Raidas 34, Stillers 31 …. Sep 23, 2012 …………Game # 3
Stillers-Raiders Postgame Analysis and Grades
The Stillers went ahead 17-14 on the final play of the 1H, and then scored on the 1st possession of the 2H to take what seemed like a commanding 10-point lead over lowly Oakland. However, the defense didn’t make a stop the entire 2nd half, allowing 4 (four) Oakland possessions to end in a TD or a FG, and the Raiders came back to tie the game late in the 4Q. Technically, the Raiders never led in regulation, but their FG as time expired was good, and the Raiders eked out a most improbable 34-31 win.
Grades:
QB: Ben had a career day, slicing apart an OAK secondary missing numerous starters and key reserves. Ben went 36 of 49 for 384 and 4 TD passes, with no INTs. He deftly scrambled from some infrequent pressure and hit 10 different pass catchers. Had a brilliant scramble on 3d & 5, and then found a wide-open Wally for an easy TD pass. His last pass may have been his worst, as he misfired way high on a middle scramble to force the late punt. Yes, he had a defender draped on him, but the receiver was open and the last thing you want to do here is heave a HIGH pass that could have been picked off. Ben also had a boneheaded DOG flag on 3d & 4 in the 2Q, which soon led to a punt. A dumb flag for a veteran QB. Alas, this pitiful loss ain’t on Ben. A.
RB:
Redman - good plunge on 3d & 1 midway thru the 2Q, got 4. Good hole-hit. Converted a huge 4th & 1 on the PIT 29 at 3:51 4Q. Had 9 rushes for 27 yards.
Dwyer - fumbled the ball away on a draw play at 4:20 2Q, giving the Raiders the ball on the PIT 30. This put him in the doghouse and he carried only 3 times all game.
Rainey - had a short grab late in the 1Q for 14 yards on 3d & 25, and another grab for 9. Ran twice for 7 yards, and is showing much better decisiveness than in week 1.
Baron Batch - Saw by far the most extensive PT of his career. Good power run on 3d & 1, 2Q, got 3. Nice, low running and good decisiveness. Nice RAC, late 2Q, eluded a tackler and got OOB after nice 5-yard pickup.
Socrates Mendenhall: Surprise (sic)….did not dress. Good thing he was taken off PUP (sic). Nothing great, but the run blocking was far from dominant and the passing game was clicking against a woeful OAK secondary.
C+
FB:
Johnson - good grab on low pass, 2Q, gained 6. The blocking was mediocre. C+
WR:
Wally - Mister Holdout meekly tip-toed on a jet sweep in the 1Q. He fumbled the ball after a slant in the 4Q, but luckily recovered the ball to stave off disaster. He finished with 8 grabs for 123 and 2 TDs, albeit against a pitiful secondary.
Brown - . superb 2nd and 3d effort on quick screen, 2Q, good for 6 yards. Nice burst to the GL on a 0-step hitch late in the 3Q from the OAK 10, although he foolishly coughed up the ball at the GL and somehow managed to come up with the loose ball for an odd TD. Fumbled away the ball in the 4Q, when he was stripped after a nice 20-yard gain. The bumbling and fumbling are unacceptable.
Sanders - held on after taking huge shot, late 2Q. Had 3 grabs for 33, and warrants more passes.
Cotch - 1 grab for 9. The fumbles take away what had been a good game. B.
TE:
Miller - superb game, with 8 grabs for 60 and 2 TDs, and a ton of punishment after grabs. Nice grab on seamer in super tight coverage, 2Q, which was initially ruled a catch, but overruled on challenge. Clutch grab and lunge on 3d & 8, got 9 late in the 3Q deep in OAK territory.
Pope - nothing.
OL:
Shit blocking on the Dwyer draw play that was fumbled. Shit blocking on the late 3d & 1 plunge where Redman was stuffed.
Starks: played ok.
Gilbert - limping late 2Q. Sat some in the 2H . Flagged for an illegal formation in the 3Q when he lined up practically in the backfield.
Adams - did not play.
Colon - . Flagged for a hold on a running play in the 1Q, and then a hold in the 4Q that negated Ben’s 8-yard scramble. A totally over-rated, fat pile of dung.
Foster - flagged for a false start in the 1Q. Drive blocking was mediocre.
Pouncey - good block on 4th & 1, late 4Q.
Beachum - started the 2H in place of Gilbert, but after 4 plays, Gilbert came limping back in. Then got reinserted again. On the 1st play he was involved in, we heard an all too familiar song, “False start, #68, offense.” Grisly memories of that pile of shit, Piss Kemoeotu.
The pass pro was decent against a weak Raiders rush, but the run blocking was again piss poor. B
DL:
Keisel - Did nothing on the long Fadden TD jaunt. Made a piss-licking play on a 3d & 1 plunge deep in PIT, getting buried face down and then failing to stop the back. Then made the bonehead play of the year, jumping completely offside to point out a motioning Raider on a 4th & 2 on the PIT 6, which was probably a ploy-play by an Oak team willing to boot a FG. A supremely jack-assed play of epic proportions.
Hood - Did very little. Finished with 1 solo and zero impact.
Hampton - The Fat Waddler was shoved 12 feet to his left -- opening up a huge hole -- on the long Fadden TD run, and spent the entire day waddling to and fro, doing next to nothing.
Heyward - Casper Heyward was nonexistent.
McClendon - Did nothing. D-
LB:
Foote - Got jock-juked after a short dumpoff late in the 3Q, en route to a 17-yard gainer. Had 5 solos and 2 As. Played ok for a player of his limited ability and skill set.
Carter - Did very little all game long in a platoon role with Worilds. Had 1 solo and 2 A’s.
Timmons - good job to help blow up ground play by Fadden, late 2Q, only 1 yard gain deep in PIT terr. Made an ankle-nip stop on a 3d & 8 screen pass in the 4Q, forcing a FG. Had 4 solos, which simply ain’t enough for the main ILB in this defense.
Woodley - got a solo when he shoved Carson LipBalmer OOB, 2:15 2Q. Rare fight-off of block by TE Brandon Myers, on a toss sweep in the 3Q that lost a yard or two. Actually fought off a block on a power pitch at 7:40 4Q, -1. Got a Dong Sack late in the 1Q after Palmer was pressured and froze in the pocket. Never once sniffed, harassed, or pressured LipBalmer during the carefree pick-apart in the 2nd half.
Worilds - Big, rare hit by Worilds on plunge, 2Q, 1-yard gain. Moved as oafishly slow as cold oatmeal on 3d & 8 in coverage on Reese, allowing a 10 yard gain. Had 2 solos in a lukewarm effort.
Harrison - did not dress. Good thing he was activated off PUP. D+
DB:
Pola - Did not dress, due to nagging leg injury.
Ike - good trip-up of Fadden in BF on 3d & 4, -1. Failed to bust up a deep pass in the EZ to heyward-Bey, who then allowed the pass to slip thru his fingers. Should have been flagged for illegal contact early in the 4Q.
Lewis - slow as whaleshit on Fadden TD jaunt. He had the angle, but displayed the speed of a backup FB. Did little in pass defense. Flagged for a PI that really should have been illegal contact, in the 4Q. Makes William Gay look like an All Pro.
Mundy - tooled, used, and abused on TD lob, late in 2Q. Never read the receiver, never looked for the ball, and never tried to bust up the play. A shit play by a shit defensive back. Also got tooled by Fadden on the long TD run. Delivered a lick to Fadden, with Foote, but failed to wrap, and Fadden spun away for a 4-yard TD run in the 3Q. Busted up a TD pass to Heyward-Bey early in the 4Q, and knocked H-Bey senseless and out of the game. He’ll receive a hefty fine for this hit.
Not happy with Mundy’s play? Ask yourself this--
a.) which coach has coached, tutored, and mentored him during his previous 3 (THREE) years with the Stillers ?
b.) which coach has seen to it to keep him on the roster?
The answer to both questions is the senile old fool himself, Richard “Dick” LeBeau.
Cortez Allen - Active, but never busted up a pass.
Clark - feebly whiffed on Fadden near the LOS, allowing a 16-yard run in the 3Q. As Carson Choker was picking apart the secondary, where was The Great Ryan Clark? Why, nowhere to be found. He did, however, manage to grab a Dong INT early in the game, when the Raider intended receiver slipped.
Will Allen got banged up on a GL plunge, 3Q.
A sorry, wretched performance by this secondary. D-
Spec teams: A complete disaster.
Butler - Mediocre punt, late 1Q, FC at Oak 15 for a 34 yard effort. Shit punt off the side of his foot, 2Q, that went only 29 yards.
Suisham - nailed a clutch 33 yard FG, late 1H. But his KOs were putrid. 2 of his KOs came nowhere close to the EZ, and both were returned for hefty gains. Of course, the KO coverage sucked ass.
Superb punt return for a TD by Tonio Brown, only to be negated by 2 flags: an illegal block by Will Johnson and a hold by Cortez Allen. A punt return that was fair-caught a short while later still drew a masking penalty by “the defense”; the ref didn’ cite a name.
Shitty KO, only to the OAK 2, and then shitty coverage allowed a 51-yard return in the 3Q after the Stillers had taken a 24-14 lead.
The Stillers were badly fooled on an offfsides KO after the Raiders cut the lead to 24-21, but the bouncing KO went right thru the hands of a Raider and then squirted OOB. D-
OC: Haley’s offense scored 31, albeit against a weak, injury riddled OAK defense. There were a host of boners and issues --
A jet sweep on 2nd & 5 from the OAK 5 yard line in the 1Q, using Wally, the guy who hates contact and reads blocking about as well as a 4th grader in a college chemistry class ?? Are you fuking kidding me ? From which velvet grab bag did Haley pull this playcall??
Wasted TO 6:36 2Q, as a TE came onto the field and into the huddle with only about 11 seconds left on the playclock. What a goatrope. Due to all of their TOs being pissed away, the Stillers had to settle for a FG instead of taking a stab at a weary, confused OAK defense, deep in OAK territory, late in the 1H.
3d & short, 4:30 4Q - Redman was lined up 6 yards back from the LOS, and then was stuffed on a plunge for little yardage that was stopped short of the sticks. Very stupid alignment. Redman, who runs low to the ground, is better in this situation out of a quick-hitting alignment. B
DC: As usual, Dick was handed an early 7-0 lead, only to immediately piss it away by allowing a 64-yard TD jaunt to McFadden. This, from a RB who had gained 54 yards -- in total -- during the Raiders’ first 2 games of the season.
The Stiller offense dominated TOP in the 1H, 21:36 to 8:24, but there was Dick’s vaunted defense, playing grabass and allowing the long TD jaunt by Fadden and another TD after a Stiller fumble, so the Stillers were clinging to a thin 3-point lead at the half.
After the Stillers had taken a seemingly commanding 31-21 lead late in the 3Q, Dick allowed an 11-play, 80-yard TD march, with the final 4 plays aided by the loss of a starting WR (Heyward-Bey). Dick was even given a freebie 15-minute timeout as Heyward-Bey was being immobilized and carted off the field, but as is usual, But Dick was unable to come up with anything and the Raiders scored the TD 4 plays later to trim the lead to 31-28. Dick then followed up that pile of vomit by allowing an easy, casual 9-play, 50- yard march for a chippie FG that tied the game with 6:30 left in regulation.
OAK was last in NFL coming into this game in 3rd down conversions, but they had a cake-easy time converting against The Deity of Defense and his vaunted defense, as they went 7 of 12 (58%). .
Dick allowed an easy conversion on 3d & 10, 1:10 4Q, from the OAK 25-yard line (good for 15 yards), which could have forced a punt. After an OAK timeout, Dick allowed the easy pitch n’ catch, with completions of 9, 8, and then 17 yards, with the 17-yarder going to a receiver so wide open on a short crosser that, had the receiver wildly swung a 10-foot pole in all directions, he’d have missed the closest defender by at least 12 feet.
A complete toast and roast. Here’s how laughable it was:
This was an 0-2 OAK team with the WORST 3rd down conversion rate in the NFL; an offense that scored only 14 and 13 points its 1st 2 games; plus it played the last quarter without its best WR, Darius Heyward-Bey....yet the Supreme Lord of Defensive Coaching couldn’t stop them AT ALL. Dick somehow urinated away not one, but two 10-point leads in the 2H against the lowly Raiders.
Starting late in the 2Q, here is how LeBeau’s vaunted defense and his “diabolical schemes” fared against the lowly Raiders on their 5 drives from that point on--
- 6 plays, 30 yards, TD late in the half.
- 10 plays, 48 yards, TD
- 11 plays, 80 yards, TD
- 9 plays, 50 yards, chippie game-tying FG
- 8 plays, 49 yards, game-winning FG as time expired.
ZERO STOPS AT ALL from late 2nd quarter, on. 5 drives, ZERO stops, Zero brains. Dick managed to allow Carson Choker to go 18 of 24 in the 2H, and convert 7 of 8 3rd downs. That flat out sucks elephant gonad, no matter what kind of spin or quibble The LeBeau Apologists Association (LAA) might try to apply. Funny how Dick manages to make any mediocre QB -- be it Timmy Tebow, Joe Flacco, or an over the hill Carson Choker -- look like a combination of Otto Graham, Johnny Unitas, and Danny Marino. Dick LeBeau -- a complete farce, and the laughingstock of the National Football League. Best thing he can do right now is step down and avoid further exposure and embarrassment. F-
HC: Coach CleverQuote watched this entire thing unravel, and did nothing to stop the abortion.
There was yet another wasted TO at 3:51 4Q, as the offense faced a 4th & a short 1 on its own 29 and then dilly-dallied on their decision. Momlin followed this with a bizarre decision to go for it (on his own 29 in a TIE ballgame); it worked out via Redman’s plunge, but made no sense in a tie game. Then again, with the shit defense and the senile, sound-asleep defensive coordinator, this was probably making the best of a bad situation.
11 penalties show a clear lack of discipline and focus for a veteran-laden team.
Remember, defense is Momlin’s one and only forte. He’s either too blind and stupid to make any adjustments or add influence, or he’s too chickenshit to deal with Dick The Dullard. Either is grossly unacceptable. F.
Synopsis: A sad loss to a pitiful, injury riddled 0-2 team. Unacceptable. No excuse. A complete disgrace and embarrassment. Pissing away what should have been an easy, routine W against a dreg of an opponent, after the offense rolls up 31 points, dominated TOP, and gives the D a 10-point 2H lead, is reprehensible. The team now has the bye week to chew on the bitter taste of this fiasco and their pitiful 1-2 start, and they don’t have much time to sulk. A very capable, hungry Philly team will be visiting Pgh in 2 weeks, and if this defense doesn’t put fingers in some of these leaks, they’ll be looking at 1-3 soon enough.
(Still Mill and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close….)
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