Re: James Harrison suspended (merged discussions)
The hit that Lewis got fined for was not a play where he led with the crown of his helmet. James Harrison has been fined, several times, for leading with the crown of his helmet.
Re: James Harrison suspended (merged discussions)
Ultimately I'm not sure how much the suspension will matter.
If the Ravens win in SD on Sunday I wouldn't be surprised if the Steelers essentially conceded the division and began resting banged up starters for the playoffs.
If the Ravens lose, then it's a different story, but at some point the Steelers are going to have to decide whether to knock themselves out going for the division (and quite possibly getting a WC anyway) or to begin resting starters and getting ready and healthy for the first round of the playoffs.
Re: James Harrison suspended (merged discussions)
I do not expect the Steelers to concede the division, because they understand how important the first round bye is. During both playoff years, where the Steelers knocked off the Ravens, they had a first round bye and were able to rest some players who really benefited from it. Troy Polamalu, Ben Roethlisberger and Lamar Woodley are three of the five most important players on the team. There is no guarantee that any of them would make it to a round 3 match-up with the Ravens, without a week of rest, even if they began resting near the end of this regular season.