Stillers 19, Bengals 14 ���. Nov 21, 2004 ����Game
#10
Stillers-Bungals Postgame
Analysis and Grades
The
Stillers were due for a letdown, and that they did at Paul Brown Stadium.� But the Bungals are still the Bungals, and the
Stillers had just enough to eke out a rather uninspiring 19-14 win.� The Stiller effort wasn't all that
substantial, so accordingly, I won't put an abundance of effort into this
postgame.��
Grades:
QB:�
Ben Roth was due for an off game, and it finally came.� His passing wasn't too shabby; rather, it
was his tentativeness and hesitation back in the pocket that was his biggest
hindrance.� Time and time again, Ben
held onto the football as though it were the Hope Diamond when there were
chances for a throwaway.� The multiple
blitzes used by Marvin Lewis might very well be copied by every DC from here on
out, because they seemed to rattle and confuse the young rookie.� Ben also pulled a Tomczak by dropping the
ball while scrambling from pressure late in the 2Q, which destroyed what would
have been a chipshot FG opportunity.�
Ben dinked and dumped an awful lot, which, if this continues, will
encourage a whole lot of blitzing bravado from opponents here on out.� To his credit, Ben hung in there, and
marched the team to a 6-play, 53-yard drive, culminated by a TD pass to
Kreider.� The TD was set up by a superb
Roth scramble and then a pass while on the run to Tuman, good for 26
yards.� C-.
RB:�
The Big Bellyback, Jerome Bettis, had a solid game, carrying a good bit
of the offense with 129 yards on 29 carries.�
Haynes had a couple carries, including a clutch 3-yard carry on a 3d
& 2 SG run.� Bettis drew my outrage
in the 4Q, when he whiffed horribly on blitzing safety Rogers Beckett, which
nearly got Ben Roth killed.� When you're
literally THE biggest back in the NFL -- weighing in at a minimum of 275 pounds
-- there's absolutely no excuse.�
A-.�
FB: Kreider returned to full-time
employment and helped spring Bettis on many a run.�� Kreider also scored the game-winning TD on an 8-yard catch, and
actually finished with a surprising 4 receptions.� If Kreider keeps this up, he'll be demanding Edge James type
money.�� J����
When Dan Kreider scores more FFL points off receptions than both Hines
Ward and Plex Burress, it's an odd game indeed.� The only down note was a foolish illegal motion penalty by
Kreider, which bogged down a promising first drive.� A-.�
WR:�
Hines had his lowest output of the season, grabbing just 3 balls for a
meager 15 yards.� Ward was blistered a
couple times in the 2Q, but still was blocking ferociously.� Ward was flagged for a tickytack hold on a
Bettis run in the 4Q.� Burress opened
the game with a nice 21-yard reception, and had a couple more in the 1Q, before
then injuring a hamstring and sitting out the rest of the game.� The offense really felt the loss of Burress,
as Ward was smothered and the Stillers had few options in the passing
game.� Ed had 2 grabs for 17 yards.� Mays had a key 9-yard catch on 3d & 5 in
the first drive, but then dropped a perfect pass in the 4Q on 3d & 7.� I've harped on this concern since September,
and I'll bring it up again -- the minimal production from El as the #3 WR,
combined wit the total lack of anything from the #4 & #5 WRs, is a large
concern, and if Plex misses more time due to the ham injury, this passing
offense could be in serious trouble.��
B-.�
TE:�
Tuman had a big 26-yard reception to set up the winning TD.� The TE run blocking was solid by Tuman and
Cushing.� Jay Riem was not active.� A-.�
OL: After weeks of rave reviews, the
O-line had, by far, its worst outing of the season.� The run blocking was acceptable, but the pass blocking stunk like
pig feces.� Ross was whipped for a sack
in the 1Q.� Smith was steamrolled by
Justin Smith on a 4Q sack.� In all, the
line gave up 7 sacks, although at least a couple of those sacks were the fault
of Roethlisberger, not the line.� Ross
negated a TD pass to El with a holding penalty.� Vincent was also called for a hold.� In all, this O-line is going to have to regroup after such a
piss-poor effort.� D.�
DL:�
The D-line had a very solid game.�
They helped limit Rudi J. to just 62 yards on 16 carries.� Aaron Smith forced the safety late in the
game, and Kimo tripped up Palmer the play prior.� Hoke played ok, though he was buried by a double-team on a Rudi
9-yard run in the 1Q.� Kiesel was just
another Stiller player to injure a hamstring.�
A.�
LB:�
James Farrior continued his assault on the NFL with an ultra-clutch INT
and 14-yard return for a 2Q TD.� Porter
climbed over blockers to harass Palmer on a couple occasions.� Porter also had a nice pass bust-up in
coverage on Rudi in the 3Q.� Haggans and
Foote were quiet.� KenBell re-injured
his troublesome groin and missed a good bit of the game, and is steadily working
his way into small money on the FA market come March.� Zo Jackson was not permitted to dress.� A-.�
DB:�
The warts of the Stiller defense were exposed today.� Townsend had good coverage on what seemed to
almost be an overthrown deep bal, but Lil' DeShea stood flatfooted and allowed
Chad J. to leap up and haul in the 36-yard TD pass.� Wee Willie Williams got torched by Kelly Wash on a 21-yard
completion, as well as a 19-yard TD, although Pola was a tad slow in providing
safety help on that TD.� The Stillers
have gotten an awful lot of mileage from using Pola like an extra LB, and I
wonder if plays like this 19-yard TD will expose a chink in the armor.� Pola had a very strong game, delivering hits
like an angry NHL defenseman.� He
crushed Kevin Walter after a short reception on 3d & 8, and then drilled PJ
Housemanad after a short reception.�
Pola also had great coverage on an incomplete 3d & 5 pass with 6:00
left in the game.� B-.
Spec
teams:� Some good, a lot bad.� El provided superb FP on several PRs and
KORs.� Gardocki had some nice pooch
punting, which pinned the Bungals deep on several occasions.� This is just another reason why Gardocki is
so superior to Josh The Shitbag.� But
Ike Taylor had a hold on a 4Q PR, and Colclough had a false start on a
punt.� El fumbled one PR, but
recovered.� Reed had to make a stop on a
long KOR due to horrible coverage, and was flagged for a 15-yard mask.� Bilbo Cowher quite obviously has ZERO
confidence in Reed on long FGs, as Cowhard bypassed three FG tries that would
have been about 51-54 yards.� B-.����
OC:�
Whisenhunt got a taste of what it's like to face Dick LeBeau, and
WiseHunt failed the test very badly.�
There were 4 forays into the RZ in the 1H, and all the Stillers came away
with were 3 points.� In all, despite
golden FP throughout the game, the offense scored a whopping 10 points.� Not good.�
The failure to develop the #3, 4, and 5 receivers really reared its ugly
head, and 10 weeks into the season, it's a bit late to remedy the problem.� C-.�
DC:�
The Bengal offense really collapsed in the 2H, which greatly aided the
win.� Sure, the defense played tough,
but the Cinci offense basically imploded -- getting just 2 first-downs in the
2H -- and in the playoffs, you don't face this kind of bumbling ineptitude all
that often.� B.�
HC:� 11
penalties.� Slumber and slop.� Confusion and hesitation.� The Stillers and Billy Cowher survived a
severe off-day.� The focus and attention
to detail had better return during practice this upcoming week.� B.��
Synopsis:�
You can't play at peak intensity and efficiency each & every week of
the regular season, and this was obviously a down week for this club.� To their credit, the team hung tough, and
the combined play of the offense, defense, and ST was just enough to eke out
their 9th win of the season.� The
concern to me is, like the 2001 season when Cinci showed a method to exploit
the Stillers, that this game will show other teams a blueprint for beating the
'04 Stillers.� All-out harassment,
especially if Plex is sidelined, could be a steady fixture of opponents, as
could the picking on Wee Willie and also Chad Scott, if Chad is reinserted into
the starting lineup when he returns to full health.� The Deadskins come to town next week, but present a horrific
offense to go along with an adequate defense, so unfortunately they won't be
the kind of litmus test this Stiller club could use as it gears up for the
playoffs.�