Talk about your good news/ bad news for Pitt fans

Pitt Panther fans the world over received some sort of reassuring news today when coach Dave Wannstedt informed reporters that he expected sophomore sensation LeSean McCoy to stay at Pitt for next season. While I would feel a lot more certain if Shady himself said it (again), Wanny claims that McCoy and his family have made their decision.

However, we also got some horrifically, tragically, dreadfully bad news to go along with the news of Shady's return. That's right, just when you thought it was safe to watch a football game again, the revolting coordinator, Matt Cavanaugh, somehow will still have a job next season, and it won't be as a towel boy. Nope, it'll be as the offensive coordinator for the Pitt Panthers. Again. Ughh....hrmmm...I'm not feeling too well...stay with me for a second .............................................. okay I'm back. Sorry about that. I had to throw up a little bit. It's all good now. Anyway, in case you can't quite tell how I feel about our offensive offensive coordinator (no I didn't make a mistake there by typing offensive twice- I literally mean that the man's play calling offends me) here is a photo I used to lead the column following the Pitt Sun Bowl debacle:Yup, I'm certainly no fan of the man. Of course, it wasn't without logical justification from the Wannstache himself. "Matt has forgotten more about coaching quarterbacks than most of the other guys out there will ever know." That's reassuring isn't it? I never really understood how that is supposed to be a compliment. "Yup, the guy's a great coordinator isn't he? He forgets a lot of things." Well then, he must be good!

Truth be told this might help explain Cavanaugh's play-calling. I mean, this actually makes sense, doesn't it? He clearly has had some sort of very serious head injury that makes him forget things, so much so that everything he's forgotten is greater than what others know. Say if his knowledge, on a scale of 1-100, was once a 70 (I know hard to believe but stay with me), and the "other guys" as Wanny called them have a knowledge of 50. Well, now Cavanaugh's knowledge is clearly down around a 10, meaning he has literally forgotten more than other guys know. Wonderful. Very reassuring.

My College Basketball Top 25

With the real college basketball season getting under way, and my beloved Panthers taking the top spot in this week's rankings, I thought I'd put together my own Top 25. So enjoy and feel free to disagree
1 Pittsburgh
2 Wake Forest
3 Duke
4 North Carolina
5 Connecticut
6 Syracuse
7 Clemson
8 Oklahoma
9 Texas
10 Georgetown
11 UCLA
12 Michigan State
13 Minnesota
14 Marquette
15 Villanova
16 Butler
17 Xavier
18 Notre Dame
19 Arizona State
20 Purdue
21 Illinois State
22 Boston College
23 West Virginia
24 Dayton
25 Louisville

Ascending to the Throne: Pitt #1 at long last

It's taken 101 years of college hoops play to get to this point, but believe it or not: The Pitt Panthers are #1.

Obviously, this is no surprise to see after the two teams previously in front of the Panthers, North Carolina and Connecticut, both lost this week while the Panthers beat #8 Georgetown impressively.

While it remains to be seen just how good this team is and how far they advance in the NCAA Tournament (the ultimate decider in where this squad will rank among the recent teams), there's no denying there is something very, very cool about being the #1 team in the country. I could certainly get used to this feeling.

In order to defend their title as the top squad, the Panthers will have only St. John's to defeat this Sunday at the Petersen Events Center. A game that in the preseason most Pitt fans probably thought of as a surefire W suddenly got a lot more interesting when the Johnnies knocked off Notre Dame Saturday behind a double-double by Schenley's D.J. Kennedy. Add that to the Panthers now having the top spot in the country, and maybe the city of Pittsburgh should be paying attention to more than just the Steeler game this Sunday.

James Harrison Named Defensive Player of the Year

The Steelers' resident ferocious outside linebacker, James Harrison, has taken home the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Award. It shouldn't come as too big of a surprise for Harrison, who posted very impressive stats this season with 16 sacks, 7 forced fumbles, 101 tackles, and 1 interception.

I wasn't sure he'd get the award, as this was a remarkably strong season for top defenders, but Harrison's numbers and obvious impact were just too much to ignore, especially as the most valuable piece on one of the best defenses in recent NFL history.

As impressive as the 16 sacks are, I think the thing that really put Harrison over the top is the 7 forced fumbles. He has an uncanny knack for knocking the ball loose as he descends on the quarterback. As much as some may say that the sack is an overrated stat, I think the forced fumble is one of the most underrated, especially when you can do it at such incredible frequency. So congrats to James Harrison for landing such a prestigious award and becoming just the 5th different Steeler to win it. He's certainly in excellent company now, alongside Joe Greene, Mel Blount, Jack Lambert, and Rod Woodson. Not bad for someone who wasn't drafted and was cut and placed on the practice squad multiple times before earning a spot with the Steelers.

Impressions From Pitt-Georgetown

After countless critics questioned just how good the Pitt men's hoops squad really was for the better part of November and December, Jamie Dixon's crew went out and made a very powerful statement earlier today in whooping up on Georgetown 70-54. Leading the way for our Panthers was DeJuan Blair who, after a dreadful M.I.A effort against Rutgers a few days ago, was an absolute beast out on the court. Blair put up a 20 point, 17 rebound effort, and set the tone for the Panthers early and often. The Panthers dominated the Hoyas on the glass, outrebounding them by an incredible 43-17 margin. Pitt had 18 offensive boards to Georgetown's 4, another incredible margin. Some other impressions:

-The much ballyhooed "next great Georgetown center" Greg Monroe has a long LONG way to go to live up to the hype. Yeah the guy can fill the basket, as he put up 15 points, but defensively he is an absolute liability against savvy offensive players like our marvelous DeJuan Blair.

-Let's hope Gil Brown is okay after going down with a shoulder injury late in the game. Brown was a real difference maker for the Panthers today, using his incredible athleticism to really cause some big time matchup problems for the Hoyas. Brown is further cementing himself as a guy who can do it all, as he played the 2, 3, and 4 for extended periods in the game, and was excellent at each spot. At the 2 he can use his size and at the 4 he uses his speed. I think this guy has a very, very bright future ahead of him as a pro someday. For now, he is a spectacular force coming off of the bench.

-Speaking of great bench play, how about the work of Brad Wanamaker the last two games? Who or what lit a fire under his butt? After pouring in a career-high 15 against Rutgers, Wanamaker may not have filled the stat sheet quite as well (5 points, 4 boards, 2 helpers), but he was excellent out there. I've never been a believer of Brad's in the past, and never could understand the appeal of him to Jamie Dixon, but I am a believer in him now and think he will be a big part of this team's success as the 7th man.

-How about Tyrell Biggs doing his best Chevy Troutman impression? Biggs is a perfect mucker-and-grinder type of role guy, and today he showed a strong knack for taking advantage of the space opponents are forced to give him when Blair is lighting it up as he was today. If Blair keeps playing like a force of nature, Biggs will benefit as much as anyone, and let's hope the efficiency (7/10 shooting today) continues.

-Very little was demonstrated by our deep bench guys that reassured me we can survive if either Levance Fields or Blair is in foul trouble or (knocking on wood) injured. Ashton Gibbs is a nerve-wracking point guard who appears very uncomfortable with the position, and Gary McGhee looks mostly like the same player he was a season ago. I hope one of these guys or a guy like Tra Woodall or Nas Robinson can make a Wanamaker-like improvement, but I'm not holding my breath.

-How did I get this far in without mentioning Sam Young and Levance Fields? Fields, despite what some announcers say, looks as close to 100% as ever, and continues to be nothing short of brilliant as a point guard. He is one of the national leaders in assist/turnover ratio, and certainly did nothing to hurt his status with an 8 Assist 0 Turnover performance. He also got Georgetown sharpshooter DeJuan Summers very, very irritated. Hard to say if this had anything to do with it, but Summers was not nearly as effective after getting T'ed up. Not saying it was a great thing to happen (Fields was T'ed up too) but maybe, just maybe Fieldsy got in his head a little bit.

-As for Sam, it was something of a ho-hum day for him. He put in 14 points and snatched 8 rebounds, but this wasn't a vintage Sam I Am game. Don't get me wrong, he played well defensively, and you could tell G'town was definitely keeping an eye on him at all times when the Panthers were on offense, but we've all seen better from Sam. With that said, it was very encouraging to see the Panthers look so crisp and be so successful without Young having to go for 20+ points and be the go-to option. Be quite sure that we will see many teams make shutting down Young their number 1 priority this season, so if the other guys on the roster can learn what they have to do to win when this happens, the Panthers will be all the better for it.

-I'm still having a lot of trouble forming a real opinion on Jermaine Dixon. Defensively, he seems very good, though I did notice at least two lapses on his part, but it wasn't because of a lack of talent, so it can at least be corrected. Offensively, if his shots aren't falling early, he seems to disappear. I'll stand by my statement that I made a couple weeks ago: Jermaine Dixon may be a starter for the whole season, but Gil Brown will be the finisher. And Brown would have been the finisher today had it not been for the injury. I also might add Brad Wanamaker to the role of a finisher over Dixon right now, too. Dixon was a miserable 1/7 on field goals and 0/5 on treys. Jamie Dixon needs to get Jermaine touches from inside the arc. He seems fine from the 15 foot range, yet is inept on 3-pointers. I would take that 3-point option mostly out of his hands and get him to take more close jumpers. If he starts to hit those and gain some confidence and gain a good feel, THEN allow him more rope to attempt the long bombs.

Pens Get 2 All-Stars, Give Up 6 Goals

That headline is a microcosm for the Pens season isn't it? The team is littered with star caliber players, including 2 super-duper-stars, yet right now they aren't even a freaking playoff team. I mean how do the Panthers, one of the least effective offensive teams in the sport, go off for 6 goals? Right now this team is absolutely unwatchable. And what in the world is Sidney Crosby doing right now? What kind of captaincy is that? 21 minutes worth of penalty minutes wracked up to the team captain!?! How is that helpful?

Something drastic has to happen with this squad and it has to happen right now. I honestly have no idea, except to say that I think the roster needs to be shaken up a little. Its pretty evident these guys aren't enjoying playing together right now, and the chemistry on this team can best be described as toxic when things start going poorly.

I also know that while this isn't necessarily Mikey Therrien's fault, it's also not exactly speaking volumes about his coaching ability, and unless the Pens pull out of this disgraceful tailspin pretty soon, someone is going to have to take the fall for this, and that someone figures to be Therrien.

Pitt Football Report Card

Now that I've had a few days to cool off and stick a few pins in my Matt Cavanaugh Voo Doo doll, I thought I'd try to take a more rational and logical look back at the 2008 Pitt season, and figured that, since it is a college team and all, what better way to do so than through the use of a report card.

Let me say that I tried to view this season from the perspective I would have at the beginning of the season if you had told me all of these things would happen, as that seemed the only fair way of doing it, so don't slaughter me if you think I'm too generous with a few of my grades (read: Quarterback) or too harsh with other grades because of expectations that changed throughout the season.

I also tried to weight each game roughly the same, with same added importance for the important Big East games and the bowl game, which is why Bill Stull didn't get an F-minus. I mean, after all, how fired up at the beginning of the season would most Pitt fans have been if you had told them their beloved Panther football team would go 9-4 and reach the Sun Bowl? I know I would have taken that in a heart beat.

Quarterback
Yeah we all know just how miserably Bill Stull played this season, and it's pretty safe to say that he didn't even meet the low standards that were set for him by most Pitt fans before this year even started. Stull didn't appear to make much progress during the season, and I'm not sure I can really buy the whole "he's by far the best QB on the roster" line much longer. He was a definite disappointment, with really only a couple good games on the books, and he was a constant worry for Pitt fans. I also wanted to add, though, that I don't think he is being put at all in a position to succeed by Offensive Coordinator Matt Cavanaugh, so I took that into consideration.
Final Grade: C-

Running Back
LeSean McCoy came into the season with mile-high expectations, and for the most part he met or exceeded them. He developed an impeccable nose for the goal line that few in the country can match and that was definitely needed considering the trouble the pasing game had with throwing a fade pattern. He had some early issues in the season against inferior MAC opponents, and also surprisingly struggled against Louisville. These types of things made me believe he probably could use a little more time and work before he is ready to be an everyday NFLer, but this is just some minor nitpicking. The guy is simply spectacular. Senior LaRod Stephens-Howling probably wasn't used as much as he should've been this season, yet again, and a late season injury helped derail his year, too.
Final Grade: A-

Fullback
Not a ton to go on, as Wanny and Cavanaugh mostly used senior Conredge Collins as a blocker only. I've long thought Connie could be a solid short-yardage option, especially given how often teams would gear in on Shady. It's hard to really grade him on the limited work as a ballcarrier, but it's hard to argue with most of the results he produced as a blocker.
Final Grade: B

Wide Receiver
Not surprisingly, senior Derek Kinder clearly lost a step or four after tearing his ACL last season, and was nowhere near the impact player he was in 2006, which is a real shame. He played better as the season went along, but he was no longer a top receiving threat. I was disappointed by the seasons turned in by T.J. Porter and Oderick Turner. Turner's playing time was severly cut down by the arrival of Jonathan Baldwin, which says a lot about the coaching staff's feelings about Turner. He has a ton of talent, but there are some serious work ethic questions here. Porter had something of a breakout season a year ago, leading the team in receptions, but dropped to just 25 receptions this season, and while he did produce some big plays, he was mostly an afterthought in Pitt's bizarre passing schemes. Jonathan Baldwin of course burst onto the scene, but he really fell off hard the last few games of the season. In the final 4 games, he caught just 3 passes for 44 yards, and I think he has a long way to go and a lot of work to do before he becomes a dominant receiver, though certainly I was encouraged by what I saw this year. Lastly, I was surprised early in the season to see Cedric McGee getting the playing time he did (23 catches this season!) but I thought he was a good possession, role type player, and also noticed him as a sound run blocker on the edge.
Final Grade: B-

Tight End
I will go to my grave pleading for Nate Byham and Dorin Dickerson to get more attention in the passing game, especially given Dickerson's athleticism against overmatched linebackers and Byham's perfect fit as a security blanket for our struggling QB, but I can't grade them on how well the offense SHOULD use them. So I'll work with what I've got. Byham did nothing to damage his rep as a good, sure-handed possession guy, and I thought Dickerson showed excellent flashes of ability and was more than capable in adjusting to yet another new position.
Final Grade: B+

Offensive Tackle
I wanted to break down each the O-Line a little more closely than as a whole unit, hence the grades for the 3 different types of positions. I thought tackles Jason Pinkston and Joe Thomas performed far above expectations, especially given Thomas' pre-season job security issues and Pinkston's inexperience. They had issues at times, sure, but thought both showed serious promise.
Final Grade: B+

Offensive Guard
Until CJ Davis was force to switch positions at midseason, I thought this was among the best units on the entire team. Davis was an All Big East player, and John Malecki was excellent in his first year switching over from the D-Line. Dom Williams was OK as the replacement, but that injury seriously hurt this unit's effectiveness, and unfortunately, their letter grade.
Final Grade: B

Center
Robb Houser was a nice addition as a transfer player, and did a good job until breaking his leg and ending his season. CJ Davis was the real surprise, as he was excellent in my mind after making a tough switch over from guard.
Final Grade: A-

Defensive End
Two youngsters, Jabaal Sheard and Greg Romeus, both turned in excellent seasons, and I personally think they are both headed for very bright careers. Sheard was surprisingly the more disruptive of the two for most of the season, and Romeus' freakish athleticism and speed off the edge made for one dynamic duo. Their backups, Tony Tucker, Tyler Tkach, and Justin Hargrove all were sound if not spectacular, but with those two starters, not much was needed from them either.
Final Grade: A-

Defensive Tackle
Combining the play of the ends with this unit gave the Panthers one of the strongest D-Lines in the country. The play of starters Mick Williams and Rashaad Duncan was visible in just about every game, and Gus Mustakas has to be one of the best backup DT's in college football. This unit is filled with serious difference makers.
Final Grade: A

Outside Linebackers
This was one of the toughest grades for me to give. On the one hand, there's no denying that the play of the OLB's was a weakness in several early season games, but on the other hand you also have to factor in that both starters were lost for the season very early on and there was almost no depth behind them. Greg Williams has excellent athleticism and could turn into a big time difference-maker with some more experience. I thought Austin Ransom did an admirable job considering how little experience he had before the season at the position, but was noticeably out of position at times, and was clearly raw. I was disappointed in the complete lack of progress made by Pitt's other young linebackers besides Williams. Guys like Brandon Lindsay, Tristan Roberts, and Nate Nix all had a golden opportunity to get more playing time, and while I wasn't surprised Ransom was the first replacement to get an opportunity, I was surprised he held onto the job and wasn't overtaken by any of these three.
Final Grade: C+

Middle Linebacker
I mean what more can be said about Scott McKillop? I thought for sure losing HB Blades was going to kill this defense last season, and McKillop more than proved me wrong. If anything, he's better than Blades was during their respective senior years.
Final Grade: A

Cornerbacks
Probably the biggest position of weakness, besides the QB, on the roster. Aaron Berry was supposed to develop into an NFL prospect this year and one of several youngsters (Jovanni Chappel, Ricky Gary, Irvan Brown, and Buddy Jackson) was supposed to step into the other starting spot and the rest would create depth. Instead, Berry flopped and was a weakness more often than not and Chappel may have emerged as the starter, but he left a lot to be desired and lost significant playing time to the other guys as the season wore on.
Final Grade: D

Safety
Eric Thatcher continued his solid if unspectacular work as the strong safety. Thatcher is a solid hitter and a bit of a feared threat in the defensive backfield. He did a nice job in coverage and was solid when brought up against the run. He still is mostly the same player he was a year ago. I was disappointed early on by the play of Dom DeCicco, who clearly was playing when he definitely shouldn't have been in some early games. However, he really grew into the free safety position as the season went along, and gets my vote as the most improved player in-season. With his excellent size and speed and developing skills as a ball hawk, DeCicco now looks to have a bright future.
Final Grade: B

Kickers
I grouped Conor Lee, Dave Brytus, and Luke Briggs into one group because it seemed silly to give them their own grades. Lee was nothing short of spectacular as a field goal kicker, and I was surprised by his range in the Sun Bowl. Dave Brytus was nothing special as a punter, but rarely made game-altering shanks, which I suppose counts for something. As for Briggs, well I never quite saw the reason for him being the kickoff specialist. He really isn't that good of a kickoff man, and I found it hard to believe that Lee could boot field goals from 50 yards or so yet was unable to nail a kickoff inside the 10, which is about the best Briggs usually did.
Final Grade: B+

Special Teams
Not a position, but I needed to address the work done by Wanny's special teamers this season. Guys like Andrew Taglianetti, Greg Romeus, and others were huge in their incredible ability to block punts and kicks, the types of things that can make a big difference in college football. The coverage units were also pretty solid, and while the return game was never anything amazing, they were mostly solid once Aaron Berry was stripped of his punt return duties.
Final Grade: B+

Wildcard Weekend Football Picks

Yeah I haven't picked any football games on here all season, but since every sports website I've gone to this morning has 36 different people picking the games for this weekend, I figured I'd give it a go.

Atlanta at Arizona
Remember Ben Roethlisberger's playoff debut a few years ago? You do? Good, because no one else seems to. No matter how tremendous rookie QBs are in the regular season, the NFL playoffs are a different animal altogether, one that I don't think Matt Ryan, who Merrill Hoge is reporting prepared for this game by healing lepers and walking on water, is quite ready for this. I don't think there's any way you CAN be ready for this type of game until you've played one or two. If the Falcons win, and I think they could, it will be in spite of a 15/29 2 Int day from Matty Ice, not because of him. And while we're on the subject of QBs, how has everyone completely and totally forgotten Kurt Warner's playoff experience?!? He won a Super Bowl, and made it to another one, and now he's a lesser playoff force than a rookie QB who has been ineffective the last 3 weeks? Uhmmm.....what?
The Pick: Arizona 31 Atlanta 17. Kurt Warner throws for 300 yards and Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin each go for 80+ yards. Matty Ice struggles and Atlanta is only able to stay in the game on the legs of Michael Turner. Sorry Falcons, you just aren't ready yet.

Indianapolis at San DiegoHow in the blue hell did San Diego become a trendy pick? To paraphrase Will Ferrell from Zoolander, "They're the same team that was almost eliminated from playoff contention three weeks ago by the Chiefs before rallying to a 1 point win over that terrible team! Doesn't anybody notice this? I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!"
On a separate note, how long before Phillip Rivers incites the first bench-clearing brawl in NFL history? It can't be long, right? I can only hope that the Chargers play Jerry Jones' Mean Machine team next season, that seems to be our best chance. The guy is a legit douchebag. I'm excited for the first ever Teammate-punching-the-franchise-quarterback-in-the-face moment midseason next year when the Chargers are 2-6 and Norv Turner is flatlining while LT hobbles about and Phil throws his 18th interception of the season.
The Pick: Colts 31 Chargers 14. In case you couldn't tell, I think the Bolts are a TERRIBLE team. The Colts march all over San Diego and everyone suddenly remembers that San Diego isn't any good and would've been a 5-11 team in the Colts' AFC South.

Baltimore at Miami
I'm looking forward to this one for some reason. I've debated a pretty fair amount about this game, more so than the other first rounders. The Fins were supposed to fall apart about 10 different times this season, and yet here they are: 11-5 and a Division Champ. They shouldn't be as lightly regarded as they seem to be, especially with a Parcells protege in Tony Sparano running the show.
This Baltimore squad is tailor-made for the postseason though. Ray Lewis calling the shots for a defense scarez the bejeezus out of me come playoff time, and I want no part of Baltimore for our Steelers, and Dolphin fans should feel similarly.
Joe Flacco hasn't been as good or as hyped as Matt Ryan, but I think he has a better chance of success in the first round because of the system. The Ravens aren't going to ask Flacco to drop back 30+ times a game and throw for 300 yards. With the 3-headed monster of a running game for the Ravens, I think the Ravens will keep Flacco around 20 pass attempts, tops.
The Pick: Baltimore 17 Miami 10. Not surprisingly, a low-scoring affair, as both teams try their darndest to control the clock with multiple running backs, single-wing formations, and few pass attempts downfield. The difference is the Ravens defense forces a couple turnovers, while Baltimore's does everything to prevent turnovers short of taking 3 straight knees and punting.

Philadelphia at MinnesotaThis one just makes me feel icky all over. The Eagles may have blown the Cowgirls to smithereens last week, but they also have laid numerous eggs this year, including that must-win loss to Washington two weeks ago that apparently no one saw. So we can't rely much on them.
Then again, the Vikings practically ran Adrian Peterson to his deathbed this season and will start Tarvaris Jackson, the human turnover, at QB this season, so that's not exactly encouraging.
Everyone has made quite the ordeal over the rejuvenated Donovan McNabb, and while the new Run DMC model has been very effective of late, I'll buy into this for good once he finally pulls through in the postseason.
The Pick: Philadelphia 21 Minnesota 10. Having an exhaused Adrian Peterson on one ankle is the Vikings downfall. McNabb and Brian Westbrook do enough offensively to get the Phillies into the second round.

So with that established, here are our second round matchups:
Baltimore at Tennessee
Indianapolis at Pittsburgh
Philadelphia at New York Giants
Arizona at Carolina

2008 Pittsburgh Athlete of the Year

With a New Year now upon us, I thought I'd take a look back at the past year in Pittsburgh sports with a few different angles, the first of which is the 2008 Pittsburgh Athlete of the Year. I used only games that took place in 2008, so that meant having to cut in half the seasons of the Penguins and Pitt basketball. We're gonna count this puppy down, 10 to 1, with a few honorable mentions at the end. I measured it on a sort of MVP basis, factoring a hybrid of the team's success and the player's performance and importance to that team's success. So here we go:

10 Scott McKillop
I was torn between McKillop and James Farrior for the final spot in my top ten, but decided he earned it after earning Big East Defensive Player of the Year Honors, All-American status, a Day 1 draft spot, and being the defensive leader for the most successful Pitt team of the last quarter century. Despite a loss in the Sun Bowl to Oregon State, McKillop's defense was nothing short of spectacular for the final day of 2008. That cemented this spot for the hard-nosed tackling machine.

9 DeJuan Blair
The best basketball player from the 4-1-2 area code in ages had a freshman season to remember, and has stormed back to start his sophomore season with even bigger and better results. He was a huge key to the Big East championship season last season for Pitt, and his work on Roy Hibbert in the title game was wildly impressive. If Pitt could just make it past the second or third round of the NCAAs Blair would become a Pitt legend. Let's hope 2009 sees a jump up these standings for Blair.

8 Marc-Andre Fleury
Fleury was essential to the Penguins' run of success during last year's Stanley Cup final run, and I would argue he was actually the MVP during that stretch. Unfortunately for him, he has been injured for two long stretches, missing just about 3 months of hockey during the 08 calendar. Otherwise he would have been a serious contender for that top spot.

7 LeSean McCoy
The debate over whether LeSean McCoy will stay at Pitt for what figures to be a sensational 2009 Big East season or become a First Round pick in April will rage on until after the deadline for that passes. As a Pitt fan, you have to hope he comes back, but at the same time, it could be tough for him to pass up the guaranteed millions, and surely no Panther fan would blame him for going pro if that's his decision.

6 Sam Young
Sam I Am put together a record-setting scoring pace in the 2007/08 season for the Pitt basketball team, and has continued on that tear to start this season. Young has seamlessly shifted to the small forward position and is poised to make a serious run at a future in the NBA. Young was the star in leading Pitt to the Big East Tournament Championship and remains the most important player for third ranked Panthers. This is a big season for Pitt and for Young, as both need to show they are of high enough caliber to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, and anything less than an Elite Eight or Final Four bid will be considered something of a disappointment. For his part, Young is showing more ability as a leader than ever before, and is certainly much more outspoken on and off the court.5 Troy Polamalu
For the first time in ages, Troy Polamalu spent an entire season healthy, and the difference in him was shocking. He was an absolute force of nature for the Steelers, and I believe he will eventually single-handedly re-define the safety position as we know it. He demonstrated ball hawk skills that only Ed Reed possesses, and is a terror for any QB to see shifting around across the line of scrimmage.

4 Ben Roethlisberger
Yeah the numbers aren't really there like they were a year ago, but there's no denying Ben Roethlisberger's incredible importance to the Steelers. The guy just flat out wins ball games, and that continues to be a trend even while naysayers the nationwide question just how good he is. His fourth quarter comebacks have become near certainties in the postseason. He was disappointing in the lone postseason game of the calendar year, all the way back last January 5th, but he'll be getting another shot in 10 days at Heinz Field, and his reputation as a budding big-game superstar will be on the line as always. The offensive talent and the offensive playcalling that are provided to assist Roethlisberger deserve no part of a 12-4 season and a division title, but Big Ben has lifted this unit to where they are now, even if the defense is really the most important and most feared part of this team.

3 Sidney Crosby
Sid was nothing short of magical in last season's playoff push. He and Geno combined to be a force of nature that no team could match. He has been quite good this season as well, but like teammate Fleury, Sid's candidacy is knocked down a bit due to injury. He has also clearly been the second best player on his own team this season, so its hard to place him a whole lot higher than this. I will be interested to see how Sid plays in the coming months down the stretch run for a Pens team that is having a bit of an identity crisis these days. Another magical playoff stretch would also do a lot to enhance his legacy, so stay tuned folks.

2 James Harrison
It was a tough call to put Harrison at the number 2 spot here, but with little postseason success it's hard to make him number 1. Still, Harrison put up a new sack record for one of the most legendary defensive franchises in NFL History. He's one of the top 2 or 3 favorites for the Defensive Player of the Year award, has back-to-back team MVP awards, and is a lock for another All-Pro selection. Few guys are also as dominant as Harrison can be when he is on a hot streak. He is a little on the streaky side, though, and there are those who will argue that he isn't even the biggest difference maker on his own unit, and that Troy Polamalu is really that guy. Still, Harrison's pass-rushing and athleticism and eye-popping stats make him a very hard figure to ignore.
1 Evgeni Malkin
There's little question that, for the most part, Evgeni Malkin has been better then Sidney Crosby for the 2008 calendar year. The points comparison, partially due to Sid's injury, isn't even close, but even when both are healthy, Geno has easily outscored Sid and everyone else this season. Malkin was huge for much of last season's Stanley Cup run as well, but some illness issues left him hindered and ineffective for parts of the Philly series and most of the Stanley Cup. It's also been a little concerning to see his goal-scoring drop off a little this season. But a year ago the debate over best hockey player in the world would have come down to Sid and Ovechkin and hardly anyone would have thought to even include Geno in that discussion. Now though, it's difficult to imagine anyone but him being the logical choice for that mantle. Much like Sid, it's going to be a very interesting few months for Geno as the Pens gear up for the playoffs and try to get out of the slump they find themselves mired in. If Geno stays healthy and consistent, he figures to put up 120+ points and nab his first Art Ross trophy and maybe even a Hart Trophy to accompany it. Let's hope he adds a ridiculously oversized Cup to that awards list.


Honorable Mention:
Petr Sykora- Petr Gunn has consistently been the third best scorer on the Penguins for the last calendar year, and gets bonus points for one of the most memorable moments in Penguins history with the winner in the 3OT thriller against Detroit.
Ronald Ramon- One of my all-time favorite Pitt b-ball players probably shouldn't make this list, but I just couldn't help myself. And he earned points for the winning shot in the best basketball game I've ever attended.
Hines Ward- One of the all-time great Steelers added to his legacy with a suprising 2008 campaign with over 1000 yards and 80 receptions, as well as picking up his 800th career reception.
Nate McLouth- I wanted to at least put a Pirate on the honorable mention list, and he is really the only acceptable option.
James Farrior- The Steelers' defensive captain started the season with a nice contract extension and had a great 2008 season to reward the Steelers for their loyalty, making it back to the Pro Bowl.

I Want To Buy The Domain Name FireMattCavanaugh.com

I can't even logically react to how awful that Sun Bowl game was yesterday. I mean, 3 to F-Ing Zero!?!?!?!?! If Matt Cavanaugh (pictured above) still has a job next week, I'm going to lead an open riot down the streets of Oakland. I've written it before, and there's a good chance I'll have to write it again: Cavanaugh is a TERRIBLE offensive coordinator and isn't qualified to call plays for a pee wee football team, let alone a major college football squad. I know Wanny gave Cavanaugh the benefit of the doubt in the past, but the difference then was that Wanny himself was crapping the bed as a coach, so he couldn't really act all high and mighty. Now? He has this Pitt program going in a very promising direction with a 9 win season, and yesterday with the chance to pull off a 10-win season, a top 15 ranking, and build excellent momentum going into the offseason, his coordinator craps the bed for three hours on national television. Wonderful. Just what we bleeping needed.

I can't understand this moron's play-calls. That's what really bugs me. I mean, with Jason Pinkston out against a very good D-Line, why would you call downfield pass patterns for a young raw receiver that require Stull to spend a day and a half in the pocket? What part of that is logical? And that's not even considering a few other facts that were evident before Pinkston got hurt. 1) Stull has a weak arm, 2) Stull is not accurate, 3) Stull is TERRIBLE, 4) Jonathan Baldwin cannot make plays in traffic, 5) Everyone and their F-ing mother knows Cavanaugh loves to call those useless bombs while ignoring the very effective tight ends and possession receivers Pitt has. and 6) You have one of the best running backs in the country, a guy who doesn't need a defense on their heels. He just needs them to back off a little, which can be accomplished by just completing short, easy patterns.

I briefly considered watching the DVR of the game to see how many incomplete downfield bombs Stull threw and to try and get a rough measurement on how many miles he missed his receivers by, but it turned out that my DVR was embarassed to have such a "game" on its memory, so it did me the courtesy of erasing it. Honestly, I was thrilled.

Somehow I've gotten 3 paragraphs in without mentioning the fact that Shady was basically ignored for the first half of that football game on yet another stroke of genius by Matt Cavanaugh. Seriously, we knew Oregon State was going to gear up to stop the run eventually, so why on that first drive, with the Beavers playing more honestly than they did the rest of the day, did we not just pound Shady at their 7 man front for about 10 plays in a row? There's no way OSU was going to stop him there, because they didn't yet realize that Bill Stull had transformed into the worst quarterback in college football. Yeah Shady was ineffective in the second half, but that's because OSU knew the only way Stull was going to complete a pass was if all 11 defenders fell down, and even then it was 50/50 at best.

For the life of me, I can't figure out how Matt Cavanaugh was an offensive coordinator for two NFL teams. Sure they were the Ravens and Bears, two teams that never have good offenses, but how could it possibly happen that this guy has lured three different head coaches into thinking he can be a coordinator? Is he some sort of crazy stalker guy who takes compromising photos of people and then blackmails his way into good jobs? This really seems like a much more logical reason than him being qualified for the job.

I haven't even touched on the fact that he has made pretty much zero progress as a coach with these offensive guys. I don't really know how much coaching he is supposed to do, but I'd have to assume that he is at least somewhat involved in the coaching of the skill position players, though probably not the line. If that's the case, then not only is he a terrible play-caller, but he's also a terrible coach.

Seriously, has Bill Stull made any progress whatsoever this year? Hell no! I think he's actually much worse than he was when I saw him in spring ball last year.

Has Pat Bostick, a blue chip 5-star recruit, progressed even the slightest bit? Hell no!

Is Jonathan Baldwin any different than the player he was 4 months ago? Hell no! All Baldwin does is run straight downfield and hope he can blow past his defender. He can't make plays in traffic, he can't run routes, he can't block, he's still the same player he was in high school.

Has Cavanaugh used Dorin Dickerson and Nate Byham as security blankets to help Bill Stull because of the mismatches they create with the linebackers? Hell no! I can't decide if this one is because Byham and Dickerson haven't been developed properly or because Cavanaugh's IQ as a playcaller is the same as Dickerson's uniform number, but either way, they aren't being used right.

Would Pitt have won even 6 games if they hadn't lucked into being blessed with the impossible-to-screw-up, NFL-ready Shady McCoy? Hell no!

Should Matt Cavanugh still have a job? Hell no!