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

2012-05-16T16:57:05Z

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.

Should Brad Lincoln Replace Kevin Correia In Pirates' Rotation?

2012-05-16T16:08:31Z

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.

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

2012-05-16T10:30:04Z

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.

Jimmy Johnson Still Regrets 1987 Fiesta Bowl Loss Against Penn State

2012-05-16T10:00:18Z

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.

Penn State Coaches Interested In Outdoor Hockey Game At Beaver Stadium

2012-05-15T21:04:52Z

Our own Adam Bittner, writing for the Daily Collegian, reports that Penn State head football coach Bill O'Brien and hockey coach Guy Gadowski are talking about the possibility of having an outdoor hockey game at Beaver Stadium.

"Personally, I think it'd be really exciting," Gadowsky said. "We'd have to borrow [O'Brien's] building. That's probably more up to him."

Gadowsky looked at O'Brien, who passed the buck himself.

"You'd have to check with [supervisor of outdoor athletic facilities] Herb Combs," O'Brien said with a chuckle. He then reflected on his visit to Boston's Fenway Park for the NHL's 2010 Winter Classic game between the hometown Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers before throwing his weight behind the proposal.

"That's a great deal. I've seen it first hand, that's pretty neat, so yeah, I'd be all for it."

PSU's hockey program isn't yet nearly a big enough deal to draw well at enormous Beaver Stadium, so it sounds like it will be a while before this idea comes to fruition, if it ever does. If it worked, though, this could be a very fun event to add to the State College winter sports schedule.

Paul Chryst Names Tino Sunseri Pitt's Starting Quarterback

2012-05-15T19:29:53Z

Pitt's quarterback competition is over...for now.

New coach Paul Chryst told ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson on Tuesday that the much-maligned Tino Sunseri will start the season behind center, beating out Mark Myers and Trey Anderson for the job.

Chryst said Tuesday during the ACC spring meetings, "He was the best quarterback we had out of spring. That's why he's the starter."

...

"The biggest thing for quarterbacking is being able to do it and doing it on a consistent level," Chryst said. "That’s your normal progression. He clearly was the best this spring that we had. You’re aware of the history but it doesn’t really matter for us.

Sunseri earned the scorn of Panthers fans with his inconsistent play last season, when he threw for 2,616 yards, 10 touchdowns and 11 interceptions under former coach Todd Graham's "high octane" system. His performance against West Virginia, in which he was 12-23 for 137 yards and one interception, really brought his opposition to a head in the fan base.

It looks like Chryst was impressed with what he saw in spring practice, however, and appears willing to see what Sunseri can do in a new offensive system before benching him.

For the latest on the Panthers, be sure to stay tuned to SB Nation Pittsburgh and check out Cardiac Hill, SB Nation's Pitt blog.

Carl Krauser, Former Pitt Basketball Star, Arrested In Beaver Falls, Charged With All Kinds Of Stuff

2012-05-15T12:55:33Z

Former Pitt basketball star Carl Krauser is back in Pittsburgh, and let's just say he probably isn't having a very good time. After an incident in Beaver Falls this weekend, the Beaver County Times reports that Krauser has been charged with, well, just about everything: escape, carrying a loaded gun, drug possession, possession of drug paraphernalia, being drunk in public, and driving using a suspended license.

Krauser was detained by police manning a drunken-driving checkpoint at 10:15 p.m. Friday on Seventh Avenue in Beaver Falls, according to the report.

As officers checked his license, Krauser stepped from his car and began to run, police said. He was located by police moments later in the Save-A-Lot parking lot, 400 Ninth Ave.

As he was being placed in a patrol car, a plastic bag containing marijuana fell from Krauser’s pant leg, police said. A second bag was found in a pants pocket.

As they prepared to tow Krauser’s car, police said they found a loaded gun under the front passenger seat.

Yikes -- that's quite a lot of trouble for one drunk-driving checkpoint.

Police say that Krauser had a 0.067 percent blood-alcohol level.

Krauser played for Pitt from 2002-2006 and averaged between 15 and 16 points per game in all of his last three seasons.

After leaving Pitt, Krauser played for the Pittsburgh Xplosion, and also had stints playing professionally in Romania, New Zealand and Canada.

Via Pitt Blather.

For more on Pitt basketball, check out Cardiac Hill.

Penn State To Pick Starting Quarterback Soon

2012-05-15T12:18:04Z

Penn State's football team recently has lacked a regular starting quarterback, instead splitting time between Matt McGloin and Rob Bolden. But new head coach Bill O'Brien seems poised to pick a starter soon. As in, this month.

"You can’t waste time, in my opinion, with a quarterback battle during training camp," O’Brien said before speaking, along with three other coaches, to almost 400 Penn State alumni last night at the Omni William Penn Hotel. "We’re not a wishy-washy place. We’ve got to make decisions and some people aren’t going to be happy with the decisions, but that’s our job. It’s about the team, and we’re doing what’s best for the team."

Later in the piece, O'Brien makes it sound like the selection might be changed later, and if Penn State's quarterbacks play as they have in the past two years, that could mean things won't be functionally different than they were. We'll see.

The competition is between Matt McGloin, Paul Jones and Rob Bolden. McGloin probably has the inside track, but watch out for Jones, who returns to the team this season after struggling with academic problems.

For more on Penn State football, be sure to check out Black Shoe Diaries.