Loose Slag on Stillers-Falcs Game
I�ve
not yet received the gametape of this game (damn, is the Postal Service slower
than Mark Breuner, or what??) but in �the meantime here�s some thoughts gleaned from the reading I�ve
done, along with consultations with some Stiller gurus I have chatted with:
- So far at least, so much for Mularkey and his
"improved and changed offense".���
First series --- Stewart threw an awkward pass on the flat that Jerome
Bettis dropped on the first play, Bettis gained a yard on the second play and,
on third-and-9, Stewart threw a 4-yard pass to a hooking Bobby Shaw.� Mularkey calls this a "CHANGE"
??????� Sounds like SOS to me --- Same
Old Shit.�
- How about the annual �renewed emphasis on the Tight end�?�� The superhero himself, Mark Breuner, caught exactly 0 passes.�� Corey Geason did have 2 grabs, which is not surprising, as last year before his injury, he showed a good ability to get open downfield and catch the ball.�
- Let�s see...versus the Falcs, the starting QB
stunk; the veteran backup QB stunk, and we got decent play from Maddox and Martin,
albeit against 5th stringers.�� I can�t
recall which columnist on this site wrote this, but someone wrote that there
are too many cooks spoiling the soup at the QB spot.��
- Of Martin, �It wasn't like he was eased into the
game, either. Five of Martin's first six plays, offensive coordinator Mike
Mularkey called passes.�� Hey, there�s
an idea.�� We already can run the 2-yard
plunge about as well as most teams in the NFL.�
Any reason why Mularkey doesn�t use the same pass-happy idea with
Stewart, the same QB who has overseen the 29th, 26th, and 29th ranked passing
offense in the NFL the past 3 seasons??
- Nice work by the versatile Amoz Zeroue.�� Speed and quickness allows him, in the base
set, to scamper 20-some yards for a big gainer.� Too bad he�ll be rotting in the base set come the regular season,
no matter how hot it is in J-ville and no matter how bad Doughboy Bettis�
asthma is.��
- It�s already being advertised that Mularkey is �hiding�
his offense in preparation for the season opener. �In �99, the same BS theory was being thrown around.�� The results -� an offense that stunk like
owl crap, aside from the opening day laugher over junior varsity
Cleveland.� Note to Mularkey and anyone
else who believes this idiocy of �hiding� an offense �- other than gadget plays
and trick plays, there is NO hiding of an offense.�� If you�re gonna run the run & shoot, or the wing-T, or the
Power-I, or the West Coast Offense, you had better run it and execute it in
every preseason games.� �Otherwise, your execution will be pitiful
once the regular season begins.� We�ve
seen this absurdity before; it�s absolutely ridiculous that we�d actually have
to observe this abortion again.�
- One of the Pgh. Papers reported that Big Jason Gildon
was pancaked in practice by some rookie free-agent tackle.�� What a surprise!�