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Steelers
vs
Patriots
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Fan Poll |  |
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Who deserves the bulk of the blame for the Patriots loss?
• The Entire Team
• Bill Cowher
• The Patriots
• Big Ben
• The Defense
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Scoring Summary
Scoring maintained by McMillen & Wife
First Quarter
NE - FG, Adam Vinatieri 48 Yd, 11:20. Drive: 5 plays, 18 yards in 2:13.
NE - TD, Deion Branch, 60 Yd pass from Tom Brady (Adam Vinatieri kick is good), 6:49. Drive: 1 play, 60 yards in 0:09.
PIT - FG, Jeff Reed 43 Yd, 1:22. Drive: 5 plays, 23 yards in 2:10.
Second Quarter
NE - TD, David Givens, 9 Yd pass from Tom Brady (Adam Vinatieri kick is good), 7:08. Drive: 5 plays, 70 yards in 2:52.
NE - TD, Rodney Harrison, 87 Yd interception return (Adam Vinatieri kick is good), 2:14.
Third Quarter
PIT - TD, Jerome Bettis, 5 Yd run (Jeff Reed kick is good), 10:54. Drive: 5 plays, 56 yards in 2:39.
NE - TD, Corey Dillon, 25 Yd run (Adam Vinatieri kick is good), 7:27. Drive: 7 plays, 69 yards in 3:27.
PIT - TD, Hines Ward, 30 Yd pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Jeff Reed kick is good), 2:35. Drive: 10 plays, 60 yards in 4:52.
Fourth Quarter
PIT - FG, Jeff Reed 20 Yd, 13:29. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards in 2:14.
NE - FG, Adam Vinatieri 31 Yd, 8:03. Drive: 10 plays, 49 yards in 5:26.
NE - TD, Deion Branch, 23 Yd run (Adam Vinatieri kick is good), 2:23. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards in 5:06.
PIT - TD, Plaxico Burress, 7 Yd pass from Ben Roethlisberger (Jeff Reed kick is good), 0:52. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards in 1:31.
Stats maintained by Will
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Steelers Offensive Leaders | |
PASSING |
ATT |
CMP |
YDS |
TD |
INT |
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Big Ben |
24 |
14 |
226 |
2 |
3 |
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RUSHING |
ATT |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
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J. Bettis |
17 |
64 |
1 |
25 |
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Big Ben |
5 |
45 |
0 |
13 |
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RECEIVING |
REC |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
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H. Ward |
5 |
109 |
1 |
30 |
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A. Randle El |
3 |
52 |
0 |
34 |
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P. Burress |
3 |
37 |
1 |
16 |
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Patriots Offensive Leaders | |
PASSING |
ATT |
CMP |
YDS |
TD |
INT |
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T. Brady |
21 |
14 |
207 |
2 |
0 |
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RUSHING |
ATT |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
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C. Dillon |
24 |
73 |
1 |
25 |
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D. Branch |
2 |
37 |
1 |
23 |
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RECEIVING |
REC |
YDS |
TD |
LG |
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D. Branch |
4 |
116 |
1 |
60 |
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D. Givens |
5 |
59 |
1 |
18 |
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T. Brown |
1 |
11 |
0 |
11 |
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Key Defensive Players | |
DEFENSE |
T-A |
SCK |
INT |
FF |
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T. Polamalu |
6-1 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
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J. Farrior |
5-5 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
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J. Porter |
4-2 |
1.0 |
0 |
0 |
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C. Haggans |
2-4 |
1.0 |
0 |
0 |
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D. Townsend |
1-0 |
0.0 |
0 |
1 |
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Key Defensive Players | |
DEFENSE |
T-A |
SCK |
INT |
FF |
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R. Harrison |
10-2 |
0.0 |
1 |
0 |
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T. Bruschi |
8-1 |
0.0 |
0 |
0 |
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J. Green |
3-2 |
1.0 |
0 |
1 |
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E. Wilson |
2-2 |
0.0 |
2 |
0 |
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R. Colvin |
0-1 |
0.0 |
0 |
1 |
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Here they come
Like clockwork, the anti-Cowher crowd has popped out of the soil and filled the air with their annoying, mindless drone.
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It was a good run
A bitter end to a great season
Article by McMillen & Wife
Kinda funny to watch all the anti-Cowher, anti-Steeler little balls 'O hate suddenly pop up outta the soil en masse to start molting and droning their endless mating call (or is it a hating call?) like seventeen-year locusts. Unfortunately, this particularly pesky, unwelcome species of insect is a parasite that appears after every Steeler loss (and often after a win, believe it or not) instead of just once every seventeen years. That's okay... I'll just squash the ones that get in my way and go about my business like I always do.
I can almost see the veins popping out on their abnormally small, sloped foreheads as they digest that paragraph and begin typing frantically, eager to point out that it's been even longer than seventeen years since the mediocre Steelers, their mediocre owner and their mediocre coach have won a Super Bowl.
News flash, cicada boys... 16-2 ain't "mediocrity". The Steelers have an outstanding team. Having said that, the better team won last Sunday. It's a shame, but it's a fact.
Your temper tantrums are embarrassing, people. It's one thing to have the Steelers be part of your identity, your personna. There's nothing wrong with that. But some of you have your own sense of self-worth so wrapped up in whether the Steelers win or lose that when things don't go your way, you just snap. Losing is so unforgivable that it means going postal on anyone who dares to still support the Steelers (particularly Bill Cowher) in the wake of the loss. Some of you have been doing it for so many years now that it's actually developed an unhealthy sort of disdain (if not outright hatred) for the team you "claim" to love.
There is a very small but very vocal "garbage element" of fans out there that only rears its head when things go wrong, hiding behind the guise of "realist" when the real motivation is resentment triggered by losing and driven by low self-esteem. These are people who have become so bitter that -- even though they "claim" to want a Super Bowl -- will be disappointed when we finally win one because it might somehow vindicate Cowher.
You people know who you are. There are places you can hang out that are custom-made for the likes of you. But you are not welcome here.
Now, about that game...
For those of you who don't know, Sandy and I (along with 65,000 other fans including our very own Tommy Coleman) braved the 10-below wind chill to attend the game Sunday. Here are just a few of my lasting impressions...
Bill Cowher made the worst coaching call of his entire career.
I love Bill Cowher. I think he is a fantastic coach. But Cowher's sphincter was puckering uncontrollably Sunday, and the contrast between Belichik and Cowher was stark. Belichik flat-out ran circles around him.
Even the staunchest Cowher supporters will have to acknowledge that he made several serious blunders in this game. In my mind, the most egregious was his decision to kick a field goal on 4th and goal from the two-yard line with nearly 14 minutes left in the game, even though we trailed by 14 points.
Had we successfully converted that 4th down, we would've narrowed New England's seemingly insurmountable 21-point lead to just a single touchdown with plenty of time left to finish the job. We had the momentum, the crowd was worked into a blistering frenzy, and the Patriots were back on their heels (it was the only time the Patriots' confidence showed signs of wavering during the entire game).
Even if you don't make it, you've got 'em pinned at their own two and you figure to get the ball back with good field position and plenty of time.
Yet Cowher decided to kick the field goal, leaving the team still trailing by two scores (31-20) and with no margin of error. We still needed two scores to win or tie, and in the tie scenario, we'd still be facing a do-or-die 2-point conversion... essentially, a one-shot "4th and goal" from the three-yard line instead of the two.
Hello???!!!
In my opinion, the ill-fated decision took the wind out of the crowd, sucked the life out of the team and effectively ended our hopes (however slim) of of a comeback.
Contrast that with Belichik, who after regaining a 14-point lead and driving into chip-shot FG range, ran a reverse on 3rd down that went for a shocking, demoralizing TD to seal the game.
This was not Cowher's finest moment, obviously. But I still love the guy. Is he the best coach on the planet? No. But in my view, he remains one of the top coaches in the league. He's a good fella who had a bad game. Speaking of which...
Ben Roethlisberger's dismal performance is the primary reason we lost.
Sorry to be such a master of the obvious, but Ben was horrible. Not much else to say, really. Certainly, the argument can be made that he was not helped any by our unbelievably unimaginative play calling, which continually put him in treacherous 3rd-and-long situations (why in the world didn't we try to throw on them when they were cramming 8 and 9 men in the box???). But that's no excuse for some of those throws. All three picks (and a couple more that easily could've been picked) were absolute stinkers that should've never been thrown. And the one that went 87-yards the other way when we were in scoring position was devastating.
I said coming into this game that whichever team turned the ball over the most would lose. Again, that's "master of the obvious" stuff, it underscores that Ben failed to do his primary job, which was protecting the ball and managing the game.
Oh, well. Ben IS still a rookie... he'll learn and grow from this. We never would've been in this game without him.
The defense looked like Swiss cheese.
I'm still not really sure what went on here. I thought about popping in the game tape to see if I could tell exactly what happened, but I just can't stomach it yet. There were lot's of breakdowns in the secondary, caused at least partly (if not mostly) by our inability to pressure Tom Brady. To me, our poor defensive play was the most disappointing aspect of this game.
In the secondary, Polamalu had his worst game of the season, Townsend and Williams each got torched for TDs and Chad Scott was Chad Scott, playing way too soft and giving up easy first downs. We did do a pretty good job keeping Corey Dillon in check for the most part, but giving up that 25-yard TD run following consecutive defensive penalties (a HIGHLY questionable holding call on Aaron Smith and a HIGHLY questionable unsportsmanlike conduct call on Clark Haggans) was a bitter pill to swallow.
The bottom line...
Hats off to the New England Patriots. They brought their "A" game... we didn't. They executed in all phases of the game... we didn't. They protected the ball... we didn't.
They deserved to win... we didn't. Go Eagles.
In closing...
In spite of its disappointing end, this was the most enjoyable season I've had watching the Steelers in many years! Sandy and I shared a wonderful, much needed, long overdue weekend in Pittsburgh prior to the game. We met some great people from all over the country (quite literally coast to coast, Seattle to Philly), made some new friends and solidified an old friendship or two. My biggest regret is that we once again missed out on meeting Mike DeLancey from SteelerGridiron.com. But as the saying goes... there's always next year.
Until then, bruthas & sistas!
Tim McMillen
Webmaster, McMillen & Wife
Mac & Wife is Hosted and Sponsored by Pittsburgh's Finest!
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Fan Smak & Analysis
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Leave YOUR Writing on the Wall! Sound off on our message board with your postgame critiques, analysis, ranting and raving about the last game as well as your predictions, smak, & insults about our upcoming opponent. Whether your message is a simple "Go Steelers" or detailed, in-depth analysis, tell us what you think! Note: Your comments will not show up on this page immediately.
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Author: BigGeorge4
Comment: Re: Patriots Postmortem - Mac & Wife
There's not too many who disagree that the field goal decision was wrong. Bill talks about home field advantage and the frenziness of the crowd, and single handedly squelched it.
Hindset is certainly 20/20 but I think the earlier decision to go for it on 4th and 1 was wrong, should have played the field position battle early on. But I'm sure nightmares of special team blunders were probably circling around in the old cranium. And where was the Bus running anyway?
Before the field goal the back-breaker play was the Aaron Smith holding penalty. In typical New England fashion, turn a turd into gold. It was a play going nowhere and a second straight three and out for the Pats, but it turns into an automatic first down. There's pure genius for you.
The list of Steeler mistakes, as well as the offenders, is long. The page listing the opponent mistakes is once again blank.
A fatal combination and another sad chapter.
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Author: AFLGUY1960
Comment: Game
I agree that the Steelers had great year but, in your analysis you said, " A HIGHLY questionable holding call on Aaron Smith?" What film were you watching. He wrapped up the running back with both arms....
But good luck nex year- except against the Pats!
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Author: charles1961
Comment: 4th down
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Had we successfully converted that 4th down, we would've narrowed New England's seemingly insurmountable 21-point lead to just a single touchdown with plenty of time left to finish the job. We had the momentum, the crowd was worked into a blistering frenzy, and the Patriots were back on their heels (it was the only time the Patriots' confidence showed signs of wavering during the entire game).
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yep, me and a friend who was watching the game with me me agreed, if we had went for it and got he 7 points, we'd be back in the ballgame,, thoses dam anouncers keeped saying, go for the fg, idiots! and like you said, even if we didn't make it, we have pinned the Pats to the 2 or less yard line.. Didn't the crowd Boo his dicision to kick the FG? to bad Ben didnt have more experence, he might not have thrown those ints.. take away 14 points and then see who might have won..
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Author: Buccobuddy
Comment: Re: Patriots Postmortem
Bravo Timmy Bravo
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Author: charles1961
Comment: calls
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(a HIGHLY questionable holding call on Aaron Smith and a HIGHLY questionable unsportsmanlike conduct call on Clark Haggans) was a bitter pill to swallow.
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as much as I would like to disagree with the refs on the Aaron Smith holding call, they was correct...I agree with you on the call on Haggens..
Cowher could see Ben wasn't gonna get the job done,Why not try Maddox for one or 2 rounds?
Cowhers need to drop his conservitive playing habbits.. he refuses to change his game plan, and it bit him in the rear this time..
glad the time off you had in Pittburgh helped...
I think The Steelers have more fans then all the other teams.
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Author: Terry12
Comment: Tim
The Cowher bashing is expected. Don't let it get you upset. Everybody has an opinion! No need to go on a crusade
I was telling you all year, that I am excited about the future of this team. I am a Big Ben fan. My cousin knows Big Ben from his days at Miami. Even before Big Ben was drafted, my cousin was raving about him.
Ben will improve, he will get us over the hump.
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Author: mcmillenandwife
Comment: What film were you watching?
Quote:
I agree that the Steelers had great year but, in your analysis you said, " A HIGHLY questionable holding call on Aaron Smith?" What film were you watching. He wrapped up the running back with both arms....
Actually, I wasn't watching any film. We were at the game, and on the only replay I saw on the Jumbotron, I didn't see any holding. If Smith was holding, that's my bad.
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Author: steelersal
Comment: Re: Patriots Postmortem
First of all I'd like to say,Glad you made it back safe.To bad the game did'nt turn out the way we all wanted it,but we sure went alot further into the season than we all thought we were in the off-season,and enjoyed a fantastic ride.
Now about the game;
Quote:
(why in the world didn't we try to throw on them when they were cramming 8 and 9 men in the box???).
As most of us know,Ben didn't know the whole playbook.Don't forget,Ben wasn't supposed to see action this year.He was supposed to stand on the sidelines,watch Maddox and ask questions about what he(Tommy) saw in the defense and why and what audibles were used.The plays he(Ben) ran were very basic,and what I noticed Ben never audibled(if I'm wrong somebody tell me),and the plays that were called in to him,were the plays run.A veteran QB would notice the defense was stacking 8-9 in the box and audibled out of a run to a play-action to keep the defense honest.
Belichick noticed this and when we didn't have 2 or more WR's on the field to spread the defense he knew we were running.(Heck I'm sitting in my living room the past 3-4 games and tell by our formations that we were going to run.)
I can't blame the coaches,they worked with and did a fantastic job with what they had (A ROOKIE QB)!!!
Quote:
Even the staunchest Cowher supporters will have to acknowledge that he made several serious blunders in this game. In my mind, the most egregious was his decision to kick a field goal on 4th and goal from the two-yard line with nearly 14 minutes left in the game, even though we trailed by 14 points.
I agree with you 100% on this call,I think earlier in the game when Bettis was stopped on 4th and 1,that this helped make his desision and I think it was wrong.
Some say we should of put Tommy in to replace Ben,yeah I no it's a win or go home game,but I think it's not a good decision.Ben is our future,not Tommy,and you can lose the confidence of a player if you pull them in favor of someone else so early in thier career.Ben has to learn from this experience and build from it.
All in all,it was alot of fun this season,I see so much hope for the future from this youngteam and I'm looking forward to next year!(Hopefully with Bettis!!)
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Author: Texas Steel
Comment: Re: What film were you watching?
Watch it again...he was illegally blocked in the back into the guy he "held" IMHO.
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Author: steelersal
Comment: Re: What film were you watching?
Quote:
Watch it again...he was illegally blocked in the back into the guy he "held" IMHO
That was a bush league penalty!Aaron was in a pile of offensive lineman getting pushed into Faulk!!
And I don't like to find excuses for losing as that play didn't lose the game for us.But it sure hurt us.
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Author: BigGeorge4
Comment: Re: What film were you watching?
Tex, you're right. I haven't seen any additional replay but he had beat his man, badly, and was being pushed from behind, which is illegal use of hands. It almost appeared as though Smith was simply using Faulk to break his fall from the illegal block being levied upon him after his opponent began to panic because on the screen as the playside tackle he had to handle Smith and not allow penetration.
I have yet to see any type of explanation from Smith about the play, did he think that Faulk already had the ball? Was it just a brain fart and he grabbed him? Or was he not trying to lose his balance?
Any way it's history, but what an untimely error.
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Author: fetch
Comment: steelersal
After reading some of the articles on ben after the game and how it was explained he was tired mentally and physically, I'm not so sure he would have minded if Maddox took over, these chances don't come around every year. He may actually may have been relieved. Yea he's the future but your right there ain't no tomorrow if you lose in the championship game. I don't think any coach in their right mind was thinking of next season during the game. If they were they should be fired.
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Author: searider86
Comment: Game Review
Could not agree with you more M&W. Great recap of the game and highly intelligent input.
I did not agree with some of Cowher's decisions, but I still respect the guy and am a supporter of his 100%.
Ben did play horrible and so did the defense.
Why do our guys find the worst time to play their worst game every time we are in this position?
Is it September yet?
Longing for Labor Day
Searider86
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Author: Terry12
Comment: searider86
The only way this will ever go away is if Cowher wins the Super Bowl.
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Author: roethlisburgh
Comment: Re: searider86
Yep, and until he does, it will always be "Well look at his playoff record". Thats what everyone goes to...
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Author: Your name here
Comment: Coming soon
turnovers did us in. but our didnt exactly shut them down. too many big plays.
re: playcalling
ben has the option to audible out of the play when he see's 9 in the box? why didn't he?
...anyway he had a real crappy game, again. lets hope it passes.
re:4th & goal
i didn't hate the call so much. we needed the d to make more stops. we failed earlier on a 4th & 1 and seemed to be working uphill all day.
go eagles!
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Author: rexdawg
Comment: Postgame
I agree with McMillen's perspective also. I was really expecting you guys to come back right before you kicked the field goal in question. It definitely dissapated all of the momentum of the team, and the ferver of your crowd. They booed, and showed they are smart fans. Even if you would've failed on a 4th down play, you still would've had the Pats backed way up.
Coaches are finding out more and more that playing it safe is not the way to go. Rarely, will a fan be mad at a coach for going for it, and failing, but they will always be upset if you play if safe and it backfires.
One final observation is that Ben must have been hurting. Nearly every pass was wobbly, ala Tim Couch, and I know first hand that Ben is capable of throwing strong tight spirals...
Anyway, good season Steelfans. You outclassed the rest of the division, and most of the league.
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Author: tommy g
Comment: f...that burn the tape
...tim this is the best post i have ever read from you.you took the words right out of my mouth.everything you said i agree on from loving cowher to what the heck kind of game plan was that leaving big ben to die out there to going for a field goal. i felt like we were trying to make the score look good not win.the only thing i saw missing that i saw different is that we should have used duuce earlier in the game.once i saw r.harrison get in the bus's face and not back down i knew the bus was going to have trouble once again with the pats.i remember you once saying to start the staley and jerome in different situations.i dont see how it worked like a charm on halloween starting staley to starting the bus.im no running back but why does jerome seem to run right into the blockers and pats when he has open space at a angle?haynes a scat back like carolinas foster would have been a better play call on that 4th and 1 early in the game or that beautiful 4and 2 at the goal line where we decided to kick.so much for if were going down were going down swinging,instead we threw a lazy jab. ...this sucks now guess i will be going fishing now on sundays.cowher in another probowl in hawaii is going to make me sick.i wish hed tell them no and have labeau or herman edwards coach it.
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Author: baday12345
Comment: rex
thanks dog. tough one. this team did seem to have some magic to them, too bad it wasn't enough.
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Author: SteelerGridiron
Comment: Tim
Outstanding article. You summed up my thoughts exactly. Damn. I wish that I could write that.
The Steelers will be back next year and we WILL meet for the playoffs in Pittsburgh!
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Author: NOYFB
Comment: Re: Tim
Here's to ya Tim...Sucks watching the visitors get the Lamar Hunt Trophy isn't it?
Anyway...I agree with what you posted...but I still think the way the Steelers prepare mentally has something to do with their lack of performance in AFCC games.
It's something that will never be addressed because it's such an individual thing...but it's a factor.
They've looked like a shell of what they were in the regular season in each AFCC game. It's a frustrating issue.
Anyway...here's a few more points about the loss:
Tommy Maddox should've played in the second half. I now hear that Ben had a broken foot...and still played. He sucked in the game before...and ALL the way through this last game. Why not put Maddox in?
Why were they still trying to establish the run in the 4th Quarter?
The Defense had NO turnovers. Zip. I really thought that they would turn the game around in the 2nd half...Nothin.
I was humiliated...they always choke. But I love 'em anyway.
Go Steelers!!
Whitey
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Author: notredamehesamightybozo
Comment: Cowher
Just a couple of things on Bill Cowher... granted, he's never won the big one, and yes, his playoff record good.
Look at it this way... the competition in the playoffs gets turned WAAAYYYY up a notch, particularly the deeper into the playoffs you get. The Conference championship game is as deep as the playoffs get so it is only logical that this is where the competition is toughest and the likelihood of a loss is the greatest.
Secondly, overall, the playoffs represent a tiny percentge of overall games played. These losses when compared to Cowher's outstanding win loss record really pale in comparison.
Cowher's the man for now and for a long time to come. Go get 'em next year BERGERS!
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Author: tommy g
Comment: did james farrior play
dont remember our mvp doing much.it looked like joey porter was the only one playing out there.worst play calling in steelers history and im not shocked at all.i remember the old odonnel days we used to come out passing in the playoffs and made the games close even though we were a running team.run run pass.everyone knew it,it was pathetic.every time we have played the pats its the same thing except on halloween.that worked great so why change it?next time please kick the ball off and let our team get settled in.were not the niners of the 80s and going down field.i was barely opening my first beer when big bens pass was intercepted.. damn i had to drink in a hurry to get my buzz before the game was over in the 2nd qt by the 4th i lost all confidence stopped watching it for awhile and shot some pool,came back and told my friends watching it.i couldnt watch it no more .whats the score now 100 to zero??? no pitt just scored..look they are going to score again.. yipee...go steelers...and the bus is stopped and here comes the field goal unit down by 14 ...
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Author: Try2bsly
Comment: Yea...but what a season
Tim that post was perfect!!!
This board is awesome and I loved all the great chats we had throughout the season. This season was special and very fun for me and I sure everyone else... I'm not jumping and never have...
I would take Bill Cower over any other Bill, Don, or name you come up with. He is not perfect..the FG was an awful call but there was plenty of time left in the game. I think he was going for momentum but "I" would have gone for it(or double bagged it). Ben looked awful and I agree the play calling was totally stale. Any defense could have stopped our passing game that day...
But, thats why I watch the game...because you just never know whats going to happen. Thank you everyone for being apart of one hell of a ride... Lets do it again!!!!!
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Author: Sarka196
Comment: postgame
Excellent post, Tim. Could not agree more with what you said. Keep up the good work.
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Author: steelers maniac
Comment: Well Done Tim, BRAVO!!!
Great article, Great Read, I give up two thumbs WAY UP. Outstanding.
Maniac
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Author: Tommy
Comment: I concur
In relation to the lil balls O'Hate Anti -Steelers, I heard a good line on Third watch today about Monday morning QBs...
I paraphrase:
'They have hours, if not days to over analyze a split second decision made in the heat of a game.'
-Doc (Michael Beach)
Highlight of my trip (besides getting a ticket for face value... thank you Greg from Philly!!!):
Riding up the Duquesne Incline... listening to the MNF Theme... with Tim & Sandy.
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Author: FETCH
Comment: SPLIT SECONDS
Yea game time its split second decisions but they had two weeks to prepare to make these split second decisions. I still didn't have a problem with cowher kicking the field goal. It also seems the other team always makes the right split second decisions... in the playoffs. lucky I guess?
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Author: Buccobuddy
Comment: Tommy Maddox
Quote:
Tommy Maddox should've played in the second half
NOYFB, I don't agree...Ben scored 24 points in the second half..what more could Tommy have done??? If the defense would have shown up in the second half...perhaps we would be the ones packing for Jacksonville...
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Author: Tommy
Comment: Put in Maddox
Uhhh... He has been absolutely horrible since... never mind.
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Author: swisshelmfan
Comment: boo-hoo
A tough loss to a NE team that had it all together. I agree about bad play calls, and just a lack of cohesion on both sides of the ball D and O. But what a ride! Hey real steelers fans, not those that have just showed up this season or so-cant say this is'nt the best we've looked in years.
What,- a team that was picked to win the Superbowl a few years ago (with Kordell)and instead embarrassed themselves limping home, you almost wonder if the
Steelers suffered a case of we-cant-live-up-to (the past)a syndrome other teams have escaped by never having a post-season.
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Author: WASteelersFan
Comment: Great Post, Tim!
Great to hear from a SANE person! Very well written. What a ride this season was...the JOURNEY in many ways is just as satisfying as the destination!
Lookin' forward to the Draft, Training Camp, and September!!! I get all the games out here in the "wilderness" (2000' in the Olympic Mountains) with my dish and Sunday Ticket...even got a generator ready if the winds come blowin'!
We will DOMINATE in 2005!!
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Author: ironcityfan
Comment: new to site
Very good observation, and great article. Thank you.
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Author: NOYFB
Comment: Maddox
Quote:
Uhhh... He has been absolutely horrible since... never mind
My point wasn't that Ben is a bad QB. And I agree that they scored a lot in the 2nd...but having the info I had at halftime...the fact that he looked horrible and timid and possible hurt, I would have put in Maddox. He may not have won, but the Pat's would have had to guess more on what the play calling was going to be.
It didnt' happen, and I wasn't upset that he didn't play. He's a good QB and I think a lot of people are so enamored with Big Ben they've forgotten that Maddox can play too.
Whitey
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Author: MickM
Comment: Whitey
Quote:
but having the info I had at halftime...the fact that he looked horrible and timid and possible hurt, I would have put in Maddox.
That was my feeliung at the half also.
To me Bens confidence was low at that time, and had been for a few weeks. Tommy may have been able to just give our offence that spark it was missing.
Sure, you can argue that pulling him out of a game like that will destroy his confidence even more, and that is a valid argument.
Its all history now though, I guess we will be debating this one for years to come.
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Author: Bill from Hanover
Comment: Just Win
It was about winning th egame, not losing the game ..... Hey, if Maddox had the chance to step in and play, we might be heading to Florida ?
No-One knows what would have happened ........ A game is played to win, right or wrong - case closed here for me !
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Author: Tommy
Comment: Re: Patriots Postmortem
Tim I believe you should print your Postmortem and mail a copy to Bill Cowher.
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Author: SteelerKraut
Comment: Re: Patriots Postmortem
Quote:
Tim I believe you should print your Postmortem and mail a copy to Bill Cowher.
You mean like the article that Tim send him a couple of months ago, where he stated that "the Steelers have no noticable weekness in any area" and "Wait till this year!" ....????!!!!!
I bought new satellite equipment to watch postseason Steelers based on Tim's promise that they were going to the Super Bowl. I will sue his lying ass for every penny he's got!!!! I might settle for a VHS tape counter offer....
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Author: mcmillenandwife
Comment: A few more remarks about Cowher...
Received this in my mailbox and thought it was worth posting and responding to. Not sure why it ended up in my mail instead of here in the first place, but it got my juices flowing, so here it is.
PPritch493 said:
Like clockwork, the anti-Cowher crowd has popped out of the soil and filled the air with their annoying, mindless chatter - but it would be easier to take if the 4 AFC Championships had been lost at a stadium where we did not have "home field advantage". He has to understand the power of momemtum. The players build on it and the fans help create it with crowd noise. Imagine what the crowd noise would have been on the next series if we had made a touchdown or even if we didn't and they were at there own goal line? The decision to go for the field goal instead of the touchdown shows that he does not have a full grip on the intangible aspect of the game. Cowher took his own fans right out of the game.
Could you ever imagine Chuck Noll, Vince Lombardi, Bill Belichik or Jimmy Johnson going for 3 in that same situation. Maybe this is why Cowher is now in the same league as Marv Levy.
It's hard to argue with the first paragraph. I agree totally. It's the second paragraph that bothers me.
The likes of Chuck Noll, Vince Lombardi and Bill Walsh (who was surprisingly omitted) are freaks of nature. The league might see one coach -- ONE -- of that calibre about once per decade, tops. There's usually one in every "generation"... although I'm not sure who I'd elevate to that level from the '90s.
Bill Belichik? If he wins his 3rd Super Bowl next Sunday, then yeah, I think you'd have to put him up there with the all-time greats. He is amazing.
As for Jimmy Johnson... I saw him coach exactly one playoff game without Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin. Jimmy Johnson lost 62-7 in that game.   'Nuff said. J.J. doesn't belong in the same breath with Noll, Lombardi and Walsh.
But Belichik probably does belong in that elite club.
That said, I really don't think it's realistic or fair to flog Bill Cowher (or frankly, any other current NFL coach) for not measuring up to Bill Belichik. It's kinda like wanting to dump Peyton Manning because Tom Brady is the one going to the Super Bowl. If you look around the league, you're going to see 31 teams with coaches inferior to Bill Belichik. He's the best. That's the way it is. But it doesn't make all those other coaches a bunch of bums.
Obviously, I think Cowher coached lousy game last Sunday. But you can't blame Cowher for everything. Troy Polamalu made numerous gaffes, two of which resulted in Brady's longest completions -- a 60-yard TD bomb and a 46-yarder that set up another TD. In Polamalu's defense, this was his first trip to the playoffs. I'm not knocking Troy. He's a wonderful player (maybe our best on defense) who has been great all year. But the players have to execute in big games. Troy didn't.
Likewise, it's wrong to blame Cowher for Ben's Ints. Ben is also a wonderful player, but he made bad decisions. Was poor play calling a factor in Ben's sub-par performance? Absolutely. But Ben's inexperience is ultimately what led to those picks.
Cowher tried to compensate for having a rookie under center by running a lot on first and second down. Obviously, the hope was that the O-line would be able to bully New England's defense even when they put 9 in the box. But they bullied us. Game over.
And by the way, the accountability has to work both ways, folks. Cowher deserves tons of credit for adjusting the offense and positioning his rookie QB to have a season of unprecedented success. We lost so many key players on both sides of the ball this season, and we just kept winning.
We just kept winning.
Until, that is, we had a bad game against a team that was every bit as good as we were (perhaps better) and had a helluva lot more experience. And the experience of New England's veteran players was the real difference, in my mind.
It's no coincidence that our biggest breakdowns came where we had the least experience. Bill Belichik put a bullseye on our two best young players (Polamalu and Roethlisberger) and victimized their youth. You've gotta credit him for that.
Is Belichik a better coach than Cowher? Certainly. But there's only one Bill Belichik. Aside from him, I'll take Cowher over just about anyone I can think of. He has us in the hunt, year in, year out. As long as he keeps getting us shots at the title, there's hope.
And one of these years, he's gonna get it done. Maybe next year... 
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Author: tommy g
Comment: lmao kraut...i feel for it too
not to mention the steelers trophy me and my daughter made that had cowher as the recepient, with all thees other steelers players and numbers and little steelers helmets over the pats helmet.im suing too because i believed in their magic at games
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Author: tommy g
Comment: i meant fell...hey tim i was watching inside the nfl
last night and maybe again tonite since i tried to watch it with one eye not wanting to look.i saw that they booed on that field goal..can you let us poor unlucky folks know how was it at the game???was it very nervous?drunk cuz of the late start?happy?how about after the game..it looked like lots of people left..did you?if so i dont blame you not wanting to see the trophy presentation...how bout the parking lot or ride home.
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Author: Steve Sabram
Comment: Good editorial
I like what you said. I'm Langley High School '84 and Pitt '88 when I grew up in the 'burgh. While in high school, it was amazing how much "the Steelers suck" I was hearing when they stopped winning Superbowls for the rest of the decade. "Get a life!" I told a lot of them. As I was in college, Chaz retired and Cower was hired. The Roonies know they have a very nice captive market in the Ohio Valley and they will sell out every game no matter what. About the only fan base I can compare to the Steelers are Giants and Packers fans.
I wonder how many Steeler fans would take a second mortgage on their house to keep their season tickets to fund a new stadium like what many Packer fans did in the last few years. But anyhow, it was refreshing to hear you tell of the cry baby Steeler fans that all too much go ballastic when it is below perfection. Keep up the good work.
Steve
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Author: Your name here
Comment: Coming soon
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