NFL 2011 Wild Card Playoff Round

Fedaykin98 wrote:
LeapingGnome wrote:

Surprising outcome to that game but the Steelers really did not look good all night. And I agree, Ben should have been pulled at halftime. I thought during the 4th quarter that if they were playing Charlie Batch they would be in better shape.

I was hoping to see the Texans make the third round and face the Steelers rather than the Pats. They were very beatable (and were beaten) in Houston earlier this season.

You're looking entirely too far into the future, my friend.

Sincerely,

A Ravens fan

I think we lay this one entirely at the feet of the Pittsburgh defensive coordinator. You brought 8 men in the box to stop the run ON EVERY PLAY and dared Tebow to beat you. Congrats. You just proved that even a blind paraplegic could have thrown for 200 yards on you given that game plan.

Watching the Steelers lose never gets old. Now hopefully the Pats go down next week.

Well, Ryan Clark couldn't play, so there's one of your safeties; I'm going to guess that whoever's Clark's backup sucks atomic donkey balls, because there weren't nobody playing the deep middle today. I mean, whoa. Tebow had long completion after long completion, but they were the kind of throws where his lousy accuracy doesn't matter--you rainbow it deep, and let your receiver run towards it. He can do that all day if there's no safety help. The ones he can't do is literally hit a guy standing still, and Pittsburgh had so little pass rush he didn't have to do much. Did two Pittsburgh DL guys go out that game, and they were already thin?

That was some crazy, crazy stuff. Tebow just kept tossing up little softballs and the WRs would grab them and just go. It's like there were no safeties playing today. Crazy.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Well, Ryan Clark couldn't play, so there's one of your safeties; I'm going to guess that whoever's Clark's backup sucks atomic donkey balls, because there weren't nobody playing the deep middle today. I mean, whoa. Tebow had long completion after long completion, but they were the kind of throws where his lousy accuracy doesn't matter--you rainbow it deep, and let your receiver run towards it. He can do that all day if there's no safety help. The ones he can't do is literally hit a guy standing still, and Pittsburgh had so little pass rush he didn't have to do much. Did two Pittsburgh DL guys go out that game, and they were already thin?

That was some crazy, crazy stuff. Tebow just kept tossing up little softballs and the WRs would grab them and just go. It's like there were no safeties playing today. Crazy.

With the Steelers bringing 8-9 men to stop the run on EVERY PLAY, Tebow still managed to put up the worst completion percentage of all eight teams that played this weekend.

Honestly it wouldn't be so bad if the media just didn't talk so much about Tebow...it's like no one on the Denver team matters but him.

TheGameguru wrote:

Honestly it wouldn't be so bad if the media just didn't talk so much about Tebow...it's like no one on the Denver team matters but him.

I don't even really like the NFL all that much and I here a lot about him. It's also very annoying.

TheGameguru wrote:

Honestly it wouldn't be so bad if the media just didn't talk so much about Tebow...it's like no one on the Denver team matters but him.

Based on the national media's coverage, no one on the team does matter, unless they are trying to explain why they are winning despite Tebow. Otherwise, they're willing to ride the Tebow coverage all the way to the bank.

Honestly, what exactly has Tebow done to deserve the coverage he's going to get this week? Why should he get more or less coverage than the other teams? Only thing I can figure is that the "experts" feel they have to cram him down our throats to try to prove their worth, OR they are really closet super fans. I think the national media breaks the way of the general football following population. They want to see him succeed wonderfully or fail miserably. There is rarely any in between when it comes to Tebow.

I want to know more about the rest of the Broncos. Clearly something is happening on defense and it isn't just Champ, Von Miller, and Elvis. And that o-line has become a classic Denver o-line, a washed up RB can easily run behind them, tell me about them.

Looking forward to the games next week, unfortunately have to avoid ESPN like the plague due to TEBOW!!!! winning.

Elliottx wrote:

Looking forward to the games next week, unfortunately have to avoid ESPN like the plague due to TEBOW!!!! winning.

QFT

Elliottx wrote:

I want to know more about the rest of the Broncos. Clearly something is happening on defense and it isn't just Champ, Von Miller, Williams, and Elvis. And that o-line has become a classic Denver o-line, a washed up RB can easily run behind them, tell me about them.

Looking forward to the games next week, unfortunately have to avoid ESPN like the plague due to TEBOW!!!! winning.

Its a young O-line too...and I would love to see someone like Battle, Sproles, or Bush back there...Moreover, the entire defense is becoming beastly. Carter and Moore will be great safeties once they get some xp under thier belts, Also, Harris is a great free agent rookie CB that we acquired.

Tebow has the weapons to be a good QB, but he needs to make better decisions and also needs to polish up his passing/play action. He can do both in the offseason with Elway as his coach, but it would be nice if the Media would tone it down a bit with all the coverage.

HE JUST WINS

For the Steelers fan in me, a sad day. Good news though is that I at least enjoy watching all 8 teams left in the playoffs and wouldn't really be upset with anyone winning it. Here is hoping to some good games down the stretch as there was only one this weekend.

thejustinbot wrote:

Good news though is that I at least enjoy watching all 8 teams left in the playoffs and wouldn't really be upset with anyone winning it.

Yeah well that happened for me already with the Jets and Cowboys losing in the last week, and the Eagles before that.

I used to hate the Packers, but as it turns out, I think it was just Favre I hated.

To be fair you covered pretty much all the teams I really hate. Except add the Lions too.

I am a Broncos fan, but only after I moved to Denver 4 years ago. Before that, I was a Ravens fan. I grew up in the middle of nowhere so, it didnt really matter I think. I just knew my grandfather(my idol) loved the Browns before the move to Baltimore and whats more, my dad was a Steelers fan...so I had to root for the rival, right?

thejustinbot wrote:

To be fair you covered pretty much all the teams I really hate. Except add the Lions too.

Yeah I never really cared about them, they've been irrelevant so long. But they really have shown some dickish behavior this year, from the coach down to Suh. I mean I did rename my fantasy football team to Harbaugh's Handshake after the 49ers took them down.

NYG vs GB is going to be an awesome game next week if it's anything like Week 13.

TempestBlayze wrote:

NYG vs GB is going to be an awesome game next week if it's anything like Week 13.

you mean if GB makes it close by dropping balls?

I think it will be deceivingly close. GB puts up the points and goes prevent so everyone still thinks the defense is horrible.

So. Can the Texans OLine protect TJ Yates against a real pass rush?

The Giants D is healthier than they were in week 13 as well. The Falcons game would have been a shut out if it wasn't for that damn safety! So lets hope they can get some pressure on your man Rodgers so he can't throw his 30+ yard passes.

The Giants D is healthier than they were in week 13 as well. The Falcons game would have been a shut out if it wasn't for that damn safety! So lets hope they can get some pressure on your man Rodgers so he can't throw his 30+ yard passes.

Pretty amazing. My wife is a Denver fan (me still being a Bears fan and all) and I have to say every one of Denver's wins this year has be damn exciting. I enjoy watching the games w/ her because she just gets so jittery... and the Bronco's really do have something in the last minutes of the game. Not sure what it is, but they always seem to pull it out.

As for Tebow, meh. Living in Colorado and watching all these people go nuts over him is interesting but reminiscient of many other QBs who happen to be in the right place at the right time. It reminds me of McMahon for the Bears. He was a mediocre QB at BEST but he had charisma and was a big time media draw. Although I dont remember the games headlines being "McMahon beats XYZ" as they like to do w/ Tebow here.

But like it or not, its NOT Tebow's fault for all this "Tebowing" going on. From what I can tell, the guy is pretty cool, low key and has faith and sticks to it. I think because he's so open about his faith and anything to do w/ "God" now a'days is an automatically explosive topic, the media has just gone nuts.

PAR

Give Tebow and John Fox a wee bit of credit. The Broncos had exactly the right play called, and Tebow made an absolutely gorgeous throw. Even a broken clock, etc. etc.

That stiff arm by Thomas gets an A+, too. I can't imagine it's easy to do that while running at full speed and not fall down or get caught.

TempestBlayze wrote:

The Giants D is healthier than they were in week 13 as well. The Falcons game would have been a shut out if it wasn't for that damn safety! So lets hope they can get some pressure on your man Rodgers so he can't throw his 30+ yard passes.

see: Giants vs Packers, '07/'08, Week 2 of regular season
see also: Giants vs Packers, '07/'08, NFC Championship Game

Granted, two totally different Packers teams, but the Giants have to be considered one of the hottest teams right now, sans New Orleans. I will probably still pick Green Bay, but I won't be surprised by a Giants win.

As for Tebow, I'm not sure why no one will give him a full season as the starter before casting him off as some horrible quarterback. He started two games last season, no mini camps this season, and 11 starts this season before the playoffs. Matt Ryan is 0 for 3 in the playoffs with better weapons, yet he's considered to be an over achieving QB. Tebow is doing something that no one else can really do at QB, run the option in the NFL.

Interesting note- John 3:16......................and Tebow threw for 316 yards yesterday.

Romeo Crennel is now the Chiefs head coach.

And Hines Ward is reportedly retiring.

I like both of these things.

Kush15 wrote:
TempestBlayze wrote:

The Giants D is healthier than they were in week 13 as well. The Falcons game would have been a shut out if it wasn't for that damn safety! So lets hope they can get some pressure on your man Rodgers so he can't throw his 30+ yard passes.

see: Giants vs Packers, '07/'08, Week 2 of regular season
see also: Giants vs Packers, '07/'08, NFC Championship Game

Granted, two totally different Packers teams, but the Giants have to be considered one of the hottest teams right now, sans New Orleans. I will probably still pick Green Bay, but I won't be surprised by a Giants win.

As for Tebow, I'm not sure why no one will give him a full season as the starter before casting him off as some horrible quarterback. He started two games last season, no mini camps this season, and 11 starts this season before the playoffs. Matt Ryan is 0 for 3 in the playoffs with better weapons, yet he's considered to be an over achieving QB. Tebow is doing something that no one else can really do at QB, run the option in the NFL.

Interesting note- John 3:16......................and Tebow threw for 316 yards yesterday.

Tebow had 316 yards on 10/21 passing against a team playing basically Cover 0 whose entire starting defensive line was injured. He faced zero pass rush the entire game, and the great majority of his completions were simply deep tosses that the WRs could go and get. He missed wildly on several short, crisp throws. His accuracy sucks donkey balls, that's why people say he's a horrible quarterback. BECAUSE HE IS.

This is the guy who all week was threatened with being benched for BRADY QUINN in a playoff game. A guy who the three games prior to yesterday was a combined 30/73 for less than 150 yards/game, with 1 TD, four picks, and five fumbles, who was the crappiest QB in the entire league during that stretch (Blaine Gabbert, you are off the hook!). He was utterly abysmal.

This is why Tebow sucks as a quarterback. It's not that he's incapable of being good or has no skills; he's clearly a very good runner, has poise and leadership, and has arm strength. He can play well. The reason he sucks is he can't CONSISTENTLY play well. What makes an athlete good is their ability to regularly play at a high level, and Tebow doesn't have that. His accuracy is amazingly bad when he has to be precise. I mean, stunningly bad, like some of the worst I've ever seen. In the current NFL, it's absolutely a passing league, and Legion's favorite illegal contact rule means the middle of the field is an open feast for WRs, and you have to get the ball there. Tebow has shown no ability to do that. This is why he sucks.

If you are a Denver fan, as exciting as yesterday was, it was the singly worst possible scenario for you. It means Tebow is probably sticking around. Just looked at Denver's opponents next year, and they include Baltimore, NE, the Saints, the Falcons, the Texans, the Steelers . . . really rough schedule. Next year will be ugly.

MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Tebow had 316 yards on 10/21 passing against a team playing basically Cover 0 whose entire starting defensive line was injured. He faced zero pass rush the entire game, and the great majority of his completions were simply deep tosses that the WRs could go and get. He missed wildly on several short, crisp throws. His accuracy sucks donkey balls, that's why people say he's a horrible quarterback. BECAUSE HE IS.

Injuries aside, isn't the reason that Tebow faced very few pass rushes and got to play against Cover 0 because he's Tim Tebow, and he brings some unique skills to the field? It's not like the Steelers suddenly got stupid (except for the very last play).... they just recognized that they had to stop him from running, and organized their defense with that as a primary concern. I think you're undervaluing what Tebow can do with his legs if he is not countered adequately.

AndrewA wrote:
MilkmanDanimal wrote:

Tebow had 316 yards on 10/21 passing against a team playing basically Cover 0 whose entire starting defensive line was injured. He faced zero pass rush the entire game, and the great majority of his completions were simply deep tosses that the WRs could go and get. He missed wildly on several short, crisp throws. His accuracy sucks donkey balls, that's why people say he's a horrible quarterback. BECAUSE HE IS.

Injuries aside, isn't the reason that Tebow faced very few pass rushes and got to play against Cover 0 because he's Tim Tebow, and he brings some unique skills to the field? It's not like the Steelers suddenly got stupid (except for the very last play).... they just recognized that they had to stop him from running, and organized their defense with that as a primary concern. I think you're undervaluing what Tebow can do with his legs if he is not countered adequately.

That same threat existed in the last three games of the regular season, and he was awful. Those teams were able to crush the Broncos because they were able to get some pressure in the pocket and force Tebow to throw. Pittsburgh couldn't do that, and I have to assume that the bizarre defensive game plan they ran was because whoever was the backup FS (because Ryan Clark would die if he played at altitude) is utterly terrible, and they didn't trust him to be able to cover anybody. With all three starting DL out, they couldn't get any pressure, so they kept everybody in the box to stop the run. I was completely amazed that they kept at it; LeBeau's such an innovative guy that I assumed he'd do something, but they just couldn't get anybody in the pocket at all. I mean, Tebow's an "extend the play" kind of guy, so he gets sacked a lot; Pittsburgh had zero sacks yesterday, and I rarely saw him pressured at all.

There are lots of QBs who can run and throw. Tebow is a good runner, but he's not such a great runner that you have to build a gameplan around it. He's not a combination of Michael Vick, Randall Cunningham, and Walter Payton; he's a big guy who can power through tackles, but the reason he's thought of as a running QB is not because he runs well, but because he throws badly.