Stillers-Jets Postgame Analysis and Grades

Trippers 22, Stillers 17���. Dec. 19, 2010 ����Game # 14

 

Stillers-Jets Postgame Analysis and Grades

 

The Stillers gave up a TD on the opening KO, but seemed to take command with a superb 96-yard TD march midway thru the 3Q to take a 17-10 lead.�� Of course, the defense immediately and constantly faltered thereafter, snatching defeat from victory against the pitiful offense of the Trippers.��

 

Grades:

 

QB:� Ben had another nice �paper� game, which looked good on paper.�� Yes, he was victimized by several drops.�� Still, Spike rarely was harassed, yet was scattershot on some key passes.�� He clumsily took a sack (stumbling in the pocket) in the 2Q.�� With a 1st down at the NY 24 late in the 2Q, he threw 3 horrific passes, all inc., to force a FG.�� Not good. �The fake-spike play was clever, but the lofted pass was simply wretched.�� �The deep ball to a wide open Wally was well overthrown in the 1Q, which should have been an easy 6 points.�

 

Twice in the 2H, Spike allowed the ball to be stripped back in the pocket, causing huge losses of yardage.� The 2nd strip lost 14 yards and wasted the final TO late in the game.�� Very poor.��� �I was also disappointed when, on the game�s final play, Ben failed to look way to his right as he scrambled to his left, a la the big completion in SB 40 on 3d & a mile.�� The pass to Spaeth had a 0.5% chance of succeeding, where as a throw back pass across the field might have caught a DB napping while a WR snuck along the back edge of the EZ.��� ��C+

 

RB:� Despite the snow and having tremendous success, Mendy was rarely used, carrying only 17 times and gaining 100 yards.�� Almost 6 yards per carry, yet only 17 rushes.� Go figure.� �Mendy ran the ball quite well today.� In fact, this was his best north-south running of the season.�

 

Redman carried only once, a nice 7-yard burst on 3d & short.���

 

Moore got GOBS of playing time, and did little,�� He had 4 carries for 7 yards, including the fateful -3 that resulted in a safety.�� Not entirely his fault, obviously.�� He had 1 grab for 0 yards.� Yup, with production like that, it�s pure genius that Mendenhall touched the ball so little...!�

 

Mendy:� A+���� Redman:� B��� Moore:� C

 

FB: Rarely used.�� Inc

 

WR:� Wally and Sanders led the way with 7 grabs per.�� Sanders made a sterling sideline grab on 3d & 2 for 11 yards.�� He also had a good grab on a slant in the 2Q after taking a hit from 2 defenders.� ��He also had a good RAC on the late 3d & 24, gaining 29.�

 

Wally failed to look back for the ball on the fake-spike play; had he done so, he may have grabbed it, or drawn a flag.��� He did have a good comeback block on Ben�s long scramble.��

 

Ward had a pedestrian day, with 2 grabs for 34.�� Brown had 2 grabs for 15.������ A

 

TE:� Yancey Miller sat out, so Spaeth got the start.�� �And wouldn�t ya know, the guy got peppered with more pass attempts than Dave Casper & Kellen Winslow did in their prime.�� Spaeth caught 3 for 27, although 2 of those could have gotten better RAC yardage if Spaeth hadn�t clumsily been stumbling over his own 2 feet.�� Worse, it was the DROPS that hurt enormously.�� Early in the 2Q, Spaeth dropped a short pass.� On the next play, he allowed a high, but catchable pass, to go thru his hands.� Then, on the 2nd to last play of the game, Spaeth had a chance to be the hero with a catch in the back of the EZ, but again, he allowed the ball to zip right thru his hands.� Very piss poor.����

 

�Johnson had a strong block on the LB at the POA on the Mendy TD plunge.������ C- ����

 

OL: The line played solidly; one of their best games of the year.�� There were no false starts or holds.��� The pass protection was nearly flawless, constantly giving Ben plenty of time and room.�� The run blocking was pretty solid as well.�� Kemo had a good pancake on Mendy�s 21-yard run.��� Adams had an alert fumble recovery, although he carried the ball like OJ after he recovered.�� He also committed a totally assaholic, sophomoric dead-ball personal foul penalty late in the 3Q.� Very stupid.���

 

�Scott missed his down-block on Taylor that resulted in a safety, although Taylor was gunning on his slant on this play and the real fault was the fuking idiot that called this play on the 3-yard line.��

 

�Essex got some PT at LT when Scott got nicked up.�� ���B

��

DL:� The D-line was really rather hum-drum and ordinary.�� They continually got gashed by nice chunks of yardage on the ground.��� Fat Casey Hampton was a total non factor.....fat piece of shit did nothing the entire game, except for a rare bit of hustle in the 2Q when he nipped Green�s ankles on a 2-yard run up RT.��

 

Keisel meekly whiffed near the LOS on a Tomlinson run that netted 11.�� He did have 2 key bats to thwart NY drives.���� Hood saw a lot of PT and did next to nothing.��� C-�

�

LB:� Harrison and Timmons led the way, although they each had some struggles.��

 

Timmy led the D wit h10 solos and 3 A�s.��� However, he was out of position on some ground plays.�� And, he was trucked by Tomlinson on a key 3d & 4 in the 4Q, resulting in an 8-yard gain, as well as a whiff of Green in the backfield on a 5-yard run late in the game.�� He did make a good 1D stop (with Harry) on Tomlinson in the 3Q, and he put a brutal lick on Green for no gain in the 4Q.��

 

After rolling a donut last week, Harrison rebounded with a solid effort, although far from dominant.� He had 7 solos and 3 A�s, and did harass and hurry the QB a couple times.� He had a strong solo of Tomlinson for -1 in the 4Q.� ��Harrison totally bit on the plunge-fake on the 4th & 1, allowing the QB to keep around end for a walk-in TD.��

 

Taunto Farrior had a quiet 6 solos.�

 

Jason Woodley continued his Caspar the Ghost act with another half-assed, faggott-fuk effort that produced a whopping 2 solos and 0 A�s.��� This easily was one of Woodley�s weakest, most putrid games the entire season, and that�s saying something, given his total invisibility this entire season.�� Consider:��

 

��- 2nd play of game, Woodie is UNTOUCHED, and WHIFFS on an easy sack.�� This is a play where a defender can DESTROY a QB, both mentally and physically, but only if a hit is applied.�

 

�� - 3d & 2, 2Q --� Big LaMarr is SOLO blocked by the TE (Hartsock), and just titty jousts as the Jets run a designed roll to their right.�� Because all he did was titty joust, Woodley never got his hands UP, and Sanchez was able to easily make the pass for the 4-yard gain and a 1D.�

 

�� - This SAME scenario repeated itself in the 4Q.�� Big LaMarr was again soloed by the TE (again,� Hartsock) on a roll rite, and again, the QB had an EASY play -- with no harassment from the Big He-Man -- to make the easy pass for 6 yards.��� This is shit-laden OLB�ing at its worst.��

 

�� - On the Green 5-yard run in the 4Q noted above, Big LaMarr was totally walled IN.���

 

For no apparent reason, Larry Slow-a-Foote was on the field for the fateful 4th & 1, and rabidly BIT on the plunge-fake like a complete jack-fuk.��

 

Timmy, Harry, and Farrior:�� B-����� Woodley and Foote:�� D������

 

DB:� lke had an acceptable game.�� Holmes tried an up route on the 1st series and Ike stayed with him step for step on an inc. pass.� He did give up an 11-yard slant to Tonio in the 4Q, but that was about it.

 

McFadden was too soft and timid on making the stick after short grabs, but he did have a decent game.�� He was beaten, barely, by Edwards on a 38-yard lob.� He had a good tackle on a short 3rd down screen to Tonio.�� He also delivered a good stick to Tonio on 3d & 5, holding him to 4 and forcing the fateful 4th & 1.��

 

Mundy started in place of Yancey Polamalu and did little, although he had a key bat of a 3D pass late in the game to force a punt.� But Munday missed an easy sack off a blitz on a 3d & 9 in the 4Q, allowing Sanchez to hit Edwards for 16 yards.��

 

Ryan Clark did his usual routine of big hit attempts; never playing the ball; and getting his sorry ass run over like roadkill. ���He got trucked by Tomlinson on a 10-yard run in the 1Q, allowing an extra 3 yards. ��He was far too slow to cover Keller on a 3d & 1 in the 3Q, allowing an easy 11-yard gainer.�� There was also the personal foul on Clark�s hit on Edwards after a reception, which was the correct call because Clark clearly and quite visibly launched himself at the receiver. �����When you have a slow-footed, non-athletic FS like Clark in today�s NFL that forbids the big hit on helpless receivers, you have the modern day version of the Ford Edsel....it looks nice, but it is an entirely worthless pile of shit. ��

 

For no apparent reason, Gay wasn�t picked on. ��I have no idea why not. ��

 

Ike, Fadd:�� B-��� �Mundy:�� C+ ���Clark:�� D+ ���

Spec teams:� To sum it up, these short-bus riding special teams played like vomit the entire game.����

 

�� - Opening KO, returned for a TD as the returner was never even remotely touched.���� Fox got destroyed on this play, and Mundy closed too slowly and with a poor angle.��� Piss fuking poor.��

 

�� - Shitty punt by Kapinos, rolled into EZ in 1Q, net of 25 yards.�

 

�� - Shitty punt coverage in the 1Q, punt fielded at the 9 and returned to the 22.��� No hang time on punt, either.�

 

�� - Shitty KO to the 19, shoddy tackling, returned to the 37.��

 

�� - Squib KO late in 2Q, returned to the 37.��� �PFP -- Piss Fuking Poor

 

�� - Brown was far too tentative on the open KO of the 2H, allowing it to land on the ground at the 23 and then returning it all of 3 fuking yards.��

 

�� - On the KO in the 3Q, Madison got DESTROYED and pancaked, and Butler clumsily fell after tripping over a yard line.�� The ball was fielded at the 9 and returned to the 34.

 

�� - On a punt later in the 3Q, it was fielded at the 15 and returned 19 yards.�� Butler missed the initial tackle, and the overall coverage was poor.��

 

�� - In the 4Q, Kapinos boomed a punt that was FC at the NY 24....for a net of 35 yards.���

 

�� - On the late NY punt, 2 Steeler blockers nearly were hit by the ball, and then Brown foolishly allowed the ball to roll from the 21 to the 8 yard line.�� Total, assaholic stupidity.��

�

Suisham booted �a FG, but his KOs were as weak as diarrhea.��

 

I took some time after the game to look up �Kapinos� in the dictionary.�� It�s a Greek word, meaning �large pile of fecal matter, typically emanating from a pig or other farm animal.��� His punting was a complete bag of barf the entire game.�� �Where exactly did Colbert find this pile of shit ???�� I thought he was signed because of his �experience in the cold weather in Green Bay�.��� Did Colbert check to see how well, or how poorly, this bag of barf actually DID in that cold weather??�� �You saw a real NFL punter (Weatherford) on the other team, who had a SUPERB game.�� Krapinos sucked monkey cock.�� �������Krapinos:�� F-����� Rest of Spec team:� F+�

 

OC:� As often happens, Arians racked up some nice paper stats, but failed to put many points on the board.�

 

�� - I loved (sic) the cutesy call on 3d & 2 on the 1st drive.��� Fake HO to El, then a ZERO-yard pass to Moore that was stopped for 0 yards.� ��All the weapons on this team, and that�s the best that Arians, the clever asshump, could come up with ??

 

�� - With Miller out of the game, Matt Spaeth somehow, against all reason, became THE focal point of the offense....!��� I�d have to re-verify, but I think Spaeth was targeted with 9 passes today. ���NINE !! ���Heath Miller, who is 20 times the TE and receiver, never has more than 5 passes targeted, but a rusty, pile of shit backup like Spaeth suddenly is being fed more balls than Dave Casper and Tony Gonzalez. ���

 

�� - Northing can justify the under-use of Mendy on a cold day in which he -- and the OL -- was clearly DOMINATING the Jets.��� Only 17 carries for a starting RB that is RAVAGING the opposing defense to the tune of nearly 6 yards per carry ??�� Fuking preposterous.� Of course, when you have an OC that has no game plan and no sense of purpose, this is precisely what you get.��

 

�� - Then there was the safety that all but sealed the game.�� This was a BOTCH-FUKED playcall from the get-go, which was DESIGNED for the LG to pull and the LT to block down on a rabid slanter like Jason Taylor.�� We should not be surprised by this playcall, as it is the EXACT SAME playcall as was called from the Steeler 1-yard line in SB 43.�� If you recall, Willie Parker came within 2 inches of being safetied on that play by the Cards, on the IDENTICAL, dumbfuk playcall of a COUNTER-TREY within a few feet of your own goal line.�� We all know Arians is a stupid-fuk, so let me explain --� that close to your own GL, you simply DO NOT run any pulling guards or pulling centers.� EVER.� This is even more true when you realize what a slow-footed, clumsy oaf that Jon Scott is at LT.�� This ain�t Tony Boselli or Leon Searcy, so why on earth would an OC even try such a jack-fucked scheme that close to his own goal line??� ���D-�

 

DC:� The Jets offense had struggled like banshees lately.� Mark Sanchez had thrown four interceptions and no touchdown passes in the past two games and the Jets had not scored an offensive touchdown since Thanksgiving. In their four losses this season the Jets have not scored a touchdown.�� Sure enough, there is no finer tonic for a struggling offense than to face the Great Guru and Lord of Defensive Football, Dick Lebeau.�� Affectionately known as �The Dullard�, Dick proved to be the PERFECT tonic for the struggling Jet offense, getting carved and eaten alive the ENTIRE 2nd half.��

 

Facing a struggling, INEPT offense, here is what Dick's VAUNTED defense did after the Steelers took a 17-10 lead in the 3Q and seemed to have ALL of the momentum on their side (and bear in mind, due to halftime, the Jet offense literally sat about 35 minutes of �real� time before embarking on this 3Q drive)� --

 

�-� 8 plays, 66 yard drive, TD

�

�- 13 plays, 50-yard drive, CHIPPIE FG.�

 

�- With the Stillers down by 3 with only 7 minutes remaining in the game and desperate to get the ball back, the Jets marched 10 plays, 4:24 clock CHEWED, and after the punt, the field was FLIPPED from the NY 24 to the PIT 3.��

 

Voila !!�� What a GENIUS !���� Four 2nd-half drives, and the defense failed (using any common sense pass-fail analysis) on 3 of those drives.� 75% failure rate!�� Add to that, the total bamboozlement on the 4th & 1 TD run, which occurred AFTER an official timeout to measure, which gave Dick a FREE timeout to get his defense straight.��

 

Yes, the offense sputtered, and the spec teams stunk. But with the lead 17-10, at HOME, in the 3Q against an offense that hadn't touched the ball in over 30 "real world" minutes, Dick should have SHUT the door, and failed miserably.�

 

And yes, I know (sob, cry, sniff, bawl..!!) Troy Pola was out.� The mark of a truly GREAT coordinator is NOT what he does with his complete arsenal, but what he does when the chips are down due to injury.�� In this case, Dick did jack shit, and his record is now 5-7 since 2008 when Troy cannot play.���

 

Of course, against Dick's VAUNTED and clever defensive schemes, Sanchez and the Jets committed ZERO turnovers.�� 1 sack, few hurries, little harassment, and ZERO turnovers, amidst a bone-cold, snowy evening.��� Isn�t Dick such a clever, diabolical genius?�

 

Of course, from the typical yinzers, you�ll hear babbling bullshit about �the D held them to only 13 points�.�� Spare me the "we only gave up 13" crappola.� How about giving up only SIX ?��� Or TEN ???��� AGAIN, this wasn't the '84 Dolphins or the '94 49ers.�� It was the woe-be gone, PITIFUL offense of the NY Jets, on a bone-cold, chilly, snowy day that was ripe for defensive DOMINATION; not defensive mediocrity.� �����D+�

 

HC:� There�s 1 thing you can ALWAYS count on from Tomlin -- a December SWOON by his spec teams.��� Today, the overall spec teams were an utterly, entirely wretched pile of shit.�� There simply is no other way to describe it, and Tomlin must accept the vast majority of the blame for this outrageous goatfuck.� The coverage teams have sucked well-water the past 3-4 weeks, and today it bit them in the ass, deep and hard.���

 

There was another assaholic spike today, this time after a completion to Wally with 0:29 remaining.�� As always, CONTEXT is the key to evaluation.�� Prior to this play, there was a penalty for an illegal formation, and the dumfuck ref crew had to bumble about trying to mark off the penalty in a comedy of errors.�� This, then, became a FREE TIMEOUT.� As such, there should have been TWO plays called during this freebie timeout.��� Instead, Wally made the grab for 18 yards, to the NY 26, to gain a 1D....and we spiked the ball to WASTE a down.�� If you can line up for a spike, then you can line up to run a legitimate play while even catching the defense in a botched coverage or a botched substitution in the process.��

 

At any rate, this is starting to look, feel, and smell like the 2007 season all over again, which isn�t pleasant in any manner.����� D+

 

Officiating.��� I don�t often rant about officials, but I am again forced to, due to outrageous incompetence and inconsistencies.��

 

�� - On the opening KO, 2 NY blockers very clearly were holding hands and another blocker was (give or take a foot) 2 yards away, forming a WEDGE, which is supposed to be illegal this season.�� On kickoffs, a blocking wedge cannot consist of more than two players.  If a third player (or more) is used, he needs to be a minimum of 2 yards away from the 2 man wedge. They blasted Key Fox and the massive hole was created.�� This was extremely close; no flag.��

 

�� - Mendy gained a clear 9 yards on a 1D run in the 1H.� Somehow, this bumbling crew ruled this a 1st down, even after pausing the game to re-assess the situation.��

 

�� - On Mendy�s 11-yard run in the 4Q, he was very clearly hit well out of bounds at the end of the run.� No flag.� They�ll throw a flag on Adams after a dead-ball shouting match, but they refuse to throw a flag on a play where a player could have been injured for the rest of the game, or even the rest of the season.��

�

�� - Sanders was blatantly HELD by Lowery on the deep lob late in the game (0:29 4Q).� No flag.� The jersey was CLEARLY GRABBED in plain, full view of the ref.�� I agreed on the personal foul flag on Clark, because the letter of the rules prohibits launching.�� That said, the letter of the rules prohibits this kind of downfield GRABBING, especially when a defender is clearly and cleanly beaten by the WR.�� All I ask for is some consistency, which is rare in today�s NFL.��

 

Fuck Roger Goodell.�� Fuck Ray Anderson.��� D-

 

Synopsis:� A shitty loss to the Trippers (their 1st ever in Pittsburgh) in a home game that was eminently winnable and should have been won.�� Now, the Stillers have an extremely short week, thanx to Goodell and his fuked up schedule that forces us to play a Thur. nite game after having played 4 previous nite games already.�� If the Stillers can win these final 2 games -- no sure thing, given immense problems in ALL 3 phases of the game -- they�ll win the division.��

 

 

(Still Mill and Stillers.com -- when it comes to the analysis of the Pittsburgh Stillers, no one else comes close�.)