Stillers 26, Dolts 24 …..Nov 3, 2019………Game # 8
Stillers-Colts Postgame Analysis and Grades
The Stillers slopped around against the injury-riddled Colts, leaving loads of points off the scoreboard as they settled for FGs time and time and time again. Indy lined up for a chipshot 43-yard GW FG with just over 1 minute left, but Vinatieri badly duck-hooked the FG and Stoogelin and his merry men snuck off with the W.
Grades:
QB: Rudy had an ok game, and the line INT was a good pass that clanged off the mitts of JuJu. Still, he made a rash of poor, no-brained plays, such as triple pumping in his own EZ and then taking a safety. I was also enraged at his refusal to JAM a ball to someone -- anyone -- in the actual END ZONE on just one of the 19 snaps they had well within the 12 yard line or so. He’s so nervous and chickenshit that he refuses to throw a oass INTO the EZ unless the man is open by no less than 22 feet. I’m starting to get fuking annoyed. C
RB:
Conner – did not play; had injured shoulder.
Samuels - pretty solid game, except for the 4Q fumble, which cannot happen in an open field, SOLO defender tackle. He did very little on the ground, but had 13 grabs for 73 yards. B
Snell - did not play (knee).
Trey Edmunds - ripped off a 45-yarder on his first ever NFL carry. Had 12 rushes for 73. B
Brooks-James - I’m rarely fond of guys with 2 last names. At any rate, he got his name into the NFL scorebooks with 1 plunge, good for zero yards.
FB:
Nix played sparingly.
WR:
Switzer – Didn’t see much PT, if any, and had no grabs.
JuJu – had an early pass CLANG off his hands for a Moncrief-like INT. Two plays prior, he failed to haul in a deep lob that hit both hands. Not a good start. Finished with 3 grabs for 16, which doesn’t quite cut the mustard for a supposed #1 WR. C-
Wash - finally started to look useable, stunning me with a couple of combat-like grabs. Had 4 grabs for 69, probably a career high. Will probably get injured soon enough. B
D. Johnson - had only 1 grab for 3 yards. Disappointed he wasn’t targeted more.
Holton - no grabs, as usual.
Moncrief - Clang!! Thankfully, Mr. Skillet Hands was released the day prior. J .
TE:
McDonald - had 5 grabs for 30. B
Vannett - targeted just once, a 94-mph fastball in the EZ that had no chance.
OL: Overall, the line had their usual allotment of piss, slop, and weak-assed blocking. Leading the way (sic) was David DeAsstro, who pulled on the 2nd & goal at the five INCH line, and blocked no one, who caused a two yard loss. Fat Ramon Foster sat out with the concussion from LAST week. Villa got abused on the safety, although he at least had the presence to recover the loose pigskin. C-
DL:
Heyward – had a decent game, with 4 solos. But in the 4th Qtr, on a key 3rd down, he had Hoyer, the slow-footed oaf that he is, DEAD to right, but clumsily grabbed at his NECK and Hoyer was able to duck and scoot for about 4 yards. The cake-easy STOP there would have forced a FG; instead, Hoyer gained 4 yards and they had a comfy 4th & 2, which the Colts converted and then scored a TD. A piece of shit play by an over-rated fat-ass. C-
Hargrave - Chipped in some; not much. C
Alu - did very, very little. C-
LB:
Vinnie – had an ok game in limited PT.
Barron - again, pretty much did nothing, just like he has all season.
Bush - had 4 solos and made some plays. But he AGAIN got abused for a TD, the 4th TD reception he has allowed this season. Very poor. C
Chickillo - played some snaps here and there.
Watt – Had a decent game, with 2 solos, and drew 2 holding flags and caused a good bit of havoc. The late pers foul against him was as cheezy as all-get out. Complete bullshit. B
Crud Dupree – stunningly had a decent game. Had 3 solos, but was active as all get out, which is an extreme rarity. Forced the Hoyer fumble and recovered it, and also had a nice chase-down of Bissett in the 1st Qtr. Probably Crud’s best overall game as a Stiller. B
Odeniyi - Saw some PT, and had a good block (not that it was needed) on the Fitz pick 6.
DB
Haden – a so-so game. Was soft in coverage at times, and got picked on. The last TD seemed to be a lapse by him as well. C
Nelson - played mediocre. On one RAC in the 1H, he just waived like a little bitch as the RAC runner. In the 3H, he lost his show, then stupidly wandered around as the next play was about to be snapped, like a lost toddler. He finally threw it into the Indy backfield, instead of just tossing it to the sidelines. What a dum’ass.
Hilton – gave up a TD, and had some struggles in pass coverage. Also was offsides by a mile in the 1H.
Edmunds - wasn’t tooled as often as he usually is, and busted up a 2-point pass. Had 4 solos. B
Minkah - didn’t provide any help on the TD that beat Hilton. Had the huge INT and 96-yard INT return. Dude just makes big plays and he causes turnovers, someone NO ONE else in this secondary in the past 8 years has been able to do. A-
Spec teams:
Jordan Berry – officially punted just once, and in an extreme rarity, got off a stellar 49-yard punt in the 4Q that was fielded about 1 foot from the sideline. Also had a decent free kick after the safety. A
Boswell - 4 for 4 on FGs, including a 51-yarder on the final play of the 1st half. Not shabby. A+
Switzer continues to filed Kos around the GL, meander a bit, and then gets mauled at his own 20-yard line.
OC: Randy Sphincter continues to tighten his sphincter EVERY fuking time this team gets indie the 15 yard line. The abomination of playcalling on 1st and goal after the free kick fumble recovery, and then the 1st and goal at the 7 in the 4Q, were enough to make any fans want to gouge his or her eyes out. The complete lack of ANY imagination, and the lack of ANY SET UP, and the lack of taking advantage of a mis-match with JuJu or Vance, has gotten me enraged. I’m fuking tired of this Pat Narduzzi offense. And then there’s the refusal to call a QB sneak on 2d & goal at the 5 INCH line, and the resulting plunge -- by a fellow who had ZERO NFL carries coming into this game -- loses 2 yards to completely fuk the golden opportunity to put 7 points on the board rather than a piddly-assed 3 points. F
DC:
Keith Assler once had his ass handed back to him. He was gifted before the game when TY Hilton was ruled out. Then, very early ion the game the Indy starting center gets hurt. Then Bisset gets hurt later in the 2Q. Yet despite all of this, AND playing at home, Assler continually got riddled and carved by a backup QB who hadn’t attempted a single pass all season. And they got gouged on BOTH the ground and the air. Unacceptable. F
HC: Mike Asslin oversaw another turtle-fest, with Pat Narduzzi-like TURTLING every fuking time they sniffed the goal line. Asslin played to LSOE today, and he basically did lose. Only a duck-hooked, chippie FG with a minute left spared Asslin the embarrassment of defeat.
Synopsis: Amazingly, this laggardly, slop-happy club is now 4-4. Up next, a tough game (but at least its at home) against the Rams, and then a string of fairly winnable games versus Clev, Cini, Clev, and AZ.
Follow Mill on Twitter, at StillMill1