Hard Hat Award (Game #9, vs. Cinci)
No one is the winner of the weekly Hard Hat Award, given to the Stiller player who best embodies the iron-tough, hard-as-steel attitude of the steel workers inside the blast furnace of a still mill.
In what was essentially a must-win game against division leading Cinci, the entire Stiller team went out and laid a horrific egg, at home, in an 18-12 loss. The entire team stunk and sputtered, showing no more urgency than schoolkids being called in from the playground upon the end of recess. We�ve actually seen more malice, tenacity, and intensity in pre-season games, as well as meaningless season finales, than what we saw this past Sunday. Vicious hits? None. Decleating blocks? None. Decapitating a ballcarrier? None. Swarming to the ball? None. Emotion and nastiness? None. Instead, the entire team went through the motion in an NBA-like manner.
It bears repeating that there is almost always -- if not always -- a strong correlation between the number of players in consideration for the Hard Hat, and if the team won or lost. Simply put, Hard Hat kind of football leads to victory; pansy football (a term used here long before Troy Pola popularized it) leads to defeat. Given the poor effort and lack of toughness this past Sunday, it should come as no surprise that the Stillers got beaten.
Kudos to no one for winning the Hard Hat Award. Don�t wear the Hard Hat proudly, fellas.
Previous 2009 Hard Hat Winners:
Game #1, vs.
Game #2, @
Game #3, @ Cinci: Mike Wallace (honorable mention to Alice Cooper bassist Chuck Garric)
Game #4, vs.
Game #5, @
Game #6, vs.
Game #7, vs.
Game #8, @