Stillers 24, Raiders 21���. Sep. 12, 2004 ����Game #1
Stillers-Raiders Postgame
Analysis and Grades
The
Stillers escape a rally by the lowly Raiders, and got a late FG by Jeff Reed to
win, 24-21.�� As can be expected in a season
opener, the Stillers slopped and slathered around, and were awfully lucky to
escape what would have been an embarrassing defeat.��
Grades:
QB:�
Maddox wasn't tasked to throw the ball that much, due to a solid ground
game and a comfy lead.� The Mommy threw
just 22 times, completing 13 and no TDs.�
To his credit, he was clutch in the final drive, going 3 of 4, with the
only incompletion being the bomb to Plex on the 1st play of the drive.��� Maddox also had a clutch scramble on the
1st drive of the game, scooting left on 3rd & 8 for a 10-yard gain.� On the downside, he had a poor pass to an
open Randle El on 3rd & 10 soon after the Townsend INT, which could have
produced a TD had the ball not been so overthrown.�� He also overthrew an open Tuman on a seamer.� He also fumbled a SG snap on 3d & 3 in
the 1st drive of the 3Q, which resulted in a punt, and he fumbled back in the
pocket when the ball simply slipped out of his hands.� This was marginally acceptable QB play, but clearly, Maddox will
have to play better for this team to win against the better teams in the
NFL.� C+.�
RB:�
The Duce made his Stiller debut, and started it off with a bang, gaining
91 yards on 24 carries.� Staley
impressed with his churning, grinding style, which allowed him to gain numerous
yards after the 1st and even 2nd hit were applied.� Staley was flagged for an illegal motion penalty that negated his
16-yard pass play on 3d & 5, but I thought it was a real tickytack flag.� The Fatback, Doughboy Bettis, had the
amazing final stats of 5 carries, for 1 yard and 3 TDs.� The Doughboy had three (3) easy 1-yard TD
plunges, and, as usual, little else.� He
was inserted near game's end to gain some yardage before the final FG, and, of
course, proceeded to tiptoe into the line for a 2-yard loss.� Haynes played sparingly, but did grab the
obligatory 3rd & long screen pass, good for a 2-yard loss.� Staley really makes the entire grade here
for this gang, and he's not going to be content for too long to do all the work
and then have Fatboy Bettis come in for the glory of the 1-yard TD plunge.� A.�
FB: Kreider led the way for many good
Staley runs, as well as a couple of TD plunges.�� He was thrown 1 pass on a gimpy looking goal-line play, and the
pass arrived somewhat near him but long before he turned around for the
ball.� B+.�
WR:�
Ward, as usual, led the way with a series of clutch grabs and extra
effort on RAC.� He had 7 grabs for 99
yards, including a 39-yard catch & run that set up the 3rd TD.� Burress was quiet, grabbing just 1 pass on a
slant for 13 yards just before Bettis' 3rd TD.�
He also was thrown a high seamer in the 1Q, but a vicious hit by LB
Danny Clark jarred the ball loose and Plex couldn't hold on.� After that, Plex was basically ignored until
the 13-yard grab.� He was also thrown a
bomb late in the 4Q, which was a wee bit underthrown and off-target.� El had a grab early on for 11 yards, but did
nothing after that.� He had a semi-drop
on a deep slant later in the game, but the ball was deflected by Buchanon, and
although El got his hands on the ball, the deflection made this a very tough
try.� Lee Mays did absolutely nothing,
but he did contribute a holding flag late in the 2Q.� Ward carries virtually the entire grade here, and frankly, that's
not a good thing.� B+.�
TE:�
Tuman got the bulk of the work, and had a decent game.� His blocking is markedly improved from the
past 3 years.� A good example was a nice
seal out block on the DE on a 9-yard Staley run up RT early in the 2Q.� Tuman was open on a deepish seamer late in
the 1Q, but the pass was a bit too high.�
He grabbed 1 pass for 6 yards.�
Riemersma had a clutch 12 yard catch and run on the game-winning drive
on a quick pop-pass, the first time the Stillers have used this play in, oh, at
least 4 years.� A-.�
OL: The line deserves credit all around
for good work in both the ground and air game.�
Staley was given some nice creases.�
And, let's face it -- it takes some pretty solid blocking for Jerome
Bettis to gain positive yardage, and on 3 occasions from the 1-yard line the
line was able to do just that.� The line
allowed only minimal pressure; Maddox was given good enough time on nearly all
of his pass plays.� The lone sack was a
bit of a coverage sack, although Oliver Ross got caught flatfooted and allowed
Brayton to cruise right by and attack the QB.�
Remarkably, the line wasn't whistled for a flag the entire day, which
might very well be a first in the Billy Cowher regime.�� The line easily neutralized the
much-heralded combo of Fat Ted and Warren the Sapp, so much so that neither
made much more than a peep the entire game.�
A.�
DL:�
The line was fairly stout against the run, and applied some good
pressure and harassment throughout the game.�
The Raider stable of backs rushed for just 2.8 yards per crack, which is
a tribute to the play of the line.�
Casey Hampton grossly outclassed Fat Ted Washington today, stuffing the
run, chasing down ballcarriers running wide, and applying pressure on the QB on
multiple occasions.� Hampton was flagged
for a very tickytack facemask-grabbing flag in the 2Q.� Aaron Smith was very solid today as well,
and also had the presence of mind and athleticism to scoop up a loose ball and
run 50 yards to set up the 2nd TD.� The
defense got good use of rotations by the backup D-linemen Kirschke and Keisel,
although Kirschke was ridden and then buried on a 4th & inches plunge late
in the 4Q.� Hoke did not dress.� In all, a very good start for this gang.� A.��
LB:�
Leading the way for the LB corps was none other than Clark "I'm not
good enough to even be allowed to compete with Jason GilDong the past 3
seasons" Haggans, who had a monster game in his first-ever start at
LOLB.� Clark was second on the team with
5 solos and twice stripped Gannon back in the pocket.� The key to these strips was that Haggans didn't blindly and
lazily loop around the Horn of Africa; rather, he cut off his loop and
hustled and veered at the QB with a vengeance.�
He also hit Gannon as he threw late in the 3Q, resulting in a harmless
incompletion, and he flushed Gannon out of the pocket on the Townsend INT.� That's the kind of plays that will never
show up in a stat sheet, but it's precisely that kind of harassment that
contributes to a good defense.� In what
may have been his best play of the day, Haggans chased down a wide run on the other
side of the field by Justin Fargas, stopping the speedy back for a meager
1-yard gain.� This is the kind of
hustle, desire, and tenacity we've not seen at the LOLB spot since, quite
literally, 1995.� Larry Foote started in
place of KenBell (did not dress) and was surprisingly active.� Foote missed what could have been some
crushing hits on run blitzes in the backfield, but at least grabbed the RB for
a couple of losses.� Foote needs to give
way to Bell, but at least for today he played ok.� Kriewalt got some PT spelling Foote.� Farrior was pretty solid in run defense, and also had a big INT
off the foolish Gannon floater.� Joey
Porter missed a sack late in the 1Q, and was a bit quiet.� Zo Jackson was finally permitted to dress,
but he wasn't allowed to play even 1 play the entire game.� Overall, this gang shut down the vaunted
Raider RB corps and created multiple turnovers and pressure.� A-.�
�
DB:�
Some good, some bad.� Sad Scott
was surprisingly pretty solid today, providing good, smart coverage and even
busting up a deep slant in the EZ.�
Townsend was involved in well over a dozen plays today; it seemed as
though the Raider plan was to attack him rather than Scott.� Townsend had some good coverages, and had
the nice INT.� On the downside, he was
tooled severely by Alvis Whitted on the late TD.� He also took a bizarre angle at Porter on a key 3rd down in the
2nd half, which caused Townsend to completely run by Porter and allowed Porter
to RAC for the 1st down.� Logie forced a
fumble by Redmond (but Oak recovered), but was also a guilty culprit on the
late Whitted TD.� Chris Hope played a
decent game.� His tackling technique is
good, as evidenced when he stopped TE Doug Jolley in open field to save a
TD.� Troy Pola was fooled badly on a pump
fake on the 58-yard TD bomb to Gabriel.�
What concerns me more right now is his tackling technique.� Pola may as well be called "The No
Armed Bandit", because time and time again he plunges at ballcarriers with
no use of his arms or hands whatsoever.�
Ricardo Colclough was a bit too soft on one completion, giving up
entirely too much cushion.� Ike Taylor
did not dress.� There's going to be
growing pains with 3 young, new starters, but giving up long TDs on 1st &
20 late in the 2d quarter, and then 4th & 2, is piss poor.� C.�
Spec
teams:� The spec teams didn't do much, but at least
they didn't botch anything.� Gardocki
punted pretty well, and might have had another 1 or 2 punts downed inside the
20 (he had 2) if his gunners had stopped the ball.� Battles had the presence to scoop up the ball on the late punt,
which might have grazed a Raider, and then Battles ran the 6 yards into the
EZ.� (The play was ruled dead at the
6.)� El looked comfortable and capable
on punt returns as well as KO returns.�
Reed's KOs went to the 11, 4, -1, and 1, which wasn't shabby.� He also booted the clutch, game-winning
FG.� Harrison had a solid stick-and-stop
on KO coverage late in the 2Q.� Haynes
was flagged for a blatant block-to-the-back on a PR.� Newbie Sean Morey was very active downfield on kick/punt coverage
and impressed.� A-.�
OC:�
Whisenhunt began his Stiller tenure with a spotty start.� He managed to cobbled together 2 superb
drives -- the first of the game, and the last of the game -- and then assembled
a shit sandwich in between these 2 splendid drives with layer upon layer of
fatty slop.� The 2 big drives were
things of beauty -- a 16-play TD drive to open the game, and an astute 10-play
drive for the final FG that chewed 4:35 of clock.� Amongst the inner sandwich were five (5) 3-and-punts and a
five-and-punt.� The 2nd & 3rd TDs
were by-products of golden field position (the Oak 20) and good field position
(the Stiller 40).� Two 3rd down plays
left me stumped:�
�� a.�
3d & 2, late 2Q.� We've heard
the never-ending blather about "a return to the running game".� On 3rd & 2 on their own 22, with a
chance to grind some clock and get a 1st down, the Stillers go 4-wide with 1
back, and then attempt a pass.�� Maddox
is sacked, the Stillers punt, and 2 plays later Gabriel hauls in a 58-yard bomb
to turn a blowout into a squeaker.� The
ground game had been quite successful up to this point; I'm puzzled why
WiseHunt didn't pound the ball, or at the very least, give a run look and pass
off of play-action.�
� �b.� 3d & 8, mid
4Q.� Screen pass, Haynes, dumped for a
2-yard loss.� Had this play been any more
obvious, WiseHunt would have held up large posters signaling the screen pass,
along with blaring that fact from large overhead speakers.� As it was, Oak ambushed this play with no
less than 5 players sniffing out the screen and smothering Haynes.�
��
I'm not
sure if Plex was groggy from the rough hit in the 1Q, but 1 grab for 13 yards
just ain't gonna cut it for his involvement in the O, especially in a WR corps
that gets little from the #3 WR and absolutely nothing from the 4th & 5th
receivers.� In all, an ok debut, but
keep in mind -- this is a hapless Raider defense that wasn't very good on paper
when camp began, and got much worse due to a plethora of preseason
injuries.� B-.�
DC:�
Lebeau unleashed a decent flurry of blitzes, especially on running
downs.� He got pressure on Gannon and
kept Gannon from getting into a pitch-and-catch rhythm.� On the sour side, LeBeau got a bit soft on
obvious passing downs.� On a 3d & 14
early in the 4Q, a 3-man rush gave Gannon plenty of time to hit Gabriel for an
18-yard gainer.� I also wasn't too
pleased with Whitted being wide open on the 2-point conversion.� The defense appeared to have never practiced
defending a 2-pointer.� B-.�
HC:� This game
was classic Billy Ball -- get a comfy lead, and then sit fallow and play
fiddle-faddle.� Cowhard was just lucky
this was a fairly inept Raider team and nowhere close to being a true playoff
contender.� Letting his foot off the throat
of a downed opponent has long been a negative Cowher trait in the playoffs, and
you saw it once again today in what could have quite easily been a horrific
loss.� Turtle Bill decided to turtle
after the comfy lead, and it blew up in his face.� Removing Staley for Bettis on GL situations might be acceptable
to Staley early on, but later in the season Staley may not be so eager to sit
the pine after doing all of the yeoman's work.�
Inserting Doughboy Bettis on the final drive, just so he could lose 2 yards,
nearly cost Reed the winning FG, as his FG barely curled inside the left
upright.� Foolhardy favoritism to a
player he simply can't cut the apron strings with will, I assure you, bite
Cowher in the ass before this season ends.�
Settling for the 40-yard FG (had Bettis not lost yardage) was a bit
presumptuous as well; one would think that Cowherd learned his lesson during
the 1997 MNF loss to Jax, when he settled for the FG attempt with loads more
time on the clock.� C-.�
Synopsis:�
Aside from the first and last drives, the slop and slather was abundant
enough to nearly give away what should have been an uproarious laugher of a
win.� Most blind fans and Cowher lovers
will crow proudly over this win, but frankly, playing at home against such an
inept, bumbling, disorganized team as the Raiders are under 1st-year HC Norv
Turner, winning on a last-second FG isn't much to pound the chest about.� It's a win, but a lot uglier and closer than
it should have been.� The lowly Raiders
should have had their asses whipped and beaten by at least 14-20 points by any
team playing at home and claiming to be a playoff contender.� The Stillers now travel to Baltimore to face
what should be a very irate Ravens team, which lost to Cleveland in their
opener.�
Final note:� I was
incredibly embarrassed by the Pittsburgh fans who displayed a boorish lack of
class and respect during the National Anthem.�
The PA announcer had just announced a small intro about the anniversary
of the 9-11 attacks prior to the singing of the Anthem.� Then, moments later, a huge roar of
the crowd began long before the singing of the Anthem had concluded.� I'd expect to see this in places like
Oakland and Cleveland, but I expect more from fans in The 'Burgh.� Very, very disappointing.���
(Still Mill
and Stillers.com -- the only nationally read coverage on the Pittsburgh
Stillers that has accurately predicted the how's and the why's of the past 3
Stiller playoff losses�.)