an episode of Stranger Things. Welcome to the Upside Down World."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections Latest NewsSteelers Film Room2018 NFL Draft AnalysisLatest NewsLatest NewsCommentaryThis Pittsburgh Steelers offseason resembles ‘Stranger Things’ more than real lifeNew Merril Hoge Jersey ,11commentsThe NFL off season thus far has resembled an episode of Stranger Things. Welcome to the Upside Down World.EDTShareTweetShareShareThis Pittsburgh Steelers offseason resembles ‘Stranger Things’ more than real lifeRon Chenoy-USA TODAY SportsThe times, they sure are a changing. Growing up in the 80's it was a bad thing to be labeled a nerd. So bad actually they made movies about the revenge they would get when they ruled the world and boy have they ever. Many of the four eyed, pencil pushing, book worms that the jocks and cool kids tortured back in the day are now some of the most successful and wealthiest people on the planet. While many of the popular individuals peaked in high school, many of the nerds blossom once they reached the private sector.Although I have always loved sports and was an athlete, I also have some nerd like tendencies. I excelled in school, loved math, enjoyed writing, and liked to read, especially Marvel comics. This was very nerd like behavior back in my day, but not anymore. Everybody loves anything Marvel nowdays, whether it be their movies, video games, or comics.Another guilty nerdy pleasure growing up was syfy. Everybody was a fan of Star Wars or Star Trek Mark Barron Jersey , maybe both, but you had to have a favorite. Now science fiction movies and series are more popular than ever, whether it's Fox Network's The Orville or Netflix hit show Stranger Things.I gave you a little backstory in hopes that it would help explain my current dilemma. I really think I am trapped in the Upside Down World from Stranger Things. For those unfamiliar with the series, the best way I can describe the show is imagine the kids from the Goonies movie join the cast of the X-Files series. Now in the show there is a alternate parallel universe called the Upside Down World, where everything is messed up and doesn't make sense. If you haven't seen the show I realize my simplistic description probably doesn't paint an vivid mental picture, but that's all I have to offer at the moment.I have been watching ESPN and the NFL Network lately trying to keep up with all the free agency transactions. As you already know, it has been a wild ride of record setting contracts and mind blowing trades. However, the size of the contracts and the magnitude of the trades isn't the reason I fear I am in a parallel universe. It is because of the statements and predictions being made by the expert panels and guests.Since the turn of the century, four NFL franchises have won multiple Super Bowls. Current champions, the New England Patriots, just won their sixth title. All six have been this century and ties them with the Pittsburgh Steelers for most Super Bowl titles all time. The Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Giants, and the Baltimore Ravens have each won two titles in that time frame. That's the list. Out of the last 18 Super Bowls, those four franchises have won 12 of them. Quite the impressive feat for those franchises and worthy of respect one would think. If so Donnie Shell Jersey , one would be dead wrong.Suddenly, the New York Jets are going to challenge the New England Patriots because of some high priced talents they acquired in free agency, such as Le'Veon Bell and CJ Mosley. I understand the concept. That is what free agency is for, to provide each franchise with the opportunity to build their team and compete for a championship. If that's not the goal then what's the purpose? I just find it funny these experts try to sell the idea that a team led by a second year QB, a RB coming back from a yearlong self imposed sabbatical, little receiver talents to speak of, and more holes in the roster than a pack of swiss cheese are ready to compete for the AFC East title. The Patriots own that division and I can't imagine that changing as long as Tommy Boy and Hoodie Bill patrol their sideline, with or without Gronk. For heavens sake, the Jets haven't won a Super Bowl since Broadway Joe was wearing pantyhose.At least the Jets have won a Super Bowl. The media darlings Cleveland Browns have never won a Super Bowl, they haven't ever even played in one. But if you listen to the prognosticators the Browns are odds on favorites to win the AFC North, with the AFC title and Super Bowl sure to follow. That's great, any team that has had a top three pick pretty much every year in the NFL draft since the turn of the century should be ready to improve, and heaven knows the Cleveland faithful have been patient. I just find it somewhat disrespectful to immediately write off the Steelers and the Ravens, two proven winners Tyson Alualu Jersey , and annoint the anything but proven Browns as the class of the division. The Browns have added some talented individuals to their roster lately, that is true. However, they are a volatile group of explosive personalities that have yet to take the field together. To paraphrase the late Dennis Green, "You can crown their a** if you want to." but it remains to be seen if "They are who we thought they were."Finally, the so called experts were taking the New York Giants to task for trading away the seemingly irreplaceable OBJ. They accused the Giants of having no plan for the future. They made them sound like the new version of the Cleveland Browns. But here's a thought for you. What if the Giants paid close attention to the AB situation as it played out and realized they very well could have been next with OBJ. Move the problem child before he has the chance to destroy his trade value. In foresight, that would be a brilliant move. It's not like they were going to win anything with him anytime soon.Hopefully now you can understand my confusion. I turn on the tv and see AB looking normal again, acting all humble, hugging Derek Carr, and proclaiming that he leads by example. The Raiders are suddenly a hot commodity. I must be in an upside down world.The NFL’s new roughing the passer rule is silly Remember during the spring, summer and NFL preseason, when you were raging over the league’s new rule (or was it a new emphasis — hard to keep track of these things) to protect the health of its players? Turns out, you were right to be enraged, only you were angry about the wrong rule. While the NFL’s new rules on targeting and helmet-to-helmet hits stole the headlines before the start of the 2018 regular season, it’s the league’s newer and sexier roughing-the-passer rule (or emphasis) that has stolen the show so far. Can you remember the last time a player was called for a helmet-to-helmet hit? I knowthere have been some Javon Hargrave Jersey , but it doesn’t seem to be altering games or keeping drives alive at an alarming rate through the early portions of the 2018 season. And maybe that’s because you can fundamentally teach players on both offense and defense to block and tackle without using their heads as battering rams. Sure, there have been some bang-bang non-calls, but those are going to happen. Perhaps to the credit of the officials, they’ve mostly used common sense in situations where helmet-to-helmet contact is simply impossible to avoid. But you can’t give the officials any credit for how they’ve been emphasizing quarterback safety by throwing roughing-the-passer flags at an alarming rate that appears to be zooming on the way to being absolutely ridiculous. Through three full weeks, 34 roughing the passer penalties have been called, up by 18 from the same time-frame in 2017. The quirk in this new emphasis isn’t necessarily the amount of penalties that have been called, but why. Remember the good old days, when defenders were only flagged for things like shots to the head or hitting the quarterback after taking a two- or three-step running start? Much like the helmet-to-helmet hits, a defender could cut down on such fouls simply by using proper technique and a little restraint.But I’m at a loss at what to say about this new emphasis on roughing the passer in 2018, when it’s now illegal for a defender to land on a quarterback with all of his body weight. How is that really possible in most cases? How can you tell a defender to use proper tackling technique on a ball-carrier (bend at the knees, see what you hit, and drive the ball-carrier to the ground), but then turn around and tell him he must take a different approach when hitting a quarterback? What is a defender supposed to do? If he’s not using proper technique, he must either sling a passer to the ground or take him down with a semi-clothesline Justin Hunter Jersey , a la pro wrestling. In the Steelers’ 30-27 victory over the Buccaneers in Week 3, four roughing the passer penalties were called — two on both teams — with perhaps the silliest one going against safety Sean Davis, who weighs 20 pounds less than Tampa Bay quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. So now, if you’re a defender, you can’t hit a quarterback high, hit a quarterback low or tackle a quarterback to the turf like a regular football player. Prior to Week 4’s matchups, the NFL doubled-down on its new emphasis on protecting the quarterback, which is cute for now. But wait until a Jesse James-like play alters not only the course of a drive or game, but changes the fortunes of some aspiring playoff team. Much like the Catch Rule and many other irrational league mandates, you can almost guarantee the NFL ultimately will de-emphasize its current stance on roughing the passer.It’s just too bad that will happen next spring.In the meantime, brace yourself and hope it’s not your team whose playoff aspirations are de-emphasized in 2018.