When Roger Goodell first took over for Paul Tagliabue as the commissioner of the NFL in 2006, I was excited for the change. He came off as a hard-nosed ruler, who wasn't going to cut the players any slack. You break the rules — or more importantly, the law — then you get suspended and fined. I loved it. Then Goodell expressed his interest in tightening up the game to protect the players. The NFL has done everything in its power to protect the quarterbacks and wide receivers. I like the ... Read More
Archives for October 2013
Giguere shuts the door on Pittsburgh
The Penguins did everything right to win against the hottest team in the Western Conference except score a goal. Jean-Sebastien Giguere made sure of that. The Colorado Avalanche stymied the Pittsburgh Penguins despite being out shot 34-14, in a 1-0 win Monday night at Consol Energy Center. Marc-Andre Fleury was also impressive, stopping the Avalanche on 13 of 14 shots. The Avs didn't produce a lot of offense, but when they did, they had excellent scoring chances. Fleury robbed Milan ... Read More
Steelers Report Card after second straight win
The Pittsburgh Steelers made a statement Sunday at Heinz Field against the Baltimore Ravens. That statement reads “We just may not be dead yet." After a 19-16 victory against their AFC North rivals gave the Steelers a second consecutive win after an 0-4 start, the Steelers showed enough on both sides of the ball Sunday to give Steelers' fans a glimmer of hope going forward. With that being said, let's take a look at how each position graded out against the Ravens. Quarterback: I may ... Read More
Liriano Named Sporting News NL Comeback POY
Follow @TBerardi_OVA Francisco Liriano has been named the Sporting News NL Comeback Player of the Year as voted by the NL players. Liriano posted a 16 - 8 record with a 3.02 ERA in 26 starts for the Pirates while striking out 163 batters and walking 63. He was signed in the offseason to a two-year, seven million dollar deal which had been reworked down from a larger amount after he suffered a broken non-throwing arm on Christmas Day of last year while playing with his children. The injury ... Read More
Steelers aren’t back yet, but are on their way
With Week 7 now closed, one question seems to begin circling just a tad: Are the Steelers are back? My very first rebuttal to that is simply - really? I mean sure, in two weeks they won twice, but they were 0-4 two weeks ago. I would think that in order to determine if the Steelers as back after four terrible weeks, wouldn’t they need four good weeks in return? On average, that’s a fair request, is it not? I can see how some Pittsburghers would feel joyous over the last two weeks. After all, ... Read More
Playoffs? Don’t count out the Steelers
Just two weeks ago, some if not all Steeler fans were conceding the 2013 season, chalking it up as a loss and as a rebuilding year. Some were even wondering if the Steelers should just tank the season and play for a higher draft pick. Although they would obviously never admit to this, it is now obvious the Steelers are not taking that route. And all of a sudden the AFC North (and yes I know the Bengals are 5-2) is looking pretty mediocre, and that is being kind. Again, yes Cincinnati somehow ... Read More
Cup of Joe: Can the Flyers please be good again?
Rivalry - a competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field. Without rivalries in sports, they are nothing but games. Rivalries are what fans live for. For the past 10 years, you've had the Tom Brady and Peyton Manning national rivalry. In the NBA, you have the old school Boston Celtics vs. Los Angeles Lakers, or the new school Kobe vs. LeBron. It's what we all look forward to. In Pittsburgh, we are lucky enough to have had two of the better rivalries over the past ... Read More
Steelers have momentum beating Ravens
What it means: In a word, everything. The Steelers needed consecutive wins to build their confidence and to stay relevant in both the AFC North and conference playoff picture. They didn’t make it easy on their fans or coach Mike Tomlin, but they gritted out their first regular-season win over Baltimore at Heinz Field since 2009. Emmanuel Sanders nearly won the game with a late kickoff return for a touchdown. After officials ruled he had stepped out at the Steelers’ 34-yard line, Ben ... Read More
Steelers beat Ravens on last-second field goal
Shaun Suisham kicked a 42-yard field goal right between the uprights in the open end of Heinz Field as time expired Sunday, securing a 19-16 victory over the Baltimore Ravens (3-4). The Steelers (2-4) drove 39 yards on seven plays inside two minutes remaining after Baltimore capped off an eight minute drive with a Dallas Clark touchdown that tied the game at 16-16. Ben Roethlisberger led the game-winning drive only after a controversial out-of-bounds call negated a 100-plus yard kickoff ... Read More
Kordell Stewart: A Quarterback Before His Time
There's a new wave of quarterbacks taking over. Athletes like Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, and Colin Kaepernick are ushering in the age of the read-option quarterback. While these young guys are making the read-option famous, there was someone who did it long before the days where taking the snap, faking it to the running back, and sneakily sliding around the corner was accepted and praised in the NFL. That man's name was Kordell Stewart. Stewart was a speedster coming out of college. He ... Read More