Game Thread: Week 16 Ravens

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I agree Dude.
But all that horseshit about him being out for the ankle was just that, horseshit.
It would be a plus to have him for the playoffs, but if there is any signs of this lingering like his last one did, then it would be safe to say he needs to make a career change. Or he could keep going and be the next Merril Hoge.

Colbert & Tomlin definitely have to think long & hard about his future with the team. Because his cap hit almost triples next season. That's a sizable cap hit for someone that could possibly ride the IR next season if his concussions & other injuries continue.

YEAR 2016
AGE 26
BASE SALARY $1,250,000
SIGNING BONUS $1,187,500
CAP HIT $2,437,500
DEAD CAP $6,000,000

YEAR 2017
AGE 27
BASE SALARY $5,000,000
SIGNING BONUS $1,187,500
CAP HIT $6,187,500
DEAD CAP $3,562,500

YEAR 2018
AGE 28
BASE SALARY $4,500,000
SIGNING BONUS $1,187,500
CAP HIT $5,687,500
DEAD CAP $2,375,000

YEAR 2019
AGE 29
BASE SALARY $4,500,000
SIGNING BONUS $1,187,500
CAP HIT $5,687,500
DEAD CAP $1,187,500

 

[Psych-Ward]

Colbert & Tomlin definitely have to think long & hard about his future with the team. Because his cap hit almost triples next season. That's a sizable cap hit for someone that could possibly ride the IR next season if his concussions & other injuries continue.

YEAR 2016
AGE 26
BASE SALARY $1,250,000
SIGNING BONUS $1,187,500
CAP HIT $2,437,500
DEAD CAP $6,000,000

YEAR 2017
AGE 27
BASE SALARY $5,000,000
SIGNING BONUS $1,187,500
CAP HIT $6,187,500
DEAD CAP $3,562,500

YEAR 2018
AGE 28
BASE SALARY $4,500,000
SIGNING BONUS $1,187,500
CAP HIT $5,687,500
DEAD CAP $2,375,000

YEAR 2019
AGE 29
BASE SALARY $4,500,000
SIGNING BONUS $1,187,500
CAP HIT $5,687,500
DEAD CAP $1,187,500

WTF were they fuckin thinking????

 

[Psych-Ward]

@FaCe-LeE-uS

I got a winner here.....
This dude is arguing that Eli (I'm not Payton) Manning, is a lock for the HOF.....
But he says Big Ben is only close.....

 

[Cali Steel]

Looking forward to the Steelers giving me my late Christmas present...

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Offense... Even though there is some optimism about Green's availability this week, my gut agrees with ATL in thinking he won't. On the bright side, if he doesn't and the Steelers can find a way to replace his production with Rogers, Coates, James & Co, then Ladarius could possibly have 2 weeks of rest to get his head right before the postseason. Haley has the tools, but said tools need to rise to the occasion. Ravens have the proven formula to beat this offense if they don't. Raven's CB Smith's injury looms large though. He was the usual blanket to bracket AB with. I think I said it last week, but maybe Coates gets unleashed this week with the season on the line. No reason not to pull out all the stops to get the job done this week. DHB could resurface as well. The O-line & Bell need to find a groove this week against a very stout front.

Defense... Tuitt's injury is particularly worrisome. Tomlin was more forthcoming with his injury updates this week and sounded optimistic about Tuitt's participation this week. Hoping to see him get some limited participation in tomorrow. If not his availability will get very cloudy, very quickly. Eyes will be on Matthews as well. Without either, the depth of the D-line is scary thin. Hargrave, Walton & McCullers would be the only available players. Caushaud Lyons & Johnny Maxey are available on the PS for emergencies, but that's obviously not the ideal situation. It's gut check time so I'm thinking both Tuitt & Matthews will play. I wouldn't expect to see Tuitt in there for over 90% of the snaps though. Should be interesting to see how Mitchell does this week. I think he will be particularly motivated this week after his shortcomings during the previous meeting, and his feud with Steve Smith. And hoping to see Burns, Cockrell & Davis continue to improve. Timmons & Shazier need to be the monsters they have been.

Overall... It's going to be a gutsy type of day. Both teams are fighting for their playoff lives, so nothing will be held back. Ravens have been the thorn in Pittsburgh's side over the last couple seasons. Hoping to see that trend disappear, and this week will be a huge test. This game will prove what this team is made of. Will we see the incredible potential materialize in all 3 phases? Or will the once flawed team resurface and prove unworthy? December football, primetime on X-mas day with the entire nation watching, against a long-time division rival and its win or go home, feast or famine... This is the type of game these players dreamed of as little kids. These sort of situations don't come around very often, and its when Steel City legends are made. Let the inner lions out gentlemen.

Mind the juju...

BAL 28 - PIT 24

My big concern for the DEF is BAL pounding it on the ground and trying to wear down an already thin DL for the Steelers...that would be my attack anyway...but if Timmons, Shazier and Davis are keeping those runs to 3 yds or less, the game should start to favor PIT.

On OFC, I'm not as concerned...Haley has no choice imo but to open it up...otherwise, they will get stymied and punt a lot, putting a lot more pressure on the DEF.

Mind the juju!!

 

[Psych-Ward]

Yo, if I don't see any of you bums before hand....

Y'all take care!!!!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[wings-pens2166]

Happy fucking Birthday to me!!!

The only present I really wanted today and Ben Brown and Bell delivered!!

 

[MISKO]

Glad thats over.. we won we won we won..wooooooo hooooo

 

[SJ20]

That was truly a Christmas miracle. Don't know why it's been such a struggle against the Ratbirds these past few seasons? They won when it counted and that is the main thing. Now, the path looks much brighter. Beat Miami at home, go to Oakland without their QB and avoid the cheaters until the AFC title game and hope some team beats them to put the game in Pittsburgh!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Coaching... Clean game for the most part. 4 penalties for 45 yards in a crucial matchup where all mistakes could prove costly. Glad to see the unit played a disciplined game when it counts. Wasn't too enthused with a lot of the playcalling tonight. Felt like Haley was telegraphing a lot of his plays by sticking with the jumbo sets. That 2nd INT in particular, running jumbo set with the lone WR Rogers lined up outside and the Ravens sat in zone coverage. That was an awful play from the start. Ben should have audibled. But it was quickly apparent the Ravens couldn't keep up once Haley spread out the formations and let Ben go uptempo. Glad to see he is still capable of adapting during the games, but Haley has to find a way to mix things up more often. On the defensive side of the ball, sort of a mixed bag. Butler didn't generate as much pass rush as in recent weeks, but he still was able to dial up some pressure. Personnel played a factor. B-

Offense... Not exactly a glamorous performance to inspire confidence, but they figured out a way to win. Clutch performance by Ben, Bell & Brown in crunch time. O-line battled and hung tough. 0 sacks allowed. Ravens front collapsed quite a few pockets, but overall the PIT O-line did their job. Really wish Haley would have opened up the offense earlier with spread formations. Looked like Haley was content with pounding the ball. But Bell was getting the job done for the most part. Ben needs to play better in the postseason if they want any chance at reaching the SB. B-

Defense... Tuitt's absence played a huge factor in the run game. Walton, Hargrave, Matthews & McCullers did a respectable job though. The unit held tough when put in some shitty situations. Glad to see them hold the Ravens to multiple FGs. But the tackling issues reared its ugly head again, and a few lapsed coverages hurt them. On that last BAL TD, Dupree needs to pull his head out of his ass and quit gawking at the play and f*cking assist that tackle. IDK what he was thinking, even if Mitchell makes that tackle he should still have the mentality that he needs to swarm the ball. Baltimore had been playing some good ball lately. We knew it was going to be a battle. Tough, gritty performance from every level. Still lots to work on... C+

ST... To be honest I wasn't paying a lot of attention to these units other than a couple punts. Didn't see anything glaring. Oh, but I did see that huge hit from V-Will on the kickoff. That was nasty. Don't know if there were any gaffs with the rest of the game so I'll withhold judgements. N/A

Overall... Huge win against a very formidable opponent. Still waiting for Haley to uncork this offense, but he is sticking to the gameplans that have been working. Hard to fault him for that. Still feels like they aren't reaching their full potential yet. Here's to hoping they are ready to show us that potential in the postseason! B-

Outlook... PIT clinches the AFCN crown & the 3rd seed. They play a meaningless home game next week vs the Brownies. Tomlin has already stated that he intends to use that game to knock the rust off of some people. Primarily DeAngelo Williams & Landry Jones. If I were Tomlin I wouldn't even dress Roethlisberger, Bell or Brown. Perfect time for multiple people to heal up in time for the playoffs. Green, Coates, Tuitt, etc. They need to get healthy fast! Side note, this is the first time in a while that the Steelers have their offensive trio all healthy heading into the playoffs though. Pretty excited about that.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Coaching... Clean game for the most part. 4 penalties for 45 yards in a crucial matchup where all mistakes could prove costly. Glad to see the unit played a disciplined game when it counts. Wasn't too enthused with a lot of the playcalling tonight. Felt like Haley was telegraphing a lot of his plays by sticking with the jumbo sets. That 2nd INT in particular, running jumbo set with the lone WR Rogers lined up outside and the Ravens sat in zone coverage. That was an awful play from the start. Ben should have audibled. But it was quickly apparent the Ravens couldn't keep up once Haley spread out the formations and let Ben go uptempo. Glad to see he is still capable of adapting during the games, but Haley has to find a way to mix things up more often. On the defensive side of the ball, sort of a mixed bag. Butler didn't generate as much pass rush as in recent weeks, but he still was able to dial up some pressure. Personnel played a factor. B-

Offense... Not exactly a glamorous performance to inspire confidence, but they figured out a way to win. Clutch performance by Ben, Bell & Brown in crunch time. O-line battled and hung tough. 0 sacks allowed. Ravens front collapsed quite a few pockets, but overall the PIT O-line did their job. Really wish Haley would have opened up the offense earlier with spread formations. Looked like Haley was content with pounding the ball. But Bell was getting the job done for the most part. Ben needs to play better in the postseason if they want any chance at reaching the SB. B-

Defense... Tuitt's absence played a huge factor in the run game. Walton, Hargrave, Matthews & McCullers did a respectable job though. The unit held tough when put in some shitty situations. Glad to see them hold the Ravens to multiple FGs. But the tackling issues reared its ugly head again, and a few lapsed coverages hurt them. On that last BAL TD, Dupree needs to pull his head out of his ass and quit gawking at the play and f*cking assist that tackle. IDK what he was thinking, even if Mitchell makes that tackle he should still have the mentality that he needs to swarm the ball. Baltimore had been playing some good ball lately. We knew it was going to be a battle. Tough, gritty performance from every level. Still lots to work on... C+

ST... To be honest I wasn't paying a lot of attention to these units other than a couple punts. Didn't see anything glaring. Oh, but I did see that huge hit from V-Will on the kickoff. That was nasty. Don't know if there were any gaffs with the rest of the game so I'll withhold judgements. N/A

Overall... Huge win against a very formidable opponent. Still waiting for Haley to uncork this offense, but he is sticking to the gameplans that have been working. Hard to fault him for that. Still feels like they aren't reaching their full potential yet. Here's to hoping they are ready to show us that potential in the postseason! B-

Outlook... PIT clinches the AFCN crown & the 3rd seed. They play a meaningless home game next week vs the Brownies. Tomlin has already stated that he intends to use that game to knock the rust off of some people. Primarily DeAngelo Williams & Landry Jones. If I were Tomlin I wouldn't even dress Roethlisberger, Bell or Brown. Perfect time for multiple people to heal up in time for the playoffs. Green, Coates, Tuitt, etc. They need to get healthy fast! Side note, this is the first time in a while that the Steelers have their offensive trio all healthy heading into the playoffs though. Pretty excited about that.

Spot on.

I'm in beautiful St. Croix this week and was at a Xmas party (nobody was a football fan but me) and was dipping in and out of it to watch it. Stayed clued to the last but miss a lot...I'll roll with your grades too. My thoughts.

I thought it was settling into a typical PIT/BAL low scoring slug fest, obviously it was anything but that. The DEF was a mixed bag, but holding them to several shortish FGs was really the game in a nutshell. Ben made it tougher than it needed to be with the two picks but when he needed to be money, he was money...while they were not as abundant as I thought, the plays made by the role players were huge in this game. At the end of the day, the stars carried them.

Glad to finally get a win @ against team...much respect to those guys...also glad they are not in the playoffs...gritty bunch the Ravens.

After DAL, I thought they could run the table and go 11-5...I'm content with 6 for 6 now. For a change we can clearly look past next week and focus on the 1st round of the playoffs as the AFC is now set in stone.

I can see them giving Williams a series or two, maybe a qtr, but I expect this to be Toussaint's game. As you said, Bell, AB, and Ben should not see the field.

In a lot of ways it was good to get MIA again, Haley and Butler obviously have tape to work with and come up with a good game plan to work with.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Spot on.

I'm in beautiful St. Croix this week and was at a Xmas party (nobody was a football fan but me) and was dipping in and out of it to watch it. Stayed clued to the last but miss a lot...I'll roll with your grades too. My thoughts.

I thought it was settling into a typical PIT/BAL low scoring slug fest, obviously it was anything but that. The DEF was a mixed bag, but holding them to several shortish FGs was really the game in a nutshell. Ben made it tougher than it needed to be with the two picks but when he needed to be money, he was money...while they were not as abundant as I thought, the plays made by the role players were huge in this game. At the end of the day, the stars carried them.

Glad to finally get a win @ against team...much respect to those guys...also glad they are not in the playoffs...gritty bunch the Ravens.

After DAL, I thought they could run the table and go 11-5...I'm content with 6 for 6 now. For a change we can clearly look past next week and focus on the 1st round of the playoffs as the AFC is now set in stone.

I can see them giving Williams a series or two, maybe a qtr, but I expect this to be Toussaint's game. As you said, Bell, AB, and Ben should not see the field.

In a lot of ways it was good to get MIA again, Haley and Butler obviously have tape to work with and come up with a good game plan to work with.

I'm having mixed emotions about the road through the playoffs with MIA and OAK being without their QBs. In many ways that will excite the hell out of everyone, but its worrying me. First off its a bummer they wont get to face a team at their full strength because thats what all competitors want, and secondly we all know this team's history with inferior opponents and questionable preparation...

I'm ecstatic that its a home game... But I'm trying not to get too carried away.

 

[MISKO]

my son put a tv out in the heated man cave (garage) and stocked the fridge for me cause the women folk didnt want me in the house during the game ... damn I raised that boy right ...

 

[Cali Steel]

Happy fucking Birthday to me!!!

The only present I really wanted today and Ben Brown and Bell delivered!!

Happy belated B-Day...

 

[wings-pens2166]

Happy belated B-Day...

hey, thanks Cali


when I was a kid I used to feel a bit cheated having a X-mas birthday (even though my parents always tried to ensure I got extra after everyone else was done).

now, as an adult (47 y/o yesterday), I kinda like it...I'm always assured of having my birthday off from work

 

[MISKO]

 

[ATL96Steeler]

hey, thanks Cali


when I was a kid I used to feel a bit cheated having a X-mas birthday (even though my parents always tried to ensure I got extra after everyone else was done).

now, as an adult (47 y/o yesterday), I kinda like it...I'm always assured of having my birthday off from work

Happy belated WP!!! My nephews are Xmas eve, and another Xmas day...we've always stuck a little extra in their envelope.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

I'm having mixed emotions about the road through the playoffs with MIA and OAK being without their QBs. In many ways that will excite the hell out of everyone, but its worrying me. First off its a bummer they wont get to face a team at their full strength because thats what all competitors want, and secondly we all know this team's history with inferior opponents and questionable preparation...

I'm ecstatic that its a home game... But I'm trying not to get too carried away.

MIA...If that kids goes for another 200+, it won't matter who is at QB, it's going to be a tough game to win. The game plan has to be stack the box and hope for 3rd and passing. Of course if MIA is smart they take some shots down field early to try and get a lead, but we'll cross that bridge later I guess.

 

[MISKO]

NFL Power Rankings, Week 17: Raiders, 'Hawks fall; Packers rise

we are officially jinxed #3 in the power rankings