Titans choke

[punkrockergirl]

I 'm not a Baltimore fan per se, but I love Ray Lewis. He is my favorite defensive player in the NFL and with Peyton Manning, he is my favorite NFL player overall. I lalso love Ed Reed. I "like" the Ravens, but I am not going to call myself a die hard fan. I just love their defense a LOT.

The Steelers-Chargers game is going to be interesting. The Steelers should bitch-slap the Chargers all over the field, but the Chargers are playing with a lot of confidence and their defense just survived one of the best passing attacks in the NFL. With Big Ben recovering from a concussion, it will be interesting to see what happens. Remember, the Chargers seem to WIN at Pittsburgh in the playoffs. It's not like the Steelers blew out the Chargers the last time they faced this year. The Steelers should win, but it might be very close. It wouldn't surprise me to see an upset.

I wonder if Lendale White is stomping on towels now? That guy needs a reality check.

the last time the chargers beat the steelers in the playoffs at home i was barely born so i dont see that being relevant

LOL no i dont think anyone in tennesee is stomping towels anymore

and yes as long as ben doesnt give the game away the steelers should handle the chargers

 

[maniactickler]

shoulda bet on my picks im 2-0 this weekend (assuming arizona doesnt blow it )

Yes. you are now my football goddess.

 

[studm883]

Really this isn't much of a shock...

The Ravens defense is elite...better than the Steelers D. Pittsburgh is 1st in most of the "traditional" metrics but when you use the DVOA and adjust for the number of drives they saw relative to Pittsburgh, it works out to a statistical tie and I love the way the Ravens turn the ball over, especially through interceptions which are more often a product of skill than defensive luck.

I have a wild notion San Diego is going to win tomorrow...which likely means they will be crushed...but what a match-up Baltimore and Pittsburgh for the AFC title would/will be...

 

[primetime]

What do you mean you were barely born? Are you 15 years old right now? According to your profile you aren't. You were old enough to remember. Remember when the Chargers were crushed by my 49ers in the Super Bowl? Who and where did the Chargers beat in the AFC title game? That's right, Pittsburgh.....and they had Stan Humphries as their QB.

Pittsburgh SHOULD win, but the Chargers do have a chance. If Rivers gets hot, then watch out.

 

[WayTooD]

I know this thread is for moaning about the Titan's loss or arguing about who is a "true" fan, but... how 'bout them Ravens? Granted it wasn't pretty, but as any NFL fan knows it doesn't have to be. The irony being is it was the exact opposite of the game earlier this year with the titans, when we marched up and down the field and lost 13-10.

Here's hoping for a great AFC Championship game. My money (figurative money) is on the Steeler's, which should be epic once again as every game we have had this year has been a nail-biter. Well I have to go bask a little more whilst I wait to find out who we're playing next week.

And just so it's straight... yes, I am a real Ravens fan. Have been watching them since '96 when they came in and revived an old football town which was still reeling from the loss of the Colts about 13 years earlier. I was at the spry young age of 11 when the Ravens came so I have no memory of Mayflower moving vans, but my Dad will never forget.

Anyway, we bleed purple, black, and gold now so no biggy.

 

[punkrockergirl]

The Ravens defense is elite...better than the Steelers D. Pittsburgh is 1st in most of the "traditional" metrics but when you use the DVOA and adjust for the number of drives they saw relative to Pittsburgh, it works out to a statistical tie and I love the way the Ravens turn the ball over, especially through interceptions which are more often a product of skill than defensive luck.

I have a wild notion San Diego is going to win tomorrow...which likely means they will be crushed...but what a match-up Baltimore and Pittsburgh for the AFC title would/will be...

dont know how you figure that .. the steelers defense finished 1st in all categories and was stastically one of the best defenses ever.. only gave up one 300 yd game all year.. granted the ravens d got hot towards the end but that doesnt out do what the steelers did all year

 

[Dave2112]

I think the Chargers have a "puncher's chance", but they're going to have to put together a perfect game.

Ravens/Steelers should be an awesome game. Like I said in an earlier thread, the AFC Championship game could very well be the real Super Bowl this year.

 

[studm883]

dont know how you figure that .. the steelers defense finished 1st in all categories and was stastically one of the best defenses ever.. only gave up one 300 yd game all year.. granted the ravens d got hot towards the end but that doesnt out do what the steelers did all year

I actually explained it in the post. When you use simple metrics in terms of yards allowed rushing, passing, etc, the Steelers D is tops across the board. The Ravens D pulls to a statistical dead heat (I think the difference is a few tenths of a yard) when measured taking into account the number of drives each defense faced, which is a product of something the D can't control (how good their offense is, how many yards, points, time of possession, extended drives etc.)

The Steelers also turned it over more through recovering fumbles, which is a product of luck. When a ball hits the ground, there is no skill in recovering it, it's being in the right place at the right time, the Ravens turned it over more through interceptions. Granted, there is an element of luck there also depending upon the individual play, but it's more a product of skill than recovering a fumble.

In a way, it's splitting hairs...it's like saying would you rather have a Porsche or a Ferrari or eat Filet Mignon or lobster? The point is the Ravens defense is right there with the Steelers D, you just need to look a bit deeper than the traditional stats. Point is, if these two tangle next week, it'll be a hell of a match-up.

 

[WayTooD]

BTW... did anyone else think that the whole powder blue terrible towel rip-offs were a bit obnoxious? Kinda funny considering how they disrespected the real terrible towels in their game against Pittsburgh.

 

[punkrockergirl]

I actually explained it in the post. When you use simple metrics in terms of yards allowed rushing, passing, etc, the Steelers D is tops across the board. The Ravens D pulls to a statistical dead heat (I think the difference is a few tenths of a yard) when measured taking into account the number of drives each defense faced, which is a product of something the D can't control (how good their offense is, how many yards, points, time of possession, extended drives etc.)

The Steelers also turned it over more through recovering fumbles, which is a product of luck. When a ball hits the ground, there is no skill in recovering it, it's being in the right place at the right time, the Ravens turned it over more through interceptions. Granted, there is an element of luck there also depending upon the individual play, but it's more a product of skill than recovering a fumble.

In a way, it's splitting hairs...it's like saying would you rather have a Porsche or a Ferrari or eat Filet Mignon or lobster? The point is the Ravens defense is right there with the Steelers D, you just need to look a bit deeper than the traditional stats. Point is, if these two tangle next week, it'll be a hell of a match-up.

i saw that you explained it but saying they are almost equal after tweaking the stats doesnt make them equal.. its not pitts fault that their offense is better.. look at the stats and they are across the board better.. they allowed less yards ... less points.. got more turnovers (wether you say luck or not .. to pick up a fumble you have to force it).. more sacks need i go on .. it doesnt matter how deep you attempt to dig into the stats the steelers defense was number 1 and statistically number 3 of all time.. and they did it with the nfl's hardest schedule since 1978

 

[studm883]

i saw that you explained it but saying they are almost equal after tweaking the stats doesnt make them equal.. its not pitts fault that their offense is better.. look at the stats and they are across the board better.. they allowed less yards ... less points.. got more turnovers (wether you say luck or not .. to pick up a fumble you have to force it).. more sacks need i go on .. it doesnt matter how deep you attempt to dig into the stats the steelers defense was number 1 and statistically number 3 of all time.. and they did it with the nfl's hardest schedule since 1978

It's not tweaking the stats, it's an attempt to remove the element of luck as much as possible so as to make for a fair analysis of a particular group or players skill...it's the wave of the future...every team in baseball uses saber metrics and football has followed suit nicely. And nowhere did I say the Steelers D wasn't elite, all I said was the Ravens are right there with them.

And to your schedule point, it was the toughest in the NFL by far in July, but based on the actual performance of the team, it wasn't even the toughest within the division...Cleveland and Cincinatti's were both tougher.

Browns 145-108-3 (.572)
Lions 143-113 (.559)...poor Lions
Bengals 141-114-1 (.553)
Steelers 133-120-3 (.525)

 

[punkrockergirl]

It's not tweaking the stats, it's an attempt to remove the element of luck as much as possible so as to make for a fair analysis of a particular group or players skill...it's the wave of the future...every team in baseball uses saber metrics and football has followed suit nicely. And nowhere did I say the Steelers D wasn't elite, all I said was the Ravens are right there with them.

And to your schedule point, it was the toughest in the NFL by far in July, but based on the actual performance of the team, it wasn't even the toughest within the division...Cleveland and Cincinatti's were both tougher.

Browns 145-108-3 (.572)
Lions 143-113 (.559)...poor Lions
Bengals 141-114-1 (.553)
Steelers 133-120-3 (.525)

your logic is flawed and based on what if the steelers defense would have faced more drives.. and the schedule was the toughest since 1978 at the beginning of the season.. regardless the steelers defense is better

 

[studm883]

your logic is flawed and based on what if the steelers defense would have faced more drives.. and the schedule was the toughest since 1978 at the beginning of the season.. regardless the steelers defense is better

I'm not going to go through explaining the saber metrics of it again, but trust me every NFL front office is using the same metrics I am talking about to evaluate talent.

I said the Steelers schedule was the toughest at the beginning...hence saying "in July"...and I think the Steelers D may be better, but marginally. Regardless, we will see when and if the Steelers get to the AFC title game. I think it'll be a great game. Hopefully those wacky Chargers don't spoil the party.

 

[WayTooD]

Gotta love the E-Pissing contests.

 

[maniactickler]

Lets put yesterdays disgusting games behind us. this is a new day. hopefully favorites will snap out of their funk and win. go Steelers! go Giants! large sums of money are riding on them.

 

[Adam]

didnt know you were a ravens fan but i guess i should have with the ray lewis pic in ur sig.. i look forward to a hard hitting steelers vs ravens afc championship game

The majority of Baltimore seems to want a rematch with the Steelers, too. But hell, the way these playoffs have been going with all the top seeds losing, who knows what's going to happen anymore.