It’s a Bad Week to be from Pennsylvania - But it still might be worse to be Eli
Originally posted on The Bleacher Report
It was perfect timing for the Ravens and the Colts this week. These two division-leading teams took the spirit of Thanksgiving with them to the football field and feasted on their opponents—the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles—and made for certain that it was a bad week to hail from the Keystone State.
It was a warm, sunny day in Baltimore, Ray Lewis was back on the field after a two-week hiatus, M&T Bank Stadium held a record-breaking crowd and the Baltimore Ravens absolutely demolished their division rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens didn’t just settle for a win, they shut-out the defending champs, limited them to 21 rushing yards and sacked Roethlisberger 9 times. They allowed the Steelers to cross midfield only three times and their seemingly unstoppable defense scored its fifth touchdown of the season. Unbeaten since the firing of offensive coordinator Jim Fassel, the Ravens seem to have solved their quandary of relying only on defense, and Brian Billick, who has assured the safety of his job as head coach, may have finally silenced his critics who said that he would not be a more effective play caller. Even more importantly the Ravens have maintained their three game lead over the formerly dominant Cincinnati Bengals, and can clinch their division with a win against them on Thursday. For the Steelers, known to be a gritty, come-from-behind and very physical team, Sunday’s loss represented the end of their dynasty dreams and left fans and players alike wondering what happened to Big Ben. Maybe it was the motorcycle accident, maybe it was the appendectomy, maybe it was the concussion, but whatever it was the Steelers ended Thanksgiving with nothing to chew on but a big, round goose egg.
On the other side of a big state, scores of passionate fans in Philly were just as disappointed. The Eagles’ are lost without McNabb and the Colts remain dominant because of Peyton Manning and the pairing of these two teams illuminates the importance of a team-leading quarterback. Brian Westbrook rushed for over 124 yards but Joseph Addai was better, rushing for 171 yards and four touchdowns. The Colts took the lead on their first possession and though the Eagles did come within ten points in the third quarter, they never got any closer. It’s hard to imagine what the Colts would look like without Manning and this is now the third season in the McNabb era in which the Eagles have realized the nightmare that is losing him early. Jeff Garcia proved himself a decent but not overpowering replacement, and it remains to be seen what he can do against a less formidable opponent. In the meantime, the Colts (10-1) maintain their one-game lead over the Chargers and the Ravens (both 9-2), they proved that last week’s loss was a fluke and left fans in Philly with little to cheer for. But hey, at least they’ve got Ryan Howard.
One state north New Yorkers are holding out hope that the Jets can close the two-game lead that the Patriots hold and one state south Baltimoreans are finally seeing their team get the recognition it deserves. Pennsylvanians can celebrate that at least they don’t have to deal with Eli Manning who helped the Giants blow a 21 point, fourth quarter lead and who lofted an idiotic pass that would eventually lead to a game winning field goal, but that may be all they can be thankful for. So even though it may still be worse to be Eli, from the Steel City to the City of Brotherly Love, it was a bad week to be from Pennsylvania.
It was perfect timing for the Ravens and the Colts this week. These two division-leading teams took the spirit of Thanksgiving with them to the football field and feasted on their opponents—the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Philadelphia Eagles—and made for certain that it was a bad week to hail from the Keystone State.
It was a warm, sunny day in Baltimore, Ray Lewis was back on the field after a two-week hiatus, M&T Bank Stadium held a record-breaking crowd and the Baltimore Ravens absolutely demolished their division rival Pittsburgh Steelers. The Ravens didn’t just settle for a win, they shut-out the defending champs, limited them to 21 rushing yards and sacked Roethlisberger 9 times. They allowed the Steelers to cross midfield only three times and their seemingly unstoppable defense scored its fifth touchdown of the season. Unbeaten since the firing of offensive coordinator Jim Fassel, the Ravens seem to have solved their quandary of relying only on defense, and Brian Billick, who has assured the safety of his job as head coach, may have finally silenced his critics who said that he would not be a more effective play caller. Even more importantly the Ravens have maintained their three game lead over the formerly dominant Cincinnati Bengals, and can clinch their division with a win against them on Thursday. For the Steelers, known to be a gritty, come-from-behind and very physical team, Sunday’s loss represented the end of their dynasty dreams and left fans and players alike wondering what happened to Big Ben. Maybe it was the motorcycle accident, maybe it was the appendectomy, maybe it was the concussion, but whatever it was the Steelers ended Thanksgiving with nothing to chew on but a big, round goose egg.
On the other side of a big state, scores of passionate fans in Philly were just as disappointed. The Eagles’ are lost without McNabb and the Colts remain dominant because of Peyton Manning and the pairing of these two teams illuminates the importance of a team-leading quarterback. Brian Westbrook rushed for over 124 yards but Joseph Addai was better, rushing for 171 yards and four touchdowns. The Colts took the lead on their first possession and though the Eagles did come within ten points in the third quarter, they never got any closer. It’s hard to imagine what the Colts would look like without Manning and this is now the third season in the McNabb era in which the Eagles have realized the nightmare that is losing him early. Jeff Garcia proved himself a decent but not overpowering replacement, and it remains to be seen what he can do against a less formidable opponent. In the meantime, the Colts (10-1) maintain their one-game lead over the Chargers and the Ravens (both 9-2), they proved that last week’s loss was a fluke and left fans in Philly with little to cheer for. But hey, at least they’ve got Ryan Howard.
One state north New Yorkers are holding out hope that the Jets can close the two-game lead that the Patriots hold and one state south Baltimoreans are finally seeing their team get the recognition it deserves. Pennsylvanians can celebrate that at least they don’t have to deal with Eli Manning who helped the Giants blow a 21 point, fourth quarter lead and who lofted an idiotic pass that would eventually lead to a game winning field goal, but that may be all they can be thankful for. So even though it may still be worse to be Eli, from the Steel City to the City of Brotherly Love, it was a bad week to be from Pennsylvania.
I'm a huge New York Giants fan, but I think we can all agree that Eli needs more reliable players to pass to. However, things wouldn't be so bad if his players didn't quit on him. This happens all too often. There is a lot of talent on the team with a huge lack of motivation. It should be an interesting offseason. Hopefully, the organization doesn't blame everything on Tom Coughlin because he is coming through as coach... it's the players who are spoiled and unexperienced (and not to mention, injured!)
Posted by
Anonymous |
11:26 AM