NFL Opening Weekend - Thursday September 7th to Monday September 11th - Live Thread

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[MikefromOhio]

There you have it folks...

Steelers open the defense of their title with a 28-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.

See Ya Sunday!!!

[mcg2000]

http://blogs.herald.com/random_evidence/2006/09/g1_dolphins_at_.html#comment-22140181

Culpepper is getting hammered in the Miami Herald's fan blogs!!!!

[Jim Robinson]

"Actually, the term used was "drunken asshole." That's permissable?"

No, it most definitely is not permissible. All posters must remain sober and fully clothed while posting to FR. And keep your hands and feet securely inside the car until the ride comes to a complete stop.

[Petronski]

Diddly Squat is an asshole.

[Jim Robinson]

It's a wonderful day in the neighborhood.

[ATCNavyRetiree]

Hey Diddle E:

[MarineBrat]

[beyond the sea]

There you have it folks... Steelers open the defense of their title with a 28-17 win over the Miami Dolphins.

Hmmmhaaa, and yoi and double yoi.

[beyond the sea]

ROFL ........... love that whine.

;-)

[kevkrom]

D.Culpepper 37 ATT, 18 COMP, 262 YDS, SACKED 3/22, 0 INT, LONG 52, 2 INT, RATING 49.6

C.Batch 25 ATT, 15 COMP, 209 YDS, SACKED 3/13, 3 TD, LONG 87, 0 INT, RATNG 126.5

Net Rushing: Miami 38 (2.1 avg), Pittsburgh 143 (3.8 avg.)

Net Passing: Miami 240 (6.0 avg), Pittsburgh 196 (7.0 avg)

Returns, Punt: Miami 3-79 (26.3 avg), Pittsburgh 3-5 (1.7 avg)

Returns, Kick: Miami 4-74 (18.5 avg), Pittsburgh 3-75 (25.0 avg)

Returns, INT: Miami 0-0, Pittsburgh 2-42 (21.0 avg)

[beyond the sea]

Miami -- 0 and 1.

Pittsburgh -- 1 and 0.

[beyond the sea]

Culpepper for years always has seemed to me to be right on the verge of doing great things in the NFL. I guess others know him a lot better than I do, but he seemed to get a little rattled late in the game.

[kevkrom]

Miami -- 0 and 1. Pittsburgh -- 1 and 0.

That is the only stat that counts, of course.

But looking at the raw numbers, despite what the fishophiles on the thread want to believe, the only reasons that Miami stayed in this game as long as they did were their punt returns and the Steelers' fumble on the goal line.

Miami couldn't run. On 42 passing plays (by my count -- 37 passes, 3 sacks, 2 scrambles) they only had 18 completions, and Culpepper was under pressure almost every time he threw. With a non-existent running game, that isn't going to win any ball games.

On Pittsburgh's side, it took a while for Parker to get going, but once the Miami defense started wearing down, he became more and more effective. Batch was spotty, but aside from the fumble, the only dangerous mistake he really made was one he got away with -- throwing to Wilson in double-coverage in the end zone.

[xpertskir]

Willie Parker looked like a studd. He is a completely different back this year. You can see his vision, cut backs, patience, and strength have improved tremendously and he is more concerned with picking up the 3 and 4 hard yards up the middle than the big play outside. As a Steeler fan it excited me greatly to see how much more mature and well rounded he is. At the end of last year I was afraid because I didn't think he could be THE guy, but after watching him play last night he changed my mind.

[Petronski]

;OD

[Terpfen]

It wasn't him getting rattled. It was a repeat of 2005; the Steelers got a late lead, forcing Culpepper to shotgun his way to victory, especially since the Steelers' run defense and the Miami offensive line meant that Ronnie Brown couldn't consistently run the ball. Culpepper does get a little annoyed when he thinks everything is on his shoulders.

[Terpfen]

Let 'em vent. They're idiots if they think Culpepper lost the game.

[ATCNavyRetiree]

Parker IS a stud...damn he hits the hole fast! I am amazed at how much better he is this year...which is sayin' somethin' since he rushed for over 1200 last year!
And Joey Porter...hasn't lost any speed at all...and Charlie batch proved he can be quite the reliable backup!!

[Terpfen]

Amazing what a night of sleep can do for the mood.

What'd you guys think of the game? Hopefully you saw the same thing I did; a good defense by the champions and a good challenge by an up-and-coming team.

[discostu]

I'm not sure I'd outright say Culpepper lost the game, but his passing in the redzone was very bad (I think it was 6 clean misses of receivers somewhere between kind of open and wide open in the endzone, and one of those would have been intercepted if Taylor could have held on to the ball when he hit the ground). While it wasn't a full on game losing effort by Culpepper it definitely wasn't a game winning effort either.