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.