Stillers 38, Balt.�
7� ���. Nov. 5, 2007 ����Game
#8��
Stillers-Ravens Postgame
Analysis and Grades
The
Stillers hosted the BrownRavens on MNF, combining this prime time event with a
75th anniversary celebration that included the 75th Anniversary Team. �These 2007 Stillers honored the past by
displaying the kind of dominance and tenacity showed by those great 70�s teams,
giving the PoeBirds a thorough, brutal, total assbeating en route to a 38-7
victory.��
Grades:
QB:�
Benji had a career evening, tossing 5 TDs in the 1st half and finishing
the nite 13 of 16 along with the 5 TDs.�
He began the game well enough, scrambling and then hitting Ward for a
15-yard completion.� He was merely
warming up, and soon caught fire after the 1st drive.� He performed a Houdini Act on the 1st TD pass, shrugging off
Trevor Pryce and then spotting and hitting Miller in the EZ for the TD.� He fired a perfect TD strike to Holmes later
in the 1Q.� In the 2Q, Benji eluded
Suggs and fired a deep pass to Nate for a 30-yard TD.� Ben hit Holmes in stride on a deep ball for a 35-yard TD, and
finished off the TD-fest with a nice out to Nate on a bootleg for a 7-yard
TD.� Benji nearly poured water on the
big win with an injured hip midway thru the 3Q, but shook it off and came back
in during the 4Q for a couple plays.�
Batch played in mop-up relief and threw one pick on a pass that sailed
on him.�� All in all, a superb 5-TD nite
for Benji.��� A+��
RB:�
With a heavy downpour before the game and early in the game, which
followed the Pitt-Syracuse game on Saturday, the Heinz Field turf was its
typical November sod-spurting bog and Parker found the going slippy and
difficult.�� Willie toted the ball 23
times for a meager 42 yards, though much of it was in garbage time in the
2H.� On the first TD pass to Holmes,
Parker had a superb blitz pickup on Ray Ray, which allowed Benji the time and
room to release the pass to Holmes.� Who
said a RB has to be a 260-pound lardass to be an effective blocker??�� Parker had a rare reception and dashed for a
nice 17-yard gain in the 2Q.� Davenport
toted the ball 11 times, mostly in garbage time.�� B-.�
FB: Kreider got the start and threw a
crushing lead block on the opening play, though it gained only2 yards.� He played sparingly during the game.� He dropped a possible TD pass from Batch in
the 3Q.� Davis saw some PT at FB and
toted the ball a few times in garbage time.��
B.�
WR:�
Santonio had a huge game, grabbing 2 TDs en route to a 4 grab, 110-yard
game.� (27.5 yards per catch!)�� Neither TD grab was a gimme, and Holmes
deserves credit for strong concentration and focus.� Holmes also had a tenacious block late in a play in the 1st
half.�� Nate superbly chipped in with 3
grabs and 2 TDs.� Hines was almost the
odd man out, catching 4 passes for a rather paltry 28 yards and no TDs.� Rest assured, though -- Hines was involved
and chipper.� He had a great block that
went almost unnoticed in the 2Q, pancaking Bart Scott after a short dumpoff to
Parker.� A short while later, Ward
scored another pancake, decleating Fred Reed with a devastating block !!�� Who-hoo!!!��� Surely Jack Splat Lambert and Mel Blount loved seeing
this!!��� Ced Wilson, oddly enough, was
held off the scoresheet.�� A.�
TE:�
Miller opened the scoring with a 17-yard TD grab.� His other catch netted minus-1 yard.� Speath was held off the scoresheet.� The blocking was ok at times, and poor at
times.�� B.�
OL: An ok evening against the ravenous
Ravens front 7.� The running game
sputtered, although as noted, Parker had severe problems with the shoddy turf
of Heinz Bog.�� Still, there was a lot
of leakage and difficulties at time in getting hat-on-hat in the run
blocking.� Boners were numerous, as
follows:�
���������� - Colon failed to down-seal on a
Parker run in the 1Q, resulting in Bannan dropping Parker for a 3-yard
loss.�
���������� - Marvel Smith foolishly helped
Faneca block a SINGLE rusher in the 2Q, while 2 defenders very obviously rushed
from the outside and overwhelmed Davis for a sack by Sapp.�
���������� - Bart Scott literally ran roughshod
over KenDoll Simmons in the 2Q, dropping Parker for a 2-yard loss.
���������� - KenDoll lunged like a complete
simpleton at Suggs late in the 2Q, which allowed Suggs to easily prance by and
drop Ben for a sack.�
���������� - To add to the woes, Simmons and
Colon were both flagged for holding (each penalty was declined), and Colon had
a false start.��
There were
a few bright spots.� Colon had a nice
influence block on the bootleg TD pass to Nate in the 2Q.� Ben had sufficient time and room to throw
the deep ball to Holmes for the TD in the 2Q.�
Parker garnered some solid yardage on a few runs in the 1st half.� This was a difficult front 7 to block, but
the O-line still has ways to go for this team to dream of a title.� B-.�
DL:�
A solid evening, including the bottling of Willis McGayboy, aside from
the long TD run.��� Kirschke started in
place of Eason -- who struggled mightily last week -- and did okay.�� However, Kirschke was totally CAVED IN on
the McGayboy TD run, getting mauled and shoved into NT Chris Hoke, which opened
a cavernous hole.� Keisel was fairly
disruptive.� He shoved the center back 4
yard and forced a throw-away in the 1Q, and applied solid pressure
throughout.�� Hampton was fairly
quiet.�� Aaron Smith did not dress.� B+
LB:�
I don�t need to elaborate all that much about what a whale of an evening
Jamie Harrison had.�� I don�t need to,
but I will.� The guy was a demonic
terror tonite, thoroughly tearing apart and ravaging anything and everything in
his way.� His stupendous evening
consisted of:
���������� - Stripped McHair and then, instead
of prancing and woofing the way some LBs are prone to do after a big
play, dug into a scrum and came up with the recovery.
���������� - Blew up a 3rd & 2 plunge by McGayboy, which forced him to cut back and then get stripped by Polamalu.
���������� - Forced an intentional
grounding� early in the 2Q
���������� - Stripped McNair in the 2Q, and
then, instead of prancing and woofing the way some LBs are prone to do after a
big play, went after McGayboy (who�d recovered the fumble) and tackled him,
resulting in a 17-yard loss.
���������� - Plucked a superb INT of McHair, and
then, to add salt into the wound, landed on top of Derrick MasonJar and
flattened him at the end of the INT�
return.
���������� - Beat Jon Ogden and dropped McHair
(along with Haggans) late in the 2Q
���������� - Shed the block of a pulling guard
and dropped McGayboy for a 3-yard loss in the 3Q.�
���������� - Sacked McHair on the last play of
the 3Q.�
In all,
Jamie Harrison displayed the kind of intensity, ferocity, toughness, and hustle
not seen by any player wearing # 92 in the entire 75-year history of the
Pittsburgh Stillers.�� And, all in all,
this was one of the greatest single-game efforts ever by any Stiller
defender in the proud 75-year history of the franchise.�����
���������� Other LBs chipped in.� Clark Haggans wasn�t chopped liver.� He applied relentless, hell-bent pressure
all evening.� He vaulted over McGayboy
and, cut in mid-air, was toppled like a pinwheel while rushing McHair in
the 3Q.� Hagg was shaken up, but came
back and had another near-pinwheel in the 4Q while vaulting towards the
QB.� Farrior had 6 solos in a solid
effort.� Foote was far too quiet,
finishing with 2 lame assists and zero solos, along with a fairly feeble effort
on McGayboy�s TD jaunt.�����
Harrison:� A++�� All others:� B.�
DB:��
The secondary shut down the PoeBird passing attack, although the
Ratbirds� longest completion all nite was 9 yards.�� Pola, who�d been far, far too quiet this season, burst out of
this semi-slump with an active game.� He
flashed up and dropped McGayboy for a 3-yard loss in the 1st series.� Then, he stripped McGayboy on the 3d & 2
plunge, giving the Stillers the football in Raven territory.� Pola also had a nice haul-down of McGayboy
on a wide run early in the 3Q.� Pola,
had a big stick on Sypniewski late in the 3Q.�
Ike had a near INT on the 1st series.�
Townsend was around the ball quite a bit.� The lone downer was Anthony Smith getting stiff armed into the
dirt by McGayboy en route to the long TD run.�
Hopefully the young safety learned a lesson about foolishly going high
in the NFL.���� McFadden finally
returned from injury and played some.�
B.�
Spec
teams:� Another spotty outing.�� Sepulveda�s 1st punt rolled into the EZ for
a TB.� Figurs gained 33 yards on a KO
return in the mid 2Q, and then Smith gained 52 yards late in the 2Q thanks to
shoddy KO coverage.� Woodley or Frazier
(hard to tell) was simply crushed and flattened on this return.� Frazier was flagged for a hold on a 1Q punt
return, and Arnie Harrison was flagged for ineligible man DF later in the� quarter.�
Rossum was flagged for a mask on the long smith KO return, and an
unknown blunderer was whistled for holding on a late Rossum punt return.�� There were a few bright spots.� Jamie Harrison, of course, helped Kriewalt
on the stop in punt coverage, in which Harrison nearly ripped Figurs� head
off.�� Due to the Arnie penalty, the
Stillers had to re-punt, and with Figurs trying to re-attach his noggin, Fred
Reed was sent back to field the punt.�� Reed
found some room, but then was met head on by a cement roller known as
Jamie Harrison, who put hat on football and popped the ball up into the air a
good 15-feet.�� Gay had a decent stop in
KO coverage in the 3Q.�� Reed showed
good toughness after his 3Q FG, literally going after a Raven that had pulled
and tossed snapper Greg Warren to the ground.��
Like the O-line, this phase of the team needs severe improvement if this
team is to compete for a title.��
C.�
OC:�
It�s hard to find flaw with an offense that scored 5 TDs in the 1st
half.� Of course, this absolutely must
be kept in perspective.� Thanks to the
Ratbird gratuity, the five Stiller TD drives started at midfield or
better.�� The PoeBirds were missing both
starting CBs, meaning the Stillers were facing Ricardo Colclough-type fodder at
CB.�� Some day, I�d still like to see
the vaunted no-huddle offense that Arians crowed about all summer long.����� 2 rushing first downs (1 in garbage
time) by the Stiller offense leave me a bit underwhelmed.� Inc.�
DC:�
Dick had the luxury of facing a Ray Sherman-like offense that utterly
refused to throw the ball downfield.��
Armed with the large lead, the defense was able to pin its ears back and
attack the hobbled McHair.�� Mel Blount
said it best when he� described the
Raven offense as �embarrassing� and �pretty pathetic� when interviewed on the
sideline in the 3Q.�� It�s rather hard
to gauge the defense�s overall capability when facing such an anemic offense.�� Inc.�
HC:� What a
difference a year makes.� Last year, the
team was led (sic) by a disinterested mailman that allowed sloth, slumber, and
lethargy en route to 2 severe assbeatings at the hands of these same
Ratbirds.�� This year, with real
leadership at the helm of the Stillers, the focused, energetic, hungry Stillers
manhandled these same Ratbirds.� Tomlin
once again deserves enormous credit for getting maximum effort and focus out of
this club in this critical divisional victory.��� The downer for Tomlin was his bizarre, totally asinine
insistence at keeping Boethlisberger in the game, and then, stupidly enough,
putting THE FRANCHISE back into the game after Ben had limped off
with a hip injury on the shove by Suggs.��
At the half, up 35-7 against the 3-yard-and-a-cloud-of-dust PASSING
offense of the Ravens, this game was OVER.��
Okay, Tomlin wanted to give Ben a token series in the 3Q.� That got done, and once the Ravens punted
for the SECOND time in the 3Q, the quarter was halfway over and the Stillers,
with the ball at their own 44, still had the 28 (TWENTY EIGHT) point lead
against the team ranked 25th in the NFL in scoring.� The situation SCREAMED for Batch, who hadn�t
thrown a single pass all season, to enter the game for some mop-up work as well
as to scrape off some well-accumulated rust.��
Nope, Ben came in and was soon shoved to the turf after a long pass to
Holmes, apparently injuring his hip.��
Batch FINALLY came into the game, but inexplicably, Ben came back into
the game early in the 4Q for 3 plays before finally sitting for good.�� Like the Pats and Colts, there is 1 player
that is absolutely, undeniably irreplaceable for the Stillers, and it is the
starting QB.�� Keeping Ben in the game
to prove �toughness� and �standing up to the Ravens� and �supporting his
O-line� is all unadulterated horseshit.��
We handed the PoeBirds their ASSES, on a purple platter, with the 1st
half manhandling, to include brutal PANCAKE blocks by Hines Ward and FIVE
(count �em, FIVE) TDs against the supposedly vaunted Raven defense.� There was nothing else to prove, and in this
case, discretion was the far better part of valor.�� Billick and Baltimore would have laughed their asses off all the
way back to Baltimore had Ben been seriously injured and lost for the season --
and we�d have been up shit creek without a paddle -- all because the
loud-mouthed Ravens goaded the Stillers into some foolish, dumbassed, senseless
bravado.����� Preparation, focus, and
enforcement of energy: A+.�� In-game
decision making, to include insistence of keeping Roth in the game to get injured:�� D-���
Synopsis:�
Another big win, this one over the much-hated PoeBirds.�� This was every bit as thorough and dominant
as the beating of Seattle last month.��
Of course, a week after that flawless win, the Stillers went out and
laid a collective egg against the Doncos.��
We�ll have to see how well the Stillers handle prosperity this week
against the hated Browns.�
(Still Mill and
Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no
one else comes close�.)