Still crazy after all these years

… but the "philosophical" problem started almost a decade ago  Former Minnesota Vikings Hall of Fame wide receiver Cris Carter was blunt in assessing why the Steelers are on the cusp of missing the NFL playoffs this year. And, he says, it has to do with “philosophy” that went against what the Steelers — and successful teams — do. Now an ESPN commentator, Carter said this, “So, the philosophy that the Pittsburgh Steelers adopted is that we’re going to be a team dominant by our quarterback and our wide receivers. [But] it’s not a winning philosophy. And it’s definitely not the Pittsburgh Steelers style. Where you play, the stadium you play in, that field — it’s not a style that I think you can win championship football with.” Carter pointed out that the problem is that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is about to throw for 5,000 yards for the first time. While that sounds impressive, he explains that allow Roethlisberger to join the ranks of those who have thrown the ball in th...

... their problems, Santa, start at the top Dear Santa, I know that you will be quite busy tonight, and I know that this is a last-minute request, but if you could find a way to do this when flying over Western Pa. tonight I would appreciate it. You see, the entire area is despondent because its favorite football team, hoping for a chance at their seventh Super Bowl, will probably be staying home this year — absent a miracle of Immaculate Reception proportions. However, you should not blame just the players. I have been writing on my blog all year that December could be the cruelest month for the Steelers — sort of a T.S. Eliot reference — but hoped that I would be wrong. And then, just when we were terribly despondent because of losing to probably the worst team in the NFL, we defeated the best team of the 21st Century, the New England Patriots, last week. All of a sudden, we were psyched. And then, despite playing the team with the best record in the league, we were leading them, 3...

... they could miss the playoffs -- or have a losing season Just a few weeks ago, I was an eternal optimist. However, that “eternal” adjective is often elusive when it comes to my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers. And especially when it comes to Tom Brady and the Patriots, who invade Heinz Field today. We have been especially woeful against them. Winning streak — and then disaster If you go back to some earlier posts on this blog, I had laughed at those fans who were predicting that the Steelers would win 13 games this year. I was arguing that the team’s schedule in 2018 was tougher than many thought. In addition, I argued that they were lucky last year as they had to come back late in games against weak competition to build a 13-3 record — only to lose to the Jags at home in the first round of the playoffs. Still, I did not think that they would tie the Browns in the season opener, though I warned that it might be a tougher game than they were anticipating. A 1-2-1 start was depressing...

… Kyler vs. Tua In the 2017 race for the Heisman Trophy, the coveted award that is awarded to the top college football player, one player was way ahead of the field. Then the running back was held to 44 yards rushing in a one-point loss, and suddenly he was relegated to the sidelines. Certainly, Saquon Barkley’s performance in the NFL this year has demonstrated that he was probably the best player last year in college. But that one game, followed by another one, cost him the big prize. 2018 race could turn on one bad game Earlier this week, an ESPN story placed the quandary of the voters this week very succinctly: “Can an entire season's worth of production be undone during the course of a single game?” That refers to Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and his lackluster performance in the Southeast Conference championship game against the University of Georgia. ESPN called the game the “worst performance of Tagovailoa's career.” Tua was just 10-of-25 passing for 164 yards wi...

… Pats, Cowboys just one game away Take away the horrible no-calls by officials as they blew a 16-point lead in their loss to the Chargers — their third at Heinz Field this year — instead, it was a gnawing sensation that this was not a team that will compete for a Super Bowl this year. The real problem for Steeler fans, though, is that they realize that the chances of winning another one in the Roethlisberger era appears to be diminishing. Much of that has to do with the fact that the team is aging, though that may not be readily apparent at looking at their roster. However, the area that is key for their success is not their quarterback — it lies with those who must protect him and must block for their running backs: the offensive line. That is where the aging is of the most concern. Left tackle Alejandro Villanueva is 30, though he has played just four years. Beside him is guard Ramon Foster, who is 32 and has played for ten years. Center Maurkice Pouncey is 29 and has nine years o...

… weak schedule dooms Bulldogs What the 2018 conference championships pointed out was that anyone of the top four could win the national title. The Crimson Tide, which won all of its SEC and out of conference games, looked very vulnerable in charging back from a two-touchdown deficit to defeat SEC-East champ Georgia. In fact, if the Tide had not received a very big break when it fumbled into the end zone and then recovered it for a TD — one that overruled the call on the field — the title game would have gone into OT instead of being a 35-28 win by the Tide. One team that hopes to knock off the Tide, Clemson, looked very sloppy at times against Pitt, which was a 27 1/2-point underdog in the ACC title game. While some have questioned Notre Dame’s inclusion in the Final Four since they do not play in a conference, the truth is that Clemson fans might be very worried about the Fighting Irish in the national semifinal. After the first quarter, the Tigers were very sloppy. They are talent...