What A Sorry State Of Affairs...
Hello again readers, I hope everyone is doing well.
The title of today's post refers to the current state of football in Pittsburgh.
As anyone who has read this blog knows, I am a huge fan of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and an even bigger fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. To say that I am a bit unhappy about the direction these two teams are taking this season is a large understatement.
I kind of figured that Pitt probably wouldn't do much this season since they had lost a large number of starters from last years team. The loss of those starters coupled with the fact that Dave Wannstadt is still the head coach didn't give me much hope at the start of the season. However, the Panthers surprised me with two quick wins over Virginia and Cincinnati. I began to feel hopeful about the rest of the season. Then they lost to Michigan State. The Panthers then rattled off 4 more wins and by mid October they were 6-1. I was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, Wannstadt and crew had finally gotten their shit together. I was also beginning to think that maybe, if Pitt beats Rutgers, they will finally get ranked and possibly go to a decent bowl game. But, alas, it was not to be. Apparently Wannstadt finally remembered who he was and Pitt collapsed, losing their last five games. So much for a decent bowl game (or any bowl game for that matter). The final record for Pitt this season stands at 6-6 (2-5 in conf.). What makes the 6-6 record especially repugnant is the fact that the six wins all came against unranked opponents. Pitt failed to beat a single ranked team this season. What's worse is that the six teams that Pitt defeated have a combined record of 30-41. Only one of the teams Pitt defeated actually has a winning record (Cincinnati, 7-5). Hey Dave, you don't get ranked and go to decent bowl games if all you do is beat "weak sisters"! You need to beat ranked teams if you are going to impress the pollsters. Dave, you had three opportunities to beat a top 25 team (Rutgers, West Virginia, and Louisville) and you blew all three. I will give you credit though, Wannstadt, you sure showed that you could out coach those football powerhouses like the Citadel and Toledo. Keep doing that and I am sure that you will impress people on the Tidy Bowl committee. So, since Dave Wannstadt has proven that he can neither beat a quality NFL team nor a ranked college team, I think it is time for him to go. Both Wannstadt and the AD who hired him should be fired forthwith. Should Pitt decide to keep Wannstadt, mark my words, next season will be no better (and will probably be worse) than this season.
Now on to the Steelers...
Oh how the mighty hath fallen. Just a mere 8 months ago, the Steelers were at the pinnacle of professional football, having won their fifth Super Bowl title. Now, less than a year later, they are struggling to get to .500. Currently the Steelers are a lousy 4-7. They are coming off of a beating by the hated Baltimore Ravens that would have made the Marquis de Sade proud. My question is "What the hell's the problem?" What I mean is, the Steelers lost very few people from last years Super Bowl team, so, at least in theory, they should be as good as they were last year. But they aren't. I think that the problems with this team rest squarely on an offensive line that has been shaky at best. At their worst (like last week against the Ravens), the current line couldn't have blocked the Girl Scouts from sacking Big Ben. The line just plain looked confused against the Ravens stunts and blitzes. I don't know whether the Ravens defensive coordinator called that good of a game, or if the Steelers line was that ill prepared. Either way, if the Steelers are going to start winning games (and keep Ben from getting killed), it has to start with the line. If the O-line doesn't start picking up the blitzes and stunts, and if they don't start sustaining their blocks, Roethlisberger will continue to have to run for his life, the running game will be a non-starter, and the Steelers will continue to lose games. Since the Steelers are now 4-7, and since a 9-7 record probably won't get them into the playoffs, perhaps the Steelers should start working on some of the basics. What I mean is, they should start working on establishing good line play, from there they should start working on re-establishing their run game, and finally, they should work on getting Ben to make good, solid decisions when throwing the ball (he has 19 INTs with only 12 TDs).
Finally, I would like to offer my condolences to former Steeler Jerome Bettis whose father, Johnnie Bettis, died of a heart attack on Tuesday.
I am Chuck, and anyway you look at it, it has been a sad year for football and football players in Pittsburgh.
The title of today's post refers to the current state of football in Pittsburgh.
As anyone who has read this blog knows, I am a huge fan of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers and an even bigger fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers. To say that I am a bit unhappy about the direction these two teams are taking this season is a large understatement.
I kind of figured that Pitt probably wouldn't do much this season since they had lost a large number of starters from last years team. The loss of those starters coupled with the fact that Dave Wannstadt is still the head coach didn't give me much hope at the start of the season. However, the Panthers surprised me with two quick wins over Virginia and Cincinnati. I began to feel hopeful about the rest of the season. Then they lost to Michigan State. The Panthers then rattled off 4 more wins and by mid October they were 6-1. I was beginning to think that maybe, just maybe, Wannstadt and crew had finally gotten their shit together. I was also beginning to think that maybe, if Pitt beats Rutgers, they will finally get ranked and possibly go to a decent bowl game. But, alas, it was not to be. Apparently Wannstadt finally remembered who he was and Pitt collapsed, losing their last five games. So much for a decent bowl game (or any bowl game for that matter). The final record for Pitt this season stands at 6-6 (2-5 in conf.). What makes the 6-6 record especially repugnant is the fact that the six wins all came against unranked opponents. Pitt failed to beat a single ranked team this season. What's worse is that the six teams that Pitt defeated have a combined record of 30-41. Only one of the teams Pitt defeated actually has a winning record (Cincinnati, 7-5). Hey Dave, you don't get ranked and go to decent bowl games if all you do is beat "weak sisters"! You need to beat ranked teams if you are going to impress the pollsters. Dave, you had three opportunities to beat a top 25 team (Rutgers, West Virginia, and Louisville) and you blew all three. I will give you credit though, Wannstadt, you sure showed that you could out coach those football powerhouses like the Citadel and Toledo. Keep doing that and I am sure that you will impress people on the Tidy Bowl committee. So, since Dave Wannstadt has proven that he can neither beat a quality NFL team nor a ranked college team, I think it is time for him to go. Both Wannstadt and the AD who hired him should be fired forthwith. Should Pitt decide to keep Wannstadt, mark my words, next season will be no better (and will probably be worse) than this season.
Now on to the Steelers...
Oh how the mighty hath fallen. Just a mere 8 months ago, the Steelers were at the pinnacle of professional football, having won their fifth Super Bowl title. Now, less than a year later, they are struggling to get to .500. Currently the Steelers are a lousy 4-7. They are coming off of a beating by the hated Baltimore Ravens that would have made the Marquis de Sade proud. My question is "What the hell's the problem?" What I mean is, the Steelers lost very few people from last years Super Bowl team, so, at least in theory, they should be as good as they were last year. But they aren't. I think that the problems with this team rest squarely on an offensive line that has been shaky at best. At their worst (like last week against the Ravens), the current line couldn't have blocked the Girl Scouts from sacking Big Ben. The line just plain looked confused against the Ravens stunts and blitzes. I don't know whether the Ravens defensive coordinator called that good of a game, or if the Steelers line was that ill prepared. Either way, if the Steelers are going to start winning games (and keep Ben from getting killed), it has to start with the line. If the O-line doesn't start picking up the blitzes and stunts, and if they don't start sustaining their blocks, Roethlisberger will continue to have to run for his life, the running game will be a non-starter, and the Steelers will continue to lose games. Since the Steelers are now 4-7, and since a 9-7 record probably won't get them into the playoffs, perhaps the Steelers should start working on some of the basics. What I mean is, they should start working on establishing good line play, from there they should start working on re-establishing their run game, and finally, they should work on getting Ben to make good, solid decisions when throwing the ball (he has 19 INTs with only 12 TDs).
Finally, I would like to offer my condolences to former Steeler Jerome Bettis whose father, Johnnie Bettis, died of a heart attack on Tuesday.
I am Chuck, and anyway you look at it, it has been a sad year for football and football players in Pittsburgh.
posted by Chuck | 06:15
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