Well, Stiller faithful, in light of yesterday�s awful performance against the pass, particularly vs. the Titans TEs, I decided to do a little research. I went back through the official NFL.com Game-Book for all 18 Stiller games this season, playoffs included. What I was looking for was catches by TEs and RB/HB/FBs. I chose those positions because, for most teams (i.e. ones that don�t have a stable of topnotch receivers, like us or Oakland) the only way to run the spread is with TEs and RBs chipping in off the line/out of the backfield. What I found should come as no surprise to anyone who follows the games closely. Here then are the numbers:
1. Opposing TEs and RBs caught a staggering total of 144 passes against the Stillers, in 18 games. That works out to an average of exactly 8 catches per game.
2. They totaled 1345 yards on those 144 catches, for a 9.34 yards per catch average, which equates to 74.7 yards per game.
3. These opponents also scored 11 TDs on us, for a per game average of 0.61, which isn�t too awful, until you consider that is 3.67 points per game allowed. And, they managed to score on us in 9 of the 18 games. Allowing non-WRs to catch a TD pass in 50% of your games is NOT good defensive football.
Folks, those numbers are just appalling. What you see right there is what is wrong with our defense. HC Bill Cowher and DC Tim Lewis ignored this problem all season long. The first two games of the season, against the Pats and the Raiders, illustrated clearly that our defensive scheme (particularly the dime package) was absolutely horrid. In those two games combined, TEs and RBs totaled 28 catches for 236 yards. The following week, the Browns, who do NOT have much skill at those two positions in terms of pass catching, still managed to gouge us for 7 catches and 47 yards. And yet the Stiller "brain-trust" never addressed the problem. Over the course of 18 games, there were 7 games in which opposing TE/RBs put up either double digit catches or triple digit yards, or in 5 cases, both.
Here is a week by week breakdown:
- Patriots: 10 rec, 65 yds, 1 TD *
- Raiders: 18 rec, 171 yds, 0 TD *
- Browns: 7 rec, 47 yds, 0 TD
- Saints: 3 rec, 28 yds, 0 TD *
- Bengals: 5 rec, 51 yds, 0 TD
- Colts: 16 rec, 161 yds, 1 TD
- Ravens: 15 rec, 140 yds, 1 TD
- Browns: 5 rec, 18 yds, 1 TD
- Falcons: 5 rec, 33 yds, 0 TD
- Titans: 2 rec, 19 yds, 0 TD *
- Bengals: 5 rec, 44 yds, 1 TD
- Jaguars: 5 rec, 67 yds, 1 TD
- Houston: 3 rec, 33 yds, 0 TD (note: these were the ONLY 3 Houston receptions that day, all by backup TE B. Miller) *
- Panthers: 4 rec, 4 yds, 1 TD (see anything funny here? The TD was a 6 yard reception; the other 3 catches netted a total of �2 yds.)
- Buccaneers: 5 rec, 27 yds, 0 TD
- Ravens: 12 rec, 198 yds, 2 TDs
- Browns: 11 rec, 86 yds, 0 TD
- Titans: 13 rec (12 by TEs), 153 yds, 2 TDs *
(*) denotes a loss.
Now, what�s interesting is that getting schooled by the TEs and RBs didn�t necessarily equate directly to losses. In the six losses, we allowed 49 receptions for 468 yards and 3 TDs, for averages of 8.17 rec, 78 yds and 0.5 TDs. While in our 11 wins, we allowed 90 receptions for 844 and 8 TDs; per game that equals 8.18 rec, 76.7 yds and 0.73 TDs. And of course the tie with the Falcons was 5 rec, 33 yds, 0 TD.
There were 5 games in which opposing TE/RBs got into triple digits in yards. Of those, we lost 2 (Raiders and Titans (playoff)). And over those 5 games, the average score differential was a mediocre +3.6.
Seven times the opponents TE/RBs got into double figures in receptions and we lost 3 of those games (Pats, Raiders, Titans (playoff)). Of course, 2 of the 4 wins were nailbiting 3 point affairs against the Browns (playoff) and Ravens (game 16) at the end of the year, when we should be playing our best defense, not our worst. Another stat worth noting is that, for those 7 games, our average score differential was a paltry +2.14. Coincidence? Hardly.
Finally, consider that, following a run of 8 games (game #8 through #15) in which non-WR production was held to reasonably acceptable levels (34 rec, 245 yds, 4 TDs = per games of 4.25, 30.6 and 0.5) Lewis and Cowher apparently thought the problem was under control. And thus did nothing to prevent the next three opponents from utterly scorching us for 36 receptions, 437 yards and 4 TDs, all by NON-WRs. I guess it just never occurred to them that those 8 "good" games were against 5 of the absolute worst offenses in the NFL (Houston, Carolina, Jacksonville, Tampa and Cleveland all finished in the bottom ten in terms of total offense.) Of those 8 teams, only the Falcons can be considered to have a remotely "prolific" offense, and the Titans and Bengals were both middle of the pack teams.
In any case, our defensive inadequecies against non-WRs certainly bit us in the ass in the last 3 games, which were also the 3 most important games of the season (2 playoff games and the season ender with playoff seeding implications). Over those 3 games, we allowed the opposing TE/RBs to post 36 catches, 437 yards and 4 TDs. Or to put it in better perspective: 12 receptions for 146 yards and 8 points, PER GAME. The fact that we won two of those is a credit to Tommy Maddox and our receiving corps, who just don�t know how to quit. We should have lost all three of those games.
But Tim Lewis really had the defense playing good ball down the stretch, didn�t he? And Bill Cowher really is a good head coach. And that 75-1-1 (or whatever) stat really does mean something now doesn�t it? After all, it got us how many Lombardi trophies?