Week 16 Holiday Chattin’ Thread: Rams vs. Steelers

Posted on December 24, 2011 by ryan

Charlie Batch gets the start against the Rams and Kellen Clemens … and the spread is still 13.5. Whatever, I would like a stress-free Christmas Eve win, please.

Happy holidays, everybody. Hope all your dreams come true. (My dream: Browns win this week, Bengals win next week. I’M NOT ASKING FOR MUCH.)

Chat away…

Related posts:

  1. Chattin’ Thread for the Week of October 31
  2. Week 13: Bengals-Steelers Chattin’ Thread
  3. Bye Week Chattin’ Thread
  4. Chattin’ Thread for the Week of Aug. 22
  5. Chattin’ Thread for the Week of Nov. 7
This entry was posted in 2011 steelers. Bookmark the permalink.
  • EasyLikeSundayMorning

    I’ve never seen a punt returner stop a fake punt from succeeding. An amazing play from Antonio Brown.

    • Anonymous

      It was a remarkable play. But as far as “I’ve never seen” goes, it’s a pretty small sample size.

  • EasyLikeSundayMorning

    We almost got Christmas presents from the Dolphins and Browns. At least the Jets will lose, so the Bengals will have a playoff spot on the line against the Ravens next week.

    • Rob D

      Indeed..the Bengals need to man up ..for us…lol

      Dolphins played 1/2 of football..which is  1/4 more than they typically played this year. Huzzah for them!

      Batch played pretty darn good against that group of freshman collegians the Rams throw out there. Brutal football team. Charlie is definately learning a few tricks about escaping the rush from Ben..hilarious..and then he showed some beautiful touch on a few throws as well.

      Anway…we win and throw a shutout at them. Big downer when Legs went out though. It’s just never ending on the injury front this year and its probably why we won’t win it all. But I think we’ll try anyway…lol..

      • Anonymous

        If the Dolphins could do so well – and remember a couple of those Patriot touchdowns were on short fields after fumbles – maybe the resurgent Bills can do a bit better next week.

  • bleeding steel

    Ravens are going to lose to Cincy and we’re going to sneak right into 2nd seed.  Then the Ravens are going to come to our house ans we’re oing to take care of business

  • Anonymous

    If the Bengals win, the AFC North will have three QBs who led their teams to the playoffs as rookies.  Is there any other such active starting QB besides Matt Ryan?

    • Anonymous

      Also, if the Bengals win, the AFC North will have three teams in the playoffs. I think that’s happened only twice since the realignment.

      • Anonymous

        “since the realignment?”  All of ten years.

        • Anonymous

          Ah, but if it was random you’d expect it to happen 1.8 times! So yeah it’s common. Oh well, neat anyway.

    • EasyLikeSundayMorning

      I guess it depends how you define led, but Sanchez was in the playoffs as a rookie, too.

      • Anonymous

        In my own defense, he’s pretty forgettable.

        • Randy Steele

          A lot of Jets’ fans think so, too.

  • EasyLikeSundayMorning

    Troy, Ben, Maurkice, Mike Wallace and Antonio Brown (as a returner) made the Pro Bowl. Hopefully we’ll still be playing and none of them will be in Hawaii.

    • John S.

      A bit odd that only one starter made it from the #1 defense in the league (and #2 scoring defense).  This seemed like Ike’s best year, so it’s a bit of a bummer for him, but can understand how the others got left out.  Good for Ben, though.

      • Anonymous

        It seems a little odd, yeah. Ike and Troy deserved it (despite it being a down year for Polamalu), but the other big names on D have been out too much to make it. A good case could be made for Keisel as well, but a 3-4 DE isn’t getting in over the sack guys. The defense has excelled as a group effort, really.

        • Randy Steele

          I think the less publicity our guys get, the better. I like them playing (mixed metaphor alert!) off the radar with a chip on their shoulder. It may also make them a little less expensive when it’s time to renegotiate contracts.

  • Cols714

    Does anyone think the Ravens are going to beat the Bengals? I don’t see it happening.

    Of course I also think the Steelers are going to have a tough game against the Browns. They are playing better of late and would have beat the Ravens if not for some awful clock management and play calling at the end of both halves.

    Peyton Hillis scares me. It is so very odd to be a Steelers fan and to be more scared of teams’ running games than their passing games.

    When I think of the playoffs, the team I don’t want to play is the Ravens because of Ray Rice. The team I do want to play in NE. Weird weird year.

    • Anonymous

      I think the Ravens will beat the Bengals and the Steelers will beat the Browns. Neither game will be “easy” and both will be close.

    • EasyLikeSundayMorning

      According to FO, the Ravens have the second worst variance in the league. So I wouldn’t be surprised by any outcome in that game. The team with the worst variance is Buffalo. If the good Bills show up, Israel may be prescient on the Pats losing, too.

    • David

      Well, on paper the Raisins suck on the road, except for their SBs at Heinz.
      Also, the Bungels should be hungry.
      It all should add up to a Bungels win, but I agree with Intropy and think they’ll beat the Bungels, b/c the Bungels will live up to their name and make stupid plays and hand the Raisins a win.

  • Rob D

    Ike Taylor deserved a Pro Bowl berth. If he was an awful coverage guy but somehow managed 8 INT’s because Harrison and Woodley were gnawing the throwing arm off the opposing QB in mid throw..he’d get in. Listening to Peter King over the years and realizing how small his knowledge and even interest in defensive players not on NE, made me realize what a farce Pro Bowl balloting usually is.

    O well. Not the only thing that inspires outrage around NFL related subjects du jour. Just as an aside…Maurkice has had a sophomore slump type year and  he’s been hurt. How does that add up to Pro Bowl? Wait, he got in last year…lol..that’s enough for most voters.

    • Cols714

      I was totally surprised that Pouncey is in the Pro Bowl. He didn’t really have that great of a year.

      Why do I pay attention to this again?

      • Rob D

        I try not to pay it much attention either. Till so yo you throws it in my face that Ike can’t be that good..since he never made the Pro Bowl.

        It’s probably better for us when it comes to contract time but I can’t believe some of the players that get voted to the PB each year when you can see they don’t deserve it. Kemo is an alternate! I think we should all protest that one.

    • EasyLikeSundayMorning
    • Cols714

      See Devin McCourty last year…

  • EasyLikeSundayMorning

    Kemo is a third alternate at guard for the Pro Bowl, just as he is on the Steelers.

    • Cols714

      That is funny.

  • Anonymous

    Random thought: The Steelers will win any game in which they commit no turnovers. They don’t have to receive any. I just don’t see anybody beating them without getting a turnover. (caveats: Roesthlisberger is playing and at least moderately healthy and the Steelers don’t completely change their play style specifically to minimize turnovers).

    • EasyLikeSundayMorning

      Intropy, that does seem how our season has played out so far.

      In our 4 losses, we were -13 and lost by 55 points.  If you assume that those teams (BAL, HOU with Schaub, SF), were roughly our equal, then each turnover was worth about 4.25 points. 

      Turnover differential seemed to make a much bigger impact on our losses than our wins.  In our 11 wins, we were +2 and won by 149 points.  The only team we’ve beaten that I think is a peer, though, is NE; against them, we were -1 and won by 8.

      I’d be interested to know how much each turnover tends to be worth, all else being equal.  Is it around 4.25 points?  Does anyone know if FO or anyone has done an analysis of the relationship between turnover differential and point differential?  

  • Anonymous

    Broadcast maps are out. 
    http://the506.com/nflmaps/2011/wk17.html. No Steelers here in Seattle, which means broadcast blackout until I procure a recording. At least it’s a late game which means I can watch Jets-Dolphins and find myself in the unusual position of rooting for the Jets.

    • David

      Intropy, I didn’t know you’re in Seattle. I’m a fellow Pacific NW-er in Pullman.

      I’ll record the game. Let me know if you’d like a copy.

      • Anonymous

        Pullman’s over near Idaho, right? That’s the Pittsburgh diaspora for you. Thanks a bunch for the offer, but I can pretty reliably get a copy locally after a day or so.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_UR6KXGPFIFYZSVJNCXCJNHDQJQ Bob Costas

    Roethlisberger and Pouncy are probable, Woodley is doubtful.  I hope that Pouncy and Roethlisberger are close to fully recovered.