March 28, 2024

Jets Crash In Pittsburgh

September 18, 2012

All of the good feelings that came out of the New York Jets locker room after they dismantled the Buffalo Bills a week ago, were quickly snuffed out when they traveled to Pittsburgh to face a team hosting their home opener. The Steelers were also playing with a chip on their shoulders after losing to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos the week before. The last time the Steelers set their spikes on the home turf, they walked off with heads down and shoulders shrugged as Tim Tebow threw a game-winning, overtime touchdown. Seemed like Pittsburgh remembered how that game ended as they brought the Jets back to reality in their 27-10 victory at Heinz Field.

With both teams missing key defensive players, (Darrelle Revis for the Jets and Troy Polamalu for the Steelers) the Jets did pick up where they left off in their home opener against the Bills. Pittsburgh took a 3-0 lead after a Shaun Suisham 45-yard field goal. In New York's first possession, QB Mark Sanchez completes 4 of 5 passes for 80 yards, ending in a 14-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes. It was all downhill from that point on for the offense as the Steelers defense suffocated Gang Green the rest of the game. After Nick Folk converted a 38-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10-6, the Jets would not get on the scoreboard again.

The defense that Jets head coach Rex Ryan cited as "the best he's coached" since he's been here, could not stop Pittsburgh when it mattered. It began late in the first half with the Steelers starting on their own 20. Ben Roethlisberger completes six passes on the drive for 55 yards. The big play came after connecting with Emanuel Sanders for 19 yards. Thirteen yards were added after safety LaRon Landry gets flagged for a late hit. The drive ends in a one-yard touchdown pass to Heath Miller giving the Steelers a 13-10 lead. The Jets offense sputtered the rest of the game with Sanchez only completing 6 of 22 passes for 58 yards. The running game was non-existent as they gained only 90 yards, 22 of those yards coming from Tim Tebow out of the wildcat formation.

The Pittsburgh Steelers dominated the time of possession holding on to the ball for more than 13 minutes than New York. It wore on the Jets defense as Roethlisberger finished his day throwing for 275 yards completing 24 of 31 passes. As in his customary fashion, Big Ben shook off several Jets defenders scrambling out of the pocket before tossing a complete pass. As solid as Roethlisberger was overall, Sanchez was only able to complete one pass to his wide receivers in the second half.

Two games do not a season make but it's clear that the New York Jets should be a tad concerned when they travel to Miami to face a team coming off a rout over the Oakland Raiders. Couple that with the fact that Miami is facing its ex-head coach Tony Sparano (now offensive coordinator for the Jets) and just like the Steelers, the Dolphins will be playing with a little extra incentive.

Upon Further Review: Shame on Dallas, the Jets, Minnesota, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, San Diego, New Orleans, Green Bay, and the Eagles 

I wish the first 11 weeks were as easy to write about the results of the NFL games as Week 12 was. Why, do you ask? Very simple: There were two sets of turkeys, the ones that were carved up on the dinner table and the ones that were carved up on the football field.

In order, starting with the traditional annual holiday day games, Dallas, the Jets, Minnesota, Oakland, Pittsburgh, Tennessee, San Diego, New Orleans, Green Bay, and Philadelphia did not give their fans any reason to celebrate the long weekend. In fact, they were probably responsible for more upset stomachs and throbbing (hangover) headaches after watching their teams lose in the fashion they did.

Dallas took a 3-0 lead against the Washington Redskins and then were burned by 28 second-quarter points as Robert Griffin 3rd threw touchdown passes of 68, 59 and 6 yards in the 38-31 win. The Cowboys did manage to make a game of it with a second-half run, but the lead was insurmountable. The Boys go on to host the Eagles Sunday night while the Skins host the Giants Monday night...The Jets laid the biggest turkey egg of the weekend when they hosted the hated New England Patriots. There are a lot of things you can do in a span of 52 seconds. Having 3 touchdowns scored against you should not be one of them. That's exactly what happened to Gang Green in their 49-19 loss. The Patriots scored 35 points in the second quarter putting the Jets asleep faster than the chemical digested from having too much turkey. Most embarrassing was Jets QB Mark Sanchez bouncing off the rear end (insert joke here) of right guard Brandon Moore causing Sanchez to fumble and recovered by Steve Gregory who returned it 32 yards for the touchdown. The Jets and their playoff hopes are as done as the turkey that was waiting for them after the game. They host Arizona while the Patriots travel to Miami. Their stomachs are hurting not from the amount of food they ate but because they are still laughing at the outcome of the game...Minnesota had a chance to tie Chicago for first place when they faced the Bears on Sunday. They got out to a 3-0 lead then saw the Bears score the next 25 points in their 28-10 win. Chicago's defense helped the cause by getting into the end zone twice. The Vikings go to Green Bay while the Bears play another home game against Seattle...Oakland is still asking themselves why they trekked halfway across the country to play the Bengals. Before they knew it, the Raiders were down 24-0 in losing 34-10. Cinci's QB Andy Dalton throws for three TDs and 210 yards while running back BenJarvis Green-Ellis ran for 129 yards and one TD. The Bengals play another west coast team, but this time they travel across the country when they face the Chargers who allowed a 4th and 29 conversions to the Ravens losing in overtime 16-13. Baltimore was on its own 37 with 1:37 left in the game when Rutgers star Ray Rice took the screen pass and scampered the 29 yards needed for the first down. Justin Tucker kicked the 38-yard field goal to send the game into overtime in which they won to push their record to 9-2. The Ravens host the Steelers who started third-string QB Charlie Batch but could not overcome 7 turnovers in their 20-14 loss to Cleveland. It was only the second time the Browns had beaten Pittsburgh in their last 18 games. Cleveland goes to the black hole to face the Raiders...The Titans were facing a Jacksonville team that had only one win coming into the game. The Jaguars left with their second win after QB Chad Henne threw two TDs in the 24-19 win. The Jags came into the game having lost their previous seven games. Tennessee goes home to face Houston while Jacksonville goes to Buffalo who are coming off a loss to the surprising Colts 20-13 as Indianapolis improved its record to 7-4. The Colts head to Detroit who is still trying to get over their 34-31 OT loss at the hands of the Texans. It appeared that Texans running back Justin Forsett was down but he continued to run and turned it into an 81-yard TD run. Before the play could be reviewed, Lions head coach threw the challenge flag which not only negated the review but penalized Detroit for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Texans would score a late touchdown and then kick a field goal in overtime to win the game and improve to 10-1. The Saints took a hit to their playoff chances when they fell at home to San Francisco 31-21. For his second straight start, backup QB Colin Kaepernick had a solid game throwing for one TD and running for another. Saints Drew Brees threw three TDs but also threw two INT's, which were returned for touchdowns. The 9ers visit St. Louis while the Saints play Atlanta Thursday night...The Eagles free fall continues in losing Monday night to Carolina 30-22 for their seventh straight loss. Carolina saw Cam Newton pass for 2 TDs (306 yards) and run for another 2 (54 yards) as they visit the Chiefs...Atlanta squeezed by Tampa 24-23 to become the second team with 10 wins...The Rams invade the Cardinals Janoris Jenkins picks off two passes and returns them for touchdowns in the 31-17 rout. The Cards are another team with a seven-game losing streak. Miami kicked a field goal as time expired in its 24-21 win over Seattle. Ex-Jets running back Leon Washington (seems like the ex-Jets are the only ones having a good year) ran a kickoff back for a touchdown. The eighth time he has done that tying an NFL record...Denver kept the Chiefs winless at home in its 17-9 win to improve to 8-3. Peyton Manning continued his campaign for MVP throwing 2 more TD passes and 285 yards. Denver hosts Tampa...Finally, talk about taking advantage of a bye week. The Super Bowl Champion New York Giants were coming off 2 straight losses (Pittsburgh and Cincinnati) when they came off their bye week to face the Green Bay Packers. Giants QB Eli Manning shook off the "weak arm" rumors by throwing three TDs for 249 yards in the whipping of the Packers. The defense had Packers QB Aaron Rodgers on the run all night as he was sacked 5 times before the night was over.

So Week #12 is in the books. I'm not sure who had the worst weekend, the turkeys that were cooked for hours in the oven or the teams that were cooked on the field.

East Rutherford, NJ - With major areas in New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut still under ruins due to Hurricane Sandy, the New York Giants wanted to give temporary relief to their fans when they hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday afternoon at MetLife Stadium. After beating the Dallas Cowboys last week to improve to 6-2 (2-2 in the division) Big Blue wanted to start the second half of the season on a good note knowing that under head coach Tom Coughlin they have played 64 second half games losing 37 of them. In the first eight games under Coughlin during those years, they played 72 games winning a stunning 53. So what team would show to face a Steelers team making its first appearance at the Met-O-Lands?

The Giants second half struggles seemed to continue at the start as they couldn't generate anything offensively. When it looked like they were ready to make a move, Eli Manning threw his customary interception into double coverage.

Manning had moved the team from its own 16 to the 41-yard line before trying to get the pass to Victor (Salsa) Cruz. The Steelers would take advantage of the turnover as QB Ben Roethlisberger marched them down using 11 plays, 58 yards ending in a 4 yards touchdown pass to wide receiver Emanuel Sanders.

The Giants would then go on an eight play drive going 62 yards ending in a 1-yard touchdown run by Andre Brown. The drive was aided by a pass interference penalty by Steelers cornerback Keenan Lewis. With the ball on the second-yard line, Manning tries to thread the needle to Cruz which falls incomplete. However, Cruz is hit late by safety Ryan Clark giving the Giants first and goal. Cruz laid on the turf with bruised ribs, left the game on his own power before returning the next time New York had possession.

New York took its first lead of the game (14-7) as the defense, possibly spurred on by the Cruz late hit, forced a Roethlisberger turnover. At the Giants 32, Big Ben goes back to pass and is hit by Osi Umenyora. Linebacker Michael Boley picks up the fumble and scrambles 71 yards for the score. Pittsburgh would add three more right before the half after New York's Lawrence Tynes missed a 51-yard field goal. Roethlisberger completed two passes totaling 47 yards setting up the Shaun Suisham 30-yard field goal cutting the lead to four (14-10).

The Steelers looked like they were going to strike at the start of the third quarter when Chris Rainey returned the kick-off 68 yards to the Giants 35 yard line. They would gain only one yard on the drive as Justin Tuck came up with his second sack of the game forcing them to punt. They extended the lead to seven (17-10) after Manning hits tight end Martelllus Bennett for 33-yards. It sets up a Tynes 50-yard field goal.

Roethlisberger then had a Manning moment of his own resulting in an interception. Giants cornerback Corey Webster steps in front of Mike Wallace to pick off the pass, leading to Tynes' second field goal of the day (23 yards) to put them up 20-10. That lead was short-lived in a very fast way as Roethlisberger, from the shotgun hits Wallace on a quick pass and he turns on the afterburners.

Fifty-one yards later, he's in the end zone bringing the Steelers within three (20-17). The Giants gave Pittsburgh the ball back failing to get a first down on their next possession and looked to tie or retake the lead. With the ball on the Giants third-yard line, Pittsburgh sets up for a game-tying field. Instead, they fake it as holder Drew Butler flips the ball behind to Suisham who is tackled for a one-yard loss. Another New York three and out gave Pittsburgh another opportunity to take the lead and this time they didn't waste it.

The Steelers began on their own 49 with 8:55 left looking to atone for their earlier miscue. Roethlisberger uses a combination of runs (35 yards) and passes (29 yards) to move them downfield before Isaac Redman runs it in from one yard for the game-winning score. With 4:53 left and Manning's recent history, the Giants were once again thinking about a last-minute victory. Unfortunately, it would not be as Manning (10-24, 125 yards) could not pull it off as once again like the previous possessions of the last quarter they could not convert a first down. With all that, the Giants were still in the position to get another shot if they could get the ball back as they had all 3 timeouts left. Pittsburgh had the ball with 2:55 needing one first down to come away with the win. The Giants used two of their timeouts stopping the Steelers has the only gained one yard. That's when Roethlisberger finds Redman once again for 16 yards. Game over.

It was an emotional day for the Giants, knowing they were playing in front of fans, many of them who would leave the stadium to return to no heat, hot water or electricity. Big Blue wanted to send them home on a good note.

Said head coach Tom Coughlin afterward, "what we were trying to do was give them a few hours of enjoyment in a very, very difficult time. To let them know we understood the mass difficulties that were facing our neighbors. That many, many people were fighting to survive. I hope the message came through we were trying."

They came up short.

Upon Further Review: New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Tim Tebow

Well, that didn't last long! Not saying that the New York Jets acted and celebrated like they won their second Super Bowl in team history but after a pre-season that saw them score 1 offensive touchdown they were absolutely giddy slamming the Buffalo Bills in their home opener. They were brought back to reality quickly when they traveled to Pittsburgh to face a Steelers team that had a chip on their shoulders for a couple of reasons: First, they lost to a quarterback (Peyton Manning) who hadn't played a down in the previous year. Second, the last time they stepped on Heinz Field, they saw Tim Tebow throw the game-winning touchdown in overtime to end their season.

From the start, it appeared the Jets picked up right where they left off in their demolishing of the Bills. They spotted the Steelers a 3-0 lead then saw QB Mark Sanchez march them down 80 yards for a 7-3 lead. Pittsburgh responded with another field goal and from that point on, it was all downhill for Gang Green.

The offense that moved so fluidly on their first possession (Mark Sanchez completed 4 of 5 passes for 80 yards and 1 touchdown) sputtered the rest of the game. Defensively, they could not come up with the big stops when they needed them. Pittsburgh was 8 of 15 on third down conversions. Of the eight completions, the Steelers had to go at least eight yards.

Now for the second time in this early season, the Jets have to face another division rival in the Miami Dolphins, this time on the road. The Fish are coming off an impressive win over the Raiders. The Jets are shaking their heads trying to figure out how they could look so good against the Bills and so bad against the Steelers. Another shaky Sanchez performance and you know the name that the fans will be screaming for...

Lost in the second half offensive explosion when the Giants came back in their game against Tampa Bay was the performance by backup running back Andre Brown. He was forced into action after starter Ahmad Bradshaw left the game in the second quarter with a neck injury. Brown finished with 71 yards on 13 carries and 1 touchdown. When the Giants faced Carolina Thursday night, they did so without Bradshaw, David Diehl, Dominic Hixon, and Hakeem Nicks...

Of all the teams to start 2-0, none is more surprising than the Arizona Cardinals. They went into New England to face a Patriots team that had not lost a home opener since 2002. The Cardinals did give the Pats a chance to steal a win after Arizona running back Vince Wilfolk fumbled with 1:01 left in the game. Two Patriots penalties, the first a 30-yard Danny Woodhead touchdown run called back as tight end Ron Gronkowski was caught holding and the second, Gronkowski is called for a false start, moved the ball back to the Cardinals 24-yard line. The normally reliable field goal kicker Stephen Gostkowski pushed the attempt wide left. The number of fans who got bumped from their suicide pool is still being counted...

Houston, San Diego, Philadelphia (both of the Eagles wins were by 1 point), Atlanta and San Francisco are the other undefeated teams heading into week 3...Dallas, Washington, Baltimore, Denver, Chicago, Detroit, and Minnesota were brought back to reality in their week 2 losses...New Orleans is one of six teams that are 0-2 after losing to Carolina. The other five, Tennessee, Jacksonville, Cleveland, Kansas City, and Oakland are just plain bad...Finally, not much was made after week 1 about the job the replacement refs did. It was quite different after week 2 when the mistakes were glaring. From shaky pass interference calls, non-holding calls to simply failing to spot the ball correctly on the yard line, it looks like things are going to get worse before they get better. Still, the powers that be, namely Commissioner Roger Goodell is intent on squeezing the referee's union. You have the best players on the planet being officiated by division 3 refs. One ref was removed prior to the Saints/Panthers game as he posted pictures of himself wearing Saints gear and claiming his allegiance to the team. The NFL, claiming they are doing everything they can to protect the players, are putting them at severe risk with 3rd tier referees.

Stormy Daniels gave an in-depth interview about how she met Donald Trump, their alleged encounter, and how she met Ben Roethlisberger

Larry Brown Sports is reporting that according to adult film star Stormy Daniels, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger walked her home after her 2006 affair with Donald Trump.

Allegedly, the day after the affair, Trump invited Daniels to a party and Roethlisberger was there. Trump had to leave and he asked Big Ben to make sure Daniels got home.

Daniels, in an in-depth interview with In Touch Weekly, didn't provide a date of when the incident with Trump and Roethlisberger occurred, but she said: “Big Ben” had just won the Super Bowl.

Pittsburgh Steelers’ fans know Roethlisberger led the Steelers to championships in both 2006 and 2009.

Daniels said Trump was married to current wife Melania Trump at the time of the alleged affair, which we know Trump married Melania in 2005.

Cincinnati Bengal linebacker Vontaze Burfict will be suspended without pay for the first 3 games of the 2016 season.

The suspension comes on the heels of the AFC Wild Card game against the Pittsburgh Steelers where he delivered a hit on Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown knocking him out of the game and the next round of playoffs.

This isn’t the first time that Burfict has found himself on the wrong side of the NFL rulebook. Burfict was fined four times for violations in 2015.

Burfict has the right to appeal the decision.

VIDEO Discussion: Arizona, Carolina, Denver, and New England head to NFL Conference Championship games; Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Seattle Seahawks get to watch at home

 

Kobe Bryant leads in NBA All-Star voting; Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza Get Nod for Baseball Hall of Fame; LRMR Dumps Johnny Manziel; and Beyonce set to take the stage at the 2016 NFL Super Bowl

In Episode 56 of What's The 411Sports, there is a discussion about the NFL Wild Card playoffs: Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans; Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals; Seattle Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings; and Green Bay Packers and Washington.

The Brooklyn Nets fired its head coach Lionel Hollins and reassigned General Manager Billy King.

in baseball news, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza are elected into the 2016 class of the Baseball Hall of Fame.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fired head coach Lovie Smith by telephone.

Alabama beats Clemson in the College Football Championship game.

Reportedly, the UFC will announce that Holly Holm will defend her bantamweight championship against Miesha Tate on March 5, 2016, in Las Vegas.

Maverick Carter, CEO, LRMR announced that the company dropped its representation of Cleveland Browns quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner, Johnny Manziel.

In the Dog-House this week are three Ooltewah High School basketball players that raped a fellow teammate.

Polamalu Destined for Football Hall of Fame Retires from Steelers

Pro-bowler and famed Pittsburgh Steeler safety, Troy Polamalu, is calling it quits after dominating his position for 12 years.

Polamalu played his entire career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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