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Hard Hat Award (Game #1, vs. Seattle)

September 22, 2011 by Still Mill

Stillers 24, Seahawks 0 ��� Sep 18, 2011
Stillers 24, Seahhawks 0�. Sep. 18, 2011 ����Game #2

 

Stillers-Seahawks Postgame Analysis and Grades

 

After last week�s embarrassing asswhipping at the hands of the PoeBirds, the Stillers hosted the jayvee Seattle Seahawks, the NFL version of Appalachian St.��� The Stillers had their way with the hapless Hawks, toying with them and cruising to a cake-easy 24-0 win.��

 

Grades:

 

QB:On paper, Ben had a decent game, going 22 of 30 for 298, 1 TD, and 0 INTs.�� On paper.�� In reality, he missed a host of easy passes to wide open receivers, and had an easy INT dropped on a wretched pass on the 1st play of the 2Q.Just about every misfire sailed well high of the mark.�� On his defense, Ben took a wicked shot to the knee on the completion to Miller in the 2Q, resulting in an incredibly rare roughing the passer flag, the first I can recall involving Ben in 2 years.��� Ben was in obvious pain, and the horrific replay looked as though Ben was done for the season.�� Ben hobbled off, and 2 plays later, he was back in the field.�� He also absorbed a low blow after a WR screen pass early n the 3Q, and of course there was no flag.��

 

�� Batch subbed for Benji, but on 2d & 3d and goal, was not permitted to pass the ball on either play.�������� B+

 

RB:Socrates Mendenhall is another fellow who looked okay on paper, gaining 66 yards on 19 carries and a TD.�� He did manage to make something out of nothing on a few carries.�� But he enraged me with his incessant tip-toeing and delaying on goal plunges.The game�s 1st drive was stopped on downs, particularly because Socrates was stuffed on 1st and 4th downs inside the 1.�� When it comes to short yardage, this guy is the anti Marcus Allen, with no nose or instinct to simply knife, slice, dive, vault, or barrel for the 1st down or TD.�� Rather, he treats these runs exactly as he does a routine 1st down run from midfield....stuttering, delaying, and looking to break �the big run�.����

 

��� Fortunately, Isaac Redman got a goodly amount of work, and showed a rather dim-bulbed staff exactly what he is more than capable of doing.�� Red rushed for 49 yards on only 10 carries, including a gem of a 20-yard TD scamper.�� He also churned out some tough yardage. And quite clearly, Redman is the better runner in short-yardage situations.��

 

��� Moore saw some PT on 3rd downs and had 1 grab for 9 yards.���� A-

 

FB: David Johnson got some snaps at FB, as did starting RG Doug Legursky in several goal-line situations.��� Johnson struggled quite a bit today.�� He had a poor lead block on the stuffed 4th & goal from the 6-inch line.�� He then had a shit block attempt on the SS on Red�s run at 6:05 2Q.�� Leggo had a poor lead block as well on the 4th & G run from the 6-inch line.���� C-

 

WR:Wally again led the way with 8 grabs for 126 and 1 TD, that on a fade-lob pattern.Wally toyed with the lowly Hawk secondary, getting no chuck and just stealing candy from a baby.�� Wally made a spectacular grab on a deep ball in the 3Q, catching an �upside down snow cone� just a few inches off the ground on a deep lob.��

 

Ward and Brownie each had 4 grabs.Ward made a superb grab on a 3D sideline pass in the 3Q, somehow managing to get both feet IB.�� Brown had a good pluck of a high 3D pass in the 4Q.

 

Sanders had 2 grabs for 44, mostly due to superb RAC on an early 3d & 2 that gained 30 yards.He also threw a perfect pass under extremely heavy pressure on an end-around gimmick play, which hit Ward in stride for a 15 yard gain.��� Sanders also held on for the catch on a crosser in the 2Q, after which he was blistered with an obvious �leading with the helmet� hit by the DB that went totally unnoticed by the refs.

 

Yancey Cotchery again did not play, due to a balky hamstring.������� A+

 

TE:Miller had a solid day, grabbing just 1 pass for 16 yards down the s-line on the play Benji was injured.He dropped a tough, but catchable pass in the 1Q.Miller had a good, sustained block later in the quarter, enabling Mendy to bounce wide right for a 9-yard gainer.Heath was forced into the assaholic sidecar blocking duties on obvious passing downs on 3 occasions.��� B+

 

OL: An uninspiring day for this crew, although they were starting a rookie making his first NFL start, plus LG was being manned by Ramon Foster with Chris Kemo not dressing due to injury.�� To their credit, Gilbert and Foster acquitted themselves adequately.��

 

Gilbert had some struggles.He got totally abused by Brock on a spin move in the 2Q, and to make matters worse, tried to cover up for his boner with a leg-whip/trip attempt that fortunately was not flagged.�� Ben was injured on this play, however.��� On his defense, Gilbert was singled out by the bumbling broadcast crew for a 2d & goal sack in the 1Q, in which the SS blitzed off the corner and nabbed Ben.��� Neither Anthony Munoz nor Tony Boselli could have blocked a DB on a blitz from that situation.��

 

Foster had a superb pull and block on a ground play in the 2Q, picking off 2 defenders and leading the way for Red�s 20-yard TD run.Foster had a solid all-around game, which begs the question � why in the hell was an average journeyman like Piss Kemoeatu lavished with such huge money this past offseason?�� Kemo is no better than Foster.��

 

Jon Scott was flagged for a hold -- on a running play no less � in the 3Q, and on the next play, was bullrushed and rudely shoved aside by Clemons for a sack.�� He allowed numerous other pressures, and rest assured, this guy is going to cause Ben to exit a game on either a stretcher or a golf cart.��

 

Legursky was flagged for a needless, dirty clipping penalty on a screen pass to Socrates.��� Very stupid, and really, shamefully Raider-like.�� Essex got some time at RG on the goal-line plays that Leggo played at FB

 

Pouncey seemed to play better this week.������ Overall, there was a lot of leakage on running plays and a lot of non-blitz pressure on the QB.��� B-

 

DL:The D-line, which last week spent more time on its back than a Las Vegas prostitute, played considerably more stout today.�� Granted, they were facing the youngest O-line in the NFL, but at least they weren�t getting manhandled and mauled.�� Keisel had a good pressure in the 2Q, and on the next play had a bat, although it was negated by a false start flag.�� Hood and McClendon got decent PT, and McClendon was very active in his limited time.���� B+

 

LB:Facing such a feeble offense, this crew was rarely tested or taxed, but at least they were a damn sight better than last week�s stenchfest.��

 

Timmons led the crew with 5 solos and 3 As.�� Harrison was a lil� more active than last week, although still not up to his DPOY standards,�� He whiffed on Tate on a WR screen in the 3Q.He got a coverage sack in the 4Q.���

 

Taunto Farrior played ok.��� He was abused by Eddie Williams � a FB, no less � on a short pass, in which Taunto whiffed on a simple tackle attempt, resulting in a 17-yard gain.�� Foote got a goodly amount of PT and had 4 solos and a Dong Sack.��

 

The $61M, Big LaMarr Woodley, had yet another humdrum game.�� Big LaMarr finished with 2 solos and 2 As, and really, had no more impact than Larry Foote or William Gay.�� He did miraculously fight off a solo block early in the 3Q for a 2-yard loss, although Aaron Smith blew up the cutback lane, which is where this play is designed to go.�� That was it.�� On a WR screen in the 2Q, all Big LaMarr did was titty-joust, never disengaging.�� He then got flattened to the ground on a wide run by Lynch in the 3Q.On a 4th & 8 in the 4Q, Big LaMarr was, twice no less, knocked onto his ass on his feeble rush attempt.In the 4Q, Big LaMarr came in totally untouched and unblocked, and teamed with McClendon to get a half-Dong Sack.�� On the 1st play of the 3Q, Big LaMarr eluded a weak-assed cut block by a TE, and amble, untouched, down the LOS on a run right up the gut.7 yards later, Big LaMarr got a slop stop.

 

Timmons:B+��� Harry, Farrior, Foote:B���� Woodley:B-

 

DB:These bumblers weren�t picked on, but much of that was based on facing a dreg like Tarvarius.��

 

Leading the way was none other than Troy Pola, who was 12 times more active and effective than last week�s weak-assed effort.�� Pola was all over the field.....flashing up when needed and reading and anticipating with superb command.�� The first 3 plays the Hawks ran, Pola thwarted all of them.....a tackle on a pass catch, and then 2 run stops.�� He also dropped a pick 6 in the 3Q.

 

Ike continues to smother his man.��� He was beaten on a deep out by Obamanu at 9:45 2Q, but Obo dropped the ball.�� Other than that, Ike was stellar all day.��

 

Will Gay started in place of the injured Fadden and had a rare bust-up, batting away a 3d & 1 pass late in the 3Q.He had a faggotty shirt-grab on a WR after a short grab in the 1Q, and the WR was able to spin away and get the 1st down.

 

Keenan Lewis finally got some meaningful PT and did fine.�� Yes, it was a weak offense, but why did a longtime struggler like McFadden just get handed the starting job on a silver platter ?Let�s see what Lewis can do.�� He can�t be any worse than Gay and Fadden.��

 

Ryan Clark surprisingly didn�t do anything foolish.������� B

 

Spec teams:Not shabby.�� The coverage teams were tight and solid.��� Curtis Brown had a good solo, although he stupidly threw a punch at a Hawk after a Steeler punt.�� Battle and Allen combined for a stop.Worilds had a good stop on KO cover.��

 

Aided by Redman�s block, Brown had a nifty 39-yard punt return in the 1Q.���

 

Sanders fielded a punt on his own 3, which wasn�t bright.�� Suisham made a 20-yarder, but missed a 41-yard FG.�� Sepul boomed some punts, but boomed a few too far, resulting in harmless TBs.�� Foote, who never was a special teamer in his previous tenure, was flagged for an illegal block to the back on an early punt.�� B

 

OC:A week after having no answers for Suggs and Ngata, Arians had the luxury of facing no one with even 20% of those players� disruptiveness.�� The result was a casual cakewalk where just about anything was working.���

 

It�s obvious Redman is far, far more effective in short yardage than Mendy.�� Time for Arians to realize this as well.��

 

Miler spent 3 plays doing the foolish sidecar blocking on obvious passing downs.�� That�s down from last week, but it�s still 3 happenings more than should occur.��

 

Although I like Legursky as a blocking FB, I�m not fond of removing a starting O-lineman the way Arians did today, when he moved Leggo to FB and brought in Essex.�� The positive of using Leggo at FB is negated by the disruption to cohesion when you bring in a backup guard, stone cold, off the bench.������ B

 

DC:Dick was able, once again, to pad his stats against a total dreg offense with a shit QB.�� Hip hip hooray !�� Quick...someone call the Hall of Fame and see if Dick can be inducted as a coach!�� After all, he shut down Tarvarius Jackson !���

 

�� I was enraged with the numerous times that Foote (and Farrior) was on the field in obvious passing downs.�� This is a complete mismatch, and you�re playing TEN on 11.�� Foote, short and slow, does nothing for the pass rush, nothing for batting passes, and is totally incapable of covering anyone except the slowest of lumbering FBs.��� Neither he nor Farrior should be on the field in these situations....EVER.����� B

 

HC:Tommy will be all proud to get a home win over a weak-assed team that had to fly 4,000 miles to play.His imbecilic challenge of Mendy�s unsuccessful 4D plunge in the 1Q was rabidly stupid.�� Sure, if it looks �50-50�, maybe ya take a stab at a challenge.In this case, it was �99-1�, as in 99% of the people in the entire world would have agreed Mendy was down before the goal line.�� Nowhere near worth the cost-benefit of wasting a timeout.��

 

I�m also getting annoyed with Tommy�s insistence at keeping Ben in the game in meaningless garbage time, which happened for the 2nd week in a row.�� Worse today, Ben was hit twice on low blows and hobbled off the field once.�� Yet, there we are, with a comfy 24 point lead against a shit QB and a shit offense, LATE in the game, and Ben is still trotting out there and standing in the pocket for more punishment.��� Really, really asinine.���� B-��

 

Synopsis:Sure, in the NFL, a win is a win is a win.Ya typically need 10 wins to make the playoffs, so here�s a win.�� Still, it�s hard to get all giddy and joyous over beating a jayvee squad as feckless and inept as this Seahawk team.�� Next week�s foe, the Manning-less Indy Dolts, offers every bit as feeble competition.

 

 

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

 

 

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