Thursday, January 10, 2013

Steelers send message by cutting Rainey

By Jamison Hensley
AFC North Blog
ESPN
January 10, 2012


The Steelers sent the right message in waiving Chris Rainey and it goes beyond just parting ways with a running back who was arrested for a second time on a domestic violence incident.
Rainey
Rainey
Pittsburgh kicked Rainey off the team only hours after he was arrested for, according to witnesses, slapping a woman in the face with an open hand. Along with the swift decision, the Steelers made it clear why they were waiving Rainey.

“Chris Rainey’s actions this morning were extremely disappointing,” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement released by the team. “Under the circumstances and due to this conduct, Chris will no longer be a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers."

This is the Steelers' way of telling their current players and future ones that this type of behavior won't be tolerated, and even those who don't like the Steelers have to applaud the team for taking this type of hard stance. Pittsburgh also released nose tackle Alameda Ta'amuin November after his drunken driving arrest, but the Steelers did bring him back for the final game of the season (it was his first off-the-field incident).

It's valid to criticize the Steelers for drafting Rainey in the fifth round after an incident in 2010 when he was arrested for threatening his girlfriend. But, sadly in the NFL, you couldn't field a team these days if you didn't give second chances. The Steelers decided to take a chance on Rainey, and that mistake cost them a fifth-round pick.

Going forward, the Steelers need to either put a bigger emphasis on character or getting a better feel for players before bringing them to Pittsburgh. The arrests of two 2012 draft picks is an indication that something is wrong in the Steelers' pre-draft process.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Wednesday, January 09, 2013

No. 1 issue Penguins must kill


The Penguins' Matt Cooke practices Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013, at Consol Energy Center. (Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review)
About Dejan Kovacevic
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Sports Columnist Dejan Kovacevic can be reached via e-mail

By Dejan Kovacevic 
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Published: Tuesday, January 8, 2013, 10:58 p.m.Updated 7 hours ago 
Even in the context of an NHL lockout that created an awful lot of idle time for athletes far more conditioned to constant activity, it‘s entirely possible no one made less constructive use of that time than Matt Cooke.
Self-destructive might be a better way to put it, actually.
The man watched video, rewind upon rewind, of the Penguins‘ epic penalty-killing meltdown in the playoff loss to the Flyers last April.
“To be honest, I was wracking my brain over it,” Cooke was saying Tuesday with a shake of his head. “And you know, all I can come up with is that it‘s probably the worst performance we‘ve had in my four years here.”
No probably about it. It was one of the worst in the history of Stanley Cup competition: In those six games, Philadelphia scored 12 power-play goals on 23 chances, a 52.2 percent success rate more befitting a free-throw percentage for one of the 76ers.
If that isn‘t the Penguins‘ No. 1 issue going into the cameo training camp set to start Sunday, I can‘t imagine what will be.
“I‘d look at that video and go, ‘Why am I doing that? I didn‘t do that all year?‘ ” Cooke said. “Guys who had been on the kill all year, we did things we hadn‘t done. And, unfortunately, we couldn‘t stop it. It was crazy.”
Maybe, maybe not.
On one hand, Cooke‘s right: It was crazy that the Penguins owned the league‘s best penalty-killing figures over the past two regular seasons, only to utterly implode in a week.
On the other hand, it‘s not so crazy to think Dan Bylsma and staff need to become far more adaptive when facing a single opponent in the postseason.
And from there, it‘s not so crazy to think that back-to-back first-round exits didn‘t stem from lousy luck or timing.
Remember the Statue-of-Liberty, perimeter-only power play against the Lightning two years ago?
Right, 1 for 35.
Two such strategic failures in as many years, in the two most coachable facets of the sport, are too many. Things clearly need to change.
Some of that will come on the penalty-killing through new personnel.
Most prominently, Brandon Sutter will take over for Jordan Staal. Staal was an elite penalty-killer when that was his mindset, but the coaching staff felt he strayed late in his tenure. Sutter is defense-first to the bone. The Penguins just love the kid.
On defense, Matt Niskanen will take over for Zbynek Michalek, and that can only be a plus. (Literally.) I wouldn‘t mind seeing Deryk Engelland get duty, too, to clear the crease.
Another possible addition: Sidney Crosby.
No, really.
The captain has been all but begging for a chance through this lockout, repeating it this week. That should surprise no one. Nearly all of the truly great forwards in history, even Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky, have killed penalties.
For that matter, why not try Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, one of the NHL‘s perennial leaders in takeaways?
If that pair hops over the boards late in the kill and pounces on tired opponents for short-handed breaks, it‘s a wholly different dynamic.
Nothing wrong with trying something new.
Goes for strategy, too.
Bylsma‘s greatest strength as a coach — and he‘s a good one — also can be his greatest weakness: He stubbornly sticks by his ways. That‘s wonderful in the nightly grind of the regular season, when consistently applied methodologies in Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre allow players to go where they should instinctively.
But playoffs are so very different. Opponents study tendencies more closely. They vary entire systems to exploit.
To that end, I find it highly encouraging to hear that Bylsma and his staff spent much of their idle time dissecting not only the Philadelphia debacle but also a few other teams‘ penalty-killing approach. Notably, they looked at the Devils, who held the Flyers‘ power play to 3 for 19 in the very next series. New Jersey succeeded with a moving box that cut off passing lines and created turnovers.
Don‘t expect to see that with the Penguins in the regular season. But to hear Bylsma, he‘s now open to pretty much anything beyond that.
He sounds ... humbled, I‘d say.
“We‘re No. 1 on PK over the past two years but, obviously, when you look at the playoffs, it hasn‘t translated,” he said. “So yeah, it‘s fair to say we‘re taking a look at what teams have done well in the playoffs. We have to be ready for anything we could see when the games matter.”
Might want to start preparing for that now, then, right?
That‘s the view of Craig Adams, one of the Penguins‘ best.
“I don‘t think we want to change too much on a day-to-day basis, but I think we need to be a little bit more flexible,” he said. “So if things aren‘t going well and we find ourselves in that position again, we have a change we can make — a Plan B or C — that everyone on the team is already comfortable with. We need to prepare for a rainy day.”
Those showers have been showing up in April far too often.
Copyright © 2013 — Trib Total Media
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Monday, January 07, 2013

Just be glad hockey is back


PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 7: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins jokes with Evgeni Malkin #71 during fan appreciation ceremonies after the game against the Philadelphia Flyers on April 7, 2012 at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh won the game 4-2. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/NHLI via Getty Images)
About Dejan Kovacevic
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Sports Columnist Dejan Kovacevic can be reached via e-mail

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Published: Sunday, January 6, 2013, 11:34 p.m.
Updated 59 minutes ago 

Just be glad it‘s back.
At 4:45 a.m. Sunday, in a New York conference room thick with the combined acridity of a dozen lawyers and 15 hours of lockdown negotiations, the NHL and its players‘ union finally ended the most farcical work stoppage in sports history.
And by about sunrise, to be honest, I stopped caring about the particulars.
I don‘t care that it took 113 days, $20 million a day in lost money and immeasurable lost public trust for all these alleged adults to decipher that a fair way to split a total pool of $3.3 billion was, you know, 50/50.
I only care that, built on Ron Burkle‘s initial push a month ago, this labor agreement will last a decade.
If only it were two.
I don‘t care that Gary Bettman, Don Fehr and all the rest of the suits will engage in endless attaboys over coming days.
I only care that John Domitrovic, the media lounge host for decades going back to the Civic Arena and now at Consol Energy Center, will once again collect his full, honest day‘s wages. He‘s one of the nicest men you‘d ever hope to meet.
Neither John nor any of the workers with the Penguins, the building or ancillary businesses deserved this.
I don‘t care that the Penguins‘ owners, Burkle and Mario Lemieux, will support a unanimous ratification vote this week, anymore than I care that their players will want to canonize union rep Craig Adams.
I only care that a truly special organization that treasures its family atmosphere, where hugs are the norm rather than handshakes, gets back to that. And it will. Jay Caufield, Pierre Larouche, Phil Bourque, Bob Errey, Eddie Johnston and other proud alumni will make sure.
I don‘t care that the schedule will be only 48 or 50 games. Nor about players toiling three to four nights a week. Nor about the monotony of Islanders and Devils every other day.
I only care that there will be games. And that they‘ll all come with playoff-like intensity. Might actually be more fun.
I don‘t care that a league that brazenly takes its fans for granted hasn‘t assembled any kind of package to regenerate excitement, as happened after the 2005 lockout with the shootout and fresh obstruction guidelines.
Well, actually, I do care about that. It‘s unconscionable.
I don‘t care that Kris Letang was the only player in North America traveling against the grain this weekend by curiously signing with a Russian team.
I only care that Ray Shero uses his new lockout-achieved right to buy out contracts — in effect after this season — to finally admit his Paul Martin mistake. Letang must be kept from becoming a free agent, and $10 million saved on Martin might be critical.
I don‘t care that Sidney Crosby might carry lingering negativity from a process that seemed to genuinely trouble him.
I only care that he‘s healthy — as he‘s assured me more than once in recent weeks — and as strong as he‘s looked in carving up the Southpointe ice every day.
Seriously, wait till you see.
I don‘t care that Evgeni Malkin was ripping up Russia‘s Kontinental Hockey League with 23 goals and 42 assists in 41 games.
I only care that, as a result of that action, he‘ll be as primed as anyone for this restart.
And that, for the first time since 2009, the Penguins will open a season with Crosby and Malkin.
I don‘t care that Bettman and the players in his league have a relationship that‘s now about as cozy as that of Roger Goodell and James Harrison.
I only care that someone will find common sense and abandon the tradition of the commissioner presenting the Stanley Cup to the triumphant captain.
Why not Gordie Howe instead?
Who better to heal hockey than Mr. Hockey himself?
He‘s 84 but still hale, healthy and elbows-up willing, I‘ll bet.
Really, I don‘t care about any of this other stuff anymore. We‘re already being inundated with analyses of the labor agreement, its implications, the damage done to non-traditional markets and all the horse-race-style “winners and losers.”
That last one cracks me up.
I‘ll spare you the reading and/or research: Everyone lost.
I only care now that, very soon, 18,387 fans will jam Consol, from Jean Pronovost-era season-ticket holders to the Knitting Lady to Cy “Malka-mania” Clark. Jeff Jimerson will clear his throat, the puck will drop, and the world‘s greatest sport will retake center stage in one of the cities that‘s embraced it the most.
It will be breathtaking.
Yeah. Just be glad.
Dejan Kovacevic is a sports columnist for Trib Total Media. Reach him at dkovacevic@tribweb.com or via Twitter @Dejan_Kovacevic.
Copyright © 2013 — Trib Total Media
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Sunday, January 06, 2013

Crosby Receives Perfect Wake-up Call


About Josh Yohe
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Sports Reporter Josh Yohe can be reached via e-mail or at 412-664-9161 x1975


By Josh Yohe 
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Published: Sunday, January 6, 2013, 10:14 a.m.

It was the best wake-up call Sidney Crosby has ever received.
Crosby‘s phone rang around 5 a.m. on Sunday, and it was Penguins team representative Craig Adams on the other line, telling hockey‘s greatest player that the lockout was over.
“I‘m just so happy,” Crosby said. “So, so happy. It was quite a marathon, to say the least. I knew things were going well when I went to bed, but I didn‘t really know what to expect.”
Crosby confirmed that he was getting close to making a move to Europe, should the NHL season be cancelled. He has missed 101 games during the past two years because of concussion problems and wasn‘t about to miss an entire season at age 25, right in his prime.
Now, he can focus on training camp in Pittsburgh.
“Oh yeah, I was considering it,” Crosby said. “I had to think long and hard about it. I hadn‘t played much hockey in a couple of years. I want to play. Now, I get to play in Pittsburgh, and that‘s what I wanted all along.”
Crosby will enter the season with a chip on his shoulder. He remains disgusted by how his team‘s season ended last season, with a first round loss against the team he hates most, the Philadelphia Flyers.
“After what happened last year,” Crosby said, “you know, it‘s something we all realize can‘t happen again. We have much higher expectations than that.”
Crosby spoke at length about his sympathy for what fans have gone through during the lockout, which lasted nearly four months. NHL fans missed the 2004-05 season, which was lost because of a lockout.
He hopes they will remain loyal to the Penguins and the league.
“Hopefully everyone comes back,” Crosby said. “I understand people are frustrated. It‘s more than understandable for people to be frustrated. I don‘t blame them at all. I just hope everyone is excited by the news and by the idea of hockey being back. I‘m sure there are a lot of happy people out there, but I understand there are those who are frustrated and discouraged. I understand it. I get that. I just hope they can find it in themselves to come back and support us. Their support means an awful lot to us.”
Crosby will have to deal with the most hectic schedule of his career. The season will consist of either 48 or 50 games and must be complete by some point in April.
“It‘s like that for everyone but it‘s definitely going to be a challenge,” he said. “There are challenges in any schedule. It was like that in the Olympic year (2009-10) too. You just have to make the most of it and be successful. I‘m well rested, which is good. But we‘ll be playing a lot. So, I‘ll have to get used to it.”
Crosby was hoping to have a preseason game or two to get his timing back, but time likely won‘t permit that to happen.
Instead, hockey will be back when the regular season begins, around a week or 10 days from now. And the face of the league is ready for action.
“I can‘t wait,” he said. “It‘s been a long time coming, and we‘re all happy. We‘ve been waiting for this day.”
Copyright © 2013 — Trib Total Media
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Penguins in prime position whenever lockout ends



By Will Graves The Associated PressYahoo! SportsJanuary 3, 2012
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Sidney Crosby's been down the road too many times during the NHL's seemingly interminable lockout to get too optimistic about the latest - and perhaps last - round of negotiations.
Yet the Pittsburgh Penguins star knows eventually his team will get back to work. If it's sometime later this month, the normal 82-game regular season would turn into a 48-game dash, one that would seem to favor clubs like the Penguins.
Pittsburgh did little to overhaul its roster during the offseason, believing the core that fell to Philadelphia in the opening round of last spring's playoffs remains strong enough to compete for a Stanley Cup.
Other than the addition of center Brandon Sutter - acquired in a draft day trade that sent Jordan Staal to Carolina - the Penguins believe there will be little if any ''getting to know you'' time whenever the puck drops.
''We can look at that as a positive for sure,'' Crosby said. ''Guys understand their roles and what they need to do and there's trust there. Maybe with some newer guys you have to develop that a little bit more but yeah I would say it can't hurt and it certainly helps a little bit to have that familiarity there.''
While some Penguins, notably reigning MVP Evgeni Malkin, travelled overseas to cash a paycheck during the lockout, Crosby has been leading a handful of teammates onto the ice for drills four days a week. Thursday he lined up alongside normal linemates Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis for a little 4-on-4, placing the puck on top of his head then dropping it to the ice for face-offs in place of a linesman.
The hour-long session didn't quite match the intensity of a game, but there are also few places in the league that have shown as much solidarity during the four-month-old lockout. The Penguins believe that can only pay off when things get going for real.
''I think that that's definitely an advantage,'' defenseman Ben Lovejoy said. ''I think we're going to find out (when the lockout ends) which teams took it seriously the last couple months (and) who decided to go on vacation.''
Something there's been very little of in Pittsburgh. Crosby has basically lost two years of his prime while dealing with concussion-like symptoms and now a work stoppage. He never really got back up to full speed last year, scoring only eight times in 29 regular-season games. He picked it up in the playoffs, notching three goals in a wild six-game series with the Flyers.
Now healthy - and with a new contract that will keep him in Pittsburgh until his late-30s - Crosby is eager to etch his legacy in stone. Having familiar faces to work with in what could be something akin to the 1994-95 season that was limited to just 48 games could help him get off to a quick start.
Crosby has talked with Pittsburgh player development coach Bill Guerin about what it takes to navigate such a busy schedule. Guerin was part of the New Jersey Devils team that hoisted the Cup in 1995 after a three-month sprint.
The lesson Guerin imparted was simple: don't mess around.
''You don't have time to drop a bunch of games, it's pretty hard to catch up,'' Crosby said. ''I think you have to be ready to find a way as best you can. Every team is kind of in the same situation trying to get ready quick but you really have to be as close to your best right away. Usually you have a whole season to find your identity. I think you have to find it a little bit quicker in a shorter season.''
It's something the Penguins believe they can do provided they stay healthy. If anything, the lockout has provided the players who stuck close to Pittsburgh pretty good at running their own practices.
Forward Joe Vitale joked there's no need for coach Dan Bylsma to show up once things return to normal.
''If he can keep doing what he's doing, that'd be great,'' Vitale said with a laugh.
He's kidding. The well-liked Bylsma is one of the main reasons the Penguins have been among the most stable franchises in a league that sometimes struggles to find its footing. That shouldn't be a problem in Pittsburgh, which hopes a quick start will lead to an even better finish.
''Playing with the same guys for the most part, there's a comfort zone,'' Vitale said. ''You can read off each other well, so there's not really as many growing pains.''
---
Follow Will Graves at www.twitter.com/WillGravesAP
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Thursday, January 03, 2013

Ray Lewis Among NFL's Top All-Time Defenders

Print and Go BackESPN.com: NFL Playoffs 2012[Print without images]

Wednesday, January 2, 2013Lewis among top five defenders ever
By John Clayton
ESPN.comThe Baltimore Ravens are losing more than leadership after the season with the retirement of Ray Lewis.

They are losing one of the five best defensive players I have had the fortune to cover. As you might know, I started covering the NFL in 1972. Because of that, I was able to catch the end of Dick Butkus' career. He retired in 1973, and I marveled at how he roamed the field and made violent tackles.

Every time I watched Lewis, he reminded me of Butkus. Because Lewis was faster, maybe he should be ranked ahead of Butkus among the greatest defensive players ever, but out of respect to NFL history, I rank Butkus ahead of Lewis. Remember, I still go with Jim Brown as the best pure NFL football player I've ever seen.

So here are my top five defensive players:
Lawrence Taylor
1. Lawrence Taylor: He changed the game. He was so good at rushing the quarterback, Bill Parcells put him as a 3-4 linebacker and just let him rush. When you watch games, most of the time your eyes angle toward the quarterback. During the L.T. days, you ended up watching him. He was that good.
Reggie White
2. Reggie White: He was unblockable. White is considered the greatest unrestricted free agent in NFL history. Once he went to Green Bay, the Packers returned to their status as a legacy franchise. I can't tell you how many times I'd see White get angry at some cheap-shot block and then decide to line up in front of offender and embarrass him with a "hump" move.
Joe Greene
3. "Mean" Joe Greene: Chuck Noll built perhaps the greatest football dynasty around Mean Joe. As a rookie, Greene was a little like Ndamukong Suh. Not only was he was difficult to block, he also lived up to his nickname. Veterans told him he didn't have to take the cheap shots, so Greene dominated cleanly and professionally.
Dick Butkus
4. Dick Butkus: NFL Films and the Sabol family captured his greatest on tape every week. Growing up, I looked forward to NFL Films' weekly highlights show in order to see the best of Butkus. Had he played now, he would be on the "SportsCenter" highlights every Sunday night.
Ray Lewis
5. Ray Lewis: I still remember a Ravens training camp at which I had to ask Lewis about his tackling style. Lewis always seemed to explode as he neared a ball carrier. I asked him whether my observation was valid.

Lewis smiled and noted that he was a wrestler in high school and much of that explosion came from his wrestling techniques. Could you imagine going against Lewis on a wrestling mat?

The 2000 Ravens defense was the third-best I've seen, ranking behind the 1970s Steelers' Steel Curtain and the 1985 Chicago Bears, and Lewis was the leader. What was amazing is how his presence has been able to help Baltimore maintain its defensive toughness for so long.

Lewis was Butkus-tough, but he was the perfect middle linebacker because of his range. When the Ravens eventually switched to a 3-4 defense, Lewis told me why their 3-4 was so different. Normally, 3-4 defensive coaches like bigger players. They like 260-pound outside linebackers who are tall. They like stout inside linebackers to stuff and run and ward off blockers.

The Ravens' 3-4 was always different because Lewis could run and tackle from sideline to sideline. He made sure the rest of the starting linebacker corps could also run, which allowed them to use lighter, more agile defenders.

One of the highlights of my tour of training camps this year was seeing Lewis at his lightest. To regain some of his speed and quickness, Lewis spent the offseason riding a bike. He rode as much as 80 miles a day.

It allowed him to come to camp more than 20 pounds lighter than the previous season.

Lewis will be missed next season, but I will be looking forward to the Pro Football Hall of Fame vote for him in five years. He will be inducted on the first ballot. He's earned it.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Wednesday, January 02, 2013

Lucky '13 for Steelers? Why not?


The Steelers' Steve McLendon celebrates a defensive play against the Browns at Heinz Field Dec. 2012. Chaz Palla | Tribune-Review
About Dejan Kovacevic
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Sports Columnist Dejan Kovacevic can be reached via e-mail

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

Published: Tuesday, January 1, 2013, 10:20 p.m.
Updated 8 hours ago 

In the spirit of the new year, when a half-empty glass turns half-full with the tick of a clock, when unused two-point plays represent hope for the future rather than rockhead moves of the past, even an 8-8 season for the Steelers can be cast in a positive light.
Can‘t it?
No?
OK, then, I‘ll try instead — in the spirit, of course — to conjure up 13 good thoughts for the franchise going into 2013 …
• Heath Miller.
(Hey, this is easy!)
• You will love Steve McLendon — and not just because he seemed to make a splash play in half of the, oh, two or three snaps he‘d get at nose tackle each game.
You‘ll also love the fire of a kid who, when I asked him Sunday to describe his style, replied: “My unique style is built from three guys: I want to be powerful and strong like Casey Hampton. I want to be smart like Chris Hoke. And I want to be elusive and quick like Jay Ratliff.”
That‘s Dallas‘ star nose tackle.
“Get those guys together, and that‘s Steve McLendon.”
• Dan Rooney is back.
He‘s 80 now, and the ship is still Art II‘s to steer. But if all the old man‘s presence achieves is avoiding another case of the team president picking offensive coordinators, that‘ll be plenty.
No matter your feelings on Bruce Arians or Todd Haley, it‘s hard to dispute that the dumping of the former was the front office‘s most un-Steelers-like move in quite some time.
• Might have been a mere snapshot, but it was nice to see Haley and Ben Roethlisberger walk off Heinz Field together after the game Sunday, chatting and laughing all the way into the locker room.
I‘ve expressed doubts about whether they‘ll ever bond over the “Rosetta Stone” playbook, but the next visible sign of snarl between them will be the first.
• Lawrence Timmons.
If you don‘t know, then you haven‘t been watching.
• The Steelers appear to be $12 million over the salary cap for 2013, which sounds ominous. But remember that Omar Kahn, the Steelers‘ cap wizard who someday will heal the ozone layer in search of greater challenges, took on a similar task in 2011 and still scrounged up enough loose change to sign LaMarr Woodley, Troy Polamalu and Timmons.
This won‘t be a big deal. One prominent guy will go — I‘m guessing Hampton — but others will simply take cuts or defer.
After which, Omar can begin confiscating aerosol cans.
• Signing Keenan Lewis is paramount, and I‘ll be surprised if it doesn‘t get done. I know he‘s making some noise now, but he loves where he is.
If it doesn‘t happen, though, it shouldn‘t escape notice that Cortez Allen was terrific in covering for Ike Taylor. His five takeaways in the final two games accounted for a quarter of the team‘s season total.
“I am extremely blessed to make that happen,” Allen said.
Same can be said for the Steelers at a vital position.
• The Bengals are the new AFC North power?
Please.
• Eventually, the Steelers have to quit messing around with Max Starks, don‘t they?
Every summer, it‘s the same drama as to whether he‘ll be back. Roethlisberger dons a No. 78 jersey in Latrobe, Starks passes a physical, signs for the minimum, suits up in the nick of time and steadily holds down left tackle — the toughest job in football — game after game.
Starks pointed to his grass-stained socks Sunday and said, “I saved a piece of Heinz Field, just in case I do go.”
No reason for that to happen.
• Stop messing around with Ramon Foster, too.Every summer, he‘s the backup at both guard positions, at least until others drop around him and he starts all year long. Yeah, i know a first-round pick went into David DeCastro and that Willie Colon can move mountains with a pink finger when healthy, but the latter hasn't made it through any of the past three seasons. Durability counts.Foster and Starks have two things in common, one being that they were the only linemen to avoid parentheses after their last names and the other being they're about to try the open market.I know this one isn't likely but felt compelled to ask, anyway. “It‘s possible,” Foster said Sunday with a grin, “because Maurkice Pouncey has generously offered to give up some of his pay to keep me.”That apparently was news to the All-Pro center at the next stall: “I did what?”
• James Harrison will be kept, which is right, but maybe someone will challenge him to be much more of a leader than he‘s been known to be.
If nothing else, ask him to belligerently impose his rigid workout regimen on Woodley.
• Mike Tomlin.
See Timmons explanation above.
He‘s a good coach who had a lousy year. Happens.
• They‘re the Steelers.
They‘ve had seven losing seasons in 40 years.
The only one this century, 2003, was followed by a 15-1 gem the very next winter and the Lombardi the year after that.
Anyone really want to bet against a bounce-back?
Did I even mention the QB?
Copyright © 2013 — Trib Total Media
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)