Stillers
25, Patriots 17 ��. Oct 30, 2011 ����Game #8
Stillers-Patriots Postgame Analysis and Grades
The
anticipated bumpkin carving occurred at Heinz Field, but this time it was the
Stillers who had the sharp knives and carved up the opposing defense. On a day when the hapless 0-6 Rams beat up
on the Saints, the Stillers stormed out to a 10-0 lead and played keep-away
from Brady, chewing nearly 40 minutes of clock en route to a 25-17 win over the
hated Patsies.
Grades:
QB: Benji had a near-superb day, lighting up the weak NE pass
defense for 365 yards on 36 of 50 passing, and 2 TDs. Ben had ample time in the pocket, and used it
to pick apart the Patsies. He had a poor
lapse in the 2Q, when he pumped 4 (four) times and refused to throw the ball,
and then was sacked for a 9-yard loss.
On the very next play, he threw a hideous INT on a deep crosser, which
gave NE the ball at the PIT 8. Late in the 3Q, Ben again held the ball forever,
and was stripped of the ball on a sack, which would have been a disastrous turnover
at the PIT 30. Luckily, Ben recovered
the loose ball. In all, a strong
performance by Ben, but he�ll face a much, much stouter defense next week vs. Balt. A-
RB: Socrates Mendenhall had a fairly solid
outing, toting the pig 13 times for 70 yards....just enough to keep the NE
defense honest. He ran with good
authority, charging ahead with zest and zeal rarely seen before his missed
game. He had nice runs of 12 and 18
yards, and had a good downfield block in the 1Q to help Wally move the chains
on quick WR hitch. He had a nice 3-play
sequence in the 3Q, first hurdling a tackler and
gaining 9 yards; then gaining 8 on 3d & 1; and then gaining 5 yards on a
plunge. Mendy also had 3 grabs for
22.
Redman
played some and chipped in nicely. He
had a couple strong 5-yard runs, and grabbed 1 pass for 5 yards. Nothing spectacular, but
quiet, steady, productive work.
He did drop a mid-dump off in the 2Q.
Moore
chipped in as well. He made a stellar
grab and then plowed into the EZ for the first TD. He had a nifty, churning run late in the 1H,
gaining 16. He had a decent blitz pickup
on 3d & 13 in the 3Q, allowing Ben to hit Sandy for 17 yards.
Pound
for pound, this was this crew�s best overall effort of the season. A+
FB: Not used much, as
the Stillers wisely exploited the weak NE pass defense. Redman had a strong plunge on 3d & 1 late
in the 4Q, getting blasted but plowing hard enough to get the 1st down and chew
the clock. Inc
WR: Ward sat out the game with his injured
leg. This crew marched on in his
absence, having a stellar game from all involved.
Wally
and Brown continued their sizzling production, with Wally grabbing 7 for 70 and
Tonio grabbing 9 for 67. These 2 men basically
Patsied the Patsies, cutting the Patsie
defense to shreds with clever underneath crossers, drags, and out, much like
the Patsies have done to PIT many times over the years. Tonio caught his 1st NFL TD on a short pass
in the 2Q.
Sandy
Sanders also chipped in, grabbing 5 for 70.
He was flagged for a blatant OPI when he locked downfield before the
pass.
Yancey
Cotchery finally got his 1st & and only catch of
the year. It was good, though....a
tough catch on a very low throw, on a key 3d & 5 in the 1Q that gained
10.
My
notes reveal no dropped passes by this crew, which is obviously quite
laudable. A+
TE: Miller personally roasted the NE defense on
the opening TD drive, grabbing 4 passes, each gaining a 1st down. He had a drop late on the drive, on a fairly
difficult bullet that Ben threw a bit high.
Miller finished with 7 grabs for 85.
Johsnon caught a short out late in the game for
7 yards. The run blocking was
acceptable. A
OL: The line had a
strong game, giving Ben ample time and room, and opening some nice holes for
the ground game.
Gilbert
had a strong drive-block on Mendy�s 12 yard gain in
the 1Q. Gil got nicked up in the 2Q, but
came back in the 2H. Scott replaced Gil
and luckily didn�t do any damage. Gil
had a poor, foolish false start on 3d & goal at the NE 7 in the 4Q, which basically
forced a FG. Starks had a solid game
protecting Ben�s blind side. One sack �beat�
Starks, but that was on a WLR (wide loop rush) where Ben held the ball for
nearly 8 seconds. I can�t blame Starks
on that play.
Foster
had a very solid game, and it makes you wonder why he is so reviled by the
Steeler coaching staff. Pouncey also had a solid game.
Wallowing
in shit most of the game was Pis Kemoeatu,
who had a wretched game. He got his
weekly penalty, this time for a hands to the face in
the 2Q. He was bullrushed
and shoved on the 1st series, forcing a hasty dumpoff to Mendy that was inc. A really sorry block.
On a Redman draw in the 3Q, Kemo got shoved into the hole as though he
were a blocking dummy, and the play lost 2 yards. For someone who is so squatty and looks so
stout, this guy has poor leverage and too often gets pushed to and fro.
Kemo: C All others: A
DL: The Pats played from behind the entire game
and were never able to use their ground game.
Fat Hampton played after missing a couple games, and did little. Keisel and Hood were workhorses who have a
strong effort. Keisel was disruptive in
the 2H, batting a TE screen in the 3Q, and then stripping Tom Lady late in the
game. Hood delivered a bit hit on Faulk
in the 2Q. Heyward chipped in a little
bit, as did McClendon. Hoke did not
dress due to injury. B+
LB: By the rarest of good luck, Taunto Farrior was
unable to dress, due to either an injury, or the 3rd degree burns from the scalding
issued by LaRod Stephens-Howling on the 73-yard catch
& run TD last week. Either way, it
was an enormous blessing in disguise.
Stevie
Sylvester played ILB in place of Taunto, and played ok. With a ton of nickel packages being used, Vester didn�t get all that much PT and didn�t make it onto
the stat sheet.
Larry
Timmons started at ROLB and did just allright,
finishing with 1 solo and 3 As. He was
totally engulfed on the wide Faulk run on 1st & G at the 8 following the
INT, which gained 6 yards. Timmy
actually made a couple solid plays. He
had on a good stick on Ben Jarvis on a running play just prior to the 2MW in
the 2Q. Then, on the 1st play of the 3Q,
he had a good chasedown on a sweep to the opposite side,
chipping in to stop Ben Jarvis for a 2-yard gain. Timmy did provide some good pass
coverage.
In
a surprise of surprises, Larry Slow-a-Foote actually had a very acceptable
game. He was incredibly stout and
hard-hitting at the POA (point of attack), continually stepping in to fill the
hole with sturdy ruggedness. He laid
the wood to Faulk just before a big skirmish in the 2Q. He had a couple of boners, though. He slashed in on a 3d & 1 in the 2Q, but
failed to corral the RB, who garnered ahead for 2 yards. Late in the game, he was too slow on a middle
circle route to Faulk, which gained 18.
Big
LaMarr was able to pad his sack stats with at least 1 Dong Sack, if not 2. In the 2Q, on a 3d & 15, he stunted up
the G/C hole, TOTALLY UNTOUCHED, and got a sack. Then he beat Sebastian Vollmer, who started one game
this season, in week 2, and has sat out ever since with a balky back. LaMarr gave Vollmer an initial bull-shove,
and Vollmer responded like Jon Scott -- collapsing backwards, and then doing
nothing.
Big
LaMarr was sealed in badly on the 1st play of the 3Q, on a wide sweep to his
side. Very poor job of setting the
edge, something that MUST be done by an OLB in a 3-4 defense. At 5:44 3Q, Big LaMarr was jog-chasing the
QB on a reverse boot, and then collapsed to the ground as he is often wont to
do. I figured this was simply Manny
being Manny, er, LaMarr being LaMarr, but it turned
out he pulled a ham and did not return.
Big LaMarr finished with 2 tackles....1 on a
play where he was UNTOUCHED and UNBLOCKED, and another when he beat a rusty tackle
with a bad back who hadn�t played in 5 weeks.
Yes, I know LaMarr was injured
and missed the last 25 minutes of the game.
But please, let's hold off just a bit, if you will, on calling for Big
LaMarr to win the DPOY.
With LaMarr out, Chris Carter came into the
game, with Timmons mostly moving to LOLB and Carter at ROLB. Carter had 1 solo and 1 assist. Carter committed an assaholic
neutral zone infraction on a late 3d & 2.
B+
DB: Unlike every game in the past 3 seasons, the
Stiller DBs played aggressive, press coverage, with CBs jamming WRs and Pola
being used in a variety of close-in coverages instead
of playing 22 yards off the LOS, as Dick is wont to do with him.
Ike
led the way with a stellar effort. He mostly
shadowed Welker -- mostly from the slot -- and smothered Wesley, who grabbed
only 6 passes for a piddly 39 yards!! LMAO ! Ike slashed into drop Ben Jarvis for a
1-yard loss during the 1st series. Ike
also had a bust-up on a long, quail-like pass to Price in the 4Q, although a
different ref crew might very well have flagged this as DPI. Ike left with a stinger in the 4Q, but
returned.
Pola
was everywhere and was a bundle of energy.
He drilled Faulk on a short pass on 3d & 11 in the 3Q, and then
nearly ripped of Welker�s head -- literally -- with a high, hard tackle in the
4Q. Pola will probably get a letter
from Adolf Goodell by Wed. Pola had a great hustle play on the late
fumble, running and then diving toward the loose ball, and then punching it in
order to prevent a Patsie from recovering the loose
ball.
Like
Foote, Gay had a surprisingly adequate game.
He played press coverage on a variety of players, to include Branch and
Hernandez. He also had a good tackle of
Hernan on an end around that gained 2 yards in the
4Q. Gay was flagged for PI in the 2Q,
although the flag literally came in a good 12 seconds after the play had ended
and after the NE sideline berated and pleaded with the ref. I�m
getting a bit weary of indecisive penalty flags being thrown 10 and 12 seconds
after a play has ended.
Keenan
Lewis saw a ton of PT and played decently.
He had good coverage on a stop n� go by Branch in the 3Q, which forced
Brady to look elsewhere. He also had
good coverage on a deep ball to Ocho Stinko. He main boner was on the TD by Branch. On this 3d & goal play, Lew was in press
coverage, but then never got a hand on the receiver, who ran an easy out for
the TD.
Cortez
Allen was finally permitted to play and did okay. He had decent coverage on Gronko late in the 2Q.
Gay and Allen combined to tackle Gronko on 3d & 8 in the 3Q, holding the TE to 7
yards. Allen was trucked by Gronko after a short grab in the 4Q.
Mundy
was flagged for a hold of Gronko on the late 4th
& G. A really
awful penalty to take there. He
did deliver the lick a couple plays prior at the GL, which should have been ruled
a TD but instead was ruled down at the half-yard line.
Ryan
Clark spent most of the game looking for cheap-shots at defenseless receivers
and backs. He had a big hit on the 1st
play of the 3Q, although it was a clear and blatant leading-with-the-helmet
that should be fined when Adolf Goodell reviews the
tape on Monday. He then committed a
foolhardy, asinine personal foul penalty at the end of a 3Q play, in which the ballcarrier was well OOB, but Clark hit him anyway, and to
make matters worse, did it with �helmet to helmet contact�, as the ref
stated. Clark did had
a good hit at the GL to prevent Faulk from scoring late in the game. But then, on the next play, Clark was caught
in no man�s land, covering nobody (aside from a tackle eligible) and doing
nothing on the TD pass to Hernandez.
Ike
and Pola: A+ All others: B
Spec
teams: Mostly good.
The KO coverage was superb.
Brown had a couple good returns.
But
there was plenty of bad. Suisham had a grisly game.
He booted 3 FGs, but missed a key 44-yarder in the 4Q on a short
spinner. He also booted a shitty squib
KO OOB in the 1Q, giving the Pats the ball at their 40. Shitpulveda punted
only once, a shitty 30-yard effort late in the game that was caught at the NE
20. B-
OC: For the most part, a nice game by
Arians. He exploited the weak NE pass
defense, and he did it with loads of QUICK passes to fleet WRs as well as POP
PASSES to the TE, which should be money in the bank 90% of the time. Big kudos to the Stiller
offense, which consumed enormous gobs of clock on long, methodical marches, and
scored 23 points. Scoring drives of 11, 16, 10, 14, and 11 plays chewed clock
(a game total of nearly 40 minutes of TOP !) and kept
Brady on the sidelines.
It
wasn�t all pretty, however. With the
Stillers toying with a feasting on the NE defense in the 1Q, Arians kept
calling his cutesey 0-step hitches, with Brown
gaining MINUS-1 and then MINUS-1. It
just defies all logic how Arians can go away from what is working to a shit
play that loses yardage. His fetish and
love affair with the 0-step hitch is beyond all belief.
Late
in the 1H, the Stillers had their usual clusterfuck
of time mis-management. Ben spiked the ball after a completion to
Sanders, at the NE 48 and 8 secs left. Instead of trying a pass to get into FG
range, the offense ran a grab-bag play that ended with a long quail to Sanders
that was inc.
2 secs remained, and the following play was a
short pass to Moore, which would have been superb on the previous play. Instead, it gained 24 harmless yards as the
clock ran out.
After
Gilbert committed a false start in the 4Q, there was the usual wasted timeout. It
should be rather easy to shuttle in a play after a 5-yard false start.....but
not for Arians.
Then
there was the total abortion late in the 4Q, with the Stillers holding a 6
-point lead and the Pats having no timeouts. With the ball on the NE 28 on 2d & 11,
the Stillers emerged from the 2MW, needing only to plunge the ball twice, and
then either plunging on 4th down or perhaps trying a FG, or even punting, with
the worst case a boot through the EZ for a TB.
What does Airhead Arians do ?? He calls 2 consecutive pass plays --
neither of which has ANY purpose -- and Ben takes a beating and a huge LOSS,
losing 11 and then 8 yards !! A total fiasco of epic
proportions. That�s just what
you want....your franchise QB taking unnecessary shots late in the game, and of
course, taking a huge risk of a STRIP & fumble, which has happened with Ben
at least 25 times in his career. I�m
still dumfounded over those 2 plays....and if I hadn�t seen it with my own 2
eyes, I would have never have believed it.
B
DC: Dick finally awoke from his 3-year slumber
with a sensible gameplan against a competent offense.
Quick
-- someone call the HoF and see if Dick can get
inducted as a coach !! To his credit, Dick mostly did what I
stated (in my pre-game analysis) needed to be done, in particular --
- getting Sylvester on the field
-
getting Gay off of Gronko
- getting Fat Hampton off the field
-
using PRESS coverage (duh!) to disrupt the timing routes of NE
- using Pola for more than a glorified FS,
which is how Pola was used in last season�s playoffs
Of course, Dick�s task was made 20 times
easier when the offense was able to chew gargantuan chunks of time off the
clock on long, methodical scoring marches.
Brady is a great QB, but he can score ZERO points while standing with
his offense on the SIDELINE. Dick also
got a huge break in the 4Q, when Gronko scored a TD
at 4:10, but the refs botched the call and placed the ball at the 1-foot
line. The Pats scored a few plays
later, but spent 1:35 of precious time scoring a TD that they�d already
scored.
The secondary played their press coverage superbly,
making the obvious question -- what in sam fuking hell took LeBeau so long to use press coverage ?? 10
months ago, we pissed away a Super Bowl because Dick
insisted on putting his CBs on islands, 12 yards off the LOS.
Even a blind squirrel finds a nut. Let�s see what Dick does next week against
the offense that savagely ravaged him in week 1. A.
HC: Tomlin did a superb job of downplaying this
game, all the while feeding his team dozens of press clippings and feeding
their rage. The fiascos at the end of
each half have absolutely got to stop.
These are the juvenilish kind of mistakes you
see at the high school level. A
Synopsis: Any beating of the Cheatriots
is nice to relish and savor. Alas,
there is little time to do that, as a far more important game away, with the
Stillers hosting the hated PoeBirds on a Sun. nite game. This game
will presumably decide the AFC North, unless the Bengals continue their hot run
and present a challenge as well. It�s a
must-win game for the Stillers to win the division, and it�s comes 7 weeks
after the Poebirds totally humiliated and embarrassed
the Stillers on opening day. Let�s hope
the Stillers didn�t shoot their wad in today�s win over the Patsies. Further, this beating of the Pats is eerily
familiar to the Halloween Massacre of 2004, when the Stillers blew out the
Patsies that Hallow�s Eve. The Stillers won the battle that season, but
lost the war when then got whupped by the Patsies, at
home, in the AFC title game. Let us
hope this Halloween beatdown brings along different
fate.
(Still
Mill and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the