1. Larry Fitzgerald vs. The Steelers Secondary Above all else, Fitzgerald is the reason that the Cardinals are in the Super Bowl this season. He has been basically unstoppable as he torched defense after defense during the playoffs. If the Cards are going to win this game it will be because of Larry's incredible abilities. So naturally, he is priority numero uno for the Steelers spectacular defense. I expect to see a fair amount of Ike Taylor going against Fitz, but even with the Steelers top corner shadowing Larry, I still think we'll see double coverage for much of the day. Also, the Steelers often go to something of a zone when they blitz heavy, as most teams do, but against Fitz, we've seen all postseason you absolutely, positively cannot go zone. It will be interesting to see how Dick LeBeau plays against this unbelievable talent.
2. Ben Roethlisberger vs. The Cardinals Pass Rush The Cards defense has really stepped up their game the past few weeks. Because of this, Big Ben is going to need to play mistake-free ball and neutralize their superb playmakers. Roethlisberger has been excellent at that for the past several games, but every Steeler fan has seen how nasty things can get when Ben starts struggling and trying to do too much. Roethlisberger is one of the most unique QB's in football and his way of fending off blitzers and keeping plays alive can alter games in both extremely positive and negative ways. Its probably a pretty fair bet that we will see at least instance of each in this game. Just how positive and negative those plays are will go a long toward determining this puppy. 3. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley vs. The Cardinals O-Line One of these days the refs may start calling more of the dozens of holdings of James Harrison that occur every single freaking game. It's absolutely insane the way he is blatantly held, and with the Cardinals mediocre tackles I expect that trend to continue, and if we even get one holding call our way I will be pleased. Even with the holding and the double teams Harrison often seems to rise to the occasion and there is certainly no bigger occasion that this one. I have a hard time imagining him not producing at least a couple big time plays.
4. Dick LeBeau and Mike Tomlin vs. Ken Whisenhunt and Todd Haley This is sort of a poetic type matchup. Tomlin, of course, is a defensive coach and the best coach on his staff is the defensive coordinator. Whiz, as we all know, is an offensive master and his top lieutenant is the very promising Haley. And not coincidentally, these are the top units for the respective squads. As we always saw in the Burgh, Whiz loves to throw out trick plays in big games, and I fully expect to see something crazy in this game. How LeBeau and company handle any gadgers will be a key to success for both squads. And all this is even without discussing the incredibly intimate knowledge that Whiz and LeBeau have of each other's schemes. It's safe to say that's going to be a huge factor, too.
5. Kurt Warner vs. Troy Polamalu On one side we have one of the most experienced, most intelligent, and right now, one of the best quarterbacks in football. On the other hand there is the most disruptive defender in football who doubles as quite possibly the single most athletic player in the league as well. Should be a truly fascinating matchup. Warner is one of the few QB's who might (and I stress might) be able to neutralize or maybe even take advantage of Polamalu's play. I certainly don't think that Troy will be able to wreak havoc all day long, but the key will be whether or not he's able to make a few monster plays (like the INT or the 4th down line jump against Baltimore) that alter this game.
Here we are folks, just 9 days away from Super Bowl XLIII, and because there is already a crazy amount of coverage out there, and not a whole lot else is happening right now in the sports world these days, I thought I'd link to some of the better/more interesting coverage around.
-The Arizona Republic says the Cardinals D knows its up against a major challenge when they took on our own Big Ben Roethlisberger next weekend. I about soiled myself with laughter when I read the line about the Cards using Brian St. Pierre to simulate Ben. Uhmm... yeah I think that's just a bit off. I watched St. Pierre stink the joint out in too many exhibitions over the years. If thats their best bet for prepping for Roethlisberger, I like our chances a whole lot more than originally.
-The National Football Post doesn't seem to think there are many storylines in the Super Bowl. I guess the numerous Pittsburgh connections and the Tomlin/Whiz/Grimm storyline isn't appetizing enough for them. I tend to agree, but it's still early, and storylines can still emerge.
-The Post also examines a little bit of the long-rumored Roethlisberger/ Whisenhunt feud. I must say, I'm a little surprised this hasn't gotten more play, as it is definitely a pretty good storyline and is interesting, at least to me.
-Bodog provides a list of some of the prop bets for the Super Bowl. Always a fun thing to read and think over. I definitely like the over on the "Big Ben" bet. I don't think 5 is enough. As for which NBC show will get the most promos, I think it has to be "30 Rock" right? Everyone knows how much that network is in love with Tina Fey and her award-winning, yet under-watched TV show. I think Jay Leno has a chance, too, and I disagree with their bet that "The Office" is the favorite. Though I think there's a chance 30 Rock and The Office could be paired together in promos.
-We're the Greatest! At least according to Page 2's David Fleming, we are. And by we, I of course mean the Steelers. The greatest franchise in sports, folks, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Also, some good observations at the bottom about the Steelers. I especially liked the second one, involving LaMarr Woodley and his psychotic look last week.
-Scouts Inc. ranks the players in the Super Bowl. I disagree with a fair amount of this assessment, but its at least worth a read. I think sometimes the numbers guys get a bit too into the numbers and aren't able to incorporate non-quantifiable aspects into their calculations. I do agree with their top 3, though after that it gets a bit murky. How can an injured and cancerous player like Anquan Boldin be considered the 6th best player in this game?
-NFL.com breaks down who's better position-by-position. The Steelers get the overall edge in this matchup, though its very slight.
-Limas Sweed is eager to get another shot and thinks that he can come through this time for the Steelers, he just hopes to get a shot. Limas, no offense buddy. I mean I like you and think you can definitely turn into a half-decent receiver, but will be praying you don't see the field in the Super Bowl. I just can't possibly trust you.
-ESPN tries to get a story on Chuck Noll, the man who is most responsible for turning the Steelers into THE NFL franchise of all NFL franchises. Not a bad one, but the man still likes his privacy and probably just wants to be left alone.
-The Terrible Blog looks at the weird complaints Steelers fans seem to have of Ben Roethlisberger. I don't know that I would use the word hate like he does, but I do agree that the constant bitching about Ben has to end. It all seems to go back to the fact that he is far from a prototypical NFL QB. But you know what? That's fine with me. I mean, it's one thing to yell at your TV in the middle of the game because he held onto the ball too long or because he took another hit in the pocket or something like that, I mean everyone does that no matter who the player is. But the crazy, yapping yinzers who call up talk shows (though not now that the Steelers are in XLIII, of course) are just downright annoying. Ben is very, very effective at what he does even if it isn't always the prettiest or most normal way of doing it. Winning is winning, and that's what should always be most important to us.
-Peter King examines the Sean Morey angle for this Super Bowl. King is right when he says, "Rarely do you hear a player so affectionate for a team he left." Morey truely loved his time in Pittsburgh, and I wouldn't have minded seeing him hang around here a while longer to ply his trade, but I'd say things worked out pretty well this way, too.
First, some links in this super-duper Preview of the AFC Championship edition on TRS. -LaMarr Woodley breakout game and the weeks leading up to it are chronicled tongue-in-cheek by James Walker. I mean he wasn't really over-eating and depressed as Troy claims. I did chuckle a little when I read the line about James Harrison constantly being double-teamed. James Walker, if by "double-teamed" you mean being held by two guys at once, then I agree.
-Unfortunately Bill Simmons picked the Steelers in his weekly gambling picks column. Bad news considering the Sports Guy went 0-4 last week on his picks and openly admits that his prediction is a kiss of death.
-An update on the Ravens injury report. Samari Rolle is apparently out for the AFC Championship and Terrell Suggs figures to be a game-time decision. I have a VERY hard time believing that Suggs won't play at all in this one. even if its just as a third down pass rusher or something like that, I think Suggs finds his way onto the field.
-Ron Cook is apparently in love with Ed Reed. Reed truely is probably the most disruptive defensive player in football these days, followed closely by our own Troy Polamalu. But I agree with Cookie, Troy is number two on that list, and there's not a ton of room for debate there. I'm not gonna lie, with Ben's penchant for taking chances downfield, Ed Reed scares the bejeezus out of me for the game tomorrow. And Gene Collier pretty much backs that up in his article about the game as well.
-In an interesting piece, Mike Smith, the Falcons Head Coach and reigning NFL Coach of the Year, breaks down the two league title games. He gives some interesting insights into both squads, but also points out some of the obvious, like Ben Roethlisberger and Joe Flacco similarities.-The always superb Peter King makes his pick for the AFC Championship game, as well as making some points about the game worth reading. King thinks the biggest difference in this game is going to be the injuries for the Ravens. I tend to agree.
-5 subplots for Ravens-Steelers. I think someone really needs to explore the similarities between Flacco and Roethlisberger. That hasn't been covered nearly enough.
-The Baltimore Sun profiles the divider line between Steeler Nation and Ravens country. I always think Nation sounds bigger than country, especially when it's all capitalized like that.
-The Sun also put together a comprehensive list of who different media outlets are picking to win the game. I really don't like when the vast majority of experts pick the Steelers. The obvious game rarely goes the way its supposed to.
-David Steele of the Baltimore Sun predicts that Steelers-Rvens is about to become the pre-eminent rivalry in football and that these two teams are set up to have incredible success for the forseeable future. I hope he's right, as Steelers-Birdies is never dull.
-John Harris and Mike Prisuta's column from the Trib. As always if you only have time for one, make it Prisuta. He is probably the most underrated writer in the Burgh. Prisuta is right when he urges the Steelers not to take unnecessary chances and tk "keep it simple" as he says. He urges the Steelers not to make the first mistake, and when the Ravens make a mistake, be sure to pounce on it. He's exactly right. The one thing that could swing this game to the Ravens, as I've already said, is turnovers and mistakes. They feed off that energy and that momentum and will bury the Steelers with it if they can.
-From the Steelers Today Blog, the Ravens are, in fact, hypocrtical about Hines Ward. I fully agree with this thought. Hines is a Raven-type player through and through. They'd love to have him I'm sure.
-From the Steel Curtain Rising Blog, another fan is equally as pissed about the ridiculous amount of holding of James Harrison that NEVER gets called, only instead of bad-mouthing NFL officials and calling them names not fit for print, this writer got a bit more creative and spun it in a humorous way.
-A weird, and mostly unprofessional list of reasons for Ravens fans to hate Steelers fans. Each one is about 3 paragraphs long, at most, which leads me to believe that the writer A) Has very little material, B) Is Lazy, or C) Is Barely Literate. Actually, I'm thinking he may have the trifecta. Why don't you goofy newspapers leave the trash-talking where it belongs: on the Blogs. I mean it's not like these are even good trash-talking points on Pittsburgh. I mean, "Weird Bridges"? Really? You can't figure out why we have 446 bridges? I don't suppose its because we have three rivers in the city is it? Maybe we should just have one insanely long bridge that is constantly congested, is that how Baltimorons (I doubt that's the name for people that live there, but its probably close) prefer it? I'd rather have hundreds upon hundred of bridges with little traffic on most than the other way around. Thanks. Glad you aren't a city planner. And you are complaining about the Fort Pitt Tunnel being a claustrophobic's nightmare? I suppose we should just ignore the fact that the Baltimore Harbour tunnel is more than twice the length of the Fort Pitt and is UNDER WATER!!!! I imagine claustrophobes have quite the issue with that, thank you very much. But then again, you're just a newspaper writer, what do you have to worry about facts for? Yet another example of the dwindling respect level in papers. (END RANT)
-Halfway down this page, the excellent Mike Lombardi gives some insight on Steelers-Ravens. Its interesting the Ravens have not won the time of possession battle in either playoff game. Also interesting that the Steelers have never lost a playoff game when Fast Willie is the starter (5-0). I hadn't thought of that.
Okay well that's enough of that, let's get to the breakdown. 5 Key Matchups
1. Ben Roethlisberger vs. Ed Reed In case you skimmed through the above (and I don't blame you if you did), one of my key points was the work of the mighty Ed Reed. Reed can turn this game all by himself with one mistake by Roethlisberger. And with Ben's love of the downfield pass, that gravely concerns me. What we need to see is the Big Ben we saw in Round 2 who took great care of the ball, was quick to get rid of it, and any downfield chance he took was smart and had very low risk. Reed is as big of a gamebreaker as there is in football today, and probably has just as good a chance at scoring as the entire Ravens offense. 2. James Harrison vs. Joe Flacco Some of Harrison's biggest games of his career have come against Baltimore, including that monster game a year ago when that catapulted him into a household name. Expect Dick LeBeau to unleash Harrison yet again and use him to try and rattle the seemingly unflappable young QB. As usual, expect Harrison to be illegally held every time he blitzes, and as usual I'm sure the refs will swallow their whistles whole.
3. Willie Parker vs. Ray Lewis Obviously the matchup goes a lot deeper than this, but it's flashy symbolism for the Steelers desire to establish the run and the Ravens excellent run defense. Parker was superb last week, and I imagine Bruce Arians will do his best to try to get Parker going yet again in the early going of this one. And for that I wish him best of luck, because I can't imagine Ray-Ray and his crew letting up many yards, but if Willie shows that same burst I expect he'll be able to at least break off a few big gains even if he can't consistently pick up the yards.
4. Ravens Blitzes vs. Steelers pass protection The Steelers O-Line was yet another pleasant surprise we got in Round 2, and if the Steelers are to win this game, they need to play well again. Expect Suggs, Scott, and Ngata to do their best to overpower and overwhem the much-maligned Steelers O-line. Max Starks has continued his fine work on the left side, but the rest of the line played very well last week as well, with the exception of the still-struggling Darnell Stapleton. Chris Kemoeautu was especially good last week as a pulling guard.
5. Dick LeBeau vs. Cam Cameron Two of the very best coordinators in the game square off in what should be a very interesting matchup. I still think Cameron got a terribly raw deal last year in Miami and never had a shot to succeed. Still, he has been excellent handling Flacco this year and putting together great game plans for him to succeed. LeBeau meanwhile is one of the best defensive coordinators the NFL has ever seen and is known far and wide for his spectacular blitz packages that can confuse any QB, let alone a rookie.
Other Random Thoughts -Something tells me that Hines Ward has a huge game in this one. We all know how well Hines and the Ravens get along. And we also know how Hines thrives in his role as an antagonist. He lives for games and moments like this one. He also has become one of the game's pre-eminent third down threats, and given the stingy Ravens D, I expect that third down situations will be a key to success for both squads.
-The Ravens injuries are going to play a factor in this, but I think the Samari Rolle injury is the one that hurts them the most. Rolle is a very good corner, certainly much better than his replacement, Frank Walker. With Santonio Holmes playing very well and Nate Washington turning into a legit downfield threat, having to play guys like Walker and Corey Ivy more than they otherwise would is going to end up biting the Ravens in the ass.
-I haven't watched enough Ravens games to know this intimately, but I'll be interested to see how Joe Flacco reacts to Troy Polamalu's pre-snap shifts. More experienced QBs typically audible or at least bluff audibling when they see Polamalu settle in somewhere, but I don't know if Flacco will do that, as I'm sure Cameron will have at least partially accounted for this and may not want Flacco overruling him on the field.
-I know he's been around for ages and can't possibly have a ton left in the tank, but I never like facing Derrick Mason. He's like Hines Ward without the ferocious hitting, and always seems to come up big against the Steelers.
-I'm not sorry to see Le'Ron McClain banged up. I figure Willis McGahee and (if he plays) Ray Rice will be mostly ineffective, although McGahee has had some moments against the Steelers D. What I don't want to see is a hungry, bruising runner like McClain barrelling through the middle of our D for 3 and 4 yards a pop. I don't know how effective we'd be at stopping him on a cold, bitter day like tomorrow.
-I'd like to see LaMarr Woodley build on that big game of a week ago. If James Harrison is getting doubleheld blocked by the Ravens, Woodley should be in single coverage and should be able to make the most of his opportunities to get to Flacco. I'd also like to see LeBeau deploy the unbelievably fast Lawrence Timmons get more snaps in place of Larry Foote. Sure Foote is the more stable and more sound player, but Timmons can make incredible plays happen, and can bring superb pressure from the middle of the field, as well as more than capably run with the likes of Todd Heap.
The Pick: Steelers 20 Ravens 13 This is going to be a ridiculously physical and violent game and surely won't be for the faint of heart. i expect the Ravens to do their best to try to set the tone early on with their physicality on defense. I think they also have a fair amount of success shutting down Willie Parker in the run game. But the Steelers will be persistent in setting up the ground game, even if it means a few early punts. Setting up even a mediocre rushing attack will enable Ben to test the Ravens corners downfield, and I think Santonio has another big scoring play, this time on a long pass from Roethlisberger that not even the great Ed Reed can stop. As for the Ravens offense, I think Flacco gets hit early and often but does his best to avoid taking big loss sacks and making costly mistakes. I think eventually, though, he is forced into a turnover or two and the Steelers capitalize.
Okay folks, with the Steelers and Bengals playing Tomorrow (Thursday) in Pittsburgh, naturally, I am headed to Cincinnati for the weekend. Doesn't sound quite as dumb as it seems, though, as I am off to see my beloved Pitt Panthers in that great all-time college football matchup known only as The River City Rivalry. With that in mind, I am traveling most of the day tomorrow, and likely won't get into Cincy until just before the game, so here is my preview for tomorrow night's game. Obviously, any info that breaks tomorrow will not be in here, so forgive the lapse in info. I will have a preview of the Panthers huge game Saturday evening up sometime Thursday night of Friday morning. For now, enjoy this little preview, and wish me luck in coming home victorious.
Thursday the Steelers and Bengals become the latest installment in the continued efforts of the NFL to shove their NFL Network down our throats. Look guys, our cable bills are high enough, we don't want the NFL Network year round, and even then, if not having your Network means we miss a few Thursday night games, I think you are grossly overplaying your hand. The NFL is the most ridiculously over-analyzed league to ever exist. Every Sunday morning three different networks put together pre-game shows for us with about 15 analysts a pop, and every Sunday night two networks put together recap shows following games while two others put on all-out highlight shows. If we miss out on the NFL Network, I think we can survive. And for the real sickos who want to see the results of the NFL Combine and unbelievably pointless pre-draft coverage, mini-camp coverage, and training camp coverage, I have this message: Get a life! If you can't get all the information you require regarding this league over the internet then you just aren't trying hard enough and there's no two ways about it.
Anywho, on to our preview of this evening's little matchup on the North Shore.
Random Thoughts -Willie Parker wants to get back to "Steeler Football" meaning, of course, an overly steady dose of the ground game. Frankly, I wouldn't mind seeing this myself. I'm not saying I want the old days back where our Franchise QB would throw the ball 11 times in a game while the offense controlled the clock for 40 minutes with 20 consecutive run plays in the second half. We don't have that kind of team anymore, and with Roethlisberger, there is no need for it either. Still, if Willie shows early on in games that he can produce like he did against San Diego a few days ago, I would be all for giving them a steady dose of Willie and mixing in the promising power back Gary Russell and the shockingly productive Mewelde Moore.
-I think everyone is going to be keeping a close eye on Hines Ward and the Bengals defenders early on in this game. Ward is not one to be too worried about this type of thing, and he is also not going to be the least bit intimidated by the Bengals openly pining to get a piece of him, so you can be sure he will look to deliver a thunderous hit or two early on in the game. The Bengals defenders, for their part will certainly have their heads on a swivel, and if Hines is out in front on a run play or goes across the middle, there could certainly be some extra-curricular activity in the works. These teams haven't liked each other for some time and with the Bungles having nothing to lose, this thing could get chippy if the refs don't do their jobs.
-For all the great things James Harrison has done and the impressive statistics he has posted, I just recently re-watched Sunday's Chargers game and there were some egregious non-holding calls that hurt Harrison. I'll be looking at this game with a watchful eye to see if the refs keep a closer eye on it, because hopefully these moments have been pointed out to them pre-game.
-While William Gay certainly was no Champ Bailey in his first NFL start, he hardly embarassed himself out there. This may not sound like a big deal, but it signifies just how deep this Steeler secondary really is, that there 4th corner can go out and put together a solid stint in his first career start is truly remarkable, and shows that corner, and not linebacker or running back, is probably the deepest position on the roster.
-Two key matchups for the game: TJ Houshmandzadeh vs. Ike Taylor/ William Gay: In years past, it was Taylor matching up exclusively with Chad Eight Five, but this season Housh has been undoubtedly the Bengals top receiver, and really their only consistent weapon. While I don't expect that to mean that Taylor will be matched up exclusively against the Rat Tail, he certainly will see some time. Factor in that Gay is still a relative newbie at playing every snap and that Housh has been a Steeler killer all his career, and Housh is the key to any monster upset the Bungles may try to pull.
LaMarr Woodley and James Harrison vs. The Bungles excuse for an O-Line: Cincy has given up a downright shocking 38 sacks this season. They make the Steelers O-Line look like a fortress by comparison. And of course, Woodley and Harrison are the ultimate dynamic duo of sack mastery. This game could well end up with the family members of Bengals QBs Ryan Fitzpatrick and Jordan Palmer being called in to identify the disfigured remains.
-It has been speculated from numerous Steeler sources that the strategy from last week's game against the Chargers, tons of short, safe, underneath passes and almost zero downfield activity, was a result of Ben Roethlisberger's lack of arm strength due to his injury. Certainly, this makes sense, as Big Ben showed a bit of difficulty in putting serious zip on the ball, but I think there could be more to it. If you watched that game in person, as this was not as evident on TV I don't think, the safeties for the Chargers spent all night playing deep, almost like a prevent type D. As always happens, this left the area across the middle and short very wide open. I think that this was every bit as much a factor in the game plan as anything. It will be interesting to see if this is how the Steelers offense works early in the Bengal game, as I highly doubt that the Bengals will even remotely be as strangely passive as the Chargers were.
-With all this said, this game has all of the makings of an old-school division rival embarassment. The Steelers linebackers are going to be feasting on Ryan Fitzpatrick all night, the Bengals have possibly the worst running game in football, and their receivers are definitely talented but have underachieved. For the Steelers offense, they have had only one real weakness all season, and that has been the continued struggle of the offensive line to keep Ben Roethlisberger on his feet. This doesn't figure to be nearly as difficult Thursday night, though, as the Bengals lowly pass rush has generated just 11 sacks all season long. The matchup just looks too heavily one-sided in our beloved Black and Gold's favor, and so while I don't usually pick games to be cakewalks, I'm going to take the risk and go for it here: Steelers 35 Bengals 7
With only about an hour until kickoff, here are some random thoughts regarding your favorite black and gold clad football squad:
-It's looking like some seriously bad news for Willie Parker. In case you haven't heard, Fast Willie is rumored to have been diagnosed with a torn labrum, a pretty serious injury that requires some pretty serious surgery. It is unknown when Parker will have this surgery, but it likely will at least be another week or two, as he has been ruled out for today's tilt. It's also being said that if he does play again this year, it will be with the aid of a shoulder harness. Hmm... a back who has had a bit of a fumble history in his past wearing a sling that makes it even more difficult for him to maintain ball control. I think I'm going to pass on that one. It will be interesting to see what happens with the running back position, as Mewelde Moore has been excellent, but has never really consistently fed the ball, and certainly has never been a guy that defenses game plan for.
-Ben Roethlisberger looks like he will be the starter under center today, and to tell the truth, I am a little bit surprised. I, for one, wouldn't have minded seeing Big Ben take a seat for a week and heal up that gimpy shoulder of his for the stretch run. Byron Leftwich demonstrated last week that he is more than capable of shouldering the load of being the QB1 for the short-term.
-The cover story of today's Post Gazette was all about Peyton Manning testing the dominant Steelers defense, and while I would never, under any circumstances, take a game against Peyton Manning for granted, this isn't the same force of nature Peyton Manning of the past few years. Anyone who has watched this Colts team can tell you that. Granted, there are still those flashes of greatness, but you no longer face this Colts team dreading a 40 point outburst. To be fair to Peyton, though, I don't really think that this is really the result of Peyton declining. He still looks about the same as he used to. The difference this year has unquestionably been the talent around him. Marvin Harrison is a shell of his former self, Reggie Wayne has still been very good, but is constantly getting extra attention, Anthony Gonzalez has been decent, but looks to be better equipped to be a 3rd receiver in this offense, instead of the number 2 spot he has mostly assumed, Joseph Addai has been hurt and ineffective, and Dominic Rhodes surely isn't going to scare the opposition.
-The Colts once vaunted pass rush from their undersized defense has faded. Once upon a time, Dwight Freeney was perhaps the premier pass rushing end in football, and was certainly the most athletic. When teams started keying on Freeney, the underrated Robert Mathis would wreak havoc with his blinding speed. The Colts also rotated in other under-sized linemen like Raheem Brock for a handful of sacks a year in mostly spare playing time. They also had the defensive back sized linebackers that could run with any tight end or running back in the league, and provided the aforementioned pass rushers with a number of coverage sacks by quarantining the typical safety valves underneath. These players, like the departed Cato June and the still-underrated Gary Brackett, also swarmed in to halt opposing running games, and while they had trouble with larger backs, they were serviceable enough to at least prevent the opposition from ringing up big tallys on the scoreboard like their own O did. Nowadays, though, this Colts squad has just 10 sacks throught their first 8 games of the season, one of the lowest totals in football. And while Mathis is still stirring up trouble with 5 sacks so far, Freeney has really declined the past few seasons, and has just 3 sacks this year. To illustrated just how far Freeney has fallen, he had 51 sacks in his first 4 seasons (63 games), and appeared to be on his way to chasing down single season and career sack records. The last two and a half seasons though, when many pass rushers are expected to enter their primes, he has just 12 sacks in 33 games, a number he twice exceeded in a single season. I haven't watched him play a ton this year, but will be very interested in his play today.
-I'm so sick of the NFL slapping these fines on players for rough, but legal, hits. I understand that there will be times when the league will fine players for non-penalized hits, as the refs will miss these on occasion, and some discipline must be handed out in these situations. LaMarr Woodley's fining was an absolute B.S. move by Roger Goodell and his minions. Woodley had a very tentaive grasp on Jason Campbell against the Skins, and the only way he was going to get Campbell down was to toss him by the jersey, which is what he did, and Campbell happened to fly head first into the ground. If Woodley doesn't act in this manner, he likely doesn't get Campbell down, and the course of the game is altered. No player should be fined for an aggressive and rough hit that was totally necessary. And I don't even want to get started on the hypocritical nature of the NFL as a whole. For years the league has promoted vicious hits and a tough guy persona as two of its biggest marketing ploys. Simply because Goodell has done his best to phase these aspects out of the game doesn't mean these things will or should stop. If he wants to tone down the promotion of these types of hits, fine, but these players have been conditioned all their lives by the actions of past NFL visuals and methods, and you can't expect them to alter their game because of Goodell's desperate need to tone down the violence.
-Lastly, my prediction for this evening's festivities: Steelers 27 Colts 20
1. Larry Fitzgerald vs. The Steelers Secondary
Posts
