RE: Switchback XT
 

Pat, my good man, it is always good to see passion in support of ones team, and you certainly have it. Having said that, and after being there myself several times; be careful how fast you are to criticize or dismiss an opposing team, it tends to come back and bite you in the a**.[8D] Because I don't have the time to go to ESPN or wherever it is you go to to pull stats from, I will just address one of your comments. You made a remark about Roethlisbergers performance on MNF, give me a break, this is his second year as a starting QB (after breaking almost every rookie QB record). As someone pointed out to you in an earlier post, how many times has Manning CHOKED in the post season? Roethlisberger played like he had ice in his veins angainst Cinn. Just as you chose to stand by your intial remark about the Steelers defense, I choose to still find it laughable. If they put thekind of pressure on"Precious Peyton" that they did on Kitna, good luck. Yes,they do get burned in the secondary, but after the adjustment that was made afterhalftime last weekend, I think they proved that they will not be "passed on at will".I doubt we can ever agree and still support our respective teams in a way that suits us. I really do think, as I stated before, that Indy will most likely win on Sunday. One thing is for sure though, I hope that they go into the game with your "devil may care, we will surelywin this" attitude. I would love to see Pitt.vs. New England or Denver in the AFC chapionship.:D
P.S. Still WAY off topic!;)

RE: Switchback XT
 

Yeah, I'm high on my Colts...first time since '95 (hence my bitterness towards Pitt ;)...Slash was OUT of bounds, damnit!). I do know that playoff games are rarely blowouts..and this one could go either way.

As long as the GD Patriots don't go all the way...b/c I don't think I can stand the media's hype for another year...than I'm fine with that.

I pulled those stats off of Colts.com, specifically an article released moments after the game had ended. Manning has actually choked a couple times. Examine those games...the defense rarely gave them a chance to be on the field. More often than not, the entire team choked...not just Peyton. You'll never hear that from the talking heads, though.

Oh, did you know Manning can't beat Brady in the playoffs..I guess the same could be said for Ben too. If there is one line I can not stand...it's that one. When do quarterbacks play against each other? Everyone who has ever played football...or any sport...can tell you that stat is 100% worthless. THAT is laughable.

RE: Switchback XT
 

I just had to chime in here!

It's kinda fun to read all of the bickering and stat quotes from all of you experts:D

The funny thing is.......you guys couldn't be further from the truth about why teams win or lose in the NFL. I will let you in on a little secret, every team in the NFL has the players to go undefeated and win a superbowl in any given year. You guys are looking in the wrong places. But it IS fun to read all of the theories.

RE: Switchback XT
 

Pat, AMEN on the Brady remark! I just get so sick and tired of hearing about the almighty Pats and the "unstoppable" Tom Brady. Don't get me wrong, they are a great team, but for some reason it appears that we get beat over the head with this stuff more than we would with any other team.
Anyway, I just hope we have a good game on Sunday. I meant what I said too, if Indy wins, I'll be cheering them on all the way. I think I would celebrate a Denver win this weekend almost as much as I would a Steelers win!

RE: Switchback XT
 

Let's put it this way:

If the Pat's get beat, I'll be happy. The rest is gravy.


Oh, back ON subject for a second. My Outback is on ebay...17min left...listed at $615! That's about $100 more than I thought I'd get out of it. Sold a Shimano Stradic reel last week for $80...so my XT is pretty much payed off. [8D]

RE: Switchback XT
 

bigj, glad you popped in. is it coaching and the ever important gameplan? please don't tell me its like pro-wrestling, i'll just die.

RE: Switchback XT
 

Think of how I feel. I have been a Philly fan since I was a little boy, talk about not being able to get the job done. The only other team I follow are the Bronco's, so I am pulling for them. I agree, anything but the Pats.

Shane

RE: Switchback XT
 

Yeah, here's another request for BigJ's commentary! Please enlighten us; it's not often that we get to hear from an "insider"... seriously!

RE: Switchback XT
 

Don't you guys know the players have no result in the outcome? David Carr/Peyton Manning...absolutely no difference. It's the guys telling them what to do....


Sarcasm meter L <----------|--> H

RE: Switchback XT
 

Ok here is the skinny.

While players DO have a result in the outcome and thereARE better players than others you must first realize that a good player cannot do it by himself. EVERY team in the NFL has the players to go all the way.

SO what's the secret...it's so simple First you have to have good coaches that can not only continue to teach players after they have reached the NFL (most think they know it all by then)but they must also know football and what plays/defense will work in EVERY possible situation that may arise.

I don't care how good yourQB's or receivers, running backs, linebackers, (you name a position) are, They WILL LOOK LIKE$H!T IF THEY ARE NOT IN THE RIGHT POSITION OR PLAY WHEN THE BALL IS SNAPPED) That is pure and simple a coaching call. EvenQB's that call there own plays (very few if anynow)are going off of a set playlist that was formed because of what the coaches think will or will not work against the team thay are facing.They must also be able to motivate their players and instill in them that they canand will win. This is huge in the NFL because the business end of it sucks the fun out of the game.

Why do you think most NFL players care more about their college teams than it seems their own? Because the game was fun then and they enjoyed the experience.

This can only come from good coaches that both know football and can motivate. How they motivate is different depending on the coaches. I don't need to point out the different styles that is in the league today. Either way works depending on the players and how they react.

Now once the coaches can do this they are still not out of the wood quite yet. There is one more thing that needs to happen. The team needs to gell, come together, believe in themselves, care about the other players, etc... All of those things will bring a team to the mind set that they can't be beat and THAT'S the key. Not how many Mannings or Owens you have.

Coaches have a big role in trying to form this, they need to get the players to feed off of each other and for it to snowball. This is done by good play calling and sound advise. Players can tell very quickly who knows what they are talking about and who doesn't.

If the players believe in the coaches they will soon believe in themselves, once that happens they are on their way.

One only needs to look at Notre Dame from last year to this year. The team (with only a few exceptions) was the SAME as last year yet they were one play away from beating USC. Why? because the new coaching staff not only put in (I think) a better game plan on both sides of the ball, they also got the players to believe in themselves and what they were doing and BINGO! a winning year!

Sorry but you can talk about big time players and big time plays and while sometimes it will sway the outcome of a game here and there, overall it's the attitude and the mindset of theteam that will determine who wins in the long run (season).

Right now all of the teams in the playoffs show this type of attitude that's why they are there. There are teams who had GREAT players but for some reason or another could not pull together as a team, are at home watching on TV.

Good coaching and gameplans (this includes crucial calls during the game) will make a good player look great and a great player a star. But that's not enough the TEAM must believe they can win. This is done by the things I listed above and in the process of that happening players continue to learn and get better as do the coaches. They believe in each other and win for each other. It all adds up to a winning combination that's why owners are always looking for that most prized jewl between their coaches and players.....CHEMISTRY