Ledyard: Poor Review, Poor Coaching, Poor QB Decision, Poor Loss

[hawaiiansteeler]

Ledyard: Poor Review, Poor Coaching, Poor QB Decision, Poor Loss

Jon Ledyard didn't like much about the end of the Patriots' come-from-behind 27-24 win against the Steelers. He broke it all down in notebook form.

Jon Ledyard - Dec 17

Let’s address the end of the game. The rule by the NFL is obviously laughable, but even then I’m not totally sure why Jesse James’ catch was overturned. He caught the ball, both feet down, turned upfield and extended the ball. That’s a football move, so at what point does it become a fumble? Is it just because he was diving as he caught it? Also, there is no angle that showed the ball touch the ground, just that it moved. James hand is underneath it as far as we can see. So the rule is awful, but I’m not even sure the call was correct. And they're telling me there was enough evidence to overturn it? Show me the replay that confirms that.

* Keith Butler man -- what a dud he turned in during the second half. Rob Gronkowski destroyed Sean Davis, and the Steelers' defensive coordinator made no adjustments, refusing to double or bracket Gronkowski despite no threat from anyone else on the Patriots. Mike Tomlin deserves some blame too, as he needs to be more willing to step in and take charge of situations like that. The officials deserve a lot of blame for taking a win away from Pittsburgh, but the Steelers' defensive staff was an embarrassment for not making another player beat them.

* The two-point conversion was the most jaw-dropping aspect of the Steelers' decision-making defensively. How many times has Davis been isolated one-on-one as an outside corner in press man this season? Why in the world would anyone think that suddenly putting him in that spot against arguably the best skill player the Steelers have faced all season would be a good idea? Davis got completely toasted, didn’t jam Gronkowski at all and nearly fell over just trying to track him on the fade route. There’s no excusing Davis’ play, or the dropped interception that would likely have ended the game, but the coaching staff didn’t give him much of a shot to succeed either.

to read rest of article:

https://scout.com/nfl/steelers/Article/Patriots-Steelers-Poor-Officiating-Poor-Coaching-Poor-QB-Decision-112406231

[GBMelBlount]

Very good observations imo.

I believe he is right that no indisputable proof to overturn the touchdown was ever shown and that it was poor coaching to not make adjustments for Gronk.

Otherwise, this team has a lot to be proud of.

Moving forward, a first round bye is a huge priority as I think burn out is a huge potential problem.

[stillers4me]

hmmm....if the call on the field was upheld, it would then been a great team win. :huh:

[DesertSteel]

Very good observations imo.

I believe he is right that no indisputable proof to overturn the touchdown was ever shown and that it was poor coaching to not make adjustments for Gronk.

Otherwise, this team has a lot to be proud of.

Moving forward, a first round bye is a huge priority as I think burn out is a huge potential problem.
My fear is that they will refuse to make adjustments even in a rematch.

[Mojouw]

What does everyone want the "adjustment" to be? A sniper rifle full of rhino tranquilizers from the upper deck? Everyone, and I mean everyone, wanted man coverage with DBs right up at the line. Everyone also wanted pressure on Brady and no 3 man "wussy" rushes. That's what you all got. Single man with one high safety and 4-5 man rushes clawing their way to Brady.

Doubling someone (Gronk) would've meant playing more zone. That's just the way that works. No one wanted that. You all and the Steelers pundits got exactly what you wanted scheme wise and it didn't result in a win. Now all the armchair coordinators are out in force baying for blood. The internet angers me. So does useless analysis like what is offered in the posted article. Notice how it is all problems with no solutions?

Pressuring Brady means you can't really chip the TE because now one of your edge rushers has NO chance of getting home in the 3 seconds or less that Brady is going to get rid of the ball.

Doubling the TE means you take someone else off their man responsibilities OR you go to a 3 man rush - especially if you have one of the OLB turn and run with Gronk as has been repeatedly called for. Additionally, you have to rotate someone to cover that edge. IF Brady recognizes that the edge defender is going to turn and run with the TE, he is just going to call a run or pass to that vacated area. Football is complicated and the solution to one "leak" usually opens up 1-2 more somewhere else. Brady only had 130 yards to non-Gronkowski receivers. It is possible this was a feature and not a bug.

Now mixing man and zone might be a path forward...but that is complex and w/out Shazier it likely isn't a good look for the Steelers. As was pointed out in the TV broadcast, the few times they tried it the results were a quick completion or the underneath zone guys didn't get enough depth. Counter that negative is that it looked like that was what was going on when VW got his pick.

Finally, the thought of trying Allen as a specialized Gronk eraser may have some merit. However, Allen and Davis are pretty close in almost all their measurables (https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/sean-davis?position=DB and https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/brian-allen-2017) and Allen was playing WR like 20 some months ago.

[AtlantaDan]

What does everyone want the "adjustment" to be? A sniper rifle full of rhino tranquilizers from the upper deck?

The Bills may provide the adjustment this weekend with some frontier justice for Gronk

937787341011382272

[DesertSteel]

What does everyone want the "adjustment" to be?
None of us are the Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's his and his staff's job to make adjustments when what has been tried repeatedly fails. Gronk is great, but he doesn't go off on every team like he does the Steelers.

[Mojouw]

None of us are the Coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's his and his staff's job to make adjustments when what has been tried repeatedly fails. Gronk is great, but he doesn't go off on every team like he does the Steelers.

Really?
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/G/GronRo00/gamelog/
Quick look says about 40% or more of his career games are 80+ yards with at least one score. When healthy he is one of the 3 or 4 most dominant offensive forces in the game.

Turn it around. What should be the rest of the league's adjustment to AB?
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BrowAn04/gamelog/
His results are even more ridiculous. What is the key failed adjustment that dozens of NFL teams have been too dense to make?

Some guys are just that good. They are going to get theirs no matter what you do. So you make other guys beat you. Remember, the Steelers make ONE more first down (hell, even one more yard) and we are not having this conversation because they run out the clock and no one says "boo" about Gronkowski.

Going in to this game, the Steelers were 3rd in the NFL in covering TEs. So this isn't the usual "TEs always kill this team" this was a dominant player dominating. At least 4 of his catches were not getting made by 90% of the NFL.

[lipps83]

Some guys are just that good. They are going to get theirs no matter what you do.

Nah man, you don't understand. Nobody in the league is as good as the Steelers. That is a point I have been emphatically trying to make here for a while now. The opponent is irrelevant.

The STEELERS screw up. That is why they lose. Nobody is capable of being the great player they are against the Steelers, and to assume as much means you don't know what it means to be a Steelers fan and must not be a real fan. Go root for the Patriots if you wuv Gronk so much. Maybe you could marry him?

The NFL season is a tournament (that the Steelers are allowed to play in) just to see which team is capable of wrestling the Championship away from the Steelers. Some seasons the Steelers get to keep their trophy, sometimes they don't.

/sarcasm...

[hawaiiansteeler]

Mike Tomlin defends Big Ben's fake spike vs. Pats

By Kevin Patra
Around the NFL writer
Published: Dec. 19, 2017

In hindsight, Ben Roethlisberger regrets not taking matters into this own hands and spiking the ball on third down to stop the clock at the end of Sunday's loss to the New England Patriots.

to read rest of article:

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000895612/article/mike-tomlin-defends-big-bens-fake-spike-vs-pats

[steelreserve]

What does everyone want the "adjustment" to be? A sniper rifle full of rhino tranquilizers from the upper deck? Everyone, and I mean everyone, wanted man coverage with DBs right up at the line. Everyone also wanted pressure on Brady and no 3 man "wussy" rushes. That's what you all got. Single man with one high safety and 4-5 man rushes clawing their way to Brady.

Doubling someone (Gronk) would've meant playing more zone. That's just the way that works. No one wanted that. You all and the Steelers pundits got exactly what you wanted scheme wise and it didn't result in a win. Now all the armchair coordinators are out in force baying for blood. The internet angers me. So does useless analysis like what is offered in the posted article. Notice how it is all problems with no solutions?

I am happy with what we did on defense. For the most part, it worked. A huge improvement over previous times we played the Patriots, and it resulted in a win by any rational standard.

Do the same thing again and I like our chances. Obviously update it a little so it's not 100% predictable, and it's worth trying out a different person in coverage against the dumb Polack, but fundamentally you saw the formula for winning. With AB for a full game and Haden for a full game I would expect the result to be even better. If not for the Shazier injury we probably do a lot better too.

[st33lersguy]

They had the Cheaters on the ropes and then let them off the hook and gave their mouth-breathing fanbase of leaches a reason to talk shit

[hawaiiansteeler]

Inside the NFL shows how unprepared the Steelers were at end of game

Mike Florio,ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports

Plenty of post-game discussion has emerged following Pittsburgh’s mishandling of the final two offensive snaps of the 27-24 loss to the Patriots. But the most telling words were those uttered at the time the events were unfolding.

This week’s Inside the NFL has some of those words, and they underscore how unprepared the Steelers were for the events that transpired after the league office overturned a Jesse James touchdown catch. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe has posted some of the details on Twitter.

Coach Mike Tomlin made it clear to offensive coordinator Todd Haley that, if the next play after the reversal (second and goal) ended with the clock still ticking, the Steelers would run another play.

“If it’s in the field of play, we got to play,” Tomlin said to Haley. “You follow me? You got me?”

Tomlin then says to Haley, “Give [quarterback Ben Roethlisberger] a play. He can’t clock it. Give him a play.”

But the Steelers had only one play. And Roethlisbeger consistently has said that, as he was planning to “clock it” after a short pass to Darrius Hayward-Bey kept the clock ticking, the coaches were telling him not to. Roethlisberger also has said that the Steelers didn’t have two plays ready after the touchdown was overturned, which seems to be accurate.

to read rest of article:

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/nfl-films-shows-unprepared-steelers-180952845.html

[Fire Goodell]

The decision to run a play instead of clocking it was the right thing imo. The throw into 4x coverage, was not.

[DesertSteel]

This whole thing with the last play is more convoluted than the national anthem fiasco.

[steelreserve]

I don't see much of a dilemma with the last play. Right idea, poorly executed, and the defense got away with offsides and mugging the receiver on the same play.

[GBMelBlount]

My fear is that they will refuse to make adjustments even in a rematch.

My hope is that they are saving some surprises for the playoffs.

[vasteeler]

I don't see much of a dilemma with the last play. Right idea, poorly executed, and the defense got away with offsides and mugging the receiver on the same play.

Bingo

[pczach]

Does this mean Ben isn't a lying asshole like so many here seemed to run with only having half ass information and their own "instincts"?

Rodney Harrison needs to be thrown out on his ass for the comments he made about Ben on Sunday Night Football. It seems Harrison was the only one running his mouth and making shit up after all. What a shock... Did this steaming turd of an analyst call Brady a liar during Deflate Gate? Has he ever called anybody else a liar with zero knowledge? He's getting paid for his knowledge and inside information? They could pay anybody to just make shit up. He knew nothing, yet made a point to call a future HOF QB a liar while acting like he knew something because of his time as a pro.

Has Harrison issued an apology?

He's a smug, scummy ex-cheapshot artist that doesn't belong in front of a camera.

Just a thought for those of you here that accused Ben of throwing everyone under the bus or lying. When you don't know what was said over the headset or weren't on the sideline listening the conversations between coordinators and coaches, you should just be smart enough to admit that you don't know jack shit about it. Don't pull a Harrison.