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Despite my less than prestigious BTSC teaching certificate, I have to issue the necessary disclaimer. You know the story; of course, I’m not a football coach, or a teacher, but I play one in blogs and podcasts. Before the Steelers traveled to Northern Florida, I found myself noticing just how equal the two teams actually are despite the disparity in records. And then I realized that these teams both usually battle in tight contests. Then the game happened and the judgments followed.
Grading games is an extremely difficult and somewhat thankless task. While the coaches’ grades, of course, are what count the most, the media and fans can’t help but evaluate as well.
So let’s take a look at BTSC’s early perceptions:
Offense:
I find it hard to fault James Conner for his mere 25 yards on nine carries, because the early deficit made the run game obsolete. But his two key drops at crucial junctures almost cost the Steelers dearly. The receivers can’t be blamed either. Antonio Brown would’ve been gone on the first pick by Ben, but No. 7 couldn’t get the wide-open AB the Ball. He missed Vance McDonald a few times too. The offense’s main issues were due to Ben Roethlisberger, but once it came down to the comeback...the legendary Steeler led the way. It was ugly girl prom date pretty. The nice thing for Ben was his chaperones down the stretch (JuJu, AB, Vance and Switz) were clutch.
Poll
What grade do you give the Steelers’ offense in Week 11?
This poll is closed
-
0%
A
(9 votes) -
14%
B
(218 votes) -
58%
C
(863 votes) -
23%
D
(350 votes) -
1%
F
(27 votes)
Overall Offense Grade: C-
Defense
The defense was definitely impressive and won the game for the Steelers. While the run defense was getting shredded early and gave up 4.2 ypc, they held Leonard Fournette late to just 20 of his 95 yards for an average of 1.43 ypc. Blake Bortles only completed ten passes, four more than the six times he fell victim to sacks, two each by T.J. Watt and Javon Hargrave and one each by Vinny Williams and Cam Heyward. The secondary didn’t let one deep ball get completed, which helped as well.
Poll
What grade do you give the Steelers’ Defense in Week 11?
This poll is closed
-
34%
A
(496 votes) -
54%
B
(795 votes) -
9%
C
(144 votes) -
1%
D
(20 votes) -
0%
F
(3 votes)
Overall Defense Grade: A-
Special Teams
Missed tackles, unnecessary and way too many penalties and very little return on returns...Danny Smith Jr.’s unit was subpar. But Jordan Berry averaged 51 ypp, his best performance of the season.
Poll
What grade do you give the Steelers’ special teams in Week 11?
This poll is closed
-
8%
A
(108 votes) -
37%
B
(482 votes) -
43%
C
(564 votes) -
9%
D
(127 votes) -
0%
F
(9 votes)
Overall Special Teams Grade: C
Overall Team Grade: C-
They did what it took to get the job done. The ending was awesome and gives Steeler Nation great hope, but the first 45 minutes were rough.
Poll
What is your overall grade for the Steelers in Week 11?
This poll is closed
-
2%
A
(38 votes) -
32%
B
(423 votes) -
57%
C
(755 votes) -
6%
D
(87 votes) -
0%
F
(4 votes)
Valedictorian: Trent Jordan Watt
Honor Roll: JuJu Smith-Schuster, Antonio Brown, Vance McDonald. Comeback Ben, Jordan Berry, Ryan Switzer, Cam Heyward, the secondary, Vince Williams, Tyson Alualu, Javon Hargrave
Detention: James Conner, 1st Quarter Ben, 2nd Quarter Ben, 3rd Quarter Ben, Matt Feiler