Stillers 20, Bitans 16...... Nov 2, 2023 …………Game # 8
Stillers-Bitans Postgame Analysis and Grades
The 4-3 Stillers hosted the 3-4 Titans on Thur Nite Football. Tenn marched for a long drive just before halftime to make it 13-10 at the half on a FG. The Stillers scored a TD with 4 minutes left, then held on to keep Tenn out of the EZ late in the game.
Grades:
QB: KP got the start after getting injured just before halftime 4 days ago. Solid passing on the opening march, for a TD. Awful pass (too high) to Pickens on a 3d & 8, 2nd series.
Big strike to Dionte for 32 yards, on a key 3d & 6, 4Q. Good TD pass to Dionte a few plays later.
Overall, though, there was far, far too much spottiness and misfires from KP tonite. I wasn’t pleased. C
RB:
Harris – solid running on the opening march, with a good 10 yard TD run. Big run, early 3Q. Dropped a flare pass, a few plays later. B
Warren – Good running on a variety of plays. Big runs in the 4Q, including a sterling dash around end on a busted block. Had 88 yards on 11 rushes, plus 3 grabs for 25. Dude’s a baller. A+
FB: rarely if ever used.
WR:
Dionte – 2 grabs on the opening TD drive, one with a terrific RAC. Good grab of 32 yards on a key 3d & 6, 4Q.
Pickens – Lazy footwork takes a TD off the board, mid 3Q. There is ZERO reason for an NFL WR to not get his 2nd foot in bounds on THAT play. Finished with (hold yer laughter) 2 grabs for minus-1 yards.
Austin – dropped a deep ball that was entirely catchable, early 2Q. Very poor, and sorry. Good speed on an end around to get a 1D, mid 3Q.
Robinson – nice grab to move the chains, 1st series.
Boykin – grabbed a short pass, 4Q.
TE:
Pat FryBoy – obviously, on IR.
Darnell – grabbed a pass and moved the chains, 3Q. Got abused by Simmons on a wham block, 3Q.
Con Heyward – grabbed a pass, first series, for 11 yards. Had 2 grabs for 16.
OL: Overall, the line (Moore, Seumalo, Cole, Daniels, Jones) had a decent game.
Jones got the start at RT, while Moore kept his starting job at LT. Daniels flagged for a false start on 2nd & goal, late in the 4Q. The pass pro was decent, and there were often adequate holes in the ground game. By no means a great game, but it was adequate. B-
DL:
Heyward – finally came off IR from his injured groin. Chipped in a bit, but hardly was dominant.
Ogunjobi – chipped in a bit.
Adams – got injured, with apparently an ankle.
Lowdermilk - not much.
Leal – had a couple tackles.
Benton – Had the pressure that flushed the QB into Big Alex for the sack, early 2Q. Saved a TD with a run stop of Henry, 7:55 2Q. B
LB:
Kwon Alex – had the big INT with 6 seconds left to seal the deal.
Landon Rob – made several stops on the Tenn ground game.
Cole Holcomb – applied the real pressure, not Big Alex (as claimed by the TV crew) on the QB on the inc pass, first series. Got carted off the field after the play in which he got torched for 29 yards by Hopkins.
Watt – flagged for roughing the passer, first series. Got a sack after his helmet got ripped off. Didn’t do a whole lot, although he drew a couple of flags. B
Highsmith – flailed and whiff on a throwback screen, first drive. Then whiffed on Hopkins on the gadget play a few plays later, allowing 5 extra yards which allowed a first down. Early in the 2Q, got a Dong Sack when the QB got flushed into the Big He-Man as he was standing around doing little.
Got punished by Henry on a dive play, 12:06 2Q, in which Hentry busted thru Big Alex’s tackle attempt as easy as pie. Had his THIRD WHIFF of the game, late in the 4Q, on a reverse in which a 6 yard loss turned into a FIVE yard gainer, all thanks to the Big Boy whiffing once again. Big Alex got another Dong Sack late in the 4Q…..the QB held the ball forever, and pressure by Benton AGAIN flushed the QB into Big Alex. These were his only 2 solos…..two Dong Sacks. C+
Herbig – little to no PT.
Golden – had a sack. Quick – lavish this fellow with an $18M per year extension !!
DB
Wallace – actually had adequate coverage on the late 4th down pass play. Dropped a near INT, later in the 4Q, although Hopkins helped to knock the ball loose.
Peterson - flagged for illegal contact, first series. Busted up a pass, early 3Q. Flagged for illegal contact, mid 3Q, which negated a 3D stop.
Joey Porter Jr. - flagged for masking, first drive. Then, a few plays later, was flagged TWICE on the same play, with a hands to the face being accepted. Whiffed TWICE on Hopkins on the RAC, 2Q, in embarrassing fashion. Flagged for a hold on the late, late 4th down, which would have ended the game were it not for the flag. Too many boners and mistakes. To his credit, he did smother Hopkins quite well in solo coverage. Amazing how this man rotted the bench for WEEKS behind such vaunted luminaries as Peterson and Wallace. B
Kazee – Made a couple big tackles on Henry, who might still be running had those tackles not been made.
Keanu Neal – a bit too quiet.
Minkah - sat out due to the ham.
Rush – could have ended the game with an INT with 15 secs left.
Spec teams:
Harvin – punted ok.
Boswell – Booted a coupla FGs.
Austin – foolishly caught a punt on his own 5, 2Q.
Rotten kick coverage and tackling on the late KO, which had been moved back due to the Jones 15 yard penalty after the PAT.
OC: Matt Canada oversaw another drab offensive effort, although there was a rash of player blunders that really hampered things.
Too many men in huddle, late in the 1H, for a costly 5 yard penalty near the Tenn 5 yard line.
2nd and 4, down by 3 with 12:45 left in the game, and Canada calls some chickenshoit bubble screen that loses a couple yards. 2 plays later, a punt. I despised that call. The 2nd & goal gimmick play, late in the 4th Qtr, was ghastly. It was flagged for a false start, and looked like it hadn’t been practiced upon since Sept.
Overall, this was an adequate game for the beleaguered Canada. KP missed far too many throws, and when you add in hideous missed blocks, drops, poor footwork on an easy TD grab, etc, you can’t blame the OC. B
DC:
1st & 23 at the Tenn 5, late 1Q, and Austin allows a 29 yard pass completion on a play in which they had a slowfooted INSIDE backer covering DeAndre Hopkins. Brilliant !! This continued at various points in the game.
The Bitans were pinned down on their own 8 to start the 4Q. Crowd roaring. Austin goes soft, with a feeble 3 or 4 man rush, dropping Highsmith, who can’t cover a toddler, into coverage. Sure as shoit, Tenn easily completes a pass for 20 yards, getting out of 2-point safety danger and ultimately flipping the field with a punt that was FC at the PIT 8. That’s sorry defense at its worst.
Austin had a variety of struggles against a team that was already missing O-linemen and lost 2 or 3 during the game. Added to that, I saw far, far too many plays where poor wrapping, poor gang tackling, and poor attacking of a RAC runner allowed an extra 3-4 yards that simply shouldn’t have happened. C
HC: Mike Asslin had his typical game…..lots of slop n slather, combined with a rash of silly, needless penalties, yet they pulled out the W in the 4Q.
Synopsis: A big win after the grisly loss to Jax 4 days ago. This win keeps them in the hunt for a playoff spot. Let’s keep perspective, of course…..Tenn is a mediocre foe, and much work needs to be done.
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