There is a saying that if you continue to poke a bee’s nest, then eventually you are going to get stung.
In this case, Roger Goodell and the NFL represent the bee’s nest, and players such as LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison just continue to poke at them.
I hope everyone out there in Steeler nation got a chance to read Craig’s article on how the NFL hates the Steelers. He stacks up great evidence to show that it indeed might be the case.
I could sit here and harp on how these new rule changes are bad for the NFL, or complain that Goodell is taking away the very essence of the game that we all love and have come to expect here in Pittsburgh, but really…..what good would that do.
The NFL has taken on the persona that seemingly all professional sports in America have evolved into….soft.
Look at the NBA; the rules have become so soft that when a player even looks at an official the wrong way after a call it is a technical. And James Harrison should ask Kobe how it feels to be fined 100k, for uttering a gay slur on the bench that no one could even hear. If he wasn’t caught by the television cameras saying the term, it would never have gotten out.
The point I am trying to make is that this is the way professional sports in America are running their business now. It is no longer for the die-hard fans that have come to love every aspect of the game. The game is being marketed to the “on the fence” fans, and the European fans, and anyone else out there that would allow the game to expand greater than it ever has. If there is to be this great global expansion, than Goodell feels he has to clean the game up.
I don’t want to hear an argument that all of these rules are for the safety of the players. Football is the most violent sport there is, and these same people who want to change the game’s very fundamentals, are the same people that were pushing for an 18-game schedule.
While I love Harrison and Woodley’s steadfast opinions on the rule changes in the league, don’t these two guys think before they say things?
Yes, it is undeniably true that the league has a bulls-eye on the Steelers organization. The Steelers are one of the greatest franchises in the league, and have some of the most recognizable players. So with the bulls-eye already there, why would Steeler players want to make it bigger?
What good is Harrison tweeting out that all the people who make the rules in the NFL are “idiots?” Harrison has been fined exorbitant amounts of money for some of his hits, has threatened to retire because of the rule changes, and has now insulted the governing body of the NFL. I’m not sure, but I don’t think behavior like that will endear Harrison to Goodell, or anyone else in the NFL hierarchy.
Woodley was interviewed yesterday on Sirius radio, and seemingly mocked every aspect of the NFL. How can this be a productive way to go about getting ready for the season?
I understand Woodley’s frustration. The man has been taught to play the violent game of football one way for his entire life….and that has been a pretty good way to play it. How can the league expect all of these players to change the way they play the game this late in their careers, and adjust to the new rule changes?
There is only one answer to that question; the league doesn’t care what these players think, they want the game cleaned up.
Sure, the league was completely out of line saying draft picks can be taken away from teams for having repeat offenders to the new rules. I personally don’t agree with any of the new rules, and of course I am not alone. But that is the way the league is heading right now, and if the Steelers players can’t get on board, it is going to have a greater effect on this team than players digging into their pockets!