Loose Slag from The Still Mill

Loose Slag from The Still Mill

- As you know, longsnapper Greg Warren tore up his knee in the Giants game and is gone for the season�.and quite possibly his career.  What you may not know is that Warren was never �rolled into� by another player, not was he blasted by an opposing player, or cut or clipped.  I reviewed the tape, and he was merely running downfield well after he snapped the ball, and at a point about 20 yards downfield, his knee caught and the injury occurred. 

            I highlight this, just to point out the absurd fallacy that Stooge Rooney has clung on to for years.  Namely, that �grass fields are safer than Field Turf.�  By all means, if the Stillers had their home field in southern California, or if they shared the field with nobody, then the prudent choice would be grass.  The fact that the Stillers play in a cold-weather northern venue, coupled with the absurdity of allowing high school games to be played on this field amidst wet, soupy weather in late November, makes grass an asinine choice for a field surface.  As for safety, just ask Warren about how safe the field is.  Or Dan Kreider, who tore his knee up last year in the mud bog versus Miami with a season-ending injury. 

-  The players union is considering filing a grievance against Tomlin for "improper discipline" regarding the SanTokio Holmes deactivation vs. NY this past Sunday.    

- Larry Timmons had his most extensive PT of the season 2 weeks ago vs. Cinci, and responded with a sterling effort.  He was all over the field, providing good pass coverage, good run support, and superb pass rushing.  One would have thought this would have elevated Timmons to either a starter status, or a �quasi starter� that gets a good 60% of the reps.  None of that happened, as, versus the Giants, he was back to playing a bit role, with Foote getting the bulk of the playing time.   You heard bullshit fables back in September about how �LeBeau is going to bring Timmons along and soon enough he�ll be the starter.�  Well, the Stillers are entering Game #8 of a 16 game season, and Timmons is no closer to starting than is Dennis Dixon. 

- Couple Timmons� plight with that of safety Anthony Smith.  Ryan Clark got injured in the Giants� game.  Who was inserted?  Not Smith, but Ty Carter, the slow, diminutive veteran who is capable enough of chipping in as a dime back, but nothing more.  He was grossly exposed as a starter last year, and doesn�t have anywhere near the upside as Smith does.  Smith has far better size, far better speed, far better athleticism, and far better instincts.  It�s utterly preposterous beyond belief how a career journeyman like Carter could get the staring nod over Smith. 

Yes, Smith �predicted� the win over NE last year, which wasn�t really a bold prediction but rather a goofy FM-radio interview where he sheepishly answered a DJ�s question, �Will your team win this weekend�?�  Then Smith got beaten by the best, most skilled WR on the entire planet, Randy Moss.  Apparently, Tomlin and LeBeau will take their bitter rage to their grave and never, ever forgive Smith for these heinous acts.  Tomlin talks about, in regard to Tonio Holmes� recent marijuana bust, �a small rear view mirror�, but with Smith Tomlin has a grudge the size of Texas and an axe to grind larger than Paul Bunyan�s. 

- Both Max Starks and Willie The Colon had absolutely wretched games vs. the Giants last week.   Couple points here:

            a.  Marvell �Hot Tub� Smith has been out for a while now with �back spasms�.  It�s high time the team try something -- anything -- to get this man back onto the field.  How about acupuncture?   Or a chiropractor?    Or, hell, even a trip to a Bangkok massage parlor.   Anything.   Roethlisberger is beaten and bruised, but he gamely plays in every game and every offensive snap, but Marvel Smith is content to sit on his ass for weeks at a time due to �back spasms�.   Enough is enough.  Get Smith into some sort of treatment and then get his ass onto the football field.    

            b.  Starks, who has the longest reach on the team, was pulling his best Chris �The Mannequin� Conrad imitation last Sunday, rarely ever extending his long arms to use his hands to ward off the rusher.  The rusher inevitably got into Starks� chest and, from there, had a cake-easy time either swimming, rolling, or bullrushing.  If Starks wants to obtain some FA offers, he�d better pray that other NFL teams aren�t looking at this particular game tape, as they�d be lucky to offer him the league minimum after this shoddy-assed effort.  

            c.  It�s high time Trai Essex get some PT at one of the tackles.  Starks played like vomit; Colon was barely better, plus he committed 2 horrific 2H penalties.  Essex has started before and is perfectly capable of stepping in and performing.  Complacency is a surefire recipe for mediocrity; it�s time Tomlin eradicated complacency by using capable players in lieu of slackly starters. 

- Joe Starkey of the TR wrote a gem of an article about the kick return woes of the Stillers. I rarely point out articles in the mass media, but this one was terrific.  None of us expect the return game to return a kick for a TD every week, nor do we expect them to make a gaudy 38-yard return every week.  But dadgummit, the punt returns and KO returns are awful.   And it�s not simply the talent of the return man.  Remember Allen Rossum?  As Starkey pointed out, Rossum is averaging 26 yards per KO return and 20.8 yards per punt return for the 69ers.  Tomlin paid a lot of lip service when he arrived about making STs a priority.  So far, it�s been nothing more than lip service, especially in the return game.  

- A few weeks ago, I wrote a piece titled, �Bruce Arians -- Identity Unknown�.   To date, we still have no idea as to what the identity of this offense is.  This offense muddled through a load of slop in the NY game, culminating in an embarrassing 4th quarter in which the offense had the ball for 3-1/2 drives and could not even muster a single 1st down, not even when the Giants were playing a softee prevent.  I ask again: what is this offense�s identity?  To what can this offense hang its hat on? 

- Anyone seen Matt Spaeth lately?   Can anyone explain why this offense runs a vast majority of 2-TE sets ?  

- As I stated here last week, �We can fully expect the Giants to mimic the Eagles and frequently blitz the QB from a variety of angles. They�ll be eager to overload an area to see if they can get some free shots at Ben the way Philly did most of that wretched loss.  With Moore�s emergence and proven reliability, it is imperative that he be used on quick flares on quick screens to exploit the jailhouse blitzes.�  In an offense missing its #1-A WR and struggling to get passes off in the face of heavy pass pressure, Moore caught 2 passes for 10 yards. 

- Seems like bad things happen on the rare occasions when the Giants visit Pittsburgh.  The last time the Giants ventured to the Steel City was back in 1991.  As I recall, Fat Eric Green caught what appeared to be the game-winning TD late in the 4Q.  Then, like a complete jackass, Green danced, preened, and spiked the ball, and was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct. That 15-yard penalty was assessed on the KO, and the Giants ended up with golden FP.   They easily marched into FG range and booted a last-minute, game-winning FG.    

Still Mill and Stillers.com -- �When it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close�.�