Running NFL Conference Championships Thread

Why does every game now have to end in a Hall of Fame discussion? So many are premature.

 

Bullshit.

That is such a lazy, tired piece of crap column -- the difference in this game was the quarterback and receivers. Pittsburgh has a great quarterback and a very explosive receiver in Holmes -- translation they can make big plays and change games. Baltimore has the second coming of Kent Graham -- and he's a rookie -- and not one receiver that scares anybody.

I'd ask the columnist - who by the way wrote the same exact column the last time the two teams played -- and it was an idiotic premise then, too, -- um, which team wins if you trade Flacco and say, Mason, for Roethlisberger and Holmes?

The Steelers defense may be better than the Ravens -- but this game did not prove anything other than Joe Flacco is a very mediocre player and the Ravens offense -- and this has become a broken record over the last decade -- sucks.

The difference, like I said, between the Steelers and Ravens was quarterback play -- the Steelers have one of the best and the Ravens do not have one that is even sniffing the top 20 -- and he is a rookie to boot.

Again, this was just a knee-jerk, let me put my Steeler homer glasses and rah rah the mush-head kool aid drinking fans with a column about defense when in fact, the column should have been about how Ben Roethlisberger made big plays every time the Steelers needed them.

Christ I hate Steeler-mania, particularly when it comes from media members who are so far in the tank for that franchise they might as well bring their terrible towels into the press box.

 

I thought the Steelers had proven it already. They turned in dominant efforts earlier this season against offenses significantly better than what the Ravens have. This was just one more piece of evidence.

Zag, I think you are underestimating the Ravens' offense and Flacco a bit, but you do have a point about the column. The play of the quarterbacks was the biggest difference last night, though I think the Steelers' defense deserves some credit for that.

 

I think you are underestimating how bad the Steelers' offense was during most of the regular season. The Ravens scored 385 points this season. The Steelers scored 347. Even if you take away defensive touchdowns (Baltimore had six and Pittsburgh had three), the Ravens still would have had more points.

The Steelers were also better across the board statistically, particularly against the pass. I'm not saying it isn't close. Baltimore's defense is outstanding. But Pittsburgh's is better.

 

Kyle Boller did as much damage to a franchise as any player I can remember.

What if Boller was good? Not great. Just good.

He would have two years of experience on Roethlisberger, and the Ravens of the past 2-3 seasons would just be an incredible team.

 

Fixed.

 

Pittsburgh's defense did not take a week off all season. The 300-yard stat proves that statement.

 

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Forget the statistical crap, there are reasons the Steelers offense didn't score as much -- whose offense would you take?

And more importantly which quarterback was not just better, but measurably better.

The Ravens led the league in takeaways and that helped them score points.

And unlike the defenses -- it ain't close between the offenses. The Steelers defense may be slightly better than the Ravens -- but THIS GAME did not prove it --which is why the column in question is silly.

The Steelers have had a banged up running game and did a lot of shuffling of the line for the first 10 games. Once they settled in on a line and stuck with it and once they got Willie Parker back healthy -- their offense is far better than where it ended up statistically and far more explosive and capable of scoring points than the Ravens -- and there is not even an argument about that.

 

Zag, I already agreed with you about the column. I agree with his overall point, but I thought the play of Roethlisberger and Flacco was a bigger issue in the game last night. I still think it was also more evidence of the superiority of Pittsburgh's defense, but I also think that point was proven during the regular season.

The Steelers' offense is playing much better right now, but it was shaky at best most of the regular season, including both meetings with the Ravens. Part of the argument above was that the Steelers got to face the Ravens' offense twice, but Pittsburgh's offense was just as bad during those first two meetings. Parker did not play in the first game and he was still hurting in the second one. He didn't really start to look healthy until the Cleveland game to end the regular season.

The Ravens also averaged more yards per game offensively than the Steelers in the regular season, 324-311.9. So Baltimore scored more points and gained more yards during the regular season, but Pittsburgh's offense was significantly better?

 

Yes, it was, because of the quarterback play and the ability of the Steelers to score points in the fourth quarter when they needed to.

You can give me all the statistical crap you want -- the Steelers did not HAVE to face Ben Roethlisberger three times and the Ravens didn't GET to face Joe Flacco three times.

Do you think Joe Flacco is taking the Steelers 92 yards to win the last game?

 

I see -- so the fact that Roethlisberger kept that touchdown alive by avoiding the rush and getting out of the pocket and then making a big-time throw under pressure and the fact that -- even though said defender fell down Holmes had to outrun the other 10 on the field for about 50 yards to get into the endzone.

That was two big-time players making a big-time play in a big game.........