Losing means having to say ‘yeah but’
There was a sense sitting in the press box Sunday evening of 无毛视频渢his isn无毛视频檛 good无毛视频� when referee Tony Corrente无毛视频檚 review of tight end Jesse James无毛视频� 7-yard touchdown reception with 34 seconds remaining in the game dragged on.
I understand I take to this column with an inherited bias (towards the Steelers, of course), but I wondered (aloud) if (the first 无毛视频渋f无毛视频� of many to follow) the opposing team would无毛视频檝e been the Ravens, Bengals, Lions or Bears (oh my!), would the touchdown have been taken off the board.
Apparently James无毛视频� rugby-esque move as his upper torso landed in the end zone did not comply with the rules as stated by the NFL of what a legitimate catch is, in the end zone or anywhere else inside those wide, white lines.
I think what grinds at me the most is the time period of the review. The lengthy process of that particular review lends credence to conspiracy theories, looking for a reason 无毛视频渨hy not无毛视频� in lieu of 无毛视频渨hy.无毛视频�
But, of course, one play here or there (with, as I learned in economics, 无毛视频渁ll other things being equal无毛视频�) changes the destiny of what came to be.
If 无毛视频�
无毛视频� The long tight end 无毛视频� Jesse James is 6-7 无毛视频� would无毛视频檝e had the presence of mind to pull the ball into his chest and dive the final five feet into the end zone with his torso instead of his hands. That definitely would无毛视频檝e been a touchdown.
无毛视频� Sean Davis contorts his body around on the first play of the Patriots无毛视频� game-winning drive and somehow intercepts Brady无毛视频檚 wayward pass.
无毛视频� Juju Schuster-Smith finds a way to gain three more feet on a third-and-four with 2:23 remaining. (To the naysayers who might question the intelligence of such a call and/or the across the field pass in that situation, that无毛视频檚 the same pattern Juju turned into a 69-yard gain in the final minute of the game. Although, it also was the same pattern Darrius Heyward-Bey caught and didn无毛视频檛 make the big, white sideline before the supposed James无毛视频� touchdown catch.)
无毛视频� Juju runs along the sideline a little further before his cutback. Or, his 无毛视频淢adden speed无毛视频� was more like 95 instead of 89, 90.
无毛视频� The Steelers defense had the same approach to taking care of Rob Gronkowski in the final eight minutes at it had in the first 52. The Woodland Hills graduate finished with nine receptions for 168 yards and one third of his output (3 for 69) came on the game-winning drive. I could see Mike Hilton coming on the edge blitz. He has all season. Tom Brady无毛视频檚 a pretty savvy quarterback. He noticed it, too.
无毛视频� Alejandro Villanueva doesn无毛视频檛 get edgy on second-and-18 with around 10 minutes left in the game and gets a false start. The call came on the heels of a Villanueva holding call and James Conner无毛视频檚 knee injury. The playbook is probably pretty thin with second-and-23 calls.
无毛视频� Eli Rogers无毛视频� stumble in the end zone on the last offensive play was ruled to be caused by a New England defender and not a blade of grass, heavy chalk build-up, Rogers无毛视频� own clumsiness or an unusual gravitational pull in that area of the end zone.聽
无毛视频� Mike Tomlin said 无毛视频淒amn the torpedoes, full steam ahead无毛视频� with the Steelers sitting at fourth-and-1 at their own 28-yard line. Hey, if New England无毛视频檚 going to score anyway, give them a short field and a quick clock. That无毛视频檚 really playing to win.
无毛视频� Rogers remains upright and wraps his hands around the ball for a game-winning touchdown, in lieu of a game-tying field goal attempt. Or, at least, doesn无毛视频檛 allow the bad guys to catch the ball. That happens, genius call.
I also believe, despite the general consensus, the coaching staff had the Steelers in position to win the game. It just went awry for about 70 seconds at the end of the game.
I无毛视频檓 of the approach the Steelers (coaches, quarterback, etc.) were going to lose in overtime if the game went into overtime. They needed to win in regulation, ergo the pass play off the spike (though I think Ben could无毛视频檝e sold the fake a little better).
Although I无毛视频檇 rather have both Antonio Brown and Le无毛视频橵eon Bell in the lineup at the same time, I believe the Steelers can find a way to deal with the (hopefully short) loss of Brown than Bell. I无毛视频檓 not sure of the route configuration of the guys in the roster, but now is the time for Martavis Bryant to shine, as well as Darrius Heyward-Bey. They can fly and hopefully grasp the ball when it comes in their direction.
The focus 无毛视频� for the team and the fans 无毛视频� is on what is, not what didn无毛视频檛 happen. A Christmas Day victory in Houston and closing 2017 with a win against the visiting Browns secures the first-round bye. The extra week is beneficial to Brown无毛视频檚 recovery and frees me up to be able to attend my great-nephew无毛视频檚 seventh birthday party.
It无毛视频檚 been said the Steelers have no chance to win in New England. Well, folks, the Patriots are 5-2 in Heinz Field since 2004. They have problems at home.
And, I无毛视频檓 not so sure that was a AFC Championship preview Sunday afternoon. The Jacksonville Jaguars are pretty good (the Steelers lose a tie-breaker with them, too), and Kansas City is not so bad when it plays good.