Are you sick of the whole Antonio Brown story?
Have you OD 'd on AB?
Too bad, because it doesn't look like it's going to go away any time soon.
The new NFL "year" doesn't start for another nine weeks, so it's not possible to trade him. Since a trade is still the most likely course of action, that means there probably won't be a resolution to this for a while.
So sit tight and get used to the idea that you'll probably still be hearing (and reading) about this story for a while.
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The Steelers were absent, but it was an interesting weekend of NFL action nonetheless.
Can you imagine being a Chicago Bears fan and watching your postseason double doink off the goal posts? Kicker Cody Parkey banged a potential game-winning 43-yard field goal attempt off the upright and then off the cross bar. And even after all that adventure, it still had a chance of falling through the right way.
What's amazing is Parkey hit the upright six times during the regular season. When you're watching games this weekend. take a look at the goalposts. Note how narrow the uprights are. Then look at the space between them, which is wide enough to let a Subaru through.
A really skilled kicker probably couldn't hit an upright four times if he tried. Parkey did it by accident.
None of that is any consolation to Parkey. Some Bears followers rewarded him by sending in death threats. That says something about the undue importance we put on sports.
--Meanwhile in the booth, CBS analyst Tony Romo ruffled some feathers by using a mildly bad word to express that one of the players was "miffed." It didn't belong on the broadcast, but in the dictionary of locker room language, this one barely registered.
Romo probably got away with just getting a reminder from network headquarters.
--Sometimes timing is everything. The 2005 Steelers were having a so-so season until they caught fire in December and rolled all the way to the franchise's fifth Super Bowl trophy.
Is Indianapolis on the same kind of course? The Colts looked good in winning at Houston, continuing the stretch that closed the regular season.
The Colts started the season 1-5, then ended 10-6 with a playoff spot. They've been boosted by the return of quarterback Andrew Luck, and they look solid on both sides of the ball.
They have a big task this week playing at Kansas City, but they knocked off Houston and Dallas in December.
--The Baltimore Ravens are done, but they threw a scare into the Los Angeles Chargers before they left.
Coach John Harbaugh said the Ravens are finished with quarterback Joe Flacco and will switch to Lamar Jackson.
That will mean a whole new offense for the Ravens, and present a new challenge for the Steelers.
Depending on what the Cincinnati Bengals decide to do post-Marvin Lewis, the AFC North could have three teams pointing up at a time when the Steelers are looking to replace Le'Veon Bell and Brown from their offense.
--This is the last great football weekend of the season with four games. Enjoy it.
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Nice move by the Pirates to add Jeff Banister to the front office staff.
A lot of people think Banister will be the heir apparent to Clint Hurdle, but that's not necessarily so. Bob Skinner joined the Pirates' coaching staff in 1974, and everyone figured he was brought on board to eventually replace Danny Murtaugh.
It's 2019 and Skinner, now 87, still hasn't managed the Pirates.
Another good baseball mind can always help, and that's what Banister will bring to an organization he's already served for 29 years.
(John Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com)
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