PickSix 1.22.09

It’s On
By Vince Darcangelo

Damn straight it is.

In advance of the AFC Championship Game, one commentator stated that, in movie terms, Ravens-Steelers for the title would be a mix of “Gladiator,” “300” and “Saw.” True dat.

The game lived up to its top billing, with big hits from both defenses (and offenses, in the case of Limas Sweed’s career-saving block on Corey Ivey). Seriously, Sweed would have been cut at halftime were it not for this hit.

Unfortunately, the big hits also highlighted the darker side of football, the side that nobody likes but has to live with as an occupational risk. Ryan Clark’s hit on Willis McGahee was clean, but when two players running at full speed lower their shoulders, heads will collide. It was a play that dampened what would have been a major celebration all across Steelers Nation — a situation made all the worse for having a douchebag running the stadium’s PA system (see Douchebag of the Week below) who thought CCR was a good soundtrack to temporary paralysis.

Numbers Game
This year’s Super Bowl run has definitely brought out the numbers geek in the P-6. For starters, we have an unhealthy fascination with NFL Films Super Bowl highlights. A few years back they started releasing them in box sets spanning 10 years apiece, and at the time there were three sets, through Super Bowl XXX, with a fourth on the way.

We did the math: The Steelers were on each of the three existing sets, with Super Bowls IX and X making the first, XIII and XIV making the second and XXX just barely sneaking onto the third volume. That made the charge toward Super Bowl XL all the more significant, as it was our last chance to make it onto volume four.

Mission accomplished.

At the time, the P-6 said to our football-watching cohort, Debbie “D-6” Chieffo, that we had 10 years to make it back to get ourselves onto volume five. With Sunday’s win, this too has been accomplished, and when that fifth box sets comes out in 2016, commemorating the first half-century of the Super Bowl, Pittsburgh will be the only team starring in all five decades of the Big Game.

Here are some other numbers to chew on:

The Steelers have been to 7 of the 43 Super Bowls. That means the Steel City has been represented in nearly 1 out of every 6 Big Games.

The Steelers have been to 7 of the past 15 Championship Games. That’s nearly 1 out of every 2 title games in that span. Could we have envisioned a run like that when Bill Cowher took over? You wouldn’t even dare ask for a run that successful. But you’re damn right we’ll take it.

And enough with the nonsense about how tough it is to beat a team three times in the same season. As Chris Berman says, “Once is an accident. Two times is a trend.” You don’t beat a team twice in the same season by accident. You win both games because you’re better. So isn’t the better team more likely to win the third game?

In the post-Noll era, the Steelers have met a division rival in the playoffs 5 times (Browns twice, Ravens twice, Bengals once), and 3 of those times had run the table against them in the regular season (Browns ’94, Browns ’02, Ravens ’08). Postseason record in those games? 3-0.

In fact, the Steelers have never lost to a division opponent in the playoffs. In addition to the above meetings, the team played the Houston Oilers in the playoffs on three separate occasions (’78, ’79 and ’89), winning all three, making the Steelers 8-0 all-time versus division opponents in the postseason.

(It’s worth noting that the Steelers did lose once to the Oilers’ franchise in the postseason, when the Tennessee Titans scored a controversial overtime victory following the 2002 season. That was, however, the first year of realignment, which placed the Titans/Oilers in a different division.)

Front Seven
With all but one game of the 2008 season in the rear-view, it’s time to reflect and review (and grade) some of our early-season foolishness. Way back on Sept. 4, the P-6 debuted the Front Seven with our first-ever “Outrageous, Ludicrous, Downright Criminal 2008 Predictions,” which were:

1. The New England Patriots will be a 9-win team this season

Grade: Check-minus. While technically correct, the spirit of the prediction was that the Patriots would have a downer of a season. And while they missed the playoffs, getting to 11 wins with Tom Terrific out for the entire year is pretty damn impressive. In other words, partial credit. (This is why it’s important to show your work, kids.)

2. The Detroit Lions will be a 9-win team this season

Grade: F. Wow, we would have been wrong if we took the over at a 1/2 win for the season.

3. Jacksonville will dethrone Indy atop the AFC South

Grade: D. We were correct in thinking that Indy would slip a little this year, but we had no idea that it would be the Titans, not the Jags, that would do the dethroning.

4. Forget the Super Bowl, the Browns won’t even make the playoffs and Romeo Crennel will be fired by year’s end

Grade: A+ with a smiley face.

5. Outrageous, Ludicrous, Downright Criminal Super Bowl Prediction — Nostalgic Edition: Pittsburgh vs. Dallas, the Super Bowl’s favorite rivalry — but screw Dallas; they’re not making the Bowl

Grade: A. We were half right with this prediction. The other half, the Cowboys, weren’t even good enough to reach the playoffs! So why does a half-right prediction get an A and not a C? Because when the Cowboys cry, the whole world sings.

6. Outrageous, Ludicrous, Downright Criminal Super Bowl Prediction — Completely Biased Edition: Pittsburgh vs. Philly, an in-state throwdown that we think is very possible, and would also make a lot of people working at the P-6 very happy

Grade: B. Missed it by that much. We’ll say this one was 75 percent right since it was less than three minutes away from becoming reality. That’s a solid B effort grading on the curve.

7. Outrageous, Ludicrous, Downright Criminal Super Bowl Prediction — Final Edition: Pittsburgh vs. New Orleans

Grade: C. Half right, half wrong. Asi asi, for all our Latin American readers. All that matters, though, is that we got the first part right.

Speaking of the Saints, we wonder what world-class taunter, second-class baller, Reggie Bush is doing this offseason? We suspect he’s joining up in flag football games at his local elementary school and taunting all the children as he scores.

Douchebag of the Week
Whoever in the Heinz Field PA box that thought a player being temporarily paralyzed — and one of your own players woozy himself — was cause to play party music. Unbelievable. As we sat before the TV watching the scene unfold, the D-6 turned to me and asked, “Is now really the time to be playing CCR?” Nuff said.

Six Pack
So much for palindromes. A 1-1 split on Championship Sunday brings the P-6’s season tally to 52-36 with one game left to pick.

We think we’re going to take our time with this last one, analyze some tape, keep a watchful eye toward Vegas, listen to the experts on ESPN, then weigh in with our prediction next week.

Um, OK, done analyzing.

Pittsburgh vs. Arizona
In the parlance of the kids, It’s on, bitchez.
P-6 picks: Pittsburgh