Griggsy is back on his game and not a day too soon. It only seems fitting that I finally start getting my feet under me and Chris gets his next round of Gripes up the same day that the Penguins opened up training camp. I am trying to get all of the papers graded tonight so that I can get a post up tomorrow about the Pens (I have two I am working on now), but at least for tonight and part of tomorrow we’ve got the Griggsy’s love.
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It’s once again time for the best part of your week. With a lot of goings-on lately, let’s just get right into the gripes….
->Well, that was quite an egg laid by the Steelers against Baltimore. The offense couldn’t stop turning the ball over, the defense couldn’t stop anyone, and there were a lot of players looking disinterested far
too early on in the game. It’s just not something I’m used to seeing from that team, especially against arguably the team’s biggest rival. They looked like it was preseason game number five, basically. And for a team that usually shows a ton of pride in their game, they didn’t show quite as much last Sunday….
->However, there are two additional thoughts I have about the game. First, the Ravens deserve a lot of credit for playing about as well as I’ve seen them play in the last 3 years. It pains me to say that, obviously. But I would be a fool not to say it. They looked hungry, hey looked multi-dimensional offensively, and they looked like a much better team that I expected.
But that brings me to my next point. In the NFL, there are two weeks of the season that tell you very little about the season as a whole, and how teams will play for the entire year. Week 17 is the biggest
misleading week of the year, because teams are either resting players for the playoffs, or playing backups to make decisions for next season. The next biggest in terms of misleading weeks, however, is
Week 1. Some teams don’t come into Week 1 with everything figured out. Some are still trying to figure out new schemes, or are still trying to get the chemistry right to be successful. This is especially the case in this season, where teams only had 7 weeks worth of training time prior to Week 1’s games.
Back in 2003, the Patriots went into Buffalo for a Week 1 game against the Bills. They returned home after Week 1 with an 0-1 record after a 31-0 ass-kicking. At the end of the season, the Bills weren’t the team raising the Lombardi Trophy. New England won it all that year, despite the waxing they took in Week 1.
So, what does that all mean for the Steelers, the Ravens, and the NFL after the first week? Honestly, I don’t know. And neither does anyone else. And that’s ultimately the point. Don’t assume that the 2011
season is over for the Steelers, or that the Ravens will run away with the division and such. 16 games may be the shortest schedule in all of pro sports. But it’s a very long time, and things are going to change in a big way before the season is over….
->I will say this, though. I don’t envy the Seattle Seahawks for Week 2….
->The Penguins’ training camp has opened officially, and excitement is high. Sidney Crosby’s practicing (albeit without contact), and Evgeni Malkin has returned after a disappointing wasted season that was riddled with injuries. There aren’t many open spots on the roster, with many returning players from last season. We all could probably list our projections for the opening night roster, and we’d be able toget it 90% right (or better). The question, in my eyes, is what the lines will look like, especially if Crosby isn’t ready for Game #1 (which is expected to be the case). Everyone has their guesses, and
this is mine, based on both what I want to see and what Dan Bylsma’s tendencies are as coach:
Sullivan-Malkin-Neal
Kunitz-Staal-Kennedy
Cooke-Letestu-Dupuis
Jeffrey-Adams-Asham
This is assuming that Dustin Jeffrey is ready to go in October. If not, you may see Eric Tangradi, Richard Park, or Nick Johnson get that spot. Hell, I suppose that Steve MacIntyre may get that spot, if Bylsma feels he needs a fighter against Vancouver. Regardless, you can see that there aren’t a lot of guys in danger of losing their spot. Hopefully, there won’t be complacency from any of those guys.
The defense and goaltending are similarly set, so don’t expect to see any “camp darlings” getting an immediate shot in the NHL at any position. But those guys may very well set themselves up to be the
first call-up due to injury. Teams suffer lots of injuries during a typical NHL season. Hell, just look at the Pens’ season last year. So, positioning yourself to get an early call-up is a big deal. The aforementioned Tangradi and Johnson may be two that are at the top of the list, if they don’t make the Pens’ roster out of camp….
->The Pirates finally lost game 82 earlier this week. Around the same time, Neal Huntington got a three-year extension as GM of the team. This may stun you, but I actually think this is a good move for the team. There will be continuity in the organization for an extended period now, and the team is certainly making strides, both at the MLB level and in the minors. Many more prospects, and lots of quality players in Pittsburgh, it’s all leading to a legitimate positive outlook for the Buccos in the future. They may not win a World Series anytime soon. But they will win 82+ games sooner than later….
And on that bombshell, this is where the Gripes sign off….
Avoid the Clap 
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