U mad, bro?: Frustration around Mike Tomlin’s ‘standard,’ slumping Penguins, Pitt being unranked, Gerrit Cole’s quip
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One thing that is wonderful about Pittsburgh sports fans is that they do not discriminate when it comes to their angst.
The Steelers, Pirates, Penguins, Pitt, college basketball … even the XFL!
This week’s “U mad, bro?” illustrates how all-encompassing of a community we truly have in this great city.
We begin with “MOJO” who appears to take issue with my criticism of Tristan Jarry after his bumpy third period Tuesday night.
“2021 playoffs- Pens lost because they HAD Jarry.
2022- Pens lost because they DIDN’T have Jarry.
2023-Scapegoat *B.S.*”.”
I’m not “scapegoating” anyone, MOJO. Jarry was sharp in his return for the first two periods against the New York Islanders. And there are many problems with the Penguins that have nothing to do with him.
But if you are looking for “B.S.,” look no further than those two excrement goals he allowed in the third period Tuesday.
Last week, we wrote about growing support within college basketball circles for the expansion of the NCAA tournament. This guy doesn’t like the idea. He actually wants to see the tournament shrink.
I want the opposite. As a Kentucky fan does my team deserve to get in? No. SEC should have 4 teams in. That’s it. Otherwise season is useless. We don’t need 6 teams from Big Ten(ish).
— Nola DuBose (@parks91369) February 17, 2023
I can deal with six Big Ten teams. But if you can’t, brace yourself for nine. Because based on Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology at ESPN.com, that’s what we are getting.
Like me, Glenn is upset that Pitt’s basketball team still isn’t ranked, despite holding third place in the ACC with 13 conference wins.
“On Monday I was so infuriated at the lunacy of Pitt being unranked that I spent an insane number of hours individually looking up every AP writers sheet. It was shocking how many didn’t rank Pitt. … I was so ticked I wrote the ones that didn’t have them listed but I thought had more common sense. Many, I was surprised to see, are so young and stupid I didn’t even waste my time. One writer looked like she was a writer for her junior high school paper, not going to try and argue with her.”
I agree that the Panthers should be ranked, Glenn. But maybe Pitt should take this as a lesson and apply it for upcoming years when it comes to scheduling. The team’s non-conference strength of schedule is rated 105th as we publish this. I think that junior high school team that you reference played the Panthers at the Petersen Events Center earlier this year.
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After I posted my column about Hines Ward becoming a head coach in the XFL, Robert suggested that Ward avoid buying too much into Mike Tomlin’s “the standard is the standard” philosophy.
“Embracing Tomlin’s 9-8 as a standard isn’t so great!”
I just wonder if Hines busted out a “we’ll smile in the face of adversity” quote after his San Antonio Brahmas lost in their opener thanks to that dippy fourth-and-15 XFL possession rule.
Since we are on that topic, this reader disagreed with my assessment that the NFL should blow off suggestions to adopt some of the artificial scoring gimmicks employed by the XFL. Specifically, he likes the option of replacing onside kicks with one fourth-and-15 snap from the 25.
Historic onside kick recovery rate was 13.2% before the kickoff rule changes, which dropped it down under 10%.
Conversion rate of 3rd- and 4th-and-15 plays is 16.8%. So all it’s doing is making the odds more like they used to be, and putting it on the O instead of special teams.
— Brendan Berkley (@TallBlondeGuy) February 22, 2023
Sure. I get that. But, as I said in my column, I don’t have a problem with the onside kick being hard to recover. It shouldn’t be easy/easier to get what amounts to an extra possession. Nor do I have a problem with the natural order of the special teams being the unit that has to make the play.
Derek agrees with Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward. He wants the NFL to outlaw the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback sneak.
Good, its so irritating to watch.
— Derek Cavaliero (@DerekCavaliero) February 17, 2023
Indeed, it is Derek.
But do you know what I found even more irritating to watch? The Steelers’ refusal to ever try it when Ben Roethlisberger was the quarterback … even though it was 100% legal to attempt.
And it works.
Finally, “C-Dizzle” is one of many who didn’t like Gerrit Cole’s recent comments about locker room perception and goals as a New York Yankee, as opposed to how things were viewed when he was in Pittsburgh.
Best team he has ever been on was a 98 win Pirates team so it’s true
— C-Dizzle (@PGHSports4Life) February 20, 2023
Eh, only if you aren’t counting the 103-win 2018 Astros that went to the American League Championship Series in 2018.
Or the 107-win Astros that went to the World Series in 2019.
Or the 99-win Yankees that went to the ALCS last year.
So either your tweet is fraught with factually skewed, embittered, homer jealousy. Or it’s intentionally vapid, petty sarcasm.
Either way, these are the pillars that support “U mad, bro?” on a weekly basis, and your future contributions will be welcomed with open arms.