AFC Championship Game - Running Journal
Kept a running journal of the AFC title game today. Ran a little long, but what the hell...
FIRST QUARTER
13:33 – Pass #1 = INT #1 for Big Ben. I’m feeling a little better about this game...
11:26 – I think maybe I’d rather punt here than try the 48 yard figgie... then again, I have blind faith in Bill Belichick and Adam Vinatieri...
11:20 - ...and with good reason. Vinatieri just tied the longest FG in Heinz field history.
6:58 – The wheels on the bus come falling off, falling off, falling off, as the ball hits the ground...
6:49 – YEEEEEE HAW!!! I don’t think I’ll ever see my dogs again – they’ve lost any trust they ever had in me. That is about the prettiest pass I think I’ve ever seen Tom Brady throw...
6:00 – I’ve got a feeling that Bill Cowher is going to pull a Tony Dungy and “Stick with what got ‘em here”, no matter how much the Pats shut it down. They’ve run Bettis up the middle three straight plays for a total of -2 yards and a lost fumble.
4:40 – Hey – it’s not a turnover! An actual punt!
4:30 – Too much dancing by Troy Brown on that punt return. Though you can’t really fault him – it’s not like he spends a lot of time on the field between playing WR, CB and Punt Returner...
Commercial Break – The Bud Light commercial with the guy antagonizing the monkey was funny as hell... they keep churning out solid ads. Although the blatant rip-off of the Miller Lite referees series is kinda sad...
3:43 – Great play by Pittsburgh safety Chris Hope. 3rd and 16 almost got converted, but that was a hell of a hit on David Patten.
3:32 – First punt for the Pats... Wow, did we resign Ken Walter and no one told me? What was that, like 25 yards?
Another commercial break. This seems like a good time to address the Falcons and Eagles. I’m very disappointed in that game. The Falcons were flat. Not to mention they dropped two sure INTs on defense that probably cost them the game. Those drops and a bad Illegal Contact penalty allowed the Eagles to put 17 points up on the board in each of the affected drives. The Eagles won by 17...
3:20 – Wow, Hines Ward couldn’t have been more open on that first down pass. Nice play action. And of course, it let Phil Simms give us the “That’s how to get your quarterback going – have him throw the ball!” Really? As opposed to having him take a knee? Very insightful Phil...
1:30 – Bill Belichick just had Troy Brown on Hines Ward. Can we get an auto-defibrillator in here?
1:20 – There goes the shutout...
Just so you all know, there was no prop bet this week for “Steelers won’t score a TD: 5000-1”. Thank God, because if I had passed on that again and it hit, I may have killed myself... I’m still trying to figure out why I can’t parlay bets like “Patriots win the first quarter, second quarter and first half.” Doesn’t make sense...
This first quarter is ending much better than the last time these teams played. I can handle 10-3 Pats. 21-3 Steelers was a bit much.
SECOND QUARTER
Stupid laptop battery died. I only get like 35 minutes of battery power on this thing. I missed all three plays of the Patriots first drive, but at least I got to see Antwan Randle El get leveled when he tried to hurdle someone on the punt return.
12:45 – Just noticed that we haven’t see Jerome Bettis in awhile... gee, that’s a shame.
12:00 – Rodney Harrison just got run over on two straight plays by Duce Staley. That’s just not right.
Another winning commercial from Budweiser. The Referee taking a beating from the coach and his wife cracks me up every time. I know it’s old. It’s still funny.
11:44 – Just heard Rodney Harrison had to limp off the field. Great.
10:13 – So far, the Steelers have run 21 plays on five drives. That’s pretty lousy by itself. You’d think they’d have figured out by now that the Patriots are not going to let them run the ball. Nope. 15 runs, 6 passes (Big Ben: 3/6, 41 yds, INT). This drive resulted in -3 yards on two runs and an incomplete pass.
9:00 – Corey Dillon for Tebucky Jones is looking like the best trade in NFL history at this point.
8:25 – My mom just walked in as I screamed for the second bomb to Deion Branch today. I think I scared her more than the dogs...
7:08 – What a call! Saw that developing before they even snapped it. That’s why the Pats are the best team in the NFL – they see the tings other teams don’t
2:15 – AAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!! Amazing. Just before Harrison’s pick I was thinking to myself “Wow, nothing big has happened for over five minutes...” Walking the last ten yards in was a nice touch...
2:00 – I don’t think it’s a good sign when your team’s leading rusher at the half is also the QB, and his last name isn’t Vick, McNabb, or Culpepper...
(OK, I guess we can add Flutie...)
1:49 – Oh God I wanted that pick too... Plaxico Burress mugged Asante Samuel to stop him from grabbing that pass...
1:02 – Roethlisberger fumbles out of bounds. Tedy Bruschi grabs the ball and spots it for the official as both men grin... Priceless.
0:00 – 24-3 to end the half as Phil Simms tells us that the Steelers focused all week on Tom Brady and the passing game... looks like they didn’t practice real hard. Guess this is why the Pats were 3-point favorites on the road against a 16-1 team...
Halftime Dinner-time... I just had a scary thought. We’re only six quarters away from having Joe Buck call the Red Sox and Patriots’ championships in the same year. Personally, I have no problem with Joe Buck (although his reaction to the Randy Moss “mooning” was a tad over-the-top). But for every Joe Buck out there, we have to deal with a Tim McCarver, Cris Collinsworth or Troy Aikman. And something tells me we might end up getting Tony Siragusa on the Super Bowl sidelines... Glad I’ll be watching on mute...
I wonder if FOX plans a “Scooter”-type gimmick for the Super Bowl? Can’t you just see some little animated guy diagramming the Cover2 defense, or showing us how to execute a chop-block? That’d be fun.
THIRD QUARTER
8:45 – Just came back from dinner. Apparently Pittsburgh has decided that the game is, in fact, not over... Hmmmm...
8:00 – Absolutely crushing penalty on the Steelers. 3rd and 17 for New England, and Kevin Faulk gets held by Aaron Smith. Automatic 1st down... Talk about a momentum killer for the Steelers.
7:49 – Now THAT’S a momentum killer... 20 yard pass, then a fumble after another solid hit on David Givens... Good thing his knee was down. And let’s add the 15 yards on the personal foul after the play too...
7:49 – After multiple replays, yes, I’m right. His knee was down. Now let’s challenge this one coach...
Commercial Break. Wow, I’m stunned - a commercial for erectile dysfunction during an NFL game. Never would have expected that...
7:49 – And the ULTIMATE momentum killer... this play is about to be overturned.
7:49 – AAAAHAHAHAHAHA!!! We keep the ball, we get 15 more yards, AND we don’t lose the timeout... Wow. I think every Pittsburgh fan just threw up simultaneously.
7:27 – And naturally Corey Dillon breaks off a 25 yard TD run on the very next play. I think I’m spoiled as a Patriots fan – I actually expected them to score on that play, one way or another. I can’t imagine what Cardinals fans look forward to every game... Maybe the fact that they don’t have to shovel out from under 6 foot snow drifts.
Yes, my front door was covered by about a five foot snow drift this morning, after the 27 inches or so that we got yesterday. I haven’t left my house except to force my door open enough to grab my shovel and let the dogs outside. They didn’t know what to do – immediately after jumping into the drift they were swallowed by it. Pretty funny actually – I’ll try to get the pictures up later this week.
7:12 – Another pass that should have been picked. If Asante Samuel could hold onto the ball, Ben Roethlisberger would have 4 INTs already; those are Brett Favre-type numbers...
6:30 – I’ll give him credit, for a big guy, Big Ben really does run well. Too bad his passing skills aren’t up to par today...
5:50 – Hey! Bettis is back! Glad to have him... maybe he can cough it up again for us...
5:15 – I really love the shot (that every network uses in a cold game) of the line of scrimmage where the players’ breath is coming out like a group of bulls snorting at each other... nice camerawork, even if it is an overused shot.
3:30 – How is it possible that a New England player can come out of a pile with the football, but the officials say Pittsburgh retains possession?
2:45 – Would SOMEBODY please get Asante Samuel some gloves or something? Some Stick-‘Um? Geez, that’s THREE now!
2:35 – The Patriots have been unable to get pressure on Roethlisberger all game long, and it finally hurt them. When a QB can stand around like that and not even worry about the sack, bad things happen to a defense. ESPECIALLY on 4th down.
2:35 – I just realized that I recommended the under in this game, and was unsure about the over in the NFC title game... sorry about that.
1:30 – I think the Pats need to realize that Pittsburgh is shutting down the run, and fast.
0:50 – Yep, that pass/catch certainly shows that they’ve realized it. Too bad it wasn’t a catch...
0:27 – Damn. Couldn’t snap it fast enough... too bad. Although, if his arm is under the ball, it’s allowed to hit the ground without overturning the catch...
1:00 – That’s gotta be the quickest challenge in history... The ref (Walt Anderson) actually sounded disappointed in his crew members for ever thinking it was a catch... “The receiver never had possession of the ball... I think it’s pretty obvious. Sorry for wasting everyone’s time... Oh, and Pittsburgh isn’t charged with a timeout. Plus, we’ll give them some more time on the clock to boot...” I don’t know why there’s a minute on the clock – they started that play with 0:58 to go, so that’s like an extra 10 seconds...
0:36 – Pittsburgh fans seem to be cheering Rodney Harrison’s apparent concussion/separated shoulder. Classy.
0:07 – Anybody feel like covering Hines Ward? Anybody?
0:00 – Think Peyton Manning’s sitting at home saying “So THAT’S how we should have played that beat-up secondary...”
Three quarters done. 31-17 Pats. Steelers driving, holding all the momentum, and now the crowd is back into the game. I’m not nervous, but this one isn’t salted away yet either...
FOURTH QUARTER
15:00 – First play of the fourth quarter, Ted Johnson just speared Jerome Bettis. Bettis got up, shook his head, and went back to the huddle. Tough, tough guy.
14:17 – ANOTHER one Samuel could have had... ridiculous.
14:12 – SHUT THEM DOWN on that run... This is a huge play call...
13:30 – Phil Simms is right, nothing says “we’re playing to win” like kicking a field goal when your team is down 14 points and you’re on the 2 yard line... Those three points don’t mean anything if your defense allows even one more solid drive (6+ minutes)...
Commercial Break. OK, the Nike “Masks” commercial – Kinda creepy. I never thought I’d see the day when SlipKnot would get a Nike endorsement... (I’m hoping that at least some of you have heard of or seen SlipKnot – that joke makes no sense if you haven’t. And very little sense even if you have...)
13:20 – Jim Nantz: “The Patriots have been true to form and not turned the ball over in seven playoff quarters. Not once.” No announcer jinx there...
11:23 – Only one play in-between these last two lines. I once read that if you eliminated all the time from the whistle to the next snap, along with commercials and halftime, you could watch an entire football game in twenty minutes. So the players get paid millions of dollars for twenty minutes of work every week. Sweet gig.
8:06 – Heckuva defensive play there by DeShay Townsend there on 3rd down. Knocked away a sure TD pass. Have to settle for the figgie...
8:03 - ...which sailed through the upright like a wounded duck... yikes.
This brings me to another point. In last week’s Pittsburgh/NY game, Doug Brien went 1-3 on field goals and was skewered in the NY media. Now, granted, the two kicks he missed were game winners. But in the Super Bowl last year, a decidedly more important game, Adam Vinatieri went 1-3, only making the game-winner. And he’s a folk hero in New England. Nothing against Vinatieri, just that Brien deserves better than he’s gotten in New York. He had a bad day; give him a break... and his unconditional release.
What? You thought I’d show a New York team/player some compassion? Not in this lifetime...
Commercial break. How many CSI’s are there now? Like 37? Is there a CSI: Allston/Brighton yet? I can only imagine the cases they’d have to solve there; everything from Drunk and Disorderly to Binge Drinking to Alcohol Poisoning, to the always riveting Noise Violations...
7:29 – Welcome Back Ben. Pick #3 ought to do it for the Steelers... Nice play by Eugene Wilson.
7:29 – Can’t fault Cowher for challenging this one, but I think it stands. Haven’t seen any replays yet to overturn the call.
7:29 – Well, maybe I have now... That cross-field angle raised some doubts... I say overturned...
7:29 – With Jimmy Buffet blaring in the background (quite a dichotomy with the piles of snow on the sidelines), Walt Anderson announces...
7:29 – Game Over. Thanks for playing. We’ll see you next year. That challenge did take a little too long for my liking though...
7:00 – Phil Simms is still talking about the Steelers getting the ball back for a shot at a TD, onside kick, and another TD, all within the last seven minutes. Not happening Phil...
6:40 – Bonnie Bernstein just told us that The Bus is considering retirement after the season. Wow, we might lose Jerome Bettis and Steve McNair in the same year. Two of the toughest guys ever to play in the NFL – they’ve both deserved better over their careers. Too bad they couldn’t get an honorary ring, although at least McNair actually had a chance to win one back in 1999. Bettis never even got there.
6:33 – That is a ridiculous pass/catch from Tom Brady to David Givens to keep this drive going on 3rd down. This team never ceases to amaze me.
5:15 – With the game sealed away, Corey Dillon just churned out a six-yard run after getting stopped for no gain. I don’t think there’s a hungrier player in the game right now. He came to New England for no other reason than he was sick of losing. He even too a pay cut and a non-guaranteed contract to play for the Patriots. Now he’s about to be rewarded by playing in his first Super Bowl...
4:24 – Classy move by New England. They could have brought out Adam Vinatieri to kick another field goal and run up the score. Instead they go for it on 4th and 1. If they make it, they run out the clock. If they don’t, Pittsburgh gets another shot. They make it.
3:40 – And Corey Dillon promptly proceeds to absolutely steamroll a linebacker that made the mistake of trying to tackle him solo. Oops.
2:23 – And for good measure, another end-around for Deion Branch to really end it. 23 yards for the TD, and a little taunting of the few remaining fans in the stands. I’m all tingly inside...
2:23 – Pittsburgh hadn’t allowed over 30 points all year. New England has hung 41 on them so far today, and Big Ben still has to go back on the field. Hey kid – THAT’S what it feels like to lose. (I can say kid – I’m a year older than him)
2:15 – Pats players are waiving their own “terrible towels” on the sidelines. Nice.
2:08 – With zero (yes, ZERO) defensive lineman for NE, Ben Roethlisberger just ran for 11 yards and put an ankle-breaking move on Tedy Bruschi. I love garbage-time football; maybe we’ll even get a Tommy Maddox sighting!
1:53 – Jim Nantz just told us about the upcoming Lamar Hunt AFC championship trophy presentation. Any chance that gets renamed the Robert Kraft trophy in the future? I can dream, can’t I?
This raises another good point. What’s the O/U on how many drinks Mr. Kraft has had tonight? Or perhaps how far into his speech before he slurs his first words? I’ll say seven drinks and two minutes, although all bets are off if he has to hold the trophy and speak at the same time. Not so good at multitasking...
0:52 – TD pass to Burress. Good to see Ben finally hit a receiver on his own team for a score. At least Asante Samuel didn’t even get close to this one...
0:52 – The most exciting play in football, the meaningless onside kick! I can’t wait!
0:00 – So, my Super Bowl pick for three years running finally happens... in the first year I don’t pick it. Figures. I say New England opens at -7, but it might be higher with today’s dismantling...
I’d love to stay and chat about the Lamar Hunt trophy, Bob Kraft’s inevitable inebriated speech, and the post-game show where Boomer Esiason can lob backhanded compliments at Dan Marino again, but somewhere there’s a snow bank that needs shoveling...
I’ll put up a short “Quick Thoughts” post tomorrow. I think I wrote just about everything I had in this one...
Once more into the battle. To Jacksonville, destiny, and a dynasty. This is just starting to get good...
Lata.
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