Some things never change. The Steelers still can’t beat the Patriots in New England and probably never will as long as Belichick and Brady are running the show. It was another pathetic performance by the Black and Gold in Foxborough. They were absolutely dominated. The road to the Super Bowl still runs through New England. And for that reason, the Steelers will never get to the big game.
• Mike Tomlin and his staff were equally horrendous in the opener. I’ll never understand why Tomlin chose to kick a field goal in the third quarter after the Steelers couldn’t punch it in from the one and were down three scores. Yea, that helped. Defensive coordinator Keith Butler still can’t figure out a way to stop the Patriots’ short passing game when everyone knew what they would do. And offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner’s offensive game plan was so inept that it could have gotten many coaches fired.
• The Steelers’ offense was horrible. They did absolutely nothing. So much for the receiving corps stepping up without Mr. Big Chest. Donte Moncrief, who was brought in as a free agent, was brutal. He had more drops than catches. Tight end Vance McDonald was invisible. He would have been better off buying a seat in the stands.
• If he wasn’t already despised in Pittsburgh, Antonio Brown is now most likely the most hated man in The Burgh. It’s hard to figure out how Brown was able to talk his way out of Pittsburgh, act like a total idiot in Oakland and then get rewarded with a new deal with the rival New England Patriots. Of course he ended up in New England. The Pats have a history of taking on head cases. They will do whatever it takes to win, even when it means bringing in bad guys. Though it’s impossible to prove, I would not be surprised if Brown had plotted to get to New England all along. This just doesn’t pass the smell test. Here’s to hoping the Brown experiment blows up in New England.
• For a team that many picked to win the Super Bowl this year, the Cleveland Browns, one of only four teams to never even appear in the big game, sure stunk it up in their opener. I watched the game and loved seeing the Browns lay an egg. And they laid a big one. Cleveland will be good this year, and for years to come. But let’s hold off on the Super Bowl talk, OK?
• IUP wasn’t pretty in its opener against New Haven, but the Hawks managed to win at home. IUP has a really talented team and they will continue to get better each week. I think IUP is really going to surprise a lot of people this year.
• Penn State actually trailed Buffalo at halftime. The Nittany Lions looked pretty bad early in their game in Happy Valley. By the second half Penn State got it in gear and went on to a resounding victory. The Lions have a lot of things to clean up on both sides of the ball, that’s for sure.
• Pitt got a career day from quarterback Kenny Pickett on their way to a victory over Ohio. The Panthers only won by ten, which might be cause for concern. Pitt had better be a lot better next week when they head to Happy Valley.
• This is the final game in the Pitt-Penn State series. I’ve said all along that I would like to see the two teams play each year. It’s a great rivalry and one fans definitely want to see. Penn State hammered Pitt last year at Heinz Field. I really expect Penn State to win again, but not as big. It’s a shame we won’t see these teams battle again anytime soon.
• I was at PNC Park Saturday night to watch the Buccos take on the St. Louis Cardinals. It was all St. Louis from the start. The Cards are the gold standard of the division. They took the series from the Bucs on Sunday and ended up going 14-5 against Pittsburgh this season. Think about that for a minute. Next time Pirates’ GM Neal Huntington rattles off all his meaningless stats about how close the Pirates are to contending in the division look at the Pirates vs Cards. It’s not even close where these two organizations are.
• Hard to believe but hockey season is almost here. Game On!
