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On the Steelers: Holmes could be the one to pay for this offseason of legal dramas
Sunday, April 04, 2010
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Santonio Holmes: One soap opera too many?
Whether Santonio Holmes threw that glass or not, his timing in this whole thing was awful. If the cops in Orlando, Fla., do charge him -- and reading the stories, they were going to do so that night/morning until the woman changed her mind -- his playing days with the Steelers could be in jeopardy.
Considering the Ben Roethlisberger Affair(s) and Holmes' inane tweets -- did anyone even pay attention to those before this? -- the Steelers might feel a need to do something to begin reclaiming the public's respect.
Holmes also had a few interesting things to say in regard to Ben Roethlisberger's legal woes and what his advice might be to his quarterback's nightlife routine. His comments came several weeks ago on Atlanta sports talk radio, before his own new legal issue came to light. The show is called "Mayhem in the AM on 790 The Zone.''
Q: On if he's had a chance to talk to Ben Roethlisberger since the news of his alleged assault broke last Thursday night:
Holmes: "I haven't. On my Twitter page, people have been hitting me up, telling me to tell Ben to stay out of nightclubs and keep him this, this and that. I'm like he's a grown man, he's entitled to do whatever he wants to do. Unfortunately, the incident came about. Hopefully, it will get resolved and we can get on with our season."
Q: On the commonly held belief that athletes like Big Ben shouldn't put themselves in potentially compromising situations by going out to clubs and bars:
Holmes: "You say that now, but when you're out having fun, you're just having fun. Like I said, you're entitled to go wherever you want to go. You're not expecting those things to happen; you're going to have fun and enjoy yourself. And when these things occur, how do you defend yourself?"
And about that Twitter page he mentioned, shouldn't someone -- an agent, a friend, Mike Tomlin -- take away his key to it?
Big Ben should join workouts
At some point, as PG columnist Ron Cook pointed out, Roethlisberger must rejoin his teammates. The longer he stays away, the more serious things look for him. Also, he has to show his employers and his teammates that he can keep his eye on the job even if he has a wandering one when he socializes. Again, none of these workouts are required, but if you are the starting quarterback of a team that still believes it is a Super Bowl contender, you cannot stay away for long.
Terry Bradshaw did that for quite legitimate reasons and under a whole different set of circumstances in the summer of 1974. His players union called a strike at the opening of training camps that summer and Bradshaw and many other veterans stayed away. (My first interview in my first training camp as a sports writer was with Jack Ham, who was holding a picket sign at the entrance to Saint Vincent College and was joined by striking electrical workers who carried their own signs.)
As a result of the strike, Bradshaw lost his job as the starting quarterback to Joe Gilliam. Bradshaw eventually won it back during the season, but the leading passer in the Steelers' first Super Bowl season was Gilliam, not Bradshaw. You can look it up.
Some items gleaned from my PG Plus slog (Steelers log):
• Casey Hampton is busy working out at the Steelers' facility. Normally, Hampton prefers to remain at home in Texas in the offseason. That is where he spent most of his time last year.
Not this year. He has been working out at the team facility and likely will participate in much of the OTAs this year. Maybe he is trying to show that he won't get fat just because he signed a new contract that averages more than $7 million annually.
• Forget the safety from Southern California, Taylor Mays. Mike Tomlin does not like him, not high in the draft anyway. He put up good numbers at the combine, but not good performances during last season. Remember what Deion Sanders said about Mays? He's right on as far as the Steelers are concerned. Here is a safety Tomlin does like: Kam Chancellor of Virginia Tech, a big man at 6-3, 231. He's not a first-rounder, but then the Steelers no longer have an interest in drafting a safety on the first round.
• Frank Summers, who had back surgery during his rookie season, has been working out daily with his teammates and looks good. He will be a bonus in their backfield if his back is strong and maybe be what they call in hockey a mucker and grinder in their backfield, particularly in short yardage. He could be a hammer back there to complement Rashard Mendenhall. However, you must put him in the "if" category now because he has not shown it in Pittsburgh yet.
• There really are not one or two positions the Steelers need to fill over others in the draft. There are more than that, which is why you cannot say they will take this, that or the other thing. Would it surprise anyone, for instance, if they drafted a linebacker on the first round? A guard? Tackle? Defensive lineman? Cornerback? And, depending on what happens over the next three weeks, a quarterback?
Read more: [url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10094/1047802-66.stm?cmpid=steelers.xml#ixzz0k7CGZMTc"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10094/10 ... z0k7CGZMTc[/url]
Sunday, April 04, 2010
By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Santonio Holmes: One soap opera too many?
Whether Santonio Holmes threw that glass or not, his timing in this whole thing was awful. If the cops in Orlando, Fla., do charge him -- and reading the stories, they were going to do so that night/morning until the woman changed her mind -- his playing days with the Steelers could be in jeopardy.
Considering the Ben Roethlisberger Affair(s) and Holmes' inane tweets -- did anyone even pay attention to those before this? -- the Steelers might feel a need to do something to begin reclaiming the public's respect.
Holmes also had a few interesting things to say in regard to Ben Roethlisberger's legal woes and what his advice might be to his quarterback's nightlife routine. His comments came several weeks ago on Atlanta sports talk radio, before his own new legal issue came to light. The show is called "Mayhem in the AM on 790 The Zone.''
Q: On if he's had a chance to talk to Ben Roethlisberger since the news of his alleged assault broke last Thursday night:
Holmes: "I haven't. On my Twitter page, people have been hitting me up, telling me to tell Ben to stay out of nightclubs and keep him this, this and that. I'm like he's a grown man, he's entitled to do whatever he wants to do. Unfortunately, the incident came about. Hopefully, it will get resolved and we can get on with our season."
Q: On the commonly held belief that athletes like Big Ben shouldn't put themselves in potentially compromising situations by going out to clubs and bars:
Holmes: "You say that now, but when you're out having fun, you're just having fun. Like I said, you're entitled to go wherever you want to go. You're not expecting those things to happen; you're going to have fun and enjoy yourself. And when these things occur, how do you defend yourself?"
And about that Twitter page he mentioned, shouldn't someone -- an agent, a friend, Mike Tomlin -- take away his key to it?
Big Ben should join workouts
At some point, as PG columnist Ron Cook pointed out, Roethlisberger must rejoin his teammates. The longer he stays away, the more serious things look for him. Also, he has to show his employers and his teammates that he can keep his eye on the job even if he has a wandering one when he socializes. Again, none of these workouts are required, but if you are the starting quarterback of a team that still believes it is a Super Bowl contender, you cannot stay away for long.
Terry Bradshaw did that for quite legitimate reasons and under a whole different set of circumstances in the summer of 1974. His players union called a strike at the opening of training camps that summer and Bradshaw and many other veterans stayed away. (My first interview in my first training camp as a sports writer was with Jack Ham, who was holding a picket sign at the entrance to Saint Vincent College and was joined by striking electrical workers who carried their own signs.)
As a result of the strike, Bradshaw lost his job as the starting quarterback to Joe Gilliam. Bradshaw eventually won it back during the season, but the leading passer in the Steelers' first Super Bowl season was Gilliam, not Bradshaw. You can look it up.
Some items gleaned from my PG Plus slog (Steelers log):
• Casey Hampton is busy working out at the Steelers' facility. Normally, Hampton prefers to remain at home in Texas in the offseason. That is where he spent most of his time last year.
Not this year. He has been working out at the team facility and likely will participate in much of the OTAs this year. Maybe he is trying to show that he won't get fat just because he signed a new contract that averages more than $7 million annually.
• Forget the safety from Southern California, Taylor Mays. Mike Tomlin does not like him, not high in the draft anyway. He put up good numbers at the combine, but not good performances during last season. Remember what Deion Sanders said about Mays? He's right on as far as the Steelers are concerned. Here is a safety Tomlin does like: Kam Chancellor of Virginia Tech, a big man at 6-3, 231. He's not a first-rounder, but then the Steelers no longer have an interest in drafting a safety on the first round.
• Frank Summers, who had back surgery during his rookie season, has been working out daily with his teammates and looks good. He will be a bonus in their backfield if his back is strong and maybe be what they call in hockey a mucker and grinder in their backfield, particularly in short yardage. He could be a hammer back there to complement Rashard Mendenhall. However, you must put him in the "if" category now because he has not shown it in Pittsburgh yet.
• There really are not one or two positions the Steelers need to fill over others in the draft. There are more than that, which is why you cannot say they will take this, that or the other thing. Would it surprise anyone, for instance, if they drafted a linebacker on the first round? A guard? Tackle? Defensive lineman? Cornerback? And, depending on what happens over the next three weeks, a quarterback?
Read more: [url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10094/1047802-66.stm?cmpid=steelers.xml#ixzz0k7CGZMTc"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10094/10 ... z0k7CGZMTc[/url]
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