Stillers 31, Clev 28�
�. Nov. 11, 2007 ����Game #9
Stillers-Browns Postgame
Analysis and Grades
Coming off
the huge MNF thrashing of the Ravens, the Stillers hosted divisional rival
Cleveland in what shaped up as a battle for first place in the AFC North.�� This had big game written all
over it, but someone forget to mention this tidbit to the Stillers, who showed
up soft, slovenly, and careless.�
Cleveland manhandled this team early on, but the Stillers fought back to
take the lead, only to give it up some 15 seconds later on a 100-yard KO return
by a surrounded Josh Cribbs.� Benji led
the offense to a clutch TD late in the game, and Phil Dawson�s 52-yard FG with
just seconds remaining fell 1 yard short.��
Despite the horrific egg lay, the Stillers avoided disaster and won,
31-28.��
Grades:
QB:�
Ben, as often is his nature, started the game slowly, sputtering and
misfiring worse than your average 10-year old Ford.�� He had 2 overly poor misfired deep in Clev territory in the 1Q,
first throwing way too high and hard to an open Davis at the 6-yard line, and
then on the following play, failing to lead Hines into the corner of the EZ, which
allowed the DB (Eric Wright) to reach up and bat away the poorly-thrown
pass.� The INT on the crosser to Holmes in
the 2Q was more of Holmes�s fault for slowing up on the pattern, but the bigger
mistake on this play is that Ben, off a designed play-action fake, had Ward WIDE
open on the deep flag, and refused to throw it.� He also had a piss-poor, low pass to a wide-open Holmes on a curl
late the 2Q.� All of this helped force 3
shameful FG attempts at the end of promising drives, resulting in a meager 9
points against the NFL�s worst defense.�
�
Ben started
the 3Q about as poorly as the 1Q. �On
the opening drive, he threw a lollipop of a downfield pass to Holmes that was
woefully underthrown (and busted up), even though the pass only traveled about 30
yards.� �Soon later, he pump faked (twice, no les) and had Holmes WIDE open
on a go route, but inexplicably HELD onto the ball, despite time and room, and
soon had to scramble from pressure.�� What
should have been a rainbow deep ball to Holmes turned into near-disaster when
Ben, as careless as a wino stumbling down Grant St., had the ball poked away,
and luckily Miller recovered, although 13 yards were lost on this play.�� Then there was a shitty, rifled flare to
Parker, who had to twist and contort his body just to catch the ball, and
stumbled to the ground in the process.��
To his
credit, Benji shook off all of this with a splendid 4th quarter.� On 3rd and 10, after finding no one open, he
took off up the middle and never stopped until he bowled into the EZ for a huge
30-yard TD.� He had a mega-clutch,
difficult completion while moving to his left on a 3rd & 5 to Holmes that got
a key 1D.�� On a 3rd & 9 on the late
TD drive, Benji had yet another key scramble, dashing for 10 yards to the Clev.
2 for the 1D. �The late TD pass to
Miller, while under pressure from McGinest, was a rifled pass that threaded the
needle.�� The lone boner in the 4Q was
the foolish sack by Eric Wright taken by Ben that lost 11 yards.� This was a play where a throw-away was enormously
possible.��
Benji deserve
credit for hanging in there and leading the team to a come-from behind victory.� My biggest gripe, after watching the tape of
the game, was that, coming off a 5-TD performance and facing THE worst defense
in the NFL, is to wonder exactly how, and WHY, Benji could be so overly gun-shy
and meek.� The play-action flag to Ward
was wide OPEN in the 2Q, yet Benji, as timid as a wallflower, refused to pull
the trigger and instead settled for a short crosser that got picked off.� The pass to Ward in the EZ was a timid pass
that should have led Ward into the corner, where Hines could have hauled in the
easy TD.�� The ONE and only
downfield pass all game, to Holmes in the 3Q, was horribly lollipopped and
underthrown.� The 3Q play in which Benji
pumped twice and then was stripped, had Holmes WIDE open on the stop
& go route.� There also was a sack
on 2d & 9 late in the 3Q, where Ben and the time and room to fling the ball
downfield.�
That wasn�t
Ronnie Lott, Rod Woodson, Lester Hayes, and Mike Haynes back there in the Cleveland
secondary.� Receivers were OPEN
downfield, and a QB need not wait until the receiver has run 38 yards downfield
before releasing the pass.�� I also
noticed Ben hobbling some in the 4Q, showing some after-effects of the hip
pointer he suffered Mon. nite when he was needlessly getting hit in the 2H with
a 28-point lead.� To all the idiots that
were so proud and happy to keep Benji in that game to suffer needless
punishment, you got what you wished for today.���� B.�
RB:�
Parker got one of the quietest 100-yard games in recent memory, gaining
105 yards on 25 carries.� He busted a 31-yarder
in the 1Q, but otherwise was limited to a whole lot of small potato runs.� To be fair, the Heinz Cow Pasture was in its
usual piece-of-shit condition, forcing Parker to slip on cuts so often you�d
almost swear he was wearing Armani dress shoes.�� Willie did turn the corner very nicely a few times, turning what
would have been nothing into decent gainers.�
��Davenport had a good run on 2nd
and 3 late in the 2Q, turning the corner and gaining 7, but his other 3 carries
netted a total of zero yards. �He also
grabbed 1 pass for 10 yards.�� Parker
need not apply for any off season TV commercials or TV shows, as he turned in
one of the absolute worst acting performances of all time on the HB option pass
in the 4Q.� He pulled up with the
football about 2 milliseconds after receiving the pitchout, which
blew the cover on the play and fooled nobody.��
Overall, if �I�m Willie Parker
and I�ve �trained all offseason�, as the announcers stated, �to be the best
back in the NFL�, I personally go to that idiot Rooney in the offseason and
demand either FIELD TURF, or a trade, as he�ll never be considered an
elite back while slipping and sliding around the Cow Pasture at Heinz Field.� ��B.
FB: Davis got the starting nod; Kreider
did not dress.� Davis� blocking was under
whelming, though he did chip in a good, heady DF block in the key Miller catch
& run in the 4Q.� �B-.
WR:�
Hines led the way with several clutch grabs in the 2H.� He began the game with a superb grab on a
deep out, but actually had 2 drops in the 1H.�
One was on a deep seamer in which he was hit, but the pass was eminently
catchable.� The other was a short lob in
the EZ, in which Ward was overly nonchalant and tried to 1-hand the ball, and
it clanged away.� In the 2H, 19
became Ward�s lucky number, as he had 2 huge catches that netted 19 yards.� He had a brilliant pluck on a slant for the
1st one, and then had a terrific catch in traffic right after Harrison�s FF.� Ward also had a key DF block on Miller�s
catch & run in the 4Q, as well as on Ben�s long TD run.� Ward was flagged for holding at the end of
Parker�s 11-yard run in the 2Q, although I thought this was a horseshit call,
as Ward had the positioning and did not appear to grab or latch.�� The real downer was Ward slowing himself down
as he approached the GL on his TD; in essence taunting the Browns as he eased
off (a common theme in today�s game) as he neared the end zone.� Not only was this stupid, classless, and
moronic, but he also took a kick to the foot from the Clev. DB.� It�s a long season, and this team can ill
afford to lose players to injury while doing bullshit, grab-ass stunts and
taunting.� This is the Pittsburgh
Steelers, not the Dallas Cryboys.�
Holmes
looked to keep it going after the 2 TDs on Mon. nite, but instead had a lukewarm
game.� He peeked over at the coverage,
and then SLOWED himself, on the crosser that was picked off in the 2Q.� This was marginally acceptable for a
greenhorned rookie making his 3rd career start, but entirely unacceptable for a
guy with as much NFL experience as he now has.�
Tonio also dropped a crosser in the 4Q.�
He finished with 4 grabs for a lowly 53 yards.�
Nate dropped
a slant in the 2Q after a big hit, but shook it off and chipped in with 4 grabs
for 56 yards. Wilson was once again held off the scoresheet, which is a bit
dismaying, especially when facing the worst pass defense in the NFL.�� �����B.�
TE:�
Miller and Speath took turns, making some decent plays, only to be
undone with shitty ones.� Speath had a
nice block on Parker�s 31-yard gallop, only to get crumpled on the 3d & 2
plunge by Davenport that got stuffed.�
Miller whiffed in pathetic fashion on a block on a bubble screen, and
then added insult to injury by pushing the DB in the back, collecting an
illegal blocking flag in the process.� Miller
dropped a dumpoff along the sideline in the 3Q, although, on 3d & 23, it
was inconsequential.� Speath had a
horrible drop on a crosser in the 4Q; luckily Ben erased that memory by running
30 yards on the next play for a TD.� On
3d & 18 in the 4Q, Miller had a clutch catch & run after a short dumpoff,
gaining 20 yards and a huge 1D. He finished that drive with a superb, difficult
TD catch, snaring a rifled pass and using the meaty part of his forearm to
latch onto the ball and shield it from hitting the ground and juggling away.� �Miller
also had a key, heady fumble recovery after the Ben strip & fumble in the
3Q, which averted a major disaster.� ���B.�
OL: Had we played the �85 Bears, I could
have lived with today�s effort and performance of this O-line.�� However, we were playing the NFL�s worst
defense, and this line had its ass handed back to them on far too many plays
today.� The Clev front 7 was able to
control the LOS for a good portion of the game.� A prime example was the 3rd & 2 plunge (really, 3rd & a
long 1-yard) that was entirely stuffed by the Clev defense.� KenDoll Simmons was as weak as toilet paper
on this play.� Colon had troubles with
Antwaan Peek for a good part of the game.�
The Peek sack late in the 2Q wasn�t a case of Colon getting abused; he
held off Peek�s initial rush, but failed to seal off the �corner�.� Colon was, however, entirely weak on the 3Q
sack, failing to recognize the stunting rusher and then being too slow to pick
the man off.� �Simmons did a nice job to pick off McGinest at the last second on
Ben�s key 3D scramble early in the 4Q.� Mahan
was blown back 3 yards off the ball on the late 3D QB draw, which caused the
entire play to get bottled.� Faneca did little
that was overly remarkable for a guy seeking a $10M annual salary, and he was
flagged for a jack-assed false start in the 4Q.� Simmons was flagged for being an ineligible man DF in the 3Q. ��Overall, this collective O-line should be embarrassed for the
asswhipping they took from a very marginal front 7. ��C-.�
DL:�
Like the O-line and the rest of the team, the D-line slumbered and stumbled
throughout most of the 1H, getting pushed off the ball with the greatest of ease
and generating zero pocket push or disruption.�
�Fat Casey Hampton was doing
absolutely NOTHING in the 1H; he wasn�t taking up space nor shielding ILBs from
blockers.�� Aaron Smith returned to the
lineup and had a nice stuff of Lewis in the 2Q.�� They picked it up some in the 2H, with Keisel getting a key bat on
3d & 9 early in the 3Q.� The Diesel
then blew up a running play that Aaron Smith cleaned up.� Again, though, the Clev offensive line is
far from a juggernaut, and this D-line was entirely too lukewarm.�� �B-
LB:�
Overall, a wretched performance by the position expected to make
plays.��
Larry Foote
won�t want his agent to show this game tape to any future bidders, as he was an
abominable slouch.� He was constantly
getting mauled backwards by blockers and trucked by ballcarriers.� On Lewis�s 11-yard run in the 1Q, Foote got
slapped backwards 8-yards off the LOS by center Hank Fraley, and then got
trucked badly by Lewis near the end of the run.� Foote was also trucked at the end of a 6-yard run by Lew in the 2Q.� Even on the play in which Lewis fumbled the
ball away in the 3Q, it was Larry Foote getting, once again, trucked by Lewis
on a healthy 4-yard gain.�� �
James
Farrior wasn�t immune to a poor day, and in fact this game confirmed to me that
this guy is very clearly on the downward arc of his career.�� Farrior gave Clev a huge boost on the
opening Browns� drive.� On a 3rd &
10, Jurevicius caught a simple, innocent, weak-assed dumpoff in the middle of
the field at a point 6 yards downfield.�
Fariror was in PERFECT position to make a very easy, ordinary tackle on
the slowest starting WR in the entire NFL.�
Instead, Farrior, like a lazy stupidfuk, tried to paw and grab at Jurev�s
shoulders, and got shrugged off like a gnat, allowing an extra 4 yards and a
very critical 1st down.� Instead of
forcing the visiting team to punt, this jackassed , lazy play allowed Clev to
sustain a 17-play march en route to an opening TD. ��The poor play didn�t end there,
however.� Later in the 1Q, on a critical
3d & 5, Farrior got easily shoved aside by Jurev, who then corralled a curl
for 6 yards.� Farrior, supposedly the �Winged
God of Pass Coverage� , was slow and stumbling in trying to cover Vickers on
the short TD pass in the 2Q.� For no obvious
reasons, Farrior saw a lot of work rushing from the END (rather than the middle,
where he is at least moderately effective), and did absolutely nothing in terms
of heat or harassment.�� He actually
showed some adequate mobility on a string-out of Lewis that lost a yard in the
3Q, but that doesn�t overcome what was a very mediocre performance.� He was also flagged for a totally foolish
offsides on 3d & 22 in the 3Q, which gave the Browns a 2nd chance at the
3rd down.��
Haggans had
a solid game, with 2 solos and a team-high 6 assists.� He was one of the few defenders to actually STICK, and WRAP, Jamaal
Lewis, reslting in a meager 1-yard gain in the 3Q.� His pass pressure was weak, however.� �
For the
most part, Jamie Harrison continued his fine play with a solid game.� �Like
all of his teammates, he was slow, feeble, and timid early on, doing absolutely
nothing on the opening TD pass to Winslow.�
He had Winslow lined up on his face, and at the snap failed to hit
Winslow and then failed to do ANYTHING, instead simply standing there after the
play-fake with thumb up orifice.� He was
also trucked by Lewis on this opening drive.��
To his credit, he snapped out of the lethargy with some stellar play.� He stripped Lewis in the 2Q, although Clev
recovered.� He stripped Lew again in the
3Q, creating a huge turnover that helped lead the way to victory. �On the 1st Clev play of the 3Q, he also had a
superb block take-on, which allowed him and Hagg to stop Lew stone cold and set
the tone.��
Aside from
a gentle shove by Foote early in the 1Q (on the play Winslow allowed the ball
to clang off his shoulder), this defense didn�t hit Anderson once the entire
game, which is unacceptable.� When a
visiting QB comes to a shit field like Heinz Mud Bog and leaves with his
uniform looking like it�d just been cleaned & pressed at a Chinese laundry,
there�s a blatant lack of hitting, ferocity, and production from the LB
crew.���� J. Harrison: B.��� �All
others:� C.�
DB:�
Facing an offense with only 1 dangerous WR (and, yes, a dangerous TE as
well), this secondary had far too many struggles.� Like all of his teammates, Ike Taylor eased off on
the deep flag to Edwards in the EZ, giving up a TD on a superb catch.� The thing is, Ike HAD good coverage, and
should have defended this pass, but foolishly EASED OFF, thinking that either
the ball wasn�t coming or Edwards had insufficient room to make the grab.� Ike very visibly eased off before the ball
arrived, and paid dearly for it.��
Tony Smith
got truckled brutally on a Lewis 5-yard plunge on Clev�s 2nd drive, and after
the very next play, stepped on Lewis like a complete jackass, drawing a flag and
giving Clev an automatic 1D.� If you get
your ass trucked, go back to the huddle and work harder and tougher on the next
play, not go out and do a pussyfied, faggoty stunt like that.�� Smith did drop Lew on the next play, but
the freebie 1st down was too much to overcome and Clev scored on the 1st play of
the 2Q.�
�
Pola was
quiet as shit early on (just like all his teammates), but came alive in the 2H.
�He busted up an out to Winslow on the
1st drive of the 3Q.� He then had a nice
flash and cut-down of Lew, resulting in a 2-yard loss.� He busted up a deep attempt to Winslow, and
Ty Carter finished the play off with a punishing hit on The Soldier.� Pola hd a superb flash, stick, and wrap of
Jurev on the final meaningful play from scrimmage in the 4Q, which stopped Jurev
stone cold after a 3-yard gain and forced the 52-yard FG that fell just
short.�
The downer was Pola twice letting up in coverage; first on Jurevicius
in the 1Q in the EZ (luckily Anderson failed to see the open man), and again in
coverage on Jurevicius in the 4Q, and nearly pays for it when Jurev turns it up
the sideline and almost catches a long lob.��
All-Pro players set themselves above the pack by going full-bore on
every second of every play, and I don�t understand the queer let-up by Pola
that happened at least twice today. �
At game�s
end, Townsend failed miserably in breaking down on Jurev after this short out,
which allowed Clev to gain a full additional 8 yards.�
Overall,
this secondary shouldn�t feel all too proud facing Derrick Anderson and Joe
Jurevicius.�� They�ll have their hands
much more full facing, uh, Tom Brady, Randy Moss, Welker, and Stallworth.�� �����C. �
Spec
teams:� An absolute, unmitigated disaster of epic
proportions.�� Special teams have rarely
been this shitty since the 1993 loss to Cleveland, when Eric Metcalf took 2
punt returns to the house for the Clev victory.�� There�s no sense in sugarcoating this or glossing over the
painfully obvious -- this was a goatfuck of epic proportions, as follows:
���������� - After a Reed FG cut the early
deficit to 7-3, Cribbs takes the KO 90 yards to the 3-yard line to set up the
easy TD.� Gay tittyfought with a blocker
and did nothing, and McFadden was extremely weak and soft.� Then, Allen Rossum engaged Cribbs at midfield,
but instead of actually trying to tackle the man by his BELT, Rossum decides to
play patty-cakes with Cribbs, exchanging slaps and gropes about the chest for
25 yards before being shrugged to the ground like a beaten wife.��
���������� - Davenport gained some yardage on a KOR,
and then foolishly ran backwards and lost some of the gain.�
���������� - Sloppy tackling on the 1st punt of
the 2H, with 2 missed tackles
���������� - Brainless FC by Rossum, with plenty
of room, in the 3Q.�
���������� - Poor 38-yard punt by Sepulveda midway
thru the 3Q.�
���������� - After seizing the lead in the 4Q, Reed�s
squibber was flubbed by Cribbs and rolled all the way to the GL.�� Cribbs picked up the ball and, pinned down
near the pylon, was facing a literal phalanx of Steeler defenders, to include
Rossum, Madison, Kriewalt, Frazier, and Woodley.�� Sadly, not a single one of them broke down, nor did a single one
use any manner of tackling that is typically learned by the time a guy reaches
the Junior Varsity at the high school level, if not earlier. ��Rossum was the first to arrive, and flailed
wildly and miserably.�� Harrison and
Madison both foolishly over-ran the play and ended up with their dicks in the dirt
at the 1-yard line while Cribbs was at the 3.��
It�s a good thing Anthony Madison was signed, and then was suited up in
favor of Dan Kreider. �Woodley took a
weak angle and failed poorly.� Frazier
had a very good angle and merely needed to nudge Cribbs OOB -- a distance of
about, oh, 7 inches-- but foolishly grabbed n� groped at Cribb�s chest and was
shrugged off as easy as pie. ��McFadden
dutifully and very politely escorted Cribbs the final 40 yards of the jaunt,
never once making any effort to at least take a stab at the ballcarrier.�� In all, one of the most disgusting,
pitiful, shameful, gutless, pussyfied special teams plays I have seen in my
entire life.��
���������� - Rossum, after fielding 5 punts
during the game, should have felt more comfortable shagging balls than Willie
Mays, but inexplicably refused to field the late punt by Clev with 3 minutes remaining.� The ball landed at the 20 and rolled to the
11, giving Clev and extra 9 yards of very critical FP that late in the game.�� ��It�s
easy, and stupid, to shrug off this kind of boner as an innocent, meaningless
error, but in a game that ended when the tying FG fell 1 yard short, this kind
of veteran stupidity is utterly inexcusable.��
���������� - With 2:00 remaining in the game,
Sepuveda booted a low, weak-assed liner that had ZERO hang time, allowing
Cribbs an acre of room and an easy return of 19 yards to the Pit 38.� Only by the grace of God was Clev. flagged
for a hold, by former Pitt Panther Darnell Dinkins no less.� ��
Rossum had a
33-yard KO return in the 1Q and a 21-yard PR in the 3Q as the lone bright spot.� �����F-.�
OC:�
I�ve said this several times this season, and I will say it again --
Bruce Arians is a clueless simpleton, and is Chan Gayboy reincarnated.� This guy has no �feel� for the game, and his
gameplans are apparently compiled during a vomit session after a long, hard
night of excessive binge drinking.� �
He began
the game with 2 toss sweeps to the left, and then cleverly thought that he had
the Browns exactly where he wanted them by running a 3d down reverse to the
right that was engulfed for a 2-yard loss. ��You don�t run the misdirection gadget play on the 3rd fuking play
of the game!!� This same thing happened in
the loss at AZ, when Arians called for a reverse in the FIRST series of the
game.�� Let me repeat this again -- you don�t
run the misdirection gadget play on the 3rd fuking play of the game!!�
In the 3rd
series, the offense ran a FIRST down PAP that netted 22-yards to Miller.�� Of course, you never saw this 1D play again.�� In fact, here�s what you got out of the
mindless, 7th-grade offensive scheme of Bruce Arians on 1st down (broken
down by quarter, runs are in black, pass plays are in blue):�
1.� Parker toss sweep, 2 yds.
2.
�Pass to Ward, 15
yds.
3.� Pass to Parker on dumpoff, 3 yds.
4.� Parker run up RT, 3 yds.
----------
5.� Parker run up gut, 2 yds.�
6.� Parker run up LG, 2 yds.
7.� PAP flag to Miller, 22 yds.
8. �Parker run, wide right, 3 yds.�
9.
�PAP, Ward open on deep flag, Ben chickens
out for no reason; Holmes foolishly stops his pattern, INT.��
10.� Bubble screen to Ward, Miller whiffs on
block, no gain.� Penalty on Miller for
push in the back after weak-assed whiff.�
11.� (1st & 20)� Parker 10 yard run, wide left.��
Penalty on Ward, holding, at end of run.
12.� (1st & 20)� Pass to Holmes, 7 yds.
13.� Slant pass to Nate, dropped.�
14.� Parker run wide left, 7 yds.�
15.� Pass to Miller, 17 yds.�
16.� (1st & G at 9) Shovel pass to Ward, 4
yds.�
-------------
17.� Parker run up LG, 3 yds.
18.� Pass to Holmes, 13 yds.
19.� Ben has Holmes open deep, pumps twice, holds
onto ball, and is sacked & stripped.��
�Loss of 13 yds.
20.
�Pass to Ward, 19 yds.
21.� Parker run up gut, 2 yds.
22.� Parker run up LT, 1 yd.
23.� Parker run up LT, 1 yd.
--------------
24.� Parker run up gut, 6 yds.
25.� Parker run up LG, 1 yd.
26.� Pass to Holmes on crosser, dropped.�
27.� Pass to Holmes, 15 yds.�
28.� Parker run up LG, 6 yds.
29.� Parker run up gut, 3 yds.
30.� Parker run up RT, 1 yd.
31.� (1st & G at 2) Daven run up gut, no
gain.
32.� Parker run up gut, 1 yd.
As can
clearly be seen, not once did Clev. truly and personally stop the Stiller
passing game on 1st down.� Instead, the Stillers
either had enormous success with good gains, or their own self-inflicted stupidity
and slop (dropped passes, failure to throw to open man) prevented success. ��Nonetheless, there was Bruce Arians,
mindlessly and feebly plunging the ball time and time and time again (18 times
in all, on 32 occasions) on 1st down against the very worst pass defense in the
NFL.��
There were other
blunders as well.�� The drive late in
the 2Q was a botchfuk of epic proportions, with confusion, indecision, and time-wasting
more rampant than what you�d find in a kindergarten classroom.�� Let�s review this circus.� Ben completed the pass to Miller for 17
yards, down to the Clev 9.��� He then
looks to the sideline, and has to wait SIX seconds for Arians to signal a TO
with 1:04 remaining in the half.�� Coming
out of the TO, with 1st & G at the 9, Arians calls the homosexual shovel
pass, which gains a paltry 4 yards, and worse, keeps the clock running.� So, they waste another TO, because, after
all, you can�t call TWO plays over on the sideline during an NFL
timeout.��� Ben�s lob to Ward is
dropped, and a sack on a play in which Ward and Davenport nearly collide at the
goal line forces a meager-assed FG with 8 secs remaining.��
Finally, at
14:16 of the 4Q, after a 5-yard carry by Willie Parker, Bruce Arians finally
takes the shackles off his vaunted NO HUDDLE offense.�� The result?�� A 14-play
drive that had the �Clev defense off
balance and flailing after being in solid control the entire 1H.� Arians� slow-assed, whale-shit TEMPO actually
feeds and helps a shitty defense like Cleveland�s, as it allows them to mentally
regroup after each play as well as get situational substitutions onto the field.� The no-huddle should have been used far earlier
in the game, but once again, you�re talking about a coach with absolutely ZERO feel
for the game of football.� ���C-.��
�
DC:�
Dick had the luxury of facing an average QB and the slowest starting WR
in all of pro football, yet saw is defense struggle like bitches in the 1H.� The long, 17-play opening march was utterly
sickening, with defenders sitting and standing around as though they were
watching a parade.� That long march saw
the following conversions:
���������� - 3d & 10
���������� - 3d & 9
���������� - 2d & 10
���������� - 3d & 5
���������� - 3d & 7
In other
words, these weren�t �gimme� conversions of, say, 2 or 3 yards.� I realize Farrior dicked the dog on the 1st
conversion, but the defense was entirely too flaccid, meek and timid that
entire drive. �
As a
defense, you must set the tone early and dominate an inferior opponent, and
clearly that did not happen, which allowed Clev some confidence and hope.� What you don�t want to do is give a road opponent
confidence and hope, especially a team like Clev that has been prone to meltdowns
and tantrums.�
I saw far too much of James Farrior pass rushing from an
outside spot, which was rendered entirely ineffective time and time again.�� Woodley, Haggans, and Harrison should be
rushing from the outside, not a slow titty-jouster like Farrior, who�s best
rushing is done right up the gut.�� ���C+ ��
HC:� It�s
becoming readily apparent as to what this team does after a big victory, in
preparation for the next game:�
���������� - Sit back,
read all the glorious press clippings, and revel at their greatness, dominance,
and superiority over the entire NFL
���������� - Relax,
woof, crow, and preen
����������
���������� - Post press
clippings on the bulletin board for all to see
���������� - Gloat over
press clippings
���������� - Pound
chests over press clippings
���������� - Parade
around the UPMC Complex with press clippings
�
���������� - Telephone
friends and relatives and inform them about the press clippings
����������
���������� - Mail press
clipping to friends and relatives that were not available via phone
���������� - Mat and frame
press clippings for posterity and for hanging around the walls of the UPMC complex
and player residences
���������� - Dawdle,
lay around, snooze, and laze about.� �After all, when you�re such a dominant,
superior football team, why try hard in preparation during the week ??��
Standing around, easing off, avoiding hits, failing to breakdown
on tackles, and general turdism were the order of the day for the entire
team.�� How else do you explain:
���������� - Parker tip
toes at the end of an 11-yard run, and gets unexpectedly knocked on his ass OOB
by Jones.
���������� - Pola lets
up in coverage on Jurevicius in the 1Q in the EZ, and luckily Anderson failed
to see the open man.�
���������� - Pola lets
up in coverage on Jurevicius in the 4Q, and nearly pays for it when Jurev turns
it up the sideline and almost catches a long lob.��
���������� - Harrison,
of all people, meekly stands around on the opening TD pass to Winslow.�
���������� - Numerous
defenders get trucked on runs in the 1Q, to include Harrison, Foote, Farrior,
and Tony Smith
���������� - Hines Ward
drops 2 passes, 1 of which was a TD pass
���������� - Benji timidly
holds onto the football and refuses -- on several occasions -- to unleash
DOWNFIELD passes to open receivers against the worst defense in the NFL� ������
There is a massive, rampant problem with this team handling
prosperity.�� 3 times this
season, the team has looked like world beaters, only to rush out the following week
and lay a collective egg in every phase of the game.�� Tomlin has preached about keeping an even keel, but has abjectly
failed to enforce the even keel or anything remotely approaching �even keel�.�
The O-line problems continue to exist, and at this point, 9
games into the season, it�s highly unlikely we�ll see any kind of marked
improvement.�� The STs started out the
season� adequately, and then declined steadily,
and now are at a stench-laden, embarrassing abyss that we must pray won�t get
any worse.� �Tomlin is, on paper, sitting pretty at 7-2, but he�s got an awful lot
of work to do if this team is to avoid a severe assbeating come playoff
time.�� ����C-.��
Playing Surface:�
A total abomination.� Chunks of
sod were flying everywhere, and players are slipping and sliding as though the
game were being played in a sandlot.� And
consider this -- the Pitt Panthers still have 1 more home game remaining on Nov.
24th, and of course there will be the obligatory FOUR consecutive high school
championship games all played on one day in late Nov.�� By early Dec, this cow pasture will be an even worse pile o�
shit.�� It�s an embarrassment and a
disgrace to the coaches, the players, and last but not least, the proud FANS of
the city of Pittsburgh�.and it�s entirely the fault of Cheapass Rooney for
being too cheap, too stubborn, and too stupid to install FIELD TURF when
every other major pro sports team in a cold weather venue has already done
so.���� F-�
Synopsis:�
By surviving this immense scare, the team all but has the division locked
up, unless they lay more eggs against the lowly likes of NYJ, Dolphs, Bungals, and
Rams, which, quite evidently, is capable of occurring, given the egg lays against
AZ, Denver, and Clev.��� I do think this
team will sew up the division, but division titles mean little by themselves.�� I�d warned in this column last week about
my concerns of this team having a letdown & laying an egg, and I�m disappointed
it actually happened after 2 prior lessons should have been
learned in AZ and Denver.�� Beating Clev
is always enjoyable, but now is the time to be fine-tuning the tactics and
play-making, not playing fiddle-faddle at home against an inferior opponent and
clawing for a thin victory.�� The time
is now to increase the intensity, focus, and overall production as the team
enters the stretch run before the playoffs.�
(Still Mill
and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no
one else comes close�.)