These are my play by play reactions to the recent Steelers-Ravens Game. They are waay to long to be well read by anyone, but if you have a while to kill, take a look. Yes, I completely stole the idea from Bill Simmons.
Ravens- Steelers Running Diary
8:25pm Myself and Housemate Adam in the old palace living room, He’s a ravens fan, but I can forgive him, provided the ravens win. Game time in 5
8:27 Along with Adam, we are joined by Non-football fan Harsh, who by several accounts was once convinced last years Super Bowl was cancelled. His Football analysis will be necessary for this game. Also joining in is Russell, a friend of Adam’s, and Daud. I don’t really know who Daud was originally friends with in this house, but he is here all the time now, so I guess he is all of ours ‘acquaintance.’
15:00 left in the first quarter: Ravens start with the ball and Flacco overthrows Todd Heap, who is in his own right a Legend of hurting the Steelers in big moments. Heap is hurt, he’s hurt! Great start for Pittsburgh.
14:44 1st quarter- Flacco looks shaken so far, he has missed two passes, second one was probablymroe of a throw away
SACK by Ziggy hood, I like it, coverage sack, Pittsburgh d-backs playing well. For now.
14:16 Steelers start with good position, and it’s the….. pistol formation? Ive seen this work in college, I guess… big bens not even getting under center at this point with his foot
1324 Redman converts a third and eight, great pump fake by Ben, but Redman is hurt. Yep, its Steelers-Ravens alright.
Next throw, Ben overthrows Heath Miller badly, then a run in the middle for nothing, then Ben goes down hard.
Ben gets a broken nose, oh that’s just awesome. (actually it led to the funniest picture in recent football memory, see the sidebar).
Next five minutes involve Adam and his buddy Russell arguing who is the dirtier player: Suggs or ray Lewis? I’ve got Lewis. Lewis killed people. (Note: as the night goes on, Suggs kills Ben several times, but Omar Epps calls his buddy House and saves him, oh crap that’s Mike Tomlin. We are screwed.)
Ravens offense is stalling, this is just a big defensive game, third and nine and WOW that sucked, Ravens rookie tight end has literally blocks of stone for hands. Not top ten this Friday, you heard it here first.
FAKE PUNT! Ehh…no it’s a false start! What? This is one of the worst games of football I’ve watched in a while. Never mind, I just had flashbacks of Stevie Johnson dropping the ball last week. Steelers putting Ben back in….
10:30 left in first quarter, Mendenhall decent run, I always like him, still no chance for a big night tonight, if he gets above fifty it is phenomenal.
Big Ben just misses Wallace on second down, third down and FIRE BRUCE ARIANS! Hot read was simply abysmal. Miller was wide open for five and catch an run on the blitz by the ravens. The Hot read went for about 4. Miserable.
Old Faithful now joins us, a fellow Frisbee and Pittsburgh fanatic combo, like my own awesome self. Russell and Faithful want a go for it on fourth and one. I like the punt here, it’s a tough fight, and field position will be hard to come by.
8:24 in the First, Ravens drive; Rush game going nowhere for either team, but in better news (for me) Heap is probably out of the game. Ryan Clark gets burned on third down and McFadden forgets how to tackle, tried to body slam him instead of tackle him. Fundamental tackling kids! 61 yard gain. Followed by a four yard rush and then first down to the tight end.
5:00 In the First : On First down, Housh for about two. Second down, Steelers get to Flacco, and get a hold, ten yards back. Housh again for a good gain. Flacco is carving up the Steelers at this point. Mcgahee dances for a little bit but gets a half yard. Might hold them here……crap.
Touchdown Ravens! Flacco gets about ten years behind the pocket and finds Boldin wide open. McFadden gets caught looking at the thrower, bad mistake in football. Miserable coverage now for Stiller’s d-backs.
Fight on the extra point!
Ravens dude false starts straight into Harrison. Harrison is gonna get fined for that. Dude ran into him and he held him down. Definitely a 300,000 dollar fine. Faithful concurs.
1:59 in the first, Steelers need a drive here. Medenhall for a good run on first down, Ben finally under center.
Big Ben should have been sacked, but just flips it to Moore who gets a good spot for the first.
Challenge on ball spot by ravens, call upheld, then incompletion, sack, run for 12 yards by Redman, but not enough, punt coverage is awful, returned for about 40 yards. Game is just not going well for Pittsburgh. And the Punter is down! Sepulveda is hurt,I guess Suisham is now a punter?
1300 min in second quarter, incomplete, good coverage by McFadden, then Flacco overthrows again. Then short to Mason, and he gets up slow, but he will probably be back. Three and out. Ravens mess up the coverage and let it fall back to the endzone.
Steelers Drive: Big Ben is starting to get in a rhythm, two completions now. Big Ben throws it away on first down inside ravens territory, and…….Roethlisberger throws it to the ravens deep! Ravens first down from their own two. Awesome. I would quote Russell here, but then I remember my Mom might read this….Looking out for you mom!
9:52 ravens with the ball on their two. Flacco rushes for two. McGahee for nothing. Third and long back on the Ravens five…. And I’ve seen this before! The Steelers leave Stallworth wide open, same scenario as last time. Pinned on third down, and a giant 60 yard gain. McFadden decided to cover the receiver already in double coverage as opposed to his man. Guess Willie Gay is teaching him the new Steelers coverages for cornerbacks not named Ike Taylor.
McFadden makes a tackle for once. Flacco is just outplaying Big Ben at this point. False start then run for nothing. Steelers d holding on first and second but in this game they normally fail on third. Holy crap! Sack by Ike Taylor, we are gonna force the punt, dodged a bullet there. Watch and learn from Taylor, McFadden
Randle El fields it inside the 15. C’mon Steelers. Just showed Big Bens nose again, paused. Best picture in football this weekend. Ben gets Wallace for a good gain and a first, then another completion to Sanders. Now Mendenhall goes for a good gain. This is looking like a drive. Mendenhall intentionally doesn’t catch to avoid getting killed by Suggs. Two minutes had to go for it on fourth down, and boom, David Johnson for the first.
AAAAAAAAA! By me and Russell and the same time. Ben almost throws a pick. Another incompletion….
Third down. Ward gets hit in the chest. Drops it. STOP SMILING. Kick downed inside the five. Then there is holding on the punt. Oh boy. Ravens are just running out the clock at this point. Seven-nil for the first half. Pittsburgh offense are basically shooting themselves in the leg a la Plaxico Burress (plug for Giants fans-look NFC, this is a real conference!)
Big drive needed here. Second half here we go. It starts with a touchback. More pistol formation to Mendenhall, then a first down past to Mendenhall. Next play, big ben gets all kinds of time and he gets Ward, who catches it this time. Quick screen to Wallace for 23 yards, who just outruns everyone. Hurt his yards per catch average with that one.
Suggs singlehandedly breaks up the next run. At this point he is by far a better LB than Lewis, just doesn’t have the same emotional leadership. Then a bad pass on third down, 45 yard field goal try, then a timeout by the Steelers. Not sure what Omar Epps was thinking there. Suisham nails it.
Steelers get lucky on what should have been pass interference, but McGahee breaks a ten yard run. First big run allowed either side tonight. Flacco throws one away while being hit, then misses another receiver on second down. Then McFadden gets burned again. McFadden needs a derogatory nickname, someone post a suggestion, if they read this far.
Short run, then Flacco squeezes one in for a first down. Another short run, then refs just simply ignore a blatant hold (hat thrown at the referee here)…..and calls a more blatant illegal contact on Ike Taylor. Harsh, the non-football inclined housemate remarks, “If this were in Pittsburgh there would have been a riot.” First and goal, incompletion, incompletion, Flacco pressured…incompletion. Field goal. 10-3.
Kickoff destroyed by Billy Cundiff. He has just dominated the crap out of kickoffs this game. Heath Miller for 9, now hurry up offense for Pit. Mendenhall dances for negative yardage, not the best play, he missed his hole. Third down, shotgun, FUMBLE!
Kemeouatu picks it up and runs with it. Highlight of the run game tonight. Never mind, its defensive holding call. Rookie on the Ravens, thank you! Short pass to Mendenhall turns into a nine yard gain. Mendenhall hits his hole this time, first down. Big Ben has improved his mobility as the game wears on. Sanders for eight, he is turning into an everyday player now, not just on returns. Sorry Randle El, but your only good for throwing. Mendenhall stuffed on first down, big hit by Ray Lewis. Steelers go for it on fourth, but wait, NEUTRAL ZONE! Suck it Ravens. (Courtesy of Ian Hall who has been walking in and out of the Palace, but now joins us for good).
Dumb penalties by the Ravens are keeping the Steelers are in this one. Miller gets lit up. That’s an instant foul for the Steelers. I’m not too happy about it. Ask Faithful for a summary of what profanity was uttered over the course of this game from me. Replay. Harrison knows if it was him, he’d have to retire for too many fines. Screen goes for big yards. False start on Foster….run for no gain and Flozell Adams is down.
Third and eleven, classic Ben, flushed out of the pocket, dodges a d back, throws a dart for a twenty yard game. Love it. Wait, I retract it, you are a rapist! Rapist!
Sanders again, should have gotten up and gone in the end zone but some scrub on the Steelers came over and tackled him. Oh boy Steelers, memories of Burress again (two references to Burress in one game is never a good sign). Suggs buries Redman on first and goal. Mendenhall buried on second and goal. Short pass to Wallace and he gets stuffed. That is not good play calling in the red zone. Suisham from nineteen yards and just squeaks it in, 1.000 field goal percentage as a Steeler. 10-6.
Fourth Quarter 12:46 left in the game. And it’s an off sides on the kick. YAY PITTSBURGH!
First Play of the drive: Woodley tackles a lateral about 8 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Faithful: “that’s actually bad news for the Steelers because Flacco now has to throw it deep.”
Short pass to Rice for about 15. Third and 8. My math is off somewhere on that series. Steelers force a bad throw, fourth down. Big kick, and its Steelers. All Steelers fans in the palace are now inevitably waiting for a turnover.
Short run, then Mendenhall drops it. First down to Wallace, but the call is illegal formation for ssix men on the line…replay shows…..four men on the line? I’m a little confused. Roethlisberger throws it away on third and long. Punt! Suisham has to punt now, because Sepulveda is out.
Ravens get great field position. Short run, followed by another short run. “Hey wasn’t that six men on the line?”- about four housemates. Can someone clear up this rule for me?
Third down: Timmons runs straight by Flacco. Flacco throws it straight into the D-line, batted down. Ray Rice has done a phenomenal job of blocking in the Pocket, nicked Timmons on that, great play.
Steelers ball. Eight yard pass on first down. Ben hits Wallace for a catch and run for about 20 yards. His yards per catch average is just plummeting this game. Mendenhall for a short run. Big Ben now sacked, gotta throw the ball. Third and ten. Short pass to the tight end. Fourth down. Punt rolls, and a steeler runs out of bounds, illegal formation, five yard penalty. Re-punt.
Only 443 left in the fame, you should probably go for it there. Run for no gain. Clock ticking, ticking…..shotgun on second, and its pass interference on McFadden. (insert profanity here) Game summery reads on espn.com: McFadden fired. Run for four…
HIT BY POLAMALU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Flacco fumbles, Woodley picks it up and Steelers have it inside the ten! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
First down, Big Ben should have been sacked, must have been sacked. Just pulls away from Terrell Suggs and just kinda tosses the ball toward the ground.
Another faithful quote: “Ben is just allowed to rape chicks after that play.” Ouch. I do not agree, nor does actually faithful, but it was funny in an inappropriate way at the moment. Throw away on second down. Third down…..
RED ZONE REDMAN! Catches a short pass and just wills himself into the endzone, sheds two tacklers, shades of the bus.
Daud: “flag! Steelers are not allowed to score!” Calling was not that bad in retrospect, but hey, my housemates were making comments with no encouraging from me. I swear!
Sanders with a great tackle on the ensuing kickoff.
2:50: Final drive, here it is. If Flacco is for real he proves it here. Sacked by Farrior on first down. Rice misses his first block. He has played a great game, but that was big. WILLIE GAY! Clutch time for him, time to get burned and its by Boldin. 3rd and 2. Housh drops it. Great tackle by Farrior. He wants this. Fourth and two. Gay burned again by Boldin. Why is Gay on Boldin? Old Faithful: “Gay is sticking all his normal failures into these last two minutes.”
2 minute warning. LETS GOOOOOOOO! Flacco hits Boldin again, this time covered by Ryan Clark. Great step up by Flacco. He is playing well this drive, not looking too good. Flag on McFadden. Automatic first, horrible penalty. Stupid penalty, cant take that, although Tomlin claims it was uncatcahable….Eh, I think it was the right call.
Flacco hit in the chest on First Down and it drifts, McFadden almost got the pick to save his night, now Clark lands on him and McFadden is off the field. Check down to rice on second down, third and five. Short pass, Flacco misses his wide open tight end, so he has to make a diving catch, and he gets tackled short inbounds. Fourth and two. Ravens go for it. This is the game….
Flacco entirely misses his tight end on fourth and two. YESSSSSSSSSSSS. Let’s go Steelers!
Not a good throw. Officials did miss a defensive holding, but that doesn’t really matter too much, doesn’t affect the play.
Pittsburgh picks up a big win. Officials not up to this game. The Miller hit has to get reviewed by the league, I am sure. Overall, a must win for the Steelers, who now have the inside track to the number two seed. Should shape up to a good last couple games, and I feel like the teams will see each other again later on. Special thanks to Old Faithful for various quotes. Made my game. Don’t forget: demeaning nickname for McFadden, go, comment now.
