Bungals 38, Stillers 31 ���. Dec. 4, 2005 ����Game #12
Stillers-Bungals Postgame Analysis and Grades
Facing the loss of the AFC North crown, as well as likely elimination from the playoffs, the Stillers bowed out meekly at home, losing to the Cinci Bungals, 38-31. The Stillers had tied the score at 24 midway thru the 3Q, but two of their favorite bugaboos -- special teams and defense -- put the Stillers back into a 14-point deficit. The Stillers clawed back, but their late-game rally was aborted by the typical setbacks created by a ST hold, a false start and an offensive hold.
Grades:
QB: Benji had the sore thumb that created a such a stir during the week, but he zipped the ball around quite deftly from the first pass of the game. He led the Stillers to leads of 7-0 and 14-7, the second lead coming via a crisp slant pass to Morgan for a 25-yard TD. The next series, however, he was hit -- a bit late, in fact -- after a pass while on he run, and Ben jammed his hand in the turf as he fell, which visibly injected a stinging stream of pain into Ben's already-tender thumb. On the very next play, Benji foolish tried to jam a deep stop to Morgan, which fluttered and was picked off by Simmons. With Cinci getting the ball at the Pit 22, this was a costly turnover, as the Stillers relinquished the lead 6 plays later and never led again. Ben came back in the 2H, hitting Ward with a perfect pass up the seam for a 20-yard TD, as well as a laser pass to Ward on a crosser in the back of the EZ for a 6-yard score that tied the game at 24. Ben threw an INT off a slight overthrow of a bomb to Ward on a 3rd down pass, which I wasn't really that pissed about. The killer INT came midway thru the 4Q, when Ben rolled to his right and tried to hit Ward on a curl-out, in which rookie MLB Odell Thurman made a great read n' react -- something never seen by a Stiller linebacker, by the way -- in underneath coverage to pluck the INT. This set Cinci up near midfield, and 6 plays later, they scored the winning TD. In sum, Ben passed for a career high 386 yards (29 of 41), but also had the 3 picks. Plagued by an offense that has no idea how to fully utilize the tools at their disposal, Ben did all he could do and bravely toughed out the thumb injury with a gritty effort. B.
RB: Parker got the start, and finished with 15 rushes for 71 yards, which isn't shabby. He also had 1 grab for 11. He had good read and hole-hits on successive plays in the 3Q, gaining 7 and then 17 yards. On the down side, Parker also coughed up the ball twice today in the 2H, although his apparent guardian angel, Al Faneca, recovered the loose ball on both occasions. (The 2nd fumble actually gained another 13 yards for a 20-yard gain.) Parker's problem on the fumbles, which the coaching staff should have rectified at least 9 weeks ago, was that he was carrying the ball with his INSIDE hand. Parker was also blistered by rushing LB Landon Johnson on a 1Q pass play, which caused a throwaway by BenRoth. Doughboy Bettis got some work in relief, and responded with a whopping 13 yards on 8 carries, including an easy 1-yard TD. He also had 3 grabs for 24 yards. Duce Staley wasn't allowed to carry the ball at all on 1st or 2nd downs, because, after all, he was officially the "3rd down back", so in the 4Q, being stone cold and without ever touching the ball all game, Duce dropped a SG pitchout on 3rd & 3, which resulted in an 8-yard loss. Haynesie did not dress. B-.
FB: Kreider's PT was diminished, as it has been for weeks, by a plethora of 3 WR sets & 2 TE sets. Inc.
WR: Hines Ward had 2 TDs and 9 grabs for 135 yards, but oddly enough, this was a sour day for Hinesie that he'd just as soon forget. In the 2Q, he fumbled after a 7-yard gain on an end around, killing a drive that had progressed (at the spot of the fumble) to the Cinci 25-yard line. On the next series, on a 2d & 8 at the Cinci 10, Ward dropped an easy curl pass that was a wee-bit low but entirely catchable. At the very least, this would have given the Stillers 1st & goal at the 1, and quite possibly Ward would have squirmed into the EZ for a TD. Instead, two plays later, the Stillers settled for a FG on the last play of the 1H to make the score 21-17 Cinci. The Stillers finally got some other receivers to chip in. Wilson had a great leaping grab to spear the ball from a defender for a 41-yard gain late in the 2Q, but he also had a drop in the 2H. Randle El had 5 grabs, all for short yardage, and he also dropped a WR screen pass. Morgan had just 1 catch, but made the most of it by breaking 2 tackles for a 25-yard TD. The mistakes really hampered what was otherwise a decent outing. B-.
TE: Heath Miller was pretty busy, although he was busier pass-blocking than pass catching. He did manage 3 grabs for 44 yards, which dwarfs El's yard/catch production. Miller was steamrolled in pass pro on 3rd & 10 in the 1st series, which led to a forced throwaway. He did have a nice lead-block on Parker's 17-yard gallop. Jera-Lame Tuman caught a perfectly thrown pass for a 26-yard gain. A-.
OL: The line, after sucking ass the past couple of game, actually had a solid effort. The running game -- at least Parker, who gained 4.7 yards a crack -- found some holes to gash the Cinci defense, which has been soft against the run and was missing starting DE B. Robinson. The pass pro wasn't shabby -- Benji often had gobs of time, and there weren't any of the horrific whiffs that had caused instantaneous pressure recently. Penalties did hurt -- Faneca was flagged for a block to the back on a screen pass; Starks committed a false start on the final drive; and Essex committed a hold, also on the final drive, which negated a completion to Wilson. Al Faneca was Johnny-on-the-spot, recovering both of Parker's fumbles. Rookie OG Chris Kemo dressed, but did not play. B.
DL: The line had a so-so day, at best. Rudi routinely gashed his way through the line and into the 2nd level, gaining 98 yards on 21 carries. It says something about this D-line that their 2 biggest contributions were batted passes, both on dumps in the flat. (Smitty had 1, Keisel had the other.) Kimo had a stuff on a plunge, as did Hampton. Overall though, when you have a D-line on the field -- be it 2 or 3 men -- for all 64 plays, and no one does much on any play, you've got a group that needs some upgrading in the offseason. C.
LB: Just another lousy, half-hearted game by the crew that the 3-4 defense is designed for big plays.
Farrior and Foote were both as lousy a tandem as you can find in a single game in the NFL. Farrior moved as slow as Mark Bruner on a 3rd & 5 dump to TE Reggie Kelly in the 2Q, which netted 6 yards and a crucial 1st down deep in Stiller territory. 3 plays later, Farrior -- the "Winged God of Coverage" -- was back in coverage and moved as though he were carrying an anvil on his back, allowing the completion and RAC by TJ Housemanad for a key 6-yard TD. Larry SlowaFoote was simply abysmal. It's a disgrace that this guy is still a starter in the NFL for a team that supposedly prides itself in tough defense. Foote's run defense is anything but tough. He was mauled and manhandled the ENTIRE game. On Rudi's 17-yard dash in the 1Q, Foote was sealed off and then stuck to the blocker like Velcro. In the 2Q, SlowaFoote moved like James Farrior, getting torched by Kelly for the 1-yard TD pass. In the 3Q, Foote was blasted backward by RG Bobbie Williams, resulting in a 12-yard run by Rudi. Then, in the 4Q, Foote had an incredibly weak, Gildonesque arm-flail at Rudi, as he simply waved at Rudi without the slightest intent to tackle, and Rudi scampered for the game-clinching 14-yard TD score. It's a rather cruel fact that Cinci's rookie MLB -- who had a FF and a superb INT -- grossly outplayed both of the Stillers' veteran ILBs.
Haggans was somewhat active. He got a Dong sack when the coverage forced Palmer to eat the ball. He committed a foolish roughing the passer penalty in the 4Q, blasting Carson Lip-Balmer in the neck when he could have very easily shoved Balmer in the chest or shoulder pads. You'll hear a litany of cries and sobbing about how "Joey Porter was back in coverage the entire game", which is pure bullshit. He rushed at least 20 times, and did absolutely nothing, save the 1 time late in the 3Q when he rushed from the left and harassed Palmer into an incomplete pass. Porter was quiet as a church mouse and finished with 2 solos.
Overall, no pass harassment, no pass bust-ups, no forced fumbles or INTs, and very, very little hitting. Very piss poor. D.
DB: The secondary limited Palmer to 227 yards, which is a decent feat, but had no INTs and only a couple pass bust-ups. 2 of the TDs were really the fault of the LB corps, and the one other TD pass was simply an unbelievably great catch by Housemanad on a bomb in which Colclough had very good coverage but was out-reached for the pig. Sure, you'd like Colclough to get up and bust up that pass, but PJ made the better play, which is why I'd stated in my pregame that this guy is the 2nd-best #2 WR in the league, just behind Reggie Wayne. McFadden was incredibly soft in coverage on the 1st series, but on 4th & 4 at the end of that series, McFadd had a clutch bust-up on a pass to Henry. Townsend, in keeping with the meek brand of football promulgated by this defense, failed to come up the requisite 18 inches and deliver even the slightest blow to TJ Housemanad near the Stiller goal-line, which allowed PJ to go in untouched for the 6-yard TD catch. Ike spent much of the day soloed on Chad Johnson (with some help from Pola), and limited Chad to just 5 grabs for 54 yards. Pola was fairly quiet; he was picked up every time he blitzed and aside from a near-INT late in the game, did little. He did his patented no-arm tackle-dive near the end of Rudi's 14-yard TD run, which Rudi easily busted through for the TD. The marks all over Chris Hope's chest and back were from the cleats of Rudi Johnson running all over The Dope's chest and the grass stains as The Dope landed on his back. The Dope was trucked so often that he's already being courted by Mack and Volvo to wear their emblems on his uniform in a NASCAR-like advertisement. I'd worried in my pre-game as to whether or not The Hope had enough sense to take Rudi low, or to continue his foolish shoulder-grabbing follies. Dope, a former Academic All American (if you can believe that), chose the latter, and got trampled more often than a stuntman in a spaghetti western. In the 3Q, The Dope got trucked near the end of a 12-yard Rudi run. Then, in the 4Q, Dope got run over roughshod by Rudi on a 6-yard gain. Then there's the 14-yard TD run by Rudi that sealed the deal. The Dope came off the Stillers left side on a safety blitz, and untouched and unblocked, he had a PERFECT shot at Rudi, who was taking a HO up RT. Because The Dope has no concept whatsoever as to driving low at a ballcarrier's midsection, all The Dope did on this play was weakly wave at Rudi in pathetic fashion. Chris The Dope = D. All others = B-.
Spec teams: Just another normal day at the office for the Stiller STs -- plenty of slop, little hitting, and lots of bad results. The Stiller tied the game at 24 midway thru the 3Q, but on the ensuing KO, Tab Perry sauntered 94 yards to the Stiller 3. The 2005 season "highlight" film should include the image of Ike Taylor getting ridden, bronco-buster style, a full 27 yards by Perry at the end of this 94-yard KO return. You'd think a starting CB might have enough sense to nail the returner around the waist -- the way they teach you to do it back in 3rd grade -- rather than trying the absurd horsecollar that made Taylor look like TJ Hooker and his infamous holding on for dear life on the hood of a perpetrator's runaway car. Colclough contributed to this fiasco, failing to shove Perry OOB even though Perry was 2 inches from the chalk and Ricardo was well within arm's reach of Mr. Perry. Tabbitha also had a 46-yard jaunt on the KO return right after Q. Morgan's TD late in the 1Q. Pis Gardocki had a barf-laden 28-yard punt to the Cinci 22-yard line in the 4Q. Tyrone Carter had a hold on the punt return just prior to the final, last-gasp drive, which cost the Stillers 20-some yards in FP. Randle El did nothing in the PR department. One of the very few bright spots was Morgan's 35-yard KO return. D+.
OC: This obviously wasn't as horrific as last week "grab plays from the Cheeze-It box" by Cheezenhunt. There were some flaws, to be sure. Staley rotted, except on semi-infrequent insertions as the "3rd down back". In other words, the best all-around back on the roster played only as a token 3rd down back. The overuse of Heath Miller -- the team's 2nd-best all-around receiver -- as a pass blocker reached absurd proportions in this game. If Essex and Starks need help, get it from somewhere else. Imagine, Kellen Winslow or Ozzie Newsome or Tony Gonzalez spending half their time pass blocking. Miller, with his size, agility, and hands, could easily be catching 7 passes per game at this point of the season were it not for being continually tasked to pass block. This is really the football equivalent of taking Albert Pujols and forcing him to continually lay down sacrifice bunts, all in the name of "helping out a weakness". I've seen enough of this asinine stupidity and frankly, it outrages me almost as much as the loss itself. C.
DC: Dick is supposedly some omnipotent grandmaster, but time and time again, his defense gets shredded like the tomato in the Ginsu commercial. There's all kind of raving and fawning over his blitz packages, and today, what did those packages do? Jack shit NOTHING. Palmer was sacked once on a coverage sack and was only rarely harassed. In the 2Q, on a 3d & 11, Pola and Farrior blitzed, and while they did NOTHING, Palmer calmly completed a 17-yard pass to Henry. Then, there's the broken coverage that allowed TJ Housemanad to be WIDE open on a deep crosser in the EZ midway thru the 2Q. Luckily, the pass was low and incomplete. Then there's the horrific, piss-poor tackling technique consistently displayed by Hope, Ike, and others. When, exactly, does Dick plan on rectifying such grade-school technique? Sadly, it appears the game has passed Dick by. D.
HC: Cowhard was never (and never will be) good at tactics and strategy, but at least the sorry bastard could be counted on to whip his team into a frothing rage, especially at home and especially after a brutal assbeating. So here were the Stillers, coming off 2 pitiful losses and playing at home, and the biggest hit issued all day was when one of the players thumped his fist on the button of the water fountain inside the Stiller locker room. Particularly on the D-side of the ball, the hitting was meek, feeble, and flaccid, just like the head coach. BenRoth -- aka The Franchise -- nearly had both his knees taken out by Odell Thurman after he released a 2Q pass, and sadly enough, no one on this soft, gutless football team retaliated. Back in the day, the Stiller rallied around a cheap shot like that and hunted bear and kicked some ass. Now, they do some woofing and gesturing, but nothing more. Not only is Cowhard letting his team down in the tactical department, but his message and motivation has also quite obviously lost its impact. In the catbird's seat 4 week's ago, Cowhard's team has collapsed with a 3-game losing streak. It's gotta be a wonderful luxury to have lifetime employment and to never have to fret or worry about a surefire playoff team massively underachieving. D.
Synopsis: A very sorry, shameful home loss in a do-or-die situation. There never once seemed to be that sense of urgency -- in the way of hustle and hitting -- that you'd expect from a veteran-laden football team that was supposedly fighting for its very playoff life. Obviously, the division crown now rests in the Queen City. All that the Stillers can pray for now is to squeak into a wild card spot, which won't be easy, with a rugged game next week versus Da Bears, followed by a game at Minn against the red-hot Vikes and a Christmas Eve game at Cleveland, a team that would love nothing more than to beat its bitter rival. Even if the Stillers squeak into the playoffs, being a wild card team is hardly the recipe for success for a Billy Cowher-coached club. After all, Cowhard is 0-3 on the road in his playoff career. Should playoff elimination come earlier than later, the Stillers absolutely must get some long looks at youngsters, to include Chris Kemo, Brett Keisel, and Andre Frazier.