# The Second Annual Steelers March To The Super Bowl Thread. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 10, 2004, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121 "2004-08-10T00:31:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/101 "2004-09-19T18:45:13Z")
Well, it’s week two, it’s halftime, and I’ve got to admit I’m baffled. What the hell is with all the penalties, especially all those illegal motion penalties? And what the hell is going on with the Baltimore timeouts and clock management? ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/102 "2004-09-19T20:20:21Z")
_clap, clap_ There ya go Stillers, there ya go! _clap, clap_ There ya go Stillers, there ya go! _waves_ Buh-Bye, now. Thanks for visiting Baltimore. ---
**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 19, 2004, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/103 "2004-09-19T20:29:45Z")
Well, that was interesting. The score may have been 30-13 to the bad, but there were many bright spots: 1. The D stuffed Jamal Lewis 2. Boller didn’t do anything to win 3. Roethlisberger came in for an injured Maddox and played well. Other than that score-padding touchdown at the end (which resulted from miscommunication and as it stands made no difference, but it was an awesome return) he got some good time under center and frankly looked much better than Maddox did. Countering those bright spots: 1. The Ravens won 2. The fucking Ravens won 3. The Steelers got too many penalties 4. The motherfucking shit-stomping Ravens won Ah, well. It’s only Week Two. There’s plenty of time for Maddox to take a seat so Roethlisberger can take over. There’s plenty of time for an erratic Baltimore team to blow their foot off like they did against the Brownies last week. I’m not worried. This was just a hiccup. Every team since 1973 has lost at least once, so I considered it inevitable anyway, and the glimpse of the future was tantalizing and entertaining. Good game for the Steelers, in spite of the score. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/104 "2004-09-19T20:58:22Z")
Unfortunately, the Broncos lost. Fortunately, so did the Chiefs. 0-2? That’s a rotten way to start a Superbowl campaign. ---
**Author:** ![High\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8797f3/32.png) [@High\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/High_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/105 "2004-09-19T22:05:21Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > And I’m certain that the Chargers fans said exactly the same thing about Ryan Leaf. And the Raiders fans about Todd Marinovich. And the Colts fans when they spoke of Art Schlichter. **And the Houston fans when they got Andre Ware.** #1 pick, for an unproven quarterback playing for a third rate team in a second rate conference? Riiiiight. The Steelers got the steal of the draft with Roethlisberger. The Giants just paid too much. I hope they got some good offensive line help in the offseason, because if they didn’t Eli Manning will get jacked up big time. And that certainly won’t help what confidence he has. The only thing he should be confident about is that teams are looking to crush him for his BS leading up to the draft. They’re looking to knock some of the gold off the Golden Boy. And I think they will. Repeatedly. > > Meanwhile, the Giants will long for all those picks and all that money back when they see the 11th pick blossom into one of the best NFL quarterbacks around. Don’t say I didn’t tell you when it happens, dude. Just a minor nit-pick. Ware played for the \*University of \* Houston but was drafted by the Detroit Lions. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2004, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/106 "2004-09-19T22:18:42Z")
Well, **Airman** , you’ve been watching football your whole life, and i only have four years’ of experience with the sport. Still, some things stand out like dogs’ balls, even to a novice, and i just don’t understand how you can be so blind to your team’s failings today. If i’m interpreting your post correctly, the Steelers played pretty well, and Baltimore did nothing special. Makes you wonder how the final score ended up the way it did. > [@Airman Doors](#): > > 1. The D stuffed Jamal Lewis Yes, they did. And if a team can hold one of the best running backs in the league to 62 yards on 24 carries, and still lose 30-13, you have to wonder how many other areas that team fucked up in. Also, i don’t see how this could be interpreted as anything other than a good omen for Baltimore. After all, people have spent most of the past few seasons talking about how one-dimensional Baltimore’s offense is, and how it would be nothing without Jamal Lewis. Well, today Lewis gained under 3 yards per run, and his longest run was 12 yards, and still the Ravens won rather comfortably. Also, one of Baltimore’s other key offensive threats, Todd Heap. spent about half the game on the sideline. When Baltimore can beat Pittsburgh without relying completely on Lewis or Heap, then either Baltimore has more depth than people give them credit for, or the Steelers sucked pretty badly. > [@Airman Doors](#): > > 1. Boller didn’t do anything to win I guess you could consider this a bright spot if Pittsburgh was going to be playing no-one but Boller every week for the rest of the season. But when one of your “bright spots” consists of nothing more than the fact that opposing QB didn’t tear your team apart, then things must be pretty dim in Steeler-land. And the Ravens make no attempt to hide the fact that Boller’s passing game still isn’t the key to their success. If Boller does week-in, week-out exactly what he did today—make safe passes, no interceptions, and suffer only 2 sacks—then Baltimore will win more games than they’ll lose this season. > [@Airman Doors](#): > > 1. Roethlisberger came in for an injured Maddox and played well. Other than that score-padding touchdown at the end (which resulted from miscommunication and as it stands made no difference, but it was an awesome return) he got some good time under center and frankly looked much better than Maddox did. He certainly did look pretty good after he got over his early nerves. But it’s rather silly to blame Baltimore’s final touchdown on “miscommunication,” as if that’s somehow not part of the game. Communication is a key aspect of a team’s success, and with the amount of training they do, it should work properly even when you have to put a backup QB in the game. Also, you call Baltimore’s final touchdown a “score-padding touchdown,” but it was no more of a “score-padder” than Pittsburgh’s first touchdown was. The pass that led to Hines Ward’s 58 yard run should have been intercepted, and if it had been the final score might have ended up closer to 30-0. > [@Airman Doors](#): > > Good game for the Steelers, in spite of the score. Well, i applaud your undying optimism, but if that’s a “good game for the Steelers,” i’m anxious to see what a bad one might look like. I can only assume that any description of the Steelers’ game today as “good” must not be counting the whole first half, and most of the second, especially their offense. Apart from a six-minute period at the beginning of the fourth quarter when the Ravens’ defense either tried to play too soft and deep, or just went to sleep, the Steelers never even looked like getting over the line. I’m making no claim that the Ravens played a brilliant game. They’ll need to improve on that performance if they want to be a real threat this year. Still, their defense was damn solid for about 55 minutes, and the offense didn’t make many mistakes. As i said at the top, i’m no expert, but i think you might need to scrub some of that rose tinting from your football glasses. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/107 "2004-09-20T00:34:12Z")
> [@Airman Doors](#): > > 1. The motherfucking shit-stomping Ravens won It’s a little early in the season to start referring to your team as shit. ---
**Author:** ![Oat1957](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Oat1957](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oat1957)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/108 "2004-09-20T00:50:37Z")
> [@](#): > > The D stuffed Jamal Lewis Yep, two TD’s is stuffed. I didn’t see a single Squealer RB in the end zone. Good thing they didn’t get stuffed, heh? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/109 "2004-09-20T01:19:13Z")
Not really Steeler related but since this is the standing NFL Pit thread: Hey Packer fans, Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! Your squad got done by the lowly Bears. Man, how bad do you have to suck to get your asses kicked at home by Rex Grossman and Thomas fucking Jones? And nice ball handling by Ahman “KY” Green. Some things never change. 😛 Have fun in the NFC North basement this year, dudes. Do you realize that you’re behind the fucking LIONS right now? Man that must suck for you cheeseheads. Of course I realize that karma will now kick me in the ass and my Vikings will get killed at Philly tomorrow night. ---
**Author:** ![Soapbox\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Soapbox\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soapbox_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/110 "2004-09-20T01:29:13Z")
You are a lot more optimistic than I am **Airman Doors, USAF**. Personally I took today’s game as a sign that our squad doesn’t stand a chance this year. The AFC North may be the weakest division in the AFC, and the fact that our Steelers got walloped within our division is a bad omen that we aren’t likely to compete with any of the competent teams outside of it. So much for this season. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![that\_darn\_cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/59ef9b/32.png) [@that\_darn\_cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/that_darn_cat)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/111 "2004-09-20T03:08:47Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Of course I realize that karma will now kick me in the ass and my Vikings will get killed at Philly tomorrow night. You better believe it. E! A! G! L! E! S! EAGLES! ---
**Author:** ![High\_Cheese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8797f3/32.png) [@High\_Cheese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/High_Cheese)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/112 "2004-09-20T03:19:39Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Of course I realize that karma will now kick me in the ass and my Vikings will get killed at Philly tomorrow night. And if karma is really, really bad to you, in the worst ironically devious way, you will also get killed by the aforementioned Bears next week. go bears ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/113 "2004-09-20T04:01:55Z")
After the win today (2-0!), I’m in a state of euphoria. I will now exit the conversation regarding the NFC North, as not to jinx my team. ---
**Author:** ![Hal\_Briston](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9a28c/32.png) [@Hal\_Briston](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hal_Briston)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/114 "2004-09-20T05:23:28Z")
ahem. WOOHOO! GIANTS WIN!!! I am one pleased mofo right now (even if I did have to pick against them in order for them to win). > [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > Hey Packer fans, > > Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!! Your squad got done by the lowly Bears. Man, how bad do you have to suck to get your asses kicked at home by Rex Grossman and Thomas fucking Jones? Oh, how much was I loving that game? Hardly anyone picked the Bears in any of the pools I’m in, so a Packer loss doesn’t have any effect there. However, it _did_ knock better than half the field out of the suicide pool we have going at work…thanks for sucking, GB! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/115 "2004-09-20T13:52:30Z")
> [@pepperlandgirl](#): > > Unfortunately, the Broncos lost. > > Fortunately, so did the Chiefs. 0-2? That’s a rotten way to start a Superbowl campaign. It’s OK, everythings under control. No need to stop here. move along now people. Sheesh, the Chiefs defense makes average running backs look great. I’m sure we’ll fix this and get back on track to the Superbowl, **Pepperlandgirl** so don’t you worry. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/116 "2004-09-20T13:59:21Z")
Dear Moss and Owens: It’s all down to you guys. If your teams will put up about 26 points apiece, then I’m a happy man. K, thanks, 'preciate it. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/117 "2004-09-20T14:03:46Z")
Hehe, I love seeing the Steelers lose. ---
**Author:** ![Exgineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a88e4f/32.png) [@Exgineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exgineer)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/118 "2004-09-20T14:07:16Z")
> [@Hal Briston](#): > > ahem. > > WOOHOO! GIANTS WIN!!! Yeah, and believe me there’s no one happier than I am that they now stand zero chance of going 0 for 16. Heck, they may do better than the 6-10 I predicted, but let’s not forget why they really won. The Redskins were just horrible yesterday. Seriously, it’s like they forgot they were supposed to be playing football. ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/119 "2004-09-20T15:18:21Z")
> [@Exgineer](#): > > Yeah, and believe me there’s no one happier than I am that they now stand zero chance of going 0 for 16. Heck, they may do better than the 6-10 I predicted, but let’s not forget why they really won. > > The Redskins were just horrible yesterday. Seriously, it’s like they forgot they were supposed to be playing football. I’m happy to see Warner win one, Eli can go suck a dead goat. I did relish that crippling hit on him last week though. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2004, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121/120 "2004-09-20T16:48:23Z")
Hmmm. I debated [changing my desktop wallpaper to this](http://fff.fathom.org/pages/dipmodern/Maddox%20desktop.jpg), but decided to change it back, I really got nothing against Tommy(except that he’s a Steeler), and he _was_ hurt on the play, not just humbled by the mighty Ravens D. Now if it had been cheap-shot artist Joey Porter…that would be a picture I could celebrate. Here’s hoping he gets shot again real soon. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-second-annual-steelers-march-to-the-super-bowl-thread/259121.md?page=7)