Game balls and goat horns.

[zulater]

Game balls. LeVeon Bell. His one play flipped the momentum.

Big Ben. After an atrocious start he played a good game.

The Beard!!!!!! Keisel was the man tonight!!!

Goats. Cortez Allen. I'm done defending him. His play was putrid again.

James Harrison. Only time he gets his number called all game was on a foolish pf. that helped give the Texans their last sliver of life.

[fansince'76]

AB is the man.

[zulater]

Additional goat Dri Archer. Who's idea was it to put him on the hands team? :doh: Almost fumbled the game to overtime! :frusty:

Additional game ball. Pouncey. Damn he can get down the field and block!

[Steelman]

Game ball to Bell. He was the one guy locked in. Ben and AB followed suit, but Bell was the man tonight.

Goats...how could it be anyone else? Cortez Allen. Wow. Abysmal.


Other honorable mentions: Martavis Bryant. Good start to his first NFL game. DANIEL MCCULLERS. Good God. I wish I could make a gif of that play he drove the center back 10 yards.

[st33lersguy]

Game balls: Michael Palmer for sealing (and probably saving) the game with a superb heads up play on the onside kick. Bell and AB who continue to produce, Martavis, great 1st catch, and Ben who was overall steady tonight. Also give one to Mike Mitchell for the great strip.

Game goats: The defense in general for nearly giving up 400 yards to a Ryan Fitzpatrick offense and for that awful final drive. More specifically giving it to Cortez Allen who had another stinker, Dri Archer and his Limas Sweed hands, and Timmons for pulling a McNabb and puking on the field. Another one to Todd Haley for those neanderthal pass attempts on 2nd and 3rd down right before the final TD drive. Run the ball and take 40 seconds off the clock.

[zulater]

AB is the man.

Yeah I thought about him, but you got to get that second foot down in the end zone.

:wink02:

I keed! He gets one too. And what a pass!

- - - Updated - - -


Game balls: Michael Palmer for sealing (and probably saving) the game with a superb heads up play on the onside kick. Bell and AB who continue to produce, Martavis, great 1st catch, and Ben who was overall steady tonight. Also give one to Mike Mitchell for the great strip.

Game goats: The defense in general for nearly giving up 400 yards to a Ryan Fitzpatrick offense and for that awful final drive. More specifically giving it to Cortez Allen who had another stinker, Dri Archer and his Limas Sweed hands, and Timmons for pulling a McNabb and puking on the field. Another one to Todd Haley for those neanderthal pass attempts on 2nd and 3rd down right before the final TD drive. Run the ball and take 40 seconds off the clock.

I thought the defense played good for most of the game. Put it this way, they had an awful first quarter and a lousy end. But I thought the end was due to going to prevent defense.

[GBMelBlount]

Ben, Brown and Bell.

Brown is freakin incredible.

[Shoes]

AB is the man.

I agree, hard work and a bit of talent! Timmons gets one also for barfing all over the field. :chuckle:

[stillers4me]

Honorable mention to Timmons' vomit.

[fansince'76]

I think the team should get one as a whole for getting the dumbass penalties under control. 6 for 38 yards tonight. And one of those was that boneheaded one by Harrison for 15.

[zulater]

I think the team should get one as a whole for getting the dumbass penalties under control. 6 for 38 yards tonight. And one of those was that boneheaded one by Harrison for 15.


And two were intentional delay of game penalties that made no difference.

[stillers4me]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B0cJiAtIgAEAx7C.jpg

[fansince'76]

And two were intentional delay of game penalties that made no difference.

And no drive killers. Those are the ones that drive me nuts, especially when somebody's made a really good play that gets wiped out because of it.

[zulater]

dishonorable goat mention Mike Tomlin for flipping the momentum and field position away from his team for not having the balls to go for it on 4th and inches at the Texans 40. Within 3 plays the Texans moved the ball to where the ball would have turned over on downs had the Steelers failed to convert.

[fansince'76]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B0cJiAtIgAEAx7C.jpg

I knew AB got robbed on that overturned call. There was no white paint on that divot he kicked up.

[Steelerette]

dishonorable goat mention Mike Tomlin for flipping the momentum and field position away from his team for not having the balls to go for it on 4th and inches at the Texans 40. Within 3 plays the Texans moved the ball to where the ball would have turned over on downs had the Steelers failed to convert.
Even during the seasons where Tomlin generally received praise, it was said that his clock management was awful.

[zulater]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B0cJiAtIgAEAx7C.jpg

This is what pisses me off. Replay isn't supposed to overturn the play unless there's incontravertible proof that the call on the field was wrong. Had the call on the field been no touchdown I would have been fine with the play standing. But I hate when they go looking to overturn when the proof isn't there! :frusty:

[zulater]

I'd like to shove that still shot of AB's foot in right up the replay official's ass! He should be fined by the league for incompetence.

[Craic]

I think the team should get one as a whole for getting the dumbass penalties under control. 6 for 38 yards tonight. And one of those was that boneheaded one by Harrison for 15.


And two were intentional delay of game penalties that made no difference.

Yes, and yes.

Two that were intentional, and were good intentional penalties. A third one that I thought was good penalty was Troy P's dive. That close to the endzone, the momentum on the side of the Texans for the drive, no fear of stopping the clock because at that point, the clock will restart when the ball is snapped again anyway, and a chance to really screw things up for the other team—I have no problem with that penalty. That leaves only three penalties. One I don't remember, one was a passing interference that was rightly called, but it was a working penalty, rather than a stupid penalty, and one when the O line jumped. That was the only dumb penalty of the entire game.

BTW, anyone notice how the o line settled down a bit after Adams came in on the right side? I think it's time to give him a shot over there again.

[Steeldude]

Suisham

Goat - C. Allen

[Steelman]

BTW, anyone notice how the o line settled down a bit after Adams came in on the right side? I think it's time to give him a shot over there again.

Ya know, I remember thinking that very thing during the game. Gilbert looked liked a scared baby out there before he went out. (I did call that in the prediction thread :chuckle:) Maybe Mike Adams just really didn't care about anything, including Watt, and that helped stabilize the line in some weird way? Or maybe Munch is really working his magic.

[zulater]

Yes, and yes.

Two that were intentional, and were good intentional penalties. A third one that I thought was good penalty was Troy P's dive. That close to the endzone, the momentum on the side of the Texans for the drive, no fear of stopping the clock because at that point, the clock will restart when the ball is snapped again anyway, and a chance to really screw things up for the other team—I have no problem with that penalty. That leaves only three penalties. One I don't remember, one was a passing interference that was rightly called, but it was a working penalty, rather than a stupid penalty, and one when the O line jumped. That was the only dumb penalty of the entire game.

BTW, anyone notice how the o line settled down a bit after Adams came in on the right side? I think it's time to give him a shot over there again.

Don't forget Harrison's stupid roughing the passer penalty.

I agree with you on the Polmalu offsides. Nothing to lose. If he times it right that's huge.

- - - Updated - - -


Suisham

Goat - C. Allen


Suisham was money today on all of his kicks.

[Psycho Ward 86]

Goat: The fact that Heyward Bey is on the hands team

[Devilsdancefloor]

I'd like to shove that still shot of AB's foot in right up the replay official's ass! He should be fined by the league for incompetence.

i agree they need punishment of some kind if they take money away from them maybe just maybe they will make sure they get it right.

Ball: AB & Bell honorable mention McCain for actually playing up on WR and not giving 5 to 10 yard cushion

Goat: Tez is a head case at the moment haley for not trying to run the clock out and throw if you need too

[Steelerette]

Goat: The fact that Heyward Bey is on the hands team
DHB is what he is, and probably could have some value to the team when we do things like go four wide.

But last week he was gunning and this week he's on the hands team. WHY?! Tomlin should have fired Danny Smith right during that timeout. [not really, but sheesh]

[Psycho Ward 86]

DHB is what he is, and probably could have some value to the team when we do things like go four wide.

But last week he was gunning and this week he's on the hands team. WHY?! Tomlin should have fired Danny Smith right during that timeout. [not really, but sheesh]

:lol:

[steelreserve]

Game balls:

Bell. That guy is just incredible at everything. He almost never takes a bad loss. This is the running back I've been waiting for for almost 10 years.

Brown. His usual bad self.

Honorable mention to Timmons, for an impressive boot and rally. Gay, for being not light-out but at least dependable and with no major fuck-ups that I saw, which is hugely important for this team. Adams for also coming in in a pinch and remaining unnoticed for almost the entire game, which for him is huge.


Goats:

Dri Archer. He has been completely useless for us in every game. What the hell were we thinking?

Haley. 2 minutes of genius and 48 minutes of tease-tease-tease-BONEHEAD MOVE. Aside from the long bomb that worked and two scores off of incredibly fortunate turnovers, the offense mostly looked good in the middle of the field, then screwed it up and kicked field goals. If we'd stuck to our normal habits and gotten a holding penalty in the middle of every drive, we'd have been lucky to score more than 3 points based on pure offensive effort. As the announcers pointed out, the last time three touchdowns were scored that quickly by one team was the Butt Fumble game; I'll take a lucky win, but you cannot count on getting the ball back inside your opponents' 10 twice per contest.


Overall, this was our typical game with a lot of good fortune thrown our way. Like the Panthers game, I don't know whether I feel more like we won it, or our opponents shot themselves in the foot and suffered from obvious flaws. A win's a win, but we were very lucky to get this one.

[zulater]

We should file that onsides kick away as an example for our own special teams for the next time we get in that situation ourselves. Our onsides kicks tend to be easy enough for a middle school team to field.

[Dwinsgames]

not going to get overly excited ... remember this team was getting their asses handed to them until the 3 min mark of the second Q and without that 3 min spurt it would have been a laugher at the end as well ...

was their some bright spots ..... sure but I am not going to mistake those bright spots as a turn around nor will I mistake this win for one either ...

yes some good signs but some bad ones as well ( remember we got into a pretty big hole or we would not have had to bail ourselves out of one )

Youngsters getting a hat was a step in the right direction and for the most part where impactful , but this staff is liable to not give them a hat again next week unless injuries dictate they get one so I will not hold my breath .....


stack wins over the next few weeks and you may convince me , otherwise I am just a critical onlooker who refuses to be fooled

[zulater]

Bell gave the Steelers a lift when they needed it most Monday night.

Several of them, actually.

The Steelers trailed, 13-0, midway through the second quarter. It wouldn’t be quite accurate to say the offense was doing nothing because quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had lost a fumble, leading to a Houston field goal. The crowd, such as it was minus about 9,000 no-shows, was booing lustily. There was an overwhelming feeling the home team was headed toward another crushing loss at Heinz Field that surely would put their season in jeopardy.

Bell didn’t allow it to happen. He took a little dump pass over the middle from Roethlisberger on a third-and-10 play and, after shrugging off Houston linebacker Brian Cushing, turned it into a 43-yard gain. It was the play of the game. It gave the Steelers life. They had to settle for a field goal, but, as it turned out, it was just the start of their best offensive quarter of the season. They scored three touchdowns in the final 1:27.

“I saw it was man-to-man coverage,” Bell said. “I knew I had a chance to get the rock. I made sure I won the match-up [against Cushing].”

Roethlisberger loved it.

“That play was huge. It flipped the field. I think it was our first third-down conversion. It got us started.”

Bell caught a 28-yard screen pass to set up the Steelers’ first touchdown, cutting the Houston lead to 13-10. Later, he had a 2-yard touchdown catch to give the Steelers a 24-13 lead. He finished with eight catches for 88 yards.

“His awareness is unbelievable,” Roethlisberger said. “On that touchdown play, he went in motion and he was supposed to run a fade pattern. He saw the coverage and broke it off [outside safety D.J. Swearinger]. He made that play.”http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/ron-cook/2014/10/21/Ron-Cook-Le-Veon-Bell-continues-to-be-Steelers-difference-maker/stories/201410210153

This is why I gave Bell my primary game ball. His 3rd down conversation changed the course of the game.

[plenewken]

There was a game last night?

[Dwinsgames]

There was a game last night?

no , we are all just fantasizing :chuckle:

[ALLD]

It's possible Bell's DUI was a wake up call and he is out to prove something. When a great WR like AB can also throw for a TD that is something special. Ben and HEath also made some plays. DHB's 3rd down catch was one of many game savers.

All DCs are going to throw at Cortez Allen if the Steelers continue to play him when he is not ready. They will pass for more TDs than we will prevent. Prevent defense is good if you have a 3 TD lead with less than a minute to play. To seal a game remember Woodley's strip sack of Warner in the Super Bowl? Haley continues to lack strategic common sense during times of stress when quick thinking is needed. We scored because the ball uncharacteristically bounced our way and Fitzpatrick can't make every throw.

The vomit voodoo worked. Timmons should wash down a couple of kraut dogs with a glass of lumpy milk when we play the Colts.

[Butch]

Game ball Bell for turning Momentum and the D for building on that momentum. Nice int. by Kiesel. Not a lot of dumb penalties and that speaks volumes because I think we would get flagged even if there was hint of a penalty.

Goats. The refs for 2 non calls the holding call on the opening drive that killed the drive, it was blatant, and taking away AB's Touchdown. As stated the proof has to be there to overturn it. The refs in our games are missing blatant calls at an alarming rate. Good teams over come bad officiating but Damn these calls are piling up and killing us in the long run.

Whoever called a pass play late in the game when all we have to do is run clock and whoever calls for a run on Damn near every 1st down. My son and I were calling the game and if we can do it I am sure the DC for the other team can do it.


And yes I agree we were a bit lucky to win this game. I think it was more of Texas losing the game than us winning it.

[Shoes]

not going to get overly excited ... remember this team was getting their asses handed to them until the 3 min mark of the second Q and without that 3 min spurt it would have been a laugher at the end as well ...

was their some bright spots ..... sure but I am not going to mistake those bright spots as a turn around nor will I mistake this win for one either ...

yes some good signs but some bad ones as well ( remember we got into a pretty big hole or we would not have had to bail ourselves out of one )

Youngsters getting a hat was a step in the right direction and for the most part where impactful , but this staff is liable to not give them a hat again next week unless injuries dictate they get one so I will not hold my breath .....


stack wins over the next few weeks and you may convince me , otherwise I am just a critical onlooker who refuses to be fooled


I'm happy for the win but I agree with you Dwins, in fact the Steelers probably agree with you. :chuckle:

[The Bark]

I thought Adams did a decent job when he went in. There was one play in particular where I saw somebody dive into a pile to try and get the runner extra yardage and was surprised to see it was Adams. I thought McCullers was decent, too. A few plays in particular he showed a lot of promise, driving the center back a good 8 yards or so. Bryant's first NFL catch reminded me of Starling Marte's first MLB at bat: home run.

There's a lot to be pleased with, but not overly so: take away those three minutes and this game is completely different. Nice to see them capitalize on errors and score in the red zone, but there's still something to be said about consistency and the fact that this team really, really comes out of the tunnel not ready to play every single week.

[X-Terminator]

Lucky or not, I'll take the W. And in fact, I'm going on record right now and predict that they will find a way to beat the Colts next week. For some reason, the Steelers often find a way to win games they have no business winning.

Now watch them lose 45-3 or something...

[fansince'76]

not going to get overly excited ... remember this team was getting their asses handed to them until the 3 min mark of the second Q and without that 3 min spurt it would have been a laugher at the end as well ...

was their some bright spots ..... sure but I am not going to mistake those bright spots as a turn around nor will I mistake this win for one either ...

yes some good signs but some bad ones as well ( remember we got into a pretty big hole or we would not have had to bail ourselves out of one )

Youngsters getting a hat was a step in the right direction and for the most part where impactful , but this staff is liable to not give them a hat again next week unless injuries dictate they get one so I will not hold my breath .....


stack wins over the next few weeks and you may convince me , otherwise I am just a critical onlooker who refuses to be fooled


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BbU4Cb4A4-o

J/K, Dwins. Couldn't resist. :chuckle:

[venom]

Lucky or not, I'll take the W. And in fact, I'm going on record right now and predict that they will find a way to beat the Colts next week. For some reason, the Steelers often find a way to win games they have no business winning.

Now watch them lose 45-3 or something...
Hopefully they are not looking ahead to the Ravens the following week - another national televised game

[Lady Steel]

Game balls to the Killer B's of Bell, Ben and Brown!

Honorable mentions to Timmons and Kiesel for getting those turnovers on defense so our offense could work their magic.

[SteelMember]

1. AB gets a game ball. That TD pass was tight. Great catch by his crotch too. You could definitely tell he had to squeeze a little tighter than he'd have liked to. Bell is 1B.

Goat's are Cam and Cortez.

[Moose]

Game Ball- A. Brown without a doubt.
Game Goats - Defense, NO ONE can tackle !!!!! NO ONE can cover !!!!!!!!!!

[zulater]

Game Ball- A. Brown without a doubt.
Game Goats - Defense, NO ONE can tackle !!!!! NO ONE can cover !!!!!!!!!!

Really?

[Moose]

Hahaha.....just searching man !

[Count Steeler]

Can we please rip every page out of the defensive play book that has anything to do with the PREVENT DEFENSE?

Game ball: Ben and Brown. Ben takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Brown, well, what else can Brown do for you? Even robbed of a TD.

Goats, nah, we won. Everyone gets a break. But Cortez, wake up.

[HollywoodSteel]

Can we please rip every page out of the defensive play book that has anything to do with the PREVENT DEFENSE?

Game ball: Ben and Brown. Ben takes a licking and keeps on ticking. Brown, well, what else can Brown do for you? Even robbed of a TD.

Goats, nah, we won. Everyone gets a break. But Cortez, wake up.

One of the key differences between last night's game and pretty much every other game this year is that we were finally able to OVERCOME THE REFS. That TD would have been nice but the bad call didn't kill me at the time because I didn't think we'd ultimately need those points. That's a good feeling I don't get too often with this team.

[HollywoodSteel]

Game ball: The ball itself.

The football so rarely bounces our way in any situation that I feel compelled to give it some appreciation, especially for that Keisel pick. Plus there was the slippery ball that went through their kick returner's hands (that led to points for us) and the Mitchell strip that ended up under one of our guys. And of course the ball ultimately bouncing past some Texans and into our hands on that onside kick. So here's to you, football-that-bounced-our-way-for-seemingly-the-first-time-ever. Enjoy a Bud Light on us. You earned it.

[SteelerFanInStl]

My game ball goes to Bell and Bell alone. Not because he was the only one that deserves it but I think that he deserves to be singled out for the way that he's played all year long. AB isn't far behind but Le'Veon has just been outstanding and I love to watch him with the ball. He is the RB that we were all hoping for, even those of us that wanted Lacy. :D

My Goat goes to Cortez. I didn't think that the Steelers needed to rush into an extension with him but I never thought he'd be this bad.

[86WARD]

Brown, Bell, Ben - Balls.

Allen, Archer, Tomlin - Goats.

[Godfather]

Another one to Todd Haley for those neanderthal pass attempts on 2nd and 3rd down right before the final TD drive. Run the ball and take 40 seconds off the clock.

I know. That was one of the dumbest things I've ever seen. And I've been watching SEC coaches bungle clock management for 20 years.

Another reason to give Haley a game goat: The score looked good, but two of our three touchdown drives started inside the Houston 10. Without the turnovers last night would have been yet another egg by the offense.