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Bettis, Steelers snap Bears' eight-game win streak
ESPN ^ | 12-11-5 | (AP)

Posted on 12/11/2005 3:55:14 PM PST by Hacksaw

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To: martin_fierro; lightingguy

LOL, thanks, have a pop on me. :)


21 posted on 12/12/2005 1:32:43 PM PST by agrace (Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me if you know so much. Job 38:4)
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To: justshutupandtakeit

His official weigh in is 255. It would have worked fine in good weather, we got the 14-3 lead before the snow got nasty, and got it largely thanks to screen passes which are the ultimate attack against fast defenses (assuming the outside linebacker doesn't sniff it out of course, that's the risk of the screen). I'll agree with you there, of course that's what I've been saying the last two weeks, if we'd been playing Steeler football the whole season we'd be sitting pretty on top of the AFC North having beaten the Bengals the second time and maybe (though maybe not) a win against the Colts (at the very least we could have played them down to the wire which a pass whacky game plan didn't even come close to doing).

Ben's passing was OK, it was the yards after catch that did the Bears in, not the passes themselves (specifically 45 YAC by Parker and 14 YAC with a TD by Ward).

My prognostication was based on the oldest rule in sports "play your game", that's what the Steelers did and they won. They still might have lost, but I always contended that was their best chance. Running tons with just enough short passes to keep the opposing D honest is their game, and that was the game plan.

I'm still not convinced about Orton. His numbers really haven't been very good this season. Now I don't think they should replace him with Grossman, largely because there's nothing to indication Grossman would do any better, but they definitely need somebody for Orton to throw the ball to.


22 posted on 12/12/2005 1:40:14 PM PST by discostu (a time when families gather together, don't talk, and watch football... good times)
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To: justshutupandtakeit
Bettis probably weighs 275. But that game plan would not have worked in good weather since the Bears speed would not have been negated.

Did you see the field? Even without the snow, wasn't no one getting his speed going on that turf. It's our "secret weapon."

SD

23 posted on 12/12/2005 1:40:56 PM PST by SoothingDave
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To: discostu

Last year the Screen killed us repeatedly. This year it was sniffed out and stuffed repeatedly so much so teams had stopped trying it. That was what was so galling for Bears fans about yesterday. We had blown those plays up time after time and in this game it looked as though we had never seen one.

You did not see the Bears play their game yesterday since we normally do not have more passes than runs and our rushing attack has been excellent. And they didn't even let Peterson run with the ball. He uncharacteristically dropped an easy pass which likely would have gotten big yardage and they seemed to forget about him after that.

Orton's numbers this year (60.4) are better than the rookie numbers of HoFers like Fouts (46.0), Elway (54.9) and Bradshaw (30.4). If he makes the rest of the starts this year he will have done something only five qbs in the last twenty years have done.

I have every confidence in his ability and believe he will only get better. Orton should be the qb for the next ten years barring major injury. You cannot imagine what it is like to actually be able to count on a qb being able to play game after game.


24 posted on 12/12/2005 2:15:04 PM PST by justshutupandtakeit (Public Enemy #1, the RATmedia.)
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To: SoothingDave

It looked like Bettis was the fastest player on the field on that long run of his. And the touchdown was great where he just rolled over the top of a couple of players.


25 posted on 12/12/2005 2:17:40 PM PST by justshutupandtakeit (Public Enemy #1, the RATmedia.)
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To: justshutupandtakeit

According to the post game interviews the Steelers realized that the Bears blitz often on 2nd down, the blitz of course being exactly the defense you want to screen against, thus a couple of 2nd down screens were in the game plan all week. Of course with the stellar success of the first two they pretty much dropped the screen after that (never screen when the other team is expecting it, that's when the OLB intercepts the pass and runs in for a TD).

We saw the Bears play their game early, then they got down by two scores and had to play more passes. That's the danger we run oriented teams have, our game plan doesn't work if down my multiple scores.

Sure some HOFers start with weak rookie years. Also some terrible QBs start with weak rookie years. Really the numbers I'm looking at are INTs and fumbles, QB rating is an overplayed stat.

Remember I survived the nightmare of Kordell Stewart and have come into the new age of Big Ben. I know exactly what it's like to finally have a QB we can count on game after game, not that Kordell got hurt a lot, but you never knew when he was going to have a 3 INT game and you'd wish he would get hurt. I'm just not convinced yet with Orton, gotta see the sophomore season, and see what they get him to work with in the draft.


26 posted on 12/12/2005 2:22:34 PM PST by discostu (a time when families gather together, don't talk, and watch football... good times)
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To: discostu

Agreed. Dome teams have traditionally given us problems (I used to hate playing Seattle in the old Kingdome) and Cleveland usually is a tough game regardless of the weather. I think we need to win out. Some good teams are going to be left out of the AFC playoffs this year.


27 posted on 12/12/2005 2:23:41 PM PST by Steelerfan
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To: discostu

That was a puzzling remark since the Bears have not been doing much blitzing at all. Though it may be hard for you to believe but most of our sacks have come from just the four man rush. And they have very rarely blitzed early. Steelers got very lucky on that first one too since an illegal chop block on one of the linemen was not called.

Orton threw five int against the Bengals but other than that has kept the ball pretty well out of the other teams' hands. As you probably noted he throws the ball away when no one is open. Our receivers are not very good at getting open so that means he throws it away a lot.

I have seen enough to know that Orton is the best qb we have had in ten years even as a rookie. He will get better.

While getting down by a couple of tds makes it hard that does not mean the Bears will stop running but we just couldn't get the blocks to open it up.


28 posted on 12/12/2005 3:22:53 PM PST by justshutupandtakeit (Public Enemy #1, the RATmedia.)
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To: smoothsailing

Coming out of nowhere, this will be the best Super Bowl win of them all.


29 posted on 12/12/2005 3:32:42 PM PST by AGreatPer
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To: justshutupandtakeit

That's what they said, they said they noticed a high percentage of second down blitzes by the Bears and figured that would be a good down to whip out the screen, and both their screens on that drive were on second down and they worked.

Orton has 13 interceptions and 11 fumbles (only 5 of them lost), that's not doing a good job of keeping the ball out of the other teams' hands even if you throw out the 5 against the Bengals.

He might get better, he might not.

You can't entirely stop running when behind, but the run has to be de-emphasised, it just doesn't get the chunks of yard necessary to come from behind like the passing game does. The Steelers ran 2/3 of the time against the Bears and only gained 20 more yards on the ground than in the air, that's why down by two scores forces teams to the air.


30 posted on 12/13/2005 7:15:48 AM PST by discostu (a time when families gather together, don't talk, and watch football... good times)
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To: discostu

I note the Steelers are 3 pt favorites this Sunday. Hope the bookies are right.


31 posted on 12/13/2005 8:23:12 AM PST by justshutupandtakeit (Public Enemy #1, the RATmedia.)
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To: justshutupandtakeit

Wow, seems crazy to me but I'll take it. I have less confidence in this game than the last, because it's indoors are we're simply not a dome team, also with the number the vikes have been putting up Cowher might be tempted to go pass whacky again.


32 posted on 12/13/2005 8:29:03 AM PST by discostu (a time when families gather together, don't talk, and watch football... good times)
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