The Stillers finally get the ground game going against an improved but still below average Bungles team:
QB: The Tommy Gun was solid going 21 of 34 for 240 yards with
a TD and a pick. He had a nice scramble and throw to Chris Doering for a first
down on 3rd and 7 in the first quarter. Maddox barely missed a
couple of long bombs to Plex but was still on target most of the day. Amos
Zereoue did not help him when he dropped a sure first down on a 3rd and
2 that would have gone a long way had he hauled it in. The INT did not appear
to be Maddox�s fault when Chris Doering ran an out on a play where Tommy
thought he was running a curl. In the Stiller�s offense Maddox throws to a spot
a lot and if the receiver runs the wrong route you will see these types of
picks from time to time. Another thing Maddox did not do was force the ball
into tight coverage. Of course, the way the game played out Tommy did not have
to take unnecessary chances like last week. All in all it was a good
performance from the QB position. Grade: A
WR & TE: Hines Ward was the man. He had a tough catch
and got nailed at the 1 yard line at the end of the half. He kept fighting and
Dan Kreider pushed him forward and the Stillers got a critical TD. More
impressive than his 4 catches for 48 yards was his blocking. Ward was mixing it
up with anyone and everyone that came his way. He put a nice block on 270 pound
Justin Smith, and did not back down from anyone. Ward got revenge on Mark Roman
(who delivered the crushing blow on Ward�s TD catch) on Amos Zereoue�s 11 yard
scamper on the game�s final drive. He delivered a crushing block on Roman and that
run sealed the game. Plex made a nice grab in tight coverage netting 23 yards in
the final drive and ended up with 5 receptions for 56 yards. It was nice to see
Plex use his hands to haul in a high throw in a crucial situation. Doering most
likely ran the wrong route on Maddox�s 3rd quarter pick, however,
Doering had a couple of nice catches for first downs. The Stillers deactivated
Mark Breuner but he was not missed the way Riem and Tuman played. Riem had a
great catch in the second quarter and the Stillers were able to effectively run
the ball without Breuner in the lineup. Grade: WR: B TE: A
RB & FB: Amos was solid all day with 16 carries for 69
yards, his only blemish was a drop on a 3rd and two that could have
gone a long way. Amos had a nice 11 yard scamper at the end of the game on 3rd
and eight that all but sealed it. He also pulled in a nice 29 yard reception
and showed that he needs to be utilized as a pass catcher out of the backfield.
The Bus came in and ran 16 times for 59 yards. He also scored on a one yard TD
and was very effective in the 2nd half. I like how the Stillers
utilized their RB�s this game. Zereoue was effective in the first half and then
they pounded them with the Bus in the 2nd half. Zereoue deserves to
continue to be the starter but Bettis should and will contribute off of the
bench. At FB, Dan Kreider had a big day. He provided excellent blocking all day
and even pulled in 3 receptions. He also pushed the pile and Hines Ward into
the endzone. Kreider is proving game in and game out he is a tough blocker and
one of the better FB�s in the game. Grade: RB: A FB: A+
O-line: Faneca was a beast, just ask Adrian Ross when he
popped his helmet off. Faneca also had a nice pancake block and showed why he
is an all-pro. Hartings and Simmons played well on the interior and Marvel
Smith continued to make a good showing of himself at LT. Smith�s pass blocking
was effective and he was stronger in his run blocking. Todd Fordham was not an
embarrassment, and had his best showing since going against Julius Peppers in the
final preseason game. This was a good showing by the o-line, however, they will
get a much sterner test against the Titans this week. Grade: A
D-line: Big Casey clogged the middle all day and was
effective freeing up the LB�s to make tackles. Aaron Smith pressured the QB and
was disruptive against the running game. Kimo was solid against the run and
Rodney Bailey and Kendrick Clancy played well in relief. This group played
Dillon well in the first half and were not really challenged after he came out
in the 2nd quarter with an injury. Grade: A
LB: As always, this grade will account for all the LB�s
except Jason Gildon, you can look to the Gildong Report for his grade. Kendrell
Bell recorded two sacks and had his best game of the season. As Kendrell
becomes more acclimated to playing all 3 downs, you will see him make more and
more plays. Joey Porter had a good game for his first time back since suffering
a gunshot wound. He had a nice sack of Jon Kitna and was effective in pass
coverage and run support. James Farrior continued his stellar play and had a
nice open field tackle to stop Bennett from getting a first down. Farrior seems
to be really playing well in his 2nd year in the 3-4 system. The
B&G will need to find a way to keep he and Joey Porter on the field in the
dime. Maybe replace Gildong with Porter at the left rush end. Nah, won�t happen
unless Gildon is injured. Giving credit where credit is due, Gildon had a nice
diving INT in the first quarter only to make a stupid play and lateral the ball
to Joey Porter. Luckily, Porter recovered the ball but it could have been a disaster.
Grade: A
DB: This group had a good day. Chad Scott had a nice
deflection which was responsible for the Gildon INT. On that drive Dewayne
Washington was beat deep on a deep bomb to Chad Johnson. The coverage was good
but the pass and catch were perfect. That drive ended with the Gildon INT, so
no real harm done. Logan had a nice day and Alexander was there but once again
invisible. Polamula is still learning the ropes and by his own admission was
victimized on the 5 yard TD play. The Bungles were forced to be one dimensional
with Dillon�s injury and the front 7 applied pressure all day. Take that and add
to it the offense holding the ball for 37 minutes, and you can see this group
was set up to succeed. They will get more of a challenge this week against
Steve McNair and the Titans. Grade: B
ST: Jeff Reed missed a 24 yard chip shot and the kickoff and
punt coverage were shotty and should have given up 2 TD�s. The coverage units
must improve or they will be the undoing of the B&G, circa 2001. Ike Taylor
had a nice 40 yard return and the fake field goal was a thing of beauty. Josh
Miller had a couple of subpar punts and overall this was the worst unit of the
day. Grade: D
OC: Mularkey had a nice game plan and other than a reverse
to Plex, the play calling was solid. The run plays were more man on man blocking
instead of the slow developing counter crap the Stillers tried last week. The
pass to Amos on 3rd and two was a great call and would have worked
for a big gain had Zereoue held onto the ball. All in all, a solid performance.
Grade: A
DC: Tim Lewis did not have a difficult task with Dillon
being injured and the offense holding the ball for 37 minutes. Still, the front
7 applied consistent pressure on the QB and the Stillers limited Dillon while
he was in the game. The Bungles had 416 yards of total offense in Oakland and
the Stillers limited them to under 200, which is a good day no matter how you
look at it. Grade: A
HC: Cowher had the troops fired up and ready to go after a
troubling loss in KC. It was only the Bungles, but this same group took the
Raiders down to the wire and had to be taken seriously. On offense the Stillers
ran the ball and had good line play. On defense, the Bungles did little and
were held to under 200 yards of total offense. The one blemish on this
performance was the shaky play of the special teams, it is on Cowher to improve
this. Grade: B
This was a good game in that the Stillers were on the road
after a tough loss and responded well against an improved Bungles team. Running
the ball and o-line play was a focus after the Chiefs debacle and the Stillers
finally got the ground game clicking. The special teams play was very shaky and
will cost the Stillers against better teams if it does not improve. The Titans
will be a tough test this week and should the Stillers be victorious they could
very well be 4-1 heading into Denver week 6.