Excuse me if I refuse to buy into the hype ESPN tries to force down my throat every week. It's always some up and coming quarterback ready to take their slot in the upper echelon of the NFL.
Last year it was Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, and Josh Freeman. This year we have Tim Tebow, who gets more hype than guys who have proven it time and time again.
I get the fact he's a "good character" who loves God and all, and loves to do his Tebowing on the field to show God praise, but as a quarterback he flat out sucks. He should be praying to God every night for some quarterback ability. I know God works miracles, but even that one might be out of his reach.
Tebow has played 14 games now as a quarterback and has a completion percentage of 48.1% He got a ton of praise for beating Miami, who last I checked was an awful football team (0-7). Why? He completed less than half of his passes. 161 yards isn't exactly awe-inspiring
I know he's a solid threat running the ball, but he's a joke as a passer. Still not sure why the Denver Broncos thought it was a good idea to blow a first round pick on him. I remember laughing hysterically when they announced the pick, and I'm still laughing today.
Why don't the genuinely great passers in the league get more recognition? Philip Rivers blew another game for the Chargers last night, and you keep reading articles about how Tony Romo can turn it around because he's great.
You don't see much about Ben Roethlisberger except a bunch of haters commenting about his legal issues. Is that the real reason ESPN and the other sports media outlets cling so tightly to Tebow? In the hopes he magically becomes a great quarterback with strong morals that won't let them down?
I don't care about morals on a sports team, give me a winner with talent. These guys aren't my role models in life. In fact people who worship these guys and put them on a pedestal need to get their priorities straight. These athletes care about themselves first and the only reason they acknowledge any of us is because the teams that pay their salaries MAKE them do it.
I wonder who the Bronco fans would rather have leading their team right now. Ben Roethlisberger or Tim Tebow. I know who my choice is.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Steelers Defense "Mans" up their coverage to hold Brady in check
Moving away from their usual tactics of zone coverage, the Steelers moved their secondary up close to the line, blanketing the Patriots weapons with strong coverage. This allowed the Steeler pass rush to get some good pressure on Brady.
On top of the strong defensive performance, the Steeler offense put up some huge numbers not only in yardage, but also in time of possession. This enabled the Steelers to keep the ball out of Brady's hands.
This might be the first time in a long time I can say this, but the Steelers coaching staff definitely outcoached Bill Belichick's crew in this one. Hats off to Bruce Arians for calling a strong ball control type offense instead of going for the homerun ball every other pass. Hats off to Dick LeBeau for getting away from his comfort zone and allowing the Steeler secondary to force the issue in man coverage.
This was an important game for the Steelers as it kept them ahead of the Ravens in the standings. It gives the Steelers a tiebreaker over a potential AFC division winner, which could come into play for playoff seeding for bye weeks.
It also gives Pittsburgh a lot of momentum heading into next week's rematch against the Baltimore Ravens who embarrassed the Steelers in week 1. That game is going to be a lot of fun.
Friday, October 28, 2011
World Series Jealousy
Hometown hero David Freese hit a walkoff homerun to give the Cardinals a thrilling come from behind victory over the Rangers to force a deciding Game 7.
Imagine if local kid Neil Walker was able to propel the Battlin' Buccos in the same fashion. Pittsburgh proved earlier in the year that they would fill up PNC Park if the baseball product was good. Imagine the drama of October baseball added on top!
Alas, it's been 19 years since a baseball game had anywhere close to the implications of last night, and it left me feeling jealous of the other teams in the league who get to experience that kind of feeling.
Sure we have the Steelers and Penguins competing for titles, but baseball was always my very first love, and I'd love to see the Pirates win a title in my adult lifetime. The last one was when I was a year old.
Sometimes it's okay to be jealous.
Pittsburgh To Host the 2012 NHL Draft
The city of Pittsburgh will serve as the epicenter of the NHL for a few days, which should provide a nice boost to the local economy.
This is the kind of event that wasn't possible while the Penguins still resided in the Mellon Arena.
Rumors are already swirling that the Penguins will also be pitching for a future All-Star game, which would also be nice to see.
This is why an arena like the Consol Energy Center is a bigger boost for the region than say Heinz Field. Kudos to the Penguins for landing this event.
Right now the Penguins are one of, if not the, premier franchises in the NHL, and the league's best player happens to play for them as well. Any chance the league can get to showcase the city and the players is a win-win for both the NHL and the Penguins.
Pittsburgh has hosted the draft once before, and we'll need to hope they land better players than the ones that got picked in that one. (Robert Dome and Josef Melichar anyone?)
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Life isn't always fair
There's an old saying, "Life is not fair." People work hard their entire lives chasing their dreams, and many fall short. You can have all the talent in the world, and still never get that big break.
Sometimes it's the other way around. Pitt's star running back Ray Graham suffered a season-ending knee injury in Wednesday night's 35-20 victory over Connecticut. You knew it was bad when he began reaching for his knee before the play was whistled dead.
The silence from the Heinz Field crowd was immediate. This wasn't just any player lying on the ground, this was the nation's 2nd leading rusher. The heart and soul of the Panthers.Graham had to be helped off the field, and as he exited the playing area, tears streamed down his face. It's a hard thing to be so close to your dreams of playing in the NFL only to see them become uncertain in a heartbeat.
He was putting up historical stats this year, and you had to wonder just how good he could be. Then in an instant that all changed.
I felt for the guy. You never want to see this happen in sports. Sometimes we focus too much on the highlights, and moments like this are too easily forgotten.
There's nothing anyone could have done differently on the play, Graham just went airborne and landed awkwardly. A cruel twist of fate.
Now the Panthers must forge ahead without their superstar. Zach Brown, the Wisconsin transfer, and quarterback Tino Sunseri must reforge the offense into their own mold.
What about Graham? His NFL hopes have to go on hold for a while, and perhaps he will return for another season at Pitt. There will be a lot of questions about his knee as he tries to move up to the next level. This might even cost him millions of dollars in contract money, but right now I don't think that's the first thing on his mind.
Knowing Graham and the competitor he is, I would imagine he's already mapping out his rehab schedule so he gets back into top shape as soon as possible.
He has a drive most other college kids can only dream about. It gives him almost an unfair edge. Pitt fans should be honored he plays for their team.
Even as a fan of another team, I still respected the talent Ray Graham had. He was dynamic and exciting to watch, and it's a shame I won't get to see him play again this year.
Like they say...Life isn't fair.
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