Owls Scrimmage Positive

The Owls scrimmage with St. Marys had a lot of positives last Friday night at Parkway Field. One of the most exciting parts of the scrimmage was the Owls passing game. Cody Coats had a couple of nice passes and a touchdown pass. Also, the play of the Owls offensive line has been good. Owls Coach Jeff Puglio has had to deal with a couple of injuries along the line, but others had responded when called upon.
Alot of talk about the Owls schedule and how difficult it is. It's sad that that's the first thing everybody talks about when mentioning this Owls team. I'm excited and know that this team can be pretty good, if the offensive and defensive lines play well.

Love the Way the Media looks at the NFL

If your a Bills fan you know what I'm talking about. The National Media overlooks the Bills. The Bills have a huge following and it is evident by the Bills backers clubs throughout the nation. When the Bills and Steelers play on the field there are alot of transplants in attendance rooting on them. Last year the Bills played the Panthers in Charlotte. My son Tyler, who lives there, told me that the parking lot they tailgated in was full of Bills fans. He said during the game when the Bills scored, the place went nuts. My sister lives in LA. She went to see the Bills play in Seattle a couple of years ago and it was full of Bills fans. Then why does the national media overlook this team. It seems that the major market teams get better coverage. But, when you look at the sidebars concerning teams like the Bills there seems to be more support for them in their market. Take the TV ratings for individual games. Green Bay, Pittsburgh and Buffalo all always have better ratings for their games then teams like the Giants, Jets, Patriots, Dolphins. I could go on and on. And, the NFL wants to put a team back in Los Angeles. They've had two teams in the past and couldn't support anyone of them. Los Angeles is a baseball town. New York is a baseball town. Buffalo and Pittsburgh are football towns. Nuff said.

Pirates Headed in Right Direction?

Are the Pirates heading in the right direction? Yesterday I talked about how Chan Gailey, I feel, is the right man for the Bills in leading them back to the playoffs. The Pirates have alot of young talent seeing alot of action now in Pittsburgh. Take Neil Walker for an example, he had another game winning hit last night a three run triple in the Pirates 5-2 win over the Cardinals on WESB. Pirates Manager John Russell doesn't seem to have the same fire that a Chan Gailey does in Buffalo. I know many Pirates fans are sick of the losing attitude in the Burgh. And, Russell is not who I would want piloting the Pirates. If the Bucs are to take the next step and make the playoffs, in a couple of seasons, a different style manager would be required. Russell is to laid-back with the media too. I think that will be his undoing.

Where are the Bills Headed?

I'm excited about the NFL season and the Buffalo Bills. Thas right, Im fired up and looking forward to the Chan Gailey era in Buffalo. is he the right hire? Well, time will tell. What about GM Buddy Nix? I'm excited with what he is doing too. Remember, these two guys have to rebuild the team, change the defense to a 3-4 and upgrade the offense. Are they a playoff team? No. Too many question marks, starting with the quarterback spot. But, I'm sure this team wlll be more exciting offensively than under Dick Jauron. Speaking of Jauron, I can now see why he is not considered a good coach. he's not a leader, Like Gailey. That you can see just from training camp.

Everyone is talking about who will be the starting quarterback on opening day for the Steelers. Alot of fans like Dennis Dixon. But, Byron Leftwich has the experience.
Remember one of the two will get the nod and lead the team for a few weeks while Big Ben serves his suspension. I think Leftwich should be the one. You do not want to start the season 1-3 of even 2-2 and then have Big Ben take over and a change of direction. The offensive line has to jell and then the running game take-off. This could be one of the most interesting Steeler seasons because of all of the ifs.

Owls Football Schedule is a Tough One

I continue to hear comments about the Owls football schedule. After Clearfield left District 9 and later Punxsy finding a football schedule for the Owls became a difficult proposition for BAHS AD Tim Walter. The Owls would have had no league representation and down to just a few games. Face it. The landscape changed after Clearfield dumped Bradford after the Owls started to beat them on a regular basis. When Clearfield Coach Tim Janocko absorbed a 56-35 spanking in front of the home fans in 2006 the writing was on the wall and he and his football program bolted for a District 6 League. As for the District 10 football schedule suck it up and let's go play football. If the parents and players get behind Coach Jeff Pulio and his program the Owls could make a statement sooner than later. Teams want to be the best, winners and not losers, so to get there you have to play the best. The Owls open the season at home to Olean on September 3 at 7pm on 1490 WESB, 100.1 The Hero and WESB.com.

Steelers Move Pouncey to Center

The Steelers have moved their first round pick center/guard Maurkice Pouncey to center at training camp Monday. Steelers center Justin Hartwig was signed to a four year deal in 2009. But, the Steelers were impressed with Pouncey's performance at center inthe preseason win over the Lions on WESB. Let's face it; the Steelers offensive line has to be better this year. That means a better running game and less pressure on the passing game. Remeber, the Steelers will start the season without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who will serve a suspenion to start the campaign. If Pouncey makes the team better up the middle put him there.