# The Myron Cope Memorial Steelers March to the Super Bowl Thread **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 7, 2008, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116 "2008-08-07T02:23:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/61 "2008-09-15T14:36:24Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > In this situation, sure. But if you’re kneeling out the clock and then kick a FG as time expires, it’s running up the score even if you’re only ahead by 1 point. > > EDIT: I expect an organization like the Steelers holds themselves to a higher standard. Whether anyone would call something running up the score and whether they’d feel good about doing something are two different things, I’d imagine. In that situation, they were going to have to give the ball back to the Browns anyway. I agree that it would be a dick move _if you were kneeling_ and could let time expire to then go ahead and kick the field goal. That wasn’t the case here, so there was no reason for anyone to call the integrity of the Steelers organization into question. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/62 "2008-09-15T15:10:09Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > That wasn’t the case here, so there was no reason for anyone to call the integrity of the Steelers organization into question. If they kicked a FG, you mean. I agree with that 100%. Whether _the Steelers_ agree with that is something I don’t know. That’s what I meant by the idle “hold themselves to a higher standard” remark. Probably didn’t factor into the decision; I was just offering speculation. Was the Browns return game any good yesterday? How about the Steelers’ kickoffs? Any problems there? Not having seen the game, if I had to pick one possible reason, I’d say the most likely one is that they wanted to be sure Cleveland started inside their own 30 instead of risking a kickoff. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/63 "2008-09-15T15:14:19Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Was the Browns return game any good yesterday? How about the Steelers’ kickoffs? Any problems there? Not having seen the game, if I had to pick one possible reason, I’d say the most likely one is that they wanted to be sure Cleveland started inside their own 30 instead of risking a kickoff. Our kick coverage has been excellent this year, which is a novelty - a very, very pleasant one. We certainly held the Browns returners in check. Our own kick returning was an adventure yesterday, but that’s not relevant for this particular discussion. I really, really, really, don’t think that anyone \*\*inside or outside \*\*the organization would have had any problems with the ethics of kicking a field goal at that point in the game. Why would anyone be troubled by wanting to go up 13 to 6 when your opponent will have the ball and a chance to score at the end of the game? ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/64 "2008-09-15T15:30:04Z")
> [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](#): > > I really, really, really, don’t think that anyone \*\*inside or outside \*\*the organization would have had any problems with the ethics of kicking a field goal at that point in the game. Why would anyone be troubled by wanting to go up 13 to 6 when your opponent will have the ball and a chance to score at the end of the game? Probably didn’t factor into the decision; I was just offering speculation. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/65 "2008-09-15T16:29:01Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Probably didn’t factor into the decision; I was just offering speculation. Yeah, I realized what your point was after my last post - sorry to belabor the matter. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/66 "2008-09-15T17:40:23Z")
Was anyone else disappointed the officials didn’t call Shaun Rogers for the late hit on Ben? I like Rogers but that hit came well after the play was over and Roethlisberger certainly wasn’t prepared for it. Some were complaining about the call on Woodley, and it _was_ borderline, but I felt it was a fair enough judgment call by the officials but the other hit wasn’t even close. It was also funny to see McFadden called for illegal contact after Winslow pushed him around, no harm came from that one but it was amusing to see how backwards they got that call. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/67 "2008-09-15T18:14:31Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > Was anyone else disappointed the officials didn’t call Shaun Rogers for the late hit on Ben? I like Rogers but that hit came well after the play was over and Roethlisberger certainly wasn’t prepared for it. Some were complaining about the call on Woodley, and it _was_ borderline, but I felt it was a fair enough judgment call by the officials but the other hit wasn’t even close. Woodley couldn’t have stopped. He was a step away from laying the wood to Anderson, so it should have been a continuation, not a penalty. Then again, QBs are sacrosanct in the NFL, so I understand the penalty. Shaun Rogers wasn’t even in the frame when he hit Ben in his already separated shoulder, and he got bupkis. What he should get is a fine. If they’re going to baby Derek Anderson, the least they can do is cover one of the best quarterbacks in the league from getting hit long after the pass was away. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2008, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/68 "2008-09-15T18:46:52Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > Woodley couldn’t have stopped. He was a step away from laying the wood to Anderson, so it should have been a continuation, not a penalty. Then again, QBs are sacrosanct in the NFL, so I understand the penalty. > > Shaun Rogers wasn’t even in the frame when he hit Ben in his already separated shoulder, and he got bupkis. What he should get is a fine. If they’re going to baby Derek Anderson, the least they can do is cover one of the best quarterbacks in the league from getting hit long after the pass was away. FWIW, I imagine Woodley can change direction (or stop) an awful lot quicker than Shaun Rogers. I do think he should have been flagged, though; clearly, if he’d been trying not to hit BR he’d have put his hands up. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/69 "2008-09-16T00:15:32Z")
Glad to see we won. I was out of the country, so I missed the game. I tried to record it, but neglected to rewind the tape so only got the first half. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/70 "2008-09-16T01:01:12Z")
Woodley probably wouldn’t have been flagged if he hadn’t have wrapped the QB up and taken him down. If he’d done the hands up running into the guy anyway move, I bet they wouldn’t have called it. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/71 "2008-09-16T13:14:06Z")
DeSean Jackson is the dumbest player… ever. ---
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/72 "2008-09-16T13:36:49Z")
No he’s not. How quickly you forget Plexiglass and his spiking the ball at midfield after getting an unmolested first down, forgetting that he wasn’t in college anymore and turning it over. That dude is so dumb he probably signs his name on his game checks with an X. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/73 "2008-09-16T13:44:28Z")
> [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](#): > > No he’s not. How quickly you forget Plexiglass and his spiking the ball at midfield after getting an unmolested first down, forgetting that he wasn’t in college anymore and turning it over. > > That dude is so dumb he probably signs his name on his game checks with an X. You’re right, I don’t remember that at all. Apparently the internet doesn’t either, or my Google-fu is just no good here. Anyway, in that scenario Plax (presumably) at least thought he was down by contact. Jackson thought no such thing; he just completely forgot he actually had to take the ball with him to the endzone. Plus, Jackson’s screwup nearly cost the Eagles a touchdown as well as the ball. Plax just gave away the ball. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/74 "2008-09-16T13:52:53Z")
> [@MTRG](#): > > Couple things: > > 1. risk of blocked kick/return was major factor No more so, and I think actually even less so, than a fumble. > [@MTRG](#): > > 1. the run on the 4th used up more time than another play would. My understanding is that the clock stopped for the change of possession no matter what the play, whether pass or run. Unless you’re planning on Willie running around for 30 seconds, I don’t see the difference. > [@MTRG](#): > > 1. i think if you had 4pts, its kind of the same as 7pts in that the browns wwere going to have to score a TD either way. 7pts would have been nicer, true… Nicer? The difference between a tie and a loss is more than just nice. Sure the game was pretty much over, but that decision struck me as stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/75 "2008-09-16T13:59:16Z")
> [@EllisDee](#): > > Classy teams don’t kick a FG there. This was a big debate on the boards last season with the Patriots. Many complained about the Patriots running up the score by going for it on fourth down, when in reality kicking a meaningless FG is the classless move. It wasn’t a meaningless FG though. Assume for a second that you were playing a REAL NFL team and not the Brownies. You know you’re giving them the ball back and it is possible for them to go for a TD. Do you want to be up by 4 or up by 7 if that happens. It’s not “running up the score” anymore than scoring a TD to go up by 16 instead of 9. > [@Ellis Dee](#): > > Only up by four is a little iffy, but when you combine the gale force winds, Cleveland’s offense (in name only) and Pittsburgh’s defense, it may as well have been forty. > > If that wasn’t the reason, maybe they were worried about the long snap getting carried off course by the wind leading to a Browns special teams TD. The wind is the best reason I’ve heard. I still think a pooch punt would have been smarter, but I still say you kick the FG. ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/76 "2008-09-16T14:10:16Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > You’re right, I don’t remember that at all. Apparently the internet doesn’t either, or my Google-fu is just no good here. > > Anyway, in that scenario Plax (presumably) at least thought he was down by contact. Jackson thought no such thing; he just completely forgot he actually had to take the ball with him to the endzone. Plus, Jackson’s screwup nearly cost the Eagles a touchdown as well as the ball. Plax just gave away the ball. [http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/news/2000/10/01/steelers\_jaguars\_ap/](http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/news/2000/10/01/steelers_jaguars_ap/) > [@](#): > > The Steelers (1-3) withstood a blocked punt, a kickoff that went out of bounds to give Jacksonville the ball at its 40, and three turnovers – one of them on a fumble charged to receiver Plaxico Burress, who spiked the ball at the end of a 19-yard pass play. > > The rookie stumbled and fell to the ground without being touched by a defensive player. When Burress got up and slammed the ball to the ground, Jacksonville’s Danny Clark scooped it up and ran it back 44 yards. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/77 "2008-09-16T14:10:31Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Anyway, in that scenario Plax (presumably) at least thought he was down by contact. Jackson thought no such thing; he just completely forgot he actually had to take the ball with him to the endzone. Plus, Jackson’s screwup nearly cost the Eagles a touchdown as well as the ball. Plax just gave away the ball. The difference is Jackson’s screw-up didn’t lead to a turnover because the Cowboys inexplicably didn’t pick up the live ball. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/78 "2008-09-16T14:29:59Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > The difference is Jackson’s screw-up didn’t lead to a turnover because the Cowboys inexplicably didn’t pick up the live ball. Yeah, but that doesn’t make it any dumber. Jackson just happened to get away with it. ---
**Author:** ![HongKongFooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c4cdca/32.png) [@HongKongFooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HongKongFooey)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/79 "2008-09-16T14:44:24Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Yeah, but that doesn’t make it any dumber. Jackson just happened to get away with it. That’s true, they’re both idiots. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2008, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116/80 "2008-09-16T15:00:39Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > That’s true, they’re both idiots. I agree with this statement. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-myron-cope-memorial-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/459116.md?page=5)