Steelers vs Ravens Thoughts - Week 11

[Chidi29]

"Hi Alex,
Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to write such a great article!
(((Hugs)))
Marianne
(HTG)"

First Half

- First play of game. Go route to Wallace. Isolate him by motioning Sanders away, send Manny and Heath on deep routes to occupy single-high safety. Pass interference, big gain.

- Never would have expected a deep shot to Wallace, end-around to Gilreath, 31 yard TD run by Leftwich on our first drive. Twilight Zone stuff.

- One nice thing about having an athletic FB like Will Johnson is you can ask him to basically pull like a guard. Come across line and kick out EMOL. Can't do that with a Kreider type.

- Looks like Redman suffered concussion on Reed fumble recovery. Helmet to helmet shot from Pollard in this shot. No flag. Probably should've been for blindside block on turnover.

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg608/Chidi2929/Redman_concussion.png

- Wonder what coverage was here. It would make sense Allen would have deep responsibility and looked in backfield at strong safety. Hard to say though. Deep pass to Smith broken up by Ike.

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg608/Chidi2929/Allen_Bite.png

- Remember when everyone wanted to run Ike out of town...? How about now?

- Manny Sanders punt returner.

- Adams' struggled with first punch and bend against Kruger. Bullrushed here, Kruger gets into him first and you can see Adams lunge a little. Struggled with Kruger all game.

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg608/Chidi2929/Adams.png

- Jacoby Jones' PR TD. Pretty well blocked by Baltimore. Mundy did veer into a Raven blocker right before the catch which was weird but it was to the side Jones ended up running so it's not a big deal. Mundy really didn't have a chance.

- Woodley took step up trying to jump Rice in the flat when Flacco stared him down. Flacco waited though and Rice extended route to a wheel for a gain of 31. Hard to blame Woodley because it looked like zone and Woodley had flat responsibility

- Boldin's comebacks are tough to stop because the pass is caught 2-3 yards short of where Boldin breaks. Doesn't really get a lot of natural separation anymore so they use that to get him open. Tough for the corner to make up 4-5 yards in a short time.

- Lot of mustard on 16 yard pass to Miller early in 2nd from an unsound base. Throws like that that tell Tomlin Lefty was good enough.

- Keenan Lewis with three straight, solid open-field tackles mid-way through first half.

- Sloppy tackling by Timmons/Ike on 3/10 against Boldin. Ended up picking up first down when should have been well-short.

Second Half

- Harrison, Woodley key cogs on 3rd/1 stuff of Rice on first drive. Knifed through/drove back their TEs Bajema and Dickson.

- Ed Reed gambled, got burned on 3rd and 1, 37 yarder to Sanders. Bit on Heath cross, Sanders ends up 1 v 1 deep. Pic.

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg608/Chidi2929/Reed_Bite2.png

- Good blocking on 3/1 run by Batch. Foster with a nice seal. Will with the lead block. Batch squeezed his way through for three. Starks even pancaked Ngata though it was away from play.

- Think corner route in end zone to Cotchery should have been thrown half second quicker in late in third. Used a rub with Heath that worked but Graham had enough time to recover.

- Good run block by Will Johnson here. Wasn't prettiest but worked. Tries to pull, gets clipped by one-gapping DT. Usually stops any chance of getting to your block by Johnson keeps working and gets a piece of Ellerbee to spring Dwyer for 8.

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg608/Chidi2929/Will_Johnsonblock.png

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg608/Chidi2929/Will_Johnsonblock2.png

- Big open field tackle by Curtis Brown on Armando Allen KR after Suisham's 22 yard FG.

- Will give Ed Reed credit for covering a lot of ground on Dwyer measurement catch to nearly stop him. Reed at own 40 when Dwyer catches it.

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg608/Chidi2929/Reedclose.png

- Can't say I'm a fan of 2/9 wheel route to Will Johnson on the same drive. Incomplete, now in 3rd and long.

- Love effort by Heath on 3rd and 6 to extend and pick up first down.

- Got inside Ravens' 45 twice in the 4th quarter down by a FG. Two punts. Can't have it, not going to win you games (which it didn't).

- Lefty actually spun ball well all game. Even the one that died to Gilreath, the play was over from get go after bad snap Leftwich had to pick up from ground. Who knows, maybe he never got a good grip on it. Maybe the ball became slicker.

- Foster had trouble sticking to his blocks in the run game.

- Woodley manhandled rookie RT Kelechi Osemele.

Sacks

- 3rd and 10, 7:27 left in 1st. Shotgun, 11. 7 blocking vs 4. Kruger's quick hands beat Adams around edge. Ugh.

- 3rd and 9, 10:44. Shotgun, 11. 6 vs 6. Tough to figure this one out, feel free to go back and look and give your opinion. Long and short of it. Suggs comes in free, Kruger beats Adams, Leftwich forced to climb pocket, runs into Ngata.

Looks like slide protection to the right. Dwyer is on block/release. But he never really blocks. He just kinda hangs out in backfield for a second and then releases. Since it's 6 v 6 and it's a five step drop out of the gun on 3rd and 9, the passing route is going to take time. So if you see six possibly coming, and they had all six up, you have to assume they are all coming and stay in and block until you see otherwise.

Starks ends up in a 2 on one with Ngata and Suggs, letting Suggs come in free. Some pictures. Ultimately, I'll take a stab at it and put blame on Dwyer. He has to stay in. 6 on 5 isn't going to win it.

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg608/Chidi2929/Starks_caught.png

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg608/Chidi2929/Leftwich_climb.png

- 3rd and 11, 4:41 left in 4th. Shotgun, 11. 6 v 4. Blast from past. Blitz used on 3rd and 12 in Divisional game in 2010 season. One down lineman, NT in middle, three by three on the outside for Baltimore. They bring all three on left (from QBs view) side, drop the NT, and two of three on the right. Colon/Pouncey double up on the left side, letting the Raven came in free and clock Leftwich. Only grainy picture I have from 2010 but you can see it. Blitz from right side there.

http://i55.tinypic.com/2hmm047.jpg

Honestly, blame coaching. I know they can't say anything on the field once the QBs helmet communication is shut off, but that's a look we've seen before (alebit awhile ago). Have to have your guys prepared. Pics of play. Up top view of formation and the double with Colon/Pouncey.

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg608/Chidi2929/Sack3.png

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg608/Chidi2929/Sack3_2.png

http://i1246.photobucket.com/albums/gg608/Chidi2929/Colon_double.png

Sack Counter (Game)

Mike Adams: 1
Jonathan Dwyer: 1
Coaches: 1

Sack Counter (Season)

Coverage: 4
Mike Adams: 4
Willie Colon: 3
Max Starks: 3
Maurkice Pouncey: 1.5
Doug Legursky: 1.5
Jonathan Dwyer: 1
Coaches: 1

Formations

FB: 10
Pony: 0
Empty: 1

INSIDE INFO REGARDING BEN

For all of you skimming...

Take it for what it's worth. Friend of mine who personally knows Omar Khan, our cap guy. And I trust the things he tells me.

Says Ben rib injury is overblown. Was used as excuse just in case Ben had to miss game because of his child. Ribs were never a concern. Should be back next week.

Which makes some sense because remember, Tomlin never even mentioned his ribs at his Tuesday press conference. And then the info exploded from unknown sources.

[Count Steeler]

Take it for what it's worth. Friend of mine who personally knows Omar Khan, our cap guy. And I trust the things he tells me.

Says Ben rib injury is overblown. Was used as excuse just in case Ben had to miss game because of his child. Ribs were never a concern. Should be back next week.

Which makes some sense because remember, Tomlin never even mentioned his ribs at his Tuesday press conference. And then the info exploded from unknown sources.

I didn't want to openly say it, but I suspected something along these lines.

Nice work again Chidi29. Thanks for taking time out of your day(s).

[X-Terminator]

Good job again, Chidi. And you just know if that inside info about Ben's ribs ever gets made public (well, more public than this message board), shit's going to get real. The media loves stuff like that.

[Devilsdancefloor]

Nice work Alex!

[Chidi29]

Good job again, Chidi. And you just know if that inside info about Ben's ribs ever gets made public (well, more public than this message board), shit's going to get real. The media loves stuff like that.

Omar apparently also said that Ben "loves the drama". Don't know if he heard that from Ben directly or was just drawing his own conclusions.

Rib injury always seemed fishy to me, too. His rib never punctured his aorta, just that there was that possibility. Injury was always a "could" not a "is".

[Count Steeler]

Omar apparently also said that Ben "loves the drama". Don't know if he heard that from Ben directly or was just drawing his own conclusions.

Rib injury always seemed fishy to me, too. His rib never punctured his aorta, just that there was that possibility. Injury was always a "could" not a "is".

If I were him, I still play with a blood pack under my jersey and let it leak out if anyone hit me. Yeah, I know. But I would even pull this stunt on my wife.

[Psycho Ward 86]

ngata getting pancaked...now theres your wtf moment of the year right there. Looks like that shoulder injury is worse than we thought. I expect him healthier and way nastier for the next game though, and thats a big difference for that ravens defense.

[Chidi29]

ngata getting pancaked...now theres your wtf moment of the year right there. Looks like that shoulder injury is worse than we thought. I expect him healthier and way nastier for the next game though, and thats a big difference for that ravens defense.

Ha yeah, odd to see. But he's still a handful.

One thing I noticed about him, and I wonder if it is scheme or injury related, was that he saw a lot more time at 5 tech than what I'm used to seeing.

[zulater]

Remember when everyone wanted to run Ike out of town...? How about now?


The first 4 games of the season he was playing as bad as any corner in the league. No one was making that up. That was evident by his body of work. Why did it take him a month to bring his play up to his pay level? Maybe you can tell us since you seem to have all the answers.

Regardless we lost a conference game to the Titans in no small part due to Ike's terrible play. I'd also say his fingerprints were strongly in evidence on the corpse of the Raiders and Broncos losses. And of course last year's playoff loss to the Broncos as well.

I'm delighted somone stoked Ike's trigger and he's playing like the shutdown corner he's paid to be. But I'm not going to apoligize or feel shamed for making comments about his atrocious play when it was in fact atrocious at the time.

Had he played all season at his current level, good chance we're 8-2 right now, and at least no worse than 7-3.

[Chidi29]

Yes, he wasn't playing to the level we hoped/expected, but it doesn't mean you jump ship at the first sign of trouble. Sometimes players slump, it happens. There's your explanation. Ebb and flow of a season and career.

A lot of those big plays came off of interference calls on some difficult to defend routes (back shoulder, being one-on-one with a tall corner). And he got too much blame for the Broncos game last year. I remember one of the deep balls he gave up came after eight seconds, an amount of time no corner can be asked to cover for.

I know he played bad. But if some people on here were running the show, we'd have a lot of talented guys riding the pine right now.

[crcsnail]

Nice one Alex , as always .

[zulater]

Yes, he wasn't playing to the level we hoped/expected, but it doesn't mean you jump ship at the first sign of trouble. Sometimes players slump, it happens. There's your explanation. Ebb and flow of a season and career.

Generally speaking, when you see a 5 game pronounced "ebb" coming from a player of Ike Taylor's age, you don't see a return of the "flow".

A lot of those big plays came off of interference calls on some difficult to defend routes (back shoulder, being one-on-one with a tall corner). And he got too much blame for the Broncos game last year. I remember one of the deep balls he gave up came after eight seconds, an amount of time no corner can be asked to cover for.

I know he played bad. But if some people on here were running the show, we'd have a lot of talented guys riding the pine right now.

Generally speaking, when you see a 5 game pronounced "ebb" coming from a player of Ike Taylor's age, you don't see a return of the "flow" again. Seeing how his game turned around after he bottomed out in Tennessee, my guess is that Ike was taking too much for granted and wasn't pushing himself hard enough in film preperation and attention to detail.

[Count Steeler]

Yes, he wasn't playing to the level we hoped/expected, but it doesn't mean you jump ship at the first sign of trouble. Sometimes players slump, it happens. There's your explanation. Ebb and flow of a season and career.

A lot of those big plays came off of interference calls on some difficult to defend routes (back shoulder, being one-on-one with a tall corner). And he got too much blame for the Broncos game last year. I remember one of the deep balls he gave up came after eight seconds, an amount of time no corner can be asked to cover for.

I know he played bad. But if some people on here were running the show, we'd have a lot of talented guys riding the pine right now.

And just because he has his "flow" going now, what is to say he doesn't "ebb" at the most inopportune time? Somehow, somewhere, the D got a wake up call after game 5. Happy to see he is back to his normal level and I hope he remains at this level.

[Shoes]

Nice work again, Chidi!

[zulater]

Hey Chidi, any chance you can ask your inside source if there was anything more to the story of why Tomlin fired Al Everest so close to the season?

Judging by the quality of the special teams play this year as opposed to last year, ( other than Suisham) it looks like it's a move that backfired.

It seemed so out of character for the team and coach Tomlin to make that move when they did. So I think a lot of us believe there were off the field issues, or some sort of major personaility clash that was at play here.

[zulater]

[I]

Take it for what it's worth. Friend of mine who personally knows Omar Khan, our cap guy. And I trust the things he tells me.

Says Ben rib injury is overblown. Was used as excuse just in case Ben had to miss game because of his child. Ribs were never a concern. Should be back next week.

Which makes some sense because remember, Tomlin never even mentioned his ribs at his Tuesday press conference. And then the info exploded from unknown sources.

If your friend was right they must have been putting on a show yesterday to throw the Ravens off the trail. Because if what we saw on ESPN with the video of Ben soft tossing was an accurate indication of where Ben's at physically, you can forget the Chargers game too! :horror:

I'm not trying to jab ya Alex, I'm being serious here. I honestly can't see what the point of them trotting Ben out for the camera to toss romper room like passes unless there was some subterfuge at work.

I know one thing, if it was meant to make Steelers nation feel better about Ben's imminent return , they failed!

[Dino 6 Rings]

Ben will "hero up" this week, show up, limp out of the locker room with a face of pain...look like he's about to die...then throw for 4 tds and light up the Ravens in a blow out while our defense crushes Flacco's brain with hard hits as Troy dances around in his cerebral cortex for 60 minutes.

yep...that or we lose and life sucks again for another week.

[zulater]

Think you were misled Chidi.It appears Ben's not even close to playing and the rib injury is likely significant.

- - - Updated - - -

Btw you deserve a medal if you do a break down of the Browns game. I wouldn't watch that game again at less than pain of torture. In fact i would consider watching that game again a form of torture!

[43Hitman]

Think you were misled Chidi.It appears Ben's not even close to playing and the rib injury is likely significant.

- - - Updated - - -

Btw you deserve a medal if you do a break down of the Browns game. I wouldn't watch that game again at less than pain of torture. In fact i would consider watching that game again a form of torture!

lol, I'd rather be waterboarded than watch that game again.

[BnG_Hevn]

I say the Steelers win.

Why?

Because like so many other teams that have nothing to lose, nor do the Steelers. They are going to play with a "win or go home" mentality - either win or go home for the playoffs.

From the coaches on down too. That means on 4th and 2 from their own 48, expect them to go for it straight up or have a fake punt. They will pull out all the stops and teams that do that are EXTREMELY dangerous.

Mathematically they may make the playoffs with a 10 - 6 record, but 9 - 7? If they lose Sunday then they have to win out for any real shot. They to win out from here for a definite playoff spot, but losing will make the margin for error nil.

I say they win by 10 points.