I haven’t been to St. Vincent College since Chuck Noll was head coach of the Steelers. Since Noll retired there have only been two other Head Coach’s from 1992 on. (The same year I moved here to Atlanta.) Some NFL teams change Coach’s every three to four years – but for the Pittsburgh Steelers it’s been three Coach’s in four decades.

In a long standing tradition (like forty five years) the Pittsburgh Steelers open training camp in Latrobe, PA tomorrow. After the events of this past off season about all I can say is – it’s about time.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have never been a much talked about team during the off season in years past – but this off season has been much different story.

The team won’t have quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for at least the first four to six games because of his NFL suspension. The offense will also be without wide receiver and Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes who was traded to the Jets after another off field stunt. Fast Willie Parker is now a Washington Redskin as we find out what running back Rashard Mendenhall is really made of. And to add insult to injury, our offensive line also lost tackle Willie Colon due to a season ending Achilles during spring training.

There really hasn’t been much said about the Defensive side of the ball – probably due to age and maturity. The Defensive squad however, needs to get back to smash mouth football that’s capable of shutting offenses down. (How many games did we lose in the last minute a year ago?) You can’t blame the absence of Troy Polamalu for all those last minute losses.

Nor can you blame me for the fresh start this year’s training camp offers die hard Steelers fans. (Certainly more than in years past.) It’s one thing to get use to all the free agent activities that are now common in the League – but this year’s off field activities from certain Pittsburgh Steelers was something no Steelers fan thought was even possible.

As a lifelong Steelers fan and the proud tradition this team has held for decades, it’s shocking that I feel this way.

But…

Thank goodness we get some of these guys off the street and back on the football field.

In one of the few interviews I saw on the internet from Ben Roethlisberger and the fiasco that happened in Milledgeville, Georgia this off season he said something that really stuck with me.

“I’m always committed to being the best I can on the football field, I don’t think that’s ever changed, and I don’t think anyone’s ever questioned that of me.”

There no question the kids got drive and talent. You saw that from the very first game he was thrown into down in Miami during a monsoon his rookie year. He reeled off 15 straight victories his rookie year – a record I don’t think will ever be broken. Since then he’s collected two Super Bowl rings and is unquestionably the offensive leader of the Pittsburgh Steelers. With the opening of training camp – it’s back to a focus on football without time for extracurricular activities that he shouldn’t be doing in the first place. Thus, why he’s still labeled a “kid”, and for me, it will stay that way until his on field maturity matches his off field activities.

Regardless of each players commitment on the field, Mike Tomlin has his work cut out for him this year – probably more so than previous years. The Rooney’s believe in him – with a new contract extension – and while I had my doubts early on (mostly due to the lack of head coaching changes with the Steelers since 1969) Tomlin has proven that he’s the right guy for this year’s challenges.

St. Vincent gets Steelers fans back into their comfort zone. It’s rich in tradition and always brings optimism regardless of how good or bad the previous year’s record was.

This year, we can add a bad off season into the mix, and tomorrow (thank goodness) it comes to a close.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Do You ZamZuu?

UPDATE: Don’t know why I should be surprised that everyone else is looking for this poem as well. (More than likely wanting to read it and possibly copy it for themselves.) Want your own copy of the poem “Don’t Quit”? I created a PDF that you can print out and hang where you want. Mine is on the bathroom mirror.

Enjoy!

~~~~

The NFL Network has aired the newest release of it’s Emmy Award-winning ‘America’s Game’ with “The Story of the 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers”. You know me, I not only had to watch it, but it’s permanently saved on my TiVo to watch for years to come.

Each episode of America’s Game is a personal portrait told by the men who lived it and felt it. The story of the 2008 Steelers is told through the eyes of head coach Mike Tomlin, Troy Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger.

I love the heart and the mentality of a champion and believe there is something we can not only learn but implement in our own lives to help us achieve our goals and dreams.

I wish I had a video of this one segment I could share with you, but it’s simply not available anywhere on the internet just yet. Instead I’ll have to share it with you in print.

Roethlisberger developed his resiliency on the field as a quarterback at Miami University under then-head coach Terry Hoeppner. Coach Hep, who died of brain cancer in 2007, remained a main source of inspiration for Roethlisberger through his favorite poem, “Don’t Quit.”

Roethlisberger on Coach Hep: “He just was an amazing person. More than a coach, I really was like a son to him.”

Roethlisberger on the poem, “Don’t Quit”: “[Coach Hep] would read it to us once or twice a year. He would get really into it and emotional about it. It was really something special, especially when he passed, so I put the poem up in my locker so that every day I could see it and know that no matter what, don’t give up, don’t quit.”

Just the title alone prompted me to do a quick search for this poem and found it so meaningful and inspiring, I wanted to share it with the rest of you.

“Don’t Quit”

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest! if you must; but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up, though the pace seems slow;
You might succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up
When he might have captured the victor’s cup.
And he learned too late, when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out;
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt;
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar;
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit;
It’s when things seem worst that you mustn’t quit.

~ Anonymous

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Do You ZamZuu?

As we head into Super Bowl Weekend, probably the single most watched broadcast all year long, and home parties start gearing up for the event, the NFL hands out several awards. The Hall of Fame Inductees, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year are awards and announcements I’ve always had an interest in.

I’ve always believed in looking at successful people and finding traits that I can use in my own life. I’ve also learned that it doesn’t matter where it comes from, success leaves clues. No matter what you choose to do in life, (and yes this includes Network Marketing) if you study what successful people do, and model your own thoughts and actions after them, you’ll find yourself ending up with similar results.

Football is a team sport and everyone needs to do their particular assignment in order to be successful. As it turns out, looks like it was no accident that Pittsburgh will be playing in the biggest game of the year this Sunday. Two valuable pieces of the Pittsburgh Steelers team were recognize for their individual efforts this past year. Mike Tomlin and James Harrison.

Congratulations to these two valuable members of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

From the Pittsburgh Steelers Official web site:

Mike Tomlin Named Coach of The Year

Head coach MIKE TOMLIN of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year, Motorola and the NFL announced today.

In 2008, Mike Tomlin continued to rewrite the record books in Pittsburgh, becoming the only head coach in Steelers’ history to win division titles in his first two seasons as he established a franchise record with 22 wins in that time.  The Steelers secured the second seed in the AFC, captured the AFC North Division title for the second year in a row, and posted a 6-0 record within their division as part of their 12-4 record.  After notching two victories in the postseason, Coach Tomlin will be the youngest head coach to appear in a Super Bowl at the age of 36.

A record number of more than 521,000 fans voted on NFL.com for the head coach whose game planning played the greatest role in his team’s success this season.  Voting took place from Wednesday, January 7 through Wednesday, January 21 to determine the 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year.  In winning the award, Coach Tomlin also receives the new AURA™ by Motorola, a luxury handset inspired by high-end watches and hand-crafted design that breaks convention and re-establishes artistry in mobile device design and manufacturing.

“As the official wireless communication provider for the NFL, there is a natural tie between our brand and the sport’s great coaches,” said Jean Pierre Le Cannellier, senior director, North America Marketing, Motorola, Inc.  “We salute Coach Tomlin for being voted the 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year by the fans and admire those leadership qualities that would make him a champion in any endeavor.”

Tomlin was selected as 2008 Motorola NFL Coach of the Year from among six finalists by voters on NFL.com.  The other finalists were head coaches TOM COUGHLIN of the New York Giants, JEFF FISHER of the Tennessee Titans, JOHN HARBAUGH of the Baltimore Ravens, MIKE SMITH of the Atlanta Falcons and TONY SPARANO of the Miami Dolphins.

Motorola’s brand has become synonymous with NFL coaches through the coaches’ headsets worn during every NFL game.  As the wireless communications sponsor of the NFL, Motorola is working with the league to better integrate technology to improve the quality of the game, just as Motorola continuously provides better communications devices to help millions of NFL fans enjoy the game of football in their everyday lives.

And from NFL.com.

Harrison voted GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Year

Linebacker James Harrison of the Pittsburgh Steelers is the 2008 GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Year, GMC and the National Football League announced Thursday.

More than 672,000 fan votes were submitted for the 2008 GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Year on NFL.com from Jan. 3 through Jan. 29.

Harrison was one of five finalists for the honor. The other finalists were defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth of the Tennessee Titans, linebacker Joey Porter of the Miami Dolphins, free safety Ed Reed of the Baltimore Ravens and linebacker DeMarcus Ware of the Dallas Cowboys.

The five finalists were selected for their outstanding performances throughout the 2008 NFL season. Each week, five nominees were chosen for GMC Sierra Defensive Player of the Week and NFL fans voted for the winner on NFL.com. Those results were used to help determine the finalists.

This is GMC’s fourth year as the official vehicle of the NFL and the second year that GMC will present the Defensive Player of the Year award.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Learn How To Become A Travel Agent

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

Do You ZamZuu?