Game Balls and Goats (Redskin's Game) Week #13

[EzraTank]

GB - Mike Hilton, that's about it.

Goats = Officials, just a horrible day across the board. Offensive play calling. Ben. Ebron and his drops. Coaching.

GOAT lite: Throwing to a 4th string RB on 4th down while Claypool sits on the bench. At least call a fucking TO and run in a play.

[Fire Goodell]

drops and play calling. fucking pathetic.

another short week coming up to play Buffalo, 11-2 here we come

[Iron Steeler]

Damnnnn I cant stand to lose like this... not even give Ben a chance.

[EzraTank]

The 10 point swing by horrible officiating hurt but we blew SO many plays today we didn't deserve to win. We have been dodging bullets for weeks now.

[JayC]

these running backs suck. is deangelo williams available?

[BlackAndGold]

Injuries are starting to pile up.


Also, the offense is bad.

[Edman]

Ben is the singular lynchpin holding this Bad offense together, and even he can’t hide it for long. Cannot run the football very well at all.

If anything happens to Ben, this is just another 2019. At least there is no easy goat like Mason or Duck to blame this time around.

[EzraTank]

If Spillane is out for an extended period we are in big trouble.

[BlackAndGold]

these offensive lineman suck

Fixed

[Shoes]

I loved that play on 4 and goal and Ben throws it to our sweet potato Olineman.

[NCSteeler]

GB - Mike Hilton, that's about it.

Goats = Officials, just a horrible day across the board. Offensive play calling. Ben. Ebron and his drops. Coaching.

GOAT lite: Throwing to a 4th string RB on 4th down while Claypool sits on the bench. At least call a fucking TO and run in a play.The goat has to be the misuse, no none use of claypool

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[Fire Goodell]

The goat has to be the misuse, no none use of claypool

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Not to mention they keep throwing it to the guys that dropped half of the balls that hit them in the hands. And in critical situations we threw it to the eligible OL or 3rd string running back. Real head scratchers like they're trying to outsmart themselves

[NCSteeler]

I loved that play on 4 and goal and Ben throws it to our sweet potato Olineman.It's really that simple isn't it. 4th and goal throw to a lineman. 4th and short throw to a RB that can't catch. I mean in those situations why would you even think about using your best players, nah trot out some bullshit with some guys off the bench

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[dislocatedday]

Game balls: Hilton and the practice squad kicker Wright
Goats: Too many to list, so I may as well just say everyone else

[RunNGun]

GB: Hilton. He was all over the place today.
Goats: Ben, OL

Washington has a very solid defensive line. They were the first team that legitimately wore us down for 4 qtrs. The short weeks were a factor, IMO, and you could tell that the defense and offense were tired, especially the defense where Haden, Nelson, and Spillane all left the game with injuries.

The OL really needs some work. They were manhandled today against one of the better defensive lines in the league. Not only were they stuffing Benny Snell, but they were keeping Ben off his rhythm as well.

Ben never really got comfortable back there. He was getting the ball out extremely fast to try and calm the Football Team's pass rush, but wasn't doing a good job of reading the defense. There were countless times where we had less than 5 yards to go and Ben would throw it 2 or 3 yards short of the 1st down because he was sensing pressure that wasn't there. It was very frustrating. The drops didn't help, but they weren't as costly as some may think.
If the WRs caught 90% of the drops they would have been tackled right where they caught the ball and short of the 1st down. Simply put, Ben wasn't making great reads and his lack of mobility really limited him tonight.

Recipe for a bad offense...
1. No running game
2. QB doesn't trust WRs
3. QB doesn't trust Protection
= No Identity

[Rotorhead]

Screw all that, they have played 3 games in 12 days and lost their bye week. Their best player tonight just had weeks off due to injury (Hilton), they are exhausted and it showed tonight.

Goat - NFL fir screwing the Steelers out any breaks in their schedule.

[NCSteeler]

Screw all that, they have played 3 games in 12 days and lost their bye week. Their best player tonight just had weeks off due to injury (Hilton), they are exhausted and it showed tonight.

Goat - NFL fir screwing the Steelers out any breaks in their schedule.Hard to disagree

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[st33lersguy]

Game ball: TJ Watt. The only player who showed up today.

Goats: Buckle up, it's going to be a long one
Ben- Shitty day! Probably played his way out of the MVP race. How many passes is he going to allow to get batted down this year?
Limas Sweed and his cousins-Wait they didn't sign Limas and his cousins? Sure as hell looked like it the way they played the last couple weeks!
O-line: Terrible including the patented holding penalty. Got eaten alive today
Defensive backs: Missed numerous tackles, couldn't cover a bunch of scrubs. Who the hell was no. 89 and why did they make him look like Jerry Rice?
Ray Ray McCloud- Yeah those talks about how they finally got a decent return man, turned out to be premature
Randy Fichtner- The Steelers will never make it to a Super Bowl as long as this clown continues to be offensive coordinator. I'd rather have Adam Gase be the OC. How many times do they have to run screen passes before they realize IT DOESN'T WORK! Why wasn't Chase Claypool thrown the ball given the other receivers were dropping balls like flies? That 3rd and 1 call at the goal line was atrocious, even by his standards! Has Fichtner ever heard of the QB sneak? It might work but apparently it requires too much common sense for Fichtner to handle. How come they can't convert on 4th and 1?! Why wasn't Chase Claypool being used after the other receivers kept dropping balls?
Keith Butler- This game is a good reminder that Keith Butler is a bad DC who only has a job right now because of TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. This defense looked hapless trying to cover Washington's no name receivers and backup RBs. How does a bunch of mediocre offensive weapons get wide open so many times? Why couldn't they stop no. 89? Then again this is the defense that allowed the Eagles offense to put up 29 points. Who the hell is Washington's OC? Whoever it is, coached circles around Keith Butler.
Tomlin- Another Tomlin special. Stop insulting legendary coaches by putting this guy on the same screen as them. I can't believe this guy is put on the same screen alongside George Halas, Bill Bellichick, and Don Shula. That's utter blasphemy. All this bravado about how they played JV last week and not a damn thing was done about it afterwards. And the fact that it took 11 weeks after they spent most of the year scraping by against garbage teams. Here's the truth about Tomlin, had he been hired by a rebuilding team instead of one stacked with talent in 2007, he had been fired by 2010 and never hired as head coach again. This is by far the worst head coach in NFL history with 100 career wins. He seriously can't hold a 14 point lead against a 4-7 mediocrity at home? Well considering he can't beat Tim Tebow or Blake Bortles in a playoff game and is 0-2 in his career against Mike Glennon, I shouldn't be surprised.

Bottom line: Don't worry, they aren't losing to the Chiefs. This team is going one-and-done long beforehand. All it took to expose this team was Alex Smith and a mediocre Deadskins team

[dislocatedday]

Somewhere in the 2nd half today, I expected the team to adjust to JD McKissick catching those short passes in the flat that were wide open every time. McKissick had 10 catches tonight, and it looked like the Groundhog Day movie where it was the same play over and over into the right side flat for 8-10 yards each time. Maybe they did try and do something different to stop it, but it sure did not look like it to me.

[SteelerCountry58]

I loved that play on 4 and goal and Ben throws it to our sweet potato Olineman. Yeah, why wouldn’t you use our over paid special teamer/fullback DWatt?? Why doesn’t Randy freakin utilize Derek? Frustrating!

[teegre]

Sounds like someone has been waiting for 11 weeks to shoot his load...

[RunNGun]

Game ball: TJ Watt. The only player who showed up today.

Goats: Buckle up, it's going to be a long one
Ben- Shitty day! Probably played his way out of the MVP race. How many passes is he going to allow to get batted down this year?
Limas Sweed and his cousins-Wait they didn't sign Limas and his cousins? Sure as hell looked like it the way they played the last couple weeks!
O-line: Terrible including the patented holding penalty. Got eaten alive today
Defensive backs: Missed numerous tackles, couldn't cover a bunch of scrubs. Who the hell was no. 89 and why did they make him look like Jerry Rice?
Ray Ray McCloud- Yeah those talks about how they finally got a decent return man, turned out to be premature
Randy Fichtner- The Steelers will never make it to a Super Bowl as long as this clown continues to be offensive coordinator. I'd rather have Adam Gase be the OC. How many times do they have to run screen passes before they realize IT DOESN'T WORK! Why wasn't Chase Claypool thrown the ball given the other receivers were dropping balls like flies? That 3rd and 1 call at the goal line was atrocious, even by his standards! Has Fichtner ever heard of the QB sneak? It might work but apparently it requires too much common sense for Fichtner to handle. How come they can't convert on 4th and 1?! Why wasn't Chase Claypool being used after the other receivers kept dropping balls?
Keith Butler- This game is a good reminder that Keith Butler is a bad DC who only has a job right now because of TJ Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. This defense looked hapless trying to cover Washington's no name receivers and backup RBs. How does a bunch of mediocre offensive weapons get wide open so many times? Why couldn't they stop no. 89? Then again this is the defense that allowed the Eagles offense to put up 29 points. Who the hell is Washington's OC? Whoever it is, coached circles around Keith Butler.
Tomlin- Another Tomlin special. Stop insulting legendary coaches by putting this guy on the same screen as them. I can't believe this guy is put on the same screen alongside George Halas, Bill Bellichick, and Don Shula. That's utter blasphemy. All this bravado about how they played JV last week and not a damn thing was done about it afterwards. And the fact that it took 11 weeks after they spent most of the year scraping by against garbage teams. Here's the truth about Tomlin, had he been hired by a rebuilding team instead of one stacked with talent in 2007, he had been fired by 2010. This is by far the worst head coach in NFL history with 100 career wins. He seriously can't hold a 14 point lead against a 4-7 mediocrity at home? Well considering he can't beat Tim Tebow or Blake Bortles in a playoff game and is 0-2 in his career against Mike Glennon, I shouldn't be surprised.

Bottom line: Don't worry, they aren't losing to the Chiefs. This team is going one-and-done long beforehand. All it took to expose this team was Alex Smith and a mediocre Deadskins team

The sky is not falling just yet, but it doesn't get any easier. Tomlin needs to rest these guys and let them get healthy before the playoffs. I don't see us being the 1 seed, so I can deal with losing to Indy and Buf just as long as we beat Cle and win the division. We need to see a lot more rotating of players to keep these guys fresh if this team wants to make a playoff run. Kiss the 1 seed goodbye and get healthy.

[vasteeler]

Sorry st33ersguy, I ain't reading any of that.

[fansince'76]

Sounds like someone has been waiting for 11 weeks to shoot his load...

Yep. Completely predictable and totally fucking pathetic.

[Steeler-in-west]

Screw all that, they have played 3 games in 12 days and lost their bye week. Their best player tonight just had weeks off due to injury (Hilton), they are exhausted and it showed tonight.

Goat - NFL fir screwing the Steelers out any breaks in their schedule.

This and the injuries and COVID list caught up to us. Half the team was made up of backups today.

[teegre]

If you have to lose a game, a loss to an NFC team is about as good as it gets.

End of the day: we’re still the #1 seed. Not playing in the first round is not only a “free win”... but a week to rest everyone.

[RunNGun]

If you have to lose a game, a loss to an NFC team is about as good as it gets.

End of the day: we’re still the #1 seed. Not playing in the first round is not only a “free win”... but a week to rest everyone.

To me it looks like they need rest sooner rather than later, but yes it's highly unlikely they'll rest anyone when they're still competing for the 1 seed. I still hope to see a lot of rotating though. The injuries are starting to pile up. When players are tired they get hurt.

[that1guy]

these running backs suck. is deangelo williams available?

This situation is 100% on the Steelers organization. When Bell wanted the contract the Steelers told him to walk and who did they replace him with ? No one. They expected Conner to become something he's not, a feature back. Conner is often injured and so in the draft they spent a 3rd round pick on a guy that would have probably went undrafted. They knew 2 years ago what the situation would be and they ignored the issue, now its come to a head and the Steelers are one dimensional.

[vasteeler]

Only goat for me is the people not catching passes. There we're a couple of questionable play calls but over all it goes to the receivers. Even the pass to mcfarland should have been caught. If not for the drops we win this game.

[fansince'76]

This situation is 100% on the Steelers organization. When Bell wanted the contract the Steelers told him to walk and who did they replace him with ? No one.

Except they offered him MORE money than he eventually got. :rolleyes:

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

I loved that play on 4 and goal and Ben throws it to our sweet potato Olineman.

They already tried handing it to Benny Snail a few times, which did nothing.

Maybe a QB sneak or a TE in the middle of the field, or even the 6'4" WR with vertical and good hands?

[Rotorhead]

Somewhere in the 2nd half today, I expected the team to adjust to JD McKissick catching those short passes in the flat that were wide open every time. McKissick had 10 catches tonight, and it looked like the Groundhog Day movie where it was the same play over and over into the right side flat for 8-10 yards each time. Maybe they did try and do something different to stop it, but it sure did not look like it to me.

I think having Spillane hurt is what happened

[teegre]

Some plays that were close to being turning points:

-Watt forces a fumble. Instead of falling on it, he appears to try to scoop it. The first & only “not aware” play I’ve ever seen from Watt.

-3rd-&-10 from our own goaline... Snell gets stuffed. If Hassensaussen blocks his man, Snell gets that first down... and about 10 more yards. For once (ONCE) Fitchner made a great call (the receiver all went to the right, clearing that side of the field).

-Alex Smith carries the ball off of the field. The refs stop the clock... otherwise, time runs out on the WTFs (and no FG to end the half). Honestly, that FG sparked their momentum / was the turning point of the game.

-the pass to McFarland was sooo close. Oh man!!! I was ready to shout with joy.

-me missing the first 20 min of the game. Had I been able to send the positive mojo for the first portion of the game, we win by 17. I simply could not take a second day off from work.

[Rotorhead]

This situation is 100% on the Steelers organization. When Bell wanted the contract the Steelers told him to walk and who did they replace him with ? No one. They expected Conner to become something he's not, a feature back. Conner is often injured and so in the draft they spent a 3rd round pick on a guy that would have probably went undrafted. They knew 2 years ago what the situation would be and they ignored the issue, now its come to a head and the Steelers are one dimensional.

Lol, did you know they offered Bell more money than he got from the Jets? Bell is a moron and not only lost the franchise tag money for that missed year, but ended up getting less money the next year. So stop the nonsense. I honestly think they were trying to rest Conner for the stretch run and used the wuhan list as the excuse.

[that1guy]

Except they offered him MORE money than he eventually got. :rolleyes:

He wanted a long term contract and the Steelers wouldn't play ball

[Rotorhead]

To me it looks like they need rest sooner rather than later, but yes it's highly unlikely they'll rest anyone when they're still competing for the 1 seed. I still hope to see a lot of rotating though. The injuries are starting to pile up. When players are tired they get hurt.

I think that is the reason a couple players who could have played were out, resting them cause if you are going to lose a game, this was the one to lose. Conner and Pouncey were cleared to play I think.

[86WARD]

Game Ball - Defense. Extra ball to Mike Hilton.

Goats - Offense, Special Teams, TJ Watt. You gotta fall on the ball. Just fall on the ball bro.

[86WARD]

Ben is the singular lynchpin holding this Bad offense together, and even he can’t hide it for long. Cannot run the football very well at all.

If anything happens to Ben, this is just another 2019. At least there is no easy goat like Mason or Duck to blame this time around.

I’m not sure he’s holding this offense together. He’s not playing all,that great either and some of these shitty play calls must be coming from him as well.

[Fire Goodell]

The Ravens game really screwed us, it turned one short week into 3 short weeks

[pepsyman1]

This situation is 100% on the Steelers organization. When Bell wanted the contract the Steelers told him to walk and who did they replace him with ? No one. They expected Conner to become something he's not, a feature back. Conner is often injured and so in the draft they spent a 3rd round pick on a guy that would have probably went undrafted. They knew 2 years ago what the situation would be and they ignored the issue, now its come to a head and the Steelers are one dimensional.

They offered to make Bell the highest paid running back in the history of the league and he turned it down. (5 years, $70 million) I don't like our current running back situation at the moment but blaming them for Bell is off base.

[DesertSteel]

We lost.

[that1guy]

They offered to make Bell the highest paid running back in the history of the league and he turned it down. (5 years, $70 million) I don't like our current running back situation at the moment but blaming them for Bell is off base.

The Steelers jerked him around two straight years. The blame lies on both parties but the result of losing him and not replacing him with a feature back is what we're seeing. The Steelers rely on Ben for everything offensively, teams have figured this out and dared the Steelers to run on them.

[Mojouw]

Missing starting ILB, OLB, C, K, RB, CB, and then the other CB and ILB. On top of a ludicrous schedule. I'm gonna just chalk it up to 2020 sucks and move on.

[Shoes]

They already tried handing it to Benny Snail a few times, which did nothing.

Maybe a QB sneak or a TE in the middle of the field, or even the 6'4" WR with vertical and good hands?.

or if Randy wanted to use an olineman on that play, why not AV who is taller, more athletic and played WR in school? Snell gives me heartburn, 8 carries for 5 yards. :chuckle:

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

Game Ball - Defense. Extra ball to Mike Hilton.

Goats - Offense, Special Teams, TJ Watt. You gotta fall on the ball. Just fall on the ball bro. Grasp at straws much ? Wasn't for TJ that wouldn't been a fumble in the first place.

[Shoes]

Grasp at straws much ? Wasn't for TJ that wouldn't been a fumble in the first place.

agreed, the guy gives 100% on every play, and why wouldn't he try and score since the offense was flat.

[vader29]

We lost.

https://i.ibb.co/QP40d6g/tb.jpg

[86WARD]

Grasp at straws much ? Wasn't for TJ that wouldn't been a fumble in the first place.

First rule...just fall on the ball. Ball was all his. First bad play I’ve seen him make...ever. Could’ve been game changing.

[katmandu]

Missing starting ILB, OLB, C, K, RB, CB, and then the other CB and ILB. On top of a ludicrous schedule. I'm gonna just chalk it up to 2020 sucks and move on.3 SHORT weeks in a row.... 2020 has got to go....

[NCSteeler]

Sounds like someone has been waiting for 11 weeks to shoot his load...Lol

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[NCSteeler]

Some plays that were close to being turning points:

-Watt forces a fumble. Instead of falling on it, he appears to try to scoop it. The first & only “not aware” play I’ve ever seen from Watt.

-3rd-&-10 from our own goaline... Snell gets stuffed. If Hassensaussen blocks his man, Snell gets that first down... and about 10 more yards. For once (ONCE) Fitchner made a great call (the receiver all went to the right, clearing that side of the field).

-Alex Smith carries the ball off of the field. The refs stop the clock... otherwise, time runs out on the WTFs (and no FG to end the half). Honestly, that FG sparked their momentum / was the turning point of the game.

-the pass to McFarland was sooo close. Oh man!!! I was ready to shout with joy.

-me missing the first 20 min of the game. Had I been able to send the positive mojo for the first portion of the game, we win by 17. I simply could not take a second day off from work.Best thing Covid ever did for me. Been quarantine for these afternoon games!

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[Six Rings]

This loss sucks.

Game balls Watt, Hilton

Goats Tomlin, The running game.

If we would have taken the field goals we win. Clock management / use of time outs was an issue again.

If the Defense does not produce a turnover, this is what the team looks like. Sloppy, poorly coached, dropped passes, predictable.

[teegre]

Clock management / use of time outs was an issue again.

I thought that he used the timeouts perfectly at the end of the game. The WFT ran threee plays then punted all in just 10 seconds... :noidea:

In fact, the Steelers got the ball back with 2:04 remaining, with a timeout, plus the two-minute warning. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a BETTER use of time outs.

[NCSteeler]

I thought that he used the timeouts perfectly at the end of the game. The WFT ran threee plays then punted all in just 10 seconds... :noidea:

In fact, the Steelers got the ball back with 2:04 remaining, with a timeout, plus the two-minute warning. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a BETTER use of time outs.Agreed

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[fansince'76]

I thought that he used the timeouts perfectly at the end of the game. The WFT ran threee plays then punted all in just 10 seconds... :noidea:

In fact, the Steelers got the ball back with 2:04 remaining, with a timeout, plus the two-minute warning. I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a BETTER use of time outs.

It's a rote complaint whenever the team loses (and many times even when it doesn't win "good enough"), regardless of the actual reality of a given situation.

[teegre]

All game long, it appeared that Montez Sweat was batting balls. It’s one thing that has bugged me about Ben over the years: it’s like he ignores his passing lanes and tries to strong-arm it THROUGH a sea of arms.

Regardless, after the game, Sweat was shouting, “We told you!! The Ravens let us know the secret!!!”

What did Sweat mean?

Is it merely that if you get your hands up, you’re going to bat an occasional pass? Is it that Okorafor is susceptible to having passes batted? Is it that if the Steelers have their schedule discombobulated, the receivers will drop 7 passes** in two games in a row???


**NOTE: The Steelers receivers dropped 7 passes in back-to-back games. The Steelers only had two games with as many as 5 drops in the previous four seasons combined.

[fansince'76]

**NOTE: The Steelers receivers dropped 7 passes in back-to-back games. The Steelers only had two games with as many as 5 drops in the previous four seasons combined.

Nothing I'm sure "better coaching" wouldn't cure. :rolleyes:

[teegre]

Nothing I'm sure "better coaching" wouldn't cure. :rolleyes:

...or, by banning Tik Tok.

[fansince'76]

...or, by banning Tik Tok.

...or taking away the ping pong and billiard tables. :lol:

[NCSteeler]

All game long, it appeared that Montez Sweat was batting balls. It’s one thing that has bugged me about Ben over the years: it’s like he ignores his passing lanes and tries to strong-arm it THROUGH a sea of arms.

Regardless, after the game, Sweat was shouting, “We told you!! The Ravens let us know the secret!!!”

What did Sweat mean?

Is it merely that if you get your hands up, you’re going to bat an occasional pass? Is it that Okorafor is susceptible to having passes batted? Is it that if the Steelers have their schedule discombobulated, the receivers will drop 7 passes** in two games in a row???


**NOTE: The Steelers receivers dropped 7 passes in back-to-back games. The Steelers only had two games with as many as 5 drops in the previous four seasons combined.They obviously have some tells. I'm sure the ravens have phoned a friend on every team we play. Better get in the film room and watch yourself before you worry about the other team.

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[FrancoLambert]

.

or if Randy wanted to use an olineman on that play, why not AV who is taller, more athletic and played WR in school? Snell gives me heartburn, 8 carries for 5 yards. :chuckle:

Consider yourself lucky.

Snell gives me diarrhea.

[EzraTank]

We need to move on and focus on Buffalo who just went to Arizona (because Covifornia is off limits) and thumped the 49ers so bad that Gavin Newsom wanted to lock the Bills into isolation!

[teegre]

We need to move on and focus on Buffalo who just went to Covifornia and thumped the 49ers so bad that Gavin Newsom wanted to lock the Bills into isolation!

Every time that San Fran ran the hurry up, they had Buffalo on their heels. The hurry up is Ben’s forte. Please, please, please, Fitchner... go hurry up early & often.

[Fire Goodell]

Consider yourself lucky.

Snell gives me diarrhea.

I think they should give McFarland more touches. We already know what we have with Snell and Samuels. Basically Redman and Dwyer #2. With our O-line a scatback type would probably be more effective anyway.

[Blast Furnace]

If you have to lose a game, a loss to an NFC team is about as good as it gets.

End of the day: we’re still the #1 seed. Not playing in the first round is not only a “free win”... but a week to rest everyone.

If that's the case, I wold have rather our HC think about resting players against Washington. Put our entire JV squad in and who gives a shit about the loss - rest our starters who have logged tons of reps with no rest and no end in sight! I know we would have had to rotate starter in, but give them limited snaps. Use the Washington game as more or less a bye week for the starters!

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

I think they should give McFarland more touches. We already know what we have with Snell and Samuels. Basically Redman and Dwyer #2. With our O-line a scatback type would probably be more effective anyway.

Problem with McFarland is that he survives contact like Dri Archer. Cant say I see him breaking thru an arm tackle or even finishing a run falling forward.

Javon Leake was the better RB at Maryland last season, not McFarland. I was hoping when he was drafted that Tomlin had some insight as his son Dino plays at Maryland....but I dont think the insight was worth much from what we have seen.

- - - Updated - - -

So Alex Smith engineered game winning scoring drives at the end of this game. Being that it was head to head vs Ben, should this make him the favorite for Comeback Player of the Year??

[EzraTank]

I think they should give McFarland more touches. We already know what we have with Snell and Samuels. Basically Redman and Dwyer #2. With our O-line a scatback type would probably be more effective anyway.

There's no reason Conner shouldn't be back for Buffalo unless he's had complications from COVID which I've read nothing about.

- - - Updated - - -



- - - Updated - - -

So Alex Smith engineered game winning scoring drives at the end of this game. Being that it was head to head vs Ben, should this make him the favorite for Comeback Player of the Year??

I'd give it to Alex Smith over Ben. Ben had elbow surgery but Smith almost lost his damn leg. Smith even playing/walking/running is amazing.

[Mojouw]

Biggest problem in the run game is that Hasssaajahhadkfjaskdlfaoipdfja can't block worth diddly poo. Ebron tries but he is still mastering making contact with his assignment, let alone actually blocking him. And the next guy Okafor actually moves off the LOS may well be the first. That is 3 guys that are just zeros in the run game. AV has never been a good run blocker. And DeCastro is best on the move. Feiler is "meh". This just isn't a powerful line. It may be the BEST pass blocking line in the league. But it is trash in the run game.

[Fire Goodell]

There's no reason Conner shouldn't be back for Buffalo unless he's had complications from COVID which I've read nothing about.

Well that's good news, I was just assuming that Conner would still be out. Given his past medical history I don't know if Covid would have affected him differently

- - - Updated - - -


Biggest problem in the run game is that Hasssaajahhadkfjaskdlfaoipdfja can't block worth diddly poo. Ebron tries but he is still mastering making contact with his assignment, let alone actually blocking him. And the next guy Okafor actually moves off the LOS may well be the first. That is 3 guys that are just zeros in the run game. AV has never been a good run blocker. And DeCastro is best on the move. Feiler is "meh". This just isn't a powerful line. It may be the BEST pass blocking line in the league. But it is trash in the run game.

Yeah that backup center gives me flashbacks of Sean Mahan :(

[DesertSteel]

The loss really means nothing. But they definitely have to get some things fixed, starting with the running game. Even though they've been winning most of them, they still have the propensity to play down to their competition. I think playing the Bills next is a good thing. It's a chance to right the ship against a playoff team.

[Mojouw]

So here is my random theory for the day:

Much of the Steelers problems with drops are because the receivers are catching a pass within 1-3 yards of the line of scrimmage and they know they have to make a move and get more yards for the dinky dunky point guard offense to work.

I was really high on this offense when it first debuted. BUT that was when they actually still had a vertical element. Without that...this isn't gonna work against good defenses.

[SteelMember]

Issue with that theory is that most of these drops aren't happening on these short 1-3 yard passes, imo. They are more 5-10 yards, just short of the sticks.
They are thinking about their moves too early and not securing the ball first.

That, and they look like they're not ready for cold weather.

[Fire Goodell]

Issue with that theory is that most of these drops aren't happening on these short 1-3 yard passes, imo. They are more 5-10 yards, just short of the sticks.
They are thinking about their moves too early and not securing the ball first.

That, and they look like they're not ready for cold weather.

Well they better be ready for cold weather, Buffalo is up next and it's a night game.

[Born2Steel]

I was a bit reluctant to come on here today. But you guys seem to be taking a loss better than I thought I would be seeing. IMO, this loss comes down to 1 stat only. 13 drops! You know who else had that many drops this week? NOBODY! EVER! Not catching the ball is not a scheme issue, not a play call issue, not a trap game issue, not a bad calls issue, it's simply an execution and focus issue. This one is on the players and the players only. Moving on to Bills week.

[SteelMember]

Well they better be ready for cold weather, Buffalo is up next and it's a night game.

Exactly. It's not gonna get any warmer here on out.

Ben's not gonna throttle down the velocity 'cause your hands are cold.
Get some new gloves or something...

[NCSteeler]

There's no reason Conner shouldn't be back for Buffalo unless he's had complications from COVID which I've read nothing about.

- - - Updated - - -



I'd give it to Alex Smith over Ben. Ben had elbow surgery but Smith almost lost his damn leg. Smith even playing/walking/running is amazing.Idk everyone has it different but my wife and I had mild cases of Covid, but afterwards a week or more. It's tiring. It easy to lose your breath. If mcdonald and conner are the same way it'll take a bit

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[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Exactly. It's not gonna get any warmer here on out.

Ben's not gonna throttle down the velocity 'cause your hands are cold.
Get some new gloves or something...

I dont think its a gloves thing. Both Ebron and Johnson were known to drop passes and it seems to still be issues with them.

-Ebron catches with his body very often and not a clean hands catcher. ( 8.2% drop rate in 2018, 9.6% drop rate in 2019)

-Dionte Johnson scouting report from college was that he "had focus drop problems" (5.5% drop rate in 2019, 10.5% in 2020)

[SteelMember]

I dont think its a gloves thing.

I know. If it were only that easy. :chuckle:

Is there a metric for turning your head upfield before you secure the ball... If there was, I'm sure that number is a problem as well.

[EzraTank]

Idk everyone has it different but my wife and I had mild cases of Covid, but afterwards a week or more. It's tiring. It easy to lose your breath. If mcdonald and conner are the same way it'll take a bit

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Same here. My wife and I had it back in February (after a trip to Philly for a wedding). We both were sick for about a week with bad fever, shortness of breath, etc. I play in a local volleyball league and it took me about 2 weeks just to feel normal after the initial first week of being sick. So roughly it took me 3 weeks to feel normal. Now granted I'm 52 years old, in good shape for my age but I'm sure Conner is in much better shape than me. Who knows, I just hope he's okay because of his medical past. Oh and my two kids also had it (6 and 12 year old at the time) and they were sick with the sniffles for about a day each and didn't miss any school (they had the week off for winter break).

[steel striker]

Most of us knew this game was coming and, yeah Ben could have been better come on the WR's have dropped 12 balls in the last two games. Ebron has had a catching problem pretty much his whole life in the NFL. To me if you can't score a TD when on the goal line you don't deserve to win. They can't run the ball at all and, against good defenses this offense has struggled. I don't understand some of the play calling they need more of Claypool give him a chance. Not to mention too many injuries on the defensive side. Well they have to play better and, we will see Sunday Night against the Bills.

[Mojouw]

Issue with that theory is that most of these drops aren't happening on these short 1-3 yard passes, imo. They are more 5-10 yards, just short of the sticks.
They are thinking about their moves too early and not securing the ball first.

That, and they look like they're not ready for cold weather.

Fair. But I think the idea still kinda holds. This offense is all underneath stuff. Defenses are like fine, catch it a yard short of the sticks and we will just tackle you. So the receivers are pressured to make a catch and then make a move to get to the sticks.

Again...half-baked idea on why suddenly the entire team can't catch.

[SteelMember]

1st and 2nd down wasn't really generating much either. Seemed like a lot of 3rd and longs, 3 and outs.
Getting anything on those early downs would have made it easier to convert.
Needing 10 or more on 3rd down plays into their hands... Unless you're the Steelers defense.
Then 3rd and long is right where you want to be. jk :chuckle:

Statistically, I think everyting ended up pretty even between both teams.
The biggest difference was the interception... at obviously the worst possible time. Obviously. :tomlinism:

[86WARD]

1st and 2nd down wasn't really generating much either. Seemed like a lot of 3rd and longs, 3 and outs.
Getting anything on those early downs would have made it easier to convert.
Needing 10 or more on 3rd down plays into their hands... Unless you're the Steelers defense.
Then 3rd and long is right where you want to be. jk :chuckle:

Statistically, I think everyting ended up pretty even between both teams.
The biggest difference was the interception... at obviously the worst possible time. Obviously. :tomlinism:

It’s been like that all season...they don’t get easy first downs...its always taking all three downs to make a first. One of the two plays is a throwaway garbage play. The other is executed for about 3-5 yards and then it’s third down.

[Mojouw]

It’s been like that all season...they don’t get easy first downs...its always taking all three downs to make a first. One of the two plays is a throwaway garbage play. The other is executed for about 3-5 yards and then it’s third down.

Because the ball doesn't go downfield with any success.

Here is Ben's 2020 passing charts: https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/player/ben-roethlisberger/ROE750381

2018 - beating teams over the top enough to make them respect it -- https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/list/type/team/2018/week
2017 - same -- https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/list/type/team/2017/week

Now look at 2020 Mahomes -- https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/list/type/team/2020/week
And 2020 Rodgers -- https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/player/aaron-rodgers/ROD339293/2020

They both have what is missing from Ben's chart. Those TD passes (the blue arrows) 20+ yards down the field. Right now, teams do not have to defend the entire field against the Steelers passing attack. Everything is 0-15 yards from the line of scrimmage and they know it.

[st33lersguy]

What happened to the jet motion and jet sweeps? Did that work too well for them?

[86WARD]

Because the ball doesn't go downfield with any success.

Here is Ben's 2020 passing charts: https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/player/ben-roethlisberger/ROE750381

2018 - beating teams over the top enough to make them respect it -- https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/list/type/team/2018/week
2017 - same -- https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/list/type/team/2017/week

Now look at 2020 Mahomes -- https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/list/type/team/2020/week
And 2020 Rodgers -- https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/player/aaron-rodgers/ROD339293/2020

They both have what is missing from Ben's chart. Those TD passes (the blue arrows) 20+ yards down the field. Right now, teams do not have to defend the entire field against the Steelers passing attack. Everything is 0-15 yards from the line of scrimmage and they know it.

Makes sense. I’ll take your word for it here...I can’t get the charts to load.

[Mojouw]

Makes sense. I’ll take your word for it here...I can’t get the charts to load.

Yeah. They are not working for me either. I swear they exist. They basically say that you don't have to play a deep safety against the Steelers because they don't/can't consistently hurt you deep.

Allows defenses to compress the field...the exact opposite of what offenses want them to do...

[Fire Goodell]

Because the ball doesn't go downfield with any success.

Here is Ben's 2020 passing charts: https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/player/ben-roethlisberger/ROE750381

2018 - beating teams over the top enough to make them respect it -- https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/list/type/team/2018/week
2017 - same -- https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/list/type/team/2017/week

Now look at 2020 Mahomes -- https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/list/type/team/2020/week
And 2020 Rodgers -- https://nextgenstats.nfl.com/charts/player/aaron-rodgers/ROD339293/2020

They both have what is missing from Ben's chart. Those TD passes (the blue arrows) 20+ yards down the field. Right now, teams do not have to defend the entire field against the Steelers passing attack. Everything is 0-15 yards from the line of scrimmage and they know it.

Yeah it's starting to look like Neil O'Donnell at QB. Not terrible but you can almost bet on any attempt over 30 yards being off target

[86WARD]

Yeah. They are not working for me either. I swear they exist. They basically say that you don't have to play a deep safety against the Steelers because they don't/can't consistently hurt you deep.

Allows defenses to compress the field...the exact opposite of what offenses want them to do...

As Booger might say: “They need to play winning football if they want to keep winning.”

[Fire Goodell]

Wish we kept Finney, he would have been a better replacement than rollerskates Hassenuwueiulasnfiuer

[NCSteeler]

Yeah. They are not working for me either. I swear they exist. They basically say that you don't have to play a deep safety against the Steelers because they don't/can't consistently hurt you deep.

Allows defenses to compress the field...the exact opposite of what offenses want them to do...First ravens game was it? Claypool was abusing CBs and safeties. They looked like they wanted nothing to do with him. Coach intentionally taking him out if the game? Or is he wore, hurt what. This is the priece that makes the offense work , you got to have 10% for the big guy over the top

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[steel striker]

Man The Steelers have had more drops in the last two games than Heath Miller had in his entire career!

[Six Rings]

Hero's Watt and Hilton

Goat's Running game, and Tomlin who passed on 2 FG's and went for it twice on 4th down and did not convert.