That is so good for him, OTL tragedy was So awful here he could be an early PP21 and honey badger
The Ruling On The Field Stands: A Tuck Rule Timeline
- Thread starter Curtain Jerker
- Start date
Curtain Jerker
Donor
Agreed, it was a senseless tragedy. Not only deprived us of a great player, but deprived his family of a father as well. Least I can do is butterfly it away - and it isn't exactly implausible to do so, which makes it so much the better.
Big Ben having to be coached by Gruden? That's uhh, yikes? I'll hold out hope that the combo somehow works out for the sake of Big Ben, but I won't be surprised at all if one of them is out of Dallas by the end of the decade.
CFF will won the power stuggle, heck he is what jerry would dream he would be as a player, scandals...he would not care.
Captain Fat Fuck:Leader of men, Captain Fat Fuck is urinatingtree nickname to ben(and double as a self-insult, as tree looks like ben roethilsberger) and the name work so well as he is fat(not that fat) and he is a fucker, and captain as he is a leader of men. watch urinating tree videos
Redskins fan here. The Redskins with Coughlin and Fitzgerald? It's nice on paper, though the problems in Washington are likely beyond any player and coach to fix. Still, nice to dream.
Curtain Jerker
Donor
Unfortunately for the 'skins Dan Snyder buying the team is pre-POD. But at least you'll have Larry Fitz!
Thanks for reading BTW.
Yeah. Nothing to be done about that.
Anyway, keep up the good work, it's a fun timeline to read.
2004 Regular Season
Curtain Jerker
Donor
2004 Regular Season
Drew is our quarterback. Saints coach Lovie Smith, after Week 3 when asked about rookie Eli Manning possibly playing over incumbent Drew Bledsoe. He'd repeat that mantra every time he was asked that season about playing Eli Manning.
Lovie Smith made New Orleans' no-name defense competitive right away. He brought his Tampa 2 but made a significant change due to the personnel he had in Louisiana. Instead of a traditional 4-3, Lovie pretty much ran his defense out of a base nickel but would often play three safeties instead of three corners if the situation called for it. His new “Bayou 2” defense kept the Saints in most games – they only lost by 14+ points twice, once to the Patriots in Foxborough and the other at home vs Mike Vick and the Falcons.
The Saints were undermanned though and Drew Bledsoe was just good enough to be annoying to Saints fans. He wasn’t bad enough to merit a benching but he wasn’t good enough to actually win very many games. That being said, New Orleans finished a respectable 7-9 overall and won two of the last three in convincing fashion over the Jets and the Buccaneers.
The cracks were starting to show in Tampa. Back in the 1980s, Lakers coach Pat Riley wrote about “The Disease of More” when teams would win a title. Every championship team ever – in any sport – had players who put their own interests and goals aside to help the team win. However, Riley wrote, many times those players wanted more – more playing time, more publicity, and especially more money. It was also harder to motivate players who were already champs than it was to motivate those who weren’t. This effect, combined with an aging roster and a laissez-faire coaching staff, meant the Bucs finished an underwhelming 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time in years.
It was Carolina, on the backs of all-world pass rusher Julius Peppers, who won the NFC South with a 10-6 record. Peppers was seemingly in the backfield on every snap and even held up well in the run game.
The bottom fell out for Chicago. They were a mirage the year before despite making the playoffs and in 2004 their offense fell apart. Head coach Dick Jauron was fired after a bad Thanksgiving Day loss at Dallas dropped them to 3-8 on the season.
Ben Roethlisberger won the Cowboys starting job in Week 6 (after the bye) and didn’t look back. Under him Dallas would win six of their last seven games and snag a wild card spot. Jon Gruden and Jim Harbaugh were back in the playoffs for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in their final game as Raiders.
We're on a roll right now, playing with a ton of confidence, and I feel that with the players we have here on this team there's no one in the NFC who can stop us! Ben Roethlisberger, on the field after a Week 17 win vs the Giants got Dallas into the playoffs.
Larry Fitzgerald lived up to his high draft pick and made an immediate impact on the Redskins. Philip Rivers was uneven for the Giants, throwing for 248 yards and three scores in Week 11 vs the aforementioned Skins (Fitz had 11 catches and 132 yards in that game) then following it up with a four-pick game in Week 12 vs the Eagles. Such was life for most rookie quarterbacks.
Over in the AFC, New England keep on rolling, easily winning the AFC East…again. Oakland was still bad but Charles Rogers was one of the best wideouts in the NFL. He had over a thousand yards receiving for the second straight year - no small feat given the hodgepodge of quarterbacks getting him the ball. Baltimore rebuilt their defense around Ray Lewis and Troy Polamalu and won the North.
AFC Playoff Teams
1. New England Patriots
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. San Diego Chargers
4. Baltimore Ravens
5. Denver Broncos
6. Jacksonville Jaguars
NFC Playoff Teams
1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Saint Louis Rams
5. Dallas Cowboys
6. Atlanta Falcons
MVP --> Peyton Manning, Colts
Offensive Player of the Year --> LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers
Defensive Player of the Year --> Ed Reed, Patriots
Coach of the Year --> John Fox, Panthers
Offensive Rookie of the Year --> Larry Fitzgerald, Redskins
Defensive Rookie of the Year --> Sean Taylor, Cardinals
Drew is our quarterback. Saints coach Lovie Smith, after Week 3 when asked about rookie Eli Manning possibly playing over incumbent Drew Bledsoe. He'd repeat that mantra every time he was asked that season about playing Eli Manning.
Lovie Smith made New Orleans' no-name defense competitive right away. He brought his Tampa 2 but made a significant change due to the personnel he had in Louisiana. Instead of a traditional 4-3, Lovie pretty much ran his defense out of a base nickel but would often play three safeties instead of three corners if the situation called for it. His new “Bayou 2” defense kept the Saints in most games – they only lost by 14+ points twice, once to the Patriots in Foxborough and the other at home vs Mike Vick and the Falcons.
The Saints were undermanned though and Drew Bledsoe was just good enough to be annoying to Saints fans. He wasn’t bad enough to merit a benching but he wasn’t good enough to actually win very many games. That being said, New Orleans finished a respectable 7-9 overall and won two of the last three in convincing fashion over the Jets and the Buccaneers.
The cracks were starting to show in Tampa. Back in the 1980s, Lakers coach Pat Riley wrote about “The Disease of More” when teams would win a title. Every championship team ever – in any sport – had players who put their own interests and goals aside to help the team win. However, Riley wrote, many times those players wanted more – more playing time, more publicity, and especially more money. It was also harder to motivate players who were already champs than it was to motivate those who weren’t. This effect, combined with an aging roster and a laissez-faire coaching staff, meant the Bucs finished an underwhelming 8-8 and missed the playoffs for the first time in years.
It was Carolina, on the backs of all-world pass rusher Julius Peppers, who won the NFC South with a 10-6 record. Peppers was seemingly in the backfield on every snap and even held up well in the run game.
The bottom fell out for Chicago. They were a mirage the year before despite making the playoffs and in 2004 their offense fell apart. Head coach Dick Jauron was fired after a bad Thanksgiving Day loss at Dallas dropped them to 3-8 on the season.
Ben Roethlisberger won the Cowboys starting job in Week 6 (after the bye) and didn’t look back. Under him Dallas would win six of their last seven games and snag a wild card spot. Jon Gruden and Jim Harbaugh were back in the playoffs for the first time since winning the Super Bowl in their final game as Raiders.
We're on a roll right now, playing with a ton of confidence, and I feel that with the players we have here on this team there's no one in the NFC who can stop us! Ben Roethlisberger, on the field after a Week 17 win vs the Giants got Dallas into the playoffs.
Larry Fitzgerald lived up to his high draft pick and made an immediate impact on the Redskins. Philip Rivers was uneven for the Giants, throwing for 248 yards and three scores in Week 11 vs the aforementioned Skins (Fitz had 11 catches and 132 yards in that game) then following it up with a four-pick game in Week 12 vs the Eagles. Such was life for most rookie quarterbacks.
Over in the AFC, New England keep on rolling, easily winning the AFC East…again. Oakland was still bad but Charles Rogers was one of the best wideouts in the NFL. He had over a thousand yards receiving for the second straight year - no small feat given the hodgepodge of quarterbacks getting him the ball. Baltimore rebuilt their defense around Ray Lewis and Troy Polamalu and won the North.
AFC Playoff Teams
1. New England Patriots
2. Indianapolis Colts
3. San Diego Chargers
4. Baltimore Ravens
5. Denver Broncos
6. Jacksonville Jaguars
NFC Playoff Teams
1. Philadelphia Eagles
2. Green Bay Packers
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Saint Louis Rams
5. Dallas Cowboys
6. Atlanta Falcons
MVP --> Peyton Manning, Colts
Offensive Player of the Year --> LaDainian Tomlinson, Chargers
Defensive Player of the Year --> Ed Reed, Patriots
Coach of the Year --> John Fox, Panthers
Offensive Rookie of the Year --> Larry Fitzgerald, Redskins
Defensive Rookie of the Year --> Sean Taylor, Cardinals
Curtain Jerker
Donor
In 2004 the Steelers went 15-1 and Roethlisberger won 13 of those games. Having him come out of the gate storming hot isn't unprecedented. I figured a combo of him, a not-washed-up Gruden, and an ambitious/hungry Harbaugh as OC means they can go on a hot streak towards the end of the season to get into the playoffs and it wouldn't be implausible.
Thanks for reading!
2004 Postseason
Curtain Jerker
Donor
2004 Postseason
It is tough to say whether “momentum” truly matters in the NFL. There are examples of teams closing the season on a hot streak and falling flat on their face. There are examples of teams backing their way into the playoffs and going on a run. The truth is each situation is different.
That being said, the Cowboys picked right up where they left off when the season ended. They went into the Edward Jones Dome and continued their stellar play. Saint Louis was more than game though and it was a back and forth offensive explosion all afternoon. The game was tied 31-all with about three minutes when Dallas rookie sensation Ben Roethlisberger drove his Cowboys 74 yards for a game-winning field goal with only seconds left.
Man, Ben really is something special. Some of those plays he made out there today you can’t coach. Some guys have an instinct for winning football and he’s one of em. Head coach Jon Gruden, on the field after the Cowboys 34-31 win.
Carolina beat Atlanta both times the two teams met in the regular season. Atlanta would flip the script behind the arm (and especially legs) of quarterback Michael Vick. Vick was masterful, keeping the Carolina defense off-balance all night. Atlanta made just enough plays to escape with a 17-14 win. It was ugly, no doubt about it, but an ugly win is always better than any loss.
Over in the AFC, Denver beat Baltimore and San Diego routed Jacksonville. The Chargers had been quietly playing quality football over the last six weeks or so and Jacksonville just didn’t have the weapons to keep up with Drew Brees and LaDainian Tomlinson. The latter had three touchdowns – two via Brees passes – as the Chargers won 28-6.
It was déjà vu all over again as Denver went into Gillette Stadium to face the Patriots for the second consecutive postseason. Unfortunately for Broncos fans, the song did indeed remain the same as the Pats won 28-24. Tom Brady had three touchdowns and no interceptions as he was barely bothered all day. His offensive line held the Denver pass rush in check.
Gotta give credit to the big guys up front. Look at this jersey. You don’t see any grass on it – because I was never hit. That’s why we won today. Tom Brady, on the field after the win. His jersey was indeed spotless.
Philadelphia ended Atlanta’s ride but it was a struggle early. Atlanta took a 14-7 lead into the locker room at half. After the halftime it was like Philly was a whole new team – they scored 21 unanswered (all Donovan McNabb touchdowns) to win 28-14.
Philly took care of business at home. The same can’t be said for Green Bay. Dallas went into Lambeau Field on a cold day (air temp of 21 degrees) and won a tough win 20-17. Neither offense did a lot on the cold day but Roethlisberger did just enough with his legs to move the chains late in the second half. The enduring image of this game was after Roethlisberger got crunched by Packers safety Mike Rumph on a scramble late, it was the quarterback who sprung to his feet and helped the safety up. Not something you see every day, but a 250 lb quarterback also isn’t something you see every day either.
It was a Sunday of upsets as Drew Brees took his Chargers into the RCA Dome in downtown Indianapolis and outplayed league MVP Peyton Manning. Manning and Brees finished 1-2 in MVP voting but today Brees was the better man. Manning had another playoff letdown as he threw interceptions on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter to help San Diego come away with a 24-17 win.
The stage was set for the NFC and AFC Championship games. Dallas would travel to Philly (the two teams had split on the year – each winning at home) and San Diego would fly cross-country to suburban Boston to face the top-seeded Patriots.
Sometimes it is your year. Sometimes it’s not. It was certainly the Cowboys’ year as they went into Philly and won the NFC 20-17. It was a slugfest of a football game, each team trading haymakers. Ben Roethlisberger took a shot from Brian Dawkins in the third quarter that had the Cowboys quarterback reeling and was so violent that backup Chris Sims quickly got loose on the sidelines. Fortunately for Dallas, their defense was on the field for a while the next drive which gave Roethlisberger enough time to get treated and get back on the field without missing a snap. He was clearly moving gingerly but was good enough to keep the Cowboys in the game late.
I’ve never been hit that hard in my life. I think maybe he broke a rib or something, I guess we’ll see what the X-Ray says. But there’s no way I’m not playing in the Super Bowl. Ben Roethlisberger, to the press after the game before he got the aforementioned X-rays.
The good news is that Roethlisberger didn’t have a broken rib. The bad news was that one of his ribs was cracked. Fortunately for the Cowboys the extra week off between the conference championship game and the Super Bowl meant that Roethlisberger should be able to play, albeit uncomfortably.
New England beat a very game San Diego squad 28-27. Tom Brady led the winning touchdown drive with 2:04 left and two timeouts. He was cool under pressure, helping dispel the whispers from postseasons past that he wasn’t a “big game player,” whatever that meant.
The stage was set for New England to get a measure of revenge vs Jon Gruden. He’d beaten them as the Oakland coach in both the 2001 and 2002 postseasons. Would the third time be the charm for New England against Gruden?
In a word, yes. Roethlisberger’s cracked ribs were clearly hampering him. He wasn’t his usual mobile self and the flak jacket he wore under his uniform clearly affected him. He took it off midway through the second quarter and played better, but by then it was too little, too late.
Cowboys fans would ask themselves all off-season “what might have been” if Roethlisberger wasn’t hurt. The question is obviously unanswerable, but even setting aside the injured Dallas quarterback New England was clearly the better team. Brady let out years of frustration and playoff failures and was surgical, bouncing back from an early tipped interception to throw three touchdowns. The Patriots won 31-14 and as confetti fell Tom Brady and Ed Reed, the two leaders of the team, shared a long hug and a few words.
What did you and Ed Reed talk about? Pam Oliver, Fox reporter, to Brady after the game
I thanked him. I had a rough Super Bowl last year and he told me after that game that he still believed in me no matter what. That meant a lot and I wanted to thank him once we won. I’m overjoyed I could help win a Super Bowl for a guy like Ed Reed and everyone else in that room. It’s pretty special. Tom Brady, tears in his eyes, to Pam Oliver after the game.
It is tough to say whether “momentum” truly matters in the NFL. There are examples of teams closing the season on a hot streak and falling flat on their face. There are examples of teams backing their way into the playoffs and going on a run. The truth is each situation is different.
That being said, the Cowboys picked right up where they left off when the season ended. They went into the Edward Jones Dome and continued their stellar play. Saint Louis was more than game though and it was a back and forth offensive explosion all afternoon. The game was tied 31-all with about three minutes when Dallas rookie sensation Ben Roethlisberger drove his Cowboys 74 yards for a game-winning field goal with only seconds left.
Man, Ben really is something special. Some of those plays he made out there today you can’t coach. Some guys have an instinct for winning football and he’s one of em. Head coach Jon Gruden, on the field after the Cowboys 34-31 win.
Carolina beat Atlanta both times the two teams met in the regular season. Atlanta would flip the script behind the arm (and especially legs) of quarterback Michael Vick. Vick was masterful, keeping the Carolina defense off-balance all night. Atlanta made just enough plays to escape with a 17-14 win. It was ugly, no doubt about it, but an ugly win is always better than any loss.
Over in the AFC, Denver beat Baltimore and San Diego routed Jacksonville. The Chargers had been quietly playing quality football over the last six weeks or so and Jacksonville just didn’t have the weapons to keep up with Drew Brees and LaDainian Tomlinson. The latter had three touchdowns – two via Brees passes – as the Chargers won 28-6.
It was déjà vu all over again as Denver went into Gillette Stadium to face the Patriots for the second consecutive postseason. Unfortunately for Broncos fans, the song did indeed remain the same as the Pats won 28-24. Tom Brady had three touchdowns and no interceptions as he was barely bothered all day. His offensive line held the Denver pass rush in check.
Gotta give credit to the big guys up front. Look at this jersey. You don’t see any grass on it – because I was never hit. That’s why we won today. Tom Brady, on the field after the win. His jersey was indeed spotless.
Philadelphia ended Atlanta’s ride but it was a struggle early. Atlanta took a 14-7 lead into the locker room at half. After the halftime it was like Philly was a whole new team – they scored 21 unanswered (all Donovan McNabb touchdowns) to win 28-14.
Philly took care of business at home. The same can’t be said for Green Bay. Dallas went into Lambeau Field on a cold day (air temp of 21 degrees) and won a tough win 20-17. Neither offense did a lot on the cold day but Roethlisberger did just enough with his legs to move the chains late in the second half. The enduring image of this game was after Roethlisberger got crunched by Packers safety Mike Rumph on a scramble late, it was the quarterback who sprung to his feet and helped the safety up. Not something you see every day, but a 250 lb quarterback also isn’t something you see every day either.
It was a Sunday of upsets as Drew Brees took his Chargers into the RCA Dome in downtown Indianapolis and outplayed league MVP Peyton Manning. Manning and Brees finished 1-2 in MVP voting but today Brees was the better man. Manning had another playoff letdown as he threw interceptions on back-to-back possessions in the third quarter to help San Diego come away with a 24-17 win.
The stage was set for the NFC and AFC Championship games. Dallas would travel to Philly (the two teams had split on the year – each winning at home) and San Diego would fly cross-country to suburban Boston to face the top-seeded Patriots.
Sometimes it is your year. Sometimes it’s not. It was certainly the Cowboys’ year as they went into Philly and won the NFC 20-17. It was a slugfest of a football game, each team trading haymakers. Ben Roethlisberger took a shot from Brian Dawkins in the third quarter that had the Cowboys quarterback reeling and was so violent that backup Chris Sims quickly got loose on the sidelines. Fortunately for Dallas, their defense was on the field for a while the next drive which gave Roethlisberger enough time to get treated and get back on the field without missing a snap. He was clearly moving gingerly but was good enough to keep the Cowboys in the game late.
I’ve never been hit that hard in my life. I think maybe he broke a rib or something, I guess we’ll see what the X-Ray says. But there’s no way I’m not playing in the Super Bowl. Ben Roethlisberger, to the press after the game before he got the aforementioned X-rays.
The good news is that Roethlisberger didn’t have a broken rib. The bad news was that one of his ribs was cracked. Fortunately for the Cowboys the extra week off between the conference championship game and the Super Bowl meant that Roethlisberger should be able to play, albeit uncomfortably.
New England beat a very game San Diego squad 28-27. Tom Brady led the winning touchdown drive with 2:04 left and two timeouts. He was cool under pressure, helping dispel the whispers from postseasons past that he wasn’t a “big game player,” whatever that meant.
The stage was set for New England to get a measure of revenge vs Jon Gruden. He’d beaten them as the Oakland coach in both the 2001 and 2002 postseasons. Would the third time be the charm for New England against Gruden?
In a word, yes. Roethlisberger’s cracked ribs were clearly hampering him. He wasn’t his usual mobile self and the flak jacket he wore under his uniform clearly affected him. He took it off midway through the second quarter and played better, but by then it was too little, too late.
Cowboys fans would ask themselves all off-season “what might have been” if Roethlisberger wasn’t hurt. The question is obviously unanswerable, but even setting aside the injured Dallas quarterback New England was clearly the better team. Brady let out years of frustration and playoff failures and was surgical, bouncing back from an early tipped interception to throw three touchdowns. The Patriots won 31-14 and as confetti fell Tom Brady and Ed Reed, the two leaders of the team, shared a long hug and a few words.
What did you and Ed Reed talk about? Pam Oliver, Fox reporter, to Brady after the game
I thanked him. I had a rough Super Bowl last year and he told me after that game that he still believed in me no matter what. That meant a lot and I wanted to thank him once we won. I’m overjoyed I could help win a Super Bowl for a guy like Ed Reed and everyone else in that room. It’s pretty special. Tom Brady, tears in his eyes, to Pam Oliver after the game.
Curtain Jerker
Donor
Thanks! As far as San Diego - suffice to say that I have plans for them in the next update.
Curtain Jerker
Donor
TBH, I haven't really figured what I'm doing with him off the field. Pretty easy to butterfly away the motorcycle accident from 2006 as it was in Pittsburgh and he'll (presumably) be in Dallas. The sexual assault allegations were all in the off-season when he was in NV and GA. I honestly don't know how I'm going to handle that. Any suggestions from the audience would be more than welcome.
Yeah, I was sort of thinking Dez Bryant- type monitoring when it came to him, but I had forgotten those allegations were in the offseason so that wouldn't really come into play. I would say if you want him to stick around, one thing you could do is have some incident happen that's close to that but where he doesn't go that far (maybe he starts making lewd comments and a teammate wisely escorts him away ina nightclub during the season) and that causes the team to watch him more and him to have be start to behave better.
Hey, you could even have some great fodder for the news cycles and jokes about how now, Jerry Jones doesn't just have a problem with his coach being bigger than him, his QB also grabs more headlines a la Joe Namath.
