The Eagles defense probably felt very comfortable with what Kurt Warner and the Cardinals might try to do in the NFC Championship game, particularly since they whupped them on Thanksgiving, 48-20.
What Philadelphia probably didn't expect, however, was that Ken Whisenhunt would dig deep into the Steelers' playbook. But that's exactly what happened on Arizona's first possession of the second quarter. Warner took the snap, handed off to J.J. Arrington. Arrington ran right, then turned and threw a backward pass to Warner, who promptly heaved a bomb to Larry Fitzgerald. Sixty-two yards later, Fitzgerald was in the end zone and the Cardinals were up 14-3.
This offseason, the Steelers cut Cedrick Wilson after he got into a physical altercation with his girlfriend at a local Mexican eatery. Later, the club pretended it wasn't paying attention when Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison was charged with slapping his girlfriend, and the media soon accused the team of having different rules for different players.
"When you're a great team, there will be distractions," head coach Mike Tomlin told Pittsburgh's WPXI. Well, there are other distractions to add to the list: left tackle Marvel Smith, cornerback Bryant McFadden, and running back Willie Parker will all be out with injuries, and defensive end Aaron Smith will also miss the game for personal reasons. Oh, and Troy Polamalu is probably still punch drunk after cracking noggins with the Bengals' Cedric Benson last week. On the upside, Ben Roethlisberger feels great!
First James Harrison, then Cedrick Wilson, and now this: Steely McBeam has been arrested for driving drunk. And just like Wilson, he's been canned. That's what happens when you're not one of the best mascots in the league -- teams just cut you willy-nilly, without even waiting around to hear the facts. Either that, or the organization rues the day they even thought unveiling a mascot -- and naming him Steely McBeam -- wasn't a completely insane idea.
Either way, one of the dudes hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers to play McBeam will no longer have the honor of donning the Hamburglar-sizedhead and carrying a ball-peen hammer. Them's the breaks.
Kenneth Hahey, 24, of Mt. Washington was charged with drunken driving after he was stopped in the South Side in January, according to Pittsburgh municipal court records. His blood alcohol level was .166, according to a police affidavit.
The article doesn't say if he was dressed as Steely at the time. I'll guess yes. Also, I wonder if the absurdly high blood-alcohol level had anything to do with Hahey suddenly realizing that he's hated by Steelers fans everywhere. Again, I'm going with yes.
Unfortunately, though, it wasn't enough to kill off McBeam for good. According to Steelers' spokesman David Lockett, the mascot will be back for the 2008 season. I can't imagine anybody is happy about the news.
Perhaps the 49ers' biggest need heading into next season -- after settling on a starting quarterback -- is finding a big-play wide receiver. (Cedrick Wilson's has recently become available; maybe he can make a triumphant return to the Bay Area.)
Two years ago, San Francisco drafted Vernon Davis sixth overall, but he has yet to emerge as an elite tight end. (Part of that might have to do with the quarterback situation, of course.) And given the offensive woes in recent seasons, using a first-round pick on a wide receiver seems logical enough.
Despite a big need for a future No. 1 receiver, I don't think the 49ers will try to find one in the first round, and here's why:
Top-tier receivers are historically hard to find, especially if you don't have a Top 10 pick. There have been 43 receivers taken in the first round in the last 10 drafts. Of those, nine have been to a Pro Bowl. Of those nine, only two – Javon Walker in 2002 and Reggie Wayne in 2001 – weren't selected in the first 10 picks. Walker was selected No. 20 overall; Wayne went No. 30 overall.
When the Steelers cut Cedric Wilson after he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend, they said it was to send a message that such behavior wouldn't be tolerated.
Of course, when Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison was arrested on similar charges just a week before, the Steelers didn't do a thing--that was a case where it made sense to wait and see how the judicial process works out.
Dan Rooney got himself in trouble by trying to explain the differences away by saying that Harrison's case involved him trying to get his child baptized. He eventually sent out a "clarification" where he said he realized that no case of domestic abuse is acceptable.
But Jimmy Johnson explained it best when he was the Cowboys coach. There are rules for your stars, and rules for the rest of the team. A football team isn't fair, it's focused on winning.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Cedrick Wilson was arrested Wednesday night and released Thursday morning.
The team announced in a brief statement that it had terminated Wilson's contract, and although the Steelers didn't give any reason, obviously, the reason is that they don't think his production on the field justifies the headaches he creates off the field. The NFL's Standard Player Contract says a player can be terminated "if Player has engaged in personal conduct reasonably judged by Club to adversely affect or reflect on Club."
Wilson was arrested Wednesday and accused of hitting his ex-girlfriend. That incident comes after a dispute between Wilson and the same woman, who is the mother of Wilson's daughter, resulted in an armed standoff between the woman and police officers.
The 29-year-old Wilson played in all 16 games for the Steelers last year, starting one. He is the second Steeler to be arrested for an alleged domestic violence incident this month, following the arrest of linebacker James Harrison. Harrison is a much better player than Wilson, however, so his job is not in jeopardy.
If Willie Parker ranks as the most divisive player on the Steelers (some fans think he's great, others wish the Steelers could find a new Jerome Bettis), then Nate Washington is probably second on that list.
No Steeler is more likely to make an awesome catch for a touchdown one minute and drop an easy first down the next.
Fans who focus on the negatives have plenty to look at: he has the knack of dropping about a pass a week, which may have been fine when he was at Tiffin University, but doesn't work nearly as well in the NFL. And he's not a good enough route runner to turn short slants and stops into consistent first downs like Hines Ward.
That explains why Washington has caught only 51 percent of passes thrown his way, which ranks as one of the worst percentages in the NFL.
If you're a Steelers fan, there weren't many highlights from today's loss to the Jaguars. One thing that has been missing is this season have been the gadget plays, long a staple under offensive coordinators Mike Mularkey and Ken Whisenhunt.
First-year coordinator Bruce Arians has admitted to being a big proponent of the passing game, but until today, he's shied away from the 'Trickeration' portion of the playbook. (Although some might point out that last week's 4th-and-goal end around to Hines Ward that came up short was pretty goofy. Agreed.)
Anyway, after the Steelers cut the Jags lead to two points with just over five minutes to go in the game, they went for two. Enter wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, All State high school quarterback. I feel confident in writing that Wilson has a better arm than Chad Pennington and Tommy Maddox put together. It's that good. It's just too bad that wasn't an eight-point conversion.
Every week, NFL FanHouse hits the lowlights from Sunday's action, looking at those players who did the most to move their head coaches that much closer to returning to the Bed and Breakfast business. Anthony Smith, Steelers Didn't see that coming, did you? First, let me say that I don't have any real problems with Smith, a second-year safety used primarily as a backup until starter Ryan Clark went on injured reserve earlier this season, smacking his gums during the week. It's football; guys yell and scream and run into each other for a living.
The problem, however, is that Smith single-handedly torpedoed Pittsburgh's already-slim chances with what can kindly be described as "his play." Early in the second quarter with the Pats leading 7-3, Smith bit on a play-action pass that resulted in 63-yard touchdown pass to Randy Moss.
And on New England's first drive of the second half, they ran the same play that the Steelers used to break the Bengals' back in the 2005 wild-card game: wide receiver throwback, quarterback hits the deep post. But instead of Antwaan Randle El, Ben Roethlisberger and Cedrick Wilson, it was Moss, Tom Brady, and Jabar Gaffney. The guy responsible for not letting Gaffney get behind the defense? Yep, Mr. Smith. Sorry, No Photos
I mentioned earlier that the Bengals-Steelers tilt on Sunday night could be a re-enactment of the Monday night game we saw five days ago. Which is to say: crappy weather and sloppy football. Woo-hoo!
I thought the conditions would give Pittsburgh the edge because they have played in less-than-ideal conditions several times this season. But the advantage won't be as big as it could've been; the Steelers will be without safety Troy Polamalu, wide receiver Santonio Holmes and left tackle Marvel Smith.
Depending on who you talk to, Polamalu is the NFL's best safety, but he'll have very little impact on the outcome from the bench. Tyrone Carter will replace him, and while he's a hard hitter, he makes the Steelers' defense less versatile.
Holmes has emerged as the team's deep threat/playmaker, but he'll miss his third game of the season. Ben Roethlisberger didn't miss him last week -- he connected with Hines Ward for 88 of his 165 passing yards. Still, without Holmes, Pittsburgh will have to rely on Nate Washington and Cedrick Wilson. Big Ben could also look to get his already busy tight ends more involved.
Perhaps the 49ers' biggest need heading into next season -- after settling on a starting quarterback -- is finding a big-play wide receiver. (
When the Steelers cut Cedric Wilson after he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend, they said it was to send a message that such behavior wouldn't be tolerated.
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver 
If Willie Parker ranks as the most divisive player on the Steelers (some fans think he's great, others wish the Steelers could find a new Jerome Bettis), then 
