A Euphoric Victory

Some Sunday morning thoughts following a euphoric Steelers victory....

• At halftime my thought was, "well, if they are going to lose, at least it looks like it will be decisive, and not a gut churner." Oh, me of little faith.
• Never count the Steelers out when Roethlisberger is on the field.
• I used to think that only Tom Brady and Peyton Manning ranked ahead of Ben Roethlisberger as NFL QB's. I now think that Ben has passed Manning in the discussion.
• And please, DO NOT include guys like Phillip Rivers, Jay Cutler, and Carson Palmer in the same breath with Roethlisberger.
• The question now is, will the national pundits and talking heads start to feel that way. The only such pundit who gives Roethlisberger his due in this regard is PTI's Michael Wilbon.
• When the Steelers completed their draft last spring, I mentioned that I had never heard of any of the players drafted, but hoped that they would show their value on the field. I think that Marquis Pouncy, Emmanuel Sanders, Antonio Brown, and Jason Worilds have shown 2010 to have been a fairly successful draft.
• With the emergence of Sanders and Brown, do you think that Limas Sweed will ever suit up for the Steelers again?
• Much talk is made of the "rivalry" between the Steelers and the Ravens. I am now thinking that this is very much like the rivalry that existed between the Yankees and the Red Sox pre-2004. While the games are always good and exciting, how much of a rivalry is it when one team always wins? Kind of like the "rivalry" between a hammer and a nail.
• Shortly after I posted my predictions for this playoff weekend, I had second thoughts on my pick of the Falcons over the Packers, and I said as much on my Facebook page (www.facebook.com/bob.sproule1 ), however, once in print, I couldn't back off, so I now stand at 1-1 on the weekend.
• Perhaps top seeded Atlanta had a bad day, or maybe they are proof that the NFC really is in a down cycle, but the Packers and Aaron Rodgers sure looked awesome in thrashing the Falcons last night. Looks like we'll be seeing them in Dallas in three weeks.
• It is old news now, but it was quite a day for Pittsburgh sports teams. The Steelers, Penguins, Pitt, Duquesne, and Robert Morris all came away with wins yesterday, a perfect 5-0 day. The biggest surprise among those wins may have been the Dukes' win over a ranked Temple Owls. Maybe things are FINALLY turning around up on the Bluff, as the Dukes are quietly putting together a very nice record thus far.
• It should also be noted that the Lady Dukes under Suzie McConnell-Serio are also making a lot of noise in their sport as well. When history is written, I think that we will say that Suzie McConnell will have been one of the greatest sports figures that western PA has ever produced.
• Talk about a quandary: you'd love for the Steelers to have a home game next week, but that means rooting for the Rex Ryans today, and rooting against the Rex Ryans means rooting FOR the Bill Bellichicks. Kind of like the old joke of seeing your mother-in-law drive off a cliff while driving your brand new Cadillac.
• All that said, I think that the Steelers would beat the Jets in a rematch, while I don't have that same feeling about another tilt with the Patriots.
• Awhile back, I mentioned my involvement with the MOASP, the Mother of All Sports Pools. The Steelers victory last night secured the 2010 MOASP championship for good buddy Dave Jones, so congratulations to him. I will finish the season in second place, and earn a nice profit as a result. (For me to have won, the Dave's Steelers had to lose yesterday, both of my teams, the Patriots and the Bears would have had to make it to the Super Bowl. Given the "Cutler Factor," I don't think that was going to happen, so my cheering for the Steelers yesterday was not compromised by my MOASP loyalties.)
• Enjoy the games today!!