Stillers 20, PoeBirds 19..... Dec 5, 2021 …………Game # 12
Stillers-PoeBirds Postgame Analysis and Grades
The 5-5-1 Stillers hosted the hated 8-3 Ratbirds. The Stillers clung to a late 7 point lead, but as usual their Softee Defense allowed Balt to casually march for an easy TD. Coach Barfbaugh correctly went for the 2 points and the win, but a slightly off-target pass to a WIDE open Andrews tipped off the big TE’s paws and fell inc.
Grades:
QB: Ben may have had his steadiest, best game of the season, going 21 of 31 for 236, 2 TDs, and no INTs. (One INT was negated by a Balt flag.)
Left Dionte out to dry, on a rotten sideline lob that was waaay OOB, and allowed Balt to tee off on Dionte.
Perfact deep ball to Dionte, late 2Q, which was dropped. Should have been 6. A-
RB:
Harris – churned out 71 tough yards on 21 carries, as there were very few adequate holes. Had 5 grabs for 36. Dude again showed he’s a baller. A
McFarl – inactive. Puzzling.
Snell – chipped in late with 2 carries for 13 yards.
FB: Watt rarely played on O, if at all.
WR:
Wash - targeted only once, on an awkward 3rd down sideline lob that was closer to an INT than a grab.
Dionte - Dropped a deep ball TD pass, late 2Q. Grabbed a cake-esay TD pass, early 4Q. Big TD with 1:48 left in the game. Had 8 grabs for a buck oh-five. B+
Claypool – . big grab and run, early 4Q, good for 40 yards. Had only 2 grabs all game long, which ain’t nearly enough. B-
GayRay McCloud – stellar deep grab of a deep log, early 3Q. He got fuked, however, on a replay review, which somehow ruled that the nose of the ball had touched the ground, which was complete bullshoit.
TE:
Pat FryBoy – had 3 grabs for 26, and the big 2 pointer late in the 4Q. A-
Gentry – Had 2 grabs for 10.
OL: Overall, the line blocked okay. Ben was sacked only once, and had decent time most of the game. The run blocking was sketchy. More got injured, first series, but returned. Finney was injured, so LeGlue came in for him at Guard. KenDick Green got flagged for a needles facemasking, plus he got mauled on a late plunge that lost 2 yards. B-
DL:
Heyward – The $65M Man had a whopping 3 solos as the Ravens often gashed the defense on the ground.
Hit Andrews FORWARD on a 3d and long, giving the Ravens a 1st down. If Big Scam does nothing on the play, Andrews is stopped short of the sticks. Got a Dong sack after Jackson was flushed and was jukijng and running for about 9 seconds. A complete Dong sack. For $65M, I expect much, much more. C
Tuitt – another vaunted DE who again sat out. What a disgrace. F-
Adams – batted a pass, first series. Flagged for a hold, 2Q, negating one of the VERY FEW times this defense stopped a Balt run.
Wormley – big sack, first series, as he fought off a Lamar stiff-arm. Got a 2nd sack, late 2Q. Had 3 solos, 2 As, and 2.5 sacks. Quick – lavish this man with a $65M contract…..!
Mondeux – chipped in here and there.
LB:
Bush – literally VACATED his responsibility on a 2d & 10 run by Freeman, 1st series, good for 19 yards. Despite Balt running 62 plays, this pudd-puller finished the game with a whopping TWO solos and 0 assists. Two Tackle Bush, they call ’im. D
Schobert – completely pooped the bed on a 3d & 11 dump-off, 3Q, in which he failed to break down and then whiffed on the tackle attempt, with Freeman scooting by for 13 yards. Had 6 solos, but did very, very little. C-
Watt – tripped up a backup RB, 2nd series. Got a pinkie nip of Jackson’s foot for a measly TWO yard sack, on 2nd down in the 1Q. Sitter Watt will be fawned all over for this “big sack”, even though it was a weak-assed fluke; even though it lost only 2 yards, and even though Balt EASILY converted the ensuing third down for a first down.
Assessed a stupid, branliess taunting flag, early 2Q. What a tool. Got a coverage sack against the BACKUP RT, 7:00 4Q. Don’t be fooled by the gaudy stats – Sitter Watt faced one of the very worst O lines in the NFL, and was often Unblocked, such as on the game-clinching 2 pointer with 12 seconds left. An adequate game with 5 solos, but I’m not going to fawn over what was a fairly ordinary performance. B
Highsmith – Had 3 solos, and a ton of pressure on the QB all game long. B
Spillane – sat this game out.
Burrito Charlton – did little.
DB
Haden – missed third consecutive game.
Cam Sutton - played ok. Would be nice to see him ballhawk a bit more.
Edmunds – had 3 solos, did little. B-
Norwod- beaten by Watkins for the late TD.
Minkah - Got a Dong INT, fist series. Grabbed a lollipop lob that HUNG in the air nearly as long as a punt, and was thrown to no one. Flagged for PI, early 4Q, which was complete bullshit, as the ball was woefully underthrown. Extremely active with 7 solos. B
Pierre – Saw little PT on defense. Praise be !
Layne – nice solo tackle on 3rd down, 2nd series, for force a punt.
Witherspoon – chipped in with a few solid tackles. Busted up a deepish 3rd down pass to Andrews, mid 4Q, and nearly picked it off.
Maulette – did a nice job to help string out a wide Jackson 3rd down run, which forced a FG.
Spec teams:
Harvin– punted so-so. Rotten first punt, which sailed OOB for only 38 yards. Redeemed himself a few minutes later, booming a 64 yard punt that rolled OOB just inside the goal line pylon. Rotten pooch punt, 3Q, which was FC at the Balt 24 for a 25 yard punt. Complete barf. C+
Boswell – 2 for 2 on FGs . Nailed a 53-yard FG, late 2Q. Badly duck-hooked a PAT that would have tied the score at 10, early 4Q. Followed that up with a shallow KOT to the 3, which was returned 35 yards. Then, a shoddy KO that rolled OOB, with 1:40 left in a 7 point game. What a pilo shoit. C-
RayRay – solid 13 yard PR, 1Q. Shabby KO returns.
The coverage team allowed a 35 yard KO return, early 4Q.
OC: Matt Canada oversaw a load of slop, in particular in the 1H when this offense did jack squat. Only possessed the ball for 6:30, 1H, which of course was considerably the fault of the D as well, as the D allowed multiple long, clock-chewing marches. The 2H was considerably better, but scoring 20 points in this era is nothing to crow about. C
DC:
Keith Assler had the luxury of facing a struggling, inept Balt offense that is down to like its 6th RB.
2nd & 24, first series…..and a piss-ant THREE YARD dumpoff gains 18 yards. Only a Dong INT on the next play saved Buttler on the first drive, which was a longgggg, clock chewing march where Balt did ANYTHING they felt like doing.
Late in the 1Q, Harvin pinned Balt on their own HALF yard line. HERE was the chance to stuff Balt, force a punt, and get on the board. No, not Keith Assler., Balt marched, and marched, and marched, and fuking marched……ALL 99-1/2 yards. A 99-1/2 yard TD drive by Balt, jamming the ball down Assler's throat. A complete jam-down. 3d & 7. 3d & 10. 3d & 6.
Allowed 86 rush yards, 1H.
All game long, Balt easily converted 3rd and longs. All day long. On the final drive, Assler had the luxury of a 3d & 14, only to give up a 22 yard completion to move the chains. The Ravens dropped at least 6 passes tonite, including the game-winning 2-pointer.
There’ll be loads of fawning about “the sacks” and “the pressures”. Never mind, of course, that the Balt Oline is horrendous. Never mind that Lamarr kepth HOLDING on the ball, incessantly, and missing WIDE open receivers while the blocking broke down. No, this defense primarily sucked like an angry elephant, getting gouged all too often on long, clock-chewing marches, and rarely ever stopping 3rd down conversions. D
HC: Wasn’t this team supposed to be “all fired up” after getting thrashed last week by Cinci?? Ya wouldn’t know it, the way they were rag-dolled on both sides of the ball the first 28 minutes of the ballgame. Mike Asslin will surely be all proud and full of bravado, for eking out this flimsy win over a mistake-riddled PoeBird team that was never, ever nearly as good as its gaudy, fluky 8-3 record. The defense got gashed badly far too often, to include the asininely ridiculous 99-1/2 yard TD march. The tackling was atrocious; the silly, needless penalties continued; and the team once again pissed away a late game lead. Only a dropped 2-pointer with seconds left saved Stoogelin’s bacon in this game. C-
Synopsis: The thin, flimsy win gives Stoogelin and his team some life, albeit only for a few days. On Thurs, they’ve venture to Minn to face the 5-7 Vikes.
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