Zoltan Mesko, we hardly knew ya.
Hours after head coach Mike Tomlin‘s press conference, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced they cut their erstwhile punter in favor of somebody named Mat McBriar. I wish I could write a long detailed summary of McBriar but I’ve honestly never heard of him. He spells his name with only one T, though, which saves me a keystroke so he’s already on my good side. All I gleaned from the short article on the P-G is he’s Australian, which probably means he played rugby and isn’t afraid to make a tackle.
Of course, I’m sure he’s no Pat McAffee, the pride of Plum!
Mesko’s release marks a tragic downfall for a guy who was once a Pro Bowler. Turns out he was a lousy punter but nobody ever knew it because the Patriots offense was so good he only had to uncork a few kicks per game. Once he landed on a team with a laughably inept offense, he couldn’t hide his inability to hit the ball consistently any longer. Tom Brady, making average receivers into millionaires and keeping punters employed since 2001.
Of course, the Steelers could’ve avoided all this mess by just keeping one of the two punters they brought into training camp. I’m not saying Drew Butler was a world beater although there is the old saying “The Devil you know…” As it stands, it’s just another in a long list of bad personnel decisions by a staff quickly becoming known for them.