Stillers 21, Da Bears 9 ���. Dec. 11, 2005 ����Game
#13�
Stillers-Bears Postgame
Analysis and Grades
The
Stillers braved the cold, snowy weather and easily dispatched an overrated
Bears team, 21-9, in a workmanlike manner.�
Grades:
QB:�
Benji had the gloves on and thumb wrapped, and had a solid overall
game.� He completed only 13 passes --
most on short flings -- but netted 173 yards of passing.� He got away with a couple poor passes that
sailed or wobbled and could have been INT'd.�
He also threw a poor pass on a 3d & 5 out to Morgan that was way
off, and a poor 3d & 5 pass to Wilson in the 3Q that was way too high.� He rifled a bullet to ARE on 3d & 14 in
the 3Q, which gained 15 yards, and also connected with Morgan on a key 3d &
9.�� The 3 TD marches were of decent
length; 66, 73, and 52 yards.� B+.�
RB:�
Parker got the start and got things going, taking a screen and dashing
45 yards to set up the first TD.� He
also ripped off some nice runs, twisting, churning, and lunging for extra yards.� Parker's highlight may have been a run to
the right on 2d & 5 in the 3Q, in which he froze Urlacher and then stiffed
him, and ran wide for a nifty 7-yard gain.�
Park finished with 68 yards off 21 carries.� As the snow started to fall heavier and heavier, Big Jerome
Bettis got more and more work, and gashed the Chico defense for 101 yards on 17
carries.� Bettis ran over Urlacher for a
5-yard TD, and continually rumbled and plowed for extra yardage after first contact.� The Doughboy even had a 39-yard jaunt off a
plunge up a gaping hole, though, pooped out, he pussed out at the end of the
run and meekly stepped OOB -- Franco style -- rather than bulling for more yardage.� Haynes chipped in as the 3D back, taking a
screen on 3rd & 13 and, running with gusto, gained 16 yards after 2nd &
3rd effort.� Parker and Haynesie both
fumbled, but both loose pigs were recovered.�
Duce Staley was not permitted to dress.�
A.
FB: Dan Kreider had a superb all-around
game.� He had several strong lead
blocks.� His best block may have been on
Parker's sweep to the left in the 2Q, in which Kreider made a very difficult
seal block, which allowed Parker to get to the corner and run down the chalk
for an 11-yard gain and a near-TD.� Kreider
also gained 12 yards on a quick-hitting line plunge.� He bobbled but caught a short dumpoff for a 5-yard gain.�� A+.�
WR:�
The passing game was quiet, but effective when called upon.� Ward led the way with 3 grabs, including a
spectacular catch & run off a fake reverse/WR screen in which Hinesie
fought through 3 tacklers for the 14-yard TD score.� Wilson had 2 grabs, though he put the ball on the ground after
the 1st catch (luckily we recovered).�
El had 2 grabs, though he, too, fumbled (again, luckily we
recovered).� Morgan had a nice effort on
a difficult catch on 3rd & 9, snaring the out pass under tight coverage and
staying IB for a clutch 10-yard gain.�
He was blatantly interfered with on a 3d & 6 seamer in the 4Q; no
flag was thrown.�� Ward was called for
an offensive PI flag, which was total bullshit.� A-.
TE:�
Miller spent virtually the entire afternoon blocking.� He caught no passes and, if memory serves me
correctly, was thrown to only once, that on a deep flag that was just a bit too
long.� His blocking was superb.� He relentlessly bullied the safety on
Parker's long screen pass, and he helped shove Bettis forward for a TD.� The only down note was a foolish false start
flag in the 3Q.� B+.�
OL: The OL, which had waddled and
slopped around for weeks, snapped out of its funk with a tremendous
effort.� Leading the way was Al Faneca,
who had a simply superb game.� Faneca,
who hadn�t done anything of distinction the past 4+ weeks, was a man among
boys, throwing his body around like The Rhino from Spiderman
fame.� He took out 2 defenders on
Parker's 45-yard screen.� He also had a
great effort on Haynes' 4Q screen, which gained 13 yards.� His run blocking was dominant.� Hartings had a key block on the big Parker
screen.� Simmons wasn't as feeble as he
usually is.� Even Essex and Starks looked
like competent NFL lineman, which, given their lousy play of late, is a solid
day at the office.� Remarkably, the
O-line committed no pre-snap or holding penalties, which might be a first all
season.�� The line opened up numerous gaping
holes for Big Jerome, and the overall pass pro was also superb.�� A+.�
DL:�
An ok day at the office.� The
line was soft early on, allowing an easy 3 yards by Jones on 4th & 1.� Kimo and Smith made a couple plays.� Fat Casey clogged some plays, though he
didn't even make the stat sheet.�
Kirschke and Keisel chipped in with some work in relief.� Jones had 72 yards on 14 carries, so the run
stuffing wasn't overly dominant.�
B-.�
LB:�
Another mediocre day from the LB crew; only a pitiful Chico offense made
the defense look respectable.� The
gaffes and mistakes by the LB corps started as soon as the game began and
continued throughout.� Farrior took a
poor angle on Jones' sweep in the 1Q, which resulted in a 20-yard gainer.� Porter�
flailed all over the field, including an horrific whiff on a short dump
to Jones that allowed a 15-yard gain.�
He also flailed on Muhammad's�
16-yard gain in the 2Q, and was buried to the inside on Jones' 36-yard
run.� Porter was also carried into the
EZ by Jones on Jonesie's TD plunge.�
This wasn't Big Jerome Bettis carrying the ball.�� This was Lil' Thomas Jones, whom Porter'
outweighs by THIRTY FIVE pounds, and Porter meekly WAITS for Jones, then
CATCHES Jones, and then allows Jones to plow over him for the TD.� Very poor.��
The ignorant fan will point to Joey's sack as some sort of big deal, but
this was simply the case of Joey going SOLO against a backup FB, and
taking advantage for an easy sack.� The
Winged God of LB Pass Coverage, James Farrior, got beaten down the seam by TE
Des Clark for a 27-yard completion.�
Foote piled up some slop stats but did little.� Kriewaldt, of all people, got some work on defense in the
1Q.� Haggans got buried on a 1Q pass
rush, but did a nice job to string and stuff a Jones sweep in the 3Q for a
1-yard loss.� Overall, it's rather sad
how far this LB corps has declined this season.� C.�
DB:�
An ok day, although they were facing one of the very worst pass offenses
in the entire NFL.� The brightest spot
may have been Tyrone Carter's rugged hit that leveled a WR that wasn't even
involved in a pass during the 1H.� Troy
Pola had an inordinate number of flying flails today.� It's great, to a certain degree, to throw one's body around.� It's not great to constantly do it
pell-mell, with arms tightly held against his body, and whiff time and time and
time again.�� Chris Hope is rapidly
mimicking his 2 predecessors at the FS spot -- Darren Perry and Burnt Alexander
-- by once again offering no help whatsoever on any forward pass.� McFadden had a weak tackle attempt that Jones
easily busted at the LOS, en route to a 36-yard scamper.� Ike Taylor had decent coverage on a bomb to
Berrian, but allowed the ball to go right through his hands for a 43-yard gain.� Mushin Mohammad toyed with whoever covered
him, and finished with 8 grabs.�
Townsend was flagged for an illegal contact, which nullified a defensive
stop on 3rd & 9.��� The more I type,
the more I realize how lousy this crew played today.� C.�
Spec
teams:� An ok day, though there was still a litany
of mistakes.� Kriewaldt committed an
illegal block on a good punt return by ARE in the 2Q.� Morey was flagged for a hold on a punt return.� An unknown Stiller was flagged for an
illegal block that negated a solid KO return by Morgan.� Pis Gardocki actually punted in an acceptable
manner, including a 57-yard boomer, which was probably a 1-game
aberration.��� Brett Keisel was a demon
in coverage, helping to make 3 stops in coverage in the 1H.� Ike Taylor made a heady play after Chico
lined up for a 52-yard FG, dropping back and then fielding the punt, and
then returning it for 19 yards.�
C+.�
OC:�
The Parker screen and the quick-hitting plunge by Kreider were 2 nice
playcalls by Whisenhunt.� The screen was
good, in that it wasn't on the blatantly obvious THIRD down; instead, it was on
2D.� Congrats, McFly !!�� Ya don't hafta wait until 3rd down to dump
the ball off to your speedburner RB !!��
There was a wasted TO in the 3Q when the playclock ran down, plus the
usual stupidity of going into the shotgun on 3rd & 2/3rd & 3.� Whisenhunt did luck out with safety Mike
Brown missing from Da Bears' lineup, but overall this was an acceptable
day.� B+.�
DC:�
Dick had the enviable luxury of facing 1 of the worst all-around offenses
in the NFL, an offense that was further degraded with the hideous weather.� You can't fawn much over a DC staving off an
Orton-led offense.�� Inc.�
HC:� This was the
kind of game that Billy Cowher thrives in -- his team had the lead from the get-go,
and they faced absolutely no adversity the entire game.� His team fumbled the ball FOUR times, but
amazingly recovered the ball each time.�
Of course, the minute you add a deficit or turnovers into the mix --
especially come playoff time -- Cowhard's teams fold like a cheap bingo
chair.� Cowhard cost his team a DOG
penalty in the 1Q, where he took about 90 seconds to decide to throw in his red
challenge flag, and by the time the numbnut threw it, his offense had been
assessed a DOG flag.� The turtling at
the end of the half was sickening.�
There were 47 tics on the clock, with all 3 TOs remaining, and Cowhard
ordered the offense to kneel so that he could celebrate the
hardly-insurmountable 14-3 halftime lead.�
B.�
Synopsis:�
A nice win over an average, vastly overrated football team.� I get a bit queasy over wins like this,
because most Pittsburgh fans are all too quick to fawn and sing songs of praise
and glad tidings.� The reality of how
average this Bears team is, cannot be overemphasized.� Given how desperate the Stillers are to stay in the playoff hunt,
it was a nice win, but it was a win, in the comfy confines of home, against an
exceptionally average Bears team.�
Before proclaiming any kind of greatness from this Stillers team, let's
wait to see exactly how well they play on the road up in the dome against the
8-5 Minn Dykings.��