NFL Wild Card weekend (and Black Monday) thread

No need for that. She was 98. Had a great life. Honestly, I don’t remember the date of her death, just that it was on the same day the Browns lost to the Steelers in the playoffs. Minus that game, I would probably just remember that she died in the winter sometime.

The game did provide a nice distraction from real-life events, kind of like this discussion is keeping my mind off the insanity in Georgia right now.

 

That it does. Obviously, I remember that day very differently, as much because I was damn lucky to avoid a nasty accident on the way to Heinz Field as for the game itself. I briefly lost control of my car on an icy hill. The brakes were useless, so actually just steered right into the curb and hoped that would stop me before I rolled into heavy traffic. Somehow, that worked.

 

My wife, why didn’t meet for five more years, went to the game. She’s a much bigger Browns fan than I am. She says Steeler fans were very nice. I wonder how many still have Dennis Northcutt on their Christmas card list.

 

Mike Vanderjagt took his place on most of our lists.

 

Interesting. I would’ve thought you would all be sending him beer.

 

I honestly think Meyer would have the hardest time with reporting injuries and dealing with the media. He simply would not be able to lie or fudge on the injury report and he couldn't shield himself or players from the required media obligations -- which are spelled out. And wait until the first time the Pro Football Writers Association calls him on some of his college-type bullshit.
And, as Buddy Ryan said, there ain't no East Carolinas in the NFL.

 

Bill Belichick has been fudging on injury reports for decades.

 

1) What a great Ryan quote.
2) Maybe this is a great time to get back in the game re: media. Covid might be a convenient — and legitimate— reason to curtail in-person media access for another year if the vaccine issues remain.

 

Just because we are happy that he choked in that playoff game, saving the Steelers from what could have been an incredibly painful loss, doesn't mean we like the guy.

I still wonder how people would remember Jerome Bettis if his fumble had cost the Steelers that game against the Colts.

 

Just to answer this ... I wouldn't base anything off his passing stats, especially in that game. He was giving Washington fits with his scrambling ability and his best receiver was JJ Arcegia-Whiteside, as far as I could tell. Or a banged up Zach Ertz. I don't know if Hurts is the future, but I wouldn't evaluate his passing off that performance.

 

Oy. I just saw that it was Jedrick Willis, too. The Browns have enough trouble. Putting aside the worst-case scenarios that could have happened to those guys, imagine if that idiocy had somehow gotten Willis and Higgins suspended for the playoff game?

 

We might never have known where he was from, for starters.