Cards 21, Stillers 14 ���. Sep 30, 2007 ����Game #4
Stillers-Cards Postgame
Analysis and Grades
After
playing crisp, error-free football the first 3 games of the �07 season, the
Stillers ventured out to the Arizona desert and laid a collective egg, en route
to a sloppy loss to the Cards, 21-14.��
All phases of the team sputtered severely in a well-orchestrated team
stink.�����
Grades:
QB:�
Benji was presumably ready to show up Cheezenhunt, what with whatever
cornball feud they had going on that has recently come to light.�� Instead, Benji was spotty and sporadic the
entire afternoon.�� He started decently
enough, completing a nice throw on the run to Holmes for 20 and then firing a
bullet to Miller on 3d & 7 for another 20 yards.�� He then fired a perfect deep ball to Holmes on 3rd & a mile
for the 43-yard TD.�� Things unraveled
from there, however.� There was the
rushed, ass-awkward pass while scrambling to his left, with an acre of room, to
Daven that was woefully low and behind on a key 2Q 3rd & 9.� The 3Q opened with a poor incompletion that
was negated by an AZ illegal contact flag, but Ben quickly followed that up
with a horribly low pass on a 0-step hitch to Holmes.� The INT on the pass to Miller in the EZ was obviously as ugly as
-- and eerily similar to -- Kordell Stewart�s INT in the January 1998 AFC title
game loss to Denver.� Although this play
should be forever removed from the playbook, Benji didn�t help matters when he
stared at Miller from the get-go and telegraphed the pass eons before it was
delivered.�� In the 4Q, Ben overthrew a
wide open Nate on a deep ball, and then, with all day in the pocket, threw an
utterly horrendous pass to Miller on 3d & 15.� The INT at game�s end was despicable as well, as there wasn�t a
receiver within the same zip code as that pass.�� Roth was also a bit careless with the ball, fumbling twice with
1 being recovered by the Cards.� Ben
should get credit for some amazing scrambling in addition to the 2 nicely
thrown TD passes, but that wasn�t enough to cover the other miscues.�� C-.��
RB:�
After the sterling 3-week start of the season, including wining the Hard
Hat Award last week, Parker had a severe letdown.� Sure, the blocking sucked ass, but Parker�s head never seemed to
be in this game.� In the 3Q, he
aimlessly allowed a pitchout to bounce off his body, as the stupid ass wasn�t
even looking for the pitchout on a designed toss sweep.� The result was a 16-yard loss.�� He then meekly fumbled on a draw play in
the 4Q, and although the Stiller recovered, the offense lost 8 yards on the
buffoonery.�� Parker finished with a
paltry 37 yards on 19 carries.� Daven
had 2 rush for 15 yards.��� C-
FB: Limited PT for the FBs.�� Davis had a decent block on Parker�s
longest run of the game, a 20-yarder in the 4Q.���� Inc.�
WR:�
Hines did not dress, due to the leg injury.� Holmes naturally became the go-to guy, and responded with a fine
game, grabbing 6 passes for 128 yards an 2 TDs.� He took some punishment but toughed it out, and his 2nd TD in the
back of the EZ was a much tougher catch than it originally appeared to
be.�� He also had a good block downfield
on Ben�s long scramble just prior to the 2nd TD catch.� After San Antonio, however, the Stillers got
next to nothing out of the WR corps.��
I�d voiced my concerns last week after the SF game about the lack of
production from Wilson and Nate, and with Ward out this week, this lack of
production helped lead to the loss.�
Nate had 2 grabs for a piddly8 yards, and Wilson was again shut
out.� It�s a bit difficult to win in
today�s NFL when your #2 and #3 WRs are combining for 2 grabs for 18
yards.� In the 1Q, a slant pass hit
Nate, who was totally unaware of the incoming pass.� Soon later, Nate nearly had a superb grab on a stretched-out
diving stab of a deepish lob, but was unable to hold on.�� Wilson was never actively involved, and
when given a chance, failed badly.�� He
did absolutely nothing on the Holmes reverse in the 1Q, which helped lead to
the 1-yard loss.� He appeared to fail to
cut off his route on an out pass thrown by Ben in the 4Q, which caused an
incompletion.� Willie Reid was finally
allowed to dress, and caught a bubble screen for 10 yards and added another
grab for 13.�� Holmes = A.�� All others = D.���
TE:�
Miller was involved early and often with 2 grabs.�� He was then a forgotten man, written out of
the offense.� The blocking was average.� Speath did not dress.� B.�
OL: The line struggled like bitches
against the hardly elite front 7 of the Cards.�
Yes, the Cards run blitzed constantly, but the line never adapted and
never seized control of the LOS.� The
pass blocking was spotty all too often.�
Individual breakdowns were galore.�
Colon was a bit clumsy on a 1Q sack, although this was also the
by-product of what appeared to be a blown-up screen play.� Faneca allowed his man to spin and roll
right on by in the 1Q, resulting in a sack.�
In the 2Q, Smith allowed his man into the backfield in a bizarro
failed-blocking attempt, resulting in a 5-yard loss by Parker.�� Every starter except Mahan committed a
dumbassed penalty; 3 false starts and a hold by Colon that was declined.� In one of the few bright spots, Mahan got to
the 2nd level on Parker�s 20-yard run.���
This group should be embarrassed for having their asses handed back to
them by the Cards, and upcoming games against the rugged front 7�s of the
Ravens, Pats, and especially the Jaguars look frightening if this is the best
this crew can do.�� D-.�
DL:�
The D-line somehow struggled too often against a shoddy O-line missing
Levi Brown.�� Hampton was a total
non-factor before leaving with a ham injury.�
Aaron Smith was quiet most of the day.�
Keisel had some nice harassment on Lienart in the 1Q, and made a strong
diving pass bust-up on a pass in the flats in the 2Q.�� He also had a bat at the LOS in the 3Q.� Hoke had a good stuff in the 4Q and was
injured on the play.� Eason and Kirschke
did little.� Edge James was able to find
far too many comfy holes to dash through, and the pocket push and passer
harassment was far too feeble, especially against such a mediocre O-line.��� D.�
LB:�
Far too quiet a day for the crew that this defense is designed to look
like heroes.� Farrior was as quiet as a
church mouse the 1st 3 quarters of the game, and didn�t become involved until
the 4Q.� The man never left the field
and had one (1) solo the entire game.�
Foote did little all day, to include a meek effort on a 4Q screen pass
in which he turned his back during the 7-yard gain.� Harrison dropped an easy, lollipop INT on the 1st series.��� He did a have a strong sack in the 2Q in
which he cut off his edge rush and attacked the QB, and he had the big fumble
recovery in the 3Q.� Haggans tormented
the poor RT, including a 2Q� sack in
which he shoved the man and then slashed to the inside.�� He committed a totally asinine offsides,
however, deep into the 4Q.� Woodley and
Timmons primarily sat the bench.��
Overall, this game was sealed when, on 3rd & 8 late in the 4Q, James
was able to easily saunter for 8 yards and the 1st down.�� The inside backers in particular have some
soul searching to do after this loss.��
D.�
DB:�
The secondary was given a bit of a reprieve when Boldin could not dress,
meaning they could focus their efforts on Larry Fitz.�� If efforts were focused, it didn�t seem apparent, as Fitzgerald
toyed with the DBs en route to 11 grabs for 123 yards.� Backup Jerheme Urban filled in and gave the
DBs fits, grabbing 5 passes and 1 TD.�
Pola had a FF on James in the 1Q; then hit Leinart�s arm to force the
lollipop pass that Harrison should have INT�d; and then had a big fumble
recovery in the 2Q.� Sure, Pola had to
sit out the 2H with an abdominal injury after a strong 1H, but there is enough
talent and depth to keep marching on.�
McFadden looked a bit lost on the long lob to Johnson that was
challenged and incorrectly ruled incomplete in the 1Q, but he did have a nice,
brutal hit on Shipp on a pass in the flats.�
Ike had decent coverage on Fitz on a seamer in the 4Q, but allowed
driftage to the inside, which enabled Fitz to have the body position to haul in
the pass for 38 yards.� Ike also
committed a foolish, selfish personal foul after the whistle in the 3Q.� He does deserve credit for the FF on a good
strip of Fitz in the 2Q.� In all, there
were no pass bust-ups by this crew, which is a sign of soft play and failure to
read and react.�� C-.�
Spec
teams:� A complete fiasco.�� I half wondered if Billy Cowher had snuck into the facility and
kidnapped the ST coach.�� Timmons pulled
a Troy Edwards by running OOB on punt coverage and was flagged in the 2Q.�� Woodley, in a punt in which Rossum called
the fair catch, managed to squeeze in a hold that was flagged.� On a 4Q KO return, both Tuman and Anthony
Smith were flagged for holding.� Timmons
was flagged for offsides on the onsides KO attempt.� And, as we all saw, Carey Davis released early on a punt, giving
Breaston a 2nd chance that he took to the house for a 73-yard punt return.� At least 4 Steelers flailed miserably at
Breaston on the return.� Breaston also
had good success earlier in the game, and it seemed evident he was going to
break a long one if given enough chances.���
F.��
OC:�
A totally wretched, vomit-laden game-plan and in-game adjustments by
Arians.�� The guy calls for a reverse on
the first series, when it�s not been SET UP by any kind of running
game.� This was a classic grab-bag
playcall that made no sense.�� Worse was
the 3rd & goal playcall in the 3Q that resulted in the INT.�� This play was apparently stolen from Chan
Gayboy�s leftover playbook in the bowels of the Rooney front office, as it was
pound for pound as futile and mirror-image a playcall in that tight of quarters
as the Stewart INT in the Jan. 1998 AFCC.��
In this year�s version, you have a TE split wide, slanting in to a forest
of pass defenders, none of whom were CLEARED OUT by any other receivers.�� You cannot, in any way, shape or form, run
this retarded pattern in the phone-booth confines of the end zone without some
form of CLEAR OUT.��� This was an
abortion before the ball was ever snapped, and it got worse as the play
progressed.�� Further, after Breaston
scored on the punt return to make it 14-7 in the 4Q, WHERE was the NO HUDDLE
offense ???��� Here�s an offense that
hadn�t done jack shit the entire game, except for an extremely lucky bomb on
3rd & 26 where the Card DB fell asleep.��
We were down by 7 points and down to 2 meaningful possessions; maybe 3
at most.�� Yet, there was Arians, having
the offense plodding and huddling in the complete stupor it had been in all game.�� Finally, after AZ scored again to go up by
14, finally Arians extracts his head from his ass and lets Benji run the
no-huddle, which sparked the offense and resulted in a TD drive.�� The inability to counter the Cards� run
blitzing was extremely annoying, as Arians did absolutely nothing and made zero
adjustments.� The pop pass to Miller
should have been like taking candy from a baby, but the dullard Arians never
went to this and kept plowing into the teeth of the run blitz.���� Additioanlly, with Ward sitting this game
out, Heath Miler should have been written a much, much larger role in the game
plan.�� Also, 3rd downs were a fiasco,
as the offense converted only 33% (5 for 15).��
Lastly, the 2-minute drill late in the game was slow and raggedy.� I realize the offense hasn�t been able to
use it this season, but this needs immense work.���� F.
DC:�
Dick was clearly outfoxed by Cheezenhunt.� He wasn�t able to apply consistent pressure, and even though the
Cards were missing their leading WR, the secondary was victimized time and time
again by the AZ passing game.��� On
paper, the defense can crow that it held James under 100 yards, but that was
merely because he was given only 21 carries.��
Edge had strong success throughout the day, and particularly in the 2H
with the game on the line and the defense knowing the Cards were trying to chew
clock.�� C-
HC:� Tomlin saw
the disastrous results when every phase of the game sputters and player focus
and attention to details falters, as shown by the 13 penalties (2 were
declined).� I laud his gutty call on 4th
and inches from our 30-yard line in the 2Q.��
With the way the offense was sputtering, we needed to create a spark and
sustain a drive.� I was entirely
perplexed as to why Tomlin didn�t challenge the Harrison fumble recovery, which
fully appeared to be a TOUCHDOWN.��
Harrison was not touched after he scooped the ball and rolled forward,
and he got up, again UNTOUCHED, and ran in for a TD.��� Touchdown, case closed.�
�Tomlin correctly challenged the
Urban TD earlier in the 3Q, as it was a 7-point play and worth spending a
challenge on.�� He appeared to not
challenge the Harrison apparent TD, in fear of losing his ability to challenge
another play the rest of the game. �The
flaw with that reasoning, of course, is that it, too, was a 7-point
play, and it�s worth the challenge.�� 3
plays later, BenRoth threw an INT in the EZ and what could have been a lead was
vaporized.�� As it turned out, Tomlin
was able to not only save that 2nd challenge, but was also able to keep it and
bring it back on the long flight from Phoenix, where he will presumably deposit
it into a bank account down at PNC Bank.���
The plethora of penalties, including 6 by the STs, 3 pre-snap by the OL,
and 1 dead ball on Ike, shows a lack of discipline and focus that had been so
abundant the first 3 games.�� That needs
to be re-established, and quickly.�� C-�
Synopsis:�
A sloppy, careless loss that had the unfortunate �perfect storm�
circumstances of every phase playing about as poorly as possible.�� What stuck in my craw all game, and still
does, was the pre-game love fest between Stiller players and Ken
Cheezenhunt.��� The absurd footage of
scores of players hugging and groping Cheezenhunt made me ill.�� For those 4 hours, Cheezenhunt is the enemy
that should be despised and hated.�
Nothing more, nothing less.��
After the game is over, I have no problem with any frivolities, prayer
meetings, group hugs, or other such pleasantries.� However, before the game, it should be all business and a game
face on every player.�� Imagine� Jack Lambert or Mel Blount, if you will,
hugging an opposing coach in pre-game warm-ups.�� To be sure, this wasn�t Tomlin�s fault; it was the veteran
player leadership that clearly did not have the right focus or intensity level
going into this game, and that clearly showed during this humbling loss.� Let�s hope the team collectively ratchets up
the intensity for the Seahawks next week.
(Still Mill
and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers,
no one else comes close�.)