Steel City Stories of 2011

When I started this blog on January 7th, 2011, I had no idea it would take off this quickly and the best part was that I was having fun!  Since January, this blog has reached nearly 6000 views and has been the key to my association with Trib Live Radio and Ohio Valley Athletics.  Now, with this being the last post of the 2011 year, let's take a look back at the top posts for each month.

January -First Post/Pittsburgh Sports Resolutions

The first post is always a tough one.  How do you write when you know no one is going to read this for at least a few months?  I decided to fill out some resolutions for each Pittsburgh team.  Let's see how they did:

Steelers

• Win a seventh Super Bowl

Unfortunately for the Steelers, they came up one game-winning drive short.  Aaron Rodgers became the hero instead of Ben Roethlisberger, winning Super Bowl MVP while the Steelers started the first half flat.  Still, despite playing one of their worst games of the season, the Steelers only lost by 6.  With the playoffs about to start, the Steelers could still make it back to the Super Bowl for the fourth time in six years!

• Draft a shutdown corner 

 Ok, maybe a little naivety on my end.  First, you can't just draft a shutdown cornerback.  It is the hardest position to play in the NFL and if you end up getting a shutdown corner, it is usually by luck.  Still, the secondary has been solid, ranked first in the NFL, and it turns out the Steelers DO have a shutdown corner: Ike Taylor.

• Improve the offensive line through the draft.

Other than Marcus Gilbert, the Steelers did not aggressively pursue any linemen in the draft, nor did they sign anyone in free agency.  Instead, they gave Willie Colon a five year contract only to see him lost for the season due to another injury.  The line hasn't been good but it hasn't been bad either.  With all of the injuries, it's a miracle this team can still win games and run the ball effectively (as of late). 

Penguins

• Win the Stanley Cup

Yeah, about that.  The Pittsburgh Penguins were labeled the next great dynasty in the NHL due to their talent at center, defense and goaltender.  The problem is, they are never healthy.  Sidney Crosby, for all his talents, has a completely enigmatic future as a hockey player.  It is entirely possible that he could be forced into early retirement due to concussion issues.  A completely healthy Penguins roster can beat any team in a seven game series.  But a completely healthy Penguins roster seems inconceivable at this time.

Pirates

• Continue to develop core talent 

Andrew McCutchen had an excellent year and Neil Walker showed glimpses of success throughout the 2011 season.  Pedro Alvarez and Jose Tabata were a different story.  Tabata was hurt for most of the year due to leg injuries while Alvarez was simply putrid when he wasnt hurt.  The team surprised everyone when they reached first place by mid-July.  But a second half collapse quickly ended all hopes of a winning season. 

• Build team through the draft

Check!  Signing first overall pick, Gerrit Cole, was one thing.  Getting Josh Bell in the second round and signing him was simply awesome.  At the height of excitement for Pittsburgh baseball over the last twenty years, the Pirates were able to draft and sign two players that were seen as top 10 talents in one draft.  The draft class is stocked full of talent and the Pirates are hoping enough of those players pan out to create a competitor in Pittsburgh.

February- Crosby Should Sit for Season

The Penguins decided to play this one safe as they did sit Crosby for the rest of the 2010-2011 season although, by all indications, it appeared Crosby made that decision by himself.  Now, after playing eight games and being placed on the shelf again, it looks entirely possible that Crosby could miss this season as well.  With Sid missing so many games, his contract situation after next year will become quite interesting as the Penguins have already shown complete faith in re-signing him.  Yet, despite all of his success that has, in turn, helped the Penguins and the city of Pittsburgh, is it worth signing him for ten million dollars while players that are actually healthy such as Staal and Malkin will be forced to leave?  Ray Shero certainly has his hands full.

March- How Far Can They Go?

I predicted that the Penguins would beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round due to Tampa's inexperience with Stamkos and Hedman, along with the uncertainty at goaltender.  I was almost right, too. But the Lightning stormed back from a 3-1 series deficit to stun the Penguins who are now 0-4 when hosting game 7.  Alexei Kovalev was invisible and James Neal only scored two measly goals in 25 games with the Penguins.  Meanwhile, Tampa Bay went on to sweep the Washington Capitals before losing game 7 to the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins.  Another great showing of playoff hockey but, for the Penguins, it became a season of "what could've been".

April- Crosby's Concussion Will Never go Away

When I wrote that piece, I was speaking about the millions of fans that held their breath every time he was hit.  Now, it certainly seems like Crosby's concussion issues won't go away.  He may never be healthy again and while optimism is all Pens' fans can show, the truth of the matter is, he may be done.  It wasn't supposed to be scripted this way.  The league's most marketable, most talented player, could be out of hockey before he reaches 25 years old.  

May- A Trip to Charleston: Jameson Taillon
 

 Of all the times I spent more than four hours in West Virginia, this was by far the best.  Seeing a 19 year old "kid" dominate hitters with fastballs in the mid-90's and unbelievable curveballs was truly special.  In my post you can see inning by inning breakdown as well as video on Taillon's performance.  The 6'7 220 pound right hander from Texas is just one of four pitchers that possess elite-level talent in the Pirates' system.  With Taillon most likely starting in A+ ball in Bradenton, Florida, this year's road trip may shift to Altoona to see 2011 first round pick, Gerrit Cole.

June- Pirates Select Gerrit Cole; Strengthens Potential Rotation 

The Pirates elected to select Gerrit Cole with the first overall pick in the draft, passing on Anthony Rendon who was eventually selected sixth by the Washington Nationals.  Rendon was the consensus number one pick in all mock drafts before the 2011 college baseball season.  However, injuries to his ankle and shoulder scared a few teams away.  Also, Rendon's power never quite came around after the NCAA switched to newer bats.  Meanwhile, Cole had an above average year which was only hampered by his inability to hit corners with his 100+ mph fastball.  The Pirates felt Cole's issues were easily correctable and decided to take him with the first overall pick.

July- Backwards Thinking: Pirates Fans Irritated at Lack of Moves

It was a highly controversial decision but, in the end, it was the right decision for Pirates' management.  Instead of overpaying for a rental such as Hunter Pence, the Pirates waited until the deadline to acquire Derrek Lee and Ryan Ludwick.  The Pirates tanked shortly thereafter and were able to escape the 2011 with all their future pieces intact.  It didn't help that Lee was injured for most of his time in Pittsburgh after getting hit in the hand with a fastball.  The Pirates had their fun as the top team in the NL Central for a few days, but talent usually always prevails by the end of the season and the Pirates clearly were no match for the Brewers or Cardinals.

August- Pirates Sign Gerrit Cole and Josh Bell

In a move that was seen as impossible by most experts, the Pirates were able to sign both Gerrit Cole and Josh Bell right at the deadline on August 15th.  Cole signed an $8 million minor league contract while Bell, after writing every team telling them not to draft him, signed for $5 million.  Bell's $5 million contract doubled the previous record for second rounders and probably led to Major League Baseball placing a cap on draft spending in the new CBA.  A switch hitter since he was five, Bell has been compared to Chili Davis with projections reaching .300 average 30 home runs per year at the majors. 

September- Pitt Moves to Acc

Despite losing Mr. "High Octane" later in the year, the Panthers made the right decision for their athletics by moving to the Atlantic Coastal Conference in 2013.  Not only will Pitt play in the same basketball conference as UNC and Duke, but they will also play in a legitimate football conference which already included former Big East teams Boston College, Miami and Virginia Tech.  With the uncertainty of conferences in college football, the Panthers picked the strongest conference they could survive in. 

October- Steelers Defeat Patriots; Move to 6-2 on the Season

Looking back, this was probably the biggest win in the regular season.  The Steelers, playing a relatively crappy schedule, lost to three playoff teams while struggling against Indianapolis, Kansas City and Jacksonville.  Their win against the Patriots, however, was monumental.  If there's one team that has given the Pittsburgh Steelers fits over the last decade, it's the New England Patriots. Ben Roethlisberger beat Tom Brady at his own game, attempting 50 passes while throwing for 365 yards and 2 touchdowns.  The bigger story may have been Lamarr Woodley's hamstring which has limited his play to only a few minutes since going down in week 8.  Woodley had seven sacks in the month of October and had one defensive player of the month.

November- State of Affairs: PSU Football Held Too Much Power

The Penn State scandal will probably go down as the biggest scandal in college football history.  Jerry Sandusky's allegations resulted in the termination of the winningest college football coach in history.  More importantly, the university has been totally misrepresented as a safe haven for child predators due to the actions, or lack thereof, by the football coaches.  While Penn State tries to pick up the pieces, the trial is still months away and by the time it ends, the list of victims and accomplices could reach a staggering level.

December- Week 17 Could Decide Fate of AFC Title

With the final week of the NFL regular season ending on the first day of 2012, the Steelers could find themselves in two situations: 1) receiving a first round bye (with a win and a Ravens loss), or playing three potential road games to reach Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis.  No one will know for sure how this will play out until about 7:30 pm on Sunday.  Regardless, the Steelers have to take care of business against a Cleveland Browns team that is better than their 4-11 record indicates.  Josh Cribbs has already said stated that this match up is their "Super Bowl".  The Steelers need to treat this as a playoff game or they could blow their chance for a first round bye again.

And there you have it.  The sports stories of 2011 were plentiful and far from predictable.  This may have been one of the most entertaining, exciting, tragic, unbelievable years of the last few decades.  I am certainly looking forward to 2012.   Happy New Year!

Week 17 Could Decide the Fate of the AFC Title

Here we go again, Steelers fans.  The Baltimore Ravens are one loss away from losing the AFC North division as they were two weeks ago.  Although the Ravens were crushed by the San Diego Chargers on Sunday Night Football in week 15, the Pittsburgh Steelers played well below winning standards the following night and handed the division lead right back to Baltimore.  Now, with one week remaining, the entire fate of the AFC title game could come down to two games, both played in Ohio.

In Cleveland, the Steelers will play a struggling Browns team who almost beat the them two weeks ago at Heinz Field.  While Ben is injured and the Browns gave Pittsburgh a tough fight in Week 15, the Steelers know exactly what is at stake and they already have the familiarity of playing against the Browns earlier in the season.  Still, if Charlie Batch needs to start, the Steelers will need to rely on the run game.  At the same time, that may not be a bad thing.  In the past five games, the Steelers are averaging 128.8 ypg on the ground which has helped the offense regardless of who was playing quarterback. 

On the other side of the ball, the Cleveland Browns are ranked 2nd against the pass (behind the Steelers) and 30th against the run.  While the Steelers had difficulty running the ball, at times, against the Browns, the gameplan will most likely center around getting Rashard Mendenhall and Issac Redman the ball as much as possible.  At least it should.  Batch is game a manager when he plays but how is Roethlisberger any different when he's immobile?  Like Batch, Ben will have to stay in the pocket and complete quick throws 5-8 yards down field.  Is there really a difference?

Meanwhile, 4 hours south of Cleveland, the Baltimore Ravens finish off their season against the Cincinnati Bengals in what was originally seen as a cakewalk at season's start.  Instead, the Bengals have a chance to make the playoffs for the second time in three years if they win.  The Ravens are playing for a first round bye.

In their first match up six weeks ago, the Ravens stopped a late rally from Andy Dalton to win 31-24 in Baltimore.  The Bengals did not have AJ Green due to injury from the week before and now, it appears the tables have turned.  Anquan Boldin will not play Sunday due to a surgical procedure done on his knee to remove cartilage.  With the Ravens' best wide receiver out, Joe Flacco will have to rely on rookie Torrey Smith and Lee Evans, two receivers who only excel at go-routes.  Also, the Ravens are 3-4 on the road including losses to Seattle, Jacksonville and San Diego. With the Bengals one win away from reaching the playoffs, expect as close to a hostile environment as you can get.

The Steelers can only take care of their game and, with a veteran team, they already know that.  Despite losing in San Fransisco when they had a first round bye handed to them, and despite losing twice to the Baltimore Ravens earlier in the season, the Steelers still have an opportunity to win the division.  While this may not be one of the better teams to ever make the playoffs in Steelers history, they are still in a position to make the playoffs and potentially host one or two games.  Plus, with an extra week off, the Steelers could get a completely healthy Lamarr Woodley as well as Maurkice Pouncey and Ben Roethlisberger.

Here we go again.

Steelers Blow their Chance

With homefield advantage, a first round bye and another AFC North Division title staring them right in the face, the Steelers laid an egg on Monday Night Football against the San Fransisco 49ers.  Now, sitting at 10-4, it looks like the road to Super Bowl XLVI will not go through Pittsburgh. 

After watching the Texans and Ravens lose on Sunday, Pittsburgh held the tiebreaker over the New England Patriots, thanks to a win in week 8.  Heading into Monday night's game, the Steelers had ten days to prepare for the 11-3 San Fransisco 49ers who had just come off an embarrassing loss to the Arizona Cardinals the week before.  Instead of being prepared, the Steelers were crushed by a Harbaugh led team for the third time this season.

The game circulated around the toughness of Ben Roethlisberger who received a high ankle sprain the previous week against Cleveland.  In what usually is a 4-6 week injury, Roethlisberger came back to play the following week against the 49ers.  While you can't criticize Ben for playing through the injury, his performance dictated that, in hindsight, he shouldn't have played.  The injury limited his mobility and altered his throws leading to four turnovers.  The offense barely sniffed the red zone and the Steelers mustered just 3 points thanks to a 51 yard field goal by Shaun Suisham.

Meanwhile, the defense did their best to hold San Fransisco in the first half of the game, limiting them to six points off of turnovers.  But in the second half, when they needed to make a stop, the Steelers gave up a touchdown to put San Fransisco ahead for good.  With zero sacks on Alex Smith and a soft zone coverage, the defense was picked apart as if they were playing against one of the top offenses in the game.  In my opinion, the gameplan looked backward.  Smith is nothing more than a game manager who success is built off of an offense that can run the ball.  In critical situations, the defensive backs played ten yards off the line of scrimmage and allowed Smith to through 8 yard out routs which turned into first downs. 

With ten days to prepare, both side of the ball should have had a much better gameplan.

Now, the Steelers come back to Pittsburgh to play what will most-assuredly be their last home game until next season.  While the Ravens still need to play the Bengals on the road, you would really be asking a lot for the Steelers to fall into another situation where they would get a first round bye.  With the most likely scenario being that Pittsburgh will have to win three games on the road to make the Super Bowl, a repeat trip seems unlikely.  This is not 2005.  This is a much older team that needed the bye-week in order to rest their players as well as play just two games at home instead of three on the road.

The Steelers' road performances have been poor, for the most part.  They were crushed against the Ravens, Texans and 49ers, and they struggled to win against the lowly Colts and Chiefs.  A Cinderella team is possible, but not probable.  From here on out, the focus should be on resting their injured players and getting read for a round one match up against the Texans or Broncos. 

Tom Bradley Should Not be an Option for Pitt

If you turn on any sports-related radio shows in town, you can be assured to hear at least 5-10 Pitt fans suggesting Tom Bradley to take control of the university's football program; a program that was left in shambles after Todd Graham's sudden departure.

It is absolutely stunning that anyone associated with Pitt, fan or otherwise, would want to seriously consider bringing in Tom Bradley from Penn State.  Yes the same Penn State that, over a month ago, Pitt fans were screaming for firings and resignations of every coaching member associated with the football program.  THAT Penn State.  The same university who is in the middle of the biggest scandal in college athletics history.

Tom Bradley has been with the team since 1979 when he was a graduate assistant.  One year later, Joe Paterno brought him on as an assistant where he eventually replaced the demonic Jerry Sandusky as defensive coordinator in 1999.  With the sex abuse scandal only starting to unravel, Tom Bradley is too big of a risk for a program that has failed to hire an effective coach since Johnny Majors.  Also, with the departure of Todd Graham, 11 months after he replaced Mike Haywood who was fired a few weeks into replacing Dave Wannstedt, Pitt football needs someone they can depend on to not only lead their team but avoid controversy and show commitment.  Even if Bradley was to be committed to staying with Pittsburgh, depending on his involvement in the Sandusky case, he has the risk of being torn away which leaves the Pitt football players in the exact spot they're in now.

And do you really believe Tom Bradley will be found completely incoherent to the allegations involving the Sandusky case?  He was at Joe Paterno's side for the last 31 years and was a virtual lock to take over the program had Paterno retired instead of being relieved.  As this vile case begins to unravel, Bradley's name will most likely be brought into the fire and the last thing the kids at Pitt need is another distraction.

That's not to say Bradley wouldn't win games at Pittsburgh; nor am I saying his high risk comes without high reward.  After all, Bradley owns recruiting in New Jersey and, although only a head coach for three games, he is still a big enough name to bring top athletes to Pitt.  Unfortunately, given Pitt's recent turn of affairs, they cannot afford to hire someone that can elevate their program in exchange for the risk of bringing headlines to the university.  Pittsburgh already gave up character for potential wins 11 months ago and now they are right back where they started: a mediocre program with a bleak future.

AFC Playoff Seedings Still TBD

As the Green Bay Packers march towards perfection and a first round bye in the NFC playoffs, the Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers are still gridlocked at 10-3 in the AFC.  Their equal records are indicative of each team's relentlessness to give up their spot as the potential top team in the AFC.  While each team has had at least one disappointing loss early in the season, they've also started to heat up at the right time.  Let's take a look at the top four teams:

New England Patriots


The Patriots have put together five straight wins since losing back to back games against the Steelers and Giants.  Although the defense is still statistically the worst in the NFL, it is extremely hard to match the execution of the offense.  Tom Brady is well on his way to passing for over 5000 yards despite lacking the threat of a big play receiver like Randy Moss.  Regardless of New England's recent lack of success in the playoffs, I find it hard to believe anyone wants their team to make a trip to Foxboro in January.

Then there's the developing story of the heated exchange between Brady and Offensive Coordinator, Bill O'Brien.  As much as we all would like to read into this as the beginning of the end to Belichick's regime, the fact of the matter is, most teams go through this over the course of a season.  Willie Parker complaining about not getting the ball in 2008 didn't seem to stop the Steelers; Keyshawn Johnson's tirade against Jon Gruden on Monday Night Football didn't stop the 2002 Buccaneers either.  The Patriots are fine and with an easy schedule ahead of them (Broncos, Dolphins and Bills), it is entirely possible they will be the top seed by the end of the month.

Houston Texans

No Matt Schaub?  No problem!  TJ Yates led a comeback win against the Cincinnati Bengals, bringing Houston's win streak to seven games.  With Matt Schaub and Matt Leinart out for the year, the Texans will need to rely on the rookie from North Carolina in the franchise's first playoffs.  They should also get all-world wide receiver Andre Johnson back from a hamstring injury in the divisional round.  Looking past the quarterback, the Texans have one of the best offensive lines to block for one of the elite running backs in the league.  Houston is second in the league in rushing behind the Denver Tim Tebows, while their defense is ranked first overall in fewest yards allowed.  In essence, they play solid "Bill Cowher" football despite playing indoors.  Then again, we all remember how Bill Cowher fared during his coaching tenure with the Steelers in the playoffs.  The NFL is a passing league more than ever and it seems illogical to believe a rookie quarterback can bring the Texans to the promise land.  Then again, their final three games against the Panthers, Colts and Titans don't exactly hinder their chances of going 13-3.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens are 2-0 against the Steelers and 0-3 after dousing their coach with Gatorade.  Still, the Ravens have quietly won four in a row without the help of Ray Lewis.  The offense seems to have figured out that their best chance to win is to give Ray Rice the ball at least twenty times a game.  After losing to the Seattle Seahawks, in which Rice only received five carries, the Ravens have given the fourth year running back at least twenty carries in the last four games.  The result?  Not only has Ray Rice racked up 470 yards, the Ravens have won in convincing fashion each time.  With the Steelers in their regular season rear view mirror, the Ravens can clinch an AFC North division title for the first time since 2006.  That would also give them at least one game at home where the Ravens are 7-0 this season.

Still, of the four 10-3 teams, the Ravens have the hardest remaining schedule.  While they are 7-0 at home, they are 3-3 on the road with some ugly losses to Jacksonville, Tennessee and Seattle.  Other than the Browns at home, the Ravens face two teams that are desperately trying to fight for a playoff spot in the Chargers and Bengals.  Both of those games will be on the road and the Ravens will face San Diego on Sunday Night Football.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Since their heartbreaking loss to Baltimore in week 9, the Steelers have "stacked" four straight wins and are doing their best to keep even pace with the Ravens.  Of all the playoff teams, the Steelers will need a bye week the most, given their veteran defense and hobbled quarterback.  If you want to know how desperate this team is, just watch last Thursday's game against the Cleveland Browns when Ben Roethlisberger played the entire second half on a high ankle sprain.  With ten days to rest, you better believe Big Ben will be ready to go on Monday Night Football against the San Fransisco 49ers.  That does not take away from the fact that the most important piece to Pittsburgh's chances of winning another Super Bowl has a serious injury that could hinder him throughout the playoffs.

The Steelers started out struggling against the run and appeared to look over the hill.  But, since September they have regrouped to rank sixth in rush defense while ranking first in pass defense.  The most alarming aspect of their turnaround against the pass is that they are using the same players as last year.  Ike Taylor is having a Pro-Bowl year while William Gay and Keenan Lewis have been solid at the other corner position.  If the Ravens allow Pittsburgh an extra week off to rest, it could be bye-bye birdies for the third straight time.  First, the Steelers have to get past a tough San Fransisco team on the road.  After that, it is two cupcake match ups against the Browns and Rams.

If the playoffs started today, the seedings would go as follows:

1) Texans
2) Ravens
3) Patriots vs. 6) Jets
4)Tebows vs. 5) Steelers

The Texans are ahead of the Ravens due to conference record (8-2 vs. 7-2).
The Ravens are ahead of the Patriots due to a better record in "common games" (4-0 vs 3-1).

For the Steelers to get a first round bye, they need the Ravens to win one less game.  Assuming the Texans and Patriots win out, the Steelers would get the 2nd seed due to their win over the Patriots and loss to the Texans.  To get the top seed in the AFC, the Texans AND Ravens both need to lose.   
 

Steelers Can Beat Browns Without Woodley

With a short week to work with, the Steelers are contemplating the idea of allowing Lamarr Woodley to return to action and split time with Jason Worilds at outside linebacker for Thursday night's game against Cleveland.  Woodley insists he's healthy and that his early exit against the Bengals, last game, was nothing more than tightness.

In the end, Woodley should sit no matter what.

The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Cleveland Browns tonight, who come into this game with another terrible record secured for this season (4-8).  The so-called rivalry between these two franchises has been so one sided, it has been viewed as a rivalry from the past.  When the Browns left for Baltimore after the 1994-1995 season, the Steelers continued their rivalry with the Ravens.  Cleveland regained their football to start the 1999 season and were annihilated 43-0 in their first matchup against the Steelers.  From there, it seems to have only gotten worse for "The Mistake on the Lake".  The Steelers are 22-4 against the Browns since 1999 and, with the way these two teams are playing this season, it doesn't appear Pittsburgh is ready for a fifth loss anytime soon. 

If the Steelers are to win this game, they should be able to do it without the help of Lamarr Woodley who has been hampered by a hamstring injury for the past month.  Woodley sustained the injury against the New England Patriots in week 8 when he was chasing after Tom Brady.  The 260 pound linebacker fell to the ground as though he had been shot, with no one around.  His injury seemed to come at the most inopportune time as he had just recorded his seventh sack in the month of October a few players earlier; a stat worth naming Lamarr Woodley Defensive Player of the Month. 

The injury looked eerily similar to Houston Texans' wide receiver, Andre Johnson, who had only played in five games before re-injuring the same leg last week against the Falcons.  Now, the Texans (9-3) plan to sit Johnson for the rest of the regular season to save him for their first playoff push in franchise history.  Despite a slightly tougher schedule with fewer marquee players than the Steelers, the Texans are still taking the necessary precautions to ensure he'll be on the field in January. 

At 9-3, the Steelers are pretty much a lock to make a playoff spot.  Whether their first game is on the road or at home, Pittsburgh will need one of the most prolific pass rushers in NFL playoff history.  With 11 sacks in 7 career playoff games, the Steelers need Woodley when it matters most and it would be incredibly irrational and downright ridiculous to think of putting number 56 on the field Thursday night. 

With the Steelers facing a short week against a terrible team, followed by an extended week against a better team, it almost seems like common sense to rest Lamarr Woodley.  Let James Harrison, Troy Polamalu, and Ike Taylor worry about the Browns' 24th ranked passing offense.  Let Casey Hampton, Larry Foote, James Farrior and Ziggy Hood worry about the 30th ranked rushing offense.  This is not a game that should be decided by one player.  If it is, then the Steelers are in bigger trouble than the absence of one outside linebacker, regardless of his talent. 

A Look at Conference Realignment by Chris Dazen

Have you been craving a twice a year New York Islander vs. Edmonton Oilers matchup? Sounds exciting doesn’t it? Then good news, the NHL has been realigned and you will get your wish. The league has approved a new four-conference format that is expected to be implemented next season. The major change will be eliminating the current two-conference, six-division setup in favor of a geographical based configuration that features four conferences. Two conferences will have eight teams and the other two conferences will have seven teams. Teams will now play each other based on geographical positioning, making it much more favorable for travel (unless you are Tampa Bay and Florida, more on that in a bit).  For this to happen 20 votes were need for it to pass; 26 teams voted yes, 4 said no. That means there was an overwhelming approval from the NHL teams on this. The necessary change comes because of the relocation of Atlanta to Winnipeg. Winnipeg, currently playing in the Southeast Division, is far cry away from the south east and was needed to move for a more friendly travel schedule for both them and their competitors.  

Commissioner Garry Bettman was quoted in saying “It wasn't a question of being dissatisfied, but we had a number of clubs that were unhappy with the current state of affairs, and in the context of having to make a change anyway felt it was important for their needs and their concerns and their issues to be recognized. It was intended to be as much a global solution as possible."

He is how each conference will look (no conference names have been given out yet, hopefully they stay simple):

Conference A       Conference B       Conference C       Conference D

Anaheim                Chicago               Boston                 Carolina
Calgary                   Columbus           Buffalo                 New Jersey
Colorado                Dallas                  Florida                  NY Islanders
Edmonton             Detroit                 Montreal             NY Rangers
Los Angeles           Minnesota          Ottawa                 Philadelphia
Phoenix                  Nashville             Tampa Bay          Pittsburgh
San Jose                 St. Louis               Toronto               Washington
Vancouver             Winnipeg

To sum up this alignment, it came down to how much teams travel and the money spent on them while keeping rivalries intact. Ohh the almighty Bettman dollar wins again. Teams such as Detroit and Columbus, teams pretty much on the east coast, were traveling and playing games out west, such as San Jose, at very much later times thus affecting TV ratings, player fatigue, travel cost etc.. You could tell them suck it up and deal with it, which is what they did, but the reality of the situation is, it sucks to be that team who has to do it. This new set up makes it easier on travel for all teams, all teams except for Tampa and Florida. Notice their conference is made up all northern teams and well, they are pretty far south. Someone had to get screwed in all of this and it appears that our Sunshine State puck friends are the ones who will be traveling the most.

Personally I think one of the reasons this alignment passed where you have 2 conferences with seven teams and the other with eight is for future “problems” that might occur. “Problems” being things such as a team possibly relocating (cough, cough Phoenix and maybe the Islanders) and making it easier to switch teams out of conferences. Given the unevenness of the conferences, if a western team has to move east, they can easily flip them to an Eastern-based conference without having to flip one back west. The plan allows for future moves without having to go through another radical change at a later date.

Now here is how things will work. Conferences with seven teams, they will play each team six times. Conferences with eight teams will play each other five or six times. Teams will play everyone outside their conference twice, a home and home matchup. I like that idea, but I also don’t for the reason as follows. What sucks is we don’t get as many matchups against teams such as Boston and Montreal, teams we as Pens fans look forward to each year (at least I know I do). I love the fact we keep our current Atlantic division foes and add old sparring partner Washington to the mix and the always fun Carolina Hurricanes. Also, if you haven’t already noticed, we now have all of the Staals in one conference.  The “Staal Drinking Game” will mean you will be drunk at least 18 times with the potential for even more! Plan your livers accordingly.

As for the playoff format, I’m not a fan of how this will potentially work. This still needs to be voted on so this could change, but here is the rumored way things will go down. The top four from each conference go to playoffs seeded as-is and play their own mini four-team tournament. The chase for those top four spots is going to be nuts, have to love that. Conference matchup games mean so much more now.  What I don’t like is the chase for playoff matchups from other teams as is the format now, will be lost. It’s the same concept as it is now, but with less teams battling for a spot. Look at this way, a fifth place team in one conference doesn’t make the playoffs in its own conference but would qualify in another. It takes out the intensity of playing non conference teams. Once the conference playoff battle is over, the teams will be reseeded and play some sort of finals matchup. This means you could possibly have a Boston vs. Pittsburgh Stanley Cup Final. I like that idea. He is what I don’t like; predictable matchups. What I mean is the divisional playoff setup can also lead to redundant play. Not saying that is a bad thing. Playing the Flyers of Capitals are blood bath playoff games, but you will never play them beyond the second round. I personally like to see new teams but when you have such hated rivals, it makes it ok.

Final thoughts on the realignment. Pretty much your regular season play means a whole lot more now. Guess a good record will mean something in the playoffs. Overall this whole idea is pretty unique and one that seems to be good, at least for now. In reality, the current format is fine; it just makes things a little more interesting because of the change. It has pro and cons as does anything when change occurs, and not everyone is going to like this. Not all of Garry Bettman’s ideas have been stellar and work out (that is for another post), let us hope this one does.

Steelers Crush Bengals; Secure Fifth Straight Winning Season

After squeaking out a 13-9 win against the pitiful Kansas City Chiefs last week, the Steelers vowed to make corrections over the course of the week.

Corrections made.

Regardless of how hard it was to win in Cincinnati three weeks ago, the Steelers dominated the Bengals in all three phases, yesterday.  The Steelers got out to a 21-0 lead and never looked back, stomping the Bengals 35-7 en route to ensuring their fifth straight winning season and, most likely, second straight trip to the playoffs.

Rashard Mendenhall scored two touchdowns inside the five yard line and a Bengals fumble on the ensuing kickoff led to a Mike Wallace 12 yard strike from Ben Roethlisberger.  In five minutes, the Steelers had put up 21 points and a young Bengals team could not recover.  An 11 yard touchdown pass from Andy Dalton to AJ Green cut the lead to 21-7, but an Antonio Brown punt return late in the first half ensured that the Bengals would not have a chance to come back against their division rivals.

In the second half, the Steelers flexed their muscles on defense.  James Harrison had three sacks while Ike Taylor picked off Pittsburgh native, Bruce Gradkowski.  Rookie quarterback, Andy Dalton, was held to 135 yards passing while the Bengals never had a chance to establish Cedric Benson and Bernard Scott on the ground.

Now, sitting at 9-3, the Steelers are still in the mix to win the division if the Ravens lose one more game than Pittsburgh by the end of the season.  With a Thursday night matchup against the hopeless Browns, Pittsburgh has a chance to reach double-digit wins for the eighth time in the last eleven seasons.

As Mike Tomlin always says, "the standard is the standard."  Well, right now, the standard isn't just a playoff berth, it's a sixth AFC North division title and first round bye.   


Notes

• Coach Mike Tomlin has now clinched a winning record in each of his first five seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Ben Roethlisberger's nine yard completion to David Johnson gave him the most completions in franchise history (2,026), passing Terry Bradshaw. 
• Despite missing a month due to injury, James Harrison has eight sacks on the season.
• Antonio Brown's 60 yard punt return was the first punt return for a touchdown since Santonio Holmes ran one back against Carolina in 2006.
• Lamarr Woodley left the game in the first quarter after aggravating his hamstring.  With a short week ahead, it seems very doubtful he will play against the Browns on Thursday.