***OFFICIAL*** Steelers vs. Dolphins Game Thread (3 Viewers)

[infantsam]

Parker looked good -

He ran it hard up the gut even when Miami wasn't giving anything - then hit paydirt when they did.

Hines proved the preseason is unnecessary - it took less than a half for him to be back in form.

Nate Washington - looks good to me

J Porter running for the money like Forrest Gump!!

Pittsburgh without serious injuries looks ready - very improved at CB all of a sudden - and Miami will win some games this year. R Brown does not go down easy.

 

[The Jerk]

Good win by the Steelers.But if the Dolphins DB doesn't take that penalty with the Steelers inside their 10 yard line, the Dolphins win the game.

Without that penalty the Steelers would have faced a 3 point deficit at home with 20 minutes remaining. When's the last time a defending Super Bowl champion overcame such long odds?

I think Steeler fans are being highly obtus if they can't admit the momentum swing that pentaly created. It was a good game and well played for the most part. Close to the end but suddenly Mia and Cpep, more particularly, had a snow ball effect hit them and things got out of control. I see a lot of folks writing off what appeared to be a very good Mia football team thru 3 quarters of play because of some mistakes in half a quarter of play. It's still only the 1st week and Mia can fix those problems. Pitt did what Champions do. They took advantage of the mistakes and nailed the coffin shut.

Was the call at all reasonable or totally fabricated? I don't see a vast difference in Steeler games vs. other games. Most games have penalties called that influence the game. An extremely high percentage of the time those calls are legitimately made. Close calls, maybe, but not fabricated or flat out blown.

It was a legit call. Still thats a tough break for Mia. They had Pitt back on their heals and were in control of the game until that point. I'm happy the Steeler got the win, just not being blind to some of the things that impacted that outcome.

It's totally fair to point out the momentum swing. You make valid points. Other posters cherry pick one or two close calls out of a game and then build a scenario in which without those calls the game is totally different. They conveniently ignore other similar close calls that went the other way.One thing I've never understood is why most people believe that most games see calls completely even out. That's not statistically likely. Over a long time frame like a season or especially multiple seasons the close calls should even out, but most games see one team gain a slight advantage.

 

[Englishteacher]

Seriously, how did Jordan Monroe from Nebraska beat out Kelli Gallo from Oklahoma State for Playmate of the Month (just got the latest Playboy issue)? Oh, nice late catch by Chambers. Still, game over.

didn't get mine yet! SHHHH! don't ruin the ending!

his involves a sock so don't ask

 

[Trey]

Good win by the Steelers.But if the Dolphins DB doesn't take that penalty with the Steelers inside their 10 yard line, the Dolphins win the game.

Yeah, what's the saying ..."If my aunt had something, she'd be my uncle...something"Steelers were in no danger of losing that game. They even took 7 off the board themselves with the fumble on the one. So don't kidyourself.I was not impressed by Miami.

I'm not quite sure how you can be so arrogant as to say "The Steelers were in no danger of losing that game." When you are down 17-14 with under 7 minutes to go in the game, I don't care who you are. You ARE at the very least "in danger" of losing it.

 

[jurb26]

Good win by the Steelers.But if the Dolphins DB doesn't take that penalty with the Steelers inside their 10 yard line, the Dolphins win the game.

Without that penalty the Steelers would have faced a 3 point deficit at home with 20 minutes remaining. When's the last time a defending Super Bowl champion overcame such long odds?

I think Steeler fans are being highly obtus if they can't admit the momentum swing that pentaly created. It was a good game and well played for the most part. Close to the end but suddenly Mia and Cpep, more particularly, had a snow ball effect hit them and things got out of control. I see a lot of folks writing off what appeared to be a very good Mia football team thru 3 quarters of play because of some mistakes in half a quarter of play. It's still only the 1st week and Mia can fix those problems. Pitt did what Champions do. They took advantage of the mistakes and nailed the coffin shut.

Was the call at all reasonable or totally fabricated? I don't see a vast difference in Steeler games vs. other games. Most games have penalties called that influence the game. An extremely high percentage of the time those calls are legitimately made. Close calls, maybe, but not fabricated or flat out blown.

It was a legit call. Still thats a tough break for Mia. They had Pitt back on their heals and were in control of the game until that point. I'm happy the Steeler got the win, just not being blind to some of the things that impacted that outcome.

It's totally fair to point out the momentum swing. You make valid points. Other posters cherry pick one or two close calls out of a game and then build a scenario in which without those calls the game is totally different. They conveniently ignore other similar close calls that went the other way.One thing I've never understood is why most people believe that most games see calls completely even out. That's not statistically likely. Over a long time frame like a season or especially multiple seasons the close calls should even out, but most games see one team gain a slight advantage.

As I said, Champions nail the door shut when given the opp and thats what Pitt did. I'm a happy Steeler fan, trust me. It just seems totally out of line to throw the Mia team under the bus in what was (as everyone pointed out as the thread was going on) a very good game.

 

[The Jerk]

Good win by the Steelers.

But if the Dolphins DB doesn't take that penalty with the Steelers inside their 10 yard line, the Dolphins win the game.

Without that penalty the Steelers would have faced a 3 point deficit at home with 20 minutes remaining. When's the last time a defending Super Bowl champion overcame such long odds?

I think Steeler fans are being highly obtus if they can't admit the momentum swing that pentaly created. It was a good game and well played for the most part. Close to the end but suddenly Mia and Cpep, more particularly, had a snow ball effect hit them and things got out of control. I see a lot of folks writing off what appeared to be a very good Mia football team thru 3 quarters of play because of some mistakes in half a quarter of play. It's still only the 1st week and Mia can fix those problems. Pitt did what Champions do. They took advantage of the mistakes and nailed the coffin shut.

Was the call at all reasonable or totally fabricated? I don't see a vast difference in Steeler games vs. other games. Most games have penalties called that influence the game. An extremely high percentage of the time those calls are legitimately made. Close calls, maybe, but not fabricated or flat out blown.

Of course you don't. You're a Steeler fan.

Exactly. So I remember the Randle El interference non-call and the blatant incorrect overturn of the Polamalu interception in the Colts playoff game last year. The Steelers got the worst of the officiating in that game but still won. Winners overcome adversity, losers blame the officials. It's true in little league and it's true in the NFL.

 

[Steelers4Life]

Good win by the Steelers.

But if the Dolphins DB doesn't take that penalty with the Steelers inside their 10 yard line, the Dolphins win the game.

Without that penalty the Steelers would have faced a 3 point deficit at home with 20 minutes remaining. When's the last time a defending Super Bowl champion overcame such long odds?

I think Steeler fans are being highly obtus if they can't admit the momentum swing that pentaly created. It was a good game and well played for the most part. Close to the end but suddenly Mia and Cpep, more particularly, had a snow ball effect hit them and things got out of control. I see a lot of folks writing off what appeared to be a very good Mia football team thru 3 quarters of play because of some mistakes in half a quarter of play. It's still only the 1st week and Mia can fix those problems. Pitt did what Champions do. They took advantage of the mistakes and nailed the coffin shut.

Was the call at all reasonable or totally fabricated? I don't see a vast difference in Steeler games vs. other games. Most games have penalties called that influence the game. An extremely high percentage of the time those calls are legitimately made. Close calls, maybe, but not fabricated or flat out blown.

It was a legit call. Still thats a tough break for Mia. They had Pitt back on their heals and were in control of the game until that point. I'm happy the Steeler got the win, just not being blind to some of the things that impacted that outcome.

It's totally fair to point out the momentum swing. You make valid points. Other posters cherry pick one or two close calls out of a game and then build a scenario in which without those calls the game is totally different. They conveniently ignore other similar close calls that went the other way.One thing I've never understood is why most people believe that most games see calls completely even out. That's not statistically likely. Over a long time frame like a season or especially multiple seasons the close calls should even out, but most games see one team gain a slight advantage.

Like the missed pass interference call that resulted in a punt, a long return, and a short-field TD for the Dolphins that I posted about about 10 posts ago...

 

[Englishteacher]

We need a good line about Batch's Mom's harido for Joe B and his article...Any good nominees?

I wouldn't feed it after midnight.

 

[The Jerk]

Good win by the Steelers.But if the Dolphins DB doesn't take that penalty with the Steelers inside their 10 yard line, the Dolphins win the game.

Without that penalty the Steelers would have faced a 3 point deficit at home with 20 minutes remaining. When's the last time a defending Super Bowl champion overcame such long odds?

I think Steeler fans are being highly obtus if they can't admit the momentum swing that pentaly created. It was a good game and well played for the most part. Close to the end but suddenly Mia and Cpep, more particularly, had a snow ball effect hit them and things got out of control. I see a lot of folks writing off what appeared to be a very good Mia football team thru 3 quarters of play because of some mistakes in half a quarter of play. It's still only the 1st week and Mia can fix those problems. Pitt did what Champions do. They took advantage of the mistakes and nailed the coffin shut.

Was the call at all reasonable or totally fabricated? I don't see a vast difference in Steeler games vs. other games. Most games have penalties called that influence the game. An extremely high percentage of the time those calls are legitimately made. Close calls, maybe, but not fabricated or flat out blown.

It was a legit call. Still thats a tough break for Mia. They had Pitt back on their heals and were in control of the game until that point. I'm happy the Steeler got the win, just not being blind to some of the things that impacted that outcome.

It's totally fair to point out the momentum swing. You make valid points. Other posters cherry pick one or two close calls out of a game and then build a scenario in which without those calls the game is totally different. They conveniently ignore other similar close calls that went the other way.One thing I've never understood is why most people believe that most games see calls completely even out. That's not statistically likely. Over a long time frame like a season or especially multiple seasons the close calls should even out, but most games see one team gain a slight advantage.

As I said, Champions nail the door shut when given the opp and thats what Pitt did. I'm a happy Steeler fan, trust me. It just seems totally out of line to throw the Mia team under the bus in what was (as everyone pointed out as the thread was going on) a very good game.

I'm with you there. Yet if Miami had won, I would have felt that it was maybe 25% Dolphins winning the game and 75% Steelers losing the game. The fumble at the 1 and Ike Taylor's dropped interception were a 14 point swing. The game unfolds much differently. I don't think Miami was a disgrace, but I didn't see a super strong team either.

 

[cantrell]

A guy in my league is pissed. He had Culpepper starting and he only got 1 point from him.

 

[Englishteacher]

A guy in my league is pissed. He had Culpepper starting and he only got 1 point from him.

wasn't that bad in leagues that don't penalize for INT's

 

[ydub]

Good win by the Steelers.But if the Dolphins DB doesn't take that penalty with the Steelers inside their 10 yard line, the Dolphins win the game.

Without that penalty the Steelers would have faced a 3 point deficit at home with 20 minutes remaining. When's the last time a defending Super Bowl champion overcame such long odds?

I think Steeler fans are being highly obtus if they can't admit the momentum swing that pentaly created. It was a good game and well played for the most part. Close to the end but suddenly Mia and Cpep, more particularly, had a snow ball effect hit them and things got out of control. I see a lot of folks writing off what appeared to be a very good Mia football team thru 3 quarters of play because of some mistakes in half a quarter of play. It's still only the 1st week and Mia can fix those problems. Pitt did what Champions do. They took advantage of the mistakes and nailed the coffin shut.

Was the call at all reasonable or totally fabricated? I don't see a vast difference in Steeler games vs. other games. Most games have penalties called that influence the game. An extremely high percentage of the time those calls are legitimately made. Close calls, maybe, but not fabricated or flat out blown.

It was a legit call. Still thats a tough break for Mia. They had Pitt back on their heals and were in control of the game until that point. I'm happy the Steeler got the win, just not being blind to some of the things that impacted that outcome.

It's totally fair to point out the momentum swing. You make valid points. Other posters cherry pick one or two close calls out of a game and then build a scenario in which without those calls the game is totally different. They conveniently ignore other similar close calls that went the other way.One thing I've never understood is why most people believe that most games see calls completely even out. That's not statistically likely. Over a long time frame like a season or especially multiple seasons the close calls should even out, but most games see one team gain a slight advantage.

I like the Steelers, I really do. I'm a Chiefs homer and I still have a soft spot in my heart for Bill Cowher from his days in KC. But I think objective football fans have seen PIT receive call after call and it's tiring. The Steelers are a good enough football team to win on their own merit. I don't know if it's providence or an anomalous statistcal occurence, but it's beginning embarrass the league. The casual fan is beginning to take notice...

 

[pizzatyme]

Steeler D= B-

Steeler O= A-

Fins D= C-

Fins O= C

Fins played okay versus a backup QB. C-Pep looked average at best! I saw many throws underthrown.

INT to Polamalu was staring down Chambers and into TRIPLE coverage. I counted 14 targets for Chambers and I think he will have a great year and Daunte will have 18 INTs because of it.

 

[jurb26]

Good win by the Steelers.But if the Dolphins DB doesn't take that penalty with the Steelers inside their 10 yard line, the Dolphins win the game.

Without that penalty the Steelers would have faced a 3 point deficit at home with 20 minutes remaining. When's the last time a defending Super Bowl champion overcame such long odds?

I think Steeler fans are being highly obtus if they can't admit the momentum swing that pentaly created. It was a good game and well played for the most part. Close to the end but suddenly Mia and Cpep, more particularly, had a snow ball effect hit them and things got out of control. I see a lot of folks writing off what appeared to be a very good Mia football team thru 3 quarters of play because of some mistakes in half a quarter of play. It's still only the 1st week and Mia can fix those problems. Pitt did what Champions do. They took advantage of the mistakes and nailed the coffin shut.

Was the call at all reasonable or totally fabricated? I don't see a vast difference in Steeler games vs. other games. Most games have penalties called that influence the game. An extremely high percentage of the time those calls are legitimately made. Close calls, maybe, but not fabricated or flat out blown.

It was a legit call. Still thats a tough break for Mia. They had Pitt back on their heals and were in control of the game until that point. I'm happy the Steeler got the win, just not being blind to some of the things that impacted that outcome.

It's totally fair to point out the momentum swing. You make valid points. Other posters cherry pick one or two close calls out of a game and then build a scenario in which without those calls the game is totally different. They conveniently ignore other similar close calls that went the other way.One thing I've never understood is why most people believe that most games see calls completely even out. That's not statistically likely. Over a long time frame like a season or especially multiple seasons the close calls should even out, but most games see one team gain a slight advantage.

I like the Steelers, I really do. I'm a Chiefs homer and I still have a soft spot in my heart for Bill Cowher from his days in KC. But I think objective football fans have seen PIT receive call after call and it's tiring. The Steelers are a good enough football team to win on their own merit. I don't know if it's providence or an anomalous statistcal occurence, but it's beginning embarrass the league. The casual fan is beginning to take notice...

I saw only 1 incorrect call (or lack of call is more like it) tonight and it was NOT in the Steelers favor. They were legit pentalties called on Mia.

 

[ydub]

Good win by the Steelers.

But if the Dolphins DB doesn't take that penalty with the Steelers inside their 10 yard line, the Dolphins win the game.

Without that penalty the Steelers would have faced a 3 point deficit at home with 20 minutes remaining. When's the last time a defending Super Bowl champion overcame such long odds?

I think Steeler fans are being highly obtus if they can't admit the momentum swing that pentaly created. It was a good game and well played for the most part. Close to the end but suddenly Mia and Cpep, more particularly, had a snow ball effect hit them and things got out of control. I see a lot of folks writing off what appeared to be a very good Mia football team thru 3 quarters of play because of some mistakes in half a quarter of play. It's still only the 1st week and Mia can fix those problems. Pitt did what Champions do. They took advantage of the mistakes and nailed the coffin shut.

Was the call at all reasonable or totally fabricated? I don't see a vast difference in Steeler games vs. other games. Most games have penalties called that influence the game. An extremely high percentage of the time those calls are legitimately made. Close calls, maybe, but not fabricated or flat out blown.

It was a legit call. Still thats a tough break for Mia. They had Pitt back on their heals and were in control of the game until that point. I'm happy the Steeler got the win, just not being blind to some of the things that impacted that outcome.

It's totally fair to point out the momentum swing. You make valid points. Other posters cherry pick one or two close calls out of a game and then build a scenario in which without those calls the game is totally different. They conveniently ignore other similar close calls that went the other way.One thing I've never understood is why most people believe that most games see calls completely even out. That's not statistically likely. Over a long time frame like a season or especially multiple seasons the close calls should even out, but most games see one team gain a slight advantage.

Like the missed pass interference call that resulted in a punt, a long return, and a short-field TD for the Dolphins that I posted about about 10 posts ago...

The Steelers were rewarded with a makeup call (pass interference) on an uncatchable ball on the following offensive possesion.

 

[Koya]

A guy in my league is pissed. He had Culpepper starting and he only got 1 point from him.

wasn't that bad in leagues that don't penalize for INT's

Or that give a 3 point bonus at 250 yards. Phew.

 

[jurb26]

The Steelers were rewarded with a makeup call (pass interference) on an uncatchable ball on the following offensive possesion.

You can't possibly be talking about the 15 yd arm bar that the Mia DB palced on that Pitt WR could you?

 

[CrossEyed]

Steeler D= B-

Steeler O= A-

Fins D= C-

Fins O= C

Fins played okay versus a backup QB. C-Pep looked average at best! I saw many throws underthrown.

INT to Polamalu was staring down Chambers and into TRIPLE coverage. I counted 14 targets for Chambers and I think he will have a great year and Daunte will have 18 INTs because of it.

I would say Steeler D = B+

Steeler Special Teams = D

 

[pizzatyme]

Steeler D= B-

Steeler O= A-

Fins D= C-

Fins O= C

Fins played okay versus a backup QB. C-Pep looked average at best! I saw many throws underthrown.

INT to Polamalu was staring down Chambers and into TRIPLE coverage. I counted 14 targets for Chambers and I think he will have a great year and Daunte will have 18 INTs because of it.

I would say Steeler D = B+

Steeler Special Teams = D

Missed INT in first half away from B+/A- in my book, but fair enough.

 

[jurb26]

Steeler D= B-

Steeler O= A-

Fins D= C-

Fins O= C

Fins played okay versus a backup QB. C-Pep looked average at best! I saw many throws underthrown.

INT to Polamalu was staring down Chambers and into TRIPLE coverage. I counted 14 targets for Chambers and I think he will have a great year and Daunte will have 18 INTs because of it.

I would say Steeler D = B+

Steeler Special Teams = D

Missed INT in first half away from B+/A- in my book, but fair enough.

Yeah, Taylor may aas well just wear boxing gloves out there....

 

[ydub]

The Steelers were rewarded with a makeup call (pass interference) on an uncatchable ball on the following offensive possesion.

You can't possibly be talking about the 15 yd arm bar that the Mia DB palced on that Pitt WR could you?

15 yd arm bar? While you were watching the Fantastic Four, I was checkin' out a football game.

 

[Steel City]

My thoughts:

Is Batch the perfect backup QB or what? He just plays smart.

What I like about Parker is that he doesn't lose yards. He's not a grinder, but he also isn't going to put us in 2nd and 15 situations. He runs upfield and is a threat to take it the distance every play. I have doubts about him carrying a season long load of 20+ carries a game, but only because I've doubted him all along and he's done nothing but prove me wrong. Prove me wrong again Willie.

Heath Miller is good. And not just in the passing game.

Joey freaking Porter. Since the half way point of last season, he's been unbelievable. Playing the best football of his career.

Polamalu. Nobody can be this good.

Did Ike Taylor really drop that interception? He was a still the steal of a lifetime for the Steelers.

Guys like Morey make this team and the special teams look like this?

I love Bryant McFadden.

I was excited to see what the big fuss about Nate Washington was. What, we saw one catch from his last year and a couple of reverses in the preseason? I wanted to see what the coaches love about this guy and I'm starting to believe.

We're 1-0 with Charlie Batch at QB.

 

[jurb26]

The Steelers were rewarded with a makeup call (pass interference) on an uncatchable ball on the following offensive possesion.

You can't possibly be talking about the 15 yd arm bar that the Mia DB palced on that Pitt WR could you?

15 yd arm bar? While you were watching the Fantastic Four, I was checkin' out a football game.

Yeah, he HOOKED the WRs arm long before that pass ever came down and impaired his movement. That is the defintion of PI right there.

 

[ydub]

The Steelers were rewarded with a makeup call (pass interference) on an uncatchable ball on the following offensive possesion.

You can't possibly be talking about the 15 yd arm bar that the Mia DB palced on that Pitt WR could you?

15 yd arm bar? While you were watching the Fantastic Four, I was checkin' out a football game.

Yeah, he HOOKED the WRs arm long before that pass ever came down and impaired his movement. That is the defintion of PI right there.

Are we talking about called penalty or the uncalled penalty. Just trying to cla....actually, who gives a ****. Good luck this season.

 

[jurb26]

The Steelers were rewarded with a makeup call (pass interference) on an uncatchable ball on the following offensive possesion.

You can't possibly be talking about the 15 yd arm bar that the Mia DB palced on that Pitt WR could you?

15 yd arm bar? While you were watching the Fantastic Four, I was checkin' out a football game.

Yeah, he HOOKED the WRs arm long before that pass ever came down and impaired his movement. That is the defintion of PI right there.

Are we talking about called penalty or the uncalled penalty. Just trying to cla....actually, who gives a ****. Good luck this season.

I was talking about the called one... but yeah. Games over now, who cares.

 

[ydub]

The Steelers were rewarded with a makeup call (pass interference) on an uncatchable ball on the following offensive possesion.

You can't possibly be talking about the 15 yd arm bar that the Mia DB palced on that Pitt WR could you?

15 yd arm bar? While you were watching the Fantastic Four, I was checkin' out a football game.

Yeah, he HOOKED the WRs arm long before that pass ever came down and impaired his movement. That is the defintion of PI right there.

Are we talking about called penalty or the uncalled penalty. Just trying to cla....actually, who gives a ****. Good luck this season.

I was talking about the called one... but yeah. Games over now, who cares.

The bottom line is that the Steelers deserved the ballgame. I'd just like to see them do it in a less forgiving environment.

 

[cracKer]

Why didn't the ref, who seemed to be standing in the correct spot and looking at the receiver, mark Heath Miller down before the goalline? His foot/knee/elbow all appeared to be down and/or out of bounds before he crossed the stripe, yet he looked across the field (apparently looking for a clue) before raising his arms.

Hoping for a Parker plunge, this was disappointing, as was Saban's inability to toss a rag.

 

[cantrell]

Hopefully the refs aren't picking up where they left off last January and Feburary. We can only hope...

 

[Jason Wood]

The real question mark with Miami is their secondary, although I don't know that I've seen any TV pundit acknowledge that. Will Allen was AWFUL in New York the last few seasons and looked no better tonight. The Dolphins needed to infuse some youth into the secondary, but we really can't have any confidence in this new unit until they earn it.

 

[Tom Servo]

Hopefully the refs aren't picking up where they left off last January and Feburary. We can only hope...

As an example, it's somehow Pittsburgh's fault that Nick Saban throws a challenge flag like a girl?

 

[GroveDiesel]

The real question mark with Miami is their secondary, although I don't know that I've seen any TV pundit acknowledge that. Will Allen was AWFUL in New York the last few seasons and looked no better tonight. The Dolphins needed to infuse some youth into the secondary, but we really can't have any confidence in this new unit until they earn it.

I don't think that's the only concern with Miami. It seems as if Mike Mularkey is already showing his presence. In a close game with the Steelers, the Dolphins threw the ball 37 times I know their running game wasn't getting much for them, but to run the ball just 15 times against the Steelers in a close game is almost certain death. And I know that the Steelers have a darn good defense, but it has to be of some concern that Ronnie Brown had 15 carries for just 30 yards. :X Fantasy players will overlook that performance somewhat because of the 2 TDs, but that's pretty dreadful. It's just one game, but I think I'm glad I stayed away from Brown.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

Why didn't the ref, who seemed to be standing in the correct spot and looking at the receiver, mark Heath Miller down before the goalline? His foot/knee/elbow all appeared to be down and/or out of bounds before he crossed the stripe, yet he looked across the field (apparently looking for a clue) before raising his arms.

I didn't get that either. You were RIGHT THERE, don't look to your mommy for support. Make the damned call. It's even better when there's a 1 yard plunge for a TD, and the refs wait until they can clear the pile before they make a call.Did you see him cross the stripe or NOT?

 

[Godsbrother]

Went to the game last night and didn't get home until 1:30. I'm tired, I can't talk above a whisper, my head aches but I feel GREAT!

I played both Batch & Brown and best of all, the Steelers WON!

 

[culdeus]

So is the guy who has $1100 on this game on the winning side? Calling Culdeus...

Av updated.

 

[nightshift]

If we looked that good with Charlie Batch, just think how nasty we'll be with Big Ben at the helm!

Kicking game and returns leave a lot to be desired.

Defense did well as usual.

FWP keeps this up, he'll be top 10 before year's end.

Gotta love Nate Washington.

1 down, 15 to go!

HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!

 

[Tom Servo]

HERE WE GO STEELERS, HERE WE GO!

It's not an *** OFFICIAL *** Stiller thread until nightshift checks in.

 

[Memphis Foundry]

Random observations from the game:

Parker looked great, better than I expected. He was out there scrapping for every inch he could get and was making great quick-ditch moves when running inside. The question about his goal-line status is still up in the air for obvious reasons, but if he gets a shot at even half the goal line carries this season, he could be a bona-fide stud.

Hines Ward is still Hines Ward when he needs to be. But Nate Washington is well on his way to becoming the heir apparent to Hines Ward.

The Steelers offensive line looked pretty good though this is a unit that traditionally starts slow and gains momentum as the year goes on. More grist for the Parker mill if they continue to improve.

It looks like Cedrick Wilson will get a chance to go deep fairly often and will get some looks. Batch only went deep a few times but Wilson was on the end of those throws. Roethlisberger looks deep regularly so when he returns, Wilson's progress will be interesting to watch.

The Steelers special teams looked lost out there. Hopefully once Roethlisberger gets healthy, they'll be able to pick Iwuoma back up and get a stable unit on the field. Last night they were atrocious.

Ronnie Brown looked good against a tough run defense. Studly, even. And the Dolphins showed good commitment to the run. I think Brown owners should be licking their chops.

Culpepper looked OK at times but lost at other times. Even discounting the last 10 minutes of the game, there were a lot of passes thrown at people's feet. Maybe some timing plays could help him get established out there and then they could open the offense up to more improvisation.

Chambers caught a number of balls but he wasn't "in space" for the most part, so he didn't get much of a chance to RAC. I think if the Dolphins offense can get their timing down on some quick-outs and slants, Culpepper to Chambers could be very successful.

 

[Todem]

A huge Dolphins homer here. So here was my take on last nights game:

1) This is the best defense we will face all year IMO. Pittsburgh is Super Bowl caliber on that side of the ball. So those fantasy owners who start making assumptions that C.Pep, Brown, McMichael, and Chambers are going to under perform is foolish. The next 3 weeks will be great for this on the rise offensive unit.

2) For tearing his entire knee C.Pep looked good. He made some bad throws, rushed a few as well. He will get better and better and by week 3 will hit his stride again. He is an Elite talent.

3) Willie Parker is going to be a top 12 RB this season. He is going to be the goal line back as well. He took himself out of that series where they fumbled it away so I expect him to get plenty of goal line chances.

4) Chambers dropped a sure fire TD from C.Pep and we had to settle for a FG. Critical drop IMO. He can't continue to drop passes like that, and that has been is MO his entire career.

5) Our secondary is not good and will kill us. They were totaly unorganized and confused. They made Batch look like an all pro. We need to improve fast in that area, and that was a major concern for us going into the season.

6) Ronnie Brown runs hard and will be fine everyone. He only had 15 chances and the Fin's will have a good running game as we keep playing into the season. Also Brown has great hands, did you see that beautiful fluid catch he made on that crossing pattern in the red zone? He will have 40-50 balls easy this season.

7) 3rd and 2 with under 6 minutes left in Pittsburgh territory and we failed. Game over right there. And that Heath Miller catch was a joke. Bad covergae and Miller will never have a 87 yard td catch ever again. Bad bad play and those 2 plays is what decided this game.

Overall I did not expect Miami to win against one of the best teams in the NFL. They are the champs and play sick defense. The Fins protected Daunte pretty good most of the game. I expect Daunte to get his rhythm back of when to take off and when to throw it. I am very excited about this offense and it will produce great numbers this season. Our defense is good but our secondary is a major concern and will be our achilles heal all year.

My expectations this season are

1) The Dolphins will make the playoffs

2) Culpepper will return to a top 6-7 QB in FF

3) Chambers will have an even better year than last

4) Ronnie Brown will still have 1500 combined yards with 10 TD's

The Steelers look primed for another Super Bowl run. Their defense is steller, there OL is one of the best, Parker is a superstar in the making, and they have another star in the making with Holmes.

It was a great game and I look forward to getting better against the Bills, Texans, and Titians over the next 3 weeks. Big Numbers to come from Daunte and Co.

 

[Pedro Cerrano Fan]

A huge Dolphins homer here. So here was my take on last nights game:1) This is the best defense we will face all year IMO. Pittsburgh is Super Bowl caliber on that side of the ball. So those fantasy owners who start making assumptions that C.Pep, Brown, McMichael, and Chambers are going to under perform is foolish. The next 3 weeks will be great for this on the rise offensive unit.2) For tearing his entire knee C.Pep looked good. He made some bad throws, rushed a few as well. He will get better and better and by week 3 will hit his stride again. He is an Elite talent.3) Willie Parker is going to be a top 12 RB this season. He is going to be the goal line back as well. He took himself out of that series where they fumbled it away so I expect him to get plenty of goal line chances.4) Chambers dropped a sure fire TD from C.Pep and we had to settle for a FG. Critical drop IMO. He can't continue to drop passes like that, and that has been is MO his entire career.5) Our secondary is not good and will kill us. They were totaly unorganized and confused. They made Batch look like an all pro. We need to improve fast in that area, and that was a major concern for us going into the season.6) Ronnie Brown runs hard and will be fine everyone. He only had 15 chances and the Fin's will have a good running game as we keep playing into the season. Also Brown has great hands, did you see that beautiful fluid catch he made on that crossing pattern in the red zone? He will have 40-50 balls easy this season.7) 3rd and 2 with under 6 minutes left in Pittsburgh territory and we failed. Game over right there. And that Heath Miller catch was a joke. Bad covergae and Miller will never have a 87 yard td catch ever again. Bad bad play and those 2 plays is what decided this game.Overall I did not expect Miami to win against one of the best teams in the NFL. They are the champs and play sick defense. The Fins protected Daunte pretty good most of the game. I expect Daunte to get his rhythm back of when to take off and when to throw it. I am very excited about this offense and it will produce great numbers this season. Our defense is good but our secondary is a major concern and will be our achilles heal all year. My expectations this season are1) The Dolphins will make the playoffs2) Culpepper will return to a top 6-7 QB in FF3) Chambers will have an even better year than last4) Ronnie Brown will still have 1500 combined yards with 10 TD'sThe Steelers look primed for another Super Bowl run. Their defense is steller, there OL is one of the best, Parker is a superstar in the making, and they have another star in the making with Holmes.It was a great game and I look forward to getting better against the Bills, Texans, and Titians over the next 3 weeks. Big Numbers to come from Daunte and Co.

Pessimistic Dolphins fan here 1, 2) I agree, except for Culpepper. I hope to be proven wrong. I think he wil be OK, but we aren't going to see the same dude that threw for a bazillion TDs in 2004. What I'm most worried about is how he performs n clutch situations though, stats aren't a biggie for me.3) Yep.4) This has been an argument of mine for sometime now, but statboys on other MBs like to disagree with me. I think you know what I'm talking about Todem. 5) Daniels is in year 2, Allen is in year 1. It will get better. Will Allen is a liability, but more than Madison was? IMO we got Madison cheaper, younger and with a different name. I hate to say it, but I hope we got for more DBs next draft.6) Last night was the best damned 30 yard rushing performance I've ever seen. Brown will be fine. That's a good defense the Dolphins faced last night.7) No comment. I think the Dolphins played pretty OK last night. They aren't a playoff team. 8-8.

 

[Banger]

Even though Roth missed the game I think the Steelers missed him keeping some drives alive. Batch did pretty well in Roth's absense but I don't think the game would have been as close with Roth in.

Steelers D is sick. They are a big play waiting to happen. Culpepper got away with one earlier in the game when Polumalu almost jumped it which would have went for a score. The guy is amazing to watch he plays a different gear than everyone else.

I thought both RB's looked fairly good.

Culpepper didn't look good overall but had some decent moments. He's good at the dumpoffs and taking what the defense gives him. When he's forced to make a throw downfield though he often locks onto his target which created the Steelers int's.

I thought the Steeler wr crew as a whole looked good. Ward is Ward but Washington looked good, Holmes showed some good hands with a nice grab and Wilson was active on a number of plays.

Chambers will be a monster this year.

 

[mcintyre1]

Why didn't the ref, who seemed to be standing in the correct spot and looking at the receiver, mark Heath Miller down before the goalline? His foot/knee/elbow all appeared to be down and/or out of bounds before he crossed the stripe, yet he looked across the field (apparently looking for a clue) before raising his arms.

I didn't get that either. You were RIGHT THERE, don't look to your mommy for support. Make the damned call. It's even better when there's a 1 yard plunge for a TD, and the refs wait until they can clear the pile before they make a call.Did you see him cross the stripe or NOT?

I could easily be mistaken, but I remembering reading that each ref has a different responsibility, eg. one watches the ball, one the feet, etc. If that's true, he would have had to check with the man that was watching his feet, which puts the blame on that man for missing the call. Though maybe he just had a poor angle.

 

[CrossEyed]

You know what's the best part about the Steelers right now? They don't have a single UFA on their roster next year other than Tyrone Carter, who will be expendable after Anthony Smith learns the system better anyway. Max Starks is a RFA that I'm sure the Steelers will sign. This entire team will be together for at least the next 2 seasons.

 

[CrossEyed]

Why didn't the ref, who seemed to be standing in the correct spot and looking at the receiver, mark Heath Miller down before the goalline? His foot/knee/elbow all appeared to be down and/or out of bounds before he crossed the stripe, yet he looked across the field (apparently looking for a clue) before raising his arms.

I didn't get that either. You were RIGHT THERE, don't look to your mommy for support. Make the damned call. It's even better when there's a 1 yard plunge for a TD, and the refs wait until they can clear the pile before they make a call.Did you see him cross the stripe or NOT?

I could easily be mistaken, but I remembering reading that each ref has a different responsibility, eg. one watches the ball, one the feet, etc. If that's true, he would have had to check with the man that was watching his feet, which puts the blame on that man for missing the call. Though maybe he just had a poor angle.

Watch his feet!!!

 

[Ghost Rider]

Why didn't the ref, who seemed to be standing in the correct spot and looking at the receiver, mark Heath Miller down before the goalline? His foot/knee/elbow all appeared to be down and/or out of bounds before he crossed the stripe, yet he looked across the field (apparently looking for a clue) before raising his arms.

Yeah, I sort of said this last night, too. As much as everyone is ragging on Saban, the ref is the one who missed seeing Miller's foot clearly go out of bounds before he scored. I doubt it would have mattered, as the odds of the Steelers turning the ball over again inside the 2 were probably about 100 to 1, but still, you never know. In the end, though, the Steelers made plays in the clutch, and the Dolphins did not. When Roethlisberger comes back, the Steelers could be scary good.

 

[Pedro Cerrano Fan]

You know what's the best part about the Steelers right now? They don't have a single UFA on their roster next year other than Tyrone Carter, who will be expendable after Anthony Smith learns the system better anyway. Max Starks is a RFA that I'm sure the Steelers will sign. This entire team will be together for at least the next 2 seasons.

Any backloaded contracts coming to fruition?If not, and if the Steelers can stay healthy then it's looking pretty good for them

 

[Loomba]

Good win by the Steelers.But if the Dolphins DB doesn't take that penalty with the Steelers inside their 10 yard line, the Dolphins win the game.

Without that penalty the Steelers would have faced a 3 point deficit at home with 20 minutes remaining. When's the last time a defending Super Bowl champion overcame such long odds?

I think Steeler fans are being highly obtus if they can't admit the momentum swing that pentaly created. It was a good game and well played for the most part. Close to the end but suddenly Mia and Cpep, more particularly, had a snow ball effect hit them and things got out of control. I see a lot of folks writing off what appeared to be a very good Mia football team thru 3 quarters of play because of some mistakes in half a quarter of play. It's still only the 1st week and Mia can fix those problems. Pitt did what Champions do. They took advantage of the mistakes and nailed the coffin shut.

Was the call at all reasonable or totally fabricated? I don't see a vast difference in Steeler games vs. other games. Most games have penalties called that influence the game. An extremely high percentage of the time those calls are legitimately made. Close calls, maybe, but not fabricated or flat out blown.

It was a legit call. Still thats a tough break for Mia. They had Pitt back on their heals and were in control of the game until that point. I'm happy the Steeler got the win, just not being blind to some of the things that impacted that outcome.

It's totally fair to point out the momentum swing. You make valid points. Other posters cherry pick one or two close calls out of a game and then build a scenario in which without those calls the game is totally different. They conveniently ignore other similar close calls that went the other way.One thing I've never understood is why most people believe that most games see calls completely even out. That's not statistically likely. Over a long time frame like a season or especially multiple seasons the close calls should even out, but most games see one team gain a slight advantage.

As I said, Champions nail the door shut when given the opp and thats what Pitt did. I'm a happy Steeler fan, trust me. It just seems totally out of line to throw the Mia team under the bus in what was (as everyone pointed out as the thread was going on) a very good game.

Actually, all of the above are good and understood my original point. That call (a legit call, imho) was the single most important, albeit perhaps subtle, change in momentum in the game, and there were several. If you didn't see the game turn to the Steelers after that call, you weren't watching the same game. The Steelers get full credit for taking advantage of that situation. Good teams do that. In my view, the reason that play stands out, is that it was a complete mental error, as opposed to a more physical type of error like the Pitt fumble inside the 5 yard line. A mental error is bigger because it is more preventable than something like a fumble.Saban also knew he had the defending champs on the ropes at that point. We all saw how he freaked out on that DB's butt on the sidelines for that very reason. I'll guarantee one of his messages this week for the Dolphins will be how good teams don't make those mistakes and how good teams take advantage of them.Not looking to argue, and won't, but imho, the non-call on the Wilson pass was not a catchable ball. He was interfered with, but I don't think the ball was catchable and may be why there was no flag.