Stillers 24, Browns 20 ���. Nov.
19, 2006 ����Game #10��
Stillers-Browns Postgame Analysis and
Grades
The Stillers came out in a stone-cold stupor against the hated
Brownies, stumbling and bumbling in a dull, almost boring 1st half that ended
with
Grades:
QB:�
Often, ya might say, "This was a tale of
2 halves."�� Actually, it was a tale
of 3 gawd-awful quarters and 1 tremendous one by Ben
Roth.� Ben couldn't get anything going in
the 1H, aside from an utterly horrendous 0-step hitch to Holmes that sailed
high and wide.� Holmes got a paw on the
ball, but all that did was merely bat the ball to DB Daven
Holly, who gladly took the freebie INT in for the TD.� The other 2 picks weren't entirely Ben's
fault.� The INT on the crosser to Ward seemed
to bounce off Ward's hands or body, or perhaps the DB managed to get a paw on
the ball, which Ward shouldn't have allowed in the first place.� The pick by Holly late in the 2Q was a
mediocre pass, but entirely catchable.� It clanged off
RB:�
Parker found little room against the rabid Dawgpound
defense, rushing for 46 yards on 16 carries.�
There were several solid 4 yard gains, but the ground game never got
into a groove, particularly because of the deficit.� Willie dropped a valve dump in the 4Q, but
atoned for it with 30 secs left by catching an
ad-hock shovel flick from Benji and carrying it into
the EZ for the winning score.� Parker had
4 grabs in total, which is probably a career high!� Daven had 2 carries
for 11 yards and 2 grabs.�� Duce Staley
was once again not permitted to dress.�� B-.�
FB: Kreider
wasn't much of a factor, especially with the deficit.�� Inc.�
WR:�
A somewhat odd day for Hines Ward.�
In the 1H and early in the 3Q, the guy played as lackadaisical and
nonchalant as I've ever seen him.� In the
2Q, Ward nonchalantly allowed the pass to clang off him and into the hands of McGinnest for an INT. Not content with all of this, when
Holly INT'd Ben late in the 2Q and ramble on a long
INT return, Ward just meekly waved at Holly in a pitiful, disgraceful lack of
hustle.� On a 2nd & 5 on the 1st
drive of the 3Q, Ward caught a WR screen and appeared to have more than enough
room to wiggle for the 1st down yardage.�
Instead, he meekly tiptoed OOB, setting up a
needless 3rd & 1 that was stuffed by the Clev
defense. �Somehow, he pepped up
thereafter.� He made some clutch grabs,
including a sterling 21-yarder on a slot-out just before the 2MW in which he
was injured on the play.�
����������� Tonio
Holmes must have found inspiration in the big OSU win over Pissagain,
as Holmes had, by far, his best day as a pro.�
He snagged 5 balls for 75 yards, including a good ad-hoc play on a Benji scrambled that produced a TD.� He started the day poorly, dropping an easy
pass on 3rd & 3 that would have easily netted the 1D.� I was pleased to see Holmes getting the ball
on the run, rather than the mandatory buttonhooks that he's been running the
past 9 weeks.�
�����������
����������� Nate had 2
grabs.�� Reid did not dress.������� B.�
TE:�
Miller was used sparingly in the passing game, 2 passes that were each
good for 16 yards.� The one was a
terrific adjustment by Miller.� With such
a nice YPC, you'd think it'd warrant some more integration in the offense, but
you'd have a better chance of seeing Dave Wannstedt
pull his head out of his ass than see Miller worked more into this
offense.� Tuman
was thrown this horrendous, INT-for-the-taking pass in the EZ, on a 1st &
goal at the 2 in the 4Q.� In a sheer bout
of stupidity, the weak Tuman was left in solo
blocking on DE Kamerion Wimbley
on the winning TD, and only Ben's deft footwork and astute thinking to flick
the ball to Parker avoided a sack.����
A.�
�
OL: The line did a decent job in pass
pro, often giving Ben eons of time back in the pocket.� However, Smith was getting eaten alive by Wimbley the entire game, and it's only by the good grace of
the football gods that he didn't decapitate BenRoth.� The line's run blocking were rather shabby,
to include the 3rd & 1 plunge early in the 3Q that was easily rebuffed by Clev.��� B-.�
DL:�
The line was pretty active and provided some harassment on Frye,
although they got gashed by a backup RB to the tune of 74 yards on 18 carries
(4.1 Yards/carry).� Kirschke
whipped Andruzzi and forced a fumble of Frye in the
1Q.�
LB:�
Wright gashed the defense, and the LBs must be
held accountable for a good bit of this.�
It seemed like the front 7 took the 1st half off when they learned
Reuben Droughns would sit the game out.�
����������� Farrior
led the way with 6 solos and 6 A's, although he had his share of problems.� In the 1Q, he was victimized by his own poor
coverage and flailing.� For no
discernable reason, the Browns went away from the short crossers that ate this
defense alive in the 1Q.�
����������� Foote had a pedestrian day.� Haggans was slow on
the bootleg that produced a 12-yard catch by Vickers.� He did stuff the off-tackle play in the 2Q,
after which the announcers went on and on and on about "what a great play
by Joey Porter", even though Haggans clearly and
most obviously made the stop.�
����������� Big Joey chipped in some stops off
of easy, unblocked pursuit.� For the
first time all season, Joey was able to avoid being bamboozled on an end
around, although Keisel blew this play to hell and Farrior was right there as well.� The game's most hilarious play came in the
3Q, when Winslow caught a short out and was met head-on by Big Joey
Porter.� The 2 had been jawing in
pre-game warm-ups and here was the chance for Big Joey -- "the most feared
man in the NFL" -- to put the young Winslow in his place.� Instead, Winslow, who had to carry the
football, mind you, literally threw Big Joey to the turf like a scrawny,
pimply-faced schoolboy on the playground.�
As Joey lay with his dick in the dirt, Winslow ambled for another 4
yards and a 9-yard gainer.� There's an
old saying -- "Action talks, bullshit walks."� Perhaps Big Joey should do less bullshit and
more action.�
� ��������� C+.�
DB:�
The secondary had its struggles at time against the lowly Clev offense.� Ike
Taylor continues to baffle me with his 2nd-half of season decline.� On a 3rd & 16 in the 1Q, he played the
pattern as soft as shit, allowing an easy slant to Edwards for 15 yards.� In the 2Q, Ike missed a bust-up of a pass on
a deep out, which allowed Eddie to scamper for a 63-yard gain.� It wasn't the miss, per se,
it was the clumsy, bizarro nature of the bust-up that
annoyed me.� Ike was in a position to bat
the ball away, but delivered this gawky, timid, ass-clumsy attempt that left
him flailing at air.�
����������� Pola had a
solid game, particularly in the 2H.� On a
3rd & 7 in the 3Q, Pola had a tremendous flash
and slash of Heiden that dropped Heiden
a yard short of the sticks.� In the 4Q, Pola blitzed, but then read the QB and stepped back for the
bat at the LOS.�
����������� McFadden was initially beaten on a
pump n' go in the 1Q, but recovered nicely and then busted up the pass in the
EZ.� McFadden has shown me that he's much
better with his back to the QB, in chase mode, than he is playing soft with the
WR "posting up" in front of him.�
�����������
����������� B-.�
Spec
teams:� Yet another day of ST disaster from the worst
ST unit in the league.� These riders of
the short bus find new, creative way to fuck things up, every week!�� Of the team's 7 penalties today, 5 were on
spec teams.�
����������� There were a litany of boners and
sorry plays.� Pis
Gardocki had a shitty punt into the EZ late in the 1Q
on a boot that could have easily pinned Clev inside
their 10.� Early in the 3Q, he boomed a
whopping 36-yard punt.� Reed barely made
a 43-yard DG, when the ball banked in off the right upright.�
����������� On the KO coverage after the Reed FG
made it 10-3, the tackling was entirely shoddy.�
It got worse on the next KO, in which Cribbs
fielded the shallow boot at his 8 and raced 92 yards, totally untouched,
for a TD.
����������� But wait, the follies actually got
worse, if you can believe it.� Cribbs and his boys were flagged after this TD for
excessive celebration.� This meant the
Browns had to kick off from their own 15 yard line, which meant the Stillers would reasonably start at least at their own 35 or
40.� Clev
kicked the ball off, and somehow, apparently because the Steelers thought The
Bionic Man was kicking off, the ball found a total dead spot where there wasn't
a Steeler within 15 yards.� The ball rolled and was fielded by Ike at the
13.� Ike returned it to the 31
yard line, but Carter was whistled for an illegal block that placed the ball at
the 21 yard line.��
����������� The lone bright spot was Morey's
75-yard KO return in the 2Q.����������
F.�
OC:�
A real Cro Magnon
game plan by Cheezenhunt.� Slow, stale predictable,
lethargic.�� Fortunately, he at
least had enough sense to put Ben into the hurry-up in order to create a
spark.� Cheezenhunt
had 2 goodies for the Gay Play o' the Day Award --
����������� 4Q, trailing 20-10.� 1st & goal on the 2, and Cheezen calls for this forced "seam" route to Tuman, of all people, in this
����������� Late 4Q, trailing 20-17.� 1st & goal at the Clev 5, 44 secs remaining.� The Stiller called a TO (their 2nd) prior to
this play, so there was plenty of time to mull it over and come up with
something at least half intelligent.�
With only 1 more TO remaining, the key here was to get 3 (THREE) good
stabs at the end zone for the VICTORY, and then, worse case, you boot the FG on
4th down to send the game into OT.� But,
knowing what a CRAP SHOOT the OT period can be, if you have the ball at the 5
yard line, you absolutely MUST go for the win right then and there.� What does Cheezenhunt
call?� A fucking line
plunge to Parker, which netted all of 1 yard.� Worse, the Stillers
had to burn their final TO.�� What
a stupid fuck !!�
Shades of the 2000 loss at Cleveland, in which the Stillers
pissed away time and a down with a Fu draw play, and the Kent Graham took the
asinine sack to end the game prior to a FG attempt, went pulsating through my
mind as I seethed in a bitter rage.�
Fortunately, Ben hit Parker with the ad-hoc shovel on 2D to score the
TD, but this team was well on its way to settling for a chickenshit
FG.������ D.�
DC:�
Let's see -- the Clev offense came into this
game with the following NFL rankings:�
����������� Total yards ������ 29th
����������� Rush yards������ 30th
����������� Yards/play������� 30th
����������� Giveaways������� 30th
����������� 10+ yard
plays� 31st
Yet, facing
this Punch n' Judy offense that was missing its starting RB, Dick had to hold
on for dear life as his defense got carved up like a Thanksgiving turkey.� The 2Q, 13-play FG drive, which began on their own 7, was Clev's longest
march of the year.� Facing an offense
with a struggling, greenhorn QB, a backup at RB, and only 1 legitimate starter
at WR, this defense should have done much, much better.��� C-.��
�����������
HC:� Cowhard failed to have this team even remotely ready or
intense for this game.� When even Hines
Ward is sleepwalking though the 1H in a total funk, you know the coach has
totally neglected the task of getting his team focused and fired-up for the game.� The chickenshit,
brainless decision to plunge the ball on 1st & goal at the 5, with only 44 secs remaining, reeks entirely of
Billy Cowhard and his overt, bullshit
conservatism.� The special teams follies have gone beyond any semblance of sanity, and
this is supposed to be the one lone area where Cowhard
is an expert!�� It was nice that the team
came back in the 4Q, but that has to be tempered with the total sleepwalk for 3
quarters and the lowly quality of the opposition that blundered enough to allow
the comeback.�� C-.��
Synopsis:�
Any win over the hated Browns is a nice win, and this one was as nice as
most.� The win also
keep the Stillers' faint playoff hopes alive,
although Atlanta & N.O. both failed to knock off the Ravens and Bungals today.� Next
week, the team pays a visit to
(Still Mill
and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the