Article by contributor Gino Ferretti (@PHL2PGH) If it had to be someone, you knew deep down that eventually Castillo would be the Juan. With all do respect to Tony Montana, they need people like the beleaguered, now former, Eagles defensive coordinator to point the finger at and say that's the bad guy. At a little after 9:30 a.m. yesterday morning, the Philadelphia Eagles announced they had fired defensive coordinator Juan Castillo. At noon, Eagles coach Andy Reid addressed ... Read More
A Ray of Hope
Martin Luther King Jr. once said “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.” While I’m quite certain he wasn’t talking about the NHL lockout, his words certainly ring true today. All of a sudden, shortly after 12 p.m. EST, Twitter pretty much set itself on fire with the news of the NHL making an offer to the NHL Players’ Association. I made a noise of shock that was not unlike that of a cat who just got his tail stepped on. I had to forage for some details. The gist ... Read More
NHL Offers 50/50 Split to Players
Maybe it was the cancellation of two weeks of games or the $250 million the league has already lost in revenue thanks to having no preseason. Whatever it was, the NHL finally "gave in" and submitted a proposal to the NHLPA to split hockey-related revenue 50-50. According to Darren Dreger at TSN, the NHLPA is expected to submit a counter proposal in the next 24-48 hours but all signs point to significant progress being made. Originally, the players were earning 57% of hockey revenue but, ... Read More
Passing, the new NFL norm
The NFL has been trending to a pass first league. Football is an ever changing entity, where teams that are willing to adapt freely usually end up on top. Why does it seem that most fans in Pittsburgh are against it? It seems almost every season in Pittsburgh you will hear “We need to use a full back and run more n'at.”. Pittsburgh has always been known for its running game that wears opponents down. But the game has changed. Just take a quick glance at the last ten super bowl winners, I ... Read More
An Off-Week; One Year Later for the Nittany Lions
The placed coined as “Happy Valley”, tucked into the rolling hills of Central Pennsylvania, has been in rebuild/survival mode for about a year now. What this recent off-week brings to mind is what took place during last season’s week off. The Sandusky Scandal broke, Figureheads defended their reputations, and the darkest days in Penn State history ensued. Luckily for those who care about the program and university, PSU hired Bill O’Brien as Head Coach after the end of the 2011 season, and a ... Read More
IUP Moves Up to No. 20 in Newest AFCA D2 Top 25 Poll
WACO, TX - After spending three straight weeks ranked 22nd in the nation, IUP has moved up two spots to No. 20 in the lastest version of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II Poll, as it was released on Monday. The Crimson Hawks are on a three-game winning streak after Saturday's 26-10 victory at Edinboro, improving to 6-1 on the year and 3-1 in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division. IUP's defense shut down the hot-handed Fighting Scots ... Read More
Nationals Show Pirates How to Handle Gerrit Cole
Just when you thought the Pirates had the most heartbreaking end to their season, the Washington Nationals swooped in to take the top prize. The Nats blew a two run lead in the ninth inning by surrendering four runs to the St. Louis Cardinals. The game five loss ended Washington's incredible run and first postseason appearance since moving from Montreal in 2005. Entering the playoffs with the most wins in baseball, the divisional series loss has to be considered premature; however, given the ... Read More
Crucial Off-season About To Begin For The Pittsburgh Power
Arena football is still a few months away from starting back up at the Consol Energy Center, but the Pittsburgh Power are about to enter the crucial period where they start building the team that will be competing for the Foster Cup in 2013. They have several ways to find talent to don the black and gold this year. Starting Monday, the Power will have the ability to exclusively sign players from their 2012 roster for this year and perhaps beyond. As part of the new collective bargaining ... Read More
Steelers rookie Alameda Ta’amu arrested
Reports indicated early Sunday morning that rookie nose tackle Alameda Ta'Amu was arrested for drunk driving. The fourth round pick out of Washington will be facing charges after crashing into four cars and nearly running over three cops in his Navigator. Four police officers supposedly had their guns drawn at Te'amu but did not shoot due to the business of South Side at the time of the incident. After the fourth car he hit, he got out of his car and tried to flee, but would eventually be ... Read More
Shippensburg and big numbers becoming a trend
The PSAC should be recognized as a whole. Locally, we are fortunate to watch a couple of D2 power houses in IUP and California U. The successes of the previously mentioned programs are clear, but it might be what’s going on 170 miles east of Pittsburgh that should be grabbing our PSAC attention. Zach Zulli, Jake Metz, and the rest of the Shippensburg Raiders are experiencing obvious personal successes but it’s their undefeated 7-0 record that is most impressive. Zulli, has been fantastic ... Read More