No doubt about it, this was a significant game. Not in the spirit of the NFL's most physical rivalry in the annual Steelers-Ravens slugfests, but in a way that both teams were on a collision course that would go a long way to deciding the season. I think everyone from the ignorant fanboy to the owners of both franchises knew it and could tangibly feel it. I know I did. I've got enough things going on in life to where I don't get emotionally involved in the hype from week to week but man this week felt different. That palpable feeling of desperately wishing you were a player and had the privilege of going down there to lace 'em up and lay 'em out. I was amped. On Sunday morning, however, that feeling morphed into an unbalanced mixture of uncertain dread and furious indignation. Bungle fans were as obnoxious as ever and despite beings tops in the conference, their team was taking classlessness to new heights. Our Steelers were finally beginning to play to their potential but we were still behind the 8-ball. I was genuinely incensed over this game (btw, sorry for all bad words in the game day thread.) and was exhausted after it was over. Now that I've had a little time to process all of it and sleep on it, there were some things that came to mind that didn't quite register during the game.
I know the mantra, "Game's over pal, time to move on to Denver" and all that proverbial jazz. But this was a game to remember, possibly the game of the season to this point. Maybe that's why I've been mulling it over since Landry Jones took a pair of kneel-downs in victory formation to seal a defining win. Indy was a rather pretty win. It wasn't all good or pretty at all and I think that's why it's sticking with me. Or maybe I just need to vent.
On Big Ben: Can we give a little more love to Ben Roethlisberger? He played a masterful game. People see the stat line of 0 TD's and 1 INT and think it was mediocre, but I think this was his best game all season. He had only two or three bad passes, and even the INT, while one of his very few ill-advised throws, should have been pass interference. Ben threw the ball almost 40 times, made a ton of money throws on 3rd down. That throw to Martavis that was dropped in the endzone was on a dime. He zipped a pass into quintuple coverage at one point. He had a moving dump pass to Heath on 3rd down where Heath literally never moved his hands, Ben just stuck it exactly to the spot while he was escaping the pocket. Lighting up the scoreboard stat sheet with 5 TD's and 500 yards is nice and fun, but I absolutely loved what Ben brought to the table. I saw him talking to people, calming them down, getting them focused. For a guy who unjustifiably gets blasted for lack of leadership at times, he had it on display in spades this game. That's what you want from your quarterback. The more I thought about it, the more I believe this win belongs squarely to Ben. He wasn't phased one bit and his calmness was the perfect tonic in a volatile situation. That opening drive was a tone-setter and featured great poise and decision-making, which he carried over for nearly the entire game.
On Tomlin: I thought Tomlin's decision to kick the extra point on that opening touchdown was powerful and correct. That was a statement touchdown and didn't need an encore. Do I understand his logic or rationale all the time? No. That dude is confusing as hell. But I have to give credit for what I thought was overall a well-coached game. I think he made good decisions throughout. Say what you want about Tomlin and the team, but I loved the attitude he had about the Bengals crossing the line pre-game. For a guy who is justifiably blasted for not having his team ready to go, that wasn't a problem this time. Yeah, there were penalties, some of the dumb variety, but who expected there to not be any with the build up for this game? I think Tomlin's coaching style gets him more scrutiny for losses and not enough credit for wins because he's not a hardass chess player with no personality.
On DeAngelo: I've said it before, but this guy is the best Free Agent signing since James Farrior, and probably one of the best FO decisions in recent memory. Obviously you can't predict an injury like Bell's, but with his suspension looming they prepared for it and it's paying off big time. Without DeAngelo we don't have a chance to get into the playoffs right now.
On Heath: Talk about a gutsy performance. This is a guy who'd missed like 8 games in what, 10 years? So for him to sit out last week you know it's probably pretty serious and he didn't want to admit it. You really can't say enough about what he did coming back from a rib injury. He was laying out for all of those catches. I was cringing every time he got hit, but he'd jump right back up every time. Mad props to an all-time great.
On Tuitt: What a great read by a defensive end. And the hands to finish the play. He's becoming a special player. Even if Andy doesn't get hurt there, I think Tuitt shook his confidence regardless. You could almost feel a shift in the atmosphere there.
On Dupree: I've been watching Bud Dupree pretty carefully since Week 1 and up to this game have been fairly impressed with his attack on the learning curve. This game, however, was his worst as an NFL player. He was non-existent the entire game. Fortunately it was a win so he can take this as a learning experience. I'm still optimistic about his future but this was definitely a first rough hurdle for him.
On the Defense: This unit is not good. But they are opportunists. And opportunity can cover a multitude of warts. I like what Keith Butler has done to try to set the table to make that happen. I like their attitude of keeping a team below 17 points. They give up a billion yards between the 20's but they've been solid in the red zone. Yeah, the secondary has been atrociously bad but looking at the overall body of work this season, I'm impressed. I really hope the FO can make significant upgrades to the secondary because this defense could be very special.
On Blake: We rag on this guy every week for good reason but he was truly horrific. This is not even a Boykin debate, but if Blake is playing hurt and obviously a detriment to the team, then sit his ass down! I don't care if his replacement is some UDFA scrub who only played junior college ball, I just want a guy who's willing to make a play on the ball or make the tackle if it's caught. If he was Darrelle Revis playing hurt, OK I get that, but he's not. Get a healthy body in there! That being said, I appreciated an actual in-game adjustment late 2nd quarter when Blake was relegated to base defense and Boykin took the slot on sub packages.
On the Officials: I try not to make games about the officiating, particularly in relation to wins and losses, but this was just a bad job on all fronts. That crew was especially clueless. Honestly that was the first instance I've seen where there was some eyebrow-raising obvious non-calls all to one side. Good gosh, it was disgusting. The league needs investigate that crew and hand out discipline.
On Boswell: Clutch performance by the rook. I heard he was pretty shaky pre-game, and that first kickoff wasn't great but he shook it off and delivered. This guy has been nothing short of impressive. As much as we all love Sushi, Boswell has earned a shot at the job next year. If we don't sign him he won't be unemployed for more than 24 hours. Bank that.
As a conclusion, I have to touch back to the team attitude I saw on display. Penalties and dumb stuff aside (which was all pretty tame, IMO) I finally saw fire in belly of this team. I think that's what struck me the most. The win against San Fran was nice, felt good. The win against Indy was nice, felt good. Even the win against Arizona really good. But this win was different. I didn't mean to wax eloquent about it, but there was difference. Judging purely on post-game comments by some of the players, it was starting to sound like they were finally getting it too. Gilbert's comment about wanting the Bengals for Christmas, to me that spells a team whose suddenly realized what they want. I hope it's the case. I'm also curious if anyone else felt this way about this game or if it's just me getting lost in the poetic narrative of it all.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Dwinsgames
Enthroned Into The Good Old Boys Club - 2024 
