Stillers 34, Doncos 17 ���. Jan 22, 2006
����AFCC��
Stillers-Doncos Postgame
Analysis and Grades
The
Stillers traveled to the mile low city and hit the sissy Coloradans -- and their
weak-assed Coors Light -- upside the head with kegs of Iron City Beer, en route
to 34-17 asswhipping.� This was Stiller
domination on both sides of the ball.�
Grades:
QB:�
Ben Roth was once again calm and effective, riddling the Doncos to the
tune of 8.6 yards/pass on 21 of 29 passing.�
Of course, he nearly blew the game wide open -- for the Doncos -- on the
1st series, throwing a horrific, hesitant pass off his back foot on 3d & 2
that should have been INTd by Champ Bailey and returned for 6 points.� Instead, The Chump allowed it to bounced off
his pads, and adding even more lady luck, Ward corralled the carom for a
bizarre 7-yard gain.� Benji collected
himself and led the Stillers to leads of 10-0, 17-3, and 24-3.� He was incredibly sharp on the 14-play march
in the 2Q, connecting for huge 1Ds on 3d & 10; 3d & 9; and 3d &
8.� On this surgeon-like drive, he hit
passes good for 17, 18, 21, 10, and 8 yards, so this wasn't any sort of dink 'n
dump effort by Big Ben.� He had an
adroit pump fake on the Wilson TD, and hit El and Wilson on several deep
outs/flags.� He did a nice job on the
Ward TD, running to his left and spotting Ward in the EZ, although he got away
with a possible INT, or at least a deflection, as Nick Ferg simply allowed the
ball to go right thru his hands, untouched.�
Ben also had a near fumble in the 1Q, but benefited from the tuck rule,
and the play was correctly ruled incomplete.�
I'm not sure what led Ben to throw deep to Nathan Washington, of all
people, on the 1st series, and fortunately Nate busted up the Foxworth INT in
the EZ.� Overall, though, Ben had a
superb afternoon.� In sum, it's easy to
advance in the playoffs when the QB is playing such superb football.� A.�
RB:�
The running game was barely marginally effective today.� Parker was held in check by the NFL's #2
rush D, gaining 35 yards on 14 carries.�
He had a couple big gainers of 10 and 14 yards late in the 2Q to help
set up the TD just before halftime.� He
also grabbed 3 passes.� He had a fumble
on the 1st series that was originally ruled a fumble, but a challenge caused
the play to be ruled down, which nullified the fumble.� He later coughed it up on the 1st series of
the 3Q on a hard hit by Ferguson, but the ball popped harmlessly OOB.� Bettis saw a fair amount of work and rushed
15 times for 39 yards.� He scored on a
short plunge, and had another apparent score off a quick-hitting plunge that
was negated by Ward's illegal formation penalty.� He dropped the only pass thrown to him.� The Tubber was also flagged for a thoroughly asinine false
start.� Haynesie had a big play on 3
& 9 late in the 2Q, catching a mid-dump and plowing for the 1st down, which
set up Bettis' plunge on the next play.��
The running game will need to be better to win the Sup Bowl in 2
weeks.� B. �
FB: Many Doncos will be seeing Kreider
in their sleep, or, if not Kreider, then the bottom of Kreider's cleats.� He led the way on many a run, including
Parker's 14-yard run in the 2Q.� A.�
WR:�
I never thought I'd write this sentence�..but leading the way, in a
strange afternoon, was Cedric Wilson.�
Yes, THE Cedric, the guy that caught zero TD passes all season and did
little, suddenly was en fuego versus the Doncos.� He scorched them for 92 yards on 5 catches -- 18 yards per catch
!! -- and the big TD to build the lead to 10-0.� His best catch was on a deep out that was thrown low, but he dug
it out for a 15-yard reception on 2d & 17 in the 3Q.� As if Cedric's contributions weren't odd
enough, there were the contributions of Nate Washington.� Signed in desperation after Quincy Morgan
was shelved 2 weeks ago, Nate had 2 big plays on the 1st drive.� On 3d & 7, he snared an out pass for a
13-yard gain.� Then, later in the drive,
he busted up an INT that Dom Foxworth had both hands on in the EZ, which enabled
Reed to boot a 47-yard FG on the next play to stake the Stillers to a 3-0
lead.� Hines Ward had 5 grabs for 59
yards & 1 TD, plus 4 yards on an end around.� He missed an easy crack block on Foxworth on the 1st series of
the 3Q, resulting in Parker's 3-yard loss, and he dropped a short pass after
being drilled by Chump Bailey on a 3d & 4.�
The hit was hard enough, and timed well enough, that Ward should be
absolved for the drop.� Ward was also
flagged for an illegal formation on a Bettis TD run.� El had 4 grabs for 52 yards, including some nice RAC work.� Lee Mays did not dress.� In all, this was the first time all season
the Stillers WR corps has replicated the spread-the-wealth approach of the '05
champion Patriots, and the results were impressive.� A. �
TE:�
Miller had 2 grabs for 31 yards, including a big 24-yard reception down
the seam that helped set up the first Stiller TD.� He failed to hold his block on Courtney Brown in the 1st series,
which allowed Brown to nab Parker for a 2-yard gain.� Tuman got a fair amount of PT -- more than I'd prefer, but he is
the 2nd TE -- and was thoroughly beaten to the inside on a Bettis run at 12:36
4Q, which caused a 1-yard loss.�
A-.�
OL: Another solid outing by the
O-line.� They gave Benji good time,
room, and passing lanes back in the pocket.�
The ground game had some struggles, although some of that was to be
expected when facing a sturdy run D such as the Doncos.� Simmons was abused to the inside, which
caused heavy pressure and forced Ben to fire a wounded quail at 7:18 2Q.� But, Simmons had a good pull and seal of
Wilson on Parker's 10-yard run late in the 2Q.�
Faneca had a good pull and block on El's 3rd & 10 screen in the 2Q,
which netted 10 yards and set up Bettis' TD a few plays later.� Starks was flagged for a hold.� There were no pre-snap penalties by this
crew.� A-.�
DL:�
The DL had a solid afternoon.�
They kept Andy and Bell in check, aside from some garbage stats late in
both halves.� Leading the way with a
superb game was backup DE Brett Keisel, who spent more time in the Donco
backfield than Tatum Bell.� He wreaked
havoc in the 4Q.� He bulled LT M. Lepsis
back, and fought through a hold that Lepsis was flagged for, and still got a
fingertip nab of Plummer's jersey for a sack.��
On the next play, he forced a Plummer fumbleon 4th & 10 that sealed
the game.� Hampton battled hard in the
middle.� Kimo and Aaron Smith were both
quiet, but chipped in some.� Hoke got
some work in relief, as did Kirschke.�
A.�
LB:�
At times -- many times, in fact -- a rather shabby performance by this
crew, despite the big win.� James
Farrior had his share of struggles in the 1H.�
He took a poor angle and over-ran the play on the very first 3rd down of
the game, which allowed Andy to gain 4 yards on 3d & 3.� In the 2Q, he did a pitiful flail on
Anderson after a short reception on 3d & 3, despite Andy being pinned right
against the sideline chalk, which thus allowed a 13-yard gain.� Farrior was slow to fight off a block and
flailed on Putzier's 19-yard TE screen, and then was beaten soundly by The Putz
on a deep flag that netted 18 yards in the 2Q.�
He did manage to get a paw up and deflect a deep crosser in the 2Q.� Foote had his usual struggles.� He was slow and feeble on Smith's 13-yard
slant on the 2d series of the 1Q.� His
run stuffing was marginal, but fortunately the Doncos were taken out of their
ground game.� He did have a good, rare
INT on a deep crosser that he was able to leap up and snare in stunning
fashion.� Big Joey Porter will receive a
lot of fawning and accolades over an okay, but hardly spectacular effort.� He had the sack n' strip of Jake Bummer in
the 1Q, that coming off an easy play in which he was soloed by journeyman TE
Steve Alex.� He had a pressure on Bummer
in the 2Q, deep in Stiller territory, on a play in which LT Matt Lepsis,
through either a severe brain lapse or a desire to sell the play-fake, slid a
full step to his right before then realizing he had to slide back to his
left to pick up a pass rusher.� On the
next play, Porter had pressure, this time coming in totally untouched and
unblocked.� Porter had a chance at an
easy sack in the 4Q, but whiffed on Bummer by foolishly grabbing at his
head.� Big Joey's big afternoon of 3
solos and 1 A thus consisted of:
����������
���������� 1.�
Soloed by TE, sack n' strip.� �Excellent play against a marginal TE blocker.
���������� 2.� Plummer short scramble in 2Q and slide into turf for 1-yard gain, Big Joey credited with solo "tackle".
���������� 3.�
Anderson 2Q plunge for 7 yards, Big Joey stack-jump for an assist.
���������� 4.�
Plummer dump to Anderson along sideline chalk from the Denver EZ, Porter
easy shove OOB.�
I'm not
going to fawn over a supposed "star OLB" making "big plays"
on plays in which he was SOLO'd by a weakass journeyman TIGHT END; left totally
untouched and unblocked and not blocked by anyone; and allowed to get access to
the corner when the LT deliberately and obviously take a full step to
his right in some sort of hideous misunderstanding of their protection
package or an overly earnest attempt to sell the PAP.� Porter wasn't a blundering fool, but was hardly some dominating
he-man.� To make the claim that Ferry
Dulac did in the PG, that Porter "has been the most dominant
defensive player in the NFL playoffs", is pure folly.�
Actually,
the best all-around LB play today may have been by LOLB Clark Haggans.� Active and hustling, he led all LBs with 5
solos and 1 A.� It was Haggans, not
Foote nor anyone else, that blew up the 4th & inches plunge by Anderson in
the 2Q.� Haggans actually had the good
initial hit and stick, and it was the weight and momentum of his own players
that forced him onto the ground and allowed Andy to get a 2d effort for the
1D.� This was stout linebacking.� Haggans was, however, imbecilic on the 3d
& 3 bootleg in the 2Q, biting on the play-fake in a bizarre manner, which
allowed both Bummer and Anderson to jog to the right and Andy to catch the dump
for a 13-yard gain.� The LB crew
benefited from the huge, early lead; they'll need to play better versus Seattle
if the game is tighter.� B.�
DB:��
A solid afternoon, aside from a couple big plays.� Pola had a couple of tremendous plays.� In the 2Q, he bounced off a block and stopped
Bell on a screen just short of the sticks, which forced a 4th down that Haggans
almost stuffed. This was a remarkable agile, tough play.� Then, with Denver throwing out of their own
EZ, Pola recognized the flare to Anderson and came flying up like a lightning
bolt, toppling Anderson for a 2-yard loss and nearly forcing a safety.� Pola was unable to bust up the deep lob to
Smith in the 3Q, which netted 32 yards, as he got turned around while back in
coverage.� Ike had an easy INT in zone
coverage on the hideous Bummer lob late in the 2Q.� He also delivered a perfectly legal, brutal hit on Lelie after Farrior
tipped the pass in the 2Q.� This is the
kind of rough, intimidating football that I enjoy and that wins
championships.� Ike did allow the deep
completion to Lelie down the sideline for 38-yards, on a play in which he had
sound coverage but failed to make a play on the ball.� In keeping with that theme, the weak link, Chris Hopeless, gave
up a TD to Lelie on a deep post in which Lelie flashed directly in front of
Hopeless, who was slow and timid to cover the big WR.� Then, as the ball arrived. Hopeless was, well, hopeless in making
a play on the ball.� A very poor play by
a veteran FS.� Hopeless was also feeble
and weak on the Anderson TD plunge, coming up to meet Andy after being totally
untouched and unblocked, and then meekly whiffing and flopping to the ground in
GilDongesque fashion.� For a guy who
supposedly bench presses 420 pounds, this was as feeble as an ant taking a
piss.�� McFadden and Carter saw some
work in package D's.� This crew did
allright, though they benefited from the easy predictability of the Donco
offense once the Stillers raced out to the big lead.� B.�
Spec
teams:� An okay day.� Aside from a 47-yard KO return by Adams in the 4Q, and a couple
other boners, the spec teams were decent.�
Reed committed a huge boner by kicking a KO OOB, but had 2 clutch FGs --
one from 47 and the other from 42 -- which helped bulge the lead.� The 42-yarder was huge in the 4Q, as it
boosted the lead to 17 and made it a 3-score game after Denver had made some noise.� Chdi Iwuoma made a good play to get a paw on
the punt, which Logie downed at the Donco 3 in the 2Q.� Later in the same quarter, Chidi almost made
another play to down the ball deep in Donco territory, but the play was
reviewed and his foot was on the GL as he lateraled the ball back.� A swat, vice a lateral, would have been the
preferred method here.� El had a solid
12-yard PR that set up shop in Donco territory in the 3Q.� Gardocki had the nice pooch punts in the 2Q,
although he shanked a pitiful 28-yarder in the 4Q.� McFadden made a big play to tackle Adams from behind on the long
KO return in the 4Q; otherwise, Adams might still be running.� B.�
OC:�
This was a good effort by the Wise Hunt.� He kept the Donco defense off balance and guessing, and he
exploited weaknesses.�� As I'd noted in
my pregame report, the Donco run D was strong; the pass D was suspect.� Wisely enough, The Wise Hunt took advantage
of the opponent's weakness, which is precisely what a coaching staff is
supposed to do at this level of football.��
There were some shortfalls, however.�
Lost amidst the glorious victory was inane play on 3d & 2 on the
very 1st series.� StupidHunt went into
the shitgun formation, which I absolutely detest for a power running team that
should be THRIVING on the PLAY-ACTION pass if it truly wants to pass on 3d
& 2.� On this play, Benji was
tentative, and then threw a horrific, softee out pass to Ward that should have,
given Bailey's pedigree and prowess, been INTd & returned for a Donco TD.� Thank the Lord that the ball caromed instead
off Chump's shoulder pads, and into Ward's hands for a key 1D.� It was foolish and premature of WiseHunt to
bring Bettis on 1st down at the Donco 14 on the 2nd series.� It wasn't anywhere close to the goal line,
and the resulting Neanderthal plunges by Bettis netted minus-1 and 3
yards.� I wasn't fond of the cutesy 3d
& 2 (another play out of the shitgun formation) early in the 4Q, which was
a slow developing flare pass to Ward (after he'd come around in a semi-fake end
around).� Lynch read and smelled the
play, and Benji was sacked, tacking 7 yards onto Reed's FG attempt.� Up 24-10, against a defense that we'd had
our way with all afternoon, this was no time for cutesy bullshit like this, and
as such, this play gets the infamous Gay Play o' the Day Award.� In retrospect, we should all be relieved
that there weren't any foolhardy, whaleshit-slow out passes to Jerame Tuman,
which killed this team in last year's AFCC when Harrison easily read the play
and ran the INT back for a crushing TD.�
In all, Wisehunt didn't go Neanderthal with blind plunging, and attacked
the soft pass defense of the Doncos.��
A-.
DC:�
Dick did a solid job of keeping the Donco offense from finding its
rhythm and from getting into comfy situations.�
He was obviously aided, of course, by the hefty lead the Stiller offense
provided, which then made his job as easy as shooting fish in a barrel.� They got soft in the 2H, calling off the
blitz, which didn't enamor me, but overall the D played solidly.� This grade would probably be higher if the D
had been more tested in a tighter ballgame.�
A-.�
HC:� For the
first time in any -- and I do many any of the previous 5 AFCCs --
Billy Cowher had his troops ready and raring right from the get-go.� Instead of blind, Neanderthal plunging and a
1940's-style offense, he allowed is QB to attack the porous secondary of the
Doncos.� He eschewed his favorite
defensive flavor -- vanilla -- and kept the Donco offense off balance.� Even the special teams didn't commit the
abortions that have been so prevalent under Cowher's playoff futilities.� The game plan did what it's supposed to do,
at this level and this deep in the playoffs -- take advantage of the opponent's
weaknesses, keep them off balance, and seize the initiative.� I thought there was too much turtling and
"settling" in the 2H, which, of course, is to be expected of
Billy.� It's precisely 10 years late
that this kind of quality coaching effort should have occurred, but it's better
late (very late) than never.� The way
this team is playing, and the way Benji is playing, it's doubtful that even
Billy Cowher can prevent them from winning it all, although that is the one
person that can, in fact, accomplish just that.��� C+.����� (just
kidding!!��� A.)���� J
Synopsis:�
On to Detroit for the Sup Bowl !!�
What made this game even better, was that my old next-door neighbor,
John from Colo contacted me early last week, and started the smack talk.� We talked smack back n' forth all week, via
email, voice-mail, and telephone.�
Attacking me where it hit my Stiller pride, he goaded me into betting on
the game.� I wanted the 4 points that
Vegas was giving, in case of a late Donco FG, but John wouldn't budge, so I
eventually had to take the Stillers even for 100 bucks.� Easiest 100 bucks I've ever made!� Thanks, John, you Donco homo !!!� Go hump a donkey, and get my check in the
mail, pronto!!� Additionally, after the
game, one of my best Stiller buds, Duck, calls me up -- haven't heard from him
in months -- and tells me he's moved back to my neck of the woods, and that he
lives just 3 miles away!� What a cap to
a great day!!���
As long as Billy Cowher doesn't cowher and pucker, a 5th
Lombardi trophy should be delivered to the Steel City soon after Feb.
5th!!��� We here at Stillers.com will do
our comprehensive breakdown -- analysis that can't be found anywhere
else at any source -- of the opponent, in this case, the Seattle
Seacawks.� Stay tuned and pound your
chests as you walk around work and recreational activities the next 13
days.� It's time for Stiller football in
the big show!� Make no doubt about it,
though -- this is a Stiller team is far superior to that of Seattle, and nothing
short of victory will be acceptable on Feb. 5th.�