Steelers Center Maurkice Pouncey Among Top Under-25 Players, NFL.com Says

The Steelers' Maurkice Pouncey is featured on NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah's list of the top 10 NFL players under 25, along with NaVorro Bowman, A.J. Green, Rob Gronkowski, LeSean McCoy, Von Miller, Cam Newton, Jason Pierre-Paul, Aldon Smith and Matthew Stafford. Here's what Jeremiah has to say about Pouncey:

Pouncey has put together two dominant seasons for the Steelers and established himself as the top center in the NFL. The Jets' Nick Mangold and the Panthers' Ryan Kalil are both outstanding but neither possesses Pouncey's combination of size and athletic ability. He has the strength to anchor in pass protection and the power to create movement at the point of attack in the run game. He is outstanding at the second level. He can adjust and pick off linebackers with very little effort. He should be the top player at his position for a very long time.

With the additions of David DeCastro and Mike Adams to Pouncey and fellow youngster Marcus Gilbert, the Steelers' offensive line is coming together quickly, and Pouncey is its anchor.

Another Steeler, Rashard Mendenhall, is in the "just missed the cut" category. So are a few other AFC North players in Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton and defensive tackle Geno Atkins and Browns corner Joe Haden.

For more on the Steelers, check out Behind The Steel Curtain.

Add a comment

by Charlie Wilmoth • May 16, 2012 12:57 PM EDT

Should Brad Lincoln Replace Kevin Correia In Pirates' Rotation?

Over at Bucs Dugout, in my recap of Tuesday night's game, I argue that it's time to give Brad Lincoln an extended shot in the Pirates' rotation, replacing Kevin Correia.

Erik Bedard is supposed to return on Wednesday, which would bump Lincoln from the rotation. I'm not sure about Lincoln's viability as a starter in the long term, but there's no time like the present for the Pirates to see exactly what they have. Lincoln, James McDonald and Jason Grilli are arguably the Pirates who have done the most to improve their stock this season. The Bucs should go ahead and give Lincoln a shot and see what he does with it. With the depth the Pirates now have at Class AAA, Correia is almost completely superfluous, but if the Pirates wanted to keep him in the team, they could use him out of the bullpen.

There's no good reason I can see to leave Correia in the rotation. He isn't under contract beyond this year, and he has no real upside. On top of that, he isn't pitching well, with 14 strikeouts and 15 walks so far this season. Lincoln isn't likely to be a long-term answer in the rotation either, but he might be. He has also pitched very well this season, showing better velocity than in the past, and he had a quality start while stepping in for Bedard on Monday.

Add a comment

by Charlie Wilmoth • May 16, 2012 12:08 PM EDT

James McDonald's Slider Ranked Among Best Pitches In National League

James McDonald has been impressive so far this season in compiling 2.42 ERA and 39 strikeouts against 15 walks, and those outside the Pittsburgh sphere are quickly beginning to take notice. In fact, Jason Dunbar of The Hardball Times ranks McDonald's slider as the second-best swing-and-miss pitch deployed by any starter in the National League, while hinting that he still thinks the Huntington Beach, Calif. native has room to grow.

Though the 27-year-old Pirate is showing signs of figuring it out in the early going, this is probably our first example of a guy with tantalizing stuff who just can’t put it all together.

Yet, one thing’s for sure: his slider has worked spectacularly for him over the past season or so. Though the explanation may just be small sample size (he’s thrown it 231 times since the start of 2011), hitters are still whiffing at an impressive 49 percent rate during that span.

Cole Hamels' changeup was the only pitch ranked ahead of McDonald's slider among N.L. starters. Jeff Samardzija's splitter/changeup, Clayton Kershaw's curveball and Edinson Volquez's change-up were ranked 3-4-5.

Pirates catcher Rod Barajas credited McDonald's slider with helping McDonald set a career high in strikeouts with 10 in a 9-3 win against the Braves on April 30, so it should be interesting to see if McDonald can continue to baffle hitters with the pitch moving forward. As Dunbar notes, hitters haven't seen a whole lot of the pitch so far. It remains to be seen if McDonald can throw it as effectively once the league makes an adjustment to it after seeing its devastating effects last month in Atlanta.

For the latest on the Bucs, be sure to stay tuned to SB Nation Pittsburgh and check out Bucs Dugout, SB Nation's Pirates blog.

Add a comment

by Adam Bittner • May 16, 2012 6:30 AM EDT

Jimmy Johnson Still Regrets 1987 Fiesta Bowl Loss Against Penn State

Former Miami Hurricanes and Dallas Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame on Tuesday. And while his career was celebrated for his triumphs, he also took time to note his most bitter defeat.

John Walters of The Daily:

"The most devastating loss for me, college or pro, was the loss to Penn State," said Johnson of the 14-10 shocker in the '87 Fiesta Bowl, the de facto national championship game that season. "I just went back into the locker room and was completely devastated. That '86 Miami team was the best I ever had."

Johnson, of course, went on to win the 1987 national championship with Miami before leading the Cowboys to Super Bowl victories in 1992 and 1993. The 68-year-old ended his coaching career by resigning as coach of the Miami Dolphins in 1999, an has been a broadcaster on FOX's NFL pregame show ever since.

ESPN's Michael Weinreb did an excellent piece on this game several years ago named "The Night College Football Went To Hell," outlining the ways that game influenced college football as we know it today, from bowl sponsorships to the BCS system for determining a champion.

In an era when "massive upsets" are shoved down consumers' throats seemingly every night on highlights shows, this Fiesta Bowl was truly one that shocked and captivated the nation. The fact that Johnson is still haunted by the game more than 25 years later says a lot about it's place in history.

For the latest on Penn State football, be sure to stay tuned to SB Nation Pittsburgh.

Add a comment

by Adam Bittner • May 16, 2012 6:00 AM EDT