Stillers
17, Bucs 7���. Dec. 23, 2002 ����Game #15
Stillers-Bucs
Postgame Analysis and Grades
The Stillers ventured down
to the big pirate ship at Raymond James Stadium, and delivered a solid beating
to the big, bad Buccaneers.� The beating
actually began before the game, when the Stillers stood up to Tampa's
sophomoric pre-game taunts and stunts.�
Big Plays:
1. Bad Johnson wimps out
and decides not to play.�
2.� Maddox open the game with a beautiful bomb
to Plex, good for 41 yards.�
3.� El snares a short out and turns it upfield
and to the pylon for an 11-yard TD.
4.� King throws a horrible INT to Chad Scott,
who returns it for the TD.
5.� Alstott fumbles deep in Stiller territory on
the 1st play of the 2Q.�
6.� Amos Z. fumbles deep in Tampa territory late
in the 2Q.
7.� On 2d & goal at the Pit 3, Casey Hampton
knifes in just after the snap, and strips the ball out of Rob Johnson's hand,
forcing a key turnover late in the 3Q and snuffing the final chance for Tampa
to get back into the game.�
Grades:
QB: Maddox wasn't especially sharp in
the 2 games following his nasty injury in Tenn.� However, he was like a surgeon tonight, cutting and carving up
the Buc defense with laser precision.�
He opened the game with a splendid bomb to Plex, and his deep seamer to
Plex on 3d & 4 1Q was a beaut.� So,
too, were numerous other passes that hit the receivers in-stride.� After years of watching Stewart futilely
throw lob passes with about as much arc as a Randy Johnson curveball, I beamed
with joy and glad tidings on both of Tommy's lobs to Plex, which were adroitly
thrown with plenty of high arc and ahead of the WR.� This kind of stellar QB play against the league's #1 pass defense
provides some optimism that this offense can get the job done in the playoffs.� A.�
RB:�
The Tubby Tailback had a marginal evening, lumbering for 66 yards on 26
carries (a paltry 2.6 YPR).� He did have
a 30-yard run negated by a ticky-tack call on Gandy.� The Doughboy was easily upended on nearly every wide
attempt.� He grabbed one pass and was
easily toppled by lil' Ronde Barber for a 2-yard loss.� Bettis drew my ire after a play-fake on 3d
& 2 in the 4Q, when the 285-pound fatass cut-block a blitzer instead of
taking the man HEAD ON.� The result was
the blitzer easily ambling over the prone Bettis and harassing Maddox into a
throwaway into the Steeler bench.� Amoz
had 5 rushes for 23 yards, and grabbed 3 for 18.� However, he fumbled the ball away deep in Tampon territory.� Chris Fu played sparingly, dropping one
screen pass and never permitted to carry the ball all evening.� B-.�
FB: Kreider had some good, bruising
blocks at the point of attack.�� He had
1 plunge for 3 yards and caught a valve pass for 8 yards, although he
supposedly fumbled at the end of the play.�
(The Stillers recovered, and, at any rate, I believe the play would have
been challenged and over-turned if the Bucs had recovered.)� Kreider was also flagged for an illegal
motion on a 1st & goal, which really bogged down that drive.� B+.
WR:�
Plex started out the game on fire, grabbing 3 passes early on for a
quick roast of the Bucs.� He was ignored
the next 30 minutes of game-time, but then responded with a spectacular jumping
grab on a deep lob in the 4Q.� Plex
finished with 5 grabs for 127 yards, good enough for over 25 YPC.� Ward was quiet in terms of "big
plays", but he made more than enough noise with his competent, reliable
grabs and tough RAC yardage.� El caught
just one ball, but made the most of it with an outstanding pedal-to-the-metal
acceleration upfield after the catch, and then the savvy to go to the pylon and
get the TD.� Mathis played sparingly and
had no balls thrown to him.� A.�
TE:�
Cushing grabbed one pass for 4 yards.�
Tuman had one thrown to him, but dropped in under heavy duress of a
nearby defender.� The blocking was
okay.� B-.
OL: The O-line held off the Tampon
front 7 fairly well.� In fact, Maddox,
the "Human Statue", had a jersey so clean and white that the
equipment manager won't have a need to wash it when the team returns to Pittsburgh.� The run blocking on quick-hitting dives,
using a combination of power drive blocking influence blocking -- just as I'd
called for in my pre-game analysis -- clicked pretty well.� Gandy, though hobbled, held off Rice very
well.� The one holding flag thrown on
Gandy was a joke.� Hartings was called
for a hold, but otherwise helped Simmons neutralize Warren Crapp, who finished
the game with a whopping one tackle.�
Faneca was his usual stellar self.�
Much to my surprise, Marvel Smith wasn't tooled or abused. �Well done by the men up front.� A.�
DL:�
The D-line ravaged the Bucs the entire evening, with Aaron Smith and
Casey Hampton leading the way.� Smith
manhandled blockers like a man among boys, and was extremely active and
disruptive.� Hampton was stout in the
middle, and forced the Slob Johnson fumble with a clever knife-in just after
the snap.� Casey was credited with the
Alstott fumble as well, and while Casey did a nice job to clog and bottle the
play up, KenBell, not Casey, forced the fumble.� Kimo got nicked up, but hung in there and contributed with a
strong effort.� Rod Bailey caused
disruption and hurry on the QB on a few plays.�
The run-stuffing was a little soft at times -- the Buc RBs all averaged
at or over 5 yards per carry -- but in all, this might be the finest game this
D-line crew has had in '02.� A.�
LB:�
Leave no doubt, Kendrell Bell is back.�
He's actually been "back" in top form for a few weeks now, but
the glare of prime TV showed the national audience just how devastating this man
can be.� Bell was a force the entire
evening, hitting like a cement truck and exploding to the ball with the
blood-thirsty fury of a shark.� Bell led
the LB crew with 5 solos, and applied the crushing hit to Smalstott that caused
the burly FB to cough up the ball deep in Stiller territory.� James Farrior was bogged down with the flu,
so much so that he needed an IV at halftime.�
He was also nicked with a small injury.�
Mike Jones replaced Farrior at ILB and did okay.� Joey Porter was used all over the field, and
chipped in on a few stops, as well as a delayed speed-rush up the gut in which
he flashed in and nabbed the QB.� Porter
took some poor angles at the QB, which allowed King to skirt wide and avoid the
rush.� Big Jason GilDong, armed with his
newfound "bulrush", had some minor harassment here and there, but
otherwise was quiet.� Jason had 3 solos:
one solo was after a short valve-dump to a stationary Alstott; another on an
Alstott plunge in which Jason was left unblocked, and the third in which Gildon
flailed at Johnson and whiffed, but Johnson slid to the dirt soon
thereafter to avoid a hit, and Jason was credited with the
"stop".� Jason -- the master
of "contain" ("Jason
isn't getting stats, because he has contain") -- lost contain about 4
times tonight, including the Slob Johnson scramble and TD pass to
Keyshawn.� KenBell:� A+.�
Rest of LB: B.
DB:�
Roasted and toasted for much of the early season, the secondary put the
clamps down on the Buc receivers. The DBs played aggressively and made plays on
the ball, instead of sitting soft and meek.�
Of course, based on the Tampa WR corps' lack of speed, combined with the
woeful QB play of King, the DBs had a fairly easy task.� The DBs, to their credit, also tackled
crisply.� Scott snared the early INT and
took it in for 6, which was a huge play that stifled the Tampa crowd.� DeWayne had a solid game, though he dropped
an easy INT.� Townsend had a pretty good
game, although I thought he was playing far too soft on the slant-in to
Keyshawn on a play that began at the Pit 18.�
Lee put a nice stick on Keyshawn, though the WR held onto the ball.� Mike Logan had a stupendous evening.� Just as I'd written about way back
in September, Mike Logan is THE KEY to this Stiller pass defense.� As he showed time and time again tonight,
Logie is not only our best blitzing DB, but he is, pound for pound, our most
versatile DB, perfectly capable of running with receivers, sticking a
ballcarrier, or hounding the QB on a blitz.�
Logie finished with 1 sack, a batted pass after he'd bullied a bigger
RB, and numerous QB hurries.� Hank Poteat,
in a rare fit of competency, chipped in some on the defense.� B+.�
Spec teams:�
Reed booted an easy 26-yard FG, although his KOs were a bit
shallow.� Newly acquired punter Tom
Rouen has already made me forget about our former punter (some guy names Miller,
as I recall).� Rouen punted well, and
most notably, didn't require 6-1/2 seconds to get the punt booted.� Rouen receives the snap, and unlike our
former shitbag punter (what's-his-name), immediately steps and boots the
ball.� Brett Keissel was again a demon,
making a sterling tackle on punt coverage.�
Chidi Owuoma continues to impress, chipping in with good coverage and
tackling.� Jason GilDong was flagged for
defensive holding on a made Tampa FG.�
Big Jason was trying the old "pull the blocker in order to open a
door" trick, and hilariously enough, the weak-armed Gildon actually
flubbed his clever attempt.� However,
the refs saw the intent and threw the flag, which, because of the 17-point
deficit, caused Gruden to pull the 3 off the board and keep the ball on the
automatic first down.� A-.�
OC:�
Mularkey orchestrated a most impressive opening march, which went 81
yards in just 6 plays.� Soon thereafter,
Chad's INT return gave the Stillers a comfy 14 point lead, and Mularkey was
content to plunge the ball quite a bit thereafter.� Mularkey disappointed me in that he apparently felt no remorse
over the continued stupidity of running FatBoy Bettis wide against one of the
NFL's fastest defense, but at least Mularkey had the sense to limit this overt
stupidity to only 5 or 6 occasions during the game.� I also wasn't overly pleased with the offensive production after
the 17-0 lead.� Sure, AZ fumbled the
ball away in Tampa territory, although that drive was deteriorating so badly
from penalties that we were probably all hoping just to get a FG attempt before
more penalties pushed us out of FG range.�
Aside from that drive, the Stillers other 6 drives (excluding kneel-down
"drives" at the end of both halves) produced 6 punts.� Take away the first 2 drives, which produced
10 points, and the Stillers were held scoreless in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
quarters.� Not good, especially when one
considers that playoff games are usually won -- or lost -- in the 2nd
half.� B.�
DC:�
The biggest PowerBall Lotto in America right now is in full swing, and
with the kind of fortuitous luck Tiny Tim Lewis has had lately, he ought to
pluck down a couple dollars.� What other
defensive coordinator in the NFL gets to face rookie David Carr and the worst
NFL offense; followed by Rodney Peete and the 2nd-worst NFL offense; and then
followed by Bad Johnson wimping out and replaced by Shaun King, who hasn't
gotten any meaningful work since 2000?�
Answer: None, other than Tiny Tim Lewis.� I'll start fawning over Lewis and his
defense when they face a starting QB who can do better than 9 for 26, and who
can throw an easy pass to Joe Jurevicious without throwing the ball 9 feet over
the huge WR's head.� I'll start fawning
over Lewis and his defense when they face an offense that can trot out a
starting QB who has thrown more than 5 passes the past two seasons.� I'm trying to recall the last time I saw an
NFL QB look as awful, incompetent, and dreadful as Shaun King.� Sure enough, we'll hear more of the same
tripe about "Well, he's good enough to be in the NFL, and the Steelers shut
him down, so you have to give credit."�
King might be good enough to be in the bloated NFL, but unfortunately,
we won't have the pleasure of facing such an incompetent boob at QB in the
playoffs.� B.�
HC:�
Billy Cowher deserves some credit for having his team focused and fired
up for this big game.� Of course, it's
easy to whip ass on an opponent when their starting QB pusses out and refuses
to play, which deflated the rest of the Buccaneer team and killed any hope of
offensive efficiency because the backup is a bush-league bumbler.� Cowher must be held at least partially
responsible for the outrageous turtle job and offensive slop that produced 6
punts in the 6 follow-on drives after the 17-0 lead.� And the Master of Myopia should have his empty skull inspected
after he ordered a Bettis plunge on 4th & 7 at the Tampa 33, with less than
4 minutes left in the 17-0 game.� Why,
pray tell, would Cowshit not send in Jeff Reed to get some work on a long
FG??��� Answer:� Because Cowher's not that bright, and
astutely looking ahead by giving a kicker some meaningful game-time work has no
sense of logic to the same man who rotted Porter, Haggans, Amoz, and even Hines
Ward early in their careers.� Kickers
don't get many chances to try a long FG under the lights and pressure of
prime-time, national TV, and this would have been the perfect opportunity to
give the still-green Reed a chance to try his leg and accuracy.� Cowher apologists will counter with either
of the following imbecilic claims:� a.)
that "Cowher didn't want to rub it in", but considering the Stillers
ran a Bettis plunge, instead of having Maddox simply take a knee after the snap
or having Rouen punt, that pathetic rationalization makes absolutely no sense
whatsoever.� b.) "Cowher didn't
want to risk a missed FG and give the ball back to Tampa on their 40", but
Cowhead calls a Bettis plunge that has a 1 in a billion chance of getting a
first down, and thus he turns the ball over to Tampa at their 33, thereby
saving a whopping 7 yards of field position with a 17 point lead and
only 3:30 left in the game.� B.�
Synopsis:
�Whipping ass on the paper champions on prime
time TV makes this Christmas as sweet as any in recent memory.� The Stillers have now locked up the AFC
North, and can position themselves for a home field game or two with a win over
Baltimore and help from some other teams.�
This was a win that, in some respects, is worth savoring for a couple
days.� However, based on past experience
with Billy Cowher-coached teams, I have deep concerns that the savoring will be
too long and too jolly.� Beating up on a
team led by a bumbling, backup simpleton at QB isn't something to be all too
proud of.� The win is nice, but if the arrogance
and pomposity lingers into the playoffs as it has during every one of this
team's past seven playoff appearances, this team will be in for a rude
awakening when they are forced to face some legitimate competency and skill at
the QB, RB, and WR spots.� But, just for
one day -- enjoy the win!!� Stillers
rule the AFC North, with a 17-7 trouncing of the Bucs!� Merry Christmas, Stiller fans!!�