Which QB has the most pressure on him this Sunday?

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

The city of Philadelphia is not likely to blame it solely on McNabb, though. That's the point I've been trying to make. Pittsburgh has a habit of blaming losses solely on their quarterbacks, and Ben is no exception.

 

Good thread, by the way.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

It's funny to think back after Bradshaw won two Super Bowls, the fans booed him and cheered for a crackhead...

[the pinjockey 0]

I do not see, though, blaming one loss on Roethilsberger comparing to McNabb being the face of one of the biggest losers ever. If the Eagles lose, two years from now, who will you remember? McNabb. And let's look nationally too, national media will go easier on Ben whereas McNabb will be questioned by every media person in the country. BenRo might get the more immediate, local "you cost us the game" crap, but McNabb is going to be the one labeled nationwide as a loser for years to come.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Not on ESPN he won't...

[the pinjockey 0]

He will on ESPN but not by Tom Jackson. Just because he does not see him as a loser...ever. (sorry, finally decided to use that for once)

[The Man in Blak 0]

Where does pressure come from? Expectation.

 

Let's look at the realistic expectations for each QB:

 

For Vick, there's absolutely no pressure. Nobody expected the Falcons to be here, so - as Mora said earlier this week - Vick and the Falcons are playing with house money.

 

Roethlisberger has some pressure to deal with, but it's not his alone. I think the important distinction is between team pressure and QB pressure - the Steelers have home field advantage and they've won 14 straight, but they've done it on the merits of their running game and defense. If the Pittsburgh fans have such lofty, unrealistic expectations for a rookie quarterback, then they're just being ridiculous. I will say, however, that Roethlisberger - as a rookie - probably feels his respective pressure more than any of the other quarterbacks in question.

 

Brady, I feel, actually has more pressure to perform than Roethlisberger. You've just beaten your "arch-rivals" and now you step into the AFC championship game with more weapons than last year's Super Bowl campaign. On top of that, Brady's expected to make the play, to do all the little things to lead the team to the Super Bowl every time around - he's expected to do that because he and the Patriots have established that standard for the franchise. The difference is that Brady doesn't feel that pressure at all, and that's what makes him a special player.

 

And McNabb. You've been to the championship three years in a row. You have another year of experience. You have Freddie Mitchell. You have Brian Westbrook. You have a better defense. You were fresh out of excuses last year, let alone this time around. With the rest of the NFC being portrayed as cannon fodder for Philadelphia, the Eagles have more pressure than any of the other teams combined and the man at the center of all of that is McNabb.

[2GOLD 0]

I think the most pressure will be on Rohan Davey.

Cause if Brady goes down, he has to learn how to throw the damn football!

 

But seriously, McNabb is the given. Obviously some experts will say, "He didn't have TO" but you can't have an excuse for losing the fourth straight NFC title game.

 

Ben-Ro does have pressure, mainly because the Steeler fans are a touch insane.

[Guest Failed Mascot]

I guarentee you the one with pressure in Pitts is Bill Cowher and not Ben-Ro. This is Cowher's 4th AFC title game with homefield advantage and if the Steelers lose then people will be calling for his head.

[Dr. Tyler; Captain America 0]

I froze when I read what Mascot just wrote.

[the pinjockey 0]

I just want the day to be over so I can pray for Bill Cowher's safety.

[kkktookmybabyaway 0]

Where did my wallet go?...

[Guest Vitamin X]

Let's examine another case of choking quarterbacks, two actually, in comparison. John Elway, who had lost 4 Super Bowls before finally winning back to back, and Jim Kelly, who lost 4 straight and never won one afterwards. Let's talk about it being 1996, before Elway won his first Super Bowl (and because I love to remember that year in football for obvious reasons ). Who was considered to be the bigger choke artist? Was it Jim Kelly, who had Thurman Thomas and Andre Reed, but wasn't able to get it done against the NFC East when it came to the Super Bowl? Or was it John Elway, who had no real weapons outside of Mark Jackson until TD, McCaffrey, and Rod Smith came along, but had suffered a similar fate?

 

You can't blame McNabb for losing this game if they do because of the lack of offense he's had every single year outside of this one, and he's still missing his main piece of the puzzle. And Westbrook is as average a rushing back you can get, it's his receiving ability that makes him valuable. BenRo has Ward, Burress, and Randle El, along with not just one but two great backs (imagine that! Staley being utilized!) in Duce and the Bus. The pressure is all on Ben, especially after his performance last week should have ended the Steelers' season.

 

The pressure is on the whole Eagles team. I wouldn't have blamed McNabb for any of the losses, considering they lost to superior teams in `01 and `02, and he played injured last year with no offense against a very, very good defense. What about the Philly defense? Don't they get any blame their way for making Jake Delhomme and Brad Johnson NFC Championship stars? And what about "perennial coach of the year" Reid? Sorry folks, it's not just on McNabb. It's on that whole team. Philly will riot if they lose... and probably also riot if they win, but it doesn't fall solely on McNabb's shoulders. It all comes down on Roethlisberger's this weekend against one of the NFL's best teams over the past few years, against a clutch team, and a legend-in-the-making coach.

[the pinjockey 0]

First of all, Westbrook's YPC was the same as Curtis Martin and Priest Holmes this year, so your attempt to throw a shot at him at any opportunity is getting really irritating (find something to back up your point on him and I'll start taking it seriously).

 

And it is bullshit to say it is all going to fall on Roethlisberger's shoulders. The Steelers are built on running and defense. As long as those things don't fail, he should not have to win the game with his arm. If they do fail, well then obviously it was not Ben and Ben alone that lost the game.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Westbrook may have averaged 4.6 yards a carry, but Levens managed 4.4! Does that mean Levens is a better running back than say, Jamal Lewis or Ahman Green who managed lower or similar amounts? Absolutely not. Look at the yards per game and Westbrook averaged 62.5. He also was part of the league's 24th ranked rushing offense. Westbrook's special ability is as a receiver, not as a running back. I'm not ragging on his skills; he's a talented player and pretty much the only weapon McNabb has on that offense. But when it comes to actually rushing the ball, he leaves a lot to be desired for a featured back on a Super Bowl contending team. All the other teams in the Championship games possess better rushing attacks than the Eagles do. Interesting that now that Staley is with Pittsburgh, they have one of the better running offenses and the Eagles are ranked near the bottom of the league, isn't it? Where was Westbrook to pick up the slack? He was out for 3 games at least, we know that, but his rushing statistics don't show it except for the YPC. Also, 10 running backs who played the same amount of games or more had better YPC, well except for Michael Vick, who only sort of counts as a running back but can't be ignored because of how often he takes off.

 

And it is bullshit to say it is all going to fall on Roethlisberger's shoulders. The Steelers are built on running and defense. As long as those things don't fail, he should not have to win the game with his arm. If they do fail, well then obviously it was not Ben and Ben alone that lost the game.

 

Once again, the same argument you're using against why this falls on Ben is actuallly quite the opposite. The Steelers are 15-1 based on their running and defense, as you pointed out. Roethlisberger's job is to manage the offense, again, as you pointed out. However, a rookie QB in a title game is a major liability regardless of him being undefeated in the NFL thus far (and that makes wondering when that inevitable first loss will be coming sooner rather than later), let alone in a close game like this could shape up to be. You have to look at your quarterback to start passing the ball if you fall behind, if the Pats want to stack 8 guys in the box, it's up to Ben to get the ball to his receivers. The Jets did much of the same thing last week and Ben failed miserably in his first big playoff test against a team the Pats sweeped during the regular season and made the Colts look anemic on offense. In fact, the most crucial matchup in this AFC Championship game is how Ben will rebound from his performance last week, since the banged up Pats secondary will be the matchup the Steelers would want to exploit the most on that team, unless you can think of a more important one?

[the pinjockey 0]

The most important matchup, IMO, is the Steelers O-Line vs. Pats front seven, because if Pitt can not run, they will lose.

 

But, as you bring up the idea if they fall behind, if they fall behind there was obviously another area of the team that was faulty at some point.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Well that shouldn't happen unless Cowher gets outcoached or Ben has a shitty game. Cowher's not a player, and Ben happens to be in this discussion so the blame falls on him.

 

Who do you think is more liable to lose this game on Sunday for their team? Roethlisberger or McNabb? McNabb has to rely more on a passing game than Westbrook's running ability can carry them, with no real weapons at receiver (although Freddie Mitchell is coming on in T.O.'s absence if last week was any indication). Roethlisberger has everything at his disposal. If Ben fucks up, he's the loose cog in the Steelers machine and the reason for the team losing. If McNabb fucks up, it's not his fault he has no running game, a very average/above-average receiving corps, and a banged up offensive line. Blame is equally spread.

 

Therefore, combined with all the other reasons I've stated again and again, Roethlisberger's pressure to win > McNabb's pressure to win.

[the pinjockey 0]

You can't eliminate Cowher from the discussion considering you used Reid in the ways to deflect blame from McNabb. And if Ben fucks up, he is a rookie playing the best team in the last decade, he is allowed to fuck up. Pittsburgh fans will get over it.

 

And at this point we are going around in circles, so my last post on the subject. Roethlisberger might face more immediate, local shit, but McNabb would face the franchise player on one of the biggest losers in history label.

[Guest Vitamin X]

And at this point we are going around in circles, so my last post on the subject will be wasted on reiterating the exact same point you've disputed over and over again in this thread.

I see.

 

Except of course, until both inevitably win their own respective championships at one point or another and render this entire discussion pointless.