It’s ironic that Steelers WR Hines Ward was named the NFL’s dirtiest player in an anonymous poll of NFL players. After all, Ward is the most personable, fan-friendly player on the Steelers’ roster.
Of course, Ward gets the nod in the poll because defensive players don’t like to be on the receiving end of crushing blocks, and the 5’11” Ward doesn’t hesitate to dish out punishment to cornerbacks, safeties, and linebackers alike. I recall one game in Jacksonville where Ward blocked a defensive lineman, so irritating the lineman in question that he committed a personal foul against Ward, which enabled a Pittsburgh drive to continue - a turning point in that game.
But [...]
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So many Super Bowl matchup features this week will breakdown how Ben Roethlisberger compares to Kurt Warner. Or how Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin compare to Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. The problem is, none of these things matter. The Cardinals don’t care how Fitzgerald stacks up against Ward. They care how Fitzgerald stacks up against Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor.
Here is Part I of a breakdown of the actual personnel matchups we’ll see on the field come [...]
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With January nearly over, I’m in my busy time of year as far as planning a strategy for 2009 with the team preview reports and overall content for NFLTouchdown.com. So, I’m going to be short and sweet with this.
Here’s my message to America: STOP THE MOCK DRAFTS! This goes for ESPN, CNNSI and every other sports website out there. And it goes for the fans and people reading these mock drafts.
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Earlier this week we looked at how all four remaining NFL teams have an offensive line that has significantly improved over the course of the season (read article here). Another startling commonality among the playoff teams, this time on the defensive side of the ball, is the superstar safety. The Eagles, Cardinals, Steelers and Ravens all have one. Brian Dawkins for the Eagles, Adrian Wilson for the Cardinals, Ed Reed for the Ravens and Troy Polamalu for the Steelers. In fact, all four of these players are the fulcrum of their team’s [...]
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The din from complaining about the NFL’s enforcement of personal fouls for violent play has increased this season – most notably on roughing the passer. Fans are booing louder and longer. Television commentators, who, as a whole, normally praise the NFL at every opportunity, are griping more vociferously. And players are starting to speak out.
A few weeks ago, [...]
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