Roethlisberger suspension reduced to 4 games- Phins brutal schedule gets harder

I'm looking forward to the "she said no" chants, though.

"Vendigo wrote:

I'm looking forward to the "she said no" chants, though.

JRS may be half empty by then.. We could be 1-4 at that point..

If we are hoping to be contenders, then we should want to play teams at their best, otherwise we are just pretenders. I say bring on the rapist, er, she said no man, let's beat him and then feel even better about it.

It really doesn't bother me that he will be playing against us. If we want to be a good team, we need to play against the best players.

"PhinsRock wrote:

If we are hoping to be contenders, then we should want to play teams at their best, otherwise we are just pretenders. I say bring on the rapist, er, she said no man, let's beat him and then feel even better about it.

I agree.. Just don't think we are contenders.. We have no puffcakes the first half of the season and our D is young and inconsistent.. A recipe for disaster...

I'm feeling pretty down on our prospects to start the year.

Hmm well since Roethlisberger has never lost a game at QB, cancel the season!

Again, the cup is always half empty.

What about all the crucial injuries to the players on some of those teams? Pittsburgh doesn't impress me much, Minny is banged up with Favre who won't produce like last season, not even close. The Pats are hurting, the Jets are overrated. Sure there are some tough games, but in the words of the immortal Ric Flair:

"To be the best, you have to beat the best."

I would rather tough out these games and go into the second half of the season with some battle scars and great experience. We need to prove we are good, and this gives us the chance. I see this as an opportunity to become a great team, not an opportunity to fail.

Champions don't want breaks, or luck, or an easy road, they earn their stripes in the trenches.

I wonder if Jason Ferguson's suspension might have been shorter had he raped someone in a bathroom.

"Bumrush wrote:

JRS may be half empty by then.. We could be 1-4 at that point..

Boooooo!!!!!!!

"Pariah wrote:

Again, the cup is always half empty.

What about all the crucial injuries to the players on some of those teams? Pittsburgh doesn't impress me much, Minny is banged up with Favre who won't produce like last season, not even close. The Pats are hurting, the Jets are overrated. Sure there are some tough games, but in the words of the immortal Ric Flair:

"To be the best, you have to beat the best."

I would rather tough out these games and go into the second half of the season with some battle scars and great experience. We need to prove we are good, and this gives us the chance. I see this as an opportunity to become a great team, not an opportunity to fail.

Champions don't want breaks, or luck, or an easy road, they earn their stripes in the trenches.

I'm not saying I disagree. In fact I have always believed that to be the best, you must beat the best and the road to the Super Bowl requires it..

However, we have traditionally started slow since the end of the JJ era, have a brutal schedule and a very young D that is going to take some time to mold... When you factor in the rust / time required to gel, it may be too late for us.. Kind of like last year.. I'd much rather have the brutal schedule at the end than forcing us to play catch up once again... Since we can't control those variables, I'm just being realistic from what I have seen and read this season.

I started this thread in the Other NFL forum, but it bears repeating here

If you ask me, this is the biggest crock of horse **** out of Goodell's tenure yet. The man has got to go. I haven't liked him since he took over as commissioner and this is just another in his long line of bias, bigoted, and damn near racist decisions. You're telling me that 3 counts of alleged sexual assault is equal to smoking one joint in terms of suspension time? And don't give me this "He was never convicted." bull****. Adam Jones was never convicted and he got a whole year. If Roethlisberger was a Tight End or a Defensive Lineman, or god forbid, black he would have gotten 8 games at the minimum. This is rediculous. People like Roethlisberger should be locked up, not getting their suspensions reduced to have the privelage to play a game and make millions of dollars. Goodell has to go.

"lmeister3 wrote:

I wonder if Jason Ferguson's suspension might have been shorter had he raped someone in a bathroom.

Naw, he just needed to be playing on one of Roger Goodhell's fav teams.

is he allowed to practice with the team while he is suspended?

"Trowa wrote:

I started this thread in the Other NFL forum, but it bears repeating here

If you ask me, this is the biggest crock of horse **** out of Goodell's tenure yet. The man has got to go. I haven't liked him since he took over as commissioner and this is just another in his long line of bias, bigoted, and damn near racist decisions. You're telling me that 3 counts of alleged sexual assault is equal to smoking one joint in terms of suspension time? And don't give me this "He was never convicted." bull****. Adam Jones was never convicted and he got a whole year. If Roethlisberger was a Tight End or a Defensive Lineman, or god forbid, black he would have gotten 8 games at the minimum. This is rediculous. People like Roethlisberger should be locked up, not getting their suspensions reduced to have the privelage to play a game and make millions of dollars. Goodell has to go.

This has nothing to do with race. This has everything to do with Big Rapist having a good PR firm behind him and coaching him on how to act and what to say to get out of this quicker..

You can't compare it to Pacman who winds up a in a strip club a week after being threatened by the NFL. Nothing to do with race, everything to do with image and stupidity.

"Ultra wrote:

is he allowed to practice with the team while he is suspended?

I don't believe so

"Bumrush wrote:

I'm not saying I disagree. In fact I have always believed that to be the best, you must beat the best and the road to the Super Bowl requires it..

However, we have traditionally started slow since the end of the JJ era, have a brutal schedule and a very young D that is going to take some time to mold... When you factor in the rust / time required to gel, it may be too late for us.. Kind of like last year.. I'd much rather have the brutal schedule at the end than forcing us to play catch up once again... Since we can't control those variables, I'm just being realistic from what I have seen and read this season.

I've seen a lot of crap this preseason as well, and some flashes of good football. But preseason means nothing come week 1. If they get whooped week 1, I will be all for the worry. Right now everyone is a contender, and we can only move 1 Game at a time.

Just remember if we are 4-4 come mid-season we will be in a pretty good place.

"AbideN703 wrote:

I don't believe so

So why was he allowed to participate in the preseason? He must be able to.

"AbideN703 wrote:

I don't believe so

Correct, he is not.

"Bumrush wrote:

So why was he allowed to participate in the preseason? He must be able to.

You can participate in the preseason, but once the regular season begins you cannot participate in any team activities until the suspension is over. The suspension is for the "regular" season. I am almost positive on this.

"Bumrush wrote:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/nfl/09/03/roethlisberger.ap/index.html?eref=sihp

We can't catch a break.. A poor preseason, and a brutal schedule to start.. At Minny, at GB, at Baltimore, at Cincy,.. With NE, Pitt and NY at home...

Now we get Pitt at home with the Pervert back at QB... Things are not looking up for us...

You got to beat the best to be the best, so weak or tough schedule you still got to beat your opponents.

I'd rather be in the playoffs beating good teams than making it because we played bad teams and get killed in the first round

"Pariah wrote:

You can participate in the preseason, but once the regular season begins you cannot participate in any team activities until the suspension is over. The suspension is for the "regular" season. I am almost positive on this.

You are correct.

He's not even allowed to be at the facility or attend any meetings.

On the other hand, Santonio Holmes IS allowed those things, because his suspension came for violating the substance abuse policy. That means he can be around the facility, working out, attending meetings, he's just not allowed to practice.

Supposedly the Steelers will have a QB Coach working with Ben every day during his suspension, taking all the mental reps from the games...and probably working through each of the game plans.

This isn't about race, btw. This is about money.

The person I'm most disappointed in is not Roger Goodell. It's Art Rooney. After the findings for the investigation were released, Art made a big show calling a bunch of teams trying to trade Ben. Now, he's accompanying Ben on his trip to see the Commish and requesting Goodell reduce the suspension to THREE games, even beyond four games.

Sell out.

I got one question for all these people that buy into the Big Ben image rehabilitation: What if it was your daughter?

"ckparrothead wrote:

I got one question for all these people that buy into the Big Ben image rehabilitation: What if it was your daughter?

they'd be wondering where Big Ben is

"ckparrothead wrote:

What if it was your daughter?