OT: Todays NFL games

[XXXIV]

Glad you have such high expectations for your team 34

I really do love you...I just Love sweeping the hags more...

Cant we just be pals and root for the Falcons together?

[fletcher21]

34 did they stop serving drinks after the 1st quarter cuz ur pretty damn calm man, lol

[matthewk]

Wow, looks like Fletch & 34 kissed and made up after last week. Did you two meet during the week to fight but end up being attracted to each other instead? Don't tell me you two are dating now

[Brando70]

I still don't understand how a 16-1 team that isn't generally favored to win the SB could be considered overrated.

Turnovers and special teams were the only reason this game was close. Pittsburgh moved the ball, especially in the second half. Rothlisberger looked shaky, but I imagine the kid had some serious butterflies. I think with one game under his belt, he'll settle down.

The Steelers defense played really well, especially by keeping the Jets in the 40+ FG area, where the chances of a miss are pretty good at Heinz Field. They certainly lucked out when Brien's 47 yarder hit the crossbar. But every good team gets those kinds of breaks.

The Jets won two OT games on the road and almost pulled out a third. They had the NFL's leading rusher. Not exactly a pushover team. Give the Steelers credit for grinding out a tough win.

[XXXIV]

I still don't understand how a 16-1 team that isn't generally favored to win the SB could be considered overrated.

Turnovers and special teams were the only reason this game was close. .

You right about everything you said.

[dbdynsty25]

The Bills didn't make the playoffs because they lost a must-win game against the Steelers 3rd string...at home. Their poor start had nothing to do with them not making the playoffs.

So you're telling me if they hadn't won a few of those games in the first 5 weeks, they wouldn't have been a 11-5 or 12-4 team making the playoffs? Of course the first part of the year mattered...lol...I really hope you were being sarcastic.

[Badgun]

I still don't understand how a 16-1 team that isn't generally favored to win the SB could be considered overrated.

Turnovers and special teams were the only reason this game was close. Pittsburgh moved the ball, especially in the second half. Rothlisberger looked shaky, but I imagine the kid had some serious butterflies. I think with one game under his belt, he'll settle down.

The Steelers defense played really well, especially by keeping the Jets in the 40+ FG area, where the chances of a miss are pretty good at Heinz Field. They certainly lucked out when Brien's 47 yarder hit the crossbar. But every good team gets those kinds of breaks.

The Jets won two OT games on the road and almost pulled out a third. They had the NFL's leading rusher. Not exactly a pushover team. Give the Steelers credit for grinding out a tough win.

I don't know if overrated is the proper word, but the Steelers are definitely the worst 15-1 team I've ever seen. There are teams with better offenses and there are teams with better defenses. How this team won 15 games is like fuc*ing magic to me. Everyone's riding "Big Ben's" jock like he's some superstar and he almost singlehandedly cost them the game. He's definitely good for a rookie, but he really liked like a rookie today.

I might eat my words come next week, but I don't see how this team has a chance against New England or the Colts. I'd go as far as to say that I think any team in the playoffs could beat them, including Minnesota. I just don't see it.

[dbdynsty25]

I don't know if overrated is the proper word, but the Steelers are definitely the worst 15-1 team I've ever seen. There are teams with better offenses and there are teams with better defenses. How this team won 15 games is like fuc*ing magic to me. Everyone's riding "Big Ben's" jock like he's some superstar and he almost singlehandedly cost them the game. He's definitely good for a rookie, but he really liked like a rookie today.

Which is exactly what I've been saying all damn day...they proved it even more today. I have no freakin' idea how those stiffs won 15 games this year.

[XXXIV]

Todays sober thoughts on the massacre in georgia.

Anyone ever seen a more unprepared defense and special teams?

I knew the Rams couldnt stop Vick and that the special teams were the worst in the NFL but My God....Talk about a team stealing a paycheck...
No Pride
No heart
no brain
no courage...
The Rams need to go see the wizard...

Marc Bulger Bulger...he is winning me over...unfortunately...Martz will turn him into a bumbling fumbling shell shocked shell of himself soon...all you have to do is look at Warner...those beatings start to get ugly. I went to a Dolphins Rams game in 2001. Warner had an incredible day .Completeing pass after pass. TD after TD but he didnt see many of them. Warner spent the day on his ass. Bulger will meet that same fate.


As for the Falcons...ready, prepared , smart and gutsy...CONGRATS!

The Steelers...There D was the usaul unrelenting smart and fast machine...Rothy made some rookie throws that helped keep the game close. In the end they found a way. Congrats!

The Jets. They have balls. They are well coached and smart. stupid kickers!

STs and D are part of the game...Someone tell the genius in STL.

[XXXIV]

34 did they stop serving drinks after the 1st quarter cuz ur pretty damn calm man, lol

Oh No!! I was wasted....but when my team doesnt put up a fight..how can I?

There was nothing to get upset about...the better team won and they won easily and without any help (one return) from the refs.

[kevinpars]

There is no question about who was the best player during the regular season, but I hope for his sake that Manning has a good day today or the label that he doesn't show up for the big games is gonna stick -deserved or not.

I know the Colts have a weak defense, but this is a game they need to win. They should be able to outscore the Patriots.

As for Pittsburgh, I don't know think they did it with smoke and mirrors. Look at the scoreboard - they smoked both the Eagles and the Patriots.

[XXXIV]

Patriots vs Colts...I have no idea...NONE...So in this case I will pick the home team that happens to be the defending champ.

Pats 27 Colts 24 in OT

Vikings vs Eagles....Much like the Rams..there is a reason the Vikes were 8-8. Unlike the Rams the Vikes will at least show up and the game could be interesting....The eagles are the class of the NFC with or without TO.

Eagles 31 Vikings 20

[Leebo33]

I don't know if overrated is the proper word, but the Steelers are definitely the worst 15-1 team I've ever seen. There are teams with better offenses and there are teams with better defenses. How this team won 15 games is like fuc*ing magic to me. Everyone's riding "Big Ben's" jock like he's some superstar and he almost singlehandedly cost them the game. He's definitely good for a rookie, but he really liked like a rookie today.

I might eat my words come next week, but I don't see how this team has a chance against New England or the Colts. I'd go as far as to say that I think any team in the playoffs could beat them, including Minnesota. I just don't see it.

I'm getting dangerously close to using Kaz's favorite term for people that think like this. The Steelers may be the worst 15-1 team ever (out of a grand total of 4!!!), but...

Let me put it into perspective:

785 teams have lined up to playoff football since the schedule was expanded to 16

4 teams won 15 games

For the mathematically challenged, that's one half of one percent. That proves to me that you can't go lucky or have an easy schedule and win 15 games or more teams would do it. Hell, you can't get lucky and win 14 games. Only 14 teams out of 785 have done that.

If DB or anyone else wants to say that the Steelers are the worst 15-1 or 14-2 team ever in the NFL, that means that they still won more games than 98% of the other teams. If you were in the 98th percentile in IQ, you'd be happy, wouldn't you?

BTW, only 7 of the 16 teams that finished 14-2 or better won the Super Bowl. It is hard to do. Hell, most people aren't even picking the Steelers to win the Super Bowl. How are they overrated?

[wco81]

Herman Edwards made the same mistake that Shottenheimer did last week. Too conservative and willing to settle for a 40-something yard FG attempt.

New Yorkers complain about Hackett and Pennington. Is Hackett too conservative or is he calling the short pass plays because of Pennington's limitations?

What is surprising is a couple of times, looks like they had only one intended WR and it wasn't open so he ended up eating the ball. I guess the Jets wanted to protect against the Steelers' pressure defense.

In previous years, teams feasted on the Steelers by spreading them out and exposing a weak secondary. Has their secondary improved that much? Weather permitting, I can see the Pats or the Colts trying to do that next week.

[HipE]

I still don't understand how a 16-1 team that isn't generally favored to win the SB could be considered overrated.

Turnovers and special teams were the only reason this game was close. Pittsburgh moved the ball, especially in the second half. Rothlisberger looked shaky, but I imagine the kid had some serious butterflies. I think with one game under his belt, he'll settle down.

The Steelers defense played really well, especially by keeping the Jets in the 40+ FG area, where the chances of a miss are pretty good at Heinz Field. They certainly lucked out when Brien's 47 yarder hit the crossbar. But every good team gets those kinds of breaks.

The Jets won two OT games on the road and almost pulled out a third. They had the NFL's leading rusher. Not exactly a pushover team. Give the Steelers credit for grinding out a tough win.

I don't know if overrated is the proper word, but the Steelers are definitely the worst 15-1 team I've ever seen. There are teams with better offenses and there are teams with better defenses. How this team won 15 games is like fuc*ing magic to me. Everyone's riding "Big Ben's" jock like he's some superstar and he almost singlehandedly cost them the game. He's definitely good for a rookie, but he really liked like a rookie today.

I might eat my words come next week, but I don't see how this team has a chance against New England or the Colts. I'd go as far as to say that I think any team in the playoffs could beat them, including Minnesota. I just don't see it.

I'm curious as to who you think has a better defense. The Steelers finished first overall in scoring defense, and first overall in yardage allowed (1st in rushing yds allowed, 3rd in passing yds allowed), and gave up 3 pts yesterday.

And why are the Pats and Colts better than the Steelers? Because they lost more games? Are you more impressed with a Pats team that got whipped by the Steelers, and lost to the Dolphins a few weeks ago? Or do you just think that you have to score a lot of points to be the best team, defense be damned? It will interesting to see next week how many points the Pats or Colts score against the Steelers, and how many yards the Steelers rush for against them. Because this smoke and mirrors team is somehow actually hosting the AFC Championship game.

[Leebo33]

In previous years, teams feasted on the Steelers by spreading them out and exposing a weak secondary. Has their secondary improved that much? Weather permitting, I can see the Pats or the Colts trying to do that next week.

The Pats tried to do that in the first game by passing 43 times and running 6. The longest pass completion was 23 yards. They picked Brady twice and sacked him 4 times. I think the Pats would be better off with a balanced attack.

The Steelers are better against the pass for a variety of reasons, but Troy Polamalu is the biggest reason. When teams go with 4 or 5 WR Troy Polamalu can cover a slot receiver. Overall, the secondary is much younger and have better cover skills. They've replaced Lee Flowers, DeWayne Washington, Brent Alexander, and Mike Logan with yonger, faster, and more physical players like Polamalu, Hope, Towsend, Ike Taylor, and Ricardo Coclough. Willie Williams is starting for Chad Scott and doing a good job, although he was picked on quite a bit down the stretch. James Farrior is also playing much better pass defense than any linebacker they previously put in coverage in the dime package.

[matthewk]

I thnk Karma bit Brien in the a$$ last night. I remember seeing them cut to a shot of him warming up before the first kick he missed, and I recall thinking "what an a-hole". I think it was because he kinda pushed the camera man out of the way and had some sort of "get outta my face" look when he did it. It was real quick, and I had the kids running around me, but that's what I remember about Brien.

Maybe Karma decided to take a chunk out of his behind for that

[wco81]

Brien was a bust in San Francisco. Then he went to New Orleans and don't know what happened to him.

As for predicting the Steelers' chances next week based on what they did next week, it's a new game. Rams, Vikings and Jets stumbled into the playoffs and upset their opponents.

Steelers are kind of like Parcells Giants teams with the conservative, smash-mouth offense and the physical defense. That worked for that one season where they won the SB and most of the following season because their offense could only score 14-17 points and win most of their games.

Todays games should be good (I really hope one of the teams which played the wildcard games break through) and next week's should be even better.

[matthewk]

After watching yesterdays games I am giong to predict the next fad to sweep through the NFL: Running by committee.

Seems like most of the teams still standing use almost a committe approach to the running game. After a full season of getting pounded on every week, I can see NFL coaches pacing their runners more so they are fresher for the playoffs.

Seems like a few years ago, most teams that had a good back ran the hell out them, ala Ten. and Eddie George. You had Faulk, Green, James, Portis, Tomlinson, Williams etc. carrying the full load.

This year the teams doing well have more than one quality back.

Jets: Sure, Martin got the rushing title, but look at how many yards Jordan got. martin didn't have to carry the ball 25 times every game for them to win.

Steelers: Staley startd out as the starter, but when he got injured you had a fresh Bettis for the playoff run. Now you have both available.

Falcons: Not only 2 quality backs, but a running QB as well. No one runner has to carry the load.

Eagles: They have been splitting carries for years, until injuries forced them to use whoever was healthy. Still, I can ee Levens now giving Westbrook more of a breather.

Vikings: Again, somewhat forced due to injuries and suspensions, but entering theplayoffs you have a slew of healty, quality backs that are fresher than the defenses they are going up against.

Rams: Even though they lost, they used Jackson and Faulk almost equally tha past few weeks, and it worked up until last night.

Mark it down for the 2005 season, more teams will be "pacing" their key running backs during the regular season to prevent injury and keep them fresh for the playoffs.

[wco81]

Don't think it's a new fad or trend. There are more quality backs and teams are drafting them high so they have no choice but to play them.

In a lot of cases, these smaller, faster backs are gamebreakers so teams like to have them but they can't take the punishment of carrying the ball 25 or more times like the feature backs in the past.

We've had teams using more than one back at a time (Csonka, Kick and Morris to name one) and 3rd down specialists have been around for a long time.

When you see a guy like Alexander, who is a heavy-duty carries guy, come out on third downs, it's not because the 3rd-down specialist is necessarily a better player in those situations. I think they want to spell the main guy, get some "touches" for the specialist and have both backs specialize in learning different kinds of plays for different situations.

Before Tiki bulked up enough to do all the heavy-lifting for himself, he shared the load with other backs. Now that they don't have other productive backs, he can carry most of the load. Curtis Martin has been the main back for most of his career. But Jordan is bigger and faster so the Jets have to get him some chances.

I don't think it's a trend or copycat thing so much as situations unique to each team. They get enough good players or they get a fast back who can't do heavy lifting but can get in the game to do other things. That will be the case with someone like Reggie Bush because if he wasn't big enough to carry most of the load in college, it should be even tougher for him to get a lot of carries in the NFL.

[Dave]

Up here, we rememeber Doug Brien for so infuriating the radio crew by missing his second XP of the game (on top of at least one missed FG), leading to the "get the hell outta town" cry from the color man. The Vikings went on to lose in OT. Not surprisingly he was soon gone from the team.

As far as the RB-by-committee trend, I think it takes backs, who like Dunn and Duckett easily fit into specific roles. If you look up here in MN, the running game has mostly stunk since all have been healthy. Before, when it was either the Onterrio or Mewelde show (exclusively), then the backs really got into a groove and put up some big numbers. Now, it seems like Smith or Bennett is out either as they find a groove or are still building up towards it. Many backs require a high number of touches to be effective (Edgerrin James falls into this category) and will or would be limited by a committee.

I do think a 3rd down back a la Moe Williams is very valuable; someone with good hands and a more bruising running style.

But the NFL is a copycat league, so it wouldn't surprise me to see teams try to piece together a committee rather than devoting big bucks to one guy.

[TheFormerBrett44]

Which is exactly what I've been saying all damn day...they proved it even more today. I have no freakin' idea how those stiffs won 15 games this year.

I think it goes without saying, but I'd rather be the worst 16-1 team in history heading to the AFC Championship Game than to be the best 4-12 team in NFL history.

As an aside, and perhaps Leebo feels the same way, but my confidence level of the Steelers in AFC Championship games has been ruined by performances in '94, '97, and 2002. Really 1994 when the Steelers were cruising against the Chargers and blew it, I was devastated and didn't think I'd ever forgive Neil but I did, than he really f***ed me over the next year in the Super Bowl by giftwrapping the game for the Cowgirls. Or '97 when we gave it to the Broncos, or even 2002 when someone told the special teams to take the day off. Even 1995, last play of the game...still hard to breath deep ten years later.

Brett

[Badgun]

I still don't understand how a 16-1 team that isn't generally favored to win the SB could be considered overrated.

Turnovers and special teams were the only reason this game was close. Pittsburgh moved the ball, especially in the second half. Rothlisberger looked shaky, but I imagine the kid had some serious butterflies. I think with one game under his belt, he'll settle down.

The Steelers defense played really well, especially by keeping the Jets in the 40+ FG area, where the chances of a miss are pretty good at Heinz Field. They certainly lucked out when Brien's 47 yarder hit the crossbar. But every good team gets those kinds of breaks.

The Jets won two OT games on the road and almost pulled out a third. They had the NFL's leading rusher. Not exactly a pushover team. Give the Steelers credit for grinding out a tough win.

I don't know if overrated is the proper word, but the Steelers are definitely the worst 15-1 team I've ever seen. There are teams with better offenses and there are teams with better defenses. How this team won 15 games is like fuc*ing magic to me. Everyone's riding "Big Ben's" jock like he's some superstar and he almost singlehandedly cost them the game. He's definitely good for a rookie, but he really liked like a rookie today.

I might eat my words come next week, but I don't see how this team has a chance against New England or the Colts. I'd go as far as to say that I think any team in the playoffs could beat them, including Minnesota. I just don't see it.

I'm curious as to who you think has a better defense. The Steelers finished first overall in scoring defense, and first overall in yardage allowed (1st in rushing yds allowed, 3rd in passing yds allowed), and gave up 3 pts yesterday.

And why are the Pats and Colts better than the Steelers? Because they lost more games? Are you more impressed with a Pats team that got whipped by the Steelers, and lost to the Dolphins a few weeks ago? Or do you just think that you have to score a lot of points to be the best team, defense be damned? It will interesting to see next week how many points the Pats or Colts score against the Steelers, and how many yards the Steelers rush for against them. Because this smoke and mirrors team is somehow actually hosting the AFC Championship game.

Let's analyze their schedule for a moment.

Beat Oakland 24-21...wow, can it get any closer to an awful team?
Lost to Baltimore 30-13...how can Baltimore put up 30 on anyone?

Wait for it....enter the savior, BIG BEN

Beat the Dolphins 13-3...kind of scraped by the worst team in football.
Beat Cincy 28-17...getting kinda repetitive beating weak teams isn't it?
Beat Cleveland 34-23...wow, another powerhouse.
Beat Dallas 24-20....another powerhouse and a game that they should have lost.

Here's where they got a bit impressive and I'm guessing this is when the bandwagon started filling up.

Beat New England 34-20...finally they play someone with a winning record.
Beat Philly 27-3...most impressive, too bad the schedule ended here.
Beat Cleveland 24-10...must be nice to play these guys twice every year.
Beat Cincy 19-14...man, the scheduling gods are generous. How do you get these two teams back to back twice in the same year?
Beat Washington 16-7....somebody tell me it gets tougher somewhere?
Beat Jacksonville 17-16...finally another team over .500.
Beat NY Jets 17-6...wow they finally played two decent teams in a row.
Beat NY Giants 33-30...what a powerful defense giving up 30 to one of the worst teams in the league.
Beat Baltimore 20-7....yawn
Beat Buffalo 29-24...another game they probably should have lost...of course the bandwagoners will say that it's because BIG BEN didn't play

And we all know they should have lost yesterday. After further review, I don't think they did it with smoke and mirrors as much as they did it by the graces of a cushy schedule. A lot of their wins against bad teams were closer than they should have been and that's why I say the Colts are a better team. The Colts kill the bad teams and beat most of the good teams while Pittsburgh just skinned by in a lot of cases. Sure the Colts lost more games than Pittsburgh, but they also played a tougher schedule.

Anyone could make a case that when Pittsburgh beat New England and Philly, that both were ripe for the picking. Good teams lose, at least all but one of them have. I'll give Pittsburgh credit for beating 2 good teams at a time when both were undefeated and I really think that's when the bandwagon got weighted down with all the new found fans. Hell, you beat the last two undefeated teams in back to back weeks, then you must be the best team, right?

I won't bore you anymore. I think Pittsburgh is a very solid team, but far from the best team in the league. I think you'll find that out next week.

[Badgun]

Which is exactly what I've been saying all damn day...they proved it even more today. I have no freakin' idea how those stiffs won 15 games this year.

I think it goes without saying, but I'd rather be the worst 16-1 team in history heading to the AFC Championship Game than to be the best 4-12 team in NFL history.

As an aside, and perhaps Leebo feels the same way, but my confidence level of the Steelers in AFC Championship games has been ruined by performances in '94, '97, and 2002. Really 1994 when the Steelers were cruising against the Chargers and blew it, I was devastated and didn't think I'd ever forgive Neil but I did, than he really f***ed me over the next year in the Super Bowl by giftwrapping the game for the Cowgirls. Or '97 when we gave it to the Broncos, or even 2002 when someone told the special teams to take the day off. Even 1995, last play of the game...still hard to breath deep ten years later.

Brett

What good is 16-1 when you don't win the Super Bowl? How many teams finished 10-6 and won the Super Bowl? I'd be willing to bet you that if you did the research you'd find that the team with the best record usually doesn't win the Super Bowl. I know that holds true in a lot of sports. Just check the Yankees and the Braves if you want perfect examples of this.

I think you'll also find that BIG BENwill be a very mediocre qb in the future. He looked awful yesterday. He threw a bunch of passes that weren't even close.

[Leebo33]

I'd be willing to bet you that if you did the research you'd find that the team with the best record usually doesn't win the Super Bowl.

Wrong. I should have bet you.

Team with Best Record winning Super Bowl: 21 times
Lost Super Bowl: 8 times
Didn't make the Super Bowl: 9 times

The Steelers could lose. You may be right and hop on here and boast and I'm sure you will. But, you are wrong with your predictions more than you are right.

I did some research over coffee this morning. Don't make me post links