Another
ugly, sloppy loss from the Stillers, getting lots of help from the Puckers in
order to ensure another road win, 20-10.�
Duce Staley was one of the few bright spots, showing no signs of any
knee injury.� The Stillers continue to
have problems rushing the passer, as the LB and DL only were able to sack Favre
ONCE, although it was a big one from McFadden forcing the fumble return for a
TD.
***
QB � Ugh, Maddox or Batch, pick your poison.�
I guess it really doesn�t matter as both will provide the same level of
performance, which is pretty low.� The
INT didn�t bother me as much as the continued failure to find the open
man.� I mean, do you think Hines Ward was
open only once all night?� Batch ran a
few times, and that was probably his only highlight.� Maybe they should pick up Kordell off
waivers? =)�
RB � Willie
Parker went down with an ankle, but only averaged 2.6 YPC on 5 carries before
doing so.� The Puckers had been averaging
3.4 YPC on defense, but Duce was able to average 5.0 YPC, running well, and
scoring a TD.� Duce did a great job and
will almost certainly start against the Browns.�
Staley and Parker combined for 3 catches�� WHOO HOOO!!!
WR/TE � Wow,
what a quiet night, but to be expected with Batch starting and will the
Stillers running the ball 67% of the time.�
The only thing that bothered me is that they only threw the ball to
Heath Miller twice (and only 4 times the week before).� In the previous 3 games before Ben went down,
they threw the ball to Heath 19 times, with awesome results.� The WRs only had TWO receptions all night.
OL � A slow
start, but played great in the 2nd half, providing Duce with some
pretty good holes.� Also, they only
allowed once sack; of course they got help from Batch, who avoided at least 2-3
sacks on his own.
DL � As
usual, a pretty good job against the run, but not much help with the pass
rush.� They only allowed 2.2 YPC from
Gado, and 65 rushing yards total.
LB � See DL�.decent
against the run, but not enough pressure on the QB.� I did not see any new blitzes and they only
got to Favre on the big fumble and runback for a TD.�
DB �
Coverage was a little better than last week, but they were facing a 2nd
string corps of WRs, with Driver the only real starter, and a #2 guy at
that.� Ironically, it was Driver that let
one clang off his hands resulting in an easy INT, and in effect sealing the win
for the Stillers.� That being said, they
did not give up any big pass plays, the longest being 25 yards, and they
stopped Favre from throwing a TD pass, which he does every game.
ST �
Kickoffs were OK, Reed hit 2 short FGs, and had a 51 yard blocked, but was not
his fault, as the Puckers got good penetration for the block.� Punts were OK.� The return game has been pretty solid all
year, not giving up a ton of big returns like a few years ago.
***
It looks like Ben will be out again next week against CLE, so Batch will get
another start and another chance to play better, which is crucial if he is
needed again down the stretch.� The
Stillers finally have a chance to pull even with Cinci as they will be on a
bye, and should be able to run down Cleveland�s throats, as their run defense
is pretty sad.� Hopefully they can stay
focused and not look past this one.
Go
Steelers!
