Steeler-Bengal

The athlete, as everyone in life, walks a fine line. How far should he go? What is too much and where should he hold back?

The recent Steeler-Bengal game was a case in point. Strangely the game turned on an accident: Ryan Shazier, a talented player from the Steelers, had a spinal injury from a rather innocuous play. Things degenerated quickly. Toward the end of the game the Bengal's best defensive player was carried off the field and the Steeler's extraordinary wide-out was hit on a play that differed little from assault. The widely advertised blood feud had come true.
But there was another element not emphasized: There were several moments when players erred on the other side, where they did not play at all. Jackson, a defensive back, went out of his way not to hit Bell--even raising his hands to prove he had not hit him, and the Steeler running back promptly ran 30 yards to score. On the other side, the Steeler linebacker, Dupree, stopped mid-tackle with his arms around the Bengal quarterback and allowed him to complete a crucial long pass. In a game of terrible excess, some on the sidelines were certainly being criticized for their restraint.

 

Football is strangely anthropological. There is a tendency to view it in present terms and in historical context, like catcalls to girls on the street. Decades ago the game was certainly more vicious; the old Oakland-Pittsburgh games were Roman in intensity and damage. But this game today is different. These men are bigger, faster, better armored, better trained and the field of play is no bigger. Jack Lambert is too small to play now. Some of the Steeler offensive linemen in their heyday weighed less than 210 after a game. Ryan Shazier is 6'1, 230 lbs. and runs a 4.36 40 yard dash. He has leveraged himself into a missile of muscle, bone and ligament. The old players hurt others with bad intent, now they hurt each other with simple physics. With their blood up they can do terrible damage at any moment whereas years ago Jack Tatum had to look for his spot.

 

There was a lot wrong with this game. The Steelers were clearly unhinged with the Shazier injury--for which the Bengals were not responsible but which did echo previous faults--and seemed to sleepwalk through the first half. They came back in the second with a vengeance. The announcers got uncomfortable. The referees got symbolic, which only raised the intensity of the players. With Burfict's injury caused by a rookie wideout, the problem should be clear. Without some internal restraint in this game, no one is safe. Yet, at the same time, the self-imposed restraint of Jackson and Dupree will be criticized.

 

With the changing sensibilities of the culture, the Naturalistic Fallacy may not be enough to save this game.