NPR lied to me.
The wife listens to NPR while we're getting ready for work. The morning after the game, the newscaster on NPR was recapping sports action and said, "Big Ben played a great game last night, as the Steelers won the AFC Championship game 24-19 over the New York Jets." Ben Roethlisberger did not have a great game. Rashard Mendenhall had a great game. The defense played exceptionally well in the first half. The offensive line, for the most part, played a great game. Roethlisberger played a crappy game.
Sure, statistics don't tell the whole story and his 33.5 passer rating certainly doesn't, but he played a crappy game. He made plays when he needed to -- most notably the 12.1 yard scramble on third and 12, the rushing touchdown, and the completion to Antonio Brown to seal the game -- but I think he left a lot of plays on the field. He threw two interceptions on 19 attempts. Given the fact that the first interception came on fourth down and didn't really affect field position, that probably can't be pinned on him. I can't say that the Steelers won in spite of him, since he did contribute. But, they certainly did not win because of him and he most definitely did not have a great game.
The Packers scare me and Roethlisberger cannot have a game like this in the Super Bowl if they are going to win.
If the Steelers can play like they did in the second half of the game against the hated Ravens and like they did in the first half of the game against the Jets, then they'll be in good shape against Green Bay. The trouble is, with this team coming out flat (and/or stupid) against the hated Ravens and taking their foot off the gas in the second half against New York, I'm not sure that there's a 60 minute effort in this team.
Well, the real problem is that I still don't know what to make of the 2010 Steelers. As recently as June of last year, I thought they were going to finish 6-10. As training camp and the preseason heated up, I thought they could finish 9-7 or 10-6. After they opened up 3-1, I thought 12-4 was reasonable. But, even when the playoffs started, I feared the Patriots.
This Super Bowl run surprised me. I think that the Steelers are a very good team, most of the time they're a great team, and they have the potential to be dominant. Do I think they're a championship team? I'm really not sure. Monday and Tuesday at work were muted, because I was still coming to terms with the fact that this team is seeking its third title in six years. I spent such a large portion of my youth hoping that the Steelers would even make the Super Bowl, nonetheless win it, that this seems surreal.
It seems really strange to say, but I think I need to process this. I'm happy about the fact that the Steelers are going to their eighth Super Bowl, with a shot to win their seventh, but I think I need to take Media Week to think about what it all means.
Early Super Bowl Thoughts:
The Packers are 2.5 point favorites at the moment and I think they deserve that. The Steelers were favored in Super Bowl XL even though they were the sixth seed in their conference. I think Vegas wants to follow the money and see what happens. This could move to a one point line or a push, with a lot of action on the Steelers. I think that would be interesting.
But, there's a distinct possibility that the crazed Packer fans push the line the other way. These are two huge, passionate fan bases that travel well. The last three Super Bowls -- including Super Bowl XXX, where Steeler fans outnumbered Cowboy fans -- the Steelers essentially had home field advantage. This was particularly true in Super Bowl XL in Detroit, where it looked like there was a 90/10 mix in the crowd. Without a "home field" advantage, the Steelers might not rebound as well if things don't go their way.
My brother texted me to ask if the Steelers should be worried about James Starks, the rookie running back for Green Bay. The Steelers should be worried about Aaron Rodgers and the Packer defense. If LaDanian Tomlinson, Ray Rice, and Shonn Greene didn't get anything going against the Steelers, I would not worry about a rookie undrafted free agent from Buffalo.
Maurkice Pouncey has a high ankle sprain. He seems confident that he will play. This type of injury usually takes 4-6 weeks to heal. As you may recall, Kendrell Bell had a high ankle sprain in 2002 and missed most of the season because he rushed back and re-injured it. He has a twin brother, Mike Pouncey, that was mysteriously missing from the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama earlier this week. I have this weird feeling that Pouncey will miraculously recover and we will later discover that a "Parent Trap" situation unfolded in the Super Bowl, with brother Mike snapping the ball to Roethlisberger.
Well, we have two weeks. Let's brace for all the dynasty talk. Let's think about the fact that Mike McCarthy is from Pittsburgh. Let's consider the fact that Rodgers can make the leap to super stardom with a victory. Let's ponder the history of these two franchises. Let's just think about all that and how Roethlisberger might redeem himself in the eyes of fans with a victory.
Let's get through all that, then think about the game itself. Right now, I'm still processing.
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