Stillers 27, Browns �7 ���. Dec. 7, 2006 ����Game #13��
Stillers-Browns Postgame
Analysis and Grades
Fighting
off the bitter cold, the Stillers put the wood to the Pumpkinheads with a sound
27-7 beating.��
Grades:
QB:�
Benji was only 11 for 21, but made the most of his completions with 225
yards amidst a cold, windy evening.� He
threw a perfect deep strike to Nate for the opening TD.� That bomb was made possible by the preceding
play, when Ben had a superb hot read (something woefully missing versus Balt.) on
a big 3rd & 4 blitz, hitting Holmes on the out for 16 yards.� On 3rd & 3 in the 3Q, Ben eluded the
rush and threw across his body to Tuman for an 18-yard gain.� Batch handed off a bunch in mop-up.�� �Considering the chill and the fact that the 2 starting WRs sat out
due to injury, this was a quality start by Ben Roth.�� A-�
RB:�
Parker ran over, through, and around the Pumpkinhead defense for a
Stiller single-game record 223 yards.��
He running was superb, slashing through small cracks and grinding for
extra yardage.�� He did commit a couple boners,
though.� Lined up out wide, he dropped a
bubble screen in the 2Q.� Later in the
quarter, after a 20-yard gain, he coughed up the ball and Clev recovered.� Daven had some solid carries, although his
reading ability & decision making leaves a bit to be desired.� Kuhn had a nice 16-yard carry in garbage
time.� ���A
FB: The Stillers went with a ton of
1-back sets, limiting Kreider's PT.� He
snared a short out and gained 6 yards.�
His blocking, when used, was decent.�
�B.� �
WR:�
Holmes led the WR corps with 4 grabs for 81 yards, including some nice RAC
work.� Saddled all season running only buttonhooks
and curls, Holmes was released of his shackles and made the most of the opportunity,
with gains of 17, 16, 23, and 25 yards.�
On a 3d & 7 in the 3Q, Holmesie had a nice pluck on a seamer, good
for 23 yards.� He had some struggles,
though.� He inexplicably slowed up on a
deep post in the 2Q.� There was contact,
but not so massive that he couldn't have kept chugging in order to either stab
at the ball or draw a PI flag.� Later in
the 2Q, on a curl out near the Clev goal line, Holmes allowed the ball to
bounce off him in a bizarre manner.�
���������� Nate got the team on the board in the
1Q, running a chair route and beating former Duquesne Duke Leigh Bodden for a
49-yard TD.� Nate also made a nice
adjustment on an 18-yard reception in the 2Q.�
But on the next play, he allowed a slant thrown slightly behind to
glance off his fingertips while near the goal line.�
���������� Walter Young had a solid 17-yard
reception on 3d & 9 in the 2Q.� Morey
actually snared a pass, good for 15 yards.�
He had another grab for 13 yards, but it was negated due to his PI flag.����� B.
TE:�
Miller was shut out in the catching department, as he dropped a short
curl on the 1st series.� Tuman had a key
18-yard reception.� Miller's blocking
was fairly solid.�� Tuman committed a
foolish false start in the 4Q.� ��B
OL: The line has been rightfully
ridiculed for their lethargy the past several weeks, but they snapped out of
their funk with a dominant performance.�
Even Fat Ted Washinton was getting bullied about.� Faneca sprung 2 big runs by Parker in the 2Q
and more in the 3Q.� Hartings was more
lively tonight than he'd been all season.�
His peelback block that pancaked Wimbley on the BenRoth TD run was a
sight to behold.� Smith wasn't eaten alive
by Wimbley the way he was 3 weeks ago.� Faneca
committed a false start in the 4Q.� The
overall pass pro was solid.� When you
average 7+ yards per carry and keep your QB's jersey clean, your O-line had a
dominating game.� ��A+
DL:�
After getting gashed in Cleveland a few weeks ago, the line bucked up
and played much more stout.� Aaron Smith
was strong and active all night long, forcing a fumble and recovering it in the
2Q.� Keisel and Hampton chipped in with
good play.� Hoke drew a holding
flag.� ��A-
LB:�
A solid showing by the LBers.� Foote,
although far from great, is at least modestly impressing me again with some
bulldog tenacity.� Haggns totally
stuffed Smith on a 3rd & 3 plunge on the 1st series, setting the tone for
the rest of the evening.� Farrior was
cheap shotted by Winslow in the 4Q, but then jarred a pass loose with a rugged
hit soon thereafter.� Porter strung out
a sweep for a 3-yard loss, though he committed an offside in the 3Q and meekly
flailed at Droughns in the 1Q on a 5-yard gainer in which Big Joey was unblocked
& untouched.� ��A-
DB:�
Tony Smith got the start at FS and made the most of it with a quality
start.� He had a big hit on Gaylon
Edwards in the 1Q on a slant, jarring the ball loose for an incompletion.� In the 2Q, he put a big hit on Dinkins.� In the 3Q, he read Andy and had an INT to
thwart a Brownie drive.� The only downer
was the missed stop of Edwards on the 4th & 3 in the 4Q, which resulted in
a 45-yard TD by Gaylon.� Some of this can
be blamed on the entirely shitty mud field at Heinz Bog, but Smith took a poor
angle on this play and got caught in limbo.�
He'll learn, however, and ply it to 2007, when he rightfully assumes the
starting FS chores.�
���������� McFadden started and had a key bust-up
of a 3rd & 7 pass to Edwards late in the 1Q.� �Ike saw some time in the
nickel.� Ty Carter started at SS and did
allright.� Townsend had some struggles
with Jurevicious.�� ��B.�
Spec
teams:� Some good, some bad.� The 1st half kick coverage was
splendid.� Logie nailed Northcutt
on� the 1st punt of the game.� Harrison rocked Cribbs on KO coverage and
then stopped N-cutt on punt coverage.� Even
Holmes had a nice 18-yard PR in the 2Q.�
But Reed's 35-yard FG was blocked in the 2Q, primarily thanks to Trai
Essex's fat ass being blown 3 yards back and into the path of Reed's kick.� The 3Q KO coverage was shabby, but late in
the 3Q, Harrison's pursuit of the KO returner injured Dinkins.� Chidi Iwuoma re-joined the team with a big
hit on KO coverage in the 4Q.��� The STs
were not a disaster, but not overly good, either.� �B-��
�
OC:�
I wasn't all that fond of Cheezenhunt abandoning the run on the 2d &
goal from the Clev 5 in the 2Q, which led to the FG.� The rare pump fake on the chair route was so stunning that I
could hardly believe my eyes.� Imagine,
Cheezenhunt scheming to outfox an opponent !���
Removing the shackles from Holmes, whod' spent the entire season doing
little else except running hooks and curls, was a sight for sore eyes.� Why'd it take 13 weeks to figure that Holmes
is more talented than, say, Courtney Hawkins?�
B
DC:�
Dick once again had the easy luxury of facing a total greenhorned QB
that was making his 1st ever start.� My
gawd, how many times has Lebeau had this luxury in recent years?�� 6 ?�
11 ?� �Dick was also aided by a pitiful Clev O-line and 8 (eight) dropped
passes by Clev.� You can always count on
Denny Northcutt to drop a few against the Stillers (3, in this case).� The softee 3-man rush near the end of the 2Q
enraged me.� Andy had ALL day in the
pocket, and easily completed a crosser all the way across the field by
Jurevicious for 27 yards.� My gawd --
stop the mamby pamby !!�� B.
�
HC:� After the
lethargic sleepwalks the past 2 weeks, it was pleasant to see some fire and hitting
and intensity from this club.� �B+�
Playing Surface: ��A total disgrace.� An embarrassment
on national TV.��� F-�
Synopsis:�
Yet another win over the hapless bumpkin Pumpkins, the 7th in a row!�� And a solid assbeating at that!� Of course, you have to temper it with the
fact that it was a lowly, bumbling, inept Clev team, with a
greenhorn QB making his 1st NFL start.�
This isn't quite the same as playing Carolina or Cinci on the road, or
hosting Baltimore.� The Stiller now face
the brutal 3-game home stretch of the schedule.� Mathematically, they are still in the playoff hunt.� Let's see what they do, and how they do, against
genuine playoff-caliber competition.�
(Still Mill
and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers,
no one else comes close�.)