Loose Slag from The Still Mill (Sep. 8th, 2003)

�some loose slag from the stewing of the Poe Birds�.

- Having scrubbed the tape, I can vouch that one player in particular stood out with a horrible showing.�� His name?� Kendall Simmons.� From the very first series, Simmons was weak and soft.� This snowballed as the game went on. The 1Q Amoz shovel pass that was stuffed for a 1-yard loss? �That was Simmons getting whipped. �The stuff by Ray Lewis, which was followed by Lewis' now-publicized "boot" move that infuriated Porter? ��That was Simmons going out to block Lewis and coming up with nothing but air.� In all, Simmons was tentative, feeble, and ineffective.� Simmons gets a "pass", due to his diabetes recovery, but this kind of wretched play simply cannot continue much longer.�

- I'd be remiss if I didn't also single out Todd Fordham for his equally wretched play.� Everyone saw Fordham imitate a turnstile and allow Suggs to crash in to the inside and maul Maddox.� There were loads of other weak-kneed blocking attempt by Ford.� AZ was dumped for a 2-yard loss late in the 1Q, courtesy of shoddy blocking by Ford.� Early in the 3Q, Ford was actually pancaked onto his back by DE Anthony Weaver on an Amoz run.� I can't help but simmer at the thought that this coaching staff refused to give Mathias Nkwenti anything more than a 10-minute courtesy audition for the starting RT job.�

- As sickening as the right side of the O-line played, if you really want to up heave your lunch, go re-watch the 14-yard TD run by Jamal Lewis. Kendrick Clancy was spelling Hampton at NT on this play.� All Clancy did was proceed to get bulldozed from the 14-yard line back to the 10, which allowed Lewis an huge hole to dart through for the score.� A NT in this defense simply cannot ever get blown 4 yards off the ball.�

- The bad thing is, Hampton's girth is enormous.� I shudder to think how much this guy will weigh by season's end. Because of his bloated belly, there's simply no way that Hampton can play as many snaps as would be optimal, thereby leaving the defense badly exposed when Clancy is on the nose.�

- Adding on to the Lewis 14-yard TD run, Burnt Alexander had a clean shot at stopping Lewis, but meekly flailed and whiffed.�

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- On his INT, Ken Bell read the play as expertly as a LB possibly can.� So much for the mythical blather about "Bell can't cover".� There's only one LB among the top 5 LBs on this team who can't cover, and it ain't Bell, Porter, Farrior, or Haggans.

- Various "plays of the game" have been bandied about by media stories on this game.� There was one play of the game: the ticky-tack offensive PI call on Taylor early in the 3Q that negated a 43-yard reception, which would have given the Ravens a 1st down at the Stiller 12-yard line.� I re-watched this play 9 times, and the pinkie-nudge that Taylor gave Scott was so light that it couldn't have broken a soap bubble. �Scott was beaten, plain and simple, plus he failed to go up and after the ball, and Taylor made a great catch.� The Ravens could have cut the small 13-0 lead with a FG or TD there.� Instead, they punted, and the Stillers drove for a TD that pretty much nailed the coffin shut.� Scott won't be so lucky to draw such a cheesy offensive PI penalty throughout the season.� ���

- Speaking of CBs, DeWayne gestured and pranced after a rather fortuitous tackle of Heap on a 3rd down TE screen in the 2Q.� Sure enough, later in the 2Q, DW had a weak whiff of Robinson after a catch.� It's not the lumbering TEs that DW has trouble grabbing; it's the shifty WRs that all too often leave DeWayne grasping, and gasping, for air.��

- Kriewaldt wears Fiala's old jersey number.� That's where the comparisons end.� Unlike Feel-All-a, Clint actually makes tackles on the coverage teams.� A very impressive debut for The Waldt.�

- I said I'd re-look the tape to discern the culprit who caused the Haynes fumble late in the game.� At the snap, Chubby Okobi (who was spelling Hartings in mop-up) bypassed RDE M. Douglas, and Okobi proceeded to venture toward the 2nd level where the LBs roam.� LG Faneca pulled, and Douglas slanted in too quickly thru Faneca's vacated area for Marvel Smith to pick him off.� So, when Faneca pulled, it left a lane for Douglas to blast through unmolested, especially when Okobi bypassed Douglas in what looked like a split-second decision to bypass.� (Okobi threw a half-hearted chicken wing at Douglas before moseying toward the LB area.)� Douglas was there first and made the hit and the forced fumble.� I believe Okobi will get the blame, based on his decision to by-pass the nearer Douglas and instead venturing for a LB, which, ironically, there was none at that spot for Okobi to block anyway.� To be sure, Smith was a bit slow and soft, but Okobi should have at least picked off the DE before peeling off for a LB.�

- The win made me full of glee and joy.� But that wasn't anything compared to the sheer bliss of seeing Jay Rimersma on the field and Mark Bruener in street clothes on the sideline.�

(Still Mill and Stillers.com -- the only nationally read coverage on the Pittsburgh Stillers that has accurately predicted the how's and the why's of the past 3 Stiller playoff losses�.)