What is Underwhelming?

1. The answer - Describe the Pittsburgh Steelers 2010 Draft in one word.

Okay, look, I'll admit that I'm not a college football geek, and I didn't pore over draft books examining each and every player. That all said, I still reserve the right to be underwhelmed by the picks the Steelers have made in the first four rounds of the draft.

For those of you who haven't been diligently watching the draft, here are the Steelers picks so far:

1st Round - Maurkice Pouncey - C/RG - Florida
2nd Round - Jason Worilds - DE/LB - Virginia Tech
3rd Round - Emmanuel Sanders - WR - SMU
4th Round - Thad Gibson - LB - Ohio State

I'm not going to complain about the Pouncey pick. The Steelers need an heir apparent at center, and Pouncey is that guy. But as for the rest of the picks... damned if I've heard of any of them, even the Ohio State guy.

I look at some of the players the Steelers could have drafted - like Terrence "Mount" Cody, a prototypical nose tackle who could have been a replacement for Casey Hampton down the line. The Steelers still need to make over their D-line, and just drafting Ziggy Hood last year isn't enough. The D-line is still O-L-D. Cody, of course, went to the Baltimore Ravens not too long after the Steelers picked in round 2. Great, just what the Steelers needed, another big dude in the middle for a team that's very difficult to run against as it is.

I do realize that the Steelers do need some depth and linebacker and some guys who will actually run down on special teams and make some tackles. Maybe Worilds and Gibson are those guys. They couldn't be any worse than Arnold Harrison and Bruce Davis, could they?

And maybe Emmanuel Sanders will turn out to be a good slot receiver, but I would have rather had Jordan Shipley out of Texas who ended up going to the Bengals right after the Steelers picked in the 3rd round. You guys seeing a trend here? I really hope this is not a case of the Steelers thinking they're smarter than everybody else by taking these guys ahead of slot.

The Steelers have four 5th round draft picks, so they really need to start addressing D-line depth, defensive back and maybe pick up a tight end to replace the horrifyingly nondescript Matt Spaeth. If Dorin Dickerson is still there at pick 151, I highly suggest the Steelers take him. I can't believe Dickerson has lasted this long. He's been the top guy on Mel Kiper's board since the middle of the third round. I guess everything Dickerson showed at the Combine didn't amount to much. I've seen Dickerson play, and whoever gets him in the 5th round is getting a steal. Trust me on this one.

2. The answer - Describe how the Penguins game five performance in one word.

I'll admit it - I really thought the Pens were going to put the Senators away handily Thursday night, but I should have known better. Last year, the Pens had two chances to finish off series at home (against Philly and Washington) and lost both times.

The Pens came out flat and were down 2-0 before got comfortable in their seats at the Mellon Arena. Oh, they eventually did wake up and even took the lead... for about a minute before the Senators tied the game. The second the game went to OT, I knew the Pens were toast. Of course, they had to stretch it to a 3rd OT before finally losing.

Game Six is tonight back in Ottawa, and it wouldn't shock me at all if the Senators win and force a game seven Monday night back in the Burgh. I sincerely hope that's not the case, but the Penguins have proven often this year that as good as they can be at times they can also be godawful at times, too.

For god's sake, just finish them already! Sheesh. Stay out of the penalty box, play with passion and don't look past the team on the opposite bench. You are better than that team. There's no debate about that, but that doesn't mean that the other team can't beat you. The Pens would do well to remember that.

I could go on and on about how underwhelming the Pirates pitching, hitting and defense has been lately. I could rant and rave about the 20-0 loss to the Brewers on Thursday. But I won't. The Pirates just aren't worth it.

Anyway, let's hope the Steelers find some diamonds in the rough over the next three rounds and that the Pens win game six tonight.

Let's Go Pens!

JD