PoeBirds 16, Stillers 14 ...... Dec 11, 2022 …………Game # 13
Stillers-PoeBirds Postgame Analysis and Grades
The 5-7 Stillers hosted the hated 8-4 Poebirds. The Stillers wasted numerous opportunities to put points on the board, while the NFL’s most well-paid defense again got shredded and gashed. The result – a loss to Balt.
Grades:
QB: KP got the start, and was very quickly injured on a play that could have easily been whistled for unnecessary roughness AND a facemask, yet neither was called. KP took a couple early shots, and he won’t last another 12 games in this league if he tries too hard to stay upright on rather meaningless plays 2 minutes into the game.
Trib came on in relief. Like the Trib in his tenure in Chico, there was a variety of adequate play, swallowed up by 2-3 hideous boners that helped lead to defeat. The 2 INTs in or near the red zone were just ghastly, and eash was a carbon copy of the other. The 3rd INT wasn’t a proud moment, although at least he was taking a shot down field, and it pinned Balt on its own 1. 22 of 30 isn’t shabby, but in particular the 2 INTs in the RZ were killers. C-
RB:
Harris – returned to his tentative, stutter activity from the first 7 games of the season. Rushed only 12 times, for 33, in limited action. Had 2 grabs. C
Warren – played well. Delivered a couple solid blitz pickups. Ran with authority. Showed good hands on a couple of grabs. A-
Snell – Had 2 rushes for 4 yards. .
FB: Watt played only a few bit plays.
WR:
Dionte – Decent game, with 6 grabs for 82. Had a nice 37 yard grab. B
Boykin – no PT on O.
Pickens – rebounded from last week with 2 big grabs down the chalk. B
Sims – 4 grabs as a slot WR.
GunnerO – dropped a low but catchable pass. Had 1 grab for 7.
TE:
Pat FryBoy – 3 grabs for 33.
Gentry – dropped a pass in the 1H like a fool.
Con Heyward – made a big catch despite a punishing shot late in the game.
OL: Overall, the line (Moore, Dotson, Cole, Daniels, Okorafor ) got mauled far too often, both in the run and the pass game. KP was under constant duress during his brief stint. Several plays were blown up due to pass pressure of run blocking that got whipped off the snap. C-
DL:
Heyward – The Big Scam once again had yet another pedestrian game. On paper, it says The Scammer had 3 solos and 3 As. Most of these were slop tackles, made as The Scammer dove into the pile as a runner was like 9 inches from hitting the ground anyway. As Balt was ball jamming the ball down the Steelers’ throat, where was Big Cam Heyward? I’ll ya where – NOWHERE to be found. D-
Ogunjobi – Got thrown around far too much. Did nothing. D-
Adams – Did nothing. D-
Alu Alu – As he has done ALL season long, did nothing. D-
Wormley – Actually had a solid game against his old team, until getting injured. B-
LB:
Bush – Did pretty much nothing all game long. Had 4 solos, most of them slop stops, and did nothing to stop the Balt ground game. Got blocked easy as pie on most plays. F
Jack – Didn’t do much, either. Vastly disappointing. D
Watt – Everyone will rave about the sack he got. Nevermind that he CONINUALLY allowed the QB to roam free around end for huge chunks of yardage. Or, aside from the sack, he had TWO solos the entire game. D+
Highsmith – As he has for weeks now, he pretty much did nothing. Had ONE solo all game long, with 2 assists. Gee, how dominant ! He’s getting worse each week, and the excuse of “Watt isn’t around to help eat up attention” doesn’t hold water with Watt back in the lineup. D
Spillane – Was on the field an awful lot, and had 2 solos. Not good enough. C-
DB
Wallace – played ok. B-
Cam Sutton - solid game. Dude seems to be a keeper. B
Norwood – little PT.
Edmunds – once again, was never near an aerial football, esp one aimed at a TE. Had a few slop stops, but pretty much did little to stop the Balt offense. C-
Minkah - Had a strong game, and delivered 3-4 good licks. A
Pierre – played here and there.
Keyzee – Made a crisp open field tackle of the scrambling QB. Oughta get more PT.
Maulet – played here and there.
Spec teams:
Harvin – After a week looking like a legit NFL punter, he quickly returned to his true form, shaking a 17 yard FG in the 1H that Balt parlayed into a TD. Also boomed a punt into the EZ in the 2H for a 30-yard net gain. F
Boswell – Had his lone FG blocked.
Sims – seemed to bobble an early punt.
The FG team allowed Campbell to swim into the gap and block the 4Q FG. Inexcusable. F
OC: Matt Canada oversaw another drab, moribund output, although Trib’s charity of throwing to Balt LBs didn’t help. Aside from Tib’s blunders, this offense leaves a lot to be desired. C-
DC:
Austin had the luxury of facing a backup QB, plus the RB, Dobbins, hadn’t played in weeks. Sure as shoit, Austin manages to make Huntley look like the 2nd coming of Randall Cunningham, and worse, he made Dobbins look like the 2nd coming of Walter Payton. Then Huntley gets hurt, forcing the THIRD string QB to enter the game in the 4Q. In a MUST STOP series, this vaunted defense got gashed for a long, 13 play drive that chewed up 8 minutes of clock and allowed Balt to boost the lead to 9. Most of this drive saw Austin getting the ball jammed down his throat as he gasped for air. Then the Steeler score a TD, and Austin had ONE JOB to do – stop the Ravens in 3 plays and force a punt. Instead, he allows runs of 6 and 6 yards to end the game. Just like the losses to NE and NY earlier this season, this vaunted defense had a chance to do something – anything – late in the game, and instead had the ball jammed down their throats on long drives late in the 4Q. UNACCPETABLE. F-
HC: Mike Asslin once again got used by Harbaugh as his own personal little beehotch. Harbaugh jammed the ball down Stoogelin’s throat while Big Mike bent over and accepted it. The spec teams blunders continue, yet Stoogelin does nothing, such as firing the incompetent Danny Smith. The team smells, and it all starts at the top, with Mike Asslin. F-
Synopsis: Just another loss amid a sorry season. Losing to Balt sucks. Losing because of a dimwitted coaching staff, horrific Spec teams, and blunders by a veteran QB make it harder to swallow.
Follow Mill on Twitter, at StillMill1