BTSC Steelers Daily Six Pack- Relax Edition
by Frank Mineo (DYMS) on Sep 21, 2009 4:22 PM EDT
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Good afternoon guys and gals, rather than show you six links that are recaps of what the national pundits and local beat writers are saying about the Steelers, I figure I will give you six discussion points about the game from my point of view. Happy Monday (DYM)
IX-First things first folks, the entire week after a loss, and specifically the day after a loss is horrible. I just get in a funk, I don't want to read post-game recaps, I don't want to look at power-rankings, and quite frankly I would just rather ignore football until Saturday or Sunday of the next week. This week is no different, but I am getting back on the horse and forcing myself to look back on this game. My biggest advice for Steeler Nation is to relax, being a game back to the Ravens in the division is never good, but the season is still early and like we all assumed our head-to-head match-ups with the Ravens might be the most important contests of the season.
X-I am very surprised to see the amount of people already concerned about Stefan Logan. The season is young Steeler Nation but Logan is in the top ten is both Kick and Punt Return yards average. I will say that again for those in the back of the room; we are in the top ten in kick and punt return average. That's a far cry from last season where the return game was simply ineffective and frustratingly banal. Logan isn't going to break one to the house every week, but when he does it is likely to be a game changing event. Combine the extra yards Logan is consistently giving us with the extra yards that Supulveda is earning and the change is field position this season will likely contribute heavily to at least a few wins.
XIII-It took until the second game of his second season for Rashard Mendenhall to show any signs that he could be the future in Pittsburgh. While this entire post is being written with a very positive spin I was still disappointed that Mendenhall didn't have the extra burst at the end of his 39 yard scamper to finish it off. The good news is that after re-watching the run the guy that eventually caught him, Kevin Payne, saw the play develop early, got a decent angle on Mendenhall and being a former college running back he turned on his speed and caught Mendenhall just before the goal-line. Having said that after watching Frank Gore and Chris Johnson blow past people all day I am just not sure that Mendenhall has the extra gear that the elite backs in the NFL have.
XIV-The offensive line looked better than it has in years yesterday and that alone is something to have a mild celebration for. Ben Roethlisberger had plenty of time to operate the offense and the run blocking was improved from last week and it definitely showed with some nice runs by Willie Parker and Rashard Mendenhall. The unit has been lambasted for the last few seasons and they have make a lot of mental and physical errors that made it difficult for our offense to succeed. If this group is actually starting to gel and come together like the team has been speculating this could really become a really dangerous offense. Also, Mewelde Moore is a great football player. When the offense was clicking Mewelde had some blocks on incoming pass rushers that were critical and impressive.
XL-The offense struggles, the defense makes huge plays to keep us in the game, Big Ben and the receivers make the plays in crucial times, and Jeff Reed bails us out. Does that sound familiar? It should because that is the story if the 2008 Pittsburgh Steelers. I don't know if Steeler Nation caught on but we are now watching the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers. It's a different team folks and a different year with opponents who are taking advantage of the few holes our defense allows them. There are going to be games when Ben can't will the team to victory so Mike Tomlin and company are going to have to find ways to win games with the 2009 Pittsburgh Steelers, not with the defending Super Bowl champions.
XLIII- Overall, it was a disappointing loss for all the reasons that have been discussed since the final whistle blew yesterday at Soldier Field. But losing on the road against a team that many predicted to be a contender by only three points isn't the worst fate a team could have. The last time the Steelers had the taste of defeat in their mouths was all the way back on December 21st of last season and they responded by coming together and putting together a run to win the Super Bowl. While I don't expect the Steelers to win the rest of their games I think the 2009 Steelers will be better for this loss and Coach Tomlin will use this game to motivate and improve a talented group of men.
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Live from Baltimore.
We all know that feeling the day after, the week after…the whole off-season! Weve all been ther, but you guys really cant have your heads down, were going into week 3, playoff scenarios, division breakdowns, none of that has even bagan at this point, so dont sweat it. And just so you guys know, noone in Baltimore is over-looking you guys because of one loss. I dont know about you guys, but I cant wait until November 29! Im still gonna have some home-made macaroni & cheese and some apple pie leftovers, man its gonna be great. In the meantime, punish the Bengals and get ready for San Diego, If Troy isnt ready to go it could be a long day.
Scott Hines
If Troy isnt ready to go it could be a long day.
We definitely appreciate you guys showing us what we can expect from the chargers offense.
First things first, we have some business to attend to in cincy.
Willie Colon - top 2 RT in the NFL
Oh yea man.
Ive been reading some of their posts, and some of their ego’s are already shooting up way too high, a divisional road game is never easy, but lets be real.
And about San Diego, we play in a scheme where our speed is our strength, not actual strength, well that came back to bite us a bit, but we came away with a huge win and our corners played their best ball in the redzone. Their wideouts are huge, do you guys have any bigger guys in coverage?
But like you said, no looking ahead, thats always a killer. Good luck against the Bengals.
Scott Hines
I liked the Ravens defense against the Chargers. You can’t shut down a great offense that is clicking, and they were. But you wouldn’t let them score in the red zone, and that adds up over a game.
With Flacco and co. doing the number they did a few stands and tough sledding in the red zone will give you a chance to beat anyone.
by Phantaskippy on Sep 22, 2009 2:11 PM EDT up reply actions
still think 3rd and two goin for broke was really dumb. i would only do that if it were like madden and i could replay it if i didnt like the way it turned out.
i couldnt agree more
i was pullin my hair out after that play. they had momentum going and a short 3rd down. you air it out like that on 2nd and short, not 3rd and short.
Santonio was 3rd option on the 3rd & 2 play, he just dropped the TD
The play also showed the coaches have no confidence in their running game.
by datruth4life on Sep 22, 2009 10:36 AM EDT up reply actions
why
I thought it was a fantastic play call it just didn’t work. We obviously can’t run the ball there, we haven’t been able to convert 3rd an 2 on the ground for a long time. You had Santonio in single coverage against a below average corner, you have to go for the kill there. That’s exactly how Green Bay beat the Bears in Week 1. We were just unlucky that the ref didn’t call the obvious jersey grab and that Santonio couldn’t hang on to a nice throw by Ben.
I trust Ben and Santonio to convert a 3rd and 2 way more than I trust Parker/Mendy/Moore to run it up the middle for a first. Now maybe that shouldn’t be case but it most definitely is.
this is why people are upset steelers lost....
you cant underestimate the opponent. charles tillman is a very good corner…if im correct a pro bowl level corner. nathan vasher is the below average corner.
the bears are heavily dependent on man coverage corners so they make sure they have good corners back there for the most part. thats how their defense operates. i’m not going to take it away from the bears, but i do believe that based on that play alone holmes should have at least made that reception. that wasnt perfect coverage and the ball went to him. even if it was ‘tipped’ holmes should have grabbed it.
even if tone catches it, that gives cutler 3.5 minutes to score. going for the first allows them to waste more clock, or, causes the bears to burn their last 2 time outs and a lil more clock.
all day the defense was gettin burned, so, IMO, i would rather keep them off the field. plus get reed a little closer to kick on a crappy field.
I thought it was a pretty crazy throw given the weather conditions.
That said, it didn’t upset me. Ben is sort of like what Favre was ten years ago in terms of making high risk/high reward plays. You take the good with the bad and expect that over 16-19 games he’s going to make a lot more positive plays than negative.
by Steelers in XLIV on Sep 21, 2009 6:50 PM EDT up reply actions
the call...
I think Arians got too cute there. Do what we do best…go 3 wides, keep out best weapons on the field, and have Ben drop back with more than one option.
Mendy
I think Mendy was just surprised not to have a guy hanging on his ankles 2 yards behind the line….
by BluegrassSteeler on Sep 21, 2009 4:51 PM EDT reply actions
OL
I have been very critical of both the playcalling and the OL, seeing very little hope of them getting better this year, but this game gave me hope that they really did get better with continuity. I talked about the playcalling in the other threads, but hats off to the OL. They’ve been picking up blitzes and stunts like I didn’t think they were capable of and holding back a pretty good pass rush while Ben pump fakes 4 times. Last year, when 7 guys were up at the line of scrimmage, it was basically “game over”, but they’ve done a remarkably better job of working together. They even got to paste some guys in the running game.
If they can keep Antwan Odom under 5 sacks (snickers) and open some holes in the running game, it’ll take a lot of pressure off Ben and the Troyless defense over the next couple weeks and help get us into the bye week safely.
charity standing orders
One thing I did notice that ppl haven't really picked up on
was that rookie David Johnson looked pretty good at H-back the very few times he was out there.
BTSC Obituaries
OldManSteeler, ominously died two days before Superbowl 123 where the Ravens are set to attempt their 7th superbowl win, facing the Detroit Lions on Sunday. He was 86. His last words are believed to be "MALOR CAN SUCK IT!!!". Like friends and family, we can only guess what this could mean.
by Tim Mullhaupt (HSS) on Sep 21, 2009 5:04 PM EDT reply actions
I was saying the same thing...
Is there any possibilty of a Johnson (FB)/ Summers (HB) goal line/ short yardge backfield? If I were coaching, I’d say yes. But since we know who’s calling the plays on O, I’d bet the real answer is no.
Heck, if Summers misses a few more blocks, I’d say change Johnson’s number to 45, and do what you will with our “Tank”, that has seemed to run off his tracks. I questioned his ability to translate to a FB, but jeez, I didn’t expect to see this many whiffs. What he hits goes down for the most part, but he is incosistent so far.
by NYSteelersFan4 on Sep 21, 2009 5:16 PM EDT up reply actions
Things to work on, but the sky isn't falling
Guys, no need to panic. Santonio dropped a TD right in his hands on that 3rd down and 2 (Arians Holmes was the 3rd option on the play for Ben) and Reed missed 2 field goals. On top of that, the Steelers turned the ball over twice and only sacked the QB once.
You are not going to win many games on the road with a team playing perfect ball like the Bears did. Still, a lot to build off of. Back to the lab and get thing ironed out.
However, if D. LeBeau doesn’t find a replacement for Ty Carter in the base defense, it is going to be a long couple of upcoming weeks. You can hide Carter in a 2-deep safety sub pkg, but you can’t hide him in your base D.
I’ve watched Carson Palmer and all his games against the Steelers since he came into the league, and he always takes his shots deep against the Steelers when they are in their base D. Got to get Ratliff or at the least Mundy in there at SS in place of Carter or it’s trouble.
In Ty's defense...
He has a hurt though and admitted that he couldn’t really cover man-to-man…his thigh is hurt.
BTW I was at the game…on the side where he made that hit…it was BRUTAL and I was worried about him big time…
still, we do need to focus on developing a safety who can be a little Troy. He’s tough to replace, so we better start now!
Steelergurl
Stefan Logan
I don’t think the question is whether Logan is doing his job well. I think the question is whether his job is all that important. I think having a return threat is a nice tool to have in the shed. But I also understand another body in that roster slot could make a worthy tool for the shed.
Two games into the season, I think the kid is worth his place on the team. However, a good number of his runs cover more ground in the east/west direction than north/south. I can understand why many fans would hear the sound and fury, but wonder about the significance. We’ll see how things go in game 3. Way too soon to be doubting decisions made following preseason.
If he didn’t fumble that last one (which is pretty irrelevant, game was pretty much over by then) then he wouldn’t be a topic of discussion at all.
People need to realize, fumbles happen, especially to small guys.
I think hes worth his weight, he’ll break one here sooner or later> I think we should try to include him into some gadget plays on offense. Imagine, Tone, Wallace, Parker, and Logan on the field at once……..thats a lot of speed.
exactly right Varmint
It’s not that he’s not doing well, it’s that we need more help elsewhere. He doesn’t add ENOUGH value compared to what his replacements might give to keep him around for just that one specific role.
Freel free to email me anytime at behindthesteelcurtain@gmail.com with questions, suggestions, complaints, etc, or to just say what's up. -Michael Bean (Blitz)
by Michael Bean on Sep 22, 2009 1:22 AM EDT up reply actions
who are you thinking we should we activate with more value?
I assume you’re thinking defense – maybe another safety/corner?
Yeah, same question. Are we getting back to the Redman debate again? :) The only thing I could see is if Carolina dumped Harris, but if Logan isn’t important enough to keep around, how much less is Patrick Bailey?
charity standing orders
actually funny you say that….It looks like Harris might be starting for the panthers this week. They lost another of their starting Defensive Tackles at least for part of the season and perhaps the entire season. They only have three DT’s on the roster that can play this week and one of those is even questionable. So Carolina is not in ANY position to be letting Harris go.
I'll drink your Milkshake, I'll drink it up!
by Frank Mineo (DYMS) on Sep 22, 2009 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions
DYMS, R. Harris having to start this week is good news for the Steelers because ...
with Fox trying to save his job, he might go out and try to sign 2 veteran DT’s rather than having his coaching career in the hands of the rookie. Then again, if he has a good game, he might not come out of that DL rotation ever again.
With Delhomme, this ship is about to sink and desperate coaches will do desperate things. If Carolina ends up releasing R. Harris, the Steelers better pick him up and put him on the permanent roster. I’d give them Nick Eason even up for him right now if they wanted to make that trade.
by datruth4life on Sep 22, 2009 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions
B, Patience grasshopper, patience ...
The Steelers have their best returner since Randle-El and people are ready to give him a one-way ticket out of town after 2 games? As Mike Tyson would say, “That’s Luudddiccroussss!”
Half-pint is a threat everytime he touches the ball and has helped the team in the field position battle in his first 2 games (it just so happens the holding penalties did him and the Steelers in on special teams this week, along with the 2 missed field goals).
Let’s not forget, he is a rookie to the NFL as well, even though he played in the CFL. Like a lot of our young players, he will get better as the season goes on. I don’t think you can put the loss in Chicago on him. I also want Wallace and Santonio to concentrate on playing WR. The last game showed both have a lot of room for growth in that area.
The bottom line is that this team has to get better in the running game to be a good redzone team. So far, the team has run 45 times and passed the ball 84 times (with 6 sacks). That’s almost a 2 to 1 ratio of pass to run. It’s pretty clear that Tomlin and Arians have no confidence in the running game right now. Check out what Max Starks had to say about this:
“We know we can run the ball,” Starks said. “It’s just about getting the confidence in the coaches to call those plays.”
I’m still waiting to see who will be the back to pick up the tough yards. Will it be Mendy or Tank? At least Gary Russell gave the team a decent shot this past year. I’m hoping the team’s running game won’t be worse than last year.
The Steelers have run 45 times and tried to pass on 84 occasions (including six sacks) in two low-scoring games decided by three points.
It is clear which part of their offense has the coaches’ confidence right now. Even in short yardage, the pass or the quarterback is called on to get the job done, not the backs.
Ben Roethlisberger threw a 1-yard touchdown pass to tight end Matt Spaeth, and the team’s other touchdown came when the quarterback ran a bootleg for 2 yards around left end.
The pass that Santonio Holmes dropped in the end zone with 3:23 left and the score tied came on third-and-2.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09265/999808-66.stm#ixzz0RqW0cgMv
by datruth4life on Sep 22, 2009 10:53 AM EDT up reply actions
ARE was both a receiver and a return man (and sometimes QB). That is how he earned his roster slot. He wasn’t worth a big paycheck a WR, which is how he lost that same slot.
I don’t think it’s unfair to hold Logan to a similar standard. (The same goes for that other RB who shall remain nameless.) Tomlin runs a results-oriented program. Logan has to show results. I am in complete agreement that two games into the season is wayyyyy too soon to be dashing expectations. However, I also recognize that roster slot that will always be under a great deal of scrutiny.
In short, don’t box him up and address the return slip, just yet. (Get it? Return slip… I kill me.) But it’s never too soon to browse the catalogs for something new.
Now, if Logan can be worked into the offense for gadgets, that can give a boost to his stock. I think Shleeve is right about that. I’d love to see him run reverses or RB screens. If I’m not mistaken he has already served as a gunner with ST.
Interest quote from Max
"We know we can run the ball," Starks said. "It’s just about getting the confidence in the coaches to call those plays."
Thanks for the link to the P-G article DT4L. When you’re averaging more than 5 yards a carry the coaches will (or at least should) have some confidence in the ground game, though short yardage situations are obviously still a struggle. The two goal-line plays for TDs were both excellent calls and well-executed, so it doesn’t matter how you convert, just that you do. Overall the offensive game plan was fine, the problem is finishing drives. The Steelers had five possessions inside the Chicago 40 and came away with 14 points. That’s just not good enough and it’s not all on Reed. Ben should not be taking a nine-yard sack at any point in the red zone, if only because there’s an increased possibility of fumbling. It turned a chip shot into a 38 yard FG on a bad field. And after screwing up the first field goal, Ben should have known on the late drive that a 43-yard FG was far from a sure thing. The game situation called for a first down, more time off the clock and a shorter range FG attempt if they fall short of a TD. Work the clock, protect the ball, improve field position. Dull but effective. Maybe dull doesn’t exist in Ben’s world.
Huge game Sunday. The Ravens will go to 3-0 at home vs. the Browns. Cincy will be fired up.
by steeler.lifer on Sep 22, 2009 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Colon
Colon’s block on Mendenhall’s big run was as good a run-block as any Steeler has thrown since Faneca sprung FWP in XL. Very encouraging.
by Steelers in XLIV on Sep 21, 2009 6:52 PM EDT reply actions
Crazy Idea
How about lining up James Harrison as a blocking back in short yardage?
The Pats did this effectively with Vrabel a couple years ago.
For a team with no FB and obvious short yardage issues it might be a worthwhile experiment.
by Steelers in XLIV on Sep 21, 2009 6:55 PM EDT reply actions
While I am going to give credit to the entire O-line, I think Trai Essex really did a great job in opening up the right side. The problem there is everyone will watch the film and know the left side is still struggling.
The positives
Hey DYMilkshake –
Thanks for pointing out what everyone should have seen. I wrote a post today over on my blog and Steeler Nation got all in an uproar (without reading it clearly and only reading a headline) – The point is, seeing FWP and Mendenhall and Moore bust out close to 100 yards is much better than what we HAVE seen. Therefore, taking a positive spin, I wanted to highlight that they all had key plays.
I was at the game…Steeler Nation at the game erupted every time anyone got some mileage, but especially on the run. I’m saying give props to the things that DID work…and man, Jeff Reed hasn’t missed two field goals in a game in 5 years…literally.
(Though I would love for him to bring the “crazy” back in his life and go back to the blonde hair-I’m very superstitious!!)
Quite frankly, though, it’s still week 2 and I still feel there is a lot of room for improvement. We took losses last year as well…one of them being the Eagles, they beat us. And guess what, so did the Bears this year…but was this really a surprise? We have lost to the Bears at Soldier Field 12 out of 13 times…Urlacher out is a big hit to their defense, but he’s ONE linebacker. The defense isn’t ALL him. We should know, we have a decent defense…not cool to lose anyone, but there’s back up. Maybe not ideal, but you get what I am saying.
I don’t think any of us realistically thought the Steelers were going to be undefeated, right?
Sometimes too, I think they need to be brought back down to week 2 football so that they can fix what needs to be fixed next week, and the week after…all the way through playoffs.
There’s room for improvement across the board…and it will gel together when it counts…
Steelergurl
One more thing....
When Santonio went to make that catch in the end zone (I was @ the game sitting near that end) it was raining like hell…I do think the new field (they had just re-sodded it 5 days earlier) the weather (it literally dropped in big buckets on the game) and the fact that when they play in those elements usually, they are at home @ Heinz in very familiar territory. I’m not making excuses, just saying it was raining like hell.
(luckily, I was all dry in a box drinking beer and intently watching)
Steelergurl
i hope the taxpayers didn’t foot the bill for your trip. what lobbyist gave your boss tickets and airfare? acorn seminar? you should have been sitting in the driving rain and cheering for your team after going all the way out there. instead, you sat like a hannibal lectur silenced behind thick glass lapping up footlongs and baked beans,,,thip thip thip.
wow - a littler haterism eh??
I’ll have you know, I had a freaking date who knows that I LOVE football and MY STEELERS and he happened to get tickets…..so there smartass. Don’t hate too much.
Some people know how to treat a lady, which, guessing by your posts, you do NOT!
Steelergurl
by Steelergurl on Sep 22, 2009 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions
On Tone's drop in the end zone
That was borderline interference. The DB never turned back to look for the ball, and completely impeded Holmes’ vision which was illegal when Ike Taylor did the exact same thing to the Ravens in the AFCCG and was called. Not tryin’ to make excuses but how bout a little more consistency from the Zebras?
BTSC Obituaries
OldManSteeler, ominously died two days before Superbowl 123 where the Ravens are set to attempt their 7th superbowl win, facing the Detroit Lions on Sunday. He was 86. His last words are believed to be "MALOR CAN SUCK IT!!!". Like friends and family, we can only guess what this could mean.
by Tim Mullhaupt (HSS) on Sep 21, 2009 8:41 PM EDT reply actions
Bears got lucky and Reed obviously found a Pizza Uno towel dispensor to sleeper hold the night before. He geeked away your win. The Bears. Their terrible.
Geno's East
is the best pizza in Chicago. It’ll set you back $22 bucks but it’s worth it. It wasn’t raining like hell the whole game tho either… my girl got up and left twice but it wasn’t that bad. I haven’t watched it on tape yet b/c I just landed at 11 but he should have caught it. The kicks are what’s so confusing. Reed said that he pushed them but that’s the way wind was blowing any damn ways. To be honest with ya, they all looked shook when they got on the bus prior to the game. Starks was the only one to smile. Somebody needs to get silverback a better looking suit too. lol
Alright, okay, I don't dance, no way I just take my Terrible Towel out and wave it around in the air!!!!
What if the OL and running game continue to improve each week?
You have to admit there was some improvement from Week 1 to Week 2 for the OL and the running game. Maybe they can continue to improve a little each week, and sometime before the end of the year, both be big contributors to this team’s winning instead of weak links.
Then again, “IF” a frog had wings he wouldn’t be bumping his ass against the ground every time he took a Hop. Ribbet-Ribbet. Yep, I’m an optomist and a realist, whatever that might mean.
Slow Post - Too Bummed To Read
We’re not anywhere near panic mode, yet. There were some good things to build on.
- The run game showed some life finally. Nice pulling blocks and good holes. Rashard showed a couple nice moves.
- Logan had me worried last week. After his first nice runback, he looked tentative and I worried that he got smacked around too much. Nice to see the recovery. He looked very good against the Bears. I don’t understand the talk about dumping him.
- Mike Wallace’s last catch looked like a rookie mistake. Turning it out of bounds was the wrong way to go. He stopped the clock when we needed it running and did not fight for those last two yards to sustain the drive. The kid has skill, though.
- Big Play Willie Gay needs to grow into his position a bit more. He got outplayed.
- Did I imagine the thoughts that looked like they were going across Troy’s face: “Man, I would have had that one.” “Oh, yeah, I saw that coming.” “Can I get some shoulder pads on without Coach seeing me?”
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