Don’t have a good feeling about this one.
But go Steelers!
*** Update ***
So just so we are clear, Ngata can punch a qb in the face and break his nose while tackling him and no flag is thrown, and Harrison can look at someone funny and get flagged and fined. Awesome rules.
Bret
Hope Big Ben doesn’t get hurt any worse. If he’s playing on a broken foot, he’s taking a crazy gamble, both with his own health and the game.
sherifffruitfly
Maybe it’s all psych-out gamesmanship, and Ben really isn’t hurt.
Yah…. I wouldn’t bet on that either. lol
asiangrrlMN
Go, Steelers–I guess.
J.W. Hamner
I thought they said was just an aggravation of an old injury, and not a broken foot?
I feel like this is a must win game for the Ravens, but not really for the Steelers. The Ravens have to be able to beat Big Ben at home if they want to do anything in the playoffs.
frosty
@J.W. Hamner: Agreed. Unfortunately, on any given Sunday the Ravens are capable of losing to any given team.
Cromagnon
Yeah go Steelers. The team that fires their best WR for smoking some weed, but keeps their serial rapist of a QB. At least they have their priorities straight
freelancer
Al Michaels is the latter day Leni Riefenstahl for the Baltimore Ravens.
Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle
I thought it was Stillers. ;-)
The Disgruntled Chemist
I don’t really like the Steelers all that much, but I’ve lived in Baltimore for 3 years now and I am so goddamn tired of Ravens fans.
I guess I’m rooting for a tornado or something.
sherifffruitfly
@Calvin Jones and the 13th Apostle:
Only when speaking Pittsburgh-ese. In ‘Murikan, it’s “Steelers”.
freelancer
@Cromagnon:
Wow, that takes some balls. Do you need a wheelbarrow to get around?
BruceFromOhio
@The Disgruntled Chemist:
I’ll settle for a meteorite, or Russian space junk.
MikeJ
I don’t dislike (american)football that much, just mild disinterest[1], but since people feel it necessary to shit on every (real) football thread:
“Wah! this is soooooooo boring! How could anybody watch this boring game?”
[1] Normally disinterest. If the football squadron of my metropolitan area is participating it tends to screw up traffic nearby. So I do care a little.
Mr Stagger Lee
As a Browns fan, picking a winner, well put it this way, as long as Art Modell is around, I’ll pick the Steelers. But then I have to De-Louse. But hey we beat the ‘Fins!
Bret
First hit, and he breaks his nose. He’s in for a bad night.
Morbo
Nice schnoz, Ben.
You Don't Say
I can’t look.
freelancer
Ugh, that was fucking gross.
ETA: STOP SHOWING IT!
John Cole
Such fucking bullshit. And Ngata won’t get fined despite punching him in the face.
Cacti
Man…
I’ve never seen a nose as crooked as Rapistberger’s.
J.W. Hamner
I wonder what kind of fine you get for breaking a quarterback’s nose?
Dan
on the plus side, Ben will now be able to smell the defenders coming around the corner
BruceFromOhio
@Mr Stagger Lee:
That was a good finish for Cleveland – stayed in control at the end, kicked it to close it up.
Barring orbital or tornadic intervention, it would be helpful to see these two beat the living snot out of each other so the Browns have a chance for spoiling someone’s wild card run. Tough defenses, high stakes, I expect a lot of sacking and a low score. If there was a way for them to both lose, that would ice it.
Come what may, there have been some excellent games this weekend – Auburn yesterday, Brownies, Dallas today, this one, and Pats-Jets tomorrow night. Let it snow, let it snow, etc.
auntie beak
man, i wish they would stop focusing on ben and his nose. it’s an ugly nose to begin with. don’t need a camera focused on it the whole game.
Mike The Dealer
Way to screw up the fake punt Ravens, man this looks like the first team to 17 will win.
Gravenstone
@John Cole: What, you’re expecting Goodell to walk onto the field and level a fine 30 seconds after a hit? Wait until tomorrow or Tuesday for the official judgment before you throw a tantrum. And as Harrison goes, how many times must the league repeat that patterns of behavior lead them to closer scrutiny and larger fines for any future transgressions?
freelancer
“Not a broken nose, but a bloody nose.”
Right.
Protip:
Non-broken Noses don’t look like this:
http://www.istockphoto.com/stock-photo-1077335-broken-nose.php
Just Some Fuckhead
I think this game is going to set a record for penalties.
Bnut
@freelancer: I’m the luckiest SOB ever, have broken my nose twice and it’s still only in the original shape: huge and Romanesque. That guy in the pic just has it rough.
J.W. Hamner
Comedy of errors by the Ravens right now. I’m not laughing though.
J.W. Hamner
Boldin is an absolute beast.
Chup
I kind of like the Stillers, but now I have to decide if Richard Seymour or Ngata is my favorite NFL player.
Decisions, decisions …
For the record, that looked less of a “punch to the face” of Rapistberger and more of a follow through. He’ll still get fined, though.
Just Some Fuckhead
Faceburger prolly tried to rape Ngata’s little sister or something.
You Don't Say
Hey, a new euphemism: false start.
Ray Lewis Killed a Guy
Never forget: Ray Lewis killed a guy.
Bret
@Ray Lewis Killed a Guy: So did Laura Bush.
Dennis SGMM
All I know about the NFL is that the Chargers managed to lose to the Raiders. Again.
burnspbesq
@Cromagnon:
Remind me again about when Roethlisberger was indicted, tried, and convicted.
Wait … what?
J.W. Hamner
You know, I get using the whole between quarters change to review the tape and see if you want to challenge… but throwing the flag right when we come back from commercial pretty much sucks from a fan’s perspective.
EDIT: Then you don’t even get it.
Ray Lewis Killed a Guy
@burnspbesq: Doesn’t matter really, it’s all about perception. See, e.g., Ray Lewis killed a guy.
Bret
Whoops.
Just Some Fuckhead
Roethlisberger is such a monster. Has there ever been a QB that big and powerful in the NFL? The defensive lineman look like children trying to take him down.
Mike The Dealer
@J.W. Hamner:
I almost think the networks set it up like that so they can get another batch of ads in during the challenge.
estamm
Just so we are clear, it is ok for Ben to fumble the ball into the end zone and have film show a Dolphin player recover the ball, but still have the ball awarded to the Steelers. Nothing like a born and raised in Pittsburgh official award a game to the Steelers! God I hate the Steelers. And yes, Ben is a miserable excuse for a human being, whether he has actually been convicted or not.
J.W. Hamner
Ravens WR’s sizing McFadden up for clown shoes.
The Dangerman
@freelancer:
Completely O/T, but this reminds me of a very early animation with an interesting history. Google “Everready Hardon”. If it isn’t obvious, it’s NSFW.
JohnR
WOOHOO!
Oh, and no complaining about the refs – everybody can see they’re flagrantly anti-Baltimore…
danimal
Big Ben is in his year of NFL purgatory as punishment for his sexual assualt fetish. Opposing players get to punch him in the face at will.
If I were Goodell, I’d make the punishment fit the crime. Just make him play without a protective cup.
Tim F.
If I close my eyes and wish really hard, maybe the Steelers O-line will all get better and we won’t lose both this game and our quarterback.
nnnnng.
JohnR
Oh, phooey. Well, it’s going to be a pretty good bash-up. Between the bitter cold (well, for rearly December, anyway..) and the wind off the bay, t’s almost as bad as Chicago tonight. A lot of messy play and dropped passes, I’m guessing. And being because both teams don’t like each other much, a fair amount of hard play.
pjcamp
It’s football.
Get over it.
mr. whipple
Ben break his foot chasing some drunk woman?
JohnR
Yay, Ray! He’s playing pretty good for an old guy.
BruceFromOhio
@mr. whipple:
Or running away from one.
ChrisZ
Obvious pick not called! This one non-call is all the evidence I need to determine that there is systematic referee bias in favor of the Steelers.
J.W. Hamner
What’s up with Mendenhall totally short arming that pass with Suggs gunning for him?
JohnR
Woohoo! Dirtbag Hines drops one! Hope he breaks both legs tonight, too.
JohnR
@ChrisZ:
nah, it’s just that Ravens get penalized for the sins of the early part of the decade. It’s been like that for years. Helps the team play harder, though, so it’s a mixed blessing.
Mike The Dealer
@danimal:
Players don’t use cups in the NFL generally, lots of bad things happen in those piles when guys are fighting for a fumble.
Tom Levenson
I don’t really have a dog in this hunt (my Pats already had their say on both the parties of the first part in this one ), so I’ll just kvell to the fact that my childhood team, the “just win baby” Raiders, managed to shut down that San Diego December talk pretty nicely.
I miss Kenny Stabler (and Belitnikoff’s nicotine habit, and glue-laden paws) and I’ll note that neither the Ravens nor the Steelers can really match the old Silver-and-Black’s rap sheet to say that was a team.
This new bunch if a fine group of young men and I wish them well, though long absence has made their fates less all-in-all.
J.W. Hamner
Can’t say I’ve been impressed with either of the Raven’s rookie TE’s in relief of an injured Heap.
gregw
@Tom Levenson:
The win for the use of “kvell”
Just Some Fuckhead
Oh geez. Miller took a vicious hit.
gregw
The steelers just used the Oregon Duck/Chip Kelley tactic of lining up so damn quick that the D is lost in getting to the line of scrimmage. We will see more of this in the NFL.
JohnR
Boy, that’s a relief. Thank goodness for the neck supports.
Jim
The NFL is really good at protecting QBs and WRs from blows to the head. (From James Harrison).
mr. whipple
@JohnR: Man, that was dirty. Thank dog he’s ok.
JohnR
@mr. whipple:
I don’t think it was dirty – more par for the course between these teams. They have to frisk the players for lead pipes and switchblades before they take the field.
You got to give Ben crrdiit – playing on a buggered foot and leaping around like Nijinsky
J.W. Hamner
@JohnR:
I’m a Ravens’ fan, but he led with his head and had plenty of time to pull up IMHO. It was a bad hit.
ChrisZ
When your best option for blocking Suggs is Hines Ward, you’re in trouble.
Mike The Dealer
Tomlin is the king of the gutless FG attempt on 4th and goal.
JohnR
@J.W. Hamner:
I caught myself going with the “yeah, but look what [] did!!!” defense, so yeah, I’ll concede the point. Technically legal, I suspect (no helmet contact), but a rough hit. Anyway, I’m glad it came out OK. I wouldn’t even want that to happen to Ward. Mostly.
@ChrisZ – they have nobody who can stop Suggs straight up, so they’re hoping that Ward can knee-cap him or otherwise stop him with his usual cheap shots.
J.W. Hamner
The Steelers def have the momentum here.
JohnR
@J.W. Hamner:
just like Lieberman.
YUp. Just like Lieberman
ChrisZ
@JohnR:
What!? Hines “So selfless he doesn’t mind blocking when the play calls for it” Ward is a dirty player!?
J.W. Hamner
@JohnR:
I didn’t believe that losing 95 years old Flozell Adams would be such a huge subtraction… but my goodness.
Still, the Ravens can’t get anything going either.
Just Some Fuckhead
@JohnR:
No, I am reliably informed that if you watch it in super slomo with yer eyes squinted from too much Wild Turkey, it’s clearly a helmet to helmet hit which means that James Harrison is innocent of every infraction into posterity.
JohnR
@ChrisZ:
Shoot, he’s actually proud that he’s a dirty player. Hard hits are fine; hits off the play or after the play, on unsuspecting players, are dirty play. No surprise that Ward was the far-and-away choice as dirtiest player in the NFL by NFL players.
Oh, well; time to chug the antacid and shift over to Cole’s other “He hate me!” thread.
honus
@JohnR: Farrior’s older
J.W. Hamner
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Doesn’t matter. Miller was defenseless…. in the middle of (not) catching the ball and McClain clearly launched. It was dirty and suspension/fine worthy in my view.
mr. whipple
Baltimore Modells in deep shit now.
J.W. Hamner
Crazy play to not get sacked by Big Ben. Grrrr.
Just Some Fuckhead
@J.W. Hamner: Yeah, that was my assessment as well. But you know Steelers fans.
mr. whipple
Wow.
honus
@Tom Levenson: The pats and the raiders? To teams that never won anything without bad calls and cheating.
J.W. Hamner
Unbelievable. Cole must be doing backflips.
Mike The Dealer
Redman with a beast of a run when the Steelers needed it, now the D needs to hold.
asiangrrlMN
I snoozed for most of the game. I did see Ben’s broken nose get shown over and over and over again, and the Stillers TD (and, more importantly, Troy Polamalu’s strip), so I didn’t miss anything important.
J.W. Hamner
Whew.
honus
Suggs just punched Roethlisberger in the head again, but it’s OK because Ben was accused of rape.
I’ve never been a big Roethlisberger fan, but he’s played a great game, and he’s been abused by the refs and the ravens tonight.
J.W. Hamner
Well there you go. Great win by the Steelers.
Don’t think the Ravens have it this year… defense too old, and offense not quite good enough. Maybe they can figure it out still, but I’m not confident.
JWL
Hats off. The criminal element of the NFL played doggone plucky tonight, Cole.
Mike The Dealer
@JWL:
The Ravens have a guy convicted of killing someone and another guy who was arrested in connection with two murders, Ben’s just an accused rapist.
JWL
@Mike The Dealer:
Mike The Dealer: Lest We Forget: Chuck Knoll was sued by George Atkinson (circa ’75) after Knoll referred to the Raiders as “a criminal element in the NFL”. The case actually went to trial during the season.
Knoll was found guilty, placed on 5 years probation, and fined $25 million dollars.
Or would have been, barring the jury’s verdict.
Jeff
@Cromagnon: To educate you, there was NO evidence of rape, just selfish women trying to make a buck! Check your facts before you make an uneducated statement!
JWL
@Jeff:
Get real, Jeff.
Two women, within a year’s time accused BB with essentially the same crime. He all but admitted his guilt. His father “finally has his son back”. One woman (at least) was paid off.
It could be booze, it could be ego. It doesn’t matter. He proved himself to be an asshole’s asshole.
That said, tonight he played tough against the Ravens.
“Where have you gone, Warren Welles, the NFL turns its lonely eyes to you”.
Lisa
Every Steelers game should feature Ben getting punched in the face. That is Teh Awesome.