Stillers 43, 49ers 18……. Sep 20, 2015…………Game # 2
Stillers-Niners Postgame Analysis and Grades
The Stillers put a whupping on a woebegone SF team in the home opener. I won’t spend al that much time commenting on this game. The Stillers had the outrageous luxury of facing a West Coast team that played Mon. nite and then had to travel cross-country for this tilt. The NFL’s stupidity knows no bounds.
Grades:
QB: Solid day for Ben. I’d prefer a bit more loft on his deep balls, as most were too laser like. 21 of 27 for 369 is splendid, of course, esp. without Martavis in the lineup. A
RB:
Bell - Stutter Bell did not dress, due to the suspension.
DeAngelo – Solid game, with 77 yards on 20 rushes, and 4 grabs for 15. Superb 3rd effort netted him his 3rd TD of the day, 4Q. On a down note, I discovered an awful lack of acceleration by Williams on RAC. If he’s facing the QB on a dumpoff, and more or less stationary, he takes about 7 seconds and 4 steps to get moving with any kind of acceleration. Time and time again today, he caught a dumpoff with what looked like half an acre of room, only to then take eons of time to scoot upfield, getting nabbed for piddly yardage in the process. If he’s not on the move, it’s not worth the effort. A-
Archer: Pee Pee Archer did nothing at RB. Thankfully he never touched the ball. Why is this sorry-assed stiff issued a helmet each week?
FB:
Will Johnson - Not involved much at all.
WR:
Brownie – Another dominant game. Splendid sideline catch, a la Swann, in the 1Q. Grabbed deep ball for a 59-yard gainer, 2Q. Dropped deep pass late in the 3Q. 9 grabs for 195 is sick. A+
Pinkie Wheaton – grabbed a deep pass for 48 yards, 4Q. Had only 2 grabs. B-
Archer: Did nothing, as usual.
Bryant - did not dress, due to suspension.
Heyward-Gay – made a rare grab of a deep ball, 1Q. Stunned it didn’t clang off his hands. Then made a better grab, this a fingertip catch, for a long TD in the 2Q. Stunning. A+
TE:
Miller – quiet day with only 2 grabs, although he chipped in on 2-pointers.
Spaeth - dressed, and wasted oxygen, plus a scare spot on the 45-man game-day dress roster.
OL:
Foster – Waddled about and had a shit game.
Cody Wallace – foolish roughness penalty, 1Q.
DL:
Cam Thomas – Played little. Waddled his fat ass to and fro.
McLendon - good stop on 3d & G, 3Q.
Heyward – Blown 10 yards off the bal in the 1Q. However, he was a man possessed soon thereafter. Blew up screen, early 2Q. 2 plays later, nabbed Kaep for a key 3D sack. After pulling his pud last week, he was a demonic terror today. Well done. A
Tuitt – Got a legit sack by abusing his man in 1 on 1 blocking. 12 times more active than last week’s meek effort. B+
LB:
Timmons – solid game with 6 solos and 2 As.
Shaquier - Hot damn !! What a game. What did Buttt-ler put in this guy’s Wheaties ?? Got a Dong fumble recovery when Hyde simply dropped the ball after a simple handoff. Slashed in, 1st play of 2H, and dropped Hyde on a power pitch for a 2 yard loss. FF on tackle of Kaep in the 3Q, although SF recovered. Big lick on Patton in the 4Q. He left the field after this play…may have dinged up a shoulder. Finished with 11 solos and 4 As in a sideline to sideline effort that was as good a performance of a Stiller ILB as we’ve seen in the past 20 years. The only small negative note, was his continual jersey-grab tackle attempts of Kaepernick on QB runs. This is a careless and foolish technique. A++
Moats - played little and chipped in a bit.
Harrison – Good lick on Davis near the GL in the 4Q. Quiet, with 1 solo and 1 A.
Jones - A decent effort. Had good coverage on a downfield pass in the 1H.
Dupree – saved a TD late in the game with an ankle nip of Kaep. Got a semi-Dong sack in the 3Q on a WLR (wide loop rush) when the RT moved about 4 inches in his pass pro. Hopefully is growing and learning each week.
DB
Will Allen – took a completely jackassed angle on the 75-yard TD play to Smith, mid 4Q. Just fuking hideous and stupid. But remember, he’s so cerebral and scholarly !! C
Mitchell – took out Hyde’s knee with a dirty clean-up shot in the 1H. Could have ended the guy’s career. Stop the presses !!! Bitchell broke up a pass late in the 2Q. He broke up TWO all of last season. He’s now halfway there.
Blake – good cut down of Hyde, 1Q. Hard hit on Davis jarred ball loose for an inc. in the 3Q. Am not as fond of this fellow as his coaches are.
Sharko Thomas – Not permitted to play on D, because, as you know, Will Allen is such a studly safety. I guess he might get some PT in 2017. Inc
C. Allen - inactive, due to injury.
Boykin – despite being the best cover CB on the roster, this guy unbelievably ROTTED the bench most of the game. Busted up a pass in the EZ in the 4Q. Perhaps he’ll get some PT come November.
Spec teams:
Jordan Berry – punted solidly, with a booming 62 yard punt. B+
Scobee – clanged a PAT off the upright in the 2Q. Barely made his next PAT, eking it just inside the upright. My confidence in this stiff is dissolving week by week. We gave up a 6th rounder for this pile o’ manure??
Archer – Pee Pee had no KO returns. And, of course, he’s entirely incapable of returning punts.
OC: Haley had much more productivity in the “red area” (as Dumblin likes to call it) today. Of course, it helps when facing a secondary that is actually worse than the Stillers’ rag-bag secondary. Queertez Allen looks like Rod Woodson next to the dregs SF rolled out in its secondary. A
DC: Assler had the luxury of 10 days prep, while SF had FOUR. I wasn’t all that pleased with how Assler allowed the Niners to grind out long, tedious marches. Sure, the Niners came up empty or with little, but not every offense will be as kind as SF. Allowing 3D conversions with all the ease of falling off a log, is not the recipe for an effective defense. AAt some point, Asslet needs to get his defense the fuk off the field, and get this team’s BEST weapons, the offense, ONTO it. Having Ben and AB sit around for 20 minutes of real time while SF chews up 10 minutes of TOP ain’t overly productive in the grand scheme of things. I also wasn’t pleased with the outrageous completion % Kaepernick was able to amass. He was 33 of 46, with at least 5 incompletions being sloppy drops. It was just too easy for a mediocre QB to play pitch n’ catch with a mediocre receiving corps.
On the plus side, I was pleased that, entirely unlike last week, the defenders were playing DOWNHILL, with force and alacrity. Furthermore, unlike last week, they were punishing receiving after the catch, rather than playing paw-paw. And, there was far less of the rampant, grab-assed confusion that plagued this sorry defense in the opener. B-
HC: Mike Dumblin will be all proud of this whipping. What he should be asking, and what the lame, sheeplike Pgh media should be asking, is: Why piss away the season opener for the 4th time in 5 years, with such a lazy, feeble, disoriented effort ?? To avoid needless injury, why not simply forfeit, and prepare for week 2 ??
Synopsis: We’ll take the W, but again, the NFL deserves considerable thanks for the botched scheduling that was completely unfair to SF. Next up, a tough road game vs. the Rams, who have a very stout defense.
(Still Mill and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close….)
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