Wow.
That was the only word that came to mind following Roger Goodell's announcement that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is suspended for almost half the season—six games —because he violated the NFL's personal conduct policy.
And after reading that the Steelers had reportedly contacted as many as seven teams trying to swap the star QB for a top-10 pick in the 2010 NFL draft?
WHAT. THE. F#@!?
Just a week after trading superstar receiver Santonio Holmes for a fifth-round draft pick, the Steelers are causing fans of the black and gold to hit the panic button with the latest news of possibly dealing their franchise QB for a potential bust.
Never before have I seen a team so intent on handing out its most prized players for basically nothing. A fifth-round pick for a Super Bowl MVP? Not since the Patriots traded a fourth-round pick to the Oakland Raiders for Randy Moss has a team gotten so much talent for so little. Regarding the possible Roethlisberger deal I'll admit a top-10 selection isn't ""nothing,"" but these highly coveted picks are overvalued even more so than 40-yard dash times. One only has to look at the consistent disappointments the Lions have had with their first-round receiver selections of anybody not named Calvin Johnson to realize the NFL draft is what some analysts call a ""crapshoot.""
So where did this sudden interest in team image come from? I really have no idea, because it's always been about winning in the NFL. Although there is something to be said about Roethlisberger's personal decisions off the field, he hasn't been proven guilty of any crimes. This is why I think the Steelers' trade talks are taking this issue to the extreme: because most teams don't sacrifice winning for the sake of public image. Are the Vikings going to trade Adrian Peterson if he allegedly assaulted somebody once? Twice? Since we're talking about a team that kept Moss for two more seasons after he ran over a meter maid, I think it's safe to say the answer is no. The Vikings stuck with Moss because they knew he could win them football games, and the Steelers should do the same with Roethlisberger.
But hey, the Steelers' losses are somebody else's gains, right?
Now, I'm a Steelers fan and am absolutely furious at losing one, and potentially two, key playmakers on my team. Not to mention the fact that Jets fans are practically laughing in my face about how they basically stole Holmes from his former squad. I don't care about a player having three measly cigars filled with bubba kush in his car like Holmes did as long as he serve his suspension and goes back to making spectacular catches. Besides, if it's OK for the Jets to take him then it should be okay for the Steelers to handle the situation and restore order. Who else could do that better than Mike Tomlin?
Of course Holmes and Roethlisberger should make better decisions, but the Steelers are going about the wrong way of reviving it. Trading their two marquee players when they are already thin at receiver and quarterback is setting themselves up for failure for this season and beyond. Nobody (i.e. the fans) is going to say, ""Awesome! I'm OK with trying to replace franchise players for the next couple years so we can be a respected football team!"" The Steelers will never be the Bengals for heaven's sake, and fans want to see a winning team. Both Holmes and Roethlisberger are special players who aren't above the law, but the Steelers have handled the situations poorly thus far. Here's hoping they still have No. 7 the player rather than the No. 7 pick going into the draft.
Any thoughts? E-mail Jack at jpdoyle2@wisc.edu.
