Today would've been Jackie Robinson's 94th birthday. Jackie Robinson came from a time that most of us today only read about in books. Born in 1919 to sharecroppers in Georgia, Jackie Robinson grew up to change the game of baseball. Adversity was nothing new for Robinson. Growing up, his family was the only African American family on their block. He went on to UCLA to be the first athlete to letter in four different sports. After being forced to leave college, he went into the Army, where ... Read More
Paul Chryst winning the recruiting battle of Pennsylvania
For years, the Pitt football team has watched the top recruits in the state of Pennsylvania avoid the Panthers like the plague, in search of greener pastures elsewhere. That was until Paul Chryst came to town. It was always felt that Pitt would not start competing again on a consistent basis until they started to get the top recruits in the state to stay home and play instead of heading off to schools such as Ohio State, Alabama and even Penn State for that matter. But Chryst is doing ... Read More
Power play problems; it’s the plan not the personnel
After scoring just one goal in their last fourteen power play opportunities, the Penguins decided to change things up yet again. Evgeni Malkin will now play the point while James Neal will command the half-boards. Anyone whose watched more than five games with Malkin on the point knows he's not comfortable in that position. When you consider how pass-happy both he and Kris Letang (playing on the other side of the blue line) are while on the man-advantage, it's amazing this idea has found ... Read More
Pittsburgh Power sign former LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson
The Pittsburgh Power announced today they have been assigned quarterback Jordan Jefferson. Jefferson started 32 of the 39 games he appeared in for the LSU Tigers. For his career he completed 398 of 678 passes (58.7%), accumulating 4733 yards passing. He had 34 passing TD's, 12 rushing TD's, against 20 interceptions. He also rushed for over 1000 yards in his collegiate career. Jefferson went undrafted in the 2012 NFL Draft but earned a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after minicamp only ... Read More
Steelers Sent The Bus Out On Top; Ravens Trying to do the same with Ray Lewis
The Pittsburgh Steelers know all about what the Baltimore Ravens are trying to do this post-season. A legend on their team, Ray Lewis, has announced that he will be retiring at the end of the season and the team is rallying behind him to try and send him out on top. For the Steelers this scenario played out to perfection during the 2005-2006 season. The player was Jerome Bettis and the Steelers road "The Bus" all the way to Detroit and allowed him to finish his NFL career as a Super Bowl ... Read More
The X’s and O’s of the 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers’ new look offense has received plenty of attention for its pistol and zone read wrinkles. Today, a breakdown of the 49ers’ offense. We’ll start with the zone read concept. On paper? Read the end man on the line (EMOL) at the mesh point (where the RB meets QB). If he crashes, the quarterback keeps it. If he contains, give to the running back. Here’s the tape against Green Bay in the Divisional matchup. San Francisco is in the Pistol (QB four yards behind center, RB ... Read More
Could Pitt Lose Boyd to WVU?
A few weeks ago, the Pitt Panthers landed their most talked about recruit of the off-season in Tyler Boyd. The Clariton High School receiver has been in the recruiting spotlight as of late. Boyd recently made an official visit right down the road to West Virginia University. Before this past season, WVU and Pitt were bitter rivalries. When WVU took off to the Big 12, it left the on-field rivalry seemingly in the dust. But the rivalry continues off the field in recruiting. Earlier this season, ... Read More
A Steelers fans guide to Enjoying Super Bowl XLVII
Its Super Bowl week and not a black and gold jersey to be found. The sickness of the Steelers “offseason” has set in throughout Western Pennsylvania and the extended Steeler Nation. As the rest of the Country starts prepping their menus and beverage selections for the big game, Steelers fans are simply trying to feign interest in the Super Bowl. We here at “The Yinzer” want to do our part to ensure that YOUR Super Bowl Sunday is spent with a little bit of skin in the game. It’s the final ... Read More
Steelers: Tomlin Discusses Hiring of New Offensive Line Coach
Mike Tomlin talks about results a lot and is considered results-oriented guy. So when he had a chance to hire the offensive line coach that was behind the fifth best rushing team in the NFL in 2012 he made a quick decision. “The proof is in the pudding,” said Tomlin. “When I had an opportunity to look, not only at what he says from a presentation standpoint but also at what the tape looks like, it was attractive. Obviously they were in a tough situation this past year in Kansas City from a team ... Read More
Pirates have four prospects in Top 100
MLB.com put out their list of Top 100 Prospects tonight. The Pittsburgh Pirates have four prospects that made the list. Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon were the most notable. Cole, the right-handed prospect, is one of the top prospects that is league-ready for the Pirates. Last season he went 5-1 with a 2.55 ERA in Class A, 3-6 with a 2.90 ERA in Double-A, and 1-0 in six scoreless innings in his only start in Triple-A. The Pirates haven't said that they'll be bringing him up to Pittsburgh ... Read More