I think this is a pretty good answer to the accusation that the Patriots ran up the score in week 11.
Man, I think the Steelers are a bad football team, and they are 8-3, have the best defense in the league and the second most rushing yards in the league. What do you think I think about the Browns?
There’s not much point in making gradations within the category of suck. Do you know how many net points the Browns have this year? 4.
Well, I gotta say I expected a lot more from the Steelers in this one, and I think less of their chances against the Pats than I did formerly. Horrible field, but I would have said that’d be to their advantage. Coming off a loss to a weak opponent, they should have crushed the Dolphins.
I think of the Steelers as one of the relatively few quality teams in the NFL. Last night’s effort makes me wonder whether they think that way.
Well, I was at the game last night, and as much as it wasn’t exactly the most thrilling thing on earth, if you weren’t there, you have no idea how much rain fell before the game started. We are talking hours upon hours of torrential downpours. The field was a marsh. It actually let up for most of the actual game, but up until the kickoff, it was absolutely pouring.
During the game, I was a bit upset at the lack of deep ball throwing, and the lack of real blocking up front, however, the field is to blame for most of the offensive woes. Honestly. There was no way to set your feet for a block, there was no footing to make a cut, or even drive the pile, as you were running in a treadmill. While we didn’t score until 17 seconds left, I never felt we were going to lose, because the Dolphins couldn’t get ANYTHING going, and we played almost the entire football game in their end.
Now, true, we probably should have scored at least one touchdown (Wilson was open by 30 yards in the end zone on one play, and Ben was being pressured from that side, and he never even saw hime), but a win is a win.
Do I think we’re going to win a championship this year? No, but they’re not a bad football team.
Apparently the Dolphins, the all-time winningest team since the NFL-AFL merger, have 353 wins since then. The Steelers are second with 349 wins. So if Pittsburgh goes 5-0 down the stretch they’ll become the all-time winningest team since the merger.
What teams do you think aren’t bad?
New England, Green Bay, Dallas and Indy. Teams that pretty much play to their abilities consistently, controlling games and winning regardless of what other teams show up with. Indy’s actually been a little shaky, but they’re still a good football team.
I don’t think you can make any conclusions about either team from the game this week. The field conditions were so bad that nothing resembling modern football (hell, probably not even anything resembling rugby) could really be played. There are other games that you can point to when you say that the Steelers may actually be worse than their record shows, but this was not one. I honestly thought that the first team to score would probably win and that this was the first game I had ever seen where I seriously thought that a 0-0 tie was possible.
OK, kickoff is just about 10 minutes away. It should be an easy win, but… well the last two weeks make me doubt it will be.
Go Steelers!
The way Cinci has been playing lately is light years ahead of the Jets and Dolphins. I wouldn’t say it should be an easy win.
They’re saying that the field will deteriorate as the game goes on tonight, made worse by the serious looking front coming through during the game.
If the field goes bad like it did last week I suspect that that will be the end of grass at Heinz Field.
It’s a little early to start this kind of nonsense. 7-0, Cincy picks Ben off. Here we go again.
At least Cleveland lost to the Cards earlier.
But we can’t let that us get comfortable. We’ve got likely back to back losses coming against the Pats and Jags. A loss tonight would be disasterous.
Our boys are killing me! I have an early morning - with possible (though unlikely) bad roads. I guess I’ll have another beer and then go to bed…
Well, the Steelers’ prospects have turned around rapidly. I think I spoke too soon. I do this far too often.
Incidentally, my son’s two favorite players are “Bendis Rastisberger” and “Malooooh”, so I found myself yelling “Go Bendis!” when he scored that touchdown. The things you say when you have kids, I’ll tell you.
Congratulations to Hines Ward, who pretty much cemented his place in the Hall of Fame by becoming the Steelers’ all-time leader in TD receptions to go with his overall reception record and his Super Bowl MVP.
24-10, Steelers. Without Willie’s fumblitis the Bengals wouldn’t be in double digits.
Looks like the Steelers have finally shaken off whatever’s plagued them over the last three weeks.
And congrats to Hines. It’s been great having the privilege to watch the greatest Steelers receiver on his road to Canton.
And Parker, take off those fucking sleeves!
What stupid coaching by the Bengals.
Carson was horribly inaccurate throwing routes that required him to throw it over the receiver’s shoulder like corners and fly patterns, but he had mediocre (a big step up) accuracy on routes where the receiver faced him and he could hit them in the chest like hooks, curls, outs, etc. So what did the Bengals O-coordinator call? Almost exclusively the routes he couldn’t hit accurately.
Chris Henry had a touchdown with like 8 minutes left in the game. Marvin Lewis decided not to challenge it - even if you think there’s only a 20% chance of it being overturned, you have to challenge here. This is the game. By my estimation it was more like 80%. What the hell was he saving his challenge for?
That was a nice call by the refs there to negate that safety, too.
So much bad in that game.
…and 24-10 is how it ended. Good game by the defense, and with the exception of Willie Parker’s inability to hold on to the ball, a workmanlike game for the offense.
I have no idea what Willie’s deal is, but if it was those damn elbow sleeves (or whatever they are) he needs to get rid of them before next week or New England will ram them down his throat.
Anyway, next week is the big game. The last chance for anybody to have a legitimate chance at beating New England until the playoffs. I think Pittsburgh has a realistic shot. Note that I said “realistic”, not “good”. I think New England will get 14 points, and I’d take that bet without a second thought. Any more than that and the oddsmakers are out of their minds. Still, 14 points is a lot in the NFL, but I think the Steelers can make it happen with a bit of good fortune and no mistakes.
We’ll see. In the meantime, with the Browns’ loss, the Steelers took a 2-game lead tonight. With any luck that will be adequate.
Well just as I said that they turned their playing around. I watched until right after half time and went to bed at 17-7. Next week: The Patriots.