NFL Week 6 Preview/Predictions

Hello, everybody. It is week 6 of the NFL season, and my cousins and I are ready for some predicting. After 5 weeks of play, I, Joseph Arthur Smeltzer, am leading our group with a record of 46-31. Hopefully, I am able to keep the ball rolling this week. Brad and I are off to a bang, as we both picked New Orleans to upset Atlanta on Thursday night. Jeff and Ryan, on the otherhand, have a winning percentage of .000

1:00
Bengals (5-0) at Bills (3-2) 

The Horsemen are riding together here. The Bengals have surprised a lot of people with their 5-0 start to the season, while the Bills, despite a respectable 3-2 record, have been rather underwhelming the past few weeks, narrowly escaping defeat at the hands of the unimpressive Titans last week. This Cincinnati team is for real, and they showed that they have heart last Sunday when they came back from 17 down to defeat the Seahawks in OT. Andy Dalton will continue his excellent season with a big game, and the Bengals defense will make life hard for EJ Manual and the questionable Bills offense. Bengals 31, Bills 14.

Broncos (5-0) at Browns (2-3)
Jeff is the lone ranger in picking the Browns because he has a ''gut feeling.'' Well, my gut disagrees. While the Broncos have been rather underwhelming for a 5-0 team, the Browns defense has been underwhelming for any type of team. I love Josh McCown, but Cleveland simply cannot rely on him to go off for 400 yards every game and their defense is showing no signs of figuring things out. I'd hate to beat a dead horse here, but Peyton Manning is pretty good, and that is another thing that will hurt the Browns. Manning, Emmanual Sanders and Demaryius Thomas + Defensive Unit in poor form= Lots of points. Broncos 34, Browns 20.

Bears (2-3) at Lions (0-5) 

In this ''who the hell cares'' game of the week runner-up, the horsemen are split. Jeff and I have picked a Bears victory while Ryan and Brad went with the Lions. The Bears have been getting better since getting Jay Cutler back from injury while the Lions have gotten worse since this past January. Jim Caldwell will most likely lose his job at the end of this season, and this game will not help his cause. The Lions will lose again while the Bears will continue to show that maybe they aren't as lousy as originally believed. Bears 28, Lions 17.

''Who The Hell Cares'' game of the week

Jaguars (1-4) at Texans (1-4)
I've ripped both of these teams multiple times before on this blog, and they still stink. Texans stink a little less in this one because they are at home. 27-17 Texans. Not that I care.

Chiefs (1-4) at Vikings (2-3)

Jeff is the lone ranger in picking the Chiefs here, stating that: ''2 bad teams won't make for the best game, but Jeremy Maclin will make a huge difference.'' I see another guy making a difference, and his name is Adrian Peterson. The Chiefs have been greatly disappointing this season, and they are just getting worse by the week, while the Vikings have been making solid strides since getting Adrian Peterson back, nearly scoring a huge win at Mile High last week. I see Peterson taking over the game on Sunday. Anybody who knows football knows how good #28 is, and the Chiefs simply are not in the right state of mind to stop this man. The Chiefs poor offense won't do them any favors either. 31-14 Vikings.

Dolphins (1-3) at Titans (1-3)

The horseman ride together. The Dolphins season has been a train wreck so far, and it has led to the removal of Joe Philbin as head coach. Teams playing in their first game after a major firing tend to play with a chip on their shoulder, and I think that Miami will do that for interim head coach Dan Campbell. The Titans are still an inconsistent football team that has a lot of growing to do. Miami has the talent to win games, and I think that their offense will finally come alive in Nashville. Look for Ryan Tannehill to finally put up the big numbers that he is fully capable of putting up. Dolphins 34, Titans 14.

Redskins (2-3) at Jets (3-1)

3 of us are riding together here while Ryan has decided to go in a different direction, refusing to explain why. The Redskins have yet to win a game away from FedExField this season, and that trend will continue on Sunday. The Jets are a much-improved football team, and I am sold that they are the real deal. Chirs Ivory is the focal point of the Jets offense, and he I predict that he will have another 100+ yards rushing while Ryan Fitzpatrick will have 280+ yards passing. I see a fairly comfortable win for NYJ this week. Jets 34, Redskins 17.

Cardinals (4-1) at Steelers (3-2)

It hurts to say it, but I do not see my Steelers pulling out a win this week, and I would share that sentiment even if Ben Roethlisberger were healthy. Arizona is scary good, and they are blowing teams out in ways that would make UCONN Woman's Basketball proud. That little slip up against the Rams was a fluke, and this team has a legitimate shot at a Superbowl run. The Steelers simply are not as well rounded as Arizona is, and not having Roethlisberger doesn't help matters. Carson Palmer will have a big game much like Phillip Rivers did against the Steelers this past Monday and that will get the Cardinals offense going. Brad is the lone ranger in picking Pittsburgh, stating: ''Mike Vick has confidence and Antonio Brown will be ready to explode after two sub-par games. I hope Brad is right, but I doubt it. 31-20 Cards.

4:05
Panthers (4-0) at Seahawks(2-3)

The Horsemen ride together again. It is no secret that Seattle has been greatly disappointing this season, and last week's choke in Cincy was an extremely low point for the franchise. However, the Hawks have arguably the best home-field advantage in the NFL, and that will be a huge factor in this game. Carolina is a good team, but I do not see them starting 5-0, as they still have some questions to answer on offense and facing Seattle's defense won't help them give answers. The Seahawks are a completely different team at home, and they will be ready to play on Sunday. Jimmy Graham will also finally break out of his slump (or at least put together a decent performance for a change). Cam Newton, you have been warned. 31-14 Seahawks.

4:25
Chargers (2-3) at Packers (5-0)

Aaron Rodgers. Lambeau Field. Do I need to say anything else? Packers 34, Chargers 17.

Ravens (1-4) at 49ers (1-4)

My, how times have changed. 2 years ago, these two teams were playing in the Superbowl. Now, they have fallen off of the relevance cliff. Brad is the only horseman who rides with the 49ers, stating that he ''won't pick the Ravens until they can beat a team as bad as the Browns.'' While he has a point, I think that the Ravens have been snake bit this season as they have lost a few close games, and they stink a little less than San Fran does. Justin Forsett will have another big game, and that will propel the Ravens to a win against the dreadful 49ers. Ravens 34, 49ers 20.

Sunday Night
Patriots (5-0) at Colts (2-3)

These two teams will be meeting for the first time since the ''deflate gate'' incident came alive, and you better believe Tom Brady is still pissed off. There are few things that are more frightening for an opposing team than a pissed off Tom Brady, and the Colts will feel his wrath. Rob Gronkowski isn't too bad either. Pats 35, Colts 14.

Monday Night
Giants (3-2) at Eagles (2-3)

We are split here, as Jeff and I have the Giants in this one while Brad and Ryan have the Eagles. Brad believes that Odell Beckham's hamstring injury will make him close to a non-factor. While Beckham not being 100 percent will hurt the Giants offense, I still have a gut feeling that they will pull this one out. The reason why I feel this way is that it seems like every time the Eagles have momentum going and a chance to make some noise in the NFC, they completly blow it. I think that Eli Manning will find a way to win on a clutch last-minute drive. Giants 24, Eagles 20.

MLB: Predictions for NL/ALCS

It's league championship series time, and my cousins and I have given our predictions as to who will advance to the Fall Classic. Let's get into it.

NLCS
Ryan is the lone ranger in picking the Mets here, stating that New York having homefield advantage will be the difference and boldly predicting that Jake Arietta will lose his first start. Brad has the Cubs, stating that Arietta, as well as John Lester will be able to contain the Mets bats while also pointing out that the Cubs were in a tougher division than New York was. I am going with the Cubs in 5 games. It amazed me how good they looked against St. Louis, and I do not think the Mets have enough firepower to shut them down. New York has had a great run, but Chicago is just too good of a team and currently are my favorites to win the whole thing.

ALCS
We are split here, as Ryan and I have the Blue Jays in 7 while Brad and Jeff have the Royals. Brad explained that he felt the Royals are a better all around team than the Jays, and predicted that Tronto would make defensive mistakes that would cost them the series. Ryan predicts that David Price will bounce back to shut down the Royal bats in game 2 and that Tronto's pitching would continue to be steady for the rest of the series. I think that Tronto has been the best team in baseball for the past 2 months. It will be a hard-fought series, but Tronto's offensive talent will be too much in the end.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy watching the playoffs unfold.

USC Football: Haden is to blame for Sarkisian debacle

     By: Joe Smeltzer

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Times are quite hectic in South Central Los Angeles. In the span of one day, USC head football coach Steve Sarkisian showed up to practice ''in no condition to work'', was put on administrative leave, and finally, was fired. Sarkisian supposedly has had a long history with alcohol abuse, and his firing was the right decision. The most important thing for Sarkisian is getting the help he needs with this very serious issue, and I wish him the very best in his efforts to get clean. This article will not be about criticizing Sarkisian for his mistakes. The person who I will be critical of is the man who hired and fired him.

     Pat Haden was hired as USC Athletic Director on August 3rd, 2010, succeeding Mike Garrett. Garrett had done a lot of good things in his tenure, the best of which was hiring Pete Carroll as head football coach. But the program had been sanctioned by the NCAA under his watch, and that is what did him in. While USC has not been hammered by the NCAA during Haden's tenure, the football program has not come near the heights that it reached during the Carroll regime. After Carroll departed for the Seattle Seahawks, Lane Kiffin was hired to take over the program. Aside from a 10 win season in 2011, Kiffin's tenure was marked by underachievement, and he was fired after a mediocre 3-2 start to the 2013 season. Ed Orgeron took over as interim head coach for the rest of the season.

''Coach O'' deserved better treatment from Pat Haden

     The Trojans caught fire after the coaching switch, going 6-2 the rest of the regular season and earning a place in the Las Vagas Bowl. Before the bowl game, Orgeron resigned, and this is where our problem starts. Orgeron deserved the head coaching job, as the work he did in cleaning up Kiffin's mess was remarkable and deserved a much greater reward. Pretty much every fan/player associated with the program agreed, except for the person whose opinion mattered most: Pat Haden. 

     Not only did Haden refuse to give Orgeron the job when he clearly had earned it, he gave it to a man who had a fairly underwhelming track record. His name was Steve Sarkisian. Sarkisian worked under Pete Carroll as the school's offensive coordinator from 2007-2008 (similar to another failed Trojan coach whose name rhymes with Bane Tiffen). In 2009, Sarkisian left SC to become head coach of the Washington Huskies. In his 5 seasons in Seattle, Washington's records were as follows: 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6, 8-4. While ''Sark the Shark'' did a good job of rebuilding a program that was left in shambles by the great Tyrone Willingham, his record was far from great and it is hard to believe that he would have even been considered for the job if not for his SC ties. Orgeron getting passed over might have made sense if, say, Haden picked a coach whose best season resulted in a greater reward than an invitation to the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl

     Sarkisian's good but not great head coaching resume was reason enough for Haden not to give him the job. This brings us to what lead to Sarkisian's demise: Alcoholism. While it is not clear how serious the issue was before he was hired at SC, it is hard for me to believe that Sarkisian suddenly discovered booze at the age of 39 (his age when he was hired), and this bill that was charged to Sarkisian and a few assistant coaches from his time at Washington serves as evidence that this has been a problem for far longer than USC let on 

      

     

That's quite an expensive bill. Courtesy: LA Times

     When hiring a head coach, an AD should know everything there is to know about his background. Either Haden was extremely naive, or he overlooked Sarkisian's condition. Either way, Haden should have known better, and he made an inexcusable mistake. There were even more warning signs of Sark's illness this past August. At USC's annual ''Salute to Troy'' banquet, Sarkisian was clearly intoxicated when he took the stage to give a speech. According to various reports, Sark dropped at least one f-bomb, slurred his speech, and put down some of USC's competition by saying ''They all suck!'' Four days later, Sarkisian acknowledged at a press conference that he ''might have a drinking problem.'' Instead of doing the right thing and checking their head coach into a rehabilitation facility Haden, and other administrators proceeded as usual, and Sarkisian faced no discipline for his actions. 

     That brings us to this past Monday when Sarkisian was relieved from his position as head football coach at the University of Southern California. Haden finally had nowhere left to run, and he did what he had to do. There is no doubt in my mind that Pat Haden deserves just as much, if not more blame than Sarkisian for all of this drama. It was ignorance on Haden's part to make this hiring in the first place, and now he is sleeping in his own bed. Now USC alumni and fans are wondering if the school was ignorant in hiring Haden as their athletic director. Haden is no stranger to controversy, as he had a disgraceful act of stupidity last season when, in a game against Stanford, he left the press box and jogged across the field to confront an official. 

      The athletic program at SC has made no significant strides under Haden, and it's time for school president C.L. Max Nikias to consider if he has the right athletic director for the job. Unless Haden can do something to right the wrong that he committed on December 2nd, 2013, I think that he should be removed from his job and replaced by somebody who will be better for the program and for college sports. 

Steelers 24 Chargers 20: Team shows heart/Results of my 3 keys

                                                                               By: Joe Smeltzer

One of the many things I love about sports is how drastically the opinions of fans can shift over the course of a game. For 3 quarters on Monday night, many Steelers fans were calling for Mike Vick to be benched in favor of 3rd string QB Landry Jones. By the end of the night, these same fans were elated, and their feeling of euphoria would not have been possible if it were not for the free agent backup quarterback who divided the city when he was signed in August. Vick was not great by any means on Monday Night. In fact, for the first 45 minutes of play, he stunk up Qualcomm Stadium. But that didn't matter in the end  because Vick came through when it mattered most. I think that Vick's pre-4th quarter performance made his eventual triumph even sweeter, and Steelers fans should be far more pleased with the way Vick finished his night than they are discouraged with the way he started it.

      How many backup QB's would be capable of throwing a 72-yard touchdown bomb while in crunch time the way Vick did when he hit Marcus Wheaton to tie the game at 17 midway through the 4th quarter? How many "substitute teachers" would watch their opponent take back the lead late, then take their troops down the field 80 yards in the span of 2 and 1/2 minutes to pull out a win on the road while the first string quarterback on the other side was red hot and looked destined for a win? Vick did all of these things, and the Steelers are in an exclusive club by being able to turn to a player like him in a time of crisis. He also impressed me with his professionalism after his dreadful start, as Vick showed leadership and his years of football experience allowed him to not get rattled while in crunch time. While Le'Veon Bell should be given credit for another excellent performance that was capped off by a fantastic 1 yard TD run as time expired, the main story of Monday night should be Vick, because his perseverance in that situation was something so rarely seen out of a backup QB.


       Before the game, I wrote an article where I discussed what I felt were 3 keys to a Steelers victory. Let's see how well the Steelers were able to execute my keys.

Key #1: Control Phillip Rivers Enough
     

     Judging by the numbers, the Steelers defense could have done a better job of limiting Chargers QB Phillip Rivers. However, I predicted in my last article that Rivers would make at least one key mistake that could have a big impact the game. Thanks to Antwon Blake, my prediction came true. Late in the 3rd quarter, Blake stepped in front of Rivers's pass over the middle and picked it off, running 72 yards for a touchdown that gave Pittsburgh a 10-7 lead. Had Rivers not made this mistake, San Diego would have almost certainly won the game and the Steelers season would start to be in jeopardy. So, judging by Rivers's 72.9% completion percentage and 365 yards passing, the Steelers did not do a good job of executing this key. However, Pittsburgh succeeded in forcing a key mistake, so their efforts to contain #17 were not entirely wasteful.

Original Likelihood of Executing Key: Fair
Final Results: Mixed

Key #2: Let Vick Loose

     Make no mistake about it, the Steelers win on Monday was not without faults, and the offensive play calling continues to be one of those. Todd Haley appears to have not learned too much from his awful offensive game plan against Baltimore. In fact, in some ways, Monday was an even worse performance from Haley. At least in week 4, Haley allowed Vick to run around a little bit and make some plays with his feet. The only running Vick did on Monday was when he made a crucial 24-yard scamper in the dying seconds of the contest. Haley simply would not let Vick open up the field enough, as the pass plays that were called were short and predictable, much like they were against the Ravens. Things were a little more open in the second half, as evidenced by Vick's 72-yard bomb to Wheaton, but Haley needs to call a smart game for 60 minutes instead of just 30. Something has to change with the Steelers offensive strategy, and considering a Superbowl contender is coming into Heinz Field on Sunday, it better happen fast.

Original Likelihood of Executing Key: Strong
Final Results: Weak

Key #3: Le'Veon Bell does what he does (with some help from DeAngelo Williams)

     Monday was business as usual for Le'Veon Bell, as he turned in a stellar performance with 111 yards rushing on 21 Carries, including the game-winning touchdown as time ran out. Bell most certainly did his job and continues to be one of the most exciting players in the game. I wrote before Monday's game that DeAngelo Williams should be given the ball more. However, he continues to be used sparingly, only getting 5 carries on Monday, and deserves to be used more often. So, yes and no for this one, just as I predicted.

     The Steelers did not play a great all around football game Monday night, but they showed a lot of heart and got a big win in a tough road environment. In the NFL, the W is all that matters in the end, and the Steelers should relish the win while looking to improve with every practice. The tough stretch of the schedule begins on Sunday when the 5-1 Arizona Cardinals come into town. It will be a very interesting season, and all we can do as fans is sit back and enjoy/complain.

"Field Looks Nice, Elliot."

"Field Looks Nice, Elliot."

By: Bradley Stewart

       Thursday, November 18, 2004. This was  the day legendary college football coach, Lou Holtz announced his retirement from coaching football.  At the time, Holtz was coaching the South Carolina Gamecocks to a 6-4 record. This announcement came five days removed from South Carolina's embarrassing 48-14 loss to the Florida Gators and just two days prior to the Gamecocks' away, rivalry game against the 5-5 Clemson Tigers.  South Carolina would go on to fall 29-7, but the game became known for the infamous 'Clemson-Carolina Brawl'.  Just two days later, Holtz officially retired from coaching.  The following day, South Carolina announced Steve Spurrier as their next head football coach.  The Gamecocks were invited to participate in a bowl game that season, but declined for the involvement in the brawl.  

      Spurrier was an experienced, high-energy coach and had fared well in his previous endeavors.  Steve's first head coaching position was at Duke, where he went for 20-13-1 in three seasons.  Spurrier left Duke for the Florida Gators' coaching job, where he had won the Heisman Trophy during his playing career.  In the 'Old Ball Coach's' twelve years in Gainesville, the Gators never had less than nine wins in a season.  During a tenure that saw him win six SEC Championships and one National Championship, Spurrier went 122-27-1, including a very impressive 87-12 record in conference play.  The now veteren coach took his talents to the NFL, where he went 12-20 in two years as the head coach of the Washington Redskins.  

       Steve saw immediate success with his new ball club, finishing tied for second in the SEC East, but failing to win their bowl game that season.  Spurrier would finish 8-5 the following season, which included a 44-36 Liberty Bowl win against Houston.  For the next three seasons the Gamecocks would hover around the .500 mark for both overall and conference records.  During that span, Carolina went 0-2 in bowl games.  2010 seemed to be the breakout year for South Carolina.  The Gamecocks started 3-0, but fell against the then seventeenth ranked Auburn Tigers.  The Gamecocks seemed to get their act together for their next game against then ranked number one, Alabama Crimson Tide, winning by two touchdowns.  Carolina would go on to finish 9-3, while winning the SEC East.  The Gamecocks would get another shot against Auburn, but failed to take advantage, instesd getting pummeled 56-17.  South Carolina would then lose in the Chick-fil-a Bowl to Florida State, making it four consecutive seasons without a bowl win.  For the next three seasons, Carolina would go on to finish 11-2 every year, but failied to win their own division once.  However, they won three bowl games in those three years and were heading in the right direction.  South Carolina finished 8th, 7th, and 4th in those past three years, respectively.  2014 began a new era in College Football.  The first ever College Football Playoff took place.  A system designed in South Carolina's favor, benifiting teams with strong records and tough schedules.  The Gamecocks would not even be in the Top-25, by the end of the season finishing 7-6, with a Independence Bowl win over the Miami Hurricanes.  

       It was Monday, October 12, 2015, when South Carolina kicker, Elliot Fry, walked into Williams-Brice Stadium.  The first thing he saw was Coach Spurrier just standing on the field and staring at the stadium.  It was then Elliot would walk over to the Steve Spurrier, then in the middle of his 11th season as the Head Coach of South Carolina.  The only thing the Coach would say to Elliot was, "Field looks nice, Elliot."  That day, Coach Spurrier would tell his team about his plans to retire. The next day, Spurrier officially resigned from the position of the Head Ball Coach.  Although he is retiring his position, his nickname will continue with him.  "I'll just be the former Head Ball Coach now," said Spurrier.  Steve will finish his career, assuming he will not coach again (although he has not ruled out that possibility), with 228 career wins, good enough for 45th in College Football histroy.Spurrier's ageless face has been the topic of many discussions throughout the years, as he has been known to say some very funny and to-the-truth things you will never hear a college football coach say.  At the end of this article, I will leave you with some of his best quotes:

When asked about Geroiga,

"I don't know. I sort of always liked playing them that second game because you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended."

"I do feel badly for Arkansas. That's no fun getting your butt beat at home, homecoming and all that."

"You know what FSU stands for, don't you? Free Shoes University."

"Well the second half we did a lot of good things on defense, we moved the ball pretty much offensively. We just couldn't score down there."

"Too bad about Connor Mitch. I think he was diving for that ill-advised option play and separated his shoulder...so it looks like he's out."

Steelers-Chargers: 3 Keys to Victory

Hello, everybody. As opposed to predicting tonight's affair between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Diego Chargers in my NFL Week 5 Preview article, I decided over the weekend that it would be a good idea to write a separate preview for the Black and Gold. Here, I will break down what I think the Steelers need to do in order to win a very important game in San Diego, as well as the likelihood of Pittsburgh being able to execute these keys to victory. 

Control Phillip Rivers Enough

While I don't quite see Phillip Rivers as an elite quarterback, he is not far from it. What concerns John Butler and the Steeler defense is that Rivers has a well-known tendency to go off. While surfing ESPN.COM, I found a good article written by John Gruden on how the Steelers defense matches up against Rivers and company. The main point that Gruden stressed was that while the Steelers style of blitzing has been effective so far this season, it may work against them on Monday night. One blitz that the Steelers have used this season is the ''bison'' blitz, in which both the strong side linebacker and safety rush from the same side, while the defensive coverage is 2-deep, 4-under. Gruden wrote that the combination of Rivers's quick release, accuracy and preparation for the blitz could all work in his favor, a statement which has plenty of substance considering that Rivers has completed 74.4 percent of his passes against the blitz this season. Gruden also pointed out that Joe Flacco was able to take advantage of the ''bison'' by simply checking to a weakside running play when he saw that the Steelers would be blitzing. 

I predict that, while Rivers is a better QB than Joe Flacco, the Steelers zone coverage, as well as the blitz, will cause him to make at least one crucial mistake. As for the possibility of switching to a running play, the Ravens have the luxury of having Justin Forsett in the backfield. San Diego has Melvin Gordon, who isn't nearly as good of an option, so I think that this will help the Steelers learn from their mistakes against Baltimore and contain the Chargers running game. I think that Rivers will have a very good passing night, likely throwing for over 300 yards. But will that be enough for San Diego to come away with a win?

Likelihood: Fair 

Let Vick Loose

As I wrote in my recap of the Steelers dreadful Thursday night loss to the Ravens, Todd Haley was simply far too careful with Mike Vick and did not give him enough opportunities to make plays. Assuming Haley has a brain, I think that he will use Vick properly tonight, and this will involve more passes to Antonio Brown. If the Steelers have any excuse for their overly conservate offensive strategy against Baltimore, it is that Vick only had one full day of practice under his belt. Now, with far more preparation, the Steelers have no excuse. Vick is not a rookie. He has been in this game long enough to lead an offense, and he is capable of holding down the fort until #7 comes back. Vick can help the Steelers with both his arm and feet, and I don't think Haley will make the mistake of misusing his talents twice. 

Likelihood: Strong

Le'Veon Bell does what he does (with some help from DeAngelo Williams)

Le'Veon Bell is the best all-around running back in the game, as well as the most important player on this Steelers offense. The Chargers run defense is extremely poor, ranking 29th out of 32 teams in the league, so there is no reason to believe that Bell will not have a big game tonight. One thing that I did not mention in my article regarding that collapse against Baltimore was that since Bell's return from suspension in week 3, the Steelers other running back, DeAngelo Williams, has been horribly misused. Williams played very well in Bell's absence, and I think that the Steelers offense would be much better off if Todd Haley would allow Williams to take some weight off of Bell's shoulders, which is something that every running back desires. So, I think that there is a mixed likelihood here. I think that Bell will have a big game as he usually does, but that Williams will continue to be misused by the Steelers coaching staff for some odd reason.

Likelihood: Very Strong/Unlikely 

Final Prediction

This is a game that the Steelers have to win. With a very tough road ahead, Pittsburgh simply cannot afford to fall to 2-3. It will be a close game, but I do not see San Diego's defense(which has not allowed less than 24 points in 4 games this season), being good enough to stop the Steelers offensive attack, even without Ben Roethlisberger. Mike Vick is good enough to make plays, and Le'Veon Bell is simply awesome. Phillip Rivers will make some big plays tonight, and this will allow the Chargers to keep it close. However, the Steelers offense will just be too much for San Diego to handle, and their defense will make just enough plays to hold on for what would be a big, big win. 

Steelers 34, Chargers 27 

Hard Hitters

Hard Hitters: Why do we Love Football?

By Alex Gordon       

The play that most defines football to me happened at the 2013 Outback Bowl in Tampa, Fl.  It wasn't a game I watched. I didn't even know it was going on.  Like many others, I saw the play on Sports Center.  Premised on the sliding topic bar as “Jadeveon Clowney blows up Outback Bowl,” I wasn't expecting anything.  Up until then I had never heard of Jadeveon Clowney or had any idea who he played for or what position he played for them.  I learned after a commercial break that he was a defensive end, one of the best in the country, expected to be taken in the top five of the NFL draft.  I was informed that he was a physical specimen. 6’6” 265 pounds of fast-twitch muscle fiber.  It was a blitz, well called apparently, that lead to an offensive line miscommunication.  The missed block was all Clowney needed, the rest was simple physics.  Two objects in an inelastic collision, the other we’ll call Vincent Smith (the Michigan running back), momentum is conserved and exerted at twice the force on both objects.  Smith went down, needless to say while his helmet continued going up.  Clowney palmed the now owner less football in his left hand and rose with a roar of his own to accompany that of the South Carolina faithful.  It was everything sports was about in a singular moment.  Significant, Clowney forced the fumble just after Michigan had completed a questionable first down in the fourth quarter of a bowl game, and seemingly superhuman. A display made by one of the rare individuals with the physical gifts to do so.  To quote a well-used adage on the entertainment and sports program network, it was “what we watch for.”

It stayed with me, though, for its reverence. The play was shown over and over and over again. For weeks after it happened you couldn't watch an hour of Sportscenter without seeing what became simply known as “the hit.”  The YouTube video has 5,388,915 views to date, and even though Smith claims he has been hit harder, the appeal of the play obviously lies in its animosity.  The comparison has been drawn between football and war, and it is well documented that when we watch sports our hormones react as if we had our names on the jersey.  It appeals to our base instincts in that respect, along with the tribal nature of fandom.  It doesn't take an active mind to picture Clowney as the gladiator and the crowd, having been wronged the play before, the vindicated masses.  

No sport is without its flaws, but football’s are more glaring than most.  The domestic violence charges, rampant commercialization especially in the college game (granted big money in any industry usually leads to this result),  an owner who refuses to admit his logo is a racial epithet, and the concussed elephant in the room, head injuries and post-playing career repercussions of the sport's physicality. Which could very well lead to the destruction of the game that is, by the numbers, most certainly our national pastime. As a sports fan, I feel that the game leaves much to be desired.  I have always been a firm believer in the significance of any sport, their ability to make us believe in ourselves, and at times, something greater than that.  I feel like they can also express, much like art, literature, and theater, our ability to create almost endless material despite the given confines of a medium.  I’ve always felt football’s physicality limits it in this sense.  Unlike other sports such as soccer and basketball, where contact is incidental, and only necessary when a move is made so well that a foul is the only way to stop it.  Football is the opposite, without contact a move could not be made.  I will concede the beauty of a long reception and the complexity and specificity of in- game strategy, but the necessary physicality stifles any possible flow.  Many view football as America’s sport with baseball a relic of the past, now too slow, too pitcher dominant, and basketball still battling the lasting repercussions of the Malice at the Palace and early 2000’s perceived listless defense and isolation offense.  Football appeals to our base instincts, but sports can be so much more than just glorified physicality, and I feel we have the ability to see so much beyond that.