Stillers 27, Ravens 10 ���. Jan 20th, 2002 ����Divisional Playoff
Stillers-Ravens Postgame Analysis and Grades
Looking far more like chumps than champs, the Ravens got caught with their pants down throughout the game and were given a thorough whipping by the Pittsburgh Stillers, the third time this has happened this season.
Aside from a disastrous punt return for a TD by the Ravens, the Stillers dominated all phases of the game en route to one of the biggest routs in Stiller playoff history.
Big Plays:
1. On the Ravens' first sereies, Joey Porter somersaults over a cutblock by Moe Williams, then rolls, gets up, and hits Grabac as he threw, forcing a wounded-duck pass that was INT'd by Chad Scott.
2. Chris McAllister dives and makes a superb INT on a short out to Cushing, and then returns it to the Stiller 7 before being forced OOB by Ward.
3. Two plays later, Ken Bell fights through a hold and alters Grabac's EZ pass to Sharpe, which is INT'd by Brent.
4. Kris Brown misses a 35-yard FG in the 2Q.
5. Earl Holmes strips Terry Allen of the ball, setting up a FG drive that put the Stillers up, 20-0.
6. Jermaine Lewis returns a punt for an NFL playoff record 88 yards, making the score 20-10.
7. Plex grabs a pass and then drives Rod Woodson into the turf with a stiff-arm, en route to a 32-yard TD in the 4Q.
Grades:
QB: Stewart didn't have the prolific game he had in the last Balt. meeting, but he did make some sterling plays with his arm and legs. Stew was only 12 of 22, but made some clutch, on-target completions to Ward, Plex, and Shaw to keep drives alive and move the ball. He also had a nice completion to Plex while on the move on a designed rollout. Stew gave the Ravens fits with his legs, eluding sacks and turning negative yardage into positive. He also ran with grit on many QB draws. Stew had a strong lead-block of Boulware on the "confusion play", so much so that Boulware was flagged 15 yards for wrenching Stew's facemask in a frustrated attempt to disengage. Stew had some problems with low, nose-diving throws, which caused Ward to make an acrobatic catch near the goal line when an on-target throw would have probably gotten a TD. The INT, while on a derelict play that served no useful purpose, was another low- nose-diving pass. Stew also ran OOB for a 3-yard loss on one scramble, when he could have easily thrown the ball away without any risk of a grounding penalty. All in all, Stew gave steady, effective playmaking and passing, as well as good leadership. B+.
RB: The Tubby Tailback was slated to start, but complications from a pre-game painkiller injection caused Bettis to sit this one out. Amoz got the start, and made the most of his opportunity with a solid effort of 24 rushes for 63 yards, plus 2 catches for 13 yards. AZ scored 2 TDs, one on a plunge in which he bounced off Ray Lewis, with the help of Larry Webster and Jamie Sharper. The other TD was a vault over the stack on a 3rd & goal at the 1, on a vault that no other RB on the Stiller roster could have made.
AZ, while sometimes hasty to cut back and other times eager to keep going wide, nonetheless ran with good authority, good vision, and good instincts. Chris Fu chipped in with 12 carries for 30 yards, including a tough run on 3rd & 6 in the 3Q, in which he turned the corner on q uickie pitch and then lunged with power for the first-down yardage. B+.
FB: Technically, Jerame Tuman got the start at FB, since he was lined up as FB on the Stillers' first play, a 12-yard toss sweep by Amoz. Then Witman initially did the FB chores, and had 1 carry for 2 yards. Soon after he got knocked back on his can at 2:10 of the 1Q on a 1-yard loss by AZ, Witman gave way to Dan Kreider. Just as I wrote in my pregame outlook, "The only FB on the Stiller roster capable of taking on Lewis with any amount of effectiveness is Dan Kreider, who, in his first-ever NFL start in the 2000 season, cracked the daylight out of Lewis on several bruising ground plays." All Kreider did today, on the first play of the 2Q, was literally pancake Ray Lewis with a devastating lead block, springing AZ for an 8-yard gain.
Unbelievably, after this incredible block, Kreider actually spent time on the bench in lieu of Witman. B+.
WR: Plex and Hines took turns torching and tormenting the Ravens' weak pass defense. Plex led the way with 5 grabs for 84 yards and 1 TD, and amazingly enough, did not drop a pass all day. The 3rd & 3 reception on the stop pattern near the sideline really impressed me, because Burress got off the LOS and withstood a hand to the face by McAllister (which was flagged), and then gave a legal nudge just before the ball arrived, and then plucked the ball with his hands. The TD was a good effort by Plex, who simply stiff-armed Woodson and drove the former Stiller into the turf. Plex also had a good grab on a low 3rd & 1 curl pass. Burress was so dominant today that on 3 of his 5 catches, there wasn't a defender within 8 feet of him. Ward had only 3 grabs, but all three were clutch grabs in which he held on after taking big hits. The catch near the goal line on the low throw was a beauty, in which Hines dove, caught the back end of the football, and then held on despite the hit. Ward also showed outstanding field awareness and hustle, saving a TD on McAllister's INT and also recovering two Stiller fumbles. And on Shaw's reception, Ward blocked off a Raven defender who nearly had Shaw in his mitts. Shaw had only 1 grab, but it gained 14 yards due to good RAC work and Ward's block. Troy had 1 grab for 6 yards. Edwards had a good run on the "confusion play" that gained 23 yards, but foolishly fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Ward. A.
TE: Tuman got the start, but Matt Cushing saw a lot of work in the 2-TE sets. Tuman had no balls thrown his way, and Cushing had only one, which was the ill-fated short out pass off the 5-WR set that was INT'd by McAllister. The blocking was pretty tough and persistent, though Tuman did get flagged for a hold. B.
OL: Facing what is probably the best front 7 in all of football, the O-line acquitted itself fairly well. For the most part, the Ravens only got pas pressure when they went with the big blitzes. On run blocking, the line did a solid job of getting some push and some creased for Zereoue, Stew, and Fu. To be sure, this was far from a flawless game from this crew. Wayne Gandy was flagged for a hold on the 1st series of the 2nd half. Alan Faneca got thrown to the turf like a toddler by Larry Webster, who then sacked the QB. Tylski was slow and feeble on a Zereoue run in the 3Q, resulting in a 6-yard loss. Smith got bulled back badly on the long bomb to Plex in the 2nd series, and he was abused so badly by Burnett on the pass play in which Ward got crushed by Woodson, that he basically reached out and grabbed at Burnett as the big DE rumbled toward the QB. All in all, given the foe, this wasn't too shabby. B.
DL: This crew really held their own in the trenches and had a strong game. Kimo was pretty active, making 3 solo stops and giving the Ravens fits with his knifing and stunting. Aaron Smith had some heat and held his own against the running game. Hampton was pretty stout on the nose. Bailey and Clancy provided adequate relief. Bailey, in fact, had a nice play to help stuff the 3rd & 1 plunge late in the first half. A.
LB: Kendrell Bell and Joey Porter wreaked havoc and gave the Ravens fits all day long. Porter was active throughout the game, playing tough against the run; providing continual heat on his pass rushes; and forcing the one INT with a truly pro bowl caliber play in which he somersaulted over the RB and then got up and hit Grbac as he released the pass. His only boner was a dropped INT in the 3Q. KenBell was strong and aggressive throughout the game. On Brent's first INT, Bell was held on his blitz (and a flag was thrown), yet Bell fought through the hold, got up, and vaulted at Grbac and was able to alter the pass just enough to affect its accuracy. Earl Holmes forced a fumble with his strip of Allen. But Holmes aggravated his knee, and limped to the locker room shortly before halftime and did not return. "Pro Bowl" LB Jason Gildon was as quiet as the fart of the lonesome churchmouse, getting a sack in which he untouched off the LOS, then got by behemoth RB Terry Allen, and then nearly whiffed on the sack attempt, but had just enough of his fingernail on the jersey of the clumsy Grbac to bring him down for a sack just as Aaron Smith arrived. Gildon recovered a fumble on a play in which he flopped and flailed on his attempt to tackle Terry Allen, which forced Holmes to come over and make the strip. Mike Jones saw a lot of PT and contributed to the cause, including a Dong Sack in which he came up the gut on a delayed blitz. Fiala subbed for the injured Holmes and chipped in adequately. A.
DB: Between the good heat provided by Porter, Bell, and friends, combined with the bumbling of Grbac and his receivers (who dropped 5 passes) the secondary had a fairly easy day. Chad and DW had pretty good coverage and tackled well. Brent had two picks, though one was a gift TD on what should have been a TD pass that was bobbled by Taylor. Washington, in fact, was beaten on the slant on this play. Flowers supported the run with brute intensity, and also got shaken up when he flew in to knock down a RB after a short dumpoff. But Lee was actually beaten handily by Sharpe in the EZ on Brent's first INT, and only Bell's persistent play to harass the QB and alter the throw prevented what would have been an easy TD. DeShea Townsend was beaten by Stokley late in the 2Q, but Stokley failed to get two feet in bounds in the end zone. B.
Spec teams: Aside from the strong work of Troy Edwards on KO and punt returns, and fairly decent kick and punt coverage, the special teams again turned into a fiasco. Jermaine Lewis returned a 3Q punt 88 yards for a TD, on a play in which Josh out-kicked his coverage, which was then slow and lethargic in reacting to Lewis' cross-field dash. Brown booted a hideous liner that fortunately was good on the early 21-yard FG, and hooked a 35-yard try. To his credit, he was perfect on the 46-yard FG in the 2Q. Troy chipped in with a nice stop of Lewis on a punt return early in the 3Q, and Logan had a nice trip-up of the ballcarrier on 1Q KO. Troy fumbled in the 1Q after he initially caught the punt, and without anyone hitting him, inexplicably dropped the pigskin. Luckily, he recovered. Lenzi Jackson fumbled the opening KO of the 2nd half, but luckily the ball rolled OOB. Townsend was flagged for holding on a 3Q punt return. D.
OC: Mike Mularkey had some bright spots today. He used Plex in a variety of patterns -- fly, skinny post, slant, deep stop, and crosser. He got good effectiveness from Amoz with a host of quick-hitting off-tackles and sweeps. He kept the Ravens off balance with a good mix of various passes and runs. The "confusion play" was a clever variation of the previous time they Stillers ran this play, and because they got the ball into a supremely skilled runner, they gained 23 yards versus the 8 they gained when Bettis ran the ball on this play several weeks ago. On the other hand, the abortion that occurred on the Stiller's first series on the sequence of plays in a 1st & goal at the 6 was among the sorriest, gutless, brainless sequences I've seen in the past 5 or 6 years. On first down, Mularkey called for a Fu up the gut, for 2 yards. This was acceptable, but what followed was sheer asininity at its worst. On 2nd down from the 4, Witman took a SG handoff on what was essentially the same play that Kreider scored against the Ravens in December, and the Ravens defense held the vaunted Witman to 2 yards. On 3rd & goal at the 2, Mularkey packed in his entire offense into a 20-foot front, and ran Fu on a plunge up left guard that was easily stuffed by the Raven defense.
The pass play that was INT'd by McAllister was a moronically designed play that served no useful purpose whatsoever. The Stillers lined up with a 5-WR, no RB set, with the ever-quick, fleet-footed Matt Cushing lined up as the slot receiver on the left side. Cushing then ran a 2-yard out pattern, and had he caught the pass, would have been a few scant feet from the sideline chalk. I love the 5-WR set, but it should be used with 5 REAL receivers, with the 5th man being someone like Zereoue, Tuman, or Lenzi Jacskon, not a slow plowhorse like Cushing. And for chrissakes, if you're gonna throw the ball out of the 5-WR set, get the ball to a receiver for some yardage to make the entire effort a worthwhile endeavor. Lastly, other than the QB draws, which were run ad nauseum, Stewart was confined to the pocket the entire game, except for the one rollout in which he completed a pass to Burress. This smacks of becoming too enamored with Stew as a "pocket QB", and makes a defense's job exponentially easier. C+.
DC: Lewis's defense held the Raven offense without a TD, although they were aided by a multitude of blunders and incompetence by the Raven receiving corps, which effectively botched two TD passes. Give Lewis credit -- the man apparently read my pregame outlook, in which I wrote, " Stiller DC Tim Lewis would be wise to flip-flop Gildon and Porter on occasion, as Porter is more than capable of whipping Vickers with regularity." Porter lined up at LOLB several times, and was able to create havoc on what was by far the weaker side of the Raven O-line. Lewis did a nice job of incorporating Jones and Bell into some effective blitzes. A.
HC: To his credit, Cowher had his team focused, prepared, and intense for this game. To his discredit, in a fit of Shottenheimer stupidity, Billy Cowher played turtle near the end of the half. Troy Edwards had a strong KO return after a Balt. FG, giving the Stillers the ball at their own 41 with 44 seconds remaining and 1 timeout. Instead of allowing Stewart to complete a couple 10-15yard passes to put the team into FG or Hail Mary range, the Stillers ran a draw play that gained 5. After the play, the offense stood around in a discombobulated fog, until Stewart called a TO with 14 secs left. At this point in time, Flowers and DeWayne had already walked off the field and into the locker room, and had to be scurried back to the field in case of a turnover. Cowher then ordered a kneeldown to run the clock out. This is chickenshit football at its worst. The Stillers were up by only 20-3, and with that kind of golden field position and that much time on the clock, there was no reason they couldn't have taken some low-risk stabs in the passing game, or with Stewart scrambling if no one was open. Not only did the Stillers fail to even try to pad their lead, but the feeble-assed, "just go easy and take it into the locker room" mentality carried over into the 3rd quarter, in which the Stillers clearly had lost their edge and their hunger, and instead lollygagged in a sorry funk. Had Baltimore had an offense that had any skill and competence, they could have easily crawled right back into this game in that pathetic 3rd quarter. For Cowher to allow this goatrope to occur -- complete with an entire offense having no clue what to do after the draw play and with 2 defensive starters already perched inside the locker room -- shows a complete and inexcusable lack of strategic leadership from the head coach. This is exactly the kind of jackassed stupidity that loses playoff games. C+.
Synopsis: As Edgar Allan Poe wrote in his classic poem The Raven: "Nevermore"!! Nevermore are the Ravens, who were given an old fashioned can o' whip ass and will soon occupy the middle of the pack, if not lower, in the AFC North. In the 3 games versus Balt. this season, the Stillers racked up 1,121 total yards to just 540 by the Ratbirds. Although impressive in their whipping of the PoeBirds, the Stillers did have an inordinate number of breaks today, to include fumbling the ball 4 times (2 by Troy, 1 by AZ, 1 by Jackson) and recovering the ball on all four occasions. Additionally, just to keep things in perspective, the Raven receiving corps failed to get 2 feet in bounds on 1 TD pass and bobbled away another TD pass that then got INT'd. The Stillers now move on to face New England next Sunday in the AFC Championship. Without question, NE is an all-around better football team than the over-rated Ravens. Their offense is infinitely superior to the sack o' shit Raven offense, and while not as good on their defensive front 7, have much better cover corners that the Ravens. The GilDong Report and Hard Hat Award articles will appear in mid-week, and my pregame outlook of the AFC Title game will appear on Thursday evening.