooting for him as a person and his family that is depending on him to remain sober. This I care about

As for Martavis the player it's a different story. He stated " it is what is is, and I don't have to prove nothing to nobody". Does that sound like contrition to you? Here's a guy that just screwed over 52 other players, his coaches and the owners on his team, and millions of Steeler fans with some pretty selfish behavior. And basically his response was to give us the big FU. No, he is dead wrong, he indeed has something to prove, not only his team, but the rest of the NFL and the fans that follow him.

At the moment, he is still not compliant as the NFL league year progresses, and I sure haven't heard him say anything in the way of taking responsibility for his actions and or expressing any remorse arguably causing a lost season for the team. When you got that going on, it's hard to warm up to him.

One other thing I will add, for the next two years he'll be on the team, I am pulling for him to play as well as he can for relatively selfish reasons. I'm pulling harder for his family.

[dbsfgyd1]

One of them being a healthy running back in the playoffs, but that's just another excuse, right?

[mcmillenandwife]

One of them being a healthy running back in the playoffs, but that's just another excuse, right?

DB, Tomlin RAN THE WHEELS OFF Bell ... 63 touches in a seven (7) day NFL span before we went into New England ... Is it any wonder Bell blew a tire ??? ...

See, you see things black and white ... I see things in living color !!! 

Had Tomlin actually been able to score TD's in Kansas City the previous week instead of merely kicking six (6) FG's ... he could have taken Bell OUT of that game early and iced it with #34 !!! ...

[dbsfgyd1]

One of them being a healthy running back in the playoffs, but that's just another excuse, right?

DB, Tomlin RAN THE WHEELS OFF Bell ... 63 touches in a seven (7) day NFL span before we went into New England ... Is it any wonder Bell blew a tire ??? ...

See, you see things black and white ... I see things in living color !!! 

Had Tomlin actually been able to score TD's in Kansas City the previous week instead of merely kicking six (6) FG's ... he could have taken Bell OUT of that game early and iced it with #34 !!! ...

One more time Lake, who was he going to play at RB? Williams and his blown knees?  Toussaint? Heck he couldn't find a hole on Kickoffs, let alone a counter trap. Oh, we should have let Nix run. Great idea Lake. Secondly, Rogers, Ayers, and James really strike fear in and NFL secondary? Yeah Right.  Oh I forgot about Coates who gladly tore up his fingers so you could  have something to blame Tomlin for. Did you send him a thank you card?.

Look bud, you're butting up against core convictions and I assure you, no matter how many posts you make you will find no victory. There is none to be had. Time to give it up.

I will say this, for a guy that knows a great deal about sports and fandom, when it comes to the Steelers, you have pretty much expressed a surface level point of view. The kind that says BA is a great OC, but when you dig deeper than pure stats,, you will find out why he was fired and why he is on really shaky ground in Arizona. It's the same with Tomlin. You need to dig a little deeper. If you do, you will see what I'm seeing, and also what the owners of the club are seeing.

If he is as bad as you say he is please explain to the board why he is still employed? This is year 11. Don't you think that's enough time to do an evaluation? Please tell us why an almost BILLION DOLLAR enterprise would employ such a failure that doesn't have a clue?

[Cali-Steeler]

Troy Polamalu didn't care for Tomlin's ways... What does that say? I'll take Troys point of view anytime > Link > http://steelcityblitz.com/2015/03/05/sou...es-tomlin/

[Krunch]

Troy Polamalu didn't care for Tomlin's ways... What does that say? I'll take Troys point of view anytime >   Link > http://steelcityblitz.com/2015/03/05/sou...es-tomlin/

BOOM!  This article sums up my take on Tomlin to a, "T."  Loosey-Goosey as a Leader.  Great buddy-buddy guy to some players, but not impartial and lets things fester and go too long instead of addressing them at the outset.  In the military there is a term, Leadership Presence.  It means when the man/woman steps into a room or in front of their crew, you just know here is a leader and a person of authority that I either want to or need to listen to and follow.   I AM going to adhere to standards because I realize the need to do so.  It is not a common quality and because someone has all kinds of stripes or bars does not mean they have it.  I believe Cower had this presence, not so much Tomlin.  I'l bet Harbaugh has it in Baltimore, Of course Beilicheck does.  
As Troy alludes to, the Steelers have not remained, "The Steelers" under Tomlin.  They're just another bunch of individuals, getting paid to play football.

[mcmillenandwife]

Troy Polamalu didn't care for Tomlin's ways... What does that say? I'll take Troys point of view anytime >   Link > http://steelcityblitz.com/2015/03/05/sou...es-tomlin/

I love 'ya, Cali, but that article reads like a bad gossip column (which is basically what it is). It doesn't remotely pass the sniff test. Talk about fake news! 

"A little bird told us..." 

Not one direct quote from Polamalu. I call bullshit, especially because I can find quote after quote after quote from Polamalu praising Tomlin.

[mcmillenandwife]

As Troy alludes to, the Steelers have not remained, "The Steelers" under Tomlin.  

Sorry, but Troy didn't allude to anything in this article. There's not a single quote verifiably attributable to Polamalu. 

You may as well source this rag for your Polamalu quotes:

[dbsfgyd1]

Troy's problem is not with Tomlin, it's with the fact that he signed a two year contract, with a good deal of it coming in the second year to save cap space, but was cut after one year.

Lake, Still no answer? Just in case you forgot:

If he is as bad as you say he is, please explain to the board why he is still employed? This is year 11. Don't you think that's enough time to do an evaluation? Please tell us why an almost BILLION DOLLAR enterprise would employ such a failure that doesn't have a clue?

[dbsfgyd1]

One more time Lake, who was he going to play at RB? Williams and his blown knees?  Toussaint? Heck he couldn't find a hole on Kickoffs, let alone a counter trap. Oh, we should have let Nix run. Great idea Lake. 

DB, you keep proving my point over and over again ... You just presented your own diatribe about how PATHETIC Tomlin's roster actually is ... there's no depth behind the starters, though Tomlin preaches "next man up" ... Tomlin absolutely produces ZERO in terms of roster developed players behind the superstars he relies on through his horribly hit-or-miss draft experiences ... 

st answer the question Lake. until you do, it's all hot air:

If he is as bad as you say he is, please explain to the board why he is still employed? This is year 11. Don't you think that's enough time to do an evaluation? Please tell us why an almost BILLION DOLLAR enterprise would employ such a failure that doesn't have a clue?

[dbsfgyd1]

One more time Lake, who was he going to play at RB? Williams and his blown knees?  Toussaint? Heck he couldn't find a hole on Kickoffs, let alone a counter trap. Oh, we should have let Nix run. Great idea Lake. 

DB, you keep proving my point over and over again ... You just presented your own diatribe about how PATHETIC Tomlin's roster actually is ... there's no depth behind the starters, though Tomlin preaches "next man up" ... Tomlin absolutely produces ZERO in terms of roster developed players behind the superstars he relies on through his horribly hit-or-miss draft experiences ... 

You're the one not proving anything. We started out the season with 3 running backs of the roster, but of course it's Tomlin's fault that Williams got hurt mid season, and Toussaint forgot the playbook by season's end. The suspension for Bryant came down after the draft, but I guess that was Tomlin's fault too. And finally, it was Tomlin's fault that Heyward went on IR and Green got concussed on a cheap hit in Cincy game.

Drafts?? You got to be kidding me. Sure, those three rookies last year that started from mid year were lousy, so were Dupree and Tuitt and Shazier, I'd don't know where they dug up that Bell guy...

Lake you are losing more and more credibility as your posts are mounting, for your own sanity, give it up. Or just answer the million dollar question:

If he is as bad as you say he is, please explain to the board why he is still employed? This is year 11. Don't you think that's enough time to do an evaluation? Please tell us why an almost BILLION DOLLAR enterprise would employ such a failure that doesn't have a clue?

[Cali-Steeler]

As Troy alludes to, the Steelers have not remained, "The Steelers" under Tomlin.  

Sorry, but Troy didn't allude to anything in this article. There's not a single quote verifiably attributable to Polamalu. 

You may as well source this rag for your Polamalu quotes:

Hey Tim, This Hillary Story is 100% true!  It happened about 15 years ago and she named her baby Rexdawg....

[dbsfgyd1]

If he is as bad as you say he is, please explain to the board why he is still employed? This is year 11. Don't you think that's enough time to do an evaluation? Please tell us why an almost BILLION DOLLAR enterprise would employ such a failure that doesn't have a clue?

[dbsfgyd1]

DB, thank you for edifying me on the intricacies of the "Mike Tomlin is a good head coach" issue. You should know, if I were alone in my convictions I'd feel like a fool ... I'm FAR from alone in my convictions ... I know HUNDREDS of Steelers warriors clamoring at the concept of the Steelers moving past Tomlin and onward to greatness ... 

The last time you got into an argument online with someone who thought they knew all there was to know about health care reform, gun control, gay marriage, the Pittsburgh Steelers, climate change, sex education, the drug war, Joss Whedon or whether or not 0.9999 repeated to infinity was equal to one – how did it go? ...

Did you teach the other party a valuable lesson? Did they thank you for educating them on the vagaries of the issue after cursing their heretofore ignorance, doffing their virtual hat as they parted from the keyboard a better person? ...

No, probably not. Most online battles follow a similar pattern, each side launching attacks and pulling evidence from deep inside the web to back up their positions until, out of frustration, one party resorts to an all-out ad hominem nuclear strike. If you are lucky, the comment thread will get derailed in time for you to keep your dignity, or a neighboring commenter will help initiate a text-based dogpile on your opponent ...

What should be evident from the studies on the backfire effect is you can never win an argument online. When you start to pull out facts and figures, hyperlinks and quotes, you are actually making the opponent feel as though they are even more sure of their position than before you started the debate. As they match your fervor, the same thing happens in your skull. The backfire effect pushes both of you deeper into your original beliefs ... 

So let's just end it here DB ... I'm right !!! ... You're wrong !!! ... Mike Tomlin SUCKS as a game day field general and the proof of it shows week in and week out, as it did during the Kansas City playoff game last season and the New England embarrassment ... It shows time and again as Tomlin's Steelers routinely play down to far lesser opponents and put themselves into uncompromising positions every single season ... It shows, too, that Mike Tomlin is a horrible judge of player character, is tolerant, on near equal terms to Marvin Lewis, towards offensive player disciplinary matters off the field, and doesn't have a clue how to critique his own malfunctions to make HIMSELF a better head coach ...    ... by the very team that instituted affirmative action hiring of head coaches in the NFL, and many of us believe THAT is the reason the Steelers are, as an organization, willing to look past Tomlin's shortcomings ... and no other team in the league is more capable than the Steelers to cover his shortcomings and present an acceptable product than are the Steelers ...

He's NOT ALL horrible ... he's a nice guy and he has good qualities and he's been through the fires ... but he is constantly out coached and he has constantly won games by the skin of his teeth that should have been easily won ... He's wasted away the greater part of Ben Roethlisberger's peak performance years as an athlete, and many of us diehards see this with clarity ... 

DB, you go on believing ... I believe far more in the Steelers as an organization than I believe in the man in charge of leading them to their next Lombardi ... If Tomlin happens to win one more, he proves me wrong, and I can liSo let's just end it here DB ... I'm right !!! ... You're wrong !!! ..ve with that ... If Tomlin fails to win one more, can you live with the reasoning that i was right in my views? I doubt it. You'll find another excuse within your bag of idiosyncrasies, I'm pretty certain ...   

So let's just end it here DB ... I'm right !!! ... You're wrong !!! "he's an affirmative action hiring "

A race issue?? That's the best you got??? BAAAHHHHAA!!! Next you're going to feed us that the reason BA wasn't promoted to HC was because he was white......

Are you the guy writing the checks? Your final last line of credibility has been shattered. It doesn't matter if you know 10,000, 100,000 thousand Steeler fans that think he's a schelp. It doesn't matter. The team ownership's opinion is all that matters. Further, you got to be on arrogant SOB to think you know more than  owners with $100s of millions of dollars at stake .

As for leaving it there, the answer is, no way. You keep posting your propaganda, I'm going to right here to poke holes in it. OR, you leave it be, then I'll gladly leave it be. Deal?

AND, my next trip up we have a beer or two? What da ya say?

[dbsfgyd1]

If he is as bad as you say he is, please explain to the board why he is still employed? This is year 11. Don't you think that's enough time to do an evaluation? Please tell us why an almost BILLION DOLLAR enterprise would employ such a failure that doesn't have a clue?

The answers to that aren't as readily evident as you'd like to have them presented to you DB ...

My take: 

1. The Steelers are comfortable in their successes and their wealth ... their Billion Dollar enterprise is functioning quite nicely, thank you ... That New England has schooled them might create a short-term push, but for years the Steelers have settled into a sort of complacency. They do just enough to appease the hard-core fans ... The fans aren't stupid and they see what New England has accomplished in leap-frogging the Steelers as the elite NFL organization model ... Make no mistake the pressure on Tomlin is about to get cranked if the Steelers continue to fall short ...

2. The Steelers as an organization have MASTERED the realities of the business side of pro sports and the NFL ... The Steelers KNOW they will fill their stadium seats each passing year with rabid fans, as do most of the other NFL teams ... and those other NFL teams that fall upon hard times with their fans due to bad public relations very quickly snuff out the problems (colin Kaepernick). For the Steelers as long as they are selling tickets and merch, and that's the clear case, they are winning the game. The Steelers are masters at capitalizing on the public images of their elite athletes, and they KNOW it's a never ending cycle of product sales for them ... 

3. I see the Steelers as a Leftist organization publically and politically ... they pushed forward a very Leftist hiring process that is on equal terms with Affirmative Action ... their owner was (RIP) a devout political Leftist ... As such Tomlin is safeguarded in his position. Tomlin accomplishes just enough to warrant his safekeeping ... But real hard-core fans see right through it ... 

4. The organization, well versed to its deep core in Leftist media, has mastered the realities of controlled media ... Every Steelers beat writer who is granted access to the innards of the team and its facilities has become a "YES-MAN" megaphone for all the "wonderful ways of the Pittsburgh Steelers" ... and NONE OF THESE GUYS has the ability to step back and be constructively critical of the team, its coaches, or its players ... It's a tight lidded system and few outsiders can penetrate its ranks ... like Leftist politicians are covered by the mainstream media, you can't find a whole lot of media types pressing upon the ugly little themes that are clear to most of us ... There are a few Blog Sites out there from Steelers fans who actually rip it up pretty nicely during the season, that are growing in popularity ... And the lemming fans are too blinded by their long held cognitive biases to see things with truth and clarity ... It will go on until it becomes blatantly obvious to those fans, and as such to the Steelers organization and then ALL HELL will pressure the Steelers to make their change ... The Steelers will do it tactfully ... Mike Tomlin will be granted a "front office" promotion in time ... He's a very good employee ...    

It's all good in Steelersland, DB ... they have a "winning" product ... but that lasts only as long as the fans accept something short of a Championship ... and my experience is that cycle is limited in its peak-to-trough-to-peak timeline ... The fans are getting restless !!! ...

Wow! There is a lot I agree with here Lake. I'll take it on numerically.

1) Maybe you are correct that the Steeler's may have taken the foot off the pedal in the 2000's. That said, I think two things come into play here. I remember reading an article back cir 2001-2002 that the management felt they have a championship core coming on, and that they wanted to see how far they could get it to run, much like the 70's. The second is that liberal bent, and ultimately the charm of the Steelers, they actually care about the players and people in general.and kept a lot of those players around a lot longer than may have been prudent. In light of the "The only thing good enough is a SuperBowl Win" point of view, way too long. As for the Patriots, I agree they currently have a leg up, and you may remember post many a posts over 10 years ago on that very subject. The biggest difference is the Pats have proven that when you part ways with players that have some tread on the tires, or meat on the bone, there is a residual value that can convert into draft picks. The Steelers will run a player 'til the wheels come off, which again, the liberal mindset kicking in. That is also part of the reason we like them as opposed to the cold hard evil empire of the North East.

2) Here's one I'm not so much in agreement on. There are better examples of teams just in it for the money. The Bengals, Browns, Lions, Redskins, Eagles, Saints, and the FREAKIN' Cowboys for instance. Yes, life as an NFL owner is quite comfortable, but I really think the Steelers mind set priority is to do the right thing. Sometimes, when business interest conflicts with what's best for the person, more often than not, they willl side with the person, and keep a guy when they've out lived their prime output.

3) We may part company here too somewhat. True, there is the Rooney Rule, but Tomlin is not the only minority coach out there. Just looking at this logically, most of the players of this game are "Minority" players. Really? Among players, just who is in the minority? In the NFL there was an undeniable problem, a glass ceiling in the coaching ranks. How in the world can a guy like Rich Kotite get a job before Art Schell? It had to be addressed. Tomlin is not a hold over because of racial implications, it's because they think he is doing his job. I'm sure they could come up with a list distinguished minority candidate , probably of higher NFL pedigree and experience than what Tomlin brought.

4) Boy, am I with you on this. Of course, this has been going since the 40s, but that's another story.. I think the last critical article  I've seen is the one
 titled "Joe Who?" BTW David Todd ( ESPN 970 & Steeler Depot) is about the only one I can think of that is not afraid to ask the hard questions. Of course, the needle of obtuseness meter snaps off when he does..... I for one would really like an update on Coates hand/fingers, what ever it was.... Yeah, I hear you, but then again, as you can tell, I'm not one to go along with conventional wisdom. I consider the source and their objective, which is in the business of selling advertisements, and leave it at that. The media totally sucks in the country.

A study in Contrast

The Rooneys: Liberal Irish Catholics (what a concept! Who would ever guess?)

As for Robert Kraft: I'll bet he's Right Wing Libertarian...... ( Cold Hearted Capitalist SOB!!!)

[sandfan]

Tomlin is still employed because he has never had a losing season, has won a super bowl and the Steelers don't change coaches that often since they found longevity gold in Noll and Cowher.

I think Tomlin is an OK coach but has under performed considering he's had a HOF QB during his entire tenure. I'm not confident he has done better than other coaches had they had Pgh's talent but that can never be proven.

Peyton won one with Brees. I suggest he would have done better than Tomlin had he coached Pgh over the past decade. That also can never be proven. Peyton won one with an amazing on side kick call. Think Tomlin would have done that? Considering Tomlin's perceived weakness re game tactics and strategy I think not.

[dbsfgyd1]

3) We may part company here too somewhat. True, there is the Rooney Rule, but Tomlin is not the only minority coach out there. Just looking at this logically, most of the players of this game are "Minority" players. Really? Among players, just who is in the minority? In the NFL there was an undeniable problem, a glass ceiling in the coaching ranks. How in the world can a guy like Rich Kotite get a job before Art Schell? It had to be addressed. Tomlin is not a hold over because of racial implications, it's because they think he is doing his job. I'm sure they could come up with a list distinguished minority candidate , probably of higher NFL pedigree and experience than what Tomlin brought. 

... and in the Steelers case, are they locked into keeping a mediocre head coach around for fear of backlash now? ... What if they actually DID fire Tomlin? ... They've empowered an entirely new problem of a social P.C. force behind their future decisions to hire and fire as a result of the Rooney Rule ... 

You and me as fans of the team ... we're stuck with it !!!

I doubt that Steelers are locked in to Tomlin. Lovie Smith has been fired, Romeo Crenall has been fired Art Schell has been fired twice by the same team without public uproar. This I can guarantee, the Steelers will leave no stone unturned to find a top notch coach, ok no cracks about the rock they found Tomlin under...LOL!!

[dbsfgyd1]

As for Robert Kraft: I'll bet he's Right Wing Libertarian...... ( Cold Hearted Capitalist SOB!!!)

There you go admitting that RIGHT WING cold hearted Capitalist SOB's make for winners, DB ...   ... Yes, why YES! ... They sure do ...

Hey, I am a cold hearted capitalist right wing entrepreneur, that doesn't mean I don't treat people fair and square, not that Kraft has a lack of..  ahem.. scruples..

[dbsfgyd1]

Yes and now stand back and watch as holes get poked into your "OBVIOUS" ...

OK Smarty, have it your way Gloves are off! Pistols at 50 feet??

[mcmillenandwife]

Hey Tim, This Hillary Story is 100% true!  It happened about 15 years ago and she named her baby Rexdawg....

[Krunch]

I don't care who you are, that's funny!

[mcmillenandwife]

I don't care who you are, that's funny!

[dbsfgyd1]

Yes and now stand back and watch as holes get poked into your "OBVIOUS" ...

OK Smarty, have it your way Gloves are off! Pistols at 50 feet??

  ... you already lost DB ... go back to your 1979 videos ...

Lake, as usual you're in one heap of denial. You were dead on arrival. I will say this, I've never known anybody in such an all fire hurry to make a complete idiot out themselves. I got to congratulate you  on that.

[mcmillenandwife]

Lake... db... guys... don't make me do it. Don't make me invoke a higher power. 

[mcmillenandwife]

If it doesn't stop Tim ... I'm out ... 

Wait... a self-banning already? 

This place used be a very enjoyable hangout to discuss and debate Steelers football ... It's a far cry from being that now ... I came back because Regi asked me to, and a few others from the FB group suggested they'd be back to try it out once again ... 

I have strong views ... I like to share those views and debate the issues ... 

I truly get the Tomlin lovers ... hundreds of us rehash together all their arguments each and every year ... Further, like the rest of the fans, I have to live with Tomlin too ... but I don't have to be a Tomlin yes-man, or for that matter even a Steelers yes-man ... I see the organization heading in the wrong direction and I'm extremely comfortable in my views ... 

DB can't handle an alternative viewpoint it seems ...

Okay, now that you've shown us how NOT to bury the hatchet and move on, Lake, can we try this again?  

Lake... db... please do me a favor and let this go for now. In the immortal words of Popeye... enough is too much.

Also... another banner update.