The opposite of a hostile environment.
What We Learned This Week in the NFL Offseason
- Tom Brady and Ray Lewis both avoid talking about Aaron Hernandez
- Aaron Rodgers not so vocal anymore about Ryan Braun
- Mike Tomlin hanging aht before camp starts
- What Steelers fans need to know before heading to Latrobe for training camp
I moved into my new place over the weekend so I’m bringing you the Monday Morning Quarterback on Wednesday morning. I hope you didn’t suffer too badly without it. Can you feel that tingle in the air? NFL training camps are opening all over the country and it’s glorious. Questions will be answered, more questions will arise, and rosters will form within the next four weeks.
As New England begins their training camp noticeably without the services of one of their most productive offensive weapons, Tom Brady was talking to Sports Illustrated but avoiding directly commenting about Hernandez. Brady said he was focusing on the “great teammates” who were present and committing to win games and blah, blah, blah. What did you expect him to say? “Gee, I really wish Aaron was better at hiding his murderous activities because he’s a hell of a pass catcher?” Someone finally put a microphone in front of Ray Lewis on the subject of Hernandez, hoping to get his unique perspective on the subject of an NFL player being accused of murder. Lewis didn’t bite either. I’d more expect him to say something along the lines of, “If he wants to beat this, just destroy all the evidence, settle out of court with the victim’s family, turn super religious but with a creepy feeling to it, and start each game with a little dance to a Nelly song and rub dirt on yourself.” Maybe one day Hernandez will follow in Lewis’ footsteps and beat this murder rap and go on to a potential HOF career by getting his teammates to catch all the passes for him but somehow get the credit for them.
Another NFL player who’s not very vocal right now is Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was pretty vocal last year in defense of his buddy and Milwaukee Brewers slugger Ryan Braun during his PED ordeal. Well we all know now that Braun was lying a scooch last year when he was vehemently denying any PED use because now he has admitted to it and has since been suspended for the remainder of the season by MLB. During his defense of his buddy last year Rodgers actually bet his salary to a fan that Braun was innocent. Now PED usage is obviously looked at in a different light from baseball to football, there’s no question about that but I think it’s pretty safe to say that when a baseball player denies using PED’s, he totally used them anyway. Wonder if Rodgers is actually going to pony up to that fan or deny that he ever bet him in the first place.
Yesterday, Deadspin reported the photo of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin sitting on the hood of a car with a tattooed woman hugging him outside a dive bar in Etna, PA. I love this. I always imagined Coach Cowher was a yinzer just like the rest of us because well, he’s a yinzer just like the rest of us. I imagined he ate his chipped ham sammiches and did all the Pittsburgh things we know and love. Now to see Tomlin, wearing his Steelers hat, heading out to the bar to pick up a couple of six packs, priceless. I’d like to hang out with Tomlin and a couple of six packs. God I love this team.
At the end of this week the Steelers will report to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe for the 48th year for Training Camp. If you plan to head out there the PPG has everything you need to know about where to go, where to park, what to bring, what not to bring, and what you’ll see. Practices and parking are free there and the experience is one that every Steeler fan should have. It’s not like the “good old days” as some of my family members would attest to when you could bring a cooler of beer and sit on the hill for hours and drink. Alcohol is on the banned items list for training camp. So are Ravens fans. Here we go Steelers! Here we go!
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