Hard Hat Award (Game #8, @
Stillers FS Ty Carter and DE Brett Keisel are the co-winners of the weekly Hard Hat Award, given to the Stiller player who best embodies the iron-tough, hard-as-steel attitude of the steel workers inside the blast furnace of a still mill.
Carter, the diminutive safety, was pressed into the starting free safety chores with Ryan Clark having to sit out due to his sickle cell health issues at altitude. All Carter did was jumpstart the Stillers with a pick-6 in the 2Q, and then another INT to ice the game. He didn�t allow any deep balls and provided solid run support.
Keisel The Diesel had his motor going full bore the entire evening, and just destroyed the Donco blocking scheme time and time again. Keisel was a man possessed, nabbing Orton twice in the backfield on athletic, persistent plays. On the one sack, he simply wheeled the O-lineman all the way back to the QB. He also had a key bat in the 4Q, and led the charge that limited the Donco running game to a paltry 27 yards. For whatever reason, Keisel always seems to be at his best in the
In a beatdown like this, there is almost always a large pool of other players receiving serious consideration for The Hat. This game was no exception, as numerous players stepped up to the challenge with gritty, tough, hard-nosed efforts. Others receiving consideration from The Committee include:
- Troy Pola, with a spectacular 2-play sequence in which he drilled the RB and then picked an errant pass.
- Ben Roth, who shook off the stripped fumble and led the offense to 3 TDs.
- Rashard Mendy, who ripped off several nice runs en route to 155 yards.
- Dan Sepulveda, who put a good stick on a punt returner on what could have been a TD play.
- Key Fox, who started for Timmons and tied for the team-high in tackles.
- Max Starks, who just bitch-slapped OLB Elvis Dumervil around like a rag doll the entire evening. (Dumervil had a Woodley-like evening, with 0 tackles and 1 assist.)
- Jamie Harrison, who delivered a brutal, tooth-rattling hit while in coverage in the 2H after a short dumpoff.
An honorable mention Hard Hat goes out to the throngs of Stiller fans in attendance at Mile Low. Unlike some NFL stadiums & fan bases, the Donco fans are rabid and supportive, and getting ducats for a game in Denver -- especially when the home team is 6-1 -- is almost as hard as finding Penguin tickets for a Cup finals game. Yet somehow, Stiller fans managed to attend this game by the thousands, so much so that their cheers and chants were clearly audible during the MNF broadcast. While some Stiller fans are now Coloradans, Stillers fans traveled from all over the country to attend this gig, and they did the Stiller Nation proud.
Kudos to Carter and Keisel for winning the Hard Hat Award. Wear the Hard Hat proudly, fellas !
Previous 2009 Hard Hat Winners:
Game #1, vs.
Game #2, @
Game #3, @ Cinci: Mike Wallace (honorable mention to Alice Cooper bassist Chuck Garric)
Game #4, vs.
Game #5, @
Game #6, vs.
Game #7, vs.