Happy Thanksgiving Steelers’ Fans and welcome to a special edition of “Quick Hitters.”
Today I’ll be introducing you to our “Turkeys of the Year.” Guys (or gals) who the staff here at SCB believes deserve the label for behavior the demands being called a “turkey.” Without further ado here’s our “Turkeys of the Year!”
Le’Veon Bell – You may think this is just too easy and you’re probably right. Regardless of whether or not Bell had the right to protect himself and his interests the way he handled himself throughout the process was immature and down-right selfish at times. Turkey!
Al Riveron – The Vice-President of NFL Officiating will no doubt receive lots of ill-intended wishes by Steelers’ fans after the Jesse James’ catch that became ‘not a catch.’ Turkey!
James Harrison – Deebo will always be a favorite of many Steelers’ fans but the way his tenure with Pittsburgh ended has left many with pretty negative feelings about the former defensive MVP. From sleeping through meetings to signing with the hated Patriots, Harrison has forever left a blemish on his reputation. Turkey!
Artie Burns – Nothing personal here kid, but we expected a heck of a lot more out of a first round draft pick. Furthermore, the fact that he was replaced by Coty Sensabaugh who has done a nice job, is a bit troubling. Right now Burns stands little chance of getting his fifth year option. Turkey!
Adisa Bakari – Bell’s agent has done himself few favors in NFL circles by seeing his star client skip an entire season. Not everyone agrees with me on this but I believe Bakari has been using Bell further some of his own personal agendas and to me, that’s just wrong. Turkey!
The SCB Staff – How could I do this and not include the crew? Who else could be so wrong about guys like (looks in mirror) James Conner? Or that Coty Sensabaugh couldn’t play a lick? Fact is that we are just like everyone else. We are right sometimes and wrong sometimes too. I mean, Cnic hasn’t evaluated a decent Steelers’ draft pick in years! Turkeys!
Danny Smith – The Steelers’ Special Teams’ Coach deserves this honor simply because he keeps abusing sticks of gum to the point where I actually feel bad for inanimate objects. Oh, I’m not always crazy about his ST units either! Turkey!
Ike Taylor – The former Steeler and former NFL Network personality sided strongly with Le’Veon Bell and often spoke out against his former team. Many fans questioned whether he would have shared this opinion had Dan Rooney (whom he had a close relationship with) had been still alive. Oh and then there’s that little thing about taking pictures of “himself” and sending them to NFLN interns.
Fans Who Want Mike Tomlin Fired for Anything – Look, I get frustrated with Mike Tomlin too. I still believe in the principle that head coaches can be in one place too long. Mike McCarthy is a good example right now. But the thing is this; in our highly reactive society fans want instant gratification. They believe firing Tomlin after a 1-2-1 start is the right thing to do. We all need to slow down and let things play out. Turkeys!
Vontaze Burfict – Is an explanation really needed here? Turkey!
Telvin Smith – It’s funny that he liked to find Ben Roethlisberger last Sunday to tell him how many interceptions he had thrown and ya, Ben threw three. But ironically, that’s the same amount of wins Smith and his Jaguars have. Turkey!
Maurice Jones-Drew – The NFL Network talking head has been a huge of supporter of Le’Veon Bell’s holdout. He’s totally entitled to that opinion. However it should be noted that he’s also a client of Adisa Bakari, Bell’s agent. That in turn means he made himself nothing more than a TV mouthpiece for Bakari. Turkey!
Roger Goodell – The NFL Commissioner has gone into hiding over the last year. My guess is the owners told him too because while the revenue is terrific, every time he opens his mouth it creates a firestorm. Turkey!
Jerry Jones – I hope that some day Jones will finally admit that his three Super Bowl titles were all because of Jimmy Johnson. He won’t because his ego is too big for that. And I continue to stand behind my belief that Jones shouldn’t be in the Hall of Fame either. Ushering in a new era of building stadiums and increasing revenue for the league does not display any sort of greatness for the game. There are more deserving owners. Turkey!
The NFL Media – Sadly the have become the equivalent of their brothers and sisters in the political media. The love to create drama instead of actually reporting. They follow every little rumor and make it a huge topic – look no further than the Steelers “pillaging” Bell’s locker. Turkeys!
Have a great Thanksgiving Steeler Nation!
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