Footballblogging VIII
Wow. Season’s over already?
Both my teams at 2-5. I think I’ll try to find/form a roleplaying game group that meets on Sundays to distract me.
Only saw the last 45 seconds of the Steelers-Raiders game, so I don’t have any analysis. As to the season, the team lost a little talent and a lot of focus, from the quarterback on down. It’s the kind of thing that reminds you just how young Ben Roethlisberger is - young enough to go pretty far off the rails after the triumph of last season. I don’t expect it to be a permanent lapse for him or the team, but all they can hope for now is to gain back some respectability in the second half of the season.
Comment by mrfred —
October 29, 2006 @ 9:11 pm
if the game stretches into sunday evening as well, I’m in.
Comment by Marc G. —
October 30, 2006 @ 12:00 am
Several years experience says it won’t work. The players will just catch updates to the game online during lulls.
Comment by diddy —
October 30, 2006 @ 12:08 am
For what it’s worth, Brady’s Pats missed the playoffs in 02 after their initial triumph. There is precedent for Ben putting it back together and getting to the top of the heap again. But damn, the boy needs a proper recovery period. Next injury, shut him down for the season. It’s tempting not to give up because there are still 5 division games left…. but they must resist this for the long term good of the team.
Comment by Rob —
October 30, 2006 @ 7:24 am
Umm, maybe people should realize that Ben never was that good. He was the Steeelers Trent Dilfer. Difference of course is he’s still young, but it was much to soon to start reserving his place in Canton.
Comment by mrfred —
October 30, 2006 @ 9:18 pm
ok, the game wasn’t so bad once we got to the 4th quarter…
next week should be entertaining.
Comment by Matt Weiner —
October 31, 2006 @ 10:46 am
Ben never was that good. He was the Steeelers Trent Dilfer.
Nuh-uh. He had, what, the highest QB efficiency of any rookie ever?
If you like Football Outsiders’ Advanced Stats ™, Dilfer’s DVOA in the Ravens’ Superbowl season: -23.9%, significantly worse than Kordell and Kent Graham (each about exactly average).
Ben’s DVOA last year: 33.5%, 3rd behind Manning and Palmer. 2004, 40.3%, 3rd behind Manning and Brady. This year, amazingly, bang in the middle with -2.2%. Still, wahhh!
Comment by Jim Henley —
October 31, 2006 @ 11:11 am
What Matt said.
I admit that, right now, the question is whether Ben will be Tom Brady - gets himself together after a post-Super Bowl spate of Youthful Exuberance - or the new Kurt Warner: a couple brilliant years but never the same after a spate of injuries.