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The legal means of watching or listening to NBA games are NBA League Pass Broadband (for US, or for International; both cost money) and NBA Audio League Pass (which is free). Look for them on NBA.com.

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We prefer self-restraint and/or modesty when making jokes or off topic comments in a sports discussion thread. They can be fun, but sometimes they derail or distract from a topic, and we don't want to see that happen. If we feel it is a problem, we will either delete or move those posts from the thread.

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Rule #10

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Jay's Official Super Bowl Champion Steelers thread

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  • #16
    Re: Rothlesberger out for the opener Thurs.

    That sucks for Pitt. Here's to a speedy recovery for the Big man.
    It's a new day for Pacers Basketball.

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Rothlesberger out for the opener Thurs.

      Ouch. We've got a long time between our first and second games, then a home game with Cincinatti and the bye. I could see Ben sitting out until the Sunday night game against SD, just to be safe.

      Its much more important to have Ben healthy in January and February than September. Given everything he's been through, I see no reason to rush him back onto the field.
      Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
      Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
      Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
      Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
      And life itself, rushing over me
      Life itself, the wind in black elms,
      Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Rothlesberger out for the opener Thurs.

        Originally posted by Lord Helmet View Post
        So I take it his appendix almost burst or did and needed to be removed? That sucks. My friend had it happen to him earlier this year.

        My friend also was unable to do any kind of sports for about 3-4 weeks, I think. So, Big Ben could be out for a month or a little over, if that's what it is.
        Since Ben was released within 24 hours I would deem it highly unlikely that his appendix actually burst. Unfortunately I can speak from experience as I had the same operation exactly 2 weeks ago.

        Mine was inflamed but not quite to the point of bursting. It's a fairly non-instrusive procedure anymore unless it's really bad. I would imagine he will have to miss the first 2 games at the minimum. I'm going back to work for the first time tomorrow but I don't have to play football.

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Rothlesberger out for the opener Thurs.

          He has a seven inch incision, which means the doctor had concerns it would/was burst (though it sounds like it didn't). That makes the recovery time much longer (compared to a lathroscopic removal).

          Hines Ward says he expects him back by Week 2 because he had a similar procedure, but I wouldn't count on it. There's a big difference between throwing 20-30 passes a night with a healing wound on your torso, than catching them.

          Then again, we could all be surprised.


          "Like [Jonathan Bender], AMC's Pacer was supposed to be fitted with a rotary engine--but both rotaries had technical problems late in their development (read: after incurring heavy research costs) that prevented them from seeing the light of day. Of course, both vehicles had plenty of problems that did reach production. The Pacer was a dud in terms of quality, execution and particularly styling. Make your own assessment about its bizarre proportions, but don't miss the one door that's bigger than the other."

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Rothlesberger out for the opener Thurs.

            Conflicting information, here's this from the PPG:

            Steelers sign St. Pierre as appendectomy sidelines Big Ben
            http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06247/718946-66.stm
            Minimally invasive surgery expected to cause him to miss two games
            Monday, September 04, 2006

            By Ed Bouchette and Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

            The Steelers have signed one of their former quarterbacks, Brian St. Pierre, and added him to the practice squad today in the wake of Ben Roethlisberger's appendectomy surgery.

            St. Pierre, a fifth-round draft choice in 2003 who spent two seasons with the Steelers, will join rookie quarterback Omar Jacobs on the practice squad in an attempt to determine who will be signed to the 53-man roster to back up Charlie Batch for Thursday night's season opener against the Miami Dolphins.

            St. Pierre is eligible for the practice squad because he has not appeared in enough NFL games to qualify as something more than a first-year player.

            Roethlisberger had emergency laparoscopic surgery yesterday morning and is expected to miss the first two games of the regular season.
            To make room for St. Pierre on the practice squad, the Steelers released John Kuhn of Shippensburg.

            For Roethlisberger, the tour of city hospitals continues.

            "He's cursed," declared teammate Brett Keisel.

            The surgery was his second in less than three months, coming after he recovered from a near-fatal motorcycle accident on Second Avenue near the Armstrong Tunnel on June 12 in time to play in the preseason games. Doctors at Mercy Hospital had repaired a broken jaw, nose and orbital bone. He also had knee surgery last November.

            "All he did to come back," said guard Alan Faneca, shaking his head. "He's had a busy offseason and preseason."

            Thursday's game, intended to be a gala kickoff to the NFL season, already carries a pall because of the late Mayor Bob O'Connor's funeral that morning.

            "That's the situation we're being dealt ...," said coach Bill Cowher after players filed quietly off the practice field last evening. "We're not asking for any pity and we're not going to make any excuses."

            The Steelers went 2-2 without Roethlisberger last season, when he missed four games with two knee injuries. Batch was 2-0 as his replacement. The two quarterbacks attended the Pitt-Virginia game together Saturday night and Batch said he noticed nothing wrong with Roethlisberger.

            But Roethlisberger, the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, felt ill yesterday morning after he reported to the Steelers' UPMC facility on the South Side and he was sent to Dr. Anthony Yates, the team internist.

            "It's one of those deals you never really know what can happen at any given time," Batch said. "That's why you have to be ready, and this is prime example of it now."

            There was a palpable downcast mood around the Steelers when they learned about Roethlisberger's latest run of bad luck. Perhaps it had much to do with how he overcame his June accident, that he played and practiced so well this summer and that the team felt strongly about its chances to defend the Super Bowl championship starting Thursday.

            "We'll rally behind Charlie and everybody else will do so as well," Cowher said. "It's a situation that can happen to any football team. On any one day you go out there and have a starter go down, whether it's an ankle, hitting your hand on a helmet, that's the nature of this business.

            "Adversity to me is not what knocks you down, it's how you handle it, how you respond to it. This football team has been down this road before, facing challenges and adversity."

            In laparoscopic surgery no large incision is made. Instead, several tiny incisions are made to insert a scope and instruments. Such operations can greatly reduce the patient's recovery time.

            In most cases the appendectomy can be completed within 20 to 30 minutes.


            The patient has no physical restrictions and is expected to walk at least one to two miles per day.

            Four years ago, receiver Hines Ward had the same surgery the day before the third preseason game. He missed the final two preseason games but started in the regular-season opener of 2002.

            "It took me 5-7 days just to get walking around again and feeling kind of normal," said Ward, who caught eight passes, one for a touchdown, in his first game back.

            The Steelers play their second game at Jacksonville Sept. 18, a Monday night. They return to Heinz Field Sept. 24 for an early AFC North showdown against defending division champion Cincinnati. That third game is the most likely target for Roethlisberger's return.

            Batch, a Homestead native, has started 48 games in eight NFL seasons, the first four in Detroit.

            "I feel good about Charlie," Cowher said. "I feel good about our football team, honestly. Certainly it's a challenge when you lose your starting quarterback. ... The good news about it, it's not anything that's going to be long-term. It's going to be short-term."

            Said Faneca, "He's going to be missed. You start there and you say OK, you know we're going to move forward without him. The team must move on."

            --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

            (Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3878. )

            Also, I'm going to merge this with the "Jay's official Steelers thread".
            Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
            Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
            Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
            Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
            And life itself, rushing over me
            Life itself, the wind in black elms,
            Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Rothlesberger out for the opener Thurs.

              Originally posted by Ralph Snart View Post
              He has a seven inch incision, which means the doctor had concerns it would/was burst (though it sounds like it didn't). That makes the recovery time much longer (compared to a lathroscopic removal).

              Hines Ward says he expects him back by Week 2 because he had a similar procedure, but I wouldn't count on it. There's a big difference between throwing 20-30 passes a night with a healing wound on your torso, than catching them.

              Then again, we could all be surprised.
              If Ben is throwing twenty-plus times per game, we've got bigger problems.
              Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
              Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
              Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
              Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
              And life itself, rushing over me
              Life itself, the wind in black elms,
              Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Rothlesberger out for the opener Thurs.

                Originally posted by Jay@Section204 View Post
                If Ben is throwing twenty-plus times per game, we've got bigger problems.
                I hope you don't plan on giving the ball to FWP 25 times a game. The most he can handle is 20 per game...He wore down big-time last season when he was designated to full-time back for a short period of time. Who knows though, Maybe he worked on strength and conditioning alot.

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Jay's Official Super Bowl Champion Steelers thread

                  I'm not sold on Fast Willie, either. We still need a big, bruising power back. I'm still pissed off we traded up for a WR (Holmes) when White would've been available at #30.

                  So I do agree with you. If we don't repeat, it has nothing to do with our QB situation, IMO but it might be due to an unsettled RB position.
                  Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
                  Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
                  Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
                  Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
                  And life itself, rushing over me
                  Life itself, the wind in black elms,
                  Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Jay's Official Super Bowl Champion Steelers thread

                    With Roethlisberger out, Steelers must rely on backup Batch
                    Wednesday, September 06, 2006
                    By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

                    The loss of Ben Roethlisberger may take the luster off the Steelers' opener tomorrow night against the Miami Dolphins for many. It hasn't for quarterback Charlie Batch.

                    Batch, 31, will make his first start in a season opener for the team of his youth and the one that has employed him since 2002. It will be only his third start in his five years with the Steelers.

                    "I have to calm myself down because I'm excited to be able to start at home and do this in front of family and friends," said Batch, a Homestead native who played at Steel Valley High School. "I haven't had many opportunities to play in Heinz Field, and that's why I'm kind of excited."

                    And he may not be the most keyed up member of the Batch family.

                    "I think my mother is more excited than I am. I think I have to calm her down more than me."

                    Batch has started openers before. They all came with the Detroit Lions, for whom he made 46 of his 48 NFL starts when he was considered the future of the franchise. Then, a regime change and injuries changed it all for someone the Lions once gave an $11 million signing bonus to extend his contract. That's $2 million more than the Steelers ever gave one player.

                    Under the circumstances, Batch considers this start to be more important than his previous 48, what with opening night in Heinz Field as the Steelers start the defense of their NFL championship against a team many pick to dethrone them.

                    His two victories in his only two previous starts in a Steelers uniform came last season. Without those, there would be no Super Bowl defense this year. He showed obvious rust when he started in Green Bay Nov. 6, having not thrown a pass in a real game that season or the previous one -- he sat out 2004 following knee surgery in training camp.

                    Things were much better Nov. 13 when he completed 13 of 19 passes for 150 yards and ran for a touchdown in a 34-21 Steelers victory against the Cleveland Browns in Heinz Field. All his work came in the first half because his right pinky finger was broken late in the second quarter.

                    Injuries, more than anything, have held him back. He missed the final five games of the 2001 season, his last in Detroit, with a shoulder injury. He missed the first three weeks of 2000 training camp after June surgery on his right knee. He missed five games in 1999 because of a broken right thumb.

                    The microfracture surgery performed on his knee in 2004 worked, and it's giving him no problem today. His finger long ago healed. Yet, he knows he must fight the perception that he's injury prone.

                    "People have a right to say that because that's what happened," Batch said. "All I can do is go out there and prove it wrong. I think people look at it and I haven't really proven I can stay out there for long periods of time."

                    There was a brief time in June that it appeared Batch might start this game, but it quickly became evident he would not once Roethlisberger went through the first practice of training camp and showed no effects from his June 12 motorcycle accident. Then Sunday came word that Batch would start the opener against Miami because of Roethlisberger's appendectomy. They might need him Sept. 18 in Jacksonville, too, for another prime-time game.

                    It's doubtful the Steelers have changed the game plan the coaches put in Saturday night when they still thought Roethlisberger would be their quarterback.

                    "It didn't much [change] last year, and it won't change what we're doing now," coach Bill Cowher said of Batch's two starts in 2005. "He is very comfortable with everything we're doing. So I think that's the good thing about having a veteran guy. And not just a veteran, but a guy who has played in a lot of big games.

                    "Charlie Batch has played in playoff games. He's been a starter. He's played in a lot of big games, so this won't be any different to him."

                    It will, too, be different, at least emotionally.

                    "The excitement, the energy in the stadium is just unbelievable," Batch said of the opener. "It's something I'm looking forward to because I wasn't able to take part in it last year."



                    --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

                    (Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3878. )
                    Batch was looking okay last November before he broke his hand, and by all accounts he had a good preseason. As long as he doesn't throw interceptions I probably won't complain.
                    Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
                    Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
                    Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
                    Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
                    And life itself, rushing over me
                    Life itself, the wind in black elms,
                    Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Jay's Official Super Bowl Champion Steelers thread

                      (In response to the Bob Kravitz column)

                      http://www.pacersdigest.com/forums/s...ad.php?t=24207

                      First of all, Cowher is the best coach in all professional sports, IMHO. So that's a tough comparison for anyone.

                      Originally posted by Bob
                      This will be his fifth year with Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison and Reggie Wayne and Dwight Freeney. You can't show me a team that matches the Colts for raw talent. And that's even without Edgerrin James on the roster.

                      You say this is the Colts' time? Listen, it has been the Colts' time the past three years. It was the Colts' time until they spit up on themselves in New England in the AFC title game three years ago. It was the Colts' time two years ago until they no-showed for the repeat in New England. And heaven knows it was the Colts' time last year, when all the stars and planets and even Pluto were perfectly aligned, at least until the boys did their now-annual vanishing act in front of a home crowd.
                      I'm not sure that's true at all. For all the criticism Bob gets on the Pacers' board, this is nothing but homeristic.

                      Last five seasons:

                      Pit: 13-3; 10-5-1; 6-10; 15-1; 11-5 * = 55-24-1; 1 Superbowl
                      NE: 11-5*; 9-7; 14-2 *; 14-2 *; 10-6 = 58-22; 3 Superbowls
                      Colts: 6-10; 10-6; 12-4; 12-4; 14-2 = 54-26

                      There's a Pittsburgh injury depleted 6-10 and 11-5 in there, a NE injury depleted 9-7 and 10-6 in there. And the Colts' 6-10 was admittedly pre-Dungy but the point is, you've lost to a 14-2 team in the AFC Title game, the next year you lost to the same 14-2 team in the second round (who, in turn, beat the 15-1 team in the AFC Title game), and then in the third year you lost to the team that was 15-1 the previous season and just getting healthy in time for the playoffs.

                      You haven't been the "better" team in any of those losses. Those games were against legit championship contenders. There was no "vanishing act." Where's that picture of Bart's dad when you need one? Your first step toward a real championship would be to come to terms with those losses. Quit calling it a "choke" job. Quit blaming your players. Your opponents were better. Believe me, we've lost more playoff games to NE than you have over the past decade, we didn't like admitting they were actually better than us, either. Especially in 2001 (when we were the #1 seed and Bledsoe came off the bench to beat us - and Kordell threw two interceptions in the last three minutes). Or make that 2004 (when we were 15-1 and had manhandled them earlier in the season.)
                      Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
                      Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
                      Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
                      Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
                      And life itself, rushing over me
                      Life itself, the wind in black elms,
                      Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Jay's Official Super Bowl Champion Steelers thread

                        Usually when a team takes out my team, I immediately hate them.

                        See; Patriots
                        See; Knicks
                        See; IU

                        But really, I don't have much of anything but respect for the Steelers. Class organization, have had 2 coaches in the LONG history of their franchise (I'm pretty sure that's right), and as far as I know have never ever had what you'd call a horrible season. Which also means they never got that high of draft picks, making it that much harder to stay good for as long as they have.

                        I just wish Nick Harper would have cut to the sideline.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Jay's Official Super Bowl Champion Steelers thread

                          Good article on Batch/ quarterbacking in Pittsburgh:

                          Short but sweet

                          By Jason Cole, Yahoo! Sports
                          September 8, 2006

                          PITTSBURGH – In some ways, it's really hard to quarterback the Pittsburgh Steelers.

                          Time and again, you are asked to do almost nothing. Thread the needle on a 12-yard hook? Nah, throw the dump pass to the running back.

                          Throw the seam route just over the linebacker and in front of the safety? Nah, throw the dump pass.

                          Forget about all those fun patterns in high-tech offenses that give other quarterbacks all those chances for glory. Steelers signal callers must wait and wait. Maybe somewhere along the line they'll get a chance to throw it deep.

                          The latest example came Thursday night as the defending champion Steelers opened the season with a 28-17 win over the Miami Dolphins. It was a formulaic Pittsburgh victory even though the Steelers had to start Charlie Batch over Ben Roethlisberger, who was in sweats four days after his appendectomy.

                          In this case, Batch was the hero in a game where most people were expecting Miami's Daunte Culpepper to put on a show. Batch completed 15 of 25 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns, the biggest an 87-yard throw to tight end Heath Miller in the fourth quarter that gave the Steelers the lead for good and ultimately put Culpepper in a bind.

                          But more on Culpepper later.

                          Batch controlled the game Thursday because he did the thing that great Pittsburgh quarterbacks do best.

                          He extinguished his ego.

                          "Yeah, sometimes it's really hard to be a quarterback in this offense," Batch said. "You want to throw some of those hard patterns and zip it in, but that's not what we do. It's what coach [Bill] Cowher keeps telling us, 'Be patient, be patient.'"

                          This has always been the Pittsburgh way during the good times. It just hasn't always been easy to do. In the 1970s, the Steelers won four titles with quarterback Terry Bradshaw, one of the great deep throwers of all time.

                          It was a struggle at times for Bradshaw to accept his role. Coach Chuck Noll had to bench him at times and Bradshaw finished his career feeling bitter toward Noll. Bradshaw, stung by people who labeled him as stupid, wanted to call his own plays. He felt he deserved the right to throw the ball more.

                          Noll always had a droll response to that notion.

                          "People have to understand how they fit into the team," Noll said.

                          The same is true today. That's why Roethlisberger is a perfect fit for the Steelers. He doesn't have an ego that demands more throws. He seems to understand that his greatest weakness is the intermediate passes.

                          Moreover, he has a unique ability to keep his focus downfield when most quarterbacks would start to feel nervous about holding the ball too long.

                          On Thursday, Batch borrowed a page from that book. He kept looking downfield. Most of the time, the play wasn't there, so he threw the easier route to Hines Ward (five catches, 53 yards) or running back Willie Parker (three for 13). He also let the running game take hold. The Steelers ran 38 times for 143 yards.

                          "That's what you have to do with our offense, wait, wait, wait," running back Duce Staley said. "The time is going to come when the defense makes a mistake. You keep waiting and eventually that dam is going to burst and all that water is going to flow."

                          In this case, the Miller play was that moment. With 6:25 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Steelers were down 17-14 at their own 13-yard line. Everything about the moment said either run or throw a safe pass. The Steelers ran a play-action fake and Batch looked at Ward on a crossing pattern.

                          Linebacker Zach Thomas and cornerback Andre Goodman went to Ward. So did safety Travares Tillman.

                          "I saw what was happening and I started pointing for Charlie to throw it to Heath," Ward said in all seriousness. "For real, I was pointing 'cause I knew he was open."

                          Miller was wide open over the top of the defense.

                          After that, Culpepper was the one who regressed. With the Dolphins running game going nowhere, Culpepper was called upon to do more than Miami really wanted. Down four points, Culpepper needed to drive the Dolphins for a score.

                          Instead, he threw the first of back-to-back interceptions. Culpepper, who has never been known to read zone coverages particularly well, lobbed one to the sideline that safety Troy Polamalu snagged.

                          The Dolphins got the ball back with 3:09 remaining, but the Steelers again dropped seven defenders looking for a Culpepper throw. Culpepper tried to zip a pass to slot receiver Wes Welker – the very type of pass that the Steelers hate to throw. As the results showed, there's a good reason for that disdain.

                          Pittsburgh linebacker Joey Porter snagged the ball and returned it 42 yards for the clinching touchdown.

                          Proving that most of the time, it's also really hard to be the quarterback going against the Steelers.

                          Jason Cole is a national NFL writer for Yahoo! Sports.
                          Why do the things that we treasure most, slip away in time
                          Till to the music we grow deaf, to God's beauty blind
                          Why do the things that connect us slowly pull us apart?
                          Till we fall away in our own darkness, a stranger to our own hearts
                          And life itself, rushing over me
                          Life itself, the wind in black elms,
                          Life itself in your heart and in your eyes, I can't make it without you

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Jay's Official Super Bowl Champion Steelers thread

                            Jay,

                            Given your concerns about the void in the bruiser RB department, what is your take on the Najeh Davenport acquisition? First thing that comes to my mind is before he can contribute he has to stay healthy.

                            I tend to agree with your retort to Kravitz's column about the Colts choking in recent playoff defeats as opposed to the point of view that they just ran into superior opponents.

                            Actually, I can see a couple different perspectives that I think hold some water with regard to the Steelers matchup last postseason. I'd say that the Colts and Steelers were both superbowl caliber contenders and thus approximately on the same level.

                            I think what gave the Steelers the edge was a better D and the simple fact that the trajectory of their season dovetailed with them building excellent momentum and rhythm at a perfect juncture in the year.

                            So I would say that the Steelers were the better team at that very important time of the year, although all three teams you mentioned record-wise in the last five years were legit contenders of approximately equal potential.

                            A final thought on the Colts D compared to the Steelers. This continues to be my main concern about Indy. They have not been able to consistently stop the run game even despite the unit's overall improvement last year. Call me old fashioned but the D wins championships addage is one I still take hook, line, and sinker, especially in football.

                            This is the edge that put the Steeler's over the top last year no question IMO and would make them still the slight favorite in a rematch this season.
                            I'd rather die standing up than live on my knees.

                            -Emiliano Zapata

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Jay's Official Super Bowl Champion Steelers thread

                              I might add that IF the Colt's D continues to look like it did against the Giants, feel free to change my previous claim by removing the slight modifier from the edge I'd give the Steelers. Too early yet to judge that, but certainly not a confidence inspiring opener.
                              I'd rather die standing up than live on my knees.

                              -Emiliano Zapata

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Jay's Official Super Bowl Champion Steelers thread

                                Wow. I certainly didn't expect the Steelers to be shutout by the Jags.

                                Colts better be ready this Sunday.

                                Granted I didn't watch much of this game, but man did it look boring.....
                                Super Bowl XLI Champions
                                2000 Eastern Conference Champions




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