Pitt of the stomach

Kirwan watch continues, and remarkably he actually wrote a pretty good article about the difficulties in coming up with a game plan. Some bits of the article did read a little like he was talking to a group of four year olds, but otherwise solid. Then we have the latest from Michael "Bill Walsh once told me" Lombardi. He basically goes through and ranks various players as being Blue Chip and Red Chip, based on a set of criteria known only to Michael Lombardi. This would help explain why Anquan Boldin is considered a Red Chip player while Chad Ochocinco is Blue chip quality? I also see that a number of players were "marked down" as it were simply for being injured. And how come Brian Cushing is a red chipper who "was Blue before suspension", yet Ben Roethlisberger is a Blue chipper all the way, even though he'll miss the first 6 games of the season which is two more than Cushing? I'm not an expert on the NFL by any stretch of the imagination. I'm not a high paid journalist or an award winning writer. But at least I have: a) a bit of consistency b) a bit of savvy I know it's very easy to criticise people like Lombardi and believe that we could do much better, and I'm sure there are people that will rush to his defense, but for the love of christ this stuff really is indefensible. And I've heard all the arguments in the world before "oh, he used to be an NFL exec. so he must know what he's talking about..." "you're just a fan blah, blah..." but honestly, I don't buy it. It's the kind of excuse people use when they don't like what you write but can't think of a way to express it. It's the classic catch all argument that doesn't require specific criticism and doesn't leave the critic open to having a failed argument deconstructed. I'm pretty sure I could randomly pick names from a hat and come up with a better blue/red mix than that and be more consistent about it. Anyway, moving on. According to Jason LaCanfora, Chester Pitts worked out today for the benefit of just two teams: the Colts and the Steelers. Which provides us with a perfect example of why those two teams are so successful on a consistent basis. In my mildly arrogant and self assured opinion, the O-line and D-line are critical to the success of a football team. I'd much rather see O-linemen of all positions paid like wide receivers and vice versa. So when I see only two teams turn up to check out someone who I think is still a pretty good guard, I'm impressed by them. When you couple that with their draft choices this year and the general way that these two teams go about building their O-line, it's obvious to see why they've had such consistent success. Now I know people will point a finger at the Steelers and wave it in the semi-nagging manner that a parent would to a naughty child, while receiting the line "but the Steelers O-line is terrible!". Well... they're really not. In the run game they regularly make a habit of opening holes for their backs, and in the passing game they suffer the same problem as the Packers and Cowboys, in that they have a QB who enjoys holding onto the ball for as long as humanly possible. Regardless Kudos to the Steelers and Colts. Now if they'd kindly like to sod off and let the 49ers claim Pitts, I'll be delighted. Have a great day everyone.