...and his name is Dick Curl. Seriously, you're going with "Dick", huh? Not Rich, or Richard? Dick Curl?
I'm not the only one who snickered like an 11-year-old when I heard the new coach's name, am I?
But seriously, Dick Curl? Baseball fans are certainly familiar with a long-time pitching coach, now with the Cincinnati Reds, named Dick Pole. Your last name's "Pole", then absolutely, go with "Dick" as your first name. Coach Curl, though, really ought to go with Richard.
Anyway, Coach Curl, who the Chiefs have already super-efficiently expunged from their website, was Kansas City's QB coach going back to 2006. And no, Brodie Croyle certainly hasn't burst on the scene there the way Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco did for their teams this year. But with Croyle going down for the 2008 season the first week (which pretty much got ignored because Tom Brady went down in the same game), the Chiefs decided to throw 2nd-year man Tyler Thigpen (with all of six career attempts) into the fire, and I thought he did a pretty respectable job, especially the last nine weeks. Sure, he was only 27th in the NFL in passer rating, but you know who that 76.0 rating beats? You know who Thigpen's 18 TDs vs. 12 INTs whips?
Yep, Marc Bulger, who finished 2008 with a 71.4 passer rating, 11 TDs and 13 INTs in a very similar number of attempts (440 to Thigpen's 420). I think Thigpen's development is a plus on Coach Curl's resume.
Curl coached the Jets RBs and TEs from 2003-05, not that I'm going to give him credit for Curtis Martin. But Anthony Becht had certainly his best pro season in 2003 when Curl was Jets TEs coach.
Curl coached in NFL Europe for TEN FREAKING YEARS, including seven as offensive coordinator of the Barcelona Dragons, which is where Steve Spagnuolo would have met him. Though the Rams website says Curl was in Barcelona from 1991-97, Wikipedia says Barcelona didn't field a team in 1993 or 94. Huh. After going 5-5 in the regular season, the Dragons won the 1997 World Bowl behind the heroics of World Bowl MVP Jon Kitna. Other Dragons of note who would have played on Coach Curl's offense: Kelly Holcomb and Casey Weldon. (To answer your next question: no, Lawrence Phillips did not become a Dragon until 1999.)
At Boston College in 1990, Curl would have coached QBs Glenn Foley and Willie Hicks. Foley was a three-year (at least) starter at BC and 7th round pick of the Jets in 1994. Foley was a backup for six years, mostly with the Jets, with a 2-7 career record and a passer rating of 67.2. Curl coached QBs at Rutgers (there's that New Jersey tie again!) for most of the 80s. Given the terrible history that football program had up until about 2000, it's no surprise there wasn't a Rutgers QB drafted in that period.
He's no Mike Martz - he doesn't take 4th-stringers or grocery clerks and turn them into gold - but Coach Curl's had a hand in developing Kitna, Holcomb and Thigpen, lower-level QB talents who have had in some cases extended bursts of high-level play in the NFL. That's pretty much what the Rams have right now with Bulger.
Is this an exciting hire? Nah. And I can't see drafting a QB with a high pick and turning him over to Curl when Curl has no record for developing such a prospect. But Curl's been coaching 46 years, and his recent success with Thigpen says there's a chance he gets Bulger back on the right track. With apologies for the faint praise, he's not Larry Marmie.
RamView's grades for the Rams' coaching hires so far:
HC - Steve Spagnuolo - B+
OC - Pat Shurmur - B+
DC - Ken Flajole - A-
WR - Charlie Baggett - A-
LB - Paul Ferraro - C-
QB - Coach Curl - C+
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Charlie Baggett new WRs coach
Henry Ellard left the Rams over the weekend to become WRs coach for the New York Jets. Rams Nation regrets the loss of a capable coach with ties to the franchise's past. However, Charlie Baggett, Ellard's replacement whom I believe was considered for WRs coach when Scott Linehan took over in 2006, should prove a capable replacement.
Baggett coached WRs at Minnesota the same time Linehan was there, so, per his biography, he "oversaw the development of Randy Moss". He has coached a bunch of 1,000-yard receivers, including Moss, Cris Carter and Nate Burleson at Minnesota, and Chris Chambers at Miami in 2005, Chambers' best year in Miami, also under Linehan. Chambers became Miami's first Pro Bowl wideout in 12 years. Baggett's also coached Antonio Freeman and Bill Freakin' Schroeder to 1,000-yard seasons, though it certainly can't hurt a then-Green Bay WRs coach to have Brett Favre throwing to his guys.
The part of Baggett's resume that is eye-popping is his time at Michigan State, also as a WRs coach. Look at a list of Spartans WRs coached by Baggett that went on to the pros: Andre Rison, Mark Ingram, Plaxico Burress, Muhsin Muhammad.
Long ago, Baggett also coached WRs for Jerry Glanville's run-and-shoot Houston Oilers offense. In 1993 alone, they had three of the AFC's top 12 receivers and two Pro Bowlers in Haywood Jeffires and Ernest Givins.
Not to say that Ellard wasn't doing, or couldn't do the job, but if you want to develop young WRs into big-time pros?
I'm thinking you turn them over to Charlie Baggett.
Baggett coached WRs at Minnesota the same time Linehan was there, so, per his biography, he "oversaw the development of Randy Moss". He has coached a bunch of 1,000-yard receivers, including Moss, Cris Carter and Nate Burleson at Minnesota, and Chris Chambers at Miami in 2005, Chambers' best year in Miami, also under Linehan. Chambers became Miami's first Pro Bowl wideout in 12 years. Baggett's also coached Antonio Freeman and Bill Freakin' Schroeder to 1,000-yard seasons, though it certainly can't hurt a then-Green Bay WRs coach to have Brett Favre throwing to his guys.
The part of Baggett's resume that is eye-popping is his time at Michigan State, also as a WRs coach. Look at a list of Spartans WRs coached by Baggett that went on to the pros: Andre Rison, Mark Ingram, Plaxico Burress, Muhsin Muhammad.
Long ago, Baggett also coached WRs for Jerry Glanville's run-and-shoot Houston Oilers offense. In 1993 alone, they had three of the AFC's top 12 receivers and two Pro Bowlers in Haywood Jeffires and Ernest Givins.
Not to say that Ellard wasn't doing, or couldn't do the job, but if you want to develop young WRs into big-time pros?
I'm thinking you turn them over to Charlie Baggett.
Rams name Paul Ferraro LB coach
The Rams made Paul Ferraro their linebackers coach last week. This brought a sigh of relief from a Rams Nation concerned he was being hired as the Rams' special teams coach, since the Ferraro-led special teams at Minnesota gave up a ridiculous seven TDs in 2008. (Though, to be parenthetically fair, special teams fared well for him there in 2006-07 and in Carolina in 2005.)
RamView looked hard to find qualifications for Coach Ferraro beyond the fact he played on the same Springfield College football team in 1979 as one Steve Spagnuolo. Ferraro's only been in the NFL four years, all as a special teams coach. The most significant lines on his 23-year college resume are as Rutgers' DC from 2001-04 and as Bowling Green's DC from 1991-98. Not exactly BCS powerhouses.
Then again, from 1991-94, BGSU's defense sounds like it was the dominant one in the MAC, allowing under 17 points a game and having 12 players named to the all-conference team. Don't laugh at Bowling Green - they won the 1991 Raisin Bowl! OK, you can laugh at that.
If anything makes Ferraro's resume, it's his time at Rutgers, under the highly-respected Greg Schiano. That group turned a traditionally dreadful football program into one successful enough for Tony Soprano to want to show up at their games, and no, I don't mean the Dolphins' HC this time. I mean Tony Freakin' Soprano. In 2004, the traditional league doormat led the Big East in sacks and takeaways. The Colts have the most notable players from Ferraro's Rutgers days - LB Gary Brackett and DE Eric Foster, who played for him as a freshman. Both are starters in Indianapolis.
So at some level, Paul Ferraro knows how to turn around a defense, and he had to have played a significant part in turning around a historically-dreadful football team. I think it's fair to ask how a bunch of mainly small-school experience makes Ferraro a desirable candidate - we'd ask the question of a small-school LB, why not ask it of a LB coach? - but Ferraro gets some benefit of the doubt for now on the strength of his record helping turn around bad teams and bad defenses.
RamView looked hard to find qualifications for Coach Ferraro beyond the fact he played on the same Springfield College football team in 1979 as one Steve Spagnuolo. Ferraro's only been in the NFL four years, all as a special teams coach. The most significant lines on his 23-year college resume are as Rutgers' DC from 2001-04 and as Bowling Green's DC from 1991-98. Not exactly BCS powerhouses.
Then again, from 1991-94, BGSU's defense sounds like it was the dominant one in the MAC, allowing under 17 points a game and having 12 players named to the all-conference team. Don't laugh at Bowling Green - they won the 1991 Raisin Bowl! OK, you can laugh at that.
If anything makes Ferraro's resume, it's his time at Rutgers, under the highly-respected Greg Schiano. That group turned a traditionally dreadful football program into one successful enough for Tony Soprano to want to show up at their games, and no, I don't mean the Dolphins' HC this time. I mean Tony Freakin' Soprano. In 2004, the traditional league doormat led the Big East in sacks and takeaways. The Colts have the most notable players from Ferraro's Rutgers days - LB Gary Brackett and DE Eric Foster, who played for him as a freshman. Both are starters in Indianapolis.
So at some level, Paul Ferraro knows how to turn around a defense, and he had to have played a significant part in turning around a historically-dreadful football team. I think it's fair to ask how a bunch of mainly small-school experience makes Ferraro a desirable candidate - we'd ask the question of a small-school LB, why not ask it of a LB coach? - but Ferraro gets some benefit of the doubt for now on the strength of his record helping turn around bad teams and bad defenses.
Lions hire Linehan
Misery, meet company? The Detroit Lions have hired Scott Linehan to be their new offensive coordinator. Is it possible for a team to be worse than 0-16? And is Linehan the first person in human history to pick Detroit over San Francisco at, well, anything?
But just when RamView began to wonder if Lions HC Jim Schwartz hasn't been getting credit for a couple of dozen more IQ points than he may actually have, it dawned that Linehan had two successful terms as OC in Minnesota and Miami. And sure, you can say he was mainly successful in Minnesota because the Vikings had Randy Moss.
Have you seen Calvin Johnson? Any reason not to run him 40 yards downfield 6-8 times a game and let Matthew Stafford just chuck it deep?
Linehan screwed the pooch here (Detroit laughably says part of his appeal is that he's a former HC), and Detroit seems like the perfect purgatory for him after his dreadful Rams tenure, but we'd be selling him too short to think he can't make something with a Stafford-to-Johnson connection. Culpepper-to-Moss Lite, if you will.
It worked for him before...
But just when RamView began to wonder if Lions HC Jim Schwartz hasn't been getting credit for a couple of dozen more IQ points than he may actually have, it dawned that Linehan had two successful terms as OC in Minnesota and Miami. And sure, you can say he was mainly successful in Minnesota because the Vikings had Randy Moss.
Have you seen Calvin Johnson? Any reason not to run him 40 yards downfield 6-8 times a game and let Matthew Stafford just chuck it deep?
Linehan screwed the pooch here (Detroit laughably says part of his appeal is that he's a former HC), and Detroit seems like the perfect purgatory for him after his dreadful Rams tenure, but we'd be selling him too short to think he can't make something with a Stafford-to-Johnson connection. Culpepper-to-Moss Lite, if you will.
It worked for him before...
Thursday, January 22, 2009
DraftView: Mel Kiper's mock draft
This will kick off draft coverage on RamView for 2009. With the Rams drafting second overall for the second straight year, 2009's draft will again be crucial to the long-term future of the franchise. A couple of years of high picks can turn a franchise right around if done right (see: Penguins, Pittsburgh), or just make your team a historical laughingstock if done wrong (see: Lions, Detroit).
Out of courtesy, here's the link to Mel Kiper's current mock (the first one of his I'm aware of).
My notes: It sounds like a LOT of mocks are going to project Andre Smith to the Rams. I'm torn, with the little I know right now. There's a lot of sentiment that Smith's not even the best tackle available, let alone the best player available. It sure seems like Michael Crabtree would rank as the BPA of this draft, and it's not like the Rams couldn't use him. And as much as I would like to cashier Alex Barron and put some new blood at RT, is that the team's biggest need? Well, it sure is if they don't bring Orlando Pace back, but if Aaron Curry, who Billy Devaney has already said he loves, is a run-stopper, I don't know how this awful run defense can pass on him from a needs standpoint. So right now, my pick is Crabtree, because after last year's draft, I've become a BPA guy. Curry is my needs pick.
Some more: I believe the Rams need to be one of those teams that trades up into the bottom half of the first round this year. Rather than sitting and keeping their fingers crossed that Rey Maualuga (won't) or Alex Mack (might) fall to them, they need to deal up and get their guy.
A little more: I'm happy for him, but surprised to see Jeremy Maclin in the top 10. I think he's a pretty big step down from Crabtree. I didn't see Maclin taking over any games this year. And as for Vontae Davis, I don't see it, never did. He was not a difference-making player in any Illini game I watched, especially the Missouri game. Bigger Illini fans than me complain the team played too-soft coverage, and that opponents threw away from Davis, so that is worth considering in the overall analysis.
Also, Mel: you've got the Chiefs picking a QB when Tyler Thigpen emerged as one of their few bright spots, when they have an offensive line still under construction and their pick of the top tackle prospects, and when they had one of the worst pass rushes ever? (TEN sacks last year? Are you kidding me? TEN?)
Better think that one over again, Draft Guru.
Out of courtesy, here's the link to Mel Kiper's current mock (the first one of his I'm aware of).
My notes: It sounds like a LOT of mocks are going to project Andre Smith to the Rams. I'm torn, with the little I know right now. There's a lot of sentiment that Smith's not even the best tackle available, let alone the best player available. It sure seems like Michael Crabtree would rank as the BPA of this draft, and it's not like the Rams couldn't use him. And as much as I would like to cashier Alex Barron and put some new blood at RT, is that the team's biggest need? Well, it sure is if they don't bring Orlando Pace back, but if Aaron Curry, who Billy Devaney has already said he loves, is a run-stopper, I don't know how this awful run defense can pass on him from a needs standpoint. So right now, my pick is Crabtree, because after last year's draft, I've become a BPA guy. Curry is my needs pick.
Some more: I believe the Rams need to be one of those teams that trades up into the bottom half of the first round this year. Rather than sitting and keeping their fingers crossed that Rey Maualuga (won't) or Alex Mack (might) fall to them, they need to deal up and get their guy.
A little more: I'm happy for him, but surprised to see Jeremy Maclin in the top 10. I think he's a pretty big step down from Crabtree. I didn't see Maclin taking over any games this year. And as for Vontae Davis, I don't see it, never did. He was not a difference-making player in any Illini game I watched, especially the Missouri game. Bigger Illini fans than me complain the team played too-soft coverage, and that opponents threw away from Davis, so that is worth considering in the overall analysis.
Also, Mel: you've got the Chiefs picking a QB when Tyler Thigpen emerged as one of their few bright spots, when they have an offensive line still under construction and their pick of the top tackle prospects, and when they had one of the worst pass rushes ever? (TEN sacks last year? Are you kidding me? TEN?)
Better think that one over again, Draft Guru.
Kiper's first round 1-16
| Pick | Team | Player | Position | College |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit | Matthew Stafford | QB | Georgia |
| 2 | St. Louis | Andre Smith | OT | Alabama |
| 3 | Kansas City | Mark Sanchez | QB | USC |
| 4 | Seattle | Michael Crabtree | WR | Texas Tech |
| 5 | Cleveland | Aaron Curry | LB | Wake Forest |
| 6 | Cincinnati | Jason Smith | OT | Baylor |
| 7 | Oakland | Jeremy Maclin | WR | Missouri |
| 8 | Jacksonville | Eugene Monroe | OT | Virginia |
| 9 | Green Bay | Malcolm Jenkins | CB | Ohio St. |
| 10 | San Francisco | Aaron Maybin | DE/OLB | Penn St. |
| 11 | Buffalo | Brandon Pettigrew | TE | Oklahoma St. |
| 12 | Denver | B.J. Raji | DT | Boston College |
| 13 | Washington | Brian Orakpo | DE | Texas |
| 14 | New Orleans | Vontae Davis | CB | Illinois |
| 15 | Houston | Everette Brown | DE | Florida St. |
| 16 | San Diego | Knowshon Moreno | RB | Georgia |
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
New Rams OC: Pat Shurmur
The Rams have hired Philadelphia Eagles QB coach Pat Shurmur as their new offensive coordinator. His late uncle Fritz, of course, was the Rams' defensive coordinator at one time.
So there's the pedigree; how 'bout the resume?
Shurmur has been QB coach at Philadelphia for seven years, and according to their website, is "one of the rising stars in NFL coaching ranks". He and Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb all got to Philly at about the same time, so Shurmur not only deserves credit for having a hand in his development, but also in the development of backup A.J. Feeley, who stepped in for McNabb after an injury in 2002 and led the Eagles to the playoffs with a 4-1 record. The Eagles even got a second-round pick out of Feeley after trading him to Miami (where he flamed out), so that's the kind of value a coach like Shurmur brings to a franchise.
Also of high note, as Eagles TE coach from 1999-2001, Shurmur developed former Ram TE Chad Lewis into a 3-time Pro Bowler (2000, 2001, 2002).
Shurmur did not play in the NFL but played center at Michigan State. After graduating in '88, he worked for the Spartans as a TE/special teams/offensive line coach. Three Spartan TEs became NFL TEs in that time, and Derrick Mason set a school record returning kickoffs. Shurmur coached offensive line at Stanford in 1998, where his line led the conference in fewest sacks per pass attempt.
I'm not an overwhelming fan of the West Coast Offense, which appears to be coming to St. Louis with the Shurmur branch of the Andy Reid coaching tree. I also sincerely hope Shurmur is not infected by Reid's disdain for the run. How many times has Reid had McNabb drop back and chuck it on 3rd-and-1, even though he's got Brian Westbrook (or even Correll Buckhalter) running behind a good offensive line? But what I'll extrapolate from a Shurmur offense right now is that Marc Bulger will be protected better, get hit less, and by God, the Rams might end up with a tight end worth throwing to before very long. If Shurmur can make something out of Joe Klopfenstein, start carving that HoF bust now. (More likely, he makes something of Daniel Fells, who I just got even more enthused about.)
Needless to say, Al Saunders will not be back on the Rams' staff in 2009, though it wasn't really made official until after Steve Spagnuolo became head coach. Al will always be thought of well here as the WRs coach who helped launch the Greatest Show on Earth and a Super Bowl title, so we wish him well.
But may he take that stupid smoke route with him.
So there's the pedigree; how 'bout the resume?
Shurmur has been QB coach at Philadelphia for seven years, and according to their website, is "one of the rising stars in NFL coaching ranks". He and Andy Reid and Donovan McNabb all got to Philly at about the same time, so Shurmur not only deserves credit for having a hand in his development, but also in the development of backup A.J. Feeley, who stepped in for McNabb after an injury in 2002 and led the Eagles to the playoffs with a 4-1 record. The Eagles even got a second-round pick out of Feeley after trading him to Miami (where he flamed out), so that's the kind of value a coach like Shurmur brings to a franchise.
Also of high note, as Eagles TE coach from 1999-2001, Shurmur developed former Ram TE Chad Lewis into a 3-time Pro Bowler (2000, 2001, 2002).
Shurmur did not play in the NFL but played center at Michigan State. After graduating in '88, he worked for the Spartans as a TE/special teams/offensive line coach. Three Spartan TEs became NFL TEs in that time, and Derrick Mason set a school record returning kickoffs. Shurmur coached offensive line at Stanford in 1998, where his line led the conference in fewest sacks per pass attempt.
I'm not an overwhelming fan of the West Coast Offense, which appears to be coming to St. Louis with the Shurmur branch of the Andy Reid coaching tree. I also sincerely hope Shurmur is not infected by Reid's disdain for the run. How many times has Reid had McNabb drop back and chuck it on 3rd-and-1, even though he's got Brian Westbrook (or even Correll Buckhalter) running behind a good offensive line? But what I'll extrapolate from a Shurmur offense right now is that Marc Bulger will be protected better, get hit less, and by God, the Rams might end up with a tight end worth throwing to before very long. If Shurmur can make something out of Joe Klopfenstein, start carving that HoF bust now. (More likely, he makes something of Daniel Fells, who I just got even more enthused about.)
Needless to say, Al Saunders will not be back on the Rams' staff in 2009, though it wasn't really made official until after Steve Spagnuolo became head coach. Al will always be thought of well here as the WRs coach who helped launch the Greatest Show on Earth and a Super Bowl title, so we wish him well.
But may he take that stupid smoke route with him.
New Rams DC: Ken Flajole
So, who's this Ken Flajole guy who's about to become the Rams' defensive coordinator? He's currently the LB coach at Carolina.
Now see, that's already a good move. Hire a defensive coach from a good defensive team. Some teams would just hire the defensive coach from a team whose defense sucks, just because he's a buddy of the head coach, MARTZ. At least if Steve Spagnuolo is hiring buddies, they're buddies with actual records to run on.
Flajole has coached LBs at Carolina since '03, so he coached Will Witherspoon there. The Carolina defense has been near the top of the league most of all that time, and Flajole has developed a bunch of good LBs like the (always injured now-Saint) Dan Morgan, Thomas Davis and Jon Beason. He was secondary and LB coach at Seattle from 1999-2002. In 1999, the Seahawks led the league in interceptions. Flajole was a LB himself, though never in the pros, graduating from Pacific Lutheran in 1976. He coached at eight different college stops before moving up to Seattle. That includes a stop in Missouri's staff that had Andy Reid, so there's your Rams HC, OC and DC now all branching off the Reid tree.
Can't say I can guess a lot about Ken Flajole as a defensive coordinator. I do know that between the names Spagnuolo, Shurmur and Flajole, the Rams are probably going to have the most misspelled coaching staff in the brief history of the Internet.
But seriously, Ken Flajole should still be a big upgrade for the Ram defense. He's worked with Witherspoon and the Rams have a bunch of young guys he could develop into special players. The Ram D can be a monster if Flajole can just get Pisa Tinoisamoa into the right position a larger percentage of the time. Plus I'm seeing greater and greater promise for a player like Chris Chamberlain. And, if the Rams draft a MLB with one of their top picks, they've got a coach who could develop him into a monster. He's shown a good record of working around injuries. For other coordinators, that's apparently a free pass for their unit to suck. Flajole just makes it work. PLUS Flajole's record in Seattle shows he'll run an aggressive, ball-hawking secondary, philosophically a big step up from a Rams' secondary that, outside of O.J. Atogwe, rarely seems to pick off a pass. Assuming he's going to be running a lot of the Spagnuolo defense from New York, I'm mixing a big batch of Rams defense Kool-Aid right now.
Anybody want some?
Now see, that's already a good move. Hire a defensive coach from a good defensive team. Some teams would just hire the defensive coach from a team whose defense sucks, just because he's a buddy of the head coach, MARTZ. At least if Steve Spagnuolo is hiring buddies, they're buddies with actual records to run on.
Flajole has coached LBs at Carolina since '03, so he coached Will Witherspoon there. The Carolina defense has been near the top of the league most of all that time, and Flajole has developed a bunch of good LBs like the (always injured now-Saint) Dan Morgan, Thomas Davis and Jon Beason. He was secondary and LB coach at Seattle from 1999-2002. In 1999, the Seahawks led the league in interceptions. Flajole was a LB himself, though never in the pros, graduating from Pacific Lutheran in 1976. He coached at eight different college stops before moving up to Seattle. That includes a stop in Missouri's staff that had Andy Reid, so there's your Rams HC, OC and DC now all branching off the Reid tree.
Can't say I can guess a lot about Ken Flajole as a defensive coordinator. I do know that between the names Spagnuolo, Shurmur and Flajole, the Rams are probably going to have the most misspelled coaching staff in the brief history of the Internet.
But seriously, Ken Flajole should still be a big upgrade for the Ram defense. He's worked with Witherspoon and the Rams have a bunch of young guys he could develop into special players. The Ram D can be a monster if Flajole can just get Pisa Tinoisamoa into the right position a larger percentage of the time. Plus I'm seeing greater and greater promise for a player like Chris Chamberlain. And, if the Rams draft a MLB with one of their top picks, they've got a coach who could develop him into a monster. He's shown a good record of working around injuries. For other coordinators, that's apparently a free pass for their unit to suck. Flajole just makes it work. PLUS Flajole's record in Seattle shows he'll run an aggressive, ball-hawking secondary, philosophically a big step up from a Rams' secondary that, outside of O.J. Atogwe, rarely seems to pick off a pass. Assuming he's going to be running a lot of the Spagnuolo defense from New York, I'm mixing a big batch of Rams defense Kool-Aid right now.
Anybody want some?
Rats!
Two easy wins just dropped off the Rams schedule.
Scott Linehan has TURNED DOWN the 49ers' offer to become their offensive coordinator.
Then again, Frisco, Al Saunders is available...
Scott Linehan has TURNED DOWN the 49ers' offer to become their offensive coordinator.
Then again, Frisco, Al Saunders is available...
Sunday, January 18, 2009
AFC Championship: Steelers 23, Ravens 14
Fucking unbelievable. This game started at 5:45? I wasn't going to turn it on until 7:00! Is the NFL fucking scheduling games at RANDOM now? 2:00? 5:45?
When's the Super Bowl, next Wednesday at 4:15 in the morning?
So for the 2nd consecutive CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, I sacrifice the first quarter of the game on account of quixotic television scheduling. Looks like the Steelers are having little trouble so far putting pressure on Joe Flacco, who just threw an INT under pressure. The Steelers are letting the Ravens get some whacks in on Ben Roethlisberger, too, though. Don't overestimate the Steeler offensive line. It's nowhere near as good as some of their past versions. In fact, Big Ben's the 3rd or 4th most-sacked QB in the league.
Bill Carollo just ROBBED Santonio Holmes of a TD catch. He clearly tucks the ball away and the ball only touches the ground because he's reaching for the goal line with it, but because of some nonsense about it being part of a tackle, the ball touching the ground makes it incomplete?????
Isn't that the Bert Emmanuel rule? I can't see any way in creation that shouldn't have been a catch, especially since Holmes' motion with the ball had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the tackle!
Jim Harbaugh wins another challenge, though. He's the undisputed king of that this postseason.
OK, back to play-by-play mode with 6:30 left in the first. 3-0, Steelers, 2nd-and-10 at the Raven 24 in the wake of the Flacco interception. Ben goes for Holmes up the left sideline in the end zone but Frank Walker breaks the pass up. Looked like a good defensive play. Third down. Ben shakes off Nakamura on the safety blitz, but throws it away deep after rolling clear. Ravens get away with a big late hit. Jeff Reed kicks a 42-yard FG to put Pittsburgh ahead 6-0. Harbaugh saved his team four points with the challenge.
Yamon Figurs brings a bouncing kickoff back to the 25.
Hines Ward sprained a knee the previous possession on one of those classic Raven bend-the-guy-over-backwards tackles, and is questionable to return. That injury may loom very large.
Willis McGahee up the middle for 4.
Great play-fake by Flacco, but nobody's open while he circles around the pocket and eventually throws it away. Third and six. Flacco is ONE FOR SIX FOR TWO YARDS AND AN INT.
Make it 1-for-SEVEN. Who does he think he is, me picking playoff games? Long ball for Mason incomplete. He was well-covered anyway.
Penalty will move the Steelers back to the 9 after the punt. Carollo and crew not making a lot of friends in the stands right now.
Willie Parker over the right side for 4.
Jim Leonhard blitzes in on 2nd down to stop Parker for no gain. 3rd-and-6.
Ward's on the field on 3rd down. Ravens bring Ray Lewis on the dog but Ben still gets ALL NIGHT, rolls and hits Heath Miller for a 1st down at the 33.
Empty backfield now as Ben rolls right and hits Nate Washington for a pretty-generous 8 yards.
On second down, Lewis RIPS the ball away from Parker and Leonhard pounces on it at the 43.
Baltimore ball. McGahee gets room around left end and gains 7. He skips up the middle for a couple to set up 3rd-and-1. Ravens go no-huddle, empty the backfield, and then... try to draw the Steelers offsides? Flacco ends up calling a timeout. I can't really explain what happened there.
More BIG injury trouble for Pittsburgh... Roethlisberger is in the tunnel complaining of lower back pain and Byron Leftwich is warming up on the sideline.
On third down, McGahee runs into Lamarr Woodley's back, and Woodley somehow instinctively knows to keep backing up, and he drives the RB short of the first down. 4th and 1. Ravens going for it from the 34. Flacco gets stuffed initially, by a flying Troy Polamalu, but appears to get it on 2nd effort.
Never mind, he's probably a foot and a half short still. What a play by Polamalu. Steelers ball at their 34.
Good analysis by Phil Simms, too, pointing out the Ravens' formation made the QB sneak pretty predictable there.
Parker's two yard run gives him 13 yards on 8 rushes as the first quarter expires.
SECOND QUARTER
Quick screen to Ward loses a yard. Doesn't matter to me who's running it, I HATE that play. Seriously, you're expecting to break that play on THE RAVENS? 3rd-and-9.
With the Ravens bringing a heavy blitz, Roethlisberger and Holmes pull off an incredible play, a 65-yard TD to likely put this game away at 13-0. Ben steps up from the pressure, then has to lean right away from more pressure and launches a very off-balance throw to Holmes, who has badly eluded Fabian Washington at midfield. Holmes then sprints crossfield left to right, gets overrun by Walker and Corey Ivy, who both looked just stupid, got an extended block by Miller on Nakamura, and at the end of the run, there's Nate Washington pointing out to him that he's going to block Ed Reed. Washington's stiffarm lets Holmes dive for the goal line and the TD this time, which Carollo does not take away. What outstanding teamwork by the Steeler receivers on that play. Jim Leonhard was running about as hard at the end of that play as Kareem used to run getting back on defense, btw.
The Ravens then make hash of the bouncing kickoff and Figurs gets swamped at the 12 with it.
McGahee bounces a middle run out to the right wing for 9, though.
A Gaither false start makes it 2nd and 5.001.
McGahee fights hard for 3 off left tackle.
On a delay run, McGahee spurts for about 4 and Baltimore's FIRST first down of the game.
Inside handoff to Ray Rice gains 3. Baltimore's very much taking baby steps trying to get back into this game.
The Rice gain is nullified by an illegal formation penalty. 1st and 15 from the 19.
Flacco's hit by Woodley and his throw in the flat is incomplete.
Rice roars out across the 40 after taking a little dumpoff from Flacco. He humiliates James Farrior by stiffarming him to the ground en route to gaining 22.
From the 41, McGahee gets nothing on a draw as Farrior redeems himself.
Steelers have been rushing 5 the last few plays. Screen to Todd Heap is in the dirt, leaving Flacco with 3rd-and-10.
Plenty of time for Flacco against a 4-man rush, though, and he hits Mark Clayton for about 15. Ravens ball at the Pittsburgh 43.
McGahee gains 3 on a cutback.
Oh, man, Harrison is down hurt now for the Steelers. Lucky for them they've got two weeks off if they win this thing.
3rd-and-6. Steelers bring a lot of pressure from Flacco's blind side and Aaron Smith eventually gets to him for the sack. Mewelde Moore DANGEROUSLY fields the punt at the 10 and gets taken down around there.
Steelers start at their 11. Parker runs over the right side for a couple. Another draw to him for a couple more. 3rd-and-6. 6:00 till halftime. Ben hits Washington on a slant for 8, beating a blitz.
Hold on, Harbaugh's challenging it, and he's always right. The Republicans should ask Harbaugh to challenge the Senate recount in Minnesota.
So much for that, Harbaugh's wrong this time. The ball slipped through Washington's hands but he trapped it off the ground with his legs. Carollo gets it right this time; first down, Pittsburgh.
Parker plows for 5 over the left side with 5:00 left in the half.
Haloti Ngata swallows Parker whole the next play. He gains maybe one. After the play, Kemoeatu knocks Marques Dougleas down with a retaliatory blow for a 15-yard penalty. Pittsburgh just draws Moore for 5 on 3rd-and-a-mile, setting up a punt.
Which turns out to be a big play for Baltimore. Most of the Steelers get sucked in too deep, and Leonhard sprints through them for a 45-yard gain. Mitch Berger the PUNTER takes him down and forces a fumble (which rolls out of bounds) at the Steeler 17.
After Flacco throws an incompletion in the end zone and McGahee gets stuffed up the middle, Pittsburgh gives the Ravens the ball at the 3 on a DPI call on Bryant McFadden. He did appear to get a little grab in. Ravens will have first and goal with 2:44 left in the half. Carollo still gaining no friends in the greater western Pennsylvania area.
NGATA at tight end. McGahee runs right behind him for one of his easier gains of the day, a 3-yard TD. 13-7 Pittsburgh.
Man this game is running SLOW, it takes them five minutes to get to the kickoff. Steelers at their 21 with 2:35 to go. Ben's arm is hooked as he throws and the pass is high and incomplete. Short pass to Limas Sweed for 6, and he doesn't get out of bounds. Steelers get the snap off just before the 2:00 warning, but blitzing Corey Ivy knocks the pass down. Pittsburgh should have let the clock keep running. Instead, they punt and give Baltimore a full 2:00 to take the lead.
Ravens at their 33. McGahee off the right side for 2. Really? That's your hurry-up offense? Ravens do no-huddle, but Flacco's pass is nearly picked off by Farrior. 3rd-and-8. Steelers blitz two DBs on Flacco's blindside. He gets the pass off but air-mails it way high. Ravens punt.
Holmes returns the punt all the way out to midfield. 1:00 till halftime for the Steelers. Who expected all these possession changes late in the half?
Ben pump-fakes right and throws deep up the left sideline for a WIDE OPEN Limas Sweed, WHO BRUTALLY DROPS A TD PASS INSIDE THE TEN. Good call by Jim Nantz - Sweed stayed down after the play, apparently because of a bruised ego. He cost the Steelers a TD and a timeout, and his home fans BOO him off the field.
That's the guy I wanted to draft instead of Donnie Avery last April, btw.
2nd-10 at midfield. Ben barely eludes Jarret Johnson and throws a highly dangerous Favre shovel over his receiver's head incomplete. 3rd-10.
Holmes DROPS a pass over the middle he could have taken for a TD, because he had Fabian Washington badly beat. Rex Ryan stupidly blitzed big there and nearly ate it.
But now the Steelers get a LUDICROUS call in their favor, a call on Edgar Jones for roughing Berger on the punt, when he actually didn't touch Berger at all. Berger touched him when he fell down. Stupid fucking call. That wasn't even running into the kicker let alone the 15-yard variety. Both of today's conference championship games have been atrociously officiated.
But the Steelers have it now at the Raven 35. Ben scrambles around again and dumps to Miller for 14.
Sweed crushed Corey Ivy with a block at the end of the play. Ben rolls right the next play and nearly gets his throwaway attempt picked off at the end zone sideline. 2nd down, 0:16 left. Ben STUPIDLY fires for Moore OVER THE MIDDLE and the Steelers can't get lined up in time to spike the ball. Terrible play by Ben. Steelers likely threw away three points there as the first half runs out.
It's just as good that this game started at 5:45. At this rate, it's going to take five hours to play anyway. More if there's overtime.
Secondary injuries have got the Ravens in big trouble for the second half, and who they've got out there aren't playing that well. And they have got to do something to keep Roethlisberger in the pocket. He's eating them alive with rollouts. The DEs and OLBs have to do a FAR better job playing contain on Ben and the secondary is going to have to find a way to keep better coverage on the Steeler WRs, a very depleted group without Ward.
The problem for Baltimore is they're going to have to get some turnovers on D the way Flacco is playing. He's 3-for-14 for the first half, and they're not running well enough to take that kind of heat off of the rookie. There's just no way they're getting back in this game without huge plays on defense or special teams. And actually, the Steelers are the ones making those plays.
I'll go out on a limb... the blowout is actually well underway here for Pittsburgh; it just isn't showing up on the scoreboard. I don't really see any hope for the Ravens in the second half, even though they're down just a TD.
THIRD QUARTER
Ravens bring a good kickoff back to only the 18 as Edgar Jones gets away with a flagrant hold.
Handoff to McGahee for 3, followed by a timeout at 14:08 to save a delay of game penalty.
Oh, that dynamic Raven offense. Cam "Camtastic" Cameron, right?
Straight 4-man rush and Flacco has plenty of time to hit Derrick Mason for 16. I think that's his first catch.
NOW the Ravens are going no-huddle. Flacco tries to take off and run around left end, but Polamalu drops him for a HUGE loss. 2nd-and-18.
Lawrence Timmons doubles back from his blitz to stop Rice for 7 on a bubble screen. 3rd-and-11.
Flacco had plenty of time and a wide open receiver at midfield, but Polamalu deflects the pass incomplete. 4th down.
Steelers at their 20 after the punt. Parker misses a big cutback opportunity and stays up the middle for a couple. Washington makes a short catch for 5. His knee was down before the ball came out. Ben scrambles around again on third down but gets obliterated by Ngata and others for a sack. Leonhard returns Berger's punt to the Raven 39.
Flacco throws deep for Clayton in double coverage, incomplete.
In the game for the first time, LeRon McClain pounds for a couple. 3rd-and-8.
Steelers blitz a couple, Flacco crosses up Todd Heap with the throw and it bounces off his hand and is nearly intercepted. Ravens punt again.
Steelers at the 20 again after the punt. Parker spins for 1. Looks to me like both teams are playing for the big offensive mistake. Ben barely avoids getting killed by a blitzer on 2nd down, double-pumps the screen pass, then gets Moore KILLED by Bart Scott after the catch. Steelers were downfield illegally anyway. Ravens decline to make it 3rd-and-11.
Encroachment on the silent-so-far Trevor Pryce; 3rd-and-6.
With Ray Lewis blitzing, Ben scrambles again and finds Carey Davis open in the middle of the field for the first down.
Terrell Suggs, getting his name called for the first time, breaks past Darnell Stapleton to drop Ben for a huge sack, minus-14.
No matter. Ben gets FOREVER to throw on a 4-man rush and Miller beats Ray Lewis for a 30-yard catch. Rex Ryan just does not have an answer for the Steelers tonight.
Parker pops outside left for 5. Ball's at the Raven 35 now.
Parker over the right side for 5 more and a first down.
Parker up the middle for 1, shut down by a Corey Ivy blitz.
Ben stands tall under pressure on 2nd down but ultimately tosses it out of bounds. 3rd-and-9.
Ben looks deep for Sweed but underthrows a wobbler that Frank Walker has a bead on all the way. Sweed breaks up a likely interception, giving Jeff Reed the chance to kick a 46-yard FG and put the Steelers ahead 16-7. 3:38 left in the 3rd.
Ravens up man Daniel Wilcox brings a stupid funky short kick out to the 37. OK, Bob Ligashesky, what good did NOT KICKING IT DEEP do you there?
And McGahee gets 14 off the left side inside a nice block from Clayton.
Pitch left to McGahee for no gain from the Steeler 49.
Woodley beats Lorenzo Neal and sacks Flacco for a loss of about 4.
Steelers blitz 2 on 3rd-and-14, and the dumpoff screen to Heap gains 2.
Oh, that dynamic, Cam-tastic Raven offense. Holmes fair-catches the punt at the 12.
Parker bowls into Race Bannan for no gain. End around to Washington gets maybe a couple as the third quarter runs out. At least the Steelers are trying something creative.
FOURTH QUARTER
3rd-and-8 from their 14 to start the quarter for Pittsburgh. Ben guns it to Sweed for a sliding catch and 14 yards. Raven blitz continues to get to Ben late if at all.
Parker for a couple off the right side. He cuts back up the middle on 2nd down and nearly slithers for the 1st. 3rd and 1, Ray Lewis breaks up and nearly intercepts the quick out to Washington. Berger's punt is TERRIBLE - he hit it like he was kicking a cinder block, and it barely got six feet off the ground on its 21-yard trip. Ravens take over at their own 42.
HERE we go. Reverse (NOT double reverse, Nantz) goes from Mason to Clayton and back up the middle for 16. The Ravens have needed a play like this for 3 quarters now.
Then they hold on the next play and move backwards anyway. Not a career highlight night for Gaither.
1st-and-20. Smoke route to Clayton off a fake handoff gets maybe 3.
Flacco beats a blitz with a 14-yard square out to Mason.
3rd-and-short, Mason's wide open over the middle for a first down. Ball at the Steeler 24.
McGahee up the middle for 3.
Ravens pick up the Steeler blitz beautifully, McGahee upending Ryan Clark, giving Flacco time to throw an end zone pass for Marcus Smith, who Ike Taylor interferes with brutally to put the Ravens at the 1.
Yeah, so much for the Steelers running away with the game. McGahee bounces outside for his 2nd TD, a 1-yard run. Polamalu tried to time a leap like he did on that stuffed QB sneak in the first half but was way off this time.
And we've got a game, and a chance for me to go 1-for-10 in the playoffs. Steelers 16, Ravens 14.
Now the Ravens fucking stupid squib kick, and Pittsburgh returns it to the 41. WHAT IS THE MERIT IN THIS IDIOTIC STRATEGY?
9:20 left. Triangle formation doesn't help the Steelers as Parker gets no gain. Of course, Miller didn't block anybody, so I'm not sure what the point of the formation was.
Parker goes inside left tackle for only two. The crowd boos the call. 3rd-and-8.
And now a false start with a big Raven blitz stacking up. 3rd-and-13.
Even though it's only a 3-man rush, Suggs WHIPS Max Starks, who I'm not sure was awake at the time, and drops Roethlisberger for a loss. Leonhard returns the punt to the 39, and suddenly, here comes my Ravens-Redbirds Super Bowl.
IBM can take their "smart tolls" system and shove it up their ass, btw. There's the kind of innovation we need out of business right now, companies looking for ways to spend our tax dollars now so the government can bleed more taxes out of us later.
A STUPID personal foul on Daren Stone, yanking a Steeler down a mile out of bounds, pushed the Ravens all the way back to their 14. You may have just cost your team a shot at the Super Bowl, moron. Under 7:00 left.
McGahee gets dragged down on a left sweep for -2 and stays down injured. He does walk off under his own power. 2nd-and-12.
Heap makes a nifty grab out across the 30 for a first down. If we didn't have to ask where he's been all night, the Ravens might already be ahead. Under 6:00 left, though, and they're still very much in it, certainly more than I thought they'd be.
Rice up the middle for 1. When's it going to be time to abandon the run, if not soon? Offensive confusion then causes Baltimore to blow a timeout with 5:13 left. They have one left the rest of the way.
Cam-tastic!
Big blitz by Farrior flushes Flacco into Woodley for a sack. That makes it 3rd-and-13. Woodley's second sack.
With another blitz coming, Flacco fires a terrible pass, that first off, never would have gotten to Derrick Mason, even if Polamalu, whose name Nantz pronounces two different ways during the return, hadn't intercepted it. Troy seals the game with a winding, crossfield 40-yard TD INT return to put Pittsburgh ahead 23-14. The Steelers restore their nine-point lead with 4:34 left.
Ravens start from their 23 after the kickoff. Flacco to Heap for 4. Not sure how that was worth the effort. Ravens are running the slowest no-huddle ever. On second down, Ryan Clark has the collision of a lifetime with McGahee in the middle of the field. Frightening. No surprise McGahee drops the ball, and it's lost for a fumble that goes back to the Steelers, but things are really scary for both players right now. McGahee took a heavy but clean blow to the head. Clark knocked himself woozy but is helped off the field on his own two feet. McGahee is moving his limbs but they are going to stretcher him out. He's carted off with 3:29 left.
Appears to be all over but the shouting, as the Steelers have the ball in Raven territory and Baltimore has only one timeout. Parker runs left for a couple, then Race Bannan jumps him in the backfield for minus-2. The Steelers have to call a timeout at 2:01 as the play-clock wasn't quite with them. Ben ends up pitching it out of bounds under pressure on 3rd-and-long. 1:56 left.
Leonhard fields a pooch punt at the 15 and returns it to the 22.
Dumpoff to Rice for 14.
McFadden breaks up a sideline pass to Clayton.
13-of-29 for Flacco right now, 141 yards, 2 INTs. Bulger-rific!
Tyrone Carter intercepts a deflected pass to bring the game to an end.
Polamalu had MVP of the game wrapped up even before his pick-six that sealed it. He broke up passes all day and made one of the game's biggest defensive plays when he stuffed the Flacco QB sneak in the 2nd quarter. Honorable mention to Woodley, but I'll go to the safety again and give game ball to Troy Polamalu.
Flacco's callowness was bound to get to Baltimore sometime, and it finally did today. They couldn't get the running game going, and since they were trying to keep the heat off him, not put the load on him, that blew up their offense in the starting gate. They suffered from their defense's inability to keep Roethlisberger in the pocket and some big breakdowns in the secondary. A lot of the offense is young and should come together over time. I'd suspect their primary offseason energy is spent on shoring up their cornerback situation.
So now it's two of the franchises I dislike the most, the Cardinals and the Steelers, in Super Bowl 43. At least I respect the Steelers. What a contrast in owners, the brilliant, respected league leader in Dan Rooney, and the bumbling, untrustworthy skunk in William V. Bidwill. It'll be Cardinal coach Ken Whisenhunt going against the team that wouldn't promote him to head coach. Mike Tomlin's the youngest coach to reach the Super Bowl, the third African-American in three years.
And, of course, KURT'S BACK.
Whom to pick? The Steelers beat the Ravens today by taking the run away from them. That won't affect the Cardinals, who don't run that well anyway. The Steelers like to get after the QB with heavy blitzing. That won't affect Kurt Warner. It didn't today. Hasn't all postseason. Despite Polamalu's presence, the Steeler secondary has no one who can even remotely hang with Larry Fitzgerald. This game's key matchup is probably James Harrison vs. Mike Gandy. Gandy's been getting whipped all postseason. Warner's not known for his sixth sense on the blindside. Can Harrison get to Warner enough times to get Kurt off his game and blow up the Cardinal offense with big sacks and turnovers?
Will the Cardinal defense struggle against a team dedicated to the run? Willie Parker figures to be much more productive against Arizona than he was against Baltimore. But is that a disadvantage the Cardinals can make back in the passing game? Hines Ward is going to be questionable at best. Roethlisberger gets sacked a lot. Surely Clancy Pendergast, who's having a brilliant postseason, will have a scheme that keeps him in the pocket. Their pass rush has been good all January, and they've done a super job forcing turnovers, something else Ben is vulnerable to.
Both of Kurt Warner's previous Super Bowls were tight struggles. Strangely, Al Michaels called the win; John Madden called the loss. One of those announcers is going to go 2-0. How will this one go?
Earlier in the week I had a hunch while taking a Sports Illustrated online poll that Pittsburgh was going to win the Super Bowl with Willie Parker as MVP, and I'm going to stick with it, much to the delight of anyone in Cardinal Nation who knows I'm 2-8 in this year's playoffs. Here's what it comes down to for me. I am not impressed with either team's tackles as pass protectors. That's going to make the key which team can force the other into more predictable passing situations. And Pittsburgh runs the ball better than the Cardinals do. And the Steelers have given up, what, a whole 75 yards rushing in two playoff games? If they can shut down the Chargers, and run on the Chargers, they can do it to the Cardinals. With the Cards forced into more predictable passing situations, we can look for Harrison to whip Gandy all game, we can look for blitzes from Woodley and Polamalu to get through, and we can look for the Steelers to force Warner to check down to Fitzgerald on short routes a lot, and if they tackle Fitzgerald well, they've done everything they could hope to do to bottle up the Arizona attack. Warner probably has to come out like Mike Martz had him come out in Atlanta in January 2000 and throw like 30 times in the first half. And God knows he can make that work. If Arizona does that, I'll be first in line to call their coaching staff brilliant, and they'll win the game.
I'm looking for a tight, down-to-the-wire, Super Bowl 25, 34, 36, type of a game. The defensive teams won two of those three, by hook or by crook. The Steelers are the better defensive team here and have been the better team all season. Unfortunately for their fans, I'm going to take them here.
Pittsburgh 24, Arizona 20. (Congratulations, Kurt.)
When's the Super Bowl, next Wednesday at 4:15 in the morning?
So for the 2nd consecutive CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME, I sacrifice the first quarter of the game on account of quixotic television scheduling. Looks like the Steelers are having little trouble so far putting pressure on Joe Flacco, who just threw an INT under pressure. The Steelers are letting the Ravens get some whacks in on Ben Roethlisberger, too, though. Don't overestimate the Steeler offensive line. It's nowhere near as good as some of their past versions. In fact, Big Ben's the 3rd or 4th most-sacked QB in the league.
Bill Carollo just ROBBED Santonio Holmes of a TD catch. He clearly tucks the ball away and the ball only touches the ground because he's reaching for the goal line with it, but because of some nonsense about it being part of a tackle, the ball touching the ground makes it incomplete?????
Isn't that the Bert Emmanuel rule? I can't see any way in creation that shouldn't have been a catch, especially since Holmes' motion with the ball had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the tackle!
Jim Harbaugh wins another challenge, though. He's the undisputed king of that this postseason.
OK, back to play-by-play mode with 6:30 left in the first. 3-0, Steelers, 2nd-and-10 at the Raven 24 in the wake of the Flacco interception. Ben goes for Holmes up the left sideline in the end zone but Frank Walker breaks the pass up. Looked like a good defensive play. Third down. Ben shakes off Nakamura on the safety blitz, but throws it away deep after rolling clear. Ravens get away with a big late hit. Jeff Reed kicks a 42-yard FG to put Pittsburgh ahead 6-0. Harbaugh saved his team four points with the challenge.
Yamon Figurs brings a bouncing kickoff back to the 25.
Hines Ward sprained a knee the previous possession on one of those classic Raven bend-the-guy-over-backwards tackles, and is questionable to return. That injury may loom very large.
Willis McGahee up the middle for 4.
Great play-fake by Flacco, but nobody's open while he circles around the pocket and eventually throws it away. Third and six. Flacco is ONE FOR SIX FOR TWO YARDS AND AN INT.
Make it 1-for-SEVEN. Who does he think he is, me picking playoff games? Long ball for Mason incomplete. He was well-covered anyway.
Penalty will move the Steelers back to the 9 after the punt. Carollo and crew not making a lot of friends in the stands right now.
Willie Parker over the right side for 4.
Jim Leonhard blitzes in on 2nd down to stop Parker for no gain. 3rd-and-6.
Ward's on the field on 3rd down. Ravens bring Ray Lewis on the dog but Ben still gets ALL NIGHT, rolls and hits Heath Miller for a 1st down at the 33.
Empty backfield now as Ben rolls right and hits Nate Washington for a pretty-generous 8 yards.
On second down, Lewis RIPS the ball away from Parker and Leonhard pounces on it at the 43.
Baltimore ball. McGahee gets room around left end and gains 7. He skips up the middle for a couple to set up 3rd-and-1. Ravens go no-huddle, empty the backfield, and then... try to draw the Steelers offsides? Flacco ends up calling a timeout. I can't really explain what happened there.
More BIG injury trouble for Pittsburgh... Roethlisberger is in the tunnel complaining of lower back pain and Byron Leftwich is warming up on the sideline.
On third down, McGahee runs into Lamarr Woodley's back, and Woodley somehow instinctively knows to keep backing up, and he drives the RB short of the first down. 4th and 1. Ravens going for it from the 34. Flacco gets stuffed initially, by a flying Troy Polamalu, but appears to get it on 2nd effort.
Never mind, he's probably a foot and a half short still. What a play by Polamalu. Steelers ball at their 34.
Good analysis by Phil Simms, too, pointing out the Ravens' formation made the QB sneak pretty predictable there.
Parker's two yard run gives him 13 yards on 8 rushes as the first quarter expires.
SECOND QUARTER
Quick screen to Ward loses a yard. Doesn't matter to me who's running it, I HATE that play. Seriously, you're expecting to break that play on THE RAVENS? 3rd-and-9.
With the Ravens bringing a heavy blitz, Roethlisberger and Holmes pull off an incredible play, a 65-yard TD to likely put this game away at 13-0. Ben steps up from the pressure, then has to lean right away from more pressure and launches a very off-balance throw to Holmes, who has badly eluded Fabian Washington at midfield. Holmes then sprints crossfield left to right, gets overrun by Walker and Corey Ivy, who both looked just stupid, got an extended block by Miller on Nakamura, and at the end of the run, there's Nate Washington pointing out to him that he's going to block Ed Reed. Washington's stiffarm lets Holmes dive for the goal line and the TD this time, which Carollo does not take away. What outstanding teamwork by the Steeler receivers on that play. Jim Leonhard was running about as hard at the end of that play as Kareem used to run getting back on defense, btw.
The Ravens then make hash of the bouncing kickoff and Figurs gets swamped at the 12 with it.
McGahee bounces a middle run out to the right wing for 9, though.
A Gaither false start makes it 2nd and 5.001.
McGahee fights hard for 3 off left tackle.
On a delay run, McGahee spurts for about 4 and Baltimore's FIRST first down of the game.
Inside handoff to Ray Rice gains 3. Baltimore's very much taking baby steps trying to get back into this game.
The Rice gain is nullified by an illegal formation penalty. 1st and 15 from the 19.
Flacco's hit by Woodley and his throw in the flat is incomplete.
Rice roars out across the 40 after taking a little dumpoff from Flacco. He humiliates James Farrior by stiffarming him to the ground en route to gaining 22.
From the 41, McGahee gets nothing on a draw as Farrior redeems himself.
Steelers have been rushing 5 the last few plays. Screen to Todd Heap is in the dirt, leaving Flacco with 3rd-and-10.
Plenty of time for Flacco against a 4-man rush, though, and he hits Mark Clayton for about 15. Ravens ball at the Pittsburgh 43.
McGahee gains 3 on a cutback.
Oh, man, Harrison is down hurt now for the Steelers. Lucky for them they've got two weeks off if they win this thing.
3rd-and-6. Steelers bring a lot of pressure from Flacco's blind side and Aaron Smith eventually gets to him for the sack. Mewelde Moore DANGEROUSLY fields the punt at the 10 and gets taken down around there.
Steelers start at their 11. Parker runs over the right side for a couple. Another draw to him for a couple more. 3rd-and-6. 6:00 till halftime. Ben hits Washington on a slant for 8, beating a blitz.
Hold on, Harbaugh's challenging it, and he's always right. The Republicans should ask Harbaugh to challenge the Senate recount in Minnesota.
So much for that, Harbaugh's wrong this time. The ball slipped through Washington's hands but he trapped it off the ground with his legs. Carollo gets it right this time; first down, Pittsburgh.
Parker plows for 5 over the left side with 5:00 left in the half.
Haloti Ngata swallows Parker whole the next play. He gains maybe one. After the play, Kemoeatu knocks Marques Dougleas down with a retaliatory blow for a 15-yard penalty. Pittsburgh just draws Moore for 5 on 3rd-and-a-mile, setting up a punt.
Which turns out to be a big play for Baltimore. Most of the Steelers get sucked in too deep, and Leonhard sprints through them for a 45-yard gain. Mitch Berger the PUNTER takes him down and forces a fumble (which rolls out of bounds) at the Steeler 17.
After Flacco throws an incompletion in the end zone and McGahee gets stuffed up the middle, Pittsburgh gives the Ravens the ball at the 3 on a DPI call on Bryant McFadden. He did appear to get a little grab in. Ravens will have first and goal with 2:44 left in the half. Carollo still gaining no friends in the greater western Pennsylvania area.
NGATA at tight end. McGahee runs right behind him for one of his easier gains of the day, a 3-yard TD. 13-7 Pittsburgh.
Man this game is running SLOW, it takes them five minutes to get to the kickoff. Steelers at their 21 with 2:35 to go. Ben's arm is hooked as he throws and the pass is high and incomplete. Short pass to Limas Sweed for 6, and he doesn't get out of bounds. Steelers get the snap off just before the 2:00 warning, but blitzing Corey Ivy knocks the pass down. Pittsburgh should have let the clock keep running. Instead, they punt and give Baltimore a full 2:00 to take the lead.
Ravens at their 33. McGahee off the right side for 2. Really? That's your hurry-up offense? Ravens do no-huddle, but Flacco's pass is nearly picked off by Farrior. 3rd-and-8. Steelers blitz two DBs on Flacco's blindside. He gets the pass off but air-mails it way high. Ravens punt.
Holmes returns the punt all the way out to midfield. 1:00 till halftime for the Steelers. Who expected all these possession changes late in the half?
Ben pump-fakes right and throws deep up the left sideline for a WIDE OPEN Limas Sweed, WHO BRUTALLY DROPS A TD PASS INSIDE THE TEN. Good call by Jim Nantz - Sweed stayed down after the play, apparently because of a bruised ego. He cost the Steelers a TD and a timeout, and his home fans BOO him off the field.
That's the guy I wanted to draft instead of Donnie Avery last April, btw.
2nd-10 at midfield. Ben barely eludes Jarret Johnson and throws a highly dangerous Favre shovel over his receiver's head incomplete. 3rd-10.
Holmes DROPS a pass over the middle he could have taken for a TD, because he had Fabian Washington badly beat. Rex Ryan stupidly blitzed big there and nearly ate it.
But now the Steelers get a LUDICROUS call in their favor, a call on Edgar Jones for roughing Berger on the punt, when he actually didn't touch Berger at all. Berger touched him when he fell down. Stupid fucking call. That wasn't even running into the kicker let alone the 15-yard variety. Both of today's conference championship games have been atrociously officiated.
But the Steelers have it now at the Raven 35. Ben scrambles around again and dumps to Miller for 14.
Sweed crushed Corey Ivy with a block at the end of the play. Ben rolls right the next play and nearly gets his throwaway attempt picked off at the end zone sideline. 2nd down, 0:16 left. Ben STUPIDLY fires for Moore OVER THE MIDDLE and the Steelers can't get lined up in time to spike the ball. Terrible play by Ben. Steelers likely threw away three points there as the first half runs out.
It's just as good that this game started at 5:45. At this rate, it's going to take five hours to play anyway. More if there's overtime.
Secondary injuries have got the Ravens in big trouble for the second half, and who they've got out there aren't playing that well. And they have got to do something to keep Roethlisberger in the pocket. He's eating them alive with rollouts. The DEs and OLBs have to do a FAR better job playing contain on Ben and the secondary is going to have to find a way to keep better coverage on the Steeler WRs, a very depleted group without Ward.
The problem for Baltimore is they're going to have to get some turnovers on D the way Flacco is playing. He's 3-for-14 for the first half, and they're not running well enough to take that kind of heat off of the rookie. There's just no way they're getting back in this game without huge plays on defense or special teams. And actually, the Steelers are the ones making those plays.
I'll go out on a limb... the blowout is actually well underway here for Pittsburgh; it just isn't showing up on the scoreboard. I don't really see any hope for the Ravens in the second half, even though they're down just a TD.
THIRD QUARTER
Ravens bring a good kickoff back to only the 18 as Edgar Jones gets away with a flagrant hold.
Handoff to McGahee for 3, followed by a timeout at 14:08 to save a delay of game penalty.
Oh, that dynamic Raven offense. Cam "Camtastic" Cameron, right?
Straight 4-man rush and Flacco has plenty of time to hit Derrick Mason for 16. I think that's his first catch.
NOW the Ravens are going no-huddle. Flacco tries to take off and run around left end, but Polamalu drops him for a HUGE loss. 2nd-and-18.
Lawrence Timmons doubles back from his blitz to stop Rice for 7 on a bubble screen. 3rd-and-11.
Flacco had plenty of time and a wide open receiver at midfield, but Polamalu deflects the pass incomplete. 4th down.
Steelers at their 20 after the punt. Parker misses a big cutback opportunity and stays up the middle for a couple. Washington makes a short catch for 5. His knee was down before the ball came out. Ben scrambles around again on third down but gets obliterated by Ngata and others for a sack. Leonhard returns Berger's punt to the Raven 39.
Flacco throws deep for Clayton in double coverage, incomplete.
In the game for the first time, LeRon McClain pounds for a couple. 3rd-and-8.
Steelers blitz a couple, Flacco crosses up Todd Heap with the throw and it bounces off his hand and is nearly intercepted. Ravens punt again.
Steelers at the 20 again after the punt. Parker spins for 1. Looks to me like both teams are playing for the big offensive mistake. Ben barely avoids getting killed by a blitzer on 2nd down, double-pumps the screen pass, then gets Moore KILLED by Bart Scott after the catch. Steelers were downfield illegally anyway. Ravens decline to make it 3rd-and-11.
Encroachment on the silent-so-far Trevor Pryce; 3rd-and-6.
With Ray Lewis blitzing, Ben scrambles again and finds Carey Davis open in the middle of the field for the first down.
Terrell Suggs, getting his name called for the first time, breaks past Darnell Stapleton to drop Ben for a huge sack, minus-14.
No matter. Ben gets FOREVER to throw on a 4-man rush and Miller beats Ray Lewis for a 30-yard catch. Rex Ryan just does not have an answer for the Steelers tonight.
Parker pops outside left for 5. Ball's at the Raven 35 now.
Parker over the right side for 5 more and a first down.
Parker up the middle for 1, shut down by a Corey Ivy blitz.
Ben stands tall under pressure on 2nd down but ultimately tosses it out of bounds. 3rd-and-9.
Ben looks deep for Sweed but underthrows a wobbler that Frank Walker has a bead on all the way. Sweed breaks up a likely interception, giving Jeff Reed the chance to kick a 46-yard FG and put the Steelers ahead 16-7. 3:38 left in the 3rd.
Ravens up man Daniel Wilcox brings a stupid funky short kick out to the 37. OK, Bob Ligashesky, what good did NOT KICKING IT DEEP do you there?
And McGahee gets 14 off the left side inside a nice block from Clayton.
Pitch left to McGahee for no gain from the Steeler 49.
Woodley beats Lorenzo Neal and sacks Flacco for a loss of about 4.
Steelers blitz 2 on 3rd-and-14, and the dumpoff screen to Heap gains 2.
Oh, that dynamic, Cam-tastic Raven offense. Holmes fair-catches the punt at the 12.
Parker bowls into Race Bannan for no gain. End around to Washington gets maybe a couple as the third quarter runs out. At least the Steelers are trying something creative.
FOURTH QUARTER
3rd-and-8 from their 14 to start the quarter for Pittsburgh. Ben guns it to Sweed for a sliding catch and 14 yards. Raven blitz continues to get to Ben late if at all.
Parker for a couple off the right side. He cuts back up the middle on 2nd down and nearly slithers for the 1st. 3rd and 1, Ray Lewis breaks up and nearly intercepts the quick out to Washington. Berger's punt is TERRIBLE - he hit it like he was kicking a cinder block, and it barely got six feet off the ground on its 21-yard trip. Ravens take over at their own 42.
HERE we go. Reverse (NOT double reverse, Nantz) goes from Mason to Clayton and back up the middle for 16. The Ravens have needed a play like this for 3 quarters now.
Then they hold on the next play and move backwards anyway. Not a career highlight night for Gaither.
1st-and-20. Smoke route to Clayton off a fake handoff gets maybe 3.
Flacco beats a blitz with a 14-yard square out to Mason.
3rd-and-short, Mason's wide open over the middle for a first down. Ball at the Steeler 24.
McGahee up the middle for 3.
Ravens pick up the Steeler blitz beautifully, McGahee upending Ryan Clark, giving Flacco time to throw an end zone pass for Marcus Smith, who Ike Taylor interferes with brutally to put the Ravens at the 1.
Yeah, so much for the Steelers running away with the game. McGahee bounces outside for his 2nd TD, a 1-yard run. Polamalu tried to time a leap like he did on that stuffed QB sneak in the first half but was way off this time.
And we've got a game, and a chance for me to go 1-for-10 in the playoffs. Steelers 16, Ravens 14.
Now the Ravens fucking stupid squib kick, and Pittsburgh returns it to the 41. WHAT IS THE MERIT IN THIS IDIOTIC STRATEGY?
9:20 left. Triangle formation doesn't help the Steelers as Parker gets no gain. Of course, Miller didn't block anybody, so I'm not sure what the point of the formation was.
Parker goes inside left tackle for only two. The crowd boos the call. 3rd-and-8.
And now a false start with a big Raven blitz stacking up. 3rd-and-13.
Even though it's only a 3-man rush, Suggs WHIPS Max Starks, who I'm not sure was awake at the time, and drops Roethlisberger for a loss. Leonhard returns the punt to the 39, and suddenly, here comes my Ravens-Redbirds Super Bowl.
IBM can take their "smart tolls" system and shove it up their ass, btw. There's the kind of innovation we need out of business right now, companies looking for ways to spend our tax dollars now so the government can bleed more taxes out of us later.
A STUPID personal foul on Daren Stone, yanking a Steeler down a mile out of bounds, pushed the Ravens all the way back to their 14. You may have just cost your team a shot at the Super Bowl, moron. Under 7:00 left.
McGahee gets dragged down on a left sweep for -2 and stays down injured. He does walk off under his own power. 2nd-and-12.
Heap makes a nifty grab out across the 30 for a first down. If we didn't have to ask where he's been all night, the Ravens might already be ahead. Under 6:00 left, though, and they're still very much in it, certainly more than I thought they'd be.
Rice up the middle for 1. When's it going to be time to abandon the run, if not soon? Offensive confusion then causes Baltimore to blow a timeout with 5:13 left. They have one left the rest of the way.
Cam-tastic!
Big blitz by Farrior flushes Flacco into Woodley for a sack. That makes it 3rd-and-13. Woodley's second sack.
With another blitz coming, Flacco fires a terrible pass, that first off, never would have gotten to Derrick Mason, even if Polamalu, whose name Nantz pronounces two different ways during the return, hadn't intercepted it. Troy seals the game with a winding, crossfield 40-yard TD INT return to put Pittsburgh ahead 23-14. The Steelers restore their nine-point lead with 4:34 left.
Ravens start from their 23 after the kickoff. Flacco to Heap for 4. Not sure how that was worth the effort. Ravens are running the slowest no-huddle ever. On second down, Ryan Clark has the collision of a lifetime with McGahee in the middle of the field. Frightening. No surprise McGahee drops the ball, and it's lost for a fumble that goes back to the Steelers, but things are really scary for both players right now. McGahee took a heavy but clean blow to the head. Clark knocked himself woozy but is helped off the field on his own two feet. McGahee is moving his limbs but they are going to stretcher him out. He's carted off with 3:29 left.
Appears to be all over but the shouting, as the Steelers have the ball in Raven territory and Baltimore has only one timeout. Parker runs left for a couple, then Race Bannan jumps him in the backfield for minus-2. The Steelers have to call a timeout at 2:01 as the play-clock wasn't quite with them. Ben ends up pitching it out of bounds under pressure on 3rd-and-long. 1:56 left.
Leonhard fields a pooch punt at the 15 and returns it to the 22.
Dumpoff to Rice for 14.
McFadden breaks up a sideline pass to Clayton.
13-of-29 for Flacco right now, 141 yards, 2 INTs. Bulger-rific!
Tyrone Carter intercepts a deflected pass to bring the game to an end.
Polamalu had MVP of the game wrapped up even before his pick-six that sealed it. He broke up passes all day and made one of the game's biggest defensive plays when he stuffed the Flacco QB sneak in the 2nd quarter. Honorable mention to Woodley, but I'll go to the safety again and give game ball to Troy Polamalu.
Flacco's callowness was bound to get to Baltimore sometime, and it finally did today. They couldn't get the running game going, and since they were trying to keep the heat off him, not put the load on him, that blew up their offense in the starting gate. They suffered from their defense's inability to keep Roethlisberger in the pocket and some big breakdowns in the secondary. A lot of the offense is young and should come together over time. I'd suspect their primary offseason energy is spent on shoring up their cornerback situation.
So now it's two of the franchises I dislike the most, the Cardinals and the Steelers, in Super Bowl 43. At least I respect the Steelers. What a contrast in owners, the brilliant, respected league leader in Dan Rooney, and the bumbling, untrustworthy skunk in William V. Bidwill. It'll be Cardinal coach Ken Whisenhunt going against the team that wouldn't promote him to head coach. Mike Tomlin's the youngest coach to reach the Super Bowl, the third African-American in three years.
And, of course, KURT'S BACK.
Whom to pick? The Steelers beat the Ravens today by taking the run away from them. That won't affect the Cardinals, who don't run that well anyway. The Steelers like to get after the QB with heavy blitzing. That won't affect Kurt Warner. It didn't today. Hasn't all postseason. Despite Polamalu's presence, the Steeler secondary has no one who can even remotely hang with Larry Fitzgerald. This game's key matchup is probably James Harrison vs. Mike Gandy. Gandy's been getting whipped all postseason. Warner's not known for his sixth sense on the blindside. Can Harrison get to Warner enough times to get Kurt off his game and blow up the Cardinal offense with big sacks and turnovers?
Will the Cardinal defense struggle against a team dedicated to the run? Willie Parker figures to be much more productive against Arizona than he was against Baltimore. But is that a disadvantage the Cardinals can make back in the passing game? Hines Ward is going to be questionable at best. Roethlisberger gets sacked a lot. Surely Clancy Pendergast, who's having a brilliant postseason, will have a scheme that keeps him in the pocket. Their pass rush has been good all January, and they've done a super job forcing turnovers, something else Ben is vulnerable to.
Both of Kurt Warner's previous Super Bowls were tight struggles. Strangely, Al Michaels called the win; John Madden called the loss. One of those announcers is going to go 2-0. How will this one go?
Earlier in the week I had a hunch while taking a Sports Illustrated online poll that Pittsburgh was going to win the Super Bowl with Willie Parker as MVP, and I'm going to stick with it, much to the delight of anyone in Cardinal Nation who knows I'm 2-8 in this year's playoffs. Here's what it comes down to for me. I am not impressed with either team's tackles as pass protectors. That's going to make the key which team can force the other into more predictable passing situations. And Pittsburgh runs the ball better than the Cardinals do. And the Steelers have given up, what, a whole 75 yards rushing in two playoff games? If they can shut down the Chargers, and run on the Chargers, they can do it to the Cardinals. With the Cards forced into more predictable passing situations, we can look for Harrison to whip Gandy all game, we can look for blitzes from Woodley and Polamalu to get through, and we can look for the Steelers to force Warner to check down to Fitzgerald on short routes a lot, and if they tackle Fitzgerald well, they've done everything they could hope to do to bottle up the Arizona attack. Warner probably has to come out like Mike Martz had him come out in Atlanta in January 2000 and throw like 30 times in the first half. And God knows he can make that work. If Arizona does that, I'll be first in line to call their coaching staff brilliant, and they'll win the game.
I'm looking for a tight, down-to-the-wire, Super Bowl 25, 34, 36, type of a game. The defensive teams won two of those three, by hook or by crook. The Steelers are the better defensive team here and have been the better team all season. Unfortunately for their fans, I'm going to take them here.
Pittsburgh 24, Arizona 20. (Congratulations, Kurt.)
NFC Championship: Cardinals 32, Eagles 25
WHAT THE GOD DAMN HELL? I turn the game on at 2:30 expecting to catch some of the pregame, and THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE GAME IS NEARLY OVER ALREADY?
WHO THE FUCK STARTS A GAME AT 2:00?
While I try to get fucking slow Blogger up to start blogging a game I'VE ALREADY MISSED THE FIRST ELEVEN MINUTES OF, AND TWO SCORES, the Cardinals 3-and-out and punt the ball back to the Eggles with about 3:00 left in the first quarter.
I am so god damn pissed off at the whole football world right now I can't stand it. TWO O'CLOCK? WHO THE FUCK STARTS A GAME AT TWO O'CLOCK?
Brutal DROP by DeSean Jackson starts the first Eggles series I actually get to see.
2nd down from the 33, Westbrook tries to sweep left and finds nothing. Nothing new about that this postseason. 3rd-and-10.
Trips left for the Eggles, and Donovan McNabb gets as fucking lucky as I am unlucky today. He forces a ball over the middle for Kevin Curtis, it's deflected and picked off by Aaron Francisco, but on the return, Jackson strips the ball away from Francisco for a fumble. The Eggles get the ball back at their 25. The football gods who could give a fuck about me are watching out for the Eggles so far.
Or maybe not. McNabb rolls right and throws a beautiful bomb across field to Greg Lewis up the left sideline for about 50 yards. And he drops it.
2nd-down, Hank Baskett makes a diving catch for about 14. Brian Westbrook follows that with about 14 more on a run up the middle. What's that? Brian Westbrook with running room?
Now it's Correll Buckhalter cutting back for about 9. The Eggles, who were intercepted a minute ago, are now inside the Cardinal 40.
Buckhalter gets 3 off tackle down to the Arizona 35 to end the first quarter. The part of it I got to see.
SECOND QUARTER
They let the Eggles line up illegally on first down, but for naught, they lose 1 on a dive run.
Cards zone blitz on 2nd down. Chike Okeafor comes clean up the middle to force an early and incomplete throw. 3rd-and-10.
With only three rushing and NO pressure on McNabb whatsoever, he STILL dumps off to the TE Celek for only 6. Stupid decision by McNabb, who had FAR more time to do something besides dump off.
And David Akers hooks the 47-yard FG attempt to the right, leaving the game at 7-3, Arizona.
Kurt Warner and the Cards take over at their 37.
TRICK PLAY LEADS TO A TD FOR THE CARDINALS. Warner tosses right to JJ Arrington, who doesn't disguise the trick play very well, but instead of a halfback option, he throws it back to Warner, who chucks it downfield to Larry Fitzgerald, who beats a stumbling Quintin Demps for a 63-yard TD. The Pink Taco Dome goes wild as the Cardinals take a 14-3 lead. That's apparently Fitzgerald's second TD. NOT THAT I GOT TO SEE THAT ONE.
Not sure why Fitzgerald wasn't called for holding or OPI on the play. He clearly grabbed Demps and pulled on his jersey well downfield. Blatant roughing the QB on the play was called properly.
I'm not sure what's more confounding about this game so far: that it looks like Bill Fucking Bidwill's going to get to go to the Super Bowl, that THE GAME STARTED AN HOUR EARLIER THAN I EXPECTED IT TO, or that WALT FREAKING ANDERSON IS OFFICIATING A CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP. That crew was EASILY the worst one to officiate a Rams game this year.
Eggles get the ball back at their 20 and need to do something NOW. Buckhalter up the middle for 3 off the precious fake end-around. But that's followed by a false start. 2nd-and-12.
McNabb fires to Curtis after getting another hour to throw. It'll be 3rd-and-1.
THE IDIOT EGGLES ARE THROWING ON THIRD AND ONE and Darnell Dockett SACKS McNabb. Ouch, it comes back on Antonio Smith tackling Brian Westbrook trying to run a screen pass. Good call by the Anderson crew, though.
And it's followed by a big play by Curtis, the former Ram nobody around here's talking about. McNabb hits him over the middle and he runs away from the Cardinal secondary for 47 yards. Good for K.C.
Philly gets down to the 15 after a run up the middle by Buckhalter. 2nd-and-3.
IDIOTIC QUICK SCREEN to Lewis LOSES THREE. Poor call and poor throw by McNabb, who's been about as accurate as a St. Louis weather forecast today.
Troy Aikman approves of Ralph Brown's hold and interference with Jason Avant to break up a pass that should have been a first down. Philly settles for an Akers FG from 33 to make it 14-6, Arizona.
9:00 till halftime. Arrington returns the kickoff 25 yards to the 27.
Warner falls during the handoff for the umpteenth time this preseason, but somehow gets it to James, who takes off for 22, getting a lot of room inside.
Draw to Tim Hightower is good for about 4.
Play action on 2nd down, Warner thinks about going deep, pulls it down under pressure and dumps it off to and uncovered Arrington out of the backfield, who sprints off for 17. Arrington got Akeem Jordan going the wrong way to get himself a lot of room. The Cards are already at the Eggle 30 and Philly isn't stopping them at anything they try.
Hightower goes outside for 3 off a shotgun handoff.
Boy, you think Warner's staring down a screen pass left, but he switches at the last second and screens right to Leonard Pope for about 13. Cards at the Eggle 14.
James gets stuffed for no gain up the middle. 5:00 till halftime.
Warner beats another blitz with a quick slant to Steve Breaston, who runs for a gain of about 9.
Make it 10. First-and-goal, Cardinals, at the 4.
Questionable call here, a toss right to Arrington, gains only 1. What's he doing with the ball down there?
Warner pump fakes for Fitzgerald on a quick inside slant, and Assante Samuel clobbers the WR at the goal line for an easy DPI call. That was on the right half of the field. Next play, Fitzgerald splits left and beats Sheldon Brown with little trouble on an outside fade route for a 1-yard TD, his and Kurt's THIRD TD of the day, to put Arizona ahead 21-3. Just over 3:00 till halftime, or, just over 33:00 till Kurt Warner advances to the Super Bowl for the third time in his career.
Lucky for Chad Pennington he's from New York; otherwise, how is Kurt Warner NOT the NFL Comeback Player of the Year?
Unbelievably, Neil Rackers appears to SHANK the kickoff.
Even more unbelievably, it lands about six inches in bounds, bounces back while Victor Abiamiri whiffs on it, AND THE CARDINALS RECOVER THE LIVE BALL.
More unbelievably still, the referees BLOW THE CALL IN EVERY CONCEIVABLE WAY, saying Abiamiri touched it, when he didn't, and saying it bounced out of bounds, when it DIDN'T. Philadelphia ball.
Easy challenge on the way here from Ken Whisenhunt. Abiamiri was never, EVER out of bounds AND in contact with the ball at the same time. Even in the milliseconds you can't tell if he's in contact with the ball from the camera angle, he's still in bounds, and it's STILL a live ball.
WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?! THE PLAY IS NOT REVIEWABLE??????? IT'S NOT REVIEWABLE BECAUSE THEY CALLED THE BALL OUT OF BOUNDS? WHAT THE FUCK??????? I cannot believe HOW WORTHLESS the NFL's instant replay rules are. The NFL should just get rid of instant replay if they can't use it any better than this.
EAGLES BALL at the 27. McNabb hits Celek for 8. Tricky screen to Celek for 5 more. 1st-and-10 from the 40, Okeafor blitzes in clean again and McNabb throws it away and is called, correctly, for intentional grounding. Um, the Eggles better start trying to find #56 before the snap, huh? 2:00 warning, or 32:00 before Kurt Warner gets to go to his third Super Bowl.
Well, that's fucking beautiful. I try to get NFL.com up in the background so I can review the 12:00 of the game I didn't get to see, and all NFL.com did was hang up and crash my browser.
2nd-and-22 for Philly after the grounding penalty. Celek continues to be McNabb's release valve, getting 8 on a short pass here. 3rd-14, Cards rush only 3, and McNabb can't hit Jason Avant deep downfield in triple coverage. 4th down. All that time to throw, and that's the best option McNabb could find???
After the punt, the Cards have the ball at their 15 with 1:30 till halftime. Smoke pass to Boldin for 5. STUPID LATE HIT by Demps on Warner, in the early running with McNabb for LVP, adds 15 more. Warner gets flushed outside the next play and throws up the sideline for Boldin, but nearly has it picked off by Quintin Mikell. Boldin almost comes up with the deflection on a play that was called a catch live but should be overruled by replay. Tough call for the ref live, though.
2nd-10 at the 36, 1:20 left in the half. Warner and Arrington collide on an attempted draw play and the Cardinals lose 6. Yet ANOTHER problem with Warner getting the handoff to his RBs! That's gotta bite him sometime, probably in Super Bowl XLIII. Warner beats ANOTHER blitz with a quick slant to Jhereme Urban for 18. Cards at midfield. 1:03 till halftime. Fitzgerald crosses over the middle for 14.
Warner gets flushed right and throws it out of bounds on 1st-and-10 from the Eagle 38. Blitz finally gets to Warner on 2nd down, as Trent Cole completely smokes Mike Gandy at LT. Gandy couldn't even lay a finger on him. 3rd-and-17, but the game clock is basically running out. Warner gets walloped after dumping a screen to Boldin, who gets it upfield for about 15, enough to set up a FG attempt for Rackers from 49. Rackers splits the uprights from 49 and gives the Cardinals a 24-6 halftime lead.
Thanks to various problems I don't want to go back into, not much time for halftime analysis here. The game's pretty much over anyway. The Eggles are going to foolishly keep blitzing Warner; how many times have I said this year you're not going to beat him with blitzing? - and he's going to keep beating it. The supposedly brilliant Jim Johnson apparently came in with no plan at all for containing Fitzgerald. That's brilliant, huh, blitz all day against a QB invulnerable to it and leave the league's best WR one-on-one CONSTANTLY. Rams fans can't be real heartened that Jim Johnson's the guy new HC Steve Spagnuolo learned defense from.
And for the 4th time in 5 career NFC Championship appearances, Donovan McNabb looks pretty much like a spaz. When his line gets him time, he's dumping off or picking crappy options downfield. They were running ok at the end of the half, but they're too far down to be effective with it now. And Clancy Pendergast's bringing Okeafor up the middle with impunity. Get Westbrook the ball in space, you dummies.
Eh, none of it'll happen. Book the Big Dead and fucking Bidwill to Tampa.
THIRD QUARTER
Cards outsmart themselves with a pop-up kick that Buckhalter returns 22 yards to the 40. KICK IT DEEP! IDIOTS!
Today's defensive MVP, Okeafor, knocks down a quick slant attempt on 1st down.
The WHOLE Cardinal d-line, led by Antonio Smith, gets a jailbreak rush on McNabb. He somehow eludes it and gets a screen off to Klecko the FB, but it comes back for a hold on - Klecko, and it's 2nd-and-20 now.
Leaping grab by Avant for 14. McNabb had Okeafor draped on him when he threw. 3rd-and-6.
Comeback to Jackson at the sideline is good for 7 and a 1st down.
Westbrook gets a couple off left guard.
McNabb, under no pressure, appears to back-foot one for Curtis streaking open down the left sideline but misses him badly.
3rd-and-8, Adrian Wilson blitzes in untouched to blindside McNabb and force a fumble, recovered by Berry. Cardinals ball. While Troy Boy and Joe Buck excuse McNabb for "never seeing it coming", he HAS to see that coming and adjust the blocking scheme with an audible. Maybe the crowd noise makes it impossible. But Wilson's doing NOTHING but blitzing there. LT William Thomas either has to pick him up or be told to pick him up. Didn't happen. Aikman later puts that sack on Thomas. Good call, I believe.
Edge breaks a tackle in the backfield and gains 4. 2nd-6 from the Eggle 39.
False start, Gandy. 2nd-11.
Eggles blitz big and Edge nearly squirms through it, ending up with a 3-yard gain.
3rd-9. Warner has Boldin wide open over the middle against a blitz and misses him badly. Cards to punt. Arizona picked up the middle blitz beautifully, knocking it backwards, in fact, but Cole smoked Gandy again to get the pressure on Warner.
Hey, I just realized this is the Sloppy Seconds Bowl. Hank Baskett's got Hugh Hefner's; Matt Leinart's got pretty much everybody's.
From the Eagle 10, a shotgun handoff to Westbrook gains 8.
Go route for Jackson is well-covered by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for an incompletion. It's officially 3rd-and-3. 6 to Celek for the first down. Cards haven't stopped the dumpoff to him yet.
Play-action from the 24, Wilson breaks up a pass to L.J. Smith.
Thomas and center Jamaal Jackson get Westbrook a big hole for 8 on a delay handoff. 3rd-2.
Play-action to Celek AGAIN, for his SEVENTH catch, 6 yards and a 1st down out to the 37.
Cards blitz Wilson up the middle for a sack, set up by Berry getting a shoulder under Thomas and beating him easily. That's followed by Baskett BRUTALLY dropping a pass to make it 3rd-and-19. Hey, when you can shag second-hand Playboy bunnies, why should you care if you let a pass get into your body?
But on 3rd-and-an-acre, Curtis burns Hood and Francisco deep for a FIFTY yard gain. Eggles' ball in the red zone all of a sudden. Francisco's in for the injured Antrell Rolle, iirc, and shame on the Eggles for not throwing the ball at him every play up to this point. I identified in preseason that he can't cover anybody!
After a quick out to Jackson, McNabb draws for 10 down to the 6.
Westbrook then decides against a cutback and gets swallowed up by Antonio Smith. 2nd-goal from the 8.
Good throw by McNabb, though, an 8-yard TD pass to Celek on a slant, beating Hood, to cut the lead to 24-13. McNabb fired the ball just inside of Rolle, who obviously is not out of the game. I guess Francisco's getting used a lot so they can blitz Wilson. That should be easy to beat. Wilson lines up to blitz, find Francisco and throw at him.
DARNIT! Just saw where Scott Linehan TURNED DOWN the 49ers' OC opening. That would have improved the Rams to 4-12 without doing anything.
I don't know what's going on, but kickoffs have been BRUTAL today. Now Akers clunks one out of bounds to put the Cardinals at the 40. Special teams coaches are such damn idiots.
KICK.
IT.
DEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The kickoff was actually from the 35, so the Cards take over at the 35. Good pressure on Warner on first down forces a throwaway. On 2nd down, RT Levi Brown just lets Chris Clemons bowl right by him and CLOBBER Kurt for another incompletion. Yes, it was a screen pass, but you HAVE to get a piece of the guy! Brown just let him run right by. 3rd-and-10.
Trent Cole got in on that last hit, too. The way he's pwning Gandy, the Eggle D ought to be doing a lot better than they are. Getting Clemons in the game proves a good move by Johnson, as the Eggles sack Warner with just a 4-man rush. Clemons flushed Kurt and Abiamiri tracked him down. Clutch stop for Philadelphia. Jackson returns the punt to the 38, and we may have a ballgame yet here. They haven't done so yet, but Arizona needs to find a way to account for Celek.
McNabb hits Curtis on a cross for 15. Just a 4-man rush by Arizona. Nice play by the umpire to duck down from the throw. Eggles already in Arizona territory.
Cards bring that middle blitz with Okeafor and force a deep throwaway.
Inside handoff to Westbrook for 4. Third and six.
Cards blitz big and bring a dog, but McNabb still gets enough time to hit Jackson on a dig for the first down.
From the 34, Westbrook eludes backfield penetration and squirts for about 3 around right end.
Eggles can't get the next play in on time, though, and use a timeout with under a minute left in the quarter.
Just FYI, I picked the Eggles to win this game. I'm one-for-NINE this preseason if they lose. However, I picked Arizona in the ESPN.com Streak for the Cash, where I am similarly awful.
AND THERE'S CELEK, getting behind Gerald Hayes for his 2nd TD catch of the day, a 31-yarder to bring the Eagles to 24-19. Terrific block by Baskett inside the five, taking out two Cardinals.
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, AKERS BLOWS THE EXTRA POINT.
LACES OUT, ROCCA!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had wondered if it wasn't time to go for two anyway. Either way, the Eggles are down 5 heading into the fourth quarter.
FINALLY somebody gets a brain and kicks deep. Possibly out of surprise, Arrington bobbles it in the end zone and takes a knee. Arizona takes over at their 20.
HUGE tackle by Mike Patterson, because James had run right by a blitz and had a big gain coming. Patterson grabbed him for just 3, though. Then Warner completes one to himself off a Joselio Hanson deflection and gains 3. 3rd-and-4, Cardinals, and the 4th quarter is here.
FOURTH QUARTER
Arizona opens the quarter with a nice call, a swing pass to James for 16. First down at the 43.
Edge back up the middle for 5.
A quiet-till-now Brian Dawkins drops Hightower for no gain on a blitz. 3rd-and-5.
Eagles blitz big, and Warner doesn't appear to be on the same page as his receivers, apparently expecting Fitzgerald to adjust to a comeback route. Incomplete pass leads to another punt. The Cardinal offense has done NOTHING in the 2nd half. 29 yards and one first down. Blitz got to Warner that time, but I'd say Johnson is mixing his calls a lot better here in the 2nd half.
It's also helped that McNabb, taking over at his 14 now, has had a perfect passer rating in the half. Screen to Buckhalter beats a middle blitz for 12. The Pink Taco crowd is getting very uneasy. Avant gets 9 on a drag route. Troy's right, Avant blew a chance to take that outside and make it a BIG play. Westbrook draws for 3.
Rolling out right and getting FOREVER to throw, McNabb uncorks a deep pass to Jackson for a 62-YARD TD. With Rodgers-Cromartie trying to make a diving play on the ball, Jackson juggles it ala Torry Holt against Seattle a couple of years ago and backs into the end zone with it.
HOLY CRAP. 25-24, Philadelphia. They will go for two - for the first time all season?????
McNabb can't find anybody open and Thomas holds anyway.
25-24, Eagles.
HOLY CRAP.
Total respect to McNabb for coming back from the dead here. 10:45 left as Breaston returns the kickoff to the 28.
This game reminding anybody of Super Bowl 34? The Rams got shut down a bunch of times in the second half and let Tennessee in the game before late Warner heroics? Let's see if history repeats.
James loses a yard around left end, tackle by Bunkley. Eggles had two blitzers coming up the middle.
Johnson's DT's are really bailing out some of his failed blitzes today.
Another big blitz as Warner finds Fitzgerald for 15.
About 9 to Pope as the Cards get back out to midfield.
But James gets stuffed up the middle. Third and a long one.
Hightower runs into Chris Gocong off left tackle, and he looks short of the first down to me. Yep, 4th and six inches. My instinct is to punt but Whisenhunt's going to go for it.
AND THEY GET AWAY WITH SWEEPING HIGHTOWER. A sweep right gains 6. Most of the time he was the only guy out there. Yikes. Inexcusable of Philly to let the Cards run outside at that juncture.
From the Philly 43, James gains 2.
Eagles blitz big from the left side but Warner throws a slant right to Fitzgerald for about 20. They're at the 22 now.
James drives up the middle for a couple. Six minutes left.
Fox catches Boldin yelling at the Cardinal OC on the sidelines. Backup DE Calais Campbell wisely pulls Boldin back. That looked like it was close to blowing up. How come a rookie's showing better composure in the heat of battle than Boldin is there? Start the rumor he's gone after the offseason with this incident.
2nd-and-8 from the Eagle 20. Leaping catch by Fitzgerald, who has to be dragged down by three Eagles a yard short of the first down.
Hightower up the middle and inside the 10 to the 9. Terrific blocking on the left side. Pancakes all around by the Cardinal offensive line.
James gets no gain after Trevor Laws slashes in and grabs him around the ankles.
Draw to Hightower for maybe a yard. The Eagles use their 2nd timeout with 2:59 left. Third-and-goal.
TOUCHDOWN, CARDINALS. 8-yard screen from Warner to Hightower for the TD. The Eagles got plenty of heat on Warner but he shoveled it to Hightower on the screen and he went up the middle and broke a couple of tackles for the score. Key block by Reggie Wells or the play is probably a loss.
30-25, Cardinals, who will go for two here. And Warner converts it, hitting Ben Patrick just inside the goal line for the points.
Cardinals 32, Eagles 25 with 2:53 left.
Wow, that was an EIGHT-minute scoring drive for Arizona.
Touchback on the kickoff starts Philadelphia at their 20.
Cards rush three, giving McNabb FOREVER to throw, and he fires a two-yard swing pass through Westbrook's hands. Ugh!
Cards fake-blitz, McNabb hits Jackson at the sideline for 9. Very nice footwork there.
McNabb to Celek for five and a first down. Celek's TENTH catch.
Westbrook now makes a one-handed catch over the middle and takes off for 19. 2:08 left.
Eagles at the Arizona 47. Baskett and Hood go down on an incomplete pass.
Cards blitz, Eagles get away with a hold on Dockett, who was getting great pressure, and McNabb forces an incompletion deep. 3rd-and-10. 2:01 left.
Another Cardinal blitz and Baskett DROPS a pass behind him. Send that tool back to the Mansion.
2:00 warning. 4th-and-10.
Cardinals bring the blitz again (I LOVE that they are bringing heat here instead of passively sitting back), and get away with a ridiculous DPI. Curtis is already knocked down trying to field the pass and his game effort isn't quite good enough. Hood was falling on the play and grabbed Curtis' foot. OBVIOUS flag not thrown by a crew I could have told you shouldn't have been calling this game.
Cardinals ball, though. Another stumbling handoff by Warner to Hightower around left end for 6. Eagles spend their last timeout at 1:43. Hightower pounds for most of the remaining 4 yards. 3rd and a foot. Cardinals let the clock run down to 0:59 and call a timeout.
Stewart Bradley times the snap beautifully and leads the surge to drop Hightower for a loss. Philly will at least get the ball back. Cards run the clock down to 0:15 before using another timeout.
DO NOT SHOW FUCKING BILL BIDWILL ON THE SIDELINE. Few people have ever been less deserving of having good things like this happen to them.
Terrific call on the punt, which Arizona angles OUT OF BOUNDS at the 7. Good luck, Philly. Nine seconds left.
The Cal-Stanford play goes badly awry for the Eagles after Jackson tosses it to Darnell Dockett on about the 4th try.
The Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl.
Congratulations, Kurt.
Fuck you, Bidwill.
Only time for quick analysis. I like Arizona's chances in the Super Bowl against Pittsburgh a lot better than I do against Baltimore. The Steelers could well be swooning on defense if Warner beats their blitzes the way he's been beating blitzes all season. And they don't have ANYBODY who can shut Fitzgerald down. I doubt they've played anybody like him all season. Baltimore, though, also has had to blitz to pressure the QB here in the postseason. But if Philly's secondary can't slow the Warner/Fitzgerald show down, I'm not sure who will. Main reason I don't pull the trigger and pick Kurt and company to win it right now is that I'm concerned about their running game. Also, the way Cole was whipping Gandy ALL GAME, you should start thinking about picking James Harrison or Terrell Suggs in your Super Bowl MVP pool. And either AFC team could easily make the Super Bowl a tempo game (see: Super Bowl 34) and put the Cards behind the 8-ball. And also, THEY'RE THE CARDINALS. I can't pick them to win a Super Bowl any more than I could pick the Cubs to win the World Series.
Game MVP goes, of course, to Kurt Warner, because he threw 4 TDs, because he's a leader on the field, and, of course, because I'll always be a big fan. Fitzgerald earns a mention as well, but this is Kurt's time above anybody else's on that team.
No time to reflect where Philly goes from here. Disappointing first half from McNabb, then a pretty brilliant 2nd half. Their weakness at WR showed - McNabb needs that reliable big target - but they'll never address that, not with a draft pick, at least. Though Terrell Owens may be available again this offseason.....
See you at the AFC Championship post in a little bit, where I hope to do a lot less cussing.
But if Baltimore wins the thing, I'll be ONE for FUCKING TEN this postseason.
WHO THE FUCK STARTS A GAME AT 2:00?
While I try to get fucking slow Blogger up to start blogging a game I'VE ALREADY MISSED THE FIRST ELEVEN MINUTES OF, AND TWO SCORES, the Cardinals 3-and-out and punt the ball back to the Eggles with about 3:00 left in the first quarter.
I am so god damn pissed off at the whole football world right now I can't stand it. TWO O'CLOCK? WHO THE FUCK STARTS A GAME AT TWO O'CLOCK?
Brutal DROP by DeSean Jackson starts the first Eggles series I actually get to see.
2nd down from the 33, Westbrook tries to sweep left and finds nothing. Nothing new about that this postseason. 3rd-and-10.
Trips left for the Eggles, and Donovan McNabb gets as fucking lucky as I am unlucky today. He forces a ball over the middle for Kevin Curtis, it's deflected and picked off by Aaron Francisco, but on the return, Jackson strips the ball away from Francisco for a fumble. The Eggles get the ball back at their 25. The football gods who could give a fuck about me are watching out for the Eggles so far.
Or maybe not. McNabb rolls right and throws a beautiful bomb across field to Greg Lewis up the left sideline for about 50 yards. And he drops it.
2nd-down, Hank Baskett makes a diving catch for about 14. Brian Westbrook follows that with about 14 more on a run up the middle. What's that? Brian Westbrook with running room?
Now it's Correll Buckhalter cutting back for about 9. The Eggles, who were intercepted a minute ago, are now inside the Cardinal 40.
Buckhalter gets 3 off tackle down to the Arizona 35 to end the first quarter. The part of it I got to see.
SECOND QUARTER
They let the Eggles line up illegally on first down, but for naught, they lose 1 on a dive run.
Cards zone blitz on 2nd down. Chike Okeafor comes clean up the middle to force an early and incomplete throw. 3rd-and-10.
With only three rushing and NO pressure on McNabb whatsoever, he STILL dumps off to the TE Celek for only 6. Stupid decision by McNabb, who had FAR more time to do something besides dump off.
And David Akers hooks the 47-yard FG attempt to the right, leaving the game at 7-3, Arizona.
Kurt Warner and the Cards take over at their 37.
TRICK PLAY LEADS TO A TD FOR THE CARDINALS. Warner tosses right to JJ Arrington, who doesn't disguise the trick play very well, but instead of a halfback option, he throws it back to Warner, who chucks it downfield to Larry Fitzgerald, who beats a stumbling Quintin Demps for a 63-yard TD. The Pink Taco Dome goes wild as the Cardinals take a 14-3 lead. That's apparently Fitzgerald's second TD. NOT THAT I GOT TO SEE THAT ONE.
Not sure why Fitzgerald wasn't called for holding or OPI on the play. He clearly grabbed Demps and pulled on his jersey well downfield. Blatant roughing the QB on the play was called properly.
I'm not sure what's more confounding about this game so far: that it looks like Bill Fucking Bidwill's going to get to go to the Super Bowl, that THE GAME STARTED AN HOUR EARLIER THAN I EXPECTED IT TO, or that WALT FREAKING ANDERSON IS OFFICIATING A CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP. That crew was EASILY the worst one to officiate a Rams game this year.
Eggles get the ball back at their 20 and need to do something NOW. Buckhalter up the middle for 3 off the precious fake end-around. But that's followed by a false start. 2nd-and-12.
McNabb fires to Curtis after getting another hour to throw. It'll be 3rd-and-1.
THE IDIOT EGGLES ARE THROWING ON THIRD AND ONE and Darnell Dockett SACKS McNabb. Ouch, it comes back on Antonio Smith tackling Brian Westbrook trying to run a screen pass. Good call by the Anderson crew, though.
And it's followed by a big play by Curtis, the former Ram nobody around here's talking about. McNabb hits him over the middle and he runs away from the Cardinal secondary for 47 yards. Good for K.C.
Philly gets down to the 15 after a run up the middle by Buckhalter. 2nd-and-3.
IDIOTIC QUICK SCREEN to Lewis LOSES THREE. Poor call and poor throw by McNabb, who's been about as accurate as a St. Louis weather forecast today.
Troy Aikman approves of Ralph Brown's hold and interference with Jason Avant to break up a pass that should have been a first down. Philly settles for an Akers FG from 33 to make it 14-6, Arizona.
9:00 till halftime. Arrington returns the kickoff 25 yards to the 27.
Warner falls during the handoff for the umpteenth time this preseason, but somehow gets it to James, who takes off for 22, getting a lot of room inside.
Draw to Tim Hightower is good for about 4.
Play action on 2nd down, Warner thinks about going deep, pulls it down under pressure and dumps it off to and uncovered Arrington out of the backfield, who sprints off for 17. Arrington got Akeem Jordan going the wrong way to get himself a lot of room. The Cards are already at the Eggle 30 and Philly isn't stopping them at anything they try.
Hightower goes outside for 3 off a shotgun handoff.
Boy, you think Warner's staring down a screen pass left, but he switches at the last second and screens right to Leonard Pope for about 13. Cards at the Eggle 14.
James gets stuffed for no gain up the middle. 5:00 till halftime.
Warner beats another blitz with a quick slant to Steve Breaston, who runs for a gain of about 9.
Make it 10. First-and-goal, Cardinals, at the 4.
Questionable call here, a toss right to Arrington, gains only 1. What's he doing with the ball down there?
Warner pump fakes for Fitzgerald on a quick inside slant, and Assante Samuel clobbers the WR at the goal line for an easy DPI call. That was on the right half of the field. Next play, Fitzgerald splits left and beats Sheldon Brown with little trouble on an outside fade route for a 1-yard TD, his and Kurt's THIRD TD of the day, to put Arizona ahead 21-3. Just over 3:00 till halftime, or, just over 33:00 till Kurt Warner advances to the Super Bowl for the third time in his career.
Lucky for Chad Pennington he's from New York; otherwise, how is Kurt Warner NOT the NFL Comeback Player of the Year?
Unbelievably, Neil Rackers appears to SHANK the kickoff.
Even more unbelievably, it lands about six inches in bounds, bounces back while Victor Abiamiri whiffs on it, AND THE CARDINALS RECOVER THE LIVE BALL.
More unbelievably still, the referees BLOW THE CALL IN EVERY CONCEIVABLE WAY, saying Abiamiri touched it, when he didn't, and saying it bounced out of bounds, when it DIDN'T. Philadelphia ball.
Easy challenge on the way here from Ken Whisenhunt. Abiamiri was never, EVER out of bounds AND in contact with the ball at the same time. Even in the milliseconds you can't tell if he's in contact with the ball from the camera angle, he's still in bounds, and it's STILL a live ball.
WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?! THE PLAY IS NOT REVIEWABLE??????? IT'S NOT REVIEWABLE BECAUSE THEY CALLED THE BALL OUT OF BOUNDS? WHAT THE FUCK??????? I cannot believe HOW WORTHLESS the NFL's instant replay rules are. The NFL should just get rid of instant replay if they can't use it any better than this.
EAGLES BALL at the 27. McNabb hits Celek for 8. Tricky screen to Celek for 5 more. 1st-and-10 from the 40, Okeafor blitzes in clean again and McNabb throws it away and is called, correctly, for intentional grounding. Um, the Eggles better start trying to find #56 before the snap, huh? 2:00 warning, or 32:00 before Kurt Warner gets to go to his third Super Bowl.
Well, that's fucking beautiful. I try to get NFL.com up in the background so I can review the 12:00 of the game I didn't get to see, and all NFL.com did was hang up and crash my browser.
2nd-and-22 for Philly after the grounding penalty. Celek continues to be McNabb's release valve, getting 8 on a short pass here. 3rd-14, Cards rush only 3, and McNabb can't hit Jason Avant deep downfield in triple coverage. 4th down. All that time to throw, and that's the best option McNabb could find???
After the punt, the Cards have the ball at their 15 with 1:30 till halftime. Smoke pass to Boldin for 5. STUPID LATE HIT by Demps on Warner, in the early running with McNabb for LVP, adds 15 more. Warner gets flushed outside the next play and throws up the sideline for Boldin, but nearly has it picked off by Quintin Mikell. Boldin almost comes up with the deflection on a play that was called a catch live but should be overruled by replay. Tough call for the ref live, though.
2nd-10 at the 36, 1:20 left in the half. Warner and Arrington collide on an attempted draw play and the Cardinals lose 6. Yet ANOTHER problem with Warner getting the handoff to his RBs! That's gotta bite him sometime, probably in Super Bowl XLIII. Warner beats ANOTHER blitz with a quick slant to Jhereme Urban for 18. Cards at midfield. 1:03 till halftime. Fitzgerald crosses over the middle for 14.
Warner gets flushed right and throws it out of bounds on 1st-and-10 from the Eagle 38. Blitz finally gets to Warner on 2nd down, as Trent Cole completely smokes Mike Gandy at LT. Gandy couldn't even lay a finger on him. 3rd-and-17, but the game clock is basically running out. Warner gets walloped after dumping a screen to Boldin, who gets it upfield for about 15, enough to set up a FG attempt for Rackers from 49. Rackers splits the uprights from 49 and gives the Cardinals a 24-6 halftime lead.
Thanks to various problems I don't want to go back into, not much time for halftime analysis here. The game's pretty much over anyway. The Eggles are going to foolishly keep blitzing Warner; how many times have I said this year you're not going to beat him with blitzing? - and he's going to keep beating it. The supposedly brilliant Jim Johnson apparently came in with no plan at all for containing Fitzgerald. That's brilliant, huh, blitz all day against a QB invulnerable to it and leave the league's best WR one-on-one CONSTANTLY. Rams fans can't be real heartened that Jim Johnson's the guy new HC Steve Spagnuolo learned defense from.
And for the 4th time in 5 career NFC Championship appearances, Donovan McNabb looks pretty much like a spaz. When his line gets him time, he's dumping off or picking crappy options downfield. They were running ok at the end of the half, but they're too far down to be effective with it now. And Clancy Pendergast's bringing Okeafor up the middle with impunity. Get Westbrook the ball in space, you dummies.
Eh, none of it'll happen. Book the Big Dead and fucking Bidwill to Tampa.
THIRD QUARTER
Cards outsmart themselves with a pop-up kick that Buckhalter returns 22 yards to the 40. KICK IT DEEP! IDIOTS!
Today's defensive MVP, Okeafor, knocks down a quick slant attempt on 1st down.
The WHOLE Cardinal d-line, led by Antonio Smith, gets a jailbreak rush on McNabb. He somehow eludes it and gets a screen off to Klecko the FB, but it comes back for a hold on - Klecko, and it's 2nd-and-20 now.
Leaping grab by Avant for 14. McNabb had Okeafor draped on him when he threw. 3rd-and-6.
Comeback to Jackson at the sideline is good for 7 and a 1st down.
Westbrook gets a couple off left guard.
McNabb, under no pressure, appears to back-foot one for Curtis streaking open down the left sideline but misses him badly.
3rd-and-8, Adrian Wilson blitzes in untouched to blindside McNabb and force a fumble, recovered by Berry. Cardinals ball. While Troy Boy and Joe Buck excuse McNabb for "never seeing it coming", he HAS to see that coming and adjust the blocking scheme with an audible. Maybe the crowd noise makes it impossible. But Wilson's doing NOTHING but blitzing there. LT William Thomas either has to pick him up or be told to pick him up. Didn't happen. Aikman later puts that sack on Thomas. Good call, I believe.
Edge breaks a tackle in the backfield and gains 4. 2nd-6 from the Eggle 39.
False start, Gandy. 2nd-11.
Eggles blitz big and Edge nearly squirms through it, ending up with a 3-yard gain.
3rd-9. Warner has Boldin wide open over the middle against a blitz and misses him badly. Cards to punt. Arizona picked up the middle blitz beautifully, knocking it backwards, in fact, but Cole smoked Gandy again to get the pressure on Warner.
Hey, I just realized this is the Sloppy Seconds Bowl. Hank Baskett's got Hugh Hefner's; Matt Leinart's got pretty much everybody's.
From the Eagle 10, a shotgun handoff to Westbrook gains 8.
Go route for Jackson is well-covered by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie for an incompletion. It's officially 3rd-and-3. 6 to Celek for the first down. Cards haven't stopped the dumpoff to him yet.
Play-action from the 24, Wilson breaks up a pass to L.J. Smith.
Thomas and center Jamaal Jackson get Westbrook a big hole for 8 on a delay handoff. 3rd-2.
Play-action to Celek AGAIN, for his SEVENTH catch, 6 yards and a 1st down out to the 37.
Cards blitz Wilson up the middle for a sack, set up by Berry getting a shoulder under Thomas and beating him easily. That's followed by Baskett BRUTALLY dropping a pass to make it 3rd-and-19. Hey, when you can shag second-hand Playboy bunnies, why should you care if you let a pass get into your body?
But on 3rd-and-an-acre, Curtis burns Hood and Francisco deep for a FIFTY yard gain. Eggles' ball in the red zone all of a sudden. Francisco's in for the injured Antrell Rolle, iirc, and shame on the Eggles for not throwing the ball at him every play up to this point. I identified in preseason that he can't cover anybody!
After a quick out to Jackson, McNabb draws for 10 down to the 6.
Westbrook then decides against a cutback and gets swallowed up by Antonio Smith. 2nd-goal from the 8.
Good throw by McNabb, though, an 8-yard TD pass to Celek on a slant, beating Hood, to cut the lead to 24-13. McNabb fired the ball just inside of Rolle, who obviously is not out of the game. I guess Francisco's getting used a lot so they can blitz Wilson. That should be easy to beat. Wilson lines up to blitz, find Francisco and throw at him.
DARNIT! Just saw where Scott Linehan TURNED DOWN the 49ers' OC opening. That would have improved the Rams to 4-12 without doing anything.
I don't know what's going on, but kickoffs have been BRUTAL today. Now Akers clunks one out of bounds to put the Cardinals at the 40. Special teams coaches are such damn idiots.
KICK.
IT.
DEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The kickoff was actually from the 35, so the Cards take over at the 35. Good pressure on Warner on first down forces a throwaway. On 2nd down, RT Levi Brown just lets Chris Clemons bowl right by him and CLOBBER Kurt for another incompletion. Yes, it was a screen pass, but you HAVE to get a piece of the guy! Brown just let him run right by. 3rd-and-10.
Trent Cole got in on that last hit, too. The way he's pwning Gandy, the Eggle D ought to be doing a lot better than they are. Getting Clemons in the game proves a good move by Johnson, as the Eggles sack Warner with just a 4-man rush. Clemons flushed Kurt and Abiamiri tracked him down. Clutch stop for Philadelphia. Jackson returns the punt to the 38, and we may have a ballgame yet here. They haven't done so yet, but Arizona needs to find a way to account for Celek.
McNabb hits Curtis on a cross for 15. Just a 4-man rush by Arizona. Nice play by the umpire to duck down from the throw. Eggles already in Arizona territory.
Cards bring that middle blitz with Okeafor and force a deep throwaway.
Inside handoff to Westbrook for 4. Third and six.
Cards blitz big and bring a dog, but McNabb still gets enough time to hit Jackson on a dig for the first down.
From the 34, Westbrook eludes backfield penetration and squirts for about 3 around right end.
Eggles can't get the next play in on time, though, and use a timeout with under a minute left in the quarter.
Just FYI, I picked the Eggles to win this game. I'm one-for-NINE this preseason if they lose. However, I picked Arizona in the ESPN.com Streak for the Cash, where I am similarly awful.
AND THERE'S CELEK, getting behind Gerald Hayes for his 2nd TD catch of the day, a 31-yarder to bring the Eagles to 24-19. Terrific block by Baskett inside the five, taking out two Cardinals.
HOLY MOTHER OF GOD, AKERS BLOWS THE EXTRA POINT.
LACES OUT, ROCCA!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had wondered if it wasn't time to go for two anyway. Either way, the Eggles are down 5 heading into the fourth quarter.
FINALLY somebody gets a brain and kicks deep. Possibly out of surprise, Arrington bobbles it in the end zone and takes a knee. Arizona takes over at their 20.
HUGE tackle by Mike Patterson, because James had run right by a blitz and had a big gain coming. Patterson grabbed him for just 3, though. Then Warner completes one to himself off a Joselio Hanson deflection and gains 3. 3rd-and-4, Cardinals, and the 4th quarter is here.
FOURTH QUARTER
Arizona opens the quarter with a nice call, a swing pass to James for 16. First down at the 43.
Edge back up the middle for 5.
A quiet-till-now Brian Dawkins drops Hightower for no gain on a blitz. 3rd-and-5.
Eagles blitz big, and Warner doesn't appear to be on the same page as his receivers, apparently expecting Fitzgerald to adjust to a comeback route. Incomplete pass leads to another punt. The Cardinal offense has done NOTHING in the 2nd half. 29 yards and one first down. Blitz got to Warner that time, but I'd say Johnson is mixing his calls a lot better here in the 2nd half.
It's also helped that McNabb, taking over at his 14 now, has had a perfect passer rating in the half. Screen to Buckhalter beats a middle blitz for 12. The Pink Taco crowd is getting very uneasy. Avant gets 9 on a drag route. Troy's right, Avant blew a chance to take that outside and make it a BIG play. Westbrook draws for 3.
Rolling out right and getting FOREVER to throw, McNabb uncorks a deep pass to Jackson for a 62-YARD TD. With Rodgers-Cromartie trying to make a diving play on the ball, Jackson juggles it ala Torry Holt against Seattle a couple of years ago and backs into the end zone with it.
HOLY CRAP. 25-24, Philadelphia. They will go for two - for the first time all season?????
McNabb can't find anybody open and Thomas holds anyway.
25-24, Eagles.
HOLY CRAP.
Total respect to McNabb for coming back from the dead here. 10:45 left as Breaston returns the kickoff to the 28.
This game reminding anybody of Super Bowl 34? The Rams got shut down a bunch of times in the second half and let Tennessee in the game before late Warner heroics? Let's see if history repeats.
James loses a yard around left end, tackle by Bunkley. Eggles had two blitzers coming up the middle.
Johnson's DT's are really bailing out some of his failed blitzes today.
Another big blitz as Warner finds Fitzgerald for 15.
About 9 to Pope as the Cards get back out to midfield.
But James gets stuffed up the middle. Third and a long one.
Hightower runs into Chris Gocong off left tackle, and he looks short of the first down to me. Yep, 4th and six inches. My instinct is to punt but Whisenhunt's going to go for it.
AND THEY GET AWAY WITH SWEEPING HIGHTOWER. A sweep right gains 6. Most of the time he was the only guy out there. Yikes. Inexcusable of Philly to let the Cards run outside at that juncture.
From the Philly 43, James gains 2.
Eagles blitz big from the left side but Warner throws a slant right to Fitzgerald for about 20. They're at the 22 now.
James drives up the middle for a couple. Six minutes left.
Fox catches Boldin yelling at the Cardinal OC on the sidelines. Backup DE Calais Campbell wisely pulls Boldin back. That looked like it was close to blowing up. How come a rookie's showing better composure in the heat of battle than Boldin is there? Start the rumor he's gone after the offseason with this incident.
2nd-and-8 from the Eagle 20. Leaping catch by Fitzgerald, who has to be dragged down by three Eagles a yard short of the first down.
Hightower up the middle and inside the 10 to the 9. Terrific blocking on the left side. Pancakes all around by the Cardinal offensive line.
James gets no gain after Trevor Laws slashes in and grabs him around the ankles.
Draw to Hightower for maybe a yard. The Eagles use their 2nd timeout with 2:59 left. Third-and-goal.
TOUCHDOWN, CARDINALS. 8-yard screen from Warner to Hightower for the TD. The Eagles got plenty of heat on Warner but he shoveled it to Hightower on the screen and he went up the middle and broke a couple of tackles for the score. Key block by Reggie Wells or the play is probably a loss.
30-25, Cardinals, who will go for two here. And Warner converts it, hitting Ben Patrick just inside the goal line for the points.
Cardinals 32, Eagles 25 with 2:53 left.
Wow, that was an EIGHT-minute scoring drive for Arizona.
Touchback on the kickoff starts Philadelphia at their 20.
Cards rush three, giving McNabb FOREVER to throw, and he fires a two-yard swing pass through Westbrook's hands. Ugh!
Cards fake-blitz, McNabb hits Jackson at the sideline for 9. Very nice footwork there.
McNabb to Celek for five and a first down. Celek's TENTH catch.
Westbrook now makes a one-handed catch over the middle and takes off for 19. 2:08 left.
Eagles at the Arizona 47. Baskett and Hood go down on an incomplete pass.
Cards blitz, Eagles get away with a hold on Dockett, who was getting great pressure, and McNabb forces an incompletion deep. 3rd-and-10. 2:01 left.
Another Cardinal blitz and Baskett DROPS a pass behind him. Send that tool back to the Mansion.
2:00 warning. 4th-and-10.
Cardinals bring the blitz again (I LOVE that they are bringing heat here instead of passively sitting back), and get away with a ridiculous DPI. Curtis is already knocked down trying to field the pass and his game effort isn't quite good enough. Hood was falling on the play and grabbed Curtis' foot. OBVIOUS flag not thrown by a crew I could have told you shouldn't have been calling this game.
Cardinals ball, though. Another stumbling handoff by Warner to Hightower around left end for 6. Eagles spend their last timeout at 1:43. Hightower pounds for most of the remaining 4 yards. 3rd and a foot. Cardinals let the clock run down to 0:59 and call a timeout.
Stewart Bradley times the snap beautifully and leads the surge to drop Hightower for a loss. Philly will at least get the ball back. Cards run the clock down to 0:15 before using another timeout.
DO NOT SHOW FUCKING BILL BIDWILL ON THE SIDELINE. Few people have ever been less deserving of having good things like this happen to them.
Terrific call on the punt, which Arizona angles OUT OF BOUNDS at the 7. Good luck, Philly. Nine seconds left.
The Cal-Stanford play goes badly awry for the Eagles after Jackson tosses it to Darnell Dockett on about the 4th try.
The Cardinals are going to the Super Bowl.
Congratulations, Kurt.
Fuck you, Bidwill.
Only time for quick analysis. I like Arizona's chances in the Super Bowl against Pittsburgh a lot better than I do against Baltimore. The Steelers could well be swooning on defense if Warner beats their blitzes the way he's been beating blitzes all season. And they don't have ANYBODY who can shut Fitzgerald down. I doubt they've played anybody like him all season. Baltimore, though, also has had to blitz to pressure the QB here in the postseason. But if Philly's secondary can't slow the Warner/Fitzgerald show down, I'm not sure who will. Main reason I don't pull the trigger and pick Kurt and company to win it right now is that I'm concerned about their running game. Also, the way Cole was whipping Gandy ALL GAME, you should start thinking about picking James Harrison or Terrell Suggs in your Super Bowl MVP pool. And either AFC team could easily make the Super Bowl a tempo game (see: Super Bowl 34) and put the Cards behind the 8-ball. And also, THEY'RE THE CARDINALS. I can't pick them to win a Super Bowl any more than I could pick the Cubs to win the World Series.
Game MVP goes, of course, to Kurt Warner, because he threw 4 TDs, because he's a leader on the field, and, of course, because I'll always be a big fan. Fitzgerald earns a mention as well, but this is Kurt's time above anybody else's on that team.
No time to reflect where Philly goes from here. Disappointing first half from McNabb, then a pretty brilliant 2nd half. Their weakness at WR showed - McNabb needs that reliable big target - but they'll never address that, not with a draft pick, at least. Though Terrell Owens may be available again this offseason.....
See you at the AFC Championship post in a little bit, where I hope to do a lot less cussing.
But if Baltimore wins the thing, I'll be ONE for FUCKING TEN this postseason.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Rams to hire Spagnuolo
According to various online reports, the Rams will introduce Steve Spagnuolo as their new head coach on Monday. He will receive a 4-year contract in the $11-12 million dollar range. Fascinatingly, that's not that much more than he was making as DC of the Giants.
Brilliant investigative work by all the people out there, led by Adam Schefter at NFL Network, that the pick was going to be Jason Garrett. Good thing Schefter's not a real news reporter; he'd still be projecting John McCain to win the presidential election.
Early speculation has Chris Palmer coming aboard as Spagnuolo's offensive coordinator and Peter Giunta as defensive coordinat - WHA? PETER GIUNTA? - I'll be amazingly open-minded here and just say I trust Giunta has improved enough not to screw the pooch defensively the way he did here in 2000.
Spagnuolo was never my top pick but I've never thought he would be a bad pick. Rams Nation welcomes him with open arms.
And by the way, people, learn to spell his name right. S-P-A-G-N-U-O-L-O. This is doomed to be the most misspelled name on Rams message boards since "Winstrom".
Brilliant investigative work by all the people out there, led by Adam Schefter at NFL Network, that the pick was going to be Jason Garrett. Good thing Schefter's not a real news reporter; he'd still be projecting John McCain to win the presidential election.
Early speculation has Chris Palmer coming aboard as Spagnuolo's offensive coordinator and Peter Giunta as defensive coordinat - WHA? PETER GIUNTA? - I'll be amazingly open-minded here and just say I trust Giunta has improved enough not to screw the pooch defensively the way he did here in 2000.
Spagnuolo was never my top pick but I've never thought he would be a bad pick. Rams Nation welcomes him with open arms.
And by the way, people, learn to spell his name right. S-P-A-G-N-U-O-L-O. This is doomed to be the most misspelled name on Rams message boards since "Winstrom".
Friday, January 16, 2009
More housecleaning
Along with the elimination of Jim Haslett as a candidate for head coach, the Rams let go the assistant coaches who were not under contract. That would appear to include:
defensive line coach Brian Baker;
special teams assistant Todd Downing;
strength/conditioning assistant Chuck Faucette;
offensive assistant Jeff Horton;
strength/conditioning coach Dana DeLuc;
secondary coach Ron Milus;
special teams coach Al Roberts;
defensive coordinator Rick Venturi.
Some assistants have already moved to their next position.
Assistant offensive line/tight ends coach Jim Chaney is the U of Tennessee's new offensive coordinator.
Offensive QC coach Keith Murphy will coach WRs and special teams at New Mexico State.
Defensive QC coach Mike Cox will coach LBs at the U of Washington.
Of course, Haslett himself is rumored to be Green Bay's top candidate for their open defensive coordinator position, and in one of the more hilarious moves in NFL history, the 49ers appear intent on hiring Scott Linehan as their new offensive coordinator.
Replacing Mike Martz with Linehan worked so well for the Rams the Niners figured they should try it? Idiots.
Other Ram assistants are still under contract at this time, including:
wide receivers coach Henry Ellard;
offensive line coach Steve Loney;
offensive coordinator Al Saunders;
assistant coach/son of Al, Bob Saunders;
QB coach Terry Shea;
assistant head coach/RB coach Art Vandelay, er, Valero.
Ellard and Loney are believed to have good chances of remaining on the new coach's staff. Shame that also isn't true for Roberts, whose special teams were actually a competent unit this year.
defensive line coach Brian Baker;
special teams assistant Todd Downing;
strength/conditioning assistant Chuck Faucette;
offensive assistant Jeff Horton;
strength/conditioning coach Dana DeLuc;
secondary coach Ron Milus;
special teams coach Al Roberts;
defensive coordinator Rick Venturi.
Some assistants have already moved to their next position.
Assistant offensive line/tight ends coach Jim Chaney is the U of Tennessee's new offensive coordinator.
Offensive QC coach Keith Murphy will coach WRs and special teams at New Mexico State.
Defensive QC coach Mike Cox will coach LBs at the U of Washington.
Of course, Haslett himself is rumored to be Green Bay's top candidate for their open defensive coordinator position, and in one of the more hilarious moves in NFL history, the 49ers appear intent on hiring Scott Linehan as their new offensive coordinator.
Replacing Mike Martz with Linehan worked so well for the Rams the Niners figured they should try it? Idiots.
Other Ram assistants are still under contract at this time, including:
wide receivers coach Henry Ellard;
offensive line coach Steve Loney;
offensive coordinator Al Saunders;
assistant coach/son of Al, Bob Saunders;
QB coach Terry Shea;
assistant head coach/RB coach Art Vandelay, er, Valero.
Ellard and Loney are believed to have good chances of remaining on the new coach's staff. Shame that also isn't true for Roberts, whose special teams were actually a competent unit this year.
Rumor mill running wild
I've heard reports overnight that the Rams are down to picking between Leslie Frazier and Jason Garrett for the head coach job. That's according to Howard Balzer.
Adam Schefter at NFL Network says Frazier will be the pick.
Yahoo! Sports says it's between Frazier and Steve Spagnuolo.
Then comes KMOX this morning saying that JIM FASSEL is still in the mix.
The one name that's in common to almost all of these rumors is Frazier. I questioned last night whether the Rams need to go back to a low-key, ala Linehan personality, which everything I've read about Frazier indicates. But all of the rumors swirling right now point to him as the next head coach.
We should know very soon.
Adam Schefter at NFL Network says Frazier will be the pick.
Yahoo! Sports says it's between Frazier and Steve Spagnuolo.
Then comes KMOX this morning saying that JIM FASSEL is still in the mix.
The one name that's in common to almost all of these rumors is Frazier. I questioned last night whether the Rams need to go back to a low-key, ala Linehan personality, which everything I've read about Frazier indicates. But all of the rumors swirling right now point to him as the next head coach.
We should know very soon.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
It won't be Haslett
Jim Haslett has been told by Billy Devaney that he is out of the running for Rams head coach, per Steve Savard on KMOV about half an hour ago. (That's how long it takes me to get online and get stupid Blogger typing in the font I want it to.) RamView wishes Haslett luck in his future endeavors. RamView also looks forward to playing the Packers in 2009 should they decide to name Haslett, who interviewed with Green Bay last week, their DC. Not sure what he's done recently that would merit another DC job, but good luck to him anyway. He seemed a decent-enough guy and was really looking forward to getting the Rams brand name out into the community. I especially regret that he won't be back because it appeared certain training camp was coming back to St. Louis.
It looks like it's between Rex Ryan and Steve Spagnuolo for the position. Ryan's complications: the Jets are after him, too, and his Ravens are still alive in the playoffs, which would get him off to a late start here. Spagnuolo's complications: the Jets again. He interviewed with them for NINE hours this week. Feels like the Rams are going to get whomever the Jets don't take, with Jim Schwartz going to the Lions and with the Chiefs and Raiders just sort of kicking the tires on the coaching carousel right now.
RamView's top 4 are now: 1. Ryan, 2. Spagnuolo, 3. Leslie Frazier, 4. Jason Garrett.
Ryan over Spagnuolo because he has a longer record of success. The two over my previous endorsement, Frazier, because Frazier's one of those quiet leaders, and while that can certainly work great with the right group of players, it won't work here. It just got done going 11-25 or something like that under Linehan, another quiet guy.
The Rams need an ass-kicker, and I think Rex Ryan's the guy. If the Ravens go to the Super Bowl, he won't be able to hang out in the hotel lobby in Mobile and troll for assistants, but I'd like to believe he's prepared enough already for that not to be a problem. If the Rams do go with Spagnuolo, even with the FoB (Friend of Billy) air around him, he's worth endorsing as 1b to Ryan's 1a as well.
It looks like it's between Rex Ryan and Steve Spagnuolo for the position. Ryan's complications: the Jets are after him, too, and his Ravens are still alive in the playoffs, which would get him off to a late start here. Spagnuolo's complications: the Jets again. He interviewed with them for NINE hours this week. Feels like the Rams are going to get whomever the Jets don't take, with Jim Schwartz going to the Lions and with the Chiefs and Raiders just sort of kicking the tires on the coaching carousel right now.
RamView's top 4 are now: 1. Ryan, 2. Spagnuolo, 3. Leslie Frazier, 4. Jason Garrett.
Ryan over Spagnuolo because he has a longer record of success. The two over my previous endorsement, Frazier, because Frazier's one of those quiet leaders, and while that can certainly work great with the right group of players, it won't work here. It just got done going 11-25 or something like that under Linehan, another quiet guy.
The Rams need an ass-kicker, and I think Rex Ryan's the guy. If the Ravens go to the Super Bowl, he won't be able to hang out in the hotel lobby in Mobile and troll for assistants, but I'd like to believe he's prepared enough already for that not to be a problem. If the Rams do go with Spagnuolo, even with the FoB (Friend of Billy) air around him, he's worth endorsing as 1b to Ryan's 1a as well.
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Final Five
These are the finalists for the Rams' head coaching job, per "Around The Horns" at stltoday.com:
Consider this the final "coaches' poll" as well:
1. Leslie Frazier. Interviews Tuesday.
2. Rex Ryan. Interviewed yesterday.
3. Steve Spagnuolo. Interviews Thursday.
4. Supposed "mystery candidate" Jason Garrett, who has been mentioned already in the Rams' HC search, leaving me with no blooming idea why "NFL sources" ever said there was a "mystery" candidate in the first place, as came out earlier today. Interviews Wednesday.
5. Jim Haslett. Already interviewed.
I have no idea what happened with Winston Moss, Todd Bowles or Ray Sherman, particularly Moss, who was said to have been up for a second interview.
To go on the record, then, said the guy who wanted Ron Rivera in 2006 and wanted to fire Dick Vermeil in 1999 in favor of Ray Rhodes because I wanted to hire Rhodes in 1997 in the first place, of these candidates, I like Leslie Frazier the best. My first choice out of the whole football world would have been Marty Schottenheimer, but he's apparently staying retired.
And I still expect the Rams to end up with Haslett as their head coach out of all this, with Frazier going to Detroit, Ryan to the Jets, and Spagnuolo back to his drawing board to wonder how he let the Eggles convert 50% of their third downs yesterday and how his team couldn't sack Donovan McNabb even once.
Consider this the final "coaches' poll" as well:
1. Leslie Frazier. Interviews Tuesday.
2. Rex Ryan. Interviewed yesterday.
3. Steve Spagnuolo. Interviews Thursday.
4. Supposed "mystery candidate" Jason Garrett, who has been mentioned already in the Rams' HC search, leaving me with no blooming idea why "NFL sources" ever said there was a "mystery" candidate in the first place, as came out earlier today. Interviews Wednesday.
5. Jim Haslett. Already interviewed.
I have no idea what happened with Winston Moss, Todd Bowles or Ray Sherman, particularly Moss, who was said to have been up for a second interview.
To go on the record, then, said the guy who wanted Ron Rivera in 2006 and wanted to fire Dick Vermeil in 1999 in favor of Ray Rhodes because I wanted to hire Rhodes in 1997 in the first place, of these candidates, I like Leslie Frazier the best. My first choice out of the whole football world would have been Marty Schottenheimer, but he's apparently staying retired.
And I still expect the Rams to end up with Haslett as their head coach out of all this, with Frazier going to Detroit, Ryan to the Jets, and Spagnuolo back to his drawing board to wonder how he let the Eggles convert 50% of their third downs yesterday and how his team couldn't sack Donovan McNabb even once.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
McDaniels to Denver
Late word from ESPN is that the Broncos have named Josh McDaniels their new head coach.
No word from Baltimore yet on the Rams' interview with Rob Ryan. I'm not sure they can do anything with him anyway since the Ravens are alive for another week.
Still looks to me like the Rams' job is between Leslie Frazier and Jim Haslett, with Steve Spagnuolo freeing up today to take a late run at it down the homestretch. I doubt he won the job if today is used as an audition.
The Lions, Jets and Raiders are the Rams' remaining competition for coaching candidates, though I doubt Al Davis would shock anyone by retaining Tom Cable, either.
No word from Baltimore yet on the Rams' interview with Rob Ryan. I'm not sure they can do anything with him anyway since the Ravens are alive for another week.
Still looks to me like the Rams' job is between Leslie Frazier and Jim Haslett, with Steve Spagnuolo freeing up today to take a late run at it down the homestretch. I doubt he won the job if today is used as an audition.
The Lions, Jets and Raiders are the Rams' remaining competition for coaching candidates, though I doubt Al Davis would shock anyone by retaining Tom Cable, either.
AFC Divisional Playoff: Steelers 35, Chargers 24
PREGAME
My LAST chance to get a game right this weekend now relies on the Chargers pulling off a major upset at Heinz Field on a weekend where three big road upsets have already been pulled off.
Bet your house on Pittsburgh. Though, as I mentioned during the first game, how hard will it be for them not to get caught looking ahead right now? They're looking at a #6 seed in the AFC Championship possibly followed by a #4 at best in the Super Bowl. Mike Tomlin deserves a lot of accolades if he can keep his men focused on the task at hand the next week or two.
OK, it's after 3:30, when the hell does this game start? I am out of here at 7 pm sharp for the start of 24, so let's get it going, shall we?
Who's the fashion genius at Reebok that decided NFL coaches would look great on the sidelines wearing coats like the Gore-Tex coat George wore on Seinfeld? Don't wear those things into the liquor store, guys!
It is SNOWING in Pittsburgh. I am SO fucking glad I picked San Diego.
FIRST QUARTER
Chargers get the ball first and start at their 25. Play action right to Darren Sproles leaves Antonio Gates ALL ALONE in the left flat for a big gain. 21 yards.
Draw to Sproles for maybe 1, solo tackle by James Harrison. I respect the season Harrison had, but he's not the Defensive Player of the Year. Ed Reed is.
Sproles takes a screen and squirts through the Pittsburgh D for 12. Steelers had some guys close but nobody could grab him.
And off play action, Philip Rivers hits Vincent Jackson in the end zone for a falling 41-yard TD catch. Jackson beat Ike Taylor on the play; perfect pass from Rivers. 7-0, San Diego.
That's why I picked San Diego. The last couple of years in the playoffs, they've just showed no fear.
Jackson got a 15-yard taunting penalty after the TD, and Carey Davis fields the kickoff at the 30 and returns it to the 42.
Willie Parker breaks a couple of tackles in busting up the middle for 11.
Parker right back up the middle for 3-4 more.
Man, Parker is having no trouble running up the middle. Give him 8 and another first down.
Jamal Williams got man-handled that last play.
From the Charger 36, smoke route to Hines Ward gets about 5. Holding on Santonio Holmes, though, as announced by referee Bill Leavy. My report on the playoff referees should come later in the week.
Quentin Jammer hammers Ward on a short 1st-and-19 pass and jars the ball incomplete.
4-man rush by San Diego. Ben Roethlisberger (just Ben from here out) finds Heath Miller in the left flat and he breaks a couple of tackles for 11 yards. 3rd-and-8.
Sideline pass to Holmes is high.
This would be about a 52-yard FG so Mike Tomlin is going for it on 4th-and-8.
No! Ben quick-kicks it and it dies at the 9-yard line.
Looks like the snow is intensifying in Pittsburgh. This is going to be a super game to watch. From a comfy seat indoors.
Sproles up the middle for about 3. Again for a couple more. Is that really how you want to use him today?
3rd-and-5. Decent pressure on Rivers, who lobs too far up the far sideline for an incompletion.
Santonio Holmes returns the punt 68 yards for a TD. Steelers 7, Chargers 7.
The Chargers blew three tackles, including a terrible diving effort by Legedu Naanee at the 10. That made Jonathan Wade look like Ronnie Lott. Key blocks by Carey Davis and Lawrence Timmons. Davis really crunched a guy at the start of the return.
And yep, that's a TD for the special teams of former Rams ST coach Bob Ligashesky.
Sproles returns the bouncing kickoff out to the 36.
Michael Bennett tries to pick his way around left end and gets nothing, while Jacob Hester is called for a face mask. 1st-25 now from the 21. San Diego's getting off to a Carolina-like start.
Rivers gets a ton of time and hits Chris Chambers for a sliding sideline catch for 12.
Circle route to Bennett for about 6. 3rd-and-7.
Chargers go 3-wide and Gates catches it over the middle and backs up into a first down. Great job by the Chargers to recover from that penalty.
1st-10 from the 47. False start by Marcus McNeil. More penalties to overcome.
Screen to Sproles for 3. Rivers is 7-for-8 and already has 100 yards.
Lamarr Woodley beats Brandon Manumaleuna and gets to Rivers for an 8-yard sack. In Manu's defense, Rivers had plenty of time. Good coverage by Pittsburgh.
3rd-20, no, make it 3rd-25 after a play clock violation. Did that thing start before the last play ended? Sure seemed awful quick.
Sproles lucky to gain anything on a draw Pittsburgh had read and stuffed in the backfield.
Mike Scifres kicks a rare out-of-bounds punt that will be spotted at the 26.
Parker behind right tackle for a couple.
Ben goes deep for Nate Washington against a blitz but the the WR clips feet with Jammer and goes down. 3rd-9.
Chargers blitz again and Eric Weddle and Antoine Cason both get to Ben for a sack.
Sproles returns a bouncing punt to the 42, but they'll lose ground for an illegal block.
Sproles squirts through the right side for 8.
He cuts back and gains 6 more to get out to the 30 as the first quarter runs out.
We've got a good one here.
SECOND QUARTER
Sproles goes up the middle for one to start the quarter.
Short pass to Gates for 7. 3rd-and-2.
They run Sproles inside and he doesn't come close enough for a measurement. Phil Simms comments "it looks like he's short." GUFFAW!
Well. Turner wants to challenge the spot. Under the hood for Leavy then. At least it should be warm in there.
Chargers gained about a foot from the challenge but still not enough for the first.
High punt by Scifres is fair-caught at the 18. He's getting nothing like the distance he was getting last week.
The Steelers are doing almost nothing but running Parker up the middle. Who's their offensive coordinator, Woody Hayes? 7 yards, though, 2nd-and-3.
Parker for 4 off right tackle.
Parker up the middle for 6.
More of a draw to Parker here, and he drives up the middle for 5.
Mewelde Moore up the middle this time for almost 5. Surprising the Chargers are struggling this badly against the run after shutting down the Colts last week.
Parker met hard in the hole after gaining 3. 3rd-and-3.
False start on Darnell Stapleton, 3rd-and-8. He was pulling on the play and reacted early to his man, Weddle, trying to time his blitz.
Ben finds Carey Davis with a swing pass for 6. On 4th-and-2 right at midfield, the Steelers try to rush the next play and catch the Chargers confused. San Diego ends up calling a timeout.
The Steelers decide to punt now, and former Ram Mitch Berger's kick just sneaks across the goal line for a touchback.
Harrison nearly sacks Rivers, who steps up and then is nearly picked off by Taylor defending Chambers.
Steelers are all over the 2nd down screen pass so Rivers throws it incomplete at Hester's feet. Larry Foote would have blown it up for a big loss or even a pick-six otherwise.
3rd-10, the Steelers blitz again and Jackson appears to make an INCREDIBLE diving catch for 40-plus yards. It looks like it touched the ground and the ground jarred it loose, though, making it an incomplete catch. Too bad; great effort by Jackson.
The refs called it a catch, though, so Tomlin has to challenge it. I don't blame the refs; I thought it was a catch live, too. Leavy corrects the call and San Diego will punt.
Sproles back-flipped a blitzer on that last play. A beautiful thing to watch.
Steelers at their 39 after the punt. End around to Holmes only gets about 3. Curl-in to Washington for 5 or 6. 3rd-2.
Only a 4-man rush, but Ben has to dump off to Davis as a safety valve and Jammer BLOWS HIM UP after a yard, forcing a punt.
THE STEELERS THEN TRY A FAKE PUNT but the upman Ryan Clark is swallowed up immediately by Antwan Applewhite. Chargers take over at the Pittsburgh 47.
Lamarr Woodley, who's everywhere tonight, stuffs Sproles for -1.
Quick slant to Naanee, who trips to bolster his chances at LVP, is incomplete.
3rd-11, Gates burns Woodley and gets down to the 30.
Brett Keisel stuffs a draw to Sproles for -4. Ball at the Steeler 35. 3:00 till halftime.
Steelers blitzing relentlessly right now. Sproles is CRUNCHED by Woodley in the flat after a 2-yard gain.
3rd-12. Little pass to Gates gets about 10 and sets Nate Kaeding up for a makeable 42-yard FG.
Kaeding splits the uprights and puts San Diego ahead 10-7.
Gary Russell returns Scifres' short kickoff to the 34.
Steelers pick up the blitzing DB and Ben hits Holmes over the middle for 15.
Shaun Phillips stays down injured after the play, spending San Diego's last timeout with 1:13 left. Understandable; he got an elbow in the throat. That's why I hate the rule that forces a timeout there. It encourages intentionally injuring your opponent when you need a timeout or want to use theirs up.
Miller is WIDE OPEN in the flat but Ben misses him BADLY to bring up 3rd-and-1.
Russell breaks a backfield tackle and surges up the middle for 3. Timeout, Pittsburgh, at the SD 40 with 1:06 left.
Chargers fake-blitz; Ben overthrows Holmes badly again, and he was wide open at the 10.
Steelers pick up the blitz by committing a blatant hold. Leavy doesn't call that, but he does sock them for illegal formation.
Plenty of time for Ben on 1st-and-long, though; he drills Ward deep at the 15 and he runs down to the 4. San Diego's prevent coverage preventing nothing there. Yeah, let's cover Hines Ward with a linebacker. Steelers use their second timeout with 0:45 left.
First and goal at the 3. Great blocking outside by Davis and Max Starks give Parker an easy run for a 3-yard TD. Steelers 14, Chargers 10. Easy sweep left for the TD. 40 seconds till halftime.
SHORT kickoff that the Steelers are lucky that Antonio Cromartie does not return any farther than the 30. No timeouts for San Diego with 35 seconds left.
They're just running out the clock. Inside handoff to Sproles sends Pittsburgh to halftime with a 14-10 lead.
Ben was having a quite poor first half until he got hot there at the end. But Pittsburgh's mainly atop the scoreboard because of their running game. And it amazes me that they're running as well as they are with the little amount of variety they're showing. Then again, it's on San Diego to stop it. They need to get some plays out of Jamal Williams and their so-far invisible LBs, shut down the run and force Ben into more obvious passing situations.
Rivers, on the other hand, cooled off a bit after a hot start. He does appear able to find Gates any time he wants to. And they're going to need Rivers to carry them because Sproles has only 15 yards rushing at halftime, much to my surprise. Again, though, I'll say Sproles is a big play waiting to happen, a draw or screen for a long gain against the blitz-crazy Steelers. And despite the lack of running game, unlike what Bill Cowher is idiotically saying, the Chargers are still right in this game. THEY'RE ONLY DOWN FOUR POINTS, BILL! The Chargers are doing everything about as right as they can in these circumstances. If they start shutting down the Pittsburgh run a little bit, they're in this thing all the way to the end.
THIRD QUARTER
Russell returns the 2nd half kickoff to the 23. San Diego is in big need of a stop right off the bat.
Parker, guess where?, up the middle for 2.
Parker was trapped in the backfield by Steven Gregory but shook him and bounced outside right fora big gain. 13 yards.
3 more for Parker up the middle.
Williams gets big pressure left of center to help hold the next run to nothing.
Chargers blitz on 3rd-and-long and Holmes makes a diving catch at the Charger 49 for a first down.
Play-action bomb to Holmes beats Clinton Hart by a good stretch but it's just overthrown and Holmes can't come up with it on the dive.
Matt Wilhelm stops Parker up the middle for a yard loss. 3rd-and-11, Chargers have Pittsburgh right where they want them. Right where they have to have them.
But they let Nate Washington beat them in zone coverage for 17. And the Chargers rushed only 4.
Parker over the left side for 3. That last completion was a killer.
Good pressure from Marques Harris forces Ben to fire a naked bootleg screen early and it gains nothing. 3rd-and-8 from the 30; must stop here for San Diego.
NOPE. Ben finds Miller on the sideline at the 22 and he runs down to the 12. Do the Chargers intend to cover ANYBODY here in the 2nd half?
Parker off left tackle for 4.
Off a fake pitch left, Ben rolls right and hits Miller upfield at the 2, and Miller plunges in for an 8-yard TD. 21-10, Pittsburgh, this game is over and I am officially 0-for-FUCKING-FOUR this weekend and 1-for-FUCKING-EIGHT this postseason.
Perfect drive by the Steelers. They chewed eight minutes off the clock and really have San Diego over a barrel now. The game is definitely over if San Diego doesn't answer with a TD here.
And oh, those Bob Ligashesky special teams, the Chargers may just be right back in it. Sproles fields a VERY SHORT kick at the 15 (what the HELL is with all the short kickoffs today?), gets a seam, cuts to the outside across midfield and returns the kickoff 63 yards to the Steeler 23.
Never mind. The game IS over. Rivers' pass off a short drop is deflected by Keisel and fought over by Harrison and Foote for a Steeler INT. Worst possible outcome for the Chargers, sending their defense right back on the field after an 8:00 drive.
Turner's pretty wise to challenge the INT, as wise as Foote was stupid to fight Harrison for the catch. They may have fought the ball away from one another for an incompletion. Remember how John Harbaugh turned yesterday's game with a successful challenge?
Leavy rules it a catch for Pittsburgh. Still a good challenge, though.
Parker off right guard for 3. Chargers desperately need to force a big play.
Parker bounces outside left for 4.
A true reverse to Holmes, who gets 4 off a big block by Big Ben on Luis Castillo. He pancaked him.
Parker up the middle for 4, forearm shivered down by Stephen Cooper.
Parker bounces outside for about 14 but it's called back for a hold on Miller. A blatant one. 2nd-and-16. Drawing that hold was about Shaun Philips' first contribution to this game.
Draw to Moore for 5.
Ben gets ALL NIGHT to throw but dumps to Moore for just three.
But on 4th down, Weddle enters the Hall of Pure Idiocy by getting hit right on top of the head while blocking on the punt. William Gay recovers for Pittsburgh at the Charger 23.
Pittsburgh may hold the ball the ENTIRE THIRD QUARTER.
False start on Stapleton, 1st-and-15.
Good pressure forces an incompletion on a screen pass apparently called a forward pass. Yeah, the backward deflection fooled me. 2nd-15.
Ward gets the short completion off a naked bootleg, gets away from a poor tackle by Cason and runs it down to the 10. Justified roughing penalty on Cletis Gordon moves it down to the 4.
Parker runs up the middle and moves it down to the 1.
I almost want Pittsburgh to take a delay of game here so they hold the ball the whole quarter. There's a minute left.
Ben rolls left, can't find anybody, keeps the play alive FOREVER before triple-pumping and.... throwing the ball away. 3rd-and-goal at the 1.
Cooper stops Russell inside the 1, as the Steelers will in fact hold the ball the WHOLE THIRD QUARTER. Tomlin will decide whether or not to go for it between quarters.
I'm leaning toward a FG. It's not like San Diego's coming back from 14 points down, though 18 would certainly end the game right here and now.
FOURTH QUARTER
Steelers are going for it, 4th-and-goal from a foot out.
Davis got stopped early and Brandon Siler drove his nose into the ground short of the goal line. Pittsburgh comes away with NO points and San Diego can still take the lead, as unlikely as it sounds, with two TDs.
From the 1, Rivers drops deep into the end zone and hits Hester in the flat. Hester gets out to the 12 with a first down.
San Diego shits all over that by giving up a sack the next play. Woodley ate Hester up alive and SLAMMED Rivers to the turf back at the 1.
2nd-and-20, Rivers pitches it high out of bounds.
3rd-and-20, Rivers overthrows Gates. No harm done by Tomlin's decision to go for it on 4th-and-goal.
Holmes returns the punt 5 yards to midfield. San Diego has had the ball maybe a minute and a half in the 2nd half.
Programming note: postgame analysis will be delayed the moment I think I'm going to miss any of 24.
Parker inside right tackle for 4.
PLAY-ACTION BOMB for Washington draws a DPI flag when Washington goes to the ground. It's on Weddle, the runaway favorite for game LVP.
Steelers get it at the 1 after the DPI in the end zone.
Gary Russell rumbles in from the 1 to put Pittsburgh ahead 28-10 and take an insurmountable lead.
I'll feel free to ignore the rest of this game then. Impressive performance today by the Steelers. I'm having a very tough time settling on one guy to be the MVP of the game. Weddle's the obvious LVP, but I need to settle on one Steeler. And despite Parker's good game, the solid work of the middle of the offensive line in front of him, the big plays by Woodley, Keisel, and Harrison, I'm awarding the game MVP to Ben Roethlisberger, who played a steady game and put this out of reach by going 5-for-5 on third down during the Steelers' epic, game-clinching 3rd quarter.
While I'm writing that, San Diego drives downfield and Rivers hits Naanee with a 4-yard slant for a TD. 28-17.
The Steelers respond with a long drive capped off by a 16-yard TD run bounced outside by Parker. 35-17. Parker makes a late case for game MVP for his 2nd TD to go with 146 rushing yards, but I already gave it to Ben. No refunds.
Deep strike over the middle from Rivers to Sproles for 65 yards pulls San Diego back to 35-24 with 1:55 left. Pittsburgh recovers the onside kick, though, and they're officially through to the AFC Championship next Sunday night.
Pittsburgh's performance is probably the most impressive of this weekend. The least impressive? That's easy - me. 0 for FUCKING FOUR.
San Diego was really hamstrung with LaDainian Tomlinson out. Sproles got stuffed all day and Bennett and Hester did not provide any kind of alternative in the running game. AND they're very much at risk of losing Sproles in free agency in the offseason. They had some troubles in the secondary today, but it's very young, and they'll get Shawne Merriman back next year in the LB corps. I see their biggest offseason need as some big, bruising RB insurance to support and back up LT.
Pittsburgh should be a large favorite to advance to the Super Bowl now over Baltimore. The Ravens had such a physical game with Tennessee yesterday they certainly have their work cut out to win out a game next week that will likely be just as hard hitting. In Baltimore's favor: it's hard to beat a team three times in one season, which Pittsburgh will have to pull off now to get to Tampa, and the Ravens must really want to get back at Pittsburgh after the controversial ending of their last meeting in Baltimore. But in the Steelers, I see a team that's stopping the run better right now and running the ball better on offense, I see a team with a nice home field advantage and a team that will capitalize on the blitzing the Ravens have had to do this postseason to pressure the QB.
So I'm seeing an all-Keystone State Super Bowl.
Get ready for Cardinals-Ravens, then.
My LAST chance to get a game right this weekend now relies on the Chargers pulling off a major upset at Heinz Field on a weekend where three big road upsets have already been pulled off.
Bet your house on Pittsburgh. Though, as I mentioned during the first game, how hard will it be for them not to get caught looking ahead right now? They're looking at a #6 seed in the AFC Championship possibly followed by a #4 at best in the Super Bowl. Mike Tomlin deserves a lot of accolades if he can keep his men focused on the task at hand the next week or two.
OK, it's after 3:30, when the hell does this game start? I am out of here at 7 pm sharp for the start of 24, so let's get it going, shall we?
Who's the fashion genius at Reebok that decided NFL coaches would look great on the sidelines wearing coats like the Gore-Tex coat George wore on Seinfeld? Don't wear those things into the liquor store, guys!
It is SNOWING in Pittsburgh. I am SO fucking glad I picked San Diego.
FIRST QUARTER
Chargers get the ball first and start at their 25. Play action right to Darren Sproles leaves Antonio Gates ALL ALONE in the left flat for a big gain. 21 yards.
Draw to Sproles for maybe 1, solo tackle by James Harrison. I respect the season Harrison had, but he's not the Defensive Player of the Year. Ed Reed is.
Sproles takes a screen and squirts through the Pittsburgh D for 12. Steelers had some guys close but nobody could grab him.
And off play action, Philip Rivers hits Vincent Jackson in the end zone for a falling 41-yard TD catch. Jackson beat Ike Taylor on the play; perfect pass from Rivers. 7-0, San Diego.
That's why I picked San Diego. The last couple of years in the playoffs, they've just showed no fear.
Jackson got a 15-yard taunting penalty after the TD, and Carey Davis fields the kickoff at the 30 and returns it to the 42.
Willie Parker breaks a couple of tackles in busting up the middle for 11.
Parker right back up the middle for 3-4 more.
Man, Parker is having no trouble running up the middle. Give him 8 and another first down.
Jamal Williams got man-handled that last play.
From the Charger 36, smoke route to Hines Ward gets about 5. Holding on Santonio Holmes, though, as announced by referee Bill Leavy. My report on the playoff referees should come later in the week.
Quentin Jammer hammers Ward on a short 1st-and-19 pass and jars the ball incomplete.
4-man rush by San Diego. Ben Roethlisberger (just Ben from here out) finds Heath Miller in the left flat and he breaks a couple of tackles for 11 yards. 3rd-and-8.
Sideline pass to Holmes is high.
This would be about a 52-yard FG so Mike Tomlin is going for it on 4th-and-8.
No! Ben quick-kicks it and it dies at the 9-yard line.
Looks like the snow is intensifying in Pittsburgh. This is going to be a super game to watch. From a comfy seat indoors.
Sproles up the middle for about 3. Again for a couple more. Is that really how you want to use him today?
3rd-and-5. Decent pressure on Rivers, who lobs too far up the far sideline for an incompletion.
Santonio Holmes returns the punt 68 yards for a TD. Steelers 7, Chargers 7.
The Chargers blew three tackles, including a terrible diving effort by Legedu Naanee at the 10. That made Jonathan Wade look like Ronnie Lott. Key blocks by Carey Davis and Lawrence Timmons. Davis really crunched a guy at the start of the return.
And yep, that's a TD for the special teams of former Rams ST coach Bob Ligashesky.
Sproles returns the bouncing kickoff out to the 36.
Michael Bennett tries to pick his way around left end and gets nothing, while Jacob Hester is called for a face mask. 1st-25 now from the 21. San Diego's getting off to a Carolina-like start.
Rivers gets a ton of time and hits Chris Chambers for a sliding sideline catch for 12.
Circle route to Bennett for about 6. 3rd-and-7.
Chargers go 3-wide and Gates catches it over the middle and backs up into a first down. Great job by the Chargers to recover from that penalty.
1st-10 from the 47. False start by Marcus McNeil. More penalties to overcome.
Screen to Sproles for 3. Rivers is 7-for-8 and already has 100 yards.
Lamarr Woodley beats Brandon Manumaleuna and gets to Rivers for an 8-yard sack. In Manu's defense, Rivers had plenty of time. Good coverage by Pittsburgh.
3rd-20, no, make it 3rd-25 after a play clock violation. Did that thing start before the last play ended? Sure seemed awful quick.
Sproles lucky to gain anything on a draw Pittsburgh had read and stuffed in the backfield.
Mike Scifres kicks a rare out-of-bounds punt that will be spotted at the 26.
Parker behind right tackle for a couple.
Ben goes deep for Nate Washington against a blitz but the the WR clips feet with Jammer and goes down. 3rd-9.
Chargers blitz again and Eric Weddle and Antoine Cason both get to Ben for a sack.
Sproles returns a bouncing punt to the 42, but they'll lose ground for an illegal block.
Sproles squirts through the right side for 8.
He cuts back and gains 6 more to get out to the 30 as the first quarter runs out.
We've got a good one here.
SECOND QUARTER
Sproles goes up the middle for one to start the quarter.
Short pass to Gates for 7. 3rd-and-2.
They run Sproles inside and he doesn't come close enough for a measurement. Phil Simms comments "it looks like he's short." GUFFAW!
Well. Turner wants to challenge the spot. Under the hood for Leavy then. At least it should be warm in there.
Chargers gained about a foot from the challenge but still not enough for the first.
High punt by Scifres is fair-caught at the 18. He's getting nothing like the distance he was getting last week.
The Steelers are doing almost nothing but running Parker up the middle. Who's their offensive coordinator, Woody Hayes? 7 yards, though, 2nd-and-3.
Parker for 4 off right tackle.
Parker up the middle for 6.
More of a draw to Parker here, and he drives up the middle for 5.
Mewelde Moore up the middle this time for almost 5. Surprising the Chargers are struggling this badly against the run after shutting down the Colts last week.
Parker met hard in the hole after gaining 3. 3rd-and-3.
False start on Darnell Stapleton, 3rd-and-8. He was pulling on the play and reacted early to his man, Weddle, trying to time his blitz.
Ben finds Carey Davis with a swing pass for 6. On 4th-and-2 right at midfield, the Steelers try to rush the next play and catch the Chargers confused. San Diego ends up calling a timeout.
The Steelers decide to punt now, and former Ram Mitch Berger's kick just sneaks across the goal line for a touchback.
Harrison nearly sacks Rivers, who steps up and then is nearly picked off by Taylor defending Chambers.
Steelers are all over the 2nd down screen pass so Rivers throws it incomplete at Hester's feet. Larry Foote would have blown it up for a big loss or even a pick-six otherwise.
3rd-10, the Steelers blitz again and Jackson appears to make an INCREDIBLE diving catch for 40-plus yards. It looks like it touched the ground and the ground jarred it loose, though, making it an incomplete catch. Too bad; great effort by Jackson.
The refs called it a catch, though, so Tomlin has to challenge it. I don't blame the refs; I thought it was a catch live, too. Leavy corrects the call and San Diego will punt.
Sproles back-flipped a blitzer on that last play. A beautiful thing to watch.
Steelers at their 39 after the punt. End around to Holmes only gets about 3. Curl-in to Washington for 5 or 6. 3rd-2.
Only a 4-man rush, but Ben has to dump off to Davis as a safety valve and Jammer BLOWS HIM UP after a yard, forcing a punt.
THE STEELERS THEN TRY A FAKE PUNT but the upman Ryan Clark is swallowed up immediately by Antwan Applewhite. Chargers take over at the Pittsburgh 47.
Lamarr Woodley, who's everywhere tonight, stuffs Sproles for -1.
Quick slant to Naanee, who trips to bolster his chances at LVP, is incomplete.
3rd-11, Gates burns Woodley and gets down to the 30.
Brett Keisel stuffs a draw to Sproles for -4. Ball at the Steeler 35. 3:00 till halftime.
Steelers blitzing relentlessly right now. Sproles is CRUNCHED by Woodley in the flat after a 2-yard gain.
3rd-12. Little pass to Gates gets about 10 and sets Nate Kaeding up for a makeable 42-yard FG.
Kaeding splits the uprights and puts San Diego ahead 10-7.
Gary Russell returns Scifres' short kickoff to the 34.
Steelers pick up the blitzing DB and Ben hits Holmes over the middle for 15.
Shaun Phillips stays down injured after the play, spending San Diego's last timeout with 1:13 left. Understandable; he got an elbow in the throat. That's why I hate the rule that forces a timeout there. It encourages intentionally injuring your opponent when you need a timeout or want to use theirs up.
Miller is WIDE OPEN in the flat but Ben misses him BADLY to bring up 3rd-and-1.
Russell breaks a backfield tackle and surges up the middle for 3. Timeout, Pittsburgh, at the SD 40 with 1:06 left.
Chargers fake-blitz; Ben overthrows Holmes badly again, and he was wide open at the 10.
Steelers pick up the blitz by committing a blatant hold. Leavy doesn't call that, but he does sock them for illegal formation.
Plenty of time for Ben on 1st-and-long, though; he drills Ward deep at the 15 and he runs down to the 4. San Diego's prevent coverage preventing nothing there. Yeah, let's cover Hines Ward with a linebacker. Steelers use their second timeout with 0:45 left.
First and goal at the 3. Great blocking outside by Davis and Max Starks give Parker an easy run for a 3-yard TD. Steelers 14, Chargers 10. Easy sweep left for the TD. 40 seconds till halftime.
SHORT kickoff that the Steelers are lucky that Antonio Cromartie does not return any farther than the 30. No timeouts for San Diego with 35 seconds left.
They're just running out the clock. Inside handoff to Sproles sends Pittsburgh to halftime with a 14-10 lead.
Ben was having a quite poor first half until he got hot there at the end. But Pittsburgh's mainly atop the scoreboard because of their running game. And it amazes me that they're running as well as they are with the little amount of variety they're showing. Then again, it's on San Diego to stop it. They need to get some plays out of Jamal Williams and their so-far invisible LBs, shut down the run and force Ben into more obvious passing situations.
Rivers, on the other hand, cooled off a bit after a hot start. He does appear able to find Gates any time he wants to. And they're going to need Rivers to carry them because Sproles has only 15 yards rushing at halftime, much to my surprise. Again, though, I'll say Sproles is a big play waiting to happen, a draw or screen for a long gain against the blitz-crazy Steelers. And despite the lack of running game, unlike what Bill Cowher is idiotically saying, the Chargers are still right in this game. THEY'RE ONLY DOWN FOUR POINTS, BILL! The Chargers are doing everything about as right as they can in these circumstances. If they start shutting down the Pittsburgh run a little bit, they're in this thing all the way to the end.
THIRD QUARTER
Russell returns the 2nd half kickoff to the 23. San Diego is in big need of a stop right off the bat.
Parker, guess where?, up the middle for 2.
Parker was trapped in the backfield by Steven Gregory but shook him and bounced outside right fora big gain. 13 yards.
3 more for Parker up the middle.
Williams gets big pressure left of center to help hold the next run to nothing.
Chargers blitz on 3rd-and-long and Holmes makes a diving catch at the Charger 49 for a first down.
Play-action bomb to Holmes beats Clinton Hart by a good stretch but it's just overthrown and Holmes can't come up with it on the dive.
Matt Wilhelm stops Parker up the middle for a yard loss. 3rd-and-11, Chargers have Pittsburgh right where they want them. Right where they have to have them.
But they let Nate Washington beat them in zone coverage for 17. And the Chargers rushed only 4.
Parker over the left side for 3. That last completion was a killer.
Good pressure from Marques Harris forces Ben to fire a naked bootleg screen early and it gains nothing. 3rd-and-8 from the 30; must stop here for San Diego.
NOPE. Ben finds Miller on the sideline at the 22 and he runs down to the 12. Do the Chargers intend to cover ANYBODY here in the 2nd half?
Parker off left tackle for 4.
Off a fake pitch left, Ben rolls right and hits Miller upfield at the 2, and Miller plunges in for an 8-yard TD. 21-10, Pittsburgh, this game is over and I am officially 0-for-FUCKING-FOUR this weekend and 1-for-FUCKING-EIGHT this postseason.
Perfect drive by the Steelers. They chewed eight minutes off the clock and really have San Diego over a barrel now. The game is definitely over if San Diego doesn't answer with a TD here.
And oh, those Bob Ligashesky special teams, the Chargers may just be right back in it. Sproles fields a VERY SHORT kick at the 15 (what the HELL is with all the short kickoffs today?), gets a seam, cuts to the outside across midfield and returns the kickoff 63 yards to the Steeler 23.
Never mind. The game IS over. Rivers' pass off a short drop is deflected by Keisel and fought over by Harrison and Foote for a Steeler INT. Worst possible outcome for the Chargers, sending their defense right back on the field after an 8:00 drive.
Turner's pretty wise to challenge the INT, as wise as Foote was stupid to fight Harrison for the catch. They may have fought the ball away from one another for an incompletion. Remember how John Harbaugh turned yesterday's game with a successful challenge?
Leavy rules it a catch for Pittsburgh. Still a good challenge, though.
Parker off right guard for 3. Chargers desperately need to force a big play.
Parker bounces outside left for 4.
A true reverse to Holmes, who gets 4 off a big block by Big Ben on Luis Castillo. He pancaked him.
Parker up the middle for 4, forearm shivered down by Stephen Cooper.
Parker bounces outside for about 14 but it's called back for a hold on Miller. A blatant one. 2nd-and-16. Drawing that hold was about Shaun Philips' first contribution to this game.
Draw to Moore for 5.
Ben gets ALL NIGHT to throw but dumps to Moore for just three.
But on 4th down, Weddle enters the Hall of Pure Idiocy by getting hit right on top of the head while blocking on the punt. William Gay recovers for Pittsburgh at the Charger 23.
Pittsburgh may hold the ball the ENTIRE THIRD QUARTER.
False start on Stapleton, 1st-and-15.
Good pressure forces an incompletion on a screen pass apparently called a forward pass. Yeah, the backward deflection fooled me. 2nd-15.
Ward gets the short completion off a naked bootleg, gets away from a poor tackle by Cason and runs it down to the 10. Justified roughing penalty on Cletis Gordon moves it down to the 4.
Parker runs up the middle and moves it down to the 1.
I almost want Pittsburgh to take a delay of game here so they hold the ball the whole quarter. There's a minute left.
Ben rolls left, can't find anybody, keeps the play alive FOREVER before triple-pumping and.... throwing the ball away. 3rd-and-goal at the 1.
Cooper stops Russell inside the 1, as the Steelers will in fact hold the ball the WHOLE THIRD QUARTER. Tomlin will decide whether or not to go for it between quarters.
I'm leaning toward a FG. It's not like San Diego's coming back from 14 points down, though 18 would certainly end the game right here and now.
FOURTH QUARTER
Steelers are going for it, 4th-and-goal from a foot out.
Davis got stopped early and Brandon Siler drove his nose into the ground short of the goal line. Pittsburgh comes away with NO points and San Diego can still take the lead, as unlikely as it sounds, with two TDs.
From the 1, Rivers drops deep into the end zone and hits Hester in the flat. Hester gets out to the 12 with a first down.
San Diego shits all over that by giving up a sack the next play. Woodley ate Hester up alive and SLAMMED Rivers to the turf back at the 1.
2nd-and-20, Rivers pitches it high out of bounds.
3rd-and-20, Rivers overthrows Gates. No harm done by Tomlin's decision to go for it on 4th-and-goal.
Holmes returns the punt 5 yards to midfield. San Diego has had the ball maybe a minute and a half in the 2nd half.
Programming note: postgame analysis will be delayed the moment I think I'm going to miss any of 24.
Parker inside right tackle for 4.
PLAY-ACTION BOMB for Washington draws a DPI flag when Washington goes to the ground. It's on Weddle, the runaway favorite for game LVP.
Steelers get it at the 1 after the DPI in the end zone.
Gary Russell rumbles in from the 1 to put Pittsburgh ahead 28-10 and take an insurmountable lead.
I'll feel free to ignore the rest of this game then. Impressive performance today by the Steelers. I'm having a very tough time settling on one guy to be the MVP of the game. Weddle's the obvious LVP, but I need to settle on one Steeler. And despite Parker's good game, the solid work of the middle of the offensive line in front of him, the big plays by Woodley, Keisel, and Harrison, I'm awarding the game MVP to Ben Roethlisberger, who played a steady game and put this out of reach by going 5-for-5 on third down during the Steelers' epic, game-clinching 3rd quarter.
While I'm writing that, San Diego drives downfield and Rivers hits Naanee with a 4-yard slant for a TD. 28-17.
The Steelers respond with a long drive capped off by a 16-yard TD run bounced outside by Parker. 35-17. Parker makes a late case for game MVP for his 2nd TD to go with 146 rushing yards, but I already gave it to Ben. No refunds.
Deep strike over the middle from Rivers to Sproles for 65 yards pulls San Diego back to 35-24 with 1:55 left. Pittsburgh recovers the onside kick, though, and they're officially through to the AFC Championship next Sunday night.
Pittsburgh's performance is probably the most impressive of this weekend. The least impressive? That's easy - me. 0 for FUCKING FOUR.
San Diego was really hamstrung with LaDainian Tomlinson out. Sproles got stuffed all day and Bennett and Hester did not provide any kind of alternative in the running game. AND they're very much at risk of losing Sproles in free agency in the offseason. They had some troubles in the secondary today, but it's very young, and they'll get Shawne Merriman back next year in the LB corps. I see their biggest offseason need as some big, bruising RB insurance to support and back up LT.
Pittsburgh should be a large favorite to advance to the Super Bowl now over Baltimore. The Ravens had such a physical game with Tennessee yesterday they certainly have their work cut out to win out a game next week that will likely be just as hard hitting. In Baltimore's favor: it's hard to beat a team three times in one season, which Pittsburgh will have to pull off now to get to Tampa, and the Ravens must really want to get back at Pittsburgh after the controversial ending of their last meeting in Baltimore. But in the Steelers, I see a team that's stopping the run better right now and running the ball better on offense, I see a team with a nice home field advantage and a team that will capitalize on the blitzing the Ravens have had to do this postseason to pressure the QB.
So I'm seeing an all-Keystone State Super Bowl.
Get ready for Cardinals-Ravens, then.
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