Are the Stillers Really �Finished�?
Special
Commentary by PalmerSucks
October
7, 2011
�It�s time for the offense to step up and
carry this team.� �Hines Ward, October 6th
A few
weeks ago, Warren Sapp declared the Stillers �old, slow and over,� and ever since,
he�s had a lot of company. The bandwagon filled to overflowing after the loss
in Houston, the airwaves crackling with talk about the demise of the black and
gold. According to these people, we might as well get ready for the 2012 draft,
because the Stillers are done. The d-line can�t stop the run, and the o-line
couldn�t block a high-school defense. The Stillers are the drunken fisherman
who cut his head and fell off his boat, with sharks circling, smelling blood.
Should
we then throw in the Terrible Towel -- or have the fans and media types
overreacted after just 4 games?
No
doubt things look bleak as the Stillers now face a tough Titans team, which
easily handled the Ravens a few weeks ago. The QB is gimpy, and the best LB is
out with a busted eye socket. The Wheelchair Curtain will only age more as
Larry �Slow-a� Foote limps�er uh, fills-- in at inside �backer, with Lawrence
Timmons forced to slide outside. The big test will come against Chris Johnson,
whom the Stillers have owned in the past � will he join Addai, Rice and Foster
on the list of RBs who�ve gashed the Stillers run defense?
That
said, I want you to take away one thing � if the only thing � from what I�ve
written this year:
-�The strength of the Stillers, as discussed
in the pre-season commentary, lies with Roethlisberger and his terrific group
of WRs. That�s another way of saying the
season depends on what kind of offensive line play the team gets. Give Ben
time, you�ve got a chance. Get Ben killed, say goodbye to the season.�
(PalmerSucks, �The Wheelchair Curtain Strikes Back!� September 23, 2011)
Lost
in all the shrieking about the defense was this: for as badly as they got
gashed Sunday, they still only gave up 17 points. 17 points should be nothing
for a decent NFL offense to overcome, so the blame for the loss goes to the
offense � or more to the point the offensive line. The situation should improve
with the apparent re-signing of Max Starks, who, as you know I hated seeing the
Stillers release while keeping around flops like Jonathan Scott. (It�s time for
the Stillers to admit the Scott experiment was a bust, and cut their losses.)
As I
discussed BEFORE the season (long before Sapp and his buds did) the Stillers
defense had aged and was no longer dominant � which in some ways was beside the
point, as it would be up to the offense
to carry the load this year. Whether or not the Stillers really are toast will
be decided by how many points the offense can score � somewhere between 20 and
30 will be needed to win most games on the schedule. Whether or not that�s
possible will be up to the offensive line � it�s really that simple.
So how
can the team improve the picture? The return of Starks is a start � but there
are other ways the Stillers can help out their lame o-line:
- More supportive play calling: It�s been said Bruce Arians game
plans suck; I disagree � he brings no
game plan in the first place. Likewise, Arians fails to take into
account the weaknesses of his players when crafting plays. When your
o-line is this poor, you DON�T call repeated deep drops. One play in
particular stands out Sunday � a second-and-two from around midfield.
Normally, the offense has the advantage here, the defense having to
respect the run, and not being able to bring the house. But what happens?
Ben drops back and is immediately buried like a kiddie sled in an
avalanche. When your QB can�t even execute play-action, you know you�re in
big trouble.
Bootlegs, sprints, roll-outs, waggles and misdirection can
all be used to throw off rush-happy teams. Likewise, the Stillers can go to the
short-pass game, mixing in slants and dump-offs to keep the defense off
balance. The shorter the time the linemen have to hold their blocks, the
better. Bruce Arians apparently doesn�t realize this, but then again, Bruce Arians
is a moron. Maybe it�s up to Coach Tomlin to take the necessary steps.
������ 2.��
Chip at the edges: This seems
so simple, so basic and so obvious � but how many times against
������������ the Colts
did we see Scott matched up alone with Dwight Freeney? Having your RBs and TEs
chip block
������������ the other
guys� DEs would go a long way toward keeping your QB out of the hospital.�
���
- �Run Redman, and
warm up Dwyer:
Since the Stillers� line couldn�t pass block a group of cripples
right�����
������������� now, the team will no doubt retreat back
to the run game. That�s fine, but they�d have more success with���
������������� Redman, who hits the hole instead
of dancing around like Hines Ward on ABC. The Stillers
should also��
������������� give Jon
Dwyer a look, as he ran hard and looked terrific in the pre-season. A
Redman-Dwyer combo����
������������� would
mean the other guys face a big-back power game, which would help sustain drives
and provide
������������� some
much-needed nap time for the Wheelchair Curtain crew.
Likewise,
the QB can help, and not just with the usual �don�t hold the ball so long�
idea. Roethlisberger must be careful to ALTER HIS CADENCE � it appeared Sunday
the Texans� d-linemen were getting big jumps on the
snap. Ben also missed Ward on a hot read, so there�s room for improvement all
around. The Stillers also need to scrap that Arians classic, the horseshit
EMPTY SET, which almost always results in a sack or pressure.
Anyway,
it�s simple: if the Stillers o-line continues the way it�s been playing, you
probably can say goodbye to the 2011 season. If the situation improves,
however, don�t throw in the Towel just yet. The schedule is full of creampuffs,
and frankly the AFC lacks anything close to a dominant team. And as for the
Wheelchair Curtain, injury is doing what the coaching staff lacks the common
sense to: weed out the old guys, and try out the new. Look for guys like
Sylvester and Worilds to get out on the field in the weeks ahead.
This
isn�t 2006 anymore � we all know that. The Stillers are no longer a dominant
team, but that doesn�t mean they can�t be a competitive one. A stabilized
offensive line, combined with the right play-calling, is the key to unleashing
the team�s strength: the QB and his WR corps. Even Mike Wallace is useless,
however, if his QB has no time to throw. The fact is, even half-decent
o-line play will keep the Stillers in contention for a successful season, and
the playoffs. Remember that the next time you hear the doomsayers declare
the team dead.
As for
the Titans game, let�s see what effort the Stillers can muster: they seem to
play better with their backs against the wall. Don�t be surprise if the team
doesn�t miss Harrison as much as people think � his play hasn�t been at a high
level since December of last year. Timmons may fill in admirably in his spot.
Of course there�s Foote to worry about, a guy who should�ve retired 5 years
ago, but� you can�t have everything.
I
watched the Patriots crush the Raiders: once again Tom Brady had time to have a
slice of quiche back there. I also saw what happened to him when Buffalo took
away his cushy little tea-room seat � pick city. There is no reason
Roethlisberger can�t put up similar numbers given decent protection. We�ll see
if the Stillers are up to that task. All that�s at stake here is the entire
season.
--Add
this one to the list of nicknames for Joe Flacco: �Mr. Irrelevant.� What else
can you call a guy who goes 8-for-27 at one point, yet watches his team go up
by 20 points? Average Joe is the reason not to hand over the division yet to an
otherwise power-packed Ravens squad. Finally the media are waking up to what
I�ve been saying about him: he stinks out loud (so much so I�m thinking about
changing my name to �FlaccoSucks�).
Had
the other guys� QB not found a way to perform even worse than Joey in Sunday
Night�s QB stinkfest, the Ravens might�ve lost the game despite dominating it.
Baltimore might as well line up two RBs in the backfield in place of the QB,
and let their defense handle the scoring chores. Don�t hand over anything yet
to the Ravens as long as Joe Flacco, aka �the guy who couldn�t beat out Tyler
Palko� is behind center.
Anyway,
enjoy the game, and let�s see just how �finished� the Stillers are.
�