0 Colts Win NFL-Record 22nd straight as they beat the Broncos 28-16! Posted by DieHardFans | at 10:36 PM

Brandon Marshall of the Broncos may have broken an individual NFL record Sunday in Indianapolis, but the Colts set a team record. In beating Denver, 28-16, the Colts established a new standard of greatness by winning their 22nd consecutive regular-season game. That breaks the previous NFL record, which was held by Tom Brady's New England Patriots. Interestingly enough, the Patriots and Colts along with the Steelers have been the most dominant teams of this decade. What the Colts do in the postseason, however, will define their ultimate legacy much more than this record. They've "only" won the Super Bowl once, while the Patriots have three rings and the Steelers have two. "It does [feel good]," Colts linebacker Clint Session said staying unbeaten and breaking the consecutive regular-season wins record. "I'm a part of history right now, so it feels real good. It's something we can tell our kids and grandkids that we did something no one else had done. It's definitely a great accomplishment."

On Sunday, they stormed out of the gates, jumping to a 21-0 lead within the first quarter and a half. The Broncos were able to climb back into the game on the strength of the sensational Marshall and an uncharacteristic three picks from Peyton Manning. When Marshall caught a touchdown with 9:49 left in the game, the Colts led by just five, 21-16. What happened on the ensuing drive shouldn't really surprise anyone who has followed the NFL for the past decade.

Manning methodically took the Colts 80 yards in 14 plays, eating up more than seven minutes. The drive concluded with Dallas Clark's third touchdown catch of the game and it was Manning's fourth TD pass. Yes, just another Indianapolis Colts win. They are now 13-0 and have clinched home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Rookie head coach Jim Caldwell is still undefeated in his career, and the team is now 88-21 since the start of 2003. Sunday's victory also gave them the NFL record for most wins in a decade (114), breaking the previous mark held by the 1990s 49ers. If nothing else, the Colts are synonymous with winning in the regular season. And they are working to shed the last little caveat there, which is why you're likely to see them resting regulars in spots for the last three regular-season week.

0 Gradkowski grabs winning TD to cruise past the Steelers! Posted by DieHardFans | at 2:33 AM

If the Steelers season was fading following their three-point loss to the Ravens last week, this loss to the Oakland Raiders officially puts their year on life support. For what seems to have been the theme of the 09 season, the defense again was letdown in the fourth quarter, as they allowed Bruce Gradkowski to carve them up for a touchdown drive with 9 seconds left for a 27-24 loss. “You know, really not a lot needs to be said in regards to how that game ended,” Mike Tomlin said. “I’m not going to make any excuses for it. We didn’t make a play. We didn’t make a play to win that football game defensively.” You can say that again. The defense allowed big plays one after another, and in the end, they had a chance to easily win it but rookie DB Joe Burnett dropped an easy interception that would have bailed out the Steelers against a team that is simply not that good. Instead, they now have lost four straight for the first time since the 2003 season.

They have four games left, but right now the playoffs look like light years away. Tomlin, who in his second year led the team to the Super Bowl, now has to answer the question about how to keep the team together amid all the issues they are having on and off the field. The Steelers looked to have the game won when Ben Roethlisberger threw an 11-yard score to Hines Ward with 1:56 left to take a 24-20 lead. The defense allowed Oakland three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, this after allowing just two field goals in the first three quarters. Roethlisberger was 18-for-24 for 278 yards with two TD’s and another end zone pick. Rashard Mendenhall ran for 103 yards and a score as well. Now, the 6-6 club will be in Cleveland on Thursday.

0 Second half Surge Lifts the Steelers to a Big win Denver... Posted by DieHardFans | at 11:05 PM

I think it’s safe to say that the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS are officially back. After a slow start to their Monday night matchup with the Broncos, the Steelers exploded in the second half, outscoring the Broncos 21-7 as they walked out with their fifth straight win 28-10. For the Steelers, the first half could not have been any uglier, except for the score. They did nothing worth talking about in the first quarter, running 11 plays and gaining 20 yards while Ben Roethlisberger was sacked twice.

The second quarter was as much of the same till Carter picked off Orton about three minutes into the second quarter, and took it back untouched for the defensive score that put the Steelers up. It was after the half that the team started to finally assert itself. They started fast, going from their 17 to the Broncos 33, when the last negative play of the night happened for the Steelers. Roethlisberger was under pressure, and stripped by Kenny Peterson. The ball rolled around until Robert Ayers picked it up and went 54 yards for a score to make it 10-7 Denver.

The lead would be short lived for the Broncos as the Pittsburgh Steelers responded right away; they needed just two minutes to go the distance. A pass to Mike Wallace went for 18 yards, and then Rashard Mendenhall went 24 yards. A deep pass to Santonio Holmes went for 35 yards to the Broncos three. One play later the team took the lead for good, as Big Ben hit Hines Ward for a three-yard TD to make it 14-10. The game stayed tight till midway through the fourth quarter. Then came a big play from a huge playmaker (Troy Polamalu) who picked of Orton to set the Steelers up at the Broncos 25. On third down Roethlisberger extended the play, and threw deep to Wallace, who beat Brian Dawkins for a score to extend the lead to 21-10 with 7:03 left. Then the defense started to pounce.

Orton and the Broncos were unable to do anything, and quickly went three and out and were forced to punt. That’s when the offense put the finishing touches on the win. Led by Mendenhall, who had 155 yards on 22 carries, the team marched to the Denver three, when Roethlisberger hit Ward for a second score to close out the game at 28-10 with 1:22 left. Roethlisberger was 21-for-29 for 233 yards with three scores and a pick. His QB rating was 116.0. Orton was under stress for most of the second half. He was just 23-for-38 for 221 yards with three picks. The Steelers amassed 375 yards of offense, holding Denver to 242 yards. After a first half that was not so hot, the team held the ball total for 33:03 to 26:57 for the Denver. The defense also held Denver to zero first downs rushing, and just 27 yards on the ground while the Steelers put up 173 yards rushing.

This win sets up a big North showdown with the fellow first place Cincinnati Bengals Sunday at Heinz Field. Both teams will enter the game at 6-2.

0 Dallas Cowboys Stadium Posted by DieHardFans | at 12:04 PM

The hyper Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones can’t stop flaunting his renovated stadium. Of course, he has all the reasons in the world to flaunt because, if you look at it nobody has ever come up with an idea like this and even if they did come up with an idea they weren’t able to implement it. But Jerry did it. The stadium now holds the capacity of more than 82,000 seats, with 20,000 standing-room space. They are hoping to break an NFL regular-season attendance record (102,368) set in 1957.

Jones brags about the seven acres of plaza space outside the end zone entrances, with its green space and fountains, "Oceanfront property". He was also proud to brag about the frit treatment in the sloping glass walls, which change colors depending on the light. When it is cloudy outside, the Dallas Cowboys renovated stadium looks silver and on a clear day, it’s blue just like their official team’s color.

The most amazing thing about this new renovated stadium is the $40 million video board, suspended 90 feet above the field with four screens; stretches nearly 60 yards and weighs 600 tons. It is seven stories, attached to the stadium's signature arches, which also houses tracks for a translucent retractable roof. The stadium is also to host the 2010 NBA All-Star Game and the Super Bowl in 2011 — proving itself the nation's premier multipurpose facility because there have been no compromises in its design.