San Diego

December 9, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Isaac Redman (33) rushes against the San Diego Chargers at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports The Steelers have long been known for their dominant running game, or at least die-hard Steeler fans as well as Steeler haters, remember those years.  However, as Ben Roethlisberger became the face of the franchise that slowly changed and the running game seemed put to the side.  If #7 couldn’t make it happen with his arm, then it wasn’t happening. The Steelers built their offense around their star QB, as many NFL teams have, and have been sorely pressed to find a way to win when Roethlisberger is not behind center.  The Rooney family, particularly Art Rooney II, seemed displeased at the lack of ability to adjust for injury.  Bruce Arians was “retired” and the search was on for a new offensive coordinator who would re-energize the running game and reduce the injury potential to Roethlisberger because he would be getting rid of the ball quicker. However, the fans who expected a return to the glory days of the “ground and pound” in 2012 were sorely disappointed.  In 2012, the Steelers had 1537 rushing yards with nearly double the passing yards at 3787.  So much for the running game.  There were 412 rushing plays that averaged 4.7 yards per play.  Well.  Not dominant at all.  The gnashing of teeth over the 8-8 season could be heard across the country and the disappointment in the offense, particularly the lack of running game, was palpable for months after the season ended. In my opinion, there were too many changes to the offense.  After about 4 games into the season, the sports pundits where over the moon about Roethlisberger’s efficiency rating thanks to the emphasis on short passes.  Most defenses came prepared for Roethlisberger to hang onto the ball, waiting for a receiver to open up for the long bomb.  The Steelers managed to take advantage of the confusion for a while, but the opponents started to catch on.  The short-pass strategy became less effective and the running game was still ineffective.  Frankly, you can’t ask someone who has been quarterbacking one way to suddenly turn on a dime and do something that is foreign to him.   It takes time to make those changes and it was too much to expect so many changes to be successful. Haley, as was his right as the offensive coordinator, wanted his terminology and he changed many of the plays.  Naturally it caused confusion.  I’m a fan of the 1/3 rule – change out 1/3 to 1/2 at a time, particularly if you have a lot of players who played under the old system.  However, there is something to be said for just ripping off the band-aid and getting the pain over with.  However, this pain lasted through the whole 2012 season.  Hindsight is a great thing.  I have been “victim” of both approaches.  I’ve had new bosses who came in with a scorched earth policy which left a lot of disgruntled employees with abysmal productivity at first.  I’ve also worked for new bosses who came in and gradually changed things, sometimes keeping old procedures that weren’t broken.  You can probably see both sides.  But where does the Steelers running game go from here? Based on the draft and off-season signings, the Steelers clearly want to continue to redevelop the running game.  Rashad Mendenhall departed, but it seems very few are sorry to see him go.  Who have the Steelers gained?  Surprisingly, the Steelers signed LaRod Stephens-Howling, who has been in the NFL for 5 years, playing for Arizona with 651 career rushing yards.  I didn’t see his signing coming, but the Steelers have a history of being unconventional.  With LaRod’s pre-draft signing, it seemed possible that the Steelers wouldn’t draft a running back, but they took Le’Veon Bell in the second round.  The running backs who remained on the St

Kabe Exploration Announces $5,000,000 Funding Term Sheet SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Kabe Exploration, Inc. (OTCBB: KABX) is pleased to announce that it has secured a $5,000,000 Equity Financing Term Sheet with Phoenix Group Capital Markets, a UK holding company, through its wholly owned micro-cap investment fund. The company expects to begin using the equity line of credit for funding once its planned registration statement is completed and approved. About Phoenix Group Capital Markets Phoenix Group Capital Markets is a micro-cap fund that specializes in investing in micro-cap and mid-cap companies internationally. They typically fund companies through debt or equity investments in public companies. About Kabe Exploration, Inc. Based in San Diego, California, Kabe Exploration, Inc. is an oil & gas exploration and development company that acquires mineral rights in prolific shale plays for production. CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements generally can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects," "may," "will," "intends," "plans," "should," "seeks," "pro forma," "anticipates," "estimates," "continues," or other variations thereof (including their use in the negative), or by discussions of strategies, plans or intentions. A number of factors could cause results to differ materially from those anticipated by such forward-looking statements, including those discussed under "Risk Factors" and "Our Business." Forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and are based on potentially inaccurate assumptions that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expected or implied by the forward-looking statements. Our actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements for many reasons. Kabe Exploration, Inc.Erik Ulsteen, 858-699-1359Email: investorrelations@kabeexploration.comWebsite: www.kabeexploration.comKEYWORDS:   United States  North America  CaliforniaINDUSTRY KEYWORDS:

Rookie Jedd Gyorko has the three longest homers by a Padre at Petco Park this season

With the draft lottery now complete a more accurate picture of the 2013 NBA Draft is now possible as team needs can be taken into account. ESPN.com's Chad Ford has updated his latest mock draft and has the Atlanta Hawks going big with the No. 17 pick and taking Duke's Mason Plumlee. Analysis: Plumlee reminded everyone this week why he once was a highly regarded potential lottery pick. His elite athletic ability combined with a 7-foot frame make him a unique prospect at this point in the draft. At 23, he's a little older than everyone else, but I think a team that wants to fly up and down the floor like the Hawks would love having him on the floor. Interestingly, Ford has the Hawks taking Plumlee ahead of a couple of other big man prospects in Rudy Gobert and Gorgui Dieng. Here is a look at DraftExpress' combine interview with Plumlee: With the No. 18 pick in the draft Ford has the Hawks selecting 6-foot-5 guard Jamaal Franklin out of San Diego State. We have talked a little bit about Franklin before and it seems that an injured ankle that forced him to sit out the draft combine in Chicago hasn't necessarily hurt his draft stock. Franklin didn't play at the combine. His ankle was in a walking boot. However, the injury isn't expected to keep him out for long. While the Hawks have a pretty crowded backcourt, I think if Franklin can play some small forward he might be worth the trouble. His infectious energy and athletic ability should give the team a real shot in the arm. Here is a look at his draft combine interview from DraftExpress:

OtterBox, which makes the top-selling protective case for smartphones, has announced the acquisition of LifeProof for an undisclosed amount. News of the acquisition comes one day after a lawsuit filed by OtterBox against LifeProof for patent infringement was dismissed. OtterBox told the North Carolina Business Report that the acquisition was not related to the lawsuit or any settlement. Headquartered in San Diego, LifeProof also makes protective cases and accessories for smartphones and tablets. Over the next 30 days, OttberBox will beginning incorporating the LifeProof brand into OtterBox’s product lineup. More information about product availability and alignment will be available after that period. OtterBox currently has about 650 employees worldwide, while LifeProof, which was founded in 2009, employs about 250 people, who the companies say will remain in their San Diego location “for the foreseeable future.” “Our strategy is to utilize our combined brand momentum, and world-class talent to create a great customer experience that generates OtterBox brand ambassadors for life,” Thomas said in the acquisition announcement. In addition to its extremely durable smartphone cases, which are designed to withstand drops, water immersion and debris, OtterBox also makes protective coverings for other mobile devices such as tablets, as well as screen protectors and accessories. LifeProof’s cases are designed for people with very active lifestyles (or who are especially accident prone around mountains, concrete and bodies of water). Both companies’ cases performed well when they were subjected to abuse in the name of consumer research by TechCrunch during CES in January. Image credit

Rene Rivera may force the Padres to make a decision

Erlin, Sampson, and Fried all took the mound tonight; but only one of them got the win.

The good and the bad from the Padres' 5-3 loss to the Cardinals.

Cards' Lyons holds Padres to Jedd Gyorko homer over seven innings in major league debut

Like many players, former Chargers cornerback wants to play on.