baroquenspirit

I agree that the loss of Gio was big for you guys...especially with the way it went down at the end with the fumble. The only thing I would say is there were a ton of game changing plays in that game. One of the craziest I have ever seen.

Anyone watching? Really? Exactly what do you see on that tape which 1) Clearly reveals Porter's intent, 2) Clearly says he should have been flagged? As I said, Ive watched it about 15 times. Porter is in the huddle around Brown, he tries to leave the field, several Bengals physically engage him. He never raises his arms. So you are inferring a lot about intent and flags from, well, from what? Here is a slo - mo of the mix up. It begins after Porter has been separated from the steeler huddle by Bengal players...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wysECduSPfk

I can accept that if you also think the Bengal coaches should have been flagged for coming on the field to surround Gio. Or the Ravens coaches in the AFC Championship game a few years back when McGahee went down. Every team does it. Im guessing it will get enforced more strictly in the future. Someone better tell Harbaugh, who spends half the game 15 yards out on the field yelling for a flag!

Here's the thing. It's the NFL..men like Porter, Suggs and Burfict play in it. Nearly every team has a guy or two like this. They are "punks," "thugs," and "dirty players" when they are on our opponents team and "tough" when they are on our team. There are also few who go beyond being a tough, hard-hitting player who pushes the rules...guys like Suh and Burfict and Harrison (Although he has steered clear of fines and trouble recently.) I know Ravens fans would say Hines Ward. Some Steeler fans would say Suggs (your natural inclination to defend and reject as Ravens fans did in another post only proves my earlier point. The rest of the league votes him dirty). So be it. I have no illusions about Joey Porter. He has always been a stir the pot guy. However, he was certainly smarter than Burfict, Jones and one other Bengal player (96 or 98, not sure) in that game. He never raised his hands. He never took an aggressive posture. They pushed, pulled, shoved and ultimately swung at him. As a Steeler fan, I have watched that sequence of events about 15 times. Porter IS in the huddle around Brown. When Brown and the Steeler crew begin to leave the field...Bengal players confront Porter. Was he running his mouth? Odds are he was. SO WHAT. Walk away...but no, several Bengals physically bumped, pushed and pulled him. They positioned their bodies between Porter and his path back to the bench. They can point fingers and blame him all they want. No decent parent would accept "but he called me a name" for the costly level of response the Bengal players had. Neither did the Ref. The Bengals bought and paid for that loss. Besides, the Steelers still had to execute a lot of plays to get in the position to have a chance.

In this particular case...nothing the Steelers did rose to the trash of the Bengals. Even if you flag Shazier...his hit was not intentional attempt to injure and he does not have a history unnecessary roughness like Burfict. Joey Porter? Guess what, Bengals assistant coaches were all over the field when Bernard got hurt. But guess what, no Steeler players stopped them from leaving the field, pulled on them, pushed them and got involved. Bengals brought this on themselves, They got exactly what they deserved.

Well, Burfict was on notice from the league for his hit in the Ravens game. Does the league want the three star players out for one of the teams in the divisional round of the playoffs? Cause thats what they got. Ben, Bell and Brown...all hurt, not by a football player...by an out of control, angry thug, hell bent on injuring people. He tried to injure Cam and Greg Olsen. Imagine if he succeed at that? Where would the Panthers be? Congrats NFL. Well done. Burfict should be suspended for a season.

I think he has a good point. And I know I will probably get a lot of push back...but I believe it would have benefitted the Steelers. The Steelers players were not the one's losing control of their minds and emotions. I think Burfict, Jones and a couple other Bengals might have been tossed. They didn't seem to be able to stop themselves from being stupid no matter what the cost.

I'm happy to drop it, but i wasn't really defending the Steelers.

You would have to ask the officials from the game.

Ditto

Do feel Suggs and Steve Smith are dirty players?

Well, yes, there is judgment involved in the call. Just like in nearly every call. Rule 12, Section 2, Article 8 (Unnecessary roughness) in the NFL rulebook Note: The provisions of section (f) do not prohibit incidental contact by the mask or noncrown parts of the helmet in the course of a conventional tackle on an opponent.

ya, turns out i was vindicated...shazier hit a runner who lowered his own head too, not a defenseless receiver.

I wasn't assigning anything. It was a challenge. Just thought, if you are actually interested in facts not perception, emotion and sports hate, the information is available for a ten second google search. If not, hey, stand there on the grassy knoll and hold up signs that say, "9-11 was an inside job"...whatever works for you. But I still say the whine, "They (refs, league, kardashians, whoever) help your team and hurt mine" is the silliest whine in all of sports fandom.

The "ex-girlfriend" was enough...no need to go further. LOL

Why so much Seahawk's hatred from Ravens fans? Is it a bird thing?

Good advice. I should take it, but I probably won't....lol.

My boys and I have said numerous times this season, on penalties for and against us, we hate how much the defense is limited. I agree with protecting athletes, but there are areas its over kill.

It is a mess. They need a better baseline.

Depends on whether they 1) Ever look at the actual stats, 2) After the heat of a tough game are able to step back and see it without emotion, 3) Aren't sucked into the completely and totally ridiculous idea that the NFL and Refs intentionally or unintentionally favor a particular team. There is just zero logical reason for it. I challenge you to pull up a list of penalties agains all NFL teams over the last decade. You will find that the facts show the Steelers are penalized at pretty much the same rate as every other NFL team. Some years up, some years down, but zero evidence of a pattern of favoritism. Honestly, this is the silliest claim fans of any fan base make...bar none.

Well, this explanation has been made by several sources, including the retired ref on NFL Network. The Criteria for receiver and runner is different, criteria for actions of offensive player is included. I'm not going to put my house on the line over this...but a lot of folks without a dog in the fight, who know the rules are making this case.

Which is the worst part of all of this.

Im not saying it, CBS Sports is saying it...and explaining in very simple, understandable terms why.