Twenty Four and 27

Are the Pittsburgh Pirates heading in the right direction? Things are starting to look promising. At 24 and 27 on the Sunday before Memorial Day, their chances of making the playoffs are slim. If a team is under .500 by June 1(which the Buccos will be), then according to the modern baseball statistics, your chances of making the playoffs are a mere 9%. But we are not talking about making the playoffs. We are talking about being a .500 team for the 2011 season. The Buccos have a shot at 81 wins. The gurus in Las Vegas have their win total at 67 or 68. If all remains the same, it looks like the Buccos should surpass that total. The way Paul Maholm is pitching, he should be 7 and 2 rather than 2 and 7. Very little run production for Maholm except during his recent masterpiece 3 hitter in a 10 to 0 pounding administered by the Pirates over the Cubs. 3rd baseman Pedro Alvarez needs to step it up. Alvarez has 42 strikeouts and only 2 home runs. He is striking out 1 out of 3 times at the plate and batting a stingy .208. He has a very long swing and that sweeping curve ball from lefties has him baffled. We all hope the Pirates continue to play respectfully and carry fan interest all the way into September rather than getting chopped off come St. Vincent training camp time if the Lock-out comes to an end.

Welcome Back

Just being your ordinary computer guy, this Blog was out of commission for a couple of weeks. Attempting to call it up to continue my Blogging, it would say the my URL was too large(whatever that means). So being an investigator and playing around with some different settings, the Blog somehow has corrected itself without any expert advice......Hopefully Friday June 3 will be a good day for the negotiations between the Players Union and the Owners. The trickle down effect is hurting and going to hurt a multitude of people. How about the Steeler stores in some of the local malls in this region! How about the Latrobe and Greensburg areas if there is no 3 week training camp! How about the restaurants in this region on Sundays afternoons and evenings where faithful go to watch games! and on and on and on. Pity the undrafted free agents who are sitting around and waiting to be given a chance to attempt to make a 53 man roster. By the way, 23 Undrafted Free Agents played in the Pro Bowl this past Late January. Think undrafted free agents are not valuable?.........Thank the heavens that the price of fuel is dropping across the country. It stings when it costs $80 to fill up an 18 gallon tank......Can someone tell me what happened on 5-24-08, the date President Obama wrote down when he signed the distinguished guest register at Westminster Abbey. I think it may have been an honest mistake!

Mr. Irrelevant

What is this Mr. Irrelevant award? It is to honor the last player taken in the NFL Draft each year since 1976. I think the award should be changed and I will tell you why. There are approximately 9000 college seniors that play football every year in college football whether they are regular 4 year seniors or red-shirt seniors. In this 2011 draft, 254 players were selected including underclassmen(41 chosen). So this brings a total of 213 legit seniors selected. To me, being drafted is something a young man can cherish. So what if you are the final choice in the draft! I think the Mr. Irrelevant award should be switched around. Mr. Irrelevant should be pushed back to just prior to the regular season. Mr. Irrelevant should be the highest draft pick that is cut prior to playing the first regular season game. So if a team cuts a player that was a second round choice in the draft, then this guy should be Mr. Irrelevant. The Mr. Irrelevant ceremony is a big deal for the folks in Newport Beach, California. Mr. Irrelevant and his family are given a paid trip for 1 week in Newport Beach and during an award's ceremony, Mr. Irrelevant is given the Lowsman Trophy. The Lowsman Trophy mimics the Heisman Trophy by displaying someone fumbling a football. If you are a higher draft choice that is released by an NFL team, then the Lowsman Trophy may be more appropriate for you.

Extend the Draft

What is going on with the UFA's? UFA's are in NFL terms "Undrafted Free Agents." But after the 2011 NFL draft, none of the teams could sign any Undrafted Free Agents. Just think, in the most recent Pro Bowl in late January, there were 23 Undrafted Free Agents participating in the Pro Bowl. When you think about it, that it a phenomenal number. Are teams making that many mistakes evaluating prospects or are some of these players getting better when they enter the NFL camps. Whatever it is, and just like meteorology, scouting football players is an inexact science. You know what I think, the NFL needs to expand the draft working this through the NFL Players Association(NFLPA). Only 254 players are getting drafted. My theory is add 2 more rounds(rounds 8 and 9). That will give you 64 more choices for a total of approximately 318 to 320 selections. You may find a Rocky Bleier or a L.C. Greenwood in the very late rounds of the draft like the Steelers did 40 some years ago. To speed it up for Chris Berman, Mel Kiper, and the ESPN company, only 2 minutes per pick. Each round would be completed in an hour but teams may find Pro Bowl Players in these rounds. Some say the draft is long enough at 7 rounds but if you can find real good players late, it is worth spending the extra 2 hours to draft these players.

5 out of 254 isn't bad

What does this mean. In the just completed 2011 NFL Draft 5 WPIAL players were drafted out of the 254 draft choices. Not bad for a small region of the country with a 148 high schools. This group includes WR Jonathan Baldwin from Pitt(Aliquippa HS)who went in the first round to Kansas City. Next was OC/OG Stefen Wisniewski from Penn State(Pittsburgh Central Catholic)who was chosen in the 2nd round by the Oakland Raiders. Next was OT/OG Jason Pinkston from Pitt(Baldwin HS)who was selected in the 5th round by the Cleveland Browns. Next was OC Brandon Fusco of Slippery Rock(Seneca Valley HS)who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 6th round, and finally SS Tommie Campbell from California U.PA(Aliquippa HS)who was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the 7th round. The Beaver County town of Aliquippa really pumps out players especially players to the NFL. Brandon Fusco was a 245 pound OT at Seneca Valley in high school and worked his way into a 6'4.5"/308 pound OC in college. This area is very productive even during population decreases coinciding with tough economic times in the Western PA. region. Also, Steelers #1 choice Cameron Heyward was born and raised in Monroeville and would have been ticketed to Gateway HS but moved to Atlanta at a young age. Another Western PA guy would have been Houston Texans QB Matt Schaub who was ticketed to go to Pittsburgh Central Catholic but moved to West Chester, PA and attended East HS and then U. of Virginia. This region is a football oriented area.

Days 1 and 2

Interesting stuff in the first 2 days of the NFL Draft. 14 Defensive Tackles taken in the first 95 selections, 13 corners drafted in the top 95, and 9 Offensive tackles selected in this group. Big hulking athletic defensive linemen are hard to find in the world of football and if there are some out there, they will probably get selected in the NFL draft. 6'6"/295 pound DT Cameron Heyward certainly is one of them and the Steelers snapped him up quickly when their first rounder selection came onto the Big Board. Heyward has the versatility the Steelers like. He can play a 4-3 defense DT or he can play 3-4 defense position like Aaron Smith does. He can play the run well and put pressure on the QB from the DT slot. A real good consistent pass rush certainly can make a defensive back's job easier. Out of the 95 selections, only 3 came from non Division 1A schools. They were in the second round OT Benjamin Ijalana from Villanova who is an athletic OT who dominated at the 1AA level. Another 1AA offensive linemen came from Lehigh U. in Will Rackley, a big hulking athletic guard who went in the third round. And the other 1AA draft choice was huge DT from Hampton University named Kendrick Ellis who transferred to Hampton from U. of South Carolina. I watched Kendrick Ellis train for the draft this winter here in Pittsburgh. Ellis is a big strong road grader defensive lineman that NFL teams embellish. When it is all said and done, there will be approximately 15 to 20 players drafted that are not from NCAA Division 1A programs

Here we Go!

Here we go! The 2011 NFL Draft is upon us. Now the chess game begins for the 32 NFL teams.

I must be asked 5 times a day, who are the Steelers going to take in the draft this Thursday night or very early Friday morning. Being from this Western Pennsylvania region for a long time and following the Steelers closely along with the other 31 NFL teams, I think the Steelers should take Corner from Colorado talented Jimmy Smith if he is available at #31. If he is selected before pick number 31, then with my humble opinion, I would look to trade the pick and move down in the draft attempting to get an extra 2nd rounder and an extra 3rd rounder if this is possible. There are a multitude of good players between player number 31 and player number 100. There are some good corners out there like Aaron Williams from Texas but he may go late in the 1st round or the corner from Ohio State or the corner from Clemson. Sometimes you can steal a player in the 2nd round that should have been a first round selection. So acquiring extra choices in the 2nd and even the third rounds, you can find your players on the RISE. OT Marcus Cannon could be available in the second round as could OG/OC Rodney Hudson from Florida State. Kevin Colbert and company have been patient in the draft before and patience may pay off this year. Later in the draft the Steelers may look at OT Chris Hairston from Clemson for example. As always, the draft is very interesting but it can hold the key to a team's future

Spare Me The Agony

Again, another example of paralysis by over-analysis. Pity Texas Christian U(TCU) QB Andy Dalton for being a red-head. Some NFL scouts and coaches are saying that a QB with red hair has never made it big in the NFL. Dalton is a talented guy with the potential of being a pretty high choice in this upcoming draft, but the NFL evaluators are talking about his red hair. Andy Dalton must have forgot to talk to former Oklahoma linebacker and former NFL #1 draft pick Brian Bosworth about dyeing his hair to the color of white....Everywhere you go now-a-days people are discussing the price of fuel especially the high rising price of gasoline. It just like happened over-night going from 2.85 a gallon for regular unleaded to 3.85 a gallon in our region. The independent truck drivers have to be fed up with the high rising cost of diesel fuel. If the prices of fuel do not level off here soon, you may see these independent truckers blocking the interstates like they did back in the middle of George W Bush's second term....Do the Pittsburgh Pirates have a chance to win 81 games this season under Manager Clint Hurdle. Are we as fans asking a lot for the Pirates to go .500? So far in this early start of 8 and 10, the Buccos have had some scoreless streaks of 22 innings or more. Let's keep our fingers crossed. 18 years in succession of non-winning baseball is wearing the Pittsburgh fans out.

Let's Get on With It

The NFL draft is coming up here faster than you think. What do the Steelers need in this draft? I think the Pittsburgh Steelers should draft some really good players that can play the game of football. How about that for a statement. Draft "Football Players". Do the Black 'n Gold need a quarterback? Probably not but I would like to see them get a 21 or 22 guy and develop him for the future. Do the Steelers need a running back? Possibly but sometimes you can find real good running backs late in the draft or as undrafted free agents. Do the Steelers need a TE? No, this is a solid position. Do the Steelers need wide receivers? Probably not but if a great one comes along, you probably need to look at him. Do the Black 'n Gold need Offensive Linemen? Just my opinion, a team can always use quality offensive linemen. The O-line has had injuries and Coach Kugler has done a marvelous job with the O-line, but they should look at the 2011 draft as a means of getting some offensive linemen. Does Pittsburgh need defensive linemen? Maybe not this draft but shortly down the road they will. Do the Steelers need linebackers? This is a real good position for them but the Steelers like numerous NFL teams like to draft these hybrid players, DE/OLB types, who can run and makes plays and help on special teams. Do the Steelers need defensive backs. I say Yes. Why? because great defensive backs are hard to find especially shut down corners. With the way teams are throwing the football, you need a multitude of quality defensive backs. Do the Black 'n Gold needs any kickers? Maybe a punter not because Sepulveda is not good but because he has had some unfortunate injuries. The NFL Draft is fun to watch. Let's get on with it before each team gets the old football scouts famous quote "paralysis by over-analysis."

What do Black and Gold need?

The 2011 NFL Draft is quickly approaching. There seems to be less interest in the Draft than in previous years and this is an offshoot of the Lockout that is occurrng right now. Amongst all my friends that love the Great Game of football, there is very little discussion about the draft. There are 254 selections in this 2011 draft including compensatory picks and the Pittsburgh Steelers have 7 choices coming up in late April. I am asking the football fans that read this blog and also read John Steigerwald's Just Watch The Game Blog, what do the Super Bowl Runner-Up Steelers need in this draft. The experts say this draft is somewhat weaker compared to the 2010 draft and this may have occurred due because many Juniors entered the 2010 draft due to the impending Lockout. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the 31st choice in the First Round. Come on Nationwide Steeler fans, what do the Black and Gold need for the hopefully 2011 season?

Cannot wait any Longer

What do these pollsters look at when they decide to formulate a final poll on the Men's Basketball season. For obvious reasons, Connecticut is the number one team in college basketball. But not to smash the Butler Bulldogs just because they were in the National Championship Game and did not play well at all, does that mean that the 28 and 10 Butler Bulldogs should be number 2 in the Polls. In my opinion the Ohio State Buckeyes or the Kentucky Wildcats should be number 2. In some polls, Ohio State got votes for the number 1 position. What about Kansas? During their game vs Virginia Commonwealth, their shooting was pathetic and got upset by the Shaka Smart coached team. This is what makes the NCAA Basketball Tournament very interesting. So as sports fans, do we not think that College Football should have a tournament like basketball does. The BCS has gotten away with this long enough. We all know the Bowl Games are very powerful and have a contract set up until 2014, but it is time for a post season football tournament. People would be filling out brackets for football as much as they do for basketball. A BCS 16 team football playoff or tournament would be incredible. So what are the powers waiting for?

Monday Nite Hoops

Tell me hoop fans, what really did happen in the Monday night contest between the Butler Bulldogs and the Connecticut Huskies.. The time the game commenced was 9:36PM. 9:36PM is way too late for an East Coast start time. I know both teams were playing solid defense but the shooting was atrocious. Butler was 12 for 64 from the field. This was one of the most ungainly games ever played. Butler stalwart Matt Howard, a 6'8"/235 pound Power Forward was 1 for 16 from the field. Butler shot an uneventful 18.8%. I do not care how much defense is being played, that stat is just plain bad. Butler scored a total of 41 points for the game with 19 coming in the second half. The way Butler had been playing in the previous 5 NCAA games, they should have scored 41 points in one period alone. You know nerves can be distraction early in the contest, but not once the game swings into gear. And you know the Pitt Panthers were holding their heads in their hands because Pitt had 1 1 point lead on the Butler Bulldogs with 8 seconds remaining in the game to get to the Sweet 16. But UConn and the Big East ring up another Championship

67.5

Is 67 1/2 the average temperature for the month of May in the Western Pennsylvania region? Is 67 1/2 the number of cups of coffee that Starbucks in Virginia Manor Shops sells between the hours of 8 AM and 9 AM? Is 67 1/2 the number of You Pick Two's that Paneras Bread sells on an average weekday during the lunch hour? It is none of the above. 67.5 or 67 1/2 is the over and under for the Win total for the Pittsburgh Pirates this upcoming baseball season listed by Vegas Insider. The boys in Vegas think the Pirates are going to win 67 or 68 games(even with Manager Clint Hurdle at the helm). If they win 68, then the Pirates will lose 94 games as the boys in Vegas see it. Wow and the season has not even started yet. Unfortunately for the baseball fans in this region, it has been a uphill battle for the last 18 non-winning seasons. But the Pittsburgh region fans continue to support the Pittsburgh Pirates. I am not even concerned about a winning season at this point for I would just like the Buccos to play .500 baseball and win a total of 81 games. You have to play one game at a time and the fans in this Western PA. region have been unbelievably patient. I firmly believe that the fans patience is running out. The Pirates need to start winning!

Tinkering

It is all over the internet and a continuation of the coverage of stupidity, but Pro Football Talk is discussing Eagles QB Michael Vick not attending a Southeastern Virginia Association Art Gala which he supposedly committed to attend. Who Cares? But it somehow makes news. More focus should be put on the fact that many of the top professional golfers do not play in the St. Jude Classic held in Memphis Tenn. which benefits young children stricken with cancer. I know this tournament follows a Major but the St. Jude Classic is for a great cause.........Hard to believe that a Number 1 nor a Number 2 seed did not make the Final 4 and hats off go to Moon Township and Clarion University grad Coach John Calipari from Kentucky. Talking about coaches, the Butler University coach Brad Stevens is a hot commodity. At only 35 years of age, Stevens teams play smart, with great intensity, and can shoot the basketball. Tennessee probably looked at Stevens for their opening but signed upstart Cuonzo Martin from Missouri State. Cuonzo Martin , from East St. Louis HS and was a stalwart at Purdue, is a coach on the rise in NCAA circles......Get out the papers and the trash and blow the dust off your Golf Clubs because Golf Season is upon us. Nothing like playing a round of golf with your friends(men and women alike) and going out after and having a couple hottie totties(as Myron Cope would say) and talking about all the putts you should have made and all of the stocks you should have bought.

Is 35 better than 30?

The kickoff return is an integral part of a football game as is a punt return. The league is now going to move the kickoff forward from the 30 yard line to the 35 and a touchback will remain the same with the ball staying at the 20 yard line. The rational is to make an effort to somewhat curtail the potential of injuries in the league. Makes sense to me. BUT, a kickoff return is a very exciting part of the football game. Also, the non kickers(10 players)can only have a 5 yard head start running down the field to pursue the kickoff returner. What you are going to see is a multitude of touchbacks in the end zone because of the power in the legs of NFL kickers. How about another rule change while it still can be accomplished. Instead of a 5 yard head start, how about no head start for the kicking team. All 10 special teams guys should just stand on their own 34 yard line and cannot move forward until the ball is thumped by the kicker. Now kickoffs driven into the end zone may be returned more because of the lack of a running start. We all know that shortening the kickoff distance may eliminate some injuries, but it also may induce boredom into the kicking game. When a football player puts on his pads and helmet, and laces up his football shoes, he knows there is a chance for injury. It is the same for a race car driver. Once you are traveling 180+ MPH with bumpers almost touching, a driver knows there is an unreal chance for injury or death. Instead of worrying about shortening the kickoff to the 35 yard line, maybe the NFL hierarchy should openly discuss why there are so many penalties on punts and kickoff returns. If you watch an entire NFL game, it seems that one out of two kicking plays results in a holding call or a block in the back call. There should be more focus on the penalties than on the length of the kickoff.

One Game At A Time

Everywhere I went after work today I heard about Pitt's lose to UConn in the Big East Tournament. I received multiple phone calls from friends about Pitt losing in the Big East Tournament. Numerous Pitt fans are saying this is going to hurt Pitt. I say No Way. I am looking at the flip side of this lose. Now the Pitt Panthers, after a long season, can rest their legs and get ready for the NCAA Tournament. If a team makes it to final game of the Big East, then you are playing a minimum of 3 intense basketball games. My philosophy is just get into the field of 68. Then win 4 games, and you are in the Final Four. Easier said than done. Pitt has a shot at a number 1 seed for the mere reason they were the winners of the Big East regular season. The Big East is one of the toughest leagues, if not the toughest, in NCAA Division 1 basketball. Teams will score points once you get to the field of 68. What winning teams need to do in play really solid defense and rebound the basketball. Pitt does that. The Pitt team runs the floor well, they distribute the ball well, and the Pitt team boxes out well and crashes the offensive glass. It will be interesting to see what happens in the NCAA Tournament, but Pitt has a shot of going a long way. A dangerous team coming down the stretch is the North Carolina Tar Heels. Keep an eye on the Roy Williams' Heels to make noise in the field of 68.

Mock Draft

Now that the NFL Scouting Combine is completed and there is a 7 day extension trying to solve the NFL Labor Dispute, the NFL Draft looms big every year during the last weekend in April. Every football guru from Mel Kiper to Rob Rang(NFL Draft Scout)to Todd McShay(ESPN) has a Mock Draft. Football draftniks love to read this stuff but all the Mock Drafts are basically evolved around the same players with different variations. All of this can be classified as speculation because who knows if there is going to be multitudes of trades just before the draft begins. Most experts know the top 50 players but I am more concerned about the Under The Radar guys that go later in the draft that no one talks about and subsequently some of these Under The Radar players become really good NFL Players. Take for example Browns RB Peyton Hillis, a 7th round selection out of Arkansas. The way Hillis is playing dictates he should have been a 1st round pick. Same with Steelers undrafted free agent James Harrison out of Kent State and Vikings/Ravens veteran Center Matt Birk(6th rounder of of Harvard). How about undrafted free agent undersized DE from U of Maine Jovan Belcher, who was grabbed by the KC Chiefs after the 2009 NFL Draft and now starts at inside Linebacker for the Chiefs and sacked Joe Flacco twice in a playoff game 2 months ago. Mock Drafts are redundant, just tell me about the under the radar guys coming into this 2011 draft, the Tom Bradys of the world who do not get much hype entering the draft but finish their careers as Hall of Fame guys.

PNC Park A Football Stadium?

It is a given Between Mid-August 2011 and January, 2012 that the Pittsburgh Steelers will play a minimum of ten games at Heinz Field(Pending on the the Lock-out)and the Pittsburgh Panthers have an 8 game schedule for the 2011 football season. So that comes to a total of 18 games on the turf at Heinz Field. The surface was re-sodded 2 additional times this past football season. Once after the WPIAL Championships and once after the Winter Classic. How about this for a future venue for the WPIAL Games. Consider using PNC Park for the WPIAL Championship Games and the City League Championship Game only if PNC Park can be conducive to holding a regulation football field inside the Park. This past football season, Wrigley Field was host to the Illinois vs Northwestern football game. Problem here was they only had room for use of one end zone. But Yankee Stadium was large enough to hold 2 football games including the Army vs Notre Dame Game and the Pinstripe Bowl during the Christmas Holidays. Four high school games in 12 hours can really tear up the grass surface of any field, especially Heinz Field. It is an important part of the High School season to play the Championships at Heinz Field. Just my opinion, it also would be nice to play the Championships at PNC Park. PNC Park has a beautiful surface, it can hold 35,000 or more easily, and there is ample parking around the stadium and in the downtown areas. There should be no conflict for the WPIAL if the Steelers or Pitt had games scheduled on or around the Thanksgiving weekend when the WPIAL plays its Championship Games. Plus, the PIAA may consider playing the State Championship football games at PNC Park. Until next time, hopefully we can save our rock salt until next winter.

It's not Over

So you think football season is over. Yes, the regular season and the playoffs are completed but now the fun part begins. Here comes the NFL Combine, the Pro Days of each individual school, and finally after all the analysis is finished, the all important NFL draft in late April. The NFL Draft will be held even if there is a lock-out. How important is the NFL Draft? It is not easy to figure out. The fans in these parts do not have to travel very far to figure this out. Last April, the Steelers number 1 selection from U. of Florida was Maurkice Pouncey. Pouncey was so good that he was inserted into the starting line-up immediately and he even made the Pro Bowl. And look at the book-end wide outs in Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown how they were cogs in the Steeler passing game and what a future these 2 have in the Steelers passing game. With the Steelers getting back their offensive linemen in tackles Max Starks and Willie Colon and Big Ben always staying healthy, the Steelers can get back to the Super Bowl again. Talking about the Super Bowl, lots of credit has to be given to the Packers Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers is fast becoming one of the premier quarterbacks in the NFL if not the best right now. There is such a fine line in the NFL, if the Tampa Bay Bucs had beaten the Detroit Lions at home during Week 15 of the season, the Green Bay Packers may not have been in the playoffs. This is unreal football fans. The NFL Draft is not only very important but it is fun to watch if you are a draftnik. Until next time, Think Spring.

Excitement at 6:30 tonight

This could be an outstanding Super Bowl tonight with 2 teams that are peaking at the right time. Losing Maurkice Pouncey could hurt the Steelers somewhat but Coach Sean Kugler has the ability to get his offensive linemen ready for every game. Center Doug Legursky and Big Ben must make every snap from center perfect. I think this could be a Time of Possession Game. Versus the Jets 2 weeks ago, the Steelers held the ball for over 9 minutes during the first drive freezing the Jets offense. The Steelers need to freeze the Packers high powered offense. An important cog in the Steelers offense goes to 1 unheralded guy and another solid player. The veteran solid player is TE Heath Miller. Miller blocked like there was no tomorrow vs the Jets. He can help Flozell Adams handle talented Clay Matthews plus he is a key receiver in the Steelers passing game. The unheralded player is #85 TE/HB David Johnson. Many Steeler fans do not know who David Johnson is but this guy can really block. He lines up at TE, he lines up in the backfield, and of some occasions he goes in motion. During some plays vs. the Jets and during the season, he led Mendenhall through the hole. At times, he engulfed NYJet linebackers. Johnson is tough, strong, and a good athlete. Offensive Co-ordinatior Bruce Arians knows how to utilize David Johnson in the Steelers offense. 6 out of 7 experts on a panel from the network picked Green Bay to win the game. Only Keyshawn Johnson chose the Steelers If the Steelers run the football well vs the Packers Defense, and Big Ben takes care of the ball, and the Steelers defense plays their normal solid game, they can win their 7th Super Bowl. Enjoy the game everyone, it will be exciting.

Coach of the Year

In my estimation, choosing the coach of the year in the National Football League should not be a difficult task. Mike Tomlin is right there after missing Big Ben the first four games, going 12 and 4 during regular season, and now playing in the Super Bowl. Also, Packers Mike McCarthy(Greenfield native)has done an excellent job, considering numerous players are on Injured Reserve(IR),and should be under heavy consideration. But even though they do not give assistant coaches many awards, I recommend Coach Sean Kugler to be assistant coach of the year in the NFL. What a job Sean Kugler has done. Losing OT Willie Colon prior to the season and then losing another OT Max Starks early in the season, Kugler has made some phenomenal adjustments in moving offensive linemen around to different positions and preparing them for each game. A player that has gone under everybody's radar is OG Ramon Foster. Foster was an undrafted free agent a few years ago from the Tennessee Vols and he has blossomed into a solid player. Veteran Flozell Adams has done a nice job filling in for Colon at the RT position. And of course, OC Maurkice Pouncey had a Pro Bowl season during his Rookie campaign. The players play the game, but very humble Coach Sean Kugler deserves a ton of credit.

Mercy, Mercy, Mercy

Institute the "Mercy Rule." The Mercy Rule for what. I thought the mercy rule existed for high school football. When a team gets up by 35 or more points, then the clock runs at a high school football game in Pennsylvania. Do it for high school basketball. Recently at a Seton LaSalle vs Brentwood High School Girl's Basketball Game, the Seton LaSalle Girls beat the Brentwood Girls 113 to 14. The score at halftime was 68 to 4. The WPIAL Board of Control members discussed the game after a recent meeting and perceived a lack of sportsmanship for the Seton LaSalle Girl's Coach. Let's not look for excuses, let's not put a blame on anyone, but all those involved need to find a SOLUTION. Set up a Mercy Rule in basketball. Once a team gets up by more than 40 points at any point during the game, then let the clock run except during a time out or the end of a quarter. Do not stop the running clock until the score drops below the 40 point differential. With only 8 minute quarters, a high school basketball game can go REAL FAST with a running clock. Whether it is basketball, football, swimming, or any high school sport, the sporting events in high school or any level are going to be competitive but there also needs to be a sense of sportsmanship involved.

Again This and That

What is all this fuss about talented Michael Vick proclaiming that he should be the MVP. My answer to that is let other people determine that, Mr. Mike Vick. Oh, by the way, if you are an MVP candidate, then why was your last pass of the Green Bay playoff game thrown too short and consequently being intercepted instead of being over-thrown and incomplete......New Pitt Coach Todd Graham did a nice job solidifying his recruiting in this region by hiring former West Virginia DB coach and former Michigan DB and assistant head coach in Tony Gibson. Gibson recruited this Western Pennsylvania region for both the Mountaineers and the Wolverines, did a great job here, and has an excellent rapport with all the high school coaches in the Greater Pittsburgh Area.......Just think, if the NFL went to an 18 game schedule, this weekend of January 15 and January 16 would be the final weekend of the regular season which means the Super Bowl would be held on the third Sunday of February. Many think, including myself, that 18 games is too long of a season.......Pitt running back Dion Lewis may be entering the draft 1 year too early. Too many underclassmen in recent years are entering the NFL draft too early and subsequently some of these underclassmen bubbles are burst and do not even get drafted..........WOW, how times flies, pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Spring Training in just about 35 days. Time goes so fast that I thought Y2K was last New Year's Day and it was 11 years ago.