February 14, 2004

¶ Jobbing the Hawks again?: We foisted Isiah Rider on them a few years back. Now they've taken Rasheed Wallace.

At first glance, the Trail Blazers trade of tempermental forward Rasheed Wallace seems like a pretty good deal for all concerned. The Atlanta Hawks clear major salary cap space at the end of the season when Wallace's $17 million contract expires, so they get to be a player in the free agent market. (Though who in their right mind wants to play for Atlanta no matter how much cash in dangled?)

On the Blazer side of the equation we ship out a player who had probably alienated more fans than he brought in. If Sheed didn't personally halve the Blazer fan base I would be surprised. So eliminating his rank personality from the Blazer media guide should help the box office considerably. I know I feel better about it.

And picking up All-Star Shareef Abdur-Rahim and NBA shot-block leader Theo Ratliff in the bargain doesn't hurt anything more than end of year salary cap numbers—except for one thing: The Blazer chemistry is now (once again) wildly out of mix.

Ratliff and Dale Davis make a decent one-two at the 5 spot, Davis' moodiness aside, but what's happening at the forward spots? Zach Randolph and Abdur-Rahim both need big minutes, and that won't happen. Recent acquisition Darius Miles, who I think has "tremendous upside" as Hubie Brown might say, competes for time with Ruben Patterson, the only man who seems to bring his A-game every night. Derek Anderson remains streaky at the 2. If he's not on, who's behind him? Patterson again? It's messy at the 2. But it's far worse at point. Damon Stoudamire gives up as many points as he scores on his best nights and those nights aren't often enough. His saving grace on this team is that the three(!) other point guards on the team are worse.

I'm not the first one to say this—my neighbor Dan is—but from a basketball perspective the Sheed trade only makes sense if there's another deal in the not-too-distant future. Honestly, I think this team is only one really good point guard away from being something, and they've got guys you can ship to get somebody good. I'd be looking at sending Randolph and Stoudamire out for Baron Davis or someone of his calibre. I have no idea if that works under the cap, but you get the gist. And at the 2 I guess you just hope Anderson stays healthy and spell him with Patterson in what amounts to a big lineup.

Given all of what I think above and what I think about the Blazers management, I fully expect that the team will stand pat.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

November 18, 2003

¶ Best 3-7 team ever!: Which, along with $1, will get you a cup of coffee.

Last time I wrote about the Steelers I said they had four big problems: (1) A porous offensive line, (2) a running back (Bettis) who was inconstantly used, and (3) a secondary that couldn't cover my grandmother—either of them, and one of them's dead—and (4) wild, suspect play-calling.

I am happy to report that we have the offensive line problem fixed, at least temporarily. Against the 49ers last night, Tommy Maddox had tons of time to throw (with one blitzing exception) and wound up with 327 yards and only one, not-his-fault INT. Unfortunately, none of the other issues seem to have been dealt with and the anemic Steelers dropped a 30-14 decision in lackluster fashion.

Unbelievably, the Steelers may still win the AFC North if they run the table from here on out. They'd finish 9-7 with the edge in divisional tie-breaks and could still go to the show. I'm not saying that's probable, even though every team they face from here on out is .500 or worse. Indeed, I think such a scenario, in light of the problems I've outlined above, is highly unlikely.

As disappointments go, this season ranks up there pretty highly. But name me a better 3-7 NFL team? Oakland? The Jets? Arizona? No, no, my friend, it's Pittsburgh. And I can say that with the high degree of confidence that comes from being a die-hard fan. For example, next week we play Cleveland. If I may be so bold as to predict an outcome, after next Sunday I think we'll be well on our way to being the best 3-8 team ever. Indeed, we may finish the season as the best 3-13 team of all-time. Steelers fans everywhere will be contemplating such greatness over large quantities of beer for some time to come. Some of us already are.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

November 3, 2003

¶ There goes the season?: Now three games down in the AFC North, Pittsburgh needs an incredible rally to avoid having one of their most disappointing seasons ever.

It's not like the Steelers completely sucked in their 23-16 loss to the Seahawks, but if the Hawk receivers could catch, the game wouldn't have been even close. The problems are these:

The offensive line's pass protection is in shambles. Maddox was only sacked twice, but he was hurried plenty. In fact most of his throws, as decent as they were, were simply Tommy hucking the ball where the receive should be. He had no time to go through progressions, check down to alternate receivers, or virtually anything else. He'd just let it fly and hope Ward, Burris, or El could go fetch. Many times they could, but that's no way to run a passing game.

Bettis is inconsistantly used. The Bus belongs up the middle or slightly off tackle right or left. Do not run him wide. Just shove him down the throat of the defense with a fullback (Krieder) leading the way. He'll usually get 5 yards for you and sometimes a lot more. If Jerome's not getting around 25 carries a game, it's a problem.

The defensive secondary does not appear to my eyes to be much, if any, better than last year. Why teams don't just throw, throw, throw is beyond me. I think the secondary can be burned almost every play. On the flip side, we're a very hard team to run against; the front three are studs and the linebackers stuff the run just fine.

The play calling is increasingly suspect. Some of this can be laid at the door of not having a solid enough offensive line to get things done. Other parts can't.

Ultimately, the bad news abounds for both teams: The Steelers are not yet a playoff quality squad and may not be in time to achieve a record that will get them in, and the Seahawks were relatively unimpressive against mediocre competition. The Steelers and the Seahawks might be worst and best respectively in their divisions, but there's not much separating them. I'm not sure if that's good news for the Hawks given their history, but it's awful news for the Steelers. One more loss—two at the most—and this season is over.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

October 15, 2003

¶ Let's talk turkey: By which I could mean the Steelers' offensive line, the Trail Blazers' new management, or a certain Cubs fan without a clue. Or maybe all of the above.

After a nifty start to the season, the Steelers have sunk to an unimpressive 2-4. Their offensive line is in tatters, and letting All-Pro lineman Wandy Gandy go during the offseason is looking like the mistake of the season. QB Tommy Maddox was sacked seven times in the narrow 17-14 loss to Denver, and his lack of pocket protection effectively shut down the passing game. Without a solid offensive line the Steelers are done for because all the offensive is reliant on that part of the squad. I don't know how we'll be when people get back from the injured reserve, but right now we're not in good shape. We're in a sorely needed bye week until we hit the St. Louis Rams at home on October 26. We better have an offensive line by then, or we'll be rapidly approaching the point at which the we can kiss the season good bye.

The new Blazer management has been so full of hot air thus far that's I'm inclined to attribute any warm breeze from the north to their insistent yapping. After the departure of the loathesome Bob Whitsitt, the new GM and president were full of promises about improving player citizenship, reconnecting with the fans, and putting a championship calibre team on the floor.

Are you kidding me? Except for maybe Derek Anderson, the guys with the best character left during the off-season. All of your favorite thugs are still here (though, in fairness, Whit-less signed many of them to contracts that make a trade next to impossible). To save money—multi-billionaire Paul Allen apparently not being able to afford to lose less than one half of one percent of his total wealth—the Blazers cut 90 folks in the office staff (without warning, too). Why does it look to me like we've removed the good guys and kept the bad guys during the off-season?

It's not like the Blazers haven't been busy during the off-season and pre-season getting pulled over and/or arrested. Every other day we get something in The Oregonian about one of the Blazers doing something stupid. As far as most of us can tell it's just regular behavior for them. On the brighter side, Kobe Bryant may no fit our qualifications for joining the team. He's got a huge contract, so maybe we can work a trade.

On the important question, of whether this year's squad a championship calibre team, obviously only time will tell (or else why play the games?) I would say, "No way." But I don't plan to watch many games to find out either.

I also don't watch much baseball, but I tuned in last night to watch the Cubs get rocked in the eighth inning. For those who didn't see it, here's the setup: Cubs 3-0 in the top of the eighth, runners on first and second, 1 out. Pitcher Mark Prior has gone the whole game. His pitch count is starting to get high, and the Marlins are beginning to whack his stuff. Tying run at the plate with a full count, the ball is popped up to the left and is drifting foul. Outfielder Moises Alou tracks it to the wall and is just about to make the catch when a Cubs fan(!) tries to catch the ball, fails, and in the effort knocks the ball away from Alou.

I thought this was hysterical for several reasons. (First and foremost, I'm not a Cubs fan.) The irony of a team's own fans causing their downfall is funny to me for starters. I'm also giggling at the notion that the fellow did exactly what everybody does when a ball is hit in their direction: He tried to grab it. I love that his expectation was likely that he would catch the ball, the TV cameras would zoom in on his smiling mug, and he'd wave the ball around as the surrounding crowd cheered him. I find it endless amusing to contrast that image with the reality of fans hurling insults and beer at him as he was escorted by security from the stadium. Furthermore, isn't it almost allegorical about individual vs. societal needs (and the dangers, frankly, of unregulated capitalism)? If people are left to pursue their own interests to the exclusion of the larger group's, this is frequently the kind of thing that happens because it's very easy for an individual's wants and desires to be undesireable for everybody else. In this case, the result was a Marlins victory after an eight run eighth. Ah, another "sports as metaphor for life" lesson.

UPDATE: The interfering Cubs fan, Steve Bartman, issued a press statement late this afternoon (does everybody have a PR agent but me?) expressing his sorrow and contrition for contributing to the Cubs loss. Missing from the story on Barkman's press release was any mention of his implied postscript which would have read roughly: "PS: Now please don't hurt me."

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

September 21, 2003

¶ Two cool things, one lousy thing: The great thing about soccer (in fact most team sports) is that you can play poorly for a whole game, make one magnificent effort, and be the hero. I'll tell you what I mean. The lousy thing about the NFL is that they're money-grubbing killjoys. I'll tell you what I mean. The Steelers returned to form with the Bus leading the way. Once again, I'll tell you what I mean.

Arriving 20 minutes late to an in town game is an unimpressive way to start, especially when your team has been playing without subs. What can I say? I read the schedule wrong. At least there was another guy in the same boat. So anyway, it's 0-0 when I enter about midway through the first half. I proceed to crap things up mightily. My touch has been left somewhere at home. Utterly pathetic play. The second half continues with more of the same. I begin to feel like it's just destined to be one of those games where nothing goes right. Then, with about 10 minutes remaining, our keeper gets the ball and launches it into the opposing right quadrant. I take off running. The defender goes for it on the fly but misjudges. It bounces once and he recovers to cut off the inside. I pop the ball over him with my right foot, take one touch with the outside of my left foot to cut across the goal mouth, and -bang- a left footer rockets into the back of the net. I get to be the hero of our 1-0 victory despite all my mistakes and poor play. Gotta like that.

What I don't have to like is the NFL's new policy regarding Internet radio broadcasts of their games. Previously you could listen in on various broadcasts to hear your favorite team (i.e. the Steelers) play an opponent. This was a lousy substitute for DirectTV's NFL GameDay package or, in fact, watching at a sports bar or whatever. But sometimes Internet radio was all you could do.

Well, this year the money-grubbers are charging $10 a month to listen to broadcasts via Real Networks. Guess I won't be following much of the Steelers other than what ABC, CBS, FOX and ESPN put on. That's unlikely to be much, and I'm pretty cheesed that the NFL has chosen to stick it to distant fans of NFL teams. I'd pay a reasonable amount (maybe even an unreasonable amount) to watch the Steelers on TV; I'll pay nothing for radio because, frankly, it's just not worth $10 a month. I'm still a Pittsburgh fan, of course, but I'm a disgruntled one now, and I dare say disgruntled fans are not a good thing for any sports league.

Nonetheless, the Steelers are now 2-1 on the season after a 17-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Maddox passed for over 200 yards, Bettis rumbed for a bunch more in the second half, and the defense—including recently injured linebacker Joey Porter—was dominant. From what I've read(!) the score isn't indicative of the game. The Steelers actually controlled the proceedings. (Then again, why not? It's the Bengals.)

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

September 14, 2003

¶ All about wagon wheels: Like the fact that on bad sports days, they tend to fall off.

Bill Cowher's Steelers started fast against the Kansas City Chiefs then the wheels came off the wagon. But for a few big plays, we might have pulled a victory out of the hat here, but the Chiefs are a good team this year and we're clearly not in midseason form yet. Defensively, we were strong in the secondary which was very good to see, but RB Priest Holmes was virtually unstoppable on those occasions where KC had good field position. We need to figure out a way to stop both the run and the pass and we've not done it yet. Offensively we just turned the ball over too much. Maddox had three INTs, two which were likely his fault, one of which should have been snagged by Randle El. The fumble by Vernon Hayes didn't help matters. So we've got work to do there as well. No need to panic, though, we're in OK shape.

Locally, I started today's soccer game strong with an assist in the first five minutes before the wheels came off my own wagon and I missed two goals by about a foot to the left in the last five minutes of the game. We lost 2-1 so that pretty well bummed me out. On the whole, I didn't play particularly well, but it's an over 30 Division III rec league, so it's mainly good exercise. Still, I hate to think that I couldn't won the game and didn't.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

September 8, 2003

¶ Pounding the Birds: The Steelers destroy the ever-talkative Ravens.

How good was the Pittsburgh Steelers' opening day romp over the Baltimore Ravens? Oh, pretty dang good. 34-15 is always nice, especially when the game wasn't even that close. Pitt put the first 27 points on the board. QB Tommy Maddox was 21 of 29 for 260 yards with 3 TDs and no INTs, giving him a near-perfect passer rating of 134.3. Two TDs to Hines Ward, one to new tightend Jay Riemersma, and 116 receiving yards for Plexico Burress.

The Steelers rarely start seasons with a victory. They usually lose a few early season games, get it in gear midseason, and then charge into the playoffs with a full head of steam. To get a win against an in conference rival and be 1-0 in the win-loss column is a great way to start 2003-4. Next week we face the Chiefs in Kansas City (why do we always travel to KC?), and it should be an even bigger challenge. Priest Holmes is a top-notch runner and Trent Green is a legit QB. We'll see just how good our defense is.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

July 29, 2003

¶ Ending the season right: Dennis comes up big in goal, and I play a pretty good game in 100 degree weather.

Given the problems with the Mazda I missed last week's game. I also missed the Tuesday-Thursday kick-arounds at Bush Park while on vacation. With temperatures up around 100 and this lack of recent game time, I was a little concerned about how I'd do. Well, I did OK. I pushed in the first goal just before half time on a wonderfully chipped free kick from Bree. Scoring with limited time remaining always feels good.

The second half got a little chippy after the opposition tied the score 1-1 on a penalty kick. Dennis came up with some great saves to shut them down the rest of the way, and we finally started connecting on the offensive end. Final score was something like 4 or 5 to 1. It was a great way to end the season.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

July 8, 2003

¶ The Tuesday morning massacre: Paul Allen seems to believe that the Blazers' woes stem from him spending too much money. Wrong again.

Paul Allen seems to have learned only a partial lesson about what Blazer fans want. Yes, absolutely fans want a team with good character. The San Antonio Spurs just proved you can have that and still win the big one. We don't need the jail bait we've got to win championships which, notably, they haven't. New General Manager Steve Patterson socked Damon Stoudamire with a $250k fine for a marijuana bust in Arizona, so I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that Patterson understands what we're looking for in that respect. I was also heartened to hear that Patterson would trade Stoudamire if he could. (He can't because no other team is willing to eat the $24 million Stoudamire will make in the next two years.)

It is, however, the money end of things that is most worrisome about the Trailblazers. During what will probably be known as the Tuesday morning massacre, the Blazers cut almost 90 people from front office and arena assignments. I don't think new General Manager Steve Patterson is wrong when he says that the most other NBA operations run similar sized arenas with about half as many people as the Blazers. I'm just not sure (1) that laying off everybody in sight all at once is the best way to go about this sort of thing and (2) what the heck the point of having a billionaire owner is if he's not going to spend his money on the team?

I heard that the total staff cost for those laid off was $4 million a year. That is absolute chump change to someone like Allen, and severance package or no, all the Portland-area needs is another 90 people looking for work. I don't know if the front office or Rose Garden experience will be markedly worse for fans or media, but it sure seems a cold-hearted, classless move to toss everybody at once. It's not like Allen couldn't afford to keep people around a bit and let general attrition pare the payroll.

Patterson also indicated during a radio interview today that he would be looking to get the Blazers player salaries under the league's luxury tax cap. Personally, I don't care if he does or not so long as he's fielding a team of good character, high quality players. If you want me rooting for the squad, good character is not optional. Then again, neither is the other thing.

I mean, Steve, buddy, if you're bringing in a bunch of low-priced stiffs, it's gonna be hard to get excited. You did notice that the Lakers are on the verge of adding Gary Payton and Karl Malone, right? Unless the Blazers spend some bucks, do they have any prayer of competing with the likes of that? I can't help but think you're taking the Blazers—under the command of Paul Allen no doubt—further away from an NBA championship and, perhaps worse, away from a being an organization for which fans can cheer. I'd love it if you'd prove me wrong.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

June 23, 2003

¶ Lookin' good, but the ball's behind you: What I thought but did not say to the opposing goal keeper.

Few things compare with really striking a soccer ball well and watching it fly into the back of the net. I got to do that twice tonight in our 2-1 victory with the coed team up in Portland. Forgive my ego, but those types of goals are especially fun when the opposing keeper dives to try to make the save after the ball has already hit the net. That's like sports comedy or something.

Overall our team played well, the defense meriting special note. I let one guy get loose late that cost us an own goal, but otherwise we were very solid in back. I would be happier if I hadn't messed up that one play, but so it goes.

Dennis came out as needed and did well but was untested through most of the proceedings. He did have one long ball earlier which should've lead to a breakaway goal, but I was called offsides. I wasn't, a fact confirmed by our bench and a couple of players on the opposing side. The ref didn't have linesmen, so what do you do? I ended up with a couple tallies, so I'm OK with things in the end, but Dennis perhaps deserved an assist out of the whole thing. I'm sure we're both happy enough with the victory.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

June 16, 2003

¶ They can't all be great: Without the lows, we wouldn't know what the highs feel like. Yeah, like that makes me feel better.

Some days ain't your days, and this was one of those. The team won 3-2, and we played well enough that we deserved to win (I think), but both Dennis and I turned in what was for us sub-par performances. That's not to say we were awful because he made some brilliant and very necessary saves, and I scored one very pretty goal and set up numerous chances for others (none of which were capitalized on). But I don't think either of us would describe the outing as our finest hour. In fact, Dennis' assessment that "we were flat" sums it up as well as anything.

Still, a win is a win, and they can't all be great sports days. We'll have another go at it next Monday.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

June 9, 2003

¶ Congratulations all around: Sprague Girls' Softball wins the 4A state title. I kick butt and take names in my weekly soccer game. Props to everybody.

Sprague has managed to somehow field playoff calibre softball teams for years. Even back when I attended, I think we saw four years of playoffs. This year, though, Sprague won the whole enchilada, taking the 4A state title. That's high school softball as good as it gets in Oregon, so it's an impressive feat. Congrats to the Olys on their well-earned victory.

And, if I may be so bold, kudos to me for my performance in tonight's 5-1 coed soccer game victory. I had two break away goals which I slotted in the side net, a fancy dribbling assist, and the cross which set up the first goal. I'm still out of shape and easily winded, but it's hard to complain with numbers like those.

As per usual Dennis came up big in goal, saving several point blank one-on-ones. We really should find a way defensively where he doesn't have to do that every game. Good thing he can bring it when we need it, though. With a lesser keeper, we'd be in bad shape in the win-loss column. As it stands, last week's 3-3 tie is the only mark on our otherwise unblemished record. (And there we started with seven players and never had any subs.)

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

May 9, 2003

¶ Ding-dong, the witch is dead: Trailblazer GM Bob Whitsitt finally sees the writing on the wall: Blazer fans hate what he's done to their team.

It has been a few years since I actively followed the Portland Trailblazers, a team of my youth and one I used to love. Once the team was bought out by Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen and Blazer General Manager Bob Whitsitt turned the roster into the JailBlazers, I headed for the door. Couple this with an NBA game that became hugely tedious and which has only recently shown any signs of life whatsoever, I've not caught more than parts of, say, three Blazer games in the past couple years. Contrast this with the early 1990s when Grandma Norma and I had Blazer cable so we could see every game, and it should be clear that I'd became one heckuva disenfranchised fan.

This week's announcement that GM Bob Whitsitt was resigning filled me with more hope than I've had about the team in some time. Not that Whitsitt wasn't talented, mind you. If anything, he loaded the Blazers with so many star-quality players that it was a problem. Nobody can say he didn't acquire guys without skills. But Whitsitt's refusal to stop tinkering was almost as maddening as his willingness to sign hoopsters who should be doing a five to seven stretch in Leavenworth. Now that Whitsitt's gone, my twin fears are these: One, that the Blazers will start acquiring no-talent stiffs as they dismantle their roster. Two, that they won't purge themselves of the jackasses already on the squad (yes, Rasheed, I mean you).

If it were up to me, here's how I'd remake the lineup. Keep Arvydas Sabonis and Dale Davis for centers. Keep Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje and Chris Dudley as backups, assuming Duds wants to play another year. This isn't the strongest line-up in the world, and it'll have some problems with Duncan in San Antonio and against Shaq in LA, but there's no line-up that won't.

At the power forward, sign free agent Alonzo Mourning. If Zo isn't available, there are other options on the free agency list including Jermaine O'Neil, Elton Brand, and Lamar Odom. Trade Wallace for, you know, anybody out East. If you trade him to a Western Conference team, you're either smoking the same stuff he is, or you better be getting one heckuva player in return. You do not want to regularly face a peeved Sheed. He's a jerk of a guy, but he'll drop a 30/10 game on you just as often as not. In the backup slot, I'm inclined to try to keep Zach Randolph around. That may be a mistake, but let it be noted that I've got no issue with pitching him for somebody new.

For the three spot, I'd give Pippen another go. He'll be 38 next year, but he's still better than most. Whether his backup is Bonzi (who I hope we trade) or Qyntel Woods (who I hope we trade) or Ruben Patterson (who I hope we trade), I dunno. Actually, I'd have no problem if we shipped out every "three" on the team and found some new guys.

Derek Anderson owns the two. Back him up however you like as long as it's not a fellow with warrants outstanding.

I would love to see the Blazers with a true point guard. Damon had a good playoff series, so if we could ship him for somebody decent, we should. Jason Kidd has a player-option on free agency. If he exercises it, I would sign him to a giant contract. But that's, admittedly, dreamland.

Still, now that Whitsitt's gone, who knows what is possible? I may even become a Blazer fan again.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

April 8, 2003

¶ Final Four fantastic: Syracuse was not my pick to win it all. Or be in the Final Four. Or beat Oklahoma. Or...well, you get the drift.

Syracuse was not on my radar. Oh, I had them in the Sweet 16, sure. Likewise the Elite Eight. But spanking Oklahoma 63-47 to move to Final Four? Not even. I had Texas' TJ Ford breaking down their 3-2 zone and sending'em packing. I had Kansas beating them handily inside with Nick Collison. I had better take another drink.

Major props to Syracuse is what I'm trying to say. They beat some very good teams to win the NCAA championship, and even though I was blindsided by it, I love that they won. It's part of the single-elimination magic of the tournament that keeps me tuning in. A team gets hot and -bang!- they're national champs. How cool is that?

If the NBA really wanted to juice the ratings they could do the same thing, but since it'd kill playoff revenue, it'll never happen. Heck, the NBA just made the first round of the playoffs a seven game series so that they could grab a few more bucks. You can guess how impressed I am with that. That's right, I'll be tuning into basketball again—next March.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

March 30, 2003

¶ It's madness, madness I tell you: Excuse me? Syracuse? Marquette? Butler? (Butler?) You ruined my brackets.

Madness is a good word for it because you never know who's gonna knock off a big boy, and throw the NCAA men's basketball tournament into chaos. All apologies to the Pac-10 and #1 seed Arizona, but I had Kansas coming out of the west all along. I also had Texas in the South.

But somebody please explain to me what Marquette is doing knocking off Kentucky 83-69. That's not a game, it's a rout and against the one-seed. I had Kentucky in the Midwest and was frankly shocked to see them not only lose but also to lose that badly to Marquette. I was also surprised to find Syracuse emerge from the East, delivering a 63-47 butt-kicking to #1 Oklahoma along the way. I won't even start babbling about the consternation Butler (Butler! Butler!) threw into me by beating Louisville. I missed that one by a mile.

Now that we're in the Final Four, I'm liking Kansas over Marquette and Texas over Syracuse. I'll take Texas over Kansas in the Final. How wrong can I be? (That was a rhetorical question.)

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

March 17, 2003

¶ Oh Kordell, we hardly knew ya: OK, we knew you plenty. You ran like a gazelle, and you threw like a girl. Good luck in the Windy City.

The Steelers QB situation is looking good. We cut Kordell Stewart and saved millions in salary cap space. Kordell landed on his feet as a starter for the Chicago Bears, and we wish him all the best. We also issue a hearty "good luck" to the Bears receiving corp. They'll need it.

With starter Tommy Maddox still under contract (and at an underpriced base salary of $650k), the Steelers were able to re-sign former Detroit Lions starting QB Charlie Batch to a two-year contract. Not that I would ever wish injury to Maddox, especially after last years head first into the turf, but I hope we get to see some Batch this season. He's got some wheels, some arm, and some offensive line blocking, the last of which he never had in Detroit. He'll be an excellent backup.

On the defensive side, the Steelers were very close to signing Super Bowl MVP Dexter Jackson to fill their vacant strong safety spot. Jackson then signed with Arizona, indicating that he'd rather be a very rich loser than a somewhat rich winner. Knock yourself out, buddy. The Steelers, however, still need a strong safety, and given our secondary last year, he better be a good one.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

January 13, 2003

AFC Second Round Game
They've now taken me off suicide watch after the 34-31 OT loss to the Tennessee Titans. I'd like to say that we were screwed by the refs at the end on the running into the kicker call—even the kicker himself admitted after the game it was a dive—but while I do think that's the case, there's no way I can make the case that we definitely deserved to win.

The Steelers played a good game in most respects. The line play both offensively and defensively was very good, and it's hard to complain about an offense that puts 31 points on the board. Our run defense looked pretty sharp to me. Clearly, though, our secondary needs a major overhaul for next year. Teams are just coming in and shredding us for hundreds of passing yards, and if we do one thing for next year it should be that we use free agency to find two of the best defensive backs on the market. We desperately need better safeties and another cover corner wouldn't hurt either.

So I'm unconvinced that the better team won, but it's surely true that the team with the better secondary won, and we need to fix that for next year. We can save $6-$7 million in cap space by cutting Kordell Stewart and Jerome Bettis; the former absolutely will be cut, the latter may be given one more year. Either way, we need to help the secondary because if we do that, we're big-time contenders.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

January 5, 2003

AFC Wildcard Game
Based on yesterday's games you want to think that teams are either ready for the playoffs or they're really not. (I'm looking in your direction Green Bay. You too, Indy.) We'll be missing starting CB Chad Scott and LB Kendrell Bell, but the Brownies are without QB Tim Couch, so I'm hopeful. Update: Bell is playing even with a bum ankle. Heinz field, 29 degrees, forecast for snow. Worst field conditions all year according to coach Bill Cowher. Should be OK if we get our power run game going.

First Quarter
Opening kickoff: Reed kicks it out of the endzone. Nice! After a couple of plays, Cleveland has a very iffy 21 yard reception. Steelers have already burned a timeout; now they're challenging. We could be down two timeouts if this doesn't work out. For what it's worth, I don't think it was a catch. Survey says: Incomplete pass. Good deal. Now 3rd and 14. Beaten badly on the corner. Ugly! Something like an 83 yard pass play. No pressure on the QB. First and goal for Browns. TD Browns. Sickening secondary coverage. 7-0 Browns.

Two run plays to start the first Steeler offensive series. 3rd and 4. Sacked at the 25. Pathetic start for Pittsburgh. Three and out. Terrific, we're sucking early. Three and out on Cleveland's second series. Better. No return on the punt; Steeler ball on the 7. Second offensive series for the Steelers is a little better, but Maddox ends up going for big yards on 3rd and 5 instead of the five we need to keep the drive alive. Punt time; Browns ball on the 17.

Too much time for the Brown's QB if we only rush 3. Need to blitz a linebacker. Starting to blitz now...there we go, first sack of the game for the D. Now 3rd & 13. Not enough, punt time. Good return from Randle El. Late hit on the Browns, extra 15 for us.

Zeroeue on a monster run up the middle. Maddox picked on 1. Crap. Terrible pass into a cover 2. Really awful pass. We should just run the ball until they stop us. Browns at the 30. Third and 13 as the first half ends.

Second Quarter
Cleveland to punt. Getting good pressure to the QB now, which is good to see. Major halo violation on the punt return goes uncalled. Not challengable. Terrible non-call. Poteat beaten again deep. 14-0 Browns. Screwed by the refs. That was total crap.

Steelers driving now. 1st and 10 on the Brown 25. Maddox pass tipped. INT. Man, oh, man this is not going well. We desperately need to establish the ground game. Three and out for the Browns. I'll take whatever good news I get at this point. Randle El with the return of punt for TD! Beauty! We were owed that one after the screwing the refs gave us on the previous punt return. Now 14-7.

Snow falling heavily. Defense getting nice pressure. Cleveland's run game (like everybody's run game) against the Steelers going nowhere. If only we could stop the pass. Cleveland punts and it'll be 1st and 10 on the 20.

Secondary is a continuing problem. Either we get LB pressure or it's bad news. Nice goal line stand by the D, stopping a 1st and goal at the 1. Time running down; Cleveland to kick a field goal. Good. 17-7. After a decent drive at the end of the half, Reed misses a 46 yard FG. Cleveland takes a knee to end the half. Pretty crappy half for the Steelers.

Halftime Commentary
We need to establish the run and move to a short passing game. I'm not sure that Cleveland can stop us on the run, but we keep passing long and if we do that we'll never find out. Defensively, we're in great shape against the run (as usual). We need to get our blitzes—particularly if it's a safety blitz—into the backfield quicker. It goes without saying that we have to stop getting beaten deep on the corners, but we've been doing that all year, so I'm not sure we can do anything about it at this point. I've long said this team will only go so far as the secondary allows us, and if it's not good enough to beat the Browns, that's a pretty damning indictment.

Third Quarter
Steelers come out running. Zeroeue on the first carry for 5. Bettis stopped for a loss. Should be running Zeroeue on third. Now 3 and out. Punt returned to the Steelers 15. Terrible special teams. Secondary beaten in the corner. TD Browns. 24-7. Sickening.

Three and out for the offense. Ugly. Steeler secondary coverage continues to be awful. Front line and linebackers on the line are having a great day. (Clevend's leading rusher is the QB and he has negative yardage.) Another terrible call for roughing gives Cleveland 15 yards and first down. Hosed 2x by the refs today. Finally the Steelers get an INT. Steeler ball at the 30. Logan down on the field hurt.

Finally a decent drive of short passing (what we should have been doing all along) yields a Burress TD. 24-14 about half way through the third. Cleveland 1st and 10 at their 30. Another long one given up by the secondary. Painful. Logan is out. Cleveland deep in Steeler territory burn their final timeout. Hope it matters. At the end of the third, it's the Browns with a 3rd and 1.

Fourth Quarter
Opening Steeler drive equals a TD. 27-21 now, with the Steelers hanging on to life. Plenty of time left in the game, but the secondary must hold. Secondary collapses again, TD Browns. Incomplete on the 2 point conversion. 33-21 Browns. Weak Steelers offensive series. Punt. Nine minutes left in the fourth, Cleveland ball at their 30. First down. 5:30 left Steelers ball after a punt. Steelers drive and score with 3:06 remaining. Now 33-28 Browns. Browns ball 3 minutes to go.

Three and out for the Brownies. Steeler ball on the 40 with 2:35 to go, 1 time out. Short passes, please. Burress with a big catch over the middle. 2 minute warning, Steelers around the Browns 40. Every series is 4 downs now, so short passes are fine. Plenty of time if we pass to the sidelines. Ward for a first down on a sideline pass. Good! Now at the 27. Burress with the catch at the 10. Ward with the catch at the 4. Timeout with 1 minute to go. Fu on the draw for the score! 34-33 Steelers! Going for two points now. Randle El to Tuman! Now 36-33! Sweet! Sweet! SWEET!

Reed to kickoff with 54 seconds left; goes to the 10; returned to the 23. Browns ball with 50 seconds left. First down, 44 seconds left. Second and 10 after an incomplete, 39 seconds. Seven seconds left, 2 and 10, ball on the Pitt 45. Pass to the sideline...out of time. STEELERS WIN! STEELERS WIN!

Postgame Commentary
This game was exactly what I feared after the first couple losses to the Patriots and the Raiders. Teams can basically pass at will against us, so even if we stop the run (which we usually can since we've got the #1 run defense in the league) it doesn't really matter. Can we fix this in one week when we play the Titans (especially since we've not really fixedf it all season)? Doubtful.

It's clear to me that Jerome Bettis and Kordell Stewart are likely to be cut next year. Bettis played only sparingly today and Stewart not at all. With the cap savings from those moves, we need to go out and find the best corners and safeties on the market. Our secondary simply wasn't up to the job this year (even with today's win). The offense needs keep the offensive line together, keep the receiving corp together, and run Zeroeue and Fu more.

Defensively, it's all about the secondary. Fix that, improve the special teams coverage a little, and we're there. If we see the same secondary next year, don't set your expectations too high.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

December 29, 2002

We clinched the AFC North title with last Monday night's spanking of Tampa Bay (in Tampa! Woot!), so one could argue that a little letdown was inevitable. And, yes, we held out Chad Scott, Jerome Bettis, and James Farrior, three important contributors. But the Pittsburgh Steelers 34-31 come from behind win against the going nowhere Baltimore Ravens was, I think, just another indictment of our offensive inconsistency and our really awful pass defense. Yeah, I should be happy about a win, but I just found it an ill omen.

With the offense, I really shouldn't complain too much. Any time you put 34 points on the board, you should win and to his credit Maddox didn't give the Ravens any points off of INTs this week. The offensive line continues its excellent pass protection and run blocking. That alone gives you a good chance to score at least three points on every drive. If our line holds and our receivers have a good game, there is no telling how many points we could score, assuming we don't go conservative (a mistake Cowher has made before and seems predisposed toward continually making).

What do you say about the defense at this stage of the season? Our run defense, like last year, is the best in the league. The front three (Kimo, Smith, and Hampton) are studs. Our linebacking corp is terrific and capable of applying lots o' hurt to opposing QBs. Our secondary is close to a stone cold disaster.

Ever since the Patriots and Raiders opened the season by throwing against us on virtually every down and cleaning our clocks with the strategy, teams have for whatever reason abandoned the approach and used a more traditional balance of running and passing. That's a mistake. Despite occasional lapses, we're as good as it gets against the run. If I'm coaching against the Steelers, I'm throwing every single down. Assuming we get there, I see no reason we the Raiders, who've already employed this to great success early in the year, won't do the same thing again.

My picks for the Super Bowl continue to be the Raiders out of the AFC and the Bucs out of the NFC, but a lot of the playoffs is about getting hot at the right time, and you can't really look at the Jets spanking of Green Bay and help but wonder.

The Steelers face the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh next week in the AFC Wildcard game.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

December 9, 2002

University of Portland Women's Soccer NCAA Division I National Champions!

I've been saying for a while now to anybody who will listen that University of Portland sophomore Christine Sinclair is the real deal when it comes to women's soccer, collegiate or otherwise. She proved me right today with two goals (including the game winner in double OT) in the UP's thrilling 2-1 national championship victory over Santa Clara. The NCAA Division I title is the school's first (in any sport), and comes after years of the women's team knocking on the door of success with seemingly annual Final Four eliminations.

Today, at long last, they're champions. Way to go, Pilots!

The Pittsburgh Steelers 24-6 loss to the Houston Texans was notable for this simple fact: Never in the history of the NFL has a team so statistically dominated another and still lost by such a wide margin. I don't have the exact yardage but it was something like 450 yards to 47. The Steeler defense in fact only gave up one field goal on the day. Tommy Maddox, in his first full game back from the a serious head/neck injury, passed for around 325 yards.

Unfortunately, he also fumbled once and threw two INTs, all of which were returned for touchdowns. As he said, you take away those three plays and it's a different game. But you can't, so the Steelers go down to horrible defeat against one of the worst teams in the league. At 7-5-1 they're still leading the AFC North by half a game, but they hit Tampa Bay (along with Cleveland and Carolina) in the final three games, so that's one loss almost guaranteed. (The Bucs, in case anyone's interested, are my pick as NFC Champs; the Raiders are my pick in the AFC. So that's Tampa Bay for their first Super Bowl win, I think.)

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

November 18, 2002

The Pittsburgh Steelers 31-23 loss to the Tennesee Titans was awful on several levels. You know it's bad when the bright spot is that your starting QB didn't literally get killed on the field. Tommy Maddox was on the ground for 15 minutes before an ambulance took him away. He seems to be OK, but a lot of folks (me included) were quite concerned for awhile.

As for the rest of the game, the defense was again sub-par on third downs. Our secondary continues to stink in passing situations, and either that gets fixed or we're done for. The offensive passing game was mediocre under Maddox (who threw 3 INTs), but backup Kordell Stewart came in with time running out and scored two TDs and successfully converted on two 2-point conversions. His QB rating for the game was an astronomical 135. He'll be leading the team against the Bungles next week, so here's hoping it stays up there.

Special teams was a disaster. Our kicker missed from 31 and 37, both of which should be automatic in the NFL. His kickoffs weren't very good either. It is late in the season to find a replacement, but increasingly it looks like it's worth exploring.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

November 10, 2002

The Pittsburgh Steelers 34-34 overtime draw with the Atlanta Falcons was the first NFL tie game in five years. We should have won in regulation, but props to the Falcs for coming back from 17 down. That's not easy physically or psychologically, and they did it. So kudos to them.

There are a lot of lessons to take from this game, and it will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh learns them. First, the good news. QB Tommy Maddox is definitely "the Man" when it comes to guiding this team. That's indisputable now. He had a club-record 473 yards passing, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions. For contrast, how about this: Kurt Warner's career high is 441 yards. This was an incredible passing performance.

It was also a great receiving performance. Wide receive Plaxico Burress had 9 catches for 253 yards, and came close on the game's final play to scoring what would have been the winning TD. WR Hines Ward at 11 grabs for 139 yards, and continues to be the best blocking WR in the game. We have a very potent passing game.

Although Amos Zereoue rushed for 123 yards, he isn't the same kind of horse that still-injured Jerome Bettis is when it comes to killing the clock. It's also worth noting that it took Zereoue 37 carries to get those yards. Famous Amos can break the line of scrimmage, and he's fast enough that if he beats the secondary he could take it to the House (something Bettis is too slow to do), but he also gets bottled up more than Jerome because he's not as strong.

What to say about the defense? Well, our front three are very good, and our linebacking corp continues, in my opinion, to be the best in football. Unfortunately, our secondary ain't so good, and they got beat on a number of third-and-20+ yard plays. God I hate that.

Special teams were OK until the third quarter when they just fell apart. Normally sure-handed Randel El fumbled on a punt return, and it was all down hill from there. Kicker Todd Peterson, viewed as a very suspect acquisition by many (including me) during the off season, had a terrible day. He had an extra point and a 48-yard field goal blocked, and missed a 40-yard field goal in regulation. You can maybe give him the 48-yarder since that's quite a distance, but extra points and anything from 40 and in should be automatic.

Ultimately, though, the Steeler coaching stuff deserves a lot of the blame here. Leading by 17 in the third they turned very conservative on both sides of the ball, and if you're not playing to win, then I say you deserve to lose. If they shore up the secondary a bit, and if they stay aggressive for the full game, the Steelers will be OK.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

November 3, 2002

The Pittsburgh Steelers 23-20 win over the Cleveland Browns at Cleveland wasn't a Mona Lisa, that's for sure. But anytime you can take it to the Clowns at the Dawg Pound you've got to feel good about it, no matter how iffy the performance. Maddox had another decent outing, and if things had really spun our way this would've been more like 30-14. Cleveland gave a gutsy performance (for them), though, and they've got a burner on special teams who returned one for a TD. That made it close.

Next week we get Vick and the Atlanta Falcons.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

October 29, 2002

The Pittsburgh Steelers 31-18 win over the Baltimore Ravens was grand for several reasons. First, it gave us sole possession of the lame AFC North. Second, it confirmed that both our offense and defense are capable of playing high level football. And third, it always feels good to kick the crap out of Baltimore.

QB Tommy Maddox was again impressive, and if he keeps this up, he may have an outside shot at league MVP. After Sunday's win, Maddox' QB rating is fourth in the NFL at 94.4. His touchdown percentage per attempt (7.3) leads the NFL.

Up next: The Cleveland Browns at Cleveland.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

October 21, 2002

Better! The Pittsburgh Steelers Monday Night Football 28-10 triumph over the Indianapolis Colts was an impressive performance against a team with a few decent players. The Steeler defense shut those players down in the first dominant display against a quality opponent this season. True, one can argue, as ABC TV analyst John Madden did, that the Colts have not been in offensive sync all year, but it was clear from the outset that the Steeler defense had returned to a near last season form. Right now we don't know two things about them: One, how will they hold against a very good offense, and two, what will they do against a team who runs nothing but a no-huddle, nothing-but-pass offense? Given the remaining schedule, we may get an answer to the second question before the first.

On the offensive side of the ball, QB Tommy Maddox continues to shine. He's is levels above Kordell Stewart as a passer, and though he doesn't scramble like Kordell, he can roll out to buy extra time if need be. His QB rating this season is 91.9, a considerable jump over Stewarts's 71.2 lifetime average (or this seasons 65.7). Maddox can hit open receivers as needed, forcing opposing defenses to move their linebackers and safeties into coverage and out of the box around the line of scrimmage. Usually, that sort of thing is all that's required to get the Steelers running game going because our offensive line tends to be good and our running backs are either punishing or elusive or both.

Time will tell if Maddox is capable of leading this team to the Super Bowl, but I'm certainly more optimistic about the offense than I've been in a long time.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

October 13, 2002

How much consolation to take from our 34-7 spanking of the inept Cincinnati Bungles, that's the question. Tommy Maddox passed well, the receivers caught well, and the Bus rolled for over 100 yards on the ground. But this is the Bungles we're talking about, so how much does it count for? Similarly, the defense was rock solid, but other than Cory Dillon, does Cinci have a decent offensive player? (Yeah, OK, I guess Danny Farmer is all right.) A win is a win is win, and 2-3 sounds a lot better than 1-4, that's for sure. Heck, 2-3 even ties with Baltimore for the AFC North lead, which is about as amazing as it is disturbing. Man, the AFC North stinks.

We'll see if this performance was for real next Monday night when Pittsburgh plays the Indianapolis Colts.

Sports | Sports Archives | top 

October 6, 2002

After listening to a little over half the game of Pittsburgh's 32-29 loss to the New Orleans Aints, I had already formed to distinct opinions: First, that Tommy Maddox is more than adequate to lead the team to the playoffs. He's got an arm that will keep defenses from stacking the box against the run, and, should our offensive line get their act together, the Bus should be able to roll up another 1,000 yard season even with this year's slow start. Of course that assumes we give him more than the season-high 19 carries he got today. At least 20 a game, I say. The offense wasn't great today, but it was substantially better than it's been all season, and I see no reason to go back to Kordell Stewart as QB anytime soon.

Second, we're in a heckuva a lot of trouble defensively. I don't know what's gone wrong, but secondary is getting torched and we're not stopping the run or the pass. True, we're missing the injured Kendrell Bell, last year's defensive rookie of the year, but the defense is more than one man, and they're better than this. Hopefully they'll prove it next week against the Cincinnati Bungles.

Sports | Sports Archives | top