Brief and to the Point ...
What Vontaze Burfict did wasn't tough. It was the antithesis of tough.
Anyone citing toughness in any capacity to describe any of his behavior Saturday in Cincinnati -- and it's come up stunningly often since then, including from some prominent national talking heads -- hasn't got a clue about what constitutes actual toughness in professional football.
Neither do I, of course, but Marcus Gilbert sure does.
"Toughness isn't delivering the hit. It's taking the hit," the Steelers' right tackle was telling me over the weekend. "It's knowing the hit is coming. It's putting yourself in position to get hit, anyway. And it's taking the hit."
In other words, it's this:
No, not Burfict. Absolutely not Burfict. What he did, anyone off the street could do. It's cowardly. It's criminal. It's assaulting someone sight unseen.
I'm talking about Antonio Brown. About a play call that required him to go across the middle, to outpace cornerback Chris Lewis-Harris, to leap against that tight coverage for a pass that was well overthrown and to do all that while fully aware there was a loose screw on the field who might well do exactly what what he did.
Brown hasn't been interviewed since that play because of the NFL's concussion protocol, but all you need to know about how aware he was of the pending danger is to watch how his head turns and lowers as soon as his right foot comes down to the grass. He knows he's going to get it.
That's taking one for the team.
That's tough.
"We all saw it," Gilbert said. "We all respect it. AB's all that."
For all the focus on the stupidity of Burfict and Pacman Jones, or Ben Roethlisberger's comeback, or even Joey Porter's bizarre contribution, what truly made all this happen was AB doing what AB does, without regard to personal consequence.
• Here's openly hoping that, the next time the NFL loses any concussion lawsuit from now until it's rendered bankrupt, the above play meriting a paltry three-game suspension serves as Exhibit A.
Wait, check that: This hit the previous week, by Burfict against the Ravens' Maxx Williams:
That one drew no suspension at all. Just a pocket-change $50,000 fine.
That court settlement will cost so, so much more.
• If you don't think AB and Roethlisberger will play Sunday, you haven't been paying attention. They'll play and play well.
• When you see Mike Tomlin making a fool of himself during his interactions with reporters, as he did with that display at the end of his press conference Tuesday, that's the real Tomlin. It's not the act.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfLntBkxx08
• Antwon Blake had a terrific impact against the Bengals and very much deserves to start Sunday in Denver. And if that sounds like a 180 from my position just a week ago, so be it.
Blake does get burned. Blake does miss tackles.
But I've tried never to be stubborn about stances in the face of new evidence or circumstances, and I've got three in this case:
One, not everything is quantifiable.
The Bengals' receivers, unlike AB, reached the point where they no longer had an interest in going across the middle. It was painfully obvious. And part of the reason is that Blake and Mike Mitchell had maintained a physical presence there throughout.
"You could feel that out there," Blake told me afterward. "You really could."
Football has made huge advances in defensive metrics, even in the nebulous area of coverage, but there still isn't one for intimidation.
Two, Brandon Boykin is back on the field.
Boykin and Blake had almost identical playing time, though Boykin was used in the slot. So it's no longer an either-or debate. Rather, it's Blake vs. Ross Cockrell. I'll take Blake.
Three, Peyton Manning can't throw past his nose anymore.
Blake might still have trouble wrapping up, but he isn't likely to get smoked on some 50-yard bomb, if only because Manning's arm is now a noodle. He'll dink and dunk and pitter-pat, but he isn't about to heave any throws reminiscent of, say ... oh, Tim Tebow?
Sorry. Had to go there.
• When it comes to making the Pro Football Hall of Fame, kickers are verboten, as we hear a ton at this time of year when selections get made right before the Super Bowl. There technically are four kickers in Canton, though the only pure placekicker -- no other position -- is the great Jan Stenerud. And the most common reasoning offered for this is that they "aren't football players."
Aren't they?
OK, well, if kickers aren't football players, how about if they get exempted from the insanely over-the-top threats and criticism that come with missing kicks like the 27-yarder that the Vikings' Blair Walsh unfortunately sent wide left Sunday?
Here's the deal: Blair's every bit as much a football player as Adrian Peterson. They play a different position with different challenges. If Peterson fumbles, it's part of the game. If Blair shanks, it's the end of the world. It's entirely possible, one would think, that the mental challenge a kicker faces more than makes up for the physical challenge a starting running back faces.
• A football player won the game for the Steelers, too. And Chris Boswell is a hell of a football player.
• Not ready to predict Steelers-Broncos, given all the variables lingering. But I will offer that placing too much emphasis on their previous meeting, a 34-27 victory for the home team at Heinz Field, will be a mistake. Denver played without both of its safeties, T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart. Ward is sure to be back, and Stewart is at least iffy now.
No position matters more when facing the Steelers' offense.
• The more I'm around Mike Sullivan, the more I appreciate the simplicity with which he's applying his stamp to the Penguins.
Ask about the breakout, and you'll hear -- and see -- a string of explanations about "just hitting the open man" or "just making sure the puck-carrier is supported."
Ask Sidney Crosby, as I did Monday, about the power play, and you'll get this: "We're moving a lot and making the play that's there. Honestly, that's really about it."
It isn't quantum physics.
• The Penguins could still use Patric Hornqvist at his peak over James Neal at his peak. And Hornqvist, with four goals in his past eight games, is getting back to that.
"I'm feeling good," Hornqvist was telling me Monday. "A lot stronger. More confident."
• Has anyone anywhere breathed so much as a syllable about Olli Maatta leading the Penguins with a plus-13 rating?
I appreciate the stat's flaws as much as anyone, except in cases of clear spikes or drops. There's still a story to tell there.
• This might not be popular, but I really enjoyed that Alexander Ovechkin scored his 500th goal Sunday on home ice in D.C.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXH5GER3ivs
He's the fifth-fastest to the milestone, the 43rd overall. But beyond that, I enjoyed seeing the milestone itself, as it's not something that will be attainable much longer in Gary Bettman's NHL.
Look at that scene up there. That's hockey being cemented in our nation's capital.
Wouldn't want to see that anywhere else, right?
• The Penguins will make the playoffs. And they'll do it in large part because Phil Kessel scores closer to his career curve. He's close.
Jamie Dixon's Panthers have rattled off 10 wins in a row. -- DKPS