heels, sox & steelers
...or in the meantime maybe you can teach Gabe to catch a football, and then take him to the Steelers' training camp. Given his options, Arians will be forced to name Gabe the No.3 receiver. Awesome!
I have a beagle named Charlie who I've had for four years and he always wants the attention.
Glad to see that you didn't take Silverback's advice on 'Best Puppy for Baby'...
(sorry couldn't resist)
Ryan, congrats on the puppy. We have a 4 year old Shiba Inu and a 2 year old Bernese Mountain Dog. My best advice is to give the pup lots of chew options that save furniture (and child). Bones, rawhides, rope toys, whatever. And the soft treats you soak in water and freeze are great when they are pups too.
We went the reverse route and have a seven week old baby -- but you might look for a book called "And Baby Makes Four" for advice on dealing with child & dog.
Enjoy the pup. The middle of the night walks should end when he is 4-5 months old.
You know, most of my friends call me Gabe.
Great.
Yes, congrats on the puppy... Train him early to come when called off of the leash, it will save you many hours of chasing him around the neighborhood and beyond. We didn't and had to send him to doggy boot camp at age 2 with a hunting dog trainer and remote-controlled shock collar to get him to finally respond to that command. Gladly, his chances of getting run over by a car on the busy road two blocks down have been much reduced.
Ha. Thanks for the advice, peeps. I'm not ashamed to admit that I watch Cesar Millan religiously, and bought a handful of books on how to raise a lab puppy. Basically what you have been telling me here.
Also, Cols, I wanted to name him Chidi, but my wife wanted to go with Gabe. Which means our next dog will be Chidi. Unless it isn't.
Just heard on ESPN Radio that Vegas has set the odds for next year...
Steelers are at 10.5
Pats are at 11
Talk amongst yourselves...
Frozen baby carrots worked whe our pup was teething.
We took him to PetSmart training classes, and he was totally ADD and flaky. But we kept at it, and sure enough he learned the commands. We walk him off leash most of the time, and he listens beautifully: sticks to the route, stops at the curb and waits, comes when I call. He's pretty much a local celebrity where we are.
The first year, year and a half take a lot of work, though.
BTW, neighbors of ours got a golden retriever and named him LeBeau!
Wait, wait, wait. Do you mean to tell me that kids and dogs are time consuming and tiring?
(backs away slowly and frantically looks for an escape hatch)
I'll be honest: the puppy, for the first six weeks, was way more work than a newborn.
Ryan..I hear ya on the puppy..My wife and I just took care of a full grown dog for 2 weeks and we are exhausted..lol.. And this was with a fully trained, very nice, mature dog. A puppy would probably put us in traction. But we're old and in the way! OK..the wife isn't old..she's timeless (covering my ass here)
I fully expected you to take a break from the site. Between this and your other writing assignments, plus a young family..and a puppy...yikes..time out!!
I am working from home today and watching NFLN's rerun of the 2nd Cowboys/Steelers in fits and starts. Have it on the PVR and its amazing how much of a kick I still get watching Bradshaw, Swann, Stallworth, Banaszack,Greene, Ham, Bleier, kick the Cowboys ass..LOL! Bradshaw did some nifty scrambles in that game and made some great throws..as well as some really ill timed ones.
Donnie Shell was great..in coverage in this game. He saved one TD for sure and seemed to be all around the ball most of the first half.
The Steelers..the gift that keeps giving! Even decades later.
It's amazing how quickly things go with dogs. Our boy was just a puppy, seems like yesterday... now he's the dog equivalent of, well, my age (6.5 dog years), and he's got gray under the muzzle, on the belly... Younger dogs want to play, and he's like "I can't keep up with you whippersnappers." He's still got plenty of pup in him, but I'm seeing the change setting in, and it's kind of sad.
Enjoy those wacky puppy days while you can!
BTW, I like a lot of what Cesar does, but I tend to be a little easier on our dog. Good ideas from the DW, but you have to tailor it as you see best, IMO.
Ryan, just clean up after him. Coming from the BAL/DC area, they are sticklers for that, meaning your neighbors and Police would not hesitate to get you a $25 fine.
And here's something you can get your 2 yr. old:
http://www.apple.com/downloads/
d...downwidget.html
That's quite the decolletage that Ms. Schwarzenegger has on that poster...
Welcome back, Ryan!
I have a Soft Coated Wheaton Terrier, so I feel for you. That breed is perma-puppy, and notoriously hard to train. He's four right now and not much has changed since he was a puppy. We still love him, however.
I had a Golden Retriever for 16 years before that, and he was a dream. They are so smart.
Oh! And those older members of the blog will appreciate their names: Humphrey and Nixon.
Bout time you show some love for Gabe Rivera...or is it Gabe Kaplan?
RJW...nice pull..I could not remember the Gabe that I was thinking of...
Oh by the way men...
If there was any concern about the Steelers being distracted coming off of a Super Bowl victory - check out this quote from Santonio Holmes:
"I did Jay Leno and Regis and Kelly and '106th and Park' (on BET). I had an invite to the BET Awards. I had an invite to the Grammys. I was out there around that time, but I chose not to go," Holmes said. "That's not the lifestyle I live. I play football."
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/...s/
s_633691.html
Gabe Kaplan references make me think of this: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnma...zine&
id=3712343
Well the Ravens have made Suggs one rich dude.
Is he getting more than DPOY Harrison? It sure seems that way.
RJW,
Nice. I actually tell people that Gabe Kaplan is, in fact, Gabe's namesake. Sadly, a lot of people have no idea who Kaplan is, which seems impossible.
Thank You Easy! This has to be the greatest single event in the history of Reality TV. A great sporting event and a morality play wrapped up in one! I clearly remember this as if it was yesterday and enjoyed seeing it again
Thuggs = overpaid, overrated.
In the spirit of Gabe, someone queue up "Welcome Back..." for Ryan's return!
FW, you are absolutely correct. From ESPN.com:
"Suggs will receive signing-bonus and option-bonus money that will total $33.1 million in 2009 and 2010, according to a source.
That is believed to be second only to Peyton Manning, who received a $34 million signing bonus."
Men...ahhh....T Suggs....the real story here is this - motivation.
There has been talk in the off-season that Silverback will lack motivation with a new contract - with T Suggs raking in the dough, the Ravens inadvertently just provided additional incentive for Mr. Harrison to prove that he was somehow slapped in the face....
To that I applaud the Ravens...and Thank God that he is on our side...
Has anyone used the NFL.com video gallery lately? I can't get any videos to play for me in Mozilla Firefox. I just get a never ending "video loading" message. I have flash installed.
Any help?
Cols,
I just got it to play in FireFox and I have NoScript running.
Huh? I wonder what I am doing wrong. I can't get it to play on Explorer (which I hate) either.
Hopefully T-sizzle can get his teeth (tooth) fixed. Seriously, he might be the ugliest man in the NFL. In fact QOTD-- Who is the fugliest player in the NFL?
What is the deal? I'm running Firefox 3.5 on a windows vista machine and can't get shit to play! Eph!!!!
FTID, that's a tough one. I'd have to say ole unibrow Flacco.
Desperate for something to read? Here's a FOX analysis of the AFC North. Nothing earth shattering, but we get lots of love, so there's that.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/sto...orth,-NFC-
South
DAvid,
Yeah, the Flacco unibrow is bad. But three inch gums with quarter inch teeth attached is tough to beat.
Plus T-Sizzle has some kind of scunge growing on his face that makes Kordell's neck fungus look like a mild rash.
In case you couldn't wait for the show to air - ESPY Results:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/n...tory?
id=4330711
Oh and a look at the AFC North QB's...
http://myespn.go.com/blogs/afcno...est-
player.html
Link thanks to nfl from the sidelines: Spaeth at Fitzgerald's camp
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com.../wrs/
index.html
Men...with 40 some odd days until the College Season kicks off - please keep this in mind when you are seated in your favorite chair or watering hole on Saturday's in the Fall - Great numbers in college do not equal NFL success:
http://sports.yahoo.com/top/news...ov=ap&
type=lgns
Is Olandis Gary still around? He was one ugly dude.
Regarding Suggs' contract, keep in mind that Harrison had two years left on his deal when he got his contract extension, and he is older with presumably fewer years left to play. All of that equals less negotiating power.
Gentlemen and ladies (Sarah, you're not alone),
We have a winner: Pat McQuistan
http://www.footballsfuture.com/p...c.php?
p=5357483
We have a winner: Pat McQuistan
I concur.
[*Shudders*]
Hey, guys. Writing you from London. We stopped off here on our way home. Good to see that you are alive, Ryan. Anyway, about two more weeks and I'm stateside again. Just in time for Pre-season!!!
Huck,
Glad to hear you're in Europe and making your way back.
Huck - Godspeed and safe travels on your way back, and thanks for what you do to protect our country and the freedoms we enjoy (such as watching the Steelers).
My buddy was in PIT last week and saw the following t-shirt at the airport:
"Whether on ice or grass, we'll kick your ass."
David...Huck would like to add water to that t-shirt....
(waits for groaning)
It is heartening to hear you are returning safely, Huck.
Huck, welcome back. You'll like The Sports Guy helping make "pulled a Hossa" a regularly-used phrase, even if his Leno example isn't very good... http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/p...=simmons/
090710
"Whether on ice or grass, we'll kick your ass."
Unless, of course, a baseball bat is involved.
We all know Big Ben has never lost a pro game in Ohio. For some reason this popped into my head today:
Has Ben ever lost a game in the Central Time Zone? I believe the only one was last year's game at Tennessee. Was too lazy to look up the number of games he has won in the CST (I can think of Dallas, St. Louis & Minnesota for sure), but I thought this was particularly cool, since I live in KC.
This is interesting (and free):
http://pit.scout.com/a.z?s=68&p=...68&p=2&
c=879935
I don't want to be mean (well maybe a little) but who will there be left to induct after this year?
I may never be able to watch an NFL.com video again.
In the new ESPN the Magazine there is a section that has 25 little pieces of information for the 2009 FF season, one of which is of some interest to the Steelers Nation and is relevant to the OL debate that will continue probably well after put the pads on and start hitting guys in other jerseys.
I am in the camp that thinks the o-line will perform better this year because of continuity; because they faced an historically tough run of defenses to play against (see long posting some time back on game by game breakdown); and because, as a unit, they were the line on the team that won the Super Bowl and I do think that accomplishment means something.
KC Joyner (aka the football scientist), whose NYT blog post (http://fifthdown.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/29/
the-2009-steelers-strangely-underrated-champions/) was recently posted here points to the Steelers "point of attack win percentage" as an indicator that the Steelers running game might be poised to improve. A .900 POA is a Pro-Bowl caliber, while .800 is average.
The Steelers had an overall .852 POA "give this group a full season together, and they should be even better."
The other teams he highlights are the Dolphins, Ravens and Eagles.
Also, from a past ESPN chat I found the following:
"I just completed the Pittsburgh O line metrics and found that all of their linemen were above the 80% POA mark and most were close to 90 than 80. Their run blocking should be even better this year if their starters can stay healthy and gel, so I don't think the Steelers believe they need a lot of help there."
Additionally, the Google tells me that KC Joyner found that William Gay gave up the fewest yards per pass attempt of any CB in the NFL.
I don't know what all of this means, but I find it interesting that his metrics are consistent with some of the FO moves. Maybe he is on to something.
Anyway, with two weeks till camp starts it is nice to find positive information.
Eric,
Icky Woods. 
Bill in DC...great post...I am of the opinion that while our O-line is very far from the halcyon days of D.Dawson,Strzelczyk, Wolford and John Jackson, Faneca (my fave era other than the super bowl lines..96-9
I really think we will be better along the line in terms of the running game. That playoff run to glory combined with the most brutal schedule of defensive opponents any team had faced in recent memory, HAS TO have shown them what it takes to get it done in this league.
I don't expect any pro bowl berths but I am not as worried as I was at some points last year. Starks is above average at LT..we could use a RT IMO..but Colon is at least a hard worker and I think he's playing his last year for us. Hartwig is decent. Kemo is on the hot seat but I really think he'll be OK..repetitions alone have got to start getting his mind to work properly..lol..Stapleton is the weak link..and perhaps this Urbik kid will be starting there eventually.
The bottom line is I think the guy in charge knows what he has. I didn't see them really all that interested in Oher (who I loved and wanted to trade up for when he fell) or even going for a decent FA guard or tackle. I have decided to trust the braintrust in a way that I havent since Cowher made me lose faith in his ability to evaluate and draft talent.
I have not forgotten how he made ST's a priority and turned it around in under 2 years. I know he'll find a way to improve this crucial area of the team.
Either that, or i am the biggest Pollyanna in history..wink
So I've been thinking... I've read and heard that the Steelers haven't beaten the Patriots in a meaningful game. But wasn't last season's game meaningful? The Pats missed the playoffs by one game. They win that game and they go to the playoffs. And the Steelers crushed them BTW. It wasn't even close.
I hope we see them in the AFCCG and we beat them by 30. I'm so sick of hearing about Tom terrific and his magical golden arm. I'd like to see Deebo and Woodely tear it off and beat him to death with it. And the 2009 AFCCG would be a great place to do that.
I know this seems random, but I work with several Pats fans and they are driving me crazy with their Brady man-crushes. Seriously, I'm pretty sure that they think this guy's smile cures cancer or something. And, of course, they hate Ben.
FTID
I agree, the Steelers destroyed the Pats in their own house last year. While that doesn't make up for the past playoff failures, last year's SB run is not tainted in any way.
Ooooohhh...on the ESPY's Santonio just thanked 'Pittsburgh Nation'....
Re the Pats: I imagine their fans have to be a bit nervous - the reason is simple, but nobody wants to address it....
When was the last player to come back from an ACL and play at his pre-ACL injury status?
Oh yeah
I got some tickets to the Broncos-Steelers Monday night game yesterday. That game isn't until November and I'm already pumped!!!
I've got tickets to @KC and @Cinci. Paid too much for the Bungles tickets So now I'm hoping they're the "surprise" good team this year to get my monies worth.
The Pats fans need to worry about their aging D-line, their absolutely ancient LB corps, and their suspect secondary. Oh, and their O-line as well. And yes, there's that lingering question about that Brady kid.
The Patriots are so ...five years ago. They are a good franchise but I don't see them as contenders anymore. I really think the Giants exposed them both in the regular season and the SB of two years ago. You need an elite D to win playoff games and they don't have one anymore. And I just don't think their offense will be as effective as they have been in year's past. A lot of age and their FA signings were of more guys who are running on fumes, IMO.
They don't scare me anymore. And I was plenty scared during the Cowher era..trust me on that. My focus is on the many other up and coming YOUNG teams in the NFL.
SteelerBill raises an interesting thought. Is there any list or statistic out there about athletes (let alone football players; let along quarterbacks) that have returned from this injury and have produced at the same level as before?
I read somewhere that 60-70% will never get back to their old form but I think that's a medical assessment not a statistical analysis.
Anyway, I think its a moot point. Our d is just as good as their O even with a healthy baby at the helm. And our O is better than their D, hands down.
Rod Woodson returned from it... he wasn't as fast, but he was definitely good enough win a Super Bowl 6 years later with Ravens.
Um, the Pats are still contenders and they are still good enough to be considered one of the top teams in the NFL.
I also don't think that Brady is going to return to 100% percent effectiveness. But 90% of Brady is still good enough to win a Super Bowl.
That being said, I think the Steelers are now the better team.
Why are the Giants not in the Hall of Fame game (SB winner of two years ago)? Shouldn't the Steelers play it next year, with the D wearing their #44 Lions throwback jerseys again?
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