View topic - Stillers-Ravens Postgame Analysis and Grades

[zapunto Profile]

It is ironic that people criticize Still Mill's lambasting of Dick LeBeau every week, because when it comes to defense, Still Mill and Dick LeBeau do the SAME THING each week. LeBeau trots out his defensive package, and to someone who watches a crapton of the games (like all of us), it doesn't change much. So neither does StillMill's review of it, plain and simple.

My opinion of LeBeau has been all over the map. At first, I believed the mediots that lauded and loved him, and then swung all the way to believe more into Mill's criticisms of him. Now? I'm somewhere squarely in the middle, leaning more towards the "he's really good at what he does" part.

The philosophy of his defense really isn't rocket science: stop the run, prevent the big play. It's a risk averse defense, not an attacking, force-fumbling one that mediots love to love. He hates to blitz. A zone blitz shouldn't even be called a blitz -- it's four men rushing the passer from unorthodox positions. Twenty years ago, this defense would be much more awesome but we're stuck with the kinder, gentler NFL where you're not allowed to paste receivers going over the middle without drawing a flag. I think the NFL pussyification has much to do with the Steelers' lack of takeways as much as LeBeau's defense does.

Here's why I respect LeBeau: even when this defense is pretty bad, it's still pretty good. Because it is a zone defense and risk averse by nature, it sizzles with outstanding athletes -- and works effectively with average to below average athletes. It kinda still sorta works when your starting strong safety misses the entire season, when you lose your top corner, when you beat the Patriots with 3 of your four top linebackers in street clothes, and so on. I'm not saying it's perfect -- we all saw how horrid it looked against Denver last year. But MOST of the time, it gives the offense and coaching staff a chance to win. I'll take that.

[isfry Profile]

Every time I think I'm out...they pull me back in. Awesome win for the Stillers, despite the imperfections. And, yes, Newbies, it would take a perfect performance to get a perfect grade. Not sure what is so complicated about that. If Mill just started throwing A plusses around willy nilly, they would lose their meaning for when they are actually deserved. You want to live in a wrld where the Steelers have the best player ever at every position and everybody plays perfectly and they win every game 100-0? Play Madden.

I could care less about the grades, and don't think every time we win that all the players and coaches should be considered "perfect." I'm new to the forum, but have read this site for years partly b/c I have enjoyed the criticism of certain players and playes when it's deserved, and that criticism is too hard to find alot of the time in places like the Gazette. I guess the key part of that sentence is "when it's deserved." The only thing that I don't like, and seems to be much more of it over the past few years is the stubborn refusal to give credit to certain players/coaches when it is due.

That's a fair assessment, Nova, but one with which I disagree. I have absolutely seen, even this year, Mill praise players and coaches in his postgame when it was due. Has the analysis trended toward the crticial side? Sure. Even heavily? Sure. Keep in mind we are barely above .500 with losses to the Titties, the Brownies, and the Faders. There has been alot of criticism to throw around. I personally don't compare the Steelers to other teams in the league, like some (not you) propose Mill should. I compare the Steelers to what I believe to be the level to which they should be performing. Less than perfect won us a few Lombardi's, so I will certainly take it, but that doesn't call for a "glass-is-half-full" rose-colored-glasses review of the game telling me how swell everybody did. The NFL has become too much of a fucking hugfest as it is.

[jdpdts Profile]

Hey Still. The Steelers won. Eat it!!

[BoltX Profile]

idea for stillmill. Throw up a twitter feed, and use those # and @ tags to get attention from possibly one or two benchwarmers. I'm pretty sure socrates might tweet back, an hey - get some traffic from regular folk. I think that would be awesome!

Who knows - you may get a call or two If I could write that stuff - I'd do it. just an idea.

[ballhair Profile]

I agree with Steel Mills assessments most of the time. Everyone is shits and giggles over our win over Baltiwhore, but wait till Ben is playing again and the Steelers have another slop fest losing to an inferior team then Mills post will be dead on again.

[NOVASteel79 Profile]

Every time I think I'm out...they pull me back in. Awesome win for the Stillers, despite the imperfections. And, yes, Newbies, it would take a perfect performance to get a perfect grade. Not sure what is so complicated about that. If Mill just started throwing A plusses around willy nilly, they would lose their meaning for when they are actually deserved. You want to live in a wrld where the Steelers have the best player ever at every position and everybody plays perfectly and they win every game 100-0? Play Madden.

I could care less about the grades, and don't think every time we win that all the players and coaches should be considered "perfect." I'm new to the forum, but have read this site for years partly b/c I have enjoyed the criticism of certain players and playes when it's deserved, and that criticism is too hard to find alot of the time in places like the Gazette. I guess the key part of that sentence is "when it's deserved." The only thing that I don't like, and seems to be much more of it over the past few years is the stubborn refusal to give credit to certain players/coaches when it is due.

That's a fair assessment, Nova, but one with which I disagree. I have absolutely seen, even this year, Mill praise players and coaches in his postgame when it was due. Has the analysis trended toward the crticial side? Sure. Even heavily? Sure. Keep in mind we are barely above .500 with losses to the Titties, the Brownies, and the Faders. There has been alot of criticism to throw around. I personally don't compare the Steelers to other teams in the league, like some (not you) propose Mill should. I compare the Steelers to what I believe to be the level to which they should be performing. Less than perfect won us a few Lombardi's, so I will certainly take it, but that doesn't call for a "glass-is-half-full" rose-colored-glasses review of the game telling me how swell everybody did. The NFL has become too much of a fucking hugfest as it is.

I agree with alot of what you say, I'm really not a "rose-colored" or "everything is great, all the time" fan, and I'm not looking for that either. I was more referring to giving the defense C's and C+'s the last few weeks even though they have been playing great. I love the criticism of the ones that have shit the bed all year, like Wallace. Give him all the F's you want!!!

[isfry Profile]

Couldn't agree more on hold-out-boy, Nova. As for the C's, well, if A+ is the best grade possible, I assume that would mean a shutout with almost no first downs and a handful of takeaways, maybe some for points. Given that the last few weeks the defense played the Brownies, the Queefs, and the Ratbirds (whom we know to not be what the mediots crsck them up to be), the defense should have dominated. When you consider, in addition, the fact that three of those games were played without Ben, I would have liked to see the D (and the rest of the team, for that matter) step up and play better, not worse, in his absence and in his honor. Given that they did not, and that we lost to the Queefs and Brownies and only split with the flying purple penis eaters, it was an average performance by the defense over the course of the last month. C to C+.

[NOVASteel79 Profile]

Couldn't agree more on hold-out-boy, Nova. As for the C's, well, if A+ is the best grade possible, I assume that would mean a shutout with almost no first downs and a handful of takeaways, maybe some for points. Given that the last few weeks the defense played the Brownies, the Queefs, and the Ratbirds (whom we know to not be what the mediots crsck them up to be), the defense should have dominated. When you consider, in addition, the fact that three of those games were played without Ben, I would have liked to see the D (and the rest of the team, for that matter) step up and play better, not worse, in his absence and in his honor. Given that they did not, and that we lost to the Queefs and Brownies and only split with the flying purple penis eaters, it was an average performance by the defense over the course of the last month. C to C+.

Man....tough to please here!!!! 10 of the Ratbirds' 13 points in the first game were off of a kick return for a TD, and a Leftwich pick inside our own 20. Our defense did dominate in that game, probably their best game of the year. Cleveland, I don't know any NFL team that can beat any other one when the offense turns it over 8 times. Those two losses were entirely on the offense. Then the Rat-turds could barely even get a first down the whole second half last week except for the one busted play on the Rice TD. Agree to disagree I guess, but I'll take their performance the last 3 weeks the rest of the way w/ Ben and AB getting back. If the above is what warrants an A+ grade, I guess we'll never see one. Don't think that's obtainable for any team out there.

We'll just stick w/ bashing on the Clanger!!