World Forums

Pitt/NE

I agree with you Casati, but those weather conditions in NE slowed Manning down considerably....I still think the Pats are a better COMPLETE team, and the QB pedigree isn't even a comparison between Roth' and Brady.

This game IS the Superbowl imo.

dezzi

That's precisely what I told my buddies yesterday: the Pats are a more complete team and will advance to the Super Bowl. Even though the Colt defense did improve from last season, it still ain't all that or at least good enough to win a Super Bowl.

I also have a bet with one of my buddies: a case a beer to me should Rothlisberger throw an INT and 2 cases to him should the Steelers win the game. Steelers ain't winning a thing.

But even w/o the snow and the cold temps the Pats were winning yesterday. If the weather was sunny and 60 degrees the Pats were still winning. Now if the game was in Indianapolis I wouldn't have been so convinced of a Patriot win.

Casati--The Colts didn't lose yesterday because of Manning. They lost because they are Pansies...and they can't match up to the physical football the Pats play. The Colts receivers looked like amateurs out there in the snow. And, the Colts O-line and D-line were worn out by the end of the game. The Colts needed to run the ball more and wear down the Patsies....instead they ignored James for much of the game and played right into Belicheck's hands. That won't happen this Sunday.

Frankly, I'm stunned that everyone is picking the Pats to just easily go into Pittsburgh and win. One bad game vs. the Jets doesn't erase 16 wins this year. You don't win that by accident. If we are more physical than the Patsies on Sunday night, we are going to the Superbowl. There is a reason this game is being played in Heinz Field, and that's because the Steelers killed the Pats on Halloween.

Roethlisberger is not the same QB Brady is at this point in his career, but he's still damn good. Even when he's playing sh*tty he still makes plays (ie. the tying touchdown drive and the OT drive). We have the #1 defense in the NFL and Duce is looking healthy again, so he and Bettis will pound the ball.

I'm happy no one is giving the Steelers any credit. Everyone in the media is sucking Belicheck's d*ck. To make matters worse, the Pats are favored in our stadium after we have won 15 games in a row. The Steelers are going to come out like madmen on Sunday night and there is going to be a lot of blood on the field.

I feel very good about our chances.

Piero

It's gonna be a dogfight, but what the Patriots showed me yesterday coupled with the BIG GAME QB in Brady convinces me they'll advance. The Pats are going to do the same thing to the Steelers that the Jets did:

Focus on Betis and containing the run game - force the rookie QB to beat you....and the Pats will do it better than the Jets did because of they can actually get to the QB as well as having a better secondary.


They also have the best kicker in the game, and you know it's gonna come down to that.

Steelers are going to be a different team this weekend, and a better one. It'll be close right to the end.

Cower had better not get conservative....they really have to take their shots or that Patriot defense will stuff them.

Lotta pressure on the rookie....this isn't a game where he just needs to keep the machine rolling...he needs to make plays.

DIFFERNT TOPIC-

I don't know about you guys, but I've been seeing some awfully SOFT Pass Interference calls this weekend....what think?

Dezzi--I definitely think the Pats have a chance to win Sunday. What bothers me is how everyone jumped on their bandwagon after the Colts game--just like everyone jumped on the Colts bandwagon after the Jets game.

I can't watch TV or listen to radio without hearing about Belicheck the God.

Belicheck can scheme all he wants, but football comes down to the line of scrimmage. Schemes don't work when your defensive line is getting pushed backwards. Last time these teams met, the Steelers had 223 yrds rushing. They blew the Pats off the ball. If they do that again, they'll be fine.

Pass Interference---You're absolutely right. There have been a ton of soft penalties in these playoffs. The Eagles got two gifts alone yesterday.

Well, for what it's worth I hope Cower gets his SuperBowl ring...I just think the Pats are crossing the Rubicon of "Dynasty".

If so, that would suck for Cower. He was also beaten by Aikman, Irving, Emmit & Co. - another "Dynasty" team.

I also believe that the Steelers owe The Football Gods BIGTIME for Brien's misses....any other team than the Jets in that situation and the Steelers are sitting home this week.

Michelle Kwan won her 9th national figure skating title and cemented her place in the record books as one of the greatest this sport has ever seen. She tied Maribel Vinson's record which was set waaay back in the 20s and 30s, and which was thought to be untouchable. Vinson died when the plane carrying the U.S. team to the 1961 world championships in Prague crashed in Belgium. And on a footnote Kimmie Meissner, did the first triple axel by a U.S. woman since Tonya Harding did it last in 1991. Congrats to Michelle!!!! What a gal!!! She is my fave female athelete of all time.

Piero

There are many reasons why the Pats are being picked by many to win:
1) Defending champs, 2) Tom Brady, 3) Pat's defense, 4) Pat's ability to win BIG games, 5) Bill Bellichek

There are many reasons why the Steelers are NOT being chosen to win: 1) Bill Cowher, 2) Rookie Ben Rothelisberger, 3) Performance against the Jets

I have always not put much into the regular season. The post season is a totally different time of year. This is the time of year where the BIG players step up. The Patriots have many BIG game players, more than the Steelers. Plus the Steelers have a rookie QB starting against a very experienced defense. I will be very surprised if Rothelisberger gets away without throwing at least one INT.

I understand that the Steeler defense is good one. They are tough to score against. No question. But Tom Brady is a huge BIG game player who has many weapons at his disposal. He will find a way to score.

It won't be high scoring game, but the Pats will win.

Casati--I swear I'm not going to listen to the radio for the rest of the week. The way the FAN is kissing Belichick's ass, you would think the Steelers might as well FORFEIT the damn game right about now.

Belichick is better than Lombardi, Dillon is unstoppable, Brady will single handledly find the cure for cancer...blah, blah, blah. Almost no one is giving the Steelers a chance and we are playing at HOME with a 16-1 record. Talk about no respect.

I understand Brady is a good QB and Belichick is a good coach, but NE is very beatable. It's all about the line of scrimmage...not the QB's. If we run the ball and put Brady on his back, NE is dead.

Brady is a poor passer when he gets pressure on him. We sacked him 4 times last game and roughed him up. Sunday will be no different.

-------
Here's a question no one has asked. When has Brady come up big in the playoffs on the road in a loud stadium? The only road game he ever played was Pittsburgh in 2001. In that game he was beaten up, and we only lost because we gave up TWO special teams touchdowns (a punt return and blocked FG). We gave that game away.

--------
I know we have a rookie at QB, but he's not an ordinary rookie. I've watched every game he's played this year, and he's been unbelievable. We wouldn't even be close to 16-1 without him. Sure he's made some mistakes, but what QB doesn't?

--------
It's time for the Patriots to go down. Sunday is like the Semi-Finals of the World Cup for me. We've come to far to stop now. Man, I'm fired up.

Piero

Although Roethislisberger has some impressive numbers this season, he was not impressive in his 2 meetings with the Jets. Maybe the Jets D has his number. I dunno. But he is a rookie and he is vulnerable and he hasn't proven much, at least to me.

I will say this: it will not be easy to win in Pittsburgh and I believe that's the Steeler's best asset going into Sunday's game, although their playoff record under Cowher ain't all that.

I don't know why the FAN is pro-Patriots. You would think that since the majority of hosts are NYers that they would hate the Pats since most Jets fans hate the Pats. I would expect that Mike Francessa or his side kick Cris Russo kiss Bellichek's ass. He is a prodigy of Bill Parcells who Francessa is close friends with and owns a race horse or two with.

But if they are pro-Pats is because they know their sports and they believe the Pats should be (and are) heavily favored.

Casati--You've seen Ben in his two worst games of the season. Both against the Jets. I'm not sure if you got a chance to see him carve up the Pats and Eagles...or lead comebacks versus Jacksonville or the Giants on the road...or carve up the Ravens defense to secure homefield. He was nothing short of brilliant.

Steelers fans love Ben. No rookie QB in our lifetime will ever accomplish what he did and go 14-0 as a starter. That said, we think its a mistake for him to constantly wear gloves in cold weather. It seems to throw his accuracy off..and he did it in both Jets games. Still, he insists that he's been doing it since college and he's comfortable with it, so what do we know.

Ultimately, this game is going to have to be won with Marvel Smith, Alan Faneca, Jeff Hartings, Keydrick Vincent and Oliver Ross. Our O-line has 3 pro-bowlers on it. If they smash the NE front seven like last time, we'll win.

------
Mike and the Maddog to me are not competent when it comes to football. They know their baseball, but they don't know football very well. For example, they couldn't even name the Steelers strong safety the other day...and when you're a professional sports announcer in a big city...you should know the starting SS on the NFL's #1 defense.

I am frankly shocked that they kiss the Pats butt. I would think all of NY would want a Boston team to go down...but they seem to be savoring Belichick's moment. Maybe you're right...maybe there is an indirect connection somewhere there.

------
By the way, some guy on the FAN was BASHING Herm Edwards. I've never heard anything like it. This guy practically wanted to burn his house down! He said Herm was a choker, an idiot, a miserable tactician, and had no balls. LOL

Well, The Mad Dog doesn't know SQUAT about the NFL, but Mike F. is an opinion I respect...I think also he's a blow-hard fat-ass bully.

New Yorkers are surely backing the Patriots for the simple fact that the Jets loss was too painful to turn around and start supporting their defeators.

I love it that Herm's taking a bashing...rightfuly so. I don't think he should lose his job, but he was out-coached a few times this season, and his short-comings shouldn't get lost amidst the cries for Hackett's head or Brien's banishment. He's got a little to answer for himself....horrible clock-management....he also played with too much emotion that a few times resulted in losses.

I am also not completely sold on Chad...I love his attitude, and hearing him speak in press conferences gives hope for the future image of Dumb Jocks everywhere, but I am not so sure he's got the goods....he's not so mobile, and not too fast.

Switching conferences....I truly think the Eagles are in for another Title game loss this weekend....they didn't look that good against the Vikes, and Owen's absence looms large....Their defense is tough, but Culpepper ran it on them fairly easy...just think of what Vick will do.

The Eagles looked flat, boring, and predictable. This game is a toss-up.....I really like Atlanta's chances...

2 road teams winning Championship games?

Has it ever happened before?

Dezzi--I don't think two road teams have ever both won the Conference Championship games, but I could be wrong.

Philly has a world of pressure on them. To lose 4 NFC title games in a row would be a killer. I personally think Philly will pull this out. Their run D has improved a lot since Trotter got in the middle. I also think McNabb and Westbrook can squeeze out enough points to win a close one.

I've never thought too highly of Vick. If you play disciplined defense, he can't hurt you.

RE: JETS---There is no doubt they are poorly coached. They have a great O-line, 2 good (not great) receivers, the NFL's leading rusher (and a great backup), and a 64 million dollar QB. Yet, their offense does squat.

Did you know that in the 2 games plus OT with the Steelers this year, the Jets entered the red zone ONCE!?! One time--and when they did, the Steelers sacked them twice and pushed them out of it. As great as the Steelers defense is, part of that comes from a poorly coached and unprepared offensive football team.

If I were a Jets fan, I'd want the Hermanator out of there.

Piero, dezzi

Mike and the Mad Dog are the #1 sports duo on radio. Francessa is very knowledgable in baseball and football. Russo is above average in both. Afterall, they have access to information most people don't. Russo let's his heart get in the way. At times, Francessa does too but mostly when it involves the Yankees.

One of the reasons why I like them alot is because they have the same big game player philosophy as I do. Regular season stats are nice but can you produce in the post season? That's the difference between winners and losers.

Re Jets: I can't say they are poorly coached, but I will say that clock management must improve. I still can't believe that Edwards was content with Brien trying to hit a 42 yarder. I don't care how much faith you have in your kicker. You have to put him in the closest possible position and if that means your RBs carrying the ball an extra 2-3 times, you do it. Edwards should've called a time out w/50+ seconds left so that the Jets could get an extra running play or two. He didn't and only got one more play in. Then Santana Moss calls a timeout with 6 tics lefs. Not good enough for Herm. He makes Chad take a knee (loses a yard in the process) and calls a timeout with 4 tics left. He wanted to amke sure that the FG was the last play of the game. That was a really bad move. Plus, if Herm believes that the play calling is poor, why doesn't he override Hackett's calls? Herm does deserve some of the blame for the sputtering offense.

Re Chad: I dunno. I believe that he isn't all he's hyped up to be but that doesn't make him a bad QB. Last year he was injured most of the season and the Jets didn't start winning until he returned. This season he's had shoulder problems. I'm willing to give him one more season. But you know what will happen? The Jets will hire a new offensive coordinator and then we'll hear some excuse that Chad had to get used to him or something. The excuses are running thin with me.

Falcons -vs- Eagles

On the surface, that's a tough game. But I truly believe the Eagles will win. I thought that they did a great job against the Vikes.

I was listening to Cris Russo interview Peter King of Sports Illustrated yesterday and King's forte` is the NFL. He stated the Super Bowl will be Eagles-Pats. Same with Russo. I believe I heard Francessa say the same last week. Francessa was out yesterday because his wife gave birth.

Sunday should be very interesting.....

They are predicting a Noreaster in Philly....lots of cold and snow.

In Pittsburgh they are predicting brutal cold, lots of wind, and some snow. That would be sweet!

Mike and the Mad Dog are the most knowledgeable sports guys around. Mike Francesa used to be a handicapper for just about any sport.

He worked for many years with Jimmy "The Greek" and you all know what his record was like in picking Super Bowl winners.

They both like Belicheck because he spent so many years in NY with the Giants and the Jets as Parcells' protege. Plus, as Casati pointed out, Francesa is close friends with Bill Parcells and because of this, he knows plenty of inside information tha any of us will ever know.

But I have to agree with Casati on this one, Mike and the Mad Dog know football and not just college football, college basketball and baseball.

The Steelers are going down on Sunday. Too much to handle with Belichek, Brady, Pats defense and overall BIG game experience.

Pram

Thanks for reminding me that Francessa used to be a handicapper.

What I don't like about Mike & the Mad Dog is that with some phone callers, they believe they're always right and everyone else is wrong. I mean, it's true that a majority of callers are idiots. But some do bring up some valid points and more times than not they shoot them down as heresey.

When it comes to predictions they're ok. I mean it's hard to predict an outcome or a final score or whether a team will cover or not. I have listened to some of their weekly NFL preictions this season. They each pick three favorite games. They're not perfect, that's for sure.

Francessa was wrong two years running with the Yankees too. I remember last year when he boldly predicted a couple of hours before game time that Yankees would win game 7 against Boston. He stated that the Yankees can't lose in their house on Mickey Mantle's bday. Not only was he wrong but the Yankees got waxed as the Red Sox won the LCS.

Piero

If there's a Nor'easter in Philly, Michael Vick ain't running anywhere, let alone throw. All the more reason why the Eagles should win and probably will win.

Casati--I just don't find the FAN to be too knowledgable about football. They know their baseball, and they know their NY football. But, they don't seem well versed in what's happening outside of the NY or Northeast.

If you ever listen to talk show hosts from PA or Ohio, you'll know what I mean. These guys eat, sleep, and breathe football and football only. They don't know JACK about baseball, but they could tell you the names of the waterboys on the Carolina Panthers.

Mike and the Mad Dog simply don't obsess over football the way people in PA and Ohio do. Mike knows his Yankees, some football, and he's good with college basketball. I remember him doing commentary for CBS a while back during March Madness.

You're right by the way that they are "know it alls". They cut many people off that have good points, just because they don't want to be exposed on certain facts.

Here's a good read on Roethlisberger. It's hard to believe the guy is 22 and should be going on Spring Break soon instead of fighting for a shot at the Super Bowl.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/st ... ing/050119

They're freaks

Mike's wife gave birth to twins yesterday and he never skipped a beat...he barely talked about it even as caller after caller started their conversations by offering him congratulations. He would immediately start talking about the issue at hand...it was if he was never a part of it!

They're freaks. Love 'em or leave 'em, they're freaks......I heard Russo got his job on the FAN from his history as a regular caller to the show who was recognized by his above average sports wit.

Any truth in that?

Piero

You may be right. But just because you know the names of every single player on every single team doesn't mean you're knowledgable about the game. These guys are great at second guessing the play calling regardless of the game.

Mike Francessa and Cris Russo obsess over stats. Stats in the regular season and stats in the all important post season. What Francessa also brings to the table is the business side. He has a very good understanding of salary caps, luxury taxes, TV ratings and that BS that the rest of us don't care for because in the end, it's all about $$$.

dezzi

I'm not sure if Cris Russo was a regular caller or not. But I do know that he paid his dues in radio broadcasting. Just recently he was reminiscing about his days at a Jacksonville, FL radio station. I also remember him talking about other gigs he had around the US. But he also may have been a regular caller on the FAN before he was hired.

Here's a short bio from the FAN website: http://wfan.com/bios/local_bio_russochris_html/

Re Francessa: I couldn't believe that his wife gave birth to twins on Tuesday and he was back at work on Wednesday (yesterday). His wife must be very understanding. But that also tells me that he's not very sensitive about it. I mean geez... your first kids are born and they're TWINS and you're back at work the next day? Wow. I don't think I would want to go back to work just yet. I can see after 2 full days of being with them but 24 hours later??? Cris Russo was saying all along on Tuesday that he can't believe that Mike will be back on Wednesday.

I remember when my second child (my son) was born. It was a Wednesday morning. I took off Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. I went back to work the following Monday since they were having production issues that needed my attention. My wife still throws that in my face since I didn't take the full 5 business days off.

I was an avid WFAN listener from the time they kicked off in 1987 when they were on 1050 am and not 66 am.

During "Drive Time" (the slot was from 3 pm to 7 pm) there was the great Pete Franklin. Francesa was on in the morning from 10 am to 1 pm with Ed Coleman. After that Bill Mazer was on from Mickey Mantle's restaurant in NYC until 3 pm. Russo went on at nights and he was on regularly on weekends.

By 1989 or 1990, Franklin was gone as they did not renew his contract. I loved him but the callers hated him. He was old and cranky but very funny. It was he who used to repeat ad nauseum "Baseball should have never been called baseball. It should have been called Pitching."

Francesa got the drive time slot with Russo. I do not ever recall Russo being a caller to the show. It's possible but I do not recall that story. And they have been doing the show ever since. I can't believe that it's been about 15 years or so since they have been doing the show.

You're right by the way that they are "know it alls". They cut many people off that have good points, just because they don't want to be exposed on certain facts.

Seems to be the rule of thumb for sports radio; there's a few holier than thou idiots on the Score here as well. And don't get me started on Mike North, who does have a rags to riches story and is married to a Sicilian, but he's a jerk nevertheless.

And don't get me started on Mike North, who does have a rags to riches story and is married to a Sicilian, but he's a jerk nevertheless.


LOL!

I had no idea until now that so many of you are NFL fans.

Pram

Yeah. I remember Pete Franklin. He passed away a few weeks ago. I don't recall if he was still working or not. He was a piss though. I remember guys calling in doing some fantasy trading and his trademark response "Are you nuts?!". He was a little rough around the edges and at times he came accross like a senile old fart, but he was knowledgable and entertaining.

BTW... Mike and the Mad Dog celebrated their 15 year anniversary just before XMAS. They had a schindig at some reception hall with many guests. They actually did a broadcast from the reception.

I remember Cris Russo when he first started with Francessa. It was bad. I mean, Russo was such a rookie. He needed to learn alot from Francessa and Francessa needed to learn how to handle him because he the Mad Dog was a hot head. It took them a while and supposedly they butted heads a very long time.

But now they're very good friends. As a gift for their 15 years together, Francessa gave the Mad Dog a week trip to Wimbledon for two (the first week) with an all access pass at the Wimbledon grounds (very hard to get) and 1st class accomodations all the way (air, land and hotel). Supposedly Russo had confided to Francessa that one of his dream trips would be to spend a week at Wimbledon. Russo was speechless when Francessa gave that to him.

Jack Johnson

Did any of you catch the PBS special on Jack Johnson? Well I missed it. There's a replay of it on Saturday at 3pm and it runs for 4 hours.

Yesterday on Mike and the Mad Dog they spoke about the program (produced by Ken Burns) for most of their 5 hours. Steve Summers who follows Mike and the Mad Dog at 6:30pm stated that it was one their brightest moments in their 15 years and that he wished his father was still alive to hear the program since it was about the days in which the Sweet Science was indeed the Sweet Science and not the crap we see today.

BTW... If any of you can catch Steve Summers on WFAN I suggest you do. He's on weekneights at 6:30pm through 10pm and is absolute piss. He has been tearing new one on Herman Edwards and has skit with him almost everyday.

Unforgiveable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson

Parts one and two will be aired again on PBS New York, Saturday at 3pm for part one and 5pm for part two.

I can't believe you guys!

How can you question the expertise of esteemed radio sports journalists? Don't they know everything? I use to listen to WFAN when I was living in Brooklyn. BTW, did WFAN carry the Mets and 770 carry the Yankees? I do not remember which station broadcasted which team.

Casati--That Summers dude has the weirdest voice. It sounds like he's constipated. I think he has an obsession with Herm Edwards. That's all he talks about.

You know this is a baseball town, when in January, you are still getting a ton of baseball calls to the FAN and 1050. I mean, c'mon, its NFL playoffs time and people are talking Mets already.

By the way, no one here seems to care there is a lockout in the NHL.

Falc

The FAN 660 AM still carries Met's games and ABC 770 AM carries the Yankees.

Piero

Once you get used to Steve Summers' voice you realize his great sense of humor and how knowledgable he is.

Without sounding too stereotypical, his voice reminds me of an old Jewish NYer maybe because he is an older Jewish NYer.

The reason why there are many calls re the Mets is because Omar Minaya (Met's GM) has been creating alot of waves due to his off season signings of Martinez, Beltran and now hopefully Delgado.

It also depends on who's hosting. You get alot more NFL calls on Mike and the Mad Dog where as you get more Baseball calls with Steve Summers.

Re the NHL, NY has always been a tough hockey town. It's not as popular in NY as let's say Boston or Philly. Plus, I really believe that the NY fans are frustrated with the strike.

Did someone say baseball? Yeah the Mets made out and spent out well this off season. Picking up a prize starter and the biggest free agent fish.

I'm payimg a little attention to NFL now, but the Bears were so lousy and this is probably the BIGGEST pro football town in the country. Still it's playoff time, so I'm sure I catch some of the action. Pulling for the PA teams.

Spring Training is around the corner, but NCAA basketball is heating up and is of interest to me as Illinois has a dominant team.

When does Serie A start again?

Bineaz - The Moron just got sworn in. I decided not to go. Told my buddy that I had a sinus headache this morning and did not want to go out in the cold weather. The truth is that I do not want to go out in the cold weather and do not care to see it in person. Well, here comes the speech.

PS - This is appropriate for this thread as it includes other crap.

Falc C'mon--Don't worry about it. This doesn't effect you too much on the micro scale. Life will go on and you'll be fine.

Just watch some good football games this weekend....I know I will

Jack Johnson doc.....AMAZING. If you only watch a handful of things this year - put it on your list. The images were impressive, and the depth of material presented was even more so. The story is incredible and, of course, quite dramatic in parts. The life this man lived, for better or for worse, was/is a rich life that few humans ever knew, or probably ever will know.

The parallels bewteen his life and so many other black figures throughout history, be it in sport or other, are stunning....there's a bit of him in Ali, Tyson, Malcom X, and Paul Robeson to name a few....Johnson's physique was more like a body you would see on an athlete of modern times opposed to the early 20th century, which is blatantly displayed from the fight footages. The man had the body of a God considering the physiques of the times that the majority of his "peers" developed.

Great Documentary.