View topic - New Article: Stillers-Colts Postgame Analysis and Grades

[StillMill Profile]

Stillers-Colts Postgame Analysis and Grades has been posted by Still Mill at Stillers.com.

[Hoppy Profile]

Way too kind, we lost all intensity from last week. Perils of Pauline and Ben continue.

[steelersfan051572 Profile]

I have been a daily visitor to your site for a few months now, and this is the first time I've felt compelled to participate. I must address your comment about Matt Spaeth "resuming his role as neglected leper". Are you serious? How many balls do you think there are to go arround? I would agree if you were talking about Miller, but Spaeth is our SECOND STRING TE! While I do agree with many of your criticizims of our team; There are times, such as this, where I feel that you are simply acting like a tantruming child without even considering the meaning of your words before posting them! I would also appriciate it if you would put a little effort into being more professional. What grade are you in any way? I visit this site for the bottom portion of your home screen. It is a great compilation of what is in the media regarding the Steelers all in one convienent location. As far as the top portion, when I take the time to read it; I feel like some kind of pervert for watching an angry monkey try to grudge-fuck a football! . I would appologize for my profanity if it were not thrown arround so much on this low class web site. I can't be the only one who feels this way!

[Hi5Steeler Profile]

Um....I dont agree with this recap.


I think it needs a sober re do

[stiller4ever Profile]

I would agree with the Mill's analysis of this game. The Steelers are just "off". Maybe the injuries are catching up with them or maybe as some have indicated, they just aren't as good as the media seems to want to portray them. What happened to the Heinz field advantage? Oh wait, I forgot the great neutralizer - the turf - or mud as the case may be. Be that as it may, the team does just not look like they are capable of putting a solid effort together, both offensively and defensively. MT is always quick to say "we won't make excuses" but somebody needs to have this team better prepared and instill a better "killer instinct" Despite the injuries, I believe there is still enough talent here to win the division but giving games away like this one are certainly going to come back to haunt them.

This Ben or Byron debate is not about who is the better QB over the lang haul but who gives the Stillers the better chance to win the immediate game being played. It's obvious to me and hopefully everyone else that watches the games, that something is wrong with Ben. He doesn't look capable of consistently , accurately throwing the medium to deeper passes and his confidence is taking a hit which you can see by watching him operate in the pocket. So maybe Byron wasn't picked up by other teams because he is not a QB for the long haul but he certainly can step in and run the offense for a game or two if our main QB is being hampered by nagging injuries or just a mental burn down.

As Mill also accurately pointed out, I am tired of watching team after team complete passes under the coverage the D gives to the offense. I would rather risk a few long TD passes and play some "in your face" coverage that would stop drives on 3rd down instead of having to come up with some outstanding play by James H to stop an opponent's drive. Another lowly team, on paper, comes to Heinz next Sunday yet we have the coverage in place to make Philip Rivers look like Dan Marino.

Longer than I intended to respond but sometimes venting is the best therapy. If you lose to a better team, that is somewhat acceptable (although still not palatable) but giving home games away like the last 2 will mean we will be watching the detestable Ratbirds in the playoffs.

[Hoppy Profile]

Stiller 4ever and ever. Nicely said and totally agreed with. Are we using computer print outs of our opponents defensive coverage during the game?

How about a play that goes back the Slash days, two QB's in the same line up. How hurt is our rookie QB? We have NO, NADA offensive vision.

How can Tomlin and Arians remain a team? Why is the Post Gazette so reluctant to criticise, Bouchette must be getting paid, and not by the paper.

[StillMill Profile]

I have been a daily visitor to your site for a few months now, and this is the first time I've felt compelled to participate. I must address your comment about Matt Spaeth "resuming his role as neglected leper". Are you serious? How many balls do you think there are to go arround? I would agree if you were talking about Miller, but Spaeth is our SECOND STRING TE! While I do agree with many of your criticizims of our team; There are times, such as this, where I feel that you are simply acting like a tantruming child without even considering the meaning of your words before posting them! I would also appriciate it if you would put a little effort into being more professional. What grade are you in any way? I visit this site for the bottom portion of your home screen. It is a great compilation of what is in the media regarding the Steelers all in one convienent location. As far as the top portion, when I take the time to read it; I feel like some kind of pervert for watching an angry monkey try to grudge-fuck a football! . I would appologize for my profanity if it were not thrown arround so much on this low class web site. I can't be the only one who feels this way!

I usually don't take the time to reply to imbecilic questions, but I'll take a moment here regarding Spaeth. FACT - The Stillers run MORE 2 TE sets than ANY TEAM in the ENTIRE NFL. This means Speath is not a #2 TE that is rotting on the bench like MOST TEs in the league. He's getting an enormous amount of PT. AND, as he showed last nite, he CAN CATCH THE BALL. When teams are running jailhouse blitzes against us, Speath would seem to be a terrific option. Instead, under the dullard vision of Arians, Speath is widely ignored.

bottom line: If you're not going to throw to the highly-skilled 2nd TE, then don't use the fucking 2TE set so fuking much.

[zapunto Profile]

Personally, I think you're harder on Dick than I would be. The defense played well enough to win, -- not good or great -- but well enough to win. Outside of the cartoonish 65-yard bomb Reggie Wayne TD catch, Peyton Manning was 8 for 22 passing in the first half for a measly 75 yards. The Colts and Manning obviously adjusted in the second half, but keep this in mind. The Colts had three TD drives in the game -- 77, 30, and 32 yards, and the 77 yarder was the result of a fluke. I would hang our defense's issues yesterday on Colbert and not on LeBeau -- not having a capable OLB replacement for Woodley hurt the team badly today. Timmons barely sniffed Manning on his pass rushes today. That being said, I'm growing sick and tired of LeBeau unable to make in-game adjustments and his disdain for blitzing up the middle, which he rarely tries. After watching Manning chased down from behind by Aaron Smith, and knowing his injury situation, wouldn't it be beneficial to make Manning run sideways and not let him step up in the pocket?

As for Arians, the one indefensible thing I think you missed is that the Colts started the game without BOTH their starting corners -- both Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden did not dress for the game. They started the game with Tim Jennings, their nickelback and abuser of Santokio on a quick in route -- and Keiwan Ratliff, continually dragged off the practice squad all year. We needed to attack this team more down the field. The game plan of short passes, dumpoffs and check downs appeared to be accentuating the limitations of our offense without considering the limitations of their defense. Yes, the Colts are ranked 25th against the run. They've also played a massive part of their schedule without their best run defender, Bob Sanders. Arians did not adjust one bit with the information given to him pre-game. Better coordinators smell blood in the water and attack. I, for one, didn't have a problem with the Mewelde plunges in the 4th quarter -- the blocking was embarrassing on that play, and you can't hang that on Arians.

Make no mistake though -- hang this loss solely on Ben. As bad as our line is, Ben was sacked twice on 44 dropbacks. The Colts dared to take away our run, and forced Ben to make tight throws in zone coverage, knowing that the back breaking picks were going to happen -- and they did. Without the turnovers, the Steelers win this one going away, and to hang so much of the loss on Lebeau and Arians just seems unfair.

[dirtydave61 Profile]

While I do agree with many of your criticizims of our team; There are times, such as this, where I feel that you are simply acting like a tantruming child without even considering the meaning of your words before posting them! I would also appriciate it if you would put a little effort into being more professional. What grade are you in any way? I visit this site for the bottom portion of your home screen. It is a great compilation of what is in the media regarding the Steelers all in one convienent location. As far as the top portion, when I take the time to read it; I feel like some kind of pervert for watching an angry monkey try to grudge-fuck a football! . I would appologize for my profanity if it were not thrown arround so much on this low class web site. I can't be the only one who feels this way!

Why would you want StillMill to be more "professional"? It's not like he's paid to do his analysis.

If you really wanted bland, uninformed, unenthusiastic analysis and commentary, you wouldn't come to this Web site. If you want a laugh while venting your frustrations about this team (which has many this year), this is the place.

[Jeemie Profile]

I will say you were spot-on about Farrior today. How in the hell can a RB get out into the flat completely uncovered like that? Especially since Rhodes took FOREVER to get out of the backfield in the first place?

The question I have is- was the pass offense all short-pass oriented because Ben's injury is preventing him from throwing deep?

Because if THAT'S so, while I still believe Arians needs to go, the onus should be on Tomlin rather than him for allowing Ben to play while he was so severely limited.

It sure looked like Ben couldn't throw deep.

[Hoppy Profile]

HIS FLEA FLICKER TO WARD ALSO FADED AT THE END. WARD HAD TO LUCKILY COME BACK TO IT, AND NEARLY GOT IN THE END ZONE.

SOMETHING HAS TO GIVE HERE. EITHER PRACTICE DAILY OR REST HIM. PARKER IS ANOTHER QUESTION MARK. OUR SUCCESS WILL DEPEND ON HOW BAD OUR DIVISION ENDS UP.

TWEEDLE DUMB AND TWEELDEE BETTER PULL A RABBIT OUT OF THEIR STEELER HAT.

[Jeemie Profile]

Foster in his post-game interview said that the Steelers called the exact same running play SIX TIMES IN A ROW, so it was just a matter of him standing up and fighting.

We can't play the Cowher-style "Yeah- you know what's coming but we're going to stuff it down your throats" ball anymore.

Why, at a critical moment, would Arians assume we could?

[stillgrill Profile]

The same thing that happened in '06 is happening again - Ben refuses to sit & the team suffers for it. Two costly INT"s in your own end of the field - i'm just surprised they weren't pick-sixes, as usual. Don't usually like Phil Simms but he was justifiably hammering Ben after both picks. 10 TD's & 11 INT's - please sit the hell down.

Reason #2 we lost -HORRENDOUS BALL SKILLS OF DB'S. Indy gets 2 shots at INT's & makes them count. Stillers get 3 shots (2 by Ike & 1 by Troy) & gets none. Game over, bro.
DB coach should just teach these guys to bat the ball away. Taylor's gonna end his career w/ about 10 INT's & 50 drops.

[El Nino Profile]

Ben deserves an F for this game. D+ is a passing score.

[acewhiplash Profile]

Foster in his post-game interview said that the Steelers called the exact same running play SIX TIMES IN A ROW, so it was just a matter of him standing up and fighting.

Well, 5 times, maybe 4.5, but who, besides the Colts is counting?

(from cbssportsline.com)

1-10-IND20 (11:35) M.Moore left guard to IND 14 for 6 yards (M.Giordano).
2-4-IND14 (11:00) M.Moore left tackle to IND 5 for 9 yards (A.Bethea, D.Reid).
1-5-IND5 (10:16) M.Moore right guard to IND 1 for 4 yards (A.Bethea).
2-1-IND1 (9:41) #78 Starks reports as eligible receiver M.Moore left guard to IND 1 for no gain (E.Foster, R.Mathis).
3-1-IND1 (9:04) M.Moore up the middle to IND 1 for no gain (E.Foster).

[Jeemie Profile]

Foster in his post-game interview said that the Steelers called the exact same running play SIX TIMES IN A ROW, so it was just a matter of him standing up and fighting.

Well, 5 times, maybe 4.5, but who, besides the Colts is counting?

(from cbssportsline.com)

1-10-IND20 (11:35) M.Moore left guard to IND 14 for 6 yards (M.Giordano).
2-4-IND14 (11:00) M.Moore left tackle to IND 5 for 9 yards (A.Bethea, D.Reid).
1-5-IND5 (10:16) M.Moore right guard to IND 1 for 4 yards (A.Bethea).
2-1-IND1 (9:41) #78 Starks reports as eligible receiver M.Moore left guard to IND 1 for no gain (E.Foster, R.Mathis).
3-1-IND1 (9:04) M.Moore up the middle to IND 1 for no gain (E.Foster).

Sorry- he said, 6 times in a row in goal line situations.

[acewhiplash Profile]

oh, i wasn't trying to be nitpicky, because i think any more than 3 times in a row is bad playcalling...4.5, 5, 6, what's the difference? you can spot a trend after 3, or at least the colts did.

[Sledgehammer Profile]

I concur. What a pitiful outing by the majority of the team and coaches. Let me say a little something to some individuals on a personal note.

To Mr. Arians: Arians, you suck, in case no one in the FO hasn't told you yet. Example: Why pass on 3rd & 2? Why? If Moore doesn't get 2 yards, ok, but apparently Ben isn't cuttin' it, so why put it in his hands? You're play calling makes me want to reach through the screen and choke you out. What's with the garbage "nobody goes downfield" pass plays, too? If every team we face KNOWS that Ben ain't gunna chuck it long, then that's just one more thing they can key on, and press the hell outta him blitzin' corners and safeties. Oh yeah, trick plays...so Ben can throw a wobbly duck ridin' a rainbow...that don't cut it. Your 3rd down play calling is ridiculous, and futhermore, your offense is in too many 3rd downs anyhow; if you plan on gettin' your squad in a lot of 3rd down situations because noone goes down the field, Bruce, then at least have a solid 3rd down package. There's SOOO much you did this week, and consistently do time and again, that I ain't got the time to pick-and-choose, so I'll wind it up in a nutshell and say that you simply suck at your current position. Why I oughta...anyhow, I'm gunna put your quarterback out on front street, so:

Roethlisberger: Look man, I like you. The whole city does. You're good man, really. I want you look back, however, to another quarterback who, at least mentally, you're emulating negatively, and that would be Mr. Kurt Warner. Remember when he had the thumb thing, but kept playing anyhow? Everybody critisized him...and rightly so...for thinking about himself above the team. I know you wanna play, and you said yourself that if you can be on the field, you will. Ben, come on man, if you can't pull it off, then rest up. We NEED you in the post season. If Byron ain't gettin' it done, then get in there and do your best...but it's painfully abvious that you...YOU...are the primary reason we lost to the Colts. They call plays around your injury, and that's never gunna get it done, and you know this. When you're 90 to 100 percent, you're mind is right, and you're on target. As you are now, you ain't thinkin' right...about the team or about the game. Take time off man, be about the team.

To Mr. LeBeau: First off, it seems to me that every player that might be in the huddle who makes a living in the defensive backfield needs to practice catching the occasional football that just might happen to touch their hands. Yes, this includes Troy "almost" Polamalu. Also, there's this thing called "pressure", look into it. Every time Manning had time to throw the ball I got an anxious little ball that starts to build in my gut because I KNOW he's about to torch us. Luckily for you he missed alot, or he'd STILL be scorin'. That's about it for you...for now. At least your side is doing enough to win the game most of the time. Hold the Colts to 24 with two meaningful interceptions, ok, that's 14 points. That leaves 10. You got lucky and you know it. Not bad considering the circumstances, however, lemme go ahead and call out two of your players:

Farrior: Show us why you get paid. You can't possibly be that inept. Are you scared? Confused? You're in the center of it all for cryin' out loud, yet you do NOTHING, like you can't even fathom what is goin' on around you. You've been overrated since you got here, and news flash big fella...nobody fears you. You don't intimidate, you don't tackle, you don't cover...why are you gettin' paid? Hey, there's a guy on the roster now who used to move furniture, I'm thinkin' you might need to go ahead and get some pointers on packing various items to maximize space and lifting from the legs not the back, and get the hell outta Pittsburgh. I didn't like the extension when they gave it to you, and week after week you prove me right. Maybe you need to practice long snappin' and liftin' loveseats with said new guy....because a career change can't hurt.

Foote: I'm sorry, are you still on the roster? I mean, I THOUGHT I saw your jersey on the field...doing nothing as I figured you would. I can't figure you out...or why you're allowed to wear the black & gold. Words truly can't express...

Ok, I'm done, before I smash this keyboard.

[dlbldlab Profile]

First of all, I totally agree with dirtydave61. Steelersfan051572, you need to understand what this website is about and SHUT THE FUCK UP!!! If you want the same old, boring, and so-called "professional" analysis from some douche-bag writer who could care less about Steeler football and the intense, emotional, true Steelers' fans, then go back to espn.com or nfl.com and stay there.

Still Mill does an excellent job in his analysis of games and brings the same emotion and feeling that every true Steeler fan out there has. I'm not saying I agree with everything he says, because I don't. But I do agree with the style and vocabulary with which he says it. It's a true display of all the intensity, disgust, happiness, sadness, humor, and whatever else a true fan feels.

[ideasfarm Profile]

dlbldlab - 100% right, which is why I have been reading this site for a good few years now and always come back to it.

My only added observation is that we saw a lot of Ben shaking his head last night. It's OK to do that for 30 seconds after you've laid an egg, but to be standing on the sidelines and doing it shows that he is concentrating on his mistakes and not shaking it off and getting on with the job.

QB above all is as much in the head as in the arm, and any sports psychologist will tell you you have to forget about what just went wrong until the game is over at least. I was shouting that at the TV last night as we pissed the game away.