Brain Dump Daily: Pittsburgh Steelers are the New Bengals

Are the Steelers the new Bengals?

Big Ben was a tough enough pill to swallow for Steeler Nation, but now word is out that Santonio Holmes reportedly hit a woman over the head with a glass at a Florida nightclub and then pressured her not to file charges.

A lawsuit filed last week accuses both Holmes and the Orlando police of pressuring the victim not to make an issue of the incident.

I’m just sayin’, the Bengals are about 10 of 12 steps through image rehab ever since coming off as likable on “Hard Knocks.” Meanwhile, the Steelers have the two highest-profile offseason police blotter stories of the season.

Am I missing the boat on Sam Bradford?

I just don’t see him as a star quarterback. I can’t tell you exactly why. This is just a feeling. The injury to the shoulder is one that could happen again and again, but that’s not why I’m off the boat.

Simon Cowell says it all the time and for the first time, I get it. Bradford’s just missing that X factor. He just doesn’t strike me as a franchise reviver.

I hope I’m wrong because he’s a good guy that is worth rooting for. Bradford is going to get his payday, but I still think that long-term, Tebow is going to make more of an impact in the pros.

Why does C.J. Spiller just keep falling?

He’s the No. 1 running back in the draft in a year where there’s very few bankable stars coming out. I watched him every Saturday and I saw Adrian Peterson, Part Deux.

Maybe the guy just needs better PR folks. I know he’s not the most well-spoken kid, but to me, he’s the No. 1 pick for offense. Yet all these mock drafts just keep show him dropping out of the top 10 to the late teens.

Maybe we blame Reggie Bush. Spiller has the same rush-pass catcher-returner hybrid intangible and Bush hasn’t truly panned out.  Whatever it is, I think whichever team gets him is getting a bankable star.

Urban Meyer is a punk

His whole leave of absence thing was a joke. Now he’s yelled at a reporter who quoted wideout Deonte Thompson as saying Tebow wasn’t a real QB. Thompson took heat, went to Meyer and then the coach went after Orlando Sentinel scribe Jeremy Fowler.

Meyer’s scolding was very public and unprofessional, yet his mea culpa was behind closed doors and likely forced by Florida administrators.

This guy is not Spurrier or Bowden—once he starts losing, he likely gets four years of mediocrity (two per title) before he gets the boot.

Remember Brittney Griner?

She’s the Baylor freshman seven-footer (Ed. note: 6'8") that threw the punch played over and over again on “SportsCenter.” Griner led Baylor to an epic upset of No. 1 Tennessee.

On the court, she takes away every team’s inside game. Off the court, she’s been contrite and remorseful since the infamous punch. I still can’t get into the women’s tournament, but the more I see of Grimer, the more I find myself actually looking for Baylor scores on the ticker.

The Calipari Curse hits again

You would think that John Calipari might finally value a free throw. His Massachusetts team with Marcus Camby lost in the Final Four because they couldn’t make one. His Memphis team lost two years ago against Kansas because they couldn’t hit a free throw.

So why not have your guys work on foul shots for an extra half hour each practice? Calipari’s style works when his team gets ahead by 30 points like Memphis and Kentucky both did in their early runs.

But when it comes down to crunch time, you can’t have five Shaqs at the line. And you can’t go 16-for-29 from the line and expect to be in the Final Four.

From the “Now I’ve Seen It All” Department

West Virginia didn’t make a two-point shot in the first half and still won the game Saturday to move on to the Final Four.

The Mountaineers showed an amazing resolve without their starting point guard, Joe Mazzulla saved his career best for the biggest game of his life and Bob Huggins out-coached Calipari in every possible way to move to 8-1 against Coach Cal.

They are far from sexy—they were easily the lowest profile of the Big East teams we all got behind—but they’re punching their ticket to Indy thanks to great defense and executing in all the big spots.

I’m still not feeling Butler

Maybe it’s because they obliterated my bracket by taking out Syracuse and Kansas State. Or maybe it’s that it feels like K-State and The Orange lost and not that Butler won, but at some point, we have to give the Bulldogs some credit.

Most of us still can’t name a player on their team and most of us still don’t give them a chance but this Final Four is too wide open to discount the ‘Dogs one second further.

I am happy they beat K-State though. I know coach Frank Martin has worked his way up, but the dude just looks and acts like a jerk too often to get behind.

Tom Izzo is incredible

He never has the most talent and his teams always have a stretch during the regular season that make us jump off their bandwagon. But when it comes to tourney time, Izzo always has his teams ready.

Even after they lost their star, they still found a way to win. Yes, they caught some breaks with Kansas and Ohio State losing, but they pulled off one big win after another. I’m officially rooting for the Sparties now.

Izzo deserves another title after what he’s pulled off the last two weeks.

Catch out Tim everyday at www.braindumpdaily.com