Rooting for the Stillers, but I’m kind of resolved to a serious ass kicking by the Bengals. If the Steelers win, it will be because of some seriously crazy shit going down.
*** Update ***
I don’t understand that reversal challenge at all. Don’t get me wrong, there is no doubt that Cincy stripped the ball out of Paulson’s hands before he hit the ground. It was clearly a fumble. What I don’t understand is the rules. Paulson was ruled down by contact and a whistle was blown while the ball was still on the ground. How do you challenge that and then give the ball to Cincy who only gained possession after the whistle was blown. If he was down by contact and the whistle had blown before the Cincy recovery, how do you award a post whistle recovery?
Again, cosmically, the right thing happened- Cincy forced a fumble and got the recovery they deserved, but I don’t understand how it groks with the rules. Unless I just don’t understand them.
Corner Stone
I hope no one tries anything stupid in this thread. I will confront you if I need to.
Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader
Like Super Bowl XL?
Jerzy Russian
Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.
Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader
@Corner Stone: I will confront you faster than you can warn someone about an impending confrontation.
donnah
My husband is a Steelers fan, and I’m a Bengals fan. We don’t let the games come between us. ;-)
Throwin Stones
Let’s go Bungals!
MoeLarryAndJesus
James Harrison is going to pop someone’s head off tonight. This may be remembered as the Roethlisberger Pez Game.
raven
Lotsa Dawg’s in this one!
The Dangerman
I’ll take the Steelers and the points (don’t even know what the spread is, but whatever it is, I’m taking it).
Speaking of seriously crazy shit, how did Snowden and this Alexis dude get Security Clearances? Someone ain’t doing their jobs…
Just One More Canuck
who’s the anthem singer – that’s pretty bad
Corner Stone
@Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader: Let’s just find common ground on the fact that the Stillers suck.
I’d hate to have to confront you in this thread, but I will if I have to. I’ve been on the internets a time or two and know my way round your type.
Baud
When the Steelers and Bengals play, there are no winners.
Corner Stone
@Baud: Except for the Bengals, of course.
Baud
@Corner Stone:
End of the day, they’re still the Bengals.
Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader?
@Corner Stone: I won’t back down from this contretemps, friend. However, it appears to me that Andy Dalton is more in need of a confrontation than you at the moment. I guess it is your lucky day.
Corner Stone
@Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader?: Well then, as soon as you’re done slagging that haggish sack of bones eemom at your local fishkill establishment, hold forth!
But please, please, take a shower first.
Because when I confront you, which I will if I have to, I would hate for her stench to be anywhere near me.
Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader?
@Corner Stone: Hear now! Who I choose to confront and it what manner of establishment is my own business and none of yours, unless it is you I am confronting in this establishment! Now, don’t force me to become more forceful than that which can be conveyed through the use of one exclamation point, used sparingly – or else I will find it necessary to confront you.
raven
Get a room
raven
Get a room
JenJen
Who Dey beeyotches!!
kwAwk
The changed the rules in the last year or so to state that if a fumble happens but isn’t called on the field it can be challenged and the ruling on the field overturned if the refs can determine proper possession of the fumble.
Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader?
John, you’ve been a Steelers fan for over forty years and we’re supposed to believe you give a shit about the rules?
Just kidding! (Please don’t yell at me. I’m very vulnerable right now.)
Felonius Monk
@Corner Stone: @Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader: Why don’t you both confront this: T&B
Poopyman
I gotta say, the Stillers don’t look terribly interested in playing.
lackadaisical on both sides of the ball.
ursine
First time watching the Steelers this season and they look pretty bad. BR appears to have no touch on his passes and the whole team just appears listless. I had a bad experience with Cincy chili once, so I understand, but still…
Richard Mayhew
Where is this zone blocking scheme that I had read the Steelers were supposed to be implementing? I saw a pulling guard three times in the past two drives.
jl
@kwAwk:
” The changed the rules in the last year or so to state that if a fumble happens but isn’t called on the field it can be challenged and the ruling on the field overturned if the refs can determine proper possession of the fumble. ”
I can’t figure out what that is supposed to mean. What rules govern how refs can determine proper possession of the fumble. It wasn’t called in the first place?
Anonymous At Work
@jl: The general rule for replays that have been used is that the refs see who is around the ball and if the unambiguous result is that Team A would have recovered the fumble, then Team A is awarded the ball. In this situation, Team A is the Bengals.
nineone
@jl: Forget it, it’s Calvinball.
Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader?
Jesus, Rapistberger is such a fucking monster.
Nolan_Taintshucker
That tripping call was horseshit
kwAwk
@jl:
It has to be obvious. The ball pops out and somebody makes an obvious recovery.
Jewish Steel
It’s going to really hurt when Cutler carves up this Steeler defense next week.
nineone
Won’t somebody, anybody, give Jon Gruden a coaching job. Please. Just get him off the on-air staff at ESPN. Please. Thx.
max
If he was down by contact and the whistle had blown before the Cincy recovery, how do you award a post whistle recovery?
If he was stripped before he was down, and the ball was rolling around, and they blew the whistle and Cincy recovered, then they overturned the whistle (which is the down by contact). The ball would’ve gone dead after Cincy landed on the ball, not when they erroneously blew the whistle.
Steelers look OK, actually.
max
[‘Could be worse.’]
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
@raven: I also prefer that they get a room, but they really should include eemom for it to work out.
ranchandsyrup
Ken Wahl and James Woods discussing a Norman Podheretz WSJ column upon the recommendation of Jon Voight is as weird as it sounds.
So much fear and anger.
burnspbesq
@Corner Stone:
Your presence in this thread ensures an ample supply of stupid.
But since I love you in spite of your many faults, here’s video of Wladimir Balentien’s record-breaking 56th home run.
http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/eye-on-baseball/23661942/wladimir-balentien-hits-56th-and-57th-homer-to-set-new-record-in-japan
JR
No, I think you’ve got it right. The inadvertent whistle should still have killed the ball and ended the play with the fumbling team still in possession. Justice doesn’t play be the rules.
MattR
@burnspbesq: I am surprised they pitched to him. Good for Wladimir, a former prospect on my fantasy baseball team.
MattR
@JR: If the recovery is shortly after the whistle and the officials are confident that the whistle did not change who recovered it (ie. no one heard the whistle and stopped), they are now allowed to award the ball to the recovering team. I think it was implemented in response to the Den-SD game a few years ago where in the last minute of the game referee Ed Hochuli ruled that Cutler threw an incomplete pass when it should have been a fumble that bounced right to a SD player. Denver kept the ball and went on to score the winning touchdown.
burnspbesq
@MattR:
The People Who Overthink Everything are proclaiming that Japanese pitchers’ willingness to pitch to Balentien is evidence of some sort of evolution in race relations in Japan. I think it’s simpler than that: the overwhelming majority of current Central League pitchers are way too young to remember when Oh-San was an icon. To them, he’s just another old man.
James E. Powell
@MattR:
Exactly. It is called the “Hochuli Rule” and requires that a refs can determine a clear recovery.
More recently, the Steelers were beneficiaries of this rule when Ben Roethlisberger fumbled on a QB sneak at the goal line. He definitely fumbled before he got into the end zone, but there was no clear recovery, just the usual pile up, in the end zone. So, if I recall correctly, they gave the Steelers the ball at the spot of the fumble.
Me
The problem I have is the whistle blew and Paulson was right there to grab the ball, he could have easily reached out and taken it back before the Bengal player had done so. Paulson’s either a moron (quite possible), or, he heard the whistle and realizing whistles usually mean the play is dead believed it to be so. Then the refs convene, realize they called it dead too early, ignore the fact that Paulson didn’t try to recover because they had blown the whistle, talk about baking apple pies, decide to give it to Cincinnati. Anyway, who knows if it would have changed the game, still wasn’t the right call.
Paul in KY
If Mr. Paulson had immediately jumped on ball before Cinn. player (even after whistle sounded), then it still would have been ruled a fumble by replay, but Pittsburgh would have kept ball.
Paul in KY
@burnspbesq: The ball is also juiced, so I guess they just thought it was going to happen anyway so go ahead & pitch to him.
moderateindy
Players need to adjust to the new reality. Any time the ball appears to be loose, whether or not a whistle has been blown, you need to fall on it. The coaches need to drill this into their heads.
MDavis
@Just Some Fuckhead, Thought Leader: Leavy is still refereeing – he’s the one who confessed to bad call in SF GB game, week one. If I provides this much screw up could I have a guaranteed job also?
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/09/08/bill-leavy-admits-officials-messed-up-in-49ers-packers-game/