Sports: NFL

[superfrog]

I know they're dirty, but it's like when your little brother plays dirty while you're wrestling. No matter what they do, they're not going to beat you (certainly not long-term), and it's honestly kind of funny watching the lengths they go to.

[happyjosiah]

I think there's some historical truth to that, but probably less so now.

Hines Ward was known for throwing extremely hard (but legal) blocks, so they changed the rule to prevent that from occurring.

James Harrison had a couple seasons where he got constant flags and fines for his hits on QBs, but cleaned up his act quite a bit.

Of course neither of those players is with the Steelers anymore. Who do they have signed right now that you consider dirty?

[Dad_Scaper]

What you write about both Hines Ward and James Harrison is incomplete.

They did change the rule because of Hines Ward. What he had been doing - the blind side block - was, technically, legal, in that it exploited a loophole to allow an offensive player, following a turnover, to sneak up on an defensive player and crush him when he isn't looking. But it was also incredibly dangerous, and therefore dirty. James Harrison was, as you say, getting "constant flags and fines for his hits on QBs," but that's because he was a headhunter, and playing dirty. Don't ask me, ask their peers.

Joey Porter, of course, 'backer for many years with the Steelers, was also dirty back in the day. What makes this one rankle still is that the Steelers brought him back as a coach, after he wrapped up his playing days (obvi) with the Bengals. Is he still dirty as a coach? You bet. But hey, the Steelers are not above cheating by the coaching staff.

Setting aside the on-field dirty play, if you are local to Pittsburgh then you likely know how Ben Roethlisberger has a checkered history with the city he represents. I mean, here's a local Pittsburgh paper recently calling him the "the 'Queen' of drama and the 'King' of narcissism." Which is to say nothing of the trail of victimized women in his wake. To his credit, he appears to have kept a relatively low social profile for a few years now, though we should not forget the women who encountered him years ago, and I hope they have found peace.

So, yeah. Every team has some problem players. In recent years, the Ravens have been pretty good about cutting ties with the guys who would embarrass the organization that way - Ray Rice; Terrence Cody - and the Steelers aren't as bad as they used to be. Still responsible for some of the dirtiest football on tv, but not as bad as the Bengals or Cowboys, who have emerged as the most likely destinations for Bad News NFL Players.

[Hahma]

Go Bears!

[Spidey'tilIDie]

I can't disagree with the players you called out, @Dad_Scaper , but I have to disagree with how you see some of those things. I for one never saw Harrison as a dirty player. Viscious? Yes, but dirty/ No. And as a fan of the team who was more often victim of those Hines Ward blocks, I understand your point, but I must also repeat the fact that those plays were legal. My definition of dirty and yours may differ. In the late 90s, Denver's run blocking for Terrell Davis focused on leg whips and legal chop blocks. It was nasty, but not dirty because it didn't break rules. The Hines Wards blocks were the same way. Rightly so, the NFL has amended its rules to outlaw these types of blocks and the game is better for it.
As far as dirty play by the current Steelers and your posted evidence of same, I admit fully that Vontez Burfict is both wronged here and that he got what he deserved. In multiple seasons, through cheapshots and intent to hurt, he earned what Juju did to him there. I only wish every Steeler had piled on to him after the shot. Never has a more reviled player existed to be hated by Pittsburgh, and I include the Hall of Fame (and future), but not always squeaky clean Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs in that statement.

[dok]

Why are we spending all this time talking about a team that's 0-4 in Denver this decade?

[superfrog]

[Dad_Scaper]

Originally Posted by Spidey'tilIDie

I can't disagree with the players you called out, @Dad_Scaper , but I have to disagree with how you see some of those things. I for one never saw Harrison as a dirty player. Viscious? Yes, but dirty/ No. And as a fan of the team who was more often victim of those Hines Ward blocks, I understand your point, but I must also repeat the fact that those plays were legal. My definition of dirty and yours may differ. In the late 90s, Denver's run blocking for Terrell Davis focused on leg whips and legal chop blocks. It was nasty, but not dirty because it didn't break rules. The Hines Wards blocks were the same way. Rightly so, the NFL has amended its rules to outlaw these types of blocks and the game is better for it.
As far as dirty play by the current Steelers and your posted evidence of same, I admit fully that Vontez Burfict is both wronged here and that he got what he deserved. In multiple seasons, through cheapshots and intent to hurt, he earned what Juju did to him there. I only wish every Steeler had piled on to him after the shot. Never has a more reviled player existed to be hated by Pittsburgh, and I include the Hall of Fame (and future), but not always squeaky clean Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, and Terrell Suggs in that statement.

Our definitions of "dirty" do, in fact, differ. The reason why I provided so many sources was because I know that this is a subjective inquiry, so I went to what I thought was a pretty unassailable source for "dirtiness": the NFL players themselves.

Don't even get me started on Burfict. He's a special breed of dirty. Ankle twisting, cleating, disgrace to the league. Goodell should have made an example of him years ago and bounced him from the league. And don't even get me started on the other Bengals. It's the culture on that team; I remember recently seeing a play when even A.J. Green was acting out. Though I can't remember and don't care to look it up.

That was my point at the top of this little conversation. We can all, even Ravens fans and Steelers fans together, agree to hate the Bengals, right?

[dok]

Washington just signed a guy to QB who hasn't thrown an NFL pass since 2011. Their starter is Mark Sanchez. This team is 1 game out of the playoffs. This is a team that also just signed a player with multiple domestic violence allegations.

The league's handling of these matters is shameful.

[superfrog]

Originally Posted by dok

Washington just signed a guy to QB who hasn't thrown an NFL pass since 2011. Their starter is Mark Sanchez. This team is 1 game out of the playoffs. This is a team that also just signed a player with multiple domestic violence allegations.

The league's handling of these matters is shameful.

Do you buy this?

[Yodaking]

I'm a little shocked they didn't already have someone they were developing that could step up. The Cowboys have gambled and run with only 2 QB's on the active roster many times now, each time they had their 3rd QB on the practice squad and hoped no other teams would try to sign them away during the season. Is that what happened to the Redskins, they had a 3rd young QB they tried to stash on the practice squad but another team came along and offered them a roster spot?

[Dad_Scaper]

I got nuthin' to explain the Redskins. Vile organization, just as the Cowboys are vile for signing Greg Hardy after his conviction (among other, similar things), and the Bengals are vile for pretty much everything they do in the front office.

I liked this thread more when it was Lions fans trading sob stories with whoever would listen. Now it's basically Colin Kaepernick talk, every time it shows up in my feed. People prodding dok, or dok prodding people, or people responding to being prodded. Oh well.

edit:

Yodaking, it looks to me like they basically had two quarterbacks - Lewis and McCoy - at the start of the season, and now they're both broken. So they're going to scrape the bottom of the well. How they make personnel decisions, other than overlooking woeful behavior off the field, I have no idea. A long track record of deciding poorly, though.