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No Title Defense For Pittsburgh Steelers Despite Victory Over Dolphins

Posted: 3rd January 2010 by Bryan Hollister in NFL
The Pittsburgh Steelers went into Miami and did what they needed to do Sunday afternoon: overcoming lackluster play by their defense, the Steelers eeked out a six-point win against the Dolphins in their quest to wrap up a postseason berth and defend their Super Bowl title. Unfortunately it wasn't enough; the help they needed didn't pan out, andáPittsburgh foundáitself in the unenviable position of having to watch the Lombardi Trophy go ...
With a 7-8 record, most teams have little to play for in the final week of the season.áA .500 record usually doesn't get you in the playoffs, and moral victories, for all the talk about them, really don't count for much in the grand scheme of things. The Tennessee Titans, however, had the rare opportunity to play for something truly special this week: Titans running back Chris Johnson was tantalizingly close ...

Chris Johnson in the Record Books Already…The Question Is How Often

Posted: 31st December 2009 by Bryan Hollister in NFL
Afteráa long and arduous season that saw his Tennessee Titans start 0-6, then reel off five straight victories, get to 7-7 and have a shot at making an unprecedented playoff appearance beforeáultimately falling to 7-8 with noáchance at the postseason, Titans running back Chris Johnson seemingly has but one single focus going into Sunday's game against the Seattle Seahawks. Eric Dickerson's NFL record 2,105 rushing yards in a season. Some say he ...

Dear LaMarr Woodley: Shut Up and Play!

Posted: 30th December 2009 by Bryan Hollister in NFL
As if the Bengals and Patriots needed another reason to despise the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers sit at 8-7 due to an inexcusable but ultimately damaging five-game losing streak this year, and must win against Miami this week to even have a shot at the playoffs. But the scenario doesn't end there: Pittsburgh must also get help from New England and Cincinnati if they plan on defending their title. In other words, ...

Jeff Fisher’s Waffling on Vince Young Raises Even Bigger Questions

Posted: 29th December 2009 by Bryan Hollister in NFL
Two weeks ago, any questions concerning the relationship between Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher and star quarterback Vince Young were supposedly put to rest when Fisher as much as embraced Young after a particularly dazzling scoring drive against the Miami Dolphins. But don't be fooled, folks. This story is FAR from over. After a horrendous showing on Christmas Day that decisively removed the Titans from playoff contention, Young's stock fell with ...

Tennessee Titans: Playoff Hopes Dashed, Need To Focus on the Man

Posted: 26th December 2009 by Bryan Hollister in NFL
Merry Christmas, San Diego. With two interceptions, a fumble, and a maddeningly inept Christmas Day performance, Vince Young nearly single-handedly presented the San Diego Chargers with the gift of a first round bye whilst simultaneously removing the Tennessee Titans from any hope of a playoff appearance this year. Kenny Britt caught one passùone passùof the eight that Young managed to complete on the day, which is one fewer than the San Diego's ...

Who Dat? Who Cares?!?!? Saints Fans’ Gusto “Geaux”‘s Too Far

Posted: 10th December 2009 by Bryan Hollister in NFL
Let's get one thing straight right off the bat: as a Steelers fan, I KNOW I can be obnoxious. I have followed the Steelers since I was a young boy, watching Hall of Fame greats Lynn Swann, Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert and othersáran roughshod over opponents in the late '70's.áI lamentedáwhen Brister, Strom,áBlackledgeáand Tomzak seemed intent on ensuring that the Steelers never made it back to another Super Bowl. I ...
What a difference a season makes. Last year, during the Tennessee Titans' league-leading 13-3 regular season, including the 10-0 streak they ran off to start it, the running back tandem of Smash-n-DashùLenDale White and Chris Johnson, respectivelyùran roughshod over opposing defenses, gaining a combined 2,001 yards rushing with 24 touchdowns between them. Per their individual roles, Johnson had the lion's share of the carries with 251, but White wasn't too far behind ...
In the history of the NFL, both before and after the AFL/NFL merger,áperfectionáhas beenáhard to come by. In fact, from 1920 until the AFL/NFL merger in 1970, the Chicago Bears were the only team to finish with an unblemished regular season record, a feat they pulled off twice; once in 1934 and again in 1942. Ultimately though, it was all for naught as they lost both championship games; the first to the ...
The Arizona Cardinals took the Minnesota Vikings to task and handed them only their second loss of the seasonáon Sunday night, picking Favre off twice and holding Adrian "Mr. All Day" Peterson to a total of 19 yards all night in route to a 30-17 victory. But Kurt Warner outplaying Brett Favre was not the main storyline of the evening. That came just past the midway point in theáfourth quarter, when Vikings ...