NFL Experiment

This is an experiment. No, this is not the Incredible Hulk. No, this is not the Six Million Dollar Man. What this is is an NFL experiment. Sports writers are complaining about the NFL playing the postponed Eagles - Vikings game on a Tuesday night which has been moved from Sunday December 26th due to a Nor'Easter and subsequent storm that hammered the East Coast. Why not Monday December 27th instead of Tuesday December 28th? There is a big game on Monday night football tonight, the Saints vs. the 12 and 2 Falcons. By just my humble opinion, I think the NFL has wanted for a long time to play a game of a Tuesday night. Not many football games are played on Tuesday nights. After the World Series is completed, then ESPN carries a Mid America Conference or Conference USA game on a Tuesday night in November. The NFL plays on Thursday nights, the NFL has been playing on Monday nights since 1970, and the NFL has been playing on Sundays nights since 1987. Why not Tuesday night NFL football. Maybe something is going on in Philadelphia on Monday December 27th but I doubt it. I think this is just an experiment by the league to see if a Tuesday NFL game is viable. This is a wild guess on my part but who knows what goes on at the NFL headquarters in New York City.

This 'n That

Could the NFL lead all of professional sports of having the most "Spoiled Brats"? Just look at Donovan McNabb's outlook on being demoted to third string. McNabb is not playing well. He has to make a statement through his agent Fletcher Smith of his dis-satisfaction. Football is the ultimate team game and if you are a team player, then accept the fact that you got benched. Probably the NFL's worst Spoiled Brat is Titans QB Vince Young. It was recently reported that Young threw his shoulder pads and other equipment into the stands after he got replaced. Then there is Eagles WR/KR DeSean Jackson returning a punt to win a game and not finishing the play by not running into the end zone immediately and running along the goal-line to showboat his punt return. Is the NFL a football game or a game of entertainment. Where is Coach Chuck Noll when you need him? You know what Chuck Noll would have done with Vince Young if he threw a tantrum. One word: Gone.........How about the 2 Mississippi State teammates getting into a brawl that carried over in to the stands. This puts a lot of pressure on Bulldogs Coach Rick Stansbury who used to work at my Metro Index Basketball Camp years ago. Stansbury is a great guy who also needs to think like Chuck Noll...........What about NY Jets Coach Rex Ryan? From saying the Jets were going to win the Super Bowl, to saying he did not like Tom Brady, and now to his foot fetish! Is Rex Ryan on the verge of being hired by NBC to become the next Ed McMahon and become the sidekick of Jay Leno........If I was a smart man, this may be the biggest LOCK of all times. Some network is going to hire Terrell Owens to be a analyst along the lines of a Deion Sanders or Shannon Sharpe.........................Joe Butler's Metro Index Scouting Service Subscription for the 2011 Football Season. These rates are applicable to all levels of NCAA Football...Cost of $995. includes the 2011Pennsylvania Report plus DVD Disks of 2012 graduates.......Cost of $745. includes only the 2011 Pennsylvania Report..........Have a great Holiday Season everyone.

Geno, Geno, The Dancing Machine-o

What an outstanding feat accomplished by the U. of Connecticut women's basketball program winning 89 straight games led by Coach Geno Auriemma. As we know that toppled the great record held by the UCLA Bruins Men's Basketball Program of 88 consecutive victories. I do not care what level you are competing on or whether it be any men's or women's sport, it is hard to win 89 straight contests. Coach Auriemma not only can coach but he and his staff are phenomenal recruiters. This streak may go on to more than 100+ games. Truly a remarkable accomplishment. But let's go to the next chapter of Geno Auriemma's basketball future. I know this may cause some heated discussions, but yours truly thinks Geno Auriemma needs to test the waters of a Collegiate Men's Basketball Program. He can hardly accomplish any more in the women's game. Before Auriemma got to UConn, the women's program had 1 winning season. Now He has 7 national championships just one shy of Tennessee Vols Coach Pat Summitt. He may look to surpass Summit in the next few seasons. But I think he needs to flip to the Men's side with the potential of doing the same thing with a Men's Program. He is an outstanding technician, he can really recruit, and his players play with great intensity. He would get hired in a New York minute by some school that Men's program has been struggling. Auriemma is not that old and he has great enthusiasm. Coach Geno Auriemma should test the waters in a NCAA men's Basketball Program. If I was a betting man, I say he will not.

Pitt Stadium

Rather than discuss the football coaching opening at Pitt, I would rather discuss another topic that fans talk about on an occasion. If it has not been once, it has been at least one hundred times that I have been asked the same question: "Who is getting the Pitt football job." If I knew, I would tell everyone, but filling the Head Coach position may take some time. But there is another area that always crosses the minds of many football fans in this region. Will the U. of Pittsburgh have their own on campus football stadium? The first answer that everyone proposes is where can Pitt build the facility. Panther Hollow, down on Second Avenue, somewhere on the top of cardiac hill near the Fitzgerald Field House. Who knows, but whatever happens, it will encompass a lot of land that may not be available and if available, it may come at a major expense. Heinz Field is a nice venue for the Pitt Panthers but there is nothing like an on campus facility. Maybe a 40,000 seat stadium with room for expansion like the U. of Louisville has. Remember Pitt Stadium. It was a neat place to watch a football game. Parking was a problem in Oakland especially if the game was a sell-out. It was fun after the game to meander down to Forbes or Fifth Avenues to find a restaurant or an Oakland watering hole. Pitt Stadium brings back a lots of memories. Wishful thinking for a new Pitt Stadium somewhere in Oakland but it will probably never happen.

T.C.U.

Excellent addition for Big East Circles in bringing TCU into the Big East for all Sports. For those who do not know, TCU is the shortened version of Texas Christian University of Fort Worth TX. Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon played there. Under Gary Patterson, the Horned Frogs have been a power in college football. With a 12 and 0 record, TCU was ranked third in the BCS rankings this season and are going to a BCS Bowl. What is next under the stars for the Big East Conference. From what I have heard through my football contacts is that Villanova is done deal for Big East Football. The Villanova Wildcats will expand their Villanova Stadium to accommodate their NCAA Division 1A status. Villanova will be an excellent addition to Big East Football also. Big East Football picks up 2 major television markets. The Philadelphia Area is a big market as is the Dallas/Fort Worth Area. Who knows, but the Big East Football may expand to a 12 team league and is considering adding the U. of Central Florida Knights and the Houston Cougars. The league could have a North and South Division if this occurs. And adding Central Florida and Houston provides 2 more good sized television markets in the Houston, TX area and the Orlando, FL area. Who knows, maybe down the road, Notre Dame Football may consider joining the Big East but for now I doubt it.

Collision Sport

The NFL has rejected 2 appeals by Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison for a total of $95,000. That is about $140,000. in real money. Hey football fans, football is not a contact sport, it is a COLLISION sport. Not too long ago, the veteran coaches of the 1970's and before taught their players when tackling to put their facemask on the ball. Now the fear exists in the NFL that defensive players leading with a helmet can create a stir and can cause the player to be levied a fine by the NFL hierarchy. Like I said in a previous blog, a hard charging running back can lower his head below pad level while running full speed and drive his helmet into a defensive players helmet and never be levied a fine. Should it not be a 2 way street. We all know that the Concussion issue has come to the fore-front in football circles, and the NFL is attempting to avoid serious injuries especially to the brain. But again I say, football is a high speed COLLISION Sport. These 240 to 260 pound linebackers, like James Harrison, are flying around the field with explosiveness and driving their powerful bodies into receivers, running backs, and quarterbacks. These types of linebackers and Defensive Ends did not exist 50 years ago. As my memory serves me, the Steelers had an offensive lineman who was real good named Gerry" Moon" Mullins who played guard and tackle at about 240 pounds under Coach Chuck Noll in the 1970's. The speed of the game and the size of the players has changed dramatically so I think adjustments need to be made with the equipment especially the outside shell of the helmet. A soft helmet shell would solve numerous problems. Can it be done?

Heinz "Field"

Are we in the 21st Century? I would not believe we are especially if you look at the surface of the field at Heinz Stadium. After 5 football games in 2 days, the center of the field at Heinz Stadium resembles being in a sawdust pit. The surface is sandy, lumpy, and has ruts running through it. It is hard to believe that a surface like this exists in the National Football League and in the Big East Football circles. If the gurus of the NFL require that so many stadiums have grass surfaces, then utilize grass in stadiums around the league that only an NFL team plays on. The Steelers will play a minimum of 10 games on it, the U. of Pittsburgh plays a minimum of 6 games on this surface, and the field really takes a beating when the WPIAL plays 4 championship games in a 12 hour period on this surface. I have very little knowledge on growing and maintenance of grass surfaces, but as the old saying goes "grass does not grow on a busy street." Heinz Field is a busy street. The people that determine what type of surface should be on the floor at Heinz Stadium, should really take a strong look at putting down a upscale field turf type of surface. The technology that exists with field turf is fantastic. Field turf can last for an extended period of time and the maintenance is minimal. If it can be worked out, why not give it a try on the Heinz Stadium surface.

Say it Ain't So

I thought I would be the last one to come out with this statement, but it is time for the great Brett Favre to end his outstanding career. After the way he played during the 2009 football season(33 touchdown passes and only 7 interceptions), I thought he could come back to be productive again this campaign. But say it ain't so. After 10 games and a 3 and 7 record with a virtually almost impossible shot at making the playoffs, it may be time for the Vikings to begin playing their back-up quarterbacks. Favre has 10 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions, his ankle looks to be bothering him, and his arm strength is not like it used to be. His incredible stretch of starts continues on(295). He has never missed starting a game since this streak began with his first start on September 27, 1992. At 41 years old, Brett Favre is a true warrior. Favre has 1 Super Bowl under his belt, has been elected to the Pro Bowl a phenomenal 11 times, and is the only quarterback in NFL history to have a victory over all 32 teams in the league. There are numerous others records he has set. I would actually like to see Favre break into the coaching ranks as a QB coach for some NCAA Division 1 program. Imagine if you are a potential Division 1 recruit and Brett Favre walks into your home or shows up at your high school to recruit you. It would not surprise me if Favre plays in 2011, but I think he has a great life ahead of him after football.

Old School

There is a poll question in the Post Gazette asking the local sports fans: are the Steelers running too much, passing too much on offense, or just have the right mix? 29% say they run too much, 25% say they pass too much, and 46% say it is the right mix. I am an old school football guy and I think the Steelers need to run the football more. Does there offensive dictate this running game procedure? Maybe when the offensive line is healthy. I said it before and I will say it again, the Steelers should have a mandate to run the ball. Here is a eye opening statistic but it refers to a college football program from the ACC. Under Coach Frank Beamer, when the Virginia Tech Hokies have more rushing yardage than their opponent, their record is an amazing 160 and 10. Running and strategically moving the ball down the field corresponds with eating up the clock, weakening the oppositions defense, and freezing the oppositions offense. On the other side of the coin, a team has to have the horses to run the football. I am an advocate of having a great offensive line combined with a couple of good running backs. I like linemen that are powerful, play with leverage, can move their feet, pull on sweeps and angle block. Linemen that know the release point and can go block another defensive player. I am old school but give me 8 to 10 of these guys. It may not be pretty but you can win a bunch of football games running the football.

Chapter From Brady

After watching the Pittsburgh vs. New England game on Sunday night, it made me start to think that the Steelers may need to investigate a chapter of the Tom Brady Book of Offensive Schemes. What a well executed and prepared offensive scheme the New England staff brought to the table against the Steelers. Short well thought out passes that turned a passing game into a sophisticated running game as New England strategically orchestrated their offensive scheme last Sunday evening. Could the Steelers run an offense like the one the Patriots have? Yes they could. With the Steelers offensive line being stung this pre-season and season with major injuries, an offense like New England's may help solve their pass protection problems that occured this past Sunday. Big Ben, as we know, sometimes holds on to the ball too long but Big Ben was sacked 5 times and had a bunch of hurries. The running game was not as precise as it was earlier in the season. This group of offensive linemen gained valuable experience against the Patriots, but it is still running somewhat behind the offensive line that started the season. Maybe a dunk and dink offense will work vs.the Raiders. I really think the Steelers defense was on the field so long last Sunday, that by midway through the third quarter, the defense was spent. They have 7 games remaining, Big Ben needs a Big Ben friendly offense, and the defense needs to spend more time on the sideline rather than on the field.

The Cow Boys

All throughout the summer and prior to the beginning of the NFL season, all the so-called experts from the NFL Network and all the other affiliates were embracing the Dallas Cowboys. Many of these gurus actually were committed to the Dallas Cowboys as potential if not a sure fire Super Bowl team. In the meantime, what has happened. After 8 games, the Cowboys might just be the Dallas Cows. Many think they are the worst team in the NFL at the halfway juncture. The team is playing with no sense of urgency, there not playing as a team, and basically the Cowboy players looked like they just flat out quit on Coach Wade Phillips. Can Jason Garrett rescue the Cowboys from the damage that has been done? We will see in the next 8 contests but after watching them play, it looks like the Cowboys as a unit are out of shape and need a conditioning program. The players look and play tired. There is no enthusiasm. There is no urgency to win. Instead of blaming the coaches, could this all fall back on owner Jerry Jones. Of all the owners in professional sports, 68 year old Jerry Jones probably is the most involved with his team. Jones not only owns the Cowboys but he is the General Manager. He is heavily involved in the team's draft and dad-to-day operations. Could he be the first owner to fire himself? If the Cowboys go 2 and 14, should Jones let himself go as General Manager. This could be a first in Sports History. If he hires a coach like Bill Cowher, a guy like Cowher may demand he has total control of the team. We will see what happens in January.

My Heisman candidate

Every year as football fans surf the TV for their favorite football game or to watch their favorite football team play, a group of sports personnel are trying to gather their thoughts on who they should vote for to win the Heisman Trophy. Is this really the best player in college football or is this an award for a player who just happens to play on the best team and has the most dominate statistics and gets the most visibility. Who are these people that vote? I would really enjoy having a pow wow with them as a large group to pick their brains and found out they accumulate and research their information to get to a Heisman Trophy winner. I really do not care who wins the Heisman Trophy but it is a prestigious award and it is extremely popular. What do the voters look at? Passing yardage(Yes), Pass completion percentage(Yes), rushing yardage(Yes), receiving yardage(Yes), teams winning record(Yes), Passion for the game(No), team player(No), blocking skills(No), football intelligence(No), leadership(No). The guy I like is Navy FB Alexander Teich. He is a football player. He does his job on and off the field, he runs hard, he blocks like you are supposed to, he is the ultimate team player, he plays with great passion for the game, he has a high football IQ, he provides leadership for Navy's program, he single handily destroyed Notre Dame's defense but in the final analysis he will not get a single vote for the Heisman Trophy. He gets mine even though it does not count.

Top 100

NFL Network has just completed its top 100 best NFL players of all time. My honest assessment reveals that it is very hard to accomplish. They had a panel of 85 people choosing these top 100. I would like to get an analysis of who was on this panel. I sure there were many evaluators on this panel that never put a helmet on. Much of it is done on statistics rather than what the player meant to his individual team. For example, is Jerry Rice the greatest player of all time? I agree that he is a super talent but he had a great QB throwing to him in Joe Montana. Montana has big time football instincts, defensive recognition ability, and progressive skills from the QB slot that were off the chart. Does this come into account for Jerry Rice? What about Running Back Walter Payton who was unreal athletically and ran with reckless abandon, power, and quickness and speed. This guy name surfaces but not not enough and it my opinion was probably one the greatest players of all times if not the greatest in Mr. Dick Butkus, middle linebacker of the Chicago Bears. Butkus was a one man wrecking crew who was quick, powerful, and played with great passion, and really understood the complexities of the entire game. Fortunately, Butkus was number 10 on the list. A player that really got overlooked is RB Earl Campbell. He was a stud when he played for the Houston Oilers and ranked number 55 of all time. Tough job picking these guys in some semblance of order especially if you never saw them play. But someone has to do it.

Headlines

Here are some of the sports headlines on comcast.net sports for Wednesday November 3rd, 2010. T.O. rips McNabb, Vikings Head Coach Childress says trade for Randy Moss was a mistake, Bills claim Shawne Merriman off waivers from San Diego, Titans claim Moss, and James Harrison meets with Roger Goddell. Terrell Owens has to comment on many items and now on his T.Ocho show shown on Versus, he can be a more outspoken guy. But really now, is Owens just looking for attention? I wonder what network is going to hire him after he retires. Will he replace Coach Bill Cowher if Cowher decides to go back to coaching? Or should he sign with the NFL Network and work along side Deion Sanders? Merriman is an interesting pick up because at 26 he is a young veteran. He first 3 years with the Chargers he had 43.5 sacks which is huge but the last 3 years he has had only 4. The Bills need to start putting heat on the opposing QB's. Who knows if trading for Randy Moss is a mistake? Vikings gave up a 3rd round selection for him and he played 4 games there. The old adage may be true here "Haste makes Waste." Now Moss can team up with Vince Young. I have a prediction which some day may hold true: Randy Moss and Terrell Owens will be playing on the same team before they both retire. Wow, James Harrison going to meet commish Roger Goddell. Don't you think the NFL should look at Running Backs who ram their helmets into defenders that sometimes are standing still. It is a 2 way street Mr. Commish.

Sam Bam

Remember New England Patriots Power Running Back Sam Bam Cunningham who played collegiate football at Southern Cal. I am starting to think that some NFL teams need more guys like Sam Bam Cunningham especially around the goal line. Sam, who unbeknown to many a football fan, is the older brother of former NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham. Let's go back to Sunday night when the Steelers had 1st and goal from the half yard line. The half yard line is 18 inches from pay dirt. The Steelers could not get it in for a score. This happens to many a team. Is there an explanation for this? Are the NFL defense that strong and athletic that down in the red zone, their speed and athleticism make it difficult to score. This is where a specialist like Sam Bam Cunningham can come into play. This guy could get into the end zone with his power, explosion, and instincts near the goal line. And I mean a specialist like a punter, a placekicker, a long snapper. He comes in near the goal line and powers his way into the end zone or he leaps over the linemen to get into the end zone. Nothing fancy. These guys are out there, teams need to go and find them. The San Diego Chargers used to utilize LaDainian Tomlinson leaping ability to spring over the linemen to get into 6 point territory. This may be easier said than done, but the more I watch professional football, the more I see teams drives thwarted near the goal line. Teams need to find guys like Sam Bam Cunningham.

Color Me Blue

After watching the Boise State vs Louisiana Tech football game last night, I am really starting to inject negative thoughts into my mind concerning the color of the Field Turf at Boise State's Stadium. The royal blue version color matches the primary color of Boise State's uniforms. On television, it is rather tedious to track the flight of the ball during the passing game. Boise State's uniforms secondary color is an Orange version and I would rather see an orange turf field rather than the blueish version that Boise State University has. The field is totally unique and probably from 10 thousand feet in the air looking out an airplane window, it may look like a gigantic swimming pool. With all football fields being the standard color green, our vision may be deceived watching a Boise State game on this type of field. Guess what, when you have time, call up You Tube and punch in Eastern Washington University football, a 1AA program in Cheney, Washington. This program has a Red Turf Field and this field was inaugurated within the past year. As time moves forward, the college football world may see more of this change of field color. It is very unique to say the least.

2 way street

Much has been said about the helmet-to-helmet tackles that have been made in the past few weeks especially during the games on Sunday October 17th. The fines that were levied were maybe the highest of all times by the NFL especially on the Steelers James Harrison of 75 thousand dollars.

$75,000. is after tax money. I am not an accountant but Harrison would have to earn approximately 135,000. real dollars to pay for the fine imposed on him. I understand that the league is attempting to combat the concussion problems that are at the fore-front of the game of football. No problem! Let's look at the offensive side of the great game of football. Correct me if I am wrong, but I have never seen a fine levied on running back for helmet-to-helmet contact. Many running backs are playing at high speed and flying directly at a linebacker or defensive back who is standing still attempting to do what he is trained to do and that is make a tackle. The running back proceeds to lower his head which becomes similar to a battering ram and drive his body weight forward to accumulate extra yardage which he is trained to do. In many instances, there is helmet-to helmet contact created by the running back and no fines are assessed. Don't you think the NFL powers should look at this end of the helmet-to-helmet aspects? Many running backs have knock out opponents in this manner. This should be a 2 way helmet-to-helmet street. There is much evaluation on the defensive side of the ball and the NFL should look at the concussion issues from the offensive side of the ball.

P.G. Time

Relax everyone, please be patient. Ron Cook of the Post Gazette recently(2 Sundays ago)did a negative article on Coach Dave Wannstedt. I think Ron Cook has done a really good job over the years covering Sports for the P-G and he is excellent as a host on the Sports Talk Show The Fan. But as a group, we need to be patient with the Pitt Football program. Pitt went into overtime with Utah who is now in the Top 15 and Pitt played respectfully at South Bend. Last Saturday Pitt surprised a lot of people how well they played vs the Orangemen. Pitt is 3 and 3 with a rough game vs Miami. Every game is crucial here on in. Do not forget, the Panthers lost 3 real good defensive starters in injured DE Greg Romeus, OLB Elijah Fields who left the program, and ILB Dan Mason who was injured early in the season. Many fans are saying the Big East is down in 2010 and this could be the case, but the Big East is still competitive football. WVU is 5 and 1 and battled 6-0 LSU to a 20-14 contest in Baton Rouge. Next on the agenda was an article posted in High School writer Mike White's(one excellent writer covering high school sports) column a few weeks back about Woodland Hills High having 6 graduates active in the NFL being the most across the country. And this is partially correct. There were 3 other high schools with 5 active NFL players. But as the exact research surfaces, something was left out. They forgot one program named DeMatha Catholic from Hyattsville, Maryland who also has 6 active players in the NFL. These DeMatha players are DE Derek Wake (Dolphins), CB Byron Westbrook(Redskins), RB Brian Westbrook(49ers), OT Quinn Ojinnaka(Patriots), OC Edwin Williams(Bears), CB Josh Wilson(Ravens). Take it one game at a time.

Rush Time

The Pittsburgh Trib recently did a story on the WPIAl all time running back rushing leaders on October 8th. The leader of the pack was Fort Cherry High School tailback Mike Vernillo. Through the 1999 season Vernillo rushed for 7,646 yards which is phenominal. Mike Vernillo was on a local TV show I hosted on Adelphia Cable back in 1999 and 2000 and made a nice presentation. He signed with West Virginia and then transferred to Slippery Rock. As I scanned over the list on top WPIAL rushers, one name was missing. The 10th leading rusher was Beth-Center's Keith Miller 5,121 and this tailback was not even in the top 10. He is Hopewell's Tony Dorsett who was the real deal in high school, college, and the NFL. Two Pittsburgh City Schools running backs who are were the real deals were Schenley's Larry Brown, who played at Kansas State, and 8 years for the Washington Redskins. Larry Brown made the Pro Bowl 4 years. And the other was Alllderdice's Curtis Martin, who had a real good career at Pitt, and a great career for the New York Jets. Who says this area does not produce running backs? Next in line is Hopewell's Rushel Shell(only a Junior) and if he stays healthy, should easily surpass Mike Vernillo's 7646 yard total. Shell is a legit guy and I am going to compare his style, body type and explosiveness to Alabama's Mark Ingram. If Babe Ruth was alive, he would say records are made to be broken.

One Day at a Time

After 5 games the 2 and 3 Pitt Panthers are traveling to Syracuse to play the 4 and 1 Orangemen. The only loss the Orangemen have had is against Washington but have beaten Akron, Maine, Colgate, and South Florida. Syracuse has been down for numerous years and this is a real big game for both teams. Pitt needs this victory.....The 10th month of 2010 has an interesting scenario to it. There are 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, and 5 Sundays in October, 2010. The last time something like this happened was 823 years ago.....Speaking of October and even going backwards into September, the avid golfers have had some great days to play golf in the past 45 days. Let's hope it continues......The parity in the NFL is really coming to the fore-front this season. After 5 weeks(which includes bye weeks for some teams)there is not a single undefeated team in the entire National Football League. When Michael Vick does not start for the Philadelphia Eagles and Kevin Kolb does, all 32 teams start right handed quarterbacks which really put a huge emphasis on the importance of the Left Offensive Tackle and his ability to protect the quarterback's blind side....Time is going so fast in that there are only 3 regular season games remaining for high school football.

Is it John Russell's fault

Is it the fault of Manager John Russell for the Pittsburgh Pirates going 57 and 105. Is it the fault of Coach John Russell for the Pirates having a horrible road record, one of the worst in major league baseball history? Is it the fault of John Russell for the Pirates pitching staff having a grand total of 1 complete game out of 162 pitching starts? (By the way, this could be a modern day record in baseball). Is it the fault of John Russell that the Pirates had only one player hit over 20 home runs?(Garrett Jones had 21 and 3 of those came in Games 1 and 2). Is it the fault of John Russell that the Pirates traded Jose Bautista on August 18, 2008 to the Toronto Blue Jays for a player to be named later(Robinson Diaz)? And as all the sports fans know, Bautista slammed 54 home runs this year. Is it the fault of John Russell that the Pirates traded speedster Nyjer Morgan in mid-season 2009? Morgan is a good lead off hitter and stole 34 bases this past 2010 season. Morgan would lead off, get on first and drive the pitcher crazy. There is really no concrete explanation why the Pirates released Manager John Russell. Russell in 3 years lost a total of 299 games games basically losing 100 games per season. Could that be the reason? I just wish the administrative staff would give the fans of this region a definitive reason why they fired John Russell. This team could have had Casey Stengel managing them and they still may not have won 60 games.

20 is the magic number

After reviewing the fans of this region and NFL fans from across the entire USA, a large majority of people do not like the 18 games format during the regular season. After reading fans' opinions about 4 pre-season games, the majority of them do not like the 4 pre-season game set-up. Is there an answer to this? I don't think so. No matter want the season ticket holders think, no matter what the Steeler Nation thinks, no matter what the ordinary fan that never goes to a Steeler game thinks, no matter what the media thinks, NFL teams are going to play 20 games before the playoffs. Whether there are 16 regular season games and 4 pre-season games, whether there are 18 regular season games and 2 pre-season games, and whether there are 20 regular season games and O pre-season games, the players are going to play 20 games period. Could it be that the networks have something to do with the 18 game schedule, could it be that the potential lock-out has something to do with the 18 game schedule, or could it be that the owners realize that 4 pre-season games is not what everyone wants. An 18 game regular season schedule is going to be very grueling on the players but they are Professional Athletes and they will make the adjustment. Soon the NFL season is going to begin just after Labor Day and be finished just after Valentine's Day. Could it possible for a team to go 0 and 18?

Done Deal:18 games

18 games:done deal for the NFL. Is the hierarchy of the league going to make any other changes to compensate for the 18 game schedule. What could these other changes be? Maybe to increase each players income. That sounds reasonable. Maybe the NFL should incorporate 2 bye weeks per team strategically placed in order for the players to have ample rest. That sounds very reasonable. Maybe the NFL should increase the size of the roster from 53 to 59 or 60 players and do away with players being de-activated for every game. That sounds like a plan. What you are going to see is a Super Bowl that will be played in late February and possibly in the very early part of March. The pre-season is a long and drawn out process and having 2 pre-season games might be the correct thing to do. The possibility exists that a team winning the Super Bowl from the Wild Card Slot will play a grand total of 22 football games. A team could conceivably start the season 0 and 3, win 8 out of the next 10, then their record is 8 and 5, then lose 4 out of the next 5 and be a medicore 9 and 9. Next there is the possibility of expansion to 34 teams. What cities are in line to get the next franchises. It has to be Los Angeles and maybe they could be called the Tan. Shortened version would be L.A. Tan. And the other franchise could be set up in the fairly well populated area of the Tidewater in Virginia. The name of that franchise could be called the Virginia Spots. Seriously now, I like Los Angeles and the Tidewater for the next NFL expansion. After all is said and done, I am an advocate of eliminating 2 pre-season games. I like the 18 game schedule but the players better be physically well prepared for 18 regular season games plus the playoffs.

Park City

As I was driving on Forbes Avenue heading toward the city of Pittsburgh recently, an event must have been going on that evening at the Consol Energy Center. It was not a Penguin pre-season game but it may have been a concert. I was checking out the parking fees on the painted boards on the edge of Forbes Ave. $10. about 3 blocks away, $20. about 2 blocks away and real close to Consol Energy Center, a sign read V.I.P. Parking $30. Whoever owns the parcels of land nearby the Consol Energy Center has a valuable pieces of property. $30. is the going rate. Just think, if you attend 60 Penguin games which may include pre-season and playoffs, parking at these V.I.P. lots will cost you $1800. for the hockey season. The convenience and easy access out is probably worth the cost. Many people do not enjoy parking in Parking Garages. The frustration of getting out of the garage after a game can be very stressful. The illusion of movement is much more gratifying than sitting in a traffic jam inside a local parking garage when hundreds of cars are attempting to leave at the same time. Not to mention a Penguin game during the week while Duquesne University has night classes can become another nightmare. Or the WPIAL scheduling a high school double-header playoff basketball game at the AJ Palumbo Center during the same time frame as a Penguin Hockey Game. Maybe it is time for fans to look at parking at the local Park 'n Rides and take the Trolley to the game if you live in the South Hills

Steel Curtain II

The Pittsburgh Steelers have brought back the Steel Curtain. This time it is set up in a 3-4 defense rather that the 4-3 version from 37 years ago. The 1970's Steel Curtain may have had the best defensive line in NFL history in DE's L.C. Greenwood and Dwight White and DT's Joe Greene and Ernie Holmes. An unreal and explosive front four with Ernie Holmes being one of the most under-rated players during that era. What a great job Coach Chuck Noll's staff and the Steelers scouting department did finding those 4 guys from Arkansas A,M & N(Greenwood), East Texas State(White), Texas Southern(Holmes), and North Texas State(Greene). Not one of those schools was a Division 1A powerhouse but did those 4 guys really produce. The "Steel Curtain II" has a solid 3 man defensive line but the linebacking corp is playing phenomenal. Hybrid DE/OLB James Harrison is playing lights out, ILB Lawrence Timmons is flying all over the field making plays, ILB James Farrior is playing his steady all around game, and outside LB LaMarr Woodley is playing off the chart, speed rushing off the edge, dropping in pass coverage, and exploding to the ball. And Troy Polamalu is playing a strong safety/spur LB position and playing unreal making plays everywhere. The rest of the secondary is staying on course and playing solid defense. This is the kind of defense that can SHUT any team down and go a long way and maybe to the Big Dance. A ton of credit has to go to Mike Tomlin, Dick LeBeau, and the remainder of the coaching staff plus the scouting department for some great evaluations.

Tidbits

This makes absolutely no sense to me. But why does each team have to de-activate a group of players for each game? Every one of the guys that is de-activated is still getting paid full salary.

With all the injury issues that occur, the rosters should be increased and all the players should be active in each game......For anyone that follows the NFL closely(and there are many out there), a great site to check out especially if you are a fantasy football player is NFL.com/transactions. This site keeps you updated on all the transactions that occur daily including players that are placed on IR(injured reserve). Interesting stuff......Being a #1 draft choice does not carry the clout that it used to. After a few seasons, teams are shuffling, releasing, and trading former #1 picks. For example, yesterday, the New England Patriots traded former #1 pick Laurence Maroney(21st selection in 2006 draft out of U. of Minnesota)to Denver for a 4th round selection in the 2011 draft.....To say the least, Terry Bradshaw is really outspoken concerning Big Ben. It is very interesting to hear what Bradshaw has to say but Big Ben is sitting around for 4 weeks not getting paid and serving his suspension. I suspect in the next few weeks, the press and the fans from Pittsburgh are going to hear comments from Terry Hanratty about Ben Roethlisberger.

This and That

After a 141 games games, the Pirates are a perfect .333(47 and 94). I got to give Mr. Ron Cook lots of credit for saying the Pirates would be 59 and 103. He may hit the nail right on the head or they may lose 110 games. Whatever the total may be, baseball has too long of a season and the regular season should be completed by September 15. It can be accomplished and the baseball heads of state should figure out how to do it.......Where are the cupcake people? It happened again yesterday. 63 full scholarship James Madison goes into hostile 85 full scholarship Virginia Tech and beats them 21 to 16. 1AA U. of South Dakota goes into Big Ten Minnesota and upsets them 41 to 38. There are some real good 1AA teams out there and there are some weak ones but football at that level is much improved......I said it back in previous blogs that Villanova should be invited into Big East Football and it may happen. The Big East needs to convince Notre Dame to join but the chances are very, very slim......If I would have told you on August 1st that both Gateway H.S. and Woodland Hills H.S. would both start off 0 and 2, people would have thought I belonged to a comedy club. Both schools are well coached and will live up to their expectations and the season moves along.......Could Rich Rodriquez finally be off the hot seat at Michigan after beating Notre Dame. He has his man Denard Robinson running his offense and this guy can flat out play. We will see how the rest of the season unfolds.

Back to the Draft

As the excitement began this past Sunday, the Steelers had 8 out of their 10 April, 2010 draft picks make the active roster. That is outstanding. This is reminiscent of the days of Coach Chuck Noll when he was an advocate of fueling the team with draft choices. Mr. Kevin Colbert and the Steelers team of scouts did an excellent job evaluating the talent nationwide. The other 2 choices that did not make the active roster are OT Chris Scott who is on the the PUP list(Physically unable to perform)and DE Doug Worthington who actually played pretty well in pre-season. First rounder Maurkice Pouncey uprooted Justin Hartwig as starting center and after watching the pre-season contests the other 7 draft choices all looked good at their respective positions and as special teams players. With the 2009 draft, #1 choice Ziggy Hood has huge upside and is showing signs of being a real good player. Third round selection WR Mike Wallace may have been the steal of the draft. This guy can go, catch the ball on the run, and is really good after the catch. He should have been a first round guy. This 2009 draft has 4 players not around anymore with first selection in third round OG Kraig Urbik being released. The Steelers are in need of Offensive Linemen and cutting Urbik hurt. But on the flip side undrafted free agent RB Isaac Redman is demonstrating lots of potential out of the 2009 group as is OG Ramon Foster who was and Undrafted free agent in 2009. Just my opinion, I like it when a team has 9 to 11 draft choices. You can find some real good players in the later rounds like WR/KR Antonio Brown who was chosen in the 6th round last April and I will say it again, some of those undrafted free agents can be a pleasant surprise.

Lineman University

What happened to this region of the country that used to be called Lineman University. I am talking about the Western Pennsylvania region that used to pump out offensive linemen like it was going out of style. As of today, September 9, 2010, there is one offensive lineman active in the entire NFL from the area inclusive of Erie over to Johnstown, down to Uniontown and over to the PA-Ohio border. He is Reggie Wells from South Park High School, and Reggie took his talents to Clarion University and played for the Arizona Cardinals and was recently traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Reggie Wells was going to follow his father's foot-steps and plays hoops at Clarion but opted to play football and the rest is history. What has happened to the Pittsburgh region? Is it the population decline or is it the lack of size coming out of this region? The coaching is still really good. It is hard to put your finger on it. Look back at some of the Offensive linemen that emulated from this region back in the 1970's and 80's. Bruce Clark from New Castle HS, Bill Fralic from Penn Hills HS, Jimbo Covert from Freedom HS, Jim Sweeney from Seton LaSalle HS, Jeff Christie from Freeport HS. I am sure I am overlooking numerous other linemen that played high school football in this region. Maybe it is a cyclical event and if it is, it has been going on for a while. But there is hope of the horizon. Two senior Offensive linemen from this region are rated very high going into April, 2001 draft. They are OT/OG Jason Pinkston from Pitt(Baldwin)and OC Stefen Wisniewski from Penn State(Pittsburgh Central Catholic) and a third senior is a legit sleeper from Slippery Rock U. is OC/OG Brandon Fusco from Seneca Valley.

Dennis Dixon Friendly Offense

The commitment has been declared by the Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff that Dennis Dixon is the starter for the opening game vs. the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons want to run the football led by powerful tailback Michael Turner who hails from the MAC school Northern Illinois. Also, the Steelers would enjoy establishing the running game also against the Falcons. Both teams are going to put the ball in the air. Hometown Philadephia, Falcons QB Matt Ryan is getting better every season. Steelers QB from Oregon Dennis Dixon has nice upside as a QB. Coach Bruce Arians needs to install a Dennis Dixon friendly passing attack. As we jog our memories, last season vs the Ravens, Dixon had an explosive TD scamper down the sidelines but he threw a key interception by Ravens DE Paul Kruger. In the pre-season game vs Denver, Dixon had a ball picked off by athletic Corner Perrish Cox in the end zone. In both of these scenarios, the underneath guy intercepted the pass. Dixon may be so focused on the receiver, that he does not see the underneath player resulting in the 2 picks. Coach Arians needs to install a Dennis Dixon friendly offense. By this I mean send receivers into the cavities of the defense, send receivers in between the linebackers and secondary people, stay away from double coverage, utilize natural picks to get receivers open in certain areas, flood one side that would allow Dixon to throw into man-to-man coverage on the other side of the field, toss the ball to Mendenhall and other backs into the flat or underneath the linebackers, use Dixon on creative roll-outs going both right and left where he has option to either pass or run. There are many ways that Bruce Arians has in his mind to keep Dixon from missing the defensive players that come from underneath. As his instincts develop more to avoid throwing into double coverage, Dixon's game will get a boost of confidence. Dennis Dixon has excellent upside as a QB that can really run with the football. Hopefully his talents will be revealed this Sunday.

Cupcakes and Cream Puffs

Mr. Dick Vitale made the word"cupcake"famous along college basketball circles when he used to rant and rave about some big time college basketball programs playing cupcakes to soften up their schedules. In college basketball, you have around 335 Division 1 program classified as High Major, Mid Major, and Low Major programs. Some big time programs have out of sight budgets and some of the low major programs have minimal budget to go out and recruit. So in Division 1 basketball you have a variance of degrees of talent from the # 1 program to the # 335 program. Now in football, you have Division 1A and 1AA. 1A programs have 85 players on scholarship and 1AA programs are maxed out at 63. That is a huge difference of 22 additional players on full scholarship. 1A are supposed to beat up on 1AA opponents. Not only the scholarship differential but you also have a recruiting budget differential from 1A to 1AA. It is hard to call 1AA programs "Cupcakes" when they are playing 1A programs in football. But let's look what happened this past weekend. 1AA Jacksonville State goes into Ole Miss and beats them in overtime 49-48. Ole Miss is pumping guys into the NFL(Steelers Mike Wallace), Ole Miss has a great budget, Ole Miss has 85 scholarships. Most people do not even know that Jacksonville State is in Alabama. They received a nice guarantee for playing Ole Miss. Also, North Dakota State goes into Kansas and beats them 6 to 3 and spoils former U at Buffalo Coach Turner Gill's debut. Same scenario as Jacksonville State. People may disagree, but 1AA programs are not "cupcakes." The cupcakes to me are the 1A programs with 85 scholarships and good recruiting budgets that never win. They should be classified the "cupcakes" or maybe even better terminology calling them "cream puffs." There are some out there in the mix of the 120 Division 1A's. Iowa State was one for a while until former Pitt Defensive co-ordinator Paul Rhoads took over the helm. They are not a "cream puff" any more.

Developmental Time

These next 2 days are serious times for the NFL. The reason why, all 32 teams have to get their rosters from 75 to 53. After watching numerous pre-season games on the NFL Network, there are many good young players out there that are going to be released on Friday September 3rd and Saturday September 4th. In retrospect, what really should be occurring is that these 22 players that are going to be released really should be placed on each team's minor league program along with 11 more to give each NFL franchise a total of 33 minor leaguers. A minor league for each team gives each franchise an opportunity to develop players that need work on technique, need work on strength, need work on team chemistry, and need work on the adjustment to the speed of the NFL game. There always is a referral back to Steelers James Harrison who coming out of Kent State was released by Pittsburgh 3 times and signed by Baltimore, sent to play for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe, signed back by the Steelers and 5 years later becomes the defensive MVP of the league. The position that a minor league system would assist the most is quarterbacks. If Steelers Dennis Dixon during his rookie and second year was playing in minor league games instead of being in a non-playing role, he could have developed his quarterback skills playing in numerous NFL minor league games. Nothing like hands-on experience. I am swinging into the wind here because the NFL powers will not institute a minor league but there are many on the rise players that never get a chance to develop.

Fantasy Central

It is that time of the year. The Fantasy Football Drafts are upon us. I do not participate in a Fantasy League but since I am around the game, numerous Fantasy Football Draftniks ask me who I like and to recommend players that they could draft. So here we go. By the way, the Fantasy Football Players know talent, so I will expound on under the radar type players. Let's start with quarterback. Obviously, I do not know each league individual scoring rules but here are 3 guys on the Rise: maybe the NFL's best kept secret is New England QB Brian Hoyer, if Tom Brady misses multiple games, pick up Brian Hoyer, this guy can play. 2 other QB's to look at late in your draft, Detroit's Matthew Stafford and Miami's Chad Henne. Next Running Backs:my Super Sleeper is Houston's Arian Foster. I like rookies CJ Spiller of the Bills and Lion's Javhid Best, and a real good back on the rise is Giants Ahmad Bradshaw. I am looking at Seattle's Justin Forsett but Leon Washington could be a surprise at Seattle. RB Atlanta's Jason Snelling could be a guy to eye-ball if Michael Turner misses games and 2 guys that had excellent 2nd half of the season's in 2009 were Kansas City's Jamaal Charles and Cleveland's Jerome Harrison. Speaking of Cleveland RB Peyton Hillis could be a goal-line guy that could be a scorer in Fantasy Football. Going to Tight End's, I like 2 rookies to explode onto the scene, Cincinnati's Jermaine Gresham, and New England's Rob Gronkowski. TE Zach Miller of Oakland could be a steal late, and Tampa Bay's Kellen Winslow might have a break out season if Tampa Bay can get him the ball. Reviewing wide outs, Steelers Mike Wallace could have a great year. Cleveland's Josh Cribbs is on the Rise, while Indianapolis Pierre Garcon could really explode, and 49ers Michael Crabtree is ready to turn it up a notch. If New England's Wes Welker has problems with his knee, then take a hard look at Julian Edelman to catch a bunch of throws. Place Kickers are abundant but my sleeper is Denver's Matt Prater. Hope everyone enjoys their Fantasy Football Season. It is amazing how many people(men and women alike)play Fantasy Football and have a great time doing it. This is an excellent time of the year.

Think Tank

Sports Illustrated's Peter King picks the Pittsburgh Steelers to beat the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl next February. I can substantiate Peter King's selection but the Steelers have to really establish a running game this season in order to accomplish that goal. The Steelers are very capable of doing that even with the loss of OT Willie Colon........Local football buffs need to check out Division 2 power California U. of PA(nickname CalU). Under the tutelage of veteran Coach John Luckhardt, California has enough talent, chemistry, and experience to position themselves to get to the Division 2 championship. CalU has a pre-season ranking of #5 in the nation and they have a premier Quarterback in 6'4" senior Josh Portis and an abundance of receivers for Portis to throw to. Division 2 football does not get the recognition in this area it deserves, but if you want to see some good football, check some of these local Division 2 programs out........The Steelers along with many other NFL teams have a lot of difficult cuts to make this Saturday going from 75 to 53. The colleges are really producing some good players and some players are getting cut that should be in the NFL. Maybe an expansion to 34 teams is on the horizon........High school football starts this Friday and there are 4 outstanding games this Saturday at the Woodland Hills Stadium in Turtle Creek beginning with McKeesport taking on Ohio power, the Steubenville Big Red, in the late morning.

Under the Radar Heisman Candidates

What an interesting article in Today's(8/30/10)Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Sports by Mr. Ron Cook in his discussion of the Heisman Trophy and the strong possibility that it could emulate from the Pittsburgh area. With two high profile candidates in Ohio State QB Terrelle Pryor from Jeannette, PA and Pitt RB Dion Lewis, the Heisman Trophy could certainly be in either Pitt's or Ohio State's Trophy cases. But the following Four players are long shot candidates but I like their potential as college players and if everything falls in order, they may be invited for the Heisman festivities in New York City. The first player I like is Florida State QB Christian Ponder. Florida State's program has been down somewhat for the past 5 or so years but the Seminoles still have talented players. Ponder is one of them. He is a solid NFL QB prospect who can throw an array of passes across the entire field. He runs well, provides leadership, and when he gets on a roll, watch out. Next is a young Running Back from Virginia Tech named Ryan Williams. Williams is a very talented young back with explosion and acceleration. He has the potential to have a Heisman year for the Hokies. Next is another Running Back that we are all familiar with from West Virginia named Noel Devine. He has had a really productive career and if the Mountaineers and Devine have great seasons which could easily happen, then he could find himself sitting at Heisman Central. People may laugh at this one but this guy can flat out play and deserves recognition. He is Big Ben clone QB Nathan Enderle from U. of Idaho. He is very capable of putting up great numbers but Idaho must win most if not all of their games. You probably will not see Enderle sitting at the Heisman Awards Ceremony, but you may see him playing well for someone on Sundays in the Fall. Usually the Heisman winner comes from a powerhouse program, but as the old cliche goes "You never know."

Asset to the Bowl Games

Follow up to the NCAA Division 1A potential football schedule which would include the possibility of playing 13 games. With the number of 1A football programs being 120 and U of South Alabama coming into 1A in about 4 more years, there were 34 Bowl Games during the 2009/2010 Bowl Season. This means 68 Division 1A programs played in a Post-Season Game. There is a hidden reason why the programs enjoy playing in a Bowl Game even if a game is classified as a minor Bowl Game. Here is your hidden reason: Real Simple, additional practice time. It is like having another Spring Practice for the 68 programs. I know there are limitations on numbers of practices in preparation for a team's bowl game, but teams do practice a lot. For example, If Ohio State is in the Championship Game around January 8 through 10 and Ohio State's season ends around November 26th, that is about a 7 week layoff before the Championship Game. A team can get numerous practices in. They can work with the young player's not only preparing them for the Bowl Game but much preparation for the following season. This also allows many of the red shirts to get some valuable practice time and it gives many of the young players lots of work on fundamentals and technique. The player's have gone through a long season and are run down and get well deserved breaks before the Bowl Games especially during Finals Week, but the teams get those additional practices in which in turn is a valuable asset for fundamentals, technique, chemistry, and execution. Even though some of the Bowl Games are not of high quality, they are still a reward for a good season.

Why Not 13 Games

My next agenda is increasing NCAA Division 1A by one game to a 13 game season. Last Bowl Season, there were 34 bowl games which equates to 68 teams were bowl eligible and participated in bowl games. There were some teams that played in the post season that were 6 and 6. No winning record and still go to a bowl. Well with only 120 NCAA Division 1A programs out there, it is not hard to figure out why 6 and 6 teams go to bowls. My theory is to play 13 college games. Start the games right now, this weekend coming up when students are trickling onto most of the campuses across the USA. An extra game does not have an academic effect on the student-athletes in football. But what the extra game does is that it promotes having a winning record in order to play in the post season. Many of the 1A teams play 1AA teams and these count as victories to get teams to 6 and 6. It also gives a smaller 1A program a chance to get a guarantee if playing a bigger school. There are some teams that do play 13 games and they are the ones that take a trip to play Hawaii. Of course, the Presidents of certain schools will say 13 football games is too many but it is not too many if the schedule is set up to give the players some bye weeks during the season. It has not been that long ago that 1A schools played only 10 regular season games. This country has a love affair with college sports especially football. Having a thirteenth game just at the start of school is not going to diminish a football player's opportunities to function as a normal student. One final thing, without a playoff in place for the BCS Championship, a team that certainly goes 13 and 0 should deserve much consideration to play in the National Championship

Fast Forward

That is enough! Many fans forget that these guys are PROFESSIONALS. The pre-season should be over tonight after all the teams competed in 2 pre-season contests. There are numerous players across the entire league, veterans and rookies alike, that are banged up from practice since late July and participation in 2 pre-season games. The NFL Channel did a special report on how many players are injured just after 2 exhibition games. The scenario should be as such, exhibition season is over, give the players a few days off to rest there bones while the coaching staff and scouts evaluate their own players on who should be on the active roster and who should be on the practice squad, and allow the colleges to have center stage for one weekend. Take the next weekend off from playing(college football begins) and then get into the regular season which entails an 18 game stint with 2 equally distributed bye weeks for each team. So if the regular season goes into mid-January and the playoffs carry the NFL into early February, Who Cares! Then the Super Bowl will occur in mid to Late February or even into early March. The American people have a love affair with professional football. The NFL has carried over to an international basis. If all the logistics can be worked out with the owners, NFLPA, and the networks, then the owners should press forward with an 18 game schedule. Back when the schedule went from 14 to 16, many experts thought it would not work and the season would be too long. It worked out and so will an 18 game season.

As the World Turns

40 and 81, with 41 games to go. 18 straight seasons with a losing record, and people are still going to the Pirate games. Here is an unreal statistic from center fielder Andrew McCutchen. McCutchen has 11 home runs up to this point and all of them are solo shots. That has to be a major league record or close to it............This is an off the beaten sports path but when are the local municipalities, boroughs, and townships not going to allow their maintenance department backhoes to travel the 2 lane roads during rush hour traffic. These backhoes are travelling at rates of 5 to 10 MPH on 35 MPH roads and backing up traffic for miles. All the drivers have to do is pull over and allow traffic to go through on an occasion.........By the way what ever happened to Mr Five Year Plan Kevin McClatchy. Here is a quote from Mr.McClatchy about building PNC Park which opened in 2001. "I guarantee to the fans of the Western Pennsylvania and Pittsburgh region the we will have a winner with the Pirates within 5 years if a new baseball stadium is built." McClatchy forgot to add that he would not longer be around.......Just think if the Steelers vs Giants game on Saturday the 21st of August were a regular season contest! The Giants third string quarterback would be starting. Eli Manning has 12 stitches in his forehead and probably cannot wear his helmet and back-up QB Jim Sorgi injured his shoulder and is out at least 2 games and maybe longer. There is an epidemic of injuries this pre-season only after 17 NFL games were played.

Pre-Season too Long

After 17 pre-season football games, with 48 remaining, the NFL has been stricken with numerous injuries. In the Monday night Jets vs. Giants game, Giants QB Eli Manning is very fortunate he walked away with only a gash on his head. He was struck from behind by fast closing DE Calvin Pace from the Jets basically without his helmet on. Cardinals wide out Larry Fitzgerald suffered a knee injury in pre-season game 1 and fortunately it was not severe. Rookie RB Ben Tate broke his ankle and may be out for the season. On and on and there are still 3 weeks remaining in pre-season. What can be done with this? Probably nothing. You cannot expect the players to play touch football or flag football during pre-season games because many jobs are at stake. Guys are playing with high levels of intensity. Players are going to get hurt, some mild and some severe. Rational thinking tells me to re-structure the pre-season to 2 games and increase the regular season to 18 games with each team getting 2 bye weeks. Injuries are going to occur in football but to lose an outstanding player in pre-season is tough to handle. 53 man rosters are not large enough to meet the demands, the intensity, and the speed of the game. I like the 2 bye weeks concept. Players are so banged up come mid-season, they need a chance to rest their bodies to prepare for the balance of the season and possible playoff opportunities. 2 bye weeks spaced out properly would be a welcome sight for many players. The NFL needs to move forward and eliminate 2 pre-season games.

Emergence of Dennis Dixon

The emergence of Dennis Dixon is surely taking place. Dixon is not an athlete that just happens to play the Quarterback position, he is an athletic quarterback. After being a 5th round selection in the 2008 NFL draft, when given the opportunity, Dennis Dixon shows he belongs and has lots of upside. The 25 year Dixon can play under center and play in the shotgun. He has quick 3, 5, and 7 step drops and sets up well. His throwing motion is not bad and his accuracy is improving every time he steps on to the field. Against Detroit Saturday night, Dixon threw a nice pass rolling left throwing the ball across his body with accuracy. With time and experience, Dixon will adjust to the complex defensive schemes that will be thrown at him. Like any younger quarterback with limited NFL experience, Dennis Dixon is going to make a series of correctable mistakes. But Dixon has loads of potential and what I really like is his explosive ability to run the football. This gives the Steelers an added dimension. At any time, when Dixon leaves the pocket, he can carry the ball a long way, indicative of the explosive touchdown run he had vs. the Ravens in his only start during the 2009 season. Am I saying Dixon has leapfrogged Byron Leftwich? No. Am I saying that Dixon should be the starter vs. Atlanta in Game 1? No. What I am saying is that Dixon is a talented QB that Coach Tomlin and company should consider playing somewhere in the first 4 to 6 games in the absence of Ben Roethlisberger. The premise exists that quarterbacks that run the football can get hurt but I have seen many a quarterback get hurt when they never left the pocket

The Man in the Red Jacket

The man with the red jacket can change a football game's momentum. Who is this guy with the red jacket on? He is the person that walks onto the field, flags the referees down, and stays in his position until all the Television commercials are completed. For example, last night during the Detroit Lions-Pittsburgh Steelers pre-season game, just during the first quarter there were 2 stoppages of play that lasted between 3 and 5 minutes each. These are strictly for television timeouts. I have been to televised college football games that have been lengthened by 30 to 45 minutes to allow for the man in the red jacket to stop play and the networks to get in their commercial timeouts. This extended length of time between series of plays can be a momentum killer. For example, what if a team recovers a fumble inside the opponents 20 yard line. The offense wants to hurry onto the field and attempt to establish an offensive scheme and take advantage of the fumble recovery and team enthusiasm. But WAIT! Here comes the man in the red jacket, the man that can put the skids to a team's momentum, the commercial timeouts that can eat up close to 5 minutes of time. All of us football fans are not stupid. We know the networks need to get their commercials in and we know that this revenue from network advertising helps fund the football venues across are great country. But the networks need to study this and develop a better system on when to show the TV commercials. Like maybe at the end of the first and third quarter, 8 to 10 minutes of commercials. Like maybe after a kickoff or punt that is not returned, then use 5 minutes of commercials. I am not up on the logistics of placement of commercials during football games, but I know one thing, these TV timeouts can certainly be a momentum killer. They need to be re-evaluated.

Who is Better?

Upon interviewing Jerry Rice at halftime during the Dallas vs Cincinnati pre-season game, Cris Collinsworth told Jerry Rice that he was the greatest player in the history of the National Football League. Jerry Rice was an unreal wide out for the 49ers. He is a natural smooth athlete with super soft hands and could adjust to the ball as well as anyone. After the catch, Rice was tremendous with his unique ability to confuse Defensive backs with his acute running angles that placed him into open areas to pick up extra yardage. He was a first round selection coming out of Mississippi Valley State, a 1AA program. Is Rice the best ever? Is RB Jim Brown the best ever? Jim Brown ran with unreal power and acceleration and all on natural talent. Jim Brown played in the non strength training era. Just think if Jim Brown was in a high level strength training program. It seems that proponents of the best ever football player comes from the offensive side of the ball. How about these 2 players! Middle LB Dick Butkus was a man amongst boys. He totally dominated a game from the MLB slot. He was big at 6'3"/240 and could run. Another dominate guy from the LA Rams was DE Deacon Jones. Check out some clips on him. What an unreal pass rusher. He was nasty, had great speed for his size, and at times he was un-blockable. He was another graduate of Mississippi Valley State. It is rather difficult to figure out the best NFL player ever. The debate still lingers on in almost every wateringhole in this region, who was better: Willie Mays or Roberto Clemente.

Badgers Steal One

The Wisconsin Badgers came into the Pittsburgh region and got one of the better football players in this area to commit to them prior to the beginning of the season. He is all purpose player Mike Caputo from West Allegheny High School in Imperial. Coach Joe Rudolph recruits this region for the Badgers and this is back to back years he has pulled a prospect out of here. Last Year Rudolph got WR/FS Manessah Garner 6'2"/215 from Brashear to sign with Wisconsin. Garner is loaded with potential and what an athlete. Mike Caputo is a multi-faceted player who is very versatile. He can play tailback out of the spread, he can be a slot receiver, he can be a strong safety. Caputo is 6'1"/210 guy who has great instincts and toughness, Mike Caputo plays the game to win. By the way, Coach Joe Rudolph is a Belle Vernon product who was a stalwart offensive lineman for the Wisconsin Badgers 20 years ago. The West Virginia Mountaineers quietly got a commitment from this region in under the radar player Nick Kwiatkoski from Bethel Park High School. Nick is 6'2"/215 and fits into WVU's defensive scheme as a spur safety type that can also play a Will Linebacker. Kwiatkoski has similarities to Mike Caputo and he is what we call a "football player". He just gets it done and he runs well and is very well coached at Bethel Park as Caputo is at West Allegheny.

From Leavy to Woods

Super Bowl XL was back a few years that many fans do not remember what the Final Score was. But referee Bill Leavy comes out recently and mentions that some of the calls that were made were incorrect and could have changed the complexion of the game. Mr. Bill Leavy, So What! At that particular time, you made the calls and thought they were correct. If you start second guessing yourself, then you should not have become a referee. "Humans are born to make mistakes" as the old phrase goes and the Other phrase that sticks in people's minds is "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas." The game is long gone and referees have different angles on the field than the cameras do and you made the calls. It is over!*****Lots of scuttlebutt about Eldrick "Tiger"Woods. This is just my humble opinion, but Tiger Woods is in a Slump. Golfers, like hitters in baseball, go through a series of slumps during their careers. His swing looks good but an educated guess may be the Tiger is a little quick with his swing. It is possible his hands may be out ahead of the ball far enough that he is pushing the ball right. Tiger has lost confidence but Tiger is like a cover corner in football who playing man-to-man coverage just got beat deep for a touchdown. Corner Backs in the NFL have to have very short memories. Tiger has a short memory, he will bounce right back and it may be sooner than later.

200 mile radius

Readers are saying, what is this 200 mile radius? Is this some new meteorological term being introduced on the weather channel. No, this is where you will find 3 of college football's best running backs. Everyone in Pittsburgh and across the Big East knows about Pitt running back Dion Lewis, 5'8"/185, hailing from Albany, NY. and attended Blair Academy in NJ. Definite Heisman candidate if he has similar or better season than 2009 season. Next back is 5'8"/177 explosive tailback at West Virginia named Noel Devine. Devine is from N. Fort Myers, FL HS and was thought to possibly be an undersized running back at a BCS school but he has proved the experts wrong. You give Noel Devine a small crease and he explodes through a hole like he was shot out of a cannon. In the NFL he should return kicks and punts and be solid on a team with a nice array of running backs. He runs downhill and is a tough guy who will throw a block. Comparison to Chargers Darren Sproles. If Noel Devine has a great year, he will be considered a Heisman candidate. And last is a local product from Pittsburgh Central Catholic Eugene Jarvis of Kent State. Kent State is 100 miles from Pittsburgh on 76 West toward Akron. Jarvis lacks recognition. Eugene Jarvis is 5'5"/170 but this guy can play. He was granted a 6th season by the NCAA due to a serious injury early in the 2009 campaign. He darts around the field in an orderly fashion changing direction with ease. He is hard to find behind Kent State's line. He also can catch the ball and is dangerous as a receiver out of the backfield. During the 2007 season, he led the entire nation in rushing for a 4 week period and ended up with 1669 yards on the ground. He is worth the trip to see. As you can observe all 3 of these backs are not big people but they play very big with their explosive style running game and their athletic skills and their football passion and toughness.

Mecca of Coaches

For a region of the United States from Erie over to Johnstown and down to Uniontown and inclusive of Pittsburgh, Western Pennsylvania has become a cradle of football coaches. This area has a population of approximately 4Million people. That is no comparison to the state of California which has 38Million+ people. Right now, This region has 3 Head Coaches in the NFL out of the possibility of 32. They are Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis who is from McDonald PA and played at Fort Cherry High School and went on to play collegiately at Idaho State U. Lewis worked his way up from Linebacker coach at Idaho State to Linebacker coach for the Steelers in the early 1990's to Defensive coordinator of the Redskins to Head Coach of the Bengals. Ironically, Coach Marty Schottenheimer was Head Coach of the Chargers when Marvin Lewis was head coach of the Bengals and they both are from McDonald, PA. The chances of 2 out of 32 Head NFL coaches being from McDonald, PA is almost unheard of but it happened and what a tribute to the town west of Pittsburgh. Next is K.C. Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley who is from the Upper St. Clair part of Pittsburgh. Todd was a golfer at Upper St.Clair HS but was always around his father Dick Haley who was an NFL Player Personal guy and was director of Player Personal for the Steelers when Todd was growing up. An unbelievable irony to this is that Dick Haley was also born and raised in McDonald, PA. Haley worked his way up in the NFL rapidly and landed in Kansas City last season. Last is Green Bay's Head Coach Mike McCarthy who is from the Greenfield part of Pittsburgh. Mike McCarthy attended Bishop Boyle in Homestead which no longer is in existence. Later he went to an NAIA school in Kansas named Baker University where he played TE. Then followed along with super hard work a meteoric rise for home grown Mike McCarthy from Fort Hays State to Pitt to Offensive Coordinator of the Saints and 49ers then Head Coach of the Packers. What is it for a region of 4 million people to produce so many Head NFL Coaches. The list goes on and on with the likes of Mike Ditka, Jim Haslett, Bill Cowher, Frank Ganz, Dave Wannstedt, Chuck Knox, and I am sure there are many more. There is a great love of the game of football in the Western PA. region.

Early Signing Period

A couple of days ago, I discussed Pitt receiving early verbal commitments from 2 real good prospects from the Eastern Pennsylvania region. Pitt has received a multitude of verbal commitments up to this point. Some schools like Texas and even Ohio State are just about finished their recruiting on the Class of 2011 prior to the players even playing a single down during their senior campaigns. The recruitment is early and furious. The big time collegiate programs want to know who the top Sophomores are before they compete in their Junior year. Therefore, in my humble opinion, an early signing period should be instituted for college football. Basketball has it sometime in November and it lasts for one week. If the prospects signs during that period, it is a national letter of intent. The player is committed to that institution. The same should be done for football. An early signing period should be employed. I am not versed enough to choose the one week period, but it should fall somewhere prior to the beginning of high school football practice. If the high school player signs during that period, then he is bound to the institution he signed with. In football, there is a noticeable amount of high school players that verbally commit, then de-commit and verbally commit to another school. Signing early eliminates this and will actually open up more doors for the prospects that did not sign early. What I cannot figure out is how the rules and regulations of the NCAA allow basketball players to have an early signing period but this does not apply for football. There needs to be consistency.

50 Million Dollar Man

It is here! Football finally made it to the scene. The Pirates are 30 games under .500 and probably on the way to losing 100 games. What I am stunned at is the amount of guaranteed money the St. Louis Rams gave First pick in the 2010 draft QB Sam Bradford. Bradford received a whopping 50Million in guaranteed money. Sam Bradford 9 months ago injured his shoulder on his throwing arm and missed the balance of the season for the Oklahoma Sooners. To Bradford's credit, he worked hard to get back in throwing shape and he performed well at the Combine, his pro day, and in his personal workouts. But 50Million dollars for an untested rookie. This is getting totally out of hand. Look at the Bengals selection in the 2009 draft OT Andre Smith from Alabama who was the 6th overall choice. Smith has a weight clause with the Bengals but still ballooned up to 370 pounds with his 6'4" frame. Also, Smith has an ankle problem that is keeping him from camp participation. He received a large amount of guaranteed money. After watching Andre Smith play for the Crimson Tide, I felt he was more a Guard rather than a Tackle. Speed rushers were too quick for him in pass protection. Smith is a good run blocker, and has the strength and leverage in his body to turn defenders. Playing guard is where he belongs if he ever plays. Switching to Bradford, I like his release, I like his accuracy, his arm strength is nice, but Sam Bradford needs to build up his body. The quarterbacks in the NFL can really take a pounding. Look at Lions #1 overall selection Matt Stafford from Georgia. He really took a beating during the 2009 season. I am looking at the first choice in the 2011 draft to get upwards of 55Million guaranteed dollars. A rookie salary cap is needed and the NFL should start funneling the money to veterans that have had productive careers.

2 Eastern PA verbal commitments

U of Pittsburgh just received this past week two more verbal commitments from the class of 2011. First one is from Harrisburg, PA powerhouse Bishop McDevitt coached by veteran Coach Jeff Weachter. The player is highly experienced Jameel Poteat. Poteat can play a multitude of positions. At 5'11"/205 Poteat is a solid running back for McDevitt who has the necessary speed to transfer his talent to running back at the collegiate level. But his skills do not stop there. He can catch the football, he has potential to become a free or strong safety, and his aggressive style of play could dictate him becoming a will linebacker in time. The other Eastern Pennsylvania recruit is athlete Terrell Chestnut from Pottstown, PA Pottsgrove High. Chestnut can play a variety of positions but after watching film on him I am sold on Chestnut as being a shut down corner. At 5'10"/185, Terrell Chestnut can back pedal with speed, flip his hips, and run with receivers. His ball skills are very good and he is willing to come up, make tackles, and support the run. Chestnut has been well coached by veteran Coach Rick Pennypacker. Pitt is doing an excellent job recruiting the Eastern part of PA. With the efforts of recruiting co-ordinator Bob Junko and TE Coach Brian Angelicho and OL Coach Tony Wyse doing the recruiting in Eastern PA, the Dave Wannstedt staff continues to make noise in the talent laden Eastern Pennsylvania region.

The next George Blanda

Is Brett Favre going to be the next George Blanda? Blanda is another in the long line of quarterbacks from the Western Pennsylvania region. Blanda is from Youngwood, PA which is between New Stanton and Greensburg. Blanda played professional football for 26 seasons until the age of 48. Favre will be 41 this October. When the season is over, Favre probably thinks outloud that I am finished. But once he relaxes, heals up, and spends time doing some non-football things, he is re-freshed and ready to come back. Favre, like numerous other NFL veterans, does not enjoy going to training camp. Training camp is vital for the preparation of the regular season. If the NFL shortens the pre-season to 2 contests, then training camp will probably be shortened and maybe the Spring OTA's will be made mandatory. As long as Brett Favre can run the offense, throw the ball with accuracy, and orchestrate the running game, then why should be retire. Favre can still take a pounding, he does not miss many plays, and basically he loves the game of football with a passion. Deep down inside, he wants a Super Bowl Ring with the Vikings. If he accomplishes that goal, then Brett Favre will probably hang up his spikes. But why get out of the game. I think Favre would be an excellent quarterback coach at the NFL or collegiate levels. He could be a guy like former Indianapolis Colts QB Jim Harbaugh. Jim Harbaugh is one of the elite coaches in college football with NFL Head Coach potential. That could be Brett Favre when he decides to retire.

Terrell to Chad

Born in Alexander City, AL, Terrell Owens entered UT Chattanooga in the early 1990's as a fledging swing man, a mix of forward and a big guard who was an effective rebounder and a scorer. A 6'3.5"/200 guy, Owens also was a track guy at UT Chattanooga. Being smart Terrell Owens opted to play football for the Moccasins of UTC and the rest is history. Owens will be 37 years old this early December and is in great physical condition. He still has real good top end speed but his take-off the line of scrimmage is not what it used to be. He comes out of his receiver breaks pretty well and more or less in his last few seasons has become a body pass catcher. His hands are not like they used to be and he uses his body to shield off smaller defender to make plays. He is about 220 now with a great reach but does not utilize that reach to his advantage like in prior years. Watching him closely, Owens has been dropping passes of late. He feels more comfortable catching the ball up against his body. Randy Moss is doing the same thing. Throwing him in the Bengals mix with Chad Johnson, Antonio Bryant, Matt Jones, and Andre Caldwell, the Bengals have some experienced good looking big wide outs. QB Carson Palmer has to get them the ball and the Bengals offensive line must protect Palmer with precise pocket assurance. Do not forget Carson Palmer had the serious knee injury a few season's ago vs. the Steelers and has lost some mobility. One thing Coach Marvin Lewis needs to accomplish is to not listen to the verbal rhetoric from Terrell Owens. The one positive is that Owens and Chad Johnson may neutralize themselves by rapping to each other on the sidelines. The other bright point of Owens is that he is a real good blocker in the secondary. If the Bengals develop a good running game, Owens can be a presence on running plays. The AFC North is becoming a talented conference. The Steelers can be real good when all is in order, the Ravens are on the RISE, if the Bengals can put it together, they can be dangerous, and the Browns may beat some teams they shouldn't. By the way, it is still not in me to call Chad Johnson Chad Ochocinco. He will always he Chad Johnson to me. It would be like changing the name of your golf partner from John Doe to John Snowman because he shoots so many 8's on numerous golf holes.

Rookie Salary Cap

The NFLPA(National Football League Players Association)and the compliance departments from numerous East Coast schools have their work cut out for them prior to the beginning of the 2010 College Football Season. It has been reported on a player's Twitter page that some top prospects from colleges along the Eastern Seaboard have been seen at a party in Miami, Fl with reference to a sports agency sponsoring the party. The NFLPA rule for college players with eligibility is very simple: a college player with eligibility remaining can meet with an agent or someone from an agency but cannot accept anything of value or sign a contract with that agency until his final game is completed. Merely accepting a sandwich from a local hamburger chain is a violation as long as the player has eligibility remaining. Isn't this the norm where a few back door guys ruin IT for the large majority that follows the rules in not only the agent business but in many other areas. When the first choice in the draft is getting 39million guaranteed dollars like LSU QB JaMarcus Russell did, then the agencies feel that in order to get involved with a guy like this, they need to step it up a few notches. The maximum an agent can charge his client is 3% but you figure it out what 3% of 39 million is less the agencies expenses which can be substantial. Plus if the player becomes a superstar, then the agency may get involved into another huge contract(his second contract). It is not complicated. What is complicated to me is how much the NFL pays unproven rookies. A rookie Salary Cap needs to be established. Look how many flops there have been from the first round in the past 10 years. It is incredible. A rookie salary cap would open up more money for performance based payments to veterans that have had solid careers. God Bless QB Sam Bradford from Oklahoma for he may pull in 43 to 45 million guaranteed dollars from the St. Louis Rams before he steps out onto the field for his first regular season game. Plus do not forget, Sam Bradford had a serious injury to his throwing shoulder which sidelined him the latter half of the past season. Not to deprive rookies of signing bonuses and salaries, but it looks to me that a Rookie Salary Cap is an excellent business decision.

Cheerleading

There are varying degrees of professional opinions on whether Cheerleading is classified a Sport or a school activity. A dictionary definition of a Sports is as follows: an activity usually involving physical exertion and having a set form and body of rules, a game. Does cheerleading follow this definition? Answer is no. To me, a guy who has been active in sports through coaching and scouting, is that sports and athletic events, which basically are games, is defined by one short statement, when you keep score it is classified a competitive sport. No score is kept in cheerleading. But there exists competitive cheerleading events amongst schools and group of schools. Cheerleading is an excellent activity. In schools today, it is very organized, highly competitive, and the girls at the high school level work hard as a unit. In matter of fact, starting mid-August, these young ladies get up early, practice hard, runs laps, lift weights, and work out with intensity getting ready for the season. Least we forget, cheerleading is not strictly designed for football only. Cheerleading encompasses the entire high school sports season. It carries over into basketball and sometimes into the spring sports including both men and women sports. It can be grueling and the girls need to be in tip top physical condition and maintain excellent standards of flexibility. The cheerleading coaches at the high school level put in a tremendous amount of time and energy but their pay is not that spectacular. The cheerleading coaches do it for the love of the activity. Cheerleaders and the staff members deserves a tremendous amount of credit and recognition for the positive enthusiasm and great outlook that cheerleaders and the school band possess no matter if there team is losing or winning.

Western PA. Quarterbacks

Steve Sabol of NFL Films has put together a segment on the Top 100 Players of all time in the National Football League. With a tremendous amount of research and detailed discussions with the right people close to the game, this Top 100 of all time can be fairly accurate. John Steigerwald's JustWatchTheGame Blog has a segment on this. John's piece is very interesting to say the least. I would have to agree with John that MLB Dick Butkus of the Chicago Bears may be the best and most dominate player of all time on the defensive side of the ball. 2 running backs were just off the chart in Bears Walter Payton and the Lions Barry Sanders. Another player that probably in there is RB Earl Campbell from the Houston Oilers. On the flip side, this can be difficult to accomplish. The speed of the game since the late 1970's has been the most noticeable difference in this great game and also the size and agility of the big guys. I hope OLB from the Steelers Jack Ham is on the list for he is a player that would be able to play at any time. Just my opinion, but my top QB of all time would be Monongahela, PA Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers. He is another in the long lines of products out of this region that produced some of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. Joe Namath from Beaver Falls, Dan Marino from Pittsburgh Central Catholic, and John Unitas of Mount Oliver who developed in the sandlot leagues in this area. Why has Pennsylvania especially Western Pennsylvania produced so many good quarterbacks? There has to be a reason for this. Least we forget Jim Kelly who was born in Pittsburgh but played his high school football in the Western PA community of East Brady.

Flaccotime

Recruited by the Walt Harris staff at the U. of Pittsburgh, Joe Flacco signed with Pitt back in February, 2003 coming from Audubon, NJ High School. Flacco rarely played at Pitt in his 2 year stint for the Panthers. I caught a glimpse of Joe Flacco in the Pitt Spring Game at Heinz field in April, 2004. I watched him take the snap from under center, makes his 3, 5, and 7 step drops and throw from the shotgun and I also said WOW! I told myself this guy has talent, now I know why Walt Harris recruited him. Flacco played behind solid Pitt QB Tyler Palko and opted to transfer after the 2004 season. Flacco played for the U of Delaware in 2006 and 2007 and now after being the 18th overall choice in the 2008 NFL draft, he plays for Steelers rival Baltimore Ravens. Joe Flacco has the talent to be a very effective QB in the league. The important cog for Flacco's success are these 5 guys, Jared Gaither, Tony Moll, Matt Birk, Marshall Yanda, Michael Oher, and a few more Offensive linemen that may crack the line-up. Baltimore Offensive linemen need to play lights out this season not only to administer the running game but to paas protect for Joe Flacco. The Ravens have bolstered their receiving corp by adding Anquan Boldin and Donte Stallworth. The Ravens receivers had a lot of key drops in 2009 and remember the one wide open Derrick Mason had vs. the Steelers in the end zone. It was handed to him on a platter and he still dropped it. This is a huge season for Joe Flacco and the Ravens. What a great rivalry the Ravens-Steelers games have become. Sunday October 3rd with a 1 PM starting time will be a very interesting Ravens Steelers game even without Big Ben playing.

Central Catholic Grad

What a great guy Marc Bulger is! Marc Bulger is now the back-up quarterback to Joe Flacco for the Baltimore Ravens. I remember his high school days at Pittsburgh Central Catholic when he was a thin 6'2"/170 on the Rise QB that had a live arm and threw with tremendous accuracy for the Central Catholic Vikings. He accepted a scholarship to play for the Mountaineers of West Virginia, built up his body to 215 pounds, and had an admirable career for WVU. He was a sixth round selection in the 2000 NFL draft at pick number 168 to the New Orleans Saints. The Steelers chose late in the fifth round a QB named Tee Martin from Tennessee just 5 picks ahead of Bulger. Later in that same draft New England chose in the sixth round a guy named Tom Brady from Michigan at pick number 186. Getting back to Marc Bulger, I have known him for numerous years. While playing at WVU, Marc came and worked my football camp in the Spring for a few years and did an excellent job working with the quarterbacks. Bulger is a very hard worker, is a very positive guy, enjoys playing the game, and is pleasant to be around. He comes from an excellent athletic family. His father Jim played QB at Notre Dame. Marc Bulger holds an NFL record that many fans are not aware of. The record is that no other QB in the NFL had 1000 completions faster than Marc Bulger during his playing days at St. Louis. He did this in 45 games. Marc is another in the long lines of QB's that have come out of this Western PA region and have had success in college and the NFL.

18 games

There is going to be a lot of talk amongst the NFL Owners at the next owner's meeting about lengthening the regular football season to 18 games and cutting the pre-season to 2 contests. The players union(NFLPA)will lobby for more money in the paycheck and this may be well deserved. They will lobby for an increase in the rosters and this should probably happen and the numbers of players may increase from 53 to 59 maybe 60. But I think the one huge item that the NFLPA will lobby for if the season is increased to 18 regular season games is a shorter training camp. Some teams are in camp for 4 weeks. That is a long time for 2 a days in the heat and humidity. The way to solve this problem is to lengthen the OTA's in the late Spring and make them mandatory. OTA's are Organized Team Activities that occur basically in late May and run through the middle of June. Shoulder pads, helmets, skill work, coaching, no live scrimmaging. The players come out of the OTA's and they are ready to go in terms of skill work and mental preparation. With mandatory OTA's, the potential exists to shorten training camp. Believe me, the coaches are intelligent evaluators of talent. They know who is good and who can make the roster in a short period of time. 2 pre-season games is more than enough. College football jumps right into a regular season game with only banging heads against their own players. Like I said about a month ago, the Super Bowl played in New York City may be played in early March with an 18 game regular season. I can hear the lawn mowers humming all the way from Latrobe here in the South Hills in preparation for the arrival of the Steeler's and their nation on July 30.

Oakmont C.C. is one tough course

Paula Creamer deserves a tremendous amount of credit for finishing 3 under par (281) on one of the most difficult golf courses around anywhere that is Oakmont Country Club on Hulton Road 15 miles northeast of Pittsburgh. Years ago one of my close friends Mr. Bill Banks would take 3 of his good friends out to Oakmont every year for about 15 straight summers. Of course these 3 guys are Mr. John Steigerwald, Mr. Jack Donahue, the infamous Wheezer a former bartender at the heralded Saloon of Mount Lebanon, and myself. I remember the first year we played that I was so nervous that I had nightmares the night before could not relax while playing. When I got on a roll the greens drove me crazy. The caddy would tell me to put over here and I would say are you sure about that line. Consequently, I stunk that day shooting in the mid 90's, I think John Stag played fairly well, and the Wheezer played like Angelo Spagnola while the member Mr. Banks played nice and steady. Mr. Bill Banks kept saying the course is not that hard. I believed him to a certain degree. But as the years wore on in to the early 90's and beyond, my rational thinking told me that Oakmont was getting easier. Fortunately for me, the final time I played Oakmont C.C. I shot an 80, birdied the unrealistically hard first hole, and I felt so comfortable reading the greens and developing a touch for the speed of the greens that I had the utmost confidence that day. I will tell you this, I could never do that again. John Stag played steady golf all those years and the Wheezer really improved his scores at Oakmont. My question to all of those that have played Oakmont, which is the easier 9 holes, the front or the back. I say the back is easier with Number 10 and 18 being off the chart hard from tee to green.

51 and 25 to be .500

*****Getting back to the Pirates, they are 30-56 as the All Star break is upon us. The Pirates are last in the league in batting average and 2 from the bottom in team ERA. Pedro Alvarez is showing some promise but needs to be somewhat more patient at the plate for he swings at some bad pitches. After 86 games, not one starting pitcher has a complete game. Could this be a major league record? *****Is the off season injury loss of Willie Colon going to be disruptive to the Steelers running game? You better believe it. Former OL Coach Larry Zeirlein called Colon one of the best run blockers in the entire NFL. The Steelers this year have a mandate to run the football and losing Colon will hurt. *****Just remember, when the first day of the month is on a Sunday, then that month will have a Friday the 13th. *****I have noticed that the BP Station near my home is way off in gasoline sales. I wonder why?*****With 20 days remaining until Training Camp begins, Pittsburgh will be without services of Big Ben(4-6 games), Willie Colon for entire 2010 season, Santonio Holmes traded to the Jets. Read back on my previous blog about Steelers signing Alan Faneca. It would look good now without Colon. Arizona OL Coach Russ Grimm still thinks he has gas left in his tank. He could play left OT and move Max Starks to Colon's slot or RT or move Trai Essex to RT and Faneca to RG. Too late now, he is with the Arizona Cardinals and who knows what will happen there.