Did 'Ya Ever Wonder?
The following articles are listed in the order they were received (with the most recent entries at the top). This isn't a "guestbook" format... I read and manually insert every message, so you may not see your submission show up immediately. Thanks a million for your comments, people! Thomas D. Bragg Loyalty... Doug, you ask why Rod Woodson is teaching the Ravens young DB's how to play it, and it is for this reason and this reason only... Rod Woodson's own arrogance and stupidity. Make no mistake, I was always one of Rod's biggest supporters even in his last year as a Steeler when he had been beaten BADLY by more than one reciever and even a then-rookie named Terry Glenn. The Steelers offered Rod a contract worth about 1.3 million a year. Rod, coming off of a 3+ million contract, was infuriated and insulted. He said he was betrayed by the Steelers. Well, in my opinion, if someone is going to hand me a million dollars to play a game, I'm going to feel anything but betrayed and that's beside the point Rod was so arrogant that he still thought he deserved a 3+ million dollar contract, so Rod neglected to sign the contract and auditioned for 10 teams, figuring they would throw the big bucks his way and he would have to hire secretaries to answer all the calls he would be getting from these clubs begging for his services. But if I recall correctly, only one team San Fran (or maybe two) called at all, and Rod (now realizing that he was the only one in the league that thought he was worth 3+ million) settled for a measely 1-year, $1.2 million contract... less than what the Steelers offered after his season ended. Take note that San Fran was in no great hurry to re-sign him and that is why he is in Baltimore. As for Bradshaw not wanting to come back, I have no idea why... I'm not in his head. But I watch him on FOX and he always speaks of the Steelers in high regards (I'm sure... part of that is because he doesn't want to get in trouble with the network he's on). As for mentioning Yancey Thigpen and loyalty in the same sentence, you must be out of your mind. He signed with the Oilers the first day of free agency and didn't even give the Steelers a chance to match the offer. Not that he would have gotten it because, he never has been and never will be the best reciever in the league ahead of Jerry Rice or Chris Carter or any number of others. Yet at the time of his signing, he was paid more than all of them. Chad Brown you say? He was whining because he wanted to play outside linebacker, but the Steelers already had two Pro-Bowlers there, so he left skid marks leaving Pittsburgh. That had nothing to do with loyalty. Neil O'Donnell? Well, the Steelers offered him a contract worth a lot more than his play warranted, but the Jets broke the bank to pay him an obscene amount of money. It's not the Steelers organization but Free Agency. Lynn Swann said it himself... "Do you think that if we had the kind of contracts when I was playing that people are getting today that we would have stayed together long enough to win four superbowls? Absolutely not." And he's right. Why should the owners be loyal to players when they sell themselves to the highest bidder and take the money and run? The first chance they get, Neil O'Donnell, Yancey Thigpen, Eric Green, & Chad Brown were all like this (just to name a few), and only Yancey Thigpen has enjoyed the same success. Neil doesn't even know if he'll be starting. Eric is no longer considered a top tight end, and Chad Brown openly critisizes his team and management. The one player that I can think of that you may have a case with is Greg Lloyd who really wanted to stay and even said he would take a pay cut. I was really sorry to see him go. I thought they should have kept him with a pay cut. While he isn't the Greg Lloyd of old times, he certainly is at least as good as Carlos Emmons was this season. One other player is Erric Pegram, who was a quality backup and could have been our starter if it weren't for Jerome. Erric knew what happened... that they wanted to keep him, but couldn't afford to pay him what he was worth and left without any hard feelings. I also long for the days when everyone came back every year, but as long as there are owners out there willing to pay these outrageous prices, things will never change. Also we should keep in mind here that while other clubs pay more, they also charge more for tickets. The Steelers ahave one of the lowest ticket prices in the league... suffice it to say we'll have to agree to disagree, Doug. God, I'm sick of the whining... I am writing from North Idaho. No not Ohio or Iowa.... Idaho. I have been a long distance Steeler fan for over twenty five years. I will be in Pittsburgh for a game at Three Rivers Stadium next year. My fear was that I would not make it there before they tore it down and built a new one, but now that fear is diminishing. It is difficult to get accurate news about the Steelers out here in the Pacific Northwest so I rely heavily on your site for news and comment (It was a gift from God when I found it). I find it very hard to believe a true Steeler fan could honestly believe that this organization is lacking in loyalty, honor and tradition. We are one of the few teams left that actually exude these qualities. I do, however, know there is problem keeping some of our best players, reportedly due to finances and the salary cap. Whether this is because the Rooney's are mismanaging finances, I don't know. What I do know is that if you want to look for a lack of pride and loyalty, you can look at the players leaving for the greedy love of money, but mostly you can look directly at the people of Pittsburgh! These ingrates balked at the idea of a seven year, 0.5% (that is one-half percent!) sales tax - that's 50 cents per one a hundred dollars- increase that would fund a new stadium and downtown renovation that would allow the Steelers to become competitive, at least as far as the salary cap and holding on to free agents. Hell, you can raise my sales tax 2% and I will donate it to the Steelers. It amazes me how the Seahawks, Ravens and Bucs (a bunch of losers) can get new stadium deals and the Pittsburgh Steelers can't. And you know that if (God forbid) the Steelers have to leave Pittsburgh, who do you think is going to take the blame for not showing loyalty? The people of Pittsburgh had their chance - let's hope its not too late. It's easy to point the finger because it's been a frustrating season... its Kordell, it's the O-line, it's Sherman, it's Bettis, it's Yancy, Greg and Rod. I don't believe there is any one reason why this season turning out this way, but I do know that there is no reason to panic and turn on the team of the organization. This may seem sacrilegious to some, but I am going to follow in the footsteps of some of my best friends who have been Packer fans through the good times and bad. I will support the Pittsburgh Steelers no matter what and wear my colors with great pride. To quote the boys at the bar on Sunday, "Chewin' Tabacca, Chewin' Tabacca, spit! spit! spit! If you ain't a Steeler fan you aint shit!" And if you think the Steelers lack tradition, then you ain't a Steeler fan. Woodson, he was treated badly too. Waiting around to sign a contract, waiting, waiting. Then look at Bradshaw, who said... The thing he most regretted was not going to Art Rooney's funeral (he should have gone anyway) because Noll and he did not get along. Here's a guy that called his own plays, and when he was a commentator, before he struck it rich, was great. He called every play before it happened. My nephews, who are avid Raiders fans, and hated him, watched him on TV and told me how much they loved him because he knew what was happening. He should have been a coach. How can you let the leading center, Webster, run off to KC? How do you let any of the players that have given so much of their lives, as Joe Greene did, be pushed aside? I think there is alot of problems right now in Pittsburgh. They don't know how to treat their players with the respect they are due; and that's why I have started rooting for the Panthers. Sorry guys. I just don't like what I see. I'm sure I'll get alot of e-mails on this. I'm not saying everything this guy is absolutely correct, but alot of it makes sense; and I've only touched the tip of the iceberg. Holly Manley |
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