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12-15-2017, 06:29 PM
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,033
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Patriots vs. Steelers
Just two days. Less than 48 hours. The Showdown at The Heinz. The Patriots or Steelers? The Pats are favored by 3 (last I looked). Yet, I’m picking…The Steelers. Why?
So goes Tom Brady, so goes The Patriots. I’m skeptical. I’m concerned. Brady is 40-years old. I don’t care how young he says he feels, or how good he looks, Father Time has a way of catching up to you. Is his Achilles tendon bothering him? Frankly, I didn’t think Brady was sharp in the Patriots Monday Night loss to the Dolphins. Was that loss a sign of things to come?
By and large, the Patriots have beaten weaker teams. The AFC East is a weak division. I thought the Pats could have been in trouble against the Bills. Buffalo marched down the field on the opening drive only to have their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, throw an ill-advised pass inside the Patriots 10-yard line; it gets picked off. Game. Set. Match. The outcome of that game turned on that play. Talk about a deflator.
Further, the Patriots will be without their 6-foot-6, 350-pound defensive lineman, Alan Branch. Branch has a way of clogging up the middle. His absence is a big loss. On the offensive side, the Patriots offensive line has not done a great job of protecting Brady; he’s taken his share of hits.
The Pats receiving core has been depleted (New England has gotten by without Julian Edelman…but in games like this he is sorely missed). Danny Amendola would seem like the logical short-yardage receiver, but he wasn’t even thrown to in the first half of the Miami game (Look for the Steelers to double-cover him). Ron Gronkowski is an excellent receiver, but will it take some time to shake off the rust from his one-game suspension? Chris Hogan doesn’t seem to be the same after coming back from his injury. As for Brandin Cooks, I don’t see him as reliable.
Again, it all harks back to Brady. I’ve watched him over the season and throughout the years. If the Miami game is an indication, it could be a long late-Sunday afternoon, early-Sunday evening for Bill Belichick’s team.
__________________
Walt (Teach)
"Walt, make a 'mental bet' and lose your mind." R.N.S.
"The important thing is what I think of myself."
"David and Lisa" (1962)
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12-15-2017, 06:31 PM
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#2
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: west view, pa. now Lancaster, Ca.
Posts: 3,382
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Teach
Just two days. Less than 48 hours. The Showdown at The Heinz. The Patriots or Steelers? The Pats are favored by 3 (last I looked). Yet, I’m picking…The Steelers. Why?
So goes Tom Brady, so goes The Patriots. I’m skeptical. I’m concerned. Brady is 40-years old. I don’t care how young he says he feels, or how good he looks, Father Time has a way of catching up to you. Is his Achilles tendon bothering him? Frankly, I didn’t think Brady was sharp in the Patriots Monday Night loss to the Dolphins. Was that loss a sign of things to come?
By and large, the Patriots have beaten weaker teams. The AFC East is a weak division. I thought the Pats could have been in trouble against the Bills. Buffalo marched down the field on the opening drive only to have their quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, throw an ill-advised pass inside the Patriots 10-yard line; it gets picked off. Game. Set. Match. The outcome of that game turned on that play. Talk about a deflator.
Further, the Patriots will be without their 6-foot-6, 350-pound defensive lineman, Alan Branch. Branch has a way of clogging up the middle. His absence is a big loss. On the offensive side, the Patriots offensive line has not done a great job of protecting Brady; he’s taken his share of hits.
The Pats receiving core has been depleted (New England has gotten by without Julian Edelman…but in games like this he is sorely missed). Danny Amendola would seem like the logical short-yardage receiver, but he wasn’t even thrown to in the first half of the Miami game (Look for the Steelers to double-cover him). Ron Gronkowski is an excellent receiver, but will it take some time to shake off the rust from his one-game suspension? Chris Hogan doesn’t seem to be the same after coming back from his injury. As for Brandin Cooks, I don’t see him as reliable.
Again, it all harks back to Brady. I’ve watched him over the season and throughout the years. If the Miami game is an indication, it could be a long late-Sunday afternoon, early-Sunday evening for Bill Belichick’s team.
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__________________
Buy Sam a drink and get His dog one Too--->mlang
and now in Lancaster, CA.
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12-15-2017, 06:50 PM
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Boston+Ocala
Posts: 23,764
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i love seeing the Pats lose, not exactly my favorite team. but they had a bad game against the fish. we as humans have good days and bad ones. The Steelers have an excellent squad except for their quarterback and their coach is no bargain either. The Steelers will find a way to lose at home in my opinion.
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12-15-2017, 07:04 PM
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#4
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,033
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And then...there's Le'Veon Bell. "The Juice" is Loose". What about the status of some of the Patriots defensive lineman, e.g. Trey Flowers, Kyle Van Noy, etc.?
__________________
Walt (Teach)
"Walt, make a 'mental bet' and lose your mind." R.N.S.
"The important thing is what I think of myself."
"David and Lisa" (1962)
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12-15-2017, 07:40 PM
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 16,487
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The Steelers had their own defensive issues last week. No Ryan Shazier, and he obviously won't be playing this weekend, either. 400 plus yards allowed, 6.7 yards/play and 152 rush yards against a mediocre Baltimore offense. They also committed over 100 yards in penalties. I'm not sure if I'm getting to the window at all in this game. The over is worth a look, and I don't see the total coming down much.
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12-15-2017, 07:54 PM
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 10,172
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lamboguy
i love seeing the Pats lose, not exactly my favorite team. but they had a bad game against the fish. we as humans have good days and bad ones. The Steelers have an excellent squad except for their quarterback and their coach is no bargain either. The Steelers will find a way to lose at home in my opinion.
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If you disregard age, I can think of at least 28 teams that would trade for him.
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12-15-2017, 11:00 PM
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#7
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Registered User
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Diez meses en Port St. Lucie, FL; two months in the Dominican Republic
Posts: 4,355
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Big Ben a weak link? Top 10 QB in my opinion . Tomlin has his shortcomings as a coach but his players seem to like to play for him.Steelers problem is that they underachieve far too often,struggling against the bad teams.Patriots rarely play two bad games in a row and they play as well in Pittsburgh as they play poorly in Miami; the Dolphins have the most home victories (10) of any team vs. Brady. Looks like a New England W to me with a comfortable cover, 8-10 points.
__________________
"But don't ask me what I think of you, I might not give the answer that you want me to. "
Fleetwood Mac, Oh Well, Part 1 (1969)
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12-15-2017, 11:08 PM
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#8
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Veteran
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Lincoln, NE
Posts: 11,474
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Quote:
Originally Posted by barahona44
Big Ben a weak link? Top 10 QB in my opinion . Tomlin has his shortcomings as a coach but his players seem to like to play for him.Steelers problem is that they underachieve far too often,struggling against the bad teams.Patriots rarely play two bad games in a row and they play as well in Pittsburgh as they play poorly in Miami; the Dolphins have the most home victories (10) of any team vs. Brady. Looks like a New England W to me with a comfortable cover, 8-10 points.
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I'd listen to this guy.
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12-16-2017, 12:54 AM
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 28,569
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Forget this game...and bet the money on the Rams instead.
__________________
"Theory is knowledge that doesn't work. Practice is when everything works and you don't know why."
-- Hermann Hesse
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12-16-2017, 03:08 AM
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Behind the Pine Curtain
Posts: 10,646
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Highland Park beat Denton Ryan tonight. My football weekend is pretty much over ....
Pats were beaten last week by Miami if I heard right. Not sure how this game would be considered "big", they'll just dance again in the playoffs when it'll count for something.
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12-16-2017, 03:41 AM
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#11
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Registered User
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Boston+Ocala
Posts: 23,764
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Quote:
Originally Posted by barahona44
Big Ben a weak link? Top 10 QB in my opinion . Tomlin has his shortcomings as a coach but his players seem to like to play for him.Steelers problem is that they underachieve far too often,struggling against the bad teams.Patriots rarely play two bad games in a row and they play as well in Pittsburgh as they play poorly in Miami; the Dolphins have the most home victories (10) of any team vs. Brady. Looks like a New England W to me with a comfortable cover, 8-10 points.
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if Roethlisberger is in the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL it just goes to show you how watered down the talent is in that league, makes sense though when you look at the game day attendance fall off a cliff lately.
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12-16-2017, 08:32 AM
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 10,172
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thaskalos
Forget this game...and bet the money on the Rams instead.
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I agree.
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12-16-2017, 08:34 AM
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#13
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Registered User
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 10,172
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lamboguy
if Roethlisberger is in the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL it just goes to show you how watered down the talent is in that league, makes sense though when you look at the game day attendance fall off a cliff lately.
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Last I checked, the bum in Pittsburgh is headed to the HOF, and it's not close. So your hate and sarcasm is noted.
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12-16-2017, 01:10 PM
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#14
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clean money
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Maryland
Posts: 23,559
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I give the edge to New England if both teams bring their 'A' game.
In regards to Big Ben, he seems like he is feeling good. Been a few times that he has looked downfield, given a pump fake, and then ran the ball for several yards.
__________________
Preparation. Discipline. Patience. Decisiveness.
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12-16-2017, 01:24 PM
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 15,123
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Betting wise, I can get the home team with the running game advantage and points. Sounds good to me.
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