Last night as I lay down to fall asleep, the Warren Zevon song “Numb as a Statue” popped into my head. It is a great song off his final album, “The Wind”. I’m always intrigued by this album because he recorded it after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer therefore knowing it would be the last album he ever made.
That’s a pretty heavy concept… when you consciously know that you are doing something for the last time in your life, how does it affect you? When that act is writing a collection of songs, what do you write about?
Originally, my interpretation of “The Wind” was that Warren didn’t really care about death. It seemed that he acknowledged it, of course, but I read him as being generally indifferent towards both life and death. This seemed to line up with his entire career body of work, in my opinion.
Looking back on what happened, though, I think I read it all wrong. Warren was diagnosed with inoperable cancer and told he had few months to live. He refused treatment (I suppose the logic was, I’m going to die anyway, so why go through all that), instead opting to write an album with the little time he had left. In the act of performing his final task, however, he ended up living for over year. It seems to me that a person who should really only live a short period of time but instead extends that without the help of modern medicine really doesn’t want to die. He may give the appearance that he is indifferent about life or death, but somewhere deep inside him he wanted to live.
Now I interpret “The Wind” as Warren coming to grips with the fact that as much as his conscious mind wanted to believe that he didn’t give a shit about life or death, he couldn’t deny his unconscious drive to keep going. I think there was an incredible war within him over this point, both sides fighting for control of his body. And as he was writing the album, I think he realized the battle’s outcome was not what he originally predicted or even wanted to believe.
I really wish the man was still alive so I could ask him about this. But alas, his time has come and gone and that conversation will never happen. His ride on the wheel of life finally came to an end as he was crushed under the wheel on its trip around and around and around and around.
This is the fate of all of us. For some the wheel has a large circumference and the ride lasts quite a while before we find ourselves pinned between the wheel and the road. For others, the wheel is tiny and the trip short. Rest assured, though, at some point we will all be squashed.
This brings me to my own philosophy on life as told perfectly by Spinal Tap’s Viv Savage:
“Have a good time, all the time”
Life is limited and there is likely no true meaning to it at all. So you may as well have a good time as long as you are on the ride!
Hey, don’t think I’m overly shallow here. Of course doing good and leaving this place better than we found it are important as well. I’m just saying that you shouldn’t lose sight of having a good time while you’re at it. If you don’t do it now, you might find that it is too late.
That’s why after I’m done writing this I’m going to go sit on the back patio, turn on the radio, crack open a beer and stare at the sky.
You’re welcome to join me if you wish.
-David
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Draft wishes
All this talk of labor dispute in the NFL is really starting to bore me. I waffle between siding with the owners and then the players. Then I step back and think, their all filthy rich so who really gives a shit.
To take my mind off that silliness, I’ll focus on what the Steelers need to do to prepare themselves for the future via the NFL draft.
I’ll list the positions where I think the Steelers have the most need. Knowing the Steelers draft philosophy, I don’t expect them to draft people in this particular order, but as long as they walk away with most of these needs addressed I should be okay.
So, in order, here is what I think our need positions are.
1) CB: Prior to the Superbowl let down, I probably would have put OT in this spot. But that game just continued to highlight that beyond Ike Taylor, you really can’t count on any Steelers CB to perform worth a damn. I really have a secret dream that Crezdon Butler will all of a sudden become a stud #2 corner this year… but even if that were to happen we are not guaranteed to have Ike Taylor back. Things could be so dire here that I would be perfectly happy if we drafted two CBs this year. I’m not so sure we’ll get a good guy with the 31st pick, but hopefully by round 3 we’ve grabbed a guy that could play (at least nickel) in his rookie year. If not, I suspect it could be a frustrating year.
2) OT: I really do like Flozell Adams on the right side and I still hope we can keep Willie Colon. If we end up with both, we’re okay here for at least one more year. But our left side is a mess. Jonathon Scott is not good and we really have no depth behind Max Starks. And either way, all these starters are getting older so we need something to happen on the O-line. Maybe Tony Hills will step up. But just in case, I would really like to see us take a stud OL within the first three rounds.
3) NT: Casey Hampton is not getting any younger and we don’t appear to have his long term replacement on the team just yet. NT is VERY important in the 3-4 defense (some would argue the most important… see below).
4) S: I’d be okay with a strong safety or a free safety here. Polamalu is getting a bit older and he usually ends up injured at least a few games a year as it is. Ryan Clark is really starting to get older and though he’s been very durable, that will come to an end at some point. Ryan Mundy is okay, but he is only one man and we have two safeties on the field. Time to find a future stud starter.
5) DE: I’m actually really happy with the D-line and with Aaron Smith back, we should be that much better off. But, again, outside of Ziggy Hood everybody (starters and backups) are really old. We need to build for the future and this seems to be the year for stud D-Ends in the draft. Side note: Who will start at Left end next year? Hood or Smith? Smith has always been a stud but is he now a backup coming off his injury, I wonder?
6) QB: Dixon may or may not be an NFL caliber starter, but regardless, we’re not going to be able to keep him after his rookie contract ends. And since we don’t need a long term replacement for Big Ben just yet, it’s coming to the time where we need to throw this fish back in the ocean and get a new one. We could probably wait another year on this if we plan to keep Leftwich over Batch as the #3 QB this year, but it might be a nice grab if we can find a good guy in round 5 through 7.
7) LB, LB, LB: As always, you’ll never see me complain if we pick up another LB or two. It is the most critical piece of a 3-4 offense (well, I suppose you could argue the NT might be as well and maybe it is really a combo….). We’re in pretty good shape with our starters, and I like our depth with Fox in the middle and Worlids on the outside. I imagine Sylvester will fit in there as well. So really, we could skip LB this year if we wanted to.
What I do NOT want to see is us drafting a WR or RB in this draft. I think we have plenty of good, young depth at both positions. I also think we can pass on OG, but I suppose I wouldn’t be pissed if we picked one. I could see a scenario where we draft a TE or K, but I’m sort of hoping we don’t because I think we have greater needs than that.
What will happen? My guess is in the first round we either draft a DL or OL with pick #31 or we trade up a few spots and grab a CB if one we really love happens to slip into the 20s. By the end of round 3, I presume we’ll have a DL, CB, and maybe an OL. I also wouldn’t put it past us to grab 2 of one of those positions in the first 3 rounds and save the third position for later in the draft.
But you never know. The draft is so dynamic, that really anything can happen.
-David
To take my mind off that silliness, I’ll focus on what the Steelers need to do to prepare themselves for the future via the NFL draft.
I’ll list the positions where I think the Steelers have the most need. Knowing the Steelers draft philosophy, I don’t expect them to draft people in this particular order, but as long as they walk away with most of these needs addressed I should be okay.
So, in order, here is what I think our need positions are.
1) CB: Prior to the Superbowl let down, I probably would have put OT in this spot. But that game just continued to highlight that beyond Ike Taylor, you really can’t count on any Steelers CB to perform worth a damn. I really have a secret dream that Crezdon Butler will all of a sudden become a stud #2 corner this year… but even if that were to happen we are not guaranteed to have Ike Taylor back. Things could be so dire here that I would be perfectly happy if we drafted two CBs this year. I’m not so sure we’ll get a good guy with the 31st pick, but hopefully by round 3 we’ve grabbed a guy that could play (at least nickel) in his rookie year. If not, I suspect it could be a frustrating year.
2) OT: I really do like Flozell Adams on the right side and I still hope we can keep Willie Colon. If we end up with both, we’re okay here for at least one more year. But our left side is a mess. Jonathon Scott is not good and we really have no depth behind Max Starks. And either way, all these starters are getting older so we need something to happen on the O-line. Maybe Tony Hills will step up. But just in case, I would really like to see us take a stud OL within the first three rounds.
3) NT: Casey Hampton is not getting any younger and we don’t appear to have his long term replacement on the team just yet. NT is VERY important in the 3-4 defense (some would argue the most important… see below).
4) S: I’d be okay with a strong safety or a free safety here. Polamalu is getting a bit older and he usually ends up injured at least a few games a year as it is. Ryan Clark is really starting to get older and though he’s been very durable, that will come to an end at some point. Ryan Mundy is okay, but he is only one man and we have two safeties on the field. Time to find a future stud starter.
5) DE: I’m actually really happy with the D-line and with Aaron Smith back, we should be that much better off. But, again, outside of Ziggy Hood everybody (starters and backups) are really old. We need to build for the future and this seems to be the year for stud D-Ends in the draft. Side note: Who will start at Left end next year? Hood or Smith? Smith has always been a stud but is he now a backup coming off his injury, I wonder?
6) QB: Dixon may or may not be an NFL caliber starter, but regardless, we’re not going to be able to keep him after his rookie contract ends. And since we don’t need a long term replacement for Big Ben just yet, it’s coming to the time where we need to throw this fish back in the ocean and get a new one. We could probably wait another year on this if we plan to keep Leftwich over Batch as the #3 QB this year, but it might be a nice grab if we can find a good guy in round 5 through 7.
7) LB, LB, LB: As always, you’ll never see me complain if we pick up another LB or two. It is the most critical piece of a 3-4 offense (well, I suppose you could argue the NT might be as well and maybe it is really a combo….). We’re in pretty good shape with our starters, and I like our depth with Fox in the middle and Worlids on the outside. I imagine Sylvester will fit in there as well. So really, we could skip LB this year if we wanted to.
What I do NOT want to see is us drafting a WR or RB in this draft. I think we have plenty of good, young depth at both positions. I also think we can pass on OG, but I suppose I wouldn’t be pissed if we picked one. I could see a scenario where we draft a TE or K, but I’m sort of hoping we don’t because I think we have greater needs than that.
What will happen? My guess is in the first round we either draft a DL or OL with pick #31 or we trade up a few spots and grab a CB if one we really love happens to slip into the 20s. By the end of round 3, I presume we’ll have a DL, CB, and maybe an OL. I also wouldn’t put it past us to grab 2 of one of those positions in the first 3 rounds and save the third position for later in the draft.
But you never know. The draft is so dynamic, that really anything can happen.
-David
Friday, February 4, 2011
Superbowl XLV prediction
I don’t know. I guess it kind of pisses me off that most of the experts seem to be picking the Packers to beat the Steelers in the Superbowl. I’m just having a hard time seeing it. Could the Packers win? Sure they could. But I really don’t expect that to happen.
There seems to be this huge conspiracy of people who want the Steelers to lose and they put all their mental powers into wishing that will happen. Well let me clue all you haters into something: Focus all your energy on your hating until the blood vessels in your head explode and you die like a dog. The Steelers didn’t come to the Superbowl to lose. And when they put their minds and bodies into something, they usually pull through.
Before the season started, I was sitting at my buddy Dave’s house getting drunk out on his back porch. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and the whole crew was there. It was on that day that I pulled out the prediction I was working on for most of the summer. That prediction was that the Steelers would go 11-5 and win the AFC North. Every man and woman at Dave’s house to a person laughed at me until they rolled off their chairs. This was the Steelers that finished 3rd in the AFC North the season before. This was the team that missed the playoffs. This was the team that would not have their starting quarterback for the first 4 to 6 games. But I have to tell you, I looked at a team that had a down season. I looked at a team that was basically the same team that won a Superbowl. I looked at a team that had the potential to have the best defense in all of football. I looked at the Bungles and realized their previous season was a fluke. I looked at it being a dog fight between the Steelers and the Ravens and felt for sure the Steelers could pull through.
I made many bets that day on my 11-5 prediction. There was almost more action than I could take. And when the Steelers finished the season at 12-4 with the AFC North title, I won those bets.
Now we sit, two days before the Superbowl, and it seems that everyone wants to mock my predictions again. The betting line opened with the Packers as a favorite and never wavered. The critics were all coy with their secret passion for the Packers and now they are officially declaring their love for them to win. Why, after an entire season of winning, do people still insist that the Steelers are losers this year?
So while everyone else seems to be caught up in totally writing off the Pittsburgh Steelers, what am I doing? I’m picking the Steelers to win just like I did on that beautiful summer afternoon on Dave’s back porch.
Normally, I would break down exactly why I think that. But to be honest this past 2 weeks have been much more hectic than usual and I really haven’t even had a moment to sit down and critically analyze the game. So my bet is pure gut feel. I know the Steelers are champions. The players are awesome. The coaching is outstanding. Could the Packers have awesome players and outstanding coaches? They could and they might. But they’ll have to prove it to me.
Until they do though, I’ll bet on the Black and Gold.
Pittsburgh 31, Green Bay 24
HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!
-David
There seems to be this huge conspiracy of people who want the Steelers to lose and they put all their mental powers into wishing that will happen. Well let me clue all you haters into something: Focus all your energy on your hating until the blood vessels in your head explode and you die like a dog. The Steelers didn’t come to the Superbowl to lose. And when they put their minds and bodies into something, they usually pull through.
Before the season started, I was sitting at my buddy Dave’s house getting drunk out on his back porch. It was a beautiful, sunny afternoon and the whole crew was there. It was on that day that I pulled out the prediction I was working on for most of the summer. That prediction was that the Steelers would go 11-5 and win the AFC North. Every man and woman at Dave’s house to a person laughed at me until they rolled off their chairs. This was the Steelers that finished 3rd in the AFC North the season before. This was the team that missed the playoffs. This was the team that would not have their starting quarterback for the first 4 to 6 games. But I have to tell you, I looked at a team that had a down season. I looked at a team that was basically the same team that won a Superbowl. I looked at a team that had the potential to have the best defense in all of football. I looked at the Bungles and realized their previous season was a fluke. I looked at it being a dog fight between the Steelers and the Ravens and felt for sure the Steelers could pull through.
I made many bets that day on my 11-5 prediction. There was almost more action than I could take. And when the Steelers finished the season at 12-4 with the AFC North title, I won those bets.
Now we sit, two days before the Superbowl, and it seems that everyone wants to mock my predictions again. The betting line opened with the Packers as a favorite and never wavered. The critics were all coy with their secret passion for the Packers and now they are officially declaring their love for them to win. Why, after an entire season of winning, do people still insist that the Steelers are losers this year?
So while everyone else seems to be caught up in totally writing off the Pittsburgh Steelers, what am I doing? I’m picking the Steelers to win just like I did on that beautiful summer afternoon on Dave’s back porch.
Normally, I would break down exactly why I think that. But to be honest this past 2 weeks have been much more hectic than usual and I really haven’t even had a moment to sit down and critically analyze the game. So my bet is pure gut feel. I know the Steelers are champions. The players are awesome. The coaching is outstanding. Could the Packers have awesome players and outstanding coaches? They could and they might. But they’ll have to prove it to me.
Until they do though, I’ll bet on the Black and Gold.
Pittsburgh 31, Green Bay 24
HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!
-David
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Conference Championship Picks
I’ve been meaning to get some predictions for this weekend’s football games out there but have been really busy this weekend.
For Green Bay vs. Chicago I’ve been mixed all week. I am having hard time visualizing this game. I think I’m going to pick Green Bay 35, Chicago 24 though I guess I could easily see it the exact opposite.
Now, onto the real game this weekend: When the week started, I was picking the Steelers to crush the Jets. As the week wore on, I began second guessing. I think I am underestimating Rex Ryan as a coach. I think the Steelers are by far a better team than the Jets, but they did get to the AFC championship and I think Ryan is a big part of that. That said, if the Jets win this game, which they could, I think it will be because Ryan outcoached Tomlin. However, I don’t see it happening. But I will adjust my original score of Steelers 27, Jets 10 to my new prediction of Steelers 21, Jets 14.
GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!
-David
For Green Bay vs. Chicago I’ve been mixed all week. I am having hard time visualizing this game. I think I’m going to pick Green Bay 35, Chicago 24 though I guess I could easily see it the exact opposite.
Now, onto the real game this weekend: When the week started, I was picking the Steelers to crush the Jets. As the week wore on, I began second guessing. I think I am underestimating Rex Ryan as a coach. I think the Steelers are by far a better team than the Jets, but they did get to the AFC championship and I think Ryan is a big part of that. That said, if the Jets win this game, which they could, I think it will be because Ryan outcoached Tomlin. However, I don’t see it happening. But I will adjust my original score of Steelers 27, Jets 10 to my new prediction of Steelers 21, Jets 14.
GO STEELERS!!!!!!!!
-David
Monday, January 17, 2011
First Round Picks
I was reading an article today that was talking about how well Steelers Defensive End Ziggy Hood has stepped up this season with Aaron Smith being out most of the season with an injury. That got me to thinking about our number one draft picks for the last few years. Check this list out:
2010: Maurkice Pouncey (C), starter
2009: Ziggy Hood (DE), starter (due to Aaron Smith injury)
2008: Rashard Mendenhall (RB), starter
2007: Lawrence Timmons (ILB), starter
2006: Santonio Holmes (WR), starter for NY Jets
2005: Heath Miller (TE), starter
2004: Ben Roethlisberger (QB), starter
2003: Troy Polamalu (SS), starter
Wow, look at that list. I guess you can argue that Holmes has some character flaws, but you can’t deny he is good.
The Steelers front office is currently 8 for 8 in with their most recent first round picks by my scorecard!
-David
2010: Maurkice Pouncey (C), starter
2009: Ziggy Hood (DE), starter (due to Aaron Smith injury)
2008: Rashard Mendenhall (RB), starter
2007: Lawrence Timmons (ILB), starter
2006: Santonio Holmes (WR), starter for NY Jets
2005: Heath Miller (TE), starter
2004: Ben Roethlisberger (QB), starter
2003: Troy Polamalu (SS), starter
Wow, look at that list. I guess you can argue that Holmes has some character flaws, but you can’t deny he is good.
The Steelers front office is currently 8 for 8 in with their most recent first round picks by my scorecard!
-David
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Coach of the Year
I’m not sure if the Pittsburgh Steelers have an award within their organization for coach of the year, but if they do I think hands down Offensive Line Coach Sean Kugler should win.
No one would ever mistake the Steelers Offensive Line as being the most talented group of football players. To call them (as a group) average would arguably be stretching it. The best guy on the unit, Center Maurkice Pouncey, is a rookie. The next best two guys, Tackles Max Starks and Willie Colon both missed basically the entire season. But that’s what makes what Kugler has accomplished with this unit all the more amazing.
Essentially he’s taken an Offensive Line that is starting its #3 and #4 tackles (Flozell Adams and Jonathan Scott) and while he hasn’t made them studs, he has at least prepared them enough to not be a detriment to the team. The fact that the Steelers have gone 12-4 this season with this rag tag group of guys is a testament to Kugler’s ability as a coach.
To make his challenge even more ridiculous, last afternoon, in the AFC Divisional Championship game against the Ravens, the Steelers lost both Adams (for the rest of the game) and Scott (for about 1 series as far as I can remember (I was quite drunk)). When Adams went down, Kugler plugged in Trai Essex at Right Tackle (NOTE: Or maybe he plugged him in at Right Guard and moved Ramon Foster over?). Then, when Scott went down, I think he put Trai on the Left Tackle and to be honest, I’m not even sure who went over to Right Tackle or Guard. I remember seeing Doug Legursky on the field, I assume to play Right Guard, which leads me to think Ramon Foster slid over to Right Tackle.
So when you step back, we won that game last night with our #5 and #6 Tackles in the game. If I’m not mistaken, at that point, the five guys we had out there were the only 5 Offensive Linemen active and healthy for the Steelers. Granted, Scott came back into the game at some point but the Steelers were still driving the ball with this crew on the field against what some feel is one of the best defenses in the league.
Knowing how important chemistry is for an Offensive Line, the fact that Kugler can have the whole unit ready to the point where we can plug in our #5 and #6 Tackles while shifting the rest of the unit around to compensate and still see success on the offense against a very good defense just shows you how good he is at is job.
The most ironic part of this story is Kugler’s recent history. The Steelers picked him up from the Buffalo Bills at a time when the Bills clearly had the worst Offensive Line in the NFL. At the time I thought, “What the hell are we doing hiring this bum?” But I guess it just goes to yet once again prove my buddy Paul’s theory about the Buffalo Bills: All Buffalo Bills are great players… once they leave the Buffalo Bills! The poor guy is one of only two Bills fans left on the face of the Earth.
Way to go Sean, this next beer is for you!
-David
No one would ever mistake the Steelers Offensive Line as being the most talented group of football players. To call them (as a group) average would arguably be stretching it. The best guy on the unit, Center Maurkice Pouncey, is a rookie. The next best two guys, Tackles Max Starks and Willie Colon both missed basically the entire season. But that’s what makes what Kugler has accomplished with this unit all the more amazing.
Essentially he’s taken an Offensive Line that is starting its #3 and #4 tackles (Flozell Adams and Jonathan Scott) and while he hasn’t made them studs, he has at least prepared them enough to not be a detriment to the team. The fact that the Steelers have gone 12-4 this season with this rag tag group of guys is a testament to Kugler’s ability as a coach.
To make his challenge even more ridiculous, last afternoon, in the AFC Divisional Championship game against the Ravens, the Steelers lost both Adams (for the rest of the game) and Scott (for about 1 series as far as I can remember (I was quite drunk)). When Adams went down, Kugler plugged in Trai Essex at Right Tackle (NOTE: Or maybe he plugged him in at Right Guard and moved Ramon Foster over?). Then, when Scott went down, I think he put Trai on the Left Tackle and to be honest, I’m not even sure who went over to Right Tackle or Guard. I remember seeing Doug Legursky on the field, I assume to play Right Guard, which leads me to think Ramon Foster slid over to Right Tackle.
So when you step back, we won that game last night with our #5 and #6 Tackles in the game. If I’m not mistaken, at that point, the five guys we had out there were the only 5 Offensive Linemen active and healthy for the Steelers. Granted, Scott came back into the game at some point but the Steelers were still driving the ball with this crew on the field against what some feel is one of the best defenses in the league.
Knowing how important chemistry is for an Offensive Line, the fact that Kugler can have the whole unit ready to the point where we can plug in our #5 and #6 Tackles while shifting the rest of the unit around to compensate and still see success on the offense against a very good defense just shows you how good he is at is job.
The most ironic part of this story is Kugler’s recent history. The Steelers picked him up from the Buffalo Bills at a time when the Bills clearly had the worst Offensive Line in the NFL. At the time I thought, “What the hell are we doing hiring this bum?” But I guess it just goes to yet once again prove my buddy Paul’s theory about the Buffalo Bills: All Buffalo Bills are great players… once they leave the Buffalo Bills! The poor guy is one of only two Bills fans left on the face of the Earth.
Way to go Sean, this next beer is for you!
-David
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