Monday morning NFL recap

Steelers: Only saving grace for me was it was a win for Peyton Manning, but I also think the Steelers had a better shot at beating the Patriots than the Broncos do.

• I should have started counting missed tackles from the beginning of the game, but that first quarter I'm sure we missed 586,345. 
• I read a lot of stuff this past week on the Steelers with a lot of players and people saying not nice things about the players and coaching staff. I don't know what is true or not since I'm not part of the organization, but I know the Rooney family is top notch and the best in the business so I didn't get too fired up. I will agree, however, that I dislike some of Coach Tomlin's way of thinking. Celebrating after tackles and touchdowns? Stop it. You did your job. That's what your paid to do. You can celebrate after you have secured the win. Tomlin needs to get that message across to his players. Seriously. 
• And along the same lines...I didn't like that Steelers Markus Wheaton didn't help up Broncos Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips after Wheaton was pushed into him during the second quarter. No it wasn't your fault, Wheaton, but Phillips is more than twice your age and can't exactly hop up after a hit like that. Show some character guys or the things people say about you are going to be believable.
• Welcome back Peyton Manning. Like Larry Fitzgerald I have no doubt you belong here. It would have been nice if the rest of your team could have remembered how to catch your passes in that first half. I lost count after awhile. 
• It was nice to play against a class team after the classless team we played last week. I was so less tense and I think everyone from the players and coaches to the fans and announcers were as well. Tomlin said it all at halftime when talking about number 18, "...obviously we have a lot of respect for him."
• I know the tide turned with the fumble by Fitzgerald Toussaint, but not having Antonio Brown and having to play it safe with short passes and the running game was what hurt us. Ben is best in tight situations when he can lob the ball 70 yards down the field knowing AB can get away from defenders and sprint in time to make the catch. Wonder boy Martavis Bryant, who didn't turn out to be as wonderful as his hype, just can't do what Brown can do.
• The talk was all about the aging, hurt quarterbacks in the game, but while Roethlisberger and Manning may be both I'll take either over any other quarterback in the league.

Other:

• I could barely stay awake during the first game of the playoffs on Saturday. The Chiefs were out manned, out coached, and just out played. Tom Brady was more than fired up and god help the rest of the teams, but he has what I talk about every year; determination and the heart to win.
• I mentioned to my friend Gigi while we watched the Patriots/Chiefs game that I sure hoped that we would get a better game with the second one, and by golly, I didn't have to eat my words. Holy come down to the wire! Aaron Rogers isn't quite Tom Brady, but he too has a will to win and he makes his players believe it too. That last play to go to overtime? Is anyone else wondering if the Packers have some divine intervention?
• At the beginning the season when I was picking my fantasy team I took Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald for one of my wide receivers. It wasn't long before the fantasy experts told me I was an idiot because Fitzgerald was an old man and past his prime and blah, blah, blah. While not a Cardinals fan I was sure cheering loudly when he made the final touchdown to win the game. Old people can do it! Nike should pick that up. I saw it in his eyes in the second half as the Packers took the lead. He wanted the ball and he wanted to be the one to get the Cardinals back in the game. He did just that and then he went ahead and won it all. Wow. Doesn't get any better than that.
• One of the Arizona Cardinals players got cocky with over two minutes left in the game after the Packers failed to convert and started firing up the crowd and celebrating his win. One of the announcers, Collinsworth or Michaels, made reference to how the game wasn't over yet and what an omen that turned out to be. Just another mark in my column for my irritation of cockiness and celebratory nonsense.
• What was up with the coin toss debacle in overtime of that Packers game? It didn't flip so it had to be tossed again. You knew as soon as it happened that conspiracy theories would abound. But seriously, I'm more curious as to why the postseason rules are different than the regular season rules regarding overtime?  
• At first I enjoyed the fact that the games were rotated among the various television networks, but then as I listened to the game callers I remembered why I prefer certain channels. I'm not a fan of Al Michaels, Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, or Dan Fouts. Too many opinions. Too many dumb comments. Too much rambling. Sort of like writing on a blog.
• I love the Panther's giving of the touchdown balls to kids. How great was that little girl's reaction after Carolina's Jonathan Stewart ran in for the first score of the game and handed her the ball? Precious.
• At halftime of the Panthers/Seahawks game the analysts were all sure that Seattle was done, but Russell Wilson and company sure proved them wrong. They held the Panthers scoreless in the second half and put up 24 points themselves. They just ran out of time
• Nice pom pom on your hat Cam Newton that you wore for interviews after the game! Wonder if sales will pick up for that hat that didn't look to me to be the property of the Panthers.