Stillers 20, Ravens 7 ���. Oct. 31, 2004 ����Game #7
Stillers-Ravens Postgame
Analysis and Grades
The
Stillers overcame a sluggish 1st half, holding onto a flimsy 10-7 lead at
halftime.� But the Stillers took the
opening 2H KO and jammed the ball down the throats of the Ravens' defense, and
then neatly dispatched the PoeBirds in workmanlike fashion, winning 20-7 at a
boisterous Heinz Field.�
Grades:
QB:�
Ben Roth played just 3 quarters before giving way to Maddox due to a rib
injury.� Benji had a solid outing,
completing 14/19 for 221 yards and 2 TDs.�
He had a nice pump and pass to Tuman on a 1Q seamer, good for 24
yards.� Nice touch, read, and sell.� The TD pass to Plex was a nice look-off by
Ben and then an accurate pass to Plex on the flag.� He also had a nice touch on the 1Q flag lob to El, good for 34
yards.� In the 2Q, Ben had the presence
of mind to shovel, left-handed, a short pass to Bettis while under duress,
which made a 4-yard gain out of a sure loss.��
Ben also had the presence of mind, while under duress and running to his
left, to hit El for the 1-handed grab and an 11-yard gain.� Roth also had a nice step-up from pressure
in the 3Q, and then hit Plex on a crosser for a 26-yard gain.� One play later, Roth left the game with the
rib injury, which was actually caused by a Suggs hit after Roth had already
delivered the TD pass to Tuman.�� The
down side was the horrific INT thrown in the 1Q on an attempt to Tuman.� This was a lollipop lob, into what was
essentially double-coverage (under and over), and the under man, Demps, leapt
up and snared the lollipop.� Roth has
been making some questionable decisions, which of course can be expected from a
rookie, but the frequency and hideousness has to be alarming, as does the rib
injury, although that injury seems to be rather small.�� Maddox came on in relief and basically
played the role of caretaker, handing off almost exclusively.� He completed 1 pass for 0 yards, and another
pass would have been good for minus-5 yards, but the slip screen to Ward in 4Q
was correctly ruled a lateral.�
Benji:� B+.�� Maddox:�
Inc.�
RB:�
The Big Bellyback, Jerome Bettis, assumed the bulk of the chores with
Duce Staley held out as a precaution for his ham, and churned for 117 yards on
27 carries.� Bettis ran with authority
and, when he was able to face no penetration and no one nipping at his ankles,
he was able to surge ahead for solid yardage.�
The Doughboy also had 2 grabs for 13 yards.� Verron Haynes had a very strong game, gaining 61 yards on only 8
rushes.� His 11-yarder in the 3Q was a
beauty, as he cut from backfield penetration, then spun from another tackler
and then plowed ahead, showing a superb combination of power and
quickness.� Haynesie had 4 consecutive
carries in that 2H opening drive, gaining 11, 9, 5, and 3.� Willie Parker dressed, but because it was
more important to pad the stats of Big Jerome, he was not permitted to
play.� A.�
FB: Danny Kreider pummeled many a Raven
defender, leading Bettis through some massive holes.� Kreider was probably miffed over being left off the Pro Bowl
roster and took it out on the poor Ravens.�
He also had 1 grab on a short out and turned it into a nice 9-yard
gainer.� A.�
WR:�
Plex finally returned to the lineup, and did so with a bang, hauling in
a 36-yard TD pass and then making a good, jumping grab of an underthrown Roth
pass for a 35-yard gain.� Plex also
caught a crosser late in the 3Q, and instead of simply falling down, as he is
wont to do, he continued running, and even put his head down and bulled for
extra yardage, good for 26 yards.� Plex
also had a good shove-block on Roth's 9-yard scramble in the 2Q.� Randle El caught the flag from a slot
set-up, good for 33 yards.� El also had
an amazing 1-handed, flypaper catch on a Roth pass late in the 2Q, which surely
will show up on highlight shows around the country.� Two plays later, however, El coughed up the ball on the Raven 30
after an 11-yard reception, which killed what would have been, at the very
least, a FG try before halftime, and at best a stab or 2 at the EZ.� Ward was muffled pretty well by the
Blackbirds, grabbing just 3 balls for a paltry 21 yards.� For Steeler fans, the only thing better than
leftovers on the day after Christmas was seeing Plex Burress run smoothly and
without pain or gimpiness.�� B.
TE:�
Tuman hauled in the 1Q seamer, good for a 24-yard gain, and then caught
the easy 2-yard pass for the 3Q TD.�
Rasby and Cushing chipped in on the blocking, which was effective the
entire game.� Kranchick, being a rookie,
was not allowed to dress.� A.�
OL: The Stiller O-line pretty much
manhandled the Ravens front 7 the entire game.�
Big Jerome was running through holes large enough to accommodate him,
and his lunch buffet, on most every carry.�
Ben was also given decent time back in the pocket.� Smith was flagged for a false start.� I reviewed the entire game tape and have
little to constructively criticize after this stellar effort.� The 1 down note was Hartings getting wheeled
back at breakneck speed, as though he were wearing roller blades, by DT Maake
Kemoeatu on the first play of the 2Q, which caused Hartings to jab his spikes
into the ankle of Ben Roth.� Not good,
and not something I want to see happen often, if never, while Benji is setting
up in the pocket.� Seems that almost
every week, Hartings, the Great Savior at center, is making an asinine,
lethargic lapse.� Sure, it doesn't seem
like a big deal now, but see me if he does it in the 4Q of a 3-point playoff
game.� Hopefully some of these O-linemen
will get some well-deserved rest next week at Buffalo.�� A.��
DL:�
Jamaal Lewis -- 14 carries, 26 yards.��
Hot damn.�� The D-line deserves
enormous credit for this shut-down.�
Smith, probably still peeved over his Pro Bowl snub, was dominant
throughout, so much so that he forced the Ravens to use 2 blockers to fend him
off on many occasions.� Smitter had a
nice stop of Taylor late in the 2Q.�
There was a good bit of shuttling in and out today, with Kimo, Hoke,
Kirschke, Clancy, and even Keisel getting work.� It could have been a designed slant, but if not, Clancy helped
the Lewis TD run by jumping to a side and essentially taking himself out of the
play.� In all, the D-line had as good an
effort as they've had all season.�
A.�
LB:�
Leading the LB corps today was none other than 92, Jamie Harrison, who
had a superbly stout all-around game.�
Perhaps Jamie was still seething over being cut by Billick this summer,
and decided to take it out on Billick and the PoeBirds.� Whatever it was, Harrison was a demon
possessed, stuffing ground plays, and harassing the passer in way never before
seen from the fraud that wore his jersey number the previous 10 seasons.� I watched the game tape and came away very
impressed with Jamie's ability to leverage a blocker, shed a blocker, and sniff
the football.� Some guys have a football
"6th sense" and a nose for the football, despite average measurables.� Earl Holmes was one such LB'er, as was Jerry
Olsavsky before his 2nd knee injury.� As
each game goes by, Harrison is showing me those same attributes.� He caused a flush of Boller in the 2d
series, a portent of things to come.�
Late in the quarter, he beat Big Orlando Brown and then smacked Boller
as the QB was releasing a pass, which caused a lil' bloop pass that Joey Porter
INT'd just a few yards away from Boller.�
In the 2Q, Harrison held up his own at the point of attack, which caused
Jamaal to turn around and head west, and Harrison hauled him down for an 8-yard
loss.� Two plays later, Harrison forced
another flush of Boller, and also drew a holding flag on Dinkins.� Late in the 2Q, Harrison literally
bullrushed the much bigger Brown, causing yet another flush.� On the Ravens last-gasp drive in the 4Q,
Harrison forced a throw-away on another good bulrush against The Big O.� The next play, Harrison made the defensive
play of the game, vaulting over RB Chester Taylor and batting down a Boller
4th-down pass attempt to seal the win.�
In all, an incredible day at the office for Jamie Harrison.��
���������� Frankly, James Farrior had a rather
average day today.� Sure, he made 9
solos to lead the team, but as we all know, defensive football is very rarely
about numbers.� Farrior was slow to
react on Balt's 1st play from scrimmage, which was a dumpoff to Lewis that
netted 14 yards.� A 3d & 6 crosser
to Hymes netted 8 yards, with Farrior, the Winged God of Pass Coverage, a bit
slow in coverage.� James F. took a poor angle
on the Lewis TD run.� On Boller's
15-yard 1Q scramble up the RT area, it was Farrior who rushed to the outside on
a looping stunt, and then was literally shoved to the turf and then simply laid
upon by Big Orlando, which created the massive hole for Boller.� On a 3rd & 6 dumpoff to Ricard in the
4Q, Farrior was dropped into short zone coverage and had an absolutely perfect
read and angle on the play, yet passively tip-toed and then was dragged by
Ricard for over 4 yards, which gave the FB a 7-yard gain and a key
first-down.� Farrior had a pass defensed
on a seamer near the GL to Heap, but this was simply the case of a lousy pass
hitting Farrior, who did have solid coverage, in the shoulder pad, and nothing
more.� Farrior was also flagged for a
fully-justifiable 15-yard masking penalty in the 2Q.� This isn't intended to bury Farrior as a GilDong-like deadbeat,
but anyone claiming, as Stan Savran did after the game, that Farrior had a
"great game" is fully constipated and in desperate need of Milk of
Magnesia.�
���������� Foote had an ok game.� He came up with malice on a short dumpoff
and delivered a nice lick in the 1Q.�
But he got tied up on the Lewis TD saunter, never disengaging from the
blocker, which was very, very poor.� He
also delivered a foolish, unnecessary shove to Boller after a late 2Q
incompletion, which could have very easily been flagged for a 15-yard roughing
penalty.� Worse, it may have incited the
BrownRavens to follow suit, which is exactly what Suggs did on his rough of
BenRoth after the TD pass to Tuman was delivered.� I wasn't pleased with the Foote shove of Boller when it happened,
and by game's end, I was seething mad.�
In the playoffs, you can bet the mortgage that a shove like that will
earn Foote and the defense a 15-yard penalty, and if Roth is hobbled for any
length of time by the Suggs' hit, the repercussions will be enormous.�
���������� Porter held up well in run support
and nabbed the easy INT.� The huge
negative for Joey was the 19-yard pass play to the TE, Terry Jones, on the TD
drive.� Jones caught the out pass near the
sideline, with Porter in pursuit and Townsend on a come-up from his CB
spot.� Instead of blasting Jones, Porter
eased off and did nothing, presumably thinking that Jones would either step out
of bounds or that Townsend would polish him off.� Neither happened; in fact, Jones turned up the sidelines, eluded
Lil' DeShea, and rumbled to the 5 for a hefty 19-yard gainer.� This really was quite shameful, and Porter
should be embarrassed.� Zo Jackson saw
just limited work as a rusher.� Haggans
and KenBell did not dress.�� A-.�
DB:�
Pola led the way with some sturdy run support.� His speed, athleticism, and willingness to hit allows this
defense to often get away with playing 8 men in the box, which today really
helped to bottle JLew.� Case in point --
Troy's come-up and cut of Lewis in the opening series, good for a 1-yard
loss.� Hope had a wicked hit on Hymes,
dislodging the ball as it arrived.� This
was sheer joy to see, as the Stillers' secondary went entire seasons
(2001, 2002, and 2003) without ever recording a hit like this.� DeShea had a nice wrap of Heap on 3rd &
14, which stopped the big TE 2-yards short of the sticks.� Taylor was initially beaten by Moore in a
deep route in the 4Q, but the pass was late and too far inside.� To his credit, Ike did a nice job of legally
walling-off the receiver on this play.�
The massive question remark is Wee Willie Williams, who was utterly
abysmal in today's tilt.� Willie was
soft on Hymes on a 1Q 3d & 4 curl, and then exacerbated the situation with
a weak flail that failed to bring down the big WR, resulting in a 12-yard
gain.�� On Hope's big hit, it was
Williams who misplayed the ball and allowed it to reach the receiver.� Then there was Wee Willie's poor misplay on
a 3Q slant to Hymes, where Willie was jumping upwards for what he thought would
be an easy INT, and Hymes simply reached up and plucked the ball and ran for a
22-yard gainer.� Very, very piss-poor,
especially with a player of Williams' NFL experience.� Willie also had a weak flail at Lewis in the 3Q, which allowed
JLew to gain 11 yards.�� This (Wee
Willie) is a wart as obvious as a cockroach on the billiard table, and quite
unfortunately, we won't face a passing offense as inept and impotent as the
Ravens come playoff time.�� Townsend
also broke his hand, and as very best cover CB on the team, this could be a
huge loss, although he should be able to function with nearly 3 weeks of
recovery.� B+.
Spec
teams:� The spec teams started off the day ominously
enough, allowing a 42-yard return on the opening KO.� They buckled down after that and limited the Ravens to only
modest yardage.� El was back for 3
punts, but didn't return any of them.�
Somewhat oddly enough, the Stillers did not punt.� After 2 consecutive weeks of no punting
duties, and 3 such games this season, one has to wonder if punter Chris
Gardocki might file some sort of union grievance for lack of work.� Because special teams have always been a
bugaboo for Billy Cowher-coached playoff teams, I'd rather get as many reps as
possible for our punt protection and punt coverage players, as well as our� KO coverage team.� Reed was perfect on 2 FGs and booted decently on KOs.� Iwuoma had a good stop on KO coverage in the
4Q.� B+.�
OC:�
I really liked the PAP/Z-out to Plex for the first TD.� I also liked the play-action pass to the
wide-open Tuman for the other TD.� There
was also the impressive march to open the 2H, with the Stillers rattling off 14
consecutive plays en route to the TD.�
12 consecutive plays were running plays, which would have never happened
under the supreme tutelage of Ray Sherman, Kevin Gilbride, and Mike
Mularkey.� The downer was the sequence
in the 2Q, with 1st & goal at the 7 --
���������� 1D:�
No Plex, pass attempt to Ward, triple covered, incomplete throw-away.
���������� 2D:�
No Plex, Bettis run, 2 yards.
���������� 3D:�
Plex finally allowed on the field, split left, Ward split right.�� Gimpy pass play to Ward on a stop pattern,
incomplete.��
As you can
see, a simply brilliant use of the 6'5" Burress in this sequence.�� In the 2Q, There was a flag for an illegal
shift, in which 2 men were moving and not set.�
There actually was a plethora of motion during this game, and some of
that has utility.� What I don't want to
see happen, though, is for the offense to get bogged down in unnecessary
pre-snap foolishness that serves little purpose except to confuse our own
offense.� Remember, simply because you
are playing a playoff game at home, doesn't mean the packed stadium will be as
quiet as an abbey during prayer time.�
B-.�
DC:�
The D shut down a solid Ravens running game, although, of course, the
Balt. passing game is a complete joke and shutting that passing game down is
rather simplistic.� The acreage that is
being allowed on QB scrambles has to be a concern, as this defense has been
victimized just about every week the past 5-6 weeks.�� Calling a defensive TO at 7:54 of the 4Q, after Ike had defended
the deep pass to Moore to set up a 3d & 5, didn't enthrall me too
much.� TOs, especially in the playoffs,
are too precious to waste on tomfoolery, although perhaps a player had gotten
injured on the play and was slow to hobble off.� I also wasn't pleased with the 4-man rush on 3d & 6 on the
Balt. TD drive, which was easily completed to Hymes for 8 yards.� "Let's stay back" has never won a
championship.�� B.�
HC:� Billy Cowher
seemed to have his players focused and fired up to play a hated divisional foe,
which, of course, shouldn't be all that hard to do.� But the Stillers were as flat as a pancake in the first meeting
this season, so it was a welcome relief to see the Stillers out hit the
Raisins.� The biggest down note for
Cowhard -- Why in the name of Judas did this meathead reinsert BenRoth?� Roth is in grisly, excruciating pain from
the Suggs hit, and the Stillers are comfortably up late in the 3Q, at home, against
an offensively inept club like the Ravens�and Cowher, The Pacifier King,
insists on putting Roth back into the game in hopes of exacerbating the injury
and/or setting up Ben for an assortment of other cheap shots from the PoeBirds.� Roth even begged to come out of the game
after the 26-yard completion to Plex, but Bilbo would have none of it, and
insisted that Roth throw a screen pass the next play before he was finally
convinced that Roth needed to sit.� And
it didn't stop at Roethlisberger.�
Bettis was pulled from the game for an ovation late in the 4Q, but faced
with a fairly insignificant 4th & 1 with 2:00 remaining, Billy Cowher
couldn't bear the prospect of anyone else toting the ball except The Tubby
Tailback, so back into the game Tubber went.�
Once Bilbo Cowher gets a pacifier that licks to his liking, he'll clench
onto it with a fist tighter than Rooney onto his first dollar.� Cowher prime job isn't that of a
cheerleader; rather, it's as the head foreman and intellectual leader of this
53-man team.� Inserting Benji back into
the game was irresponsibility and myopic stupidity at its worst.� B.�
Synopsis:�
Home Sweet Home beckons for the Stillers in the playoffs, as they are
now guaranteed home field for the AFC playoffs.� And it was nice to deliver a beating on the Ravens, who whipped
us awfully good back in Sep. and always are annoying enough to enjoy beating
on.� Be wary, though, of fawning too
much over this win, as this was a beaten-up, battered, out-of-gas Ravens team
that has played 5 consecutive road games against teams that have made this
year's playoffs.� Since the pinnacle of
the back-to-back wins over NE and Philly in late Oct/early Nov, the Stillers
have been on a cupcake cruise, feasting on the likes of Clev, Cinci, Wash, Jax,
NYJ, NYG, and the Ravens.� The Buffalo
Jills might be the highest quality opponent they'll face since the Eagles game,
but with home field locked up, most starters will see limited action, with
plenty of backups getting the bulk of the work.� Stay tuned for the playoffs, and stay tuned for the most
comprehensive, in-depth pre-game and post-game coverage of the Stillers'
playoff action, right here at Stillers.com.�