View topic - MAYBE JUST MAYBE OUR SUPER BOWL WIN 3 YEARS AGO WAS A FLUKE

[bigbenfan4EVER Profile]

hello fellow steelers fans. my name is curtis from springfield ohio. die hard STEELERS FAN die hard FLORIDA GATORS FAN. my observation of ben roethlisberger this year is like watching kordell stewart years ago. if you all remember back in 1997 kordell's first year as starter he had a hell of a year. then in '98 he fell off really bad. now big ben has a great year in '04. stat wise a decent year in '05 and wins a super bowl. '06 i wont even mention. '07 another great year stat wise despite sacks and defense letdown toward the end of the year. it seems as if since '05 big ben is on one year off the next. its like a revolving trend with him. i know as a fan he is hurt and shellshocked right now. why tomlin doesn't swallow his pride and start byron leftwich right now for the sake of our team beats me. i mean our defense is lights out awesome this year but whats to show for it when our star qb is blowing these winnable games for us. do i think we make the playoffs? yes i do. but it will be first round and done.

[Homer J Profile]

Hello, Curtis. My name is Homer J, and I am also from Springfield. The one with the Kwik-E-Mart.

I agree with everything you say, except I don't think it's a matter of Coach T swallowing his pride. It's a matter of the Coach and his incompetent Offensive Coordinator smacking Benji upside his head and telling him to sit out for a week or two until he is healthy enough to get in a full week or practice - and then let him start.

Roethlisberger has struggled mightily because of his injuries and loss of confidence. Leftwich is not the long-term answer. Hell, he won't even be here next year. Zero chance. He's a free agent and will sign for decent money and be somebody's number one next year. So we might as well use him now - as a very capable fill-in - at least until Ben gets well.

Against the Skins, Ben's QB rating was 15.1. Lefty was 145.8. I don't even know what Ben's was yesterday, but it's a safe assumption that his rating was awful again.

Anyway, Curtis, maybe I'll run into you at Moe's, or we could share a Sprinklicious Donut or a Squishee at Apu's Place.

[dirtydave61 Profile]

hello fellow steelers fans. my name is curtis from springfield ohio. die hard STEELERS FAN die hard FLORIDA GATORS FAN. my observation of ben roethlisberger this year is like watching kordell stewart years ago. if you all remember back in 1997 kordell's first year as starter he had a hell of a year. then in '98 he fell off really bad. now big ben has a great year in '04. stat wise a decent year in '05 and wins a super bowl. '06 i wont even mention. '07 another great year stat wise despite sacks and defense letdown toward the end of the year. it seems as if since '05 big ben is on one year off the next. its like a revolving trend with him. i know as a fan he is hurt and shellshocked right now. why tomlin doesn't swallow his pride and start byron leftwich right now for the sake of our team beats me. i mean our defense is lights out awesome this year but whats to show for it when our star qb is blowing these winnable games for us. do i think we make the playoffs? yes i do. but it will be first round and done.

Isn't every Super Bowl run a fluke? To be the final team standing in today's NFL is an amazing feat. Take last year's Giants: They were a good team, but they got on a roll when it counted like the Steelers did in '05.

But still, that '05 team was somewhat able to control its own destiny because of its ability to impose its will on the other team -- pound the ball; get good, consistent play out of its QB on 3rd downs and late in the game; and play stout, intimidating defense. This year's team has the ability and talent to do some of that, but the injuries and awful offensive playcalling are killing it. Defense has been great, but the offense's bumbling and stumbling is costing the team victories.

Also, Ben at his worst is in no way as bad as Kordell Stewart playing average. Kordell was far more frustrating to watch, and the team won games because it would run the ball 60% of the time. When things didn't go just right -- remember several playoff games -- they'd lose in disgusting fashion.

[StillDodger Profile]

I still point to that MC accident...... I thought before the accident, Ben was a sure-fire HOF QB...... I think since that accident, he's been good, but not great. His agility and reactions (reading the defenses) don't seem to be the same.......

Just watch the films from the SB season, and you'll see what I mean.

I think of that game-saving tackle by Ben in the AFC Champ game in Indy...... The post MC accident Ben doesn't make that play.

I think the biggest fluke in all this was not the SB game, but Ben's stats last season.

[dirtydave61 Profile]

StillDodger, that's an interesting point.

Besides the slower instincts, in general, Ben just does not seem as mobile. Sure, he's still strong enough to shake off tacklers, but he just doesn't seem as athletic.

Maybe I didn't really notice it last year, but this season, I can't remember the last time Ben scrambled and actually ran it. I mean, he never was a "scrambler" who was going to burn you, but during his first 2 years in the league, he was at least a threat to rumble for 5 to 10 yards and pick up a first down once in a while.

I understand that now he wants to stay in the pocket and make plays with defensive tackles hanging off him, but he could still take off once in a while. Do teams even have to spy him? And besides, what's more dangerous for him to do: Stand in the pocket and get smacked around by 270-pound defensive linemen or, worst case scenario, lower the boom on a linebacker.

Scrambling aside, he does look slower. I mean, in the Colts game, the notoriously immobile Peyton Manning looked faster and more mobile in the pocket than Ben.

And I'm even starting to wonder what kind of workout program Ben is on. I used to work out with powerlifters who were on par strengthwise with many pro athletes, and he looks less physically developed than he did as a rookie. I mean, he never looked like a world-class athlete, but he at least looked like a big, strong kid who could play football. But now, with all these injuries, when I think of him, I think of a 33-year-old Steve McNair, no the 26-year-old physical specimen he should be.

[McLovin Profile]

Fluke you it was no fluke! Ok Ben has had his fair share of not just up and down seasons and even up and down games since the Super Bowl. But be serious its not the same team. The O line is a shell of what it once was and the Super Bowl emergence of Fast Willie has given way to the fallen Fragile Willie. The coaching staff is completely different with a complete imbocile running the offense and a porn junky coaching the OL. Too many variables have changed to call that a fluke. Unless you're from Seattle and still blame the refs of course.

[Hi5Steeler Profile]

WHY are you wrong ? let me count the ways

why was SB 40 not a fluke?

we dominated the bengals

we dominated the broncos

we dominated the colts

we dominated the seahawks

and prior to those FOUR PLAYOFF WINS IN A ROW WHERE WE DOMINATED THE GAMES ALL THE WAY THROUGH....WE WENT ON A RAGING STINT OF SLAUGHTERING TEAMS IN THE SECOND HALF OF SEASON.

it wasnt a fluke and anyone that thinks so DIDNT WATCH THE GAMES.


YOUVE GOT to WATCH the GAMES

[steph12 Profile]

i've been saying the same thing for the last few years...i won't go as far as saying the super bowl was a fluke but let's remember the touchdown on the QB sneak that Ben scored on, the touchdown pass that was thrown by randel 'el, and a couple of calls that won't totally against the seahawks...the only other play on offense was, if i'm not mistaken, the longest run in superbowl history....i think been was 9 of 14 too.....so maybe it was the combination of not letting BEN lose the game for them. i remember the old steelers of the 70's, 80's and 90's just lining up and running the ball using 4 5 traps and beating the hell out of teams...take a look at bradshaw's career numbers....nothing special....run the ball, tough defense, two or three big plays per game. the organization is probably wishing they didn't put such an investment of time and money on BEN. i remember those Kordell days. he should never have been used as the starter but rather left in as SLASH. those were very disappointing seasons weren't they? they won't beat san diego with BEN hurt. i just hope tehy committ to a pass rush and for God's sake when it's 3rd and long don't play such a soft zone. put a guy on the receivers mugs!!!

[Crosby4Life Profile Website]

Here's my problem with most peoples' claim that the '05 championship was a fluke. More often than not, it's based on the premise that we entered the playoffs as a wildcard.

But take a look at the losses that led to the wildcard spot.

Three of them were against Indy, New England, and Cinci; the 1, 2, and 3 seeds in the playoffs. Two of those games were decided by a TD or less.

The other losses featured the immortal Tommy Maddox at QB, who responded by repeatedly wilting under the pressure (especially in the JAX game when he threw the game ending Pick-Six, and finished with 1 TD and 3 INTs).

So, it wasn't like we were losing games we shouldn't have been losing, or even getting blown out by the good teams, on most occasions.

We were a very good football team that battled through some key injuries and got everyone healthy at just the right time. Did luck play a role in that? Certainly. But to say we weren't talented enough to do it without that luck or to call that team one of the worst Super Bowl winners in league history (as a few media outlets have since done (I'm looking at you, ESPN)), is ludicrous.

[Wooderson Profile]

Ben had a great year in '05 but played like crap in the SB. He was obviously nervous. But let's not forget the Steelers were taking over the game (see drive where the Bus was just killing the 'Cawks) until Ben threw that RETARED INT. It was an easy pass to GF beater Wilson, and if he completed it we wouldn't even be having this discussion. Not only that, but we won by 11 points...not one or three points...they didn't even sniff victory. As far as the calls, there were some questionable ones, but as we have seen this year, they effect every game. It's part of the game.

I have also noticed Ben is not as mobile. I don't think it's Ben, I think it's the coaching. Plus the $100 million contract. The team doesn't want their investment out for a year for a 5 yard game. It comes with the territory with a franchise QB.

Not only that, but I believe Arians is not putting Ben in winning situations. Ben was great last year until late in the season and the playoffs. Why? Because there was enough film on Ben in Arians' system. Arians has yet to adjust. Add to the fact that the running game isn't near what it was last year. Willie was leading the league last year before his injury. Now we have a mediocre run game. We all know that a good ground game is a QB's best friend.

I mean come on, we are gaining maybe a 2 yard average on first down runs (and the first down runs are as predictible as hell, which is incredibly infuriating. That puts the QB in rough 2nd and 3rd down situations. Get 3-4 on first, it's much more managible.

Bottom line, there is much more than just Ben going on here. Don't blame him.

[logjammin Profile]

Well, they were 16-2, including playoffs, in 2004. Then they were 15-5 the following year, including a SB victory. That's 31-7 over 2 years, a respectable .816 winning percentage. The SB was part of a 9 game winning streak, with most of those wins coming against playoff teams. I'd call it a legitimate championship.

If this is a thread about BR, he had a hell of a season in '05.

They fell apart the following year, but that happens sometimes. As Cowher used to say, there's a fine line between winning and losing in the NFL.

[Wooderson Profile]

Good call. People seem to forget how dominate the stillers were in '04 and '05. The lone blemish was not beating the Pats en route to the SB. I really hope we beat the shit out of them this year. To not beat them with Brady out would really suck.

The Pats know exactly have to attach Dickie's defense. Hopefully the 'father of the zone blitz' will do better this year.

[Field General Ben Profile]

hello fellow steelers fans. my name is curtis from springfield ohio. die hard STEELERS FAN die hard FLORIDA GATORS FAN. my observation of ben roethlisberger this year is like watching kordell stewart years ago. if you all remember back in 1997 kordell's first year as starter he had a hell of a year. then in '98 he fell off really bad. now big ben has a great year in '04. stat wise a decent year in '05 and wins a super bowl. '06 i wont even mention. '07 another great year stat wise despite sacks and defense letdown toward the end of the year. it seems as if since '05 big ben is on one year off the next. its like a revolving trend with him. i know as a fan he is hurt and shellshocked right now. why tomlin doesn't swallow his pride and start byron leftwich right now for the sake of our team beats me. i mean our defense is lights out awesome this year but whats to show for it when our star qb is blowing these winnable games for us. do i think we make the playoffs? yes i do. but it will be first round and done.

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