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

[StillMill Profile]

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

[tourosteelersfan Profile]

Holy Toledo! A defensive effort reminiscent of the 1976 Steelers, who only asked that the offense not give up points on turnovers when they were on the field. The final two minutes were a bit disconcerting, especially giving the Titans at least one chance to possibly tie, but this game was a very pleasant surprise. Points scored rather than given up by special teams, turnovers forced right and left, and a ferocious and overpowing defensive effort. Since I am a glass half empty person, I worry about a letdown next week in Tampa Bay but this team seems very focused this year. Hard Hats to Harrison, Timmons, and Polamalu.

[steelesm Profile]

I can't believe you gave Dixon a pass. Granted it's only his 3rd start and he is limited by his OC, but he is atrocious. He has no pocket presence and no accuracy whatsoever.

Kordell was a joke too, but there's no way Dixon would ever lead the Steelers to an AFCC game if given 10 years to do so. Not trying to sound racist, but has there seriously ever been an African American QB who could throw with consistent accuracy other than Warren Moon? And don't say McNabb.

[PGHeaven Profile]

As usual, Still Mill does not disappoint. Hilarious and right on. The Cialis skit was TFF

[Pump-N-Iron Profile]

Not trying to sound racist, but has there seriously ever been an African American QB who could throw with consistent accuracy other than Warren Moon? And don't say McNabb.

Doug Williams - the only one with a SB ring as a starter.

[dirtydave61 Profile]

I totally agree with the pathetic playcalling at the goaline.

Moreover, how in the world can the offense not try to take advantage of play action. With the defense biting so hard on the run, you'd think even a fake and a flare out to a running back could result in a positive play and make the opposing D play a bit more honestly, especially in that red zone attempt.

[PGHeaven Profile]

I totally agree with the pathetic playcalling at the goaline.

Moreover, how in the world can the offense not try to take advantage of play action. With the defense biting so hard on the run, you'd think even a fake and a flare out to a running back could result in a positive play and make the opposing D play a bit more honestly, especially in that red zone attempt.

Arains stubborn idiotic refusal to assess the QB situation properly is symptomatic of his complete utter all encomassing incompetence on all things offense. He has Btach rolling out, he has DD sticking in the pocket, he plays Morre while Redman rots. he throws idiotic bubble screens to heath, he sends Mendy into brick walls over and over like an idiot OC savant off his meds

FIRE ARIANS! lol

[IronCity__Man Profile]

Why is it always Lebeau's fault when the offense goes through a campaing of 3 and outs and the defense has to take the field over and over again. It was obvious on the last two Titans drives that our defense was utterley exhausted. Lebeau's game planning was impeccable - his calls just as good. Then, everyone got tired and slow leaving receivers open. You could tell the way McFadden was walking in between plays that his legs were getting rubbery.

I saw a lot of different players being worked in - a series of Fox and Foote for instance. Good thinking to keep better legs on such a hot day.

[PGHeaven Profile]

Why is it always Lebeau's fault when the offense goes through a campaing of 3 and outs and the defense has to take the field over and over again. It was obvious on the last two Titans drives that our defense was utterley exhausted. Lebeau's game planning was impeccable - his calls just as good. Then, everyone got tired and slow leaving receivers open. You could tell the way McFadden was walking in between plays that his legs were getting rubbery.

I saw a lot of different players being worked in - a series of Fox and Foote for instance. Good thinking to keep better legs on such a hot day.

Yes, I would grant that exception for yesterdays game against the titans. But lets not forget that the hallmark of last years performance was the abysmal 2nd half defensive record. Game after game was lost in the last minutes of games when the defense went softee. This all started in super bowl 2008 against Arizone in the second half

[DirtDawson Profile]

Not trying to sound racist

Except you were being completely racist. Nice job making us Pittsburghians look more racially intolerant.

[AZ Steel Profile]

I totally agree with the pathetic playcalling at the goaline.

Moreover, how in the world can the offense not try to take advantage of play action. With the defense biting so hard on the run, you'd think even a fake and a flare out to a running back could result in a positive play and make the opposing D play a bit more honestly, especially in that red zone attempt.

Arains stubborn idiotic refusal to assess the QB situation properly is symptomatic of his complete utter all encomassing incompetence on all things offense. He has Btach rolling out, he has DD sticking in the pocket, he plays Morre while Redman rots. he throws idiotic bubble screens to heath, he sends Mendy into brick walls over and over like an idiot OC savant off his meds

FIRE ARIANS! lol

Dirty Dave, PG,
I couldn't agree more. Arians is an absolute f#%*ing moron. It's almost like he wants the run to fail by repeatedly running the same plays up the gut ad nauseum. The problem is that running up the middle on 1st and 2nd down and gaining all of 2-4 yards (if we’re lucky) forces a 3rd and long passing situation. And what does Arians do on 3rd and long? He calls a play that takes an hour and a half to develop – that will surely fool opposing defenses! Inexplicably though, the QB gets his ass handed to him when opposing defenses blitz the entire team including the cheerleaders, water boys, ball boys, and trainers.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ll take the win and the Defense is saving our bacon by playing out of their minds. But for god’s sake, is Arians the only human being even remotely associated with the game of football that doesn’t understand there are ways to beat a blitz? When was the last time he tried a quick dumpoff to a tight end or running back, how about misdirection plays or sweeps (besides the first minute and a half of the game), quick slants, roll outs, anything? When will Tomlin pull the plug on this joker? I honestly don’t know how much more of this I can take.
On a positive note, I thought I saw some tension between Arians and Tomlin on the sidelines yesterday. Perhaps this a good sign…

[No l Gravity l Profile]

It's not being racist to the guy above, but maybe the correct word isn't 'African-American QBs.' Usually these guys are brought up of there athleticism rather than their throwing ability which translates poorly into the NFL. Young, Vick, and Dixon are 3 examples of this. Moon wasn't the prototypical one-read run QB which is why he was so successful. The they drafted him because he was actually good.

And say what you want about McNabb, but the guy is a pretty good quarterback and probably future HOF'er. Yes he chokes but so does Choke-o Palmer and Peyton Manning.

[Pump-N-Iron Profile]

Not trying to sound racist

Except you were being completely racist. Nice job making us Pittsburghians look more racially intolerant.

Don't forget that for every Kordell Stewart, there are at least 10 Cliff Stoudts & Bubby Bristers

[StillLoyal Profile]

I will post these thoughts separately soon, but here is a quick version:
NO A+ for LeBeau? How much must you hate this man!?
It is his schemes that have made this defense so consistently awesome against the run. No one in the NFL stops CJ- and we anihiilated him!
Woodley's int: Off a scheme that Dick invented and has now perfected.
Leave the bias to Ravens fans, and give our staff the credit they deserve!

[No l Gravity l Profile]

I will post these thoughts separately soon, but here is a quick version:
NO A+ for LeBeau? How much must you hate this man!?
It is his schemes that have made this defense so consistently awesome against the run. No one in the NFL stops CJ- and we anihiilated him!
Woodley's int: Off a scheme that Dick invented and has now perfected.
Leave the bias to Ravens fans, and give our staff the credit they deserve!

Mill is giving LeBeau's letter grades to Dixon and his 3 straight mediocre performances. He needs more coddling.

[Pump-N-Iron Profile]

I will post these thoughts separately soon, but here is a quick version:
NO A+ for LeBeau? How much must you hate this man!?
It is his schemes that have made this defense so consistently awesome against the run. No one in the NFL stops CJ- and we anihiilated him!
Woodley's int: Off a scheme that Dick invented and has now perfected.
Leave the bias to Ravens fans, and give our staff the credit they deserve!

If completely unbiased is what you want, then let's have a closer look:

For 3.5 quarters, the Defense played spectacular football. On that, we can all agree. If you read Mill's article, that was basically his first sentence. However, the DC is being graded on his entire body of work... not just the first 52.5 minutes.

If you remember back to your high school grading system, 3.5 (quarters) * 4.0 (A=4.0 scale) + 0.5 (last 7 minutes) * 0 (F=0 points) = 14. Divide by 4 quarters = 3.5 or basically somewhere between a B+ and an A-.

It is essentially like Ace-ing the first 20 questions on an exam, forgetting to answer the last 4, and then arguing with your professor that you should only be graded on the ones you got right. Good luck with that.

When you are handing someone a severe beat down, you don't give them the slightest bit of hope that they can come back and win. But we do it almost every week. Granted, if our ball-sucking OC could convert more 3rd downs or convert golden field position into TDs instead of FGs and punts, this would be a moot point

[steelandblood Profile]

Mill has gone on in depth over the years about how numerous linebackers have either entirely benefitted from the scheme or relied on the opportunities the system afforded them after their skills began to erode. Today he minimizes scheme and basically appeared to say that it was only pure hustle that did it. Well, we got both today. Vicious, relentless and merciless hits and only one garbage TD given up late is what we got when the O was mired in 3-and-outs. Also, we didn't see a qb come off the bench cold and look like a worldbeater. Which one is it? Scheme or players? I don't see why Woodley should get a negative mark for being brought down by Johnson

The offensive line as a whole is looking better, even with the mix n' match. Pouncey is eating hay and barking at the moon. I'm not giving Dixon a free pass for bringing back memories of Mark Malone, but they should have let him take off a lot more since he lacks the delivery and tools to orchestrate a real passing attack. Kordell Stewart was Bradshaw compared to this guy. I notice the huge silence from the "ditch Ben keep Dixon for good" crowd that had it all figured out earlier this spring.

[PsychoWard Profile]

I will post these thoughts separately soon, but here is a quick version:
NO A+ for LeBeau? How much must you hate this man!?
It is his schemes that have made this defense so consistently awesome against the run. No one in the NFL stops CJ- and we anihiilated him!
Woodley's int: Off a scheme that Dick invented and has now perfected.
Leave the bias to Ravens fans, and give our staff the credit they deserve!

If completely unbiased is what you want, then let's have a closer look:

For 3.5 quarters, the Defense played spectacular football. On that, we can all agree. If you read Mill's article, that was basically his first sentence. However, the DC is being graded on his entire body of work... not just the first 52.5 minutes.

If you remember back to your high school grading system, 3.5 (quarters) * 4.0 (A=4.0 scale) + 0.5 (last 7 minutes) * 0 (F=0 points) = 14. Divide by 4 quarters = 3.5 or basically somewhere between a B+ and an A-.

It is essentially like Ace-ing the first 20 questions on an exam, forgetting to answer the last 4, and then arguing with your professor that you should only be graded on the ones you got right. Good luck with that.

When you are handing someone a severe beat down, you don't give them the slightest bit of hope that they can come back and win. But we do it almost every week. Granted, if our ball-sucking OC could convert more 3rd downs or convert golden field position into TDs instead of FGs and punts, this would be a moot point

Fucking non-sense. The defense was physically exhausted. They were wearing black jerseys and helmets on a 100 degree field and playing completely balls to the fucking wall. The only reason it was even at all in doubt was the PATHETIC effort of the special teams "hands" team on the onside kick.

You can't blame Lebeau in any way for that Titans TD drive. The Steeler offense only managed 33:40 TOP with the benefit of SEVEN fucking turnovers. That is beyond pathetic.

If you aren't going to give Lebeau an A because of a garbage time TD that was completely meaningless in a game with 7 turnovers and 4 sacks than it is impossible for him to earn an A. They fucking chased the starting QB off the field for fucks sake. They held a RB known for his 100 yard performances to 34 piddly yards with a 2.1 yard per attempt average.

Lebeau is one of the best defensive coordinators of all time. Hating him is Mill's latest attempt at contrarianism now that he doesn't have the chin to hate on.

[steeler_fanatic Profile]

I think these games, without Ben, are going to pay huge dividends down the line. This team will be forged through adversity and be better for it.

[KreidersRage Profile]

Fucking non-sense. The defense was physically exhausted. They were wearing black jerseys and helmets on a 100 degree field and playing completely balls to the fucking wall. The only reason it was even at all in doubt was the PATHETIC effort of the special teams "hands" team on the onside kick.

You can't blame Lebeau in any way for that Titans TD drive. The Steeler offense only managed 33:40 TOP with the benefit of SEVEN fucking turnovers. That is beyond pathetic.

If you aren't going to give Lebeau an A because of a garbage time TD that was completely meaningless in a game with 7 turnovers and 4 sacks than it is impossible for him to earn an A. They fucking chased the starting QB off the field for fucks sake. They held a RB known for his 100 yard performances to 34 piddly yards with a 2.1 yard per attempt average.

Lebeau is one of the best defensive coordinators of all time. Hating him is Mill's latest attempt at contrarianism now that he doesn't have the chin to hate on.

I honestly don't care if the defense was tired or not, I still think Lebeau was right to go soft in those last few series. I think what some people have trouble accepting is that Lebeau doesn't give a damn about numbers, or how many points his defense lets up. His strategy revolves around what is necessary to get the win.

So, we kick a field goal to go up 19-3 with 5:00 to go. They need to score a TD, a two point conversion, get an onsides kick, score another TD, and, finally, one more two point conversion...and even that only nets them a tie, and not a win. So why in the Hell would you play them aggressively and risk giving up a quick score? That's absolutely asinine. Instead, you play soft, keep everything in front of you, force them to drive the length of the field to burn clock, and then make them kick the low-percentage onsides kick if need be. It was easily the strategy with the higher probability of getting the win.

As usual, Mill decides against doing any REAL analysis by saying what Lebeau should had done differently and instead just resorts to his usual crying and moaning against a coach he obviously hates, for some strange reason.