Stillers 24, Cinci 13 ���. Oct 28, 2007 ����Game #7
Stillers-Bengals Postgame
Analysis and Grades
The Stillers
rebounded from last week�s Denver Debacle with a solid, sound beatdown of the
Cinci Bungals, 24-13.�
Grades:
QB:�
Benji had a strong overall game, completing 19 of 26 for 230 yards and 2
TDs.� He started out slowly, with a
queer sidearm throw to Ward on 3rd & 5 that misfired
poorly.� He warmed up in the 2Q,
however, and threw a perfect seamer to Miller for 23 yards.� A few plays later, he adroitly fought off
Thronton and made a clutch pass to Holmes on a 3rd & 4 that
netted 7.� Ben executed a good pump fake
on the first TD pass to Ward.� He also
had a nice pass on the run to Miller in the 3Q, good for 19 yards.� Much of this was nearly wiped out, however,
by the totally inexcusable, asinine INT midway thru the 3Q. �Here was Ben, scrambling to his right, deep
in Cinci territory, on a 3rd down play.�� He had two EASY, SMART choices:�
���������� - simply fall down, take the 4-yard
loss, and allow Reed to boot an easy, 32-yard FG.��
����������
���������� - toss the ball into the bleachers,
which is exactly what he did in the 2Q at the same place on the field and facing
the same direction.���
Instead,
like a Mike Tomzsak wanna-be, he tried this gawdawful, across his body
throwback into the middle of the field, where there were 3 defenders lurking for
the ball.�� O�Neal made the easy INT and
gave the sagging Bengals, and their quiet fan base, new life.� Ben responded by directing a very quality
march for a FG in the 4Q, but this kind of unforced, jackassed INT can, and
will, be a killer against better competition.��
The INT ruins what would have been an �A� grade.����� B-��
RB:�
After being practically neglected last week, Parker had a strong game,
dashing for several big gainers en route to 126 yards and 1 TD.�� He had a good bounce outside for 12 yards
in the 1Q, and ripped off a nice 32-yard on a SG draw in the 2Q.� In the 3Q, Willie turned in a nifty
360-degree pirouette that gained 5 yards.�
Daven chipped in with some decent running in the 4Q to chew clock and
move the sticks.� �A.�
FB: Kreider started, but gave way due
to an ankle injury. �Davis had a solid
lead block on Parker�s 17-yard scamper, and had a strong effort on a screen pass
in which he busted a tackle and gained 5 yards.� �B.�
WR:�
Ward shook off last week�s rusty performance with his usual strong, stellar
receiving and running.�� He grabbed a
team high 8 catches and scored 2 TDs.� Holmes
also had a good game, grabbing 6 passes for 87 yards.� I thought he was a bit careless on the 42-yard deep ball that was
nearly overturned; the pass was right in the bread basket and there should have
never been a bobble on such a simple catch.�
Neither Nate nor Ced caught a pass.��
�B+
TE:�
Miller had just 2 grabs, but both were big gainers of 23 and 19
yards.� He did commit �a foolish false start in the 4Q.� Speath returned to the lineup but was held
without a catch.� The TE blocking was
decent.�� B+.�
OL: The line rebounded from last week�s
shoddiness with a solid overall effort.�
They controlled the LOS and gave Ben a fair amount of room and time on many
a pass play.� The lone culprit in this
game was LT Marvel Smith, wh literally played like a wretched piece of shit the
entire game.�� He was constantly beaten,
tooled, and abused by Justin Smith, so much so that Justin can simply mail out
the tape of today�s game to his NFL brethren and reserve himself a place in the� Pro Bowl.��
To be sure, Justin Smith is no chopped liver at DE, but Marvel, with his
thumb up his ass the entire game, made Justin look like a combination of LC Greenwood,
Mike Strahan, and Charles Haley.�� Marvel
failed to block anyone on the Holmes reverse in the 1Q.� He was totally abused by Justin on a
near-sack late in the 2Q (only Ben�s mobility prevented the loss), and he totally
wet the bed on the flea flicker in the 4Q.�
Two plays later, he was abused on a 3rd down play.� �Starks
had a good, pile-driving seal block on Parker�s TD run late in the 2Q.� ��KenDoll
Simmons had his weekly false start.� �Marvel Smith: �D-.�� All others: B+
DL:�
With Cinci missing Willie Anderson and Rudi Johnson, it�s appalling that
they were able to practically run at will in this game.� Backup RB K. Watson continually ran for nice
chunks of yardage, and finished with 88 yards on only 19 carries.� The defense can crow all it wants about �holding
yet another runner under 100 yards�, but had the Stiller offense not chewed
over 32 minutes of clock, Watson would have finished with at least 120 yards,
if not more.� Sure, Aaron Smith sat this
game out, but the Stiller D-line did not control the LOS in this tilt and got
nothing on the passer related to pocket push or harassment.�� Fat Casey Hampton had another disappointing
effort just days after being named to the Steeler�s 75th Anniversary
team.� My gawd, Nolan Harrison and Bill �The
Drunkard� Johnson, just to name a couple marginal Steeler D-linemen, played every
bit as well as Hampton did today.�� Rookie
Dick Eason had a terribly weak start, getting ravaged and eaten alive on nearly
every play, and fortunately Travis Kirschke saw more PT as the game wore
one.�� Kirschke had a nice stuff of
Watson for a 2-yard loss in the 4Q.�� Keisel
was incredibly quiet all day, and he and Hampton were blown off the ball on the
3d & 1 QB sneak in the 4Q.� This
crew should have an ugly time watching the films from this game.�� D.�
LB:�
The LB crew was fairly quiet all game as well, and their lackluster play
helped Watson with his healthy yardage.��
Farrior was far too quiet for a player of his pedigree, and Foote did
little.�� Haggans, facing a backup RT,
did almost nothing in a very pedestrian, GilDong-like effort.�� The only LB who earned his keep and is able
to walk proudly in public this week was Jamie Harrison, who had a stellar
all-around game.� ��He made a strong play to bottle Watson in
the 2Q for no gain; Townsend got the credit for the solo stop but Harrison made
the play.� Jamie showed strong hustle in
the 3Q, dashing across the field on 3d & 10 to put a hit on TJ.� In the 4Q, Jamie sealed the win with another
hustle play, stripping Watson of the ball and then securing the fumble
recovery.�� ��Harrison:� A.���
All others:� C.��
DB:�
Facing a dangerous duo in Chad and TJ, the secondary responded with a
solid game.� Townsend held his own, and had
a near INT in the 3Q, and blew up a screen later in the quarter.� Ike also had a solid game.�� Anthony Smith got the start with Clark out,
and Smith responded with a superb all-around effort.�� He had a strong play on the Holt end around in the 1st
series, holding him to 1 yard.� Later,
he had good coverage on a deep ball to Chad in the 3Q.� He delivered a huge hit on TJ after Ike deflected
a pass.�� His only mistake may have been
on the deep ball for a near TD to Chad in the !Q, where Smitty stopped running
and nearly paid for it.�� Otherwise,
Smitty clearly showed that he, not Clark, belongs as the starting FS from here
on out.� Troy Pola had a FF on an early 3d
& 1, but that was about it. �He
whiffed in the backfield on Watson late in the 3Q, and whiffed miserably on TJ
on the 4Q TD pass.� �Gay had ass-awkward technique on the 3d &
2 curl pass to Chad in the 2Q, which netted 16 yards.�� B+.�
Spec
teams:� A fairly dismal day for the coverage teams.� The KO coverage sucked elephant gonad the
entire game.� The containment was utterly
pitiful and the hitting was almost non-existing.� Frazier had the one and only good stop on KO coverage.� Rossum had a couple decent KO returns.�� Sepulveda had to punt only once.� Reed booted a 40-yard FG to seal the win in
the 4Q.� �The STs need to step it up very soon as the 2nd half of
the season approaches.���� C+.�
OC:�
The idiot Pittsburgh media is all full of glib humor about, �Gee, what a
difference a week makes with OC Bruce Arians.�
Last week, he was an idiot and now he�s a genius�..���� No shit!!��� He was an idiot last week, and hallelujah that
the man pulled his head from his ass in time for this week�s game.� �Parker was given a full dose and he raced for numerous big gainers
while enabling the Stillers to control the clock and keep Cinci�s potent
offense on the bench.� I was pleased
with the PUMP fakes, both of which worked early in the game, one on the
42-yarder to Holmes and the other on the first Ward TD.� On the other hand, I fully despised the
gay-assed screen play on the SIX yard line of Cinci in the 2Q.� This is a cutesy play that has little chance
of succeeding that deep in enemy territory.�
�Arians has a long way to go to get
out of my doghouse, but he made some small strides today.� �B+
DC:�
Dick benefited from the TOP advantage that the offense provided, as well
as the healthy lead.� His 2 DL scheme was
badly exposed in this game, and he�s going to have to seriously re-think that
when facing any offense capable of audibilizing to an easy ground play against this
overmatched alignment.�� Dick�s top
priority right now has to be getting Troy Pola back into effective, impact
playmaking.��� B+
HC:� Tomlin kept
an even keel after the Donco loss and got the team re-focused and energized for
this critical division game.� He also
got Arians re-directed after last week�s fiasco of an offensive gameplan.�� ��B+
Synopsis:�
A solid win over a pesky Bengal team that fought hard all game.� After last week�s debacle in Denver, this win
tasted better than most over the hapless Bungals.� Now at 5-2, the Stillers can seize command of the division with 2
successive home games against division rivals Balt and Clev.�
(Still Mill
and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers,
no one else comes close�.)