NFL Divisional Round Thread: Another Step on the March to the Eagles-Titans Super Bowl

Well, if the Vikings make the kick they're a more SOLID No. 2 seed in Sunday's NFC Championship Game. Now they're a crappy didn't-even-cover-the-spread No. 2 seed.

 

I agree. The need for the kick works in the regular season but makes zero sense in the post season. I couldn't imagine if this happened in the Super Bowl they would actually get that PAT kicked with the absolute cluster fuck the place would become.

 

I watched a replay of the final touchdown from the pylon camera. The end zone ref threw a flag immediately after Diggs threw off his helmet. They never enforced or even announced a penalty. Kudos to the refs for picking up the flag. You cant have an excessive celebration on a walkoff playoff touchdown.

 

I guess they could have assessed 15 yards on the conversion attempt.

 

I disagree..
The calls to clean house are over the top.
Fire Butler? Ok, maybe, but why? Because the defense sucked? I could buy that if they drafted better. The LBs and secondary have not developed. They have a good DL and that's it. It's Not Butler's fault most of the Steelers defensive draft picks and signees failed to pan out. The poor play of the defense cost LeBeau his job.
Fire the special teams coach? Ok ... Boswell is terrible at onsides kicks (BTW, Tomlin should have kicked it following the Steelers previous TD). And Jordan Berry is a fair punter at best. Specials teams returns did next to nothing. But Boswell was money on FGs and PATs this season. How many game-winners did he nail?
Fire Haley? If Roethlisberger has a problem with them, OK. But they put up 42 points. 5 TDs passes! Normally 42 points wins a game. Those lack of QB sneaks were bad, but the bottom line was the defense couldn't make a stop. Period.
And I don't think its Butler's fault. The weaknesses have been there for about seven years. The Steelers have been unable to get the necessary personnel.
You can't make steak with hamburger.
Don't fire the coaches, can some players: Mike Mitchell, Artie Burns, William Gay, Vince Williams, Bud Dupree, shit, everybody NOT Named Joe Haden!

The Jags have OWNED the Steelers since their inception. They are good team. 13-3 is nothing to sneeze at.
They had to beat a Jags team that has dominated them over the years. including this season. AND the Patriots. That wasn't happening.
Let's be honest, this team didn't have the defense to get to the Super Bowl, muchless win it. It's a God Damn Miracle this team only had 3 losses. That 8-game win streak had how many game-winning last-minute drives? Three, Four? That's the offense getting it done. Not the defense. Butler did a decent job with the crap he had to work with.
You can second guess Tomlin's clock management, and all the other shit (stupid 4th down play calls), but the bottom line is the defense gave up 45 points and couldn't get off the field or make a stop when needed.

 

You also need to kick if it a team is down by two or less as the defensive team could potentially score. There was no need to go back on the field last night.

 

Um ....

How does this not count?

 

Because there was 5 seconds remaining when Harris scored.

Steelers unveil Immaculate Reception monument | CBC Sports

 

Because there was still 5 seconds left when he scored.
I thought the Music City Miracle was a walk-off, too, but there was still enough time for the Titans to have to kick off.

 

I don't get why Pereira's explanation even makes sense for the regular season. If point differential is so crucial for a game that ends in regulation, even on the very last play, then why would point differential not matter in a game decided in overtime?

 

No idea. That's a good point. The tiebreaker just says net points. My guess is because overtime is sudden death there's no need to worry about further points. Kind of a punishment if you will for needing overtime.

 

At some point, you have to put some blame on the defensive coaches when the defense fails to develop. The Steelers have spent quite a few high draft picks on that defense in recent years. Heyward, Shazier, Burns, Dupree and Watt are all first-rounders. Davis and Tuitt were taken in the second round. Hargrave was a No. 3. Burns, Dupree, Davis, Tuitt and Hargrave all regressed this season. Sure, Tuitt was hurt, but that trend is disturbing.

All coaches who get fired can claim they needed better players, but at some point you make the change. After watching Burns and Davis make the same stupid mistakes over and over again, you have to question the jobs being done by Butler and Lake, the secondary coach. When the linebackers are out of position time and again and Dupree never gets any better, don't you have to look at Joey Porter's work as outside linebacker's coach? Hell, Butler was a linebackers coach for years and that unit failed all season.

Yes, Mitchell has to go. He's terrible. He constantly takes bad angles and he is too slow to the ball on double-teams almost every time. Burns is going to have to fight Sutton for his job next fall and I hope they find somebody to challenge Dupree at outside linebacker.

I don't think they should make changes to the coaching staff and assume that is enough. I'm saying they need to make changes and upgrade their defensive personnel through free agency and the draft and they have to make changes to the coaching staff. I know this team doesn't usually chase big free agents, but they need one at safety and probably linebacker as well.

Regarding Haley, I think it may come down to the shaky relationship with Roethlisberger. I know they scored 42 points Sunday, but I don't think that was due to the game plan. The offense started horribly, but they have so much talent. How many of those touchdowns were outstanding athletes making great plays? Bryant's score before the half was a perfect throw and a receiver turning on the speed to get to it. The second fourth-and-long was Brown making a great catch with a receiver all over him. The same was true of Bell's touchdown reception. Bell's rushing score was pure improvisation by him and Roethlisberger. Haley didn't draw that up.

Regarding special teams, the return game has been awful for years, but they did make progress late. They also blocked two punts this season, so that is something. I'm not sure a change is needed there, but I wouldn't argue if they fired Smith.

If the Steelers come back with the same coaching staff and most of the same players next year, they are going to come up short again. And after that, the window could easily be closing with Bell leaving as a free agent and Roethlisberger retiring.