Jerry Micco's sports chat trancript

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theWellHungarian: Shady McCoy --- does he stay or bolt early? If he comes out, you gotta figure Top 10 pick, right? The kid is an absolute beast & from what it looks like from his personality & by what Wanny says, is a pleasure to work with. Some NFL team is going to get a star.

Jerry Micco: First of all, I apologize for my lateness. We had some technical issues that we've just resolved. Now to the question. From what I've read and heard, McCoy will go pro after this season. Now that could change if scouts tell him that he may not be a first-round pick, but I don't see that happening. He's first-round material. I think it'd be great if he stayed around one more year, but if the money's there, it's tough to pass up.

praveen: Redskins cant complain about their fans selling tickets to Steelers fan. Dan Snyder himself let a Steelers fan(rush Limbaugh) sit in his private box just because they probably share the same ideology.

Jerry Micco: Ideology aside, it sounded almost like a home game for the Steelers. And as you all know, that's not an uncommon thing around the NFL. No fans travel like Steelers fans. And the DC area is full of former Western Pa. folks. We have things that measure where people come from who use our Web site. After the Pittsburgh metro area, the DC area is No. 2 for where users come from. And it's not a bad drive down there, either.

PhillyMarty: You know I am one of Ben's harshest critics. Seems to me that no matter what reason you want to attribute, injury or just poor play, his performance since the Jax game has been awful. Use the injury as an excuse if you have to, but this is a test for Tomlin. He must "bench" Ben for at least one if not 2-3 weeks, get him healthy, give him a different perspective of the mistakes and plays being left on the field each week. Ben

Jerry Micco: I think this is a difficult situation for Tomlin, I agree, but it would have been brutally tough had the Steelers lost and were tied with Baltimore at 5-3. But coming off a very good win the decision is a bit easier. No question Roethlisberger when healthy is the QB of this team. He had more than 3,000 yards passing last year and that was with a poor O-line and losing Willie Parker down the stretch. That said, an unhealthy Ben Roethlisberger looks very ordinary. I think if he can get away with sitting him a game or two to get healthy, Leftwich is capable of being the QB. And with that defense, it doesn't really matter.

praveen: I hope Mewelde doesn't become the forgotten man now that Willie Parker is back. Also, Stapleton continues to impress.

Jerry Micco: Moore is still getting some plays and was in the game late against the Redskins. He'll certainly have a solid role with the team as the season goes on. But seeing Parker out there again has to make Steelers fans feel better. He's one of the top RBs in the league when he's healthy. And he looked very good on Monday. Moore, though, has earned a shot to play more and we know he's capable of doing good things when he's in there.

praveen: It would be pathetic for the DC area if Nats games were swamped by Pirates fans!!!

Jerry Micco: Well, no one every said Pirates fans traveled well. A Nats-Pirates game isn't exactly a heaven-made matchup, either.

praveen: Ben is obviously a better QB than Leftwich. But the plays Leftwich made (like that last second throw to Mewelde) were the type Ben would routinely make. Now he seems clumsy with his footwork in the pocket, frequently stepping into the rush instead of evading it making the job tougher for an already mediocre OL.

Jerry Micco: That's the unexplained part of his game, praveen. I think he looks the same way and you do have to wonder if his cumulative beatings have begun to take an early toll. Or, if he's trying too hard to make a play and is being stubborn about it. When he held onto the ball for long periods against Jacksonville, he made plays. Against the Giants and Redskins, he didn't.

Dwight_Schrute: Why are the Steelers so reluctant to sign another punter?

Jerry Micco: Because you have to then carry two on your roster and no one does that. In the cap era you really can't. And if they put Berger on the IR, he's gone for the season. But you can't continue to get by with a guy punting balls 35 to 40 yards max.

Joe: What's the chances that we see a new punter this weekend. It is getting painful to watch a punter with two bad legs try to kick the ball further than 35 yards

Jerry Micco: As I stated above, you are really kind of strapped with the salary cap and the punter's hurt. It's like long snapper. You really only have one on the team. The Steelers added a snapper because Warren went on IR. You'd have to do the same with Berger and that doesn't seem to be the plan.

praveen: Considering our return game is mediocre, I would love to see more attempts at blocked punts even if it increases the chances that the punt will be fair caught. Do you know if the blocked punt was the result of some guy just getting beaten one on one, or was there a coaching imperative to send an extra guy?

Jerry Micco: It looked to me as if the Steelers overloaded one side and tried to block the kick. My guess is they saw something where this could work against the Redskins. The Steelers normally aren't a big punt block team, but that play certainly turned around Monday's game. As for returns, I think Holmes is a very good returner and is capable of breaking a long one. As for Davenport on kickoffs, he seems pretty steady, often getting between 20-25 yards. No, he's not going long on anyone, but if he doesn't fumble and can get you beyond the 25, he's not terrible. And Moore is steady on both returns.

PhillyMarty: History of November play involving BCS top two is filled with huge upsets (like Pitt over WVU last year) suggesting that these teams are playing tight and poorly handling the pressure that accompanies the status. I believe it is currently to PSU's advantage to stay at #3 considering many believe it is merely a matter of time before both Tech and 'Bama lose. Might give us alum more angst, but what matters is who is #1 and #2 after the conference title games.

Jerry Micco: Exactly right, Marty. It only matters at the end of the regular season. And the road is much tougher for Alabama and Texas Tech than is it for Penn St. What the Nits have to avoid is playing a really poor game -- but winning -- against Iowa or Indiana. Even Michigan State would fit that bill. Because you wonder if the voters aren't waiting to move Oklahoma or Florida past them even with one loss. But when it's all over, if PSU is unbeaten, they'll get a shot at the title game.

praveen: What is the verdict on the new long snapper? He seemed fine. The missed extra point was not his fault.

Jerry Micco: He seemed to get balls back there in good shape. Got knocked around pretty good, but did the job. Those guys are always out there and while it's unfortunate what happened to Warren, you always bring a guy or two into camp who can snap. For that very reason.

praveen: Maybe James Harrison can punt!

Jerry Micco: Well, we know he can't snap, though when you look at that snap again, it's a perfect snap. Just 10 feet high.

Dwight_Schrute: You think Peyton might be giving Eli a call this week to talk about the Steeler defense?

Jerry Micco: I think Peyton saw all he needed to see on Monday night. The Colts are playing better and having Dallas Clark back makes Manning a much better QB. But it's hard to bet against the Steelers defense. The Colts game will be tough because Manning looks to be better than he was early this season, but I look for the Steelers to win by anywhere from 4-7 points.

theWellHungarian: Going in for some knee surgery tomorrow, Jerry & will be on the mend throughout the weekend & won't be able to make the Pitt-Louisville game. Do you know if it will be televised?

Jerry Micco: All the best to you, Hungarian. I hope your surgery is successful and wish you a speedy recovery. The Panthers game is on Ch. 4 in Pittsburgh. It is the Big East game of the week. I'm getting myself over to the press box for that game. I haven't had a chance to go to Pitt yet this year so I'm looking forward to being there.

YeOldeBuccoFan: Do you think PSU at #3 is backlash from Ohio State's foibles in recent championship games, or just a temporary computer glitch?

Jerry Micco: I think it's a combination of a couple things. 1. Backlash. 2. The mediocrity of the Big Ten this season. Penn State's out of conference schedule, which contained Temple, Syracuse and Coastal Carolina, doesn't help either. And is only magnified when the conference is down. They will get a boost if Michigan State is 9-2 coming into their final-week game at Beaver Stadium. But I don't know how much beating Iowa and Indiana will count with pollsters or computers. But I always say, you have to win the games you schedule. Everything else then takes care of itself.

PhillyMarty: Any idea how much cap space the Steelers have? Could it be next to nothing, perhaps why they have not IR'd Berger? I believe rules allow no exceptions for signing players to minimum contracts to replace injured players., that the cap is very HARD.

Jerry Micco: I'm thinking they are up against the cap, but Ed Bouchette would know that better than me. And you're right, they can't sign a guy for less money to replace an IR guy. And that could be the issue.

PhillyMarty: I believe the more Leftwich plays, the more Moore will be involved in the passing game as a safety valve. Leftwich seems more eager to dump it to him than Ben has shown all year.

Jerry Micco: I don't disagree with that. And it could be, Moore and Leftwich work together in practice more when the first team folks are out there. I think Leftwich came from an offense in Jacksonville where backs were thrown to on a regular basis. He seemed very aware of that in the Redskins game.

YeOldeBuccoFan: Maybe Pitt should play all their games on the road; then they might end up in the top five. Although they have proven to be impossible to predict, how do you think they will fare this week vs. Louisville?

Jerry Micco: I think they'll handle Louisville this week. By at least a touchdown and maybe more. Louisville is a nice team, but a nice Big East team isn't a very good team. Pitt should prevail and then get ready for a tough game at Cincinnati. The Bearcats are very solid, but again, that's a game Pitt's capable of winning. While it was a very good victory against Notre Dame, Pitt needs to keep it's eye on the ball: Winning a Big East conference title. Those league games are the most important now.

praveen: I am trying to be patient with most of the new Pens(at least Satan is scoring goals). But it's hard. I keep reminding myself Laraque and Ruttu took their time making their mark with the Pens.

Jerry Micco: I always point to Thanksgiving 2007 as then that team started to really play well. They won a game in Ottawa on a shootout and they pretty much had trailed all night before coming back to win. The St. Louis game was a nice start. Edmonton is very beatable and it's at home. They need to string some wins together and getting Satan on track as well as taking care of the puck better in their own zone are two things they did pretty well in St. Louis. They need that to continue.

YeOldeBuccoFan: Why does it seem that so many fans are anxious to give up and get rid of Jordan Staal? The kid is twenty. Not everybody is Sid at twenty. Staal looked pretty good to me in the playoffs last year.

Jerry Micco: Staal, though, may be a victim of the cap at some point. Potential is nice, but I heard the other night he's looking for a contract around $5 mil for next year. They won't be able to do that because if they do, they'll have about $21 mil tied up in three guys next season (Staal, Malkin, Crosby). And Gonchar has one more year at $5 mil and that's Fleury's yearly salary too. Another guy comes up next year for a contract, too: Max Talbot. Ask yourself which of those two guys, right now, would you want to keep?

Dwight_Schrute: People can say what they want about the guy, but the NFL is a little more entertaining to me when Joey Porter is playing at a high level and his mouth is running off it. I miss the guy here, even though his replacement has been very successful.

Jerry Micco: He played well for many years here and is enjoying a very good season after a bad year in Miami. Ron Cook did a very good column on him a short while ago and Porter is certainly the mouth that roars. But when I see Harrison and Woodley play, I can't help but think the Steelers improved in that area. Their LBs are the best in the NFL. And the one with the most all-around talent -- Timmons -- can't get on the field but half the time.

PhillyMarty: Lots of kids benefitted from delayed final 3 innings of WS Game 5, my son included, allowing them to actually see the end of a game. TV ratings continue a steep decline as 8:30 start times lead typically to a midnight (or later) ending. Seems like Baseball is allowing TV exec's to put importance of short term higher rating over long term. Season turnstile counts may be up, but don't see how declining WS TV ratings are in best interest of games' future.

Jerry Micco: It's something they are going to look at in the coming years. But until advertisers start to back away, they'll stick with a formula that works for the bottom line. I'd love to see them go to the occasional day game or even a 7 p.m. start so kids (and others) can stay up to watch the games. On the ratings, I'm sure they would have rather had the Red Sox and/or Dodgers in the Series. Philly is a large market, but Tampa/St. Pete is in the middle. That series had little national intrigue.

praveen: Is it true the Giants game had the most number of road fans at Heinz Field? (not that it compares to the Steelers road crowds)

Jerry Micco: I'm not sure about that. I was not at that game as I as out of town to see friends. But Giants fans have been known to travel a bit themselves.

PhillyMarty: How often do we see a reserve QB play great in relief, but miserably when he has to start a game? If Leftwich does start this week, doubt he plays as well as last week. But will it be good enough to win? Surely can't be much worse than Ben recently.

Jerry Micco: Tomlin will have to weigh that, Marty. I think guys are backups for a reason. Leftwich wants to start, and maybe in other situations he would, but that's no guarantee of success. He may get that chance against the Colts if Ben's not ready. We'll see. It makes it harder to plan if you're the Steelers opponent because you have to be ready for 2 QBs. They are somewhat similar, but still, there are enough differences to keep you awake at night.

PhillyMarty: Let's not sweat Pens start. They are 7th in the conference. Two years ago, they did not actually start to roll until late December. All that really matters is finishing 8th, playoff home ice advantage greatly overrated. At some point they will get hot, just a question of whether they have first dug a big hole. No hole yet.

Jerry Micco: No hole yet, but they need to use this month to start seeing progress from some players. And it does hurt not having Gonchar and Whitney around, too. I'm sure they'd like to see Staal, Fedotenko, Dupuis and Sykora start to light it up more. And some of the defensemen, like Eaton, move the puck better. But it's a long season and they have plenty of time to move up in the standings.

YeOldeBuccoFan: Substitute Pitt for Coastal Carolina on Penn State's schedule, then maybe they're in the top two. But then again, maybe they're not undefeated ...

Jerry Micco: That might be true and at some point soon, I'm sure we'll see Pitt back on the PSU schedule. I think Pitt-Penn State would be a good game this year. PSU might be better, but Pitt's no pushover for any team. OK, except Rutgers. You do wonder how that happened.

PhillyMarty: Agree with you, Harrison and Woodley are best pair of outside LB's in the league. Big upgrade over Porter and Haagans.

Jerry Micco: Huge upgrade. Woodley is like Adaleus Thomas in that he's much larger than other outside LBs and he's getting better at pass coverage. He's just a monster when he bull rushes. Poor Jon Jansen. He was getting manhandled during much of that game. Then you throw in Farrior, Foot and Timmons into the mix. Whew, that's tough for any team to handle.

PhillyMarty: Angels/Giants 2002 had little national appeal, yet crushed this year's rating. Baseball exec's are clueless.

Jerry Micco: One thing about that series, OK two things: 1. Two huge markets, so the number was up to begin with. 2. Barry Bonds.

praveen: Is there a chance, Ben would be the backup if he is kind of healthy just in case Leftwich is horrible next week?

Jerry Micco: I'd think if he didn't start, he could be the backup or even No. 3 QB. I know they'd probably not want to see Leftwich go down and Dennis Dixon play. So if he does sit out, he's the likely No. 2.

YeOldeBuccoFan: How many teams in this league do you think Leftwich could start for?

Jerry Micco: Browns, Bengals, Titans, Raiders, Chiefs, Cowboys (without Romo), Vikings, Lions, 49ers.

praveen: I don't see why WS games can't start at 7pm at least on Sundays. I doubt there were many Philly and Rays fans on the West Coast

Jerry Micco: TV wants those games on as much after 8 p.m. as possible. Because then it covers the entire prime time. I think most MLB folks don't care about fans when it comes to the Series. The TV money is what they want and the networks care about advertising dollars. It's like the Super Bowl. Why not make it a 1 p.m. start? Not 6:30 p.m. They'd never do that. Though from a newspaper deadline point of view, we'd love it.

PhillyMarty: Do you think the Big 12 is overrated, just that they have offenses scoring lots of points because little defense it being played. I think I would rather play Big 12 champ than SEC champ. PSU would seem to match up well with any of those teams.

Jerry Micco: College ball, to me, is all about offense. Though I agree. No one can stop anyone in the Big 12. And if that's the case, they are recruiting and developing offensive players at the expense of defensive players. I'd rather play Oklahoma than Florida in a national title game if I'm PSU.

PhillyMarty: Don't see how Pitt's defense possibly keeps Pitt in a game vs. PSU. Let's not be delusional.

Jerry Micco: You'd think not, but I think Pitt can sometimes play better than they look. Look at WVU last season and South Florida this season. Granted, SFLA isn't as good as it's cracked up to be, but Grothe is a very good QB. Do I think Pitt beats Penn State if they play? No. But I think it'd be closer than one might think.

Jerry Micco: Well folks I need to run. Thanks for the good questions and for taking the time to talk sports with me today. We'll see Sunday if Big Ben gets a rest or if he goes against the Colts. And will PSU still be undefeated after a road game vs. Iowa? We'll have a lot to discuss next Wednesday at noon. See you then!