Out-Cowhered
�Sucks
Says
Random
Rants by PalmerSucks
November 17, 2009
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The Bengals� �Contain Box�
Above is
an illustration of the Bengals� defensive strategy to handle Roethlisberger�s scrambling.� Note the position of the DE�s as they rush, being� careful to
remain below Big Ben: contain, then
collapse. Often the Bengals� D worked off overloads, something I witnessed
firsthand in Philadelphia vs. the Eagles last year (trust me, it was painful to
watch). The Bengals� ends are more interested in ringing� Ben than rushing him,� slowly squeezing the pocket, which buys the
QB time but makes moving around more difficult. �It�s a tactic that both limits Ben�s
�jailbreak� plays, and takes advantage of his tendency to hold on to the ball. �Expect the Stillers to see a lot more of this look from opposing defenses.
This time there were no
dropped Stiller TDs (well OK, one), no cheap Bengals�
pick-sixes off blown routes. �No, unlike
last time, the Cincy Bengals (not Bungals) strapped
it on and shoved 60 minutes of Billy Cowher football
down our throats.
This time there were no fluke wins, but rather a party like
it was 1999, a foul festival of field goals and field position that only a Billy
Ball fan could love. The Bengals came in and slugged it out, and somehow left
Pittsburgh with a W in their pockets.
Not that the Stiller D didn�t do its best to keep that from
happening � the Bengals� offense notched a whole 9 points on its own, never threatening
to score a TD even when they were set up inside the Stillers� 15 by a pick
return. The Stillers stopped the vaunted Cincy run
game cold, holding Benson to 22 on 7 carries, and doing an even better job on
his replacement. Even so, the game never came down to what I�d hoped: the
pressure was never on Carson Palmer, the Choker, the Gagger, the Throat
Roadblock, the Heimlich Pirate, to win the game with
his arm.
Even with the Stillers� D stacked to stop the run, Palmer
could only manage a measly 76.8 QB rating, with a putrid 5.9 YPA (like Bengals
fans say, the team is really rolling with a healthy Carson Palmer, huh?).� But it would be the Stillers who would have� to play
catch-up, thanks to yet another kick-return TD.
Not that the Choker didn�t try to gag the game away: I
counted at least 3 big softballs he served up, the last one a painful drop with
the Stiller defender having an acre of empty space in front of him (I�m looking
at you, Ryan Clark). Like I said in the pre-game, the Bengals needed to win the
turnover battle to win the game, and once again they did.
So hats off to the Bengals,
whose Cowheresque scheme resulted not only in a win,
but a stranglehold on the North. Clearly they were the more physical team on
the day.
But beware,
Bengals fans � Billy Ball is a fickle mistress. She can make you pretty happy
during the regular season, but come playoff time, she�ll provide you with
plenty of misery. If this is what the Bengals are really about � defense, run
game and QBing that�s along
for the ride � then I for one would love to see the Stillers get another crack
at these guys.
Considering the Bengals� D-line strategy diagrammed above, I
found the Stillers� play calling pretty puzzling. Where were the screens, the
waggles, the boots, the roll-outs? You know, plays
designed to give the QB some space to roam and buy some time � and break the
Bengals contain box.
The one screen the Stillers ran, a blooper to Moore, went
for a nice gain. Instead of sticking with it and forcing an adjustment from the
Bengals, the team went back to the same mid- and deep-range passes that left
Ben standing there like a tree stump.
Forget complaining about Ben
holding the ball too long, by the way; this is just how he rolls. It�s up to
the play caller to deal with this. �And
sometimes the way to deal with it is to take the ball out of the QB�s hands� � where was the commitment to the run
against the Bengals, a team Stiller RBs have made careers out of facing? 13
carries by Mendenhall in a drag-out like this doesn�t cut it. �Worse, the Stillers only went to him 6 times
in the first half. If ever there was a day for jumbo TE sets, this was it.
Is there anyone on the team who can kick off besides Jeff
Reed? Why not try Sepulveda � I doubt he can do worse than land kicks at the 5
with the return man catching in full stride. At least we won�t have to watch
the kicker not even bother to try and tackle the returner
as he blows on by.
I have a feeling we�ll see some
roster moves this week, as the kick coverage has moved beyond mere joke to
serious threat to the season. Otherwise the team can give serious consideration
to kicking off out of bounds from now on.
3 weeks into the season I began to think of the Stillers as
a wild-card team, a prediction that looked foolish once the team began its win
streak. Now that Cincy has a stranglehold on the
division, I�m beginning to second-guess myself again. I�m wondering if the race
for the division really is as over as some suggest.
I�m not ready to throw in the Terrible Towel just yet,
mainly because I believe the Bengals have an upset left in them. No, I don�t
think it will be vs. the Raiders as some believe, but rather another unlikely
opponent: the Cleve Brownies. The Bengals still must face the Minny Vikes, and I believe their
D has a post-Thanksgiving carving coming at the hands of Philip Rivers and the
Chargers
Of course, even a number-one
seed would be eliminated with an overall lackadaisical effort as the one shown
Sunday. Who knows, maybe the underdog route is once again the path to take for
the Stillers.
Sign seen at the Brownies-Ravens Monday Nighter:
�if one Ohio team can beat Pittsburgh, why can�t we?� Good to see we�re still
so heavy on their minds. �I wonder what
would get Browns fans off more: winning a Super Bowl, or seeing the Stillers
lose one?
Speaking of the Ravens, they looked less than impressive in
beating Cleveland. This is a team that�s taken a big step backwards this year.
Stillers� must-win: the Sunday Nighter in Baltimore,
which should be known as the �Boo Hoo Bowl� considering
how the Ravens cried to the league to get it played in Crabtown.�
(The
views of PalmerSucks are not necessarily those of
Stillers.com � but should be.)