Stillers
23, Colts 20 ��. Sep. 25, 2011 ����Game #3
Stillers-Colts Postgame Analysis and Grades
The
Stillers dominated the Colts early, cruising to a 10-0 lead and seemingly in
command.�� Then, midway thru the 2Q,
carelessness and slop took over, and the Colts jumped to a 13-10 halftime
lead.�� The Stillers clawed back and took
what appeared to be the game-winning lead on a Pola fumble return for a
TD.��� But Curtis Painter casually marched
the Colts 80 yards to tie the game with just over 2 minutes remaining.�� Ben and Moore led a march for a Suisham FG to narrowly win the game.��
Grades:
QB:� Ben had a statistically superb game, throwing
25 of 37 for 364 yards.�� But he was often
as careless as the drug addict with a fistful of cash.�� He was far too careless with the ball on the
1st fumble, which Mathis poked out from behind even as Ben was expecting
it.� The strip-fumble wasn�t Ben�s fault,
as it came in a flash as Scott never even got a finger on Freeney.�� But on the next play, Ben threw a horrid,
way-high seamer to Sanders that was picked off.�� There was a poor 3d & 8 out pass to
Sanders that was nearly picked off in the 4Q, on a throw that did not lead the
WR.� Soon later, Ben took a needless sack
on 3d & 13 from the Indy 36, on a gimpy play in which Ben seemed to cave in
and give up a second after the ball was snapped.� Rather than a FG try inside the comfy dome,
the Stillers had to punt amidst a tie game.��
There
were some clutch scrambles and completions.�
Ben also threw a perfect bomb to Wally for an 81-yard TD.� To be fair to Ben, the injuries to the O-line
and the pitiful blocking by Scott and Kemo made his life hazardous for much of
the game.��� B�
RB: �Socrates Mendenhall got blistered on some
early runs, and it seemed to rattle him, as he ran far too tip-toey and timid.� He finished
with a paltry 37 yards on 18 carries.�� Take
away the 15-yard run he had, and he obviously had 17 rushes for 22 yards.�� He slipped a few times as well, on bone-dry Astroturf
inside a dome.�� It took the dim-bulbed coaching staff forever to figure out how poorly he
was running, but they finally did, and on the game-winning drive, it was Redman
and Moore getting the ball, with Mendy sitting on the bench.��
�� Redman, of course, wasn�t allowed to touch
the ball, until a carry at 8:16 3Q.��� He
had 3 rushes for 6 yards, none more important than the superb 3-yard plunge on
3d & 1 late in the game to set up the fairly easy FG.�
��� Mewelde Moore,
who was all but forgotten and banished to Siberia, came on late in the game and
made 3 clutch plays.�� Lined up in the
slot, he caught a short out, eluded a tackler, and gained 22 yards to spur the
game-winning drive.�� He then had good
power runs of 5 and 4 yards, seeing small creases and hitting them with
authority, unlike Socrates.��
��� Socrates:��
C-���� Redman and Moore: ��A�
FB: �Seldom used.��
Inc
WR:� Wally was on fire early, tooling the Colts on
short, intermediate, and deep routes, including an 81-yard TD bomb.�� He nearly allowed that pass to slither thru
his hands, however.�� Of course, after
the 1Q, Wally was basically written out of the playbook.����
��� Brown had 4 grabs for 75,
and Sanders 2 for 21.� Sanders dropped a
perfect seam pass on 3d & 8 in the 1Q.�
Sandy also enraged me on the Ben INT, as he literally vaulted over the
interceptor -- a la Roger Kingdom in the high hurdles -- and avoided Lefeged rather than simply touching the man down at the
50.�� Instead of a somewhat harmless INT
at the 50, the Colts returned the ball (along with a �low block� flag) to the PIT
12.�� Very lazy and unacceptable
at this level of football.�� Sandy
did make a good pluck on the 3d & 18 in the 4Q, getting 18.�
��� Ward was basically written out of the
offense today.�� Thru 50+ minutes, he had
2 grabs for 6 yards.� He ended up
snagging an 11-yard pass late in the 4Q.�
�Yancey Cotchery
did not play.��
�� Wally:�
A+���� Brown:� A���
Ward:� B+��� Sanders:��
C��
TE:� Miller had a big game, finally being involved
in the offense.�� He had 5 grabs for 75,
including a nice grab on a deep flag for 30 yards in the 4Q.� He whiffed on Mathis on a dump-off that he
dropped early in the game.� His run blocking
was also less than stellar.��
�� Dave Johnson had all sorts of
struggles.�� Lined up in the slot for no
apparent reason, he meekly whiffed on an easy block on Conner, who then leveled
Mendy on a toss sweep for a 3-yard loss.��
He also had problems with blocking at the POA (point of attack).���
� �Weslye Saunders came out of nowhere to be a focal point of
the passing attack in the 2H.�� He
bobbled a quick slant on 3d & 6 in the 3Q, popping the ball 8 feet up in
the air like a circus clown before corralling it.�� The juggling act minimized what may have
been a 1st down, to a meager 2-yard gain.�
He was also thrown another 3D pass (inc) in the
4Q.� ����
����
��� Miller:�
A-�� ���Johnson:�
C-���� Saunders:� Inc.�
OL: The line started out
ok, giving Ben plenty of time.�� The run
game sucked ass right from the get go, but the offense
was moving.�� Then, 4 minutes in the 2Q,
the roof caved in, and the Colts were ravaging and pillaging the pocket much
the way the Roman legions did 2,000 years ago.��
��� Probles cropped
up all over.�� Pouncey
was marginally mediocre.�� Legursky got little push in the running game, aside from a
good pull and block on Mendy�s 15-yard run.�� He was injured at 12:00 4Q and replaced by
Foster, who did okay.�
� ��Gilbert
had some problems, although the 1st sack by Mathis was nowhere near the fault
of Gilbert.�� Gil hurt his shoulder in
the 3Q, and was replaced by Trai Essex, who did
okay.� When Scott got injured late in the
4Q, Gilbert had to come back in.���
��� Jon Scott was a wretched pile of shit.��� When he wasn�t getting tooled and abused by
a rusher simply dashing right by as though he were traffic cone, Scott was
getting bull-rushed so badly that he was getting thrown into the QB�s face like
a blocking bag.�� We�re seen some awful O-tackle
play over the years, in particular Pis Conrad.�� This was every bit as bad.��� Simply wretched and barf-laden.� The strip-sack for a TD was on a play in
which Scott -- who is supposed to be protecting Ben�s blind side -- didn�t even
get a finger on Freeney on a simple, basic speed rush
on the outside corner.�� To add insult to
a horrific evening, Scott drew more flags than a 4th of July parade, getting
flagged for a hold on a run play; a hold on a pass; and an illegal
formation.� �Scott got injured late in the game when he got
mauled and pancaked onto his back, forcing Gilbert to
get back onto the field.�� With any kind
of luck, Scott will be eligible for IR by Monday afternoon.��
�
��� Piss Kemo, who was injured and did not dress last week, got his starting job handed back to him on
a silver platter, and he showed his gratitude with a shit-laden effort the
entire evening.��� His run blocking was
meager and soft.�� He had a good
mini-pull and block on the late 4-yard run by Moore, but otherwise Kemo was
getting manhandled.��� He
worst boner, however, was on the Freeney strip-sack
and TD.� On this pass play, Kemo fires
out
and pursues a blocking attempt at a LB, some 7 yards downfield
!���� Unbelievable
!��� Had Ben thrown the ball, it
would have been an easy illegible man downfield flag by the refs. ��Obviously, the dumbass totally botched his
assignment, as he must have thought a running play was called.�� What a fat-assed stooge.���
���� Scott:�
F-��� Kemo:�� F����
All others:� D+��
�
DL:� A really sub-standard effort.��� Aaron Smith continually got mauled and
manhandled in the running game.�� On 3
(three) runs on the 4Q, Smith got thoroughly manhandled, as Addai
gained 8, 7, and 11 yards right up RG/RT.��
Yes, Smith was double teamed on some of these maulings.�� That�s precisely what a good, competent 3-4
DE is supposed to be able to handle....not
Smith spending more time on his back than a Las Vegas whore.� ��It�s
as obvious as a cockroach on a billiard table that this guy is washed up and
DONE, but the idiot coaching staff not only starts this stiff, but keeps him on
the field for 98% of all snaps.���
�� Hood started in place of the injured Keisel,
and had a good pressure on Collins to force an errant pass on 3D.��� He did little else.� Fat Casey Hampton was savagely mauled by
Saturday on an Addai 8-yard run in the 1Q and did
very little �clogging the middle� that he supposedly is dominant at doing.� �Hayward had a good stop on a 3 & G plunge,
which was negated when the Colts were flagged for a hold.�� ���Smith:�
D-���� All others:� C+�
LB:� James Harrison returned to prominence, and
was a huge reason the Stillers eked out this win.�� He was a demonizing terror early on,
ravaging the Indy running game as the imbecilic Colts chose to keep running at
him.�� He repeatedly shed a blocker (or
TWO) and made good stuffs.�� He threw
Dallas Clark around like a rag doll every time the Dolts tried to run left
behind Clark.��
� �Taunto
Farrior did very, very little.�� His only
impact, in fact, was not 1, but 2 cheap shots that could have easily been
flagged.� He hit Collins up high, LATE,
after a pass, which is apparently the hit that knocked Collins out of the
game.�� Then, late in the 4Q, he needlessly
hit Garcon after the WR was well out of bounds, which should have given the
Colts 1st & goal at the 3.�� Of
course, on the very next play, Taunto meekly flailed and whiffed on an easy
tackle on Addai, who scored the tying TD.��� Very, very pitiful.�� ��Foote played a fair amount, and as usual, did
very little.��
� �Larry
Timmons had far too quiet a game, getting only 1 solo and 2 As.� He did have a good bust-up of a short pass early
in the 3Q, but clearly this sagging, sorry defense needs more from this
playmaker.��
�� The Dogger, LaMarr Woodley, had
another weak-assed, shit laden game.��
Sure, on the stat sheet, he looked like a big he-man, with 2 solos and 3
assists.��� In reality, the stats were
slop stops, and his impact was abysmal.��
���� He whiffed and had a weak-assed ankle-grab
of Garcon on a WR screen in the 1Q, getting credit for a solo tackle.��� Big LaMarr did have a very rare shed of a
block and teamed with Hood on a stop of Addai at
11:58 2Q.� He got his 2nd and last solo
on an Addai run up LG later in the 2Q, in which Big
LaMarr was totally untouched and unblocked.��
Big LaMarr had a whiff on a WR quick-hitch late in the game on the play
Farrior should have been flagged.� He was
constantly SOLO blocked in pass protection the entire game, and never once harassed
or even sniffed the QB the entire game.��
���� Harrison:�
A+����� Timmy, Farrior, and
Foote:� C����� Woodley:�
D-�� ����
DB:� Facing 2 of the most inept QBs in the NFL,
the DBs had a fairly easy evening.�����
�� Pola finally came out of his shell, with a
spectacular game where he was slashing and flashing like a blood-thirsty
killer.�� He busted up a 3d & 2 with
a near INT in the 1Q.� He blitzed and
blew up a play in the 1Q.� He also had
good press coverage on Clark and busted up a lob on 3d & G in the 2Q,
forcing a FG.� He had some good blitzes
in the 2H, and scooped up Harrison�s FF for the easy TD.� He nearly blew up the play on the late Addai TD run.�
�� Ike had good coverage for most of the
game.� Then, in the 4Q, with Curtis
Painter coming into the game, stone cold, Ike fell asleep (as is his penchant)
and got totally bamboozled on a double move by Garcon, who was WIDE open for an
easy TD.�� But Painter overthrew Garcon
to save Ike�s bacon.���
�� Clark had an extremely rare pass bustup,
this on a short pass to Addai on 3d & 6 in the
3Q.� Clark was trucked by Addai at the end of an 8-yard run in the 1Q.��
��� Gay was picked on a goodly amount, but
played okay in place of the injured Fadden.��
Lewis saw some PT in the nickel, and had 5 tackles.�� ���
�� Pola:��
A+����� All others:�� B-��
Spec
teams:� Mostly good.��� Brown had 2 stellar punt returns in the
4Q.�� Aside from soft coverage on the
opening KO of the 2H, the coverage teams were solid.�� Suisham made 3 of
4 FGs, with the 1 miss hitting the left upright.��
��� Daniel Shitpulveda
had a total shit game.�� He boomed 1 punt
to the 2 and with the quick bounce, caused a touchback.��� He then had a bag o� barf 37-yard punt to
the Indy 26 in the 4Q.��
�� The Great Arnaz
Battle feeble missed a tackle in KO coverage in the 1Q, which was returned to
the 25.��
�� Sepulveda:�
D���� All
others:�� A-��
OC: �What a colossal disaster.�� This is what happens when you have a
coordinator with no system, no game plan, no scheme of maneuver, and no plan of
attack.�� Arians was totally unprepared
for the Mathis-Freeney rush combo.��
��� Arians started off okay, with a nice
playcall on 2nd and 5 to fake a counter and then go downtown to Wally.�� After that, Arians went to sleep, and the
Colts countered with an avalanche pass rush that Arians had no answers
for.�
���� Where to start?��� It was obvious Mendy was having no success,
mostly due to loads of dancing and tip-toeing.�
In fact, he may have set an NFL record for # of negative rushing
plays.�� Yet Isaac Redman, who has run
with so much vigor and authority, was firmly planted on the bench, getting into
the game once as a slot receiver through the first 37 minutes of play.��
���� We�ll never know why Piss Kemo was rushed
back into the lineup, just 1 week after not dressing due to a severe ankle
injury.�� Foster played well last week,
and has always been every bit as good as Piss Kemo, regardless of whatever
tripe this coaching staff will peddle to the media.�� Other than plain stupidity, there is no
reason for Kemo to have started this game over Foster.��
���� Then there�s the way Ward was written out
of the script in a game that screamed for the Stillers to capitalize on Ward�s
guile and short pattern ability.�
Combine that with the outrageous stupidity of making rookie Weslye Saunders -- a guy who�d never caught a single NFL
pass coming into the game -- THE focal point on 3rd down plays in the 4Q, and
you�ve got a real shit sandwich in your hands.��
��� �Then
there were those clever screen passes to Heath Miller on 1st & 20, each of
which netted 2 yards.� Miller is a
terrific downfield receiver; a mismatch down
the field against most LBs and many SSs.�
But standing dead-still at the LOS for some lame-fuk
screen pass, Miller is as easy to topple as a house of cards.�����
���� All in all, a shit game plan and in-game
strategy from a shit coach.�� D��
DC:� Dick and his defense were their usually
vanilla selves, doing nothing, getting gashed on the ground, and making Collins
as comfy as a new-born baby.�� They were
headed toward their 3rd consecutive game with no turnovers, when Harrison got
the strip and Pola returned it for a TD.�����
�� �At
that point, with only 5:13 left in the game and the Steelers in front by 7, all
the ugly sacks & turnovers and the OL injuries were water under the
bridge.�� All the Stillers had to do was
stop Curtis
Painter -- a guy who hasn�t even thrown an NFL pass since 2009 -- with
80 yards between Painter and the end zone.��
Instead, as usual, Dick got shredded and picked apart like a dead
carcass, allowing Painter to casually march 80 yards in 10 plays for the tying
TD.�� Utterly pitiful,
and unacceptable.���
�� �Of
course, it wasn�t just scrubeenie Painter who had his
way with Dick.� Kerry Collins -- as
shitty a greybeard QB as exists in the NFL -- casually marched 12 plays from
midfield to give the Colts a chip-shot FG in the 2Q when they were left for the
dead.��� Collins, as slow and mobile as a
traffic barrel, was never sacked in his 44 minutes of PT.�� He was hit only once, that on the late hit to
the chops by Taunto that should have been flagged.�
��� Then there was the near fiasco on the 3d
& 10 at 7:49 4Q.�� The Colts went hurry
up (gee, there�s a surprise for an offense that does that about 87% a game!) and
lined up for the snap, while Dick�s defense was just milling about as though
the Colts were still back in the huddle.��
The Stillers dodged a bullet when Painter�s pass was (surprise!) off
target.�� On a defense that plays ZERO
2nd-yaer men, much less any rookies, this is patently UNACCEPTABLE by any
standard.���
� ����It all starts at the top, and the top of
this defense is led (sic) by a clueless buffoon who would have difficulty
finding his way out of a phone booth without assistance from a GPS.���� D-�
HC:� We�ll never know why Tomlin didn�t challenge
the spot on the 3d & 3 pass to Collie with less than 5 minutes remaining in
the game.�� It was a horseshit spot, and
you have a chance to CLOSE OUT the game, right there.�� Instead, Tomlin The
Imbecile refuses to challenge it, and the Dolts go on to march 80 yards for the
tying score.�� Where, exactly, does
Tomlin deposit his unused timeouts and challenges ??��
���� I
wasn�t pleased at all with the goatrope that occurred
with less than a minute left in the game.��
Redman had just converted a 3d & 1 with a 3-yard plunge to the Indy
18.�� When the play ended, there were
about 50 seconds remaining.�� At that
point, all you have to do is KICK THE WINNING FG !�� �That�s
it.�� Instead, the Steelers called some grab-ass
play, and lined up to run it.�� Remember,
this is an offense that committed more penalties and negative yardage
plays in the 2nd half than any team in the last 20 years of NFL play, and now
they�re toying with the idea of actually running a play instead of booting a
35-yard FG.� With the playclock
running down under 4 seconds, Ben called a TO at 0:12.��� Upon that T.O., Ben came out and ran a
backward minus-2 yard run, presumably to put Suisham
on the hash.�� But it left only 8
seconds.�� To me, I�d just as soon have
enough time to run 2 plays, just in case a bad snap has to be smothered.��� At any rate, it was a needless botch-fuck
that should never have occurred.�� ����C-�
Synopsis:� A real uninspiring, stinker of a game against
a lousy Colts team missing its star QB and a host of other starters.�� The way this team allowed the Colts to take
it to them -- especially the Stiller defense -- was
every bit as depressing as it was vomit inducing.�� The ignorant will gleefully cheer that �a
win is a win�, but this win showed an immense number of warts, many of which
were in full display in the horrific season-opening loss to Balt
and show no signs of being addressed, much less fixed.� There are clear under-performers who have no
business being on the field, much less playing 99% of all snaps.� There are discombobulated schemes and
confusion on both sides of the ball, which is reprehensible for a team with
this much experience.��� The leadership
has 2 choices:� either gloss over and
ignore the hideous problems, or address the acute problems and get some of the
fixed.��
(Still
Mill and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the