Ravens v. Steelers:The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

For the better part of the Monday evening's game we were not sure there would be much good news to discuss, and by the end of the game . . . we remained convinced that there is not much good news to discuss. Be that as it may, here's our perspective of the latest Ravens-Steelers slugfest.

The Good

1. The best news to come out of Pittsburgh last night was that Andre Frazier was on his feet and walking around when the game ended. Any injury is unfortunate but none has the tragic ramifications of a spinal cord injury. Seeing Mr. Frazier driven off the field strapped to a backboard was frightening (not to mention an ominous harbinger of things to come) and we are thankful to our personal God that his injury was not more serious.


2. Special teams ~ specifically the kick and punt coverage units ~ turned in another strong performance. In fact, if Mitch Berger continues to perform as he did Monday night (6 punts, net average 39.1 yards, total punt return yards for Baltimore was 7 yards) the Steelers will have a tough decision to make between him and Daniel Sepulveda. As for Jeff Reed, what can we possibly say that hasn't been said? He is as clutch as a kicker can get, and his kickoffs have improved dramatically (i.e. they are routinely sailing into the end zone). At the same time the coverage unit has improved even more dramatically ~ Monday night the Steelers limited the Ravens to 120 return yards on six kicks. So far in 2008 the kick coverage team is limiting opponents to an average of 19.4 yards per return, as compared to an average of 22.6 yards last season ~ an improvement of nearly 15%.


3. The best group of linebackers in the NFL, led by their two Pro Bowl caliber outside linebackers (i.e. James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley), delivered the win Monday evening by making 32 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown. Even Lawrence Timmons playd well ~ possibly his best game as a member of the Steelers.

The Bad

1. We dinged Bruce Arians last week, and now we want to hit the point more emphatically ~ Bruce Arians is coaching himself off the Steelers' staff. Early in the game we were pleased to see two "sidecars" in the backfield on passing plays, one of those being Heath Miller who delivered a solid hit on an oncoming rusher before releasing into the flat as a safety valve receiver. We were also heartened to see (in the first quarter) the use of a fullback, even if it was tight end Sean McHugh. These, and other factors, resulted in the Steelers' offense gaining fifty yards during that first quarter.
   
   So imagine our surprise when they moved completely away from that approach during the disastrous second quarter, a quarter in which their ten offensive plays resulted in -4 total yards. Looking at the offensive numbers another way the 38-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes ~ that single play ~ accounted for 16% of the Steelers' total offensive output.
   
   Some will point to injuries as a way of explaining the difficulties the offense is facing; however it is fairly clear already that this offensive unit is not capable of protecting the quarterback much less running the ball on a consistent basis. It's time for Mr. Arians to look at this group, its skills and weaknesses, objectively and begin creating game plans accordingly.


2. Related to Mr. Arians, has anyone seen or heard from quarterback coach Ken Anderson lately? Ben Roethlisberger's propensity for holding on to the ball too long is not improving, and either he or his receivers are missing hot reads in blitz situations.


3. We love Dick LeBeau ~ who doesn't? At age 71 he looks better than men half his age, not to mention the great work he's done over the years in Pittsburgh. But Monday evening's performance was, overall, somewhat disappointing especially in terms of the zone coverage scheme that was employed. How does Derrick Mason end up with 71.35% of the receiving yards for the Ravens? At times it seemed that the Steelers' defense was more intent on squeezing in as many pre-snap formation shifts as possible than actually stopping the Ravens' offense ~ as evidenced by the Ravens' fourth quarter, 76-yard touchdown drive to tie the game.

The Ugly

1. Broken shoulder? Spinal injury? Achilles tendon rupture? Ankle sprain? It was not that long ago that a friend was riding his bike, and during this ride he was hit by a car ~ and ended up in better shape than some of the Steelers did in Monday's game. Wow


2. We try to be constructive in our comments, but we are incapable of intelligently expressing our feelings regarding the Steelers offensive line play. The reduction in the number of sacks from the game against Philadelphia to this game is more a testimony to Ben Roethlisberger's strength than it is to any improvement by the linemen. The offensive line has been pummeled two consecutive weeks, and they now look forward to playing Jacksonville.

Steelers @ Cleveland:The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

Before the season began much of the talk regarding Super Bowl contenders from the AFC revolved around New England, Indianapolis, San Diego, and Jacksonville; and in many a season preview the Cleveland Browns were highlighted as a team that had a good chance of unseating the Pittsburgh Steelers as AFC North champions.

The NFL season takes many twists and turns, and the teams that were expected to contend may still do so, but right now San Diego and Jacksonville are winless in their first two games, the Colts are struggling with the NFC North, and New England is without their most valuable player.

Then there are the Browns.

Proving so far that being a Cinderella story is easier than being the favorite, the Browns now find themselves tied with their Ohio neighbors, the Bengals, for last in the division after having lost two home games. In fairness, the Browns played hard but some questionable decisions by Romeo Crennel and big plays by the Steelers doomed Cleveland to their tenth consecutive loss against the Steelers.

Without further adieu, here's our look at some of the highs, the lows, and the hideous.

The Good

1. Generally we like to focus our attentions on entire units within the team ~ e.g. the offensive line, the linebackers, etc. ~ but one player in particular showed us that the concerns we had regarding his ability to regain hi Pro Bowl form were nothing more than alarmist nonsense. For at least one night Troy Polamalu ~ who finished the game with four tackles, one for a loss ~ ran, dived, and vaulted like the young man we all fell in love with when he first showed up in the 'Burgh. Moreover, his interception at the end of the first half was the play of the game. The impact on the scoreboard was obvious, but its impact on the confidence of the Browns must have been even more significant. That fourteen play, seventy-one yard drive began with 6:20 left in the half, and instead of showing the Steelers that they were ready to take control it only reinforced the idea that it was the Black & Gold that was really in control.


2. Who are those players covering kicks and punts for the Steelers? It almost appears that they are "staying in their lanes" ~ a concept that we were convinced simply was not a part of Steelers special team play. But against the best return man this side off Devin Hester, on three kicks the Jeff Reed delivered two kicks for touchbacks, and the single kick that was returned went for twenty-two yards. On the punt team Mitch Berger continues to perform well ~ six kicks for an average of 45.5 yards, though the net yardage was only 38.2 yards ~ and the Steelers limited Joshua Cribbs to an average of 8.8 yards on five returns. One can only hope that this solid play will continue, and that it will inspire the kick return teams of the Steelers to play better.


3. Offensive line, you are beautiful! Willie Parker gets another one 100+ yards rushing and Ben Roethlisberger was well protected (yes he was sacked three times, but on each of those occasions the Browns blitzed multiple defenders ~ i.e. it was a numbers thing). Chris Kemoeatu continues to perform well in his attempt to replace one of the greatest offensive linemen in NFL history (want to know how skewed media coverage is in the NFL? For all the incessant talk about Aaron Rodgers replacing Brett Favre, Chris Kemoeatu replacing Alan Faneca is every bit as compelling a story), Justin Hartwig is making the painful memories of the Sean Mayhan era recede quickly, Marvel Smith looks like a different player, Kendall Simmons (and his tumbling skills) may be John Madden's newest favorite player, and Willie Colon just keeps doing his job. In two weeks this group has gone against two pretty decent defensive fronts, and in both cases acquitted themselves very well.


4. Honorable Mentions: Ben Roethlisberger playing well while injured, Bruce Arians for a well-called game (especially the pass on second-and-ten from the Steelers' own endzone with :39 left in the third quarter that resulted in a 31-yard completion to Hines Ward, and the play action pass on second-and-ten with 3:16 left in the game that resulted in a 19-yard completion to Heath Miller), Santonio Holmes looks like a Pro Bowler, and Bryant McFadden playing for the injured Deshea Townsend.

The Bad

1. The Steelers' punt and kick return teams, specifically their return men, were dreadful. Two near fumbles had us ready to crawl though the satellite dish and throttle Mewelde Moore and the tandem of Rashard Mendenhall/Carey Davis. Indeed the only "return man" to come out of the game with his reputation unsullied was Matt Spaeth who had the presence of mind to call a fair catch on the fourth quarter pooch kick by Phil Dawson.


2. Third down efficiency of twenty-five percent? 0-for-4 on third down conversions in the second half? If that becomes a trend the Steelers had better hope they never trail in any of their remaining games this season.


3. We tend not to worry about the officiating, but the inconsistency of this group ~ in particular the roughing the passer call against LaMarr Woodley,and the non-call when Ben Roethlisberger had thrown a pass and Sean Rodgers took two steps and buried the crown of his helmet in Ben Roethlisberger's chest ~ warrants a mention. Coaches, players, and fans just want to see the same rules apply to both teams. While the numbers balanced out (the Steelers had 7 penalties for 60 yards, the Browns 10-for-65), it seemed that "protecting the quarterback" meant different things to head official Tony Corrente depending upon which team had the ball.

The Ugly

1. This is going to seem a bit harsh, but Willie Parker messed up badly. In the fourth quarter, with 2:42 play, Mr. Parker took a hand-off on second down and six. He cut over the right side, got the first down, and then went out-of-bounds thereby saving Cleveland nearly thirty seconds of game time.
   
   In watching the play a second (and third, and fourth) time we can see that Mr. Parker had the first down, and was in-bounds with 2:38 to play. Two seconds later he is still in bounds, and has picked up an additional four yards. With 2:35 left he stepped out-of-bounds. Now, if he had fallen to the ground at nearly any moment after getting the first down (but before going out-of-bounds) the Steelers would have had the ball first-and-ten with the clock running (the Browns had used all their time outs at that point). At that point the Steelers might have been able allow the clock to run to the two minute warning without running another play (we admit it would have been close ~ depending upon when the ball was made ready for play by the officials).
   
   As it was the clock stopped with 2:34 remaining, the Steelers had to run their first down play to restart the clock, the clock then stopped at the two minute warning, and the Browns eventually regained possession with :26 left. It didn't have to be that way; and while we love Mr. Parker's determined running style that is the kind of mistake good teams do not make in a close game.


2. We believe in allowing the fans of other teams to analyze the performance of those teams, however the job that Romeo Crennel (a man for whom we have some genuine respect) did Sunday night was deserving of harsh judgment.

Conclusion
With some of the better teams (i.e. the teams against whom the Steelers are competing for home field advantage in the playoffs) struggling out of the gate, and their top rival in the division doing the same, this was a big win for the Steelers.

With the Eagles playing on Monday night it will be interesting see if their offense is all it appeared to be in week one. If it is, then the Steelers defense is in for a significant challenge (e.g. are the Steelers going to cover Brian Westbrook with a linebacker?).

Panthers v. Steelers: The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

The Steelers wrapped up their 2008 preseason with a win which improved their record this preseason to 3-1, and 8-2 in Mike Tomlin's first two seasons as head coach in Pittsburgh. Even more importantly were the roster cuts that were made this past Saturday. Here's a look back at the game and those roster decisions.

The Good

1. With his fumbles in consecutive games Rashard Mendenhall came frighteningly close to be consigned to the "Ugly" portion of this posting, however his work in the second half which resulted in 11 caries for 54 yards ~ along with the decision by the coaching staff to keep him in the game ~ had even the most cynical Steelers fan believing that the team has finally come up with their Bettis replacement. And there is this note: Mr. Mendenhall was the third leading rusher in the NFL this preseason (54 carries, 222 yards).


2. We are the first to admit that, leading into this game, we hadn't heard much about Roy Lewis as a member of the Steelers. However, living in Pac-10 country we are familiar with a player who had a solid college career at Washington. In the game against Carolina Mr. Lewis made the most of his opportunity ~ with two tackles and two passes defended he did enough to impress ~ and after our initial dismay at his release we were pleased to see that he had cleared waivers and been signed by the Steelers to the practice squad.


3. Anthony Smith is best known for his outlandish guarantee prior to last season's game versus New England and the nightmarish results, but his play at strong safety, as opposed to free safety which is the position he played last season, has been impressive. The switch allows Mr. Smith to play closer to the line of scrimmage and deliver big hits which he did versus the Panthers ~ 3 tackles, 1 for a loss, 1 assist, 1 hit on the quarterback, and 1 pass defended. If he can play at at that level for an entire season he may make people forget all about Troy Polamalu.


4. Darnell Stapleton outperformed Justin Hartwig, period. While the center cannot be given all the credit, the running game was more effective in the second half (108 yards versus 70 yards in the first half) and time of possession also improved (18:04 in the second half versus 14:34 iin the first). But more than that Mr. Stapleton showed better quickness, speed, and overall understanding of the offense. For one half of one game Mr. Stapleton was the better option at center.


5. We're glad Mitch Berger was around to be signed. Though it is only the preseason he ranked third in the NFL in both gross punting average (46.3 yards) and net punting average (42.7 yards).


6. As for the Steelers' placekicker, Jeff Reed was in mid-season form (he was #2 during the preseason in scoring by kickers), and we are looking forward to next Sunday's battle between Mr. Brown and Houston's kicker ~ the former Steelers player formerly known as Mr. Brown.

The Bad

1. The Steelers pass defense was borderline ugly.
   
   We know Matt Moore is a former UCLA Bruin but, with the exception of Bryant McFadden's first quarter interception, it seemed as though more than a few of the starters were sleepwalking through the first fifteen minutes. Even worse of course is the fact that, after Mr. Moore's departure from the game (at the end of the third quarter), Brett Basanez (who had not previously played this preseason, and who has played in one game in his entire NFL career, had a 118.0 passer rating. Moreover, though he played just one quarter Mr. Basanez ended up with 106 yards passing and one touchdown. One can only wonder what the likes of Peyton Manning, Tony Romo, Philip Rivers, and Tom Brady are going to be able to accomplish in their respective games against this defense.


2. When push came to shove we were surprised that Willie Reid was cut. He was the preseason leader in receptions (9) second in receiving yards (81), he led the team in kickoff returns (5) and kickoff return yards (110). The decision to keep Limas Sweed ~ who seemingly had more drops than receptions during the preseason ~ is an argument for a rookie salary cap. The only thing going for Mr. Sweed, beyond his raw physical ability (often referred to as "potential"), is the fact that the Steelers could not afford to take the salary cap hit that they would incur by cutting him.

The Ugly

1. Someone tell John Fox that you do not play for the tie in preseason. Despite the obvious benefit that the Steelers derived from the situation (i.e. practice the two-minute offense, kicking under pressure) it was a ridiculous decision.


2. This may seem a bit harsh, but we're wondering how much longer it will be ~ if ever ~ before Troy Polamalu returns to "form." We would never question Mr. Polamalu's work ethic but his effectiveness has declined steadily over the past couple seasons, and after missing most of the preseason one wonders if he is really the person to start at strong safety as the season begins ~ or if he is even physically able to perform as an adequate backup. We love Troy, but the Troy we fell in love with hasn't been seen in Pittsburgh since 2005.

For all the excitement and angst expressed here, and by everyone in the Steeler Nation, every member of the National Football League starts with a clean slate this week ~ are you ready for some football?

What a silly question.

Post Game Wrap: Separated at Birth ?

Jeff Reed














Buddy/Syndrome

"With the First Pick in the 2007 Draft the Pittsburgh Steelers Select . . ." : The Good, the Bad, & the Ugly

Back in July or August I reviewed the season preview from Yahoo! Sports (I'd love to tell you exactly when it was, but of course I've lost all of the 460 or so postings from the 54 weeks that preceded this posting). In my review I mocked these "experts" who picked Baltimore to finish first in the AFC North! The sheer audacity of such a pick nearly defies description.

As it turns out the real flaw in the Yahoo! preview was in their pick of the Steelers for second place behind the Ravens. Halfway through the season the Steelers have reduced themselves to playing out the string, looking forward to 2007, and the possibility of a fresh start under a new coaching staff.

But before we begin dreaming of a better day we have to continue our Monday tradition that is the Good, the Bad, & the Ugly.

The Good
Never before has there been a Pittsburgh Steelers Fanatic game analysis that didn't offer some positive words about someone on the Steelers' sideline, but they are really making it tough these days. However Aaron Smith certainly is deserving of praise (at least as much as any of the Steelers are) for his fine effort in this game, and his very solid play throughout the season.

In the Steelers' defensive scheme it is the linebackers who are the high visibility players, but Mr. Smith continues to excel. In his previous six full seasons (he played in six games in 1999) Mr. Smith averaged 2.78 tackles per game. So far this season he is averaging 3.5 tackles per game -- an increase of more than 20%. And against Denver he had one of his best games recording four tackles, two assists, the Steelers' only quarterback sack, and even defended a pass. It's a shame, given the team's poor performance, that his efforts will probably go unrecognized on a national scale.

Also doing a good job was the kick coverage team which limited rookie return man Brian Clark to just 17.8 yards per return. And had it not been for Santonio Holmes' fumble of a kickoff the kick return team also could have been applauded -- the Steelers averaged 23.0 yards per kick return in this game.

The Bad
It is a fine line between "bad" and "ugly." At least some of the ugliness that Steelers fans witnessed on Sunday was the result of individual players simply trying to do too much. So in this sense some ugliness is the result of a good thing (effort) gone bad. What do I mean? How about Hines Ward trying to high jump his way into the end zone, only to lose the football? Or Cedric Wilson's fumble inside the Denver 10-yard line as he fought for additional yardage?

Every player on the Steelers' roster is feeling the pressure that arises when a team loses games that they expected to win, and it appears that some key peformers are trying to single-handedly reverse the team's losing ways.

The players on the Steelers' roster are every bit as talented as they were last season, and in some cases the team has actually upgraded its talent over last season's squad. So, the advice here is for all the players to relax, have some fun, and play the game in a more natural manner.

One of the permanent residents of "The Bad" this season has been Chris Gardocki, and this game was no exception. His poor net average (35.0 yards per kick in this game, and 37.0 yards on the season) is adding to the Steelers' woes. Because Mr. Gardocki is unable to kick the ball high enough and/or far off to move opponents back towards their own goal line, combined with the problems the Steelers' offense is having, teams are enjoying a marked field position advantage over Pittsburgh.

To be fair, Mr. Gardocki has never had a net average of more than 39.0 yards in his career and this seasons average is actually higher than last season (34.7). Those types of numbers are fine when your offense can move the football and your punter is being asked to pooch the ball down near the opponents goal line. However, when your offense struggles, and a team needs a big kick to turn the field position around, 37 yards just doesn't get the job done.

And a new entry into "The Bad" is place kicker Jeff Reed. Mr. Reed has enjoyed a fine career in Pittsburgh; and some of this criticism is due to struggles of the offense, but Mr. Reed's margin for error is significantly smaller this season than in seasons past and missing 40-yard field goals just isn't acceptable. Indeed, this season Mr. Reed is 2-of-5 on kicks between 40-49 yards (40%), while coming into the season he was 24-for-36 (67%) from that same part of the field.

Obviously there is much more that could be palced into this category, but then what would we have to talk about as "ugly"?

The Ugly
Oh boy! What a wealth of material to work with! Here is just a portion of the ugliness that abounded in the Sunday's game.

• Turnovers: Those of you who have read Pittsburgh Steelers Fanatic for some time know that I rail against the turnovers. Six times a Steelers' player put the ball on the ground and three times the Steelers lost possession. Combine that with three interceptions and it's a wonder that the game wasn't more of a blowout.
• The Offense & Play Calling: This unit continued its habit of playing reasonably well in the first half, and then imploding in the second half. For example, in the first half of the game Ben Roethlisberger was 19-for-26 in passing attemtps, 206 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception, and a respectable 92.8 QB rating. In the second half hei was 19-for-28, 227 yards, 0 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and a 62.6 QB rating. Furthermore, the Steelers completely abandoned the run in the second half. In the first thirty minutes the Steelers had rushed the ball 13 times for 67 yards. In the second half they rushed six times for 29 yards. And for those who would like to believe that the play calling was the product of trailing in the game, please remember that in its first possession of the second half 7 of the Steelers' first 8 plays were passing plays, and the drive ended with Ben Roethlisberger's second interception of the game.
• The Offensive Line: This unit, which excelled in 2005, continues to struggle; and it looks increasinly as though the Steelers should be looking for a left tackle in the draft next April.
• The Defense: Over the previous eight weeks (seven games) it seemed that one phase of the Steelers' game would collapse while others played well. In this game we saw a complete collapse of the Steelers on both sides of the ball. Jake Plummer looked like a world-beater because of Ike Taylor's continuing struggles, and there is no explanation or excuse for Jevon Walker running 72 yards on an end-around.

Epilogue
On December 5, 2005 it looked very much like the Steelers' playoff hopes had been extinguished following a loss at hom to Cincinnati. Of course fans of the Black & Gold found out that such was not the case, and we all celebrated a Super Bowl win. But despite protestations by Ben Roethlisberger and others let me say here what we all know: the Steelers' season is over.

Even if they were to win out the Steelers would end up at 10-6, and unless Baltimore and Cincinnati lose a few more games besides that then the Steelers would still be on then outside of the playoffs looking in, and would end up with a pick at the tail end of the draft. The better scenario is the Steelers lose the rest of their games, get a top five draft pick, draft the best offensive tackle they can find, get a little bit of a break on their 2007 schedule, go back to the playoffs, and win the Super Bowl again.

It's all so simple when you have a plan.