Home stretch strategy

[madinsomniac]

The Steelers are now 8-6, the Ravens 7-7
With one H2H win , if the steelers beat the Ravens week 18, they win the tiebreaker
All other tiebreaker scenarios go to the Ravens now.

Going into week 18:
If the steelers win vs Detroit and cleveland, they would be certain to finish no worse than 10-7. the Ratbirds need to win out to beat them. They could rest everyone vs the Ravens if baltimore loses a game

If the ravens go 0-2 vs the Pats and Packers( the GB game is on Saturday) the will finish no better than 8-9... if the Steelers win 1 game, they get the division... if they beat detroit, they could rest injured or essential players for cleveland and Baltimore.

If the Steelers lose vs Detroit, they will be 8-7 meaning if they lost to cleveland as well they would be 8-8 going into the Ravens game...
If the Ravens go 2-0 vs NE and GB they would be 9-7
If they split, they would be 8-8,
In either of these scenarios, the result of the cleveland gane is utterly useless, but the Ravens game winner gets the division, so if we drop detroit and the ravens win either NE or GB, rest players during the Cleveland game...

 

[Omar10213245]

The Steelers are now 8-6, the Ravens 7-7
With one H2H win , if the steelers beat the Ravens week 18, they win the tiebreaker
All other tiebreaker scenarios go to the Ravens now.

Going into week 18:
If the steelers win vs Detroit and cleveland, they would be certain to finish no worse than 10-7. the Ratbirds need to win out to beat them. They could rest everyone vs the Ravens if baltimore loses a game

If the ravens go 0-2 vs the Pats and Packers( the GB game is on Saturday) the will finish no better than 8-9... if the Steelers win 1 game, they get the division... if they beat detroit, they could rest injured or essential players for cleveland and Baltimore.

If the Steelers lose vs Detroit, they will be 8-7 meaning if they lost to cleveland as well they would be 8-8 going into the Ravens game...
If the Ravens go 2-0 vs NE and GB they would be 9-7
If they split, they would be 8-8,
In either of these scenarios, the result of the cleveland gane is utterly useless, but the Ravens game winner gets the division, so if we drop detroit and the ravens win either NE or GB, rest players during the Cleveland game...

Absolutely not, that's the last thing a team like this should be doing. Resting starters going into the biggest/most pivotal game of the season?? That has disaster written all over it. This team needs to be playing for their playoff lives each and every week. They're nowhere near good enough to have the luxury of resting starters at ANY point the rest of this season.

 

[Cras108er]

Absolutely not, that's the last thing a team like this should be doing. Resting starters going into the biggest/most pivotal game of the season?? That has disaster written all over it. This team needs to be playing for their playoff lives each and every week. They're nowhere near good enough to have the luxury of resting starters at ANY point the rest of this season.

I agree. They need momentum going into the playoffs; however, you also don’t want to do that and lose an Aaron Rodgers, DK, TJ etc. for the playoffs.

 

[slashsteel]

I agree. They need momentum going into the playoffs; however, you also don’t want to do that and lose an Aaron Rodgers, DK, TJ etc. for the playoffs.

That is the risk but the players have to be cohesive trending in the right direction down the stretch. Just a necessary evil.

 

[Litos]

tough decision, probably rest any nagging injury an play with the fully healthy only

 

[madinsomniac]

Absolutely not, that's the last thing a team like this should be doing. Resting starters going into the biggest/most pivotal game of the season?? That has disaster written all over it. This team needs to be playing for their playoff lives each and every week. They're nowhere near good enough to have the luxury of resting starters at ANY point the rest of this season.

Momentum is an imaginary concept in sports. There is objective tangible proof that resting guys wins games... Tomlins record after a bye is amazing. In fact its pretty sterling with any extra off days... be it post thursday night games or on Monday night...

That Indiana coach literally limits practice time to maximize players rest, believing that health is the most important factor in winning... he is undefeated this year...

Winning a meaningless game and risking high profile injuries is just egotistical bluster. If it doesnt mean anything, let Howard and the third stringers play and spend extra time practicing for Baltimore

 

[Superman]

if we somehow win the next two, we'll still start all starters and play them the entire game.

Its the TomlinWay

 

[Fiji Mariner]

Momentum is an imaginary concept in sports. There is objective tangible proof that resting guys wins games... Tomlins record after a bye is amazing. In fact its pretty sterling with any extra off days... be it post thursday night games or on Monday night...

That Indiana coach literally limits practice time to maximize players rest, believing that health is the most important factor in winning... he is undefeated this year...

Winning a meaningless game and risking high profile injuries is just egotistical bluster. If it doesnt mean anything, let Howard and the third stringers play and spend extra time practicing for Baltimore

Mikey was presented a similar scenario last year with a meaningless Eagles game.

If memory serves didn’t TJ get hurt in this meaningless game or was it Pickens?? Hell may have been both. I successfully drank away those brain cells witnessing last year’s collapse.

If history shows Mike will play to win ALL games until playoff spot (or Tomlinship) is secured.

Player management/load management has ALWAYS been a weakness of his.

I’d expect the mental midget to play everyone as he has in the past…we don’t live in our fears, and we sure don’t blink as we unleash December hell

 

[Omar10213245]

Momentum is an imaginary concept in sports. There is objective tangible proof that resting guys wins games... Tomlins record after a bye is amazing. In fact its pretty sterling with any extra off days... be it post thursday night games or on Monday night...

That Indiana coach literally limits practice time to maximize players rest, believing that health is the most important factor in winning... he is undefeated this year...

Winning a meaningless game and risking high profile injuries is just egotistical bluster. If it doesnt mean anything, let Howard and the third stringers play and spend extra time practicing for Baltimore

That Indiana team is one of the best teams in college football, the Steelers are nowhere near one of the best teams in the NFL. A bye week and resting players are not one and the same. Momentum is most certainly NOT an imaginary concept, what a ridiculous ******* thing to say. Especially for guys on the o-line, the linebacking corps, etc continuity and maintaining good, sound, effective play is very important, especially when its a team that hasnt been able to maintain such a standard of execution for long stretches of time/games.

 

[SteelerInLebanon]

if we somehow win the next two, we'll still start all starters and play them the entire game.

Its the TomlinWay

I have been to two end of season games and watched our backup play because he does sit starters when we have clinched.

 

[Drink IRON City]

I agree. They need momentum going into the playoffs; however, you also don’t want to do that and lose an Aaron Rodgers, DK, TJ etc. for the playoffs.

Why not, tomlin left Bell in so he could get some ridiculous Steelers PO rushing record. The very next PO game he came up gimpy on first few carries.

Tomlin so far hasn’t showed the intellect to protect players for the long haul, how is he going top do that now. It isn’t as simple as just not play the player, it’s deeper than that. Maybe our whisperer has grown in his whispering ways.




Salute the nation

 

[Steelmann]

Momentum is an imaginary concept in sports.

Good Lord. Just because you say so doesn’t make it true. You also told me turnovers don’t matter in one post this season.

That’s right. Just take the foot off the gas. Don’t play to win. Let’s give up on the Detroit game ,as they score 35 + points putting the confidence level down another 5 notches. Momentum Imaginary? How’d that momentum look going into the playoffs last season. Fans screaming,media howling,self doubt creeping in. Always good to have your confidence level at a low.

You can see game after game,sport after sport,a play where the whole momentum changes the outcome of the game around.
Our last game I thought it was Gainwell’s 30+ yard scamper in the 3rd quarter. I could go on and on,game after game.
Heck. All these years I’ve watched sports,momentum has just been my imagination. Thanks for clarifying that Mad.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

Careful and painstaking research of the Tomlin era shows that on the rare occasions when they could rest players on the last week, they lost the playoff game, but when the starters played on the last week they lost the playoff game.

 

[Djfan]

Careful and painstaking research of the Tomlin era shows that on the rare occasions when they could rest players on the last week, they lost the playoff game, but when the starters played on the last week they lost the playoff game.

Yeah. Makes it a hard choice. I say rest them or don't. Just my take on it.