NFL Thread

[naiwf]

Anyone want to chip in for my hit on Doug Brien? Fucking loser.

[Enter Blue Guy]

I'm singing a song of praise for Alan Faneca.

[Enter Blue Guy]

YEEEEEEEEESSSSS!

That kick looked mighty iffy for a second, but thank God....

GO STEELERS, BABY! YEAH!

I give all the credit in the world to the Jets, not only were they the big underdogs, but going into their third OT game straight and having the powerhouse Steelers on the rope is worth a round of applause for them. I didn't word that right, but I'm shaking because I'm so damn happy...

Edited January 16, 2005 by Enter Blue Guy

[jonnycomelately]

Doug Brien's second kick was one of the worst I've seen in recent memory. That was hideous. Hearing the idiots on Fox try to describe it was just as painful...that whole crew cannot talk outside of James Brown but his opinion doesn't seem to matter on that show.

I hope its a rematch of the AFC Championship from 1995 between the Steelers and the Colts, hopefully with different results this time.

[thuganomic]

My poor Jets.

:'(

[Lowerdeck]

The game was also on CBS, not Fox. James Brown is nowhere near Pittsburgh.

Eh, I'm happy to see the Jets lose. They played hard, nearly won it. But well, Jets lost and that's what matters.

Now the Patriots, i"m hoping they can get past Indy again to get revenge for the Steelers breaking the streak.

[Big Tuna]

DAMN YOU DOUG BRIEN!!

You killed the Jets

Wait a minute, that sounded familiar...

[naiwf]

If Atlanta plays half as well against either Philly or Minny next week as they did tonight, they'll be headed back to the Super Bowl as this has easily been the most dominant performance by an NFC team so far in the playoffs. I'm kind of hoping for a Vikings win just to see Moss & Culpepper take on DVD in a shootout in the Dome.

[sahyder1]

Poor Brien, I thought when the Jets won the toss in OT it was all falling in place for them. I really wanted to see the Jets advance because now all we're gonna be stuck listening to on Sports Radio here in the NY/NJ area is how "Hackett must be fired by the Jets". It's not that I'm a Hackett fan......I've just gotten sick and tired of listening to sports radio on him.

[reyrey619]

Doug Brien sucks. Really bad. I'm very glad Pittsburgh won, but I think that if the Colts win tomorrow(who is my pick, btw) they'll beat them next week.

[thatshortguy]

If Atlanta plays half as well against either Philly or Minny next week as they did tonight, they'll be headed back to the Super Bowl as this has easily been the most dominant performance by an NFC team so far in the playoffs. I'm kind of hoping for a Vikings win just to see Moss & Culpepper take on DVD in a shootout in the Dome.

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The Falcons have a certain advantage. They've already shut down the Rams, who were supposed to be a high-scoring team on the carpet. The Vikes are the same way (although they really show no preference in field type), so if they defeat Philly, Atlanta can simply play a similar game that they used to shut down St. Louis.

If Philly wins, Atlanta will have to alter the game plan to handle a moderate running game and below average receiving core, something they can easily do with the performance the Birds showed tonight against Faulk.

In short, it's the Falcons' conference to lose. While both teams left could give them a run, there's no reason the Falcons can't beat them either one of them in the Conference Finals.

While Indy vs. Atlanta would be the ideal marketing campaign for the Super Bowl, I'd sit glued to my television to see Pittsburgh vs. Atlanta, since both teams are nearly identical defensively (when the Falcons don't pull at KC-esque effort) with vastly different offenses.

[Enter Blue Guy]

I'm hoping for an Indy/Pittsburgh game, though either way it will be a test for both teams. Pittsburgh/Indy or New England/Pittsburgh sounds better on paper then any other possible game in the playoffs overall, except for New England/Indy which is going down tomorrow.

I have doubts though....Don't get me wrong, I'm rooting for the Steelers all the way, but I'm not sure if Big Ben is ready to face a team like New England in the playoffs. Hell, he didn't look too good against a tired, overworked, John Abraham-less New York Jets defense, I'm scared to think what would happen to him if they did end up playing the Pats.

[livid]

I have doubts though....Don't get me wrong, I'm rooting for the Steelers all the way, but I'm not sure if Big Ben is ready to face a team like New England in the playoffs. Hell, he didn't look too good against a tired, overworked, John Abraham-less New York Jets defense, I'm scared to think what would happen to him if they did end up playing the Pats.

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[thatshortguy]

Anyways, on to the Falcons. I really think, that with the showing that they put on tonight, that the Falcons, no matter who they're playing next week, will go to the Superbowl, because of Vick and Mora. Vick is the leader of the team, no doubt, and will continue to shine like he has against either Philly or Minnesota. And look for the Falcons to probably almost dismantle the Vikings if that matchup occurs, because the Vikings D sucks and containing Vick isn't exactly easy. And then Mora Jr. is also a key because he brings a fired up, don't give up attitude that's perfect for this Falcons team. You gotta realize that not many new players on that D of his from last year. I really think that they have a good chance to go all the way.

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That's what I love about the Falcons this year. In the Reeves era, going down by ten points or so would mean certain defeat. Mora brings a more "You'll have to kill me!" attitude, which is awesome. A Reeves-era team wouldn't have been able to beat the Panthers, but with Mora at the helm, Vick and company pulled it out.

As for the matchups, I think the Falcons have at least a decent chance against all three remaining AFC teams.

Indy/Atlanta would be either an absolute blowout or the more offense-oriented Bowl in the history of the NFL. With the Indy secondary being lackluster, Vick could absolutely pound them if he got past the D-Line. Meanwhile, I don't care how good your defense is, it takes a superhuman effort to defeat Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison, and E.J. DVD vs. PMH, as it were >_>

New England would be the most far-fetched matchup against Atlanta, in the sense that nearly everyone would take the side of the Pats. Atlanta could give them a run, most certainly, but it would take an insane game from the entire team to see the Falcons take down the Pats, injured secondary or not.

Pittsburgh vs. Atlanta would be the best matchup, in my opinion. Both teams' defense can be absolutely dominant, yet the offenses could not be more different. The Steelers are a very old school offense, with a pocket passer and strong running game. Meanwhile, the Falcons are as close to streetball as you're going to see in the NFL. I think Atlanta would take the victory, but only if the D played up to its potential and the Falcons receivers picked up the pace.

[Enter Blue Guy]

Well, Pittsburgh has rode the average QB train since Slash was the starter in town. However, I think Ben will go on to be something, he is only a rookie, and though he is heavyly hyped, some would say overhyped, but he is still a good quarter back with noticable flaws. He is young, he has more than enough time to learn and I think he will turn into something big in the next 5 years. He isn't a Peyton Manning or Daunte Culpepper at the moment, but two amazing RB's in Duce and Bettis, receivers like Burress and Ward, and an amazing offensive line to protect him, they have the ability to make up for what Ben lacks (not to mention a kicker who makes field goals when they matter and a strong defense). He is their only real question mark on a powerhouse team. Ben has to lose sometime and he has shown he certainly isn't Superman, but with what he has to work with and the confidence of going 13 and 0, beating some great clubs along the way I think Pittsburgh can beat Indy or New England. Then again, they could just as easily lose. The best teams always carry some doubt in terms whether they can carry over their success into the post season, it comes with the territory of being #1 in the league. Then when they do stumble, in this case in before they do so, everyone is quick to criticize them. It's just the way things work. And all that weight is laying on the back of Ben, all of it. There are doubts and there are hopes, but I'll leave it up to fate to decide whether or not this is Pittsburgh's year or not. I'm going to sit back, observe, and more than anything, cheer for my team.

Edited January 16, 2005 by Enter Blue Guy

[Evil Chase K]

The Steelers gave the Jets 14 points today. And still won. Great game.

EDIT: Oh, and Livid...the Steelers have had injuries all year. Casey Hampton, one of, if not the best NT in the NFL got hurt in Week 5. And Chris Hoke, a player who never started a game in his career, came in and played absolutely great.

The Steelers have more depth than any team in the NFL, and they've proved it.

Edited January 16, 2005 by SkinMySenses

[livid]

I know Hampton got hurt, but it's not like the injuries suffered by the Pats. Hampton's solid but is nowhere near as valuable to his team as Law is to the Pats, or even Poole to the Pats. Trust me, I know a thing or two about having a key part of a D get injured and then you're D totally collapsing. I'm a 49ers fan and I guarentee you that if Peterson had been healthy this past season, the Niners defense would have done better than they actually did without him.

But Hampton is nowhere near as important as an injury to Farrior or Polamulu (he, alongside Burress would probably be my two favorite Steelers. As far as Hampton being the best NT in the league? Let's see Grady Jackson, Jamal Williams, Sam Adams, and when he does play it for the Jags at times, Marcus Stroud all come to mind that are better. And that's just off the top of my head.

[Evil Chase K]

I'm hoping for an Indy/Pittsburgh game, though either way it will be a test for both teams. Pittsburgh/Indy or New England/Pittsburgh sounds better on paper then any other possible game in the playoffs overall, except for New England/Indy which is going down tomorrow.

I have doubts though....Don't get me wrong, I'm rooting for the Steelers all the way, but I'm not sure if Big Ben is ready to face a team like New England in the playoffs. Hell, he didn't look too good against a tired, overworked, John Abraham-less New York Jets defense, I'm scared to think what would happen to him if they did end up playing the Pats.

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[wCwCreator]

Coming from non-jets fan. The Steelers should have lost that game. They did everything wrong, Ben played bad. The defence didn't play up to it's potential. The Jets should have won that game but that frickin Brien. Wait, don't blame him now...but who else is there to blame?

"Putcha Name On It"- Herman Edwards

In this day and age a forty yard field goal should be a given. It's 40 frickin yards! It's not like your kicking from the half-field mark. Watch the NY media just wallop on Brien and possibly Edwards too.

Atlanta Falcons destroy the St Louis Rams. See this was a blow-away, but still better than Colts/Broncos from last week. Atlanta looks pretty good. But that's because they haven't really fought anyone great yet and if/probably The Eagles will win tomorrow, it'll be The Eagles versus The Falcons. "Battle Of The Birds"

and one last prediction for tomorrow's Colts/Pats...

"Manning: 4 INT, 75 YDS"

(guy can dream can't he...)

[IAceI]

It goes to show how great the Steelers are when they play that bad but are still the better team. They didn't give up a touchdown on defence and they had a stroke of luck - then again Ben shouldn't have took down a blimp with his pass.

Steelers will win the Superbowl because they are the best team in the league right now. They have more depth than anyone and they are currently 16-1, and will most likely end 18-1 if you ask me.