A very happy and prosperous New Year to each and every one of you. This afternoon while nursing my Ne Year’s Eve hangover, I watched all the happenings of of Week 17 with the rest of America and thought to myself, how much did we really learn that we didn’t already know?
Backing in to the playoffs isn’t such a bad thing: The Cincinnati Bengals, Denver Broncos, and Houston Texans all backed in to post-season play despite unimpressive performances down the stretch including Week 17. However, if any of these teams win next weekend, no one will remember how badly they stumbled into the dance.
Backing in is better than not getting in at all: Just ask the Jets. Yeah, I know. That goes without saying. Twenty other teams would love to be in the position that the playoff bound teams are in no matter if you backed in or steamrolled in like the Green Bay Packers.
Santonio Holmes was not on the field for the closing minutes of the Jets' season-ending loss, and a team source said the captain "quit" on his team. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
Mark Sanchez, Rex Ryan, and the Jets are all overrated: Remember when Mark Sanchez led the Jets to back-to-back AFC Championship games? Remember when Rex Ryan garunteed a Super Bowl prior to this season? Yeah, well, the bottom fell out of all of that for the Jets. How bad was it? Sanchez was intercepted three times and Santonio Holmes, who happens to be one of the offensive captains along with Sanchez, was benched following an argument in the huddle. In fact, after the game, one unnamed Jets teammate said Holmes “quit” on the team. Furthermore, sources tell ESPN senior NFL analyst Chris Mortensen the Jets are leaning towards revamping their offensive coaching staff, despite an organizational philosophy of stability. There’s definitely turmoil surrounding the Jets and its safe to say the honeymoon period is over for Rex and the Jets.
Matt Fynn is going to get paid: No Aaron Rodgers, no problem. The 15-1 Green Bay Packers didn’t miss a beat with Rodgers holding the clipboard and Matt Flynn under center. The former LSU draftee completed 31 of 44 passes for 480 yards and six touchdowns. Wow! Flynn is the only quarterback other than Brett Favre or Rodgers to start for the Packers in the last 20 years, and he had better stats today than either of them ever had in more than 300 combined starts. Mr. Flynn is going to get paid big bucks in free agency next year. The only question is, where?
Tim Tebow is not the answer: The Broncos are going to the playoffs even if they aren’t a particularly good team. Their third straight loss puts them at 8-8 for the season and will raise further questions about Tim Tebow’s long-term viability as a starting quarterback.
This was one of the more wretched big game performances you are going to see out of a passing game. Tebow completed 6-of-22 for 60 yards and average of 2.7 yards-per-attempt. He was intercepted once and lost a fumble when in scoring range. Tebow was 30-for-73 with one touchdown and four picks in the last three weeks. He has seven fumbles in his last four games. That should be a clear indication for John Elway to start backing up the truck load of money in Matt Fynn’s driveway.
The Raiders are still the Raiders: Many fans in Raider Nation thought this would be the year the Raiders would snap out of it and make the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Instead, the Raiders aren’t going to the playoffs after losing three of their last four games. The Broncos left the door wide open for the Raiders to sneak in the back door and all the Raiders had to do was beat the Chargers at home and they couldn’t do it. Yup, the Raiders are still… the Raiders.
The injuries continue to mount for the Texans, Steelers: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger returned to action following a high ankle sprain but despite is return, the injuries tontinue to mount for the Steelers. Running back Rashard Mendenhall went down with a knee injury in the first quarter against the Cleveland Browns. He was tackled at the end of a carry and immediately grabbed his knee in obvious pain. He limped off the field and then to the locker room and did not return. After the game, head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged the injury appears to be significant and has already been ruled out of next weeks playoff game at Denver. Reports indicate it could be a torn ACL for Mendenhall. They could also be without safety Ryan Clark on Saturday.
The Houston Texans used another quarterback on Sunday. It was the fourth different quarterback to line up under center for the AFC South champions this season. Third stringer T.J. Yates has started since taking over for backup quarterback Matt Leinart in week 13 due to injury. Leinart started week 12′s game against Jacksonville following a season ending foot injury to franchise quarterback Matt Schaub one week prior. In week 17′s season finale against the Tennessee Titans, Yates was knocked out of the game first quarter on Sunday with a bruised left shoulder but could have returned, according to the Texans. Veterin Jake Delhomme took over for Yates and wasn’t bad for a guy who was on his couch a month ago. No matter, don’t expect Delhomme to start a playoff game next week. The Texans fully expect the rookie to be good to go against Cincinnati on Saturday.
The Giants are streaky, but are heading for the playoffs: In the NFL’s regular season finale, it was a winner take all NFC East championship game. Eli Manning and Victor Cruz lead the way as they did all season, and the New York Giants are headed to the playoffs.
And the Cowboys finish a frustrating season by losing to their division rival. There will be no playoffs in Dallas. Controversy always surrounds the Cowboys and Sunday night was no different. Tony Romo’s unsuccessful fourth-and-1 quarterback sneak deep in Giants territory in the fourth quarter on Sunday night was a costly failure in the Cowboys’ season-ending loss, and afterward Romo and Garrett were both asked who deserved the blame.
Going for it on fourth down was the right call. But going through with the sneak, even after seeing that the Giants were lined up and ready for it, feels like a poor decision. Romo should have checked out of the play that Garrett called in from the sideline.
Now that the NFC East is decided, we finally can stop all of the wild and crazy potential playoff scenarios and seeding speculation. The field of 12 hopefuls is set and action begins on Saturday.
By now we know that Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers are on the brink of another Super Bowl. This time they face an even more formidable opponent in the person of Aaron Rodgers and his Green Bay Packers. The game will be talked about at nauseum by the time we get to the game in Dallas and that is just fine with me. However, you and I both know that plenty of other topics will be touched on during Super Bowl Media Day.
A video clip from Sunday’s AFC Championship Game has turned into a viral video, and it involves Ben Roethlisberger and Rashard Mendenhall celebrating after the teams victory in a very unique way.
The chances of that topic surfacing on Media Day are pretty good, don’t you think?
The 2011 AFC Championship and NFC Championship games are here, and they are going to be good! The AFC Championship game features the loud mouth, trash talking New York Jets taking on those familiar “Terrible Towels” in the Steel City, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The New York Jets are flying high, but they better come down to earth quick. Even though they backed up all their predictions about the New England Patriots, they have an even bigger game this Sunday against a team with a much better defense. The 2011 AFC Championship game will likely prove to be quite an intense game indeed!
The 2011 NFC Championship features a black and blue rivalry that goes back over 50 years, the Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears.
This far into the season you can throw out the X’s and O’s, forget about passing yards, stats, etc. The AFC and NFC Championship games are going to come down to who wants it more, period!
These two games are going to be tough to predict. Both of the games could truly go either way!
Green Bay Packers @ Chicago Bears – Sunday 3:00 P.M. FOX (Packers -3) This is going to be an all-out war. The black and blue division representing who goes to Super Bowl XLV. Oh, these games are getting to tough to call. Aaron Rodgers is rolling in these 2011 NFL playoff games. Can the Chicago Bears defense slow him down? What’s the best way to cool off a hot quarterback? Great defense. Both of these teams feature talented defensive units but I would have to give the edge to the Bears defense especially if he plays. The biggest question I have going into this game is can the Bears offense do enough to win? Can Jay Cutler do enough to win and not turn the ball over. If I’m Mike Martz, I’m going to make sure he doesn’t have to do too much because I will give the ball to Matt Forte. The Bears have got to make the Packers one demensional and not allow them to run the ball. Sounds crazy, but I want to Aaron Rodgers beat me. I think the Bears are going to be able to get enough pressure off the edge to bother Rodgers and I think it’s going to come down to special teams and that is where I give the Bears the clear advantage. A rocking Soldier Field, a Presidential endorsement, and a late Robbie Gould feild goal get it done and send the Bears and President Obama) to the Super Bowl in Dallas.
Pick - 23-20, Bears
New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers -Sunday 6:30 CBS (Steelers – 3.5) This game should be a thriller! Hard hits, trash talk, cold weather – old time football. This week the Jets won’t be going up against the 25th ranked defense. They will be up against a lot but nothing they haven’t faced and beaten before. Last week, I mentioned how it would be tough to bet against Ben Roethlisberger in a close game in the fourth quarter at home, however, the Steelers offensive line appears to be in shambles after last week and I’m not positive they’ll be able to keep Ben upright against Rex Ryan’s complex blitz packages. I know, the Steelers O-line has been patched together all year but they were beat up last week against Baltimore and were down to no reserves in the fourth quarter in that game. Additionally, who knows the Steelers better than Rex Ryan?
Ryan spent years preparing game plans against Big Ben and the Steelers while working as the defensive coordinator in Baltimore. The Jets have beaten the likes of Peyton Manning and Tom Brady already this postseason and now have the chance to defeat Big Ben and the Steelers on the road for the second time this year. The Jets have built quite a playoff resume that few thought was possible, except for the Jets themselves.
As for the Steelers, when they were defeated by the Jets earlier this season Troy Polamalu did not play. Ben Roethlisberger’s playoff experience shouldn’t go unnoticed. Since he entered the league he’s done nothing but win. Despite all of his transgressions and issues away from football he wins. After being suspended for the first portion of the season, he picks up right where he left off and now has his team on the brink of another Super Bowl appearance. All of that is true but you have to wonder if the Steelers will have any type of hangover after that extremely physical and emotional win against Baltimore just a week ago. For a Mike Tomlin led Steeler team you would have to think it’s unlikely but certainly it’s possible.
The same can be said for the Jets who are coming off a highly emotional win themselves over the New England Patriots. Will there be any hangover from the Jets? My guess is that you will see a little something at the start but both teams will quickly settle down into the flow of the game. I love both of these coaches and have tremendous respect for both teams and what they have gone through to get to this point. The Jets are hot right now and playing out of their minds right now. The Steelers are the Steelers and have play-makers on both sides of the ball. I have some questions about them seeing as how they were thoroughly outplayed by the Ravens in the first half and were the beneficiaries of a collapse from Baltimore in the second half. However, when it came time for big plays, the Steelers made them just as the Steelers are known to do. In most cases, I’m inclined to go with the hottest team at the time but I can’t bet against Big Ben, Mike Tomlin and the Steelers until they prove me wrong.
This game could go either way and I wouldn’t be surprised no matter who wins. I CAN’T WAIT!
The Baltimore Ravens dropped a 31-24 nail-biter against arch-rival, Pittsburgh Steelers, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, ending their season.
The Steelers bounced back from a 21-7 halftime deficit to outscore the Ravens, 24-7, in the second half of the game. The score was tied at 24 with only three minutes left in the game, but two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger did what many, including myself, have come to expect from him, leading Pittsburgh to a game-winning touchdown.
Pittsburgh will now advance to the AFC Championship for the fourth time in seven years, and will face the winner of the New York Jets-New England Patriots.
While the Steelers trailed by two touchdowns at the half, it was the Ravens who fell apart in the in the second half as the team they love to beat most came back to knock them out of the postseason. The Steelers are 9-0 against division teams in the postseason.
The Steelers were trailing 21-7 after turnovers created two Ravens touchdowns. But they came back with the help of three Baltimore turnovers in the third quarter. It was so bad, the Ravens’ minus-4 yards in offense wasn’t the worst of it; they ended with 28 yards in the second half. Baltimore was outgained 263-126.
One of the key cogs fueling the rivalry by the two teams, Hines Ward caught the tying touchdown summed things up by giving the Ravens some buliten board material heading into next season.
“What better way to put the Ravens out of the tournament, they keep asking for us and we keep putting them out of the tournament. They’re going to be ticked about this for a long time.” - Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward
You’ve got that right Mr. Ward.
Later in the third quarter, Joe Flacco overthrew tight end Todd Heap, and Ryan Clark returned the interception 17 yards to the 25. Three plays later, Roethlisberger found ol’ reliable Ward, absent in the offense most of the day, for an 8-yard touchdown pass and it was tied at 21.
Along the sideline, the Ravens had the look of a team that couldn’t believe it had squandered the lead — and couldn’t figure out how to get it back. They never did.
“All you can do is take a shot at being great, our guys did that all year. We just weren’t great enough today to win the football game.” – John Harbaugh
Carving up the NFC’s top-seeded team, Rodgers threw three touchdown passes, ran for another score and led the Green Bay Packers to their second straight postseason road victory with a stunning 48-21 rout of the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night.
The Packers will have to win one more on the road to complete their improbable run from sixth seed to the Super Bowl, but nothing looks out of the question the way Rodgers is playing. He’ll lead Green Bay into the NFC championship game at either Chicago or Seattle next weekend.
Rodgers completed 31 of 36 passes for 366 yards, more than Brett Favre – the guy he replaced in Green Bay – never threw for in a playoff game.
In fact, 2010 was a rough year for a lot of athletes, not just Tiger Woods. Both Ben Roethlisberger and Brett Favre were involved in sexually-charged controversies of their own, and Favre followed up one of his most impressive seasons in 2009 with one of his worst in 2010 – likely his final NFL season.
But 2010 might be remembered most for the players who overcame their demons.
Eagles quarterback Michael Vick literally went from the doghouse to the penthouse in Philadelphia, rising from a backup to Donovan McNabb and then Kevin Kolb, to an MVP candidate.
And LeBron James, who was crucified in 2010 for his “Decision” to go from Cleveland to Miami, is putting together another MVP season of his own.
Which player will wind up with the MVP and potentially capture their first ring remains to be seen in 2011, but they certainly headlined the list of top stories in 2010.
Here’s a closer look at the top stories of 2010, as told by yours truly:
1. LeBron James takes his talents to South Beach
“This fall I’m going to take my talents to South Beach and join the Miami Heat.” –LeBron James–
It was that quote that started it all. The LeBron James hate parade has marched across the country since ‘The Decision’ aired on ESPN in July. Clevelanders, NBA fans, and people who have never watched a basketball game in their lives united under one massive banner to smite down the man that has become a national symbol of narcissism.
The viral vendetta against LeBron is unprecedented in scope and size for the sports world. Even the most hated professional athletes haven’t felt the web’s wrath like this fallen icon. The Tiger Woods sex scandal drew anger from fans, instantly sparked thousands of jokes and sent some of his sponsors sprinting away, but he wasn’t demonized throughout online media. Michael Vick’s dog-fighting ring set his image on fire, outraged fans and animal rights activists, and inspired countless Halloween costumes, but his recent comeback on the Philadelphia Eagles hasn’t been marred by a nation-wide campaign against him.
Sure, LeBron quit, and he left his city to rot. But others have done the same and it didn’t incite national hatred.
2. Michael Vick goes from the doghouse to the penthouse
It was basically a fact heading into Week 15 that the top two candidates for the MVP are New England Patriots’ quarterback Tom Brady and Philadelphia Eagles’ quarterback Michael Vick.
Almost everybody had Brady first and Vick second. (A few threw in guys like Philip Rivers or Matt Ryan.)
And almost everybody agreed that Brady had the MVP race all but wrapped up, myself included. A debate is really not necessary because Tom Brady should indeed be the MVP.
3. Tiger Woods’ fall from grace
What seemed unthinkable until El Tigre was a gray haired overweight golfer on the Senior Tour has happened 15 years too soon – he has lost his #1 World Ranking.
The fall of Tiger Woods is complete.
4. New Orleans Saints win first Super Bowl, Moore of the same this season
Last season, a dynamic offense and a bend but don’t break defense led the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl championship, but this season a stingy defense is keeping the Saints in contention as the offense is struggling for an identity while missing their top two running threats in Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush.
5. Lakers win 16th championship
Champions should never, ever be counted out. Ever!
But the Lakers didn’t look good from the get-go. The offense was miserable almost the entire night, but enough guys stepped up to hit big shots after big shots. Who would’ve thought that the Lakers would rely on the shooting of Ron Artest on a Game 7 to keep them in the game? Who would’ve thought that Kobe Bryant would shoot just 25% on the biggest game of his entire career? Who would’ve thought that Pau Gasol’s toughness down the stretch would be a key cog in the Lakers’ 16th championship banner?
But above all, who would’ve thought that the Lakers’ on-and-off again defense will be the one that will save them all?
6. Cam Newton overcomes controversy, wins Heisman and BCS?
Cam Newton, the top offensive player in college football, not only gives opposing defensive coordinators a case of the willies, but also causes Heisman voters to shake in fear of placing his name on a ballot.
But this has nothing to do with whether or not Auburn‘s phenom quarterback is worthy of the award based on his performance on the field.
7. San Francisco Giants win first World Series
Celebrating with Cody Ross near the on-deck circle as the ball curved over the wall, Andres Torres said to his fellow San Francisco Giant, “He told me he was going to do it.” And it should come to no one’s surprise that Edgar Renteria did. The 35-year old Columbian shortstop who won the World Series for the Florida Marlins thirteen years ago as a baby-faced 21-year old delivered again in what might have been the final at-bat of his career.
8. Roy Halladay tosses no-hitters, wins Cy Young
In July, you probably read a stat-filled column by Philadelphian Jayson Stark with a title very similar to that one.
But you can expect national columns about “Old Hoss Halladay” Consider yourself warned.
9. Brett Favre’s rollercoaster ride of a season
You may have noticed that I have remained relatively quiet on the whole Brett Favre streak-ending saga up until now. That wasn’t unintentional. We figure you can find your fill of Favre news pretty much everywhere else on TV and the web. In fact, you probably can’t really escape it right now.
But during the Vikings-Giants game, with the NFL’s ironman watching from the sidelines in street clothes for the first time since the Clinton administration, we couldn’t help but notice something.
With all due respect for what he’s accomplished over the course of his career, Brett just looks old. With his hand purpled and his face and body showing the wear and tear of 297 starts, for the first time ever, the guy actually looks his age. It’s painfully clear – surprisingly, even to Favre himself – that it’s time to hang ‘em up.
10. Lady Huskies win streak ends at 90
Top-ranked Connecticut’s record 90-game winning streak in women’s basketball ended Thursday night when Stanford outplayed the Huskies from the start in a 71-59 victory. What the lady Huskies were able to accomplish was unprecedented and deserves every accolade given to them. Unfortunately for them, it’s a big deal when they lose. After winning 90 straight games, their first loss warrants being a top story of 2010.
Happy New Year to everyone. Please be safe. Thank you for your continued support and I can promise you that great things are in store for the blog in 2011. It’s very hard to believe that it has been almost a year for this blog. I couldn’t have imagined it would’ve gone this well. Thank you to everyone for reading and who believed in me enough to launch this blog. I couldn’t have done it without you!
Finally, what we all thought would happen, has happened. Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension has been reduced from 6 games to 4 games, as per Jason LaCanfora’s Twitter page (@JasonLaCanfora) Roethlisberger met with commissioner Rodger Goodell in New York when the decision was made. Roethlisberger will not be eligible to play again until the Steelers’ Oct. 17 home game against the Cleveland Browns. The Steelers’ bye occurs the previous week, so Roethlisberger will have two weeks of practice entering that game.
Roethlisberger is the first player suspended by Goodell under the personal-conduct policy who wasn’t arrested, charged with or convicted of a crime. However, Goodell said in April that the policy allows him to impose such a penalty when the NFL’s integrity and reputation are at stake.
Roethlisberger cannot practice once his suspension begins Friday. He plans to work with a California-based quarterbacks coach, George Whitfield, and he’ll throw to some free-agent receivers who are looking for work in the league.
I came across this in the Sporting News Blog and thought this was interesting.
Ben Roethlisberger will not face charges from the DA in Milledgeville, GA
Ben Roethlisberger will not be charged after a month-long investigation into an incident at a Georgia club in early March. But does anything that happened — or didn’t — in Milledgeville on March 5 change anything about Roethlisberger’s standing with the Steelers?
Two weeks ago, Steelers coach Mike Tomlinwas content to let the case run its course, saying
“I think at this time it’s kind of appropriate to watch these things and let these things run their course.” Steelers president Art Rooney II also felt no need to rush to judgment: “At the moment, I think we’re in a situation we’re going to let this investigation play out and then go from there.”
We’ve gotten our jollies at TSB posting lampoonings of the Steelers’ recent off-field issues. But with Roethlisberger’s indiscretions preceding underwhelming on-field performances by the Black and Gold, it’s fair to wonder if a third moment of spectacular stupidity colors evaluations of the Steelers’ star’s judgment — and dooms this Steelers season to mediocrity.
In 2006, Roethlisberger crashed his motorcycle while not wearing a helmet, breaking his jaw and missing the first game of the regular season; the Steelers followed a Super Bowl season with an 8-8 mark. Last year, Roethlisberger was named in a civil suit that alleged he sexually assaulted a casino employee in 2008; the Steelers’ 2009 mirrored their 2006, their Super Bowl defense ending with a 9-7 record and no playoff berth.
In years that weren’t preceded by off-field troubles for Big Ben, though, the Steelers have been brilliant. The Steelers are 65-33 in the regular season since Roethlisberger was drafted in 2004, but 48-16 in seasons that follow tranquil off-seasons on the Big Ben front, with both Super Bowl victories and an AFC Championship loss coming in that stretch. That gaudy winning percentage was likely the key factor in Roethlisberger getting a massive extension in 2008, and it certainly seems more than coincidental that it is hurt when Roethlisberger encounters personal tumult.
Roethlisberger hasn’t been convicted of any crimes, and hasn’t faced any discipline from the NFL. But would it be surprising for Roger Goodell to suspend Roethlisberger for part of the 2010 season? And would it be shocking to hear that Pittsburgh’s brass is dismayed by their quarterback’s penchant for trouble?
The NFL’s short season and parity help make correlation and causation nearly impossible, but the Steelers’ mediocre seasons following both of Roethlisberger’s previous incidents are at least evidence that Big Ben’s troubles haven’t lead to great team performances in the season immediately following them.
It will be interesting to see if 2010 breaks that trend.
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Matt Fynn is going to get paid: No Aaron Rodgers, no problem. The 15-1 Green Bay Packers didn’t miss a beat with Rodgers holding the clipboard and Matt Flynn under center. The former LSU draftee completed 31 of 44 passes for 480 yards and six touchdowns. Wow! Flynn is the only quarterback other than Brett Favre or Rodgers to start for the Packers in the last 20 years, and he had better stats today than either of them ever had in more than 300 combined starts. Mr. Flynn is going to get paid big bucks in free agency next year. The only question is, where?
Tim Tebow is not the answer: The Broncos are going to the playoffs even if they aren’t a particularly good team. Their third straight loss puts them at 8-8 for the season and will raise further questions about Tim Tebow’s long-term viability as a starting quarterback.
It was that quote that started it all. The LeBron James hate parade has marched across the country since ‘The Decision’ aired on ESPN in July. Clevelanders, NBA fans, and people who have never watched a basketball game in their lives united under one massive banner to smite down the man that has become a national symbol of narcissism.
