Pittsburgh Steelers Takes Advantage of Sloppy Ravens, But Can't Be Discounted

By now, however, a rivalry of bitterness was inexplicably in full bloom. The prior history, of course, has developed an intense clash, centering a pair of divisional foes by cast members of the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It reminded us, upon hearing the hype of what has become an attractive event in the NFL, about the past episodes with the Steelers and Ravens.

In specifics, it reminded us of the time when the Ravens threatened to place a bounty on Hines Ward, when Bart Scott threatened to "kill" the Steelers' veteran receiver or when the Ravens delivered a nasty blow to the Steelers quarterback's nose. Each time they meet, it turns into a verbal altercation and eventually escalates into a physical skirmish on the field, a heavyweight battle like no other in a contest that becomes so brutal.

Now, along comes the sudden impact of Rashard Mendenhall in a pivotal matchup of mutual hostility, of boundless violence and hard hits that identify a hard-nose, turnover-forcing defense. This wouldn't be a rivalry without any feisty trash talk that notably fueled the meanest rivalry in the NFL, which accelerated earlier this week after Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs wore a T-Shirt featuring a bird with a murky gesture and read, "Hey Pittsburgh."

All of this trash talk formulated a wonderful theater, just as earlier in the week when Suggs called it the "best rivalry in sports." Consider it, however, not only a breakout game for the Steelers, but a breakthrough for the skilled running back Mendenhall. And he never disappointed, even after he declined as a factor in the Steelers' enigmatic running game in prior weeks. So the Steelers survived on the Ravens' second-half meltdown, and clinched a berth to the AFC Championship Game by the heroics of the stud running back.

He's a third-year speedster out of Illinois, a beneficiary who emerged into the spotlight, and if he continues to advertise his knack by bursting to the end zone, he'll clearly be known as an icon with his heroics and athleticism. Between now and as early as February, his presence will be felt immensely—another way to reduce the workload off Ben Roethlisberger, who has proven unflappable in critical situations but also vulnerable at times.

Because it's entirely a total team effort, even though Mendenhall was the primary difference-maker in such a tense, must-needed bout, he probably won't be heard of much over the next week. That is unfair for a helpful player after lifting the momentum and exciting the fans with his explosive eight-yard dash to the 4-yard line on Pittsburgh's first drive. The masses at Heinz Field, dressed in Steeler yellow and black, screamed loudly and swung the Terrible Towels, a frenzy that traditionally defines a die-hard Steelers fan.

He didn't have to finish with all-purpose yards or have to conclude his impressive statement with 50-plus yards, but settled for merely 46 yards on 20 carries. Rather remarkably, he scored two touchdowns and caught a 13-yard pass. In a sense that the Steelers are America's favorite, we were all convinced by the Steelers rally, thanks to the Ravens miscues that contributed to Pittsburgh's miraculous comeback.

As minutes dwindled on the clock, with 1:33 remaining in a tight, nerve-racking AFC divisional playoff game, Mendenhall pushed into the end zone from the 2-yard line to give the Steelers a 31-24 comeback win over the clumsy Ravens on Saturday. That's partly because the Ravens collapsed and inexcusably stumbled. Presumably because they were too relax and took a lead for granted, Baltimore was doomed by the second half in its hardest matchup against the Steelers, a championship-caliber team that trailed 21-7 at halftime when turnovers produced two Ravens touchdowns.

The timing couldn't have been worse, as the Ravens bailed on their aggressive defense and no longer seemed vicious. For whatever reason, they abandoned the bull-rushes and stopped harassing Roethlisberger, which allowed him ample opportunities to elude pressure and find his intended receivers late in the game. Once, they were the fiercest defense around, known for punishing opponents. But by the third quarter the Ravens were harmless—a rarity in their everyday approach that was a non-factor with so much on the line.

If you believed in the Ravens, a monstrous, defensive-minded unit, it's because Baltimore nearly walked out of a hostile territory in celebration. If so, Ray Lewis and Suggs would have flew out of the town with bragging rights, granted by an appearance in the AFC Championship Game next weekend against either the New York Jets or the New England Patriots. As in any hurtful loss, the Ravens were left in despair at the end, and the bench stared hopelessly in disbelief and mourned a dreadful letdown.

It was an avalanche of costly mistakes committed by the Ravens in the second half. All together, Baltimore had three turnovers, and a holding penalty to deny Lardarius Webb's punt return score. It seemed the Ravens, entering the contest with much firepower and confidence, were in position to tie the game late, but Anquan Bolden dropped a pass in the end zone. Then, came the missed opportunity when T.J. Houshmandzadeh, on 4th-and-18 on Baltimore's final drive at Pittsburgh, lost control of the ball that bounced off his mitts.

This certainly wasn't the Steelers' finest game, nor was it Roethlisberger's greatest. Early on, he had trouble with his accuracy, but somehow, he completed a pass to Ward on 3rd-and-10. And on a few plays later, on a third down and sudden-death situation, he heaved one to Antonio Brown, following a shrewd call by offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. But mostly his passes were short or either incomplete, pretty much creating a scare for the Steelers by his faulty performance.

The point is, the Steelers' relentless, brutal defense conducted by the brilliant defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, who calls useful plays to complete stops, bailed out Pittsburgh with the persistent rushes by James Harrison, the aggressor on the Steelers defense. Perhaps, the toughness from a hard-driven defense saved the Steelers. And as a result, the Steelers sacked Joe Flacco five times, with only very limited protection in the backfield.

And yes, there are plenty of people rooting for the Steelers, as usual, when Roethlisberger has already won two championships with a 9-2 postseason record. The die-hards in Pittsburgh, once furious and irritable with Big Ben over his sexual harassment allegations, can finally eulogize not only him as the franchise quarterback but the Steelers in general for defeating their divisional enemies on the day that defied the laws of wills and resiliency.

The humanity in a city that honors football, among other sports in the town is contagious and spiritual as the fans celebrate in delight, elated by the Steelers. Sure, they took advantage of the Ravens miscues, but either way, they won it.

NFL Needs To Protect Its League Before it's Too Late

So now, as if the scary trauma has barely created an everlasting debate, one discussion that has everyone fussing about hard blows to the head is that the NFL is refusing to ignore hamlet-to-hamlet hits. What they can do is set stricter barriers to eliminate the vicious, violent hits and finally realize the risk of players suffering concussions.

At last, the richest enterprise in sports has become medically aware of head injuries, a health issue that can risk long-term dangers to the brain. If an athlete suffers a concussion from a helmet-to-helmet blow, the league should respond proactively and levy suspensions to hard-hitting players who makes contact with opponents and sympathetically avoids a punishment after a brutal collision.

In theory, it should surprise no one that the NFL is contemplating whether or not a suspension will mitigate the head shots.

For a long time, this has been a heavy burden, and now that it is clearly evident in which fines aren’t enough to deter players from making nasty hits to the head, the league is closely evaluating the violent scenes, ready to enforce a harsher sanction.

Finally, the NFL is reacting to unnecessary violence and realizes players are sustaining serious injuries for dangerous hits or intentionally late shots.

Fair enough. The NFL, in a way, is compromising with the welfare of injured players, but the idea of possible suspensions doesn’t settle too well for some players. In fact, the latest fuss involving hits to the head is mandated in some ways, but viewed as an overreaction prior to three controversial incidents last Sunday. There has been much dialogue about brutality in football over the past week.

And before it is too late, the NFL must protect its league from tragedies, especially when the red flags are alarming and have shown signs of possible death. It’s not an issue the league can sugarcoat, but a common crisis that can quickly turn into a devastating scene if the NFL ignores the incidents and fails to address a perpetual dilemma.

At this very moment, it’s acceptable to assume that the league is considering suspending players for violent helmet-to-helmet hits. Earlier in the week, NFL executive vice president of football operations Ray Anderson said he could impose harsher fines and possible suspensions immediately.

“It could happen immediately,” Anderson said of the hazardous hits after several players sustained concussions Sunday. “The level of discipline on those types of hits is going to be much more aggressive…and that could include a suspension even for a first-time offender.”

You heard that? No warnings.

By the abundance of concussions lately, the uncompassionate hits to the head finally have caught the league’s attention. So no longer is the league lagging on a controversial trend, willing to protect their players from suffering a blow to the head and limiting the staggering growth of head injuries.

Just as the Players Association and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell examines the possibilities of neck and head trauma and revisits a longtime concern, former safety Rodney Harrison and former NFL coach Tony Dungy, who can easily be the league’s peacemaker, now are football analysts for NBC and advocate suspensions for harmful hits.

“Fines aren’t getting it done,” Anderson said. “Suspensions will get their attention.”

Absolutely.

Every way, that is, the NFL has informed its officiating crew to start ejecting players for flagrant helmet-to-helmet shots, a new policy that was plotted in a memo from supervisor of officials Mike Pereira. Over the years, there have been career-threatening injuries and deaths, and suddenly, the league is handling the issue with stricter measures.

Every player understands the risk factor, knowingly realizing that merciless hits are part of the game. It’s good to know that the NFL is fundamentally concerned with the health dangers of players, aiming to abate the number of helmets slamming into other helmets.

“Officials will be reminded this week to pay strict attention to these rules and disqualify the fouling player if the action is judged to be flagrant,” Pereira wrote in the memo. “Actions that involve flagrant helmet to helmet contact are the likely acts that will include disqualification. Our commissioner and this office remain very focused on the safety of players.”

In an era in which so many hits and collisions have threatened players’ careers or diagnosed star players with long-term health issues, the NFL is proactive in reacting to the tragic hits. More importantly, the NFL has implemented barriers governing to players who sustain vital blows to the head.

It was just over two weeks ago when a helmet-to-helmet hit that gave Houston quarterback Matt Schaub a concussion led to a $15,000 fine for San Diego cornerback Drayton Florence.

Few, if any, can recall the fine given to Washington safety LaRon Landry and will forfeit a game check of $16,764 for a helmet-to-helmet hit on New York Jets quarterback Kellen Clemens.

Prior to his disastrous shot, Landry had been fined $7,500 for a pair of unnecessary roughness penalties. It’s a ruling that has been long overdue for a league with intense and violent plays and will lessen life-threatening injuries.

If nothing else, imposing rules and suspensions isn’t the toughest issue to tackle, given that concussions are inevitable in game of collisions and perilous hits. The NFL recently has had to address a battered crisis involving the well-being of players to avoid the possibilities of career-threatening injuries or even deaths.

There have been nightmarish moments that we can recall. A few years ago, former Bills’ player Kevin Everett suffered a life-threatening spinal-cord injury, a crestfallen incident that saddened us all.

Years ago, the late Darryl Stingley, who was paralyzed for the rest of his life, was a depressing tragedy in the sport known as America’s pastime.

And now, the league is smart for suggesting a new protocol to reduce illegal hits on defenseless players, to constitute a rule to stop collisions and to lessen injuries by enforcing precise rules.

The league is most famous for enforcing rules, and since the league is losing players to injury, this would be a good time to address the issue. Ever since Atlanta cornerback Dunta Robinson delivered a vicious shot to DeSean Jackson, the images are clearly a reality check for the NFL. All on the same day, a fine was given to New England free safety Brandon Meriweather for his hits on Baltimore’s tight end Todd Heap.

And in comparison, Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison had a pair of hard hits and nearly beheaded Cleveland receiver Josh Cribbs on a play. Seen as a defensive assassin, he has been known for making hard hits and unluckily was handed a fine for his shot on Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, even when it was ruled a legal hit.

He told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in an interview on Tuesday that the hit on Massaquoi “was a legal hit.”

“All you have to do is look at the tape,” Harrison said.

Common sense tells us hard hits are triggering concussions. By enforcing stronger guidelines, it is considered the smartest idea.

Protect your league before it’s too late.