Stillers 43, Ratbirds 23 ……. Nov 2, 2014…………Game # 9
Stillers-PoeBirds Postgame Analysis and Grades
The Stillers hosted the hated Ratbirds on Sunday nite football, hoping to avenge the brutal butt-whipping they’d received from the Rats in week 2. As is often their wont, the Stillers came out slow and bumbling, and by the end of the 1Q, this had the feel of another Poebird beatdown. However, Ben took a shot to the jaw early in the 2Q, which snapped him out of his funk, and he soon became a rabid pyromaniac, torching the vaunted Poebird defense for 6 TD passes. The defense, which had given up an early TD, finally decided that, instead of allowing Jacco all the time in the world to stand in the pocket and sip mocha lattes, to harass and beat on the over-rated Jacco. The result was a resounding 43-23 asswhipping handed to the Ratbirds.
Grades:
QB: Ben opened the game, scattershot and high on just about every pass. Opening pass, too high for the 6-4” Bryant. Threw too high to AB, 2nd series, on a 3rd down incompletion. Ben was far too timid during the 3-consecutive sack onslaught, early in the 2Q, clutching onto the pigskin the way a hungry baby clutches onto a milk bottle. But, soon after the Taliaferro fumble in the 2Q, he got belted in the jaw by Balt’s Courtney Upshaw, and then, his first pass after the jaw shot, he finally threw a good pass, hitting Bell on a back-shoulder lob in the EZ for a TD. Late in the 1H, Ben threw the rarest of rare birds -- an on-target deep ball to Wheaton for a TD. He finished the half going 12 of 17, 148 yards, 3 TDs. Not content, Ben simply incinerated the Ratbird defense in the 2H. Nice dumpoff to Bell, while under huge pressure, which gained a critical 1st down on the final play of the 3Q. Hit Bryant with a nice strike for the rookie’s 2nd TD grab of the nite, and lobbed a nice toss to Spaeth, of all people, for the 6th TD of the evening. The only downfall was the fumbled snap on 3d & 1, 5:23 4Q, which was recovered by Balt. This could have been utterly disastrous had the score been closer. A
RB:
Bell - Stutter Bell struggled on the ground, with his stuttering simply not effective against the Raven front 7. He finished with just 20 yards on 10 rushes. However, he chipped in quite well with pass blocking and pass catching. Good backshoulder grab for a TD to the tie the game at 7 in the 2Q. Good grab and RAC off a semi off-target dumpoff on 3d & 5, late 3Q, which gained 10. A few plays later, AB scored on the 54 yarder and the game was in hand. B+
Blunt – good 9 yard run, late 1Q, which seemed to energize the crowd. He followed that with a 4-yard run. Got attacked from BEHIND at his knees/hip area by Suggs while being stacked up on a plunge at 7:49 3Q. Suggs was correctly issued a flag on a play that could have easily ended Blunt’s career. Blunt actually was far more effective than StutterBell on the ground, as his see-and-attack, bruising running style was more effective. Nice effort by Blunt on a nite the Stillers needed his contributions. B+
Archer: Pee Pee Archer ran a plunge on 2d & 4 and gained 4. Stop the presses ! Pee Pee finally contributed something…! Of course, that’s all he did, all evening. C+
FB: Will Johnson got only modest PT, which Gayly opting to use the less effective blocker in Spaeth. Johnson grabbed a short out for 1 yard on the 1st play of the 2H. Inc
WR:
Brownie – had another stellar, breathtaking game. Almost surreal. On a 3d & 8, early 4Q, AB eluded 4 tacklers after a deep out, taking it to the house for a 54-yard TD that gave the Stillers a 29-10 lead. Finished with 11 grabs for a buck-forty four. A+
Pinkie Wheaton - Stop the presses….! Pinkie finally contributed…! Hauled in a deep ball for a TD, late 2Q. Had a chance to make a big play on a seamer, early 4Q, but juggled and then dropped the ball. Had 2 grabs for 62. B+
Archer: Did nothing as a WR, despite glib draft day articles that drooled over what this fellow was going to do “out in space”. Perhaps he can be like Sputnick and be placed in a space capsule. By the way, he’s just so fast & explosive, and quick, too. Good thing Doltbert rabidly reached for this smurf in the 3rd round…! Inc
Lance “Yancey” Moore - grabbed a short dumpoff, late 2Q, but of course bobbled it, which then took him forever in a day to turn & get upfield for a piddly 4 yards. Only grab of the game. C-
Bryant - nice sliding grab in the EZ to give the Stillers a 14-7 lead, 2Q. Clumsily failed to scoop up a low pass, early 3Q. He redeemed himself by snaring a 3rd down pass in tight coverage for a 4Q TD that boosted the lead to 19. He now has 5 TDs in just 3 games. Just think -- this fellow could still be rotting on the sidelines, in sweatpants, doing nothing….! A
Heyward-Gay - nothing at all. Actually, I was fairly glad to not see him play on offense. Inc
Justin Brown – thankfully was deactivated. From what I understand, the Ravens have issued a formal protest to the NFL. They had the luxury of using, well, no one to cover Justin in the first meeting, and had game-planned this luxury for this 2nd meeting. Apparently Coach Barfbaugh is miffed how the Stillers could replace a stumbling, incompetent stiff with a smooth, agile, athletic, rangy pass catcher. It’s clearly not fair.
TE:
Miller - held off the stat sheet until late in the 4Q, when he hauled in his lone catch for 14 yards. He was used often as an extra pass blocker. B
Spaeth - Used often as an extra pass blocker, where he often got tooled and abused. Believe it or not, he actually contributed, grabbing the 2-point toss from Wing after the botched PAT late in the 2Q. Nearly everyone in the stadium held their breath, assuming the stone-handed, stone-footed Speath would drop the softly thrown pigskin. Then, he hauled in Ben’s long lob for the 6th TD of the evening. What are the odds that Mister Stonefoot would catch a 2-pointer and a TD pass in the same season, much less the same game….? B-
OL:
Beacham - got totally tooled by Suggs early in the 3Q, but Ben managed to fling the ball away just before getting hit. Survived only because the Stillers devoted a TON of assistance to pass pro, be it Miller, Spaeth, or a RB. B-
Gilbert - FatAss Marcus got totally tooled and abused by Dumerville for a sack, early 2Q. Had some other struggles, and needed a ton of chip blocking help. Gee, it’s a good thing GM Kevin Doltbert rushed out to extend this stiff. Even better, I suppose, that Dolbert overpaid him. B-
Foster - got totally abused on a ground play, 3d series, which caused an 8 yard loss. Looked like a complete slugg on this play. Got literally shoved back 4 yards into Blunt by Jernigan, mid 3Q, which caused a 7-yard loss. A completely half-assed play by a fellow who isn’t worth half an ass. Also did utterly nothing on the Ben QB sneak in the 4Q. C-
Pouncey – The offense was moving along half decently late in the 1Q/early in the 2Q, but then dumbass Pouncey committed a silly illegal hands to the face on a 5-yard run by Blunt. Rather than 2nd & 5, the offense faced a 1st & 20, which then led to the onslaught of 3 consecutive sacks. He was also soft on the 3d & short QB sneak in the 4Q, which Ben struggled to make and which Barfbaugh ended up challenging unsuccessfully. B-
DeCastro - Soft on the QB sneak, 4Q. Nothing dominant or great. B-
DL:
Cam Thomas - somehow got credited with 2 solos. He must know the scorekeeper or have illicit photos. Did very little. C
Keisel - made a butt-tackle on the late 2-pointer that was stopped just short of the GL. Odd, but effective. Had only 1 solo but applied some pressure here and there. B
McLendon - blew up a ground play, opening series. Good swim move on 3d & 1, late 2Q, which helped stuff the line plunge well short of the sticks. Had one of his best games as a Stiller. Was wrongly flagged for a roughing the passer penalty in the 2Q. On this play, Flacco had RUN from the pocket and then jumped just as he threw. McLendon wrapped him a millisecond after the ball was released, but there is no way any defender can actually see if the ball was released, and the defense must then tackle the man with the ball. This kind of blown call enrages me. A
Heyward – slashed in on the game’s first play, for a 2-yard loss on a run. Had a solid game. Got blind-sided by an OG late in the 4Q, which clearly annoyed him. B
Tuitt - the vaunted 2nd rounder got some PT and chipped in a little. Totally untouched, he applied pressure late in the 1Q on a naked boot. B
LB:
Timmons – got a Dong Sack (coverage sack) in the 4Q. Led the team with 7 solos and 4 As. B+
Yancey Shaquier – started again. Got his ankle rolled up, late 1Q, and was done for the game. Maybe he’ll play in all of, what, 5 games this season. Inc
Worilds - The Hokie Hooker, Jason Worilds, did a lot of standing around on nite where Harrison was dominating the Ravens on the other side, meaning Worilds was facing SOLO blocking. On a screen pass right, late 1Q, The Hokie Hooker slipped -- with no offensive player within 9 yards -- and then meekly got blocked by an O-lineman, which allowed a 12-yard gain. Got totally sucked in on a Forsett plunge, which then was bounced wide for 12 yards in the 2Q. Got a Dong INT when Jacco flung a Tomczakian lob to nobody at all, midway in the 2Q. Applied rare pressure, with 23 seconds left in the ballgame. Pretty sad when a guy making $9M a year gets grossly out-played by a retiree who didn’t even work out at training camp. C
Moats - Got the start, although he split time. Forced a rare fumble that McCain recovered, 2Q. Came in untouched on a stunt and sacked Jacco, late 1H. B+
Spence - got tooled on a short middle-dump, late 2Q, which gained 24 yards and also got OOB. For 3 years, all we’re heard is non-stop raving about how quick, how fast, and how athletic this pudd-puller is, and then he clod-hops like a 3-legged donkey on this play, allowing a huge gainer off a piss-ant dumpoff. All evening long, he looked lost and over-matched. D+
Harrison - got a coverage sack, late 1Q. Applied the pressure that caused Jacco to go all Tomczak and fling the ball directly to The Hokie Hooker, Jason Worlds. Got nicked up while stuffing a 3d & 1 plunge, late 2Q, but was able to limp off the field. Came up the gut untouched and applied a lick on Jacco, late 2Q, which forced an errant pass. Finished with 4 solos and about 7 QB hurries in a dominant performance that evoked memories of that memorable 2007 game against these same Poebirds. A+
Jones - did not dress, due to the wrist injury.
My Cousin Vinnie - saw a goodly amount of PT, especially with Shaz out for the game. Drew a silly, needless taunting flag after the late Raven 2-pointer was stopped. Act like you’ve stopped an offense before, please. B-
DB
Ike - did not dress.
Pola - Just prior to the 2MW, 2Q, Pola laid a big shot on Forsett after a short dumpoff, but then Pola limped off the field after the play ended. He ended up playing in the next play. However, he had a sprain and was unable to return to action in the 2H. Inc
Mitchell – On the Ravens first TD, he floated near the LOS for about 3 seconds, and then blitzed, doing nothing. Did very little all evening long. C+
Gay - a surprisingly effective evening. Wasn’t picked on and abused as he often is. Had 5 solos and limited RAC. A-
Blake - got turned around like a top on a deep EZ lob, late 2Q, but Smith was unable to haul in the twisting reception. Decent coverage and bust-up of an EZ lob, 4Q. Delivered a lick as the ball arrived, creating an incompletion a few plays later. A couple plays later, he busted up a pass in the EZ, and then, about 7 seconds later, a flag came in for pass interference. Solid effort. B+
McCain - like a jackass, he stopped running and competing on the Ravens’ first TD, a long lob to Torrey Smith. Why in the focking he!! would a CB lamely stop like this, in this league, on national prime-time TV ?? Came back and gave a solid effort. B-
Sharko Thomas – mostly not permitted to play. I guess he might get some PT in 2016. Inc
Will Allen - started at SS in the 2H when Pola was unable to return.
C. Allen - Luckily, Queertez was on the bench when the D was on the field. Inc
Spec teams:
Wing – punted like vomit, as usual. Shitty low punt, with little hang time, which allowed Smith to return it 25 yards. In the 3Q, with a chance to easily pin Balt down inside its 10, Wing boomed a punt……all the way to the Balt 20, for a 27 (TWENTY SEVEN) yard effort. What a pile o’ crap. The only productive thing he did all evening, was a good pass to Spaeth for the 2-pointer after the botched PAT, late 2Q. Not sure if he threw with his “throwing hand” or his off hand….?? Of course, had he gotten the ball down on the hold, this fire drill would have never happened. Leg - D+ Arm - A
Suisham - Surprisingly didn’t get any FG attempts. Apparently he’s filing a grievance with the NFL Players Union, citing a lack of work these past 2 weeks. He used to be more or less guaranteed at least 3 FG tries a game, what with an offense that would always bog down when it hit the 30 or the 20. His grievance could have merit, because how can he show worth as a future free agent if he does nothing but sit around and boot cake-easy PATs? B
Archer – nothing in the return dept . He’s just so fast and explosive, though. An absolute steal in the 3rd round. Colbert once again fools the rest of the NFL.
AB – held in check on punt returns.
The coverage teams, which almost always suck ass against Balt, promptly allowed a 25-yard punt return in the 1Q. Then, with the game seemingly in-hand after AB’s 54 yard TD in the 4Q, the KO coverage didn’t get within 18 feet of Jones on a 108 yard KO return for a TD. Turns out that Queertez Allen can’t cover kickoffs any better than he can cover WRs. And Heyward-Gey did nothing more than titty-joust, and then was thrown to the turf on this play. Every week, I read the newspaper to see if the Stillers decide to hire a special teams coach, and every week, I find out they will do without for another week. F-
OC:
Gayly started the game poorly enough, with a ton of 3-and-outs, and the hat trick of 3 consecutive sacks. 1st drive, 3d & 7… Heath Miller stayed in to BLOCK, and Ben fired a pass to Bell…..3 yards down the field. He was stopped for a 4-yard gain, and the Stillers punted.
I really liked the first play of the 2H. With nearly 20 minutes to figure out a playcall, the cleverest thing Haley could come up with was a weak rollout by Ben and dumpoff to FB Will Johnson, good for a whopping 1 yard. A few plays later, on 3d & 6, the offense had to piss away its first timeout due to some sort of confusion, which of course is expected out of a Haley circus. The next drive, the offense had to piss away yet another TO, as subs were entering the game with just 6-7 secs left on the playclock.
It was nice that the O poured it on with another 6 TD passes. I wonder when Justin Brown, due to his vaunted run blocking, is going to play again. B+
DC:
Jacco came into this game, licking his chops, with 10 TDs, 1 INT in last 8 games in this series. In the earlier meeting, Jacco was totally unfettered in the pocket, sipping a mocha latte with 1 hand while casually flipping passes to wide open receivers with the other.
Said Collinsworth just before the 3d & 5, opening series of the game, “But this is Dick LeBeau time on 3d & 5”. Sure enough, Jacco, on cue, totally unfettered, hit Owen Daniels for 12 yards.
Dick promptly allowed a TD on Balt’s 2nd possession, a one-play drive in which Jacco casually lobbed a deep rainbow lob for an easy 35-yard TD. On this play, Dick used the clever tactic of having his free safety, Mitchell, mill around near the LOS for about 3 seconds, and then rush the passer, doing NOTHING at all while McCain got left out to dry in deep solo coverage. Brilliant ! That Dick -- he’s just so clever !
The Stillers took a 14-7 lead late in the 2Q, but sure as a bear poops in the woods, Dick promptly allowed a 10-play, 49-yard march, which culminated in a chippie FG to slice the lead to 4.
To his credit, Dick actually applied PRESSURE in the face of Jacco, rather than the softee, mamby-pamby scheme Dick had used in meeting #1. Jacco, who is an ordinary Joe, was never able to withstand the pressure, and soon turned into a highly-paid version of Mike Tomczak. B
HC: Mike Dumblin will be all proud, whipping the PoeBirds by 20. Dumlin actually had a rare, astute use of the challenge flag, tossing it after Harrison had forced a TA by Jacco, mid 3Q. The replay showed that Jacco’s shin had touched before he got the ball away, which should have been ruled a sack instead of an incompletion. Unbelievably, the NFL got the replay correct, and the play was ruled a sack. Instead of 4th & 3 at the PIT 37 -- in which Balt was going to go for it -- it became 4th & 12.
Dumblin looks more and more the fool for continually deactivating Bryant early in the season in favor of Justin “The Stiff” Brown, mostly because “the staff really likes Justin’s blocking ability.” Read that hilarious bullshit again -- his blocking ability….! The Stillers were rotting away the next John Stallworth, all because Justin -- a barely mediocre WR by NFL standards -- was this road grading BLOCKER. The stupidity of it all is galling.
There are 3 sure things in life: death, taxes, and softee, wholly ineffective coverage teams by a Mike Dumblin coached football team. The KO return given up to Jones was simply inexcusable. Here the Stillers had just gained a seemingly commanding 29-10 lead. Then they kickoff to Jones, and he goes untouched against Dumblin’s perennially soft coverage teams for a 108-yard TD return. B
Synopsis: Always nice to whip ass on the hated PoeBirds. “Nevermore, nevermore…..!” This one felt good and, from mid-2Q onward, was a sheer joy to watch. Of course, not to be the skunk at the picnic, but if there is a team capable of going to NY next week and laying an egg against the 1-8 Jets, it’s this-here team. They cannot afford a Tampa-like letdown.
(Still Mill and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close….)
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