(Author's note: the following is written in that magical BTSC sarcasm/satire font.)

WASHINGTON, Pennsylvania -- In the wake of the controversial finish to Sunday's game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins, rumors have swirled regarding bias among NFL officials. Specifically, various Miami media outlets have cried foul, suggesting that Gene Steratore, the head referee for the game and a native of Washington, PA (about 30 miles from Pittsburgh), made a call that influenced the outcome of the game to intentionally favor the Steelers.

The call in question occurred with just over two minutes remaining in the game. Trailing 22-20, QB Ben Roethlisberger had marched the Steelers all the way down to the Dolphins' 2 yard line. On third down, Roethlisberger dove for the goal line on a designed QB draw. The line judge immediately signaled touchdown. At some point though, the ball had come loose, and there was a massive scrum in the end zone. The play was reviewed, and it was determined that the ball had been fumbled prior to breaking the plane of the goal line. No touchdown. However, there was no conclusive replay evidence to determine which team had recovered the fumble. Therefore, Pittsburgh retained possession inside the 1 yard line. On the next play, Jeff Reed kicked the go-ahead field goal, and the Steelers won the game 23-22.

We here at BTSC have always felt that officials deserve the benefit of the doubt. They are constantly being scrutinized and criticized, but if we're honest with ourselves, we must admit that none of us could do the job any better. In an attempt to clear Steratore's name from any alleged wrongdoing, I requested to sit down with him at his home and speak candidly about the events that unfolded on Sunday, as well as the culture of officiating as a whole. He agreed, and the interview was scheduled. 

What I discovered may shock you.

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Happy Monday, Steeler Nation.  I'm trying to get some advice from the collective knowledge and experience of this group.  My brothers, some cousins and I (about 8 people total) have decided to rent an RV and roadtrip from Charlotte, NC to Nashville, TN for the Steelers-Titans game in Week 2.  This will be my first-ever regular season Steelers game, and I am pumped beyond belief.  Before I get to my questions, a disclaimer: don't even try to talk us out of the RV idea, as impractical as it may sound to some.  We are freakin' doing it, because it will be awesome!

Now, a couple logistical questions:

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...or as Peter Griffin would ask: "What really grinds your gears?"

As a little non-draft-related conversation starter, I'm curious to know what your pet peeves are when it comes to any part of the football experience.  It doesn't even have to be a rational complaint, as long as it is something that just flat-out annoys you.  Here are a few of mine: 

You know what really grinds my gears?

1. The two TV timeouts after the PAT and again after the ensuing kickoff.  Obviously, I understand the need for TV timeouts.  But why not kick off immediately following the PAT and then take the TV timeout?  Or take the TV timeout after the PAT, but bring the offense onto the field immediately following the kickoff, like they sometimes do?
2. Watching a Steelers game with a neutral observer (neither pro-Steelers nor pro-Steelers' opponent) who feels compelled to say "Sorry dude" or "Sorry about that, man" every time something bad happens to the Steelers in the game.  Granted, this type of person usually has perfectly genuine intentions, but he needs to realize that apologizing for what just happened in the game usually only makes things worse.  Besides, how are we supposed to respond to that?  "Thanks.  I was feeling terrible after Ben threw that pick-6 on 3rd-and-goal at the Ravens 1 yard line.  But because you offered your heartfelt condolences immediately after the play, I feel much better now!"  Instead, I would much rather just stew in my own misery for a few minutes.
3. When teams let 15+ seconds run off the clock on the way to the two-minute warning, when they have full intentions of running a play and sustaining their drive coming back from the two-minute warning (as opposed to taking a knee).  Why not call a play and line up for it to see what the defense shows you?  What's the risk?  If the defense shows you an extremely favorable, high-percentage matchup, you take advantage and run the play.  If the defense shows you anything else, just let the clock run down to 2:00.

So there you have it.  Now it's your turn.  Go ahead...vent your hearts out.  We'll either agree with you or tell you to quit your complaining, but either way, you'll get it off your chest!

Hi all.  I hope your Monday was at least bearable.  I just wanted to share a little something that I witnessed on my way home from work today.

I was on the D.C. Metro (Red Line to Shady Grove for all you locals), and it was pretty quiet except for two guys chatting, maybe three rows in front of me.  From what I gathered, they knew each other somehow through mutual friends, but were acquaintances at best.  (Yes, I had nothing better to do while sitting there than eavesdrop on a conversation).  They talked for a while about whatever, and then the one dude asked the other one where he was from originally.  When he said "Pittsburgh," the guy who asked the question lit up like a Christmas tree.  "Really?!  Me too!  Where did you go to school?  What brought you to D.C.?  Blah blah blah..."

In the meantime, as soon as I realized that this priceless connection between the two was now exposed, my internal clock started ticking.  Wait for it.  Wait for it.  Wait for it.  Bang.  One minute later:

"How 'bout them Stillers!!!"

For the next three stops until they parted ways, they rehashed the Super Bowl, the team, and how much they hated the Browns.  They both hopped off the train before I did, so I didn't get a chance to say anything in passing, but words were not needed.

Pretty insignificant?  Yes.  But highlight of my Monday thus far?  Yes, until 24 comes on tonight.  (There's only one person on this planet who could make Jack Bauer cry like a little girl.  It starts with a "D" and ends with an "eebo.")

Thanks to the astute insight provided by haters fans across the nation -- in particular, one Dolphins fan -- I think we can all agree now that the Steelers got lucky this season, that we have one of the worst QBs in the league, and that the refs love us and gift-wrapped us two Super Bowl titles.  This is old news. 

But there is one other juicy nugget of information that has slipped under the radar thus far.  If uncovered, this could expose our storied franchise as the classless organization that it really is.  It brings me no pleasure in admitting to this, but ladies and gentlemen, the Pittsburgh Steelers are nothing more than a team of hardened criminals.  That's right.  Step aside Pacman, Plaxico, Vick, and Cincinnati -- there is a new band of thugs in town with no respect for the law or the league.  I know it's tough to swallow -- I wouldn't have believed it either -- but this news comes from a very reputable source, with years of unbiased sports journalism under his belt:

Harrison is well "known to the police", as they say...

The guy is always just a step away from incarceration. Holmes too for that matter. Steelers owe their success in the game to the criminal element.

by robert ethan on Feb 2, 2009 1:58 PM MST up reply   0 recs

Shame on you, Steelers.  You had me completely fooled.

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After returning home from my second tour in Iraq this past summer, I went searching for a Steelers blog that would get me caught up on all things Black and Gold that I had missed while overseas.  I discovered BTSC and was instantly hooked.  I thought I knew Steelers football until I began reading this site, but I have learned so much from all the insight and analysis you regulars provide on a routine basis.  And huge props to Blitz for running this well-oiled machine.

With the playoffs only a few short weeks away and a magical "there's something about this team" feeling in the Steeler Nation air, I decided to join the festivities and introduce myself by way of my own personal Steelers-magic story.

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