The proposed Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fight is off because Mayweather’s camp refused to relent on drug tests via blood rather than urine sampling, promoter Bob Arum said Tuesday night in an exclusive interview with The Press.

Does this prove the rumors?? I think this is will be a huge blow for boxing if this fight does not happen. And look at this:

He said he would pursue other possible opponents for Pacquiao, including Yuri Foreman, Paulie Malignaggi, or a third fight with Juan Manuel Marquez.

Really? Pacquiao vs Malignaggi? Oh yeah, I'll be in line for that slaughter.

Anyone here know exactly what can be found in a blood test opposed to urine? 

http://www.mlive.com/mayweather/index.ssf/2009/12/promoter_bob_arum_mayweather-p.html

Jay Glazer reported on twitter that Ben is out for tomorrow's game. I haven't heard this from any other source, so it could be false.

Big Ben was suffering from exercise-induced headaches as the week progressed and the team's medical staff deemed him unfit for the contest.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/10442146/Roethlisberger-won%27t-play-Sunday-

This definitely is not good for the Steelers' chances of winning on Sunday night.

Steelers QB Charlie Batch, who would have been the starter if Ben Roethlisberger is unable to play this Sunday after taking a hit to the head, has a wrist injury that requires surgery and will sideline him for six weeks, a source close to the situation told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter.

Batch was injured after he entered Sunday's overtime loss at Kansas City.

Dennis Dixon will move to No. 2.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4682002

I looked through the fanposts and didn't see anything dedicated to Hines Ward recently. I could have over looked it, but I decided to make one myself.

Through six weeks, Hines Ward is leading the league in receiving yards. Let's not take this lightly, people. Look at the names below him:

Ward's best season as far as receiving yards go was in 2002. He ended at 1,329 receiving yards. Through six weeks in 2002, Ward was at 355 yards. This was actually his number going into Week 8 as they had a bye Week 3. In 2002, Ward had Tommy Maddox throwing to him. In 2009, Ward has "Big" Ben Roethlisberger. I'm not quite sure how to figure out what Ward's pace is and what he could possibly end with at the end of the season. However, it seems that it would be better than his number in 2002.

It's obviously a new era in Pittsburgh and this has been discussed. Previously, Ward has been that guy that blocked for Pittsburgh's outstanding running game, occasionally picking up first downs through the air when needed. Now he's the guy and he has an outstanding QB to get him the ball. Hines Ward has waited for a season like this. They pass first, his QB can get him the ball, and he's running wild.

Just making sure we don't over look this!

Okay, we aren't even 24 hours off of the win but I thought we'd take a look at next week briefly.

Anyway, I wanted to get some opinions and start some discussion on who you all would rather see starting at Quarterback this weekend for the Lions when the Steelers come in to Detroit.

From what I've heard, Stafford dislocated his knee cap. Here's the latest:

Detroit rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford is considered day-to-day with a right knee injury, according to Lionshead coach Jim Schwartz.

I watched a lot of the Detroit game this past weekend and I thought the team as a whole played with a lot of confidence. It's amazing what a win will do for that.

Culpepper previously was a pretty good QB. Since 2004, nothing has been the same. He does bring his experience to the table, and for that I think I would rather see Stafford play. Not sure at this point if he will, though.

Anyway, what do you think? Could be a moot point as either way, Megatron will be on the field and both of them would be trying their best just to get it to him.

First, who cares about the "towel" incident of last year. I say they (the titans) should stomp the towel every week if it means that the Steelers are going to win a championship. Please see exhibit A:

Yep. Do you know what happens to classless teams that have no respect for the game and players around them? They lose to the Baltimore Ravens and go one and done in the playoffs. And I should point out, the Steelers beat the Baltimore Ravens three times last year, including one in the playoffs shortly after the Titans failed to live up to the hype that surrounded them.

Let the Titan fans, Lendale White and everyone else run their mouths. Come Thursday, all that towel stomping business will haunt the Titans in the form of a hostile environment at Heinz Field. The Players will do the rest.

Gentlemen, Ladies, Steeler football is right around the corner. Let them talk. Just smile, give them a nod and wink. They know what is about to happen.

I arrived to camp on Thursday 08/06. I think the first player that I saw was Daniel Sepulveda walking on the practice field. I've seen him in person before, but every time you see this guy you ask yourself "He's a punter?" The guy is huge, he has a body you can compare to a spartan warrior from the movie '300.' A very nice guy, too. Of course he gets as many ladies as Troy Polamalu screaming at him but he stops and signs autographs for all of them.

It was good to see him. We've all missed him. After his tore his ACL in his right leg(for a second time in his life) no doubt we've missed his services.

When Sepulveda walked near me, I noticed that he had a brace on. I'm definitely not a medical expert, so I can't tell you what that meant exactly. To me it looked like a pretty hefty support, going from below the knee to the mid thigh area. I asked Sepulveda how his knee felt. He said "It feels pretty good." I let him know that we are happy to see him back this year and to stay healthy out there.

Once practiced started, I kept an occasional eye on him. I updated everyone on twitter and let them know that Daniel Sepulveda was in a knee brace and was not punting. I'm sure this worried a couple of people. He ended up not doing much this session, and didn't touch one ball with his foot. Also, who knows what he's been doing prior to that day and even in the session prior to that one.

There was good news though. The next session was the night practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium. Sepulveda arrived, wearing his brace again, but looked much more lively. He was running around, throwing the football and once again, receiving screams from the ladies. I was able to grab a video:

The guy is a poster boy for athleticism. Also in this video you can see the brace I was talking about. He can throw the ball nicely, I should add. We all should remember the pass to Najeh Davenport on a fake punt play a couple of years ago against the rams.

So yeah, he looks pretty good starting out. I just wanted to seem him punt. And then, he finally did. I wasn't able to get them all on video, but he was booming them. From the goal line he was getting them to the opposite 30 yard line on most tries. It was amazing to watch. I tried my best to capture one:

Assuming he's on the ten yard line, that ball lands on the opposite 25 yard line so there's a 65 yard punt right there. He also had to deal with a high snap.

The next video, he punts from the 40 yard line. The ball goes so high and with the lights and all I lose it on camera. You can even hear me say "Where the hell is it." I did catch the tail end of it coming down, though.

Check out my other posts with more videos from the latrobe stadium night practice here:
http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2009/8/8/981888/my-thoughts-on-latrobe-stadium

Also today is my last day in latrobe but follow me on twitter for a couple of real time updates from the practice. Thanks!

Bumped. Good stuff! Thanks for taking the time to so thoughtfully share. - Blitz - (Michael B.)

********

Okay, so tonight the Steelers loaded up into yellow school buses and made the short trip from Saint Vincents College to Latrobe Memorial Stadium to hold a night practice under the lights for the fans.

Tonight was my third year going, we travel from Richmond during this time just so we can see this session. In the past two years, it has been the highlight. This time, however, things were just a little different. The energy just wasn't there. Don't get me wrong, I had a blast, it was very fun. But, most plays that were attempted fell flat and it seemed like the players were missing that extra little something that translated into good play.

Last year, there were hard hits, amazing plays and an atmosphere in the stands that felt like it was an actual game. None of that this time. I have no idea what that means, and I certainly do not think that one night will determine the fate of our season I just wanted to write about the difference that I noticed between last year and this year.

Take a look at my videos below. I shot these. You will see what I am talking about. They are somewhat hard to see but you will get the idea.

Troy Polamalu intercepts Ben Roethlisberger on the very first play of the night. Very weird crowd reaction to this one by the way. Who do you cheer for in this case? ;)

More videos after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2009/07/28/vick-to-the-steelers/

Really? This guy never fails. Read the article above for a laugh.

Last week, a Steelers source offered up a tongue-in-cheek plan for reducing the potential distractions arising from the civil lawsuit filed against quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

"We're going to sign Mike Vick and Plaxico Burress," the source said.

and wtf?!

Ninth, despite his long-term contract, the Steelers aren't tied to Roethlisberger for the next ten years.  Even if the salary cap survives the next CBA, we recall assessing the contract as a deal that could have a practical duration of three years, given that the annual base salaries hit eight figures in 2011.  So Vick could do the Wildcat thing for a couple of years, and then possibly become the starting quarterback for the Steelers that Kordell never was able to be.

There's a huge distraction going on here lately, so I wanted to shift gears a little... This is way too long, but I had nothing to do during lunch today. Feel free to read it, if you'd like.

As I do a lot before I lay my head down, close my eyes and fall asleep at night I think about what's coming up in my life, what I should be prepared for, and what I hope will happen. Last night, I thought about how the football season is nearly here and how there are many things that I hope will happen this year. Some of the things I thought about have happened consistently in the past season, but we can't take those for granted. Other things I thought about may have happened before, but simply not enough. Lastly, I thought about some outrageous things that could happen but most likely will not.

Here are some of those thoughts. You won't find a lot of analysis in them, I just wanted to state what I'd like to see.

• First lets just get this out of the way. I want the Steelers to win the Superbowl. Let's forget those six trophies they already have and go into the season as if we've never won one. That's how it should be all of the time and I'm sure the mentality of Tomlin and the rest of the men. We all know how it felt when Holmes caught the winning TD in the superbowl and the feeling after wards. I'm ready for that again. If the things below do not happen, who cares, as long as the trophy is hoisted again.

• I hope we sweep the Ravens, Browns and Bengals. Home or Away, we need to win those games. Not only does this put us in great position, but we take one more step in the direction of placing our foot in the behinds of the fans from those said teams. I've read some of the comments from the fans of those teams on the recent news with Big Ben, now let's see Ben pick their teams apart.

• Sack Flacco, repeatedly. I wanna see him get him get hit, hard. He may get hit hard enough to create a gap in the hair above his eyes. The guy hasn't done much to anger me other than the fact that he is a Raven. Bottom line is that he has potential, but we've got more potential to shut him down and therefore shut up the fans of that team.

• I want Mendenhall to run Ray Lewis over. It's possible. Rashard, run him over and break his hip. It's ripe for the picking. Also be sure that you scream something along the lines of "He's Done!", "BooYah!", "Shamalamadingdong!", or my favorite "Goooooddniiightt Doctor!!! That's feels good!"

• Slam a Browns fan. That was fun the last time it happened.

• Beat the Tennessee Titans. Beat the snot out of them. You know how the game last year ended. Bullock and the rest of that team need to know at the start of the season who owns the AFC. Obviously, our ring from this year did nothing to convince their fans. Seriously though, I just want wins. Just give me one big hit on Lendale, Bullock, whoever. Send them home hurting, please.

• Kill Chad Johnson, please. Just kidding, but hurt him enough so that he doesn't have the ability to speak or tweet. Okay, maybe that's too far. Well, no.. I guess I mean it. Am I bad person?

• I want the Steelers to Play the Patriots in the playoffs at New England and destroy them. Steal a flower pot from Tom Brady while they are there and make fun of him for falling off a boat. Ask him how his leg is and then kick it. Just be sure his security guards aren't around and you don't take a picture. Also, someone should moon the Pats fans after scoring a TD. Just sayin...

• Moon the Ravens fans, too. Offer Flacco some tweezers while you are there.

Okay, there you have it. Those things are certainly not all that I hope for, but I've gotta get back to work now. Most likely I've angered someone, so I'm sorry for that. But I really didn't mean it. Steeler fans, of course we just want wins... But what are some of the things that you hope will happen in this upcoming season?

Also a side note to clarify this post: Football is not about hopes and wishes. Football is man vs man and nothing else. Hope and wish all you want, it will have no baring on the outcome of the game.

Hey guys, haven't been here in a while. Just wanted to share this article I read on NFL.com about how Bulluck clearly regrets the towel incident .

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d810ee653&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true

He started to answer, then turned around to his locker and pulled out a Terrible Towel from the Steelers' Super Bowl with a note sent to him dated Feb. 16. The note read: "On behalf of Steelers Nation, we would like to present you with our new Terrible Towel. Hang this up in your locker room. Sincerely, the Black and Gold P.S.: I hope you enjoyed the Super Bowl."

http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d810ee653&template=without-video-with-comments&confirm=true

Just read this article on NFL.com and wanted to share. Most of us remember Bulluck from the Titans stomping on the towel, and how we can't wait to meet him and his team in the opening week.... Well, it looks like he knows what is coming and clearly regrets doing what he did.

He started to answer, then turned around to his locker and pulled out a Terrible Towel from the Steelers' Super Bowl with a note sent to him dated Feb. 16. The note read: "On behalf of Steelers Nation, we would like to present you with our new Terrible Towel. Hang this up in your locker room. Sincerely, the Black and Gold P.S.: I hope you enjoyed the Super Bowl."

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/football/nfl/05/22/backfields/index.html
"Ranking best backfields in the NFL."

Only posting this here because I wanted to point out how when they rank the Pittsburgh Steelers, they are not including Mewelde Moore. They are listing other guys on other teams like Tashard Choice from the Cowboys, but no mention of Moore.

Event better, they wrote:

Parker missed five games last season with injuries and failed to average 3.0 yards per carry in five of Pittsburgh's last nine games. Then again, the Steelers also won four of those five.

Hmmmmm..... Are they seriously not going to write about the man that took the place of Parker for those five games to help us win four of them? Really?

Oh boy, what a great opening game this is gonna be!! Revenge will be sweet.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_617399.html

The Steelers will kick off the NFL season on Thursday, Sept. 10 against the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field, team officials confirmed today.

The game will be televised in prime time by NBC.

The Titans had the best record in the AFC last season, and the Steelers finished with the second-best mark en route to winning Super Bowl XLIII.

This guy is a class act.

Link:

http://kissingsuzykolber.uproxx.com/2009/02/lendale-white-goes-all-pootie-tang-on-motorist.html

can you imagine his reaction when somebody grabs the last snickerdoodle?

Official news link:

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090223/SPORTS01/90223053/1002/SPORTS

According to the report, White, listed as an unknown suspect, “began striking the victim with a belt and belt buckle’’ before the parties got in their vehicle and fled. Hoch required hospitalization for lacerations, the offense report stated.

Posting this as a fanpost as I think it could generate some discussion.

We've all heard the rumors that Lewis could possibly play in Dallas. I think it's our concern because a Ray Lewis-less Ravens team makes playing in the AFC North seem a bit easier. In my opinion Ray Ray is the heart of that team and literally picks them up when they are down and gets them ready to go out and fight every game. I don't think he's got the skill he once had, but I still think he should remain on the field simply for what I just mentioned above.

I also think it's ridiculous that Ray Lewis wants to be a cowboy.

See this article:

http://blogs.usatoday.com/thehuddle/2009/02/ware-ray-lewis.html

Demarcus Ware stated that Ray Lewis said  'I want to wear this star on my helmet, that's my dream . . . that's my dream.'

Really? Ray Ray's dream is to be with a chaotic organization that hasn't won a playoff game since 1996?? Really?

I guess he doesn't care about superbowls anymore, or perhaps he knows that if his team has to play the Pittsburgh Steelers twice a year he will never make it.

Just wanted to know if anyone has heard anything about the Pittsburgh victory parade. I know there's been some speculation on whether or not they were going to have it, most things leaning towards no.

If you come up with anything, please post it here. I know some of us are wondering if we should make the trip or not.

What a great game! Games like that make me want to be a religious person. =) I swear my prayers were answered.