2011 FEARLESS PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS--Round One

In 2009, the year the Steelers won their 6th SB, I was 10-1 (my only miss was Arizona winning the NFC Championship). Last season I was 8-3 (my heart really wasn't in it since the Steelers weren't either). This year I feel there may be some upsets. Regardless, here are my predictions for Round One:

COLTS over Jets

Saints over SEAWHAWKS

Ravens over CHIEFS

Packers over EAGLES

That would mean the Round Two match-ups would be:

Colts @ Steelers

Ravens @  Patriots

Packers @ Falcons

Saints @ Bears

FROM STEELERS RADIO "AGREE TO DISAGREE" -- 1/5/11

Here are my responses to the statements discussed on the 1/5/11 show:


"Bring on the Patriots!" -- Disagree. Although the Steelers have the "advantage" of Brady's lopsided record against them (c.f., Weak Law of Large Numbers) I have to agree with Mike Prisuta, "For the Steelers the road ENDS in New England."


"Santonio who?" -- Agree. Mike Wallace has done everything Santonio Holmes could do and more and the emergence of BOTH Antonio Brown and Emanuel Sanders as quality receivers and kick returners has made it unnecessary to lament Holme's departure.


"The turning point of the season was surviving the Ben Roethlisberger suspension." -- Agree, particularly since the Steelers were only 8-4 WITH Roethlisberger. I would have been happy with a 2-2 start in those games but that wouldn't have been enough to win the Division and get the first round bye.


"I'll be rooting for the Colts on Saturday and the Ravens on Sunday." -- Agree. If the Colts win the Ravens play the Patriots which is the only team I feel can beat them on the road. It would also, should the Ravens and Steelers win, set up another game, set, match contest at Pittsburgh with the Ravens for a trip to Dallas.

ASIDE: One thing I think the Steelers have going for them is that the Player Safety Initiative (a.k.a., the Season of a Thousand Flags) is over. I foresee playoff calls going much more favorably for the Steelers as the result of what occurred in this regard during the regular season.




LOOK FOR MY ROUND ONE PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS HERE TOMORROW.

NFL COACHES

The anticipated "Monday Massacre" of up to 10 NFL coaches passed with few casualties. Adams, McDaniels, and Singletary we're already gone and Tom Cable, Eric Mangini and Jim Fox were the only additions to the death cart. Others who were supposedly "out" were:


Marvin Lewis - Cincinnati

Gary Kubiak - Houston

Jeff Fisher - Tennessee

Tom Coghlin - New York Football Giants

So does this clarify the Bill Cowher situation?

My prediction was Houston but that's out. It could have been Dallas but I didn't really think Cowher could work for Jerry "Da Genius" Jones anyway. Other's thought New York but Coughlin survived. Carolina is a definite NO as they are in disaster mode. So that leaves Denver or Cleveland. He's expressed interest in Cleveland before but I hope he goes elsewhere. Then again he may wait until after the CBA/Lockout issue is settled. No use hiring on if you're not going to have a season.

SHOULD THE STEELERS START DRAFTING WRs and TURN THEM INTO DBs?

Final tally for the Steelers DBs: Troy - 7 interceptions, the other guys - 7 interceptions. Yesterday it took TWO interceptions by "the other guys" to match Troy's total. The worst part is, two of those "other guy" interceptions were made in Neil O'Donnell-self-defense-mode and I'm sure, if the same situation arises in a playoff game, they will probably be dropped. There are only two players on the Steelers defense that can be depended on to hold on to an interception they get their hands on, and one is a linebacker, LaMarr Woodely. The other, obviously, is Troy. If the Steelers are going to go anywhere inthe playoffs the "other guys" are going to have to produce at a higher level with respect to catching the other QB's passes.

DON'T DOWNPLAY THE OBVIOUS

At some point early in the Steelers-Browns game when the Steelers had obviously taken control and the outcome was no longer in doubt, one of the commentators remarked that Mike Tomlin said he didn't have to remind the Steelers of what the game meant to them. Really, Mike? Did you say the same thing LAST season before the second Cleveland game when all it took was a win to clinch a playoff berth? Remember, that game you lost, scoring only 6 points? If you did, how the hell did THAT work out?!? I don't give a damn WHO is playing pee-wees, junior high, high school, college, pros this is something in the coach's job description. Focus the team on the job at hand! Otherwise, why the hell are you there?

NFL PLAYOFF FORMAT

It was bound to happen (and please note, NHL), a team with a losing record (7-9) makes the playoffs because they were the least-terrible team in their lousy division. As a result a 10-6 team misses the playoffs.


New rule next season: The teams with the six best records make the playoffs even if that means one (or even two) divisions have no playoff representative. Rewarding mediocrity benefits NO ONE. Even though the Seahawks may win one or two playoff games THEY DON'T BELONG THERE with a 7-9 record. Period.

STEELERS: NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION

The Steelers have a Top 10 receiver,

A Top Five Tight End,

A Top Ten Runner,

A Top Five QB,

And a Douch Bag Offensive Coordinator.

Guess who has to go?

MAURKICE POUNCEY: ANOTHER IN A LONG LINE OF GREAT CENTERS

First there was Ray Mansfield.

Then Mike Webster.

Then Dermontti Dawson.

Now Maurkice Pouncey.

The Steelers have been blessed.

THE STEELERS WILL FAIL

Arians can thank offensive genius Roethlisberger for his job.

The Steelers will fail in the playoffs, probably in the first game (whichever round that may be in) because Ben Roethlisberger thinks he knows so much about football that he can judge offensive coordinators. Actually, truth be told, Arians is the only guy in the league who would let Ben call plays by drawing them on the ground in the huddle. If this is the only reason the schmuck is still around maybe we need to change QBs as well. Ben, just get out on the field and TRY to play well and leave the big decisions to those who know better. Since the Steelers will fall, I think Arians will be looking for work in January. I might even fire him before he can leave the field after the final game, a la Bill Cowher. 

OVECHKIN!

"What, me worry?"

Tell me how ALexander Ovechhkin (Ovechicken to those who know and hate him), can go year-after-year trying to take peoples' heads off and accumulate the same number of PIMs as Sydney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin? It was suggested to me that the NHL "needs" him on the ice. Hmm, to kill whom?. Crosby and Malkin get their minutes basically on what I might categorize as non-violent penalties (hooking, holding, interference) and, for some reason, so does Ovechkin since his charging and boarding penalties go uncalled. So Ovechkin gets to stay on the ice because he's "needed" by the NHL and, so I guess then, Crosby and Malkin are not needed? Tell me how this "helps" the NHL. Makes sense to someone.

"Gary, you got a lotta 'splainin' to do!"

    

"Da!"

NFL REVIEW CHANGES

NFL: After seeing the terrible call on the next-to-next-to-last GB interception against 

the Giants I suggest, ALL scores (TDs and FGs) and changes of possession (including 

on-side kicks) be automatically reviewed in a War Room similar to that of the NHL. 

That means no more on-field reviews. There will be no challenges or other reviews, 

period. There is no way a play such as that should stand just because a coach is out of 

challenges.

STEELERS V. PANTHERS

"Nice" game but nice doesn't win championships, guys. 

GOOD news:


1. Heath is back. God if they had only had them last week. Thank you fine-able hit at Baltimore.


2. SOMEONE in the defensive backfield, whose name isn't Troy, intercepts a pass. Please continue this trend.


3. Offense scored some TDs.


4. Nice to have Hines show up in the offense again.




BAD news:


1. When you're playing a team that is 2-12 you need to score TDs every time you have a opportunity.


2. Still do not understand the offensive game plan, if there really is one. Hopefully, someone will pull the pacifier out of Ben's mouth next year, have him grow up, and and next year Arians will be gone Arians.


3. As I stated many weeks ago, I am not encouraged that, realistically speaking, the "season" has come down to the final game in Cleveland.

STEELERS v. JETS

Opening kickoff for TD + safety (bad call?) + too many injuries + NO big defensive plays + another TERRIBLE non-call (holding against Sanders) = wheels coming off.

MY FAVORITE MIKE TOMLIN EXPRESSIONS

1. "Get a hat."


2. "Put your hand in the pile."


3. "Get a seat on the bus."


4. "I have no interest whatsoever in doing 'Hard Knocks' and hopefully Art Rooney feels the same way."


5. About the league office watching Steelers defensive players for illegal hits, "It would be hard for me to care less about what those people watch for."


6. "You are what you put on video tape in December."


7. "...particularly when you get to stadiums where the lights are on."


8. ..."light on your feet; thoughtfully non-rhythmic."


9. "Two dogs, one bone."

TRUE or FALSE: MY NO. 1 CONCERN IS STILL THE STEELERS' PASS DEFENSE?

True, for the following reasons:


1. Numbers 43 and 56 are the ONLY guys on the defense, other than perhaps Brett Kiesel (sorry), who have good enough hands and the football instincts to intercept a ball that's thrown in their vicinity.

2. Bryant McFadden has been so up and down the past few weeks that he can't be depended upon in a big game. Wait a minute, what's that in his hand? Has this photo been altered?

3. The effectiveness of pass rush has fallen off. This started against the Patriots and since then has only been truly successful against the Raiders (the game following the loss to the Patriots). Also, I am starting to become disenchanted with the 3-4 defense, particularly against very good QBs (a.k.a. Tom Brady).

4. You can't play bend-but-don't-break pass defense against everyone (e.g., against Tom Brady). Sorry, Mr. LeBeau. 

I guess this is where I posit my defensive strategy against the Patriots. You have to play a 4-3 to consistently beat them. You need four BIG pass rushers, not three and an LB. AND you have to take away the short passing game. Brady MAY beat your deep occasionally but he will KILL YOU with the short game, especially without a good pass rush. For the Steelers my strategy against the Patriots is a 4-2-5; four bigs, 2 LBs, and 5 DBs with press coverage.

5. I just read that Troy won't play against the Jets. Really, I'd rather have had him against the Jets than the Bengals but, who knew? This puts even more pressure on the offense against a much better defense than the "Bungles" and could be fatal.

JETS DEFENSE WATCHING FILM OF OPPONENTS HAMMERING BEN ROETHLISBERGER WITH IMPUNITY

THE ROAD TO A STEELERS FIRST ROUND BYE

 
1. Beat the New York Football Jets. Jets: 2009 Overachievers, 2010 Underachievers









2. New Orleans defeats Baltimore. New Orleans at Baltimore











3. Defeat the (now) 1-11 Carolina Panthers. 

4. Coast into Cleveland and leave without any significant injuries (no need to win if 1., 2. and 3. occur).

5. SEE YOU IN ROUND 2 OF THE PLAYOFFS.

"THE GUY WAS JUST TRYING TO TACKLE YOU."

This is the excuse-de-jour offered by NFL referees for ignoring "penalties" (head slaps, late hits, etc.) committed against Ben Roethlisberger. Yes, Mr. Goodell, and exactly what the hell does that have to do with the price of Nike knock-offs in China? If you saw a befuddled No. 7 petitioning the referees (Terry McCauley and Walt Coleman) the past two weeks this is what he got in return. 


Right now I'm waiting for Mike Tomlin to come down off his pedestal and start challenging this situation. With his players it's expected that they do whatever is necessary. Mike? Would BIll Chower have overlooked this on a now week-by-week basis? THAT Bill Chower of the "shove a photo into the ref's pocket at half-time over a too-many-men-on-the-field penalty." He would be apoplectic, spitting on every striped-shirt in the tri-state area. Mike gives them the "big eyes."


As Mike Prisuta said, "If it's not a conspiracy it's selective incompetence."

DREAM ACT--FOR WHOM?

Another initiative put forward by people who obviously value U.S. citizenship so lowly they feel it should be given away like candy. 


The crux of the DREAM Act is that illegal minors would be provided citizenship if they attended college or served in the military. 


Firstly, I don't think non-citizens should be permitted to serve in the military at all. I know some want to prove their loyalty to the U.S. by doing so, and that is noble. But I would only go for it if all CITIZENS were required to serve in the military. This is the case in many countries including Norway. What could a non-citizen's other motivations be for wanting to join the military? It could be a motivation such as that of Fort Hood gunman Nidal Malik Hasan's. Yes, he is a U.S. citizen but did it make any difference in that case? A non-citizen could be more likely to commit such an act, or perhaps spy. We even have citizen lunkheads doing that (Wikileaker Bradley Manning).


Secondly, how does attending college equate to anything with respect to citizenship? Now that colleges are simply liberal propaganda factories. Funny how once getting a "liberal" education resulted in a broadening of one's views not narrowing. Further, under what requirements will these illegals be admitted. Surely their qualifications will not be as high as many U.S. citizens. If they could get a quality education in their own country they might not even be here. Therefore, they will be admitted at lower standards than the citizen competition. It's bad enough we've lost millions of jobs in this trying time. It would be a crime to then cheat citizens out of a college education.


Rosanna Pulido, Chicagoan and one-time candidate for Congress attended a rally against the DREAM Act. She said the following:

The Dream Act is not a dream for most Americans. It is a nightmare! It is a nightmare for the millions who are unemployed, it is a nightmare for the many who have waited to gain United States citizenship legally, and it is a nightmare to those who have played by the rules and pay high rates of college tuition. Where is Senator Durbin’s sense of justice? Is he just playing politics with the aspirations of hard working Americans? Is he playing politics with Martin Luther King, Jr.? American citizenship is too highly valued to be given away to those who break our laws. I have a dream. It is a dream different from Senator Durbin’s dream. I have a dream that once and for all we will reward those who follow the law in the United States, not break the law. If you have this same dream, you will oppose the Dream Act with me.

Enough said. 

STEELERS-RAVENS II -- REPRISE

Some things left out:


BAD


1. Sanders--This may take a while but, remember to not run out of bounds on punt coverage. After all it was Game 12.


2. Johnson--Remember you're on the place kick group so the team doesn't have to waste a time out to get your fat ass on the field.


3. Ward--Not much talk about the absolutely subpar (a.k.a. poor) game played by number 86. Maybe people are willing to give him a pass because of his resume but I think it's significant. Age can catch up to you in a quick hurry. I still rankle when he, after 13 years, talks about how people didn't think he was "fast enough, big enough, good enough" to play in the NFL. Hines, you proved them wrong, now get over it before you retire; and please don't mention it in your HOF speech.

4. Rookie receivers--Run the right routes. So far this season your screw-ups have cost the team some big plays.


GOOD


1. Kemoeatu--Nice job trying to run over people after your fumble recovery since it was against the Ravens but, next time, just fall on the ball.

2. Wallace--Generally a good job. Let's just hope the offensive coordinator figure out a good way to use you, unlike what has happened to Heath Miller.


3. Ben--More props on a fine game under adverse physical conditions.