Week 14 GC: Dallas @ Pittsburgh

[bagobonez]

IMO, I think that Dallas was laying down "faking" some of those injuries. The Steelers would make a big play get some momentum and you would see a Dallas player down. I am not saying that all were fake... but I have never seen so many injury time outs in one game. Even the crowd noticed it when they started booing toward the end of the game (before the TD and before the Romo INT).

Anywho, Good game today. Way to go Steelers!

Have you seen how many Dallas players have been hurt this year? I doubt they were faking it.

[mariners100]

I thought I put that not all were faking... but its interesting how many were "hurt" when the Steelers made a big play.... and then got up and ran off the field...

[Cowboys 4 life]

Wow Embarassing loss. We had that game and gave it away. Good game though. 5 TO's won't win any games

Romo gave them the game but the refs helped as well. The ball spot on Roethlisberger's run that became a 4th and inches was a terrible spot. He was a full yard short and the ref spotted it 1 inch away. There were numerous other piss poor calls that could have turned the tide. Oh well, that's life in the NFL. That's why you don't lose to teams like the Rams and you don't find yourself in this situation.

Agreed. I wrote about the Big Ben spot earlier in the thread. I watched it several times and thought they gave him at least a yard. They don't give them that spot and they probably don't get the first down and we win. Didn't get to see most of the game because of the niners so I only saw a few of the bad calls during that particular drive.

Given who the Steelers have played so far I thought we should be able to win this game easily. Other than the NFC East they have a guarantee playoff schedule. Turnovers and sloppy play lost the game. You can name several players and not just Romo.

Bottom line is that the Steelers gutted it out and found a way to force us into beating ourselves.

[The Lung]

Seriously, you guys are harping about a favorable spot of one yard on Ben's run? Maybe Gary Russell easily gets the 4th-and-1 instead of a QB sneak. Who knows. Your QB threw 3 INTs and lost a fumble and you put your blame on a ref's arguably favorable spot on a 3rd down run. LOL at that.

[dgan]

I'd like to point out again how unimpressive Roethlisberger is as an NFL QB. I'm not a Pitt fan or anti-fan...when I watch him objectively, he does nothing for me. If he were on a lesser team, he would be taking a lot of heat for his poor play. He has ability and makes big plays - especially at crucial times - but he does almost nothing on a consistent basis that makes you say "wow that guy's good".

He's a fine QB, and he's still young yet. But it never fails every Sunday I hear some talking head drooling over this guy. If not for the incredible two year run his team had when he had the privilege of starting the team his rookie and sophmore year, he wouldn't be anybody right now. But because of that success - which by the way was when they limited his pass attempts to less than 25 per game - he is considered a great young QB.

I'd like to see him take a step forward next year and really become a consistent player. I think he's got the potential, but he's at a point in his career where he can become a top level QB like Eli or a wasted talent like Culpepper. I think next year will tell us a lot about just how far he can take his career.

[steelerfan513]

I'd like to see him take a step forward next year and really become a consistent player. I think he's got the potential, but he's at a point in his career where he can become a top level QB like Eli or a wasted talent like Culpepper.

I hope people don't discount my voice just because I root for the Steelers, but I will still voice my dissent.

I'd like you to rewind a year and remember what people were saying about these two guys, Eli Manning and Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger was the quarterback who had a career year, setting a franchise record for touchdown passes and posting the second best quarterback rating in the league despite being sacked 47 times.

Manning? He entered the year with his job possibly on the line if he struggled, and he didn't give the team much of a reason to have hope for the future, posting a season QB rating of 77. No offense dgan, but it seems like you just started watching the NFL this year when you say Roethlisberger might become a "wasted talent" and Manning is a "top level QB." I know that's not the case, but you make it seem that way.

when I watch him objectively, he does nothing for me.

How often do you watch him, let alone watching him objectively? I can say I've probably watched 90 to 95 percent of the games he's played in his career. My guess is most of what you've seen of him is this year. That's an inaccurate portrayal of his true ability because the Steelers are having an absolutely dreadful year on offense, and it's nowhere near Roethlisberger's fault.

The Steelers, a team that 3 of the past 4 years ranked in the top five in rushing, are ranked 23rd in the league in running the ball. Only four teams in the league allow more sacks than Pittsburgh. As a result, Roethlisberger has been banged up the entire season. How many quarterbacks would you expect to have success with no running game and no pass protection, especially quarterbacks with injury issues?

The fact is if the Steelers didn't have Roethlisberger, they'd be 6-6 this year. They have one of the most dominant defenses in NFL history, but when the Steelers move the ball down the field, it's on the arm of Roethlisberger.

If not for the incredible two year run his team had when he had the privilege of starting the team his rookie and sophmore year, he wouldn't be anybody right now. But because of that success - which by the way was when they limited his pass attempts to less than 25 per game - he is considered a great young QB.

I still don't understand the criticism that Roethlisberger's limited pass attempts somehow makes him a worse quarterback. There are plenty of quarterbacks that don't attempt a ton of passes, but there are very few that have done that and managed to post a 98+ quarterback rating in three of their first four seasons.

I think next year will tell us a lot about just how far he can take his career.

I think he's already shown us how far he can take his career, and once the Steelers rebuilding their supporting cast (aka the offensive line), we'll see that player again. He has his weaknesses (holding the ball too long, the occasional bonehead throw), but when he's on his game, his strengths (converting on third down, If you want to criticize Roethlisberger for not showing elite QB abilities when he has no running game and an offensive line that is among the worst in the league, then be my guest.

Again, I root for the Steelers, and I know I'm more inclined to argue in their favor than against them (as demonstrated by me taking the time to make this ridiculously long post ), but if I'm wrong, tell me why.

[The Lung]

dgan makes some good observations and I agreed with almost everything in his post.

But the statement "but he's at a point in his career where he (Roethlisberger) can become a top level QB like Eli" ruins the credibility of the entire argument. By almost *any* statistical measure other than being a Superbowl-winning QB, Eli Manning is *far* from a top level QB. Look at Eli's QB Rating, Comp Pct, Y/G, Y/A, Interceptions, Rush Yds, Rush TD, Fumbles, Fumbles Lost, vs. any top level QB and you will see that Eli does not belong in that group. No way, no how.

If dgan states "but he's at a point in his career where he (Roethlisberger) can become a top level QB like Peyton / Brady / Brees / Romo" then I have no arguments.