Pittsburgh Sports
Much will have been said and written about the Steelers loss to the Ravens this past week and most of it will likely be true. Plenty of blame to go around for what happened at Heinz Field last Sunday and all of it justified. Penalties are inexcusable and uncalled for. Oh sure, penalties are going to take place. That is just the nature of the beast. But mental penalties, like false starts, are not justified. If you are an offensive lineman or someone on the line, it is your responsibility to know the snap count and not jump before the ball is snapped. Plain and simple.
But this loss could have, and should have, been avoided. The offense could have played better, as could have the defense. Jeff Reed will have gotten his share of the blame, as well he should, and the ultimate insult is losing at home, which the Steelers should almost never do. I have never been sold on Heinz Field being an advantage for the Steelers like Three Rivers Stadium was. There is no deafening noise raining down on the opposition like there was at the old concrete bowl.
Opposing teams used to go into Three Rivers and were scared to death before kickoff. The noise had no place to go as it bounced off all sides of the circle. There is an open end at Heinz Field, for God only knows what reason, and the only thing it does is allow the wind to change as it comes off the rivers. Close that end zone and make this stadium more fearful for the opposition. Right now, it looks like nothing more than an overgrown banana.
There, however, are no excuses. The Steelers lost and the Ravens won. The defense made Joe Flacco look like a first ballot Hall of Famer and the corners played the receivers with way too much respect. Take advantage of the five yard chuck rule and knock the receivers off their timing routes. Get back into the play and make a play. Sure, receivers are going to catch the ball, but the winning touchdown by the Ravens was allowed due to too large a cushion. No receiver should have that much space to catch a pass.
The damage is done and the Steelers go into the bye week with a record of 3 – 1 when they could have been, and should have been, 4 – 0. That can’t be changed. This might be a blessing in disguise and the Cleveland Browns might want to think twice about coming to Pittsburgh next weekend, as the Steelers are going to be spitting mad to get back on the field and unleash their fury on the hapless Browns. Waiting two weeks for game action will stoke the hunger and the fire of a team that feels it left something on the field against the Ravens, and it did.
Ben is now back with his teammates and it will be sure to be an interesting couple of weeks in preparation for the Browns as head coach Mike Tomlin will have to make a decision on whether Charlie Batch keeps the starting job, or does Ben get his job back to continue the season, as a three game road stretch looms? There are arguments for both cases. Had the Steelers beat the Ravens, it is likely Batch may have continued to start. Now that the loss looms large, it will not be surprising if Roethlisberger gets the call. At this stage, anything could happen.
While the Steelers are off, there is still football to be played. The Redskins proved me right last week in Donovan McNabb’s homecoming by turning away the Eagles. Then, in the evening, the New York Giants came alive, if only just enough, to dispatch the Chicago Bears and even my record for the Upset Special. Here are the picks for Week Five.
Week 5
Pick of the Week, Kansas City over Indianapolis (Season, 2 - 2)
Upset Special, Cleveland over Atlanta (Season, 2 - 2)
The Pittsburgh Pirates organization never ceases to amaze. First, they fire their Double A manager who has won league titles for them, then they let go of John Russell. Okay, there are those who are not going to be upset with that decision. For many, Russell showed no emotion and acted like a robot. The bottom line is Russell was dealt a mess and he was asked to make filet mignon out of chicken soup.
No manager, dead or alive, could guide this team to respectability. This is now 18 years of futility and the managers who have been employed during that time are Jim Leyland, Gene Lamont, Lloyd McClendon, Jim Tracy, and Russell. Leyland won three division titles in the early 90s with the Pirates, a World Series with the Florida Marlins, and an American League pennant with the Detroit Tigers.
Lamont won a division title with the Chicago White Sox. McClendon is on Leyland’s staff in Detroit, and Tracy was a winner with the Los Angeles Dodgers and guided the Colorado Rockies to the playoffs in 2009 after taking over as manager. Do you see the trend here? These managers are successful in other places because they have major league talent to work with and they are employed by organizations that know how to run a ball club.
The mess, and disaster, that is the Pirates is led by a businessman who knows next to nothing about baseball but knows how to turn a profit. The list of general managers is nearly endless and the team refuses to spend money on talent and keep it on the team, trading it away when it is determined it can no longer afford the players.
All baseball fans have every right to be upset about how this franchise has sunk so low as to be a minor league team in a major league park. This is not the fault of the players. They are just pawns in this sick chess game. Baseball is almost nonexistent in this area after what has been taking place for nearly two decades, and with no end in sight. It if wasn’t for Bill Mazeroski, this season would have been a total disaster, this being the 50th anniversary of the 1960 World Series champions. The worst part is there is no end in sight. Better enjoy football and hockey seasons while you can.
Speaking of which, the Penguins opened the 2010-11 season at Consol Energy Center Thursday night against division rival Philadelphia Flyers. Now that football is in full swing and hockey is back, there is reason to smile as the weather is changing to the coolness of autumn and will usher in the cold of winter. The Steelers will likely be making a push for the playoffs and the Penguins will renew their quest for a second Stanley Cup in three years.
Pitt travels to Notre Dame for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff against the Fighting Irish. Penn State plays host to Illinois, and West Virginia will be at home against UNLV.
But this loss could have, and should have, been avoided. The offense could have played better, as could have the defense. Jeff Reed will have gotten his share of the blame, as well he should, and the ultimate insult is losing at home, which the Steelers should almost never do. I have never been sold on Heinz Field being an advantage for the Steelers like Three Rivers Stadium was. There is no deafening noise raining down on the opposition like there was at the old concrete bowl.
Opposing teams used to go into Three Rivers and were scared to death before kickoff. The noise had no place to go as it bounced off all sides of the circle. There is an open end at Heinz Field, for God only knows what reason, and the only thing it does is allow the wind to change as it comes off the rivers. Close that end zone and make this stadium more fearful for the opposition. Right now, it looks like nothing more than an overgrown banana.
There, however, are no excuses. The Steelers lost and the Ravens won. The defense made Joe Flacco look like a first ballot Hall of Famer and the corners played the receivers with way too much respect. Take advantage of the five yard chuck rule and knock the receivers off their timing routes. Get back into the play and make a play. Sure, receivers are going to catch the ball, but the winning touchdown by the Ravens was allowed due to too large a cushion. No receiver should have that much space to catch a pass.
The damage is done and the Steelers go into the bye week with a record of 3 – 1 when they could have been, and should have been, 4 – 0. That can’t be changed. This might be a blessing in disguise and the Cleveland Browns might want to think twice about coming to Pittsburgh next weekend, as the Steelers are going to be spitting mad to get back on the field and unleash their fury on the hapless Browns. Waiting two weeks for game action will stoke the hunger and the fire of a team that feels it left something on the field against the Ravens, and it did.
Ben is now back with his teammates and it will be sure to be an interesting couple of weeks in preparation for the Browns as head coach Mike Tomlin will have to make a decision on whether Charlie Batch keeps the starting job, or does Ben get his job back to continue the season, as a three game road stretch looms? There are arguments for both cases. Had the Steelers beat the Ravens, it is likely Batch may have continued to start. Now that the loss looms large, it will not be surprising if Roethlisberger gets the call. At this stage, anything could happen.
While the Steelers are off, there is still football to be played. The Redskins proved me right last week in Donovan McNabb’s homecoming by turning away the Eagles. Then, in the evening, the New York Giants came alive, if only just enough, to dispatch the Chicago Bears and even my record for the Upset Special. Here are the picks for Week Five.
Week 5
Pick of the Week, Kansas City over Indianapolis (Season, 2 - 2)
Upset Special, Cleveland over Atlanta (Season, 2 - 2)
The Pittsburgh Pirates organization never ceases to amaze. First, they fire their Double A manager who has won league titles for them, then they let go of John Russell. Okay, there are those who are not going to be upset with that decision. For many, Russell showed no emotion and acted like a robot. The bottom line is Russell was dealt a mess and he was asked to make filet mignon out of chicken soup.
No manager, dead or alive, could guide this team to respectability. This is now 18 years of futility and the managers who have been employed during that time are Jim Leyland, Gene Lamont, Lloyd McClendon, Jim Tracy, and Russell. Leyland won three division titles in the early 90s with the Pirates, a World Series with the Florida Marlins, and an American League pennant with the Detroit Tigers.
Lamont won a division title with the Chicago White Sox. McClendon is on Leyland’s staff in Detroit, and Tracy was a winner with the Los Angeles Dodgers and guided the Colorado Rockies to the playoffs in 2009 after taking over as manager. Do you see the trend here? These managers are successful in other places because they have major league talent to work with and they are employed by organizations that know how to run a ball club.
The mess, and disaster, that is the Pirates is led by a businessman who knows next to nothing about baseball but knows how to turn a profit. The list of general managers is nearly endless and the team refuses to spend money on talent and keep it on the team, trading it away when it is determined it can no longer afford the players.
All baseball fans have every right to be upset about how this franchise has sunk so low as to be a minor league team in a major league park. This is not the fault of the players. They are just pawns in this sick chess game. Baseball is almost nonexistent in this area after what has been taking place for nearly two decades, and with no end in sight. It if wasn’t for Bill Mazeroski, this season would have been a total disaster, this being the 50th anniversary of the 1960 World Series champions. The worst part is there is no end in sight. Better enjoy football and hockey seasons while you can.
Speaking of which, the Penguins opened the 2010-11 season at Consol Energy Center Thursday night against division rival Philadelphia Flyers. Now that football is in full swing and hockey is back, there is reason to smile as the weather is changing to the coolness of autumn and will usher in the cold of winter. The Steelers will likely be making a push for the playoffs and the Penguins will renew their quest for a second Stanley Cup in three years.
Pitt travels to Notre Dame for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff against the Fighting Irish. Penn State plays host to Illinois, and West Virginia will be at home against UNLV.
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