Bruce Weber blog-Jan. 8, 2018
The Steelers will get another shot against Jacksonville. This time it’s survive and advance. I find it hard to believe the Jaguars can come into Heinz Field and win again, especially after watching them against Buffalo in the playoffs. The Jags’ offense was horrible. I think the Steelers’ defense will make life miserable for Blake Bortles. You can bet Ben Roethlisberger won’t throw five interceptions against Jacksonville like he did the first time. Kansas City proved that you can lose at home in the playoffs. Don’t look for the Steelers to do the same thing.
• It’s an all SEC matchup when powerhouse Alabama faces Georgia for college football’s national championship. Nick Saban goes for his fourth title in Tuscaloosa, while Saban’s former assistant Kirby Smart leads his alma mater, Georgia. A lot of people don’t think Alabama is as good as they have been, and that might be true. All I know is that they destroyed Clemson in their opening game in the playoffs. Georgia has a dynamic offense and can score a lot of points. Their defense was also much better in the second half against Oklahoma. My old friend Doug Williams, he of Super Bowl MVP fame, once told me that you always pick the team with the better defense in a championship game. He reminded me of that when I picked his Washington Redskins to lose against the Denver Broncos in the Super Bowl. So, I’m going with Alabama. They have the better defense, the greatest coach of his generation in Saban, and a team that is still mad they lost on the final play of the game to Clemson a year ago. All that said, I’d love to see Georgia win.
• I feel terrible for former Indiana standouts Riley Stapleton and Darrious Carter of James Madison. Both young men played great in the Dukes’ loss to North Dakota State in the national championship game. Stapleton was the best offensive player on the field, and was terrific in his team’s run to a second straight title game. Carter was all over the field for James Madison’s defense. Unfortunately, their team didn’t play well and made far too many mistakes in a game they probably should have won. If everyone on the James Madison team played like Riley and Darrious, the Dukes would have won going away.
• Penn State’s recruiting just keeps getting better. The Lions got another big-time player on defense last week, giving James Franklin’s program 22 players signed sealed and delivered. They have another player who has committed to signing in February. Now, they’ll try to seal the deal with another couple of highly touted prospects. Penn State is recruiting with the best in all of college football these days. It’s scary the talent Franklin is bringing to Happy Valley. They’re not quite where Ohio State is these days, but they’re getting closer, which is good news for all of us who love Penn State football.
• It was nice to hear the news that Steelers’ linebacker Ryan Shazier has regained some feeling in his legs. That’s the first bit of positive news to come from his family since he was injured against Cincinnati. Shazier’s father thinks his son will play football again. That would be great, but at this point I just hope the young man can walk and live a normal life.
• If nothing else, fans of the Cleveland Browns have a sense of humor. They had a parade to commemorate the team’s 0-16 season over the weekend. That’s pretty funny, even for Cleveland. Some of the signs were downright hilarious. The Browns have the first and fourth picks in the upcoming draft. They will undoubtedly take a quarterback with the first pick. I just hope they don’t take Penn State running back Saquon Barkley at number four. As a Steelers’ fan I don’t want to have to face him twice a year. As a Barkley fan, I don’t want to see the kid have to go to this horrendous franchise.
• The Pens are hard to figure out. They looked awful in their home loss to Carolina last week, but bounded back for wins at the New York Islanders and at home against Boston over the weekend. Go figure. The Pens now have their week long break, which comes at a good time. It’s possible the back to back championship season has this team worn out. We’ll see.
• It’s pretty obvious the Pirates are thinking about a total rebuild, given all the reports of trades the team is considering. Gerrit Cole will most likely be moved, sooner rather than later. And now with the latest news that the Pirates have talked to both the Giants and Mets about Andrew McCutchen, it’s hard to image the Pirates’ franchise player being part of the Buccos for all of 2018. I have no problem with the Pirates dealing both players so long as the return helps the Pirates build a good young roster. Both will leave when they hit free agency. Like I’ve said before, I wouldn’t want to be selling tickets for the Pirates these days.
• I don’t know if the recent report that details turmoil in the New England is true or not, but it sure has gotten a lot of attention. ESPN’s Seth Wickersham has a pretty good track record when it comes to reporting on NFL matters, so if I had to bet I’d say what he has reported is on the money. Still, that doesn’t take away from the fact that the Patriots are 13-3 and have the top seed in the AFC. Like them or not, and most NFL fans don’t, they are the team to beat. The Patriots may very well lose both of their coordinators to head coaching jobs. Wouldn’t it be something if Bill Belichick also leaves for the New York Giants’ head coaching job? The New York tabloids are already writing about such a scenario. It’s pretty crazy, to say the least, but in today’s NFL you never know.
