Quick thoughts after Browns

Just finished watching Browns game.    Spurred a few random thoughts.

Poor Derek Anderson.  Contrast his situation to that of our large QB.   Roethlisberger is now in his fourth season throwing to his favorite targets Hines, Holmes, and Heath.   He knows where they are going, they know where he will throw it.  They can all three catch the ball when it is thrown low, high,when they are open, in traffic, on the sideline, etc.    Anderson in contrast doesn't know from week to week if he is even  playing, might not be able to spell the names of his receivers,  who can't seem to catch the ball under any circumstances, anyhow.

Ben is having great statistical start to the season.  But this is one reason I distrust if not altogether discount numbers.   Is he that much better a QB this year because he can stand in the pocket against mediocre defenses and rifle throws to multiple wide open receivers who are pretty good at running after the catch?   What seems undeniable is that this is a very potent offense with many fast and talented skill players and Ben is doing a very good job in the middle of it.

Holmes is a great player and I think our most dangerous weapon.   I love watching him snatching the ball in stride and maneuvering with his long fluid strides.  And why is Ward so wide open all the time?

On the end around was the first time I got a sense with my own eyes of how fast Wallace is.   You know he must be fast because he is so wide open down the field, but the TV doesn't catch up to him until he is braking to come back to the ball.   Lightning turning down field on that one.   Hope he learns to maybe cut back or at least stay in bounds and make them tackle him more often.   Might find a seam or break a tackle for the big one.  Of course, on that run he did a nice job of moving through that bunch of tacklers at the end.

Seeing FWP and Delicious in the same game provided real contrast to what we have here.   I love Parker, always will, hope we can find a way to keep him.    But we've always known he's not a good blocker or receiver, nor does he break tackles for extra yards after being hit.    Delicious does all of these things.   He is not an adequate blocker, he is good and sometimes punishing.   He made two nice catches for first downs, one while being hit, the other moving quickly into the catch and fluidly turning down field.     From my view, it looked like Willie probably had a TD if he could have got organized on his catch in the flat when he fell down.   Isn't a contest in my mind who I want.   Parker is still a touchdown waiting to happen, but Mendenhall has the complete skill set.

Ziggy is still a boy in a man's game.   Timmons has become a man this year.   This is his third season and he looks very comfortable and confident out there.   Still over running some plays, I think.   He seems too easily to try to sidestep blockers rather than run through them.   Need to give Hood some time, we know the coaches love him.

I hope Polamalu is okay.   No question he is favoring his knee.   His instincts haven't been affected, that interception was not a result of his explosiveness, it was because he was in the right place and saw what was coming.  Kind of a summary of his game.   He is very effective with what he has now, but don't want to see him aggravate that knee.

That's enough for now.    Vikings are the first really good opponent this year.   Very excited to see what 2009 Steelers have.