Unhappiness Within The Pittsburgh Steelers Franchise

Before Big Ben Roethlisberger stepped off the field and out of the locker room after his final game of his season, he made it clear to the media that he wants the Pittsburgh Steelers to draft a tall wide receiver.

There's nothing wrong with that statement, except to Hines Ward, who was angry by what Big Ben said. I doubt that comment made by Ben Roethlisberger was aimed to smack Hines Ward in the face. It was a general statement and a true one too boot. Its always handy too have a tall receiver to boost the offensive firepower on your team.

What I find interesting is that Hines Ward was angered by Big Ben's statement...yet Hines Ward's best years came during the time when Plaxico Burress (an incredibly tall receiver now on the New York Giants) was on the Steelers. Go figure.

Jacksonville Jaguars Advance In The Playoffs

What once was a walk in the park for the Jaguars turned into a cliff-hanger. But thanks to Josh Scobee's late 25-yard field goal, the Jaguars defeated Pittsburgh.

Never in the Steelers' 75 seasons had a team beaten them twice in Pittsburgh in the same season. The Jacksonville Jaguars beat history -- and the Steelers -- despite a memorable fourth-quarter collapse that nearly cost the visitors their season.

Thanks to three Ben Roethlisberger picks in the first half, the Jags were walking over the Steelers. Not anymore. Big Ben's big second half placed the Steelers in the lead. However, the score that made the Steelers take the lead was a result of a false pass interference call on the offense. Hines Ward clearly had his hand in the face of the defender's mask, but the refs called pass interference on the defense. This gave the Steelers a fresh set of downs in which they eventually scored to take the lead 29-28

However, David Garrard single-handedly led his team downfield. He daringly attempted a fourth down in which he ran the ball himself to put his team in position to take the lead, which they did via a field goal by Josh Scobee. The Jags took the lead 31-29 and this became the final score after Ben Roethlisberger fumbled the final drive.

Jacksonville appeared to be done after Najeh Davenport's second 1-yard TD run of the game gave the Steelers a 29-28 lead with about six minutes remaining. But quarterback David Garrard, not a great runner, found a seam on a convert-or-else fourth-and-2 play and rambled 32 yards to the Steelers 11 with 1:56 left.

Garrard aided the Steelers' comeback by throwing two interceptions -- one less than he had all season -- only to come up with the play that may have saved the Jaguars' season.

The Jaguars came in off six wins in their last eight games, while the Steelers -- missing five starters, including star running back Willie Parker -- limped into the postseason with three losses in four games and four in seven.

Jacksonville Jaguars really deserve this win. If they would have lost because of that clearly obvious false face mask call, it would have been ashame. The Jags were the hottest team coming into the playoffs. Their young. Their hot. Their fresh. Their hungry and have the will to win. If the Titans win tomorrow, I really believe the Jags have the aggressive defense that will cause the Patriots trouble.

How To Calculate A QB's Passer Rating

After hearing that Ben Roethlisberger passed for a perfect game last Thursday against the Rams, I was curious if their was a mathematical formula behind figuring out a Quarterback's ratings. Sure enough, there is.

There are online calculators that make figuring quarterback ratings simple, but if you want to know exactly how a QB's statistics translate into this number, this formula will take you through it step by step.

1. Divide a quarterback's completed passes by pass attempts.
2. Subtract 0.3.
3. Divide by 0.2 and record the total. The sum cannot be greater than 2.375 or less than zero.
4. Divide passing yards by pass attempts.
5. Subtract 3.
6. Divide by 4 and record the total. The sum cannot be greater than 2.375 or less than zero.
7. Divide touchdown passes by pass attempts.
8. Divide by 0.05 and record the total. The sum cannot be greater than 2.375 or less than zero.
9. Divide interceptions by pass attempts.
10. Subtract that number from 0.095.
11. Divide that product by 0.04 and record the total. The sum cannot be greater than 2.375 or less than zero.
12. Add the four totals you recorded.
13. Multiply that total by 100.
14. Divide by 6.
15. The final number is your quarterback rating.
    

So let's try this formula with Big Ben. His numbers on Thursday were

Passes Attempted - 20
Passes Completed - 16
Total Yards Passing - 261
Touchdowns - 3
Interceptions - 0

1. 16 / 20 = .80
2. .80 - 0.3 = .50
3. .50 / 2 = 2.5 (because the sum can not be greater than 2.375, the answer is actually 2.375)

4. 261 / 20 = 13.05
5. 13.05 - 3 = 10.05
6. 10.05 / 4 = 2.5125 (because the sum can not be greater than 2.375, the answer is actually 2.375)

7. 3 / 20 = .15
8. .15 / 0.05 = 3 (because the sum can not be greater than 2.375, the answer is actually 2.375)

9. 0 / 20 = 0
10. 0 - 0.095 = -.095
11. -.095 / 0.04 = -2.375

12. 2.375 + 2.375 + 2.375 + 2.375 = 9.5

13. 9.5 x 100 = 950

14. 950 / 6 = 158.3

Wow. I want to meet the guys that are able to keep up with this math throughout a whole game.