2010 NFL Discussion

A win is a win, but nobody feels good about this Bears win except for perhaps Lovie. Lucky.

The Little Man has spoken..

Mitch Albom column

CHICAGO -- That was a touchdown. You can show me the rule book. You can cite the referees. You can stand me in front of Jim Schwartz even as he defends the call that killed his team.
I don't care. By any definition that makes sense, by any memory of any person who has ever played the game of football in their backyards, on their local fields, in high school, in college, anywhere -- that was a touchdown.

When you do what Calvin Johnson did, lift up between defenders, come down with the ball -- with two hands -- get both your feet down, hold the ball after that with one hand (one massive hand that can grip a football confidently) and as you go to break your fall with the other hand, you carry that ball all the way down to the ground, it's a touchdown. He didn't just break the plane of the goal line, he could have painted a new one! That may not be the definition for a passing touchdown (although it is for a rushing one), but it should serve as some parameter.

Calvin Johnson owned that ball. He owned it long enough for Lions fans to cheer, for Bears fans to groan, for one official to signal a score.

Here is what referee Gene Steratore said afterward: "The ruling is that in order for the catch to be completed he has got to maintain possession of the ball throughout the entire process of the catch."

In my mind he did. How long does the catch have to go on? Another 5 seconds? He made the catch, got his feet down, then went to break his fall with his left hand while maintaining full possession with his right.

I also don't concur with Schwartz when he said, "The rule is if you are going to the ground in the process of making the catch you need to finish with the football, and we didn't finish with the football."

Yeah, but "going to the ground" is where I differ. Johnson wasn't diving for a ball. He leapt up for it. Way different. Those rules about completing a catch generally apply to one being made as the body is heading to the ground. When you leap for a ball -- and come down with it -- to me, that IS making the catch. If your momentum then carries you downward and you have time to try to break your fall, I don't think you consider that part of the catch the way you do when a guy is diving for the ball....

That rule needs changing.

Okay, "letter of the law," the zebras got it right. But that was a touchdown in spirit.

Well, the Lions did their best. And we know what Sean Connery thinks about that!!!

If I cared about the Lions I would be concerned that Stafford's out for multiple games and might be injury prone or that the team hasn't gotten rid of left tackle Jeff Backus, the human turnstile who blew his assignment and watched as his quarterback got abused. But I've learned not to care about the Lions...

Harassment or BS? Time will tell.

NEW YORK — The NFL is looking into how a female television reporter was treated at New York Jets practice Saturday.

Ines Sainz, a reporter for Mexico's TV Azteca doing a story on quarterback Mark Sanchez, had footballs thrown in her direction by a Jets coach during practice, and players later called out to her in the team's locker room.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said Sunday that the league and the Jets began looking into the situation when they were made aware of it Saturday night.

Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum called Joanne Gerstner, a board member of the Association for Women in Sports Media, on Sunday to discuss the matter. The two organizations were working to schedule an educational and awareness session with the team, according to Jets spokesman Bruce Speight.

Speight added that he also addressed the situation at the team meeting Sunday in advance of New York's season opener against Baltimore on Monday night at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

Earlier Sunday, the Jets issued a statement, saying owner Woody Johnson spoke to Sainz on Sunday to discuss the incident.

He stressed to Ines that he expects all members of the Jets organization to conduct themselves in a professional manner at all times," the statement said.

The team also said it would work with the league to gather facts and "take any appropriate steps necessary to maintain a respectful environment for the media."

The AWSM said in a statement Sunday night that both the NFL and the Jets were "responsive to our concerns" and that it would continue to monitor the situation.

"We are awaiting the results of the investigation," the statement read, "and further action from the NFL and Jets."

Update: SportsByBrooks found a tweet from Sainz, which allegedly shows the outfit she was wearing on the day of the incident:


http://i.huffpost.com/gen/200320/INES-SAINZ-AZTECA-REPORTER-JETS.jpg

Story and comments

Holy shit the Colts O-Line is bad. Houston shouldn't surprise anyone, they're a good team, just in a very tough division.

To quote "The Ladies Man":

It looks like someone stole 2 fine hams and shoved them down the back of her pants.

I'm in love (She's no Trish, but then again, who is?)

2 hams down her pants?

I knew there was something not quite kosher about the picture.

Colts over Giants.

Very suprised by da Bears win...

Ya wanna go on and crown their ass, go ahead...

Not sure if we're in 1997 or 2010 when the Chiefs & Bucs are 2-0 and the Cowboys & Vikings are 0-2. Great comeback yesterday by the Texans.

Tom Brady needs to get his hair cut. It must be hanging in his eyes and affecting his visibility......

From Huffington
Ines Sainz, the female sports reporter who was allegedly harassed in the New York Jets locker room earlier in September, slammed the Association for Women in Sports Media in a column titled "My September 11th in New York."

In her Saturday column for El Universal, Sainz criticized the AWSM and said she was "shaken by what happened."

"Today I wonder why a well respected association such as the AWSM, within its right to inform about any violations of work conditions for its members, acted so impulsively," Sainz wrote.

Sainz also said she was unhappy with the way the media covered the incident and believes that it set back the women's rights movement by "at least 50 years."

On the other hand, the Azteca TV reporter is happy with how the NFL handled matters.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said on Saturday that the league will implement a training program for all 32 teams on proper conduct in the workplace.

Google Translation

Hams or not, kosher or not. How about those Steelers!

Ines has one of the nicest "back yards" I have ever seen...of course not as nice as Mrs. Mark's!

BTW - Da Bears!

I'm so glad Lovie is going to do just well enough to keep his job and keep the Bears mediocre for years to come

4th-string QB? No problem.
Now it's time to put manners again on those Ravens, aka Steeler wannabes.

Randy Moss traded.
Trade

When Randy Moss(notes) first came to Minnesota 12 years ago, he electrified a stagnant franchise and immediately turned the Vikings into Super Bowl contenders.

Now the Vikings need him to do it again.

The New England Patriots traded the seven-time Pro Bowl wide receiver to the Vikings on Wednesday, giving Moss the exit he expected all along and sending him back to the place where he became a superstar, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the transaction had not been officially announced.

Curious to learn in the coming days what specifically made NE feel like they could no longer have Moss on the team. I also question how this makes their offense better this year. It's no secret Moss could be a disruptive force on the sidelines, in the locker room, etc. But he must have really done something serious to have Belichick unload his talents.

After week 1 Moss made comments about getting out New England. Belichick, more than any coach in any sport I've ever seen, has supreme confidence in his decisions, and is free from the shackles of conventional wisdom. NE now has two picks in each of the first three rounds in next year's draft. This may not seem like a big deal, but the Patriots handle drafts well, and I suspect that the move will give them flexibiliyty in terms of other moves before the draft while allowing them to move a good, but aging player, who has exhibited laziness and lack of focus at times throughout his career.

After my post, I read that Moss and one of the NE assistant coaches were involved in a very heated disagreement at halftime of Monday's game.

NE actually has two picks in each of the first four rounds in next year's draft. If I recall correctly, the first two rounds of extra picks are coming from Oakland and Carolina. In other words, they will be (most likely) Top 10 picks. NE can use these picks to either draft well and get younger, or as trade bait on draft day to a team that wants to move up.

Then actually NE did him a favor. I've had a few bosses like that and if someone on their team really doesn't want to be there they accomodate that person. It prevents agitation and irritation for everyone in the long run.

Randy Moss is such a valuable offensive weapon either as a decoy or as someone to chuck it to in traffic and watch as he hauls in the pass.

But they got a 3rd round pick after using a 4th to get him. So they got Randy Moss for a few years and flipped him for a higher pick. Plus they would have gotten maybe a 5th if he had just walked after the season.

I wonder if this will lead to any offensive struggles for the Patriots. Like maybe Tom Brady developed a bad habit of chucking the ball in traffic and having the receiver make a play, except Randy's not there to do it. Wes Welker is going to be doubled a lot more now.

Pats will continue to use their 2 TE sets as they had been and rely on their receiving threats they have there. Maybe Law Firm will be that workhorse back again like Corey Dillon.

Kansas City Chiefs are the last undefeated team in the NFL. What were the odds on that?

Indy's having a rough season with injuries and the O-Line is still broken. They only thing saving them is Peyton Manning is the QB and Joe Addai is a great receiving threat.

Green Bay is having an even rougher season with injuries, mostly on defense. Their offense hasn't been clicking like last season yet either. The running game hasn't been great without Ryan Grant but if you look at the last few years Grant never really got going until a quarter-midseason, so maybe it will pick up soon and Aaron Rodgers will go back to doing his Peyton Manning impersonation.

Vikings gave Old Man Croc Shot bags of money to return, trade for Randy Moss. Going for broke this season at the expense of the long term. Didn't draft a QB, doubt they really want Travaris to start after acquiring Sage Rosenfels then trading him when Favre came back. Could have had Clausen and given him time to sit for a year then unleashed him with a great WR corps (even before Moss, still not as good as Green Bay, Indy, or NYG, but close). What happens after the Vikings don't win the super bowl this season? Their QB retires, their 2 best WRs contracts end after this season. I think if they don't win it's time to ax the coach and restart.

It would be an ideal situation for a coach because they have plenty of playmakers on the team. I just think if you give Childress all of these things and he can't make it happen then it's not going to with him.

... and then there's the Steelers!

The Steelers are scary. 3-1 without their starting QB. Steelers have the best QB depth in the league but still impressive.

And now they're down right ... uh, it's too terrible to imagine. May God have mercy on the rest of the NFL.

That was a pretty nifty one handed catch by the Colts Pierre Garcon on SNF.

I have just watched it this morning!

One of NFL's best contemplating retirement after $75,000 fine levied by league

James Harrison says he might retire
ESPN NFL
October 20, 2010, 7:10 PM ET

The Pittsburgh Steelers excused James Harrison from practice Wednesday as the Pro Bowl linebacker contemplated retirement, according to his agent.

Harrison's agent Bill Parise said Wednesday his client is "very serious" about retiring after getting fined $75,000 for a hit that knocked Mohamed Massaquoi out of the Steelers' win over the Cleveland Browns. Harrison met Wednesday with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who excused his linebacker from the Steelers preparations for Sunday's game against the Dolphins.

"We wouldn't joke about this," Parise said. "This is a very serious issue. James is very concerned about how to play football. If James is going to be fined $75,000 for making a legal tackle, then how do you go play football? It's quite frustrating to James, to Coach Tomlin, to me, to everybody."

Asked how real these retirement threats were, Parise said, "We're working very hard to make sure that we make good decisions."

Tomlin said he expects Harrison to return to practice on Thursday.

"We had a meeting this morning, he and I did. It was a very productive one," Tomlin said in a conference call with Miami reporters. "I thought part of being productive and moving forward was excusing him for today and coming back starting new tomorrow."

Asked if Harrison would return to the Steelers on Thursday or even at all this week, Parise said, "I sure hope so."

Harrison said Tuesday on Fox Sports Radio's "Into The Night with Tony Bruno" that he might consider retirement.

"I'm going to sit down and have a serious conversation with my coach tomorrow and see if I can actually play by NFL rules and still be effective," Harrison told guest host Judy McDonald. "If not, I may have to give up playing football."

Harrison was not penalized on the plays that resulted in Massaquoi and Josh Cribbs leaving the game with concussions.

Massaquoi's agent, Brian Ayrault, didn't think the league was tough enough on Harrison.

"Harrison has made $20 million over the past three years, and they only fined him $75,000?" he said. "To me, that's not going to be a deterrent. The Browns are probably going to be without a starter this week. I don't think that fine is a deterrent or fair to competitive balance.

"The punishment did not fit the crime."

Full Article

Yeah right, James Harrison is going to walk away from his multi-million dollar contract on "principle" for being upset about the NFL fine/rule change. It's just posturing on Harrison's part.

Some NFL defensive players are furious about the league's decision to start suspending players for dangerous hits. Miami Dolphins linebacker Channing Crowder said on Wednesday that he will keep using his helmet despite the new rules.

"If I get a chance to knock somebody out, I'm going to knock them out and take what they give me," Crowder said. "They give me a helmet, I'm going to use it."

Crowder also suggested that all players wear pink every game if the league continues to make football look more like a "feminine sport."

"They can complain, they can suspend, they can fine and they can do whatever they want, but you can't stop a man from playing football the way he's been playing since high school," said Crowder.

Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher bashed the new rules on Wednesday, saying that the league should put flags on players and change the name to the "National Flag Football League."

Defensive Players React

I joined the movement called "Pay James Harrison's Bogus fine," where fans are sending Commissioner Goodell a letter with a dollar in it to pay the fine. What's disturbing is that the league is fining Harrison while using images of the hit, for which he was fined, to promote the hard hitting action of the NFL.

I think the league is overreacting to the hits. There are helmet to helmet hits on every play. The gratuitous hits should be subject to fine, but when you have receivers crossing the middle at great speed, catching passes at shoulder/head level, a defender has to hit high and hard. Imposing strict liability draconian fines and suspensions will have a chilling effect on the way the game is played.

I agree with the defensive players' reaction.

That's pretty silly, but pretty cool for whoever is opening the mail. Free Money, whee.

Kly, Longneck here is another explanation of how the game works from a former tight end for Denver, Nate Jackson. I don't recognize the name, evidently he was/is a journeyman but the acknowledgment of the risk and danger and why certain actions are required was enlightening for me at least.

Pay your money, take your chances

The Bears were who we thought they were.

Lilo, that article hit the nail on the head.

Cutler is Cutler, and unfortunately the Bears are saddled with him.

Athletic, can make all the throws, very poor judgement (and the porous line doesn't help)... Rex Grossman 2.0.

DS

Are Bears fans upset that Thomas Jones was not retained? His success has continued into this year since leaving Chicago, even splitting time with Jamaal Charles. I know Forte is versatile, but he gives them inconsistent running and Mike Martz's offense hates to handoff. IMO, Cutler needs a huge upgrade in its receiving corp since they have all kinds of salary tied up in Cutler.

I don't think better receivers are needed. I don't think Cutler has ever shown he can read defenses and think quickly enough to be consistently successful in the NFL. I never was a Cutler fan.

Although he was successful, I don't think Thomas Jones was seen as a difference maker here in Chicago. That could have been the product of the offensive line, which has been poor for years, since we've seen what TJ can do with a decent line. I think having Forte softens the blow and people here consider him a pretty decent back. Like you said though, Martz likes to throw, throw, throw so he hasn't gotten a chance to show much of anything beyond what he did in the first couple of games this year.

what pissed me off about the trading of TJ was we didn't receive nothing in return! and, then you add in benson who was suppose to be a great running back turn into garbage (either it was him, the o-line, or the o-coordinator).

anyways though it has been years, and chances are we will draft another running back in a couple years (hopefully after the o-line is fix, the secondly is fix, and replenish the defense)

And that was that....

The second Randy Moss era in Minnesota didn't even last a month.

The NFL Network reported that the Vikings waived Moss on Monday, one day after he criticized head coach Brad Childress in a bizarre news conference following a 28-18 loss in New England. Vikings LB Ben Leber told the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Childress told the team it had cut Moss.

Randy Moss was traded from the Patriots to the Vikings in early October.
The Vikings, who acquired Moss from the Patriots for a third-round pick on Oct. 6, are the second team to move on from Moss this season.

Moss, who is set to become a free agent after the season, would have to clear waivers before he becomes a free agent.

NEW YORK -- A regular-season NFL game drew more television viewers than the World Series.

The "Sunday Night Football" matchup between the past two Super Bowl champions was watched by 18.1 million people, compared with 15.5 million for Game 4 of the World Series.

NBC said it was the first time an NFL game earned a higher rating than the World Series, though the two have rarely aired at the same time over the years.

Wade Phillips let go.

Cowboys coach fired

If his father wasn't an icon in the state of Texas, he would have been fired at least a year ago.

Browns won Giants won all is well.

Why would that be? His record last year was 11-5. The year before it was 9-7. His first year it was 13-3.

He went to the playoffs five straight years and one exactly one playoff game. That's unacceptable with the talent they've had (and the money that buffoon Jerry Jones has spent).

Besides, you're a Steelers fan, what do you care?

Cowboys have certainly struggled this year!

Its all Jessica Simpson's fault!

He went to the playoffs five straight years and one exactly one playoff game. That's unacceptable with the talent they've had (and the money that buffoon Jerry Jones has spent).

Besides, you're a Steelers fan, what do you care? [/quote]

Wade was named Cowboy's coach in 2007, so he's only been coaching the team for 3.5 seasons. During that period the Cowboys only made the playoffs twice.

Since I live just about 35 miles from the Death Star, it's all relevant.

Meh

Let the Steelers meet the Giants in the SB and then we'll see who cares.

This has been a topic of local angst....but it's not like they were winning with him.

Preliminary tests indicated that Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford might have suffered a Grade 3 separation of his right shoulder during Sunday's game against the New York Jets, according to reports.

A source "close to the situation" says the Lions feared, following those preliminary tests, that Stafford would not play again this season, MLive.com reported.

In addition, FoxSportsDetroit.com reported that sources are convinced Stafford's season is over. The source also said Stafford's second injury "is worse" than the injury to his right shoulder that he suffered against the Bears in the season opener.

A Grade 3 separation means that three ligaments in the Acromioclavicular Joint (AC Joint) have been damaged.
QB Out???

And:

those teams suck!

DA BEARS! Way to go, Bam!

Don't you mean "Duh Bears"?

Kinda like "The Dallas Ow-boys"?

The Raiders have a winning record.

I could get used to my sports teams winning again.

The annual in-season playoff game is back this week.

Colts-Pats, baby!

I love this game. The rivalry has evolved and instead of an intense hatred for the Patriots I have a respect for them, but I still want the Colts to kick some ass!

From fifthdown blogs on NYTimes about Sunday's game:

Here Here! to that classic rivalry for the ages.

BTW, I have good and bad news.

Turkey Day games all have good teams: Pats, Jets, & Saints.

Bad news: They're all playing shit squads in Lions, Cowboys, and Bengals.

Lions aren't a shit squad any more but they still don't have a chance against the Pats.

did you already forgotten about the browns beating the patriots like two weeks ago.

2-8 record isn't shit?

Detroit has been outscored by 3 points this season. Tampa Bay (7-3) has scored 3 more than their opponents.

4 of Detroit's losses are by 3 points or less. They have a 5 point loss in week 1 to the Bears after a TD was negated by a dumb rule, because it was clearly a touchdown. An 8 point loss to the Giants.

They took the Jets to OT (and lost) because Suh missed an extra point.

They lost to Philly, Green Bay, and NYJ by a combined total of 8 points.


I think the Lions will give the Patriots a pretty good game, don't see them winning but it should be a good game.

the lions should have won that game to tell the truth, but yea if their qb ever stays healthy they will be a scary team to face.

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (AP)

The NFL players' union has advised its members to prepare for a lockout it expects to come in March, telling players to save their last three game checks this year in case there is no season in 2011.

In a letter to the players that was seen by The Associated Press, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith said the union had an "internal deadline" for agreeing to a new collective bargaining agreement.

Don Meredith has died. Not only was he one heck of a QB, but he was the other half of Monday Night Football that put that broadcast on the map. With Howard Cosell the other half, they were a team that was hard to beat.

Unfortunately, some of you are too young to have enjoyed MNF in its early days. Compared to the vapid broadcast heads that adorn its stage today, MNF in the 70s was a gem.

I hear the Giant's stadium roof collapsed cuz of the weight of the snow.

Giants stadium doesn't have a roof. I think you mean the Metrodome.

I'm sorry I read it wrong. I need to get my eyes checked seriously.

This picture kills me. It's as if the Bears player is standing over Favre saying, "Get up..I dare ya".

Congrats DB on DA BEARS advancing.

Da Bears!!!

What's funny is that the city, not unlike the national media, hasn't fully bought into these Bears yet. I don't expect them to do much in the playoffs, so each win is a happy surprise.

[quote=Beth E]This picture kills me. It's as if the Bears player is standing over Favre saying, "Get up..I dare ya".

Congrats DB on DA BEARS advancing.

Reminds me of this one

Us die hard Bears fans will always love our team. I must admit that I skeptically predicted they would go 8-8 this season. I, like most fans, are pleasantly surprised by the Bears success so far. A side note story about Wootten, the kid who sacked Favre and maybe ended his career, is from North Western University and his fiance is on the De Paul University ladies basketball team. After Wootten smoked Favre, the ladies coach stopped practice and shared the many tweets he received about the sack. He wanted to share the good news immediately and the girls were elated - especially the future Mrs. Wootten. Go Bears!

That's more about Rex Ryan and his wife than we needed to know but whatever. Fetish

Thank you, Vikings. First round bye for the Bears.

I second that!

Favre's fine is a bullshit joke. It takes away what amounts to 4 and a half minutes of a game check.

Fuck Favre and Fuck Roger Goodell and Fuck ESPN for always kissing Favre's ass.

I like Goodell came in as the New Sheriff in town with his season-long suspensions/fines, and now he's a pussy.

ronnie, I remember watching this game as a 9 year old. Back then my brother and I were allowed to stay up long enough to see the half time highlights of the preceding day's games as described by Cosell, which was a big deal in the days before ESPN and cable. The half time highlights were our only opportunity to see most teams.

But in this '73 game Gilliam had a dreadful first half, throwing multiple interceptions, and I went to bed with my Steelers trailing 30-3. The next morningmy father told me that the injured Bradshaw entered the game, but the Dolphinsheld on, 30-26 with the Steelers driving when time expired. This game pretty much ended the excitement of Jefferson Street Joe Gilliam, whose life turned tragic.

Predix folks?

I say Saints over Seahawks, Ravens over Chiefs, Eagles over Packers, and my upset pick....Colts over Jets.

Or is it really an upset pick? Has Vegas even released their odds yet for the weekend?

It is conceivable that all 4 home teams may lose this weekend. My picks:
New Orleans 35 Seattle 16
New York 27 Indianapolis 20
Baltimore 21 Kansas City 13
Philadelphia 24 Green Bay 19

Indy is the 3 seed, that's no upset.

I gotta take Indy by 4-7

Baltimore by 6+

New Orleans has a glorified bye week, would be nice to see Hawks win though.

Which Mike Vick shows up? It all hinges on him. Green Bay has a good shot though.

With that logic, its an upset if the defending-Super Bowl champion Saints beat the #4 seed Seahawks.



I don't think Seattle will win, but that's assuming Saints take them seriously. That said, Seattle just slugged it out with Rams which amounted to their Super Bowl this year.

Saints don't have Chris Ivory or Pierre Thomas. Reggie "Afraid of contact" Bush is their main RB. Then it's Julius Jones and DeShawn Wynn?

Colston just had knee surgery too.

Saints are flying about 6 hours to get to Seattle.

It might not be that big a shock if the Hawks pulled it off. Plus it'd be funny to see them do well in the playoffs where they don't belong.

P.S. The Lions ended the season on a 4 game winning streak. They should have been probably 9-7 this year. Next year they might just win 10.

And aside from the #3 vs #6 seeding no one is picking the Jets to win. The Colts have beaten Rex Ryan teams something like 5-0 when they aren't pissing away a 14-0 season.

Go Colts!

I LOATHE Rex Ryan, to the point where I can't even root for a local team.

I'd like to see his feet.

Is the swinger site profile widely reported? It talks about how Rex likes to watch his wife take it in all 3 holes and her hairy "blounde" pussy.

The San Francisco 49ers have finally gotten their guy.

The 49ers have scheduled a 6:30 p.m. ET Friday news conference to announce they’ve hired Stanford’s Jim Harbaugh as their next head coach.

Its a risky gamble that can pay off big, or slip the 49ers further into irrelevance.

Still can't blame Harbaugh. Could you turn down $25 million and not have to move out of your house?

I wonder who the Browns will hire for their next head coach? And how many have they gone throuugh since they've been back?

They've offered the job to Sarah Palin with the condition that she stay for the whole season.

Dolphins offered more but he'd be in the same division as Belichick and Brady, and Rex Ryan.

49ers are in an easy division and they have 22 draft picks in the next few years. Plus they were close to where all of his coaching jobs have been. San Diego St, Oakland, Stanford, San Fransisco.

I think he will do pretty well, maybe even back into the playoffs next year. 49ers desperately need a QB though.

Neither Troy or Alex Smith are the answer.

Seahawks up by 4 at halftime.

Go Seahawks! The Line was ridiculous on this game, but it is only half time. Still plenty of time for the Saints to exploit Seattle's defense that I could find a soft spot in the zone in.

Good job Saints, you didn't just fail to defend your Super Bowl championship, you're the first team to lose in the playoffs to the first losing-record playoff-making team in NFL history.

And RRA was 1-3 this weekend. Pathetic. Even for my standards.

Jim Caldwell is a moron robot and needs to be fired. He got outcoached in the super bowl last year and has lost at least 2 games this year with his shitty time management and coaching. Fuck.

Peyton Manning being 9-10 in the playoffs is goddamned ridiculous and it is because of the coach and GM. Give him a fucking defense and special teams that isn't somewhere between mediocre and horrible.

Rex Ryan is the LAST person on the planet that needs to be talking smack to Tom Brady.

Ryan vs. Brady

Ryan is just too vulnerable to a comeback. I mean if Brady REALLY wanted to go after Ryan all he'd have to say is "Rex, how's the wife..." and go on from there.

What is it about the whole Jets organization that just screams out "no class"? They seem to be an unruly frat house running amok.

They have none, Mark.

And beating a nearly crippled Colts team by one point (and if not for that mind numbingly stupid running into the kicker, the Colts would have won the game) means nothing.

If the Pats don't win by at least three touchdowns this Sunday, I'll be SHOCKED. Brady and Belichick are going to run this one up. You can take that to the bank.

What a shame. It's no wonder why most of you New Yawkers are Giants fans.

Steelers over Ravens
Falcons over Packers
Patriots over Jets

Upset Pick: Seahawks over Bears

were you drinking when you made these picks?

*hiccup*

Nope.

FOX Sports

Updated Jan 14, 2011 10:50 PM ET
If you want to show your team spirit at this school, it had better be the right team.

A Washington state schoolboy was sent home Friday after wearing a Pittsburgh Steelers jersey on a specially designated day of support for the local Seattle Seahawks, according to a report.

Grendon Bailie, a 13-year-old at Tacoma's Truman Middle School, was sent home Friday for what school administrators deemed inappropriate clothing, Seattle's komonews.com reported.

The school has a strict dress code and said it had lifted it that day only for Seahawks apparel or colors. The school had also specifically warned students not to wear anything besides their uniforms or Seahawks garb, and Bailie even asked if it was acceptable to wear Steelers gear but was told no, the report said.

After the Bears destroy the Seahawks tomorrow, the school can go back to their starched brown shirt uniforms and goose stepping through the halls on Monday. Middle school is exactly the age/time that kids to start rebelling, come on give me a break!
PS - I wouldn't be surprised if it was a stunt for the kid's family to get some Steelers tickets/gear. Smart move,kid!

is it every year around this time that this kind of story comes out...also too this kid knows which team is better when you compare the two.

Here we go Steelers, here we go!

Gotta admit that was a great game. Steelers showed tremendous character in that come back win. BTW - Go Bears!

There are three certainties in life:
Death
Taxes
and Roethlisberger beating the Ravens.

Steelers over the Jets; Packers over the Bears.

Back in August Dr. Z at Sports Illustrated caught a lot of grief for picking a Packer/Steeler Super Bowl.

klydon thanks for picking the packers...i love it when the bears are underdogs.

It's about time for Ray Lewis to call it a career. I love the guy but he's lost more than a step or two. 15 years is a long time to play NFL football. As far as I can tell he's beaten the odds as far as serious injury or neurological damage so why not walk away before he really starts to embarrass himself or gets hurt.

As far as coaching skills running in the family everyone that was ga-ga over Jim Harbaugh should probably look at the meltdown that John Harbaugh presided over. Baltimore had Pittsburgh on the ropes and could not put them away. The defense couldn't get off the field and the offense couldn't stay on the field. Tomlin outcoached Harbaugh.

Almost everything Pittsburgh did in the second half worked and looked easy while Baltimore had to work to get a 3 yard run. Say what you like about Roethlisburger but on the field he's got heart. Fighting for a first down against linebackers and defensive tackles with every intention of trying to cripple you says something.

Speaking of running the NFL needs to allow running to become a bigger part of the game again. This could be made easier by letting defensive backs and safeties be more physical with wide receivers and tight ends. As it is now I have seen too many instances where the offensive player gives the defensive player shots down the field, including shots to the facemask with no call. Let a few of those wide receivers get jacked up hard a few times and you'll start seeing more running plays. Or at least you might see Hines Ward stop running his mouth. The game is tilted too much to the offense.

I didn't really care who won this game. I just wanted to see good smashmouth football, which I did to a point. The mental meltdown in the second half sorta spoiled things but otherwise this game was a throwback to the days of old when men were men and Greene and Lambert roamed the field...

Very nice post, Lilo. I've been watching the Steeler/Raven rivalry grow over the past several years, and it has become the fiercest in the sport. They have been the best, most physical defenses this decade, and their regular season matchups and postseason games are almost always classics.

I agree that Tomlin outcoached Harbaugh, but even with a fourteen point lead, I didn't think that the Ravens had the game under control as the lead resulted from weird circumstances. Baltimore didn't really move the ball easily in the first half and managed only 28 yards in the second half. For them to win the game they would have needed another crazy play or two.

And, yes, Roethlisberger is an amazing competitor, who'll do whatever it takes to win. His offensive line has provided substandard protection for the past three seasons, but he consistently sheds tackles, extends plays, and comes up big in the fourth quarter. He is certainly a big game player.

You raise an interesting point about getting the league to return to a running oriented game. I'm not sure if you're old enough to remember the NFL in the 70s, but the great qbs of the era - Staubach, Bradshaw, Stabler, Tarkenton - all were capable of scrambling and picking up yards on their own or throwing on the run. This was necessary because offensive linemen couldn't extend their arms in peass protection, defensive linemen could head slap the o-line and cornerbacks could hit receivers all the way down the field. At the end of the decade the league sought to assist the passing game by enacting the Mel Blount riule, and liberalizing pass protection. It was no coincidence that the West Coast offense was immediately born as it could not havesucceeded in the prior decade. Star qbs of today, namely Brady and Peyton Manning, would not nearly be as successful under the 70s rules as they are today as they are not very mobile and are vulnerable out of the pocket.

My pleasure, Bam. While I think Green Bay will pull the game out, I hope you, Mark and Don Sicilia will be celebrating a Bear victory Sunday evening.

Kly, I am just old enough to remember the Steel Curtain. My younger brother was a Cowboys fan so that made for some interesting game days...

I was 10 when the Steelers won their first Super Bowl in 1975 against the Vikings. Back then the game wasn't played in prime time, and I remember clearly, riding on my dad's shoulders in the twilight after the game as he ran around our back yard. I remember the sound of the crisp snow snapping beneath his feet. It's silly, but this is one of my fondest memories.

Dr. Z had a stroke. It's a shame since his columns were the best. Now Peter King does the predictions and they were way off in most cases.

For any of you Steeler fans on the Board, click on this rendition of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance adapted as a Steelers song.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ugfqEsw1gs&feature=youtu.be

I wonder how Brett Favre feels now?

Way to go Rodgers, good job Packers.

the o-line and secondary's weakness showed once again. anways though i had the bears going 7-9 or 6-10 at the beginning of the season, so i am not highly disappointed.

well lets hope that the steelers go on, so they can kick the packers ass in the super bowl.

Jay Cutler is getting massacred on Bears forums. Manning plays hurt, Brady plays hurt, Rothlesberger plays hurt, Favre played hurt...but Cutler sits on the bench with his sullen sour attitude jerk face on!

well for his sake it better be something involving surgery. i just hope the o-line improves because if its not, cutler will not have a long career.

an update here, but reports are saying that cutler did indeed injured his MCL.
Jay Cutler will have an MRI on his left knee Monday and it is believed that he suffered a torn MCL in Sunday's season-ending loss to the Packers.
Jan. 23 - 8:36 pm et
Source: Evan Silva on Twitter

Rotoworld

Shit.

How 'bout them Steelers!

NFL Network reported he wasn't allowed back in by team doctors, and I see now he may have torn an MCL.

Only in America could a rapist be on the cusp of leading his team to its third Super Bowl title in 6 years.

I was a little surprised by how easily the Packers were able to move the ball against Chicago but then I realized that the Bears defensive coordinator was Rod Marinelli-former head coach of the Detroit Lions and sole possessor of an 0-16 record. So it goes.

This man was before my time but he had an interesting story.




During the famed upset in Super Bowl III, Jets cornerback Johnny Sample intercepted a pass, stopping a Baltimore Colts drive 2 yards from the end zone. Then he tapped the ball on the helmet of the intended receiver and said, “Is this what you’re looking for?”

Later, Sample tackled the same receiver, Willie Richardson, and was confronted by Baltimore Coach Don Shula, who complained that Sample had pushed Richardson over the Colts’ bench. The two men stood jawing and Sample told Shula, “I wish I had pushed you over the bench.”

Before he died, Sample hosted a talk-radio program in Philadelphia, which seemed appropriate, given his outspokenness as a player. He decried racial injustice in an era when there were relatively few black players and when those who spoke candidly risked being labeled militants and troublemakers. He confronted team owners about perceived inequities in pay, verbally sparred with coaches and, of course, engaged opposing receivers in a disruptive dialogue.

“He was talking all the time,” said Buddy Ryan, Rex’s father, who was a Jets assistant that Super Bowl season and built a coaching career on fierce defenses and incessant trash talking. “And he was a real student of the game. In the Super Bowl, the Colts didn’t throw to his side much. They must have respected him quite a bit.” ...

Full Article

The Terrible Towels are coming in big numbers to Cowboys Stadium, which isn't what Jerry Jones envisioned when he built the Taj Maja;l of sports stadiums. Also, the last thing Roger Goodell wants to do is hand the Lombardi Trophy to Pittsburgh this year. Added incenytive to get our seventh.

As frigid as it's been, watching that fat pig Rex Ryan throw his headset to the ground in frustration warmed me up all over .

Hey Rex: The agony of da-feet. There's no toe-morrow, either .

I never thought I would see a more bush league coach than Buddy Ryan, but his son has surpassed him. It was fun to watch the J E T S crash and burn.

I would love to have Rex Ryan as my coach instead of Jim Caldwell.

Or a cardboard cutout of Rex Ryan.

Anything that wouldn't call the dumbest fucking timeouts.



And the Cutler injury thing: Drew Brees tore his MCL in week 3. He played every game in the regular season and 1 playoff game.

Caleb Hanie was pretty good for being thrown into a high stakes game with no preperation. No idea why Collins was even on the roster anymore. In the regular season he seemed terrified of actually having to play. He seemed like that in this game too.

This brings up a question: Why can't the Bears have a good, reliable quarterback?

I'll be just 40 miles away from the game. I thought about inviting Ben to the house. I wonder if he'd come. Well, there's a GB woman in one of my classes. Maybe I should bet her an A against an F.

I'd flunk hedr outright for rooting against the Steelers.

Ask her if she wants a F or meet Big Ben.

I'm certain she'll take the F.

I heard the Jets' headsets weren't working for most of the game and that's why he threw it down.
Anyone hear that?

Probably sabotaged by Belichik.

I think the timing of the throwdown, as soon as the game was unwinnable, means that the headset wasn't the cause but rather the victim of the throwdown.

I read there was an issue with the Sanchez's helmet, which could explain why the Jets were taking 35 seconds to run each play on their drive.

Why is the game not being played in Pittsburgh or Greenbay?

Super Bowls are always played on a neutral field, Mig. This year, it's in Dallas and the game is usually played in a warm weather city.

Pretty much. Super Bowls played outside of warm Gulf/Coastal climates usually happen when the NFL promises a SB game to a city that has given a franchise a new stadium or new renovations.

Which is why in a few years Meadowlands is hosting it and God knows what will happen if we have a snow apocalypse like we did weeks ago. Because unlike every other NFL game, the Super Bowl won't be postponed or delayed. No sir.

Thanks DS. I wish the SB was played somewhere where the snow was pouring down.

Why is that Mig?

2014 in New Jersey, Mig. So maybe on the snow .

I'll tell you, the winter we're having must have them re-thinking the whole thing.

Super Bowl in Indy next year (if there is a next season).


Wooo.

GB will be the home team and select the jersey color it wants.

don't expect the colts to be in the superbowl next year...unless they hire a new coach or players around manning.

I just think it would be fun to watch.

The game is played in all conditions - the championship should be as well. Rotate the games through each and every NFL city - including Green Bay and Buffalo. The conference championships are played in all elements - why not the Super Bowl. The weather wouldn't affect attendance or viewership - it's all part of the game.

All the rich people -- who are the only people who can afford to go to the Super Bowl -- would complain.

So I am all in favor of cold weather super bowls. Let real fans be the ones who watch it live.

I'd favor a cold weather Super Bowl. The four teams in the conference championships were all hard hitting, cold weather, defensive teams, not like those candy-ass warm weather or dome teams.

Aren't the Saints the only Dome team to win the Super Bowl?

The Colts still played in the RCA Dome for XLI.

Their new stadium isn't a dome but that doesn't stop the people on TV from calling the Colts a dome team.

It almost makes me want to root for Green Bay:

"From the tops of the hills, Mike McCarthy could see the Pittsburgh skyline. His dad's bar was down the hill, in an area locals call "The Run." Men from J&L Steel Works would fill Joe McCarthy's bar on weekends, and his kids would clean the place on Sundays after church."

It would be a damn shame if Peyton Manning only won 1 ring his whole career. Jim Irsay is committed to his inept robot coach though, so that's probably what will happen unless Peyton somehow beats the other teams and his own coach in the playoffs.

I'd rather have Jim Mora Sr. back. He had a personality. This team is the most boring team there is outside of an eccentric owner who is on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/JimIrsay) and does giveaways all the time. Gave away super bowl tickets today. Did a giveaway for a new Prius with $4000 in the glovebox last month.

I wish Jeff Fisher would take the D Coordinator or Head Coach jobs, so he could "feel like a winner."

it is a shame since he should have had won one at least before the superbowl against the bears.

It really is, the 2005 team was better than the super bowl team, 2004 was probably better too. Dungy was much better than Caldwell but he had his flaws too. Keeping Ron Meeks as Defensive coordinator each year really kept the team back.

The Colts did free agency for a year in 04 offseason the 05 team had a great defense, went 13-0, but because Corey Simon had some weird injury thing Irsay has said he doesn't want to do any more big FA signings but Booger McFarland was one of those and he was a DT on the super bowl team. We need to be able to stop the run. That and special teams is the Colts glaring weakness year after year. I don't understand why they wont fix it.

It could be worse.

Remember Colts' 1990s Drafting in the pre-Peyton era?

Not that I care much for the guy*, but Mel Kiper rightfully at the time chewed out that organization for their scattershot(to be nicely understated) draft "success."

*=But he did help create the NFL Draft that it is today: a bigger ratings hit than most NBA/NHL playoff games.

It all changed after Bill Polian became our GM. He has an amazing record as a GM, I compiled his win-loss record in a different thread awhile ago.

Congratulations to the Packers and their fans. While I was disappointed in the outcome, I'm happy for Green Bay. They had an incredible playoff run. In fact, I may be wrong, but I don't think they ever trailed during the postseason.

I still had faith down 21-3, and am glad the Steelers made a game of it. I honestly thought they'd pull it out, but Matthews forcing the fumble was a huge play, and Rodgers' third down completion after the Steelers pulled within 3 was as big a play in the game as any.

Why do these guys say these things?

NEW YORK

Jets coach Rex Ryan took the acclaim from New York's basketball fans Friday night before pledging to bring Super Bowl glory to the city, the New York Post reported Saturday.

The Gang Green coach said, "there's no way we don't get it done next year," and told the MSG's Jill Martin at halftime that "next year I know we'll win it."