Dolphins-Steelers

[Gothamite]

Seriously though, Favre has historically played poorly under a roof. I hope history continues to repeat itself on the 16th.

True enough, but then again he traditionally has played poorly in Minnesota. Times change, my friend. Times change.

[Sguse1]

you were taking pulls of mt dew? that explains alot then.

[PackerBadger]

Live in the past much?

Takes a lot of stones for a Rams fan to talk smack about Favre.

The 2001 St. Louis-Green Bay Divisional Playoff Game is one of my favorite NFL memories. I went into watching the game with a 2 Liter bottle of Mountain Dew (I was 16) and plans do drink a cup of it every time the Rams scored.

The bottle was empty by the end of the 3rd Quarter.

Seriously though, Favre has historically played poorly under a roof. I hope history continues to repeat itself on the 16th.

Seriously though, given how the Rams are doing, I don't think it'll matter even if Favre throws three picks.

[rams80]

Live in the past much?

Takes a lot of stones for a Rams fan to talk smack about Favre.

The 2001 St. Louis-Green Bay Divisional Playoff Game is one of my favorite NFL memories. I went into watching the game with a 2 Liter bottle of Mountain Dew (I was 16) and plans do drink a cup of it every time the Rams scored.

The bottle was empty by the end of the 3rd Quarter.

Seriously though, Favre has historically played poorly under a roof. I hope history continues to repeat itself on the 16th.

Seriously though, given how the Rams are doing, I don't think it'll matter even if Favre throws three picks.

It'll be another reason to fire Linehan, at least...

[rams80]

you were taking pulls of mt dew? that explains alot then.

Evidently you didn't see the part where I said I was 16. My parents take a dim view of underage drinking to excess.

Oh...and much beer has been consumed this football season. I don't do the kill multiple bottles thing, though, mainly because I have homework to do after the game.

[DrBear]

Trying to remember where Favre won the Super Bowl...oh yeah, the SuperDOME...

[vicfurth]

As with any other issue, the turf vs. grass debate could easily be appeased. Solution: develop a hybrid breed of grass that is either durable like a FieldTurf, or just grows together so tightly that it become [nearly] impervious to cleats. Maybe that'll be the next step after FieldTurf, much like it was the step after AstroTurf.

Think about it, an actual living grass (to satisfy the old-schoolers) that has the durability of a FieldTurf (for the modern fan). It would eliminate problems such as that that occured in Pittsburgh.

C'mon Vic....let us in. Your agro boys in College Station are perfecting it as we speak. Right?

Nah we took the day off after beating you guys in football...

I don't go there myself, in all seriousness, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were doing something to that effect.

[leopard88]

So it sounds like natural astroturf. Oh...break out the sneakers for that game if you think its that bad. (Anybody get that reference?)

Talking about the 1934 NFL Championship Game, perhaps? Better known as "The Sneakers Game."

EDIT: On topic, I probably love a nice snow/mud/rain/ice game on natural grass as much as anyone. However, the conditions on Monday night went beyond the hazards that typically creates. Both teams are extremely lucky no one broke an ankle by stepping into one of the holes/soft spots in the sod. If Heinz Field is going to get as much use as it does, I think FieldTurf is a must.

[powersurge]

So it sounds like natural astroturf. Oh...break out the sneakers for that game if you think its that bad. (Anybody get that reference?)

Talking about the 1934 NFL Championship Game, perhaps? Better known as "The Sneakers Game."

EDIT: On topic, I probably love a nice snow/mud/rain/ice game on natural grass as much as anyone. However, the conditions on Monday night went beyond the hazards that typically creates. Both teams are extremely lucky no one broke an ankle by stepping into one of the holes/soft spots in the sod. If Heinz Field is going to get as much use as it does, I think FieldTurf is a must.

Or move the High School Football games to another Stadium....maybe PNC Park?

[SmoothieX]

Fieldturf.

Play on grass.

[tBBP]

So it sounds like natural astroturf. Oh...break out the sneakers for that game if you think its that bad. (Anybody get that reference?)

Talking about the 1934 NFL Championship Game, perhaps? Better known as "The Sneakers Game."

EDIT: On topic, I probably love a nice snow/mud/rain/ice game on natural grass as much as anyone. However, the conditions on Monday night went beyond the hazards that typically creates. Both teams are extremely lucky no one broke an ankle by stepping into one of the holes/soft spots in the sod. If Heinz Field is going to get as much use as it does, I think FieldTurf is a must.

Or move the High School Football games to another Stadium....maybe PNC Park?

That ain't gon happen. The way PNC Park is set up wouldn't allow for a field conversion, I won't believe. HOWEVER, there is another city stadium right down Carson Street here, almost towards the South Side strip, where a good many high-profile football games are played. it's known as Cupples Stadium.

As far as the use of Heinz Field, it's more or less a way of bringing the city together to watch these football games. Bear in mind that the lifeblood of this city (as well as the surrounding townships, boroughs, municipalities, neighborhoods, communities, and every other little grouping around here) is pretty much predicated on football. And, as I understand it, the Rooney family actually welcomes these contests in Heinz Field. (The Pitt games...can't exactly be sure, BUT, being that Pitt signage and decor items (such as panther statues) are present at the Big Mustard Bowl, I wouldn't think that the Steeler braintrust/management nor the Rooneys would have that much of an issue with the Panthers playing their homes games there.

I will say this, though: maybe the powers that be could do a better job of scheduling...to prevent buildup of games like what just happened this past weekend...HS football on Friday night, Pitt game on Saturday night, and then the MNF game. Now granted, the rain ain't make things no better, and had the clouds not broken water and dumped down a torrential downpour (or if those tarps hadn't broken in the first place, causeing water to seep through), maybe this discussion wouldn't even be happening. BUT...I guess sometimes it takes something like that to bring this type of issue to light.

I'll say this, though: switching from natural grass to anything artificial (or at least not 100% genuine) is gonna be a hard sell on the Rooneys as well as the hardest of the core Steeler nation. This whole place, the football tradition, the legacy--all of it is founded on old-school principles, one of which is playing hard-nosed, bang-em-in-the-mouth football in whatever conditions exist, rain, sleet, snow, mud, torrential downpours--just like in the "good ol' days". That's something the Steeler organization embraces...it all adds to the allure of what "Steelers" is all about.

I personally don't see them yanking up the natural stuff after the season, or at all. But that's just me...and my two rusted Lincolns.

[Luigi74]

The Pirates won't even let the WPIAL play it's baseball finals at PNC Park, there is no way they would let football be played their.

Also the Rooney's/Steelers do not own Heinz Field, the city does and the Rooney's/Steelers have an agreement where they run all of the operations of it. Pitt pays an undisclosed fee(rumor is not very much) to play at Heinz and they then split the concession's, parking and so on with the Steelers, Pitt and the Steelers are also partners in the UMPC Practice Facility they share.

For every Steeler sign at Heinz Field there is a Pitt sign, one side of the main gate has Steelers the other has Pitt it's like that throughout the stadium.

[tBBP]

The Pirates won't even let the WPIAL play it's baseball finals at PNC Park, there is no way they would let football be played their.

Also the Rooney's/Steelers do not own Heinz Field, the city does and the Rooney's/Steelers have an agreement where they run all of the operations of it. Pitt pays an undisclosed fee(rumor is not very much) to play at Heinz and they then split the concession's, parking and so on with the Steelers, Pitt and the Steelers are also partners in the UMPC Practice Facility they share.

For every Steeler sign at Heinz Field there is a Pitt sign, one side of the main gate has Steelers the other has Pitt it's like that throughout the stadium.

Ah, okay...now I understand it. I knew that the Rooney fam pretty much ran the place...wasn't aware that the city itself owned the place (or, at least, I got some bad info from people around here regarding that).

(Offshoot question, just because: another thing I've heard regarding that stadium is that the old Three Rivers wasn't even done being paid for before it was demolished and PNC Park and Heinz was stood up. Anyone know the real truth behind this "urban legend" floating around here?)

[SmoothieX]

I personally don't see them yanking up the natural stuff after the season, or at all. But that's just me...and my two rusted Lincolns.

WORD! That's what I'm talkin' about.

[Mac the Knife]

I'll say this, though: switching from natural grass to anything artificial (or at least not 100% genuine) is gonna be a hard sell on the Rooneys as well as the hardest of the core Steeler nation. This whole place, the football tradition, the legacy--all of it is founded on old-school principles, one of which is playing hard-nosed, bang-em-in-the-mouth football in whatever conditions exist, rain, sleet, snow, mud, torrential downpours--just like in the "good ol' days". That's something the Steeler organization embraces...it all adds to the allure of what "Steelers" is all about.

Old school principles, like playing on AstroTurf during the Steelers period of greatest success, for example?

(Offshoot question, just because: another thing I've heard regarding that stadium is that the old Three Rivers wasn't even done being paid for before it was demolished and PNC Park and Heinz was stood up. Anyone know the real truth behind this "urban legend" floating around here?)

No. Part of the deal that got the new facilities built was that any existing debt service on Three Rivers be paid off. It wasn't a substantial amount by today's standards, if I recall.

[leopard88]

I'll say this, though: switching from natural grass to anything artificial (or at least not 100% genuine) is gonna be a hard sell on the Rooneys as well as the hardest of the core Steeler nation. This whole place, the football tradition, the legacy--all of it is founded on old-school principles, one of which is playing hard-nosed, bang-em-in-the-mouth football in whatever conditions exist, rain, sleet, snow, mud, torrential downpours--just like in the "good ol' days". That's something the Steeler organization embraces...it all adds to the allure of what "Steelers" is all about.

Old school principles, like playing on AstroTurf during the Steelers period of greatest success, for example?

Damn, I really wanted to be the one to point out that wee bit of irony.

[DrBear]

Out of curiosity, what do they draw for the HS finals? If it's about 10-20,000, there could be a smaller college stadium somewhere in PA that could handle it. Or why doesn't State College step up - or would JoePa yell at the kids to get off his lawn?

(note - in Wisconsin, the finals for seven divisions are held at Camp Randall in Madison, which has Field Turf, over two days. There are maybe 10,000 in the stands. They used to hold them at various small college stadia before putting them all together. Lambeau Field did hold the private school playoff final (the private schools association has folded) back in the 60s but nowadays, forget it.)

[Luigi74]

Out of curiosity, what do they draw for the HS finals? If it's about 10-20,000, there could be a smaller college stadium somewhere in PA that could handle it. Or why doesn't State College step up - or would JoePa yell at the kids to get off his lawn?

(note - in Wisconsin, the finals for seven divisions are held at Camp Randall in Madison, which has Field Turf, over two days. There are maybe 10,000 in the stands. They used to hold them at various small college stadia before putting them all together. Lambeau Field did hold the private school playoff final (the private schools association has folded) back in the 60s but nowadays, forget it.)

The High School championship games at Heinz Field are for the City League(one game played about a week before Thanksgiving) and the W.P.I.A.L. finals(4 games the day after Thanksgiving) the W.P.I.A.L. is for just Western PA., State College is in the middle of the state and not in the W.P.I.A.L. footprint. They get about 8,000 to 10,000 per game for the finals with people coming and going all day, the three small college field's in the area(Duquesne, CMU and Robert Morris) are all high school field sized.

[BBTV]

Out of curiosity, what do they draw for the HS finals? If it's about 10-20,000, there could be a smaller college stadium somewhere in PA that could handle it. Or why doesn't State College step up - or would JoePa yell at the kids to get off his lawn?

(note - in Wisconsin, the finals for seven divisions are held at Camp Randall in Madison, which has Field Turf, over two days. There are maybe 10,000 in the stands. They used to hold them at various small college stadia before putting them all together. Lambeau Field did hold the private school playoff final (the private schools association has folded) back in the 60s but nowadays, forget it.)

It is just the Western PA League finals - NOT the state finals (doesn't even determine who represents the west in the finals.) After the games at Heinz Field, there are still 3 or 4 more weeks of playoffs.

The state finals are in Hershey. They were in Altoona when I played in it.

[tBBP]

I'll say this, though: switching from natural grass to anything artificial (or at least not 100% genuine) is gonna be a hard sell on the Rooneys as well as the hardest of the core Steeler nation. This whole place, the football tradition, the legacy--all of it is founded on old-school principles, one of which is playing hard-nosed, bang-em-in-the-mouth football in whatever conditions exist, rain, sleet, snow, mud, torrential downpours--just like in the "good ol' days". That's something the Steeler organization embraces...it all adds to the allure of what "Steelers" is all about.

Old school principles, like playing on AstroTurf during the Steelers period of greatest success, for example?

Damn, I really wanted to be the one to point out that wee bit of irony.

So that stuff they used to play on was turf, was it?

Man...I guess I been dealing with the wrong people since I been living up here...actually, I never knew. Never had a reason to care until about six months ago when I realized I'm pretty much stuck here in the Steel City, so I may as well start learning more about exactly what the hell i done got myself into.

Guess I'll call it on myself here, then: OWNED.