Let's lighten up; Make your predictions on this weekend's games

[Steel Maniac]

Hey guys, let's focus on who's in the playoffs and not our team's dysfunction for this thread. Who do you like in this weekend's games?

My winners are:

Colts
Chargers
Saints
Rams (very close game)

[K Train]

Hey guys, let's focus on who's in the playoffs and not our team's dysfunction for this thread. Who do you like in this weekend's games?

My winners are:

Colts
Chargers
Saints
Rams (very close game)

Chargers would be great but feels like a pipe dream

Colts are definitely dangerous and the chiefs have some demons in the playoffs. I really like the slate this week though, great matchups and storylines

[SteelerOfDeVille]

Hey guys, let's focus on who's in the playoffs and not our team's dysfunction for this thread. Who do you like in this weekend's games?

My winners are:

Colts
Chargers
Saints
Rams (very close game)
Colts v Chiefs, just dunno... But, i'm i on the other 3, with a Chargers v Rams SB

[Shawn]

Colts right now are the better team. Their O is headed up and KC hasn’t looked the same without Hunt. Colts pull this one off. Asking the chargers who have been amazing on the road this year to pull off yet another one against the Pats is too much to ask. Saints will kill the Eagles. And the only tough one to call really for me is the Dallas game. Rams go where Goff and that OL go. If the OL plays well the Rams win by 10. If they don’t it will be a long day for Goff and company

[flippy]

Colts
Chargers
Cowboys
Saints

[RuthlessBurgher]

All I know is that I will be rooting for the 2 L.A. teams this weekend, since I previously stated that I would be fine with any outcome that did not include Baltimore, New England, or Dallas (one down, two to go).

Other than that, I've already jumped, tucked, and rolled on these playoffs (I must specify that I mean this only emotionally, of course...in case anyone was concerned that I might actually fling my body out of a moving vehicle in response to football game results). Hahahahahahaha....

[Steel Maniac]

Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

[papillon]

KC
NE
NO
LAR

Pappy

[Buzz]

Colts
New England
Cowboys
Iggles

[The Man of Steel]

Home teams have traditionally dominated the divisional round so with that said:
Chiefs
Patriots
Rams
Saints

[Steel Maniac]

This year has a strange feel to me; normally I’d agree with Man of Steel but in the AFC, the divisional champs left have never been weaker defensively. Both the wildcard teams are better overall then the division winners. That’s why you know for sure a wildcard team is going to win at least one of those games in the AFC.

But I like both the wildcards in the AFC. And the league sees it too; that’s why their looking for another venue in Los Angeles if the Chargers and Colts win.

[Steel Maniac]

Here in LA, Cowboys fans are gobbling up tickets and paying astronomical prices. And Rams fans are selling their tickets to the Cowboy fans. On TV, Rams were talking about practicing a silent snap count because of their being more Cowboys fans in the stadium then Rams fans. Lol

[Djfan]

I predict that I won't watch, and will only get the results from social media.

[Buzz]

Home teams have traditionally dominated the divisional round so with that said:
Chargers
Patriots
Rams
Saints

Chargers are playing the Patriots, so you might want to revise your list. It's Colts vs. Chiefs in the other AFC game.

[steeler_fan_in_t.o.]

What I want:

Chargers
Saints
Rams
Colts/Chiefs don't care

What I think will happen? I won't waste time thinking about it.

[Ernie]

Colts
Chargers
Cowboys
Saints

x2............

[NJ-STEELER]

how did the colts make it this far with luck throwing 1 less INT then the season leader?

[Steel Maniac]

how did the colts make it this far with luck throwing 1 less INT then the season leader?

Because he also threw 39 TD's, second only to Mahommes.

[SteelBucks]

Take the Colts out of a dome and the results are not pretty.

[Captain Lemming]

I predict the Chiefs. And while the game has started, I don't know the score.

For all I know the Chiefs might have a 17 point lead or the Colts might be 3 scores down.

[NJ-STEELER]

Because he also threw 39 TD's, second only to Mahommes.


that was for the crowd that thinks it was the QB's INTs that left us out of the playoffs this year.

ben had 34 TDs and over 5100 yards as well.


I wonder if there's some KC fans calling mahomes - drama patrick - for limping around after a sack then turning on the jets for his rushing TD

[SteelBucks]

Colts offensive line is atrocious. I’d pick a stronger word if I could think of one. They’re that bad.

[Steel Maniac]

Colts offensive line hasn't played this bad all year. Surprising to say the least. I guess the outside weather really is having an effect. Dome teams.

[NorthCoast]

that was for the crowd that thinks it was the QB's INTs that left us out of the playoffs this year.

ben had 34 TDs and over 5100 yards as well.


I wonder if there's some KC fans calling mahomes - drama patrick - for limping around after a sack then turning on the jets for his rushing TDIt really wasn't the INTs per se, it was the turnover margin. 7 out of the top 10 teams in turnover margin were in the playoffs.... Steelers were woeful.
Roethlisberger is who he is at this point, his INT rate this season was actually below his career average. It's the defense that needs fixed. They need to figure out how to take the ball away in order to balance the INTs.

[Steel Maniac]

It really wasn't the INTs per se, it was the turnover margin. 7 out of the top 10 teams in turnover margin were in the playoffs.... Steelers were woeful.
Roethlisberger is who he is at this point, his INT rate this season was actually below his career average. It's the defense that needs fixed. They need to figure out how to take the ball away in order to balance the INTs.



Boom........

[Steel Maniac]

We had one good year in turnover ratio in recent times; other then that , defense has been bad in turnover ratio.

[Northern_Blitz]

This year has a strange feel to me; normally I’d agree with Man of Steel but in the AFC, the divisional champs left have never been weaker defensively. Both the wildcard teams are better overall then the division winners. That’s why you know for sure a wildcard team is going to win at least one of those games in the AFC.

But I like both the wildcards in the AFC. And the league sees it too; that’s why their looking for another venue in Los Angeles if the Chargers and Colts win.

I had the Chargers too. Looks like we're both wrong on that one.

[Ghost]

The Colts weren’t even competitive. Wow. And Rivers will now be 0-8 against Brady. Getting slaughtered.

Like to to see the Saints beat the Eagles later.

[NorthCoast]

Chargers and Colts were pretenders, that's pretty clear now.

[Northern_Blitz]

We had one good year in turnover ratio in recent times; other then that , defense has been bad in turnover ratio.

The O certainly did it's best to contribute to our terrible turnover ratio this year. The D was bad, but so was the O. Not a recipe for success.

[Northern_Blitz]

Chargers and Colts were pretenders, that's pretty clear now.

It's tough to play good teams on the road when they've had 2 weeks to prepare.

[NJ-STEELER]

It really wasn't the INTs per se, it was the turnover margin. 7 out of the top 10 teams in turnover margin were in the playoffs.... Steelers were woeful.
Roethlisberger is who he is at this point, his INT rate this season was actually below his career average. It's the defense that needs fixed. They need to figure out how to take the ball away in order to balance the INTs.


I agree, the defense definitely needs more turnovers and the offense had to tighten up with the turnovers. there were some inexcusable fumbles, grimble at the goal line/conner vs browns etc,
maybe not having the baby at WR crying for the ball will cut out a few INTs on balls being forced his way

[NJ-STEELER]

It's tough to play good teams on the road when they've had 2 weeks to prepare.

unless tomlin is the coach ;)

[Steel Maniac]

The O certainly did it's best to contribute to our terrible turnover ratio this year. The D was bad, but so was the O. Not a recipe for success.

The defense is the primary reason we were home for the holidays. 80% of the reason

[Steel Maniac]

The Colts weren’t even competitive. Wow. And Rivers will now be 0-8 against Brady. Getting slaughtered.

Like to to see the Saints beat the Eagles later.
Colts hadn’t played like that all year. Clearly folded. Anytime you don’t play like you’ve played all year then that’s a sign that the pressure gotten to you.

Colts O-line hadn’t played like that all year.

[Buzz]

Brady on track to win SB #6.

[Steel Maniac]

I wouldn’t go that far.

[Northern_Blitz]

The defense is the primary reason we were home for the holidays. 80% of the reason

The D is certainly not good. But that was the expectation going in.

I think we could have weathered the bad D without so many fumbles and if we had a league average FG kicking percentage.

But, it's hard to watch the AFC games this week and thing that we could have beaten the Chiefs or the Pats at home.

[Steel Maniac]

Blitz, it’s not hard for me because I know in reality we won’t be winning anything again with Coach cliche as our head coach.

[Northern_Blitz]

Blitz, it’s not hard for me because I know in reality we won’t be winning anything again with Coach cliche as our head coach.

Thanks, I was a bit unclear on your opinion of Tomlin :p :tt2.

The thing I'm not clear on is why 3 playoff wins in 8 years is bad for Tomlin, but OK for Ben. It seems like you're applying your reasoning differently there. And I'm not sure that makes sense to me since Ben probably has more impact on games than Tomlin does.

Ben hasn't been great in those playoff games. In the 8 playoff games in your 8 year time frame, Ben has 11 TDs (5 in the loss to the Jags) and 9 turnovers (8 ints, 1 lost fumble). And he's only had multiple TDs in 6 of those 8 games. The only playoff games we've won in that span are those where we had over 165 yards rushing. If you think Tomlin can't win in the playoffs, why do you think Ben can (without a stellar RB or D)?

I think that Ben and Tomlin are both good enough to win again. I think we should keep them both unless we decide to blow the whole thing up (which I don't want to do, but I think should be considered).

[Steel Maniac]

This Ben/Tomlin comparison isn’t a good one.

Ben is only responsible for his performance and the offense in general. And the offense hasn’t necessarily been the problem for the last 8 years. The defense has.

Tomlin is responsible and accountable for the entire team. But considering he came in as supposedly a secondary expert
, he hasn’t developed a legit secondary player since he’s been hired. With his resume, he’s supposed to have a decent secondary if nothing else.

[Ernie]

I know one thing... we need to extend joe haden

[Steel Maniac]

Do we have a choice? Lmfao!! No. Not with that hot garbage we have in the secondary.

[Eich]

I know one thing... we need to extend joe haden

I almost feel bad for Haden. He left the land of misfits to join a team with hope.

And now he finds himself on a team of misfits, when the team he left is the one with the hope.

How bizarre.

[Steel Maniac]

I almost feel bad for Haden. He left the land of misfits to join a team with hope.

And now he finds himself on a team of misfits, when the team he left is the one with the hope.

How bizarre.

Boom.......

[Northern_Blitz]

This Ben/Tomlin comparison isn’t a good one.

Ben is only responsible for his performance and the offense in general. And the offense hasn’t necessarily been the problem for the last 8 years. The defense has.

Tomlin is responsible and accountable for the entire team. But considering he came in as supposedly a secondary expert
, he hasn’t developed a legit secondary player since he’s been hired. With his resume, he’s supposed to have a decent secondary if nothing else.

Ben's play in the playoffs over your time frame hasn't been that good. And we've only won games when the running game was exceptional.

But I don't think it's reasonable to then say we should get rid of Ben. Ben shows us that he's much better than average (probably still on the border of elite) in the regular season even though his postseason performance hasn't been great in an arbitrarily chosen time frame. And the regular season gives us a better idea of how good someone is because the sample size is bigger and the impact of luck is smaller.

[Northern_Blitz]

I know one thing... we need to extend joe haden

Yep. And we need to find someone that can play CB on the other side of the field.

[Steel Maniac]

Ben's play in the playoffs over your time frame hasn't been that good. And we've only won games when the running game was exceptional.

But I don't think it's reasonable to then say we should get rid of Ben. Ben shows us that he's much better than average (probably still on the border of elite) in the regular season even though his postseason performance hasn't been great in an arbitrarily chosen time frame. And the regular season gives us a better idea of how good someone is because the sample size is bigger and the impact of luck is smaller.

It's not reasonable; Anybody who says that has to be real with themselves in that when Ben goes, we are not realistically competitive and most likely in rebuild mode.

[Northern_Blitz]

It's not reasonable; Anybody who says that has to be real with themselves in that when Ben goes, we are not realistically competitive and most likely in rebuild mode.

I agree it's not reasonable. But, I don't see much daylight between it and the fire Tomlin arguments.

I think when you (rightfully, I think) point out that it's going to be bad when Ben leaves, you're making the argument that Tomlin isn't as important as Ben. I agree with this and think the HC is easier to replace than QB.

But if Tomlin isn't as important as Ben, why would Tomlin have more responsibility for the losses than Ben does?

That's why I don't understand the argument.

[Steel Maniac]

Because again, Ben is only accoutable for the offense. Period.

Tomlin is accountable for the offense, defense , special teams. But especially the defense which is suppose to be his specialty. A defense he can't get right in the last 8 years. The offense has basically been there the last 8 years; the defense? No.

Ben is only accountable for the offense.

And the head coach IS important; but a good head coach is much easier to find then a legit QB. There are only 15 guys on the planet right now who can actually play the QB position. The other guys are faking and shaking. Like the Tennehill's of the league.

[RuthlessBurgher]

There are only 15 guys on the planet right now who can actually play the QB position.

On the other hand, how many legit NFL head coaches are currently on the planet? Teams keep trying to find the next great one, but a half-dozen or so of these up-and-coming promising coaching prospects get canned every year, it seems.

[Steel Maniac]

On the other hand, how many legit NFL head coaches are currently on the planet? Teams keep trying to find the next great one, but a half-dozen or so of these up-and-coming promising coaching prospects get canned every year, it seems.

Right off the top of my head, McVay and Nagy where found last year. At some point, you've got to trust Colbert to do his due diligence just like those two teams did to find the right guy. Tomlin isn't it; whatever little magic he had has left. Been gone for years now.

[Steel Maniac]

Also, quite a few of our assistant coaches leave something to be desired as well.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Right off the top of my head, McVay and Nagy where found last year. At some point, you've got to trust Colbert to do his due diligence just like those two teams did to find the right guy. Tomlin isn't it; whatever little magic he had has left. Been gone for years now.

Okay, that's two legit NFL head coaches you named. Any more?

You already said that there 15 guys on the planet right now who can actually play the QB position.

Are there more legit NFL QB's on the planet or more legit NFL head coaches? Just wondering...

[Northern_Blitz]

Okay, that's two legit NFL head coaches you named. Any more?

You already said that there 15 guys on the planet right now who can actually play the QB position.

Are there more legit NFL QB's on the planet or more legit NFL head coaches? Just wondering...

FWIW, my guess is that there are more legit HCs than QBs (but most people who try both jobs don't do all that well).

[Steel Maniac]

Okay, that's two legit NFL head coaches you named. Any more?

You already said that there 15 guys on the planet right now who can actually play the QB position.

Are there more legit NFL QB's on the planet or more legit NFL head coaches? Just wondering...

It's about what's easier to find isn't it? Because you can't be a legitimate contender in the NFL without a legit QB 90% of the time.

So it's the QB that there is less of. But right now, we have a legit QB for a couple more years at least.

[RuthlessBurgher]

The QB's are harder to find, because, except for some rare exceptions, you tend to require elite draft capital to obtain a top notch QB (and many QB's drafted very high bust anyway).

But in terms of raw numbers, I'd say that the number of legit NFL QB's and legit NFL coaches tends to be pretty darn close to even.

[Steel Maniac]

The QB's are harder to find, because, except for some rare exceptions, you tend to require elite draft capital to obtain a top notch QB (and many QB's drafted very high bust anyway).

But in terms of raw numbers, I'd say that the number of legit NFL QB's and legit NFL coaches tends to be pretty darn close to even.

I don't agree with that but I do understand why you think that.

[flippy]

The QB's are harder to find, because, except for some rare exceptions, you tend to require elite draft capital to obtain a top notch QB (and many QB's drafted very high bust anyway).

But in terms of raw numbers, I'd say that the number of legit NFL QB's and legit NFL coaches tends to be pretty darn close to even.

Interesting question/discussion, but I'd say there's a lot more HCs and it's the physical talent pool. How many people in the world are over 6'3", have an NFL player body, and can throw a football 60-70 yards in the air vs How many people are there in the world that would be capable of learning the rules of football, studying the game, learning management skills, and becoming a coach.

The problem when judging the coaches is so few find their Tom Brady. Put Tom Brady on a team where you think they have a mediocre coach, and I bet that mediocre coach looks great overnight.

[Northern_Blitz]

In the past I would have said that HCs have longer careers than QBs, but the current vet franchise QBs seem to have a lot of longevity

[NorthCoast]

Right off the top of my head, McVay and Nagy where found last year. At some point, you've got to trust Colbert to do his due diligence just like those two teams did to find the right guy. Tomlin isn't it; whatever little magic he had has left. Been gone for years now.

"you've got to trust Colbert to do his due diligence.." so Maniac, you trust Colbert to find the next right guy, but you don't trust his decision to keep Tomlin as a HC??.... interesting selectivity....

[Northern_Blitz]

Because again, Ben is only accoutable for the offense. Period.

Tomlin is accountable for the offense, defense , special teams. But especially the defense which is suppose to be his specialty. A defense he can't get right in the last 8 years. The offense has basically been there the last 8 years; the defense? No.

Ben is only accountable for the offense.

And the head coach IS important; but a good head coach is much easier to find then a legit QB. There are only 15 guys on the planet right now who can actually play the QB position. The other guys are faking and shaking. Like the Tennehill's of the league.

So it doesn't concern you that Ben hasn't won a playoff game without the O getting carried by an awesome running performance (over 165 yards) in your 8 year period?

[Sword]

unless tomlin is the coach ;)

i was going to say the same thing....:D

[Northern_Blitz]

i was going to say the same thing....:D

I get it and it's actually funny. But, let's look at the data.

Tomlin is 2-1 (0.667) after a bye in the playoffs. On a 3 game sample, that's not much different than 21-7 (0.750) home team record in the divisional round since 2011 (source:
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/nfl-playoff-picks-which-home-teams-struggle-in-divisional-round-teaser-of-the-week-and-more-tips/)

And I think losing the best defender on the team after the trade deadline was a big part of that loss. If we had an average defender at ILB instead of a guy off the street, I think we win that game. With Shazier, I think there's no question it's a win.

[Captain Lemming]

I almost feel bad for Haden. He left the land of misfits to join a team with hope.

And now he finds himself on a team of misfits, when the team he left is the one with the hope.

How bizarre.

I say we CUT HADEN!!!!! He brings out the "misfit" in people wherever he goes.:)

[Steel Maniac]

So it doesn't concern you that Ben hasn't won a playoff game without the O getting carried by an awesome running performance (over 165 yards) in your 8 year period?

Blitz, you do remember that it was the defense that fell apart against the Cardinals and that it was Ben who drove us down and threw an impossible pass to the corner of the endzone over 3 defenders to win our last super bowl right?

Blitz, you are aware of our history of how we win in the playoffs right? We've always done it with the defense leading the way. And there is nothing wrong with that.

You are enamoured with what you see from the Chiefs, Rams and Saints but the truth of the matter is we've had a high scoring offense for a while now and it hasn't worked for us. Why? Because our defense wasn't good enough.

[Northern_Blitz]

Blitz, you do remember that it was the defense that fell apart against the Cardinals and that it was Ben who drove us down and threw an impossible pass to the corner of the endzone over 3 defenders to win our last super bowl right?

Blitz, you are aware of our history of how we win in the playoffs right? We've always done it with the defense leading the way. And there is nothing wrong with that.

You are enamoured with what you see from the Chiefs, Rams and Saints but the truth of the matter is we've had a high scoring offense for a while now and it hasn't worked for us. Why? Because our defense wasn't good enough.

I am aware of our playoff history. I also think that playoff performance outside of your arbitrary 8 year timeline is important. But you don't...for Tomlin at least. I don't get why you still give Ben credit for older playoff victories (under the coach that let our QB throw the ball in the SB) when you're not interested in team success that far in the past.

Why do Ben's older successes matter to you, when Tomlin's don't? I don't see how that's logically consistent.

If you argue that we win in the playoffs with running and D, why don't you think we should trade a QB who hasn't won in your "important playoff timeline" without being carried by the running game? Wouldn't the best way to improve the D and the running game be to free up cap space by changing QBs? Especially since your arguing that running and D wins championships? I don't believe this myself, but if I try to look at it from the perspective you use to judge Tomlin, this seems like the logical way forward.

I'm not enamored with any of the teams left. I think it's interesting that they are the top 4 scoring teams in the league and all of them have average Ds. I think that means that the league might be having some success in making offense more important than defense. Our D is about the same in points and yards as the Pats and the Saints. Our scoring was close too. But our turnovers sucked and so did our kicking (but you said those things weren't the reason we were bad).

I still like Ben and think he can win the SB (with or without Tomlin as his HC). But, the arguments you use against Tomlin can all be turned back on Ben. And in this case, you start some of the arguments I use when defending Tomlin (older playoff history). I think that's a legit defense for both Ben and Tomlin. You seem to only think it can be used to defend the QB.

I don't get why you apply the importance of the last 8 years differently in both cases.

The whole point of me bringing these things up is that I don't understand how you think one is the worst ever (Tomlin) and one is great (Ben). I don't know how to separate the performance of the two, but I think they're both still good enough to win.

[Steel Maniac]

Blitz, if you can’t tell the difference of the responsibilities of the coach from the responsibilities of the qb, then I don’t know what to tell you.

But this organization stopped being able to draft secondary players after Cowhers players & coaches left. That is not part of Ben’s responsibilities.

[Northern_Blitz]

Blitz, if you can’t tell the difference of the responsibilities of the coach from the responsibilities of the qb, then I don’t know what to tell you.

But this organization stopped being able to draft secondary players after Cowhers players & coaches left. That is not part of Ben’s responsibilities.

It's obvious that they have different responsibilities. But, the question was about why you think 8 years is the right timeline for Tomlin but not Ben?

It's cool if you don't want to answer my question. We all have to manage our cognitive dissonance somehow. :p