Bleacher Report - Articles by Warren Siciliano

Harrison May Not Be Eloquent but he Speaks from the Heart

Warren Siciliano — Tue, 19 May 2009 12:01:20 -0400

James Harrison, defensive MVP of the NFL, superbowl record holder for the longest interception return in the history of the NFL, seemingly has let these accolades go straight to his head. He thinks he's better than the President of the United States, Barack Obama—right?

Well, it may seem so, the way the mainstream media is portraying his latest decision not to appear at the White House with the Pittsburgh Steelers like all teams do after winning a Super Bowl.

However, his decision not to go is based on what is in his heart and not so much what is in his words.

According to a Yahoo Sports article, Harrison said, “I don’t feel the need to go, actually,” Harrison told Pittsburgh station WTAE-TV. “I don’t feel like it’s that big a deal to me.” And he also mentioned that “He (Obama) would have invited Arizona.”

Maybe Harrison, a football player, doesn't speak as eloquently as President Obama, but he is showing no disrespect to the President personally, he just doesn't believe in a tradition that allows teams to visit the White House after a Super Bowl win.

He just believes that a team should be invited if the President is a fan of a team and not just because of some tradition about the Super Bowl winner, which started for some unknown reason.

Harrison is a football player, and that is what he does best and he does it on the gridiron. He's not a Republican (at least I don't think he is) and he is not trying to make a political statement by his actions, let us just let him be what he is—a Pittsburgh Steeler and a darn good football player.

Byron Leftwich Bests Big Ben

Warren Siciliano — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:38:23 -0500

On the day before our country's Presidential election, who knew there would be a long-shot that would step in and take charge, not in the White house, but on the field at FedEx Field against the Washington Redskins.

Ben Roethlisberger had a horrible showing in the first half of play. He did run for a touchdown, but he completed only 5/17 passes for a total of 50 yards with an interception and a passer rating of 15.1 which is about as horrible as possible.

Byron Leftwich, on the other hand, came in at the start of the third quarter and looked composed, stayed in the pocket, and delivered some blistering throws and marched the Steelers down the field. He finished the game and ended up with 7/10 completions for 129 yards and a touchdown which got him a passer rating of 145.8 which is huge and will win many games for a team.

It is clear that Leftwich sparked the offense, coupled with strong defensive play, to a convincing win over the Washington Redskins.

The questions that remain:

Is Big Ben done?

Is he just injured worse than was thought?

Have the sacks added up to diminish his performance?

Should Leftwich be the starting QB from now on?

Was this just a one time deal with Leftwich or can he consistently play like that?

There are many more questions facing the Steelers and their quarterback situation this year and only they know the answers. One thing is for sure, there are many curves ahead for the Steelers and their fans.

Steelers: Please Give Us an Offense

Warren Siciliano — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 10:22:59 -0400

Ok, we all know that the Pittsburgh Steelers are about grinding it out and smashing an opponent into submission. The defense has been doing pretty much that all season, but when your offense is only on the field for 25 minutes in an entire game, your defense is going to get tired and injured.

In short, Steeler fans are sick and tired of having an offense without any punch. We have the quarterback and the running game. Let's get some top end receivers and an offensive line that can give Big Ben more protection. It's time to make an offense that can put up some points, so that one field goal or one safety won't make the difference in the game.

Tomlin is a new head coach, so let's give him some help to get this team up to snuff. OK Mike, instead of having the smallest offensive line in the NFL, let's get some big, smart offensive linemen who can communicate, protect Ben, and open up some holes for the running game. If your team is known for running, why would you not get the biggest, baddest offensive linemen in the world? It's time to get it done!

The wide receivers as a group are the worst in the NFL. They give up on routes, run sloppy routes, are never where they are supposed to be, and not one goes up and fights for the ball when thrown down field. Get some receivers that are big, fast, sharp, and will fight for the ball when necessary. It's great if they can block, but unless you are running the ball 50+ times per game, you don't need the receivers to block. You need them to get open.

Maybe that's why the Steelers are one of the worst teams on converting third downs and only have the ball less than 30 minutes per game. Whoever is recruiting the wide receivers for the Steelers needs to change their criteria and not look for a blocking receiver first and then a good receiver second. Get this team some good wide receivers!

Until these critical areas are addressed, the Black and Gold will be more like the Black and Blue and have an impotent offense that frustrates players, coaches, and fans alike.

While your at it Mike, upgrade the defensive secondary as well. That isn't as critical as the offense, but it might help stop the opponent's offense from staying on the field longer than the Steelers offense in any game.

We're frustrated fans in Steeler Nation, Mr. Tomlin and Steelers front office! Give us something we can be proud of once again! I just gave you the blueprint—there is no excuse!

The NFL Is Not "Fine"

Warren Siciliano — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 12:05:49 -0400

With all the rash fines handed out by the NFL to various players over the last several weeks in what seems to be an organization out of control, one must ask—why?

Well, some would say that the NFL is trying to protect its image, or protect the players. But, if this was the case, why fine players for hits during a game that were never penalized in said game? Why penalize players for hits that weren't illegal, cheap or intended to hurt a player? For hits that are just part of this physical game?

Here are just some of the fines handed down recently—some are for mouthing off to officials, but most are for hits that were not penalized during a game. In any case, the idea is that there are so many fines in such a short amount of time that it makes one raise an eyebrow as to why?

Hines Ward, Pittsburgh Steelers, $10000, against Jacksonville Jaguars, and

$5000, against the Baltimore Ravens

James Harrison, Pittsburgh Steelers, $20000, against the Jacksonville Jaguars

Ryan Clark, Pittsburgh Steelers, $7500, against the Jacksonville Jaguars

Nate Washington, Pittsburgh Steelers, $7500, against the Jacksonville Jaguars

Julius Peppers, Carolina Panthers, $10000, against the Jacksonville Jaguars

Richie Incognito, St Louis Rams, $35000, against the Washington Redskins

Adrian Wilson, Arizona Cardinals, $25000, against the Buffalo Bills

Dre Bly, Denver Broncos, $20000, against the Jacksonville

Joey Porter, Miami Dolphins, $20000, against the Houston Texans

I believe the answer lies in the absence of one man—Gene Upshaw.

It is a strange coincidence that these fines have increased tremendously since his passing, that they seem to go unchecked or unquestioned before they are handed down. If every fine has to go through the NFL Players Association for review, then there seems to be no review process at all.

It seems that Upshaw intercepted these potential fines and questioned them before ever getting handed down to players, therefore reducing the number of frivolous fines given to players.

It's a theory, but the timing and nature of all these fines would seem to indicate that there is currently no checks and balances in the NFL with regards to handing out fines to players as there was when Gene Upshaw was in charge.

Sports and Steroids: Let's "Clear" the Air

Warren Siciliano — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:25:52 -0400

Listening to sports radio and TV is something we all as sports fans love to do. Of course we like some shows better than others. One thing they all have in common is that they cause confusion about steroids and exactly what they do to help an athlete. From a degreed health care professional, we will try to lessen the confusion about different types of steroids and their effects on the body and how they may help an athlete perform at a high level, well beyond their normal peak age.

We've all heard how steroids help an athlete heal faster, make them stronger and last longer when performing in their respective sport from listening to the sports talk hosts and athletes on TV and radio. While these comments are true - different steroids do different things in our bodies - yes in OUR bodies - we all have them and produce them naturally whether athletes or not. Athletes just increase the amounts in their bodies by injecting these chemicals into their bodies and therefore might get more benefits than normal.

Let's call this lesson: Steroids 101. Steroids are like apples, there are many types and they all have different effects on our body. First and foremost, the word "Steroid" describes a certain chemical structure that is common for many, many different compounds. So there are dozens of chemicals (drugs, etc) that are Steroids. All of our bodies make steroids naturally, we also all make Human Growth Hormone (HGH) which technically isn't a steroid but we hear them all talked about together.

One type of steroid that our bodies make is Cortisol, made in the Adrenal glands that sit on top of our Kidneys. You may have heard about or taken prescription drugs that are related to Cortisol. Some of the names are Prednisone, Methylprednisolone and Dexamethasone as well as others. These are classified as Corticosteroids (sounds similar to Cortisol doesn't it!). Many of you know that when you are sick with certain diseases, the doctor will prescribe you Prednisone to help you get over certain illnesses such as Bronchitis, Asthma, A broken arm, etc. When you have such illnesses, your body naturally produces more Cortisol to help you heal faster, so when the doctor give you that shot in the butt or give you a prescription of the pills, it is to add more chemicals that do that same thing as your own Cortisol. In other words, it helps you heal faster from whatever illness you have. These type of Steroids are strong reducers of swelling or inflammation so your body can basically "clean up" the damaged tissues that occur with different illnesses.

Another type of Steroid, are the "sex" hormones like Testosterone in men or Estrogen in women. These steroids really don't have much of an effect on reducing inflammation. They are responsible for making us who we are: Testosterone makes a man, a man. This hormone is produced in the Testicles (so that's why women don't make it). It is responsible for why men have more muscle, a deeper voice, thicker bones, etc than women. Estrogen is made in the woman's Ovaries (that's why men don't make it) and is responsible mainly for making a woman ready to bear children and has no real effect on muscle mass although it does help increase bone density, etc.

The effect Testosterone has on thickening bone and adding muscle is termed anabolism, hence it is in the class of Anabolic Steroids, which we have all probably heard discussed. This type of steroid does help the body take building blocks called Amino Acids and make muscle fibers to add to existing muscle or can aid in replacing damaged muscle. So, in a way, these can help speed recovery from muscle damage by adding new muscle but that really isn't the main function of Testosterone. It's main function is to keep adding muscle on top of muscle and helps the body add muscle mass. Just look at the cover of some of the bodybuilding magazines and you will see the effects of steroid. All of those layers of muscle are not gained by just working out, the working out just helps sculpt the muscle into shapes like bulging biceps, 6-pack abs, etc. This extra muscle also adds additional strength. It's just a matter of fact that more muscles equal more strength. Again these anabolic steroids are mainly the help the body build muscle mass and less on repairing muscle damage although they will help.

HGH or Human Growth Hormone is technically not a steroid because it's chemical structure does not have the necessary components to be in the Steroid class. HGH is a polypeptide (or protein) that has an effect on the bodies release of other chemicals that makes us literally grow. Before we (men and women) hit puberty, our bones grow longer because the ends of the bones are "soft" and not set. So HGH is produced and released more as we are children and is a primary chemical responsible for our growth - i.e. why we get taller, etc. HGH is released from a small place in our Pituitary Gland in the Brain Stem, and it's release sets off a whole chain of processes that allow us to grow taller, our skin thickens, muscles grow, blood vessels grow all to meet the demand of us getting bigger. Then at Puberty, the ends of the bone "set" so they will not grow longer and the level of HGH drops very low to almost nothing to stop the growing process. Some people have Pituitary tumors which pump out more HGH than normal (those without Pituitary tumors) so this is where you see very tall children but in these case of people with these tumors, they keep producing HGH in high levels even after puberty and even though the bones don't grow longer, they keep getting thicker and thicker. These people share certain physical characteristics such as protruding jaws and foreheads, they are barrel chested and have very thick and large bone and muscle structure. People such as Andre the Giant, Lurch (from Addams Family), Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers), The Big Show from wrestling are all examples of what are called Pituitary Giants who probably had tumors that kept making and releasing HGH. In smaller doses given by injection, you can see how athletes can improve performance with HGH because of it's effect on increasing bone density and not necessarily making alot more muscle mass but making stronger muscle fibers that are dense and solid.

In conclusion, hopefully the reader can see that Steroids is just a general term and it really depends on what kind of Steroid is used to get a certain effect. Most steroids can improve an athletes performance by either adding more muscle and therefore can make them stronger (Anabolic Steroids) or by helping speed the healing process ( Corticosteroids). And then there is HGH which is not a steroid but still can keep an athletes muscle and bone in more pristine condition and can also aid on healing the tissue.

Brett Favre Retires!

Warren Siciliano — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 02:09:43 -0500

NFL Insider Jay Glaser at Fox Sports is now reporting that Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers’ superstar quarterback, is finally retiring.

Apparently, the team has been aware of this news for several days now. It was unclear, however, if they planned to go public with the information—possibly delaying in case Favre changed his mind.

If the news is true, it means that one of the most popular players in the history of the game has chosen to leave it.

Favre is one of those players everyone likes, Green Bay fan or not. He transcended the usual borders between fans of certain players or teams. It is safe to say that everybody who loves football, loves this guy.

He brought that blue-collar, gun-slinger win-at-all-costs mentality to the game. Plus, he was fun to watch on the field and on the sidelines, too. It always seemed like he had a whole lot of fun playing.

This will be a huge loss to NFL fans around the world who park in front of their televisions or in the stadium seats every Sunday to watch the game. We will certainly miss Brett Favre, but we also wish him the best in whatever he decides to do next.

Thanks, Brett, for all of the memories.

Big Ben Roethlisberger Agrees to Contract Extension with Pittsburgh Steelers

Warren Siciliano — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 04:54:11 -0500

Ben Roethlisberger has agreed to a reported six-year, $102 million contract extension with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Reportedly, $36 million is guaranteed and would keep Roethlisberger with the Steelers a total of eight more years. Steeler fans are ecstatic about the arrangement keeping their Pro-Bowl caliber, Super Bowl-winning quarterback in the Steel City.

The timing of this agreement is no coincidence. Alan Faneca, the Pro Bowl left tackle, just signed a major contract with the New York Jets. It was rumored that Roethlisberger was waiting until the Steelers tried to sign Faneca before working out his deal.

In fact, Roethlisberger has said that he wanted Faneca to return to the Steelers this season, and some even speculated that he would re-work his deal in order that the Steelers might increase Faneca’s offer.

Of course with Faneca now definitively a Jet, it was time for Roethlisberger and his agent to get this mega deal done.

The Steelers did not hold back in these negotiations, as they were accused of doing with Faneca. Roethlisberger is now one of the highest paid players in the NFL.

The Steelers historically find "diamonds in the rough," or players who are off the national radar, to take the place of players lost to free agency. One example was the loss of OL Joey Porter to the Dolphins, where the Steelers picked up the relatively unknown James Harrison, who has filled in well.

Also, when they found a little known rookie free agent named Willie Parker, well, we all know what he has done.

Now the Steelers must recover similarly from the loss of Faneca and protect Roethlisberger's blind side, or the Steelers will suffer through another season of multiple-sack games. This could ultimately shorten Roethlisberger's career.

For now, though, all is upbeat in the Steel City and around the country. Pittsburgh Steeler fans everywhere: Rejoice!

2008 NFL Draft: Let's Get Ready

Warren Siciliano — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:25:34 -0500

Okay, it's that time that the die-hard football fans to gear up and get ready for the NFL draft. Time to think about our favorite team and its needs—or our needs.

Usually, it goes a little something like this: we want a new quarterback, but our team drafts a defensive end. What? How could they do that? Are they blind?

Yes, it's time for all of the questions to be answered.

Only recently we began to be exposed to all the goings on of this draft phenomenon, as far as it being on televised and reported via web. The Scouting Combine was once unknown to us, and now it's on hour after hour.

But wait! Shouldn't we be focused on baseball training camp? NBA playoffs are coming! No, nothing.

NCAA basketball—the final four, the elite eight? Hmmm...still nothing.

Some sports fans are satisfied with those events. But not the hard-core football guys and gals! We can't help but be consumed by these questions: Who will be the first overall pick? What team is going to trade down? Trade up? Is my team going to get the best player? Can they somehow trade up to get the very first pick?

The time is now and I'd like to provide you with a little information to get this obsession started—without further ado:

Here is the team draft order for 2008:

1 Miami Dolphins

2 St. Louis Rams

3 Atlanta Falcons

4 Oakland Raiders

5 Kansas City Chiefs

6 New York Jets

7 New England Patriots (from 49ers)

8 Baltimore Ravens

9 Cincinnati Bengals

10 New Orleans Saints

11 Buffalo Bills

12 Denver Broncos

13 Carolina Panthers

14 Chicago Bears

15 Detroit Lions

16 Arizona Cardinals

17 Minnesota Vikings

18 Houston Texans

19 Philadelphia Eagles

20 Tampa Bay Buccaneers

21 Washington Redskins

22 Dallas Cowboys (from Browns)

23 Pittsburgh Steelers

24 Tennessee Titans

25 Seattle Seahawks

26 Jacksonville Jaguars

27 San Diego Chargers

28 Dallas Cowboys

29 San Francisco 49ers (from Indiana)

30 Green Bay Packers

31 New York Giants

Keep in mind that Atlanta, Oakland, and Kansas City will determine their draft order No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 with a coin flip.

Here are the top 50 ranked players in this year's draft—adapted from the list on Scout.com:

Pos	Overall Rank	Rating	Name	Yr	Ht/Wt/40	College	Home
RB	1		Darren McFadden	JR	6-2/210/4.45	Arkansas	North Little Rock, AR
DT	2		Glenn Dorsey	SR	6-1.5/313/-	LSU	Gonzales, LA
QB	3		Matt Ryan	SR	6-5/224/4.90	Boston College	Philadelphia, PA
DT	4		Sedrick Ellis	SR	6-1/307/4.95	USC	Chino, CA
DE	5		Chris Long	SR	6-3.5/278/4.75	Virginia	Charlottesville, VA
DE	6		Calais Campbell	JR	6-7/280/4.75	Miami (FL)	Denver, CO
OT	7		Jake Long	SR	6-7/335/-	Michigan	Lapeer, MI
CB	8		Mike Jenkins	SR	5-11/200/4.45	South Florida	Bradenton, FL
OLB	9		Dan Connor	SR	6-3/230/-	Penn State	Wallingford, PA
S	10		Kenny Phillips	JR	6-2/210/4.50	Miami (FL)	Miami, FL
MLB	11		Keith Rivers	SR	6-3/237/4.60	USC	Lake Mary, FL
OT	12		Chris Williams	SR	6-6/317/5.30	Vanderbilt	Baton Rouge, LA
OT	13		Jeff Otah	SR	6-6.5/341/-	Pittsburgh	Wayne, PA
DE	14		Quentin Groves	SR	6-3/252/4.43	Auburn	Greenville, MS
CB	15		Aqib Talib	JR	6-1/195/4.50	Kansas	Richardson, TX
DE	16		Vernon Gholston	JR	6-3/260/4.75	Ohio State	Detroit, MI
OT	17		Ryan Clady	JR	6-6/320/-	Boise State	Rialto, CA
CB	18		Leodis McKelvin	SR	5-10.5/186/4.48	Troy	Waycross, GA
WR	19		Malcolm Kelly	JR	6-4/215/4.50	Oklahoma	Longview, TX
CB	20		Terrell Thomas	SR	6-1/200/4.50	USC	Rancho Cucamonga, CA
DE	21		Derrick Harvey	JR	6-4/260/4.75	Florida	Greenbelt, MD
TE	22		Fred Davis	SR	6-3.5/251/4.75	USC	Toledo, OH
RB	23		Felix Jones	JR	6-0/207/-	Arkansas	Tulsa, OK
WR	24		Devin Thomas	JR	6-2/215/4.50	Michigan State
RB	25		Jamaal Charles	JR	6-1/205/4.45	Texas	Port Arthur, TX
RB	26		Rashard Mendenhall	JR	5-10.5/215/4.55	Illinois	Skokie, IL
OT	27		Carl Nicks	SR	6-5/335/5.30	Nebraska	Salinas, CA
CB	28		Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie	SR	6-1.5/183/4.47	Tennessee State	Bradenton, FL
DT	29		Kentwan Balmer	SR	6-4/295/5.15	North Carolina	Weldon, NC
WR	30		Donnie Avery	SR	5-10/184/4.33	Houston	Alief, TX
WR	31		Mario Manningham	JR	6-0/187/-	Michigan	Warren, OH
TE	32		Martellus Bennett	JR	6-6/250/4.75	Texas A&M	Houston, TX
OG	33		Oniel Cousins	SR	6-4/302/5.04	UTEP	Fullerton, CA
RB	34		Jonathan Stewart	JR	5-11/230/-	Oregon	Olympia, WA
OT	35		Sam Baker	SR	6-5/314/5.10	USC	Tustin, CA
DE	36		Lawrence Jackson	SR	6-5/270/4.90	USC	Inglewood, CA
RB	37		Chris Johnson	SR	5-10/201/4.29	East Carolina	Orlando, FL
RB	38		Steve Slaton	JR	5-10/200/4.50	West Virginia	Fairless Hills, PA
WR	39		Earl Bennett	JR	6-1/202/-	Vanderbilt	Birmingham, AL
OLB	40		Tavares Gooden	SR	6-2/235/4.55	Miami (FL)	Fort Lauderdale, FL
QB	41		Joe Flacco	SR	6-6/237/5.00	Delaware	Audubon, NJ
OT	42		Anthony Collins	JR	6-6/315/5.20	Kansas	Beaumont, TX
QB	43		Chad Henne	SR	6-3/245/5.00	Michigan	West Lawn, PA
MLB	44		Beau Bell	SR	6-2/253/4.63	UNLV
DT	45		Pat Sims	JR	6-4/315/5.00	Auburn	Fort Lauderdale, FL
TE	46		Dustin Keller	SR	6-2/251/4.70	Purdue	Lafayette, IN
DE	47		Chris Ellis	SR	6-4/257/4.70	Virginia Tech	Hampton, VA
DT	48		Dre Moore	SR	6-3.5/308/-	Maryland	Charlotte, NC
WR	49		Andre Caldwell	SR	6-0/203/4.55	Florida	Tampa, FL
QB	50		Brian Brohm	SR	6-3/227/4.82	Louisville	Louisville, KY