Chidi29
12-01-2010, 07:29 PM
I am conflicted on how to react to the game. On the one hand, we definitely shot ourselves in the foot mutliple times. Very lucky Buffalo didn't come out with a win. On the other hand, and this is the way I'm leaning towards, we got the win despite playing an average game and beating ourselves up. It's not always going to be pretty, and winning ugly is a important is a sense.
First Half
- Suisham's times: 3.9 (22 - weird kick), 3.85 (1, returned to 38), squib, 4.1 (-7 TB) 3.8 (15), 3.85 (4 - Ret to 50). A step back for him in the kickoff department.
- Randle El had another pass attempt.
- We used Essex as a 3rd TE with Spaeth out. Came in for running plays, mostly short-yardage.
- Broke out the "Bronko" package on Mendenhall's TD run. Good double team from Foster and Pouncey.
- We dressed eight lineman for the first time all year. Scott, Kemoeatu, Pouncey, Foster, Adams, Essex, Legursky, and Hills.
- Buffalo's defense looked similar to our schematically. Heavy blitzes from everywhere and would go without a down lineman in 3rd and long situations.
- I think Pouncey was tipping off our calls. I caught what appears to be that once. 2nd and 10, last play of the 1st quarter. Pouncey gets an audbile from Ben. Pouncey uses his left hand and motions to his left. The line ends up crashing down to the left, but Kyle Williams ends up getting a great jump and blowing the play up for a five yard loss that put us in 3rd and 15. The jump Williams got really caught my eye. I think he read the hand signal from Pouncey, made an educated guess on the play and knowing the LG would leave him alone and he only had to worry about the center (coming from an angle), he could just run full speed ahead and get into the backfield free. With the stretch handoff, by the time Mendenhall got the ball, Williams would be right there. Which is what happened.
http://i51.tinypic.com/5d41l2.jpg
That grey blob under Ben's helmet is Pouncey's hand moving. Just to give you an idea as to what Pouncey was doing.
- Lucky that Buffalo got called for an illegal contact penalty that negated a lost fumble by Ward. Buffalo was also called for an illegal contact that put us five yards closer on Suisham's kick to basically close out the half (46 instead of 51).
- Kemoeatu was called for two holds in the first half.
- Nice drive at the end of the half to pick up an extra three points.
- However, for such a dominant half, it's disappointing that we only put up 13 points.
- Saw more of Anthony Madison at CB than I ever want to. Product of the 4 WR sets and McFadden's injury. Madison definitely is higher on the depth chart than Keenan Lewis, who did eventaully see some playing time as the game went on.
Second Half
- Byron was taking snaps, albeit with his helmet off, before the 2nd half kickoff.
- Chris Hoke dropped back from his DE spot once. Love it!
- Don't forget how crucial Harrison's FF deep in our own zone on Buffalo's first posession was. Big-time play.
- Ward did a really good job of sitting down in the middle of the field. Multiple times the play was extended and Ben found Ward there.
- TD on the screen to Jackson. Good counter vs our ILB blitz. Also had a couple of good cut blocks by lineman (one of them was on Woodley).
- One negative of playing your corners up (which we did from time to time) You tend to play your safties deeper. That can leave the middle of the field (10-15 yards deep) open. Hurts against teams that spread you out and fire it on those short/intermediate routes like what Buffalo did.
- Legursky was playing far back on kick returns. The only people clearly deeper than him was the up man and the returner.
- I know he's just trying to get extra yards, but Mendenhall can't have the ball taken away from him like that. Relieved that the lineman realized that Byrd had taken the ball away before he scored.
- Just have to smile at Ben's run on 3rd and 18. We should adopt the pass blocking scheme we had on that play every down. Cut block and fall on top of d-lineman. It's probably the thing we're most effective at. James Harrison comes flying off the bench in excitment at the end of the run.
http://i54.tinypic.com/wk47jp.jpg
- Madison got pushed around all day.
- As we saw last week against Oakland, Troy covers a ton of ground to make an intercpetion.Granted, this pass is tipped, but he still has to go a long way. Picutre from the start of the throw, just like last week.
http://i52.tinypic.com/eqqloo.jpg
- Moore once again coming up big on a 3rd down catch at the two minute warning.
- Key OT plays you (and me) might have forgotten about. Clark's pass breakup on 3rd and 3 on their first possession. Sep's booming punt out of his end zone and Lewis' forced fumble to put them at their 35. 3rd and 8 throw to Wallace on game-winning drive. Ben throwing a pass away on the same drive. 3rd and 2 draw conversion to put Suisham in position to win the game.
- Mendenhall and Redman ran really hard on the final drive. Credit to them and the o-line. I'm sure they were dead tired.
- Tony Hills should get a look over Jonathan Scott. Scott may be the worst LT in the league, having a hold and a false start. He got beat by Aaron Maybin, who has done zilch in his career, on the hold.
- I wonder if Kemoeatu's struggles are partially stemming from him not being at 100%. Remember he's been playing hurt all year long and isn't too far removed from a knee and ankle sprain.
- William Gay had an excellent game. I still see some people calling him out for his play Sunday. Tomlin praised him, crediting him with 4 pass breakups. He also had a forced fumble late in the game that was recovered by Buffalo.
Sacks
- 1st and 20, 11:05 left in 2nd: 4 WR, 1 RB. Carrington puts outside swim on Foster then cuts up to get Ben. Couldn't get a great look at the route combinations so Foster gets the blame.
- 3rd and 9, 5:28 in 3rd: 4 WR, 1 RB. Pouncey and Kemoeatu converge on Kyle Williams. Kemo correctly peels off to pick up a stunt heading his way, but because of Willilams initial bullrush, Pouncey is blown back and can't recover. Williams comes in free.
- 2nd and 10, 9:30 in 4th: Singleback, 3 WR, 1 TE to the right. Two pump fakes by Ben. He does have underneath options, but the pocket starts to collapse around him and Ben is forced to take his eyes off downfield. Tough to pinpoint one lineman, but Pouncey gets pushed back and takes away Ben's clean pocket.
Sack Counter (Week)
Maurkice Pouncey: 2
Ramon Foster: 1
Sack Counter (Year)
Ben Roethlisberger: 3.5
Maurkice Pouncey: 3
Flozell Adams: 2
Jonathan Scott: 2
Coverage: 2
Ramon Foster: 2
Chris Kemoeatu: 1.5
Dennis Dixon: 1
Tony Hills: 1
Max Starks: 1
Rashard Mendenhall: 1
Heath Miller: .5
Mewelde Moore: .5
Wide Receivers: .5
Trai Essex: .5
Documentation
Empty: 1
FB: 11
Pony: 4
I completely forgot to post the documentation from last week's game. The FB numbers are a bit inflated because we were killing clock late in the game, but the numbers are still pretty staggering.
Empty: 5
FB: 18
Pony: 0
InjuriesAs you know, Ben has a right foot sprain. I'm sure the foot doesn't feel great, but he'll play. No worries about that. Heard that him and a trainer are making a specially made cleat to help keep his foot in place.
Nick Eason has an MCL sprain. Tomlin didn't seem that concerned and it seems like he has a good shot to play this week.
Keisel has had calf and hamstring injuries. Even Tomlin is getting them mixed up. It started to bother him last week, reason being why he didn't play. If he doesn't feel it "bite at him", he should play.
McFadden has a hamstring injury. It almost seems as if he hurt it jumping up and down in celebration after breaking up a pass. Tomlin expects him to play this week but cautions hamstring injuries are unpredictable (ask Keisel).
First Half
- Suisham's times: 3.9 (22 - weird kick), 3.85 (1, returned to 38), squib, 4.1 (-7 TB) 3.8 (15), 3.85 (4 - Ret to 50). A step back for him in the kickoff department.
- Randle El had another pass attempt.
- We used Essex as a 3rd TE with Spaeth out. Came in for running plays, mostly short-yardage.
- Broke out the "Bronko" package on Mendenhall's TD run. Good double team from Foster and Pouncey.
- We dressed eight lineman for the first time all year. Scott, Kemoeatu, Pouncey, Foster, Adams, Essex, Legursky, and Hills.
- Buffalo's defense looked similar to our schematically. Heavy blitzes from everywhere and would go without a down lineman in 3rd and long situations.
- I think Pouncey was tipping off our calls. I caught what appears to be that once. 2nd and 10, last play of the 1st quarter. Pouncey gets an audbile from Ben. Pouncey uses his left hand and motions to his left. The line ends up crashing down to the left, but Kyle Williams ends up getting a great jump and blowing the play up for a five yard loss that put us in 3rd and 15. The jump Williams got really caught my eye. I think he read the hand signal from Pouncey, made an educated guess on the play and knowing the LG would leave him alone and he only had to worry about the center (coming from an angle), he could just run full speed ahead and get into the backfield free. With the stretch handoff, by the time Mendenhall got the ball, Williams would be right there. Which is what happened.
http://i51.tinypic.com/5d41l2.jpg
That grey blob under Ben's helmet is Pouncey's hand moving. Just to give you an idea as to what Pouncey was doing.
- Lucky that Buffalo got called for an illegal contact penalty that negated a lost fumble by Ward. Buffalo was also called for an illegal contact that put us five yards closer on Suisham's kick to basically close out the half (46 instead of 51).
- Kemoeatu was called for two holds in the first half.
- Nice drive at the end of the half to pick up an extra three points.
- However, for such a dominant half, it's disappointing that we only put up 13 points.
- Saw more of Anthony Madison at CB than I ever want to. Product of the 4 WR sets and McFadden's injury. Madison definitely is higher on the depth chart than Keenan Lewis, who did eventaully see some playing time as the game went on.
Second Half
- Byron was taking snaps, albeit with his helmet off, before the 2nd half kickoff.
- Chris Hoke dropped back from his DE spot once. Love it!
- Don't forget how crucial Harrison's FF deep in our own zone on Buffalo's first posession was. Big-time play.
- Ward did a really good job of sitting down in the middle of the field. Multiple times the play was extended and Ben found Ward there.
- TD on the screen to Jackson. Good counter vs our ILB blitz. Also had a couple of good cut blocks by lineman (one of them was on Woodley).
- One negative of playing your corners up (which we did from time to time) You tend to play your safties deeper. That can leave the middle of the field (10-15 yards deep) open. Hurts against teams that spread you out and fire it on those short/intermediate routes like what Buffalo did.
- Legursky was playing far back on kick returns. The only people clearly deeper than him was the up man and the returner.
- I know he's just trying to get extra yards, but Mendenhall can't have the ball taken away from him like that. Relieved that the lineman realized that Byrd had taken the ball away before he scored.
- Just have to smile at Ben's run on 3rd and 18. We should adopt the pass blocking scheme we had on that play every down. Cut block and fall on top of d-lineman. It's probably the thing we're most effective at. James Harrison comes flying off the bench in excitment at the end of the run.
http://i54.tinypic.com/wk47jp.jpg
- Madison got pushed around all day.
- As we saw last week against Oakland, Troy covers a ton of ground to make an intercpetion.Granted, this pass is tipped, but he still has to go a long way. Picutre from the start of the throw, just like last week.
http://i52.tinypic.com/eqqloo.jpg
- Moore once again coming up big on a 3rd down catch at the two minute warning.
- Key OT plays you (and me) might have forgotten about. Clark's pass breakup on 3rd and 3 on their first possession. Sep's booming punt out of his end zone and Lewis' forced fumble to put them at their 35. 3rd and 8 throw to Wallace on game-winning drive. Ben throwing a pass away on the same drive. 3rd and 2 draw conversion to put Suisham in position to win the game.
- Mendenhall and Redman ran really hard on the final drive. Credit to them and the o-line. I'm sure they were dead tired.
- Tony Hills should get a look over Jonathan Scott. Scott may be the worst LT in the league, having a hold and a false start. He got beat by Aaron Maybin, who has done zilch in his career, on the hold.
- I wonder if Kemoeatu's struggles are partially stemming from him not being at 100%. Remember he's been playing hurt all year long and isn't too far removed from a knee and ankle sprain.
- William Gay had an excellent game. I still see some people calling him out for his play Sunday. Tomlin praised him, crediting him with 4 pass breakups. He also had a forced fumble late in the game that was recovered by Buffalo.
Sacks
- 1st and 20, 11:05 left in 2nd: 4 WR, 1 RB. Carrington puts outside swim on Foster then cuts up to get Ben. Couldn't get a great look at the route combinations so Foster gets the blame.
- 3rd and 9, 5:28 in 3rd: 4 WR, 1 RB. Pouncey and Kemoeatu converge on Kyle Williams. Kemo correctly peels off to pick up a stunt heading his way, but because of Willilams initial bullrush, Pouncey is blown back and can't recover. Williams comes in free.
- 2nd and 10, 9:30 in 4th: Singleback, 3 WR, 1 TE to the right. Two pump fakes by Ben. He does have underneath options, but the pocket starts to collapse around him and Ben is forced to take his eyes off downfield. Tough to pinpoint one lineman, but Pouncey gets pushed back and takes away Ben's clean pocket.
Sack Counter (Week)
Maurkice Pouncey: 2
Ramon Foster: 1
Sack Counter (Year)
Ben Roethlisberger: 3.5
Maurkice Pouncey: 3
Flozell Adams: 2
Jonathan Scott: 2
Coverage: 2
Ramon Foster: 2
Chris Kemoeatu: 1.5
Dennis Dixon: 1
Tony Hills: 1
Max Starks: 1
Rashard Mendenhall: 1
Heath Miller: .5
Mewelde Moore: .5
Wide Receivers: .5
Trai Essex: .5
Documentation
Empty: 1
FB: 11
Pony: 4
I completely forgot to post the documentation from last week's game. The FB numbers are a bit inflated because we were killing clock late in the game, but the numbers are still pretty staggering.
Empty: 5
FB: 18
Pony: 0
InjuriesAs you know, Ben has a right foot sprain. I'm sure the foot doesn't feel great, but he'll play. No worries about that. Heard that him and a trainer are making a specially made cleat to help keep his foot in place.
Nick Eason has an MCL sprain. Tomlin didn't seem that concerned and it seems like he has a good shot to play this week.
Keisel has had calf and hamstring injuries. Even Tomlin is getting them mixed up. It started to bother him last week, reason being why he didn't play. If he doesn't feel it "bite at him", he should play.
McFadden has a hamstring injury. It almost seems as if he hurt it jumping up and down in celebration after breaking up a pass. Tomlin expects him to play this week but cautions hamstring injuries are unpredictable (ask Keisel).