Talking NFL

With nearly every sports writer in the country still focused on Sunday’s battle royal, last night the Pittsburgh Steelers loudly screamed, “PAY ATTENTION TO US, GUYS!!”

Ben Roethlisberger had a career night on offense (5 TD passes), and James Harrison had one on defense (3.5 sacks, an INT, a fumble recovery, 9 tackles), as the Steelers destroyed the Ravens 38-7 in front of numerous past Steeler greats gathered to celebrate the team’s 75th anniversary.

(Incidentally Harrison now has 2.5 more sacks and one more INT that the guy he replaced, Joey Porter.  One of the reasons why the Steelers are a consistently good team year after year; they know when to cut ties with veterans and they have good, young players waiting in the wings to replace them.)

While the Ravens were able to hold Willie Parker in check, they couldn’t contain Big Ben.  His elusive scrambling ability and accuracy throwing on the run gave Ray Lewis & company fits all night long.  He looks like a much better quarterback than the one who threw three interceptions against the Patriots in the 2004 AFC Championship Game.  Because of this, and their suffocating defense (as I mentioned on Sunday), the Steelers look like the prime candidate to play spoiler to the Patriots quest to go undefeated.  

But even more interesting is the possibility that the Steelers could…uh…steel the #2 AFC seed from the Colts (sorry, that was terrible).  Currently, the Steelers are 6-2 and one game behind the 7-1 Colts.  Let’s look at the remaining schedule for both teams:

Pittsburgh

Cleveland (5-3)
at NY Jets (1-8)
Miami (0-8)
Cincinnati (2-6)
at New England (9-0)
Jacksonville (5-3)
at St. Louis (0-8)
at Baltimore (4-4)

Take the Patriots out of the equation, and Pittsburgh’s remaining foes are 17-40.  So 13-3 certainly isn’t out of the question.

Indianapolis

at San Diego (4-4)
Kansas City (4-4)
at Atlanta (2-6)
Jacksonville (5-3)
at Baltimore (4-4)
at Oakland (2-6)
Houston (4-5)
Tennessee (6-2)

Indy certainly has a few cream puffs in there, but next week’s Chargers game and the season finale against a strong Tennessee team will be tough contents that they could certainly lose.

So for argument’s sake, let’s say both the Steelers and the Colts finish 13-3, behind the Patriots.  The first playoffs tie-breaker is moot, since they don’t play each other.  The 2nd tie-breaker is their divisional record.  Both teams are currently 3-0, and the Colts certainly have the tougher foes left.  But for arguments sake, let’s say they draw there as well.  The next tie-breaker is common opponents.

…and if the Steelers were to beat the Patriots in Foxboro, then they’d have the upper hand over the Colts.

Hey, it’s all speculation at this point, but it’s also worth noting that the Patriots/Colts AFC Championship Game rematch isn’t a given at this point.  Yes, the Steelers have losses against two sub-par teams (Cardinals and Broncos), but last night they served notice that they deserve the #3 spot in the conference.  The question is whether or not they can move up to the #2 position.

Pittsburgh Steelers, Baltimore Ravens, AFC, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts

“No, we can’t run up the score, Peyton.  The game’s over.  Honest.  You can take your helmet off now…”

Make no mistake about it; the Patriots and Colts cannot stand each other, at least from a front office standpoint.  Michael Silver highlighted some of the “gamesmanship” between the two teams in this article last week, and less than 24 hours after the Patriots 24-20 victory in Indianapolis, they’re at it again.  Specifically, the Patriots are lodging a complaint with the NFL regarding some perceived shenanigans at the RCA Dome.

Just after the game, Patriots President Jonathan Kraft asked NFL Vice President of Security Milt Ahlerich to investigate the possibility that the Colts piped in or played additional crowd noise during the game.  In the Patriots defense, they are not the first team to accuse the Colts of this ridiculous sounding violation of league rules.  Having said that, it’s a damn good thing they won the game; otherwise that would sound a lot like whining to many fans…

Earlier today, the internets were all abuzz with this story, especially since you can actually HEAR a weird artificial sound emanating from the crowd at the 2:25 mark of this NFL highlight video.  My initial reaction was to jump in and post an extremely professional headline; something like, “COLTS CHEAT! COLTS CHEAT!  Cough up that 1st Round pick you @#$&-ers!”  (You know, something to rival my mature headlines from the past) Fortunately, I’m learning that sometimes it pays of to wait on a story like this, and see if there’s a reasonable explanation behind it.  

In this case, there is, as Boston.com’s Mike Reiss reports:

Following up on the crowd noise issue in the RCA Dome, NFL spokesman Greg Aiello passes along the following:

“CBS has informed us that the unusual audio moment heard by fans during the Patriots-Colts telecast was the result of tape feedback in the CBS production truck and was isolated to the CBS broadcast. It was in no way related to any sound within the stadium and could not be heard in the stadium.”

So it appears that the Colts fans are simply very good at cheering on their team.  And for you Patriots fans that were storming the Colts fan forums and message boards trumpeting these accusations, well, now might be a good time to change your screen name & avatar.

However, the Colts still have another controversy on their hands.  During a routine search of the stadium grounds during the game, Ahlerich found head referee John Parry’s duffel bag with the following contents and note:

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“Now THAT’S the Peyton Manning we know and love!”

Last January, the Indianapolis Colts stunned the New England Patriots by coming back from a 21-3 deficit to win the AFC Championship game 38-34.  On Sunday, the shoe was on the other foot.

Down 20-10 with less than 10 minutes to go in the 4th quarter, Tom Brady led his team on two touchdown drives to stun the Colts 24-20.  Both late scores were highlighted by two bombs; a 55 yard strike to Randy Moss and a beautiful 33 yard sideline toss to Donte Stallworth.

Some more random, semi-coherent thoughts on a game that somehow managed to exceed all the hype leading up to it:

- Dwight Freeney showed a national audience exactly why Indianapolis ponied up $72 million for him in the off-season.  At one point, I thought I could hear Matt Light yelling, “thank you sir, may I have another?!”

- That one-handed catch Randy Moss made in the 3rd quarter (1:44 mark in this NFL.com video)?  Ridonculous.  I have to admit; the juggling interception made by Colts linebacker Gary Brackett was pretty impressive as well.

- Yeeeah, about the refs…as you all know, I’m a complete Patriots homer, so I’m going to let an unbiased 3rd party (The Big Lead) give his take on the officiating crew:

I never, ever try to harp on the refs … but wow, there have been two phantom pass interference calls, both against the Pats. That one called against the guy {Ellis Hobbs} defending Reggie Wayne was bad, and the one on Moss a second ago was an absolute joke.

Couldn’t agree more TBL, although I vocalized my displeasure with some slightly different verbiage during the game (to my next door neighbors with the young children; sorry about that…).

- With the Yankees in disarray, the enemy opponent who I fear the most in a close game against one of my New England teams has officially changed from Derek Jeter to Joseph Addai.

- Many people are sure to mention that the Colts weren’t at full strength, with Marvin Harrison and starting left tackle Tony Ugoh not able to play.  Fair enough.  But this is football, and injuries do happen.  The Patriots lost their leading rusher for the season, and for last year’s AFC Championship game they were without Rodney Harrison, who intercepted Peyton during this game.  If it’s any consolation for Colts fans, both players should be healthy for the January rematch in Foxboro…

- Finally, the talk about the Patriots chances for going undefeated this season can officially begin NOW.  Here’s a look at the remaining schedule:

at Buffalo
Philadelphia
at Baltimore
Pittsburgh
NY Jets
Miami
at NY Giants

We’ll get a closer look at perhaps the two toughest teams tomorrow night, when the Steelers taken on the Ravens in Monday Night Football.  Of the two, I’m more worried about the Steelers, even though the Patriots get them at home.  They have the #1 ranked rushing game in the league, and the #1 overall defense in the league.  That promises to be yet another bruising battle.

That’s all for now.  I leave you with a sentimental moment at the end of today’s game; the touching handshake between head coaches Bill Belichick and Tony Dungy:

Damn, did it just get colder in here?

New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, NFL, game of the year

Before we get to the prediction (almost certain to be way off) and the importance of Sunday’s epic contest, some late breaking injury news, which includes a stunner:

First, a report from ESPN indicates that Marvin Harrison has been medically cleared to play Sunday against New England.  However, the All-Pro wideout has been told his knee pain could last throughout his remaining career.  Harrison is a consummate professional and one of the all-time greats, but it does appear that father time is catching up with the 35 year old.  Should he play, it will be interesting to see just how effective he is.

One the other side of the field, a bit of a shocker; Mike Reiss from Boston.com is reporting that the Patriots have placed veteran running back Sammy Morris on injured reserve, ending his season.  When Morris was hurt in the chest against the Cowboys just under three weeks ago, it was thought at the time he might be out for only a month.  Apparently, the injury was more serious that the Patriots let on (wait, the Patriots weren’t completely forthcoming with an injury report?  Get out!).

As Mike reports, this opens the door for the Patriots to activate WR Chad Jackson or CB Eddie Jackson from the PUP list.  We’ll see what happens…

Regarding the game itself, it’s safe to say there’s been just a tad of hype surrounding this contest.  And while there’s no question that it promises to be an epic battle, one has to wonder just how important it is in relation to the rest of the season.  Past the two undefeated teams aspect, most experts and not-so-experts agree that the winner of this game should lock down home field advantage for the inevitable AFC Championship game rematch (at this point, the only thing that could prevent these 2 teams meeting again would be some unforeseen disaster, like an injury or meteor shower).

So how important is home field advantage?  Really, not that big a deal.

During this ongoing feud between the modern day Hatfield’s and McCoy’s, both teams have won on the opponents soil (the Colts have won the last 2 regular season games in Foxboro, and the Patriots won in the RCA Dome back in ‘03).  In addition, both teams proved last season that they can win a big playoff game in a hostile environment on the road (the Pats in San Diego, and the Colts in their old home town Baltimore).

More importantly, the teams styles have changed dramatically within the last year; so much so that they both almost seem better suited for their opponent’s field.  The Patriots have the #1 passing offense in the league, with Moss, Stallworth and Welker ready to sprint all over an indoor playing surface.  Meanwhile, the Colts have turned into a bit more of a ball control offense, preferring shorter passes and the run game, which could come in handy during the cold weather.

Bottom line; this thing will be fun, but it’s only setting the table for the real showdown.

So here’s the call on the final score.  I think the Colts are really miffed that the Patriots are grabbing all the headlines even though they’re the defending champs, and are itching for a fight.  The guy that scares me the most?  Bob Sanders - the new Ronnie Lott.  He’s making at least one big play in this game & I just pray it’s not a back-breaker.

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“Brady threw a 4th quarter TD?!  News team - assemble!”

Unless you live under a rock (that’s located in a no WiFi zone), you’ve probably heard or read about the NFL issue du jour.  Specifically, the fact that the Patriots are lighting up other teams to a historic degree and have very little desire to lay off the gas in the fourth quarter, regardless of the score.

Now, I call this fact because frankly, there’s no doubt that the Patriots are running it up.  As far as my position goes on the subject, I agree 100% with Michael Felger of the Boston Herald; yes, they’re “running up the score”, and no, I don’t have a problem with it.

However, over the last two weeks, there’s been an astounding volume of bloggers, writers, and fans that are incessantly whining complaining about the Patriots on-field activities.  They’re saying that the Pats are behaving like bad sports and disrespecting the game.  In some instances, writers are running headlines that read, “The Pats Have no Class.”

To this group, as a collective whole, I have a question for you:

“You guys (and gals) got picked on in recess, didn’t you?”

Let’s stop and think about these accusations, starting with the “bad sportsmanship” tag.  Now if this were simply a matter of a Pop-Warner game, Monopoly, or hopscotch, then I could understand this complaint.  But this is the NFL, and the NFL stopped being just a sport or a game a long, long time ago.  

The National Football League takes in just under $7 billion in revenue per year (that’s billions with a ‘b’).  The Dallas Cowboys alone are worth $1.5 billion as a team.  And top tier players are pulling in contracts that are worth around $100 million.  That’s not a game, son.  That’s big business.

“You’re the one who’s guilty!  Superfans, ESPN, those crappy truck ads…”

Bill Belichick’s place in that business world is HC of the NEP.  Which means that he answers to one man, and one man alone - his boss, the owner and CEO of the New England Patriots, Robert Kraft.  Mr. Kraft employs Mr. Belichick in order to win football games and championships, a task the coach did not accomplish last year when the Patriots blew a 21-3 lead to the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Championship.

Which means the off-season annual review for Coach Belichick may have gone something like this:

Kraft:  ”Well, Bill, you guys kind of choked in Indy this year.  How are you going to prevent that from happening next season?”

Belichick:  ”I’m going to start by telling Pioli to sign every good free agent available.  Then when we play, I’m going to pound the everloving crap out of the other team & make sure there is 0.0% chance they can come back and beat us.”

Kraft:  ”Allrighty.  Sounds like a plan.”

So far this year, Mr. Kraft (and his constituents, the Patriots fan base) have absolutely nothing to complain about.  Job well done, coach.  Continue to cash those paychecks guilt free (on the other hand, Coach Mangenious might want to give Woody Johnson a refund).

In that same vein, let’s keep in mind that this year has proven that almost no lead is safe.  The Titans were up on the Texans 32-7 going into the fourth quarter and gave up 29 points to the immortal Sage Rosenfels.   The Bears lost to the Lions thanks to a 34 point fourth quarter by the illustrious Jon Kitna.  So no, I didn’t have one problem when the Patriots continued to score on the Miami Dolphins a couple of weeks ago, because the Fins scored 21 in the final frame under the leadership of the indelible Cleo Lemon.

(yeah, I know indelible doesn’t really work there.  I went to the i adjective farm one time too many…)

Of course, I still haven’t address the core issue of those Patriots haters, who will say you can’t excuse the 52-7 beatdown they gave the Redskins and their “classy coach”, Joe Gibbs.  I’m sure you’ve read the tirade of Redskins linebacker Randall Godfrey, but in case you were under that heavy rock, here’s a snippet care of NBCSports.com’s Tom Curran:

“You look at all the great head coaches … I’m just disappointed,” he said. “You gotta show some class, show some respect. Joe Gibbs? We wouldn’t have done that.  That was blatant disrespect.”

A few comments on Godfrey’s rant:  first,

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