The NFL Network is smiling over your anger.
After all, for a network that isn't available in many households, the best thing it can get is free publicity -- even if it's the kind with which you don't agree.
So when former NFL quarterback David Carr left Ben Roethlisberger off his current top-10 quarterbacks list and Steelers fans went nuts over it, the network got exactly what it wanted.
Carr's list is silly. Heck, it includes his younger brother, Derek, as the No. 4 quarterback in the NFL right now. Seriously.
That's the same Derek Carr who had a 76.6 passer rating last season. Landry Jones has a career passer rating of 86.2.
And yet people are getting upset about what this clown has to say?
Carr also talked out of both sides of his mouth when attempting to explain his stance, first saying Roethlisberger's weapons make him a better quarterback than he is right now -- no duh -- but then not acknowledging the same thing is true for 39-year-old Drew Brees, whom he had rated No. 3, right ahead of his little brother.
Did I mention he seriously had Derek Carr rated as the fourth-best quarterback in the NFL?
Carr's list also included Jimmy Garoppolo at No. 10. Yes, the same quarterback who has two more career starts than the aforementioned Jones.
Read the lists. That's what people do this time of year when there's not a lot going on around the NFL. But to get angry over somebody else's opinion? Well, that's just a little silly.
It's not as if Carr's opinion actually means Roethlisberger isn't a top-10 quarterback at this point in his career. After all, does anyone who didn't grow up in the Carr household actually think Derek Carr is in the top 10, let alone the top five, right now?
Carr's list was based on his opinion. Period. Ask 100 other NFL analysts and they'll tell you Roethlisberger belongs in the top 10 somewhere. A few of them might even include Derek Carr on there somewhere.
Or not.
• Ryan Shazier was at the New York Yankees' game at Toronto Friday and took in the visiting team's batting practice on the field.
According to a source on the scene, Shazier was still using a pair of canes to get around, but the players were all surprised at how upbeat Shazier remains. That's the biggest takeaway from this entire thing. Shazier's ability to stay positive throughout his situation truly is an inspiration.
• The Pirates are now not just losing, they're losing in spectacular fashion. Just this week, they allowed 17 runs in two different games in the span of four games.
That's really difficult to do at the Major League Baseball level.
I know Clint Hurdle just signed a new contract that runs through the 2021 season, but if the wheels come completely off this thing this season, don't be surprised if Hurdle pays the price. After all, this is a team that is just 14-31 since its 26-17 start.
If they continue along this course the rest of the season, they'll win just 27 of their final 74 games. That would put this team at 67-95, which would make it awfully hard on management to continue with the status quo.
• I love baseball. Always have. Heck, Saturday, I umpired three local youth baseball games -- just for fun.
As I wrote a couple of weeks ago, there's nothing fun about watching this Pirates team right now. There just isn't.
And as I umpired those three games, I couldn't help but wonder how many of those young baseball players -- they were all 11, the prime age for loving the game -- were growing up without getting an opportunity to see good baseball in Pittsburgh.
Think about it. When the Pirates last fielded a winner, those young players were seven. They might have liked the game at that point, but how much of it are they going to recall.
The scary thing is the Pirates went 20 seasons between playoff berths in 1992 and 2013. If that happens, those kids on the field in the games I umpire Saturday would be 26 before seeing a winner again.
• We're just a little more than two weeks away from the start of Steelers training camp. That means we'll start to get the answers to a lot of questions about this team.
Every team likes to think it has a shot to win the Super Bowl. But in reality, there are really only a handful each season for which that is reality.
The Steelers are one of those teams. In fact, they are one of only four or five -- in my estimate -- who have a chance to represent the AFC.
If I had to put current odds on it, I would put them, in order, as New England, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Los Angeles and Denver. In my estimation, any of those teams could win the AFC. Tennessee could sneak into that conversation, as well, but needs Marcus Mariota to play better than he did a year ago. Houston also could be a player, which is why Jacksonville will take a step back this season. The AFC South is better as a whole, meaning the Jaguars aren't going to get a cakewalk to the division title.
Injuries, of course, will factor into the equation, but I'll be surprised if those five teams aren't among the six teams in this year's AFC playoff field. The difference between the haves and the have-nots is pretty significant in the conference.
• One of my biggest pet peeves is members of the media who constantly refer to players by their nicknames. One in particular gets to me.
I don't know if you knew this or not, but Dad has come back to Pittsburgh. Ugh.
I've got nothing against Matt Cullen. I've never met the man. But every time I hear another media member refer to Cullen as "Dad," I want to puke.
For the most part, these guys aren't your buddy. They're not your pal. Nor should they be. We cover the players. We might even get somewhat friendly with them. But the only person I'm calling "Dad" is my dearly departed father, no offense to Cullen.