Steelers 24 Bungles 10

The face the most overrated player in the NFL is making on the right there pretty much sums up the Bungles past couple years. After the Bungles won the division and had their only winning season in the last 16 (we can't stop here, this is Pirate Country...) in the 05 - 06 season, the Steelers knocked them out in the Wild Card round in Cinnci. Last year, week 17, with nothing to play for sans pride, the Steelers knocked off the Bungles in Pittsburgh when the Bungles could've made the playoffs with a win. Two years ago I said they were a flash in the pan, all the while the media has picked them to either win the division or make the playoffs the past two seasons since. Well I'm here to tell you what the two of you reading this already know, the Bungles fucking blow.

Despite getting off to a slow start as usual on both offense and defense the Steelers righted the ship in the 2nd quarter with 17 points (Ben TD run, Ben to Ward TD catch). The Steelers added a TD in the 3rd, while the Bungles, despite scoring a TD on a long 12 play drive to start the game, only managed 3 more points the rest of the way. This was due to a combination of stout Steelers D, Carson Palmer doing his best statue impression in the pocket, and his overrated WR core probably shooting up in celebration after the first drive (don't pretend like that would actually surprise you).

Does anyone out there actually believe that Carson Palmer is better than Ben at this point? I mean really, what could you possibly say at this point to defend Palmer. "He's a QB that will kill teams with bad pass defenses and poor pass rushers. When he has to face a good team, he normally throws arrant passes and can't move out of the pocket to save his life. He's never shown up for big game in his life to tell you the truth." If someone would like to refute any of those statements be my guest. Under a perfect situation, in a bubble with no pass rush Palmer is probably a better QB. But in all honesty what does that even fucking count for? I could be a major league center fielder if it weren't for the pitcher throwing in the mid-90's and tossing a smorgasbord of breaking and off speed stuff. Ben is the kind of QB that can do most everything and simply takes what the defense gives him. The first TD run for Ben last night is an excellent example. Despite his shaky start throwing the ball last night (high and wobbly leading to his first pick and several incomplete passes) he settled down and began throwing strikes like he is capable of. Carson Palmer was 17/44 (38%) with no TD's or INT's. Ben was 21/32 (66%) with 2 TD's and 2 INT's. Let's face it despite the picks, Ben had a much better game than Palmer hands down.

Now to the big story of the night, our boy Hines Ward passing HOF John Stallworth for 1st all time on the Steelers TD receptions list with 64 TD receptions. A hard nosed football player that catches almost everything thrown to him no matter what part of the field or where the ball is thrown. Hines is more or less the polar opposite of Johnson. A non-flashy possession receiver who blocks hard and normally celebrates his TD's with a smile and maybe giving the ball to a fan (or mocking some loud mouth on the other team). I love the guy, Pittsburgh loves the guy, how could you not love the guy as a football player. Just an all around great player.

How good are the Steelers really though? Well we only have to wait till Sunday to find out...

Up From the 36 Chambers...

Well I suppose I'll give this another shot. I've been working for several months and have time to post now and then I suppose. I don't really know how to get people to read this or anything but it's cool.

Anyway, the thing I've been focusing my pent up rage on of late is the decline of the NFL's, well I don't know how to put this, sportsmanship. I'm all for normal celebrations and getting physced for a good play, but let's face it this shit is getting fucking ridiculous. To see some 3rd team, special teams scrub make a routine tackle on kickoff or punt coverage and jump around like he just stopped the runner and the 1 foot from scoring the game winning touchdown in XLII is getting absurd. Who is ok'ing this type of behavior out of grown men. ESPN and other media outlets only enable this type of behavior because the more ridiculous the celebration the more times it is played. The NFL has attempted to curb the antics of the big bitch Chad Johnson and team killer TO by not allowing props. Newsflash, you know how much these clowns get paid, why not threaten them with a fine / suspension that will actually hurt them. Not the typical 5 to 10k slap on the wrists. Or even better why not hand out more personal fouls for these spectacles and hurt the team that game, that might encourage Marvin Lewis to take control of his players a bit more. I love how the talking heads dub this as "entertainment" instead of stating how completely unacceptable their celebrations are. What does this tell some little 10 year old, just starting to play football how to act when he get's in the endzone for this first time. Maybe he'll pull out a teddy bear and ride it around the end zone. I'll be honest not only would I not want Chad Johnson on the Steelers because he drops many passes, bitches at his QB, is afraid to go over the middle, and is a fucking pussy, but also because he acts like an idiot. I'd find it embarrassing a player on my team that has 6 TD's total this season goes to the sideline on week one and puts on a NFL HOF jacket. WHO DOES THIS GUY THINK HE IS? He's dreaming if he thinks he'll even sniff the HOF. The look on Oucho Fucko's face after it dawned on him he was a good 5 yards short of a 1st down on 4th and long last night was priceless. i also loved that whenever Carson Palmer misses a throw Johnson looks at him like he just killed his snake (he seems like the type with a pet snake...). Yet when Johnson drops passes, which is fairly often especially when he hears foot steps a comin', I don't see the same look on Palmers' face... I also love when Johnson and the Sand Man (Huhmanzada, I don't care to look up how to spell his name I fucking hate the guy, what's up with wearing a terrible towel before the game? Thanks for the money you fucking tool.) double team Palmer on the sidelines practically yelling at the guy. Palmer just has a look on his face to the extent of, "what the hell did I do to deserve this shit?" The inmates truly do run the asylum in Cinnci. Where are the coaches? Put a leash on this guy for christsakes. As the old saying goes, "act like you've been there before." I'll never forget when Anthony Smith made his 1st INT vs the Panthers last year and decided to high step it out of bounce. Dick LeBeau immediately came over and shook the shit out of him. At least someone still fucking get's it. I love Dick LeBeau, why isn't he in the HOF, he's only #8 on the all time INT list... Not to mention he came up with the zone blitz... yeah it's bullshit I know.

This is half the reason I've started to like hockey more than football over the past 2 seasons. In hockey no matter how spectacular the goal, the reaction typically involves one or multiple of the following: Fist pump, stick raise, team huddle celebration, banging on the glass, and/or some form of yelling. These could be more extreme with a game winning goal sure, but they don't touch anything that comes after the typical special teams tackle in the NFL. The best hockey player in the world never puts down opponents or celebrates like a fucking idiot after he bends the space time continuum to score. Not to mention Sidney Crosby has indeed been there many times before and will probably be there more times than anyone else before his career is over.

Is this a comment on the state of each game or rather the type / quality of people playing the sport, I can't really answer that. I couldn't even guess what public sentiment on the subject is either. I know some people do indeed find this shit "entertaining" or else ESPN wouldn't glorify it the way they do. If I had to guess it's probably split somewhere in the middle between both. I just thank God that the Steelers don't have anyone who acts like Ocho Stinko or TO because that is the day I say goodbye to football...