Vince McMahon is talking about bringing back the XFL.
McMahon has millions from his World Wrestling Entertainment business, which gives him plenty of money to blow on a bad idea like an NFL alterative that would run in the spring and early summer.
There may be an appetite for an extra football season, but McMahon isn't the person who knows how to fill it.
The XFL first appeared in 2001 and folded after one disastrous season. NBC bought into the league, believing McMahon could repeat the magic he'd found with taking pro wrestling mainstream. NBC was wrong.
The XFL never recovered from a bad start, and its TV ratings were barely measurable.
Now McMahon says he wants to bring the XFL back, with a projected eight-team launch in 2020.
It will probably never happen, but who knows?
The first time around, McMahon promised to ratchet up the sex and violence. Cheerleaders were given skimpy outfits at least a size too small. The XFL looked for a way to put the mayhem back in kickoffs, and ridiculed NFL measures aimed at player safety.
McMahon promised to take the cameras into the locker rooms to see what the coaches were saying to their teams at halftime.
This time, McMahon is headed in the opposite direction, promising no gimmicks. He said the league won't employ anyone with a criminal record, which would crimp an already-limited talent pool. Halftime won't exist, as McMahon tries to streamline the games into a two-hour window.
And, oh say can you agree, McMahon will demand that players stand for the national anthem.
He wasn't feeling nearly as patriotic in 1991, when he had one of his wrestling characters, former Marine Sgt. Slaughter, portray a turncoat Iraqi sympathizer during the Gulf War. According to Slaughter (real name: Bob Remus), one of McMahon's ideas was to have him burn the American flag.
The 2001 failure of XFL was spectacular. It is held up as a business blunder on a par with New Coke and the Edsel.
It could be that McMahon is trying to purge the scepter of that disaster in his twilight years.
Or it could just be another really bad idea.
---
--ANOTHER TEAM?
Could Pittsburgh be one the cities that gets an XFL team?
It's a good pro football market, but it's hard to imagine the Steelers being pleased with an upstart league using Heinz Field.
When the USFL Maulers operated for one season in 1984, the Steelers stats crew thought they'd pick up some extra money working for the new guys. When the NFL season rolled around, they discovered they had all been fired by the Steelers.
---
--GO TO THE REPLAY
Speaking of odd ideas, Pirates broadcasters Greg Brown, Bob Walk and John Wehner will gather tonight for a condensed viewing of Game 7 of the 1992 National League playoffs.
In case you've forgotten, that was the game in Atlanta where the Pirates took a two-run lead into the ninth inning and lost. It's kind of a blur after all these years, but think Francisco Cabrera/Barry Bonds/Sid Bream and maybe some of it will come back to you. (Sorry).
Who wants to see this again? The presentation was the idea of the owner of the McKees Rocks theater that is hosting the $100 per ticket event. It comes with "gourmet" ballpark food, a question-and-answer session and autograph and photo opportunities.
Here's a possible question: Why would any Pirates fan pay a hundred bucks to relive this agony?
Hey, if it sells, there are other playoff failures that can be revisited, too.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Monday, January 22, 2018
Altoona Mirror, January 21, 2018
The Steelers have to ask themselves a $50 million (at least) question:
Is Le'Veon Bell a knucklehead?
It seems to be trending that way, and that's a big (at least $50 million) problem.
Bell is a premier running back and a perfect fit for the Steelers, who also use his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. He has even lined up at receiver to become a threat in another role. He gets more touches than a door handle at Disneyland.
But Bell has also shown a sharp proclivity for knucklehead-like behavior. He hitched a ride with LeGarrette Blount and got into a trouble when a passing cop smelled their violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy. Bell dug that hole deeper by missing a mandatory follow-up drug test.
He held out in training camp after turning down a lucrative deal that his agent recommended he take. In the run-up to this year's cameo appearance in the playoffs, he made noise about sitting out next season or retiring if the Steelers again made him their franchise player and paid him $14.7 million.
Last week brought reports that he was late for practice in advance of the playoff game.
That's a pretty substantial dossier of knuckleheaded behavior in a relatively short period of time.
The Steelers are experienced in this sort of thing. They spent a first-round draft choice on Plaxico Burress, who set the early standard. They wound up letting him leave as a free agent when it all piled up.
The zenith of Burress' career as a knucklehead came after he left the Steelers. He decided to play gangsta and entered a New York club with a loaded pistol. He ended up shooting himself in the thigh and spending 20 months behind bars for the weapons violation.
Burress was a talented player and a generally good guy. But he was a knucklehead.
Then came Santonio Holmes, another first-round draft pick who was also a gifted receiver. He helped the Steelers win Super Bowl XLIII with his leaping catch of Ben Roethlisberger's pass.
The next season was the most productive of his career. Yet the Steelers traded him for a fifth-round draft choice. There were too many off-field incidents --marijuana possession, telling a Twitter detractor "kill urself," a domestic incident, etc.
It was mostly minor stuff, but it all added up to a degree of knuckleheaded-ness that became more trouble than it was worth.
So now the Steelers look over Bell's history here and try to balance that against his considerable talent.
Sometimes knuckleheads turn things around. Roethlisberger had two ugly incidents, but seems to have put that part of his life in the past. Would he have gotten a second chance if he played a position less important than quarterback?
We'll never know. Those things are discussed in closed door meetings, where they wind up asking the big question:
Do we have a knucklehead here?
---
--NEW REGIME
Todd Haley never had a chance.
He didn't help himself with some unusual off-field behavior, but he's been around long enough to know how the pecking order works. If there's a feud between the star quarterback and the offensive coordinator, you know who's going to win.
So Haley packed up his office at Steelers headquarters and Roethlisberger was apparently telling people he might play three more seasons.
Quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner was promoted. He apprenticed for the new job by serving as sideline buffer between Roethlisberger and Haley, a role he apparently took at midseason at the quarterback's request.
---
--STILL LOOKING
A lot of jobs are being filled around the NFL, but ESPN is still looking for a replacement for Jon Gruden as the analyst on Monday Night Football.
They're looking for someone who can use a lot of words to say nothing with indecipherable coaching jargon.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
Is Le'Veon Bell a knucklehead?
It seems to be trending that way, and that's a big (at least $50 million) problem.
Bell is a premier running back and a perfect fit for the Steelers, who also use his ability to catch passes out of the backfield. He has even lined up at receiver to become a threat in another role. He gets more touches than a door handle at Disneyland.
But Bell has also shown a sharp proclivity for knucklehead-like behavior. He hitched a ride with LeGarrette Blount and got into a trouble when a passing cop smelled their violation of the NFL's substance abuse policy. Bell dug that hole deeper by missing a mandatory follow-up drug test.
He held out in training camp after turning down a lucrative deal that his agent recommended he take. In the run-up to this year's cameo appearance in the playoffs, he made noise about sitting out next season or retiring if the Steelers again made him their franchise player and paid him $14.7 million.
Last week brought reports that he was late for practice in advance of the playoff game.
That's a pretty substantial dossier of knuckleheaded behavior in a relatively short period of time.
The Steelers are experienced in this sort of thing. They spent a first-round draft choice on Plaxico Burress, who set the early standard. They wound up letting him leave as a free agent when it all piled up.
The zenith of Burress' career as a knucklehead came after he left the Steelers. He decided to play gangsta and entered a New York club with a loaded pistol. He ended up shooting himself in the thigh and spending 20 months behind bars for the weapons violation.
Burress was a talented player and a generally good guy. But he was a knucklehead.
Then came Santonio Holmes, another first-round draft pick who was also a gifted receiver. He helped the Steelers win Super Bowl XLIII with his leaping catch of Ben Roethlisberger's pass.
The next season was the most productive of his career. Yet the Steelers traded him for a fifth-round draft choice. There were too many off-field incidents --marijuana possession, telling a Twitter detractor "kill urself," a domestic incident, etc.
It was mostly minor stuff, but it all added up to a degree of knuckleheaded-ness that became more trouble than it was worth.
So now the Steelers look over Bell's history here and try to balance that against his considerable talent.
Sometimes knuckleheads turn things around. Roethlisberger had two ugly incidents, but seems to have put that part of his life in the past. Would he have gotten a second chance if he played a position less important than quarterback?
We'll never know. Those things are discussed in closed door meetings, where they wind up asking the big question:
Do we have a knucklehead here?
---
--NEW REGIME
Todd Haley never had a chance.
He didn't help himself with some unusual off-field behavior, but he's been around long enough to know how the pecking order works. If there's a feud between the star quarterback and the offensive coordinator, you know who's going to win.
So Haley packed up his office at Steelers headquarters and Roethlisberger was apparently telling people he might play three more seasons.
Quarterbacks coach Randy Fichtner was promoted. He apprenticed for the new job by serving as sideline buffer between Roethlisberger and Haley, a role he apparently took at midseason at the quarterback's request.
---
--STILL LOOKING
A lot of jobs are being filled around the NFL, but ESPN is still looking for a replacement for Jon Gruden as the analyst on Monday Night Football.
They're looking for someone who can use a lot of words to say nothing with indecipherable coaching jargon.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
Altoona Mirror, January 14, 2018
Getting to the AFC Championship game is as easy as 1-2-3 for the Steelers as they play the Jacksonville Jaguars this afternoon.
1. Contain Blake Bortles. He's the kind of quarterback whose legs are more dangerous than his arm.
2. No big plays. The Steelers defense has been allowing too many plays of 30 yards or more. They breathe life into a struggling offense.
3. No turnovers. Ben Roethlisberger threw five interceptions in the regular season game against Jacksonville. He shouldn't have that many in a month, much less one game.
Take care of those elements, and the Steelers will be on their way to New England -- where the formula for success is a lot more complex.
---
--OK TO WORRY
Steelers fans wouldn't be Steelers fans without worrying about something. So...
Worry about Antonio Brown. He's trying to return after injuring his calf in the next-to-last regular season game. Then he got sent home early from Friday's practice because of an illness.
The Steelers can win without Brown, but things run a lot smoother with him.
Running around on a bad leg isn't easy, even tougher when the temperature isn't above 20 degrees.
---
--BAD SCOOP
It wasn't a distinguished week for sports journalism with a couple of stories that had local impact.
Jon Paul Morosi of mlb.com ran with a story about Gerrit Cole being traded to Houston. He had the framework of agreement, but didn't identify what players the Pirates might be getting.
No need. The story blew up in a couple of hours. Cole was finally traded, but four days later.
That errant story is a prime example of what happens in a Twitter world, where there's a premium on getting the story before anyone else, even if the facts haven't been fully vetted.
Over at Steelers headquarters, ESPN was busy nailing down Le'Veon Bell's contract negotiations for next season even as the team was preparing for a playoff game.
That one was Bell's fault. He took the bait and sounded off. He said if the Steelers put the franchise player tag on him again, he might sit out the season or retire.
In deference to his teammates, Bell should have deflected the question. He did that hours later, issuing a Tweet that said his focus was entirely on this week's playoff game, not on this offseason's negotiations.
Ultimately Bell made himself look bad by answering an irrelevant question.
---
--'TIS THE SEASON
Three of this weekend's four NFL playoff games are being played in outdoor stadiums in cold weather environments.
Doesn't get any better. There's nothing more fun than watching others suffer in the elements while the furnace and/or fireplace are roaring.
---
--KEITH JACKSON
Keith Jackson, who died at 89, was the voce of college football on ABC for so many years.
His "Whoa, Nellie" and "fum.....BLE!' and the calls about the exploits of he "big uglies" cemented his relationship with Saturday college games.
But Jackson worked a full roster of sports during his long association with ABC. He was the original play-by-play voice of "Monday Night Football" before Frank Gifford took over.
He also called four games in the 1979 World Series, the Pirates' last participation. Jackson missed the middle games for football assignments (Al Michaels filled in) but Jackson was at the microphone for Game Seven when Omar Moreno caught Pat Kelly's fly ball to win the Series for the Pirates.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
1. Contain Blake Bortles. He's the kind of quarterback whose legs are more dangerous than his arm.
2. No big plays. The Steelers defense has been allowing too many plays of 30 yards or more. They breathe life into a struggling offense.
3. No turnovers. Ben Roethlisberger threw five interceptions in the regular season game against Jacksonville. He shouldn't have that many in a month, much less one game.
Take care of those elements, and the Steelers will be on their way to New England -- where the formula for success is a lot more complex.
---
--OK TO WORRY
Steelers fans wouldn't be Steelers fans without worrying about something. So...
Worry about Antonio Brown. He's trying to return after injuring his calf in the next-to-last regular season game. Then he got sent home early from Friday's practice because of an illness.
The Steelers can win without Brown, but things run a lot smoother with him.
Running around on a bad leg isn't easy, even tougher when the temperature isn't above 20 degrees.
---
--BAD SCOOP
It wasn't a distinguished week for sports journalism with a couple of stories that had local impact.
Jon Paul Morosi of mlb.com ran with a story about Gerrit Cole being traded to Houston. He had the framework of agreement, but didn't identify what players the Pirates might be getting.
No need. The story blew up in a couple of hours. Cole was finally traded, but four days later.
That errant story is a prime example of what happens in a Twitter world, where there's a premium on getting the story before anyone else, even if the facts haven't been fully vetted.
Over at Steelers headquarters, ESPN was busy nailing down Le'Veon Bell's contract negotiations for next season even as the team was preparing for a playoff game.
That one was Bell's fault. He took the bait and sounded off. He said if the Steelers put the franchise player tag on him again, he might sit out the season or retire.
In deference to his teammates, Bell should have deflected the question. He did that hours later, issuing a Tweet that said his focus was entirely on this week's playoff game, not on this offseason's negotiations.
Ultimately Bell made himself look bad by answering an irrelevant question.
---
--'TIS THE SEASON
Three of this weekend's four NFL playoff games are being played in outdoor stadiums in cold weather environments.
Doesn't get any better. There's nothing more fun than watching others suffer in the elements while the furnace and/or fireplace are roaring.
---
--KEITH JACKSON
Keith Jackson, who died at 89, was the voce of college football on ABC for so many years.
His "Whoa, Nellie" and "fum.....BLE!' and the calls about the exploits of he "big uglies" cemented his relationship with Saturday college games.
But Jackson worked a full roster of sports during his long association with ABC. He was the original play-by-play voice of "Monday Night Football" before Frank Gifford took over.
He also called four games in the 1979 World Series, the Pirates' last participation. Jackson missed the middle games for football assignments (Al Michaels filled in) but Jackson was at the microphone for Game Seven when Omar Moreno caught Pat Kelly's fly ball to win the Series for the Pirates.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Altoona Mirror, January 7, 2018
The Steelers are very good at what they do, which is why they're one of four teams sitting out this playoff weekend with a first-round bye.
They're good at something else, too -- keeping secrets.
When they released James Harrison shortly before they left for their Dec. 25 game in Houston, it seemed like a cold and heartless move.
Was that any way to treat the team's all-time leader in sacks, the man who contributed the second greatest play in franchise history, the one whose ferocity typified the aggressive defensive play that made the Steelers a consistent contender?
It turned out those attributes were just part of Harrison's Steelers legacy.
Shortly after he signed with New England, teammates were happy to talk about the other side.
There was the Harrison who moped as his playing time declined, the one who was inattentive during meetings and the guy who left the stadium and went home when he found out he wasn't suiting up for the game.
They portrayed him as selfish, and it didn't take much prompting to get the information out of them.
Who knew?
There have been rumblings that the relationship between Ben Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley is on the rocks again.
Both sides downplay any problems, but there was a minor adjustment in the assignment of assistant coaches on game day.
Randy Fichtner, the quarterback coach, moved from the booth down to the sideline. He is said to be a necessary buffer between Haley and Roethlisberger. By the way, Roethlisberger's play has improved considerably since this adjustment was made.
It's no contest when it comes to a battle of wills between a star quarterback and the offensive coordinator. Every team has an offensive coordinator. Fewer than a dozen have a star quarterback.
Then there's the matter of how Haley spent his New Year's Eve after the Steelers closed the regular season by beating the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field.
The Steelers reported that he had a hip injury. Haley said he encountered a "situation" in a bar near the stadium.
That sounds like there may have been some sort of physical confrontation, but who knows?
This much is certain: If you're a high profile person, spend your leisure time in places where management knows you and makes an effort to keep the mingling with outsiders to a minimum.
That helps the famous people avoid "situations."
---
--WHAT A DEAL
Happy new year, Jon Gruden.
Reports suggest that Gruden has a 10-year, $100 million deal to coach the Oakland Raiders.
Gruden is 54, so this should set him up for a nice retirement. He has stayed close to the game by working in television and waiting for the best offer. It would appear he's found it.
How outrageous is a 10-year contract? In the history of the Raiders (founded in 1960), no coach has lasted 10 seasons. Tom Flores came the closest by serving for nine years.
The only people nearly as happy as Gruden about this deal are Monday Night Football viewers, who have been trying to decipher his odd brand of coachspeak on the ESPN broadcasts.
---
--TIME TO GET GOING
The Penguins are past the halfway point of the regular season, so "Stanley Cup hangover" isn't a very good explanation for their inconsistent play.
The bye week is here, so maybe part of that can be devoted to honest self-evaluation and a plan for the rest of the way.
Based on his history, GM Jim Rutherford won't be inclined to sit back and wait for things to fix themselves.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
They're good at something else, too -- keeping secrets.
When they released James Harrison shortly before they left for their Dec. 25 game in Houston, it seemed like a cold and heartless move.
Was that any way to treat the team's all-time leader in sacks, the man who contributed the second greatest play in franchise history, the one whose ferocity typified the aggressive defensive play that made the Steelers a consistent contender?
It turned out those attributes were just part of Harrison's Steelers legacy.
Shortly after he signed with New England, teammates were happy to talk about the other side.
There was the Harrison who moped as his playing time declined, the one who was inattentive during meetings and the guy who left the stadium and went home when he found out he wasn't suiting up for the game.
They portrayed him as selfish, and it didn't take much prompting to get the information out of them.
Who knew?
There have been rumblings that the relationship between Ben Roethlisberger and offensive coordinator Todd Haley is on the rocks again.
Both sides downplay any problems, but there was a minor adjustment in the assignment of assistant coaches on game day.
Randy Fichtner, the quarterback coach, moved from the booth down to the sideline. He is said to be a necessary buffer between Haley and Roethlisberger. By the way, Roethlisberger's play has improved considerably since this adjustment was made.
It's no contest when it comes to a battle of wills between a star quarterback and the offensive coordinator. Every team has an offensive coordinator. Fewer than a dozen have a star quarterback.
Then there's the matter of how Haley spent his New Year's Eve after the Steelers closed the regular season by beating the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field.
The Steelers reported that he had a hip injury. Haley said he encountered a "situation" in a bar near the stadium.
That sounds like there may have been some sort of physical confrontation, but who knows?
This much is certain: If you're a high profile person, spend your leisure time in places where management knows you and makes an effort to keep the mingling with outsiders to a minimum.
That helps the famous people avoid "situations."
---
--WHAT A DEAL
Happy new year, Jon Gruden.
Reports suggest that Gruden has a 10-year, $100 million deal to coach the Oakland Raiders.
Gruden is 54, so this should set him up for a nice retirement. He has stayed close to the game by working in television and waiting for the best offer. It would appear he's found it.
How outrageous is a 10-year contract? In the history of the Raiders (founded in 1960), no coach has lasted 10 seasons. Tom Flores came the closest by serving for nine years.
The only people nearly as happy as Gruden about this deal are Monday Night Football viewers, who have been trying to decipher his odd brand of coachspeak on the ESPN broadcasts.
---
--TIME TO GET GOING
The Penguins are past the halfway point of the regular season, so "Stanley Cup hangover" isn't a very good explanation for their inconsistent play.
The bye week is here, so maybe part of that can be devoted to honest self-evaluation and a plan for the rest of the way.
Based on his history, GM Jim Rutherford won't be inclined to sit back and wait for things to fix themselves.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
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