Steeler Season is upon us, and week one brought a hard fought, extremely boring (to everyone except Jim Mora - that man loved everything), not altogether unlucky win. I think we can all say it together: PHEW. Because let's face facts. Dennis Dixon is not about to win any games on his own here. He's not going to take control of a situation and will the offense to the end zone. He's never going to be the 2 minute drill extraordinaire that Ben is, and he drastically underthrew more than a few passes. In fact, if the receivers weren't smart enough to start coming back to the ball in the 2nd half, (thank you Hines Ward, and also for reminding us again how you shine even when no one gives you a chance. You know, like drafting you into the NFL, giving you a starting position on the Steelers, or naming you Super Bowl MVP.) things would have been a lot worse for the Good Guys.
Now I pay attention to sports talk and media coverage both locally and nationally, and I am in disbelief of the following: There are people out there who honestly believe that since the Steelers won game one, they should send Ben packing. "We can win with Dixon, we don't need trash on our team!" "Bye Bye Ben!" and "Don't Come Back From Your Bathroom Break" kind of stuff. REALLY?!?!?! I mean, reeeeeeeeeeeeeeealllly? There are two reasons why these people should think their thoughts inside their heads and then never ever say them out loud. Firstly, Dennis Dixon did not get into the end zone. He did not play a spectacular game. The defense won it. Secondly, folks, come on. We have a justice system for a reason, and the dude was not even charged with a crime.
To elaborate on the first point, I should start by saying that I like Dennis Dixon. I want to see what he can do, and even though it sucks that Leftwich was injured, I wanted to see Dixon get these four games. But no one who knows a lick of football can tell me that Dixon is the better choice over Ben. Dixon's interceptions tend to come at critical moments, Ben's rarely come when the game is on the line. Dixon can't run the 2 minute drill nearly as effectively as Ben can. Ben puts that football through the eye of the needle, and Dixon sometimes puts it on the ground. He likes the bounce pass, what can I say? To those that argue Dixon's running ability makes him the better choice behind the offensive line's sometimes spotty pass protection, I put forth Ben's uncanny ability to be the slowest moving elusive human being ever. He gets out of spots that seem impossible, and get a pass in the air. Dixon just runs.
As far as the second point goes, this one's a little tougher. Ben was long ago found guilty of doucebaggery by yours truly. I seem to be in the minority of people who think this shouldn't preclude him from being a franchise quarterback that we can all cheer for when he's on the football field. We have all known he's a douche for a long time. Surprising to some people, however, being a douchebag is not punishable by jail time, community service, or even walking around with a warning sign.
So one night in the offseason, Ben goes out, has some drinks, and has an encounter, so to speak, with a young woman in a bar. (Side note: I will not call her a victim because there was never a crime recorded on the books, and the legal definition of victim requires the commission of a crime. Also, the incident occurred while the woman was knowingly breaking the law herself by consuming alcohol while underage.) Ben and the woman went to a bathroom (class out the a$$), and later, they came out. These are the only facts we really know. But we can draw conclusions from the following truth: There was a full investigation, headed by a man who desperately wanted to nab Ben on as hefty a charge as possible, and that investigation turned up NOT ONE THING that could lead to a viable criminal charge, let alone something that would produce a guilty verdict in court. This man was forced to close the investigation without pressing a single charge, even though the court of public opinion has been in progress ever since that night. What people seem to be forgetting, though, is that we have a justice system for a reason. It is so that citizens like Ben cannot be railroaded into criminal charges and jail sentences simply because a whole lot of people don't like his behavior. It's easy to assume that some form of harassment or assault happened. It's also just as easy to assume that the girl in question decided to see what she could get out of a rape/sexual assault accustation against a rich and famous athlete who prefer to keep his name out the negative spotlight. I'm not going to say which way I lean, because the truth is, we just don't know. But according to the laws of our country, we are all innocent until proven guilty, and he wasn't even brought into court because they knew they couldn't even come close to the proof they needed.
Oh and some other fun facts:
Quinn Ojinnaka of the Atlanta Falcons: suspended for ONE GAME due to an ARREST on a BATTERY charge for tossing his wife down some stairs and physically throwing her out of the house.
Maurice Purify of the Cincinnati Bengals: suspended for ONE GAME due to an ARREST and a CRIMINAL CHARGE of disorderly conduct.
Santonio Holmes, former Steeler: suspended for FOUR GAMES (same as Ben) for being CAUGHT doing illegal drugs, and being dumb enough to brag about it on the internet.
These men were caught and charged, two with criminal offenses, and they will miss less playing time than Ben. Just some food for thought.
Basically, I'm not interested in condemning a man for behaving stupidly. I just will never associate with him if I ever have the chance. It's how I deal with all douchebags in my daily life. But will I be excited to see him take the field in Week Five? Yes. Do I think the man got railroaded by an overzealous commishioner trying to make a point? Absolutely. And do I think the idiots who plan on booing him upon his return, and lambasting him in his absence have two feet to stand on? No, no I do not.
Go Steelers, and when it comes time for his return, GO BIG BEN!
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