Yardbarker: Ben Roethlisberger

Top 25 Franchise Cornerstones Under 27

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 23:31:22 -0500

Like to hear everyone's thoughts this was pretty hard for me to do but i hope i got it semi-right. Tell me if i left anyone off or if the ordering is horrendous.

Bruno Boys Q & A - Draft Day Advice (Pt. 1)

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:31:11 -0500

This Bruno Boys Q & A segment will focus on one thing and one thing only; and that is to get you as prepared as possible for your league 's draft. If you use this Q & A along with the Bruno Boys 2008 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheets, message boards and everything else that the Bruno Boys have to offer, we have no doubt that your draft will be a winner. To read more, click below...

NEWS AND NOTES

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 19:02:36 -0500

--That John Van Benschoten-Runelvys Hernandez pitching matchup wasn't quite as bad as advertised, at least by their standards. Both pitchers allowed 10 baserunners out of the 25 batters they faced, but allowed just three and two runs, respectively, in a 9-3 Pirates win over the Houston Astros.

Down 3-2 entering the 9th, the Buccos exploded for seven runs and three home runs, including an inside-the-park variety from Freddy Sanchez, giving a one-night hiatus to the "blow up the Pirates" theories that have surfaced the past week.

Tonight's matchup: LHP Paul Maholm (6-6, 4.10) vs. RHP Jack Cassel (1-0, 6.28), 8:05 p.m., Minute Maid Park. I'm sure you'll be watching.

--USA Today ranked the NFL's best quarterbacks, and Big Ben came in at #8, behind Manning/Brady, McNabb, Hasselbeck, Brees, Palmer, and Romo. And when I thought we were making progress in this department last year.

--The Steelers Super Bowl rings sold for $66,000 on eBay, but an uncorrected error was discovered....30+ years after they were produced.

--Check out this charity raffle and try to win a signed Geno Malkin hockey stick. Benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

--I somehow missed this on Sunday, but Bob Smizik said that Penguin fans who boo Marian Hossa are "knuckleheads".

--Here's some great moments in demolition derby history.

--Stealing an idea from Jimmy Kimmel, Jay Leno posed as a reporter at his NBC exit press conference.

Send your interesting links to mondesishouse@gmail.com for these fun little buffers between "real" posts.

Top Five Projected Quarterbacks In 2008

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 09:27:03 -0500

It is highly doubtful that Tom Brady will crack the 50-touchdown mark for a second successive season. However, you cannot ignore his remarkable statistics from the 2007 season.

2008 NFL Quarterbacks Report

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 11:36:30 -0500

The Football Consigliere's takes and in depth look of the 2008 NFL Quarterback Class! Click on this link to go directly to The All American Touchdown Derby for a chance to win over $5,000 in Cash & Material Prizes all season long! www.passitdeep.com

The Top 10 Fantasy Quarterbacks

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 06:23:41 -0500

No surprise that Tom Brady heads this list, but see which other quarterbacks made the the top ten and why, from Fighting Chance Fantasy.

Top 30 Fantasy QB's Going Into 2008

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 10:11:29 -0500

This list covers the top 30 QB's going into 2008. Complete with last year's numbers.

AccuScore: FFL Draft Strategies - Standard Leagues

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:10:39 -0500

How should you plan for your standard drafts in your fantasy football leagues this year? AccuScore Analyst Tim Williams previews his strategy and offers two words of advice: wing it.

NSFW?

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:38:15 -0500

Please accept my apologies in advance if this risque pic gets any of you in trouble at work. The Steeler ink modeled above on the bare shoulders of a 90-year-old Pittsburgh woman is none other than "Steely McGramma", a.k.a. Agnes Falls. She's the discovery of the PG's Colin Dunlap, who gets not one, but two credits in today's Mondesi's House. Well done, my friend.

In addition to being a big enough Steeler fan to permanently inject ink into her body, she shares the distinction of being one of the few Pittsburghers alive to witness a winning Pirates season. So she's got that going for her as well.

Colin's column includes a number of interesting Steeler tats, including one man who made his body significantly more valuable when he had it signed by Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, and Willie Parker at training camp. Not mentioned is the fact that he also got Nick Harper tattooed on his arm, and I doubt many people on the planet can make that claim.

Steely McGramma [PG]

NSFW?

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:38:15 -0500

Steely McGramma [PG]

Ben Roethlisberger is Better than Carson Palmer

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 17:46:12 -0500

Irrefutable as to why Roethlisberger is better than Palmer. "The passing yardage can be thrown out the window. His 3000 yard advantage in yardage is nullified by the fact that he has had 600 more attempts than Ben. It's the Jon Kitna theorem: throw a lot, get a lot of yards. Not too hard to figure out. In fact, Roethlisberger wins the yardage argument by throwing for 8.12 yards per attempt compared to 7.31."

Fantasy Insider: How to Spot A Fantasy Football Sleeper

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:24:12 -0500

How to Spot A Fantasy Football Sleeper is a knack that could make or break your fantasy team. Daniel Kalles gives all you fantasy owners a "How To" locate and find fantasy sleepers and plenty of time to exam the players you feel could be sleepers this season. Best of luck this season. As Daniel Kalles, The first thing you need to know about finding a "sleeper" is figuring out what a sleeper is. Many people will have many different explanations as to what a sleeper really is, where to find them and how important they are, but they will pretty much agree that a sleeper is someone who doesn't have a big name, probably doesn't start, hasn't put up big numbers in the past, who now might have a chance to have a breakout season and be a difference maker on your team. Sleepers are usually either late round draft picks or waiver-wire pick-ups who went undrafted. Now how to spot sleepers, when to draft them, and how long you wait until you believe they are actually worth putting in your lineup are all a little different. Having one of the few sleepers who pan out and be a worthy starter can make the difference in winning your league or not winning. No one starts off the season knowing which sleeper will for sure breakout; all you can do is try and draft one or two and hope that a couple of things fall your way and your sleeper goes from nobody to somebody just like that. It's very hard to go into the draft focused on the guys who will be drafted in the later rounds, but the truth is many drafts are won in the later rounds. If you can have a good draft from top to bottom, it will help you down the line; having a deep team will help you in the event of an injury or to make trades. It's not very difficult to draft players in the first bunch of rounds, guys like Alexander, Tomlinson, Owens, Moss, these players have a history, they have done it before, we can look at their numbers and see where they should be drafted, but a sleeper is different. Most sleepers haven't played enough to accumulate enough stats to make decisions on, so you have to take a small sample (if one exists) to figure out who might be the sleepers of this year's draft. There are many different places and ways to find sleepers. One way is to look for 2nd or 3rd year players who had a chance to play near the end of the year before. At the end of most seasons, the teams out of the playoff hunt will look at some young players, giving them starts and letting veterans sit out. Watching these players can sometimes give you a hint into who might be a good sleeper the next season, if they play a good game or two. Look at Willie Parker who was undrafted out of college and was sitting on the bench in 2004 when the Steelers went 15-1. In the last game of the season, once they had already clinched home field advantage, they decided to rest veteran running back Jerome Bettis, and see what Parker could do. He went into Buffalo, on a cold January Sunday, to face the hottest team in football. The Bills were looking to get a victory and a spot in the playoffs. Well, Parker gained 102 yards on only 19 carries, to help the Steelers win the game, and give anyone who was actually paying attention to this Steelers backup a 1200 yards rusher out of nowhere in 2005. Now this doesn't mean things will always work out for you, but it's a good way of finding a sleeper. Another way of finding a sleeper is to watch the player and coach movement in the off-season, and see which players have been put in situations where they might be able to break out, with the help of certain coaches and their philosophies. A player who might have been going downhill in his career, or hasn't been able to find his way yet might be able to change that by being on a team whose system better suits their abilities. Koren Robinson is a good example. He's a former 1st round pick of the Seahawks, and while he had a couple of solid seasons with them (78 for 1240 yards and 5 TD's in 2002), he was let go at the end of 2004 because of off-field and poor behavior issues. He latched on to the Vikings as their top return man and part time WR. During the off-season they hired new head coach Brad Childress, who brings with him his West Coast offense, and they traded Nate Burleson, leaving the spot of #1 WR open. With those and many other changes the Vikings made on offense, they go into the season looking for players to step up and be leaders. Robinson has a good chance of doing that because he is a step ahead of most of the other WR's because he played in the West Coast offense while in Seattle. He could be in for a very big season. While all this looks good and could very well happen, many times it doesn't, and guys like Robinson will always be picked up for his potential, but might never realize it, because he can't control his other issues. These are just a couple of the many ways to find a sleeper. So, make sure to always pay attention to injury situations, and follow closely what players are doing at training camp. Doing this can help you find many sleepers. Lastly, don't forget that you can still find sleepers after the draft in the first couple of weeks of the season. If you see a player break out and do better then expected, don't sit on the sidelines and watch - make an effort to pick them up and see if they can sustain that output. Or if you know that a starting player has any injury at all, make sure you're the one to get anyone who might back that player up, because once a player goes down, whoever takes over can be a real steal.

NFL INSIDER: Favre and Thompson: --- Behind the Scenes Glimpse

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:06:52 -0500

In exclusive interviews with various flies on the wall, The Frozen Tundra was able to piece together additional information to provide a background to determine how this trade developed. I have reconstructed the timeline of events based on those reports. March 1, 2008: Favre calls Ted Thompson to tell him he wants Randy Moss to be signed. "If not, I will know you are not trying to get me the personnel I need, and I'm not sure I want to stay in that situation," he declared. There are no reports out of flies in Green Bay, since at that time of the year it is still too cold and they are dormant. However, it is believed by one fly he could hear Thompson laugh in reply, "Are you serious?! Do you think we would take on that headache long-term just so you will maybe play another year or two? Even the fans wouldn't be on your side with this one–they hate him!" After that, the phone call abruptly March 4, 2008: After Moss re-signs with New England, Favre calls Thompson several times, always hanging up without speaking about ten seconds later. The last time he calls and says, "call me back and let me know what you will do to entice me to come back, or I'll have to retire by the end of the week." He then hangs up the phone. There are no return calls. March 6, 2008: Favre announces his retirement, and everyone publicly expresses sorrow that an era is coming to an end. It is reported by a fly in Kiln that Favre later tells his wife, "I know I heard cork pop in Thompson's office." April 26, 2008: Coach Mike McCarthy tells Thompson, "You better get me somebody else. Aaron is great and all, but he gets hurt at the drop of a feather. I need some insurance if I'm gonna be expected to win a title!" Thompson promptly drafts Brian Brohm. July 1, 2008: Favre contacts McCarthy, saying "Thompson won't return my calls. I'm sorry I made him mad by retiring, but I thought he needed to know I was serious when I threatened to quit. I didn't know he'd make me follow through on it. Will you talk to him?" McCarthy replied, "I'll see what I can do, Brett. You know I would like to have you under center, but your return would put us in a difficult place now. We've moved on, and sometimes you can't go back to the way things were." July 3, 2008: Brett has just seen a History Channel program on guerrilla warfare, and knowing ESPN will just die if they can't talk about Favre, he sends his mother and brother out to do his bidding. Both of them attempt to paint Brett as someone who has kept himself ready to help the Packers and the organization as not wanting the legend who won a championship for them anymore. July 4, 2008:After not hearing back from either McCarthy or Thompson, Favre is contacted by Roger Goodell, asking how his quest to return is going. "Ted won't return my calls," Brett says. Goodell says, "since you're the biggest star in the league, it's in our best interests to pay to have the call routed through New York. He'll have to answer it if he thinks it's the league office." Thompson does answer, but merely promises to call Brett back after he is done with his vacation. July 7, 2008: Thompson is done with his vacation. Brett stands by the phone, even saying at 8pm, "he just got back. He's probably got a lot of work to do, so he'll be there late." No call. July 10, 2008: Having still received no call and hearing Packers Vice President in charge of player personnel, Mark Murphy, say that as far as they know Favre is still retired and is not trying to return, he gets on the phone to his agent. "Pull out all the stops," he tells him. "What do you think it's going to look like if I make a public statement that you want to come back and they won't let you? Maybe they won't get all those sell-outs. Maybe no one's gonna buy your jersey anymore." July 11, 2008: Mortensen gets a call from Brett's agent stating that Brett wants the team to release him. I want to thank the flies in Kiln, MS and Green Bay, WI for their contributions. There were also two flies in New York, NY, reporting from the draft and league office. In some cases, it took generations of flies meticulously passing on this information from generation to generation, as it was accumulated over the last four-plus months, which is over 30 fly lifetimes! On Tuesday, July 15, we will have new accounts as this story, originally broken on Bleacher Report, develops.

MY MORNING WITH STEELERS VICE PRESIDENT ART ROONEY, JR.

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 23:22:14 -0500

In life and in business, there are always times that you'll look back on as milestones. Sometimes when they happen, you'll immediately recognize them. In other instances, it may take a while for you to grasp the magnitude of the event. For me, I've been lucky enough to have several memorable occasions that have helped put this site "on the map" to some degree. But what I was able to partake in on Thursday morning is something that I will not only remember in my writing career, but in my life.

As you may know, I bleed black and gold. It's quite a serious condition, although it's fairly common in our area. I love anything and everything involving Pittsburgh sports. It fuels my passion for this site, a passion that increases exponentially when realizing how many like-minded followers of these same teams can share in my words.

I've had the pleasure to meet a number of sports legends in my young life. Mario Lemieux. Dan Marino. Bill Mazeroski. Joe Montana. All up-close-and-personal. But they were also abbreviated encounters. These are men that are constantly being pulled in 1,000 different directions. But I treasured each meeting, because, after all, I'm a fan at heart.

To this point, I have never had the pleasure of talking at length to someone directly involved in sports for the purpose of a website interview. I had successfully completed interviews with several sports media personalities, but never someone who had a hand in either the playing of the game or the front office.

A few weeks ago while out of town, I received an interesting email. I was asked if I had any interest in interviewing Mr. Art Rooney, Jr., Vice President of the Pittsburgh Steelers, former Personnel Director, and a part owner of the team.

Predictably, I was more than excited. This was one of the men who was an integral part of building the Steeler Dynasty of the 1970s! Franco, Bradshaw, Swann, Stallworth, Lambert…Art Rooney, Jr. scouted them all. And to add extra intrigue to my imagination, I reminded myself that he was the son of Art "The Chief" Rooney, one of the most beloved Pittsburghers of all time and a patriarch of the NFL!

I immediately responded to the inquiry with a "yes" and patiently waited to hear back. I was put in touch with a representative of Mr. Rooney who would later help schedule a time for the interview.

I asked if this would be a phone interview or something that could be done in person. Mr. Rooney's rep told me that I would be welcome to stop by his office and answer some questions about his recently published book, Ruanaidh (the Gaelic spelling for Rooney), for a half-hour to an hour. Again, I was more than enthused. I was going to have a one-on-one with Art Rooney, Jr. on his home turf!

As this week played out, there's been a developing storyline dominating local (and at times, even national) news coverage about the Rooney family selling their shares of the Steelers. Knowing that Mr. Rooney was a part owner, I immediately feared the worst, thinking that the interview would probably be cancelled. But Mr. Rooney's representation assured me the day before that the interview would go on as scheduled, and that Mr. Rooney would not be prepared to answer any questions about the current events.

That was more than fair with me. I was glad to still have this opportunity, and realizing the sensitive nature of the situation, I was more than happy to oblige with Mr. Rooney's request.

The last hurdle before the interview was to conduct extensive research on Mr. Rooney. Yes, I knew a little about him, but not to the extent where I would feel comfortable conducting such a big interview.

I was sent a copy of Ruanaidh in advance of the interview, and it was thick. 483 pages thick, to be exact. It is accurately described as "Part memoir, part anecdotal history of Pittsburgh's North Side, where the author grew up, and part football book."

I was through just a few pages and I had to reference the convenient Rooney Family Tree in the front of the book at least half a dozen times. Like my Italian family, the Rooneys had multiple family members with the same first names. Luckily, Mr. Rooney and his collaborator, legendary Pittsburgh Press journalist Roy McHugh, used the abbreviation "AJR" to distinguish whenever they discussed "The Chief", Art Rooney. I wanted to make sure I had my facts straight!

So off I went on my journey through Ruanaidh. The book starts off with countless entertaining stories of the Rooney family and their friends and acquaintances from Pittsburgh's North Side. A more colorful collection of characters I could not imagine.

I made so many notes about individual anecdotes that there's no way I could do justice to all of them. Plus, I wasn't going to give away the best parts; you really do need to buy this book. But there were some interesting facts that immediately caught my eye, like AJR's prolific athletic career, one that included a Notre Dame inquiry from Knute Rockne and an offer from Penn State that included a share of the program concession on game days. Needless to say, this was before the NCAA ruled with the iron fist that they yield today. AJR ended up at Indiana Normal (now called IUP), where he played not one, not two, but FIVE sports - baseball, basketball, football, track, and boxing.

I also learned about how AJR would walk Imogene Coca's poodles, how he turned his back on a pro baseball contract with the Boston Red Sox, and how his affinity for chocolate resulted in a binge at Canonsburg's Sarris Candies so prolific that he became ill.

Fascinating stuff all, and this was before I tell you about the part where he buys a pro football franchise for $2,500 in 1933.

As the book progressed, so did the football talk, which I became totally immersed in. I learned about how the Steelers released a Pittsburgh kid "too dumb" to play for them named Johnny Unitas; I heard the fascinating story about how Tim Rooney got his name from a member of the Mara family (of New York Giant ownership fame); I chuckled reading that Brian Piccolo's father called and asked why the Steelers didn't draft his son; and I was interested to discover that the Steelers once contacted legendary Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian about coaching their team.
The real meat of this memoir, however, came when Mr. Rooney dove headfirst into his recollections of building the Super Steelers dynasty. There was nearly a page on each marquis player, and even on some players that didn't turn out to be what the Steelers expected. Personally, I was fascinated at the tales of how Mr. Rooney mined so many small schools for top-notch talent, such as Mel Blount, John Stallworth, Mean Joe Greene, and Donnie Shell.

The '70s were high times for the Steelers and the Rooney family, and it was all the sweeter after so many down years. Then came the '80s, and the inevitable fall from grace. One by one, the future Hall of Famers went by the wayside. And one day, Art Rooney, Jr. would see his tenure with the Steelers come to an end with a statement delivered by his brother Dan: "I want you out of the day-to-day business."

Much more confident in my knowledge of Mr. Rooney, his family, and his exact place in Steeler history, I set off to meet him at his South Hills office. My appointment was scheduled for 9:30, but I arrived at 9:15 just to be safe.

I found the office that matched the address I was given, and entered. There was no name on the door, so I was hoping it was the right place. As I opened the door, my first glimpse was that of Steeler memorabilia. Yep, I think this was the right place.

Mr. Rooney's secretary greeted me and informed him of my arrival. As I stated earlier, I've met many sports figures, so I don't tend to get star-struck or nervous. But this was different. This was territory where I've never ventured. I had no idea what to expect.

Mr. Rooney told his secretary to send me in, and he greeted me with a big smile and a hearty handshake. I immediately felt much more relaxed and at ease.

As I introduced myself and settled into my chair, it was Mr. Rooney who was asking all of the questions. He wanted to know more about me, more about what I did. I started by telling him that I attended Washington and Jefferson College, just like one of his sons, and that I played baseball under former Steeler John Banaszak during my time there.

Immediately, this drew a positive response from Mr. Rooney, who then remarked that several other members of the Rooney family had also attended my alma mater. He then added that he was close friends with a professor named Richard Easton - the very same man whose encouragement during his challenging composition course helped inspire the writer you see today.

Beyond that, we found that we had more in common. The Rooneys were North Side folk, just like my father and his family. And my father, who previously ran a small newspaper during the '70s, had interviewed Mr. Rooney's father (AJR).

Mr. Rooney told me about how the book was 12 years in the making. He showed me the journals where he wrote his notes. He took me on a tour of his office, filled with Steeler mementos, photos, and artwork. He couldn't have been more accommodating.

I had written a list of questions the night before which I wanted to use during my interview. But the way we hit it off, they seemed all too formal. I then realized that this would not be a simple Q&A; this evolved into a conversation between two men who love the Pittsburgh Steelers.

I told Mr. Rooney more about my website and about how the audience is largely a young crowd who had heard about the Super Steelers from their fathers. I asked him why they would be interested in the book, and the answer was painfully obvious: this was the insider's story on the Steelers and the insider's story on AJR. It was an exclusive vantage point. Like any great story, there was conflict, whether it be Mr. Rooney butting heads with brother Dan or debating the merits of drafting a big back from Penn State (Franco Harris) with Chuck Noll. So if the idea of a Super Steeler insider describing how things worked appeals to you, I highly recommend you purchase this as soon as possible.

As I mentioned earlier, I was fascinated by the Steelers' ability to discover players from obscure schools and turn them into Hall of Famers. There was Joe Greene (North Texas State), Mel Blount (Southern University), and John Stallworth (Alabama A&M), to say nothing for solid contributors like L.C. Greenwood (Alabama AM&N), Donnie Shell (South Carolina State), and many others. This would happen over and over again during the '70s, and as Mr. Rooney described, it went back to Chuck Noll's draft philosophy: "The thing I care about is great athletes who are coachable and come to play the game."

I then wondered about how the Super Steelers would be affected by the current competitive structures of the NFL, namely the salary cap and free agency. "We would have never, ever kept the team together," he said.

An agent who represented a number of Steeler players at the time would, as it turned out, secretly bled black and gold, and the Steelers never lost a key player, Mr. Rooney told me. That definitely turned out to be a key component of keeping their talented nucleus together for so long.

Even with the rule changes, the team philosophy has stayed the same over the course of time: building through the draft, as the Steelers did under Noll, remained on the same level of importance under Noll's successor, Bill Cowher.

With all of the successful drafts, what was Mr. Rooney's biggest regret as a scout? Walter Abercrombie immediately sprung to mind, but that was mostly due to injuries. But as Mr. Rooney would later reveal, "My dad never forgave me for taking Gabe Rivera over Danny Marino."

Mr. Rooney later got back to the question, giving a definitive answer of RB Greg Hawthorne, their 1979 first-rounder out of Baylor, who never quite put it together, totaling just 527 yards rushing in a nine-season career.

The best scouts and front-office guys around the league, outside of the Steelers? Gil Brandt of Dallas was "a great organizer," Rooney said. George Young, a five-time executive of the year with the Giants, was also at the top of Mr. Rooney's list. And "among working guys, Jack Butler of Blesto [scouting service] was the best."

Among contemporary executives, recent Green Bay architect Ron Wolf was the first name Mr. Rooney mentioned. Wolf earlier had a key role in personnel operations with the Oakland Raiders from 1966-75 and again from 1978-90.

As for organizations, the Rams wowed Mr. Rooney, as did Dallas, ironically two teams that the Steelers would face and beat in the Super Bowl in the '70s.

The topic then shifted to the Steelers' numerous lean years, that gap between AJR buying the team in 1933 and hoisting that first Lombardi Trophy on January 12, 1975. Mr. Rooney's book described Pittsburgh fans' anger directed in the Rooneys' direction over that time, and I asked him: can he sympathize at all with what the Pirates are going through?

"Oh my gosh, yes. You had to duck down back alleys," Rooney said. "Like Adlai Stevenson once said in losing when he ran for President", Mr. Rooney said, "I'm too big to cry and too serious to laugh."

"I think of the Pirates all the time," Rooney added. In fact, from 1964-1971, an eight-year span, the Steelers had eight consecutive losing seasons, including back-to-back records of 2-11-1 and 1-13 in 1968 and '69; so he can definitely relate to the Pirates' current woes on some level.

At that point, I brought up the recent debate we had on this site about what's a fan and what isn't a fan, and Mr. Rooney agreed with my take that fans were angry with the losing because they did care about the team, and also agreed with my take that apathy would be a far greater disapproval of an organization.

Of course, as Mr. Rooney noted, the success of the 1970s raised expectations for the organization, and history has not been as kind to memories of the 1980s Steelers. But as he would also note, the Steelers had only three losing seasons in the '80s, and made the playoffs four times.

But did he ever dream the NFL would become the global entity that it is today? "No, no. I thought that you could consistently get 30-40,000 season tickets sold, TV…but the league, the way we were, we could all compete, we could all make a living. But I never saw this kinda stuff. Some of my brothers did. I was a North Sider. I didn't have the vision that Dan or Tim had."

I next asked Mr. Rooney what recent Steelers were in the mold of the '70s vintage. "Well, the quarterback [Ben Roethlisberger], I wish we had him in the '80s. Faneca could've played. Hines Ward definitely would've been a player, but Hines Ward wasn't a Swann or Stallworth. But he's a player."

I'd read a lengthy description of how Chuck Noll disliked "agitators", specifically citing the trade of talented WR Roy Jefferson as a result. I asked Mr. Rooney to discuss that in greater depth:

"Roy was a great player, went to a couple other teams, Super Bowl teams, was an All-Pro; he's now very mellow, a sensitive guy. After I wrote that, I met him again at our Legends dinner. He was such a mellow, nice guy. But he was a tester, a real tester. He's exactly what Chuck said. He was probably one of our best 4-5 players. He said that, and he kept his promise. I know we got a couple players for him, and they were OK, but they were not long-term players."

But how much of a concern is conduct in scouting now, given the climate of the NFL?

"That's a good question. The main thing, with films, scouting…you very, very seldom made a mistake on talent in the first two rounds. But the thing that's killer, killer, killer is the intangibles. And how do you judge them? We had questions we would ask. You would try not to interrogate the [college] coaches. Is the team value greater than his personal goals? Will he sacrifice?"

I then moved to a few quick topics less related to the Super Steelers but still of great interest to me. What about Joe Paterno, the legendary Penn State coach who prepped Jack Ham and Franco Harris for the Steelers? What was JoePa's relationship with the Black and Gold?

They had a great relationship, "so great that Dan once tried to hire Joe," said Mr. Rooney.

And how about his favorite stops from a life spent scouting on the road? "Nebraska, for good players and good steakhouses," said Mr. Rooney.

And places that he really didn't look forward to visiting? Oregon ranked first on his list. One of the scouts once told Mr. Rooney, "I spent a whole week at Oregon State one day."

What about the factoid that the Rooneys were offered the New York Yankees at a price of $6 million by CBS in the '70s? "Oh yeah," confirmed Mr. Rooney, "they actually came back a second time."

Any regrets at passing on the Bronx Bombers, given that they're worth approximately $1.2 billion? "Yes," said Mr. Rooney, saying that his father "just didn't use his head", while noting that brothers Tim, Pat, and John had proven their ability to run the family's race tracks and thought they would have been more than capable of handling the baseball franchise.

In addition to the Yankees, the Rooney family was also offered the Los Angeles Dodgers by the O'Malleys, another family-run pro sports franchise, as well as the San Francisco franchise that would become the Golden State Warriors of the NBA.

The story about Jimmy Carter pinching Mr. Rooney's wife (Kay) on the rear end at a Steelers White House visit? Another absolutely true story. I asked if he was angry when finding out about it after the fact, to which Mr. Rooney said, "No! He was a hell of a nice guy," while describing Carter's hospitality during their visit.

As our time moved closer to an end, it was finally time to try and address the conclusion of the book, which was Art's dismissal from the team by brother Dan in 1986:

Any advice for those in family business, I asked?

"Yeah…just don't hate each other. Go out of your way to be fair," Mr. Rooney said.

And the ending, was it difficult?

"Every adjective you want to think of," he quietly added.

Was there something specific that led to that?

"I'm afraid there is. Over the years, things built up. A power type thing. They tried to put it all on Chuck Noll. I'm not buying that."

Of the end, a frail and tired-looking AJR told Mr. Rooney, "I can't make things happen any more," and added, "There can be only one boss."

And with that, nearly two hours after my arrival, the interview (intended to last between a half-hour and an hour) was over. Mr. Rooney had another appointment, otherwise I think we would probably still be talking.

He showed me a few other unique pictures around the office, signed and inscribed a beautiful hardback copy of Ruanaidh for me, and strongly hinted that our paths may cross again in the near future.

After all was said and done, I think it's safe to say that we both enjoyed our morning. With everything that's been going on of late, I think it was refreshing for Mr. Rooney to revisit some of his finer moments with a relative newcomer like myself.

I know I have a tendency to be long-winded (I think we're well over 3,400 words at this point), but there are times to brief and then there are times to include all of the details. No, I'm not a full-time journalist that does this kind of thing day-in and day-out. I did not go to school for journalism. But I was lucky enough to find an audience that cares about the same things I care about. And together, our presence was able to attract a personality as big as Mr. Rooney for a conversation. It's my hope that this is the first of many such conversations that I can provide in the future. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed researching, conducting, and writing it.

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To Mr. Rooney: I would like to personally thank him for the time he took with me and for the wonderful interview he shared with all of us.

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To the readers, I highly encourage you to visit Mr. Rooney's website at www.artrooneyjr.com. It is filled with exclusive photos and content you will find nowhere else.

Finally, I highly recommend you to try your best to attend Mr. Rooney's book signing at Joseph-Beth Booksellers in the South Side. It will be held on July 23 at 7:50 PM.

Amazing Victories in Jaguars History (#8 - #5)

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 13:41:32 -0500

Today we continue with our five-part series where we identify the 20 most thrilling wins in Jaguars history. Check back every day this week as we revisit 4 amazing victories per day. Be sure to leave us comments about what you remember about those games. Enjoy! #8 | 12/10/06 vs. Indianapolis Colts / 44-17: The Jaguars stormed out of the gates and never looked back in this game in which the Colts were absolutely thumped. On the Jaguars' first possession, RB Fred Taylor ran 76 yards from the Jacksonville 6-yard to the Indianapolis 18-yard line. One play later, rookie sensation RB Maurice Jones-Drew pounded his way into the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown score. And that was only the beginning as the Jaguars ran for 375 yards on the day as a team, tying the second-most rushing yards in one game since the AFL-NFL merger. QB David Garrard did not have to do much, only passing for 76 yards. But the Jaguars shredded the Colts 44-17 on the strength of its running game and run defense. Ironically, the Jaguars would lose their next three games and miss the playoffs, while Indianapolis did not lose another game en route to the Super Bowl title. #7 | 9/22/97 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers / 29-21: The Jaguars were 2-0 as they headed into their Week 4 game against the Steelers. It was the Jaguars' first appearance on Monday night football, surely the result of their incredible run to the '96 AFC Championship Game. The big news of the game is that QB Mark Brunell was returning to the starting lineup after sustaining a knee injury in the preseason. Brunell came out slinging the ball to the tune of 303 yards and 1 touchdown. The fireworks at the end of the game provided the real drama. With :06 left in the game, the Jaguars held a slim 23-21 lead, and Pittsburgh K Norm Johnson was lining up for a 40-yard field goal. But the snap was low and it was blocked by DE Clyde Simmons. Jaguars S Chris Hudson scooped up the ball and returned it 58 yards for a game-clinching touchdown. The iconic moment was caught on tape as head coach Bill Cowher pretended to deck Hudson as he was running down the sideline to seal the 30-21 victory. #6 | 12/20/03 vs. New Orleans Saints / 20-19: The significance of this game was huge on three fronts: QB Mark Brunell's last game in a Jaguars uniform, a stellar running display by RB Fred Taylor to the tune of 194 yards on the ground, and, of course, the River City Relay. With the Jaguars leading 20-13 and :06 remaining, Saints WR Donte Stallworth caught a 42-yard pass from QB Aaron Brooks, broke a couple of tackles and threw a lateral across the field to WR Michael Lewis at the Jaguars' 33. Lewis went 7 yards and pitched it back to RB Deuce McAllister, who got 5 yards and threw across the field to WR Jerome Pathon. With the help of a good block by Brooks, Pathon ran 21 yards to the end zone for a touchdown score. The Jaguars were stunned. K John Carney lined up for the extra point attempt…..and shanked it to the right. No good! The Jaguars edged the Saints 20-19, as thoughts of the '96 game versus Atlanta ran through the minds of Jaguars fans and players familiar with the name "Morten Andersen." #5 | 1/5/08 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (Wild Card Round) / 31-29: The Jaguars had just been to Pittsburgh three weeks earlier when RB Fred Taylor scorched the Steelers for 147 rushing yards and a game-clinching touchdown. It was the only regular season home loss for the Steelers. Now the Jaguars not only had to beat the Steelers again on their home turf in Pittsburgh but also beat the odds facing them: no team had ever won in Pittsburgh twice in the same season. The Jaguars thumbed their noses at history on this day, as they jumped out to a commanding 28-10 lead. Much like the game against Pittsburgh three weeks before, the Jaguars let the Steelers back into the contest in the 4th quarter, and suddenly, Pittsburgh was up 29-28. But as the San Francisco 49ers franchise has "The Catch" in their team lore, the Jaguars would have "The Run" in this Wild Card game. Facing a 4th and 2, QB David Garrard would take the snap and run a quarterback draw for 32 yards to the Pittsburgh 11-yard line. The Steelers had to use all their timeouts to stop the clock. With :40 left, K Josh Scobee booted a 25-yard field goal to give the Jaguars a 31-29 lead. On the next drive, QB Ben Roethlisberger was sacked and fumbled the ball away to Jacksonville, sealing the first playoff win since 1999 for the franchise.