A Question and an Observation From The Season's Opening Game

Two observations from the opening game of the 2009 NFL season:

On the opening night of the 2009 NFL season, one could make dozens of observations (Troy Polamalu is the most athletic football player I’ve ever seen; Chris Johnson is dangerous when he’s gotten a couple steps in space) or ask hundreds or questions – (why can’t the Steelers run the football?  Why can’t the Titans kick or punt it?  How has Jeff Fisher gone 12 years without changing his haircut or mustache? How soon until Hines Ward calls up Jerome Bettis to compare “last second fumbles that almost blew a big game” stories?).

            But I have one of each that stand out in the aftermath of this game.

First, the observation:  Bad sportsmanship comes back to haunt you. 

Tennessee, as was widely discussed before this game, celebrated a bit too hard last season after clinching homefield advantage against the Steelers in week 16.  Stomping on the Terrible Towel after the game, waving the ball in defenders’ faces while heading for the end zone (Chris Johnson, I’m looking in your direction), and generally putting on a junior-high level gloating show.  They followed that up with a week 17 loss and an early exit from the playoffs, while the Steelers were winning the Super Bowl. 

There’s no question the Titans deserved that win – they pushed the Steelers around last December, especially in the fourth quarter.  The power behind that win last season came from running on the Steelers like no one else really did – with Johnson and LenDale White (Smash & Dash, as they’re inversely called in Nashville) doing the heavy lifting. 

So what did we see from those two heading up to last night’s opener?  Johnson this summer tried to extricate himself from the Smash/Dash label by nicknaming himself, laughably, “Every Coach’s Dream.”  Bold words for a guy with one NFL season under his belt, who was only the third-best rookie runner even then.  And I’m sure White appreciated Johnson’s trying to ditch him for a solo career.  You stay classy, ECD.  I think you’d be hard pressed to find a coach that preferred a me-first showboat to a team player.

Of course, speaking of classy, while seemingly everyone on both squads tried to put a quick end to the towel-stomping trash talk, White had the good sense to claim last week that he’d do it again if anyone got a Terrible Towel close enough to him to grab.  Picking a fight with another team’s fans?  How could that go wrong?  That’s certainly not going to feel dumb when you lose in their stadium on national television.

            If you’re keeping score, the Titans have lost every actual game they’ve lined up for since the Gloat Show, and while the Tennessee defense and passing game both looked surprisingly sharp, the running game managed only 86 yards – 32 of them on one run in the first quarter (Johnson’s halftime stats:  7 carries, 31 yards, with a long of 32).  So in a tight, hard hitting contest, where the opponents’ defense was missing a starting linebacker, and for the entire second half the best safety in football, and where the opponent’s quarterback excels in the two-minute drill (so bleeding the clock might have been a really good thing to do), the Titans high-class runners proved only that they could talk. 

The moral of the story?  Stay humble.  Hard workers win championships, not showboaters.

            Now the question:  Are we watching the best clutch quarterback of the generation in Ben Roethlisberger?  I’ll answer it:  yes.

            You can carve up the numbers if you want – since his rookie year, Ben has consistantly been one of the top forth quarter passers in football, as well as one of the best on third-and-long; and, as is becoming more common knowledge, he’s lead more forth quarter/O.T. game winning drives than anyone in the game since he entered it (yes, residents of Boston and Indiana, Big Ben is number one in this category – on pace to pass his hero, John Elway, for the all-time record).  The late drives at the end of the first half, second half, and overtime against Tennessee were astonishingly sharp.

But stats only tell part of the story.  Watching Ben play against the Titans, or watching his playoff run against the Cardinals, Ravens and Chargers, or any number of games last season, it’s impossible not to think, ‘this guy does things no one else could do.’ 

Sometimes he’s skipping out of a would-be ankle tackle to hit Heath Miller for a first down against Arizona in the Super Bowl; sometimes he’s pump-faking to freeze all three Titan pro-bowl defensive backs, so he can hit rookie Mike Wallace with a 22 yarder in overtime in the season opener; sometimes he’s being pulled down by two Jaguars in a Sunday night grudge match, releasing the ball just a few inches before he hits the turf and hitting Hines Ward perfectly in stride from 20 yards down. 

I have a very high opinion of Payton Manning and Drew Brees (less so of Tom Brady, but I’ll save that for another post) but no matter who you’re backing for the Pro Bowl this year, you can’t tell me any of those guys could routinely make the plays Ben makes.  Eli Manning’s remarkable duck & run pass to David Tyree in SB42 was impressive for any quarterback, but Ben does that kind of thing literally every week. He may not throw for 4500 yards per season (though he did just hang up 363 on a superb Titans defense) but when the game is on the line, we’re watching something special in Big Ben.  The jury is out on all-time comparisons still, but it’s time to admit, he’s the best in the game today.  I don’t see how else you can slice it.