My FB Response(s) to 2013 Steelers Week 1 Sideshow

Post Reply 2:

I can't agree with many who question our draft picks. Scouting isn't the problem. Players don't go from being the class of their class (if you will) to total bums while still amongst their peers (e.g., Heyward, Hood, etc.). The problem is the lack of player development. For example, why in the world has Al Woods sat on the sideline the last three years? He's a monster. I don't wanna hear diddly about the complexity of Lebeau's system -- dude is a DT...how complex is occupying blockers and gap responsibility? Not very. If training camp is used properly, the technique of those responsibilities can be taught during camp. 

Now, we're about to let the same thing happen to Marcus Wheaton...because he's a rookie? That's a load of crap...he's a playmaker, as is Derek Moye. Let those dawgs go eat, instead of wasting away on the "sideline of complexity". I know Haley's system can be picked up by a 5-year-old, so don't feed me that crap when it comes down to the young offensive playmakers. Feel me?

Post Reply 1:

I believe it was two seasons ago when we opened at Baltimore. They put a spanking on us that I have never witnessed in my adult life. However, even then, I wasn't embarrassed about their performance, as it appeared to be just a lack of preparation. That year, we made it to the post season. The week one shellacking by Baltimore was of little consequence in the totality of the 2011 season. 

Will the same be applicable to what will be defined as the 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers?  What I witnessed taking place at Heinz Field yesterday (opening Game Sunday to the 2013 NFL season) was beyond embarrassing and a hard pill to swallow for any diehard Steelers fan. There appears to be no mid-season fix for the debacle put on display against the Tennessee Titans. Coach Tomlin's "homecoming" project is a total bust (recruitment of players and coaches having origins in the Western PA area). Professional athletes and coaches perform for a paycheck, not loyalty to their hometown. Two, in-game decision making is incompetent. Throwing a screen on a third down and long situation screams, "just get us off the field!"  Calling a time out three seconds (figuratively speaking) before the two minute warning during a promising comeback drive...who does that?  Todd Haley's offensive schemes are fit for peewee football, nothing more. He is a joke as a coach, but he's a part of this "homecoming" Tomlin has dreamed up.  Laughable!

Finally, I'm tired of the press conferences that have more of a resemblance to an oratorical contest with one competitor, who is outfitted in Steelers' paraphernalia.  I'm growing weary of hearing about "his cause and/or ours" ... Riddle me this -- do you even know what the "cause" is anymore, Mr. Tomlin?  And "the standard is the standard" is backed up by play that proves the "standard" is poor and lacks discipline.  Being a great speaker contributes zero toward making a Superbowl run...which is the STEELERS' standard!  So please start providing the press, and more importantly, Steeler Nation, with answers that contain substance and communicates concern for subpar execution.  The Tomlinisms were acceptable when they were accompanied by championship-caliber game day performances.  Now, it appears as though you're just dodging responsibility, on and off the field.  Please explain!

Now, I believe Tomlin has the tools and intelligence to be a great head coach in the NFL. He coached a backfield that had 4 or 5 interceptions in one SB, followed by an NFC Championship-worthy defense.  He knows the game. Now it's time to stop dreaming, and put a professional football team together; because so far, it looks like the majority of the time in Latrobe was spent at a local pub, passing around pitchers of Iron City Beer filled with the sharing of "remember when" anecdotes.  Hey coach, your offense hasn't scored a TD since when (exclude 2013 week one's fourth quarter score of desperation, not domination... and the preseason week 3 broken play scramble wheel-route-and-back completion to a RB who didn't even make the 53-man roster)? You haven't put up a 30+ point performance since when?  Make some decisions coach...and they have nothing to do with deciding to play "musical cleats" with your RBs or who can win a punting contest!

Author a new "standard" since the current standard doesn't yield much. 

Punxsutawney Predictions Part II: 2011

Will we be greeted by a much deserving a early spring this year?  Find out what happened to Phil after creeping out of his hole, only to slip on the ice…  Happy Groundhog Day from Punxsutawney!

Tea Bag with a Noose

The Tea Party members showed their true form much sooner than expected.  ‘Baggers no longer hide behind the “white sheets” of ill-positioned political agenda.  The hoods are removed to unveil what the movement is really about – the persistent nauseous stronghold of having Obama as leader of the free world manifesting itself as expressions of anger and hate.

Protesters hurl slurs and spit at Democrats (PoliticalTicker on CNN.com)

Here we go, Steelers! Here we go…

Not even two weeks into free agency and no collective bargaining agreement reached for the 2010 NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers stir-up a lot of speculation and contract activity.  This is a sign to me that the usually conservative franchise has steep aspirations for the 2010 season.  Reaching so many contract agreements, so quickly and in a short amount of time, is a new direction for Pittsburgh.  It is a response that confirms the franchise’s discontent with the 9-7-0 2009 season.

The top news coming out of the Steelers’ camp is the re-signing of veteran free safety, Ryan Clark.  Adding Clark to the roster for four more years is not a bad move.  I was hoping to see a complete makeover of the Steel Curtains’ secondary.  However, Clark didn’t seem to be a problem and provided the little protection, if any, that the team did have in 2009.

Furthermore, they strengthened the depth of the available safeties by signing Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ safety Will Allen.  It is speculated that Allen will replace back-up strong safety Tyrone Carter.  So much attention being given to the safety position is of concern.  First, Tyrone Carter filled in for injured Pro-Bowler Troy Polamalu and exceeded expectations.  I don’t see the problem there.  Second, the Steelers’ secondary was weakened by the lack of cover-power and zone speed of the cornerbacks.  It sets off an alarm that among all of the early activity experienced in the Black and Gold back offices, no attention has been given to the cornerback position.  The only hope is that early round draft picks will be used to purchase quality, young, coachable corners.  My eyes will be glued to the flat-screen that late April weekend.

No sooner than I could wish it, the biggest surprise for me and most citizens of Steeler-nation was learning that a three year deal has been reached with a wide-receiver that sported a black and gold #82 four years ago, Antwaan Randle El.  There was never any clear reason for letting him go in the first place.  He practically rushed, received and passed our way to a Superbowl XL victory in February 2006.  What possesses an organization to end a relationship with such a contributor three weeks later?  We can not complain about his replacement, however.  Santonio Holmes hit the ground, running…

Finally, I’ve read speculation that ILB Larry Foote may be making a return to his NFL roots, adding depth to Dick Lebeau’s legendary 3-4 zone blitzing defense.  This will be a great move.  Foote was a great “buck” MLB, in addition to having ample enough speed for protecting the mid-field and the flat in zone coverage.  He’ll be returning in a back-up capacity.  However, if he does enough in training camp and the preseason, he has the possibility to be interchangeable with (if not replace) Timmons at the top of the depth chart.

On one sunny Monday, the Steelers have made the 2010 season (and beyond), a very much anticipated one.  Now we’re looking onward to the draft…

Obama, What Have You Done for Me Lately?…

With just a little over a year in office, we are ready to kick Obama to the curb for the appearance that the Administration has done absolutely nothing.  This seems a little out of character being that we were patient enough to give his predecessor two terms to create the chaos known as America in which we live, now.  Over the course of eight years, we found ourselves engaged in two wars, paying gas prices that crippled nearly every industry, watched corporate greed take on a whole new meaning, and held on for our dear lives as the economy crumbled and fell from under our feet.  The impact of each deserving a separate entry of their own.

So enters Barack Obama with his campaign based on “Change” and “Yes We Can,” amidst an array of disarray, but eager to take on the challenge of getting our beloved country back on track.  The American support was easily his, with the election results leaning greatly in his favor.  Three months after he is sworn in as our Commander-in-Chief, and suddenly, Americans suffered amnesia.  As if we were in an eight-year-long coma, woke-up and pointed the finger of blame and responsibility at the White House.

One year passes and the President’s approval rating is less than favorable.  The cries of relief are now cries of frustration.  Blogs are filled with inquiries directed at the Oval Office asking if being president is as easy as it appeared.  Citizens organize rallies and charge Mr. Obama with participating in two purposeless wars.  The enraged public now ignore rules of etiquette, break through their political shells and debate down healthcare policy in public forums.  I guess with his elegant speeches and his willingness to participate in pop-comm methods of reaching the masses (iPhone apps, Blackberry IM, Twitter, etc.) we expected Obama to snap his fingers and erase the last eight years of American History.

Now after listing this observation of the current political landscape, I could take the opportunity to mention what I truly learned about America over the last year.  Anyone who wants to debate that this indeed is the climate we find ourselves in, I am open to discussion.  However, I thought I’d just share a piece I had the courtesy of reading to show that change is on the horizon.  Irrespective of even this small step forward, accomplishing nothing while taking the time to carefully consider the impact and/or ramifications a policy may have beyond the scope of Washington is change I can accept, versus the lack of thought, disregard, and frivolous decision-making we’ve become accustomed to while enduring the previous administration’s command.

Read Judging Stimulus by Job Data Reveals Success posted in The New York Times by David Leonhardt.

The “R” Word

Looking back to a time during the rise of political correctness, I seem to recall the use of the word “retard” became inappropriate when using it to refer to a person having mental or developmental disabilities.  Therefore, we all refrained from using the terminology and replaced it with “mentally challenged” (any less harmful?).

Fast-forward to 2010 and the issue is bigger than ever.  It appears as though our miniscule sensitivity to the issue was enough to get us through the p.c.-filled 1990s, without a sincere effort to reform our conscience toward the matter.  Rahm Emanuel has set into motion a media blitz of politically-correct advocates campaigning to ban the word, altogether.  Emanuel’s offense being the most recent among our contrite political leadership, not to exclude our very own President as an offender.

The word, when used in reference to a person who is medically classified as having some mental, physical, or developmental limitation, displays a lack of thought and a disgusting misunderstanding of those who may be different than what we’re used to.  When the word is to insult one (or a group of individuals) who may not have the same medical diagnosis, it can and will eventually be forgotten by the group to which the insult was directed.  However, it leaves a wound of unforeseeable damage with those who the term offends.

Calling for a complete ban on the word may be premature and not well planned to reinsert a social sensitivity toward the issue.  Though it may be feeding grounds for the national media, it actually exposes our ignorance as a culture.  Not to cut the point short, but while the media is having their frenzy, do they need reminded that the word can be used to describe an action?  You know, as in “to make slow,” or “to delay”?  There are many other uses for the word aside from its assignment to people.  That is an argument for another article from a separate perspective.

My ultimate point is this – to simply ban the use of the word “retard” is like using a band-aid to cure cancer.  In other words, I can stop letting the idiom roll off of my tongue, but it does not cancel out my preconceived notions and uneducated prejudices I have toward an entire group of people.  As a result, alternate expressions of my inept bigotry are sure to eventually surface.  I think this issue, and many other cultural ills will be cured when we focus on ridding ourselves of xenophobic tendencies, and learn to embrace the idea of that which makes us different is that which makes us human.  To call for a ban on a word encourages the ignorance which we seek to erase.

Rising Tensions with China…?

Ballmer defends Microsoft as China plays up Gates’ comments Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer defended the company's presence in China in a message on Wednesday, after Chinese media seized on a statement by Bill Gates about Chinese Web censorship being "very limited." "We have done business in China for more than 20 years and we intend to stay engaged, which means our business must respect the laws of China," Ballmer wrote on a Microsoft blog. "Microsoft is opposed to restrictions on peaceful political expression, and we have conversations with governments to make our views known." The message came after Chinese state-run newspapers this week prominently quoted Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates playing down China's Internet censorship. "Bill Gates bats for China," read a top headline in the English version of the state-run Global Times. The official China Daily also ran the comments by Gates. The articles were part of a Chinese media blitz defending the country's Internet regulation after Google recently threatened to leave China over censorship and hacking attempts. "Fortunately the Chinese efforts to censor the Internet have been very limited," Gates said this week in an interview on ABC's Good Morning America. "It's easy to go around" the government controls, he said. China blocks Web sites like YouTube and Facebook, but savvy Internet users there can still access them via proxy servers or other tools. "Different countries have different rules about censorship," Gates said. "So you've got to decide, do you want to obey the laws of the countries you're in or not?" Google has said it plans to stop following China's requirement to censor search results on its China-based search engine, even if that means being forced out of the country altogether. Ballmer reacted earlier this month by saying Microsoft would stay in China. Article by IDG http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS335000548120100128

It will be interesting to see how the rising tensions between the United States and China play out.  This all falls on the heels of China’s warning to President Obama not to meet with the Dalai Lama, it’s disapproval of U.S. weapons manufacturer’s selling of arms to Taiwan, and Google announcing it will lift censorship on its Chinese division’s search results.

With the U.S. contributing the #1 economy and China coming in at #3, global recession is eminent and can be catastrophic from a fall-out between U.S. and Chinese interests.  This situation may need to be monitored more closely.