NFL 2014-2015 Season: Super Bowl Champion Patriots

[Anacybele]

So Tomlin and Le'Veon Bell both blame turnovers for the Steelers' loss. And I quite agree, especially since a nice chunk of them happened in their own territory, which set up the Jets for easy points against a depleted defense. While this was the biggest reason though, there were also some other issues that hurt like a certain wtf play by Ben in the red zone (he threw the ball low with a Jet right in front of him, literally...) and not getting a TD on first and inches. >_> They could've been overcome, but stuff like this is just pathetic and I doubt the coaches were calling for such BS.

And now we have fans screaming fire Tomlin and fire Haley again. But if the last three weeks weren't flukes, then they ARE good for the team, it's just that the consistency issue comes in again. And they didn't tell Antonio Brown to lose the ball twice or tell Ben to throw picks. Coaches can't be blamed for this and I'm honestly getting tired of fans blaming the coaches all the time when things go bad, but never give them any credit when the team does well. Although I myself did give most of the credit to Ben because I didn't think it possible for Haley to really call such amazing games. But then Ben started crediting Haley and it changed my viewpoint.

But bottom line is, this team needs to fix two big things: consistency and the defense. -_-

[-Cynthia-]

Mike Tomlin is 1-8 against teams with a winning record of .200 or lower over his coaching career.

Edited November 10, 2014 by -Cynthia-

[Anacybele]

Well then, this game just proves that that's not entirely his fault. I'm sure he's partly to blame though, and that's just ridiculous. How can he do good against a good team and bad against a bad team? It doesn't make any sense.

Edited November 10, 2014 by Anacybele

[Da Bear]

Overconfidence. Team was riding high after just winning two straight big games handily and forgot to take the Jets seriously.

[Anacybele]

Yet they said they were going to and do the same thing they were before. This is what really made me upset. This crap needs to stop...

Edited November 10, 2014 by Anacybele

[Lord Raven]

Overconfidence. Team was riding high after just winning two straight big games handily and forgot to take the Jets seriously.

lol Ravens used to do that, this year we're significantly better about it. ie I don't see us losing to the Jaguars like we did in 2011. Like we lost to a crappy Titans team, a crappy Jags team with rookie Blaine Gabbert (who was oddly enough the best Blaine Gabbert we've seen), a crappy Chargers team, and a crappy Seahawks team that year and it was the strangest thing because we beat the rest of our schedule pretty handily.

Chargers also used to have this problem in the Norv Turner years.

[Anacybele]

The Steelers didn't used to do this either, I think, even under Tomlin. I know they blew the Bucs out in 2010, at least. But I'd remember if they repeatedly lost to bad teams in a previous season. Still, at least this season is much better than last year's. A lot of things are better than a 0-4 start after all.

But Tomlin really needs to change this. Put his foot down harder, make the team practice longer, ask Cowher for some advice, I don't care what he does, as long as it works. He did ban dancing before kick-off, which would help (because really, screwing around instead of warming up is just no), but obviously it wasn't enough, so he needs to do more. Or fans might be right that he should be fired.

[-Cynthia-]

They lost to the Titans(7-9, but bad), Raiders(4-12), and Vikings(5-10-1) in 2013. They lost to the Raiders(4-12), Titans(6-10), and Browns(5-11) in 2012. There are a few more losses to "average-ish" teams like the Dolphins and Bears in 2013 as well. In 2009 they lost to the Raiders(5-11), Browns(5-11), and Chiefs(4-12). They didn't lose to any sub-.500 teams during 2010-2011 though.

[Anacybele]

I don't remember the Titans ever being that bad of a team. The Vikings aren't bad either. But any losses to the past Raiders and Browns, yeah, that's pathetic. I'm talking about the really bad ones, the worst teams in the league. The Bears and Dolphins weren't part of the worst as far as I've seen.

[Lord Raven]

Titans haven't been good or threatening since like 2009 (same with jacksonville - to think this was the strongest division in football in the 2000s).

[Anacybele]

Well, whatever the case, the point is that fans are sick and tired of seeing the Steelers lose to shitty teams. They'd be one of the best in the league if they could just stop this given weeks 7-9. Although injuries to the defense have been an issue as well, it's been shown not to affect the team as much as these bullshit losses are.

[Dijon Mustard]

Yeah, as a Titans fan, I can assure you that the Titans were bad last year. They finished 7-9 because they played in the AFC South and had some bizarre fumble luck (they recovered 18 out of 20 fumbles in their 7 wins).

and banning dancing before kickoff is pretty silly and lame, fwiw. Schiano would be proud.

[Anacybele]

Huh, that is pretty crazy. o.O

And why is banning dancing before kickoff silly? Like I said, the players should be warming up and getting prepared, not fooling around.

[-Cynthia-]

AFC South is still better than the NFC South this year though. Did you know that if the Falcons win next week and the Saints lose that the Falcons would be #1 in the division? This is without winning a single game outside the division so far lol.

[Lord Raven]

Well, whatever the case, the point is that fans are sick and tired of seeing the Steelers lose to shitty teams. They'd be one of the best in the league if they could just stop this given weeks 7-9. Although injuries to the defense have been an issue as well, it's been shown not to affect the team as much as these bullshit losses are.

i'd say both of our losses to the bengals were pretty bullshit but in the end it doesn't matter, if a team doesn't show up week in and week out (like the fucking Cardinals holy shit I could write an essay on how good that coaching staff is) then it's on them and there is absolutely no excuse for that

AFC South is still better than the NFC South this year though. Did you know that if the Falcons win next week and the Saints lose that the Falcons would be #1 in the division? This is without winning a single game outside the division so far lol.

lol i found it funny cause i read elsewhere on TNF last week "Cause someone has to with the NFC South"

Remember the AFC West a few years back where the Raiders were 6-0 in the division, but missed the playoffs because they went 8-8?

[Randa]

So did anybody see this happening tonight. Or was I just the only expecting a good game. Ah well least I have the eagles D this week so my RB1 and Def combined for more points than my opponents entire roster.

[Anacybele]

I'm not surprised. The Panthers are total trash right now. My brother was right. They do suck... Last season's division win must've been a fluke. How can a team do so good one season and then totally shit themselves the next?

Then again, many teams that win a Super Bowl miss the playoffs the next season. Guess it's not THAT surprising.

Also, Justin Bieber is a Steeler fan? And he was at their hotel just before the game? No wonder we lost... He's nothing but poison. Tamara Tunie should've been there instead. WAY better influence.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Anacybele

[Dijon Mustard]

The Panthers' division championship last year wasn't a fluke. They had a great defense and a solid, slightly above average offense. Even so, the Saints were expected to overtake them this year. The problem is that Marty Hurney (their old general manager) pretty much ruined them with bad contracts, so Dave Gettleman (their current general manager) was unable to re-sign most of their free agents. Like, their secondary only looked good b/c of their fantastic pass rush last year, but they lost their entire starting secondary to free agency, which is rough. With Greg Hardy gone and Charles Johnson having a down year on the line, their defense has gone from great to pretty bad. Jordan Gross's sudden retirement and injuries at RB have held their ground game back.

But hey, NFC South! They're still in this!

[Anacybele]

But what happened to this defense? I know they lost Greg Hardy because the guy got himself in deep trouble, but was he really the foundation of the whole thing or something? And Cam Newton, last time I saw him play, he was inaccurate as hell. He ran the ball really well (that rushing TD he got was insane), but that was the only thing he did right.

[Dijon Mustard]

Greg Hardy is really, really good. Without him to draw double teams, Charles Johnson hasn't been able to get going. So they've had no pass rush, which means that their secondary (a bunch of castoffs since they couldn't afford to sign anyone) has been exposed. I mean, quarterbacks are completing nearly 70% (!) of their passes against the Panthers. That was kind of expected, though. What's weird is that their run defense has been bad too. I read somewhere that they've looked sloppy up front and just need to execute better, but idk.

As for Cam, it makes sense that he hasn't looked as good this season. He missed all the offseason stuff with his injury, so he wasn't able to practice with his new group of receivers. That, plus their offensive line not being as good (with Jordan Gross retiring), has made him look very uncomfortable.

That said, they had a -5 turnover differential tonight. Umm, that probably won't happen again any time soon.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Emperor Dijon

[Anacybele]

Yeah, that all makes sense. He had some nice stuff going with Kelvin Benjamin though, that kid's amazing. He caught a deep pass with two of the best defenders in the league all over him back in the Seahawks game! That's one hell of a play right there.

But of course, Cam and Kelvin can't carry the whole team all by themselves. Luke Kuechly, as beastly as he is, can't either. Even JJ Watt couldn't stop the Steelers from beating the Texans. At least Kuechly always looks cute though. Seriously, he is SO good looking. o.o

[-Cynthia-]

The Panthers O-line isn't very good and they keep losing running backs- Cam still looks bad even under those circumstances though.

Picks for this week:

Buffalo at Miami- Watkins is less effective due to injury, Bills can't run the ball and they're on the road against a good defense

Minnesota at Chicago- Vikings have been consistent this season- they've beaten pretty much every bad team they've played but lost to any good teams. The Bears are not a good team.

Houston at Cleveland- Browns are looking strong, Texans are switching QBs which is not a good sign.

Seattle at Kansas City- Seahawks aren't as tough on the road and I think the Chiefs front can have success against a questionable Seahawks O-line.

Atlanta at Carolina- Picking the Falcons to win consecutive road games seems a little crazy, but the Panthers just look terrible on both sides of the ball right now.

Cincinnati at New Orleans- Two inconsistent teams, can't pick Bengals on the road after that terrible performance last week.

Tampa Bay at Washington- At home, after a bye, and against a bad team looks good for the Redskins.

Denver at St.Louis- Rams defense is coming together, but I don't think they can hold up against the Broncos

San Francisco at New York Giants- Niners are inconsistent, but Giants have been consistently bad lately.

Oakland at San Diego- Chargers should be able to win at home after a bye against a winless team. Raiders are mathematically eliminated with a loss here.

Detroit at Arizona- I think that the Cardinals with Stanton will struggle to put up points against a very good defense.

Philadelphia at Green Bay- Will probably be a shootout- Eagles are on the road on a short week and Packers have been good at home this year.

New England at Indianapolis- Probably another high scoring game, Patriots don't tend to beat good teams on the road.

Pittsburgh at Tennessee- This does seem like a spot where the Steelers often struggle, but the Titans aren't very good at all.

[Lord Raven]

They also lost a solid nickel corner in captain munnerlyn.

Cam has had injury and he has literally nobody to throw to but Greg Olson now that Steve Smith is gone (and Kelvin Benjamin is unreliable), they've had their top 4 RBs injured on and off, and their offensive line is actually horrendous. He has literally no time to set his feet and his mechanics/play style are suffering this year because of his lack of a line.

In all reality, you can trace it back to their previous GM, who basically fucked their cap by overpaying some free agent running backs who are currently underperforming, and now their current GM has to deal with Cam's contract expiring and eventually Kuechly's expiring too. The fifth year option can only help them so much (but apparently Cam is gonna get paid like Matt Ryan so their cap is still messed up). They can't make as much of a splash in free agency because of this. I'd suggest gutting the team entirely, but frankly a bad GM is one who does that and a great GM can get shit done, field a competitor, etc and still be close to the cap every year. (see: Ozzie Newsome, though the transition from 2012 to 2013 is tough, and I don't think a single team has literally disbanded after a Super Bowl victory, there was a stat about like only 10 players left on the roster - and like 4 starters - from that year).

Kinda reminds me of Jacksonville and Oakland, except that the previous administration did have Cam Newton as QB before and after, whereas Oakland had to move on quickly from Palmer and Jacksonville was really really stupid about how they transitioned from Garrard to Gabbert (and possibly fucking up the latter's career). They have some cornerstones to build around, but they literally have nothing else.

That whole division has zero concept of offensive line and defense. I'm the most shocked at how the Saints are performing, because they had a tougher schedule last year and their defense played amazing. This year Byrd busted in FA and they cut some of their old dudes and they did nothing but upgrade but the defense is just so bad and prone to giving up big plays. Their offensive line's interior also plays like hot garbage, and their system relies on a strong interior and doesn't care as much about the Tackles because that's what Brees is comfortable with. Those guys are probably getting old too...

I almost said "I don't see why nobody is talking about them more" but then I forget that Ana is a Panthers/Steelers homer so she brings them up all the time.

Also,

Baltimore@BYE - should be a solid game, puts Baltimore's road woes to the test

BYE@Dallas - I dunno, Tony Romo might use this time to rest so I can't see them pulling it off

BYE@Jacksonville - fuckin' Jacksonville

BYE@New York Jets - Sexy Rexy deserves it after the Steelers game. I heard that they got two personal foul penalties in a row because Vick threw a ball at a defender and Rex Ryan swore out a ref. Fucking lol, I love Rex Ryan.

Edited November 11, 2014 by Lord Raven

[Anacybele]

I don't know what to believe of the Steelers anymore. Yeah, they're losing against bad teams, but they also still won against the Jags who are a bad team. So...

[Lord Raven]

*barely won against the Jags