2011-2012 NFL Season Thread

[Enigma869]

Ok, John....you realize you fucked up. No need to keep this up. Real game snaps are what matters when one uses the word 'rookie'. He had attempted 3 pass attempts prior to taking over for Bledsoe. The 'technical' definition can be ignored....he was a rookie. And not ONE football fan here, other than you, will deny that fact....C'mon man.

Listen dude...I don't make the rules for the NFL. The NFL record reflects the fact that NO rookie QB has ever won an NFL Super Bowl. I understand that Tom Brady hadn't played, but it still doesn't change the fact that he wasn't a rookie, no matter how much you claim he was. I really wasn't looking to get into a debate about Tom Brady. Dalton may be a serviceable NFL QB but he isn't Tom Brady, so it's a moot point! My larger point is that I don't take the Bengals remotely seriously as a playoff contender this season, and neither should anyone else. If I were a Bengals fan, I'd certainly be encouraged by the direction of the organization. That said, it is the Begals. Somehow or another, they always manage to fuck things up.

[YoungJRNY]

LOL, is this true? John, I expected better

Never happened Matt. I call Travis out when he posts dopey stuff and apparently he and his Pittsburgh crowd couldn't take it any longer, which is okay with me. Travis is a good guy, but needs to be called out when he's spouting off silly stuff. I promise you that I wasn't the one who "de-friended" him. Honestly, I don't pay that close attention to stuff like that, so this is the first I'm hearing of it.

What exactly is "dopey" stuff is what I want to know. It's all good, all in fun. The only thing you got in your arsenal is "Rapistberger" so since you could never resist yourself on making a comment on a Steelers status of mine (and I mean right down the line) then I resorted to your own way of derogatory comments (Eldelman's sexual assault, Gronkowski, making fun of 'Bellicheat' etc.) When I came back with that style then the personal insults came in on my page calling me a "dope." Honestly, the only dopey thing going on is you calling me out for being a 'dope' but when viewing your comments to me it's either "Shitsburgh" or "Rapistberger." Doesn't get more dopey than that. I don't mind that on MR but I didn't like it on my page so I deleted your comment. Next thing I know, I couldn't view your page and saw the "Add John as a friend" thing so I figured you deleted me or something. There's no other way. No matter how hostile you can be and your flaming nature, you're still my bud (whether you like it or not, lmao.)

[Ehwmatt]

we lost Carson, Ochio and TO,

No loss at all. Three guys who can't play!

This is a different Bengal team in my opinion.

Maybe. Time will tell. That said, they have a rookie QB and are going nowhere this season. Rookie QB's don't win in the NFL playoffs.

Mark Sanchez made it to the AFC Championship as a rookie. Now, how much he had to do with that is obviously very little. But at any rate, Dalton's better than Sanchez already as far as I can tell.

[YoungJRNY]

we lost Carson, Ochio and TO,

No loss at all. Three guys who can't play!

This is a different Bengal team in my opinion.

Maybe. Time will tell. That said, they have a rookie QB and are going nowhere this season. Rookie QB's don't win in the NFL playoffs.

Mark Sanchez made it to the AFC Championship as a rookie. Now, how much he had to do with that is obviously very little. But at any rate, Dalton's better than Sanchez already as far as I can tell.

I believe a man by the name of Ben Rapistberger took over a 1-1 team in 2004 as a rookie and led his team to the AFC Championship as well. Everyone always wants to talk about how guys like Roethlisberger and Sanchez played with good defense's, and they did, but so is Dalton. I give all the credit where credit is due with successful NFL rookies, especially at the quarterback position.

Even though they could be protected, they still have to go on that field, as the field general, all eyes on you and lead the team out of the tunnel regardless. That's what a QB does. He commands the team in and out of the huddle and at the very least, manages the football game.

Everyone always said that a "game manager" was always an insult but managing the game on the field is one of the most important aspects of football so I give Dalton credit for what he has done thus far as a rookie regardless of who may or may not help him out there as far as veteran leadership or the coach's drawing up a comfortable game plan for them to succeed.

IMHO, it's way more difficult to do everything just right and try NOT to lose a football team the game (like MOST rookies are asked.) Guys like Sanchez, Roethlisberger and any other rookie QB for that matter that is having (Newton) or had success (Big Ben, Sanchez, Matt Ryan, etc) as a rookie included.

[Enigma869]

I actually like Dalton (more than I liked Palmer). He has the potential to be a good NFL QB. Right now, he's just a middle of the road guy (not so bad for a rookie). I like the way the Bengals' defense is playing. Again, they haven't played ANYONE, so it's really difficult to judge any NFL team when they've played mostly Pop Warner competition! If the Bengals even split with the Steelers and Ravens, they'll have earned the right to be talked about with those two teams as far as being viable playoff contenders this season. If they sweep either team, I would be very happy for them, and would root them on in the playoffs if they managed to get in.

[mikemarrs]

Law,Bruschi,Harrison,Seymour are some of the guys who anchored the New England defense back when they were winning Super Bowls.I think Belichick has had a hard time finding guys like those who play great and provide stellar locker room leadership.

Offense is doing great but you'd think he would try to maybe reload and put some guys on defense before the window of opportunity closes.Next draft and free agency he needs to work really hard on putting good players back on defense.

[Enigma869]

Atlanta vs New Orleans - Two very evenly matched teams. I'll give Atlanta a slight advantage, based on home field only. Falcons by 3.

Tennessee vs Carolina - Titans by 7.

Browns vs Rams - Another stellar matchup on the NFL schedule. Two teams nobody wants to watch. Browns by 5.

Steelers vs Bengals - In spite of the Bengals being the number one seed in the AFC, I'm not buying it...even a little. They have compiled a very good record against complete dog shit competition. Like the Steelers, the Bengals really haven't been battle tested. I don't the Steelers are head and shoulders better than the Bengals, but they are definitely better. Steelers by 10.

Cowboys vs Bills - Even though the Cowgirls always manage to choke games away, I believe they are the better team in this matchup. Cowgirls by 10.

Jaguars vs Colts - This is actually a game that the Colts could get a win in. That said, they have showed absolutely NOTHING this season. I'm reasonably convinced that my old high school team could beat the Colts at this point. Not to mention, they really want to keep Andrew Luck wrapped up. Jags by 7.

Chiefs vs Broncos - Tebow still sucks and still isn't an NFL QB. Chiefs by 10.

Dolphins vs Redskins - Two bad teams, but I'm convinced that the Redskins are worse. Dolphins by 3.

Eagles vs Cardinals - I like the Eagles by two TD's.

Texans vs Buccaneers - Houston has really impressed this season. They continue to win games with Andre Johnson missing game after game. I like the Bucs in an upset by 3.

Ravens vs Seahawks - This is a perfect upset pick. The Ravens are riding high, coming off of a very emotional win over the Steelers. They now have to travel all the way across the country to play a bad Seahawks team. Every part of me says to pick the Seahawks, but I just can't do it. Ravens in a close one by 6.

Bears vs Lions - Two closely matched teams. The only determining factor for me in this one is a dome team outside of their "dome sweet dome" in November. The Lions are the better team, but I like the Bears by 3.

Giants vs 49'ers - Two really hot teams, with a combined 9 straight wins between them. The Niners are due for a loss, and the Giants have a BRUTAL schedule in front of them, so they must win as many games as they can. Giants by 4.

Jets vs Patriots - I've been going back and forth on this game all week. Every part of me says to pick the Jets, because they are playing very well and the Patriots have showed me NOTHING. The Patriots have a really easy schedule after Thanksgiving, so I suspect that they'll get into the playoffs by default, but they won't be much of a threat. On paper, I don't know how the Patriots win this game, because they have mismatches all over the field. That said, I have to take the Patriots by a FG.

Packers vs Vikings - Two teams moving in very opposite directions. I still don't see the Packers running the table, but I also don't see them losing to a team like the Vikings. Green Bay by three TD's.

[Ehwmatt]

So there finally seem to be at least a couple of dissenting opinions regarding Andrew Luck. What does everyone think? I don't watch enough college to offer a nuanced opinion, but the expectations seem outrageous.

[S2M]

So there finally seem to be at least a couple of dissenting opinions regarding Andrew Luck. What does everyone think? I don't watch enough college to offer a nuanced opinion, but the expectations seem outrageous.

Weeden from OK State is a better QB.....just saying.

[Enigma869]

So there finally seem to be at least a couple of dissenting opinions regarding Andrew Luck. What does everyone think? I don't watch enough college to offer a nuanced opinion, but the expectations seem outrageous.

I personally don't watch enough college football to be qualified enough to answer the question. That said, the consensus from the so-called experts seems to be that he is one of the best QB's to come out in many years. Then again, they said that with Ryan Leaf as well, and we all know how that ended. With any QB or any player, you just never know how well their skill set is going to translate to the NFL game. Many guys who are great at the college level just aren't good enough to play in the NFL. That's why the draft is such a complete crap-shoot season after season.

[YoungJRNY]

So there finally seem to be at least a couple of dissenting opinions regarding Andrew Luck. What does everyone think? I don't watch enough college to offer a nuanced opinion, but the expectations seem outrageous.

I personally don't watch enough college football to be qualified enough to answer the question. That said, the consensus from the so-called experts seems to be that he is one of the best QB's to come out in many years. Then again, they said that with Ryan Leaf as well, and we all know how that ended. With any QB or any player, you just never know how well their skill set is going to translate to the NFL game. Many guys who are great at the college level just aren't good enough to play in the NFL. That's why the draft is such a complete crap-shoot season after season.

That and also he is pretty much carried at the college level at Stanford via a power run game. Everytime I watched Luck, I was way more impressed by their overall system to run the ball than anything else. Luck sure seems to ride those coattails. When Luck goes #1 overall, whoever it may be, they are going to have to cooperate an entire offense around the run game and I don't know if a team like Indy is built for that. Luck is very smart though, probably the quickest and smartest in decision making in a very long time.

[YoungJRNY]

Like the Steelers, the Bengals really haven't been battle tested.

Other than coming up with the assumption of the Steelers facing NFL teams with a lacking W/L record (the schedule is the schedule), I still don't quite understand this "battle tested" thing you keep talking about. What do you have to do to be "battle tested"? Beat the best team in the league by 50?

If anything, Pittsburgh has been nothing but battle tested with being down to a very minimal set of lineman/depth and losing their best players along the way (Harrison, Woodley, Ward, Pouncey, Hampton, Farrior, etc) and having played mostly all season in tight games.

The Steelers get crushed in week 1 by the hands of their rivals and came back home to answer the call against Seattle in week 2.

They then travel to two straight games on the road in very tough environments. At Indy, where they lose 5 of their starting offensive lineman in the same game against the league's best pass-rush in Freeney and Mathis but manage to win a close game in a tough environment.

At Houston, where the Texans are proving they are one of the AFC's best and gash the Steelers on the ground, yet, Pittsburgh found a way to remain in the game and lose by a touchdown where another fresh set of lineman go down. Ben gets injured, who forces the Steelers to sign an offensive left tackle who hasn't played in a year.

Come back home after a loss and crush a good Tennessee Titans team at that moment and then found a way to hold on against a tough Jaguars defense that proved they are a great unit all around on the defensive side of the ball.

They then beat one of the AFC's best in New England in dominating fashion and hold one of the most prolific offense's at the time that averaged almost 500 yards a game to just 200 some total yards.

They then found themselves in an absolute battle against BY FAR THEE best defense in the league, coming down from 10 points in the 4th QRT to take the lead against Baltimore but found themselves losing in an instant classic against a bitter rival, all in the midst of being down to just 2 healthy linebackers on the roster.

NOW, being down 0-2 in the AFC NORTH, the Steelers travel to Cincinnati in a must win against a division leader. That's not being battle tested?:roll:


On paper, Pittsburgh hasn't faced teams with the majority of a good record but that's not to say they haven't been tested in either of those games because almost weekly, they have.

Even though they won close games against bad teams (and losing close ones to good teams) that will still help out the team in the second half of the season or even in the playoffs when faced with the same types of an ugly situation because they have been tested by every team faced thus far. Joe Flacco went 92 yards in 2:00 to win the game against Pittsburgh last week. Now, with 7 games to go, the Steelers have room to improve and will probably face that situation again since they were 'tested'.

[Enigma869]

Other than coming up with the assumption of the Steelers facing NFL teams with a lacking W/L record (the schedule is the schedule), I still don't quite understand this "battle tested" thing you keep talking about. What do you have to do to be "battle tested"?

For me, battle tested is playing good NFL teams and actually beating them. Even playing good NFL teams and losing close games counts in some cases. Pittsburgh is certainly more battle tested now than they were 3 weeks ago. Stop being so sensitive dude. Pittsburgh is a good NFL team. They're not great, and they're not winning the Super Bowl. That said, given the competition (or lack thereof) in the AFC, they have as good of a chance as any other AFC team to get to the Super Bowl.

The Steelers get crushed in week 1 by the hands of their rivals and came back home to answer the call against Seattle in week 2.

You do realize that Seattle has lost three times as many games as they've won, right? I mean, good on Pittsburgh for bouncing back and winning a football game, but beating the Seahawks isn't much of an accomplishment! That's not the Steelers fault, as they can only play who is on the schedule, but put your puke towel away and call it what it was...a nobody expected them to lose!

At Indy, where they lose 5 of their starting offensive lineman in the same game against the league's best pass-rush in Freeney and Mathis but manage to win a close game in a tough environment.

Hmmmmm. Who do I believe with this assessment...you or my lying eyes? You forgot to mention that the Colts are 0 and fucking NINE and that the Steelers actually should have lost that game! If the Steelers were playing any other team that night, other than "the league's best pass-rush", they would have lost by 3 TD's! I watched that entire game, and am still trying to figure out how the Steelers won.

Come back home after a loss and crush a good Tennessee Titans team

You're far more convinced that Tennessee is a good team than I am. The reality is that they're 4-4. Aside from beating Baltimore (who has proven inconsistent), the Titans wins have come against Denver, Indianapolis, and Cleveland...Hardly a "Murderer's Row" NFL schedule!

They then beat one of the AFC's best in New England in dominating fashion.

We don't agree that New England is "one of the AFC's best". This is a very average Patriots team. Their offense is better than average and their defense and special teams both blow! The New England game is a perfect illustration of why I'm not sold on Pittsburgh. You said it perfecty...the Steelers completely dominated New England from start to finish and yet still almost found a way to lose a game that they probably should have won by 4 TD's. Again dude...I get it. You shit gold and black. It doesn't change what the reality is. The truth is that Pittsburgh has a far better chance than New England has of going deep into the playoffs. They're simply not a team that anyone is scared to play, like they have been many years in the past.

[YoungJRNY]

but put your puke towel away

Before you name the Terrible Towel "puke" , all proceeds of the Terrible Towel around the world raise money (over $3 million worldwide) for Allegheny Valley School of Pennsylvania which cares for people with mental disabilities and physical disabilities.

Just keeping on with the convo within' your statements dude. Not sensitive at all. I'm comfortable with this Steelers team at the moment because unlike other teams, they'll always be in it regardless of who they play. The Steelers are the type of resilient team that may not look great week to week, but will find that way to win the majority of the time and that makes them tough to beat. I just find it silly to not call them battle tested just because the Colts are 0-9 right now or how Tennessee doesn't having a murder's row schedule in week 10.

As I said, Tennessee was riding high coming into that game against Pittsburgh (hell, everyone was calling Hasselbeck an MVP candidate at the time) and the Steelers were coming off of a tough road loss. Regardless of what teams are doing outside of things and their records, I look squarely on how situations prevent themselves in a football game and how the Steelers managed to get out of those tough situations, regardless of whom they played (especially in a season to where the upset percentages are VERY high. Rams/Jags anyone?) that they found the way in a league where it's tough to win regardless of wins and losses overall.

You don't know how the Steelers won against Indy? Easy, they scored more points and came up with the turnover for a touchdown to win an ugly game. That's impressive to me, not necessarily crushing teams every week in order for them to be "good." If the Steelers are in it late in the season, I am a firm believer that those games against Indy & Jacksonville will make them stronger because they DIDN'T dominate but yet, won the football game because it shows they could be comfortable in uncomfortable situations.

[Ehwmatt]

So there finally seem to be at least a couple of dissenting opinions regarding Andrew Luck. What does everyone think? I don't watch enough college to offer a nuanced opinion, but the expectations seem outrageous.

I personally don't watch enough college football to be qualified enough to answer the question. That said, the consensus from the so-called experts seems to be that he is one of the best QB's to come out in many years. Then again, they said that with Ryan Leaf as well, and we all know how that ended. With any QB or any player, you just never know how well their skill set is going to translate to the NFL game. Many guys who are great at the college level just aren't good enough to play in the NFL. That's why the draft is such a complete crap-shoot season after season.

That and also he is pretty much carried at the college level at Stanford via a power run game. Everytime I watched Luck, I was way more impressed by their overall system to run the ball than anything else. Luck sure seems to ride those coattails. When Luck goes #1 overall, whoever it may be, they are going to have to cooperate an entire offense around the run game and I don't know if a team like Indy is built for that. Luck is very smart though, probably the quickest and smartest in decision making in a very long time.

I just feel like even if the expectations are true, it would take a hell of a person (and Luck is by all accounts an impressive personality/leader) to not feel immense pressure. Additionally, he doesn't play all the best teams. And he certainly didn't look incredible last night. But like John, I don't watch nearly enough college football to be able to answer the question at all.

[YoungJRNY]

Are you ready Travis?

I know, dumb question...

Mamas' got some eggs, hashbrowns, bacon and biscuits and gravey going down on the stove. Pregame meal of the stars.

These games are nothing new to Steelers fans. We're use to going into games rooting hard for a big win. This is no different. On the flip-side, are YOU ready?

[YoungJRNY]

Cincinnati Forecast

Afternoon high 65
Ugly, grey, cloudy, no rain till Monday
Sustained winds out of the south at 20 to 25 mph, with gusts to 45 this afternoon.



Perfect!

Good. Unleash Mr. James Harrison and confuse the rookie to the max with 40 MPH wind gusts on his mind

[Enigma869]

I just feel like even if the expectations are true, it would take a hell of a person (and Luck is by all accounts an impressive personality/leader) to not feel immense pressure. Additionally, he doesn't play all the best teams. And he certainly didn't look incredible last night. But like John, I don't watch nearly enough college football to be able to answer the question at all.

One important point Matt. If the Colts continue to mail it in and Peyton comes back next season, Luck can simply pull an Aaron Rodgers and stand on the sidelines for a season or two. In that scenario, he isn't viewed as the "savior" of the franchise and has a chance to learn under a Hall of Fame QB. Ultimately, number one QB's will always feel some pressure and most of them know that going in.

[S2M]

I just feel like even if the expectations are true, it would take a hell of a person (and Luck is by all accounts an impressive personality/leader) to not feel immense pressure. Additionally, he doesn't play all the best teams. And he certainly didn't look incredible last night. But like John, I don't watch nearly enough college football to be able to answer the question at all.

One important point Matt. If the Colts continue to mail it in and Peyton comes back next season, Luck can simply pull an Aaron Rodgers and stand on the sidelines for a season or two. In that scenario, he isn't viewed as the "savior" of the franchise and has a chance to learn under a Hall of Fame QB. Ultimately, number one QB's will always feel some pressure and most of them know that going in.

Yeah, but then he won't be a "rookie".....

[Enigma869]

Yeah, but then he won't be a "rookie".....

Right. Precisely my point. Check out Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman's records as rookies!

[YoungJRNY]

Stealers taking the of field to a nice round of BOOOOOOOS!




Welcome to the Jungle!

Pitt wins coin toss..defers to Bengals who will take the kickoff....

80/20 Steelers fans

[Seven Wishes2]

Methinks the Bengals are being bitch-slapped by Smelling the Glove of reality today.

[YoungJRNY]

Unbelievable catch by AJ Green....

I love how Polamalu acted on that one. "Oh there's the ball! I'm so amazed, what do I do now?" This Steelers team has seriously been hypnotized creating the interception. That ball should of been INT'D or at the very least knocked down.

[YoungJRNY]

Now we're talking. immaculate interception..

Steelers don't know how to catch a perfect pass. Last week was Johnson between the numbers that would of sealed the Balty game.

[YoungJRNY]

Now we're talking. immaculate interception..

Steelers don't know how to catch a perfect pass. Last week was Johnson between the numbers that would of sealed the Balty game.

Perfect example of trying to run before you catch the ball and taking your eye off the prize.

Exactly.

[YoungJRNY]

COMMERCIAL HEAVEN.

[YoungJRNY]

Let's start this bitch over....

Great game dude. I don't know what it is about rookies this season, especially at the QB position. Dalton is finding the zone's with ease. If the Steelers can catch a perfect pass then it would be a route, haha.

[YoungJRNY]

Let's start this bitch over....

Great game dude. I don't know what it is about rookies this season, especially at the QB position. Dalton is finding the zone's with ease. If the Steelers can catch a perfect pass then it would be a route, haha.

I'm pretty proud of my team today..a couple of rookie mistakes, and losing our #1 cornerback and receiver to injury early didn't help...Congrats to the Steelers, and Ben is a stud...3rd and 19, 3rd and 12, 3rd and 9 and Ben got it done despite 5 sacks and 6 knckdowns. That 3rd and 19 back on the 8 or so yard line killed us for field position.

And Miller got called on an offensive pass interference on that drive too. We also dropped 2 key first downs, but Saunders and Wallace came through on the last drive. William Gay goes from goat to hero in one week. Cincinnati is very resilient, a team that will be in every game this season. You should be excited, FF. Marvin Lewis got rid of the clowns and now has control of his football team. I'm calling it now, the Bengals WILL beat Baltimore atleast once.

[YoungJRNY]

We're going to Balti next week...can't wait.

Take care of business dude, you have a better team than Baltimore, especially on offense. Dalton impressed me more than any QB when it came to a rookie in years and he's been doing it ALL season. He'll take Cincy places if he can grow with a very young offense. Not going to lie, Cinci had me shitting my PANTS. The line was 4.5, Pittsburgh giving points. I took $100 on the Steelers. Nail biter. Ben is playing the best ball of his entire career. Gay is my hero, lol.

[AlteredDNA]

Big 4th down stop and win for the Saints in overtime today. Defense definitely needs to step up the pass coverage though!