When the Cincinnati Bengals were chosen for HBO’s annual reality series Hard Knocks this past offseason, I kind of laughed it off and figured the show was in trouble if the best team they could come up with were the lowly Bengals. Well, the laugh’s on me now as the Bengals are off to an impressive 7-2 start. And this afternoon, they took control of the AFC North with an 18-12 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
After the game, quarterback Carson Palmer credited his team’s work in the trenches:
“We kept grinding, and at the end of the day, I think the …read more

Here’s a behind-the-scenes from Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu’s Head & Shoulders commercial. Troy talks about why he partnered with H&S and Operation Once in a Lifetime. And yes, I know firsthand he really is this soft-spoken and nice in-person—having done an interview with him a couple years ago. In fact, Troy’s been spending his down time (recovering from an MCL sprain) handing out food and 20 dollar bills to the homeless under the 9th Street Bridge in downtown Pittsburgh. Actually, he’s been doing this for some time and will probably continue to do so. He plans an October 11 …read more

After last week’s debacle against the Green Bay Packers, I was concerned—well not really concerned, actually I could care less—that maybe the Chicago Bears had made a big mistake in putting their entire franchise on the back of quarterback Jay Cutler. Jay threw four interceptions in a 21-15 loss to the Pack on NFL 2009 Kickoff Weekend. But not so fast. That was only one game.
This afternoon, Jay redeemed himself with a 27-of-38 passing performance for 236 yards and two touchdowns against the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers. And during the eight-play, game-winning drive in the rain, Jay …read more

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have beaten the Tennessee Titans to open NFL Kickoff 2009 Weekend last night. But they lost a key member of their defense in the process. At least for a while. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will be out an estimated 3-6 weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee. Troy suffered the injury in the first half when he was trying to pick up and run with a fumble. He ended up doing a split when Titans tight end Alge Crumpler dropped all 262 pounds (and that’s being kind) on top of his knee. Ouch. Veteran …read more

America’s favorite sport is back in action tonight (NBC, 8:30 p.m. ET) in the first game of NFL Kickoff 2009 Weekend. This year, two 2008 division winners are featured as the Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers host the Tennessee Titans. The Titans had an NFL-best 13-3 record and were AFC South champions last year. The game is the first meeting between the teams since the Titans defeated the Steelers 31-14 on December 21, 2008. Tennessee was the last team to beat the Steelers before they went on to win Super Bowl XLIII. This will mark only the fifth time …read more

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger held a roughly one minute press conference today to offer his word on the allegations of sexual assault brought against him in a civil case by Las Vegas resident Andrea McNulty.
Source: SportsNetworkChannel

I’m finally breaking my silence on Ben Roethlisberger’s alleged (and I emphasize the word alleged) sexual assault case because I feel like it’s my job to say something. To recap the story, a woman has filed a civil lawsuit in Reno, Nevada, accusing Ben of sexually assaulting her last summer—yes, last summer—in his penthouse room at a Harrah’s casino in Lake Tahoe during a celebrity golf tournament. One year after the alleged incident, she’s suing for sexual assault and battery, false imprisonment and infliction of emotional distress.
From what I’ve gathered from a number of sources, there doesn’t seem to be …read more

Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will both be featured on the cover of Madden NFL 10, set to hit retail stores on Friday, August 14. For the first time in the 21-year history of the Madden NFL franchise, two players will be on the cover. Madden NFL 10 will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation2 and PLAYSTATION 3, Wii, and PSP.

It wasn’t that long ago that Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison was an undrafted and pretty much confused football player. He was cut four times and his NFL career was on the verge of ending before it even got started. But two years ago, he got a second chance with the Steelers and broke into their starting lineup. Yesterday, he broke the bank. The Steelers signed the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player-of-the-Year to a six-year, $51.7 million contract ($20 million guaranteed).
Aside from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ($102 million for eight years, $36 million guaranteed), this was the largest contract ever given to …read more

The Tampa Bay Bucs agreed to a one-year deal with quarterback Byron Leftwich today. Terms of the deal were not immediately released but I can tell you Byron will have the opportunity to compete with current Bucs QBs Luke McCown, Josh Johnson and Brian Griese for the starting job. One of those four quarterbacks will most likely be released before training camp begins later this summer. And I’m guessing that odd man out will be Brian Griese.

Byron should be the favorite to win the starting role in Tampa. Otherwise, why would be have bolted from Pittsburgh? He knows he …read more