The Official NFL Thread ~ 2.0

[Nassiral]

First....anyone who gives Tebow credit for the winning play is a fool. He hit the open man the play was designed to go to. Who then took off down an totally open field and stiff-armed the only guy who had a chance of getting him. Timmy didn't do it, he just threw about the easiest pass possible.

Denver won the game, but they didn't truely beat the Steelers. The injuries and missing players made this that much easier for Tebow and crew. For example, if Ryan Clark had been playing? I doubt that final pass play would've been so wide open. Had Hampton and Keisel both been sidelined by injuries before the 1st quarter ended? Well, we could assume the Steeler D would've looked all game like it did in the 1st quarter when it was pressuring Tebow and forcing 3&outs. Notice how the 2nd quarter was a huge blowup in score then almost NOTHING allowed after that for Denver? A sign of a defense suddenly having to make huge adjustments in their game, and still Denver almost didn't win.
Offensively I felt commentators were making too much of just Ben's injury. Ok, so he can't take off running down the field. He was still extending plays and doing decent. Redman did well running, but clearly Pittsburgh was hurting by not having Mendenhall to help carry some of the load, and didn't trust Clay (who has been on the team for all of about three weeks) to perform well.


Then there was the officiating...oh god...the officiating. I was having flashbacks to the '05 playoff game in Indy.
No flag for a pass interference by Denver, while Pittsburgh got nailed with an identical flag later on.
TWICE Pittsburgh receivers in defenseless positions had blatantly lunging/head-leading hits laid on them with no flag from officials. Wallace was lucky he was already bent backwards somewhat, or he likely would've suffered a major concussion.
Two horribly blatant holding calls missed on Denvers' offensive line during very long pocket plays.
A bullshit flag for roughing the passer, but it was James Harrison so that makes it ok.
ALLOWING FOX TO PICK UP HIS CHALLENGE FLAG!
Overturning a Wallace reception when no camera angle showed definitively that the ball struck the ground and camera angles showed Wallace's forearm under the ball.

I swear, this reffing crew needs to be fired immediately following this game, and be glad they were not in Pittsburgh.

And the NFL will hype Tebow all they can to try to deflect from the ugly reffing that went on. Denver will not be long in these playoffs, and I look forward to a healthy Pittsburgh getting a chance to play a fair game against them.

[Damers]

Nassiral

First....anyone who gives Tebow credit for the winning play is a fool. He hit the open man the play was designed to go to. Who then took off down an totally open field and stiff-armed the only guy who had a chance of getting him. Timmy didn't do it, he just threw about the easiest pass possible.

Denver won the game, but they didn't truely beat the Steelers. The injuries and missing players made this that much easier for Tebow and crew. For example, if Ryan Clark had been playing? I doubt that final pass play would've been so wide open. Had Hampton and Keisel both been sidelined by injuries before the 1st quarter ended? Well, we could assume the Steeler D would've looked all game like it did in the 1st quarter when it was pressuring Tebow and forcing 3&outs. Notice how the 2nd quarter was a huge blowup in score then almost NOTHING allowed after that for Denver? A sign of a defense suddenly having to make huge adjustments in their game, and still Denver almost didn't win.
Offensively I felt commentators were making too much of just Ben's injury. Ok, so he can't take off running down the field. He was still extending plays and doing decent. Redman did well running, but clearly Pittsburgh was hurting by not having Mendenhall to help carry some of the load, and didn't trust Clay (who has been on the team for all of about three weeks) to perform well.


Then there was the officiating...oh god...the officiating. I was having flashbacks to the '05 playoff game in Indy.
No flag for a pass interference by Denver, while Pittsburgh got nailed with an identical flag later on.
TWICE Pittsburgh receivers in defenseless positions had blatantly lunging/head-leading hits laid on them with no flag from officials. Wallace was lucky he was already bent backwards somewhat, or he likely would've suffered a major concussion.
Two horribly blatant holding calls missed on Denvers' offensive line during very long pocket plays.
A bullshit flag for roughing the passer, but it was James Harrison so that makes it ok.
ALLOWING FOX TO PICK UP HIS CHALLENGE FLAG!
Overturning a Wallace reception when no camera angle showed definitively that the ball struck the ground and camera angles showed Wallace's forearm under the ball.

I swear, this reffing crew needs to be fired immediately following this game, and be glad they were not in Pittsburgh.

And the NFL will hype Tebow all they can to try to deflect from the ugly reffing that went on. Denver will not be long in these playoffs, and I look forward to a healthy Pittsburgh getting a chance to play a fair game against them.

[PitifulDream]

Green bay packers!!!

[PitifulDream]

Green bay Packers!!!

[PitifulDream]

Green bay Packers!!!

[PitifulDream]

Green Bay Packers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!♥♥♥

[Old Blue Collar Joe]

Nassiral

First....anyone who gives Tebow credit for the winning play is a fool. He hit the open man the play was designed to go to. Who then took off down an totally open field and stiff-armed the only guy who had a chance of getting him. Timmy didn't do it, he just threw about the easiest pass possible.

Denver won the game, but they didn't truely beat the Steelers. The injuries and missing players made this that much easier for Tebow and crew. For example, if Ryan Clark had been playing? I doubt that final pass play would've been so wide open. Had Hampton and Keisel both been sidelined by injuries before the 1st quarter ended? Well, we could assume the Steeler D would've looked all game like it did in the 1st quarter when it was pressuring Tebow and forcing 3&outs. Notice how the 2nd quarter was a huge blowup in score then almost NOTHING allowed after that for Denver? A sign of a defense suddenly having to make huge adjustments in their game, and still Denver almost didn't win.
Offensively I felt commentators were making too much of just Ben's injury. Ok, so he can't take off running down the field. He was still extending plays and doing decent. Redman did well running, but clearly Pittsburgh was hurting by not having Mendenhall to help carry some of the load, and didn't trust Clay (who has been on the team for all of about three weeks) to perform well.


Then there was the officiating...oh god...the officiating. I was having flashbacks to the '05 playoff game in Indy.
No flag for a pass interference by Denver, while Pittsburgh got nailed with an identical flag later on.
TWICE Pittsburgh receivers in defenseless positions had blatantly lunging/head-leading hits laid on them with no flag from officials. Wallace was lucky he was already bent backwards somewhat, or he likely would've suffered a major concussion.
Two horribly blatant holding calls missed on Denvers' offensive line during very long pocket plays.
A bullshit flag for roughing the passer, but it was James Harrison so that makes it ok.
ALLOWING FOX TO PICK UP HIS CHALLENGE FLAG!
Overturning a Wallace reception when no camera angle showed definitively that the ball struck the ground and camera angles showed Wallace's forearm under the ball.

I swear, this reffing crew needs to be fired immediately following this game, and be glad they were not in Pittsburgh.

And the NFL will hype Tebow all they can to try to deflect from the ugly reffing that went on. Denver will not be long in these playoffs, and I look forward to a healthy Pittsburgh getting a chance to play a fair game against them.

He was allowed to pick up the challenge flag because the play was not allowed to be challenged.
No face masks on three different occasions on the Steelers, either. Point out both sides. And don't forget about the backwards pass that was really a fumble that they didn't give to Denver.
And lets not forget the injured Bronco players either. This damn whining because a team got beat is hilarious.
It really makes the fans look bad. My only question is, why is it every site you go to where a team lost, it's always the Steelers fans and Eagles fans (well, they just want Reid's head, so we'll let that go) always have a ton of excuses? EVERY team has injuries.
Pitt was given the ball on a bad call. Come on. The Steelers lost. That is the final step.
Tebow and the Bronco's outplayed them, and Polamalu and company bit on quite a few delayed draws, thereby allowing receivers to get open.
And Tebow made more than one pass in the game.

[Azriel_eph210]

Old Blue Collar Joe

Nassiral

First....anyone who gives Tebow credit for the winning play is a fool. He hit the open man the play was designed to go to. Who then took off down an totally open field and stiff-armed the only guy who had a chance of getting him. Timmy didn't do it, he just threw about the easiest pass possible.

Denver won the game, but they didn't truely beat the Steelers. The injuries and missing players made this that much easier for Tebow and crew. For example, if Ryan Clark had been playing? I doubt that final pass play would've been so wide open. Had Hampton and Keisel both been sidelined by injuries before the 1st quarter ended? Well, we could assume the Steeler D would've looked all game like it did in the 1st quarter when it was pressuring Tebow and forcing 3&outs. Notice how the 2nd quarter was a huge blowup in score then almost NOTHING allowed after that for Denver? A sign of a defense suddenly having to make huge adjustments in their game, and still Denver almost didn't win.
Offensively I felt commentators were making too much of just Ben's injury. Ok, so he can't take off running down the field. He was still extending plays and doing decent. Redman did well running, but clearly Pittsburgh was hurting by not having Mendenhall to help carry some of the load, and didn't trust Clay (who has been on the team for all of about three weeks) to perform well.


Then there was the officiating...oh god...the officiating. I was having flashbacks to the '05 playoff game in Indy.
No flag for a pass interference by Denver, while Pittsburgh got nailed with an identical flag later on.
TWICE Pittsburgh receivers in defenseless positions had blatantly lunging/head-leading hits laid on them with no flag from officials. Wallace was lucky he was already bent backwards somewhat, or he likely would've suffered a major concussion.
Two horribly blatant holding calls missed on Denvers' offensive line during very long pocket plays.
A @#!*% flag for roughing the passer, but it was James Harrison so that makes it ok.
ALLOWING FOX TO PICK UP HIS CHALLENGE FLAG!
Overturning a Wallace reception when no camera angle showed definitively that the ball struck the ground and camera angles showed Wallace's forearm under the ball.

I swear, this reffing crew needs to be fired immediately following this game, and be glad they were not in Pittsburgh.

And the NFL will hype Tebow all they can to try to deflect from the ugly reffing that went on. Denver will not be long in these playoffs, and I look forward to a healthy Pittsburgh getting a chance to play a fair game against them.

He was allowed to pick up the challenge flag because the play was not allowed to be challenged.
No face masks on three different occasions on the Steelers, either. Point out both sides. And don't forget about the backwards pass that was really a fumble that they didn't give to Denver.
And lets not forget the injured Bronco players either. This @#!*% whining because a team got beat is hilarious.
It really makes the fans look bad. My only question is, why is it every site you go to where a team lost, it's always the Steelers fans and Eagles fans (well, they just want Reid's head, so we'll let that go) always have a ton of excuses? EVERY team has injuries.
Pitt was given the ball on a bad call. Come on. The Steelers lost. That is the final step.
Tebow and the Bronco's outplayed them, and Polamalu and company bit on quite a few delayed draws, thereby allowing receivers to get open.
And Tebow made more than one pass in the game.

(feels the need to piggyback on what Joe said) Man, reading Nassiral's comment was interesting. It reminds me of many famous "shoulda, coulda, woulda's." The biggest one on my mind? My Titans "coulda" made the playoffs if Chris Brown "woulda" shown up this season, and if Kenny Britt "coulda" stayed healthy! ...smh...

The reality is this, Tebow and the Broncos' offense did exactly what the Steelers' defense expected them NOT to do: Pass. They weren't ready for that. After all, like many people continually point out, it's Tebow! He's more like a running back! He doesn't throw! Then, taking pointers from Elway, Tebow throws and totally EXPOSES the Pittsburgh D.

Trying to take the final play away from Tebow is hilarious to me! Sure, it's a joint effort. The receiver has to create separation from the defender and actually catch the ball, but it's all for naught if the QB can't buy time for the route to develop! Oh yeah, and the QB has to get the ball to the receiver. There are plenty of QB's that underthrow their receivers on a regular season down. Playoffs, overtime, a lot of pressure, much concentration needed...you go and do the same thing and make it look easy! Then you can take that last play away from Tebow.

[Nassiral]

A fine point I would like to state first is that I am not trying to say "oh the Steelers would have won if"...because Pittsburgh lost. If you notice, I do say Denver won the game. I'm pointing out reasons why that people are completely forgetting and giving undue praise for Tim Tebow.

Pittsburgh had MANY injuries in this game. It's much like how the Saints last year were a dominant team with a great record and scored lots of points, then got knocked out because they just kept losing guys. Particularly in the case of in-game injuries such as Hampton and Keisel. It totally changed their defensive front. Pittsburgh was quite literally fielding their 2nd string defensive line from late in the 1st quarter on, and if you can't objectively look at that and see how that affected the game, you're blind. Tebow had nothing going for him when Pittsburgh had their DLine and their blitzing LBs. It's a shortcoming Pittsburgh had to overcome and they didn't quite do it, and it gave Denver an advantage.
And comparing a single game to a team failing to make the playoffs because of injury are two different things.

I recall seeing barely 1 facemask. The kind I wouldn't argue if they still did the 5-yard incidental rule because a lineman could barely see and was grabbing at Tebow and barely grasped his facemask. Funny thing was how Baby Timmy started crying to the officials immediately about where the bad man touched him as if he'd been horribly fouled.
As for the backward pass/fumble/etc....yes, the refs messed up the call. YES Fox was allowed to challenge, but when he found out all he could challenge was the spot of the ball they let him pick up his flag, a load of s**t. A coach and his assistants should be sure of what they can challenge before throwing the flag and getting a free timeout, and should not be enabled by inept officials.

Furthermore, injuries?
Broncos : 4 on IR, 2 inactive (Dawkins, Mohammed), 1 injured in-game (Decker)
Pittsburgh : 9 on IR, 6 inactive, 3 injured in-game
7 versus 18?

Say what you want, try to say I'm just complaining, but there is nothing wrong with pointing out the hows and whys of a team lost. In this case there was a fair bit going against Pittsburgh.

And no, there is not much pressure on 1st and 10 in overtime when you haven't been sacked all game and it's a play action pass, especially when you see no safety coverage when you go to unload the ball.

[Old Blue Collar Joe]

Nassiral

A fine point I would like to state first is that I am not trying to say "oh the Steelers would have won if"...because Pittsburgh lost. If you notice, I do say Denver won the game. I'm pointing out reasons why that people are completely forgetting and giving undue praise for Tim Tebow.

Pittsburgh had MANY injuries in this game. It's much like how the Saints last year were a dominant team with a great record and scored lots of points, then got knocked out because they just kept losing guys. Particularly in the case of in-game injuries such as Hampton and Keisel. It totally changed their defensive front. Pittsburgh was quite literally fielding their 2nd string defensive line from late in the 1st quarter on, and if you can't objectively look at that and see how that affected the game, you're blind. Tebow had nothing going for him when Pittsburgh had their DLine and their blitzing LBs. It's a shortcoming Pittsburgh had to overcome and they didn't quite do it, and it gave Denver an advantage.
And comparing a single game to a team failing to make the playoffs because of injury are two different things.

I recall seeing barely 1 facemask. The kind I wouldn't argue if they still did the 5-yard incidental rule because a lineman could barely see and was grabbing at Tebow and barely grasped his facemask. Funny thing was how Baby Timmy started crying to the officials immediately about where the bad man touched him as if he'd been horribly fouled.
As for the backward pass/fumble/etc....yes, the refs messed up the call. YES Fox was allowed to challenge, but when he found out all he could challenge was the spot of the ball they let him pick up his flag, a load of s**t. A coach and his assistants should be sure of what they can challenge before throwing the flag and getting a free timeout, and should not be enabled by inept officials.

Furthermore, injuries?
Broncos : 4 on IR, 2 inactive (Dawkins, Mohammed), 1 injured in-game (Decker)
Pittsburgh : 9 on IR, 6 inactive, 3 injured in-game
7 versus 18?

Say what you want, try to say I'm just complaining, but there is nothing wrong with pointing out the hows and whys of a team lost. In this case there was a fair bit going against Pittsburgh.

And no, there is not much pressure on 1st and 10 in overtime when you haven't been sacked all game and it's a play action pass, especially when you see no safety coverage when you go to unload the ball.

Yeah, you're making excuses. And I got bad news for ya, when you've got your fingers in the grill? That ain't incidental. I'm only making one more comment on this, because you state 'well, they won and I'm not saying they wouldn't have...BUT...and then...out come the excuses anyway.
Green Bay won the SB last year with 16 starters on the injury list. Every team out there has injuries.
When you stand in the pocket and see Polamalu rolling up on your side, you make the 'not a lick of pressure in a playoff game' comment.

Azriel, I'll tell you what kicked Pitts' a** more than anything. They seriously expected the Bronco's to come out and run it predominately, which was smart strategy, except Elway told Fox to let Tebow 'pull the trigger', and probably told him not to worry about it, that he'd be the starter next year because of what he's already accomplished this year.
Did you notice how many times they ran the fake draw? It froze the backs, and the linemen, when they did attempt to blitz, Tebow stepped up in the gaps. So, by being forced to stand back, they gave him time to pick apart man to man coverage.
There were also numerous dropped passes from the Bronco's receivers.
Do I think they'll take down the Patriots? Not really. Unless the D really rocks it out, and Tebow can freeze them on the line and force more man to man, it's not going to happen, and to be blunt? The Patriots staff is too damn good at second half adjustments.
A lot is being made of their worst ranked defense in terms of giving up yards. But what seems to be ignored is they are in top five in number of points off turnovers. They're lethal in the aspect of takeaways.
If the D can't get to Brady, he'll chew them up, and the Bronco's can't rely on Prater to keep up with that.

[Azriel_eph210]

Agreed. As much as I dislike the Patriots, I gotta say that I don't foresee the Broncos going much further than NE. If they do, it'll be a big surprise to me (and probably most non-Broncos' fans). It's as you say, the coaching staff is good at adapting to the game time situation. Not to mention that Brady is top-notch. If it turns into a shootout, Brady's got the bigger guns (not just speaking of his skill, but the talent surrounding him, as well).

[Nefarious Soy]

Old Blue Collar Joe

Yeah, you're making excuses. And I got bad news for ya, when you've got your fingers in the grill? That ain't incidental. I'm only making one more comment on this, because you state 'well, they won and I'm not saying they wouldn't have...BUT...and then...out come the excuses anyway.
Green Bay won the SB last year with 16 starters on the injury list. Every team out there has injuries.
When you stand in the pocket and see Polamalu rolling up on your side, you make the 'not a lick of pressure in a playoff game' comment.

Azriel, I'll tell you what kicked Pitts' a** more than anything. They seriously expected the Bronco's to come out and run it predominately, which was smart strategy, except Elway told Fox to let Tebow 'pull the trigger', and probably told him not to worry about it, that he'd be the starter next year because of what he's already accomplished this year.
Did you notice how many times they ran the fake draw? It froze the backs, and the linemen, when they did attempt to blitz, Tebow stepped up in the gaps. So, by being forced to stand back, they gave him time to pick apart man to man coverage.
There were also numerous dropped passes from the Bronco's receivers.
Do I think they'll take down the Patriots? Not really. Unless the D really rocks it out, and Tebow can freeze them on the line and force more man to man, it's not going to happen, and to be blunt? The Patriots staff is too damn good at second half adjustments.
A lot is being made of their worst ranked defense in terms of giving up yards. But what seems to be ignored is they are in top five in number of points off turnovers. They're lethal in the aspect of takeaways.
If the D can't get to Brady, he'll chew them up, and the Bronco's can't rely on Prater to keep up with that.

Yeah, I'm not buying that. You really believe that Tim Tebow needs somebody to tell him to throw the ball for him to start chuckin' it? You honestly think that the Broncos would game plan their offense around the passing game because John Elway "gave permission" to John Fox? Come on. That's the media making a big deal out of a non-story for the sake of Tebow hype. John Fox and the rest of the organization doesn't give a s**t about Tebow's numbers, his perception, how we think he's developing, and so on. They care about wins. They made a game plan that gave them the best shot at doing that.

And I don't buy that the Steelers didn't come up with a plan to stop the passing game. Despite Tebow's attrocious numbers, Demaryius Thomas still lead the league in receiving yards for December. Steelers knew about Denver's potential to go deep. They just didn't execute on the one play that ended up winning the game. Ike Taylor makes the tackle and who knows what happens. Maybe we're having the same conversation. Maybe we make excuses for Denver.

Personally, I'd love to see Brady beat the Broncos, but only because I want the Saints to destroy the Pats in the Super Bowl. I'd love to see Brees destroy Brady on the field and see if they dare not give Drew an MVP. Since joining the Saints in 06, there hasn't been a better QB in the league than Brees.

[Nassiral]

This is when I call you a troll Joe.

Take the blinders and rose colored glasses off. Just because I'm a fan pointing out very tangible things the Broncos benefitted from doesn't mean I'm making excuses. Pittsburgh had to overcome any and all obstacles to get the win. Nothing changes that, you don't have a higher score, you don't get to keep playing, period. Yes, Green Bay had a lot of players on IR last year, but how many were truely starters that were better players than the guys who filled in for them? How many guys were backups or 3rd stringers? And how long did they have to adjust for those injuries?
The KEY injuries were Keisel and Hampton. If you can't see a difference in Pittsburgh's D between 1st Quarter and the rest of the game, you're blind.

btw Soy, totally agree about Brees being the best QB in the league for the past five years. Why anyone else should be in the MVP discussion is beyond me.


Oh and Joe?
When your playcall is for a play-action pass, seeing Troy coming up to the line would make you breathe a sigh of relief because he's back to cover.

[Old Blue Collar Joe]

Nefarious Soy

Old Blue Collar Joe

Yeah, you're making excuses. And I got bad news for ya, when you've got your fingers in the grill? That ain't incidental. I'm only making one more comment on this, because you state 'well, they won and I'm not saying they wouldn't have...BUT...and then...out come the excuses anyway.
Green Bay won the SB last year with 16 starters on the injury list. Every team out there has injuries.
When you stand in the pocket and see Polamalu rolling up on your side, you make the 'not a lick of pressure in a playoff game' comment.

Azriel, I'll tell you what kicked Pitts' a** more than anything. They seriously expected the Bronco's to come out and run it predominately, which was smart strategy, except Elway told Fox to let Tebow 'pull the trigger', and probably told him not to worry about it, that he'd be the starter next year because of what he's already accomplished this year.
Did you notice how many times they ran the fake draw? It froze the backs, and the linemen, when they did attempt to blitz, Tebow stepped up in the gaps. So, by being forced to stand back, they gave him time to pick apart man to man coverage.
There were also numerous dropped passes from the Bronco's receivers.
Do I think they'll take down the Patriots? Not really. Unless the D really rocks it out, and Tebow can freeze them on the line and force more man to man, it's not going to happen, and to be blunt? The Patriots staff is too damn good at second half adjustments.
A lot is being made of their worst ranked defense in terms of giving up yards. But what seems to be ignored is they are in top five in number of points off turnovers. They're lethal in the aspect of takeaways.
If the D can't get to Brady, he'll chew them up, and the Bronco's can't rely on Prater to keep up with that.

Yeah, I'm not buying that. You really believe that Tim Tebow needs somebody to tell him to throw the ball for him to start chuckin' it? You honestly think that the Broncos would game plan their offense around the passing game because John Elway "gave permission" to John Fox? Come on. That's the media making a big deal out of a non-story for the sake of Tebow hype. John Fox and the rest of the organization doesn't give a s**t about Tebow's numbers, his perception, how we think he's developing, and so on. They care about wins. They made a game plan that gave them the best shot at doing that.

And I don't buy that the Steelers didn't come up with a plan to stop the passing game. Despite Tebow's attrocious numbers, Demaryius Thomas still lead the league in receiving yards for December. Steelers knew about Denver's potential to go deep. They just didn't execute on the one play that ended up winning the game. Ike Taylor makes the tackle and who knows what happens. Maybe we're having the same conversation. Maybe we make excuses for Denver.

Personally, I'd love to see Brady beat the Broncos, but only because I want the Saints to destroy the Pats in the Super Bowl. I'd love to see Brees destroy Brady on the field and see if they dare not give Drew an MVP. Since joining the Saints in 06, there hasn't been a better QB in the league than Brees.

He was told to pull the trigger. The offense is called by Fox and Co, not by Tebow. And just to let you know, I'm a Pat's fan. I like Tebow, think the kid is one hell of a role model, but I am pulling for the Brady Bunch this weekend, but if they do pull off a major upset? I won't mind too much. It's fun watching someone who defies the odds, and is supposed to fail, do well.
I won't make any excuses. I live in Georgia. The Giants destroyed the Falcons. It was flat out ugly. Period. Same with what the Patriots did to the Lions. The game wasn't even as close as it looked.
Every team is playing with injuries. I don't even think the Pats have a good enough defense to give the Pats a chance to win the SB. I think it's good enough to stop any AFC team, but against the Saints, who I think will take it all? I don't think they can do it.

[Nefarious Soy]

The day of judgement has come. Time for the Saints to knock the pants off the 9ers.