The Kazmer Report

Anyone who watches Family Guy has probably seen the episode where Peter is picked up by the New England Patriots to play on the offensive line. The position quickly goes to his head and he starts overly celebrating after plays. As a result he is traded to the fictional Manchester Silly Nannies in England — the only team that will have him.
Well, the NFL might be trying to bring some truth to the make-believe. The New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers played in Wembley, England, Sunday afternoon. It is the beginning of a bad trend. More games are to be progressively added to overseas schedules in coming years. It’s a move NFL officials are doing to boost revenue. It’s ridiculous.
There is nothing more American that our version of football. Europe doesn’t want it — they have soccer. American fans pay a lot of money for tickets, merchandise and cable TV to watch the games be played. Why take the competition out of the states and make it harder for fans to watch their favorite team?
One report on a sports radio show Sunday hinted that league officials are looking to have expansion teams in Europe. Following the overseas trend, it’s another horrible idea. What team would want to fly over the ocean to play a football game? The traveling team is at a severe disadvantage. The NFL should start more teams in American cities if they want a bigger league. In California, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger recently passed legislation that would allow an $800 million stadium complex to be built, according to the Associated Press. The intent is to attract an NFL franchise. Schwarzenegger also said the project is going to give an economic boost to the city and state — Does the NFL seriously want to send the boosts over the ocean?
If the league allows franchises to form in Europe, where are they going to draw the line? Will every small country in the European Union have a bloody football team. This idea is as whacked as the Brady Rule. There should be no NFL games played or franchises started in Europe. Lets not forget that it’s the National Football League.

Pittsburgh is 5- 2  going into the off week. Things are looking good after beating the Vikings.

-Rick Karma
rickk@dailyamerican.com

So maybe 4-2 isn’t so bad.
Many fans, including myself, were quick to criticize the Steelers after starting 1-2. The coaching staff seems to have kicked the team back into championship mode. But beating the Lions and Browns is not exactly a good measurement of ability. This week’s game against Minnesota will be the test. If Pittsburgh can pressure Brett Favre, stop Adrian Peterson and score more than 20 points against a stout Viking defense — I will be impressed. It will be hard. If the Steelers should fail, the criticism should rightfully be again thrown from the fan base. Denver and Cincinnati are the following two weeks.
Several Steelers including kicker Jeff Reed were cited for public intoxication after Sunday’s game outside a bar in Pittsburgh. Their actions are a smear on an otherwise upstanding franchise. It could be a sign that third-year coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t have the same ability to control players as Bill Cowher did.

-Rick Kazmer
rickk@dailyamerican.com

So my fantasy football team is in second place —out of 13 teams. Not bad.
I am playing in a “salary cap challenge” league. Teams only have about $35 million in cap space to work with. Players are given values based on their ability. Drew Brees, for example, is around $10 million —one of the highest values. You receive a trade a week and must move players in and out of the roster to account for bye-weeks.
It’s fun, and a constant challenge to keep the hot players on the depth chart. I am contemplating a big move at the receiver position this week. I have had Reggie Wayne for weeks, however, the Colts are on a bye this weekend. So I have to find a top notch replacement to keep pace with the league front-runner. I’ll later report the progress of the Manchester Silly Nannies.
In real sports, things are getting worse for Pittsburgh as far as injuries go. I look for Aaron Smith to be out for the rest of the season. Reports Tuesday suggest he has a serious injury. The team has no suitable replacement a position I have argued needed depth. More so than giving James Harrison a bloated contract extension. Look for the rush-defense to suffer in coming weeks. The coaching staff should blitz a lot more often. They did during the end of the game in Detroit and the Lions couldn’t avoid being sacked three times in a row. It might be Pittsburgh’s only defense.

-Rick Kazmer
rickk@dailyamerican.com

The win against San Diego was brilliant and tragic at the same time. The offense looked great. The defense had its moments. Special teams — with a fumble and failed onside kick recovery — not so good. The resurgence in the running game with second-year back Rashard Mendenhall should continue through the next two weeks against the Lions and Browns. We will see what kind of runner Mendenhall is when Minnesota comes to town Oct. 25. The defense is still old and tired — the team needs Troy Polamalu back in a big way.

-Rick Kazmer
rickk@dailyamerican.com

I have spoken with fellow Pittsburgh Steelers fans at length about the team’s current 1-2 record and what I means for the rest of the season. There are two schools of thought. One friend believes that a loss to San Diego, which would be a costly conference defeat, wouldn’t bury the team. Another friend maintains that starting the season off with three consecutive losses is an insurmountable deficit.
I think Pittsburgh could drop the next two games — San Diego tonight — and at Detroit the following week — and still make the playoffs.
The source for my strange complacency with slow starts: The 1995 season.
Pittsburgh started the season with a 3-4 record. Not a stunning start. But the Neil O’Donnell led team caught fire during the second half of the schedule. They finished 11-5 and went to the Super Bowl. The team lost the big game to the Dallas Cowboys. With the Chargers and Vikings among the next four teams the Steelers face, 3-4 is a possibility. Many of the opponents — Vikings, Packers, Lions, Raiders, Bears —are the same as the Steelers faced in 1995. All of the players are different now, but there is something to be said for history’s tendency to repeat itself.  And I’ll take Big Ben’s resolve over O’Donnell’s. If the Steelers drop two of the next four, I say they sweep eight of the remaining nine games and finish — in  1995 fashion— 11-5.

-Rick Kazmer
rickk@dailyamerican.com