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.