Not much more to say than that.......Come on, admit it.....when the Steelers first fell down by a 21-7 score, you thought it was over............then they drive the ball, and you think okay, points here and we are back in it......then Suisham misses a relatively easy field goal, and you had to be thinking, uh-oh. Then you remembered that the Steelers got the ball to start the half, and a touchdown there puts them right back in it. Then, a drive that started with some promise, ended in a sack, and given the way the Ravens were in Ben's face, you HAD to think it was a GRIM situation. Even as a guy who is MUCH more mentally invested in the Penguins, it was tough to swallow. What ensued, was incredible! The Steelers defense rose to the occasion at this point, holding the Ravens to -4 yards for the quarter! In addition, they helped create three turnovers that allowed the Steelers to storm back to a 24-21 lead before ultimately winning the game 31-24. The pure violence and mayhem of that quarter was thrilling to watch! James Harrison, Lamar Woodley, Ryan Clark, Lawrence Timmons, Ziggy Hood, Brett Keisel, just downright nasty!! Ben Roehtlisberger will never be a guy that I will LIKE as a person, he just won't be, and I am not really buying into the kinder gentler Ben off the field persona he NEEDS to show. That aside, you really have to be blind to not give him his props ON the field. He is largely passed over when the talking heads discuss the great quarterbacks in the game, preferring the second coming(s) Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, then the second tier usually includes names like Eli Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Carson friggin Palmer, Matt Ryan, and even Joe Flacco! But folks, like him or not, Big Ben is now 9-2 in the playoffs! 9-2! The team has won two Super Bowls with him at the helm, and though he was not stellar in SB 40 by any means, he was instrumental in getting them there, and despite all of the praise heaped upon the defense, Roethlesberger led one of the most incredible fourth quarter drives to take SB 43 away from Arizona, and should have been the MVP. The Steelers are also about to appear in their 4th AFC Championship game in the past 7 years with Big Ben at the helm. These numbers eliminate any quarterback of this time from discussions with Roethlesberger other than Tom Brady, period. That said, another loss to New England in the AFC Championship game will put Brady light years ahead, but if the Steelers win, and then go on take their third ring of the Big Ben era, then it will be a whole other argument............Some other notes from yesterday's game:
The young core on this team is impressive as hell. Ziggy Hood looked like a number one pick yesterday, and his name was all over this win. Pouncey is just unreal for a rookie center, and truly could be in the talks for team MVP. Brown, Sanders, and Wallace are just amazing. We all knew what Wallace was after last year, but the emergence of Sanders and Brown made this stretch run to the division title and first round playoff victory possible. LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons are beasts. Mendenhall put one on the ground, and gained few yards yesterday, but when it counted, he was BIG. and what you do in big moments defines you....ask Houshmandzadeh and Boldin......the Steelers defense held this high powered offense to 126 yards on 53 plays!! Are you kidding me?.........resigning Ryan Clark looks kinda big this morning, eh? Mike Tomlin should get serious consideration for coach of the year this season. The offseason turmoil, combined with a decimated offensive line, and missing your first string quarterback for the first four games had most people thinking of another 9-7 year for the black and gold. Instead, they pull off a 12-4 run, and are one win away from a shot at the Stairway to Seven! The only negative I have to say about yesterday is the MENTAL state of the offensive line. Yes, they are a patchwork group, and they hung in against a tough defense despite giving up 6 sacks...........giving up six sacks and showing a total inability to establish the running game is a pretty big indictment even in a win. Ramon Foster stepping away from the Big Ben fumble allowing the Ravens to score their second touchdown was downright embarrassing....though, in fariness only 1 of the 22 professional athletes on field played that play until the whistle as they were taught since termite football. # 68 diving way late into the piles should have cost the Steelers their first touchdown, and put the Ravens in very favorable field position to attempt to tie the game late. The fact the referees missed the first call, and that the defense and TJ who dropped a first down catch should not allow big K off the hook. He could have been the goat of the century and Tomlin should make sure he is aware of how lucky he is........Other than that, the Steelers were downright impresssive in their tenacity, and they made the big plays........that usually puts you in the W column. Now, they are two wins away from 7th Heaven........WOW.
The young core on this team is impressive as hell. Ziggy Hood looked like a number one pick yesterday, and his name was all over this win. Pouncey is just unreal for a rookie center, and truly could be in the talks for team MVP. Brown, Sanders, and Wallace are just amazing. We all knew what Wallace was after last year, but the emergence of Sanders and Brown made this stretch run to the division title and first round playoff victory possible. LaMarr Woodley and Lawrence Timmons are beasts. Mendenhall put one on the ground, and gained few yards yesterday, but when it counted, he was BIG. and what you do in big moments defines you....ask Houshmandzadeh and Boldin......the Steelers defense held this high powered offense to 126 yards on 53 plays!! Are you kidding me?.........resigning Ryan Clark looks kinda big this morning, eh? Mike Tomlin should get serious consideration for coach of the year this season. The offseason turmoil, combined with a decimated offensive line, and missing your first string quarterback for the first four games had most people thinking of another 9-7 year for the black and gold. Instead, they pull off a 12-4 run, and are one win away from a shot at the Stairway to Seven! The only negative I have to say about yesterday is the MENTAL state of the offensive line. Yes, they are a patchwork group, and they hung in against a tough defense despite giving up 6 sacks...........giving up six sacks and showing a total inability to establish the running game is a pretty big indictment even in a win. Ramon Foster stepping away from the Big Ben fumble allowing the Ravens to score their second touchdown was downright embarrassing....though, in fariness only 1 of the 22 professional athletes on field played that play until the whistle as they were taught since termite football. # 68 diving way late into the piles should have cost the Steelers their first touchdown, and put the Ravens in very favorable field position to attempt to tie the game late. The fact the referees missed the first call, and that the defense and TJ who dropped a first down catch should not allow big K off the hook. He could have been the goat of the century and Tomlin should make sure he is aware of how lucky he is........Other than that, the Steelers were downright impresssive in their tenacity, and they made the big plays........that usually puts you in the W column. Now, they are two wins away from 7th Heaven........WOW.
a friend of mine pointed out that if you go back to 2001 the Steelers have appeared in 5 of the past 10 AFC Championship games
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