A Few Thoughts about the Steelers Game, in no particular order

[TheCockSportif]

The reason why I joined is because of what you do, @Virgil, and for what @Shaw66 does.  Thank goodness that I just got a chance to read this -- and keep on keeping on.  Have an excellent holiday season, and looking forward to reading your next one!

[WhoTom]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

I turned around and sure enough, she was leaving.  I locked dead on her eyes and couldn't help myself.  "Hey, where you going?  Is this the Steelers traveling well?"

 

I'm not big on trash-talking other teams' fans, but your response to her was perfect. Just perfect.

 

And thanks for another great write-up. Been looking for it all week!

 

Edited December 17, 2019 by WhoTom

[corta765]

1 hour ago, Virgil said:

 

The girl almost directly behind me was the real star of the show.  She was everything I can't stand in a fair weather fan.  She knew nothing about football, but talked like she did.  Just wouldn't shut up the entire game, talking about the 1pm games and how the Rams could have possible lost, how every Steeler drive "They have to score here", and then after it was 10-7, she really found her groove.  She kept talking about how dumb Bills fans were for thinking they could take over their stadium and the Steelers have the best traveling fan base in the NFL.  She joined in the F-You Buffalo chant with my other friend in front of me.  At one point, she even leaned forward to scream in my ear after a first down.  Granted, the Bills fans cheered, sang the Shout Song, and did our Heeyyyy chant, but were never disrespectful as a group.  I never turned to the girl or incited her throughout the entire game.

 

When Hodges threw his 3rd interception, even with over 2 minutes to play and timeouts remaining, the stadium almost completely cleared out.  The Bills fans around me any myself couldn't believe it.  We knew we were just going to run the ball and probably punt it back, but the Steelers fans either can't do math or just gave up, because they left.  It was insane.  And in that moment, I turned around and sure enough, she was leaving.  I locked dead on her eyes and couldn't help myself.  "Hey, where you going?  Is this the Steelers traveling well?"  She looked right back at me and started crying.

This is why I hate Steeler fans. I know they have a solid base with a good amount of diehards, my brother in law and boss both really love the steelers. BUT They are honest to a fault with their team also and never would do this crap. BUT then you get the bandwagoners who like the Steelers because they been good forever and just jump on arrogantly for the ride. These fans I loathe and the Steelers I've found have the most of them. She's lucky you were the one that said that, I was suppose to be there but we had to cancel due to my son being sick. I would've been rentlessly hard with taunts. If she knew an ounce of football she'd know how fortunate the Steelers are to have been in SB's at least once ever decade since 1970 and how rare that level of success is and to just appreciate what they've had forever.

[Heitz]

Nice write up as always Virgil!  A few thoughts my my bleary tailgating eyes:

 

- I actually really liked the stadium and thought that it felt very Pittsburgh.  The big open concourses were a breath of fresh air compared to the New Era (they actually reminded me a ton of Green Bay) and I liked the art all around (helmet sculptures, paintings, etc.) and was more than a little jealous about the beams that each had a Lombardi trophy in them.

 

- The pre-game is definitely different being in a nice paved lot next to the stadium (s/o to my friend for paying for the "good" parking), but we still chilled and grilled and drank (semi-excessively), so it wasn't really THAT different.  Obviously it was no Hammer's Lot, but what the heck is?  

 

- Pittsburgh D is swarming, fast and tough.  To Virgil's point, not a ton of disguising, but they brought the heat - they're the strength of the team and it shows!

 

- Fans:  Nearly everyone was cool, sure there was some razzing, but in general all was good.  EXCEPT for that ONE guy behind me who kept grumbling about all of the Bills fans, talking smack about how much better the Stillers were.  After all his quacking, I had to turn around to give him a pound after Duck's first pick - he gave my the finger instead ?.  Then after Renegade he was REALLY chirping, but Josh and Smoke shut the entire stadium up - you could feel the air go out (especially after that song), again, dude seemed less than happy.

 

 

All-around though I had a great time being back in Pittsburgh after about 20 years - hung with some old friends, got to see the city again and drank about 17,000 beers / cocktails.  Good thing we're almost to Xmas break time at work, I'm going to need some time to recover...  

 

 

 

[Haslett_Stomp]

Thanks Virgil, great synopsis as usual.

[plenzmd1]

A few thoughts about the game experience, in no particular order(shout to @Virgil)

 

• Loved the hybrid bar/lot tailgaiting scene. We took 7 dollar Uber to bar close to stadium( not franchise BTW) and had a great late lunch/dinner and beers
•  
• walked over to tailgate hosted by @Heitz and his crew about 6:15. Thank god we did as his buddy let us know about the secret gate aroung the corner from the main one, in the stadium in 3 minutes, guarantee everyone else was waiting 20-25. People always follow the herd, i tend to look for options!
• We had the last row seats in the upper deck endzone..and man that was up there! I would say a good 30-40ft higher than our seats in last row at the Ralph
• Steeler fans were fine, i had to apologize to the gent in front who had a younger daughter once when i cursed at something, he was all fine and said no worries, appreciated the fact the Bills fans at least we were all having fun, respectful, etc.
• No wind, was surprised Virgil found it cold, his section must have wind hit different. Majority of the night was hoodie and no gloves.
• Beer selection was good..19 oz 60 Minute cans..i was in heaven..beer lines sucked way more than in Orchard Park though
• The whole section thought i was shot when the flag/holding call came in the last drive.....i too was screaming about "Billsy" loss coming( btw, this was my second apology of the evening, there was a very loud F bomb in there)
• Felt bad for the Steeler fans having to endure that long walk down the ramps with all the Shout song stuff. I think that disrespectul in someone elses stadium, would piss me off if Pats fans did it in our stadium.
• Every stadium needs a stairs option,  ramps suck you know what
• Finish back at Heitz tailgate, 20 minute walk back to hotel..all good! Overall great time

 

 

[BubbaT]

I certainly can relate to Billsy loses and doing whatever it takes to make those happen. Lord knows that is why this fan base is long suffering. That said, I thought the penalty on Spain for holding that stopped the clock and gave the Steelers over a minute and half at the end of the game instead of about 30 seconds was going to be another one of "those plays".Thereafter it's Milano's face mask penalty and it's like "are you kidding me?", "here we f....ng go again". They overcame that. They overcame EVERYTHING! It's the dawn of a "new era". When the clock ran out I breathed for the first time in about 3 hours and it felt wonderful. Glad your trip was rewarded!

[Heitz]

3 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

A few thoughts about the game experience, in no particular order(shout to @Virgil)

 

• Loved the hybrid bar/lot tailgaiting scene. We took 7 dollar Uber to bar close to stadium( not franchise BTW) and had a great late lunch/dinner and beers
•  
• walked over to tailgate hosted by @Heitz and his crew about 6:15. Thank god we did as his buddy let us know about the secret gate aroung the corner from the main one, in the stadium in 3 minutes, guarantee everyone else was waiting 20-25. People always follow the herd, i tend to look for options!
• We had the last row seats in the upper deck endzone..and man that was up there! I would say a good 30-40ft higher than our seats in last row at the Ralph
• Steeler fans were fine, i had to apologize to the gent in front who had a younger daughter once when i cursed at something, he was all fine and said no worries, appreciated the fact the Bills fans at least we were all having fun, respectful, etc.
• No wind, was surprised Virgil found it cold, his section must have wind hit different. Majority of the night was hoodie and no gloves.
• Beer selection was good..19 oz 60 Minute cans..i was in heaven..beer lines sucked way more than in Orchard Park though
• The whole section thought i was shot when the flag/holding call came in the last drive.....i too was screaming about "Billsy" loss coming( btw, this was my second apology of the evening, there was a very loud F bomb in there)
• Felt bad for the Steeler fans having to endure that long walk down the ramps with all the Shout song stuff. I think that disrespectul in someone elses stadium, would piss me off if Pats fans did it in our stadium.
• Every stadium needs a stairs option,  ramps suck you know what
• Finish back at Heitz tailgate, 20 minute walk back to hotel..all good! Overall great time

 

 

Good seeing you Plenz - let's do this one more time in OP!!  

 

The side entrance WAS key, like you said we were in the stadium immediately!  As for the temps, I was cold outside (likely because my blood was 75% alcohol at that time), but once we were inside and settled in, I felt fine.

 

Oh and we had season ticket holder seats, lower bowl, right on the 10.  Great seats, especially when the action was at that end.  However just like every other stadium when they were on the opposite side of the field you think "Nice 3 yard run.  Or was it 6?" - hard to tell from that angle, at that distance

 

 

 

[TC in St. Louis]

I went to a preseason game in Pittsburgh many years ago.  It looked like a sellout, but there were pockets of empty seats here and there.  So I wandered around watching the game from different angles (it was against the Bears).  At one point the Bears ran a kick back for a td, and I was in the end zone.  The PAT was good, and I'm not sure what happened, maybe they forgot to put up the net, but I looked up and the ball was coming straight to me....I mean, it was going to hit me in the chest.  I couldn't believe it....but the girl in front of me reached up and slapped it, and some dude a couple rows ahead of me got the ball.  It was weird.

 

I think it was the same girl that was sitting by Virgil the other night.  Had to be.  

 

I cried.

[Virgil]

15 minutes ago, Heitz said:

 

- I actually really liked the stadium and thought that it felt very Pittsburgh.  The big open concourses were a breath of fresh air compared to the New Era (they actually reminded me a ton of Green Bay) and I liked the art all around (helmet sculptures, paintings, etc.) and was more than a little jealous about the beams that each had a Lombardi trophy in them.

 

- The pre-game is definitely different being in a nice paved lot next to the stadium (s/o to my friend for paying for the "good" parking), but we still chilled and grilled and drank (semi-excessively), so it wasn't really THAT different.  Obviously it was no Hammer's Lot, but what the heck is?  

 

 

That's the thing to me.  On paper, it checked all the boxes.  But the "feeling" and atmosphere just felt corporate controlled

14 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

A few thoughts about the game experience, in no particular order(shout to @Virgil)

• No wind, was surprised Virgil found it cold, his section must have wind hit different. Majority of the night was hoodie and no gloves.

 

In my defense, I've lived below the Mason Dixon line for over 20 years at this point.  I think my blood has started to betray me. 

9 minutes ago, Heitz said:

 

 

Good seeing you Plenz - let's do this one more time in OP!!  

 

The side entrance WAS key, like you said we were in the stadium immediately!  As for the temps, I was cold outside (likely because my blood was 75% alcohol at that time), but once we were inside and settled in, I felt fine.

 

Oh and we had season ticket holder seats, lower bowl, right on the 10.  Great seats, especially when the action was at that end.  However just like every other stadium when they were on the opposite side of the field you think "Nice 3 yard run.  Or was it 6?" - hard to tell from that angle, at that distance

 

 

 

 

Maybe because I was there 90 minutes early, but I had no problems getting into the stadium at all

50 minutes ago, whatdrought said:

 

Could be. Things like that that Allen needs to see on the tape and take away for later. Not sure why Dimarco is our deep ball runner, but he's had some random wheel routes go for yards before, so who knows. 

 

Yeah, no idea.  I can only assume to block downfield for Knox after the catch, but then why not use Foster who can block, catch, and run? 

[yungmack]

Another great tale, Virgil. Your best since "The Aeneid."

[Solomon Grundy]

Virgil, one question, was she hot? 

[Virgil]

8 minutes ago, the skycap said:

Virgil, one question, was she hot? 

 

I mean, they all look the same with the lights out

[Seasons1992]

1 hour ago, plenzmd1 said:

A few thoughts about the game experience, in no particular order(shout to @Virgil)

 

 

• AND? You let this one blank. Please tell us you visited some nice clean upper deck commodes pre-game.

 

 

 

[Reed83HOF]

2 hours ago, Virgil said:

I even called into the post-game show to ask about it but no one seemed to know what was going on. 

oh so you are one of those guys with the incredibly incoherent hot-takes?

Edited December 17, 2019 by Reed83HOF

[billsfan1959]

1 hour ago, ScottLaw said:

Good post.

 

The conservative offense and playcalling is more McDermott than Daboll. I was screaming at the TV during that sequence inside the Steelers 15. Just ridiculously conservative playcalling. That won't work in the playoffs against much better QBs.

 

I do not believe McDermott is as conservative as people want to portray him and there are plenty of examples to support it. However, I absolutely agree with you on that particular series of plays.

 

The Bills have scored 25 TDs in the redzone this year and 21 of those were either from Allen's legs or his arm (84%). They scored only four TDs all year in the RZ with Allen handing off to a RB.

 

I don't know if it was Daboll or McDermott, but, when you run six plays in the redzone (particularly between the 10 and 18 yard lines) and you take the ball out of the hands of your best RZ playmaker, Allen, on five of them (he kept it on the 3rd and 2 - which he made) you have just drastically decreased your odds of scoring.

 

No excuse at all for the play calling in that series of plays.

[Reed83HOF]

11 minutes ago, Seasons1992 said:

 

That's how he hurt his jaw....

[Seasons1992]

4 minutes ago, Reed83HOF said:

That's how he hurt his jaw....

No no, that quote was for @plenzmd1. Just like the pick-em spread game HE STARTED and fails to make picks every week, he left out a bullet point about his experience.

[BillnutinHouston]

2 hours ago, whatdrought said:

3 Comments on specific points: 

 

1- "and the grinches heart grew three sizes that day."

 

 

5- Check out this video and try to slow it down to see when the safety breaks. It actually looks like he goes for the flat as soon as allen throws- not before. Before his break he has good position of Dimarco and a good angle on the sideline. 

 

 

If you pause it at 3 seconds, you can see him start his break as allen's arm is coming forward. 

 

15- "Hey, where you going?  Is this the Steelers traveling well?" this is just.... This is food to my soul. Thank you. 

 

Good catch, Whatdrought.  The video shows the DB peeled off of DiMarco JUST AS Allen was throwing to Knox.  So, not really fair to say that DiMarco was wide open.

 

[Virgil]

38 minutes ago, Reed83HOF said:

oh so you are one of those guys with the incredibly incoherent hot-takes?

 

I got Joe on the second show around 2am.  It was quality stuff and needed to stay awake.

 

They ran post game until 6am when the morning crew came in.  The dedication was strong

22 minutes ago, BillnutinHouston said:

 

Good catch, Whatdrought.  The video shows the DB peeled off of DiMarco JUST AS Allen was throwing to Knox.  So, not really fair to say that DiMarco was wide open.

 

 

Again, he breaks when Allen starts the throwing motion.  A pump fake and it's an easy TD