The Pittsburgh Steelers put on a solid front in their introduction of new offensive coordinator Todd Haley on Thursday.
Mike Tomlin introduced Haley and made it a point to say that he was the one doing the interviews to find a replacement for Bruce Arians. Tomlin was trying to show he still was the one in charge, although if you read some accounts, it makes it look like he's going along for the ride.
Tomlin said the right things and hit on the right topics.
Haley, too, said all the right things. He made it a point to say he'll do anything to win, run or pass.
So far, so good, in smoothing the transition.
Then the media found Ben Roethlisberger.
You can tell he's still miffed at losing Arians.
It's understandable, but he shouldn't go public about it.
"I've gotten a lot of calls and texts and emails from people around the
league, both good and bad about him," Roethlisberger told the Post-Gazette. "Everybody has an opinion,
as we all know, and they're letting me know what their interaction with
him was -- good, bad and indifferent. I've heard a lot of things and I'm
looking forward to meeting him and forming my own opinion."
Roethlisberger tried. But he still needs work.
He didn't need to point out the "bad" parts twice.
And Roethlisberger went on, calling the wide receivers" the most-talented room in this whole building." He added, "no disrespect to anyone else."
I'm sure the defense wasn't happy to see that.
Yes, Roethlisberger was being honest. Thursday wasn't the day for that.
It was a day to bite your tongue and be a team player. I didn't see that from him.
Call me indifferent on the hiring of Todd Haley as the Pittsburgh Steelers' new offensive coordinator.
I don't fall into the camp where Haley has lost his mind and is worried about people bugging his office.
And I don't fall into the camp where anyone will be an improvement over former coordinator Bruce Arians.
Now, I was happy that Arians was relieved of his duties. I did not like how he called games and I thought his relationship with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was too chummy for a coach-player relationship.
It might seem wishy-washy to be indifferent on Haley, the former Chiefs head coach and Cardinals offensive coordinator, but let me explain.
For all of Arians' shortcomings, the Steelers did win the Super Bowl with him and made another. I think only the truly excellent offensive coordinators can elevate a team and the truly poor ones can sink a team.
For most coordinators, I think they are as good as the players they have.
So while I believe Arians deserved his fate,I don't think he falls into the truly poor category. And I don't think Haley falls into either category as well.
Haley has a solid background, worked well with the Arizona offense and made the most out of what he had with Kansas City.
Overall, I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do with Pittsburgh.
I'm just not jumping for joy or emotionally in the dumps over the hire.
I've seen one too many writers claim that if it weren't for a safety by the Giants at the beginning of Super Bowl XLVI, the Patriots would have been able to kick a field goal to win the game at the end.
The theory, I gather, is since the Giants won 21-17, you would subtract two points for the safety, making it 19-17. Thus, a field goal wins the game.
I say it takes a simple mind to adopt that view.
Let's take away the safety, for argument's sake, making it 19-17.
Think back to the Giants' last touchdown. They went for two, to make it a six-point game. I guarantee you that there is no way -- none -- that the Giants would go for two if the game was 19-17. They kick the extra point to make it 20-17.
The Patriots don't get a chance to kick a field goal to win the game. The best a Patriots' field goal would do is tie the game.
There's one other point I'd like to make.
I'll even concede the Giants trying to covert two after their touchdown. I'll give you the Patriots kicking a field goal to win the game. How far would that field-goal attempt have been?
I'm guessing 68 yards.
I doubt the Patriots attempt the kick, let alone make it.
The Giants were deserving champs.
I get it.
Eli Manning led the New York Giants past the New England Patriots to win Super Bowl XLVI Sunday night.
He's a two-time Super Bowl MVP.
I get that too.
I understand the euphoria and the accolades beings thrown his way. But, please, don't call him the best quarterback today.
I'll take Aaron Rodgers (remember him) and Drew Brees over Manning any day.
The comparisons between the Giants' Super Bowl championship four years ago and the one won Sunday in Indianapolis are eerily similar.
I grew tired of it after the Giants beat the Packers. And it grew and grew and grew.
And it became reality late Sunday when Tom Brady's Hail Mary fell to the turf.
The Giants not only beat the Patriots again, they rallied for a late score to win it, just like in Super Bowl XLII.
Strange stuff.
It's also amazing how the Giants have owned the Patriots.
There once was an old saying about how you couldn't beat Bill Belichick twice in a season.
The Giants just did it.
Personally, I think Belichick is overrated. I think Spygate tainted is other Super Bowl wins and his failure to win since those revelations confirms it to the doubters.
Belichick needed this win.
He didn't get it.
The Giants -- and Tom Coughlin -- own the Patriots.
For a team favored to win the Super Bowl, I've seen way too many people pick the New York Giants over the New England Patriots.
So many are picking the Giants that I'm sure the Patriots are playing the Disrespect Card as one of their rallying cries before the game.
I'm not sure it will be enough for the Patriots to prevail.
Tom Brady has the offense, but Eli Manning and the Giants aren't too far behind on defense either.
The big question is whether super tight end Rob Gronkowski will play and, if he does, how much that high ankle injury will hinder him.
Gronkowski is a big part of that offense, and without him or with him less than 100 percent, it slows down the Pats.
Manning has the weapons, too. Victor Cruz emerged as one of the top wide receivers in the game. Hakeem Nicks is the other favored target who has plenty of upside as well.
Each team has the ability to score plenty. But, in a season highlighted by high-powered offenses, I think the Giants defense will be the difference.
Both defenses struggled at time this year and both are peaking right now. However, I think the Giants are playing much better right now.
The Giants should be able to stop Brady and his no-huddle attack just enough to win Super Bowl XLVI.
Giants 33, Patriots 29
The Steelers' loss to the Broncos in the playoffs still is fresh in my head, even though in was way back in wild-card weekend.
Also notable from that loss was a comment made by Hines Ward after the Steelers' surprising loss 29-23 loss:
"This will stick with (us) a lot as one of the worst games we ever lost."
Yeah, that was a tough loss to take, but I'm not sure it cracks this list:
- Steelers lose 24-7 to the Raiders in the 1976 AFC Championship Game. The Raiders beat a Steelers team without Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier. This was probably the best Steelers team of all time and the injuries prevented the Steelers from winning three straight Super Bowls.
- Steelers lose to Cowboys 27-17 in Super Bowl XXX. Neil O'Donnell makes Larry Brown the Super Bowl MVP.
- Steelers lose to Patriots 24-21 in AFC Championship Game in January 2002. Troy Brown returns a punt for a TD.
- Steelers lose to Chargers 17-13 in AFC Championship Game in 1995. Ugly loss to a team the Steelers should have beaten. Game-winning drive stopped 3 yards short.
- Steelers lose to Patriots 41-27 in AFC Championship Game in January 2005. That's the year the Steelers went 15-1.
- Steelers lose to Packers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV. Remember Rashard Mendenhall's fumble?
- Steelers lose to Broncos 24-21 in AFC Championship Game in January 1998. Kordell Stewart comes up with some key turnovers.
- Steelers lose to Titans 34-31 in playoffs. The infamous roughing the kicker call gave the Titans another shot to win the game.
- Steelers lose to Jags 31-29 in playoffs. The Steelers rallied, only to lose at the end.
- Steelers lose 23-20 to the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 7. The loss essentially put the Steelers in wild-card weekend and that matchup against the Broncos.
- Steelers lose to Raiders 27-24 in 2009. That was the game with the Raiders' big fourth-quarter comeback.
- Steelers lose to Texans 24-6. This was the game the Steelers piled up a thousand yards of offense (it was actually around 400) to the Texans total of under 100. Somehow, the Steelers lost.
What losses stick out in your mind?
After watching the two championship games Sunday night, one thing became clear.
An argument can be made that the Ravens and 49ers both lost the games instead of the Patriots and Giants winning.
That being said, which goat from the two games would you rather be
- Billy Cundiff, the Ravens kicker who missed a 32-yard field goal that would have sent the AFC Championship Game into overtime
- Kyle Williams, the 49ers punt returner who had to bad miscues, the last set up the Giants' game-winning kick in overtime
I think I'd rather be Cundiff. And I made that decision before reports surfaced that Williams was receiving death threats.
What's your take?
This entire postseason, we've heard all about the offenses in the NFL.
Then they played the games.
The defenses have stood out the past couple weeks, and I'd expect that to be the case for today's conference championship games.
The consensus is a Patriots-Giants Super Bowl, and there's nothing wrong with thinking that.
I'm not sold on it happening, however.
AFC Championship Game: Ravens at Patriots
It's all about Tom Brady in New England.
He's gotten all of the hype, and after a six-touchdown pass game, he deserves it. However, it's the defense that people will talk about after the game.
The Ravens know how to beat the Pats. They have the running game to keep the ball away from Brady and the Patriots' offense.
The big question is whether the Ravens will get the play needed from their quarterback to win.
Many people have their doubts, including members of the Ravens.
Somehow, with Ray Rice running the ball, and the Ravens smacking the Patriots around a couple times, I think Baltimore sneaks out of Foxborough with a win.
Here's my I-can't-believe-Joe-Flacco-is-going-to-Indy prediction: Ravens 33, Patriots 27
NFC Championship Game: Giants at 49ers
I can believe that the 49ers won last week. I still can't believe the throw by Alex Smith and catch by Vernon Davis.
It's was quite a grab to win a playoff game. It was enough to invoke memories of Joe Montana and Steve Young.
I'm not quite there yet, but I do believe the Niners have something good going on.
They'll face a surging defense with the Giants. And let's not forget about Eli Manning and his receivers.
I think the Niners can shut them down. Maybe there's another miracle in Candlestick Park.
Maybe Smith can make a play, Frank Gore can find his running game and Davis one more big catch.
More importantly, here's to the better defense: 49ers 19, Giants 17
