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AFC Championship Pregame - Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers (1 Viewer)

:X Thanks. I let the video load so I could maybe catch a glimpse of a hot little reporter or something and I get that.

 
Baltimore is averaging 248 ypg and giving up 333 ypg in the playoffs.They better maintain the +7 TO ratio they've got or they are going home. Simple as that.If the Steelers don't turn the ball over they are going to Tampa.
Yeah, but isn't that the big "if"? Titans could have been saying the same thing and they served it up 3 times on Saturday. Dolphins had 4 INTs and 5 total turnovers.Both those teams were way more careful with the ball than the Steelers. Didn't Ben cough it up 4 times vs. the Titans?
Flacco has been erratic in the playoffs, I would put my money on Ben over a Rookie in the AFCC in the turnover dept. anyday and twice on Sunday.
The matchup between Flacco and Big Ben sort of reminds me of the 2004 Championship Game. Back then, Ben was the rookie who was amazing during the regular season, but somewhat erratic in the playoffs, while Tom Brady was the seasoned veteran who knew how to win playoff games.Now we've come full circle...
 
Well, it's nice to see that Pittsburgh's mayor has decided to go by "Steelerstahl" this week instead of his family name of Ravenstahl this week.

It's over now Baltimore -- your fate is sealed!!! :excited:

 
Well, it's nice to see that Pittsburgh's mayor has decided to go by "Steelerstahl" this week instead of his family name of Ravenstahl this week. It's over now Baltimore -- your fate is sealed!!! :confused:
We're not worried. Our Mayor is denying that she's a "Stealer" despite what that indictment handed down last week by the grand jury might say.Back to football -- there are a lot of myths being busted this week leading up to the game.MYTH: Pittsburgh finished #1 in rush D, pass D, and total D, becoming the first team to accomplish that feat since the 91 Eagles.FACT: After holding that position through much of the season, Minnesota passed Pitt for the #1 rush D.MYTH: If you beat a team twice in the regular season, it's almost impossible to beat them a third time in the playoffs.FACT: Actually the team that has gone 2-0 in the regular season ends up winning the third game almost 60 percent of the time.MYTH: The Steelers had the hardest strength of schedule ever this year.FACT: Maybe it looked like that in the preseason based on last year's records, but after looking at the 2008 records of their opponents, the Steelers didn't even have the toughest schedule in their division.
 
MYTH: The Steelers had the hardest strength of schedule ever this year.

FACT: Maybe it looked like that in the preseason based on last year's records, but after looking at the 2008 records of their opponents, the Steelers didn't even have the toughest schedule in their division.
The Steelers schedule wasn't as tough at the end of the year as it appeared at the beginning, but it was still one of the toughest in the league, wasn't it? And CIN and CLE are obviously going to have tougher strength of schedules than PIT and BAL so that argument is kinda weak.
 
MYTH: The Steelers had the hardest strength of schedule ever this year.FACT: Maybe it looked like that in the preseason based on last year's records, but after looking at the 2008 records of their opponents, the Steelers didn't even have the toughest schedule in their division.
Primarily because the other teams in the division had to play the Steelers twice.
 
MYTH: The Steelers had the hardest strength of schedule ever this year.

FACT: Maybe it looked like that in the preseason based on last year's records, but after looking at the 2008 records of their opponents, the Steelers didn't even have the toughest schedule in their division.
The Steelers schedule wasn't as tough at the end of the year as it appeared at the beginning, but it was still one of the toughest in the league, wasn't it? And CIN and CLE are obviously going to have tougher strength of schedules than PIT and BAL so that argument is kinda weak.
The Steelers' opponents had a winning percentage of .525. It was the 7th toughest schedule in the NFL, and the toughest of any team to make the playoffs (the Ravens had the 8th toughest schedule).It's not an argument, it is a FACT. They played well vs. a tough schedule, but it was a far cry from the "toughest schedule ever" that has been mythologized here.

 
Well, it's nice to see that Pittsburgh's mayor has decided to go by "Steelerstahl" this week instead of his family name of Ravenstahl this week. It's over now Baltimore -- your fate is sealed!!! :)
Man I hope he loses next year. I can't believe this guy is a mayor.
 
MYTH: The Steelers had the hardest strength of schedule ever this year.

FACT: Maybe it looked like that in the preseason based on last year's records, but after looking at the 2008 records of their opponents, the Steelers didn't even have the toughest schedule in their division.
The Steelers schedule wasn't as tough at the end of the year as it appeared at the beginning, but it was still one of the toughest in the league, wasn't it? And CIN and CLE are obviously going to have tougher strength of schedules than PIT and BAL so that argument is kinda weak.
The Steelers' opponents had a winning percentage of .525. It was the 7th toughest schedule in the NFL, and the toughest of any team to make the playoffs (the Ravens had the 8th toughest schedule).It's not an argument, it is a FACT. They played well vs. a tough schedule, but it was a far cry from the "toughest schedule ever" that has been mythologized here.
Well, since you put FACT in all caps your argument carries much more weight :thumbup: I guess I didn't really feel that "toughest schedule ever" vibe that you got from this thread (and no, I'm not asking you to provide links, I just maybe overlooked it or whatever).
 
Well, it's nice to see that Pittsburgh's mayor has decided to go by "Steelerstahl" this week instead of his family name of Ravenstahl this week. It's over now Baltimore -- your fate is sealed!!! :lmao:
Man I hope he loses next year. I can't believe this guy is a mayor.
Gotta give him his props; who else will be able to walk into their 10-year HS reunion and say that they're the mayor of a major American city?Still, what politicians will do for attention... :lmao:
 
MYTH: The Steelers had the hardest strength of schedule ever this year.

FACT: Maybe it looked like that in the preseason based on last year's records, but after looking at the 2008 records of their opponents, the Steelers didn't even have the toughest schedule in their division.
The Steelers schedule wasn't as tough at the end of the year as it appeared at the beginning, but it was still one of the toughest in the league, wasn't it? And CIN and CLE are obviously going to have tougher strength of schedules than PIT and BAL so that argument is kinda weak.
The Steelers' opponents had a winning percentage of .525. It was the 7th toughest schedule in the NFL, and the toughest of any team to make the playoffs (the Ravens had the 8th toughest schedule).It's not an argument, it is a FACT. They played well vs. a tough schedule, but it was a far cry from the "toughest schedule ever" that has been mythologized here.
Well, since you put FACT in all caps your argument carries much more weight :X I guess I didn't really feel that "toughest schedule ever" vibe that you got from this thread (and no, I'm not asking you to provide links, I just maybe overlooked it or whatever).
Good teams and bad teams influence SoS in opposite directions due to giving their opponents losses and wins, respectively. You need to understand that because the difference between the Browns (or Bengals) and the Steelers is eight wins, and they play twice, then just those two outcomes alone produce a difference of 16 wins in SoS. Given that the Steelers combined opposition had 133 wins, and that the Browns combined opponents had 145 wins, you can see that this 16 win differential is what makes the Browns schedule considered to be more difficult than the Steelers.Essentially, looking at SoS this way punishes the good teams for having defeated their opponents and therefore decreasing their opponents win total. A more objective approach would be to eliminate the games that each team played against their opponents. That way, the SoS is not changed based on a given team winning or losing the majority of their games. This approach therefore looks only at the records of a given team's opponents against the rest of the league. I call this a normalized SoS, and the results for the AFC North in 2008 are as follows:

Team non-norm SoS normalized SoSPITT 133-120-3 (.525) 129-102-3 (.558)CLEV 145-108-3 (.573) 128-103-3 (.553)BALT 132-121-3 (.521) 125-106-3 (.541)CINC 141-114-1 (.553) 125-109 (.534)You can see that once the Steelers (and Ravens) are no longer penalized for their victories (in terms of SoS) and the Browns and Bengals are no longer rewarded for their losses, that the Steelers indeed played the hardest schedule in the division.If anyone is wondering why 22 games are removed in the normalized schedule (instead of 16), it is because each divisional game must be counted twice.

Another example that's even easier to understand is to look at the Detroit Lions, whose opponents were 143-113 in 2008. Of course, 22 of those 143 wins came because the Lions lost every one of their games. Take away all of Detroit's losses from that total, and the record is 121-113. Still an above average schedule, but not as difficult as first perceived by the raw data.

 
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Tom Servo said:
Well, it's nice to see that Pittsburgh's mayor has decided to go by "Steelerstahl" this week instead of his family name of Ravenstahl this week. It's over now Baltimore -- your fate is sealed!!! :lmao:
I'm surprised he doesn't just leave well enough alone.. Ravenstahl seems perfect.. Ravens Stall again on this drive.. why change that..
 
Tom Servo said:
Well, it's nice to see that Pittsburgh's mayor has decided to go by "Steelerstahl" this week instead of his family name of Ravenstahl this week. It's over now Baltimore -- your fate is sealed!!! :blackdot:
I'm surprised he doesn't just leave well enough alone.. Ravenstahl seems perfect.. Ravens Stall again on this drive.. why change that..
And if my recollection of HS German is correct, "stahl" is "steel" in English. Which, if true, is even funnier. "Steelersteel" :lmao:
 
Suggs: 'Come Sunday, we'll see'

Status of Ravens LB, who has played in 96 straight games, still unclear

By Jamison Hensley | jamison.hensley@baltsun.com

2:25 PM EST, January 15, 2009

With his right arm in a sling, linebacker Terrell Suggs said he doesn't know whether he can play in Sunday's AFC championship game at Pittsburgh.

"I have never missed a game here," Suggs said today. "So, I definitely don't want to start with the AFC championship. Come Sunday, we'll see."

It's unsure how hurt Suggs's shoulder really is.

After practice, he came off the field without his arm in a sling. During his interview with reporters, he couldn't describe the injury or detail the results of his MRI.

"I can't remember," Suggs said about the MRI. "I was so distraught when they told me. It's not good. It could be major ligament damage. We just have to wait and see."

Suggs acknowledged that there is a possibility he could hurt it further.

"It's a big chance that it could get worse especially if it's a smash-mouth game," he said.

Suggs has played in 96 straight games.

"If I feel like me being out there will hinder us and that we would be playing with 10 [players], the decision is obvious -- I can't go," he said.

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/footbal...story?track=rss
 
Steelers update: Polamalu practices, Hartwig doesn't

Thursday, January 15, 2009

By Chuck Finder, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pro Bowl safety Troy Polamalu returned to Steelers practice this afternoon, going through what he called a normal workday session -- five days after hurting his calf in pregame warmups prior to the AFC Divisional playoff against San Diego.

Meanwhile, starting center Justin Hartwig hardly practiced today on his ailing knee, though said he expected to work tomorrow in the team's final full practice for the AFC Championship game against Baltimore Sunday at Heinz Field.

Both played through the injuries against San Diego.

First published on January 15, 2009 at 3:28 pm
 
I am hearing that Suggs is very unlikely to play. It hasn't been reported anywhere, but on the radio last night he said that the shoulder popped out and then popped back in. Couple that with the fact he had an MRI yesterday, and I'm guessing the Ravens try to keep open the possibility that he plays (if only to deceive Pittsburgh) before declaring him a late inactive.This sucks. I think the Ravens are very much the equal of the Steelers but that they're not going to be capable of giving their best effort Sunday. Still waiting to hear more about Rolle. If he's out, just forget it.
So it's looking more and more like the Suggs news is coming true. The next domino to fall will be Rolle. I still haven't heard anything about him.The Ravens will be lose so much ability to disguise their schemes if/when Suggs is out. His greatest strength is that he can rush the QB or stop the run equally well and is ever better than average in pass coverage. Rex Ryan takes full advantage of his ability to do all those different things and does a good job of keeping the offense guessing.If Rolle is out, the Ravens are down to their 3rd and 4th CB in the secondary. I think they are done for -- it would be hard enough to beat Pittsburgh with all their regulars. Now they'll be out 5 guys they had once projected to be in their starting line up (Kelly Gregg; Chris McAlister; starting safety Dwan Landry; Suggs and maybe Rolle).
 
So it's looking more and more like the Suggs news is coming true.
This quote in the article confused me: "After practice, he came off the field without his arm in a sling."Did he practice today? If so I would say that is an encouraging report. Also the pictures I saw showed his arm in a sling yet this article says it wasn't. Weird.
 
This dude is speculating that Suggs' injury isn't serious and that he is just playing it up:

Is Suggs messing with us?

By Dan Kolko on January 15, 2009 4:55 PM MASNsports.com

Terrell Suggs said today that he might not be able to play in this Sunday's AFC Championship game, but is it possible that he's just messing with us?

Here's one side of the story, where Sizzle says that his shoulder is in bad shape and there's a "good chance" he won't play against the Steelers. The other side might involve Suggs having some fun with everyone.

Suggs was wearing a sling during his talk with reporters today, and he was playing up that he's pretty badly hurt, but as he was talking, I saw some members of the Ravens' staff off to the side trying to hold back laughter.

Sizzle is known as a prankster, and I wouldn't put it past him to play up his injury and keep the Steelers in the dark about how injured he really is.

Now, I'm not saying that Suggs isn't hurt, because he clearly is. But I'm just saying it's possible that there is some gamesmanship going on.

The rest of the Ravens don't seem to buy Suggs' act.

"You'd have to strap [suggs] down, just like they're saying about [Troy Polamalu's] calf," safety Ed Reed said. "I know the competitor he has in him and you're going to have to strap those guys down not for them to play in this game some kind of way."

Basically, we don't know what to believe. And that's probably just the way Suggs wants it.
 
So it's looking more and more like the Suggs news is coming true.
This quote in the article confused me: "After practice, he came off the field without his arm in a sling."Did he practice today? If so I would say that is an encouraging report.

Also the pictures I saw showed his arm in a sling yet this article says it wasn't. Weird.
His arm is in a sling and he sounds pretty serious about it. http://www.baltimoresun.com/video/?autoSta...;clipId=3343431

 
I'm feeling more confident as a :rolleyes: fan than I normally do about a game with the Ravens...but that's not saying much. :pokey:

My ;) pick:

Steelers - 14

Ravens - 12

 
A lot of what passes for "analysis" this week is that Willie Parker is back on track, and that because the Ravens struggled to contain the speed of Chris Johnson last week, Parker is poised to have another big game Sunday. I don't think this is going to prove correct.

CJohnson averaged 4.9 ypc this year; FWP only 3.8. I know Parker is healthier, but I also think his recent success (146 vs. SD, 116 vs. Cleveland) has a lot to do with his opponents. In the prvious 3 games (Ten, Balt, Dal) he posted 31, 47, and 25 yards. He gashed SD for 115 the first time Pitt played them. On the other hand, he's never done much vs. the Ravens:

08: 14 for 47

07: 23 for 42

06: 10 for 22, 13 for 29

05: 14 for 63, 18 for 59

CJ is a much better RB than FWP, running behind a much better O Line. But because they're both "fast," people seem to think that FWP will have success similar to CJ's. I don't think so. To me, this game will come down to Pittsburgh's success throwing the intermediate routes and whether or not the Ravens are able to force sacks and turnovers and/or get the Steelers off the field on 3rd down.

 
A lot of what passes for "analysis" this week is that Willie Parker is back on track, and that because the Ravens struggled to contain the speed of Chris Johnson last week, Parker is poised to have another big game Sunday. I don't think this is going to prove correct.CJohnson averaged 4.9 ypc this year; FWP only 3.8. I know Parker is healthier, but I also think his recent success (146 vs. SD, 116 vs. Cleveland) has a lot to do with his opponents. In the prvious 3 games (Ten, Balt, Dal) he posted 31, 47, and 25 yards. He gashed SD for 115 the first time Pitt played them. On the other hand, he's never done much vs. the Ravens:08: 14 for 4707: 23 for 4206: 10 for 22, 13 for 2905: 14 for 63, 18 for 59CJ is a much better RB than FWP, running behind a much better O Line. But because they're both "fast," people seem to think that FWP will have success similar to CJ's. I don't think so. To me, this game will come down to Pittsburgh's success throwing the intermediate routes and whether or not the Ravens are able to force sacks and turnovers and/or get the Steelers off the field on 3rd down.
I agree though Parker is finally healthy and fairly fresh and looks to have his burst back. Another reason for this recent success is the Steelers are finally using a real FB more often. They had been getting away from that the past two seasons.
 
Earlier in this thread, I posted about how the Ravens 11 times faced 2nd and less than 10 vs. the Titans and ran in 9 of those situation for a total of -3 yards. They need to play action pass on second down vs. Pittsburgh.

In thinking more about a possible way the Ravens could win this game, I looked back at the whipping the Titans laid on the Steelers and tried to find insight about that game.

First and foremost, of course, are the turnovers. Ben fumbled twice in the first 17 minutes of the game. And the Titans did a good job vs. Parker, which I expect the Ravens to match. The interesting thing to me was what a great job the Titans did vs. the Steelers on third down, particularly vs. the Pittsburgh WRs.

On third down, Ben went 5 for 9 for 42 yards and 4 First Downs, had 1 INT and 2 sacks. He also scrambled twice for 15 yards, picking up one First Down and losing a fumble at the goal line.

Of those 5 completions, the only two to WRs were to Ward: one for 4 yards in the hurry-up right before halftime and one for 7 on the final meaningless drive when the Steelers were again in hurry-up. But otherwise, not a single Steeler WR caught any pass on third down. (The other completions where to Miller for 6 and 17 yards; and to Moore for 8, all first downs). Doesn't that seem incredible? For the entire game on third down Steeler WRs had 2 catches for 11 yards and both came in hurry-up offense situations.

I don’t know what the Titans did on third down, but I hope the Ravens can do the same. If I get a chance, I'll look at the Steelers' 3rd down passing numbers vs. the Ravens from earlier this season.

By comparison, here are the Steelers' passing stats on other downs vs. the Titans.

First Down

11-19, 157 yards, 2 TDs (of 31 and 21 yards), 4 First Downs, with 1 sack and 1 INT, both on the meaningless final drive.

If you take out the 2:00 drive before halftime and the final drive of the game, Ben ruled on first down, going 7-11 for 112 yards, 2 TDs, 2 First downs, and no sacks or turnovers.

Second Down

10-12 for 132 yards 6 First Downs, and 2 sacks. A lot of that success came in the 2:00 offense and the final drive though.

My perception is that the Ravens struggled to get off the field on 3rd down vs. the Steelers. The Titans did a nice job of totally shutting out the Pittsburgh WRs in those siutations.

 
Might be getting some tix for Sunday, will find out tonight when I get to the Pens game :goodposting:
You can get them right from the Steelers website via the Ticket Exchange and there are seats available.
Not for face value :excited:
True but the markup is 15% which is not bad at all.
15% is 15%
Sure but if your other tickets fall through or if there is anyone else that would like to buy tickets I think a 15% markup for the AFC Championship Game is a much better alternative than going down and buying from a scalper that might be charging more or offering bogus tix.
 
Might be getting some tix for Sunday, will find out tonight when I get to the Pens game :hophead:
You can get them right from the Steelers website via the Ticket Exchange and there are seats available.
Not for face value :pirate:
True but the markup is 15% which is not bad at all.
15% is 15%
Sure but if your other tickets fall through or if there is anyone else that would like to buy tickets I think a 15% markup for the AFC Championship Game is a much better alternative than going down and buying from a scalper that might be charging more or offering bogus tix.
From what I saw, the markup there is higher than 15%.
 
And just that quickly, Steely McBeam becomes considerably less embarrassing.
You know I go to every Steelers game and I have never seen Steely McBeam in Heinz Field. I am not complaining -- just an observation.
He would probably get beat up... :goodposting:
He was there last SundayFriend of mine from work took this outside the Great Hall before the game... :goodposting:

 
Might be getting some tix for Sunday, will find out tonight when I get to the Pens game :pickle:
You can get them right from the Steelers website via the Ticket Exchange and there are seats available.
Not for face value :excited:
True but the markup is 15% which is not bad at all.
15% is 15%
Sure but if your other tickets fall through or if there is anyone else that would like to buy tickets I think a 15% markup for the AFC Championship Game is a much better alternative than going down and buying from a scalper that might be charging more or offering bogus tix.
From what I saw, the markup there is higher than 15%.
Hmmm. You are right. I looked on the FAQ and they said there is a 15% fee for the buyer but apparently the seller can name his asking price so you could end up spending quite a bit more. I guess the only real benefit over a scalper is that you know your tickets are legit and you just print them on your printer.
 
Ravens' Suggs, Rolle, Mason absent again

Linebacker Terrell Suggs, cornerback Samari Rolle and wide receiver Derrick Mason were not present at the portion of this morning's practice open to the media. Suggs (strained right shoulder), Rolle (groin) and Mason (knee/dislocated left shoulder/trapezius muscle) have yet to practice prior to Sunday's AFC title contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Linebacker Jarret Johnson (left calf) stood on the sideline in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, but he was not wearing his usual No. 95 jersey. Johnson had practiced on a limited basis yesterday after sitting out Wednesday's session.

The good news is that defensive tackle Justin Bannan (foot) and wide receiver Mark Clayton (thigh) made appearances today after missing practice Wednesday and Thursday.

Posted by Edward Lee on January 16, 2009 11:43 A

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/rav...sent_again.html
 
Ravens' Suggs, Rolle, Mason absent again

Linebacker Terrell Suggs, cornerback Samari Rolle and wide receiver Derrick Mason were not present at the portion of this morning's practice open to the media. Suggs (strained right shoulder), Rolle (groin) and Mason (knee/dislocated left shoulder/trapezius muscle) have yet to practice prior to Sunday's AFC title contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Linebacker Jarret Johnson (left calf) stood on the sideline in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, but he was not wearing his usual No. 95 jersey. Johnson had practiced on a limited basis yesterday after sitting out Wednesday's session.

The good news is that defensive tackle Justin Bannan (foot) and wide receiver Mark Clayton (thigh) made appearances today after missing practice Wednesday and Thursday.

Posted by Edward Lee on January 16, 2009 11:43 A

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/rav...sent_again.html
Mason might not play ?
 
Ravens' Suggs, Rolle, Mason absent again

Linebacker Terrell Suggs, cornerback Samari Rolle and wide receiver Derrick Mason were not present at the portion of this morning's practice open to the media. Suggs (strained right shoulder), Rolle (groin) and Mason (knee/dislocated left shoulder/trapezius muscle) have yet to practice prior to Sunday's AFC title contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Linebacker Jarret Johnson (left calf) stood on the sideline in a sweatshirt and sweatpants, but he was not wearing his usual No. 95 jersey. Johnson had practiced on a limited basis yesterday after sitting out Wednesday's session.

The good news is that defensive tackle Justin Bannan (foot) and wide receiver Mark Clayton (thigh) made appearances today after missing practice Wednesday and Thursday.

Posted by Edward Lee on January 16, 2009 11:43 A

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/sports/rav...sent_again.html
Mason might not play ?
I bet he plays. In fact it wouldn't surprise me to see all of them suit up. How long they can play and at what level remains a question but these guys are going to play if at all possible.
 
Mason hasn't practiced in more than 2 months -- since separating his shoulder vs. the Texans.

He's actually on the mend, unlike a lot of the Ravens' injured guys. He's certainly healthier now than he was vs. Dallas four weeks ago. Actually, Heap and Willie Anderson also seem to be a little better this week.

Rolle and Suggs are the two big questions at this point.

 

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