Steelers Offseason Week 1 Wrap-up
Ryan Clark goes after Steeler Nation and Big Ben critics this week in a bit of some Twitter ranting. Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
The Steelers and Steeler football did not stay quiet during their first week of being away from the football field.
The team signed seven players to futures contracts by Friday. Most futures only hang around on the practice squad, but some, like James Harrison, not only make the 53 man roster but also contribute in big ways.
Within the AFC North, the Baltimore Ravens received news that Ray Lewis will retire at the end of the season. That probably means ‘Stabby’ will be hitting ESPN’s studios in about a week. Speaking of Lewis, Ryan Clark has taken exception to those of Steeler Nation (and beyond) who criticize Ben Roethlisberger and his alleged sexual assault from a few years ago and criticize Ray Lewis and his troubles with knives and white suits. He tweeted:
Now to be clear, he’s not criticizing Big Ben. He’s only drawing parallels between the fan bases, and makes a really great point. Unfortunately, he’s been dealing with a lot of flack on Twitter and beyond. Stand firm Clark.
The Browns have spoken to Oregon coach, Chip Kelly in less than 36 hours since his bowl win. In fact he was slated for another interview today. They met for almost seven hours, so obviously there’s something there that they like. Kelly didn’t seem too loyal to the Ducks within minutes of a very convincing win against 5th ranked Kansas State. When asked if he would go to the NFL and who was in line to talk to him, Kelly said that his agent would take care of everything. Well, how about at least a ‘I’m not worried bout that right now. I’m just glad these guys got the win tonight. They deserve it. Blah blah blah.’ The Steelers and Mike Tomlin might have to deal with a coach who L-O-V-E-S loves to run no huddle, which is always challenging to defend.
The Bungles went up against the Texans on Saturday and are now an embarrassing 0-4 in the playoffs under Marvin Lewis. It’s unclear if he will be fired for this latest let down. He’s elevated the team to a level higher than they were over the last decade, but is that as far as the Bengals go with Lewis? The Steelers may have two new coaches to worry about come the 2013 season.
In other interesting news, 28 year old John Winters was arrested by Pittsburgh Police after attempting to break into the Steelers locker room…. with a hammer. Winters broke a lock with a hammer on Gate B and made his way to the field. He almost got to the locker rooms but was confronted by Pittsburgh Police and arrested. Police noted that some doors and bolts were marked up from Winters’ hammer swing along the way. It’s amazing to think that some dude got onto the field with just a hammer. Maybe Winters was looking for the offense since it went missing last season….