Grounded
The Steelers’ Delta charter flight back from Las Vegas had to make an emergency landing in Kansas City early Monday morning due to oil pressure issues, and it sounds like they didn’t get back in the air for a while.
On one hand, it shows even the highest paid professional athletes in the land have to sometimes deal with the same silly, travel-related nonsense we all do, even on a charter flight.
On the other hand -and this might be reaching for a legitimate concern- it can’t be good for a group of athletes who just played a game and are beaten up physically to have to spend hours sitting on a plane during what should be rest/recovery time back in Pittsburgh.
Either way, they can at least be thankful that they didn’t have any screaming babies or half-drunk armrest hogs to deal with and most likely didn’t have to pay extra to avoid getting ga middle seat.
Pickett’s Moving Pocket
The biggest takeaway from the game itself -other than the defense rising up and locking down another W- was the increased confidence we saw from Kenny Pickett once he completed a few balls, got on the move, and played a little more instinctively.
Why did it take three weeks to discover that the best way to loosen Pickett up may be to get him rolling out and reading half the field? It’s a great question, but it looks like what should be an important art of the gameplan moving forward. If for some reason we don’t see it in Houston we can once again start laying in to Matt Canada, who at least at this point, deserves some credit for the Steelers offense looking as good as it did in the 3rd quarter, especially on the Pat Freiermuth TD drive, where Pickett went 4-for-4.
Detroit Rock City
After a split squad doubleheader of sorts on Sunday to open their preseason slate, the Penguins will travel to Detroit tonight for more exhibition action against the Red Wings.
Well, a lot of guys who are currently Penguins will travel to Detroit.
The only names that will definitely be on the NHL roster to open the season who will be in Detroit tonight are P.O. Joseph, Alex Nedeljkovic, and Rem Pitlick. Mark Friedman, Vinnie Hinostroza, Andreas Johnsson, Radim Zohorna, and Ty Smith are all names we’ll probably see at the NHL level as well this year, but there won’t be any big, recognizable names making the trip to Michigan tonight.
Your first chance to see those may be Thursday night against Buffalo at PPG Paints Arena (and airing on KDKA+), or maybe next Monday at 6pm, when they’ll play the Ottawa Senators in Halifax, Nova Scotia following a pair of practices there.
That game will be broadcast on NHL Network.
You Need to Calm Down
The writing was on the wall that as soon as CBS started showing waayyy too much of Taylor Swift at the Chiefs game on Sunday that someone, somewhere would try to have a hot take related to it.
Just as guaranteed as that misguided hot take would be the cringeworthy nature of it.
Well, have no fear. Philadelphia sports fans are here.
While I could have done with a few less cutaways to Swift & Donna Kelce, it’s hard to get mad about the world’s biggest pop star fangirling over her boyfriend.
Or friend. Or maybe just acquaintance.
Or partner in crime??
Yes, there is a theory that because of the supposed awkward nature of the pair’s exit from Arrowhead Stadium Sunday afternoon, this is all an act.
I love Elle Duncan, if for no other reason than she’s now got me hooked on wondering just how real this thing is.
Can You ‘Boo’ Bowl Projections?
The newest slate of college football bowl projections are out following Week 4, and while things are looking up for WVU and rather status quo for Penn State, I have to wonder how Boo City feels about being left out of five of the six projections the Post-Gazette’s Adam Bittner compiles each week.
If nothing else, the Panthers have an opportunity to get their first win over an FBS program this season when they travel to Blacksburg to play Virginia Tech on Saturday night. Whether they’ll be doing it with Phil Jurkovec under center or not remains to be seen.