Crosby, Savard, Cooke, and Concussions. The NHL hit list.

http://www.nhlsnipers.com

Concussions continue to run rapid in professional sports, most importantly in the NHL. Sidney Crosby, the best player in the world hasn’t played since last January and is still suffering concussion symptoms.

Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins might have just seen his hockey career come to a very premature end.

When it comes to Savard, all hockey fans should be saddened by his career possibly being over. Savard is a highly skilled center that was vastly underrated center in the NHL.

Obviously and understandably Boston Bruins’ fans and Savard fans are extremely upset by this. Savard has suffered some very malicious hits throughout his career.

The most controversial hit was by Pittsburgh Penguins’ forward Matt Cooke. Cooke’s hit on Savard was dirty, there’s no getting around it. Cooke is a dirty player, there’s no getting around that
.

Cooke has been suspended five times in his career, including four suspensions as a Penguin. Last year Cooke was suspended for launching an elbow at Ryan McDonagh of the New York Rangers. The play was just uncalled for and Cooke was suspended for the rest of the season, including the playoffs.

At this point it's hard for me, as a Pens' fan and a fan of Cooke to defend him anymore. There's no defending Cooke. But there's also no defending an environment that creates and nurtures a player like Cooke. The only defense I have for Cooke is that he's not the only guy in the league that makes hits like that. 

I can't also defend Cooke when it comes to Savard. Cooke wasn’t the other player to hit Savard with a dirty hit. Savard had concussions before Cooke hit him and he was hit and suffered concussions after the Cooke hit
.

Just last year Savard was hit by Matt Hunwick of the Colorado Avalanche. Some say it was a dirty hit, others don’t. Either way it obviously had a big impact on Savard’s health and career.

As a Pens fan and a hockey fan I feel bad for Savard and his family. However, blaming Cooke is moronic.

Cooke has problems but he’s just not a goon. Cooke can actually play the game, he’s just an idiot. There are plenty of guys worse than Cooke in the NHL.

Fact is the NHL and many of it’s fans just want to make Cooke be the only bad guy.

I don’t see anyone blaming David Steckel for the best player in the world (Crosby) being out of the game right now. Steckel’s hit on Crosby was just as dirty as Cooke’s hit on Savard.

Yet hockey fans aren’t calling for Steckel to be suspended. Heck, Steckel didn’t get in any trouble at all.

The NHL has a lot of work to do. They have to be consistent in their punishments and they need to learn to protect their players, stars and non-stars.

Losing Savard is a bad deal but if the NHL loses a Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin, it will set the league back for years.

Patriot Games

secsportsfan.com

I have a major problem I am about to discuss with you. It is how the New England patriots got away with the football equivalent of murder ( Spygate) and received a slap on the wrist. I have a big problem with this because I am a die-hard Steeler fan. I was an adolescent during the Steelers famous Super Bowl run in the 70’s.

 I became a fully fledged, card carrying member of Steeler Nation during the nineties. I started going to all of the games down Three Rivers Stadium beginning with Coach Cowhers tenure. As an adult, I was fully vested in their wins and losses. If we lost, the rest of my Sunday sucked as well as Monday.

Michael Vick: Now Overrated and Overpaid

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The Philadelphia Eagles shocked the football world yet again on Monday when the signed 31 year-old quarterback Michael Vick to a six-year deal, worth $100 million, with $40 million guaranteed.

Of course those who root for Vick have to be happy for him. Two years ago he was in federal prison, now he’s a starting quarterback and making a $100 million. From what we know Vick has turned his life around.

In 2010, Vick was 8-3 as a starter in the regular season and had the best year of his career. Vick put on a show for the football world against the Washington Redskins, scoring six touchdowns, throwing and running the ball.

Charlie Batch Is the Right Man for Steelers' Backup QB, Not Dennis Dixon

When the Pittsburgh Steelers' backup quarterback, Byron Leftwich. broke his arm against the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night, both Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch automatically made the team.

Leftwich, who may be out for the year, was going to be the No. 2 quarterback behindBen Roethlisberger. Leftwich is a former first-round pick and is clearly the better QB out of Dixon, Batch and himself.

Now with Leftwich out, the Steelers will either have Dixon or Batch as the No. 2.

So far it looks like Dixon might get the nod. If that’s true, I think the Steelers would be making the wrong decision.

Batch is the better choice over Dixon. Batch is a veteran, more accurate, a superior passer, more familiar with the offense and is just a better overall quarterback than Dixon.

College Football Locks For Week One

This Thursday marks the opening of the best time of year for a gambler:  the return of NCAA Football.  Not the NFL.  The NFL features 16 games per week tops.  The small schedule creates very sharp lines.  College is the exact opposite.  Since there are so many games each week it is inevitable that if you look hard enough you can find game with lines 7-10 points away from what they should be.  Most of these lines are going to feature team(s) nobody follows. Those are the games this feature will focus on mostly. 


 412sportstalk.net has been nice enough to give me a forum to present my plays week to week.  Some of my plays will feature action on top notch match-ups, but for the most part they will be on second rate match-ups that you will never be able to find on television.  So if you are the guy that likes to only bet games you are watching, this spot will probably not be for you.  But if you are the type that likes to make smart "sports investments" this will be right up your alley.  Keep in mind that these plays are for "entertainment purposes" only!  haha...

Pittsburgh Steelers Strike Gold Again With the Lawrence Timmons Signing

(PITTSBURGH, PA - AUGUST 27: Lawrence Timmons #94 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs after catching an interception against the Atlanta Falcons during a pre-season game on August 27, 2011 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)

Pittsburgh Steelers fans, you know who might be the best player on the Steelers defense this year? Troy Polamalu? No. James Harrison? No. How about LaMarr Woodley? Getting warmer. It's inside linebacker Lawrence Timmons. 

Steelers Receiving Corp - What to do?

After the loss of Santonio Holmes during the 2010 off-season, nobody could have ever imagined that the Steelers would be where they are today in terms of receivers.  A year ago, Hines Ward was pretty much the only Steelers receiver who was known league wide.  Now, Ward has even been surpassed by Mike Wallace as the number one receiver, while Emmanuel Sanders, Antonio Brown, Jerricho Cotchery, and even Arnaz Battle have slipped into the lineup.

Antonio Brown Getting Down

Pittsburgh Steelers: Antonio Brown Is an Emerging Star

http://prod.static.steelers.clubs.nfl.com

Preseason isn't everything, but what you do in it needs acknowledged. Right now I hope everyone is acknowledging that Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Antonio Brown is having arguably the best preseason of any player in the NFL.

 The second-year standout lit up the Atlanta Falcons with four catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns. Brown caught a 77-yard touchdown, followed by a 44 yard touchdown catch.

Brown didn't just look good against the Falcons; he looked downright dominant. 

Ben Roethlisberger Is Elite and Poised to Have His Best Year Yet in 2011

In case you haven't noticed, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has looked awfully good this preseason. For the preseason, he’s 21-for-31 for 361 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.

His passer rating is a close-to-perfect 146.6.

I continue to hear critics, fans, media members and analysts refuse to put Roethlisberger in the same class as Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Mostly because of stats, but that doesn't really make sense, given that Roethlisberger actually stacks up very well against Brady, Manning and all of the other elite quarterbacks. 

If you take Roethlisberger's career numbers and put them up against Brady, Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Philip Rivers, who are all generally viewed as the elite quarterbacks in the NFL, he holds his own. 

Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Line: Looking at the Guard Positions

The Pittsburgh Steelers are once again Super Bowl contenders this year. That's no secret nor should it be a surprise. They have won two Super Bowls and have been to three in the last six seasons, including last year. 

They have a star quarterback in his prime, a solid running game and all of the starters back from the best defense in the NFL.

Michael Vick An Elite Quarterback? Hardly.

If you talked to anyone over at ESPN, you would believe Michael Vick is God's gift to football fans. You would swear he's the greatest athlete/quarterback to ever touch a football. The Vick hype machine is a train going full speed. 

So many fans, players and media members seem to be fascinated by Vick. I just don't get it. He's a decent player, but I don't even have him in the top six quarterbacks in the league right now.

That's not elite.

Vick is not an elite quarterback. 

Pittsburgh Steelers: Still the Team to Beat in the AFC

Let's face the facts. The national media, especially ESPN, loves the New England Patriots.It's not that hard to figure out why. They have won three and played in four Super Bowls in the last 10 years. They have a star quarterback in Tom Brady, who may be the best player in the league, and he is married to a supermodel. And they play in a big market that is close to the ESPN headquarters. 


So of course ESPN is going to shove the Patriots down our throats. 

Here Comes the Cavalry

(Photo by Abelimages/Getty Images)

July 22, 2011 was the date. What is so meaningful about that date? In my opinion, that is the day the Pirates season turned for the worst. Most people will point to the 19-inning Jerry Meals travesty against the Braves on July 26th as the beginning of the end. July 26th is good arbitrary starting point for the decline, but I think the season starting going down the tubes before that.

On Friday, July 22, 2011, Alex Presley went 0-4 in a loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. The 0-4 was no big deal, but the injury to his hand was a big deal. Alex Presley was placed on the DL for a left hand contusion retroactive for July 23. This was awful news because the Pirates were winning on the legs of Alex Presley and Chase D'Arnaud (more on him later).

Sidney Crosby Update

Last night via Twitter,  the Pittsburgh Penguins released an official update regarding Sidney Crosby. The most important part of the update was this: 
"The latest steps in Sidney Crosby’s recovery from a concussion have been visits to leading specialists around the country to monitor his progress. Their conclusion is that he will make a full recovery – it just takes time."


Not really much news as far as I'm concerned. Some were getting worried because of the lack of reports and news on Crosby. As far as I'm concerned there was nothing that showed me that there is a setback with Crosby, so that's good. 

Troy Polmalu/Mike Wallace Not Going Anywhere

So the Pittsburgh Steelers resigned Lawerence Timmons to a six-year $50 million contract. That’s great. Timmons is a good inside linebacker, and one of the only defensive starters on the Steelers that is under the age of 30.

LaMarr Woodley is the other starter under 30, and he also received a brand new contract by the Steelers.

Meanwhile, Troy Polamalu’s contract is up after this season. Steelernation is panicking. Why have the Steelers not locked up the reining defensive player of the year? Is it because of money? Are they waiting to

Steelers Should Cut Either William Gay or Bryant McFadden

I wrote about it a few weeks ago; in terms of talent and depth, the Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest weakness is their secondary. Troy Polamalu is the best safety, and arguably the best defensive player, in the NFL, Ryan Clark is good enough to start for almost any team and Ike Taylor is a shut-down corner.

After that, the Steelers don't have much. William Gay has made zero progress since his rookie year. Gay gets picked on all day like he's a wimpy school-yard boy and the opposing receiver-quarterback tandem is the school-yard bully.

Buy or sell the future of the Pittsburgh Pirates organization? As Clint Hurdle says: I’m All In

sportsbusinessdaily.com

As an avid baseball fan that happens to have grown up in the city of Pittsburgh, I have been compelled to
follow the Pirates. They are the hometown team of course! Unfortunately, being a fan of the Pittsburgh Pirates for the last 19 years has been a losing proposition to say the least.  I mean the Pirates have not had a winning record since I was 5 years old! How has it gotten this bad? It hasn't been easy. Bad decision afterbad decision after bad decision.

Pirates Sign Tabata: Signing McCutchen/Walker is the Key

bagdragger.com

The Pittsburgh Pirates are trying their best to show their fan-base that they're committed to trying to win and spend money.

The Pirates signed outfielder Jose Tabata to a deal that guarantees him $15 million and controls his rights through 2019..

The New Ben Roethlisberger

Ben Roethlisberger is one of the most criticized athletes Pittsburgh has ever been around. He is still widely discarded today.

When Ben Roethlisberger won Super Bowl XL he was on an emotional high. Everything he ever dreamed of basically came true at such a young age and so far left to go in his professional career. First he was drafted in the 1st round of the NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the greatest football franchise of all time. He then won a Super Bowl. Something players play their whole careers for but never achieve and he accomplished that dream.

2011 NFL Season Predictions

It's football time again.  Just months ago, there were doubts as to whether or not the 2011 NFL season would even happen.  Now here we are, looking forward to yet another year of football.

Since this is a Pittsburgh site, I'll go ahead and start off with the AFC North.  Many critics feel that this will be the year for the Ravens.  According to most magazines, it seems as if every year is the Ravens year.  Around this time last year, the Ravens were of course predicted to win the division.  Some people never learn...

Top 15 Players in the AFC North

Due to the success of the Steelers and Ravens in recent years, many people would concur that the AFC North is the best division in football.  Being an avid follower of the AFC North since its formation in 2002, I have made a list of the division's top 15 players for the 2011 season.

Steelers silence the “Dream Team”

Michael Vick is overrated.  Always has been; always will be.  Last night, the Steelers defense exposed Vick’s weaknesses.  He played the entire first half, going 5 for 12 for 47 yards with 3 interceptions.  The Eagles first team went scoreless against the Steelers in the first half.  The dream team’s defense wasn’t looking too stellar either. Ben Roethlisberger played a quarter and a half, going 8 for 12, with 125 yards and 2 touchdowns.  Rashard Mendenhall and Isaac Redman combined for 54 total yards.  Antonio Brown had one touchdown catch, while Hines Ward grabbed another.  Newcomer Jericho Cotchery also hauled in a touchdown pass thrown by back-up Byron Leftwich.

The Steelers led 21-0 at halftime…  Against the Eagles first team.

The Steelers reserves held Philly scoreless throughout the 3^rd quarter.  Larry Foote picked off a pass thrown by Vince Young, which was quite possibly the worst pass thrown all night.  Swayze Waters’ field goal added to the Steelers lead early on in the 4^th quarter.  Mike Kafka of the Eagles threw two garbage touchdowns to Gerald Jones late in the fourth. 

Steelers 24, Eagles 14

Written by Alex Muchnok

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Pittsburgh Steelers: Quick Preseason Thoughts

 The Pittsburgh Steelers are 0-1. Quick, everyone in the Steeler Nation start panicking. No, please don't. Preseason actually means very little, especially when it comes to the Steelers.
Some quick thoughts from the Steelers/Redskins game:

Offense:
Ben Roethlisberger OVERTHREW Mike Wallace on a deep ball. Who's fault is it? I blame the offensive line. Ben threw the ball quicker than he should have because he knows he's going to get hit at some point.

If the Steelers have to start Chris Scott (offensive guard) at any point this year, well then it's time to start panicking. Scott might have been the worst player on the field for the Steelers

Outside of Maurkice Pouncey and Willie Colon, the Steeler's offensive line is not good, at all. Maybe worse than last year's unit.

Dennis Dixon sucks. 1-10 against third stringers and guys that won't be in the league next month. The funny thing is that Dixon wanted a trade to compete for a starting job. Can the Steelers trade players to the Pittsburgh Power? 

Antonio Brown is the real deal. I feel bad for Emmanuel Sanders because with Brown emerging and the Jerricho Cotchery signing, I think Sanders might get lost in the shuffle for a while.

Remember all of "yinz" that were worried about the lack of running back depth and the Baron Batch injury? Isaac Redman sure looked good, didn't he?

Arnaz Battle dropped three passes. I don't think his special teams play is good enough to earn a roster spot this year. The Steelers have five good receivers and can't keep six. Good bye, Arnaz.

Defense:
Steeler's first round pick Cameron Heyward looks like the real deal. He was one of the best players on the field and I like his future a lot more than Ziggy Hood's.

I guess Aaron Smith is going to be the starter. He started over Hood and even played more snaps than Hood. Can't find a problem with that.

William Gay still stinks. In fact, I thought he even looked worse. That's not good news for the Steelers considering Ike Taylor has a broken finger and we haven't seen Bryant McFadden yet.

Lawerence Timmons almost got seriously injured deep into the first half. Why in the hell was he still in there? Come on, Tomlin!

Keenan Lewis really disappointed me. He wasn't awful, but man, he really didn't take advantage of his playing time. Maybe I overestimated him?

Jason Worilds is going to be a bust. I heard he was having a good camp, but he was not very good against the Redskins. Although he's not Alonzo Jackson, yet.

Crezdon Butler looked confused at times, which again isn't good because I'm just begging for either he or Lewis to take plays away from Gay.

Overall, the night was about the young guys. Steeler fans should be ecstatic about Antonio Brown and Cameron Heyward. At the same time, I'm once again worried about the secondary and the offensive line. Roethlisberger's throws are always rushed and he's always forced to improvise, because of the lack of protection.

The secondary continues to rely on the pass rush. Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor are the only above average players back there. Taylor is the only corner that can watch receivers one on one without continually getting beat play after play.

Jerricho Cotchery, who was signed for the league veteran minimum contract, will make his debut this Thursday against the Philadelphia Eagles. Cotchery, who lead the Jets in receiving two of the last three years, gives the Steelers one of the deepest receiving cores in the league.

Limas Sweed was waived by the Steelers (I saw that coming). Sweed will go down as one of the Steelers biggest busts. Hey, at least he had that big block against the Baltimore Ravens in the 2008 AFC Championship game.

The Steelers also signed two defensive backs Macho Harris and Kevin Dockery. That shows me that they are at least acknowledging the fact that the depth and talent in the secondary isn't where it should be. Not sure if either makes the team, but competition is always a good thing.

Jim McIsaac/Getty Images

 

 Looking at the Eagles game:
The Eagles will be a much bigger test for the Steelers. I'm sure the announcers will tell you that the Eagles are one of the most talented teams ever assembled and that Michael Vick is the greatest player to ever touch the football. Again, it's just preseason and I'll bet my left nut that the Eagles don't get past the second round in the playoffs.

What to look for with the Steelers:
The Steelers receivers vs. three lock-down cornerbacks. In Super Bowl XLV, the Steeler's receivers had a tough time getting open against the Green Bay Packers. I'm interested to see how they'll do against Nnamdi Asomugha and company.

The Eagles are usually a blitz happy team. I"m not sure what kind of pressure they'll bring against the Steelers, but it will be a much bigger test for this offensive line.

The Steelers front seven versus Michael Vick. The Eagles run a lot of screens and Vick runs a lot himself. I want to see the Steelers keep Vick in the pocket and not over commit.

The new guys Cotchery, Harris and Dockery. Can they pick up the system that quick? Can they compete for some playing time?

Offensive guard: Chris Scott's not the answer. Apparently Tony Hills has impressed. Can he take the job? What about Doug Legursky and Ramon Foster?

Ziggy Hood: Heyward has impressed and Aaron Smith looks like Aaron Smith. Hood's playing time could be hard to come by this year.

More Isaac Redman: Redman looked great last week. Mendenhall doesn't need a lot of work. Let Redman take a lot of snaps in different situations. See what he really has.

No key injuries. Just like all preseason games the Steelers need Troy Polamalu, Roethlisberger and all of their key players healthy. Let the young guys play.

Game time is Thursday, 8:00 p.m. EST



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Is Mike Tomlin Already a Better Coach Than Bill Cowher?

Mike Tomlin has taken the Pittsburgh Steelers to two Super Bowls in just four seasons as a head coach, winning one. Tomlin is also the youngest head coach to win a Super Bowl, and is the youngest two reach two Super Bowls.


When Tomlin got hired as the Steelers' head coach in 2007, there was plenty of skepticism.

San Diego Chargers' Quarterback Philip Rivers Can't Be Considered Elite Yet

 

When you talk about quarterbacks nowadays, the one word you hear get tossed around is "elite." You'll hear people say, "This guy's elite, and this guy isn't."

 The word itself might end up being overrated because of the way people tend to overuse it. It's also still unknown how many QBs should be labeled as elite and what the actual criteria is. 
Philip Rivers, the quarterback of the San Diego Chargers, has had his name tossed around in the category of elite quarterbacks in the NFL.