Still crazy after all these years

Steelers (11-5) @ Washington (Win) Cincinnati (Win) @Philadelphia (Loss) Kansas City (Loss) New York Jt (Win) @Miami (Win) New England (Loss) Bye @ Baltimore (Loss) Dallas (Win) @Cleveland (Win) @Indianapolis (Win) New York Gt   (Win) @Buffalo (Win) @Cincinnati (Loss) Baltimore (Win) Cleveland (Win) Penn State (8-4) Kent State (Win) @Pitt (Loss) Temple (Win) @Michigan (Loss) Minnesota (Win) Maryland (Win) Off Ohio State (Loss) @Purdue (Win) Iowa (Win) @Indiana (Win) @Rutgers (Win) Michigan St. (Loss) Pitt (8-4) Villanova (Win) Penn State (Win) @Okla St  (Loss) @NC Tar. (Loss) Marshall (Win) Georgia Tech  (Win) @Virginia (Win) Off Virginia Tech (Win) @Miami         (Loss) @Clemson (Loss) Duke (Win) Syracuse (Win)

... may surprise people It has been difficult to think of the 2016 version of the Pittsburgh Pirates as being a team that is playoff-worthy. According to the wild-card standings, they are just a half game behind the Cardinals for the second spot. Fans are likely to say, "Well, they are not going anywhere anyway." Okay, last year, the Bucs won 98 games and still did not get into the playoffs. With Cole gone to the West Coast, the pitching staff is not the best. The disappointing Andrew McCutcheon's BA is now over 250 [.252], but the player who has been coming along this year is Gregory Polanco. He has 19 HRs and 75 RBI, both career highs. Starling Marte is solid, .303 BA now for his high if he finishes there. Who knows what may happen if you get a good game for the play-in and get a few more games. Could be good for next year. Wild Card National League Nationals 75-55 Cubs 82-47 Dodgers 73-57 Wild Card Teams Giants 71-59 Cards 68-61 Pir...

... health of players major concern  For Pitt or Penn State to win a national championship in college football this year, each team would play a maximum of 15 games. For a high school football team in Pennsylvania to win the state championship, it would have to play 16 games, more than a college player. That makes no sense. Zeise argument  Post-Gazette reporter Paul Zeise wrote earlier this week that playing 16 games is hard on the players from a health standpoint. From that perspective, Zeise makes a number of salient points about how the PIAA should prevent that from occurring, especially since they have increased the number of classifications from four to six. I agree with his argument, though I am not sure what this would mean logistically to try to change the system. Argument for 13 -- instead of 16 -- games Here is the gist of his argument: 'It is ridiculous that high school football players are asked to play 16 games to win a championship, though. There is no go...

... shuts down after backlash from "Joe Knew"shirts  Earlier this week, a Pitt blog called ThePoint412 devised an idea of taking advantage of the restart of the Pitt-Penn State football series as a way to criticize the man who ended the series 16 years ago. The blog offered t-shirts that were very simple: "Joe Knew" on the front, chastising the late coach for denying his knowledge of the Jerry Sandusky pedophile cases. They were selling for $20, so they were popular. The point of this is that with much of the evidence that came out over the summer, it is obvious that Joe Paterno knew about the pedophile tendencies of his defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky much earlier than he had admitted prior to his death [2001]. The first shirts sold out so quickly that another order was being sold until Thursday. Tweets Today The first tweet that indicated that they were canceling the shirts said this: The Point 412 @The_Point_412 Let it be known that t...

… his program need to show progression I am saying this as a former college football coach: Everyone should give a coach four years in which to develop his team. That is the case for James Franklin, who came into Happy Valley on a cloud but has never quote caught the fancy of the Penn State faithful. Attitude was arrogant Franklin's we're going "to dominate the state" was something that excited the Nittany Lion fans, particularly as he put together an outstanding recruiting class in his first venture in Pa. That honeymoon ended very quickly, because of some of the reasons below. Pitt fans, on the other hand, sensing vengeance, want to send Franklin's Nittany Lion team back down Route 22 toward Centre County with the Nittany Lions' proverbial tail between its legs. Game coach vs. recruiting The problem that Franklin has with Penn State fans has more to do with game coaching than anything else. He has not demonstrated the ability to adap...

... Justin Wheeler sets high bar for Nick Felus  When you come from a small town, everyone is proud when one of your former players becomes successful. That is the case of the Lilly Raiders program that started in 1961 and lasted into the 21st Century. Justin Wheeler The Raiders are very proud that Justin Wheeler has led his Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders to two straight PIAA Class A championships. One was nice, but two straight is almost unprecedented in the state -- unless you are someone like the late George Curry of Berwick, who passed away earlier this year. Curry directed Berwick to six PIAA titles and four straight from 1994-95-96-97. From what the early predictions are saying, BG could again make a run at the third straight. Last year, the Marauders ended the season with an 16-0 record and defeated Farrell for the state title. In 2014, BG defeated WPIAL perennial power Clairton. Very impressive. Justin played for the Raiders until 1986 and was on the ...

... four dump him in one day  As I said last week, this concocted story by Ryan Lochte about being robbed by phony police cost him seven figures in endorsements since he lost four of them on Monday. The first to go was Speedo, which said this, according to CBS News: "While we have enjoyed a winning relationship with Ryan for over a decade and he has been an important member of the Speedo team, we cannot condone behavior that is counter to the values this brand has long stood for. We appreciate his many achievements and hope he moves forward and learns from this experience." Lochte also lost endorsement contracts with Ralph Lauren, Gentle Hair Remover, and Airweave, which is a mattress company, again according to CBS News. ESPN reporter Darren Rovell tweeted this late yesterday afternoon. Darren Rovell @darrenrovell Industry sources tell me Lochte lost about $1 million in current endorsement deals today. 4:35 PM - 22 Aug 2016 The apology was...

… this was not like lying to Barney Fife in Mayberry  The performances of Michael Phelps and the U.S. swimmers at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero was nothing short of sensational. Americans are so happy with the performance of Phelps, who will retire as the greatest swimmer in Olympic history. He captured five gold medals and one silver and was named as the captain of the American team and the flag bearer of the U.S. in the Olympics Parade of Nations that will conclude the games. According to his Wikipedia page, Phelps now has the world records in the 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly, and 400-meter individual medley. His family and his country have been exhilarated by the performances of the 31-year-old in the 2016 events. Swimmer Ryan Lochte Right behind Phelps is Ryan Lochte, who finished the 2016 Olympics as the second greatest swimmer in U.S. history. Unfortunately for Lochte, who is 32-years-old and apparently in his last Olympics, he may be rememb...

… and Pitt will be great for LaRod  You might have missed LaRod Stephens-Howling on the football field. Many people have tried and have failed to catch him there. The diminutive speedster excelled in high school for the Greater Johnstown Trojans, earning him a scholarship to play for the Pitt Panthers from 2005 until 2008. Then he was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in 2009 and became one of the best kick returners in the NFL over four seasons. LaRod a classy guy However, what I remember about him is the first time that I interviewed him. This was a telephone interview, and he was just a sophomore in high school. What struck me as impressive about him was how polite he was. "Yes, sir. no sir." "Thank you sir." "Could you please, sir." Why is that important in an athlete and a coach? Give me time. Perhaps I could have remembered his being trapped in the backfield for a loss as a GJHS Trojan, when eleven players have him surrounded,...

… the Steelers have to get serious about a backup QB  Okay, I am cheating this preseason. I figured if Mike Tomlin was not going to take the preseason game seriously, then neither am I. Consequently, I watched neither of the first preseason games. I can watch the highlights -- about ten seconds of those -- and read a few stories to let the brilliant people analyze strengths and weaknesses. However, one thought after reading Ed Bouchette's story on the PG website: "This one was hard to watch even by preseason standards … It was not a particularly good outing for quarterback Landry Jones, in his second preseason start sans Roethlisberger ,,, He threw four interceptions in his one full half of play … Three of them cost the Steelers points one way or another, and the Eagles turned the fourth one into another score … He had a 35.6 passer rating … "  First, Roethlsberger did not play nor did Antonio Brown nor did Le'Veon Bell nor did DeAngelo Williams. ...

. .. some excited, some feel good, and some don't care The video is powerful, using the word "tradition" as a key to excite their players. It shows some of the greatest players in Pitt history, with music to bring the faithful together. And on Homecoming day in October, the Pitt Panthers will unveil a uniform that many of the old-timers -- and current players and fans -- will relish. At least, Pitt hopes they will. They are a throwback uniform, and the coaches and players were excited, too when they watched the unveiling this week. “They exploded a little bit,” coach Pat Narduzzi told the Post-Gazette about his players' reaction. “They were fired up. Showed them the little video.” The shirt is a royal blue with white numbers. The numbers have a fringe of gold, and the players who are in the video are the greats like #33 Tony Dorsett and #13 Dan Marino. Steelers As for the Steelers, they had some good news for me about uniforms, though not everyone agr...

… Goodell is indeed Big Brother  Pittsburgh Steelers linebcker James Harrison probably dreams about this day occurring in his future: James beats the left tackle and has a clear shot at the QB for another sack, but instead of the QB being the despicable Tom Brady, it is the more despicable Roger Goodell. Then, suddenly, he wakes up and realizes that it was just a dream, not an opportunity to mete out justice to a dastardly foe. Then he remembers the NFL acting like it has the power of the U.S.S.R. Battle between NFL and NFLPA This battle of five players is actually one that is between the union and management, not between some players and Goodell. The NFL would love nothing more than to beat the union after finally getting a positive legal message in the Deflategate affair with villain Tom Brady -- and in the Adrian Peterson abuse case. Players who were alleged to use PED's Harrison, along with two of Green Bay's top players, Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews,...

... an interesting matchup to juice up the rivalry  As leaves drop from the trees in an early fall in Pa., football fans are eagerly looking forward to the battle between Penn State and Pitt. The interesting part of what I am reading today is that many Nittany Lion fans are saying things like, "Pitt may get us this year because of the sanctions, but after that, we will win three in a row." Are the Lions waving the white flags already? Granted, they have struggled in the past two years under James Franklin. They now have a better grasp on what he is doing, although his game coaching is still something to be desired. Pitt loss of WR The Panthers of second-year Coach Pat Narduzzi lost a great weapon in wide receiver Tyler Boyd who caught 254 passes for 3,361 yards and 21 TDs in his three years at Pitt. That amounted to 13.2 yards per catch. He also ran the ball 63 times for 520 yards and one touchdown. Overall, Boyd had 317 touches for 3,881 yards and 22 TDs, 1...

… Green never told them about the concussions  The signing of former San Diego tight end Ladarius Green earlier this year was looked upon by the Pittsburgh Steelers as a great move, a way to replace their most reliable TE in history, Heath Miller, with a veteran player, albeit a backup for his four years with the Chargers. The Steelers' lame excuse  However, for the past two weeks, Green has been running around the field that is adjacent to the main field at St. Vincent College in Latrobe instead of engaging in drills with his team. The story told by the Steelers is that the surgery that Green had on his ankle after last season, one in which a plate placed into the foot, required some more time to heal. After their exhibition loss to Detroit last night, Mike Tomlin said this about Green: '[He] is on PUP [Physically Unable to Perform] because of his ankle." That story is not true  According to a story by NFL.com on Thursday, Green's agent, Adisa Bakari, c...

... only three years, but they were three great ones  While Kevin Greene played for the Pittsburgh Steelers for just three years, he was a true Steeler in spirit and intensity. After being inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame on Saturday, Greene pulled out a "Terrible Towel" and started waving it. The sack machine said in his speech, “I would never quite experience anything like being a Pittsburgh Steeler, playing for Mr. Rooney and the Steeler organization that had such a rich history of just lining up and kicking (butt) and winning. ... It was the pinnacle of my football life.” What I loved about Greene was his free spirit, his blonde hair flying out the back of his helmet while he relentlessly pursued QBs. Greene put together some impressive numbers from 1993-94-95. The last year the team reached the Super Bowl, but the loss was not due to Greene and the defense. Greene was introduced by Dom Capers, whom he met in 1993 when Capers was defensive coordinator for...

... The D needs some breakout seasons The Vegas numbers have dropped for the Steelers in terms of the Super Bowl favorites and that may have resulted from the play of Coach Keith Butler's defense, which was a little inconsistent in 2015 -- to say the least. In order to reach the playoffs and Super Bowl, this is the unit that must improve. Stopping the run There were positives and some not so positives in this area. For instance, a very good job for the D was in their defense against the run. The Steelers were fifth in the league in that area in 2015 with just under 272 yards per game, so that is a positive for the team. As for the pass defense, that is their Achilles Heel since it was ranked 30th in the NFL last year. Front seven lineup How does the lineup look this year? Well, at Nose Tackle, the team released Steve McLendon and will now rely on a massive project from Tennessee named Daniel McCullers. He is a mountain of a man, 6-7. 352 pounds. McCullers is...