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View Full Version : Did Ravens choke? No, Steelers strangled them



stillers4me
01-15-2011, 10:57 PM
You could say the Baltimore Ravens choked. Or I could. I could sit here and write that the Ravens choked on Saturday, when they dissolved in the second half of a 31-24 loss that allowed Pittsburgh (http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/teams/page/PIT/pittsburgh-steelers) to advance to the AFC Championship Game next week.



But that wouldn't be fair to Pittsburgh. The Ravens were prey, yes, but only because Pittsburgh was the predator. You know that sentence I wrote earlier, that the Ravens "allowed Pittsburgh to advance" next week? Forget that. The Ravens didn't allow a damn thing -- Pittsburgh took it.

Pittsburgh beat the Ravens. Beat them up, beat them down. Beat them physically and mentally.

Where's Trent Dilfer when the Ravens need him, anyway?

Instead the Ravens have Joe Flacco (http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1250697/joe-flacco), only the third quarterback to start a playoff game in each of his first three seasons in the league, joining Bernie Kosar and Dan Marino.

That's the beautiful headline, but it masks the ugliness of the story: Flacco makes like Kosar or Marino to get to the playoffs, but in the postseason he's more like Rex Grossman (http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/396159/rex-grossman). Flacco's career passer rating in the postseason is 61.6 -- compare that to his regular-season rating of 87.9 -- and that includes two sub-20 stinkers. Flacco was good last week, yes, but that was Kansas City.

This was Pittsburgh, and the Steelers stole his lunch money and sent him home without shoes or socks. When Flacco's cringe-worthy game was over -- he threw an interception, lost a fumble and was sacked five times -- even the Steelers were sticking up for him..................

Read more @ http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/14555565/did-ravens-choke-no-steelers-strangled-them?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

NCSteeler
01-15-2011, 11:26 PM
ALL Freaking week all they could talk about is Flacco's record record of 4-2 in playoffs. The guy has yet to prove himself a big game QB. I go so far to say if he didn't have that defense he would be 0 fer 0. Ben's clutch, the D wins us a lot of games, but when you need him #7 usually comes thru. Waiting on the in fighting, Ray's post game set it up, going on about how the D is good, but not good enough to hold in the redzone when your O is giving it up, the throwing under the bus starts early .

tube517
01-15-2011, 11:29 PM
I couldn't decipher what Rayray was saying. A whole lot of gibberish.


ALL Freaking week all they could talk about is Flacco's record record of 4-2 in playoffs. The guy has yet to prove himself a big game QB. I go so far to say if he didn't have that defense he would be 0 fer 0. Ben's clutch, the D wins us a lot of games, but when you need him #7 usually comes thru. Waiting on the in fighting, Ray's post game set it up, going on about how the D is good, but not good enough to hold in the redzone when your O is giving it up, the throwing under the bus starts early .

tube517
01-15-2011, 11:39 PM
3rd Quarter: Ravens had more turnovers than total yards

Edman
01-15-2011, 11:41 PM
Ray Ray is losing his moxie. That 2000 ring is looking awfully old and rusty. He and that "great" Baltimore Defense hasn't been able to get it done since. Even when Terrell Suggs has a great game, Ben still tore the Ravens a new one.

Maybe one day Joe Flacco will take the next step, but at this rate he's just an above average Joe who comes up small in big games. Yeah, he beat Kansas City last week. But...it's Kansas City.

GutterflowerSteel
01-16-2011, 03:04 AM
Ray took a life - his karma will keep him from ever winning another ring. AND I LOVE IT!! :tt02:

7SteelGal43
01-16-2011, 10:30 AM
http://lease-color-copiers.com/Never_Give_Up_Poster.jpg

El-Gonzo Jackson
01-16-2011, 10:43 AM
I think both teams tried to give the game away with stupid turnovers. The Cory Redding TD, the Mendenhall fumble by the Steelers, but seriously.....a fumbled QB exchange in the playoffs???? The Ravens tried harder to lose.

Even down on the goal line with 1:55 left in the game, the Steelers goto the pass instead of forcing the Ravens to use timeouts......but Terrence Cody comes thru to give the Steelers a fresh set of downs. Some careless football played by 2 good teams. Get ready to goto Foxboro baby!!

El-Gonzo Jackson
01-16-2011, 10:46 AM
Ray took a life - his karma will keep him from ever winning another ring. AND I LOVE IT!! :tt02:

Actually, Ray never killed anybody, he just obstructed the investigation by not telling the cops what happened. In comparison, Ben never raped anybody....... is equivalent to Ray never killed anybody.

The Duke
01-16-2011, 10:48 AM
I think both teams tried to give the game away with stupid turnovers. The Cory Redding TD, the Mendenhall fumble by the Steelers, but seriously.....a fumbled QB exchange in the playoffs???? The Ravens tried harder to lose.

Even down on the goal line with 1:55 left in the game, the Steelers goto the pass instead of forcing the Ravens to use timeouts......but Terrence Cody comes thru to give the Steelers a fresh set of downs. Some careless football played by 2 good teams. Get ready to goto Foxboro baby!!

funny that both Ryan and Flacco did that

the great 08 rookie quarterbacks!

they still got plenty to learn

Akagi
01-16-2011, 01:47 PM
Driving home from the airport today, listening to Freddie Coleman say that the Ravens gave the game to the Steelers; I was so pissed, but I don't get the microphone. The Ravens took the turnovers from the Steelers, and also gave the turnovers to the Steelers? Either both teams took 'em, or both teams gave 'em. What I saw, both teams took 'em; the Ravens made the plays, and the Steelers made the plays (the fans get credit for Flacco's botched snap).

In redemption, later in the hour they played Ryan Clark's interview, where he made the point that no one was really ever worried, because the Ravens haven't really driven the ball on the Steelers all year. And they haven't.

BigNastyDefense
01-16-2011, 02:14 PM
I still don't get all the Flacco hype. He's an above average quarterback. He has better physical skills than Trent Dilfer did, however Trent Dilfer didn't make the mistakes that lead to a loss. That is why he won a Super Bowl riding the coattails of a great defense.

While Flacco got praise all week for his 4-2 (now 4-3) record in the playoffs, we didn't hear much about Ben Roethlisberger.

Big Ben is 8-2 in the playoffs. He has won two Super Bowls. What you heard was that he holds onto the ball too long and that the Ravens defense would stop him from making big plays. Terrell Suggs, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Haloti Ngata.

Nobody really talked about the Steelers defense, which was the better defense all season. I didn't hear much about Troy Polamalu, Casey Hampton, Lawrence Timmons, LaMarr Woodley, Ike Taylor, and the rest. I think we heard more about Aaron Smith trying to come back from his triceps tear. You would have thought the Steelers defense gave up 500-something points this season.

The Ravens talked the talk, but when it came down to it they couldn't walk the walk. The Steelers took the game from them. Ben Roethlisberger had his way with the secondary. Rashard Mendenhall put it in the endzone twice. Clutch is clutch, and when it came time to put up or shut up, the Steelers punched the Ravens in the mouth and took their lunch money.

Kittyfish
01-16-2011, 04:42 PM
^^^ The truth, you speak it. Nice post.

Craic
01-16-2011, 04:55 PM
Oops... Wrong thread.

Psycho Ward 86
01-16-2011, 05:02 PM
ALL Freaking week all they could talk about is Flacco's record record of 4-2 in playoffs. The guy has yet to prove himself a big game QB. I go so far to say if he didn't have that defense he would be 0 fer 0. Ben's clutch, the D wins us a lot of games, but when you need him #7 usually comes thru. Waiting on the in fighting, Ray's post game set it up, going on about how the D is good, but not good enough to hold in the redzone when your O is giving it up, the throwing under the bus starts early .

Well gee, haven't you heard that Ben only has a good record in the playoffs because of his defense :rolleyes: