heels, sox & steelers
I loved the call to go for it on 4th down in the 2nd quarter. One of my concerns was that Tomlin wouldn't be as aggressive on 4th down as Cowher was and it seems that he will be even more aggressive. This is good as I think most research points shows that teams should go for it way more often on 4th down.
"I think Deshea had a groin, but no word on the extent..."
Not to bust, Ryan, but I found this line hilarious. Pretty every player on the team has a groin... And I have no interest in finding out to what extent...
"Does anybody eles find it mind-boggling that Big Ben only completed 12 passes, and a third of those were touchdowns?"
In a related story, that Dial-a-Punter the Browns got was tragically eaten by Ted Washington following the game, who mistook him for a chicken nugget. We were getting the ball in field goal range after some of those punts!
Nothing worse than listening to the commnetary here and not having watched the game..It's a long sad tale I won't bore you with.
But at least it wasn't a nail biter. I get the idea that there were drops all over the place by the Steelers. 4 by the WR`s, 2 by Dookie, one by FWP...man! So I guess I can assume Ben was not to blame for most of them? Well, his QB rating and 4 TD`s kind of stand out a little more importantly anyway.
Thank god we seem to have weathered the mantastic pic blizzard. Back to reassuring violence inflicted by Silverback on drunk Browns fan. mmmm..Steeler goodness.
FW,
Duly noted on team "members." Rim shot ... for the rim shot ... okay, I'm finished (that's what she said!)
Rob D,
Of all the problems for the Steelers to have heading into Week 2, dropped passes is probably among the best. Because I feel quite confident that it won't be an issue all season. Or for another week, for that matter (crosses fingers, knocks on wood).
There was an even better, more glorious, article on the Browns website talking about how the offense showed explosiveness on that one TD drive.
Hang on while I find it...it was amazing.
FW, nice to see you back... am I right that you've been gone a while?
http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/a...cle.php?
id=7281
There it is.
Absolutely amazing. The headline alone is worth it.
They just forgot to mention that drive should have ended on the first play when the usually awesome James Farrior dropped an INT right at his grill.
It is obviously way too early to make career comparison, and this is the honeymoon period, they just gave the Browns a smackdown and all. But as a man starting his coaching career, Tomlin appears to compare favorably to Cowher. He seems to have more creative ideas for the offense, has more focus on the special teams, and has a real passion for details and individual accountability. Plus he shares Cowher's love for power football on offense and aggressive D and having a coherent team strategy.
I'm sure Tomlin's flaws will emerge, as no one is perfect. For example, we'll see how he handles adversity, how he does in big games, how many Lombardis he hoists (if any), etc. But from the day he was introduced until now, count me among the impressed.
Adam, that's awesome. For one brief shining moment, it was Camelot.
Their writer has Vickers as being illiterate when he speaks, saying weather instead of whether. Or maybe the writer is a complete moron.
To put it simply, Tomlin obviously has better players to work with, but he flat-out kicked a third-year coach's ass in terms of preparation in his first game.
Did you watch Brad Childress during his first season? He looked like a tennis coach for more than half the year.
Yes Tomlin has been impressive. I'm mad at the Browns because when we kick their asses, it doesn't tell us too much about our team. It's like trying to figure out if Ohio State is any good while beating up on a division I-AA opponent. All the same we really destroyed them. I can almost hear the wailing from northern Ohio all the way out in Colorado.
Well, I'm searching for some negatives because this game was hugely positive overall (especially at the QB position), and this is the best I can do (some of this may have already been discussed, but I haven't read the game thread):
1) Tomlin may have been mildly bold on the 4th-and-an-inch at midfield early in the second quarter, but barring a fumbled snap, Ben was going to pick that first down up easily. Earlier on, I wasn't crazy about the FG decision on 4th-and-1 at the Browns' 8, especially after eschewing the run on 3rd down. Against a better/tougher team, you want 7 in that situation.
2) I still have serious questions about the offensive line. It seemed like Ben was running for his life over the entire unproductive 2nd quarter, and even got banged up a bit. I'd have expected the opposite with a 17-0 lead over the lowly Browns, but the Steelers at least appeared to straighten things out at halftime, or maybe the Browns' defense was just exhausted from spending most of the day on the field.
Is there any way to access the archived audio of the game without Field Pass?
OK, it's been decided. we should be rooting for the ravens.
so far:
ogden, ray (ray) lewis, steve mcnair and ed reed have all gone to the sidelines at various points due to injuries. most have returned, however, at this rate they won't have a team by the time they play the steelers.
These two teams are beating the hell out of each other.
I love it.
what a suprise! a cheap shot by a ravens player!
Adam's Cleveland article "Offense flashes during TD drive" makes one impatient for tomorrow's "Three straight three-and outs bode well for Browns' defense, despite being generally terrible."
So is the Bengals D that improved, or is the Ravens O who we thought they were?
i don't know but the bungles are catching up to the ravens in injuries. i didn't realized that levi jones isn't playing. apparently C Ghiaciuc and RT anderson are also hurting. if this game goes to overtime nobody may be left standing, and the steelers will win the division by default.
from PFT:
QUINN ERA COMING
The obvious meaning of the news that quarterback Ken Dorsey is back in Cleveland is that the Browns are getting ready to begin the Brady Quinn era sooner rather than later.
Quinn and Dorsey forged a strong friendship, to the point that Quinn openly bemoaned the decision of the team to release Dorsey after the preseason.
Now, after starter Charlie Frye didn't make it for a full half and backup Derek Anderson didn't fare much better, it appears that Dorsey will be back to help accelerate Quinn's preparation.
If/when Dorsey is re-signed, the Browns could carry four quarterbacks. Or they could try to trade Frye or Anderson. Or they could trade one of them.
Bottom line -- this move means that Quinn will be playing, soon.
I'd like to see the Cincy fans go home with a nice divisional "L" tonight.
Two in a row.
Plus have both teams softened up.
My preference is to see a victory by the Ravens this evening.
The Bengals have such fragile ego's that a loss at home on Opening Night may really effect them...translated, the Bengals are mental midgets...
Ryan, you're probably right. If the Steelers played the Browns for 16 games, then Ike might get those 16 picks. If he ends up the regular season with half of that, I will write a poem in his honor. Maybe a haiku or sonnet of sorts......GO AROD!!!
wow, i'm really hoping that Tim will have to write a poem. hey Tim, how about a sonnet?
How did the limerick get left out as an option?
I was very impressed with the victory on Sunday, and while watching it on my parents' 52" LCD HDTV, I was in a bit of a daze the whole time.
I'm glad that Tomlin is getting to start a bit easier than most new HCs, with the Browns being his first game and the OC and DC offering some consistency for the players and not bringing in totally new schemes. He's in a great situation, and so far so good.
Wow, that was a pretty good play on the McNair tipped ball interception.
By the way, I'm certainly pulling for the Bengals, because they'll find a way to self destruct at the end of the season or in the playoffs if they make it there.
mcnair won't last 16 games.
Kyle Boller just put his helmet on.
It's Boller time, boys and girls!
check that, boller won't last 4 quarters.
i'm rooting for OT. bring on fitzpatrick vs boller!
On a different note, I'm curious as to how Tomlin will address the Steelers as they prepare for the Bills. I'd love to be a fly on the wall to hear this one.
Obviously the Bills will be distracted by Everett's injury, but the Steelers' players can't help but ponder it, and be distracted by it, as well.
Every guy who steps on that field next week will think that but for the grace of God that could be me lying on that hospital bed. Plus the press will be hammering on the story non-stop all week.
Given the severity of the injury, this will be a difficult speech, and it will tell a lot about Tomlin's ability as a manager to keep his team focused but mindful.
On one hand, he has to get his players motivitated to go out there and overwhelm their opponent; but on the other hand, at some level, he has to acknowledge the possible devastating consequences of the job.
It's a difficult balancing act, I think, and easy to underestimate.
Clearly, Ken Whisenhunt is not the genius that Mike Tomlin is.
For some reason I can't understand, I found myself rooting tonight for the Ravens (whom I hate!!); however, I think we should be glad Cincinnati won.
Baltimore won't shoot itself in the foot like this during many games, and we need them to rack up as many senseless losses as possible.
Is it just me or is watching this Bengals-Ravens game making you feel better about our chances in the AFC North? The Ravens are losing key players at a frightening rate and the Bengals offense looked decent, but not intimidating.
Something got me after CJ scored the TD. If you noticed, he ran off the field to get his props and two or three coaches or coaching assistants ran in and helped him to prep his post-TD celebration. Did they really have nothing, you know, game-related they could have been doing instead? Does that seem like the staff of a focused team?
Randy, the Everett thing is really terrible. I have to think it will effect his teammates more.
Also, Randy, you've asked at least twice if the Steelers can beat the Ravens. After the MNF game, would you agree that they are beatable? McNair with a groin and Ray Ray with a tricept already looked very banged up, and those aren't easy injuries to recover from. Sams is hurt, which puts Reed on PR (on which he's great, but it makes him more of a target). McGahee, from what I saw, was not the excellent back I remember. And Boller at QB does not equal a good team. What do you think?
i don't imagine that the everett injury will affect the steelers too much. they will know about it, but they didn't see it.
we hear about bad things happening all the time, and while we may shake our heads, it doesn't sink in like it would if you witnessed it.
Tirico asked of the 4 Bengals who was the biggest Johnson and he, Jaws and Kornheiser giggled like school girls. I will no longer apologize for my 12-year-old comments here. Now as for Henigin's idea for a limerick....
Easy,
I'm going to cop out and say, sure the Ravens are beatable. "Any Given Sunday" and all that, you know?
But I still think they're incredibly tough. They had six turnovers tonight on enemy turf--and still could have, and probably should have, won the game.
I mean, we're sitting here hoping that they've lost a bunch of their starters before we face them. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but what does that tell you about how we perceive our team and theirs?
But do I feel better about our chances? Absolute-ly.
Randy, I'm not so much that I'm hoping the Ravens will lose starters (ok, maybe I am hoping for it with McNair a bit). It's more that I expect them to have lots of injuries, since their core players may be the oldest in the NFL. That is a fundamental part of who they are and why they area limited team.
Glad that are feeling better about our chances, though.
Cols714, earlier today you wrote: "It's like trying to figure out if Ohio State is any good while beating up on a division I-AA opponent." When I read this, it was hard not to think about Michigan-App-uh-latch-un State... sometimes you just gotta win the games you are expected to win... and do so convincingly.
Also, with the Steelers schedule, it may not be until game 5 or 6 that we get a sense of how good this team is...
luckily matt bahr's punt wasn't blocked (it was close), else boucette's head may have exploded.
Greeny just talked about the pass intended for "Sean Mor-ay," who apparently is the 4th wide-out in Arizona.
Also, didn't realize that Wayne Gandy was their starting LT.
JB,
I hear the Mor-ay silliness too. I think that's Mike Gandy. This might be the worst organized game I've ever watched in its entirety.
Vince Lombardi couldn't right the ship in Arizona or Cleveland. Coaches matter, but players matter way more!
In complimenting the special teams (and Reed's big increase in touchbacks), this may be the closest Eddie B comes to saying he was wrong. These stats are certainly in the spirit of the original Robo-Punter thread on FO:
Sepulveda also showed why the Steelers spent two draft picks in order to get him on the fourth round this year. He averaged only 37.2 yards on six kicks but none was returned -- five were downed and one a fair catch -- and four were downed inside the 15. Of those four, three were inside the 10 -- one at the 2, another at the 5.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/
0...id=steelers.xml
Easy, I thought the exact same thing. Looks like Ed is swallowing his first spoonful of crow.
Which is fine. But frankly, I don't see anything wrong with him taking a stand on what he thought was a dumb draft move to get Sepulveda. That's his job.
He should be allowed his opinions, and he should have the right to speak about them. No one around here hesitates to use that privilege.
We just want to make sure that as he's proved wrong, he admits it, which is what he has begun to do today.
Watching Kyle Boller do his thing last night was one of the funniest moments of the entire year. He goes in, three passes in a row he throws falling off his back foot, twice it was late over the middle. And people wonder why he never succeeded.
Randy, i don't think most people were upset with eddy b. voicing his opinion. i think it was that his opinion was so strong and at the same time so illogical.
he never supported it with facts like listing all the great 4th and 6th round picks the steelers have gotten over the last 10 year (because that would be a very short list). and he constantly griped about the trade and pick of sepulveda. those two things, i think, are what rubbed people the wrong way.
Just an idle thought, but how would you like to have a business card that reads like this:
BROWN NOSE TACKLE
TED WASHINGTON
Why isn't Eddie madder'n a hog with his tail a-fahr about, ohhh, guys like Cameron Stephenson not making the cut, or worse: the recent day two guys who didn't even latch onto the practice squad for whatever reason. Omar Jacobs? Orien Harris? Freddie Gibson? Bo Lacy?
I know my undies are still in a bunch over losing Bo Lacy, and more importantly, the draft pick we wasted to get him.
Coversely, when you get great value from your undrafted players, doesn't that offset the tragedy of losing a second day pick? Yes, we had to cut Marvin Philip, Eddie. It was a shock to us all, and I confess I wept openly. But we liked Darnell Stapleton enough to keep him. So did we really lose anything? Does having four of our five running backs coming from the ranks of the undrafted take some of the sting out the Bo Lacy fiasco?
Ed just needs something to bitch about, 'parently.
FW - agreed, the undrafted FAs make up for the spent draft picks. Plus the Steelers have hit on their first 2 picks often enough that they can afford to screw up some of the later round stuff. Not that it wouldn't be great to hit on all your picks, but this is unrealistic.
Ike Taylor on the Jim Rome show talking about his 1st sack and how he takes more satisfaction in his interception than his sack. Also apparently their nickname for LeBeau is "the wizard" and they have extreme respect for him.
Also says that Tomlin demands and has the players' respect.
Fin,
Not that it matters, but Orien Harris was on the Steelers practice squad until last December when he was plucked by Cleveland, which obviously did them a lot of good. He was waved by the Browns three weeks ago.
The Browns just traded Charlie Frye, their opening day starting QB, to the Seahawks for a 6th round pick in next year's draft. Why the Seahawks wasted a pick on this guy is beyond me. Way to go Brownies. Who the heck is evaluating talent for this team?
Woah, clicked on heelssoxravens by mistake 
No matter what the circumstances, I'm always pleased to see the Ravens take a loss. The Bengals have never been a problem when it counted. I'm not sure why everyone is worried about them now.
Jesse, obviously you didn't get Bilick's take on Boller's perfomance. He said post game that he saw Boller throw 3 TD's on 3 passes, but that they were either dropped or not called correctly.
I personally think that this is a VERY good trade for the Seahawks. They get what I consider a very good "backup" QB very cheap. Frye isn't as bad as he appeared in this game. His line didn't give him the time on alot of plays. It would appear that the Browns front office was in a panic to try to satisfy the fans, and made a very poor trade. But, I guess, getting anything for a guy that most teams probably knew was going to be cut is probably a "win" for the Browns.
I'm surprised we haven't seen any quotes over the past two days from someone in the Steelers' organization complaining that they had to play 6 preseason games while most other teams had to play only 4.
I can almost hear the wailing from northern Ohio all the way out in Colorado.
Cols714
I drove across Ohio to Morgantown, and almost felt bad for Crennel and Frye as everybody was calling in for their heads on the talk radio. Almost.
You know, if Seattle will pony up a R6 for Charlie Frye, I'm thinking we can probably get a R7 out of 'em for the rights to Tim Couch.
That'll help some with the whole Sepulveda fiasco, Eddie.
Am I dreaming? Does the club have a chance to play Charlie Frye again? A week after playing Chukky Okobi? Life is good.
Lots of really good comments today. I won't name names so that I don't receive the Ted Washington business card.
The Steelers recent success with undrafted FAs has been pretty amazing. You'd have to give Colbert an A+ in several drafts if the following guys had been 6th and 7th round picks: Willie Parker, Nate Washington, Gary Russell, Darnell Stapelton, Arnold Harrison, Greg Warren, Dan Kreider.
Even though their stories are a little more complicated, throw in James Harrison, Jeff Reed, Chris Hoke and Carey Davis, too.
That's about 1/5 of the roster...
I guess Eddie B hasn't given up the ghost, and now is telling Paul Harvey stories about 1974...
Ed Bouchette: I don't believe punters make that much of a difference. But that's just me. He is proving to be a good one, and right now that's all that matters. I'll just say it's a good thing in 1974 they decided to draft a wide receiver on the fourth round instead of a punter. He turned out to be John Stallworth.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/0...4/816564-
66.stm
Three things...
One, the ol' Steeler retirement home has obviously relocated from Jacksonville to Arizona (who wants to take bets on Faneca ending up there?)
Two, the Patsies are who we thought they were... NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has determined that the New England Patriots violated league rules Sunday when they videotaped defensive signals by the New York Jets' coaches, according to league sources. NFL security officials confiscated a camera and videotape from Patriots video assistant Matt Estrella on the New England sidelines when it was suspected he was recording the Jets' defensive signals. Sources say the visual evidence confirmed the suspicion. Goodell is considering severe sanctions, including the possibility of docking the Patriots "multiple draft picks" because it is the competitive violation in the wake of a stern warning to all teams since he became commissioner, the sources said. The Patriots have been suspected in previous incidents. The Patriots will be allowed an opportunity to present their case by Friday, sources said, most likely via the telephone. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said on Tuesday that no official decision has been made and that the club has not been notified. The league also was reviewing a possible violation into the number of radio frequencies the Patriots were using during Sunday's game, sources said. The team did not have a satisfactory explanation when asked about possible irregularities in its communication setup during the game. Goodell is expected to have a decision no later than Friday but that is not set in stone.
And three, Bouchette is a moron. 'nuff said.
I believe the Statute of Limitations runs out at Midnight tonight regarding the Browns so here goes:
I watched the game again on Shortcuts (did I already say Thank God for DirecTV?) and have a couple of observations:
- Larry (thank you Ryan) Timmons was in on just about every, yes I said every, Special Teams play. A bust he is not nor will he be.
- Ryan Clark is Krazy (with a 'k' for emphasis) - he hit everything that moved out there....
- Some of Big Ben's throws were sick (is it still hip to say that - wait, I've checked they were 'off the chain')
Now bring on Buffalo and those yellow helmets....
....and according to ProFootballTalk.com it appears that Ray Lewis AND Jonathan Ogden may be out for the year...
In news that makes you go, whew....
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news...ov=ap&
type=lgns
Good news about Everett, I really hope he can walk.
Guys, guys, guys, there should've been absolutely positively no debate on who to root for on Monday--the Bungels.
Who do we hate the most? The Raisins.
Who is the favorite to win the North? The Raisins.
And, gulp, who kicked our butts a zillion to seven last year? The Raisins.
And I don't buy the argument that we can beat them now with all their injuries. I want to play them at full strength, man to man, and see who beats who.
RE: EB
Ease up on him--he's actually Bruce Arians and he's still pissed we didn't draft an O-lineman in the 4th.
And I agree, great potential news about Everett.
Phenomenal on Everett.
Sad for Ray Ray and Ogden, even though it helps the Steelers. I agree with David and everyone who said they'd rather see everyone healthy and see who wins.
If the Ravens fall off, the season schedule starts to look pretty easy. I'm not saying we'll go 15-1 again, but the Pats game is the only one that is hard to see us winning. I prefer, though, that the teams in our division to be good competition because it is better prep for the post-season. Was it Lombardi or Confucious who said, "If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best?"
QOD: what is the appropriate punishment for the Pats?
Disband the franchise.
Draft picks work if they are high picks like a 1st and 3rd or a 2nd and 3rd. If all they lose is a 5th and 6th or something like that, that is isn't worth it.
QOD: I think picks are good. I'd be fine with a 1 pick and then something, or a 1st one year and a 2nd the next year. The gift that keeps on giving!
QOD: I think any penalty should include a suspension of Belichek. If using steroids is cheating and earns a 4 game suspension, why is this different?
I don't think we need Goodell to do anything too Draconian. Stripping the Pats of their 3 Super Bowl wins should suffice.
Like Eddie B., I don't believe punters make that much of a difference. But that's just me. He is proving to be a good one, and right now that's all that matters. I'll just say that in 2005 they decided to draft a wide receiver instead of a punter. He turned out to be Fred Gibson.
If we romp in the AFCN, will people say it's because of injuries to the Ratties and Bungs? Because nobody was crying about Ben too much last year: a few weeks in, and it wasn't that he had the accident/appendectomy/concussion/various dings. No, it was a simple matter of him, and by extension the Steelers, sucking. Anyway, I know I'm not crying if Ogden's out. Let the SOBs suffer.
Terrell Davis said that they should not be allowed to be in the playoffs, life NCAA and bowl games.
QOD: public floggings!! I like spectacle.
Seriously, aside from the punishment, what team is going into New England now without a 'sweeper" to check for electronic surveillance? I wonder what else they got going..are they listening in to all communications like the NSA? lol..bizarre stuff. Think Belichick is going to have some fun press conferences?
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