PITTSBURGH (AP) — If Cam Heyward’s being honest, he’s lost count of distractions the Pittsburgh Steelers have dealt with this season, be they self-created, overblown or otherwise.
The weeks would pass and something that had nothing to do with Pittsburgh’s relatively easy push to a second straight AFC North title and third in four years would pop up. There was running back Le’Veon Bell’s decision to skip training camp . Antonio Brown’s one-sided bout with a water cooler in Baltimore in October. Or rookie wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster’s stolen bike . Or Martavis Bryant’s ill-timed and ultimately ignored trade request.



The list goes on and on. Yet at nearly every turn, the outside noise would be drowned out for three hours every week while the Steelers put together a 13-3 record, a fourth consecutive playoff appearance and a first-round postseason bye. Even a well-deserved week off didn’t pass quietly, with offensive coordinator Todd Haley limping around after getting hurt during an incident at a bar near Heinz Field shortly after Pittsburgh wrapped up the regular season with a victory over Cleveland.
Yawn.
“I think we’ve shunned it to an extent to where it doesn’t really faze us,” Heyward said. “I couldn’t even tell you all the drama that goes on. I think we’re so focused and goal-oriented when it comes to certain things, we haven’t had time to think about the little stuff. We make fun of the petty stuff. We’ll laugh at the stuff that happens.”

Maybe, but not all chaos is created equal. For a locker room that describes itself as close-knit, there was a moment of doubt. It came in the tunnel at brutally hot Soldier Field on Sept. 24. President Donald Trump’s provocative suggestion that NFL players who protest the national anthem should be fired put the Steelers in a tight spot.
Head coach Mike Tomlin told his players they could do what they wanted, so long as they were united. After failing to reach a consensus, they tried to sit it out by remaining in the tunnel as “The Star-Spangled Banner” played.
One problem: left tackle Alejandro Villanueva, a former Army Ranger, ducked onto the field to get a glimpse of the flag. The opening notes began before Villanueva could get back to the tunnel. He turned to face the flag, standing alone and unintentionally providing a stark visual symbol of an issue that in many ways defined the NFL’s season.
Linebacker Arthur Moats called the aftermath, which left some fans burning their jerseys and included Villanueva, Heyward and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger trying to explain how they “botched” the whole thing, the “lowest point you could get.”
“It was just a lot of factors that went into it,” Moats said. “It made it stressful.”
Ultimately, though, it didn’t divide the Steelers.
“That was something no one had ever experienced,” Heyward said. “That’s something that no one could have prepared for. I thought we handled it good internally after the situation. We got some stuff cleared out and understood it wasn’t the right way to approach it. But we learned. We lived through it.”
And they thrived. The Steelers fell to 2-1 after getting steamrolled in overtime by the Bears that afternoon. Pittsburgh lost just two games the rest of the way. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger emerged from an early funk to reach his sixth Pro Bowl. Brown led the NFL in yards receiving despite missing the final 2 ½ games with a left calf injury the team hopes will be healed in time for the conference semifinals. Bell’s decision to skip camp ended up saving his legs. A year after watching most of an AFC title game loss to New England with a groin worn down by a heavy workload, Bell is fresh.

Marijuana Versus Painkillers: NFL Players Have Right to Choose

Tackling NFL running back Adrian Peterson in real life might sound like a pipe dream, but you just might be able to take down the actual Minneapolis Vikings star in a game of Madden.
That’s the concept behind new gaming platform OverDog, which connects major athletes across the NFL, MLB, NHL, WWE and other leagues with fans through console-based video games. That’s right: Peterson is just sitting on the couch waiting to play you in a round of Call of Duty


“The name OverDog – which is a play on ‘underdog’ – lets any sports fan tackle Adrian Peterson, dunk on Roy Hibbert or race against a NASCAR driver... and win,” said co-founder and former Chicago Bears player Hunter Hillenmeyer. “That's not possible in the real world, so we’re leveling the playing field for a new kind of competition.”
The startup launched in April around the concept that athletes can challenge to fans to video games supported by PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
"There are countless services that try to connect fans with their favorite athletes in ways that feel a lot more like work than fun — like waiting in an autograph line — but the beauty of OverDog is that we're making that same connection possible in a way that's fun for everyone," Hilenmeyer said. "Athletes are already playing tons of video games, so we are just providing them with the tools to play those games with fans."
After downloading the OverDog app for iOS or Android, users program their favorite games, console of choice and set up time periods — such as 6:00 p.m. to midnight – when they might be most up for a challenge. When an athlete is in the mood to play, app users who fit the bill are put into a lottery system and sent a push notification that a specific athlete wants in on a game.



Those who are selected are then placed into a real-time match. Some games such as Call of Duty: Ghosts can take on five players at once.
Following eight years in the NFL and serving on the NFL Players Association for five, Hilenmeyer is relying on his personal network of athlete relationships to get the platform underway. The majority of the 310 involved athletes stem from the NFL (60%) and range from modern greats such as Marshawn Lynch and Calvin Johnson to icons like Randy Moss and Ray Rice.
“By and large, our athletes love first-person shooters like Call of Duty, Halo and Battlefield and sports games such as Madden, FIFA and NBA2K,” Hillenmeyer said. “We have some guys who play PC games, but they are the exception. Right now our most active gamers are MLS guys and MLB guys, mostly because it’s their offseason.”
NFL athletes tend to play OverDog on Mondays and Tuesdays, which are often off days, Hillenmeyer added.

Gaining Traction

From a business model standpoint, OverDog is still small, but its network of athletes has tremendous reach.
“The tie in to their social streams is a very important part of the allure for brands who are trying to get in front of sports fans in a less pitchy way,” Hillenmeyer said.

“Most of these guys are super passionate about gaming, so our job is really just to try not to get in the way.”

“Most of these guys are super passionate about gaming, so our job is really just to try not to get in the way.” Athletes typically get paid in swag, which includes free gear from sponsors, free games, early access to games and headphones.
“When we pay athletes real money, its usually because they are doing something more than just playing video games. That means scheduling a game, letting us record it, or creating content we use in some promotional capacity.”
From there, a brand – most likely a video game publisher or one that wants to specifically target sports fans – can use that athlete’s reach in an organic way. Call of Duty: Ghosts — which launched in November — was OverDog’s first official sponsor

Incredible Photos from the Eagle-Lions 'Snow Bowl' Game

It should snow more often during NFL Sunday football games — if only for the incredible photos.
The Northeast United States was pounded with snowfall on Sunday, but that didn't stop the Philadelphia Eagles from taking on the Detroit Lions at home amid blizzard conditions. The messy weather was so bad, the game was hardly visible to TV viewers.

It didn't take long for #SnowBowl to start trending online, as people discussed the whiteout, and shared images of fans braving the stands.