After 17 years of teaching high school, I've learned a couple of things that are universal truths. First, a great number of laptops crash at 11:00 PM the night before a large assignment is due. Second, high school kids will go to amazing lengths to stay in close proximity to their cell phones. (even as far as having a dummy phone to put in the phone box) And third, it's never the person who starts something that gets caught, it's always the person who reacts. It's true that Mason Rudolph started this altercation by both trying to rip off Garrett's helmet while simultaneously kicking him in the man region. However, Myles Garrett reacted with lunatic intensity and went completely berserk. (Thanks to the old school Norwegians for that term meaning uncontrolled ferocity. Worth nothing that the Norwegians I know are far from ferocious, and more concerned with their rotten fish dish) In any case, the ensuing melee/donnybrook/fracas/brouhaha was the punctuation mark on a tense game with more than a few dirty hits from the Browns defense, on top of the usual vitriol that exists between these teams. Garrett's behavior is completely inexcusable, and perhaps the most reprehensible part was Myles ferociously trying to get a cheapie sack in the last moments of a blowout game. In case you were unaware, there were eight seconds left in a game that the Browns led by two touchdowns. Wouldn't it have been enough to celebrate a blowout win over your rival in a primetime nationally televised game? Apparently not. So Myles Garrett in an instant changed all the headlines; instead of "Browns Have Righted the Ship" we got "Browns Lose Even When They Win" and the following week was filled with the usual Cleveland denigration.
In the end, Myles Garrett cannot be defended. End of story. But let's not paint the Steelers as hapless victims in this case. Maurkice Pouncey kicked and punched a player laying on the ground, and somehow only got a two game suspension. I still can't believe that Mason Rudolph was slapped on the wrist and isn't suspended at all, without his actions the last 8 seconds might have gone by quietly. However, a week later Rudolph was benched in the third quarter for a guy named Devlin "Duck" Hodges, so perhaps we have heard the last of Mason Rudolph. One thing that's clear to me is that perhaps the Browns have righted the ship, and their young talent is starting to finally become the dangerous offense we thought they would be. Clearly they need to get better at managing emotions, particularly when playing a frustrated team like the Steelers. Nobody in that organization will admit it, but the writing is on the wall about a shortage of talent, and with Big Ben's retirement looming, the next few seasons might not be a lot of fun in the 'Burgh. But at least they've got Primanti Brothers.*
Go Browns.
*I lived in Pittsburgh for five years and out of the mostly fond memories I have, Primanti Brothers stands near the top of the list. A sandwich with french fries and cole slaw is truly a thing of beauty and my heart hurts a little as I pine for a hot sausage and cheese sandwich from Primanti Brothers. Pittsburgh is a fabulous city for food, but I wouldn't trade many of them for a late-night sandwich after seeing a show at Graffitti's or spending too much money on the jukebox at Dee's Cafe. Despite my dislike for most things Pittsburgh Steeler related, I loved living in that city, and it will be always be on the short list of places in the USA I would want to move to eventually. Too many bridges though.
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