Well Hardy has returned from his trip to lovely, cold downtown Pittsburgh! Obviously, I am thrilled that the Steelers are going to their 8th Super Bowl and in search of their 7th Title. Its always great to be in the stands and witness an AFC Championship victory first hand (Unfortunately, Hardy has endured many home playoff losses in this spot as well) They came out strong against the Jets and surprised them with an aggressive running attack. The Steelers were by far the more physical team from the outset and dominated both lines of scrimage. Most surprising was the shoddy tackling by the Jets (usually they are one of the better tackling teams in the league), allowing Mendenhall many extra yards after initial contact. When you start arm tackling, that's a sign of either being tired (which shouldnt happen in the first 1/2 of a game) or not mentally ready to play.  Defensively, the Steelers bottled up the Jets rushing attack and never allowed Sanchez to find any rhythem in the passing game until about a minute left in the first half. The Sanchez fumble as a result of the corner blitz and subsequent Steeler TD (to make the score 24-0) essentially put the game out of reach.

Please don't tell me how the Jets dominated the second half and almost won this game. If you don't think you play differently (offensively and defensively) up 24-0 than you do at the outset of a game, think again. The Steeler mindset in the second half was to try and take as much time off the clock with each possession (they had the points needed to win) and defensively, try and make the Jets have long drives to take time off the clock. (much more passive defensive play calling). Once the Steelers got up 10-0, the Jets NEVER had a possession where they could tie or go ahead in the game.

The bottom line is that while the "fantasy stats" will show Roethlisberger had a pedestrian game, he was again brilliant when he had to be. There are a few times in a game when a big play has to made, and Ben makes them. Whether it was running for seven yards on 3rd and 6 to maintain a scoring drive, or making the two most critical completions of the game on the Steelers final drive to not allow the Jets to get the ball back, Roethlisberger time and time again shows an ability to make them. His stats will never be on par with some of the other elite QB's in the league (i.e.Peyton, Brady, Brees, Rodgers) but he is a winner (On the field only). Of QB's who have started at least 75 games in their career he is in the top five with respect to winning percentage. Couple that with an incredible 10-2 postseason record (4 AFC Championship games, and 3 Super Bowl appearances in 7 years) and it is often puzzling while many fans do not consider him an elite NFL QB.    

As far as the NFC Championship game, it went pretty much as expected (the Jay Cutler drama, was he or wasnt he hurt, not withstanding). I am not sure even with Cutler in the second half, the Bears win that game. The Packer defensive has been vastly overlooked this entire season (mainly due to the brilliance of Aaron Rodgers) but they have been dominant.

Two weeks until the big game! Plenty of time to discuss, anaylze, re-discuss and re-anlayze. My early prediction (and you wouldn't expect anything else) Steelers 21 Packers 17

froze your ass off. LOL You got to see a great game and I agree with  your analysis for the most part. Watching on TV we don't get to see a lot of the deep coverage and defense. I might be wrong but I thought the Steelers let down just a bit in the second half. Had the impression their defense was getting tired.

I was curious about Troy P. play. He was shown in only one tackle that I can remember and didn't appear quite as dominate in this game. Maybe it was the game plan to keep him on deep coverage.

Now I think in a past post I have defended Ben as an elite QB and poor athlete, well no athletic ability to run at all with any style other than a lumpy sack of spuds, to be exact. But Rodgers and Ben's numbers are almost exact this year. Of course Ben has a better resume so you can't complain about him not getting respect (for his on the field play).

Green Bay; I think the game played out pretty much like the Steelers game. Fast start for the Pack, great defense in the second half. Clay M. was dominate at the line and got his lick in. It's not a comparison with Troy as they play different positions but his play had a big impact on the final outcome.  

Nooooo, we don't expect you to pick the Pack, that would be too much to ask from a Swamp Sucking Steelers fan. NEW YORK city and a Steelers fan. Haven't you ever heard of the Giants or Jets. I'll have to look at the National NFL Fan rule book and see if one is allowed to go that far afield to get a winning team.

I think the Pack and Steelers are really close, hoping for a great Super Bowl this year. Still thinking about my pick but don't worry, I'll let you know who the winner will be later before the game.

Good game by the Steelers.

The NFL is a much more national sport (then say baseball, basketball or hockey). They have national TV contracts and use network announcers. Therefore, it is not that uncommon for fans to adopt a football team outside of their home city. Fans who are now 40-55 years old, and were kids watching football in the 70's, had  plenty of successful teams to root for: Steelers, Cowboys, Dolphins, Raiders, Vikings. Even if you were not from those cities, those were the teams that were successful and who were continually on TV. No matter where we now live, we can easily follow those teams. Add to the fact that we all grown with with families of our own and you now have cultivated a second generation of fans of those teams who keep the passion alive. It is easy to live in any city in America (and even abroad) and follow your football team. Its one day a week. Hardy living in New York can easily go to any sports bar and follow his Steelers. Conversely, the other three major team sports tend to be regional in scope. There are not too many Oakland A's fans or Los Angles Kings fans living in Orlando Florida, but you can bet there are many Raider fans who go to Sports Bars on Sunday and follow the Silver and Black. The other sports generate regional interest. If you move away from your home city, its really hard to follow your original baseball team (a little easier today with cable TV and "sports packages" if you want to pay for coverage). So many fans may adopt the regional team in the area they now live in (because they can follow them daily) and give up on the team you rooted for as a kid. Football, on the other hand, is completely different. It is easy and effortless to follow the team you rooted for as a kid no matter where you now live. (For the record, Hardy's other three teams are all New York: Yankees, Knicks and Rangers)

Ben doesn't get respect by many because of many reasons. He is not a conventional QB like Marino or Peyton or Brady. One that drops back, sits in the pocket, quickly surveys the field and hits the open receiver in stride. Ben likes to play more out of the pocket, improvising at times to get the job done. Two, many people feel he was simply blessed to be on a good team, one that has always run the ball well and played extradordinary defense. That may be true, but any QB that can continually lead his team down the field in the most crucial of situations (i.e. the Super Bowl in 2008) or make big plays to win/ extend games, should be thought of as much more than a game manager. A 10-2 post season record is reflective of someone who siimply wins. Three, many people will never ever forgive him for what they perceive as boorish, childish disgusting behavior towards women, and therefore lump his off the field baggage with his on the field performance. If you have the ability to separate the two and look at Ben's on the field play, you will reach a different conclusion. Ben Roethlisberger the football player is an elite winning NFL QB. Ben Roethlisberger the person has a long way to go to be a winning human being.

Good observation on Polomalu. He is not playing at 100%...He has been battling injuries for the latter half of the season. But even Troy at 75% is still critical to have in the mix. He gives the opposing QB something else to focus on before the snap...will he blitz or drop back into zone coverage, etc. The extra week off until the SuperBowl should hopefully help him.  

-- Modified on 1/25/2011 6:34:34 AM