Who will win the Superbowl?

[ParkTrips]

ok so there are a few places that are bigger dumps than Pittsburgh, I'm sorry.. continue talking about towels!

[Hercules]

I would rather go to Buffalo than have a yellow towel.

[ParkTrips]

That's harsh.

 

I'm still giving you a terrible towel!

[Hercules]

Eh, I wasn't trying to get you not to. I kind of figured that it would want you to give me one even more. When I get it, I'll post a Photo TR of my first round of golf with it. I'll be sure to make it a nice rainy day, and take some nice extra large divots.

[FeelTheFORCE]

But please don't actually think that a towel can influence what is going on at field level. That is like saying a cheese head - a big yellow block of foam - can influence a football game.

 

When a kicker sees TENS OF THOUSANDS of those yellow towels waving behind the goalposts, you bet your ass it's going to have an effect on his kick. Playoff game 2004, the Jets kicker, Doug Brien (10th most accurate kicker of all time, and 81% kicking percentage...at the time) misses TWO game-winning field goals at the closed end of Heinz Field, then the Steelers go on to win it on a kick of their own. I'll let you be the judge.

 

 

To you it is "-just a freakin' towel." But to the citizens of Steeler Nation, it is the flag of their nation, a symbol of victory and tradition.

 

Not only that, but it's a symbol of Cope and all he has contributed to the Steelers organization, the city of Pittsburgh, and charity for that matter. In 1996, Cope gave the rights to The Terrible Towel to the Allegheny Valley School in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania. The agency provides care for more than 900 people with mental retardation and physical disabilities, including Cope's autistic son. Proceeds from the Terrible Towel have helped raise more than $2.5 million for the school. So stomping on the towel is like pushing down Cope and kicking him while he's down, in my opinion. Which is why it's such a big deal when someone does it.

[Hercules]

^ Of course. It doesn't really matter what people are waving when they are in the stands - dead chickens, pink fuzzy slippers, half-naked 36DD chested strippers - anything could potentially distract a kicker. The same thing goes for a basketball game with a guy at the line. It doesn't mean that the towels have magical powers or anything. It just means it's a distraction.

[BeemerBoy]

When a kicker sees TENS OF THOUSANDS of those yellow towels waving behind the goalposts, you bet your a$$ it's going to have an effect on his kick. Playoff game 2004, the Jets kicker, Doug Brien (10th most accurate kicker of all time, and 81% kicking percentage...at the time) misses TWO game-winning field goals at the closed end of Heinz Field, then the Steelers go on to win it on a kick of their own. I'll let you be the judge.

 

A kicker doesn't focus on the posts when he kicks. He stares at the hold, and point of contact. It's not like shooting a free throw. The towels have NOTHING to do with a kicker missing a field goal. Good try.

[Hercules]

Eh. I could see how it could be a distraction if it is seen through a kickers peripheral vision. I think he has a little bit of a point.

 

I'm just surprised he didn't say that the magical powers of the towels whipping in the air at the same time created a tidal force wind that blew the ball away from the center of the posts.

 

EDIT: And when has anyone been proud of beating the Jets?

[BeemerBoy]

^ I stick by my point. The motion a field goal kicker makes is practiced so many times that it becomes second nature, and distractions in the stands mean nothing. His eyes are locked on only two things - the snap, and the hold. Peripheral vision doesn't really come into play at all. Jay, it'd be like taking a golf swing. What are you focused on? The point of impact - the ball. What happens when you move your head? See what I mean?

 

Basketball is a bit different because the background behind the fixed object you should be focused on is not stationary (at least in crowded arenas). Therefore, towel waving behind a basketball goal can be a detriment to the eyes, and success of the shot.

 

Or it could just be the magical towel powers.

[Hercules]

I get your point. But with golf, even I get distracted by a leaf blowing that I get out of the corner of my eye. I stick by my point too I guess. Though, I do agree with you that it is definitely different than a free throw. You got me on that.

[spaceace12]

So is that what you should do when you swing a golf club? No wonder I am so bad!

[Speeddeamon128]

I only picked the Steelers because the Cardinals beet my team the EAGLES Not to mention their awesome defense.

[Wood Dragon 1988]

Go Cardinals

[Nrthwnd]

Interesting to note, that right now, it's

 

53 votes for the one team, and

 

35 votes for the other...

 

 

Randomness, lol.

[FeelTheFORCE]

When a kicker sees TENS OF THOUSANDS of those yellow towels waving behind the goalposts, you bet your a$$ it's going to have an effect on his kick. Playoff game 2004, the Jets kicker, Doug Brien (10th most accurate kicker of all time, and 81% kicking percentage...at the time) misses TWO game-winning field goals at the closed end of Heinz Field, then the Steelers go on to win it on a kick of their own. I'll let you be the judge.

 

A kicker doesn't focus on the posts when he kicks. He stares at the hold, and point of contact. It's not like shooting a free throw. The towels have NOTHING to do with a kicker missing a field goal. Good try.

 

I just checked my sources, and we are talking about football, not basketball and free throws...I never said they were like free throws. As said, he can see them out of the corner of his eye, especially bright yellow. Heinz Field, in general is a tough place to kick, even for Steelers kickers sometimes. I think I've been to enough games (have had Steelers season tickets since Heinz Field opened, therefore have been to every single home game...preseason, regular season, and playoffs...since 2001, I have been to Cincinnati several times, and I was at Super Bowl XL) to know what does and doesn't affect kickers, and other players in general, and how the game of football is played, thank you very much.

[coolhandluke]

^You're saying you know all this crap about what the athletes experience on the field because you've watched them from the grandstands? I'd bet I learn much more about the game and "how it's played" by watching it on TV and listening to the commentary from people who have actually played than one would sitting behind some guy waving The Towel. Watching people play football does not give you insight to everything that affects the players. It just doesn't work that way.

 

And if it did, I would imagine Scott has visited enough venues and seen enough games to be a head coach somewhere. And that's just based on his random TRs on here.

[FeelTheFORCE]

^You're saying you know all this crap about what the athletes experience on the field because you've watched them from the grandstands? I'd bet I learn much more about the game and "how it's played" by watching it on TV and listening to the commentary from people who have actually played than one would sitting behind some guy waving The Towel. Watching people play football does not give you insight to everything that affects the players. It just doesn't work that way.

 

And if it did, I would imagine Scott has visited enough venues and seen enough games to be a head coach somewhere. And that's just based on his random TRs on here.

 

Listening to announcers? Please, the majority of the announcers on various networks don't know what the hell they are talking about half the time. Now granted, some of them are good. I consider myself a fan of the NFL, not of the Steelers. I'll watch the Browns and Bengals just because it's football.

 

Scott has his opinion and I have mine, neither one of us have ever played NFL football (I would assume so), so we have no idea. I've followed football and the NFL my entire life. I know how the game works, and I consider my knowledge of the game in recent years a hell of a lot better than most people's. I don't need to prove to you or anyone else on how knowledgeable I am of the game. This is discussion is becoming personal in the aspect of, "I know more about football than you do...ha ha." It's pointless to continue this senseless bickering, any replies not related to the actual game I will not reply to.

[coolhandluke]

^Ok. My post came off a bit more hostile than I anticipated. I didn't intend to make it personal, as I suspect you didn't intend to personally attack/question my "knowledge" of the game with your 2nd sentence. I hate your team, but I do not mean to disrespect you.

 

Yes, a good number of announcers suck. And I do follow the NFL (not just my lowly Bengals) enough to know that. From what I do watch, though, the ex-players (as I tried to specify) know the game a lot more than those along the lines of an NFL Brent Musburger. Though I will note that there is a difference between knowing the game and being able to explain the game--something I see more recent players-turned-announcers struggle with (no question they know the game, they just can't communicate that knowledge). Now, I still don't understand your justification of why sitting in the stands helps you understand what affects the players better than the legit commentary, but I can accept that.

 

My apologies for unintentionally carrying this substantially off-topic. I'm reluctantly picking the Steelers simply because of their defense. I don't think the towel incident will lead to much outside some locker room pep talk. 24-21.

[Wes]

Hahahahahaaha what the fuck is this thread

 

magic towels

 

hahahaha

[ParkTrips]

half-naked 36DD chested strippers

Which half??

 

Heinz Field, in general is a tough place to kick, even for Steelers kickers sometimes

Its because of the wind more than anything... I'm pretty sure its still true that no one has made a 50 yard FG on the open end of the stadium. Hell I think 50 is the most anyone has hit on the closed end as well..

[BeemerBoy]

FeelTheFORCE - It's all good. It's definitely not any kind of personal attack. I never quoted you as saying it was like a basketball free throw. That was my own comparison to show the true differences.

 

As far as field goal kicking is concerned, I'm just relaying information from previous personal knowledge. In high school, the coaches asked me to try out based on watching me putz around one day on the field. I had the accuracy, but my leg wasn't strong enough at the time. I also graduated with someone who went on to punt for the 'Canes, and in speaking with their placekicker one day, the very question of distractions was actually brought up.

 

Based on what was said, and through some personal experience, although peripheral vision does obviously allow kickers to notice blurred objects out of the corner of their eyes, it's definitely not a factor in the accuracy of their kicks. Weather, wind direction and speed, the snap, the hold, and footing all play a huge role, but what the fans are doing behind the goal posts is insignificant.

 

That's not to say that before a kick the noise level doesn't add to a kicker's nerves and the overall pressure of the moment, but during the actual kick, they truly are only focused on the snap, their plant foot, and the hold.....and that's all. You've got to think, have you ever heard an interview with a kicker following a missed field goal where he says, "man, the snap was good, the hold was great (the laces were out, Dan), but what that crowd was doing really got to me!"?

 

Okay, now back to half naked 36dd strippers.

[gerd.muller]

go STEELERS!!!!!

 

^ those should be chearleaders! ^

[HEADCHEEZ]

I am now cutting myself off from all of the outside world for the next few hours to watch the superbowl!

 

GO STEELERS!

 

[Kennyweird]

 

EPIC!!! JUST EPIC!!!!

[Six Flags Enthuseast]

Well the Cardinals JUST took the lead, and (IMO, not to piss off you big, sacry Steelers fans) have had enough winning. GO CARDINALS!!!!!