Stillers18, Cinci 16 ....Jan 9, 2016…………AFC Wild Card
Stillers-Bungals Postgame Analysis and Grades
The Stillers visited the Bungals in the season rubber match. The Stiller had what appeared to be a comfy 15-0 lead to start the 4Q, but as is their wont, they pissed away the lead in the 4Q, with Cinci leading late by 1. Laundry Jones then threw a late INT, giving Cinci the ball at the PIT 26 with only 1:36 remaining. Sure, the Stillers had all 3 TOs, but at this point, Cinci only needed to kneel on the ball 3 times and force PIT to burn all 3 TOs, and then either boot a FG or perhaps run the ball (with a QB) and waste some time on 4th down. Instead, they ran the ball with a RB, coughing it up and giving it back to the Stillers. Cinci then aided the late FG drive, committing not 1 but two15-yard penalties to give Boswell a chippie game-winning FG. What a bizarre ending. Click here to read a recap on the anatomy of a meltdown.
QB:
Ben had a rocky 18 of 31 outing, albeit the rain made gripping and throwing a challenge. Held ball forever and took a sack, mid 2Q. Nice throw on deepish flag to AB, late 2Q. Threw a horrendous pass near the GL, late 2Q, in which the LB, Rey, simply dropped a cake-easy INT. Came back from the late-3Q shoulder injury and gutsily led the late-game march. A-
Jones – underthrew AB on a key 3rd down lob, 3:47 4Q. Threw a horrendous INT late in the game. C-
RB:
DeAngelo – did not dress, due to the foot injury.
Toussaint – started in place of DW. Solid 9 yard run, 2nd series. Had another 9-yard run, 3rd series. Then had a nice catch-and-run for 27 yards on 3d & 2. Showed nice quickness on a 16-yard valve dumpoff, late 2Q. Dropped a short dumpoff, late 2Q. Clutch grab on 3d & 2, 0:47 4Q. Finished with 17 carries for 58 yards and 4 grabs for 60. Helluva an effort. A
Todman – made 2 nice cuts on a nifty 14-yard run, 1Q. Good bounce wide, late 2Q, gained 8. Ripped off a nice run, 4Q. Had 11 rushes for 65 yards in a very solid effort. A
FB:
Nix – out on IR.
Will Johnson – no noticeable PT on offense. Got injured (ham).
WR:
Brownie – dropped a short pass, late 2Q. Had a superb RAC on a 3D short pass, late 3Q, gaining 60 yards. Took a late-game head-shot from Burfict that rightfully drew a 15-yard flag. Had 7 grabs for 119. A-
Pinkie Wheaton – Grabbed a WR screen, 2Q, and along with timid running, coughed up the ball to the Bungals. Held onto a deep seamer (24 yards), late 2Q, despite a brutal head-hit that was flagged for a hit on a defenseless player. Had 2 grabs for 23. C+
Bryant – Caused an illegal formation penalty, 2Q, when he failed to line up on the LOS. Took an end around, 3Q, and cut it back for a huge gainer of 44 yards. Spectacular TD grab, with a juggling flip, in the back of the EZ, 3Q. Had 5 grabs for 29. The TD was simply huge. A-
Heyward-Bey – dropped a low but catchable 3rd down pass on the 1st series. Very poor. Had no grabs.
TE:
Miller – solid blocking. Had 2 grabs for 9 yards. B-
Jesse James – saw some PT. Not involved at all in the passing game.
OL:
Villenueva – Had a solid game.
Foster – On a 3d & 6, early 2Q, stupidly went to help Wallace when none was needed, and a blitzing DB shot thru the gap for an easy sack of Ben. Completely brainless. Flagged for a boneheaded dead ball personal foul, late 2Q. C+
Wallace – got tooled by Mauluga on a running play, 1Q, which was stuffed for no gain. Flagged for a hold, late 3Q. C+
DeCastro – pulled on the 2nd play of the game, and got stood up and blasted by Burfict; Toussaint lost 1 yard. Nice !! Provided some adequate blocking. B
Gilbert – Fat Marcus got tooled and abused by Burfict oln the sack that injured Big Ben. Not satisfied with that pile o’ maure, Fat Marcus then got abused, forcing a sack of Jones in the 4Q. D
DE:
Heyward – stripped the QB of the ball, 2Q, although Cin recovered. This was his only solo. Solid job of run support. B
Tuitt – had 1 solo, 2 As. Decent run support and harassment. B
McLendon – saw some PT and had a solo.
Fat Cam – fortunately, rarely played. Recovered the fumble, early 3Q. The ground shook as this fatass tried to rumble with the pigskin.
LB:
Timmons – Solid game in run support. Had 2 solos and 2 As. B
Shaquier – Good run stop, 1st series. Nearly had a sterling INT, late 2Q. Stuffed a run, 3:52 3Q. Brutal stick of Bernard on a 3d & 9 dumpoff, late 3Q, holding the RB short of the sticks and causing a fumble that he himself recovered. A simply outstanding play. Forced a throw-away, late 4Q. Stripped the ball for a late-game turnover. Should have been flagged for using the crown of his helmet on the hit that knocked out Bernard. Had 9 solos, 4 in a stellar game, one that we’ve not seen since the big game against SF early this season. A
Harrison – Got a Dong Sack, 1Q, after McQueerman was flushed out of the pocket. Had 3 solos in a quiet effort.
Jones – JarStiff finally did something big, stripping the QB of the ball, early 3Q, for a huge turnover. He was also involved in the stop of Hill whre Shaz had the late-game strip. Solid game with 2 solos and 2 As. B+
Dupree – crashed in untouched and stopped a run, early 2Q. Had 2 solos and 1 A. B-
Moats – abused by Eifert on a 3rd down conversion, 4Q. Didn’t do much. C+
Vinnie W. – saw a little PT.
DB
Will Allen – feebly whiffed on a tackle at the LOS of Hill, early 3Q, which turned into a 38-yard run. Had some ok run support. B-
Mitchell – attempted a faggot-like tackle of Eifert on a 3d & 12 screen, 1Q, which Eifert easily busted thru and got the 1st down. Another shit play by a pilo-shit player. Easily shoved out of the way on the 38-yard run by Hill, early 3Q. Far too slow and late to provide coverage on n 18-yard completion to AJ Green, mid 3Q. Like a complete asshumper, Big Mike tried to take AJ Green up HIGH, and feebly whiffed, thereby allowing Green to score a TD late in the 4Q. A completely dog shit play by a dog shit player. Had 2 measly solos in a weak-assed effort. F
Golden – busted up a 3rd down pass, 1Q.
Gay – Flagged for a hold, 3Q. Had some struggles with soft coverage.
Blake – Grabbed a Dong INT on an underthrown quail, 2Q. Far too soft on Sanu, early 3Q, on a 3D reception. Had a chance to INT a rotten pass, early 3Q, but failed to haul it in. Was picked on a fair amount.
Sharko Thomas – Not permitted to play on D,
Boykin – good stop of Sanu after a short grab, early 2Q. Saw some PT, but not enough.
Cockrell – recovered the late fumble by Hill.
Spec teams:
Berry – dogshit punt from his own EZ, first play of 4Q, that only looked adequate (41 yards) because of the 8+ yard roll he got on it. C+
Boswell – Booted 4 FGs, including the game winner. Solid Kos. A+
AB – nothing on punt returns.
Wheaton – meekly returned a late-game KO all the way……to his own 14. He’s just so fast and elusive.
For the third (yes, third!) time this season, Sharko Thomas was flagged for punt-catch interference.
Vinnie had a good solo stop on the 2H KO. Also had a solo stop of JacMan Jones on a late-game punt return that nearly went to the house.
OC:
3d & 5, 2nd series : piss-ant screen to Miller, which was stopped easily after just 3 yards.
2d & 10, Cinci 12, 47 secs left in the half…..and Haley calls a ling plunge….! It gained nothing, and worse, it wasted a down and a TO.
The 3rd down conversion percentage was atrocious, as was the paltry 15 points (before the penalty-aided late drive). The rain hampered things, of course, but hardly impressive. C+
He’s not the OC, but Mike Assmunch, the O-line coach, drew a silly, moronic dead-ball unsp. conduct flag in the 1Q when he moronically engaged a Bengal after the Bengal had accidentally run into him after making a stop. What an ass-munch.
DC:
In a LeBeau-like manner, Assler got to face an inept backup (GayJay McQueerman) for the SEVENTH consecutive game. Combined with the monsoon, Assler had an easy time. Of course, he folded like a cheap lawn chair come the 4Q, and pissed away a comfy 15-pointlead. Giving up 2 4Q TDs – which is what Dick did in the last Sup Bowl win – plus a FG in the 4Q is hardly a recipe for success. C
HC: With all the post game attention on Cinci’s lack of discipline, Mike Dumblin oversaw a rash of poor discipline, with 10 penalties called on his club. Thomas commits punt-catch interference for the 3rd time this season. The defense draws a silly-assed celebration unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the Gay TD that was over-turned anyway. These silly celebration penalties have happened, what, about 9 times this season….? A D-side assistant coach wanders out onto the field when AB gets hurt, just to chirp and yap at the opposing team. By Porter being out there, Stoogelin tacitly approved of it, and it could have been a flag on the Stillers had Porter retaliated and the ref thrown a flag on him rather than JacMan.
And let us not forget – this is the SEVENTH consecutive game Stoogelin has enjoyed facing a backup QB. Seventh.
Dumblin had pissed this game away, and only the kind give-aways by Cinci enabled Stoogelin to avoid another year of playoff disgrace. D
Synopsis: I reckon this one will be known as, “The Grand Giveaway By Cinci”. A flimsy win, all at the gracious mercy of the Bungals. It was nice to quiet the boorish fans of Cinci, who threw water bottles at Ben as he was carted off the field. I’m not going to fawn and praise a win in which the opponent merely needed to kneel on the ball and force PIT to burn all their TOs, and then silly penalties gifted the Stillers into chippie FG range. Me, I won't praise and fawn over a gift-win that was gifted by a careless, irresponsible opponent. Fact is, starting the 4th Qtr, the Steelers had a 15 point lead, in the rain, against a backup greenhorn QB, and managed to urinate the lead by allowing 2 TDs and a FG. Just ghastly, no matter what kind of quibble and rationalizing the fawners will propose. Off to Denver, where Tomlin had his ass handed to him by (hold your laughter, please) Little Timmy Tebow.
(Still Mill and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close….)
Follow Mill on Twitter, at StillMill1