The Official NFL 2005 Season Thread

[MDMARI]

What is Brady now in postseason 9-0 or 10? Denver will lose. And smiles is Flutie retirin after this season or what? What a way to go out if that was his last game.

 

[alasdairm]

go pats!

that is all.

alasdair

 

[LapDawg]

also, a little known fact around the league is that the Steelers are 4-0 against the Colts in the playoffs. whodathunkit? they are just 4-1 alltogether with regular season games included.

It's also good to note the last time the two played in the playoffs was 10 years ago. Sure, Pitt holds a 17-5 all-time advantage, but this is certainly the most explosive Colts team they've faced in 30 years, if not ever.

 

[smotpoker]

yeah i SERIOUSLY do believe that Cincy is better than Pitt, we tore you guys up in Pitt, I'm sure you haven't forgot that.

And who did it, none other than Palmer.

And I do think it was dirty, but hey, the Steelers have a history of taking chaep shots at Bengals QB's. Remember when Clark Haggans took a chep shot on Palmer back in December? Or howabout in 1983 when Keith Gary yanked at Bengals QB Ken Anderson like a twist-off soda bottle?
IMO, any hit below the waist is "d-i-r-t-y" on a QB. So von Oelhoffen's dirty hit was hardly precedent-setting.

It's a waste of time to say the Bengals would've won the game had Palmer played it's entirety. But it's not too far-fetched to think, and claim, that the Steelers best chance to victory would be if Palmer got knocked out of the game.
I will say this to, I guess Pitt's credit: Why was it, that instead of letting Rudi J or Chris Perry run it down Pitt's throat, did Cincy offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski allow Jon "I wish I was faster" Kitna to heave 40 passes? Two got picked off.

 

[smiles828]

What is Brady now in postseason 9-0 or 10? Denver will lose. And smiles is Flutie retirin after this season or what? What a way to go out if that was his last game.

that would be 10-0.

that was an awsome way to end a magical career. i can almost bet that flutie will retire at the end of the year. and i will be willing to bet that the pats will hire him on in some sorta coach/front office position. in fact, if, god forbid, brady goes down. i believe Matt Cassel will go in to replace him. he showed a lot of promise against miami.

i think smotpoker is right. if the pats, indy, denver and the steelers lose their qb, that will be the end of their playoff run for this year.

 

[axl blaze]

^ that can be said for any NFL team. Cinci needs to take things slow. they finally just got good again this year. they aren't going to be able to be a challenged tried-and-true playoff contender year out like the Steelers right off the bat. sorry, if a team beats the other team 2 outta the 3 times in the season, the victorious team is obviously better. the Bungles seem to forget about the first meetup this year @ Cinci. the Steelers ran all over you, it wasn't even close. at least the second game at Pitt we held it close. the Bengals just aren't as physical as a team as the Steelers. just wait though, you guys will be great in a couple years.

banquo: I agree with you that I like how the Steelers are playing the underdog angle. you are right in that those high seedings seem to be a curse to us. anybody hear Ben Roethlisberger's comments on Indy? something like: "it will take our A plus game and their B minus game for us to win. I mean, who expects us to win, we are only the Pitts Steelers?" I hope Indy underestimates us. I think this is the year of the black and gold, I had a dream about it the other night of the Steelers winning the SB. this is Jerome's last year and that horse needs A RING. what better way to send him off in his hometown of Detroit, MI?

here we go Steelers, here we go!
I bleed black and gold.

 

[ChemicalBeauty]

Sorry motherfuckers. The Seahawks are en route to their first SuperBowl appearance AND victory.

:D

 

[smiles828]

Sorry motherfuckers. The Seahawks are en route to their first SuperBowl appearance AND victory.

:D

i agree with the appearence. but not the victory.

 

[MaddenChamp]

even with the entire NFL and refs wanting Indy to win for the great Dungy/Manning storyline, Pitt STILL whooped that ASS bitches!

What are we, 5-0 against Indy in the playoffs now??? LMAO!

GO STEELERS!!!!

 

[Snakecharmer]

Indy sure looked mediocre today, didn't they?

 

[MaddenChamp]

No...they looked like they always look in the playoffs. That was typical Colts playoff football...it had nothing todo with not looking good on a paticular day. They were outplayed in every aspect of the game by a more physical, playoff proven, football team.

Thats not to say they arent a good team. But, they certainly arent great. Manning choked again, and the Colts even had home field advantage. If i were a colts fan, i wouldnt get excited about a season until after they actually win in the playoffs.

If there were any doubt, and there shouldnt have been, that Brady is a better QB than Manning, let there be no more. Looking at Mannings contract, and that of James, and Harrison, i dont see Indy getting back to this position again for a pretty long time.

Good game though, even though they tried everything possible to give the win to the colts/Dungy. That was one of the most biased and one sided officiated games i may have ever seen. And that isnt me saying it because i am a steelers fan, that is every announcer on ESPN saying it too.

 

[axl blaze]

the upset and the fix

^ they looked good enough. what got me going as a fan of the game was Manning's post-game comments. he has a history of losing the big game and doing it without class, IMO. essentially he called out his line and called them out for the loss, "protection issues." the whole situation just did not sit well with me

also, I think something was going on with the ref's constant bad calls and given opportunity's to the number one seed and media darlings, the Colts.

I think these type games are FIXED. you saw it 1st hand today.. the refs ensured the media darling Colts were in this game and even gave them an opportunity to win it - when in fact, they shouldn't even have been in the game to begin with.

known Steeler haters Boomer Esiason and Shannon Sharpe said that if the Steelers lost this game, it would have gone down as one of the biggest NFL injustices in the history of the game. yhey said, without question, the Steelers deserved to win this game during the post-game report.

if this game didn't look like a FIX, I don't know what does. every NFL fan in America saw the Polamalu INT and the video was clear proof it was clean! Even Dierdorf was at a loss for words - it was unjustifiable.

oh well, move on..................... to Denver we go!

 

[Banquo]

known Steeler haters Boomer Esiason and Shannon Sharpe said that if the Steelers lost this game, it would have gone down as one of the biggest NFL injustices in the history of the game. yhey said, without question, the Steelers deserved to win this game during the post-game report.

this was very surprising to me too. NFL commentators are very careful, since they are subject to influence by the league when it comes to their jobs. but Boomer had it right. the botched interception call cost the Steelers eight points with the missed pass interference call in the second quarter likely costing more points. the game was NOT as close as 21-18.

ugliness aside, this was one of the greatest steeler games in memory. i never thought the eruption of joy that occurred after the Colts were supposedly stopped for the final time on fourth down could be surpassed, but after the dead silence of the Bettis fumble and the missed Vanderjagt kick, the group I was watching the game with nearly blew the roof off the apartment building.

the Colts had a great season. if they fill a few holes and re-tool their defensive strategy, i think they will go much further next year. but LaBeau had their offense clocked today, and having Rothlisberger pass on first down was the crucial agressive kick the team needed. most of the media will probably put the Steelers in the underdog spot for the rest of their season, however long it may be, but that will never keep this Steeler fan down! god bless the black and gold.

...and without being specific, the outcomes of some of the other games were also particularly satisfying for the Steeler faithful.

 

[MaddenChamp]

How do you get "much further" next year than a number 1 seed in the playoffs?

Manning just cant win the big game, much like his daddy. Seems like little bro Eli may have the same problem too. haha I think its hilarious, an entire familly of great QB's that CHOKE in the playoffs! *Cough* Cough* *Choke* Choke*

And thank the football heavens that New England lost! They have our number, and the less times we play them, the better for the steelers.

 

[Banquo]

How do you get "much further" next year than a number 1 seed in the playoffs?

by winning playoff games.

far be it from me to defend the Colts, but many people have complained that Cowher can't win the big game either. just look at his AFC Championship record. i don't think Denver will be as much as a challenge as the Colts. their offense seems to be more run-based, and running against the Steelers is pretty damn hard.

 

[LapDawg]

Regarding the reversed interception call...

Upon seeing a couple of replays, I said to the two steeler fans I watched the game with that there was a possibility it could be overturned, and that the longer they looked it the better it was for Indy. I personally agree that it was a pick and a fumble, but from an objective standpoint I had to admit there was that opening for the reversal simply because his knee was on the ground. I know you guys feel like you were punked, a la the Raiders and the "tuck" rule...but I'm willing to bet that, according to official NFL rules, their call is correct in its interpretation.

If anything, Troy should have just laid on the ground and not done anything after he picked the ball...eliminating the possibility of what transpired afterwards.

The incessant need to say the game is fixed, though, is unnecessary. This isn't the NBA . The Steelers still had the lead even with the TD and 2-point conversion and still were in the driver's seat for the entire game, until the fumble by Bettis almost knocked them out of it. What a tackle by Big Ben to save everything.

It's funny...I felt that the Steelers were a team that could end Indy's undefeated season, but they didn't. Then I thought this time Indy wouldn't lay such an egg with everything finally falling into place for them this year.

Bad eggs don't get much bigger than this.

The Curse of Dungy and Manning still lives on....and boy, I'm now feeling it's highly doubtful we'll ever see it end. This was the year for them...and they blew it. There's no blaming the snow and cold weather this time around. The Manning/Marino comparison has been floating around for a couple years now, but I think we can all say it's official...he is the new Marino.

I'll be cheering for an ex-49ers offensive coordinator battle in the Superbowl. Holmgren vs. Shannahan! Who's better? :D I wouldn't mind seeing Cowher get the Superbowl monkey off his back....but then again I'm not about to support a 5th Superbowl championship for Pitt, tying them w/ Dallas and SF.

 

[axl blaze]

The incessant need to say the game is fixed, though, is unnecessary. This isn't the NBA . The Steelers still had the lead even with the TD and 2-point conversion and still were in the driver's seat for the entire game, until the fumble by Bettis almost knocked them out of it. What a tackle by Big Ben to save everything.

hehehe, yeah, with further retrospection and more lucid and sober brain - I can admit I might have been exagerrating a bit now that you bring up some points about that Troy INT, I can see your case. but I know you are a Polamalu fan, LD, and you know when the man gets an INT just taking a knee is simply NOT his style. he wants to take it to the house the INT call wasn't the worse, IMO, the non-safety when Peyton was sacked late in the 4th WAS.

with even more retrospection - ALL of the officiating in the playoff games was BAD. just BAD. you can recall many calls during these 4 games that were horrible. the New England pass interference deal comes to mind... these refs really need to step up and call the game better.

 

[axl blaze]

far be it from me to defend the Colts, but many people have complained that Cowher can't win the big game either. just look at his AFC Championship record. i don't think Denver will be as much as a challenge as the Colts. their offense seems to be more run-based, and running against the Steelers is pretty damn hard.

not so fast, banquo. you are right in that Denver is not nearly as a high-octane offense as the Colts, but Denver's offense kinda reminds me of the Baltimore Ravens. and you know how the Steelers play against them.......

 

[MaddenChamp]

Upon seeing a couple of replays, I said to the two steeler fans I watched the game with that there was a possibility it could be overturned, and that the longer they looked it the better it was for Indy. I personally agree that it was a pick and a fumble, but from an objective standpoint I had to admit there was that opening for the reversal simply because his knee was on the ground. I know you guys feel like you were punked, a la the Raiders and the "tuck" rule...but I'm willing to bet that, according to official NFL rules, their call is correct in its interpretation.

8)

How much are you willing to bet?

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5252682

Pete Morelli determined it wasn't a catch," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said. "That was his judgment."

Anyone whop has ever watched a single NFL game knows replays go by undisputable evidence...and personal opinion does NOT qualify as undisputable evidence. The call on the field was an interception, that means they needed undisputable evidence to overturn that call. And personal judgement does not qualify.

 

[michael]

hey, dozens of times banned troll, don't quote the following paragraph:

Aiello added that the league's officiating department had not yet officially reviewed the call to determine if Morelli had made the right decision.

surprise, the known liar is caught being a jackass again. want to lay odds it will happen again? only a retard would take that bet.

8(