Week 15 was one big WTF

Well, where do I start? Joe Kuzma and I were able to get our WTF Podcast ranting done on Monday but did we really get that Pittsburgh Steelers versus New England Patriots game out of our system? Not quite. Not by a long shot. The “catch-no-catch” discussion is not only getting old, but it isn’t being applied consistently or equally within the NFL. Apparently, there are different rules for running backs versus wide receivers, as well as what is considered “control” of the ball. WTF?

The ending of the Sunday night game, when the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger finally got the monkey off of their backs and outplayed the Patriots to what should’ve been the game-winning touchdown (and called as such) was a major WTF. The catch by tight end Jesse James was overturned in a ridiculous five-minute replay session. The Vice President of officiating in the NFL sat in New York and made his third call on game-winning/game-changing plays this season. This time in favor of the Patriots. WTF is that? It’s favoritism, no way around it.

The referees missed so many penalties committed by the Patriots, it was embarrassing. For a crew that is known as the second-most penalty-happy crew in the league, no wonder, right? There were several holding calls that were missed – to the point that the very last play of the game where ‘Big Ben’ threw a slant resulted in an interception. Roethlisberger saw Eli Rogers make the move in the end zone but with a defender pulling on his jersey as he cut the route made it nearly impossible for the Patriots not to get to the ball somehow, and they tipped it into the air to grab it and take the game. WTF? I hate blaming officials and referees for losses, but in this case and this game, it was hard not to.

Moving on from that play, I have to say to our defensive coordinator (Keith Butler) and secondary coaches, “Where was the plan for stopping Rob Gronkowski?” When Gronk had the ball, he balled. There was zero answer for him in man coverage and when zone coverage was the call, Gronkowski was left wide open for first down after first down. WTF?

The Steelers know the impact Gronkowski has on a game, so don’t you think a double-team man coverage at the very least would be appropriate? Or, why not throw T.J. Watt in there to shadow and cover him? Pound for pound Watt and Gronk have more similar body types. Watt couldn’t do any worse than Sean Davis did.

As for our around the league WTF’s, there are a few that are really just another of many things we see each week this season and say, “Really? That happened?”

Allegedly, during the Buffalo Bills game, one entire side of the stadium thought they could see kicker Steven Hauschka peeing on the side of the field. Or so they thought. WTF? It certainly looked like it, but come to find out he was standing there squeezing out his water bottle in an awkward stance. Pretty funny.

That entire side of the stadium can see Hauschka taking a piss pic.twitter.com/sKHQIGrl3c

— Busted Coverage (@bustedcoverage) December 17, 2017

Terry Bradshaw, the former Steelers quarterback and four-time Superbowl-winning Hall of Famer was up to his antics again, trash talking Pittsburgh’s coaching and current personnel. Why? WTF, Mr. Bradshaw? Pittsburgh is a sports town with such a loyal fan base. You can see fans wearing jerseys of former and current players alike.

It makes you wonder why #12 is rarely seen. Maybe it’s because fans are tired of Bradshaw talking about things that don’t do anyone (or himself) any good, like trashing the current coach, Mike Tomlin, who is in his 11th year and has never had a losing season during that time. And, why trash ‘Big Ben’, a 14-year veteran quarterback who has been blowing past Bradshaw’s stats with history-making games? Is it jealousy on the part of Bradshaw? Maybe. But seriously, show some loyalty here or stop talking. WTF!

An unfortunate WTF also happened this week: the Pro Bowl players for this season were announced and so were those who were snubbed. The Steelers had a record eight starters named in Pro Bowl selection, but the WTF here was that Cameron Heyward was completely overlooked. Heyward has ten sacks on the season, with 41 tackles (27 solo), three passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Those numbers alone should be enough to get him into the game, but again, Heyward was not a top vote-getter. WTF? Did you vote? Did any Steelers faithful vote for him? Hopefully, Come Back Player of the Year has Heyward’s name all over it after he sat out all but seven games of the 2016 regular season with a torn pectoral muscle.

There’s some TMZ-like stuff that we’ll leave to the other sites, but after Sunday night’s loss, I am just looking forward to a Christmas Day win over the Houston Texans. Until next week. Here we go!