I ran into former Steelers PR guy Joe Gordon in the lobby of the hotel Friday night while waiting for a ride out to Tank's Tap Room - actually, we took a limo since it was the only thing available at the time.
Gordon, was, of course, the Steelers' PR guy during the 70s and was without a doubt, the best in the business.
He retired back in the early 90s, but has remained close with the team over the years.
He mentioned how much bigger the Super Bowl has gotten over the years and few would know more about that than Joe - a class act all the way.
© The crowd at Tank's Friday night was ridiculous - in a good way.
I think half of Pittsburgh was there. It's a good thing they don't get too concerned with open container laws down here - or maybe just not this week - because there was quite an overflow outside the bar.
Apparently, they weren't too concerned with fire codes, either, because there had to be about 500 more people in that bar than what was supposed to be there. And it's a pretty good-sized place.
© Just so the bosses don't get too worked up about the limo, the driver agreed to take five of us out to Tank's for $25. His scheduled fare didn't arrive until 9 p.m., so we were good to go.
© I really believe weather will be a big factor for the Steelers Sunday. They haven't played a good weather game in months and it's really affected their offense.
I believe that's been a big factor in Ben Roethlisberger's completion percentage being down from previous seasons.
© What's the over/under on the number of times Brenda Warner's face is seen on TV Sunday? I'm punching in at seven, which is about seven more times than she needs to be seen.
© Congratulations to Rod Woodson for his election into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
But how in the hell does Bob Hayes get in and not Dermontti Dawson?
I know some people will say that about Randall McDaniel, but if you look at his career honors, he's deserving. But so is Dawson.
My prediction for the game is Steelers 30-20.
ReplyDeleteI think the biggest keys are Ike Taylor, Willie Parker and obviously safe play from Big Ben.
Ike Taylor doesn't need to have picks, or any other kind of glamour play. But what he needs to do is be in Fitzgerald's face all game and not let a few catches get him down. Fitz will have his catches and Ike just needs to keep up with him to eliminate big plays and hit him as hard as possible on the shorter ones. If I was Mike Tomlin or LeBeau, I would have Taylor FIRED up and trying to knock Fitz back to AZ. I want to see him drop/lose the ball and not break any tackles.
Willie Parker needs to trust his gut. Find the lane and EXPLODE, no hesitation. Run hard and show that defense it is going to be a long day from the get go.
Big Ben needs to just be safe. Don't try and put the game all on his shoulders even if they are behind. Make the throws that are there and don't turn it over.
I'm pumped finally for this game and want to see the Steelers destroy the Cardinals so we can look at this SB as a dominate one.
Go Steelers!
My biggest fear for the league and the game is that the referees become the story AGAIN. This has been the big story of 2008-9, the poor officiating and the effect on games. San Diego almost missed the playoffs because of it and it effected a great deal of money. That of course has led to speculation about the officiating in a way that is bad for the future of this beloved game. I hope that this game is unlike our last Super Bowl, which was marred unfairly by the officiating (even though I believe they go the calls right for the most part.)
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping. Also the silly changing of the balls constantly needs to go away. The game should come before the ability to hand out promotions and such.
Dale Lolley deserves a raise fan club
(You and Brant are the best writers there...)