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Hunter remains in first as pack draws near
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Posted on Nov 19 2004
The eyes and ears of almost everyone that has a remote interest in the National Football League have been focused on the city of Pittsburgh, and the Steel City’s favorite son Ben Roethlisberger.
The newbie QB has led his team to its seventh straight win last week against the Cleveland Browns, and this Sunday he looks to make it eight when they take on the Bengals.
In his first meeting with the Cincinnati squad, the steely QB led his team to a 28-17 win in which he completed 17-of 25 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown. The difference in this game is that Roethlisberger will likely be without running back Duce Staley.
Lucky for the kid, Jerome Bettis will be ready to take the bus on a road trip to southern Ohio. Bettis has been providing plenty of balance to the Steelers’ offense while filing in for Staley. On the season, the Bus has racked up 381 yards and 10 TDs in a short yardage capacity, but his lack of playing time has saved the bruising back from the wear and tear of a full game load.
The Indianapolis Colts are doing pretty well in the quarterback position as well, as Peyton Manning is on track to shatter a number of records this year. Manning has already racked up 2749 yards through the air, passed for 31 touchdowns, and earned an astronomical QB rating of 122.7.
At 6-3, the Colts have found their way to first place in the AFC South on the arm of their leader, but they still have to face some tough teams and fight through some tough games.
Our local prognosticators know a little bit about tough competition as well, as Will Hunter is just barely hanging on to first place with a record of 79-49. The gurus in the middle of the pack are separated by a single game, as Jennifer Lee is a whisper behind at 77-51, the Tuna is 76-52, and John Blanco is 75-53. In a week in which four out of five pickers ended up with 8-6, Rich Brooks (70-58) topped the charts with a 10-4 to inch ever closer to the pack.
