My Two Cents…

by frankrmineo on Nov 17, 2008 12:51 PM EST

Where has the rhythm that was displayed yesterday between Santonio and Ben been all year? Those two really looked like they were reading from the same sheet of music yesterday. Perhaps the fact that Ben practiced all week and the two of them also got increased reps really paid big dividends. I think it probably showed us how important it is for Ben to get a full practice week. Or perhaps maybe Santonio put down the blunts and has started focusing on football again, who knows?

I can’t be alone of this one anymore; a few weeks ago I mentioned in a fanpost the issue of high snaps whenever we go into shotgun formation. I know I am not crazy as I had about 10 people watching the game with me and they all agreed. While I think Hartwig has been a major improvement at the center position he needs to work on his shotgun snap. Ben constantly has to reach or jump to get the snap in the shotgun formation. While it usually only creates a millisecond of time lost, it seems to me that the last thing Ben needs is less time to be able to get rid of the ball.

Ben deserves a lot of credit for a gutsy and mistake free day, but I still think he is shell shocked, and not playing as well as we will need him to play if we are actually going to make a run at things.

How well has Matt Spaeth been in relief of Heath Miller? While he has rarely been able to get yards after the catch, he has dropped very few balls in the past two games and has made quite a few clutch plays. When we get a healthy Miller back could we please start using him in the game plan like we use Spaeth?

I don’t know about you, but Willie Parker looked healthy as could be yesterday and he really ran with force and power. Very Impressive.

We definitely have a lot of work to do on the offensive side of the ball, but after watching the Ravens defense get run over by the Giants I think that our defense can keep us in ANY game, and if our offense can start to keep pace we could be a dangerous team come December.

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BB

I really think that being able to practice all week helped him. I dont think he looked completely healthy but he looked infinitely better after a week of practice then he does without one.

by archon095 on Nov 17, 2008 1:08 PM EST reply actions

You read my mind

I was gonna post something similar NOW!

This is kinda some fault of Ben, some of the OL and big of Santonio! He didnt get better on their routes, and I dont know why he lost that burst that always let him get separation from the defenders!

He was my bet for new pro bowler on the Team! I was thinking something around 10tds and 1,400 yards but, wont happen!

Still, he can make it up on January and Feb!

by SteelerBrazil on Nov 17, 2008 1:19 PM EST reply actions

Spaeth

Is the man!!! Great late TE draft pick? Or Greatest late TE draft pick?

William Everette Parker ran with conviction and force and I would have had no idea he had a shoulder brace. Looked more like metal armor to me.

Bens a tall guy so maybe the snaps are just going high naturally, but they do need to drop a few inches. But maybe he likes them higher than normal.

And to everyone thinking “oh ben didnt throw deep he still is injured bad” if you watch he DID throw a couple deep balls that got semi interfered and were well covered. They had cover 2 going all day like Indy did.

by Mechem on Nov 17, 2008 2:51 PM EST reply actions

Holmes has time

He’ll be pro-bowl eventually. I just don’t see him going all-pro while Ward is still playing well enough to be a #1 receiver.

I agree on Ben. He looked solid but not all the way there. His deeper passes weren’t as accurate as a healthy bens’. Certainly a good sign that his shoulder is doing better though. But I do not agree that he isn’t playing well enough for us to make a run at things. If he plays like that throughout the year and our D continues doing what it has been, we can win any game.

Spaeth has done well. He is very, very aware of where the first down marker is. he catches it goofy and runs goofy but he does catch it and he does get a few yards after the catch so no complaints here. Everytime he catches it though he looks nervous, kinda like “I’m not dropping this bitch.” Kinda funny.

I was glad to see Parker do what he did. This was one of his first games where he saw pretty much every hole, his timing was excellent, and he fought for every yard (typically, Parker misses a fair amount of holes, or hesitates too much, or goes down fairly easily) . He was as reliable as ever and thats with a hurt shoulder. He’s arguably (arguing with myself I guess) my favorite player so it was good to see him dominate.

by shleeve on Nov 17, 2008 2:58 PM EST reply actions

my favorite part of Parkers play yesterday was he had very few negative yards. You are right about him not hesitating yesterday and hitting the holes, he hasn’t looked that good in a while.

by frankrmineo on Nov 17, 2008 3:01 PM EST up reply actions

I'm not dropping this bitch

your going to see a livewire episode on nfln where spaeth is on the sidelines talking about a play to heath. “I’m not gonna drop this bitch!” and heath will laugh.

by SoCalSteelerFan on Nov 17, 2008 3:09 PM EST up reply actions

You're setting the bar pretty low..

If you think 5 catches for 60 yards with 0 Tds, is a great game by a wide reciever. It was O.K., and probably close to Holmes career average in all depts, but there was nothing remarkable about it. Particularly in light of the fact that their 275 pound blocking TE caught 6 passes in the same game. For the second consecutive time.

by robert ethan on Nov 17, 2008 3:07 PM EST reply actions

Your Right Robert...

I would have completely changed my opinion if I had known that your miserable self would be reading.

Your life must be horrible to be soo negative all the time. Is their like a wild animal that is constantly defecating on your head 24/7? Or perhaps a stranger has been repeatedly stabbing you in the back of the neck with a dull rusty knife for like 6 years. I just can’t imagine what could make a person so negative.

They played better than they have recently…that’s all I said.

by frankrmineo on Nov 17, 2008 3:16 PM EST up reply actions

thats a little harsh....

by shleeve on Nov 17, 2008 3:25 PM EST up reply actions

sorry, I guess I am still on edge from all the negativity last week,

by frankrmineo on Nov 17, 2008 3:41 PM EST up reply actions

Understandable

But I thought that was a rather tame message from Ethan. Certainly better than the “gloom and doom” of last week.

by shleeve on Nov 17, 2008 3:48 PM EST up reply actions

Sorry, minnow...

..but to me having a backup third round blocking tight end catch 12 passes the past couple of games is a bigger story than having a much hyped first round wideout catch 7 over the same period. Holmes has barely stayed ahead of Nate Washington, an undrafted DII guy so far this year.

by robert ethan on Nov 17, 2008 3:59 PM EST reply actions

which was my point...

I said he played better yesterday than he has all year, he hasn’t lived up to his potential.

Also, the “backup third round blocking tight end” was actually a John Makey Award winner. If you look at the most recent John Makey award winner, I think his talent was and is pretty evident.

2002 Dallas Clark Iowa
2003 Kellen Winslow II Miami (FL)
2004 Heath Miller Virginia
2005 Marcedes Lewis UCLA
2006 Matt Spaeth Minnesota
2007 Fred Davis

by frankrmineo on Nov 17, 2008 5:00 PM EST up reply actions

Perfectly aware that Spaeth won the Mackay Award..

..but he was STILL the “backup”, was “taken in the third round”, and at the NFL level at least, has been employed mainly as an extra “blocker” up until Heath Miller was injured. To be fair, my comment wasn’t aimed at your original post so much as the responses to it regarding Holmes. So I won’t offer you change for your “two cents worth”…..;)

by robert ethan on Nov 17, 2008 6:57 PM EST up reply actions

He caught five balls last year, three of them were touchdowns. When he was healthy last year he was actually a big redzone target for us.

But then again that was last year, when we actually scored touchdowns!

by frankrmineo on Nov 18, 2008 2:47 PM EST up reply actions

good post frank

Santonio will go off next week against his favorite team to play. DOesnt take much to get a guy like him back on track. Remember, he’s on the outside more than Hines, which means he was getting far fewer chances beause of Bens shoulder, Bens poor play, the line and the paly calling. Holmes didnt forget how to catch the ball or run hard, which he’s always done

by Michael Bean on Nov 17, 2008 7:15 PM EST reply actions

I expect good numbers next week

Plus its at home. We raped Cincy on the road and now at home they are gonna be hurting.

Plus the fact that they played 75 minutes of rough football tells me we can take them out. They are wobbly.

by Mechem on Nov 18, 2008 3:38 PM EST up reply actions

As bad as the Bengals are, I am ALWAYS worried about a division opponet, espicially with how up and down our offense has played. I certainly see us holding their offense for the most part, but TJ and Chad are tuff to contain for a whole game no matter what defense you have, and if the weather is bad I could see us struggling again to get in the endzone.

by frankrmineo on Nov 18, 2008 5:11 PM EST up reply actions