Damn, 3 losses in a row. In the NFL, the wheels can come off faster than one envisions.
I agree wholeheartedly that Dixon didn�t lose the game. There�s 2 plays, one on O, the other on D, that hold the game result in the balance.
1. Near the end of regulation, with the score tied, Dixon had a 3rd and 5 from about our 45. Miller had chip-blocked his man and slid to the right flat. He was wide open for an easy 1st down, and Dixon threw downfield INC, not even close. DD just didn�t see him, I suppose. But it would have been a 10+ yard play.
2. The other play is the 4th and 5 while up 3 points. It�s just inconceivable to me that they tried to cover Rice (a local boy hero here, BTW) with Farrior, an ILB. Rice is a receiving machine�and has been all year. Did the Steelers really think they would run it there? Giving up the 1st down is one thing, but giving up a 50 yard play on 4th and 5 is another. It�s just sickening.
This team has a SB hangover nearly as bad as the �06 team. They just don�t care. And it looks like the coaches really don�t care either. Arians is a buffoon of epic proportions. How this guy is an NFL coordinator just boggles my mind.
LeBeau has turned into a bit of a pussy. The few successes he had were when he let the dogs loose a little in the 4th, and had guys blitzing on every play. The Steelers are the team that brought the zone-blitz to the league�but they rarely use it! Watch the tape. They crowd the LOS with 7 or 8 guys, but the DL�s almost never drop. They try to fool the QB as to which LB or DB will blitz. Additionally, they no longer blitz their CBs. I fondly remember Woodson blitzing off the corner from the QB blind side, many times reaching to sack or break up the pass.
The Def is not playing nearly as fast as last year�s squad. Timmons helped a bit in this regard last night, but Farrior had a lot of issues last night, despite the free-rush sack he got.
The refs blew the spot on the game ending FG attempt. I actually caught it before the announcers called it out. I was losing my mind calling for Tomlin to throw the red flag! I have no idea why the ref flag was never thrown. Had that FG been good, there was no going "back" and the game would have been won, right there, by the BrownRavens.
It�s an up-hill battle the rest of the way out. We get the wretched Raiders next week. A very winnable game. But this edition of the Steelers are subject to defeat by any team in the league. really now, this team can't take anyone for granted at this point.
One last point�.With the NFL being investigated by the Senate for ignoring the effects of concussions on their players, I believe both Ben and Warner were �advised� by the league office to �rest�. Both of those guys could have played yesterday. It�s a shame, really.