Am I the only one not impressed by the Steelers?

[moneyline]

Do game managers ...

- win 50+ games in their first 5 years in the league (uh, nope, since NOBODY has done it in NFL history, save Big Ben

- Go to THREE AFC championship games in their first 5 years

- Win one Super Bowl, favored to win a 2nd

- put up the numbers he did last year with a suspect offensive line

- win 14 games in a season where the Steelers were supposedly playing the toughest schedule in the NFL

- win a game against the best defense in the past 10 years AFTER your best receiver goes out in the 1st quarter and your running back can't gain more than 2 yards on a bet ...

Big Ben has proven himself to be the best QB in his draft and the QB you want in the playoffs (oops, almost forgot his 7-2 record), right behind Tom Brady ... if you don't think he is great, you obviously don't like winning games.

(oh, for the idiots who proclaim it's all been about the defense the past five years, I guess he is the first QB in NFL history to have a great defense behind him ... amazing he's the first lucky QB to actually have that going for him ... idiots ... sweet, stupid idiots ...)

[slacker00]

that's a laughable statement
Roth rated 24th QB in the league behind Shaun Hill, seneca Wallace, David Garrard, Jake Delhomme, Jason Cambell, etc. playing with what yis supposed to be the best defense in the league: http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/stats/by...assing&sort=49
Warner is 3rd with much more pressure on throwing the ball

QB rating is way overrated. Pennington is #2 on that list. Does anyone seriously think of Pennington as even a top 10 QB in the league this year? The Jets released him for nothing before the season. Nobody said anything. The guy is a hack.

Besides, Ben played against the toughest schedule in the NFL, that makes it tough to stack up huge numbers, Warner played in the cake NFC West, he should have had miracle passing numbers. If Warner was so great, why has he been bouncing around the league for the past 6 years as a backup?

But if you're still hung up on passer rating, check out 2007.

[The Seer]

C'mon Seer give some real arguments. Bend but don't break defense, you cannot be serious. Three game sample over the entire season. Tell me this, why has the Arizona defense improved over the past three weeks, what are they doing differently that they weren't doing before?

They had their division locked up halfway through the season.

[element1286]

They had their division locked up halfway through the season.

O ok, they are trying harder now. I get it.

[moneyline]

Seer, are you actually saying the Cardinals play in a division? Could have fooled me ...

[Chi_archie]

they are irrelevant now so it won't matter

it would be nice for you if they were irrelevant..but they are not

the fact is the same 53 players (for the most part) that put up all the stats, wins, losses during the 16 game period are the one's playing in the game in two weeks...

how they did over those 16 games is a pretty good indication of who they are, what kind of team they are, ect...

playoffs are different...but they aren't that different the cards are still the same 53 players with the same capabilities they had from sept-jan.....the playoffs do not give them super human capabilities.


the Steelers are playing the same during the playoffs as they did during their 16 game sched..

the cards have played over their heads and had lucky breaks for 3 games in the playoffs...


which is more likely to occur Steelers all the sudden play like atlanta, or ben throws 5 ints....OR zona returns to a mediocre 1 dimensional team where their strength is less strong then arizona's strength

and the steelers weaknesses are less weak then arizona's weaknesses

[The Seer]

You homers go ahead and lay that -7 and I will take +7 with a team that can put some points up on the defense.

[Panic]

You homers go ahead and lay that -7 and I will take +7 with a team that can put some points up on the defense.

No problem. What do we call you Cardinal homers that are intent on taking the +7?

[moneyline]

Dude, could give a crap about the 7 (although I wasn't supposed to lay the 6 against the red hot Sproles and I sure wasn't supposed to lay 6 against the 2nd coming of defenses of Baltimore -- but I was stupid enough to do it those two times, so why not be stupid again

Steelers will win ... I'll be in the stands ... the rest is just gravy!

[slacker00]

Flip the script. Played the hardest schedule in football. Got #2 seed. Best running back out for 6 games. #1 draft choice(Mendenhall) out for the rest of the season. Big Ben concussion. List goes on and on. And where are they at, healthy now, and favored by 7 in the Super Bowl. Wait til this team addresses the OLine in the off season. They are the new dynasty. they will win 3 out of the next 4 Super Bowls.

You had me going until the end. I like the Steelers right here and right now, but a lot can happen in 12 months. The Steelers are a great franchise in great shape, but the NFL is filled with great franchises. There are only a handful of absolute dogs. Even the Bengals & Browns will be much improved next season. Remember after your last ring, you didn't even make it to the playoffs the next year, so enjoy the moment and worry about next year, next year.

[The Seer]

No problem. What do we call you Cardinal homers that are intent on taking the +7?

dude, i have no allegience whatsoever to the cardinals, I'm just giving a rebutal to steeler homers because the best value is taking the 7

[Panic]

dude, i have no allegience what so ever to the cardinals, I'm just giving a rebutal to steeler homers because the best value is taking the 7

No it isnt. This may be the most lop sided game since the Bucs/Raiders Super Bowl. Let me ask, how many posters thought the Ravens would cover 6? I would say 98% of the posters here took that bet. And here we are again. Steeler cover. if they can beat the Raven by 9...they can beat the Cards by 7.

[Chi_archie]

They seem like a very average team to make the superbowl. Are they good? yes. But I just dont see them as superbowl material. Arizona on the other hand.....wow. Very impressive

this is the premise of this thread.....

arizona=impressive
pittsburgh=very avg.


its not even about the +7, heck I took Balty vs the Steelers.

all the zona backers are making this thread into zona is just as good or better then the Steelers...and here all the great things about arizona and here are all the bad things with the Steelers.

the steeler backers in the thread just wanna here credit given where it is deserved. this defense scary, haven't been too many this tough in the last 2 decades.

its not a given that Zona can put up 27 against the Steelers
its not a given that Zona can hold the Steelers under 35

+7 is a good line, half the time the steelers prob cover that maybe a bit more... half the time the cards cover that maybe a bit less.

the point is, the people that are making the Cards +7 seem so easy..have been less then convincing and have little to back up their statements..,...

people taking steelers -7 seem to have alot more reason to feel safe with that bet. statistically, historically, matchup wise player to player and matchup wise offenses to defenses.

Zona backers can go with "playoff momementum" "fitzgerald is God"
and "steelers have a bad 0-line"

[slacker00]

Thing is, Fitzgerald will have to score another 3 TDs in the Super Bowl for the Cards to have a chance. He's a great player, and has shown the ability to deliver. But, still, that's a lot to ask of even such a great player.

[slacker00]

No it isnt. This may be the most lop sided game since the Bucs/Raiders Super Bowl. Let me ask, how many posters thought the Ravens would cover 6? I would say 98% of the posters here took that bet. And here we are again. Steeler cover. if they can beat the Raven by 9...they can beat the Cards by 7.

I'll take that action and lay you 98-1 odds.

[Chi_archie]

Thing is, Fitzgerald will have to score another 3 TDs in the Super Bowl for the Cards to have a change. He's a great player, and has shown the ability to deliver. But, still, that's a lot to ask of even such a great player.

right especially when only one TEAM had managed to score over 1 TD against this secondary in the air the whole season....

7 teams did not manage 1..

[The Seer]

No it isnt. This may be the most lop sided game since the Bucs/Raiders Super Bowl. Let me ask, how many posters thought the Ravens would cover 6? I would say 98% of the posters here took that bet. And here we are again. Steeler cover. if they can beat the Raven by 9...they can beat the Cards by 7.

They get the cover by a rookie QB showing his inexperience. How many people thought that steelers would cover because the return an interception for a td? Those things you can't cap so if you consider cards lucky then u would have to consider steelers lucky. Either way, I will be on the cards and it is NOT any more than a normal play for me. If I lose, I lose but I have won much more than I have lost in these playoffs and will show a profit no matter what happens. SBs are something nobody should load up on.

[Panic]

I'll take that action and lay you 98-1 odds.

Count em up.

[slacker00]

Take away Larry Fitzgerald and it's men against boys. True, Larry will be playing, but can he really win this game by himself? Against teams like Philly, Carolina & Atlanta he came through. Pitts is on a different level than any of these defenses.

[The Seer]

right especially when only one TEAM had managed to score over 1 TD against this secondary in the air the whole season....

7 teams did not manage 1..

Bolden will be 100% so they will have to acct for him. Let's not kid ourselves, along with Breaston, they present a much bigger challenge than Pitt has faced all year so we'll just see what we'll see.

[slacker00]

Count em up.

Plenty of people were on the Steelers last week. I was one of them. My gut says it was a 50/50 split, but I would be surprised if it was as much as 75-25 for Baltimore. No way in hell it was 98-2. You've been chasing the roadrunner too long Wile-E.

[The Seer]

By the way, the steelers secondary isn't much better than Philly's and u can check all of those stats u like on that.

[Panic]

Plenty of people were on the Steelers last week. I was one of them. My gut says it was a 50/50 split, but I would be surprised if it was as much as 75-25 for Baltimore. No way in hell it was 98-2. You've been chasing the roadrunner too long Wile-E.

Would like to see posts by all the Steeler backers that had them covering 6 here.

[Panic]

Winning is one thing, covering is another.

[Cloak & Dagger]

Pittsburgh is the most overrated, one dimensional team in recent memory. Their offensive line makes a high school team look good, if they give up 4 sacks in a game people are impressed because of how pedestrian they usually are.

Their defense is great, but not invincible, and no defense is good enough to shutdown Larry Fitzgerald. They may limit his catches, but he will score in this game and the double-teaming they run by him will free up what figures to be a much healthier Anquan Boldin. They won't be able to run much, if any, but if Warner gets enough protection the Steelers simply cannot match Arizona tit for tat offensively.

The only way the Steelers win is if Warner throws 2 interceptions, and under 3 TD's.

those are the PITT bandwagon fans....they travel all over the USA waving a flaming yellow towel

[Cloak & Dagger]

Do game managers ...

- win 50+ games in their first 5 years in the league (uh, nope, since NOBODY has done it in NFL history, save Big Ben

- Go to THREE AFC championship games in their first 5 years

- Win one Super Bowl, favored to win a 2nd

- put up the numbers he did last year with a suspect offensive line

- win 14 games in a season where the Steelers were supposedly playing the toughest schedule in the NFL

- win a game against the best defense in the past 10 years AFTER your best receiver goes out in the 1st quarter and your running back can't gain more than 2 yards on a bet ...

Big Ben has proven himself to be the best QB in his draft and the QB you want in the playoffs (oops, almost forgot his 7-2 record), right behind Tom Brady ... if you don't think he is great, you obviously don't like winning games.

(oh, for the idiots who proclaim it's all been about the defense the past five years, I guess he is the first QB in NFL history to have a great defense behind him ... amazing he's the first lucky QB to actually have that going for him ... idiots ... sweet, stupid idiots ...)

Ill say it before and Ill say it again...Big Ben is the SOLE reason PITT wins games

without him...PITT would be lucky to be .500...even playing at home

[Chi_archie]

Ill say it before and Ill say it again...Big Ben is the SOLE reason PITT wins games

without him...PITT would be lucky to be .500...even playing at home

no doubt Ben has won a few games for Pitt when they are down...

but I think they would easily be .500 with leftwich or any other servicable backup.

Steelers have 4 games where they held their opponents to just 10 points.... 1 holding just to 9... 2 holding to 6 and 1 shutout...

that's 8 games of 10 or less points... I think they could win at least 6 of those 8 with Pat Venditto as their quarterback... and pick up 2 out of the next 8...

seriously though, people try to break down the components of this team as individual pieces...but they truly are a T-E-A-M where the synergy works to make them better they are more then the sum of their parts.

The defense has some great players, but the schemes' they run, lebeau's ideas, blitzes ect, make them better, their d-line makes their secondary better and their secondary makes their d-line better...

their o-line is weak, but Ben is able to shrug of sacks and avoid enough to MAKE plays especially when they NEED to be made.... half of the other NFL qb's would have 75 sacks with this o-line..or be dead.

this is a team built to win, with the players they have... they've done a pretty good job

[topgame85]

Steelers are not overrated they are underrated if anything the Defense they put on the field is amazing the offense is mediocre but can have explosive moments, this game will give Pitt its sixth ring and will go well under the posted 46.5 my guess is Pitt 24- AZ 13 (1 Fitzgerald TD, 2 FG)

[Cloak & Dagger]

no doubt Ben has won a few games for Pitt when they are down...

but I think they would easily be .500 with leftwich or any other servicable backup.

[Chi_archie]

not hard to win 8 games when your defense gives up ten or less in 8 games along and avgs 13 a game for the season

2 td's wins punt return and a pick 6 wins... 4 fg's wins...

great defense makes it easy to win games

[pinnacle212]

I want you guys to take a long hard thought at these questions.
Do you think Warner, Fitzgerald and Boldin will be rattled?
How many times do you think they will be allowed to run across the middle smiling and giggling?
Name one team in the playoffs that the Cardinals beat that had more than one hard hitter in the Secondary?

This will tell you the winner.

[Chi_archie]

Fitz, Boldin, Breaston put up crazy numbers as a trio this year..... but from midseason or so on...it became the Larry Fitgerald show... Breaston and Boldin's production dropped way way off.... now maybe that was teams trying to take 2 guys out of the equation, but why wouldn't fitgerald be the first target they tried to eliminate?

the way to beat Pittsburgh is using your TE's, RB's and slot receivers.... Pittsburgh pretty much always shut down and contained the # 1 split end/WR DOWN

anyways...
Boldin was hurt too I realize, but i'm just not convinced that his head is in the right place...literally as well after that one end of the game murderous hit he took.

i'm big into intangibles at times too... and I know that the Steelers are one of the most cohesive 53 guys in the NFL and their style of play really hasn't changed from when bill cowher first became a coach...they really believe in their system..

I know at least one WR in zona that apparently doesn't believe in the system...... I think boldin's small seed of non-cohesiveness could cause problems in concentration, focus, and intensity of game prep over the next two weeks when they have to have group therapy and team meetings to deal with his childishness..

again, I think Zona has a legit shot.... both teams are on a bit of a roll..but zona's is much more impressive and strong of a roll at this point.......

But if this game is played 100 times...I gotta think that Pitt covers 60 times at least.... if I bet I will bet based on that premise...

if I don't its because I don't know what to make of this hot streak zona's been on and don't want to chance betting against desting and Kurt's Jesus..

Jesus can throw a tight spiral

[Ryangene]

I am not sure how you cant be impressed with that Pitt has did thus far. IF they shut down Fitz in the SB look out this could get very ugly. I think Willie Parker is going to be huge in this game just like he was in the other SB. Going to take all OVERS in his props.

[moneyline]

The Steelers have been doing what they've done all year ... they've been holding each offense under 300 yards and would've completely embarrassed SD if they didn't let up at the end of the game with the final score no longer in doubt.

AZ won 2 games at home (nobody said they couldn't play at home) and watched Jake Delhomme self-destruct ... wow ... amazing ... hottest team I've ever seen (or not)

[slacker00]

I am not sure how you cant be impressed with that Pitt has did thus far. IF they shut down Fitz in the SB look out this could get very ugly. I think Willie Parker is going to be huge in this game just like he was in the other SB. Going to take all OVERS in his props.

Good analysis.

I thought Philly could slow down Fitzgerald, but I was wrong. That's the key, IMHO. Can Pitts do it? That's the big question. I still can't believe Philly played so miserably, yet still had the lead in the 4th quarter. I can't see AZ pulling out another miracle unless Pitts plays completely flat like Philly, Carolina, Atlanta. Pitts is the better team.