Stillers 24, Giants 20 ……. Nov. 4, 2012 …………Game # 8
Stillers-Giants Postgame Analysis and Grades
The Stillers gamely fought the defending SB champ Giants thru the 1Q, with the score tied at 0-0. In the 2Q, the roof caved in, with a NY/NJ pity party that gave blown call after blown call after blown call to the flood-ravaged New Yorkers, and the Stillers quickly found themselves down 14-7. They closed it to 14-10 just before halftime, but soon got avalanched in a wretched 3rd quarter, with NY bulging their lead to 20-10. The Stillers stormed back in the 4Q, thrashing the G’ints in every phase of the game, en route to a highly improbable 24-20 win.
Grades:
QB:
Ben - good scramble under pressure, 5 yards, 1Q. Good TD strike to Sanders in the 2Q. Failed to elude Tuck and refused to throw the ball away, causing a short sack on 3d & 7 at the NY 32 early in the 3Q, forcing a punt instead of what could have been a 49-yard FG attempt. Very sophomoric and Sunseri-like. Hesitated and waited like Tino Sunseri and then threw a hideous deep curl into double coverage that was INT’d at the PIT 40. A few plays later, the G-Men booted a short FG to go up 20-10. Missed a wide-open Sanders in the back-left corner of the EZ on the 3d & 1 dumpoff to Redman in the 4Q at the NY 4-yard line. To his credit, Ben shook off the blunders and the NY pass pressure, and was lights out during the key TD march late in the 4Q, hitting Miller for 14 and Cotch for 12. B
RB:
Redman - Started in place of the injured Mendy and Dwyer. Good first carry, from PIT 1, gained 11 yards up tiny crack up gut. Good grab on valve dump, 3d & 1, and gained 4, 2nd series. Literally bowled over Kiwanuka on a 4-yard gain in the 2nd series. Good run on draw play, late 1Q, good for 17. Good plowing run for 7 yards, 2nd play of 2Q. He followed that up with a strong 6 yard gain to set up and 1 & G at the NY 6. Good 11-yard run, 2Q. Somehow gained 3 out of nothing and after eluding 2 tacklers at 9:16 4Q. Clutch rumbling run on 3d & 2 at the NY 9, busting a tackle near the LOS and gaining 8. Two plays later, he followed that up with a strong, churning TD run, displaying good 2nd and 3rd effort. This TD gave the Stillers a 24-20 lead. Red ripped off a big run for 28 yards late in the 4Q to salt the game away.
Rainey - carelessly fumbled after a screen pass, 1st series, but luckily the ball rolled OOB. Sloppy as shit; lost 5 yards. Got injured (ribs) returning a KO late in the 3Q and never returned. Had 1 carry for 4 yards, which doesn’t sound impressive, but this lone carry showed his maturity and learning. He took a handoff, saw a small sliver up RT, put his head down, and burrowed for 4 yards to set up a very manageable 3d & 3. 5 weeks ago, he would have danced around trying to gain 39 yards on this kind of play.
Baron Batch - ran a couple plunges late in the game when the RB corps was so decimated that Tomlin was getting ready to insert Suisham as a RB.
Dwyer - injured his vagina last week and did not dress.
Socrates Mendenhall: Surprise (sic)….did not dress. Good thing he was so rabidly taken off PUP (sic). Redman: A+ All others: B
FB:
Johnson - carried on a SG plunge to the left in the 1Q for 2 yards. Clutch grab, 1st play of 2Q, getting nailed but holding on, plus plowing, for a 5-yard gain. Clumsily dropped an out pass on 2d & 7 deep in NY territory, 4Q. Good, solid, tenacious run-blocking at the POA all game long. Just think -- had the vastly inferior David Johnson not gotten injured in camp, Will Johnson would have either been cut or, at best, placed on the practice squad. Right now, Will is, conservatively speaking, at least 3 times better than David, the sack o’ dung who played a major role in losing the Sup Bowl 2 years ago. A
WR:
Wally - Mister Holdout dropped a cake-easy curl pass late in the 2Q. What a pussy. Feeble RAC early in the 3Q on bubble screen, meekly going OOB after a 1-yard gain. Wally grabbed a short flag late in the 3Q, and then, true to his nature, meekly stumbled to the ground with no one touching him. He tried to get up and got rightfully blistered. This is a play were a genuine top-flight WR takes off like a jet after grabbing the pass. In an extreme rarity, a few plays later (early in the 4Q) Wally grabbed a short crosser on 3d & 4 and took it across the field and then to the house for a 51-yard TD that cut the deficit to 3. This was the exact opposite of what Wally did in on a particular play in the playoff loss to Denver, in which he failed to run to daylight and instead meekly ran right at a DB for a harmless short gainer.
Brown - .The best WR on the team injured his ankle as he tripped on a pass pattern after getting tangled with Princess Amukamara, late 1Q. Tonio never returned.
Sanders - superb pluck in the back of the EZ for a TD grab, early 2Q. This is a pass that clangs off the hands of Mike Wallace. He had 2 grabs for 20 yards. I honestly could do without his preening after a routine 1st down grab.
Cotch - good grab and RAC on 3d & 6, late 1Q, got 7. Good block on Red’s 11-yard run, 2Q. Good grab on low pass, late 2Q. Cotch finished with 4 grabs for 50 yards, with no drops. Very well done. A-
TE:
Miller - dropped an easy mid-dump in the 2Q. Very poor. Actually slowed up, despite having the angle, on the fumble return for a TD in the 2Q. (This occurred just prior to the illegal block to the back.) Clutch grab late in the 1H to set up a last second FG. Good grab in tight traffic near the NY 4-yad line in the 4Q.
Paulsen - got short grab, last play 1Q.
Pope - rarely played on offense.
The overall run blocking and pass pro was quite solid. B+
OL:
Starks: Got beaten wide on the play in which Ben “fumbled” and it was returned for a TD in the 2Q. On this play, Umenyiora lined up in the next zip code, so far wide that he could have chatted with split receiver. Umen got an outstanding timed-jump of the snap and just beat Starks to the corner on a WLR. Overall, Starks played adequately.
Gilbert - sore ankle/sore vagina, and once again did not dress.
Adams - abused to the inside, as always, on a Tuck sack in the 1st series. Got bull-rushed off his feet and savagely mauled by Pierre Paul -- to the inside, once again -- for a sack late in the 2Q. Just pitiful and wretched. To his credit, he stood his ground in the 2H, although on many plays he had help from a FB or TE.
Colon - solid run blocking. Unbelievably, did not have a holding or false start flag. He flatted Tuck on a pull early in the 2Q, a play that Red gained 7 yards.
Foster - solid run blocking. Had a short pull and blocked 2 defenders on Redman’s 6 yard gain that set up a 1st & G in the 2Q.
Pouncey - Strong all-around game.
Overall, they devoured the GMen in the running game and gamely fought off the ferocious NY pass rush. B+
DL:
Keisel - Had 2 solos and 2 A’s. What I noticed about Keisel in this game is that he’s spending too much time and energy bull-rushing and titty-jousting with pass blockers. This is a tall, athletic DE with a good wing-span, and with very limited pass rushing skills. He ought to be disengaging more and attempting more BATS of low passes.
Hood - made a stop on a ground play, early 3Q.
Hampton - Fatty snuck into the backfield and blew up a widish run early in the 4Q. Otherwise, did very little, aside from just spinning and falling on his ass on Brown’s TD plunge.
Heyward - not entirely sure if he made it onto the field. A complete non-factor.
McClendon - applied the late pressure on WoMan-ning’s first INT. Actually was permitted to play more than 2 snaps. B-
LB:
Foote - totally tooled and abused on a seamer by TE Martellus Bennett for a 33-yard gain, early 3Q. He was in good position, but then turned his hips as slow as molasses, and got beaten.
Carter - another player with a sore vagina that did not play.
Timmons - OK tackle on ground play, 2nd series, but failed to explode into RB and limit the extra 2 yards after contact. Got a Dong Sack after Manning was flushed from the pocket early in the 4Q. lined up at LOLB and applied pressure to Manning at 3:45 4Q. Had 3 solos.
Woodley - Completely whiffed on routine jam attempt on Cruz at 3:58 1Q, and Cruz was WIDE open on the crosser for a 26-yard gain. Looped wide while RT Diehl let him go on a double LB blitz with Foote, and after the let-go, LaMarr forced a hurried INC late in the 1st half. Easily walled off and shoved aside, allowing a gaping hole up RT for a 9-yard run on NY’s 1st play of the 3Q. Nipped Manning’s arm to force a fumble after a WLR (wide loop rush) late in the 4Q that NY recovered.
Worilds - Was totally sucked & sealed in on a widish Bradshaw run just before the Clark personal foul play. Easily manhandled by a TE on a 3d & 1 at 5:30 3Q. Very pussyfied. Got owned by Bennett the entire day and may as well had the lettering “Bennett’s Bitch” sewn onto his jersey.
Harrison - good tackle on run, 1st series. Strung and stuffed a wide run by Bradshaw, 4:20 1Q. Had 4 solos. Pass rush was minimal, but his work at the POA (point of attack) was very stellar and helped stifle the NY ground game.
B
DB:
Ike - abused, 2nd play of game by Cruz, failed to make tackle after short out, extra 9 yards. 17 yards gain. Got a Dong INT late in the 1Q when Manning, under very light & late pressure from McLendon, threw a wounded quail of a pass that floated to no man’s land and landed as softly as a baby’s bottom into Ike’s rocky hands. First INT in last 12 games. Dropped a CAKE easy INT in the EZ on 3d & goal at 7:06 2Q. Good open field tackle on Cruz after Clark had feebly whiffed, 3Q, forcing a 4th down.
Lewis - rare bustup, first play of game, deep post. Another bust-up, 1st play of 2nd series on a crosser. Then 2 plays later, on a 3d & 5, PeeBoy was on a blitz, but read the QB and astutely leapt up and batted the pass. He now has more bats at the LOS than nearly every defensive lineman and LB on the entire roster. Pussed out like a complete pansie on a 3d & 2 at the PIT 12 in the 2Q, refusing to use his arms to wrap and allowing the RB (Bradshaw) to bounce off for 4 yards & the 1D yardage. Meekly pawed and got stiff-armed by Nicks after a RAC deep in PIT territory late in the 3Q. Was issued a legit PI flag late in the 2Q, when he was flailing and waving his arms without looking back for the ball. As for the earlier PI flag, it was excellent coverage and timing by PeeBoy, and clearly should not have been a penalty. .
Will Allen - started the game, but then injured a vagina and gave way to Bundy
Mundy - started the 2H in relief of Will Allen. Surprisingly didn’t commit any major gaffes.
Cortez Allen - didn’t do much.
Clark - came flying in on a 2nd & goal run in the 2Q, whiffing completely like the pile of dung that he is. This allowed a 3-yard gain, instead of no gain, to the PIT 2. Feebly whiffed on Cruz after a short crosser, 5:55 3Q. Rare, but good stop of Bennett on 3rd down to force a punt from the NY EZ at 9:16 4Q.
Pola - sore calf and vagina, and again did not dress.
They benefitted from Manning being scattershot and clearly out of synch with his receiving corps. B
Spec teams:
Shoddy coverage, opening KO. That aside, the kick coverage was adequate.
Good 50-yard KO return by Rainey to the NYG 46 in the 2Q after the G-Men had tied the game. Big KO return by Rainey to start the 2H, setting the Stillers up at the NY 35. Rainey got injured returning a KO in the 3Q, when he was speared with a helmet to his ribs after he was fully down on the ground. No flag, of course.
Mundy had the KO returner dead to rights early in the 4Q, but boot-footedly allowed him to get outside. Worse, at the end of the run, Cortez Allen was flagged for a facemask.
With both Tonio Brown and Rainey injured, Sanders took a punt return 63 yards to the NY 13 at 12:36 4Q. The negative thing was that he seemed to run out of steam and just meekly went to the ground as the punter approached him.
The big play o’ the game was the botch-fuked fake FG attempt at the NY 4-yard line in the 4Q, with PIT down by 3. The design of this fake FG totally sucked ass because it left the “left DE” on the FG block team totally untouched and unblocked, so when that man (CB Michael Coe) rushed, he was in perfect position to haul down the slow-footed placekicker well short of the sticks.
Butler again punted well in 4 attempts. Pope was flagged for a blindside block on a kickoff return, which I personally enjoyed and I despise this homo rule. Brandon Johnson foolishly was flagged for a hold on a late punt return. Cortez was flagged for a mask in KO coverage in the 4Q.
Fake FG: F-. All other aspects: A-
OC:
Nice opening drive, working out of the hole of their own 1-yard line. But on 1st down at the PIT 30, Haley motions Rainey wide left to create an empty backfield, and 2 seconds later, Tuck is ravaging RT Mike Adams and drops Ben for a 9-yard loss. Just like that, the drive is shot to hell. WHY, pray tell, do you go EB (empty backfield) on this kind of play and leave this shitty O-line to the wolves against this fearsome pass rushing defense??
We don’t know what was called on the 3d & 1 at the NY 4 at 10:50 4Q, but there was no FB in the game and there didn’t appear to be an intent to run, Ben may have checked off at the LOS, and the resultant play was a shitfucked lil’ dumpoff to Redman that gained about 10 inches, setting up the 4th & goal that Momlin assaholically tried a fake FG.
Haley does deserve credit for pounding Redman against the NY defense. No way would Arians have done this. B
DC:
Dick was handed a 7-0 led, but as is the norm, immediately gave up the lead as fast as a French army in retreat, allowing an 8-play, 72 yard march for the tying TD.
WR Vic Cruz alligator-armed a slant pass on 3d & 6 in the 3Q that would have gained at least 15 yards, forcing a 50-yard FG try that was good, giving NY a 17-10 lead. I’m sure the Giants would have gladly traded the FG try for a continued drive.
While a nice effort on paper, LeBeau had the outrageous luxury of facing a team who'd spent the past 7 days fighting floods, fire, power outages, and even death amid a federally declared DISASTER area in their enormous metropolitan area. The entire NY team was distracted and lacking focus, as witnessed by a plethora of unforced errors (numerous false starts, mis-commo's on pass patterns, etc.) Manning, who spent last week fighting flooding in his own home, and despite facing very little pressure, was scattershot the entire game and out of synch with his receiving corps. Due to a plethora of self-inflicted boners, NY ran all of 46 offensive plays, which might be the lowest # in the entire league this season and certainly the fewest the G-Men have run in a game all season.
Major thank-you's go out to the NFL, which canceled all NFL games 5 days after 9-11 but refused to cancel a game in which the Giants' surrounding metropolitan area was a federally-declared disaster area, flooded and without power the past several days. Thank you, Roger Goodell. Perhaps LeBeau should send flowers to Mr. Goodell at his earliest opportunity. B
HC:
Momlin challenged the 1st down spot of Cruz at 5:30 3Q, after Ike had wrapped up Cruz after Cruz had run at a backwards angle on his RAC. In a complete rarity, Momlin was correct and the 1st down was reversed and ruled a 3rd & 1, although the ref crew still botched the spot of the ball. His team got totally dominated in the 3Q in all phases of the game. 4th and 10 inches at the NY 3, 10:41 4Q, and Momlin eschews going for it, despite having Ben, plus Redman, who’d run roughshod over the G-men all day and had 105 yards at the point. To make matters worse, Momlin calls for this dildo-inhaling fake-FG pitchout to Suisham, which was easily snuffed for a 1-yard loss. It’s 4th & 10 inches at the opponent’s 4-yard line, and you have to ask who gives you the best chance of running for the 1st down --
a.) Ben on a sneak;
b.) Redman, who’d ravaged the G-Men up to that point with 105 yards and actually converted a 4th & 2-feet earlier in the game, on a line plunge; or
c.) Placekicker Shaun Suisham on a wide run off a fake FG in which few defenders will actually be rushing in to block the chip-shot FG that is essentially a PAT ?
Somehow, Momlin thinks the best answer is “c.) Suisham” …?! Put another way, with 3rd down and needing less than a full yard, the ultimate determination by Tomlin was that their kicker stood a better chance of gaining that one yard than Redman did in two tries. Furthermore, had the 155-pound Suisham been injured on this play, then what ?? Who kicks the rest of the game? Or the rest of the season, for that matter? A stupid-assed, foolhardy stunt that would look clever in a Nintendo game but looks assaholically stupid in a real football game. The only thing Momlin could have done more brainless was send Suisham onto the field without a helmet, like they did in the 1930’s. C-
Officiating: I typically don’t like to comment on officiating, but when it’s blatantly as fucked up as this game’s was, I have an obligation to comment.
- Lewis was issued a PI flag on a phantom call that was almost as bad as the 4th down PI flag against Pitt last nite against Notre Homo. This was outstanding coverage and playing of the ball by Lewis, with no contact.
- Clark was whistled for a personal foul, with Ref Bill Leavy announcing, “After the play was over, Personal foul, blow to the head”. First off, the hit by Clark was not “after the play”. It was during the play. As Ike was dropping the pass, Clark had EVERY right to deliver a lick to the WR, as Ike could have made an INT return, or, as often has happened, Ike could have juggled the ball or deflected it into the hands of the WR for a NY TD. Secondly, the blow was not even close “to the head”. The hit clearly was below the shoulder.
- The TD plunge by Brown for a TD, where Brown was clearly down prior to the goal line, was reviewed by the replay booth and still botched. His shin and elbow are clearly down prior to the ball crossing the GL, and in fact, the ball never did cross the GL until the RB was fully down and then casually reached the ball over the line. Funny how the same line judge who rushed in and rabidly ruled this play a TD, took about 14 seconds to rule Redman’s 4Q plunge a TD despite well over half of Redman’s body being in the EZ.
- Ben’s “fumble” was an INC pass, period. It does not matter that the ball moved a millimeter in his hand. He had it, completely in his hand, and he launched his arm forward and threw an awkward but legitimate pass. Period. A horrendously shit call by the replay review booth. The NFL rule book states: NFL Rule 3, Section 22, Article 2, Note 2. When [an offensive] player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his arm starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble.
- On the same play, Miller was clearly and obviously pushed in the back on the fumble return with no flag.
- Poor spot after Momlin’s approved challenge of Cruz’s RAC yardage in the 3Q when Cruz ran backwards. They reviewed the spot and backed it up, yet the refs generously gave the Giants a good 1 foot on that spot. Leavy announced, “The spot is inside the 24”, when it actually should have been outside the 24. What the fuk good is a replay booth if they cannot correctly review simple facts and simple plays ?? F
Synopsis: Good beat-down of the vaunted G-Men. A nice win over an obviously distracted (due to Storm Sandy) Giants team. Manning, despite facing very little pressure, was scattershot the entire game and out of synch with his receiving corps. NY ran all of 46 offensive plays, which might be the lowest # in the entire league this season and certainly the fewest the G-Men have run in a game all season.
Major thank-you's go out to the NFL, which canceled all NFL games 5 days after 9-11 but refused to cancel a game in which the Giants' surrounding metropolitan area was a federally-declared disaster area, flooded and without power the past several days. Thank you, Roger Goodell. Nice win. It will mean absolutely nothing if they get carved up twice by Joe Flacco in the next 4 weeks.
(Still Mill and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close….)
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