There’s a moment in the 2008 AFC Championship Game between Pittsburgh and Baltimore that might explain, just a little bit, what it means to play modern safety in the NFL at the genius level, to play it at a level that goes beyond coaching, beyond game plans, beyond anything that makes easy sense.
Those low scoring Ravens/Steelers games of that era were something to behold. Beautiful and frightening at the same time. Players just left their guts on the field.
I spent a brief time thinking I might become a material science engineer, but my strongest memory of that period is finding out that there was an important resource book known as a "concrete abstract".
Two Great players. As a Ravens follower Polamalu Pittsburgh D’s were consistently some of best in history. Belichick never felt good, never relished, playing Pittsburgh. There’s not another AFC or NFC Team you can say that about.
This is early days of Joe Blogs-level posting: 8 excellent posts in 6 days; 15,561 words. This is intense. This is old-time hockey level posting - gloves off, hands taped and foiled, no talking during the national anthem.
Is Joe peaking in his mid-50s? Is Joe beating “time” into submission? Should someone check Joe’s M&M’s bowl for greenies?
[Don’t quote me on the word count as I think I included “subscribe now”.]
For some reason I don't have many memories of Dawkins, maybe I didn't watch the Eagles play that much. But man, Polamalu .... he was EVERYWHERE on the field. It was like there were three of him out there.
I don't know how many postgame Dawkins press conferences you were able to see, but they were always a trip. He was also the first (and only) person in the post-Miles Davis age who could casually drop the word "cat," as in, "That cat can fly!"
Those low scoring Ravens/Steelers games of that era were something to behold. Beautiful and frightening at the same time. Players just left their guts on the field.
This was phenomenal! I’ve never been a huge NFL fan but if Joe wrote a textbook about concrete I’d read it.
As someone who reads textbooks on concrete I thoroughly agree
I spent a brief time thinking I might become a material science engineer, but my strongest memory of that period is finding out that there was an important resource book known as a "concrete abstract".
Two Great players. As a Ravens follower Polamalu Pittsburgh D’s were consistently some of best in history. Belichick never felt good, never relished, playing Pittsburgh. There’s not another AFC or NFC Team you can say that about.
This is early days of Joe Blogs-level posting: 8 excellent posts in 6 days; 15,561 words. This is intense. This is old-time hockey level posting - gloves off, hands taped and foiled, no talking during the national anthem.
Is Joe peaking in his mid-50s? Is Joe beating “time” into submission? Should someone check Joe’s M&M’s bowl for greenies?
[Don’t quote me on the word count as I think I included “subscribe now”.]
For some reason I don't have many memories of Dawkins, maybe I didn't watch the Eagles play that much. But man, Polamalu .... he was EVERYWHERE on the field. It was like there were three of him out there.
Amazing!
I don't know how many postgame Dawkins press conferences you were able to see, but they were always a trip. He was also the first (and only) person in the post-Miles Davis age who could casually drop the word "cat," as in, "That cat can fly!"