13
Jan
2012
Broncos-Steelers Wild Card shocker: mic’d up (VIDEO)
(Photo: Hyoung Chang, DenverPost.com)
When Tim Tebow and the Broncos upset the Pittsburgh Steelers in their wild card playoff match-up last Sunday, most people theorized that divine intervention had a something to do with it. But true football fans understood that it was actually the arrogance of coordinator Dick LeBeau and the Steelers defense – who stacked the box all day and challenged Denver to throw the ball downfield – that allowed Tebow to pass for 316 yards and 2 TDs (including 204 yards to Demaryius Thomas), and knock the defending AFC champs off their throne.
As usual, the NFL Films crew was on hand in Denver to capturing all the sights and sounds from the game for their super-awesome SoundFX program. For this contest, they had Ben Roethlisberger and Elvis Dumervil mic’d up, along with countless parabolic mics roaming the sideline to pick up all the extra-curriculars. So enjoy as we get to watch the action unfold through the eyes of the players and coaches on the field, in what will already go down as a game for the ages:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
8
Jan
2012
Tim Tebow and the Broncos stun Steelers; Demaryius Thomas scores 80-yard OT game-winner (VIDEO)
Who's got two thumbs and is more popular than Jesus? THIS GUY! (Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images via Yahoo.com)
Pretty much every “expert” in the media had written off Tim Tebow and the Broncos heading into this weekend’s Wild Card match-up against the the heavily favored Steelers. And for good reason. The magic seemed to have run out for Tebow and Denver, having lost their last three games in ugly fashion and backed their way into the playoffs, with Tebow’s fabled mystique noticeably deteriorating toward the end of the season.
Today, in an ironic role reversal, Tebow and the Broncos found themselves ahead early and having to fight off a furious comeback attempt by Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers. Tebow threw for one 2nd quarter score on a 30 yard bullet to Eddie Royal and ran for another to give Denver a 20-6 halftime lead. But Roethlisberger rallied Pittsburgh in the second half, tying the game on a 31-yard strike to Jericho Cotchery with just under 4 minutes remaining and sending things to overtime.
Then came “Tebow Time”: with the Broncos’ season on the line, Timmy did what he does best and came up with a huge play when it mattered most. On the very first play of overtime, Tebow hit Demaryius Thomas in stride at the 40 yard line for an 80-yard walk-off touchdown, giving Denver a stunning 29-23 victory:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
13
Sep
2011
Hit Of The Week: Hines Ward gets blasted by Jarret Johnson (VIDEO)
That's Ward in the center, with his feet in the air (Image via CBS Sports)
With our weekly feature, Hit Of The Week, ReadAndReact will find the most brutal tackle, block or run from each weekend of NFL games, and present it for your viewing pleasure.
_________________________
We’re back with our inauguaral HOTW selection for the 2011 NFL season!
This one comes courtesy of Ravens LB Jarret Johnson, who took the opportunity on Sunday to destroy Steelers WR Hines Ward as he came across the middle at the line of scrimmage, potentially looking to receive a shovel pass of some sort. But Johnson sniffed out the play and sent Ward into next week, forcing Ben Roethlisberger to improvise and throw an INT to Ed Reed, thus continuing the Steelers craptacular opening day display:
(apologies for the less-than-stellar video quality, but this is the best we could find for now … we’ll update if better video surfaces)
UPDATE: Here’s another version of the video, with multiple rewinds of the hit, if you’re into that sort of thing.
On Monday, Johnson said he was just reacting to the play, and didn’t have time to premeditate the hit:
“When I hit him, I didn’t expect him to do a freakin’ flip,” said Johnson. “I was just kind of reacting to the play. You don’t even remember a lot of stuff, and I just remember recognizing the play and kind of sitting back. I don’t remember if I took one step or if I ran or what.”
27
Mar
2011
Ben Roethlisberger Sunday Afternoon Interior Decorator Inquiry
Ben Roethlisberger's apartment was quite a challenge for Stanton and Menotti.
Nathaniel Stanton: Stanton and Menotti Contemporary Interiors, Nathaniel speaking.
Ben Roethlisberger: Hi, I’m calling to see if I could hire an interior decorator for my apartment.
NS: You have come to the right place! What is your name, sir?
BR: Ben Roethlisberger. My friends call me Big Ben.
NS: Outstanding!
BR: I play football for the Steelers.
NS: This is the game with all the men and the tight pants?
BR: Uh… yeah, I guess.
NS: What a delight! Do you have a particular look you would like for your apartment? Maybe something to design around? Art perhaps?
BR: Well, I have a Beers of the World poster and a collection of Fatheads.
NS: A Fat Head?
BR: These large, stick-on football players. You put them on your wall.
NS: So a Maximalists, perhaps. Do you have any furniture that you would like to keep? Just trying to get a sense… Would hate to give you English Chintz when you might really be looking for Neo-Bachelor Minimalism, if you know what I mean.
BR: I don’t think I have anything I need to keep. Oh that’s not true, I bought a replica of Dumbledore’s chair from the Harry Potter movies. I like to sit on that chair with a bucket of hot chicken on my lap and search for foreign nudie movies on Netflix streaming and make my way through a 12-pack.
NS: An heirloom piece… I see. We must keep it. Do you entertain?
BR: Well, sometimes Hines will come over and cook me dinner if we have had a tough practice. He likes to put on an a tiny apron and make a roast. We unwind together. He calls it, “us time.” I also will sometimes just call random numbers at the college and if a girl answers, invite her over.
Nathaniel creates an inviting, minimalist bedroom while still highlighting Big Ben's favorite Fathead from his extensive collection. (Photo: Nathaniel Stanton)
7
Feb
2011
Monday Morning Super Bowl XLV round-up: Packers outlast Steelers to re-claim Lombardi Trophy
This year's trophy also came with a championship belt (Photo: Getty Images via ChicagoBreakingSports)
The Green Bay Packers are bringing the Lombardi trophy back to Titletown.
As the whole world watched, the Packers hung on to defeat Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV, with Aaron Rodgers throwing 3 TDs and taking home the MVP trophy. Green Bay jumped out to an early 21-3 lead, and for a minute it looked like we might be headed for a blowout. But the Steelers were able to turn the momentum and mount a comeback in the second half to cut the lead to within a score. But down by 6 points with just under 2 minutes to go, Ben Roethlisberger wasn’t able to summon the last-minute heroics needed for a game-winning drive, and the Packers held on for the victory. In the end, the difference in the game came down to turnovers. Pittsburgh committed three turnovers, and Green Bay committed none. Plus, the Packers were able to capitalize on all three of the Steelers turnovers with touchdowns. It’s pretty simple, really: when you spot a team 21 points in the Super Bowl, it’s difficult to win.
Rather than re-hash every angle you’ve probably heard overanalyzed a dozen times by now, we’ll just provide a few links to some of the more interesting side notes to this year’s big game:
- Yes, Christina Aguilera screwed up the lyrics to the Star Spangled Banner. Deport her immediately.
- After all of his ploys to add extra attendees for the game (including selling tickets for standing room only party plazas outside the stadium) Jerry Jones missed setting the Super Bowl attendance record by 766
- And thanks to that attempt by Jerrah, 400 ticket buyers, who each paid $800 for newly constructed seats at Cowboys Stadium, were forced to watch the game on TVs in the stadium after the fire marshal deemed their seats unsafe. But the league is hooking each of the displaced fans up with $2,400 cash, NFL merch, tix to SB 46 … oh, and they got to go on the field during the post-game celebration last night.
- Only one record was set during SB XLV: fewest combined rushing attempts by both teams, with 36 (Packers 13, Steelers 23)
- Injured Packer CB Charles Woodson apparently gave an emotional, “Gipper-esque” halftime speech to his teammates, which helped fire them up to take home the championship.
27
Jan
2011
America thinks Jay Cutler is the least likeable QB in the NFL
(Photo: KansasCity.com)
Here’s another one for the “winning forgives everything” file: ESPN’s SportsNation is running a poll to find out which current NFL quarterback is the least likeable: Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick or Jay Cutler. And in what really should come as no surprise at this point, America thinks that Cutler is the worst of the bunch. By a large margin.
So according to this unscientific sample, Cutler’s moping and perceived tap-out in the NFC Championship game is less forgivable than (alleged) rape and (convicted) electrocution of dogs. Gotcha.
(ESPN Image via FoulBalls.com)
The persecution of the Bears QB has reached a fever pitch this week, with FoxSports.com’s Jason Whitlock openly calling Cutler a quitter, and implying that he had mentally checked out long ago. Then there’s this video from TMZ, which is getting all sorts of attention today. Apparently Cutler doesn’t exhibit enough of a limp while walking around town for some people’s liking. And on Monday there was an uproar when he went to dinner with his family after the game, and had the gaul to use the stairs to walk up to the private dining area … when there was an elevator available (gasp)!
Nevermind the fact that any doctor will tell you a patient can walk normally with a Grade II MCL tear. Don’t let that get in the way of a good media execution. Disgruntled Bears fans are just looking for a fall guy to blame the loss on, when the fact remains that Chicago was losing that game with or without Cutler.
Meanwhile, Roethlisberger and Vick can violate any number of legal and moral codes, win a few football games, and all is forgiven. I’d say our priorities as a nation seem to be perfectly in line, wouldn’t you?
[H/T FoulBalls]
24
Jan
2011
AFC Championship Game: A Tale of Two GIFs
As we all know by now, the Pittsburgh Steelers outlasted the New York Jets in the AFC Championship Game yesterday, winning 24-19 and advancing to Super Bowl XLV. Mike Tomlin‘s crew jumped out to a dominating 24-0 first half lead, and the Steelers defense came up big when it mattered most in the second half to hold off a comeback attempt by the Jets.
Instead of breaking down the play-by-play and showing highlights of the most important moments of the game (which you’ll be able to find literally everywhere else today), we felt that these two images – lovingly captured in GIF format – summed up the emotions of both teams at the end of the day.
First, brash head coach Rex Ryan expresses his frustration after the Steelers converted a crucial third down to seal the loss for the Jets:
I threw it on the ground! (Image via InstntRply.com)
Moments later, watch Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall give Ben Roethlisberger a taste of his own medicine after taking a knee in victory formation to seal the win for Pittsburgh:
16
Jan
2011
Ravens flail as Steelers come back to win; Antonio Brown does his best David Tyree impression (VIDEO)
Antonio Brown makes the catch of his life on Saturday
As expected, yesterday’s AFC Divisional Playoff between the Steelers and Ravens was a knockdown, drag-out fight that went down to the very end, with Pittsburgh storming back for the 31-24 win. Baltimore stunned the home crowd in jumping out to a 21-7 halftime lead, but the Ravens stumbled in the second half … badly. Baltimore had THREE turnovers in the 3rd quarter that allowed the Steelers back into it, followed by two huge dropped passes down the stretch that could have helped win the game for John Harbaugh’s team.
The biggest drop came with 4 minutes remaining, after the Ravens had a punt return TD taken off the board by a holding call on an obvious flop by Steelers’ Will Allen. But Baltimore still had the chance for a go-ahead score after Joe Flacco led his team downfield and inside the ten. Faced with a 3rd and goal from the 6 yard line, Flacco looked to his Pro Bowl receiver Boldin in the end zone:
That’s simply a catch that Boldin needs to make. Instead, the Ravens tied the game at 24-24 with 3:54 remaining … way too much time for Ben Roethlisberger to work with. And Roethlisberger – along with his receiving corps – came up huge when it mattered most.
With just over 2 minutes remaining, the Steelers faced a seemingly insurmountable 3rd-and-19 at their own 38. Roethlisberger decided to chuck it up to rookie WR Antonio Brown, who came up with the catch of his young career:
VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
5
Dec
2010
Ben Roethlisberger gets his nose rearranged by Haloti Ngata (PIC & VIDEO)
(NBC Sports image via the LandryHat)
If you haven’t figured it out by the headline and fantastic banner pic above, Ben Roethlisberger was the victim of a vicious blow to the face by DT Haloti Ngata during tonight’s Steelers-Ravens game. On the very first series in the first quarter, Ngata’s hand got inside Big Ben’s facemask as the Baltimore defense closed in for a sack. And when Roethlisberger got up, his nose was bloodied and newly crooked. After receiving attention on the sideline to stop the bleeding, Roethlisberger returned to action on the very next series. Now I’m no doctor, but I’m pretty sure noses aren’t supposed to bend like that. UPDATE: After the game, Roethlisberger confirmed that his nose was broken.
The hit was technically an illegal blow to the head that surprisingly went uncalled – especially in a league that is crazy about protecting the quarterback. But in watching the replay, it all happens so quickly you can barely see the hand hit Roethlisberger’s the face in slow motion, let alone at full speed. It will be interesting to see Ngata draws a fine from the league later this week:
WATCH THE VIDEO AFTER THE JUMP
29
Nov
2010
Andre Johnson avoids suspension for beating Finnegan; fans everywhere applaud
Andre Johnson dishes out some street justice to Cortland Finnegan (Photo: Karen Warren/Chronicle)
Let’s face it: Andre Johnson did the league a favor. When the all-pro WR beat Cortland Finnegan like he stole something during yesterdays Texans/Titans game, it somehow felt as though justice had been served.
Finnegan takes pride in being a dirty player. His entire game is getting inside his opponents’ heads until they finally snap and draw a penalty. The guy is a punk, plain and simple, who has openly boasted about wanting to be labeled the dirtiest player in the league. And so far this season, he’s done a fine job of building his reputation along those lines. But yesterday, Finnegan picked a fight with a much bigger dog, and he finally got what was coming to him. And as it happened, football fans around the world cheered.
Which is why it’s nice to hear that Johnson will not be suspended for his part in the brawl for it all, according to a report from Fox26. And the Houston Chronicle reports that both players have been fined $25k, but neither will face suspension for their actions. It actually seems like a particularly light slap on the wrist for both players from Roger Goodell, who up until now recently has handed out fines like Halloween candy. Richard Seymour was just fined the same amount last week for smacking down Ben Roethlisberger … and that was just one open-handed shot, while both were wearing helmets. So it seemed that a heavier punishment was in line for both players after their full-on brawl at the 40-yard line.
Johnson has been extremely contrite in apologizing for his actions yesterday, saying he simply lost his cool and would accept whatever punishment came his way. But Goodell apparently agreed with Mike Ditka, who went on the Mike and Mike radio show this morning and suggested that Johnson should be commended for his actions:
I wouldn’t suspend him. I would applaud him if I was the National Football League. Where does it say that if I snake bites you, you can’t step on the snake? And that’s exactly what happened to this kid.
That seems to be the general consensus.
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO OF THE BRAWL AFTER THE JUMP
