Broncos 29, Steelers 23 (OT) We’re supposed to be talking about an all-time fourth quarter performance from a gimpy Ben Roethlisberger and his darting young receivers. Or, about the debut of the NFL’s new playoff overtime format. Instead, we’re once again talking about the magic of Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos – though justifiably this time. In his biggest game as a pro, Tebow disproved (at least temporarily) his legions of naysayers by connecting on throws against man coverage. That’s [...] Continue reading → | Andy Dalton, Ben Roethlisberger, Calvin Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals, Demaryius Thomas, Detroit Lions, Drew Brees, Houston Texans, Ike Taylor, J.J. Watt, Tim Tebow, Tim Tebow vs. Steelers

Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos (8-8) host Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4) to wrap up the Wildcard round in the 2012 NFL playoffs in Mile High Stadium at 4:30pm EST on CBS. Each of the first three games have been decided by at least 17 points in the postseason and expectations for this defensive grudge match aren’t very different.  However, there are many factors that could keep the Broncos in this game and possibly even help them pull off a shocking upset. Like Houston, Denver heads into the playoffs [...] Continue reading → | 2012 NFL Playoff Predictions, 2012 NFL Playoffs, Ben Roethlisberger, Denver Broncos, Michael Gartman, Pittsburgh Steelers, Steelers vs. Broncos, Tim Tebow

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward enters this weekend’s game vs. Cincinnati needing just 15 catches to reach 1,000 for his career, and just nine yards to reach 12,000 yards receiving. He’ll need to average three catches the rest of the season to achieve the former , hardly a certainty, as youngsters Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown are now Ben Roethlisberger’s favorite targets. But reaching those milestones would seem to solidify Ward’s chances of gaining entrance into the Hall of Fame, a distinction he certainly deserves, as I argued in a previous post on this site. Meanwhile, Steelers fans have begun speculating about whether Ward would be willing to return for a fifteenth season if relegated to [...] Continue reading → | Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, Hall of Fame, Hines Ward, Mike Wallace

Steelers 25, Patriots 17 For the second straight week, the Patriots’ high-powered offense sputtered a bit against a complex blitzing 3-4 defense. But this game was decided on the other side of the ball. The Steelers ran 28 more plays than the Patriots and easily controlled the tempo for the first three quarters. And they did it by playing Steeler Ball – which hopefully people now realize involves spreading and passing. Ben Roethlisberger completed 36 of 50 for 365 yards. Heath Miller devoured the zones behind New England’s blitzes, finishing with 85 yards on seven receptions. Wideouts Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders all had between 5-9 catches and 65-75 yards. These types of performances happen [...] Continue reading → | Ben Roethlisberger, Denver Broncos, Michael Vick, New York Giants, NFL Week 8 Quick Hits, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tim Tebow

Weren't we just here with these two teams?  The New England Patriots (5-1) will return to action Sunday, October 30 at Heinz Field to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2), the defending AFC champions.  This game will determine first place in the AFC as the season reaches the midpoint. Last week, the Steelers went into Arizona and defeated the Cardinals 32-20 as the Cardinals were coming off of their bye week; QB Ben Roethlisberger had 361 yards passing, including a 95-yard TD to WR Mike Wallace (118 total receiving yards).  The Patriots are coming off of their bye; two weeks ago, they came back late to defeat the Dallas Cowboys 20-16.  The Patriots beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Sunday Night Football last November 39-20 as QB Tom Brady threw for 350 yards and three TDs to TE [...] Continue reading → | 1SKILLZ Gameplan, Ben Roethlisberger, Casey Hampton, Devin McCourty, Heinz Field, Ike Taylor, LaMarr Woodley, Mike Wallace, Nate Solder, New England Patriots, Pittsburgh Steelers, Rob Gronkowski, Tom Brady, Troy Polamalu, Wes Welker

On a lovely autumn afternoon in Pittsburgh, the Jacksonville Jaguars played well on defense and struggled to move the ball consistently. The result was a heartrending 17-13 loss. So what else is new? The Jaguars were heavy underdogs to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, and early on it looked like the team might not cover the 13-point spread. The Steelers moved the ball downfield with ease on their first three possessions, generating 17 first half points and racking up over 300 yards of total offense. The Jaguars managed one field goal on their final possession of the half, failed to capitalize on a promising opening drive, and finished with just 68 yards. It would have been easy to throw in the towel at that point. The team faced a similar situation against New Orleans, and did [...] Continue reading → | Ben Roethlisberger, Blaine Gabbert, Game Reviews, Jacksonville Jaguars, Maurice Jones-Drew, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Rashard Mendenhall

In the midst of NFL Network’s litigious list of the Top 100 Players of 2011 and a lockout that forces blood to shoot of our eyes, I thought this would be the [...] Continue reading → | 2011 Fan Voices, 2011 NFL Preview, Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, Bill Belichick, Bill Belichick Is Modern-Day Albert Einstein, Brett Favre, Drew Brees, Drew Brees Career Stats, Eli Manning, Frank Caliendo, Jay Cutler, Johnny Unitis, Josh Freeman, Josh Freeman Is Modern-Day Warren Moon, matt ryan, Matt Schaub, Michael Gartman, Michael Vick, Michael Vick Career Stats, NFL General 2011, NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2011, NFL.com Senior Analyst Pat Kirwan, NFL’s Top 10 Quarterbacks in 2011, Peyton Manning, Peyton Manning’s Losing Playoff Record, Phillip Rivers, Sam Bradford, Tom Brady, Tom Brady Is The NFL’s Best Quarterback in 2011, tony romo, Tony Romo Not In The Top 10 NFL Quarterbacks in 2011, Top 10 NFL Quarterbacks in 2011, Warren Moon

Around this time of year experts are always saying "oh he's pro-ready" or "he's not quite the prototypical NFL quarterback". Well instead of lableing a player, why not figure out...no build the perfect NFL quarterback. Not saying oh lets combine Brady, Manning, Rivers and that's my ultimate NFL quarterback. No, this is a comprehensive breakdown of what makes a "perfect" NFL quarterback. Without further ado here is what I believe makes up a perfect NFL quarterback: Elusiveness: While it is critical to be able to throw from within the pocket, quarterbacks need to be able to allude defensive ends and linebackers to keep the play alive and move the chains. For example Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers is not a Michael Vick type of runner however he does [...] Continue reading → | 2011 Fan Voices, 2011 NFL Draft, Aaron Rogers, Ben Roethlisberger, Drew Brees, Eli Manning, Green Bay Packers, Michael Vick, Peyton Manning, Phillip Rivers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tom Brady

I’ve long maintained that Ben Roethlisberger plays more effectively in the face of below-average pass protection than any QB I’ve ever seen. Typically, offensive line woes spell big trouble for NFL teams, but year after year, Roethlisberger does a remarkable job of compensating for his line’s shortcomings. The evidence provided by the New York Life Protection Index (NYLPI)—which ranks NFL offensive lines by taking into account the length of a team’s pass attempts, penalties by offensive linemen, sacks allowed, quarterback hurries and knockdowns—would seem to support my argument. Since Roethlisberger entered the league in 2004, the Steelers’ offensive line has never been better than 19th-best in [...] Continue reading → | Ben Roethlisberger, New York Life Protection Index

First the basics: About the only difference between the New England Patriots' 31-28 win over the Indianapolis Colts Sunday and last season's 35-34 victory by the Colts over the Patriots seems to be the venue and the turnover differential.  The Patriots got out to another quick lead (14-0), held another 31-14 advantage early in the 4th quarter, and then Patriots QB Tom Brady (19/25, 186 yards, 2 TDs, no turnovers) sat down and watched helplessly while Colts QB Peyton Manning (38/52, 396 yards, 4 TDs, 3INTs) picked apart the Patriots secondary, quickly erasing the big Patriots lead and making it a 31-28 deficit. There was no 4th and 2 this time though.  Of course, Brady threw a pass right to Colts OLB Tyjuan Hagler's chest, and that would have been your 4th and 2.  But the Patriots [...] Continue reading → | Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Clay Matthews, Danny Woodhead, Devin McCourty, Indianapolis Colts, James Sanders, Jermaine Cunningham, Mark Sanchez, matt ryan, Michael Vick, MVP, New England Patriots, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers, Tom Brady