Preacher's Game Grades*

[Craic]

1. QB. I will grade him out in two different scenarios. 1. NFL QB: "D" Maybe, a "D+". He had one int, and should have had two or three more. The only time he chose to run, was a bad choice-and didn't get the first down. He failed to move the team into the endzone. All of these things outweigh any good on Sunday for a NFL QB. 2. 3rd stringer starting his second game ever: B- or C+. While tentative in his passing early, he seemed to come around a bit. The playaction to Wallace was a thing of beauty. His pass to Ward on the scramble was an excellent example of looking downfield for the pass rather than looking for room to run. In short, he made rookie mistakes (which should be expected, as he is a rookie when it comes to on-field experience), but he didn't make enough to actually lose the game-though those missed INTS came close.

2. OL. The three interior guys seemed to me to be absolutely solid. Pouncy is an absolute upgrade over Hartwig. Starks played pretty well, but I think he is still searching for his jock strap on the sack (http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-fantasy/09000d5d81a7b5f7/Falcons-defense-sack-6-yd-loss)by Abraham at 8:35 of the third quarter (even though the answer says it is Flozell). Other than that however, his name wasn't mentioned until he was injured. The one big mistake by this line? Just after the two-minute warning. Your rookie (for all intents and purposes) QB just took a sack because he held on to the ball too long. Rookie mistake... or no mistake, better that then an INT. However, Now, O LINE.. STEP UP AND PROTECT on 3rd down in your own zone with two minutes left. Instead, a three man rush against six blockers gets to the QB. (http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-fantasy/09000d5d81a7c2d5/Falcons-defense-sack-10-yd-loss) Why? Flozell gets beat wide, then the guy cuts in shallow and blows by Miller like he is standing still. BIG MISTAKE. On run blocking, not too bad. Seams were created, some good blocking done, but nothing to write home about. When it is all said and done, the interior of the line gets a B, maybe even a B+ (gotta check out the run blocking a bit more). The tackles get a C.

3. Running Game and RB's. C to C-. WHAT? How in the WORLD CAN YOU GIVE THAT A C-? Simple. Take the overtime run away, and what do you have? Mendy with a 2.95 yard per rush average, with 21 rushes for only 65 yards. That is not good. Yet, if you watch the game, Mendy made some good moves to get yards where he should not have had yards. Mendy gets a B+ to A- for this game, Redman does the same. Both performed well. But the run game overall was NOT that good. As I have said before, it is the line again.

4. Wide Receivers- I have to give them an A. Ward sprung that game-winning run with his block. They came back to the ball. Wallace had a nice catch downfield. Ward played lights-out (give him an A+, maybe even some extra credit for that game!).

5. Skippy- Oh Skippy, I was shocked when the ball knuckled to the right. According to your post game... so were you. Did you forget you were kicking at Heinz field? However, you did put 3 through the uprights, and even put a kickoff DEEP in the endzone (gust of air maybe?). C+ (B if you hit that missed field goal).

6. DL. Not sure how many realize how early Hoke had to replace Hampton. However, that DL just kept plugging away. Dang. 58 yards TOTAL on the ground, and allowing your LB's to amass 2 sacks (almost a third), and close on a couple of others. B+

7. LB's. A-. The only reason this isn't an A or A+, is because of a couple breakdowns in pass coverage. However, a few phrases come to mind as I think back over this game concerning the LB's... "Run Like Deer" "Hit Like Bull" and "Power through like a diesel truck". Let's talk about some of what we heard about this LB corp: "Harrison slipping because of his age?" Bzzzzt. Wrong answer. I think the guy has become STRONGER and just as fast--and meaner. "Farrior is too old." Swing and a miss. Farrior looked like he was about 25 out there. "Timmons can't stop the run." Strike 3. I saw him plugging holes, shooting through the line to blow up plays. Wow, now THAT was a way to begin the season. Woodley? Not much said about him negative... but he definitely wasn't the weakest link in the LB corp... a corp that doesn't seem to have a weak link.

8. DB's. B-. I saw a coverage sack. YEAH! I saw people WIDE OPEN down field. BOO!. I saw passes defended, wow! I saw a pick dropped that could have blown the game open-- :doh: So, I give Troy an A, and the rest a C+, it averages to a B-

9. Special teams. Wow. Is this the same special teams that we say last year? On the kicking/punting side, I give them an A+. Great job in coverage compared to last year. On the receiving side, I give them a C. Average. Didn't hurt us, didn't help us.


SPECIAL GRADE:

Bruce Arians: A-. Bruce, now THAT is how you protect your young QB. Short throws to give him his confidence. Quite a few run calls to draw in the D. Then, a GREAT call on the play-action pass deep. You called a pretty good game for what you had.


*Graded while fast-forwarding between plays, splitting my focus, and trying to remain quiet due to the 2 year old sleeping directly upstairs from the tv!

[kmsteelerwr15]

Very good analysis and I tend to agree with you on just about everything you said here.

[Steeldude]

i pretty much agree with everything, give or take a +/-

but IMO, arians is a C to D

0-2 in the red zone

4 for 14 on 3rd down

a very limited playbook hurt this team. if dixon can't comprehend the playbook yet then he shouldn't be playing.

[Chidi29]

i pretty much agree with everything, give or take a +/-

but IMO, arians is a C to D

0-2 in the red zone

4 for 14 on 3rd down

a very limited playbook hurt this team. if dixon can't comprehend the playbook yet then he shouldn't be playing.

We were 2-2 in the red zone. Reed had two field goals.

You're acting like the inability to pick up 3rd downs is all Arians fault. Cite some specific examples and I might bite, but it's ultimately up to the players.

Arians isn't picking the QB. That's Tomlin's call. Can't fault Arians for that.

[Craic]

i pretty much agree with everything, give or take a +/-

but IMO, arians is a C to D

0-2 in the red zone

4 for 14 on 3rd down

a very limited playbook hurt this team. if dixon can't comprehend the playbook yet then he shouldn't be playing.

Yes, but I don't put the redzone problem on Arians. When Ben is in there, and we are still having those problems, then I am willing to discuss that part. BUt as for now, I really think it was dixon. As far as not playing, I would rather have him play then Batch. Think is, both Dixon and Bob Labriora (or whatever his name is) were both saying that the playbook was wide open. No, I think the issue was execution by the QB and O line in the run game.

[Steeltreal]

Woodleys only move is the bullrush. Its his contract year, Worilds was drafted i wonder what happens next.

[Chidi29]

Woodleys only move is the bullrush. Its his contract year, Worilds was drafted i wonder what happens next.

Woodley's lack of moves doesn't bother me. That bull rush can be devastating. And I'd rather have him be strong than more finesse. If you're going to play strong side, you better be able to take on the tackle or TE on running plays.

[pepsyman1]

Hey Preach
Since you analyze our games in such detail and have been for quite awhile, what's your take on the way we play at the cornerback position? I LOVE Dick Lebeau, but I've never been able to get my head around why our corners usually play SO far off the receiver when we line up for a play. Ryan completed 16 of 23 passes to the wide receivers and on most of them we are usually just allowing it. It doesn't matter which side it is, on most plays both cornerbacks line up 10-12 yards off the receivers. I understand keeping the play in front of you, but they line up that far back even on 3rd and short. They are basically just giving up 8-10 yard passes because our corners are too far off to make any break on the ball itself on a short pattern. Why SO far off? Occasionally I will see one of our corners shorten up and play 5 or 6 yards off (which seems reasonable to me) but it's rare. It's also incredibly aggravating to watch us blitz, almost be at the QB and have there be an open wide receiver wide open just 5-6 yards downfield because our corners are so far off. Anybody out there got a good explanation for me? We play so aggressively in other parts of our defense and it seems that our corners are RARELY actually challenging a completion unless the opposition goes for a deep ball.

[Craic]

Hey Preach
Since you analyze our games in such detail and have been for quite awhile, what's your take on the way we play at the cornerback position? I LOVE Dick Lebeau, but I've never been able to get my head around why our corners usually play SO far off the receiver when we line up for a play. Ryan completed 16 of 23 passes to the wide receivers and on most of them we are usually just allowing it. It doesn't matter which side it is, on most plays both cornerbacks line up 10-12 yards off the receivers. I understand keeping the play in front of you, but they line up that far back even on 3rd and short. They are basically just giving up 8-10 yard passes because our corners are too far off to make any break on the ball itself on a short pattern. Why SO far off? Occasionally I will see one of our corners shorten up and play 5 or 6 yards off (which seems reasonable to me) but it's rare. It's also incredibly aggravating to watch us blitz, almost be at the QB and have there be an open wide receiver wide open just 5-6 yards downfield because our corners are so far off. Anybody out there got a good explanation for me? We play so aggressively in other parts of our defense and it seems that our corners are RARELY actually challenging a completion unless the opposition goes for a deep ball.

Sure, I have actually had this discussion a number of times, so I have no problem answering this for ya.

It is all wrapped up in the Zone blitz defense. In our defense, the CB's are tasked with run stopping. They back up that far off the WR's because they can't get locked up by a WR and allow the run to get outside of them. In a 4-3, the DL will string out the RB, and the LB can come up and fill the holes, shutting down the run. If a RB goes through the line, since the LB's aren't tasked with Run stopping like the Dline (they are a second tier run stop, except for blitzes)they can float.. and also , the R and L LB can turn it back quicker, again not worrying about being locked up by an O lineman off the snap. In teh 3-4, the lineman lock up hoping to tie up the interior gaps, and also just to their outside. They are NOT primarily tasked with run-stopping. That primary task is the LB's. The LB's come up fast to blow through the gaps created by our 3 DL taking on 4 or 5 O lineman. Thus, the LB comes through and meets the RB in the gap. What happens then, when a RB goes wide? Or what happens when a LB gets blown up in a gap? The only players left are the Safeties. But again, in our defense, they also come up and play like LB's at times. SO, when it is a run, the CB has to be able to turn the RB back in towards the LB's who are coming down the backside.

What is really interesting however, is the speed our LB's continue to have through the years. It allows them to flow with the play instead of chasing it from behind.

In short, a CB is required to maintain responsibility in his zone for the run. Thus, they back up that far to be able to see what is happening. It is just part of the scheme...and the one thing that just drives me up a wall.

[pepsyman1]

Hey Preach...Thanks, I've never been able to get an explanation on that. I'll try not to yell at my TV set as much now unless I see them do the same thing against an empty backfield....lol Glad I'm not the only one that gets frustrated watching that. Just wish they'd shorted up that cushion a little

[Craic]

Hey Preach...Thanks, I've never been able to get an explanation on that. I'll try not to yell at my TV set as much now unless I see them do the same thing against an empty backfield....lol Glad I'm not the only one that gets frustrated watching that. Just wish they'd shorted up that cushion a little

I've always been both frustrated, and a little shocked. Frustrated that we do it so much. SHocked that teams don't just throw short slants all game long against us. Jerry Rice/Joe Montana would have ate us up all day long. In truth, most pure west coast offenses would have. That is how Seattle drove so much on us the first half of SB XL.

[solardave]

We were 2-2 in the red zone. Reed had two field goals.

You're acting like the inability to pick up 3rd downs is all Arians fault. Cite some specific examples and I might bite, but it's ultimately up to the players.

Arians isn't picking the QB. That's Tomlin's call. Can't fault Arians for that.

Wow. We are all (mostly all) defending BA? We should because he did a great job this game. He even saw Dixon struggle on the out route and started calling passes up the middle. He didn't abandon the run. Good job!! Good analysis Preacher. I agree especially with the secondary not playing as good as they are capable.

[SteelGhost]

Nice analysis Preach, thanks for sharing. Looks like we all pretty much agree on Brucey this time, lol.

[Indo]

Good analysis, Preach. I also agree with pretty much everything you posted. As for Arians, I have said it before---I am neither a lover or hater of the way he calls games. I do get frustrated at his lack of imagination at times. But, I agree, he called a good game. He used Redman exactly how he should be used in those short yardage situations, and the long pass to Wallace was set up perfectly by the previous plays. And he called Hines' number right when we needed it.