long snapper

[mcmillenandwife]

What I don't get is the constant slamming of one of the best coaching staffs in the business of one of the best run sports franchise on the planet!

Yes. That's what leaves me scratching me head, too. I can understand criticism at times, questioning certain things, getting pissed about a call or a move here and there. But the relentless campaign of hate, the constant undermining and ridiculing, the insults, the failure to acknowledge small and large victories (instead, finding ways to characterize them as defeats or give credit to someone else)... I just don't get it.

If you Tomlin bashers are so f#@$ing smart, where's YOUR NFL coaching gig???   

[mcmillenandwife]

What they were not prepared for was the best running back on the planet going down in the first 2 minutes of the game.

 Exactly. All that typing by Lake... and the above is your simple, incredibly obvious answer. Le'Veon Bell was responsible for 42% of our yardage, and he was even more important than that in terms of overall scheme and effectiveness. He's arguably the best back in the NFL. All the "preparation" in the world doesn't make up for that against a high quality, veteran opponent. 


And please, spare me the "next man up" rhetoric. Tell that to the '76 Steelers.

[sandfan]

Brady is 4-1 vs Tomlin and the Steelers. It's not just the last game and Bell going down. Check out the stats. They are eye opening and serve to prove Tomlin has no answer to Brady and Belicheat. Sad if you are a Steeler fan and for those who think Tomlin is a good game day coach.

Since 2007, when Tomlin took over as coach of the Steelers, Brady is 4-1 against Pittsburgh with 17 touchdown passes and zero interceptions. His passer rating in those starts is 127.9, and he's averaging 333 passing yards per game.

[mcmillenandwife]

Check out the stats.  They are eye opening and serve to prove Tomlin has no answer to Brady and Belicheat.  

'Scuse me, but other than Tom Coughlin/Eli Manning in Feb., could you please tell me who the f--- DOES have an answer for Brady/Belichick?    Maybe Denver? For whatever reason, Denver seems to have their number. But even they still can't muster a winning record against them (it's even at 9-9).

Admittedly, Mike Shanahan was a stud coach in his day... but by your logic, that doesn't really count because he inherited Elway from Dan Reeves and he had a healthy Terrell Davis in the backfield. So which of these genius Denver coaches do want in place of Tomlin:

Josh McDaniels
Eric Studesville
John Fox
Gary Kubiak (good coach, sad what happend to him)
Vance Joseph

I've gotta admit, Josh McDaniels did one damn fine "fist pump while running around the stadium" after beating New England. Perhaps Josh is your guy? 

So again, please tell me: Who DOES have an answer for Brady/Belichick? I'm dying to know?

[mcmillenandwife]

You are absolutely admitting Tomlin doesn't have what it takes to beat Belichick and New England ... 

Um... no. And stop trying to put words (or anything else) in my mouth. 

What I am saying is that so far, no one has cracked that code. So when you guys disparage Tomlin by holding up his record against Belichick as evidence, you may as well do it for every other coach in the NFL. Except Josh McDaniels, of course; he has a winning record vs. Brady/Belichick.  


Furthermore, what I am also saying (and have been saying) is that I believe the Steelers collectively have a fantastic shot this year at knocking the Patriots off their pedestal. Staying healthy is the key. Just like last year. And the primary reason (but not the only reason) that they beat us in the AFCC is that Bell went down.

Ultimately, Tomlin is and asset and not a problem IMO. Perhaps you'd prefer Josh McDaniels, but I wouldn't.

[mcmillenandwife]

Uh OK ... TJ Watt and JuJu are the answers to the big bad Belichick mystery ... and Tomlin somehow morphs into Chuck Noll for one season and preps his team to glory ... 

Tim, you're living in a virtual fantasyland ... It's Mike Tomlin's Neverland Ranch ... Just grab the BBQ tongs and play a little air hockey in the clubhouse ... you'll be a believer in no time ... 

I got a case of your favorite beer that says Tomlin will lose to Belichick this season ... Week 15 ... December 17th ... IN PITTSBURGH ... 4:25 PM ... Put your money where your mouth is ... Brady or NO BRADY ... Garoppolo would even beat a Tomlin coached Steelers team !!! ...

No need to be insulting in your attempts to be clever, Lake. Your "fantasty this" and "Neverland that" schtick is so anti-Bill Cowher 2004. 

TJ Watt and JuJu will probably each play a role, I suppose. But it's really about getting Martavis Bryant back and having a healthy Ben, Bell and Brown. If we get to meet the Patriots with our full arsenal, I really like our chances. We have an offense that is capable of outscoring them. If the defense cracks the top ten again (as it did last year), we will be formidable indeed. 

IMO, the Steelers overachieved a bit and got to the AFCC a year ahead of schedule last year. Kudos to Tomlin for helping make that happen. Anything short of a Super Bowl win this year will be a disappointment, for sure. 

But whether or not we beat Belichick/Brady in the regular season is far less of a concern to me than what happens in the post-season. I hope we win that game, of course, but they don't hand out silver footballs in December. It's all about the playoffs, and we're very fortunate to have a coach and team that are so damn good that it's pretty much a foregone conclusion that we'll see post-season action. 

This subject is getting boring. I'm sick of the Belichick worship. How 'bout we talk about something else?

[dbsfgyd1]

lake, the code has been is broken. The most recent example is what the Falcons did for three quarters. You score points and keep Brady on the bench. And if he is on the field, you bring defensive pressure up the A-B gaps with defensive linemen. What happened in the second half was Ryan had a major case of the yips, and got too cute, like trying to get plays off in hurry, often times with 19- 20 seconds left on the play clock. I read a report somewhere, if he had run the clock down to 5 seconds of the second half, he would have shaved off 2+ minutes off the game. As it was, he kept putting the defense back on the field, and eventually they folded, which is EXACTLY what we did in the 2nd quarter Foxboro.

[mcmillenandwife]

You guys are excuse making RAW-RAW Tomlin fans and couldn't critique the Steelers if they flopped around naked on a beach ... PATHETIC! ...

It's fine to disagree, Lake, but the constant insults at Dave and others are not gonna fly here. He probably doesn't care, but I do. I can't believe the way you're talking to a brother in arms. I "get" that you're passionate about this, but learn to debate in a semi-respectful way or go somewhere else.

[sandfan]

I think the Ravens have done pretty well vs the Pats when their defense was stout. Pressure up the middle via Ngata made it tough for Brady to comfortably stand there and pick out a receiver. Add in some decent pressure from OLBs and his day got tougher.

I think, when Ngata was on the squad, they were pretty even. Maybe Harbaugh developed a better mouse trap as well. Tomlin has been pretty much an abject failure against the Pats.

[dbsfgyd1]

I believe the Steelers collectively have a fantastic shot this year at knocking the Patriots off their pedestal.

I believe that too ... so there's no excuses in the end ... none! ... 

The Steelers get to host New England in Pittsburgh in December when the chips are on the table for earning home field advantage ... 

There should be no excuses this year for falling short with a team that is clearly off the charts in talent ... 

Lake,

As much as it pains me to agree with you , this year is our best shot at it for a long time.

[mcmillenandwife]

I think the Ravens have done pretty well vs the Pats when their defense was stout.  Pressure up the middle via Ngata made it tough for Brady to comfortably stand there and pick out a receiver. Add in some decent pressure from OLBs and his day got tougher.

I think, when Ngata was on the squad, they were pretty even.  Maybe Harbaugh developed a better mouse trap as well.  Tomlin has been pretty much an abject failure against the Pats.

The Belichick Patriots are 8-3 vs Baltimore, 9-3 vs Pittsburgh.

[mcmillenandwife]

Not to mention, not a single Steelers RB besides Bell touched the football the previous week in Kansas City ... 32 touches for Bell ... 18 for the REST of the Steelers offense ... Tomlin doesn't have a clue how to manage his players reps ... Bell had 31 touches the previous week against Miami ... is it any wonder why Bell had nothing in the tank for New England ???

Tomlin did what it took to beat the Chiefs IN K.C. and you give him shit for it? 

[mcmillenandwife]

That's it... a new banner for the message board is in order. 

[dbsfgyd1]

Here's your new Tomlin banner ...

Everytime you post stuff like this it, you're going to get this question:


If he is as bad as you say he is, please explain to the board why he is still employed? This is year 11. Don't you think that's enough time to do an evaluation? Please tell us why an almost BILLION DOLLAR enterprise would employ such a failure that doesn't have a clue?

[dbsfgyd1]

That is pretty funny, but my allegiance can be bought. Send some green my way and I might change my opinion......

[dbsfgyd1]

That is pretty funny, but my allegiance can be bought. Send some green my way and I might change my opinion......

  ... you're the very essence of Steelers dogma 

And yes, I'd gladly sit down with you over a cold beer any time ...

You betcha!!

[dbsfgyd1]

What they were not prepared for was the best tight end on the planet going down for 8 games ...

 
... said no New England Patriots fan ever !!! 

Uh, lets make this a fair comparison. How about you take out Gronk and Edleman then see what you got. Chain movers and deep threats=  Bell/Eddlman, Gronk/Green-Bryant.

 Keep bring the BS Lake. You keep posting somebody might actually believe it.

[dbsfgyd1]

Keep bring the BS Lake. You keep posting somebody might actually believe it.

Right back at you DB ... this was a direct response to your little slap at me in the Penguins Injuries thread ... I'm just playing YOUR game pal ...

And, you had no business pulling me into that Penguins discussion through your cheap attempt at ridicule ... I wasn't even part of that conversation ... I'm sure you'll get a free pass on that ...

Don't need no pass with you in the game., And you lost that hand.

[sandfan]

Warren failed his physical today and was released. It looks like, assuming the team knew Warren was ailing, this was a good move.