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In many years of playing EA Sports Madden football as well as the NCAA college football game, I have never once punted. Not once. Nada. I could be facing 4th and 18 on my own three yard line…doesn’t matter.

The punter stays parked on the bench. I’d rather air it out and suffer the consequences, which, thanks to the wretched cornerback play on football video games, isn’t all that often.

In returning to the real world of football, I’ve also noticed that whenever the opposing team is playing a team I’m rooting for and a 4th and short situation comes up, I’m always hoping they send the punter on the field. Why? Because it is usually in the best interests of my team.

It is very hard to stop a good offense on 4th and 3 regardless of where they are at on the field. While I’ve done no statistical analysis on it, my gut tells me that every team in the NFL and NCAA punts far more than they really should if the coaches were better at playing the odds, especially teams with subpar defenses.

What is more likely for a team like the Arizona Cardinals, converting a 4th and 3 or actually stopping the other team’s offense? They’d be better off playing the offensive odds, even if they are on their own 35 yard line.

Coaches who have decided they aren’t going to punt have the added luxury of an expanded playbook since they now have four downs to get a first down.

Getting ten yards with four downs should not be that great of a challenge in most cases. After all, the defense doesn’t know what play the offense has called.

A team should almost never send a punter onto the field once they’ve crossed mid-field, unless they end up in a fourth and a ton situation. Nothing in football is more frustrating than watching your team punt from the 40 yardline for a touchback on 4th and short.

The NFL has evolved to the point where the offenses are, by and large, better than the defenses. The rules, largely governed by the NFL’s desire to market a high scoring product, favor the offenses.

So, why are coaches in such a hurry to send their offenses to the bench and put their frequently overmatched defenses on the field? For some teams, this makes a bit more sense. If a team has a ferocious defense but a less intimidating offense, like the Steelers and Ravens, punting is a more attractive option.

By all means, put that defense back on the field. Ed Reed has a better chance of scoring than most of the Ravens’ skill players.

But, for many of the league’s teams, the situation is the reverse. Why would the Denver Broncos ever punt? Their 2008 defense couldn’t stop anybody. They would be far better served in going for it in most fourth down situation with that defense. The situation was the same for the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots and a host of other teams.

The most a team can hope for when punting is about a 40 yard shift in field position and that is the ideal. And a few things can go disastrously wrong. The punt can be blocked or the ball can go sailing over the punter’s head as happened in the Steelers-Giants game.

More likely, the punt return specialist may find a seam and run the ball back. How often do games turn on punt returns in today’s NFL and NCAA?

This should come down to a simple risk/reward calculation. If the coach assesses the risk is higher than the potential reward, punt. If not, go for it. I don’t think many coaches are good at making this calculation. Somebody needs to develop a chart to help better guide these decisions.

So, why are there so many punts? Most coaches don’t want to take the heat if they go for it and don’t make it. If a coach goes for it on 4th and 3 from his own 35 yard line and doesn’t make it, he’ll get eaten alive by the “experts.”

But, if he punts and the other team subsequently scores (which in the case of some teams is a near certainty), nobody will say a word about the decision.

If an aggressive coach eschews punting and wins five games because of it while losing one, media attention will focus on the one that was lost. So, coaches punt out of a sense of self preservation.

Plus, most coaches just don’t have that killer instinct. They are comfortable keeping a game close, figuring they can win it in the end, instead of putting it away by being more aggressive with the ball. This doesn’t just apply to the NFL. College coaches are even worse when it comes to punting too often.

If you are a small conference school playing an NCAA offensive juggernaut like Oklahoma or Florida, why punt the ball to them? Chances are that they will say, “Thank you very much,” and march right down the field and score. Take your chances with all your offensive downs.

As an Air Force football fan, I’d much rather see them go down swinging when they are playing a top-notch team than put an overmatched defense back on the field to try to work a miracle.

Their offense is tough to stop even for the better defensive teams while their their student-athletes on defense will struggle to matchup against an elite offensive squad from an NFL football farmclub.

At some point, a coach is going to come along who is a math wizard. And he is going to keep his punter parked squarely on the bench on most occasions.

People will scratch their heads and try to figure out what he is thinking. And then they will notice that the coach just keeps on winning. And teams are going to finally wake up to the reality that it is okay to go for it on 4th down on a more regular basis.

Steelers Should Focus on Resigning Casey Hampton

In the mid-90’s, the Steelers were the only team in the league primarily running a 3-4 defensive scheme. Even up until a few years ago, you could count the number of teams running a 3-4 defensive scheme on one hand.

This year, fourteen teams will be primarily running that defensive alignment. The trend line is up and will likely remain up for the next few years. Based on the continued success of the teams running this scheme, it is not inconceivable that the number could top out at around twenty teams using this scheme after a couple more seasons.

Several of the defensive players drafted high by teams running 4-3 defenses fit better in 3-4 schemes, likely heralding more changes in the future.

The primary reason for the shift is that success breeds imitation. The other factor is that when teams are looking for a new coach, they look for coordinators from successful teams. Not too many coach-needy teams were scouring the Detroit Lions’ coaching staff in search of their answer.

Many of the most successful teams in the league right now, such as the Steelers, Patriots, and Ravens, are running a 3-4 scheme. Their coordinators and defensive assistants will remain in high demand around the league.

When the coordinators from these teams move on to head coaching jobs or when the assistants bump up to coordinator jobs, they will instill a 3-4 scheme. And that trend is not confined to defensive coordinators. Offensive coordinators from these teams who bump up to head coaching roles will also look to instill a 3-4 scheme. Why? Because in this pass dominant era of NFL football, the 3-4 offers more options for attacking the offense.

But, the 3-4 defensive scheme relies on far different types of players in its front seven than a 4-3 scheme. One of the most pivotal players required to be successful as a 3-4 defense is a mammoth, super-sized nose tackle, who demands constant double teams from the offensive line.

While the outside linebackers are the high profile playmakers of the system, they rely on the mammoth in the middle to occupy blockers so they can run free and make those Sportscenter highlight plays.

These guys are not a dime a dozen. In fact, there aren’t many of them at all. In the 2009 draft, there was only one really solid 3-4 nose tackle prospect, Boston College’s B.J. Raji. He was snapped up by the Green Bay Packers, a team moving to a 3-4 scheme this year, at No. 9. With so many teams switching to a 3-4, elite nose tackles will not make it out of the first half of round one.

For that matter, even when there were only a few teams running the 3-4 defense, most of the quality nose tackles were grabbed in the first round. Some of the more recent teams who have made the switch, such as the Cleveland Browns, have not been able to find the answer at the nose tackle position and their defense has suffered for it.

This is why the Steelers absolutely can not afford to let Casey Hampton leave town after this season. He is way too important and finding his replacement will take time.

There are a few knocks on Hampton. One is that he is on the wrong side of 30. So what? The guy is 31 years old. He likely has three to four good years of football left. That buys plenty of time to find his replacement.

Another complaint is that he shows up to camp out of shape. The guy is roughly the size of a truck, and he is paid to essentially be an immovable force. Should the fact that he shows up a bit out of shape really be that shocking?

If I carried around the girth required of Hampton to be successful at his job, I’m not sure I’d be able to walk ten yards without being winded, let alone play on nearly every down of a brutal football season.

The guy has a constant motor, never takes a play off, and causes major headaches for opposing offensive lines. And this guy is a classic Steeler. He loves it in Pittsburgh and has expressed his desire to finish his career there.

Is he as good as he was during his first few seasons in the league? No. There has been some decline. He is no longer as fast running down the line in pursuit of ball carriers. I remember watching him chase down Titans running back Eddie George before absolutely burying him, causing a fumble. He doesn’t make as many of those kind of highlight reel plays anymore.

At one point, he was the premier 3-4 nose tackle in the league. He has reliquished that honor to rival Baltimore Ravens’ nose tackle, Haloti Ngata.

But, he is still plenty good. And his constant effort in the middle of that defensive line is one reason why so many of the other Steelers’ defenders are so successful.

The Steelers have some tough choices ahead of them and many people are predicting that one of those choices will be to let big Casey go. I was one of those people before this year’s draft.

But, after seeing how hard it will be to find his replacement with the re-emergence of the 3-4, the Steelers should resign Hampton for three to four more years and immediately start looking for a viable replacement to develop behind him.

If that means that the team needs to let somebody else hit free agency instead, so be it.

The Steelers As Super Heroes….and Super Villains

That gives us a whole lot of time to say nothing meaningful about NFL football while passing the time until the Detroit Lions can once again go undefeated over those four games.

Here is an article on Steelers’ football devoid of anything resembling insight or analysis to help fill the time.

This is what you end up with if you watch the new X-Men movie while thinking about your favorite football team.

Ben Roethlisberger—He was sacked 47 times last year by guys roughly the size of planets and knocked down by those same planets on too many occasions to count. Yet, there he was leading the Steelers down the field for the winning drive of the Super Bowl.

While I’m not entirely sure, word has it that motorcycles have been removed from the city of Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future.

He also has that whole Clark Kent thing going for him. Clark Kent got no respect. All too often, outside of Pittsburgh, Big Ben doesn’t get any respect.

Hines Ward—This was one of the easier ones. Hines Ward is the spittin’ image of The Joker. The Joker learned how to flash his signature smile watching Hines Ward play football.

And, let’s face it, fans in other football cities, especially Baltimore, are near certain that Hines Ward is the greatest of all super villains; an honor that clearly goes to The Joker.

Both Hines and The Joker always seem to have one more trick up their sleeve, and you can never count them out.

So, there you have it, one of the best combinations in football is Superman to The Joker.

Willie Parker—Give him a little hole and a bit of space, and he is off to the races. Willie Parker is The Flash. Nobody knows this better than fans of the Seattle Seahawks.

You can’t tell me his arms and legs didn’t stretch to make that happen. Santonio was channeling his inner Mr. Fantastic. While I’m not sure Santonio has Mr. Fantastic’s leadership characteristics yet, those will surely come in time.

Max Starks—This one may not appear very obvious at first, but bear with me for a second.

After being franchised at one of the highest paying positions for the last two seasons, Max Starks is really rich.

Batman really isn’t a Superhero. He has no super abilities…just a lot of gadgets. After watching him the last couple seasons, I’m also not sure Max Starks is really a Super Hero.

James Harrison—James Harrison, when he lines up and stares down the quarterback, looks like an axe murderer. He absolutely exudes intensity. I’m not sure any Super Hero can even come close to matching his intensity.

About the only character I could think of that comes close is….the Balrog of Lord of the Rings fame.

Now that was one scary and intense looking chap, kind of like Harrison. They even sort of look alike other than that whole flaming sword and giant whip thing that the Balrog had going for him. And even the heroes ran from him.

So, there you have it. James Harrison is Balrog. Runner up: Beast of X-Men fame.

Lamarr Woodley—James Harrison’s partner in crime. He is intense, frenetic, and near unblockable. This one is also fairly obvious considering his University of Michigan college roots.

Lamarr Woodley is The Wolverine. His nice guy demeanor is really hiding pent up rage, ready to be unleashed on any passing down.

So, quarterbacks get to choose whether they want to run away from Balrog and toward The Wolverine or away from Wolverine toward Balrog.

Troy Polamalu—While he is a cartoon character, technically the Tasmanian Devil, aka Taz, is sort of a villain even if he was somewhat incompetent and not very bright; the only traits not shared with Troy.

Both Troy and Taz cause chaos in their wake, can run through trees, and can spin themselves into tornadoes. It doesn’t seem fitting to give Troy a different name than one he clearly already has earned.

Casey Hampton—In finding the right Super Hero for Big Snack, it has to be somebody who is big enough to warrant his own zip code and near impossible to move. This one goes to Fantastic Four’s, The Thing.

He is huge and made out of rock, so he weighs several tons. I’m not sure who would be easier to move from the middle of the defensive line, The Big Snack or The Thing.

Okay, there is that small gender incompatibility issue, but any superhero who looks like Sue Storm in the Fantastic Four movies has to make this list somewhere, and this is the most obvious spot.

Both do their best work when they are invisible, and Aaron Smith is clearly invisible outside of Pittsburgh as evidenced by his non-inclusion on the Pro Bowl team.

Ryan Clark brings us back to the villain side of the ledger. Ryan Clark is the Juggernaut from the X-Men movies.

He was the character who, once he started running, was impossible to stop. Anything he ran into, whether it be a wall or a person, was annihilated.

He may not be much to look at, but when he hits you it is not something you’ll soon forget as both Wes Welker and Willis McGahee can attest.

Honorable Mention: Thor. Thor hits things with a hammer while Clark is a hammer.

Ike Taylor—Ike actually requires a combination of two Superheroes from the Fantastic Four. By and large, he is Johnny Storm—the blazing hot shot who jets around at high speeds.

Taylor has the attitude and athletic ability of Storm. Unfortunately, in this instance, Johnny had his hands replaced by those of his fellow teammate, The Thing, whose hands have four fingers and are made of stone.

So, I guess that means The Thing (aka Casey Hampton) has hands that can turn to fire.

Ike would be considered one of the absolute best cornerbacks in the league if balls didn’t bounce off his hands like pinballs on a regular basis.

Okay, so he isn’t small or green, but…other than that…they are dead ringers for one another.

Both guys were quite the players in their earlier years, but later became the wisest and smartest guys in the universe. They both unleash The Force on unsuspecting opponents.

I would also hazard to bet that if either of these old wise guys were to take the field, they still could pack a mean punch.

Rod Woodson is the one retired ex-Steelers great who must be included on the list.

His career followed Darth Vader’s almost verbatim. He started as one of the greatest heroes in the universe, but eventually went over to the dark side (also known as The Ravens).

While Darth saved Luke’s life, thereby saving the universe, Woodson went into the Hall of Fame as a Steeler, thereby restoring goodness to the universe.

This is my list of the Steelers as Superheroes and Villains. Feel free to add your own thoughts on which super hero or villain best emulates one of the Men of Steel.

The Steelers’ D: In Search of a Worthy Name

The 2008 version of the Steelers’ defense was easily the best Steelers’ defense in recent memory. I was a mini-mite member of Steelers’ nation when they were riding their famed defense to their first couple Super Bowls in the early 70s, all of four years old when they arguably peaked as a defense during that decade in 1976.

By the time they won the Super Bowl in 1979, one of my earlier memories, the defense was not quite as dominant, although the offense by then was plenty good.

When fans of a football look forward to punts so they can see their defense take the field, it is past time to find the right nickname. That was the situation for residents of Steelers Nation last year.

If you absolutely had to sneak away to get a drink or take care of the kids, it was best to wait until the offense took the field. But, when the defense was on the field, turning away even for a mere moment could be a costly mistake.

It is a tradition in Pittsburgh for the Steelers’ defense to carry a nickname befitting its personality. While the Steelers’ defenses of the 70s were great, possibly the greatest in the history of the league, the nickname associated with that feared unit helped to preserve their memory for posterity.

While “The Steel Curtain” originally applied to the defensive line, it expanded over time to eventually encompass the whole defense. I would not be at all surprised if the unforgettable nickname even helped land a couple players in the Hall of Fame since it helped preserve their memory for posterity.

The “Blitzburgh” nickname that encompassed some of the Steelers’ defenses of the 90s was equally appropriate, maybe even better. Greg Lloyd and Kevin Greene spearheaded the pass rushing attack of those units.

Those two were known not just for their rushing prowess, but for looking certifiably insane while doing it. Lloyd would stalk the sideline before games like a caged beast while Greene looked like a psychotic studio wrestler with a bad hair day.

Those Steelers’ linebacking units were spectacular with some of their best linebackers not even being their best rushers with players like Chad Brown and Levon Kirkland rounding out dominant squads.

Kirkland was one of my all-time favorite Steelers, and in my opinion, one of the most underrated linebackers ever to play the game. I remember watching number No. 99 running like a freight train (he literally looked like one) down the field covering Shannon Sharpe.

Those defenses never got the credit they deserved because their team never won the big game (although the ’95 Super Bowl loss was certainly not their fault). I also think a couple of the other top defenses in league history do not get the credit they deserve because they were lacking a good nickname, such as the ’86 Bears and the ’00 Ravens.

But, the current Steelers’ defense, with two Super Bowl titles and insane stats, should not soon be forgotten, especially with a good nickname. I actually think they may be even better this year, if that is at all possible, especially considering their softer schedule.

I don’t think Steel Curtain or Blitzburgh should be reused. Those nicknames should be unique to the teams that played in those eras.

Nor is Steel Curtain really a good nickname for an attacking LeBeau 3-4 defense. Steel Curtain is more of a passive nickname, as in the curtain stands firm and can not be penetrated.

That was not the Steelers last year. They were a high energy attacking defense, more like a bunch of guided missiles attacking anything and everything that came near the football.

Below are a few possibilities but I’d love to hear other suggestions.

The Steel Swarm: This defense absolutely swarms opponents. The linebackers and defensive linemen are always buzzing around the quarterback, and opposing runners and pass catchers see very little daylight before being buried in a pile of Steelers.

The Steel Trap: The Steelers’ defense tricks opposing offenses into making mistakes. When they step into the “trap,” the defense is ready to pounce. This aspect of the defense was on full display during the playoffs when Troy Polomalu returned Flacco’s pass for an interception to seal the AFC Championship Game and even more so when
Kurt Warner fell victim to Lebeau’s scheme on James Harrison’s absolutely momentum crushing interception return.

The Steel Hammer (or maybe Boomburgh, The Black and Blue Express, or Splatsburgh): This nickname, or a better form of it, would capture the propensity of Steelers’ defenders to deliver absolutely bone jarring hits. No defense hits harder on a more consistent basis than the Steelers. Some of those hits this past year were so brutal that it was hard to watch the replay.

Two of the most vicious hits were those by Ryan Clark on Wes Welker and Willis McGahee. That last one was downright scary. Another possible nickname that would fit this theme is Wall of Pain, although “wall” may also be too passive of a word for this defense.

A last idea would be a nickname that honors Dick LeBeau in some way since he may be nearing the end of his career. Then again, I’m hoping he is still coaching at 100.

I’m struggling on this one.

The Lunatics of LeBeau just doesn’t seem to cut it. Maybe something like the Wizards’ Wall of Woe (or LeBeau’s Wizards of Woe), LeBeau’s Steel Pit, or, one I saw suggested at one point, LeBeau’s Constrictors.

While I’m not sure a worthy name exists, I think I’m partial to Splatsburgh or The Steel Swarm. So, if you could be king for a day, what would you name this defense?

Era of 3-4 Defense Has Arrived: Draft May Foreshadow Its End

The 3-4 defense was largely dead by the 1990s in the NFL, pushed aside in favor of the 4-3 defense since it was thought to be stouter against the run. At one point in the 90s, only one team was foolish enough to still be employing the 3-4 and it was the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The team first installed the scheme in 1983 after most of the defensive stars from the 70s had retired and has been using it ever since. Instead of looking at all the other teams in the 90s and changing to conform to the league norm, the Steelers’ coaches looked around and wondered why the rest of the league wasn’t copying them.

The 3-4 defense has a long and storied history. It was first used by the University of Oklahoma under Bud Wilkenson in the 1940s. While the 1972 Miami Dolphins are primarily known for becoming the first and only team to finish a season undefeated, they were also the first team to win a Super Bowl with a 3-4 defense.

Super Bowl XV also marked a 3-4 defensive first when both teams, the winning Raiders and the Eagles, employed a 3-4 defense. Denver’s “Orange Crush” defenses employed the 3-4.

Also notable is that arguably the greatest defensive player in the history of the league, Lawrence Taylor, terrorized NFL quarterbacks while playing in a 3-4 defense.

Despite this history, by the mid-90s, it was gone…a relic of the past…dead. Only the Steelers stubbornly held on, refusing to change over to the 4-3. That would eventually change in a league that very much holds to the maxim that imitation is the ultimate form of flattery.

The Patriots adopted the system and rode it to three Super Bowl victories while the Ravens, after adopting it, became a perennial defensive powerhouse. It was an ideal situation for the Steelers and the other teams that switched over to the 3-4.

Since 3-4 and 4-3 defenses rely on different types of players, it meant there were plenty of outstanding 3-4 linemen and linebackers available in the draft, even late into the first round and long afterwards.

While not all 3-4 defenses look alike, teams employing it need a few key elements to be successful. They need a monster of a man to play nose tackle in the middle of the three-man defensive line to eat up blockers. This keeps those blockers off the playmakers of the system, the linebackers.

They also need athletic, but big, outside linebackers who can rush the passer, cover running backs and tight ends, and run side to side in pursuit of ball carriers. Typically, 3-4 teams have gone after undersized but athletic college defensive ends to fill this role such as Lamarr Woodley, Joey Porter, Terrell Suggs, Willie McGinest, and Mike Vrabel.

Another important, but less visible, position is the 3-4 defensive end. A 3-4 defensive end has almost nothing in common with a 4-3 end. A 3-4 end needs to be big and strong enough to hold the edge, but just quick enough to provide a minimal pass rush.

They are much more like 4-3 defensive tackles in appearance, with a slightly different skill set.

The Steelers, Patriots and the Ravens were able to build their defenses without having to rely on early picks to do it. This also meant that these teams could build their defenses without breaking the bank, since they could find good players that fit the system later in the draft.

In looking at the Steelers’ defensive front seven from last year, the two starting defensive ends were drafted in the 4th and 7th rounds (Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel). The nose tackle, Casey Hampton, was drafted late in the first round. Their outside linebackers were an undrafted free agent and a second round pick (James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley). The only high pick was James Farrior, a superb 3-4 inside linebacker who the Steelers were able to sign in free agency since he didn’t suit the Jets’ 4-3 system as well.

There are now, on the eve of the 2009 season, at least thirteen teams primarily using the 3-4 defensive scheme with a couple others eyeing a possible switch. The 2009 draft showed, as Bob Dillon might say, that the times they are a changing.

Players that would have slid to at least late in the first round were being snatched up almost immediately at the top of this year’s draft. The Kansas City Chiefs grabbed LSU’s Tyson Jackson with the third pick, far earlier than he would have gone in previous years, because he was one of the few prospects in the draft who appeared to be an ideal 3-4 end.

The Green Bay Packers grabbed B.J. Raji at #9 because he was the only really good 3-4 nose tackle prospect in the entire draft. He shouldn’t have lasted that long. That was a little earlier than where the Steelers (#19), Patriots (#21), and Ravens (#12) got their nose tackles in drafts past.

At the time the Steelers drafted Hampton, they were criticized for reaching on the pick. If Hampton were to enter the draft now, he would go in the first ten picks.

There was also a noticeable impact on hybrid outside linebackers with a host of potential 3-4 outside linebackers coming off the board earlier than they would have in years past.

Even the Steelers acknowledged the change by drafting for depth at the defensive end position in the first round, grabbing Missouri defensive tackle Evander “Ziggy” Hood, something they likely would not have done in the past.

Back in 1998, then Steelers’ director of football operations, Tom Donahoe, was asked why more teams didn’t switch to the scheme.

He answered, “We hope they don’t. It helps us because there’s a lot of undersized defensive ends in college that we feel we can project to 3-4 outside backers.”

Now that so many teams are switching over, Donahoe’s concerns have been realized. Are there enough players to stock all of these teams’ defenses adequately? Probably not. Some of the teams that switched recently have struggled to make the transition.

The position that may be the hardest to find may be the nose tackle, because there are only so many athletic mammoths out there who can singlehandedly hold the middle of the line. Green Bay was smart to grab Raji. That will make the transition far easier for them.

And while it used to be relatively easy to find those athletic “tweeners” to man the outside linebacker post, don’t count on that trend continuing. The outside linebacker position used to be a plug and play position for the Steelers. No matter who they plugged in at outside linebacker, that player became an immediate star.

And when that player left for a big paycheck somewhere else in free agency, a new guy would step into the position with next to no dropoff. Those days may be over. The Greg Lloyds of the future will not be slipping into the draft’s sixth round.

Is the 3-4 defense really a better scheme than the 4-3 in today’s NFL? Some of the defense’s biggest proponents, such as Dick LeBeau and Dom Capers, would argue that it is because it offers more ways to attack the offense, especially in this pass happy era. Even great quarterbacks, like Peyton Manning, have at times looked average when facing good 3-4 defenses.

During the 2007 season, four out of the eight division winners employed a 3-4 defense.

It remained the defense of choice among many of the playoff teams again this year, although some of the league’s top defenses continued to use the 4-3 scheme while a couple of its worst were employing the 3-4.

Another possible explanation for the seeming superiority of the 3-4 system is that the teams employing the scheme had a huge advantage in the draft, enabling them to build their defenses.

If that is the case, those days may be a thing of the past, trumped by the law of supply and demand. If the current trend continues, the 3-4 defense will soon become the most popular base defense in the NFL.

But, as the balance of power shifts to the 3-4 defense, the draft advantage may well shift to teams employing the 4-3 scheme. It is conceivable that at some point in the not so distant future, after the talent has been diluted and spread across so many more teams, the conventional wisdom may again demand change, ushering the return to prominence of the 4-3 base defense.

The Steelers-Ravens Slugfest: NFL’s Top Rivalry

Steelers Achilles Heel Remains Intact: Will the OL Get It Done in 2009?

After the draft and much of free-agency, we now have a very good idea of what the Steelers’ offensive line will look like in 2009. And it will be close to exactly how it looked in 2008.

The good news: That line was good enough to win the Super Bowl.

The bad news: That line was the clear Achilles heel of the team.

The team won their sixth Lombardi Trophy in spite of their offensive line rather than because of it. Not many quarterbacks could have had success playing behind that line last year, let alone survived.

I was surprised that the Steelers were able to keep their starting offensive line together. It seemed like an unlikely scenario heading into the offseason—considering how many of them were free agents.

I figured Chris Kemoeatu was surely gone and Max Starks would likely be switching teams. They’ve secured both of those players with Kemoeatu likely taking slightly less to return to the Steelers than he could have secured somewhere else.

I wasn’t a big fan of placing the franchise tag on Starks, but it certainly buys the team some time to develop some other options. Willie Colon will also return.

Gone are former stalwarts Marvel Smith and Kendall Simmons. Both of these moves made sense due to injury and health problems. It is highly doubtful that either player will return to anywhere close to their top form.

Added to the line is Wisconsin mauler Kraig Urbik, selected in the third round. Urbik should push Darnell Stapleton and, perhaps, Justin Hartwig, during training camp. I would not be surprised if he earns a starting job by the end of the season.

He will also serve to provide essential depth across the interior offensive line. Tony Hills, a fourth-round draft pick from last season, may also enter the discussion in terms of providing depth.

Behind that, the team remains somewhat thin across the line. Considering how often I was frustrated by the O-line this past season, I’m a little surprised to be somewhat relieved that last year’s group is coming back together.

The O-line at the beginning of last year bordered on terrible. Their performance in the Eagles game was easily the worst I’ve ever seen out of a Steelers’ line. The miracle in that game is that Ben kept getting behind center and snapping the ball without demanding additional hazard pay.

But, the oft-vilified line clearly improved by the end of the season. They weren’t a great offensive line—they still didn’t get enough surge in the run game, were prone to too many mistakes, and allowed speed rushers to beat them.

But, they were far better by the end of the season than in the season’s first half. They played three solid games in the playoffs, including holding up against one of the league’s premier pass rushing teams in the Ravens.

It is likely that this group will continue to improve next year while becoming more in-sync with one another. Darnell Stapleton played admirably in his first year starting and will likely continue to improve, as will the other players on the line.

Good offensive lines don’t just spontaneously come into existence. They take time to develop. More so than other positions, playing together as a unit has a big impact on their overall development.

That should continue to be the case with this group.

If the Steelers fall short this year, the offensive line will likely be the culprit. But, with the unit showing steady improvement last year, they have shown they are good enough to win a Super Bowl together.

NFC Should Fear the Arizona Cardinals This Year

Despite coming within a hair of winning the Super Bowl, the Arizona Cardinals have gotten little respect. Vegas rewarded their effort by putting them at 30/1 odds to win next year’s Super Bowl, roughly the same odds received by the Bears and Buccaneers and about three times worse than the odds that were being given to the Cowboys.

This is a mistake. Last year’s season was not an aberration. The Cardinals remind me of the Patriots after they won their first Super Bowl. People did not give them much credit, thinking they largely got lucky against the high-powered Rams.

But, they were more than ready to really take off and only got better. People were wrong about the Pats and they are wrong about the Cardinals.

The Cardinals have one of the best coaches in football in Ken Whisenhunt, a great quarterback (albeit probably only for a couple more years), and an all-universe and almost uncoverable receiver.

And they just added the best running back in the draft, who miraculously slid all the way to the Cards at 31. This addresses one of their biggest need areas from last year and will allow them to pound the ball more effectively next year.

They spent the next three rounds focused on upgrading their defense, adding a 3-4 outside linebacker in Connecticut’s Cody Brown in the second round who should immediately help their pass rush. They also made a nice pickup in the third round, snagging Alabama safety Rashad Johnson, one of the draft’s better safeties.

They have significantly improved their roster during the off season. They signed Steelers’ cornerback Bryant McFadden as a free agent. This is the guy Steelers’ fans did not want to see leave town, a young and very good cornerback in his playing prime.

He will immediately upgrade their secondary while being paired with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, last year’s top pick who will likely continue to improve this year.

The Cardinals are Steelers West under Whisenhunt. He is implementing what he learned while running the offense in Pittsburgh, which is to bring in high character and versatile guys.

In many cases, he has literally targeted Steelers’ players, with McFadden and Dan Kreider being the lateset in a string of former Steelers who will be suiting up in Arizona red.

They no longer have any glaring weakness on their roster. Their offensive line isn’t one of the best in football, but it is serviceable. Their defense is far better than they played for much of last season and, with a new defensive coordinator, will likely improve this year.

Some sports writers are over obsessing on the Anquan Boldin contract situation. Even if Boldin leaves town, which appears increasingly unlikely, Steve Breaston is also an outstanding receiver. The Cardinals will not be left without weapons.

Anyone who thinks the Cardinals are a one year wonder are in for a surprise. They were a team that had to learn how to win. They’ve checked that box and are ready to move forward.

Historically, the Super Bowl losing team has not done well the next season, especially when it is an NFC team. The Cardinals (along with the Steelers) will also be battling the “Madden curse” since Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu will appear together on the cover of Madden 2010.

The Cardinals look to me like the team that will break that trend and if I was a betting man, I’d take those 30/1 odds.

Pittsburgh Emerging As Sports Juggernaut

In 1979, I was seven-years-old. It is a year I will never forget and some of my most vivid childhood memories date back to it.

The Steelers dynasty of the ’70s won their fourth Super Bowl. And the “We are Family” Pirates stormed back from being down 3-1 to beat the Orioles and capture the World Series.

I remember waiting at the barber shop while my dad was getting a haircut, listening to the barber lament that he didn’t think the Pirates had a chance (down 3-1), but he hoped they could at least win the next game. They came back and won the series in thrilling fashion. It was just an all-around great year to be a Pittsburgh sports fan.

Remember the Sports Illustrated cover featuring Terry Bradshaw and Captain Willie Stargell? It remains one of my all-time favorites.

Don’t look now, but Pittsburgh is once again becoming one of the premier sports cities in America.

The Steelers stand as the model NFL franchise and have captured two Super Bowls in four years. They have a good shot at repeating this year, with the best clutch quarterback in the league, a ferocious defense, and a championship roster that returns mostly intact.

The Penguins just dispatched their most-hated rival and are moving on to the second round of the playoffs. They put together an improbable late season run to move from well outside the playoff standings to becoming one of the favorites to drink from the Cup. If they do capture the Cup, it will be 1979 all over again, with Pittsburgh sports teams capturing two of sports most coveted championships.

The Pirates are also getting in on the act. While it is hard to imagine them winning a championship, the fact that they are still in contention after a month of play is a major step forward. They have some of the best pitching in the league and these guys are playing hard.

They are no longer the joke of the league, the team that everyone wants to play. They are gunning down some of the premier teams in the National League.

Even on the basketball front, Pittsburgh fans have had plenty to cheer about. The Pitt Panthers just finished up what was likely their best season in history, earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament and advancing to the Elite Eight.

While their run ended a little bit earlier than we would have liked, that does not diminish their incredible achievement. For sports fans, the sad truth is that except for the fans of one team, everybody else will end the season disappointed.

But, the fact remains that the Pitt Panthers were one of the best college basketball teams in the country. And, with one of the best coaches in college basketball in Jamie Dixon, they will remain a national power. Even the long struggling Duquesne Dukes had their moments this year, to include their upset win over Xavier.

And college football also gave us plenty to cheer about. Penn State was one of the top teams in the Big 10, returning Joe Paterno to a slim lead over Bobby Bowden in the race to become college football’s winningest coach.

While Penn State may not be a Pittsburgh team, there are enough area connections to warrant their inclusion here.

Very few other cities can boast anywhere close to this kind of recent success across several sports teams. Pittsburgh may not be one of the nation’s bigger or more influental cities, but in the sports world, it is a national power.

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