Give the Pirates Credit: They Know How to Make a Statement

"We're going to have a losing record for the 20th consecutive year, and we're going to do it by getting no-hit. At home.  Emphatically, by having our faces rubbed in it by the team that's been humiliating us all summer.  Buy your tickets now for next season!"

Frank Coonelly, president of the Pittsburgh Baseball Club, may as well have issued a written statement.  Before the game.  For that matter, before the 2012 season. 

Well, it's good that, on Wednesday, Coonelly issued a written statement that preempted any notion of change (e.g., hope) for 2013 by confirming there will no changes in the top ranks of management (i.e., Neal Huntington, Kyle Stark, Greg Smith).

No hits in 27 at-bats.  Against the "great" Homer Bailey, who has surrendered, what, about a hit per inning all season? 

In a game that the Pirates had an opportunity to show their mettle, their spunk, their pride, their fight,  they laid down meekly, like lambs.  That's who they are. 

Not the brash, swaggering, swashbuckling, buccanering, privateering Pittsburgh Pirates.

More like the Pittsburgh Lambs.

The Symmetrical Ying & Yang of the Pirates

Perfect.  On the very day the Pirates laid an egg to become "mathematically eliminated from playoff contention," the Pittsburgh Baseball Club's corporate punjab, Frank Coonelly, president of the team, saw fit to declare -- in a written statement only; no questions please and thank you -- Coonelly announced there would be no changes at the top level of the baseball-side management hirearchy.

That "braintrust" is Neal Huntington, general manager, and his top two right-hand men, the now-infamous Kyle Stark, assistant general manager, and Greg Smith, scouting director.  Their jobs are safe, for another year, apparently.

"Rest assured, everything is just fine, more or less."  At least that's what Coonelly seems to be saying.  Stus quo is okay.  Never mind that the dark yang of the season's second half casts a dark shadow over the bright ying of the once-promising first half.

There is so much ground for discussion here, and not enough time at this particular moment.  Some of that ground is fertile; some is fetid.

There is so much to discuss, and the Pirates' so-called "Best Management Team in Baseball" (Coonelly and Huntington) are just begging (unwittingly, perhaps, or reluctantly) for attention ... not necessarily the kind of scrutiny and criticism they want.  But they deserve it.  Scrutiny and criticism, that is.  And they're going to get it.

Fortunately, the Steelers are in a bye week -- much-needed, apparently, based on their performance in Oakland -- so we will have some time over the next few days to reflect, ruminate and speculate on the Pirates' situation.

Not much special about the Steelers' special teams

Lynn  Chadnois

Amid all the angst and hand-wringing over the Steelers' porous defense and lackluster running game in Oakland, not much has been said about the Steelers' woeful performance on special teams.  

Amos Jones coaches special teams now in the wake of the firing of Al Everest just a month ago.  It's fair to ask, What's going on with the special teams?

First of all, why can't Shaun Suisham kick the ball out of the end zone like every other NFL kicker these days?  Now that the NFL has more or less taken kickoff returns out of the game by moving up the kickoff mark, it's becoming rare to even see kickoffs being returned this season.  Not so in Oakland on Sunday.  

First, the Raiders opened the game with a 37-yard kickoff return.  Then, in the third quarter, just after the Steelers had opened their lead and gotten some breathing room, Suisham's kickoff was returned 51 yards to set up a touchdown.  There's no excuse for short kickoffs in this new NFL.

Speaking of kicks, it seemed rookie punter Drew Butler showed his first case of nerves on Sunday.  He seemed rattled, perhaps by being on the same field as Oakland's great punter, Shane Lechler, and maybe by the overall atmosphere.  Butler kicked as if he were trying to match  the veteran Lechler, a perennial All-Pro; maybe Butler just tried too hard.  

Whatever the reason, Butler shanked a 29-yarder and shorted a 35-yard punt.  Both of these bad punts gave the Raiders good field position and seemed to give their offense a shot of adrenalin.  Such punts are not going to cut it.

Also, what's going on with the Steelers' punt returns?  We cannot overlook the double-penalty that nullified Antonio Brown's nifty 73-yard punt return.  Officials never identified the culprits, so we don't really know what happened on that play.  But we'd like to know what happened.  

Brown made the Pro Bowl as a punt returner last year.  Just as he is at wide receiver, Brown as a punt returner is merely terrific, poised, polished, sure-handed, explosive and electrifying. There's probably no reason to not use him as a punt returner, but wasn't Chris Rainey supposed to assume that role?  

And, when might Rainey show something on kickoffs?  Oh, that's right, never mind.  Most NFL kickers now are able to simply kick the ball out of the end zone.  Except for Shaun Suisham.

Let's end this discussion on a positive note:  Newly acquired DeMarcus Van Dyke looks like an ideal gunner on punt coverage.  It's the little things that count, and we're grateful for something good.

Bye, week

Wherever he is, Oakland Al must be happy today.

Bye, week that was.  Bye, Oakland.  Bye, opportunity lost.  Bye week coming up.  Bye, season?

Is it too early to say, "Bye, playoff opportunity?"  Yes, of course, but ...

Now, the Steelers are 1-2 (with two losses in Conference) and looking like a very ordinary team, especially on defense.  Good defenses don't blow a 10-point fourth-quarter lead. 

Granted, two fumbles opened the door to 14 Raiders points.  The first one, by Jonathan Dwyer, was especially damaging.  It was arguably the turning point in the game.  It let Oakland hang around and stay in the game.  We'd love to know what happened on that handoff.  It looked like Dwyer just, well, fumbled the handoff from Ben Roethlisberger.  A lack of concentration?  A lack of preparation?  A lack of focus?  A lack of sleep?  Dwyer's fumble gave the ball to the Raiders at the Pittsburgh 30-yard-line and put them in position to tie the game at 14-14.  Did he even see the field after that fumble?

Ten penalties didn't help, either, especially the ones that nullified Antonio Brown's nifty punt 73-yard punt return for a would-be touchdown early in the second quarter, as well as Brett Keisel's airhead offsides on fourth-and-two deep in Steeler territory late in the first half.  

Still, even with the two fumbles and all the penalties, the defense never made a big play, just like in the opener at Denver.  It doesn't matter that James Harrison and Troy Polamalu missed the game. 

"We play with the guys we have" and "Next man up" are the watchwords from the coaching staff, and the Steelers lost with the guys they played.  The pass rush was lacking, again, despite a good effort from Lamarr Woodley, again.  Where was Chris Carter?  Jason Worilds?  Anybody, anybody from the front line?  Ziggy Hood? Cameron Heyward? Casey Hampton?  Even usually reliable veteran Brett Keisel inexplicably made a very un-veteran bonehead move when he went offsides on forth-and-two at the six yard line.

On Darren McFadden's 64-yard first-quarter touchdown run, Ziggy Hood missed a tackle, and Lawrence Timmons and Ryan Mundy both looked flat-footed and out of position. 

In the second half, the defense allowed the Raiders to score 20 points.  Not good. 

On offense, Roethlisberger and the receivers were generally good.  Roethlsiberger completed passes to ten different receivers in the first half alone, and Todd Haley's play calling helped orchestrate a dominant time-of-possession advantage despite a lackluster running game.  Just 54 yards rushing? 

Unfortunately, the offensive line never got any push up front for the running game, and to our untrained eye, it looked like Willie Colon and Ramon Foster both struggled, badly, again.

Make no mistake: This was a bad loss. This team has warts and blemishes, and all were on display yesterday in the harsh Oakland sun.

Wherever Oakland Al Davis is today, he must be grinning fiendishly, wolfishly, malevolently.

Oakland vs. Pittsburgh: There's a Bit of History

An ugly place.

There's a bit of history between the Steelers and Raiders to say the least.  D'ya think?

Nearly a year after Oakland Al Davis's death, not much has changed in that other city by the Bay.  Although the Raiders are off to a calamitous 0-2 start that must have Mr. Pride 'n Poise rolling in his grave, Oakland's Alameda County Coliseum will always be an unfriendly environment for visiting teams.  As we noted last year, on the day Al Davis died:

"The late, great Hunter S. Thompson wrote often and at length about Oakland Al, and it is all worth reading. As HST noted, Al Davis was the persona and identity of the Raiders and everything that went with the team's mystique:

"Every game was a terrifying adventure, win or lose, and the Raiders of the '70s usually won -- except in Pittsburgh, where cruel things happened and many dreams died horribly. You could see the early beginnings of what would evolve into the massive Raider Nation, which is beyond doubt the sleaziest and rudest and most sinister mob of thugs and whackos ever assembled in such numbers under a single "roof," so to speak, anywhere in the English-speaking world. No doubt there are other profoundly disagreeable cults that meet from time to time in most of the 50 states."

Oakland Raiders fans in the so-called "Black Hole."

Something to look forward to, and, yes, looking back, we would be remiss not to note the last time the Steelers went to Oakland Alameda Coliseum, on  Oct. 26, 2006.  

Somehow, Oakland won, 20-13, despite having been "led" at QB by somebody named Andrew Walter, who was sacked six times, threw an interception, completed just five passes for all of 14 yards and had a QB passer rating of 17.3!  Seventeen. Point. Three.

On the other hand, when the Steelers had the ball, the Raiders sacked Ben Roethlisberger five times, and he lost a fumble.  And, oh, yeah, incidentally, Big Bad Ben threw four interceptions, including two (two!) pick-six returns for TDs.  One, a 24-yard TD return by Nnamdi Asomugha in the first quarter, only foreshadowed the game-sealing 100-yard TD return by Chris Carr in the fourth quarter.  That's right.  A 100-yard interception return.  In the fourth quarter.  It was not one of Ben's better games.

And, just three years ago, on Dec, 6, 2009, the underdog Raiders, led by Pittsburgh native and former Seton-LaSalle Catholic High School star Bruce Gradkowski, beat the heavily favored Steelers by a score of 27-24. 

Our point?  The Raiders are underdogs once again, but Steelers fans shouldn't be surrpised by anything, and can't take anything for granted.  Not when the Raiders are involved.

The Home Opener: A Good Win

The Official Team Photo of Your 2012-13 Pittsburgh Jailbreak Honeydrippers Steelers

What a wonderful, spectacular September Sunday afternoon -- unless you're a fan of the New York Jets, who now are 1-9 at Heinz Field.

For Steelers fans, it was a beautiful day: The Steelers won their home opener vs. the overly-hyped Jets.  Both the Baltimore Ravens and New England Patriots lost.

Todd Haley's offense was balanced.  Ben Roethlisberger completed passes to 10 different receivers.  Ten!  The Steelers controlled time-of-possession when it mattered.  A 10-minute touchdown drive sealed the deal in the fourth quarter.  As the game went on, the offensive line seemed to solidify.  The line nullified the New York front seven and opened running lanes for Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer, who ran tough all day. 

Lamarr Woodley gives Mark Sanchez a hug.

Aside from a few glitches, the Steelers engineered a convincing win.  The Jets never did click.  And the Steelers played generally good solid football and made enough splash plays on offense to secure the win, which never seemed in doubt throughout the second half.  A passing grade all around.

Not Much Tebow Time
We're just guessing here, but we suspect the New York sports media is about to explode with second-guessing and clamoring for more playing time for Tim Tebow.  And, true enough, Tebow sparked the Jets immediately upon entering the game with a 22-yard run on his first play with about eight minutes left in the third quarter.   Boisterous blustering blowhard Rex Ryan apparently knew better, however, and withheld Tebow the rest of the way, despite the fact that no Jets wide receiver caught a pass after the first quarter until the very end when the game was out of hand.

Elsewhere
The Baltimore Ravens lost an ugly game at Philadelphia, despite four turnovers by the Eagles. And the New England Patriots lost at home vs. Arizona when Patriots' kicker Stephen Gostkowski missed a 42-yard field goal attempt in the final seconds.  He'd made four field goals earlier in the game, but the only one anyone will remember is the one he missed.
 
Idle Thoughts

• With Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer running so hard, how does Rashard Mendenhall fit into the mix when he gets healthy?
• Thank goodness for Heath Miller.   
• It's very good to have Ryan Clark back.  He was the player of the game.
• Baron Batch appears to be pretty smart/solid at picking up blitzers in pass protection. 
• Drew Butler has a knack for nailing backspin punts inside the 10-yard line.
• A first-quarter pass-catch-and-run to fullback Will Johnson?  How long has it been since we've seen a fullback play much of any kind of a role in the Steelers' offense? 
• Jets linebacker Bart Scott looks old.  We're surprised the Jets haven't found some young legs to replace him.
• The replacement refs were a little shaky, including one notably glaring mistake on the phantom "pass interference" call against -- who? Ike Taylor? -- in the fourth quarter. 
• Ike Taylor played very well.  The Jets' receivers did next to nothing.  Stephen Hill, the Jet's rookie wide receiver out of Georgia Tech, had drawn comparisons to fellow Georgia Tech product Demaryius Thomas, the Denver wideout who tortured Taylor last week and especially in January's playoff loss.  Taylor would have nothing of it.  Yesterday, Taylor was the definition of "shutdown corner." 

Week: At Oakland.  That's it, Fort Pitt.

A team of PIttsburgh's caliber?

It's too early in the NFL season for "measuring stick" games.

It's just a bit surprising that talk out of the New York locker room indicates some of the Jets' players see today's game in Pittsburgh as a measuring stick  -- an opportunity to validate the quality of their team.

Then again, nothing the Jets say or do should surprise anyone.  It's been a circus there for years, especially since the arrival of head coach Rex Ryan, GQ cover boy Mark Sanzhez, hyperkinetic former Steeler Santonio Holmes, and especially exponentially more so since the arrival of quarterback Tim Tebow as celebrity-sensation-lightning-rod for media blather, social media speculation and talking-head froth.

Amid the non-stop, frenzied speculation about whether Sanchez or Tebow should be the starting quarterback, the Jets produced exactly one touchdown during the four preseason games -- and that was engineered by the third-string QB, Mark somebody-or-other.  In the aftermath of the Jets' 48-24 demolition of the Buffalo Bills last week in the season opener, some of the New York players themselves sound unsure what kind of team the Jets have.

"That's why we're so excited to come out and play a team of Pittsburgh's caliber," said Marcus Dixon, defensive tackle to Mark Cannizzaro of The New York Post.  "So we can show everybody that, 'Yeah, the Jets are ready this year,' and we ain't your show pony and we ain't your circus.'"

Okay.  Whatever.  When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way.

Inherent in Dixon's statement, however, is the assumption that "a team of Pittsburgh 's caliber" implies the Steelers are a good team this year.  Do we really know?

The Steelers sure looked very ordinary at Denver.  They didn't make the big plays they needed to make, and they allowed Denver to make the big plays they needed to make.  That's a bad formula.  If they do the same today, they'll lose.  Simple as that.  An 0-2 record with a loss in the home opener is no way to start a football season.

It's too early in the NFL season for a "measuring stick" game.  For the Steelers, however, it's not too soon for a must-win game.  Yeah, we're saying it:  Must-win.  The Steelers lose today, and it won't be long before we're looking at playoff tie-breaker formulas and all that crap.

Today, when the Jets bring their circus to town, we will see some measure of just "what caliber" team the Steelers have.  Will the Steelers make Gang Green their show pony?  We shall see.

One thing we do know:  After today, the season will be 12.5 percent over.  If the Steelers are sleepwalking, it's not too soon to yell, "Wake up!"

Out of the Fire: Kirby Wilson, Fighting Back

Kirby Wilson

If the Steelers do need a wake-up call and an inspiration, they need look no further than their own sideline. 

Welcome back, Kirby Wilson, the Steelers' running backs coach who returns to the Heinz field sidelines today after nearly dying in a house fire last January.

Wilson suffered severe burns over half his body in a fire at his home in Cranberry Township just a few days before the Steelers lost to Denver in the AFC playoffs.

Following the fire, doctors put Wilson into an induced coma.  At the time, one doctor said he thought Wilson would lose at least parts of both his feet and might have to undergo an amputation below the knee.  Since then, Wilson has had to undergo grueling, excruciating physical therapy and burn recovery.  He's had to learn how to make a fist.  He's had to learn how to walk.

ESPN TV did a nice feature today on Wilson, and his return is right there as an inspiration to anybody who needs a reminder that every second is a gift.

Weclome back, Mr. Wilson, and a salute to you.  Joey Porter's Pit Bulls wish you all the best for continued success in recovery and healing.

We Will Never Forget

A portion of Ground Zero, May 24, 2012 (photo taken from sixth-floor window of hotel across the street)

"All the darkness in the world cannot extinguish the light of a single candle." 
-- St. Francis of Assisi

 It is a solemn and poignant day.  We will never forget.

Picking up where we left off

Same place, same result.  A slightly different cast of characters, but still:  Last night in Denver, the Steelers entered the game thin at offensive line and linebacker, and it cost them.

The pass protection was leaky, the running lanes were clogged, and, on defense, there was no pass rush to speak of  -- and the absence of Ryan Clark (though no fault of his own) cost the Steelers once again.

Ryan Clark will return next week.  The problems on the offensive line and at linebacker, however, do not bode well for the rest of the season.

Without injured first-round pick David DeCastro, whom the Steelers were counting on to start at right guard, and with second-year right tackle Marcus Gilbert leaving the game early with a knee injury, the line's performance was shaky, at best.  Rookie tackle Mike Adams looked unready for prime time and was overmatched by Denver's speed-rushing defensive end Aldon Smith.  Because the Steelers needed to keep a tight end at the line to help Adams, that limited their receiving options in the passing game. 

It's tough to evaluate the Todd Haley offense off last night's performance.  Antonio Brown and Heath Miller showed up, as always, but the running game failed to gain any traction -- mainly, so far as we could see, because there was little room to run.

The offense is a big cipher at this point.  It didn't show much.  Ben Roethlisberger was his maddening self.   Although he showed flashes of his typical brilliance, Roethlisberger didn't exactly put the team on his back and carry it.  Then again, with the offensive line in shambles yet again, that might have been too much to ask of 'most any quarterback.

On defense, there was no pass rush when it mattered.  The Steelers missed James Harrison, out with an injury, but it's possible they also missed James Farrior (waived/retired) and his veteran savvy.

Young linebackers Stevenson Sylvester and Sean Spence -- whom the Steelers were counting on to infuse some energy into an aging linebacker corps -- those two key players were missing with injury.  Harrison's replacements, Jason Worilds and Chris Carter, did nothing special, the sack by Worilds notwithstanding.

At inside linebacker, Larry Foote looked steady but unspectacular, which is his game, but Lawrence Timmons seemed to be a half-step or so off too many plays -- notably the Knowshon Moreno touchdown run.  Lamarr Woodley did okay, but without Harrison, teams can account for Woodley.

The secondary was spotty.  At safety, the Steelers missed Clark, badly, and we'll leave it at that. 

Time to regroup.

Oh, and the Pirates?  They're done.  Since reaching their season high-water mark of 16 games over .500 on August 1, the Bucs have gone 12-23.  The good times were fun while they lasted.  The Pirates are just five games over .500 and need to win 10 of the remaining 23 games to finish the season with a winning record.  We'll keep our fingers crossed.

The Pirates' Ship is Listing

Day by day now, Joey Porter's Pit Bulls are getting increasingly concerned the Pirates might finish below .500 for the season.  

Yesterday's listless loss to the forlorn, woebegone Houston Astros before a nice Labor Day crowd at PNC Park did nothing to encourage hope that a turnaround is in the works. 

The watch continues:

• Right  now, for the season, with a record of 70-64, the Bucs are six games over .500. 
• As of today, they would have to go 11-17 to finish the season at .500.
• In August, they were 11-17, six games under .500.
• They've lost 10 of their last 13 games. They've lost four in a row and are 0-3 in September.
• So, at this pace, with 28 games to go, yes, it appears they could finish below .500 for the season -- yet again -- and what an ignominious, disappointing  and humiliating finish that would be.

C'mon, Buccos, right the ship, for crying out loud!  This team is still in the Wild-Card Race!

Labor Day

Reprising last year's Labor Day post, since it still seems apropos ...

The following is from an editorial in The New York Times:

"... change the emphasis from labor to jobs and you come upon a subject that is very much on the minds of Americans, and not merely among the 14 million officially unemployed people in this country, a number equivalent to the population of Illinois, Wyoming and Vermont.

"Perhaps Labor Day should be a day to consider the struggles of so many Americans eager to work but unable to find jobs.  Perhaps it should be a day for parades of the unemployed, to remind us of the dignity of work and the indignity of being out of it."

Could the Pirates Finish Below .500?

With the month having just started, the Pirates' September Swoon appears to have started.  Already.  Yesterday, James McDonald  ("J-Mac") was Beyond Awful.

First inning:  After surrendering a four-pitch, lead-off walk and watching Pedro Alvarez botch a potential double-pay ball, MacDonald served up a honeydew that Ryan Braun launched on an arc that play-by-play announcer Greg Brown described as a "Moo-oo--ooon Shot!"  The Brewers poured it on from there to hand the Pirates a 12-8 shellacking.

Is it possible the Pirates will finish the season under .500? ... as unthinkable as that seemed at the All-Star break?  With 29 games to play, could they possibly blow a seven game lead (on .500)?   As the cattlemen say, let's take stock:

• Right  now, for the season, with a record of 70-63, they are seven games over .500.  
• For the month of August, with a record of 11-17, they were six games under .500.  
• As of today, they would have to go 11-18 to finish the season at .500.  
• They've lost nine of their last 12 games.  
• At this pace, with 29 games to go, yes, they could finish below .500 for the season -- yet again -- and what an ignominious, disappointing  and humiliating finish that would be.

C'mon, Buccos, right the ship, for crying out loud!

As Tim Williams over at Pirates Prospects says, "The Tme to Start Playing Like Contenders is Now."

Enough of that Preseason Stuff ...

Back in the prehistoric days when the NFL still called them "exhibition games," Joey Porter's Pit Bulls loved NFL preseason games.  They were fun.  They showcased new and emerging players, highlighted how your team's roster was shaping up, and offered a glimpse of new coaching strategies. They whetted your taste for NFL football.

These days?  Not so much.  Nobody seems to want these games.  Not the (veteran) players, not the (incumbent) coaches and not empty seats in stadiums around the nation (and Dublin).  The veterans hardly play, the coaches don't game-plan, and the fans stay home or give their tickets away to their college-age kids.

A lot of us fans watching (or not watching) the games on TV grit our teeth, cross our fingers and merely hope nobody gets hurt, and maybe, just maybe, some heretofore obscure guy off the street will flash something worth watching.

Inevitably, it seems, somebody valuable does get hurt.  Last year, it was Byron Leftwich in the third exhibition game.  This year, it's prized first-rounder David DeCastro, projected to start at guard; and then, on Thursday, third-rounder Sean Spence, projected to get a lot of playing time at inside linebacker, where the Steelers are thin with the retirement of James Farrior and the injury to Stevenson Sylvester.  DeCastro will miss at least half the season, and Spence, on the injured reserve list, will miss the entire season, as will veteran fullback/tight end David Johnson, who was injured in an earlier pre-season game.

Preseason?  We've had enough of it.  Let the real games begin.  We're ready.

NCAAFootball?  Yeccch.
As for the cesspool that is today's NCAA College Football, it started swirling yesterday.  If there is any lingering sentiment for a renewal of the storied but long-dormant Pitt-Penn State rivalry, well ... after yesterday, fans everywhere are clamoring for a match-up of the new titans of college football, Ohio U. vs. Youngstown State.  The Bobcats vs. the Penguins.  Exciting, eh?

Buccos?  Hanging in there, by a thread.

With a week to go before the NFL season kicks off in earnest, we still have the Pirates in a pennant race, believe it or not.

And they are indeed in a pennant race, despite their bitter, ninth-inning loss in Milwaukee yesterday, and notwithstanding their performance in August:  An 11-17 record, a staff ERA of 4.39, and a team batting average of .253.  For the Pirates, the dog days of August were not so hot.

Let's hope that September doesn't trumpet their swan song, but the month is off to an inauspicious start.