Stillers 34, Clev 7 ���. Sep 9, 2007 ����Game #1
Stillers-Browns Postgame Analysis and Grades
The Stillers invaded BrownieLand to begin the Mike Tomlin regime, and came through with a resounding inaugural victory by thrashing the hapless Brownies, 34-7.
Grades:
QB: BenRoth was spotty at times, and faced some harassing rushes that forced a few throwaways. On the plus side, all 4 TDs were nice throws, most impressive of which was the deep ball to Holmes for a 40-yard score. The short lob to Ward in the back of the EZ wasn�t shabby, either. The Ugly Duckling play by Ben was the 1Q 3rd & goal bootleg-right in which he lobbed an off-kilter pass in the general direction of Tuman that was nearly INT�d. Ben also held the ball too long on a pass play after the 2Q 2-min warning, which resulted in a sack. Alas, Benji�s improv on the little dumpoff to Daven that netted 17 yards was the Benji we all know and like. Overall, a solid start of the season, but Ben himself knows he�ll need to play better against the better defenses he�ll face down the road. B+.
RB: Parker had some tough sledding at times, but turned it on the 2H by ripping off some nice chunks of yardage. He ruined a screen play in the 1Q, cutting inside directly into traffic rather than outside where the blocking was, which netted a 2-yard loss. He also had a pitiful fumble deep in Clev territory off of a lukewarm poke as he was going down. This enraged me to no end. Daven had perhaps one of the worst first halves in Steeler history, dropping 2 passes and missing a couple of blitz pickups. At that point, I was ready to waive him right then and there. He somehow picked it after halftime, culminating with a tremendous effort on a 3rd & 8 dump off, spinning, churning, and plowing for a dozen extra yards en route to a 17-yard gainer. B.
FB: Davis was the notional starter but didn�t play all that much. Kreider some limited work. If this game is an indication of anything, apparently the FB is truly being phased out of the offense. Inc.
WR: Ward and Holmes came through with clutch plays that scored 6. Ward�s TD was a superb combo of hands and getting 2 feet in bounds, and reminded me of Chris Carter. Holmes did drop a pass late in the 2Q, and also fumbled a ball on a reverse with the ball luckily rolling OOB. Cedric had a quality run on a reverse in the 2H for huge yardage. Besides Holmes� drop/fumble, the 1 downer were the 2 penalties. Ward was flagged for a late hit on the strong Davenport RAC, flattening Holly after the whistle. Of course, any time you can punish and smash Clev in the mouth, it�s enjoyable, but had this been a tight game against a quality foe, this penalty could have been costly. Nate was unjustly flagged for a hold at the end of Cedric�s long run; Nate was bullying the defender and the hapless defender simply grabbed onto Nate and somehow drew the flag. Reid was deactivated. B+.
TE: The TEs were ignored in the 1H, aside from the near disaster mentioned above on the pass to Tuman. They were heavily involved in the 2H, though, with Miller and Speath catching TD passes. Speath really impressed me on his TD, showing good pattern-running skill and the kind of cleverness a TE needs in order to get open in the tight confines of the red zone. A.
OL: Some good, some lousy. Ben faced a lot of fast harassment based on blown assignments and shoddy blocks. On a 3rd & 7 late in the 1Q, Smith had a miscommo that resulted in Wimbley crashing in untouched. The run blocking was sporadic. Mahan struggled and absolutely must play better. Colon committed both penalties by the O-line, getting flagged for offsetting unsportsmanlike and a false start. It wasn�t a terrible game, but clearly this crew has got to gel and play better. B-.
DL: The starting crew of Smith, Keisel, and Hampton had a very solid game, and every backup got in the act as the staff rotated continuously to combat the heat. Smith trucked a blocker to drop Fry on the 1st series. The run stuffing was strong, although the Clev O-line is a bit south of good. A.
LB: A solid game, with Farrior and Jamie Harrison leading the charge. Farrior had a big FF of Lewis in the 1H, although he dropped an easy INT in the 3Q. Harrison led all defenders with 7 solos and was active throughout. Who, uh, was the big fearmonging linebacker that Harrison had to replace? Funny, I can�t recall the stiff�s name. Haggans chipped in adequately. He was held in a ridiculous manner in the 2H with no flag thrown. Timmons and Woodley played only sparingly. B+.
DB: lke, released from the shackles of Billy Cowhard�s absurd doghouse, had a strong game, snaring an INT and flashing in on a corner blitz to drop the QB. DeShea helped set the tone early with an INT of Fry. Ty Carter dropped an INT late in the 2Q on a tough chance. Tony Smith had a FF in the 4Q to seal the game. Pola was somewhat quiet, although he was used all over the field. McFadden was flagged for a hold and had some problems with Winslow. The grade would be higher if the Browns had any sort of competency at QB. B.
Spec teams: A pleasant surprise -- no penalties, no turnovers , and no boners by the STs. Rossum was flawless returning punts and kicks, and had a nice KO return and solid 10-yard punt return. Sepulveda was nothing short of superb, pinning Clev on their own 2 and then their own 5. Reed may be tested for banned substances, as his KOs were mostly boomed deep into the EZ. Reed was also 2-2 on FGs. The coverage teams were fairly decent. In all, a day for STs not seen in probably the last 15 years. A+.
OC: Arians struggled to find any rhythm in the 1H, with the offense going 1 for 8 in 3D conversions. Arians� overt love affair with the screen was quite evident, stopping just short of announcing the screens over the stadium loudspeaker. I did very much like the PAP deep post to Holmes directly after the Lewis fumble; this kind of dagger is what produces champion contenders. There was also a nice march down the field for a key TD to start the 3Q; after the sporadic 2Q it was nice to see the offense string together a sustained march. B.
DC: LeBue celebrated his 70th birthday with a cupcake; that is, a cupcake offense. It�s certainly not his fault, of course. The D looked all right, although the pass rush was often feeble and meek. Winslow once again ate the defense alive. Clearly the D will be tested much more against the better offenses on the slate. B.
HC: Billy who? Who was the disinterested lout that pissed away last season?? Tomlin started his career with an impressive bang, with the team focused, fired up, and ready to play. No opening day slop n� slather, which was a near perennial staple for Bilbo Cowher. The STs in particular were sharp and effective. The only negative here was the bizarre insistence on keeping Parker in the game in the 4Q with the game well in hand, and not only keeping him in the game, but continually plowing him into the line on entirely meaningless line plunges. The offense took over at its own 15, with 12 secs left in the 3Q and the Stillers up 31-7. The rain was coming down and the chance of a Clev comeback was roughly equivalent of gasoline prices falling below $2 per gallon next week. Yet there was Parker, toting the ball 7 (seven) times on this entirely meaningless drive. Perhaps it made sense to get some reliable yardage since the LOS was on the 15. Bu the offense got 1st downs on the Pit 32; the Pit 47; and the Cle 22, and each time, Parker came back for more pounding and chance at injury. The 2 carries after the offense gained a 1st down on the Cle 22, with 9:54 remaining in the game, were as asinine as it comes. At this point, all the offense needed to do was kneel on the ball 3 times and allow Reed to practice his FG kicking. Instead, Parker actually carried twice at this point before finally giving way to Davenport and Davis. Parker is arguably the one Steeler that cannot be replaced, and senseless plunging late in a 24-point blowout left me enraged. Still, overall, a fine debut for Tomlin and we can all be assured of many more victories down the road. A-.
Synopsis: Any beating of the Browns is enjoyable, and after last season�s sour taste that had lingered for 9 months, this win was as enjoyable as most. Next up, a home game against a solid Buffalo team.
(Still Mill and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close�.)