Skid Without Sid

The media praised them, HBO raved about them, and the fans surely adored them, but without Sidney Crosby, the Penguins are melting. The 12-game win streak seems like it was only yesterday, and Crosby’s 25 game point streak couldn’t have ended more than two weeks ago, right? Yet here Pittsburgh stands, facing a 3-game losing streak-one in overtime-and desperately missing its best player to a concussion. The team is 0-2-1 without Crosby, and although the locker room hasn’t come close to claiming his absence as an excuse, it’s naturally the factor we’ll be pointing to. And we’ll be doing just that until they win without him, or until he’s back on the ice.

Is Crosby’s concussion the real reason the Penguins have quickly collapsed into the team they are now? For those that haven’t been able to watch, it’s a team that is being handily trapped out of their offensive zone, with a playing style that has resorted to depending on the physical play of their fourth line and penalty kill to create any sort of offensive momentum. It’s a team that gives up goals in pairs, collapses late, and is getting next to nothing out of its best player, Evgeni Malkin.

Can the absence of one player really cause such a meltdown? You won’t hear it from them, but it’s clear the team misses his leadership, offensive attack and puck distribution on the first line. Wingers Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis have meshed with their captain better than most, but matched with Malkin, they simply aren’t first-line material. The power-play has suffered too; without Sid, the man-advantage feels like four-on-four action. Is there no one left to deflect Kris Letang’s shots into the twine? Is there no presence in front of the net to clean up loose pucks?

Send some of the blame Malkin’s way. He usually plays like the best player on the ice when Crosby is out, but not this time. Now it seems like Sid’s absence has exposed Geno, given that most of his success when he returned from injury came when #87 was right there with him. Yes, he’s shown some flashes of remarkable stick work and shake-and-bakes. Yes, he’s shooting lights out and playing with a passion. But the stats speak for themselves: the lamps aren’t lighting.

This team is lucky. They have plenty of time and room in the standings to figure out how to win without Crosby, and he shouldn’t be out more than two more games. And like HBO made so clear, this game is full of ebbs and flows-every team will have its winning and losing streaks. As of now, the Penguins have survived injuries to all three of their premier centers, and last time I checked, they’ve got four of the best players in the league headed to the all-star game in Crosby, Geno, Fleury and Kris Letang. Yes, this team dearly misses its best player. Yes, the Penguins will welcome him back with tapping sticks. But right now, they’ve got to find a way to win without him-that is, of course, if they want the hockey world to stop saying they can’t.

Haywood Jacoachme

Never in the history of the BBVA Compass Bowl has a victory in Birmingham meant as much as it did to the Pitt Panthers this past Saturday. Not only because the 27-10 beat down of the Kentucky Wildcats brought three hours of relief from a whirlwind past month for the Panthers or because it opened the door for the school to sell some sick Pitt Panther 2011 BBVA Compass Bowl Champion t-shirts (which I'm sure are selling just as well as game tickets did), but because it reminded everyone of something important, of something that the fan base seems to have forgotten during the downward spiral this program has gone through this winter: that this team has a lot of talent.

Yes, I realize that Kentucky is a mediocre at best SEC team and that much of Pitt's talent, namely guys like Jon Baldwin, Dion Lewis, Jabaal Sheard, and Greg Romeus, will likely soon be playing in games far bigger than the BBVA Compass Bowl (but really, does it get much bigger?), but there is no denying that what we saw on the field on Saturday provides some optimism for the future, something that there hasn't been surrounding Pitt football since Athletic Director Steve Pederson forced head coach Dave Wannstedt to resign following another underachieving season. The defense manhandled a dynamic Wildcat offense without both Sheard and Romeus, while Ray Graham and the offense showed that even if Lewis and Baldwin decide to leave, there certainly won't be a lack of playmakers on that side of the ball and the offense could still be dangerous with a little grooming.

Which brings me to my main point, the whole "grooming" thing. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they need more than a compass (even a BBVA one) to find their way out of the mess they currently find themselves in with regards to coaching. Following Wannstedt's firing/resignation, Steve Pederson hired Miami of Ohio coach Mike Haywood and lauded Haywood as a man of character who would instill discipline in the players. Less than three weeks later Haywood was fired following a felony charge for domestic battery, leaving Pederson and the Pitt football program as something of a laughingstock around the country. The 19-man recruiting class Wannstedt had lined up for next season has dwindled to about five or six, Pitt's assistant coaches are bolting for similar jobs at other institutions, and alumni and boosters are calling for
Pederson's head.

As the search continues for Pitt's third head coach this winter, many fans are imploring that Pederson hire someone who can salvage this recruiting class, someone with Pitt ties who knows this area.

A.k.a Dave Wannstedt.

There is a reason Pederson forced Wannstedt to resign, namely that he couldn't deliver a BCS berth to the Panthers. Year after year Wannstedt brought in some top recruits and had lofty preseason expectations surrounding his team. Yet year after year the Panthers disappointed, continually coming up short in big games, resulting in bids to lower tier bowls.

What Pitt needs now is a coach who can get these players to meet their potential, someone who can not only recruit talented players, but help them grow. There were a handful of off-the-field issues with Pitt players this season, and perhaps that had a bigger impact on the season's results than we realize. After Wannstedt's firing, Steve Pederson stressed that the new coach would be one who would give the program more integrity and discipline. Just because his first hire failed miserably, doesn't mean he should shy away from what he was looking for to begin with.

Penn State defensive coordinator Tom Bradley has emerged as the most popular candidate among the fan base, namely because of his successful recruiting skills and his ties to the area. However, as Wannstedt showed, these attributes don't necessarily translate into a successful head coach. If Pederson and his search committee believe that Bradley also has the ability to coach and groom these players, then absolutely he should get the job. But if they feel that another candidate can coach these Panthers better, then that candidate should get the job, regardless of his recruiting skills or ties to the area. Because while recruiting certainly is important, it shouldn't be a priority. Being able to lead the team and discipline the kids while getting the most out of each and every player can lead to more success than landing top notch recruits each and every season. Just ask Jamie Dixon.

Ground Rules

More than a few Steelers will lace up for their first career playoff start at Heinz Field this Saturday. The list includes several key contributors like Maurkice Pouncey (that’s a given), Ziggy Hood (barring an Aaron Smith resurrection), Mike Wallace, Lawrence Timmons, Rashard Mendenhall…

Wait. I know what you’re thinking.

Lawrence Timmons? Rashard Mendenhall?

But this is a different Steelers team. It’s a team that calls on second and third year players to make inconceivable leaps. A team that returns to the ground game weekly, even when the offensive line seems to lose players faster than Tiger Woods lost sponsorships. A team that cut their average rush yards allowed per game by almost 30 yards from 2009-2010. A team that only allowed rushing touchdowns all season, with a signature long run of 24 yards.

I didn’t mention #34 or #94 in that rambling stat-line, but Mendy and Timmons have their names written all over those accomplishments. Among the many differences between the 2009 and 2010 Steelers, their rededication to the run game and reclamation of best rushing defense in the league stand out as pivot points to their consistency, and ability to beat the teams that they’re expected to beat.

So no, neither Mendenhall nor Timmons started for the 2008 championship squad, but both turned in their best seasons yet in 2010. Timmons logged a golden stat sheet with 135 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles. Mendenhall trudged for 1,273 yards behind an offensive line that, to put it nicely, made him earn every last one. It’s hard to imagine the days when Mewelde Moore was only one touchdown short of Hines Ward and Willie Parker led playoff rushing with 246 yards over three games. What’s he doing these days? Probably what Rashard Mendenhall was doing during the 2008 playoffs. Watching.

Of course, Timmons got a little taste of playoff action. He was brought in for various packages, recorded 16 tackles and recovered a fumble. But Mendenhall has yet to bleed his playoff blood, and what better team to debut against than the one responsible for his delay?

Terrell Suggs and Ray Lewis made their statement this past weekend at Kansas City. They stopped Jamaal Charles, and got 142 yards on the ground from Ray Rice, Willis McGahee and a scrambling Joe Flacco. Something tells me they won’t have that kind of ground success against the Steelers.

The Ravens might still be stinging from their AFC championship game loss two years ago, but Lawrence Timmons and Rashard Mendenhall could care less. They weren’t starting that game.

You bet they’re starting for this one, ready to make their own statements. After all, it’s the playoffs.