Dr. Tyler; Captain America

Goodbye, Plaxico. So, hopefully the Steelers can find someone in the draft or in FA to replace him, because for the love of God, they're not gonna be able to do it with ARE and Ward alone. If they're content with just those two, welcome to Philadelphia Eagles territory. We should just pick up Freddie Mitchell and be done with it.

No, they booed because it was a lily-livered, Schottenheimer decision. Had they not scored, it may have taken some of the wind out of the crowd, but they did anyways. Why not go for it? Honestly, risking sounding like TMQ, you're down by 14. You've got the best offensive line in football, a hall of fame running back, arguably the best blocking fullback in football, two world-class recievers, and a quarterback who can run. If you lose, YOU'RE DONE FOR THE SEASON. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE?! The crowd was deafeningly loud, and the Pats had a few false start penalties from the noise. If you give them the ball at the two, chances are they're gonna go three and out. You DON'T kick the ball.

You don't seem to understand that by going for the field goal, they DID kill any momentum. The crowd fucking BOOED their own team for being such spineless, lily-livered twatrocks.

Another great point.

Steelers!

EXACTLY. An 11 point deficit is no different than a 14 point deficit at that point in the game. Factor in momentum, and it's a no-brainer unless you're a huge-chinned Ohio native named Cowher.

You truly have to look at the situation of the game. They were done at halftime. The Steelers didn't have a prayer, and somehow, they came back to make a game of it. They had momentum on their side, and they had the Patriots reeling. You have to keep the momentum going, but when you kick a FG and decide to sit back, the game is over. You're just playing to keep it respectable.

Wow, where to begin? I started this season off expecting nothing and ended it expecting a Super Bowl. This is a team that should've gone 5-11, but ended up going 15-1 and playing a fairly respectable game against the best team in the National Football League. People picked them to come in 3rd, 4th in the AFC North, losing to Baltimore and Cincinnatti, if not even Cleveland. They said they didn't have an offensive line, their runningbacks were both old and out of shape, their secondary was simultaneously too young and too old, and their defensive line was terribly overrated. They said they drafted a QB who was a major work in progress -- for that matter, they said they didn't improve a 6-10 team at all in the offseason. Instead, they went 15-1 and, even without a Super Bowl, the season has to be considered a success. I don't give a shit about the sportswriters and you faggots who will probably compare Ben to Kordell Stewart, but it's simply not true. I'm not gonna make excuses for him (thumb, etc.), but that's comparing apples to oranges; on the one hand, you have an athelete who had no heart, and on the other, you've got a kid who couldn't overcome his jitters in his second playoff game. Anyways, this is a team that came together and exceeded every expectation; everyone discovered the reason the Steelers traded up last year and picked Troy Polamalu, a man some labelled as a bust after only a year. The offensive line, despite a complete and utter lack of talent on the right side, came together and found out how to play as a unit. Jerome Bettis proved that he had one more season left in him, and Duce Staley showed everyone that, when healthy, he's more than capable of being a starting back in this NFL. We discovered a diamond in the rough with Willie Parker (someone that most of you have never heard of), and that Larry Foote is capable of filling in for the incredible Kendrell Bell. They survived injuries to their best defensive lineman, their starting quarterback, and their starting right guard. They survived many weeks without Plaxico Burress, Bell, Staley, Clark Haggans, and they managed to win fifteen games behind a rookie starting quarterback. How could you, as a fan, NOT be proud of this team? Even after almost being defeated by an inferior New York Jets team, and even after coming out as flat as you can be in the first half of this AFC championship game, they managed to come out and fight in the second half. They made it a football game, and honestly, that's all you can ask for. We've probably seen the last game in Steelers' blacks for Plaxico Burress, Jerome Bettis, Keydrick Vincent, and Kendrell Bell (well... we didn't actually see that this week). Some will be missed more than others, but this team will go on. That's what having such a young, exceptional quarterback does; it gives you hope. The same defense will be coming back next year; we'll have the 29th pick, but then again, we don't really need a whole lot. We need a RT, we need to ensure Kendall Simmons is going to be able to come back as a RG, and we need help at corner. Clearly, Willie Williams is not the long term answer for this team, and it doesn't look like Ike Taylor will become the sparkplug in the defensive backfield we thought he would. Deshea Townsend isn't getting any younger, which leaves Ricardo Couchlough and Chad Scott -- who will also probably be gone -- as our corners, with two exceptional young safeties in the defensive backfield. Not bad, if you ask me, but we need a second and nickel corner. We also might have seen the last game for Kimo von Oelhoffen, who is getting longer in the tooth as well. Defensive end may be easier to come by than cornerback, however. All in all, a wonderful, surprising season for the Steelers. They'll be back here next year, and hopefully, the result will be the opposite.

Nope.

Second chance, maybe.

oh well. Maybe?

Throw a quick out to Ward, then run it. If you get the first down, set up a play action bomb to Burress.

Bad field position after the bad special teams play leads to 3 points. Not a knockout yet... come on, Steelers. Need a fairly quick score.

Holy God, can they do this?

Nose of the ball slipped out. Momentum is shifting.

Nose of the ball slipped out. Momentum is shifting.

Wasn't a catch.

TD!

Bullshit penalty, too.

Let's hope it's inconclusive.

AARHG

Defense is stepping up.

Yay.

And yes, I just used a "we". Sue me.

No. This kid is the franchise. We live and die with him.