Noting Nantz, Simms during Ravens game
Some of what Jim Nantz and Phil Simms had to say and a few other highlights of CBS' Ravens-Steelers telecast:
*Simms: "Everybody wants to test this Pittsburgh Steelers run defense. Everybody has a new look. Nobody has made it work."
*Simms on the Ravens' new attitude: "The team has come together. That's what John Harbaugh is most proud of."
*At one point, the Ravens lined up a bunch of people on the line on a Steelers passing down, and Simms said: "Look at this defensive alignment," but didn't provide any more explanation, such as whether there were defensive backs set up to blitz and who was back in pass coverage.
*Nantz asked Simms his thoughts on the Terrell Owens-Tony Romo controversy in Dallas. "We don't have time," Simms said. However, Simms did dismiss the idea of a quarterback favoring a certain receiver because he's a pal. There isn't enough of a chance, Simms said, for the thought process of "I'm going to throw to my friend. You don't have time."
*After replay failed to reverse what appeared to be an obviously bad spot that gave Pittsburgh a first down, Nantz said: "This is why you need to go to a [computer] chip in the football."
*Simms said Joe Flacco "panics" when running a fake draw and throwing the ball off the crossbar on a Ravens scoring chance.
*With the defenses of both teams, Simms said, "You're an offensive coordinator with either one of these teams, you have to check your ego at the door."
*That was great footage of Haloti Ngata playing rugby in high school. You had to be pretty brave to try tackling him -- with no pads -- when he had a head of steam.
*Nantz noted that, 10 years ago, Harbaugh was strength coach at Morehead State in Kentucky, Simms' alma mater, where the weight room bears Simms' name. Simms expressed mock outrage that Harbaugh couldn't recall that detail.
*At one point in the fourth quarter, Simms praised the Steelers' Troy Polamalu for his coverage of Derrick Mason with "What a spin, what a reaction." But the replay showed Mason had a step and a half on Polamalu toward the corner of the end zone and would have had a touchdown had Flacco been able to get off an accurate pass.
*The most telling replay of Santonio Holmes' disputed touchdown might have come from the overhead view as provided by the blimp. But, to these four eyes, that angle wasn't tight enough to change whatever call had been made on the field.
Comments
Simms did that all game regarding Polamalu. I saw three plays, including the one you mentioned, where he got credit for doing something he didn't do.
Posted by: Phil | December 15, 2008 12:46 PM
Polamalu -- I saw 30 plays where he didn't get credit. Get your head out of your butt.
Posted by: Paul Dennis | December 15, 2008 2:47 PM
Mason did have a step on Troy, but it still left a tight spot for Flacco to throw into. If Flacco throws it short, Troy was going to intercept it - that's why Flacco overthrew it and so Troy still deserves some credit. Also, Troy saw immediately that it was overthrown and let up, and so Mason wasn't as open as it appeared at the end. If the throw was on target, he would have closed in like a cougar.
Posted by: Bill | December 15, 2008 3:53 PM
Commentators brought to you by ALL STEELERS ALL THE LUCK, AND THE CALLS, ALL THE TIME. It's sick to those who watched and listened to sports all their lives. Next, Steelers vs network news broadcast ABC, MSNBC, etc. AND WIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and what about bennnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn! rothlersberger!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!hes so avg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,but he PLAYS from the town that gets the calls and ALL!!!!!! .TO HORRIBLE TO FINISH WATCHING A GREAT GAME WHILE LISTENING TO THE TWO BABOONS WORSHIP OUT LOUD THOSE MIGHTY,MIGHTY STEELERS AND THEIR PARTNERS IN CRIME.THE REFs.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: DONNA | December 15, 2008 4:57 PM
The Steelers are like the Yankees, Red Sox, Colts and numerous other prima donnas that whine and get ALL the calls their way. I love the way the refs help Peyton up after he gets knocked down. Hey, how bout the call in the Super Bowl when Doofus Ben didn't even get close to a TD but was given one. We gotta beat up on people and forget about it.
Posted by: budc | December 15, 2008 6:28 PM
What are you talking about Donna? Steelers getting all the calls, baboon worship? All I heard all day was how great this Ravens defense was and that they shut down the Steeler offense. Even Ray Lewis is over it, you should be, too. "All game they didn't make plays," Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said. "One drive they did."
Posted by: JJJBS | December 15, 2008 7:36 PM
Both of the analysts spent several minutes defining the rules regarding the flubbed punt but were out of sync with what happened
Posted by: Jim | December 15, 2008 9:40 PM
Funny from beginning to midseason, all the talk was that the Steelers were the most unfairly treated by the refs... now, it's the other way. The only truth is you fools saying such just come off as know-nothing-about-football crybabies. Two-thirds of the plays when the Ravens had the ball showed James Harrison being held in every way possible and there were no calls about it. But, to no surprise, you heard NO crying from him.
Posted by: Joe hamma | December 15, 2008 9:40 PM
Joe hamma,
Same holding went for Ray Lewis, but he was lucky enough to get a few of them called. Maybe Harrison would have been complaining if the ref's had given the shaft to the Steelers and they wound up on the short end.
Posted by: Paul | December 17, 2008 4:48 PM
if you watch any Steelers game, James Harrison is constantly being blatantly held. People are tugging on his arms, holding him from behind by the neck, just being held in any way possible -- just like on that long pass play down the middle to Clayton or whoever it was on third-and-long (Terry was blatantly holding him back from behind by his arms). So don't go on complaining about Steelers getting all the calls.
Posted by: arg | December 17, 2008 7:23 PM
I definitely felt some camaraderie with them during their disbelief of the spot, then the reviewed call for a Steelers first down at the 30 in the first half. Simms knew what to look for right away for Holmes TD and Nantz is a Maryland guy. I enjoyed the broadcast team and I never want to hear Tony Kornheiser on a Ravens game, EVER again. Amen
Posted by: Dan R. | December 17, 2008 7:46 PM