It requires the barest, basest level of human behavior for two adults to behave like mountain-born bighorn sheep.
You know, like this ...
One of those men up there is intelligent, conversant, kind and caring.
The other is Vontaze Burfict.
So what, pray tell, I just had to ask David DeCastro on the eve of the Steelers and Bengals going all mountain animal on us again today at Heinz Field, could this smart man possibly have been thinking on that play last December in Cincinnati?
"You know, I'm not really sure how it came about," DeCastro told me after a small laugh this week at Rooney Sports Complex. "I remember that we both saw each other before I pulled out there, he was my guy to block and he knew it and ... I guess neither of us was going to slow down."
But, dude, why?
"It's the Bengals, my man. It's the Bengals."
Oh.
The Ravens are the modern rival, the Browns are the historic rival, but the Bengals are the opponent the Steelers relish beating above all. And if I'd had any doubt about that, it was blown up big-time after that December game inside Paul Brown Stadium's delirious locker room. When Vince Williams was shouting to no one in particular a stream of profanities for how he felt about the Bengals. When Ryan Shazier was sitting at his stall, silent and wide-eyed, still wearing his pads after most others had undressed. When Alejandro Villanueva, right near DeCastro, looked up at me from his stool, shook his head and said, "Can you imagine what it would be like if every week was like this?"
As it is, it's only 1/8 of the schedule. Buckle up.
• Throw underneath. Find the tight end. Run Le'Veon Bell again and again. Marvin Lewis has never had any counter for any of those, and he's not about to look any more clever now.
• Our staff's predictions and so much more are in Dale Lolley's expansive Sunday Kickoff preview piece.
• Riley Sheahan for Scott Wilson?
One knows better than to second-guess Jim Rutherford. He's had his eye on Sheahan for months, and he's undeniably right to prioritize a penalty-killing center above a non-penalty-killing winger. What's more, given the current roster needs, especially with Carter Rowney getting hurt Saturday night in Tampa, I've no doubt Sheahan will represent an immediate improvement to the roster at a reasonable cost.
There's also real cause to believe that, at age 25, Sheahan could reclaim some of what he's produced previously with the Red Wings:
But sorry if I'm at least a little skeptical, for now, of someone who went 79 games without a goal last season, then finally produced his only two in the finale:
That's pretty rough for an NHL forward. I mean, there's got to be more than two goals even if they're just bouncing in off your rear end.
• It takes a lot, an awful lot to get Mike Sullivan to speak words like 'flawed team' about his Penguins, as he did Saturday night in Tampa. He's so cautious with his word choices, based on my experiences with the man, that I could envision his having thought of that at any point through what wound up a long, long night before meeting with reporters.
Be very sure he is seriously ticked.
Be equally sure he won't touch any excuses related to back-to-back games, even though those are painfully valid, if only because he's seeing something beyond that when analyzing why this group's suddenly become so inconsistent.
• Oh, and be surest of all that he's running out of rope for Antti Niemi. It's not so much the goals, I'd bet, though some of those were awful Saturday, but rather whatever additional effect he might have on the rest of the group.
Show me a hockey team playing in front of a flopping goaltender with flawed technique, and I'll show you a hockey team that's ... well, flawed.
• If Sidney Crosby can't bark at a second-year NHL ref, not because he's Crosby but because he's one of 31 team captains, then that ref won't last long. Enjoy the check while it lasts, Garrett Rank.
• Charlie Morton won Game 7, you guys. Charlie's an honest-to-electric-stuff hero in Houston:
— Houston Astros (@astros) October 22, 2017
He went from being urged in Pittsburgh to pitch to contact in the name of efficiency, to one urged by the Astros to rear back and throw as hard as he can with an aim of missing bats, only to reach unprecedented velocities. Funny how that works with a naturally live arm that's simply cut loose, rather than conforming to a broader organizational stance regarding going deep into games.
Charlie put up five zeroes. That was plenty.
Maybe we should all strive to remember that anytime we bury anyone's professional sports career prematurely. Sometimes it just takes being in a better place.
Good for him, too. There's only one of that guy, as fans at his various PirateFest songfests will recall:
WHAT’S BREWING
• Hope you can join our football coverage team -- Dale Lolley, Christopher Carter, Matt Sunday and me -- on our all-day, all-night live file. On there, you can also find out how to hear Dale on the Steelers' official pregame show.
• Also, hope you can check out Dale's comprehensive preview package for the game. You'll see what I mean.
• Much, much later tonight, I'll join the panel on our news partner WPXI-TV's 'Subway Final Word,' along with Mark Madden, John Steigerwald and host Alby Oxenreiter. It's scheduled to air at 11:35 p.m., though the NFL night game on NBC usually pushes it back a bit.
• If you missed it, the weekend's Site Stuff was loaded.
STEELERS TODAY
• Event: Game vs. Bengals
• When: 4:25 p.m.
• Where: Heinz Field
• TV: CBS (national)
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Satellite: SiriusXM Channel 82 (Internet 826)
• Forecast: 73 degrees, partly cloudy, wind 7 S
• Lots open: 11:30 a.m.
• Will call open: 1:30 p.m.
• Gates open: 2:30 p.m.
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
• Media notes: Steelers | Bengals
• Odds: MyBookie.AG
PENGUINS TODAY
• Event: No team activities
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Gajtka and Lysowski are flying home today, and Sara's right back in Wilkes-Barre:
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