Stillers 17, Patsies 10……. Dec 16, 2018………Game # 14
Stillers-Pats Postgame Analysis and Grades
The Stillers hosted the hated Pats, reeling on a 3-game losing streak. Somehow, the Stillers held the Gaytriots to just 10 points, and held on to win, 17-10.
Grades:
QB: Ben had an ok game, albeit with 2 INTs. He did have 2 TD passes, and nearly a third, but the edge of Vance’s shoe was OOB on a pass in the EZ, 3Q. Misfires on deep ball enraged me, as did misfires to open men in the EZ. C
RB:
Conner - Did not dress, due to the ankle.
Samuels - what difference a week makes! Al of the sudden, this feeble, slow-footed fellow is displaying a burst NEVER SEEN this season, ever. Very stellar game. Had an amazing 142 yards on 19 carries, and 2 grabs for 30. A+.
Ridley - got some PT, and chipped in with 3 rushes for 16. B
FB:
Nix - Provided some nice lead blocks when used; not used much at’all.
WR:
Brownie – had a quiet game, with 4 grabs for 49, altho he did have a TD. B
JuJu - also quiet, with just 4 grabs for 40. B
Heyward-Gay – nothing.
Wash - finally looked like the stud he was at Ok St, making a rare downfield combat catch for 32, plus 2 other grabs. Not shabby. A-
Switz - Had 2 grabs for 9…the first grab was a poor pass by Ben that limited the RAC. Had 1 rush for 3 yards. B
Eli Rogers - activated off the IR, Eli greatly aided the opening TD drive. On the initial 3rd down, he grabbed, with 1 hand, a pass to move the chains. If he doesn’t make the grab, the Stilllers punt, and it’s likely they’d be down, rather than in front, in the 4Q. Eli also drew a PI flag, 2Q. B+
TE:
Jesse James - had just 1 grab for 9. B
McDonald - had 2 grabs for 13. Had a big TD in the 1H, and nearly had another TD in the 3Q. B+.
OL: Overall, the line blocked acceptably. There was an ugly 1Q drive in which Ben was dropped on successive plays, but after that, Ben was kept clean. The line also opened up nice holes for Samuels all nite long. A
DL:
Hargrave - quiet game, with the rush D getting gouged quite a bit. B-
Heyward – Chipped in some, with 1solo and a couple assists. B-
Tuitt – The Notre Dame pansy did little, with 2 solos and 1 A. C+
Alu - Did little. C
LB:
Vinnie– Had 3 solos. C
Bostic - Finished with 2 solos in limited work.
Fort- thankfully wasn’t much involved.
Watt - stelar game. Applied some heat and harassment, including the final 4th down pass that was inc. Had 3 solos, and a sack. A-
Crud DuPree - Hold your laughter, please…….this over-rated pilo shit was held off the stat sheet…..! LMAO !! Sure, he got nicked up in the 2H, but had dozens of snaps prior to actually do something. D
Chickillo - saw a good bit of PT once Crud was hurt. Chipped in a bit.
DB
Davis - took some poor angles, such as the long NE TD. Had 3 solos. Seems mis-fit as a FS…..his only quality is as a SS. C
Haden - stellar game. Led the team with 8 solos. Had the rarest of rare birds…..a Steeler INT ! B+
Artie Burned - finally got some D PT. Chipped in a bit.
Hilton - Had 5 solos in his typical solid effort.
Burnett - saw a ton of PT. Had just 2 solos, and got his share of abuse. C+
Edmunds - chipped in with 2 solos and 4As. Made a big stick to force the NE FG, 3Q. B
Cameron Butt-ton - played here and there. Thankfully wasn’t tooled.
Senselessbaugh - got some spot duty.
Spec teams:
Jordan Berry – punted only twice. B
Boswell – Shanked a 3Q FG wide right, but redeemed himself with a clutch 48-yard FG in the 4Q to make it a 7 point game. B
OC: Randy Sphincter had an adequate game. He was able to get solid ground production, with clock-chewing, from Samuels.
DC:
Keith Assler looked the fool the 3rd play of the game (for NE), with THREE men overing one WR while another man, Hogan, was completely uncovered for a 63-yard TD. Assler was lucky to have THREE drops by NE receivers on cake-easy passes in the 1H, which helped to force punts. I can just see Assler getting raped by Brady come playoff time. B
HC: Mike Asslin saves his own bacon on what was a must-win game. Quick — he’ll probably give his players 5 days off, as he did after the win over Carolina. B
Synopsis: A rare win over the Patsies. Am fairly stunned. Solid all-around win. Of course, next week is on the road, in a dome, against Brees and the Saints., This could very well be a whipping.
(Still Mill and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close….)
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