Week Five Thoughts

Nice win to silent the critics in the media and from the fans. Always rise to the challenge when the chips are against us.

First Half

- Kickoff Times: 4.04 (-9, TB), 4.13 (-7), 4.15 (2), 4.01 (-10 TB), 4.00 (GL), 4.15 (-9, TB)

- Starting o-line: Starks, Legursky, Pouncey, Foster, Gilbert

- Looked like Mundy and Battle were at R1/L1. Saw Saunders at R2. Don't see many TEs on kick coverage but it shows how athletic he is.

- Tomlin very confused/upset by the false start/personal foul penalty early in the game. Refs didn't have any communication. Ref on the Steelers sideline blew the whistle, none of the other refs heard it.

- Chris Johnson with some nice runs early in the game. Wasn't sure what kind of day it'd be, but we responded well.

- Personally, Troy's tackle on the 3rd and goal screen to Johnson set the tone for the defense. If he doesn't make that tackle, he probably scores and we start off in a 7-0 hole giving the Titans a ton of momentum and confidence.

- Sanders originally replaced Redman as the upback on kick returns.. Probably so we could get the kick coverage to bite on the fake reverse. Dwyer came in later in the game.

- Great example of Ben being forced to read quick and read defenses because of the foot injury. Wants to hit a slant on a 3 step drop, sees the safety ready to jump it so Ben seamlessly moves to his second option David Johnson for a short gain.

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- Think there's still some concern over Starks' pass protection and lateral movement. Had Legursky pull on an OLB blitz and Starks slide down. Uses a sharp angle to intercept the defender, something we normally due vs CB blitzes.

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- Little disappointed we had to use a timeout after momentum changing fake punt. But makes sense since the offense wasn't prepared to go back on the field.

- Ran a WR sweep we saw practiced in Week 3 of the preseason the play after the fake punt.

- Ben's playfake on the first Ward TD fooled me watching it live AND on the replay. Beautiful! Great series of playcalls that led to the TD.

- Did see McFadden on kick coverage. But he wasn't one of the top 3 CBs.

- Ike and Keenan Lewis jammers in the 2nd quarter.

- Picture of the blocking Dwyer got on his 76 yard run. All about the lineman, Dwyer didn't have to do anything but run through the hole. Gilbert seals down, Legursky pulls to kickout the LB, and Johnson has a nice block at the second level on the LB. You can see Heath with a good block too.

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- 325 Shaun Smith lands on Gilbert and puts all his weight on the rookie's left shoulder. That's what led to him sitting out the rest of the game and possibly this week. Replaced by Jonathan Scott.

- Pony FB dive to Redman near the goalline.

- Essex was in the backfield on Johnson's TD. In the past, I've seen Bronko kick back to FB and Essex replace him on the line.

- On the Steelers' sack late in the 2nd quarter where Hasselbeck basically gave himself up, we see Woodley put RG Jake Scott on his butt.

- Saw Legursky and Starks pick up a stunt like they've been playing with each other for 10 years. Happened late in the 2nd quarter. Love the communication.

- On the 2 minute drill that ended in Finnegan's interception, we see Ben get the ball out either hot or by the end of his drop on nearly every single play. Titans started to dial up blitzes and Ben knew he had to get the ball out. He should act like every dropback is in the 2 minute drill. Have that sense of urgency.

Second Half

- Brown waved off Dwyer on the opening kickoff, optiong to return it instead of taking a knee.

- Saw a lot more of Cotchery this week than last.

- Great show of discipline by Ben on a 3rd and 8. Sees the safety coming in free off the blitz and so he tries to get the ball out into the flats. The pass ended up being tipped by the safety but it shows that "live to fight another day, let the player make a play" mentality you sometimes need to have. Just like last year against the Ravens when he read hot to Redman.

- Lewis, Brown gunners in the 2nd half.

- Again, lined up Brown/Sanders across from each other on a PR. Probably an adjustment since teams are going to get worried about kicking to Brown. Have to love what Tomlin said about him in his press conference when asked about teams kicking away from him. "No, I don't think so....he hasn't even taken one to the house yet". Always motivating the guys.

- One of the many reasons you have to love Ward and even though he's slowed down, he shows what being a veteran brings to the table. Knows the nuances of route running. Case in point, he dips his upper body to the outside and shielfs contact away from the safety on a crossing route so his timing doesn't get thrown off. Makes the catch for a first down.

http://i52.tinypic.com/auh4ci.png

- Legursky moves to C, Essex to LG after Pouncey's injury.

- By the way, we dressed 8 OL for the first time in a long time. The starting five with J. Scott, Essex, and Meredith as backups.

- Draw by Dwyer with 5:30 left in the game. Love the blocking. Starks with a great punch on the DE; knocks him off his feet upfield. Can't do it any better than that. Essex, coming off cold off the bench mind you, gets to the second level and turns Will Witherspoon to the outside. Really impressive by a guy who usually struggles in space (or anywhere for that matter...). Only thing that probably prevented a TD was the backside DT got around Foster and tackled Dwyer from behind.

- Ben doing his thing again. Nods to Ward on his second TD. Motions him to a narrower split because of the FS blitz. If Ward stays outside, the safety is probably going to knock down any wider slant.

Picture of Ward leaping over Griffin. Look at the air Ward gets and the air Griffin grabs.

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- Heyward used at the nose in some subpackage situations.

- Keisel, like he did last year, getting his hands on a pass at the line and results in a Woodley interception.

- Late in the game when we went dime, Foote was the LB taken out. Had a group of Farrior, Timmons, and Carter.

- Looks like Clark is trying to jump Williams on the overthrow of wide open Nate Washington in the end zone. Sees all the WRs with an inside release and probably doesn't think Nate would run down the seam.

- Ziggy's pass rushing looked really good. Showed quick hands, good swim.

- Ran a lot of OLB/DE stunts late in the game when we were just bringing four.

- Heyward gets by Micheal Roos on Hasselbeck's intentional grounding.

- Damian Williams TD. Combination of Lewis caught looking in the backfield and Mundy biting on Hasselbeck's pump fake to the right off the snap. Can't get over in time.

- Starks' run blocking looked strong but I don't think his pass blocking was as good as it may have first appeared. He was getting a lot of help from Legursky all game long. But still, credit to Max for stepping up when we really needed him.

- Speaking of the line, I wish they could play that way every week. The rushing totals might not look like a lot when you take away Dwyer's run but they played great. They actually looked like a unit instead of five guys trying their best to not completely screw things up. Seemed like good communication (when picking up stunts, alerts at the line, etc) guys getting to the second level, turning their defender, all that good stuff. Don't underestimate the importance of communicating well. Honestly, that was the biggest problem with the line and the offense in general this season.

They've gotten a lot of flack this season and rightfully so but today, I tip my cap.

Sacks

- 2nd and 4, 13:25 left in the 2nd. 12 personnel. 4 man rush. Foster gets beat to the outside, the DT Casey gets around him. Looks like Foster came off the line stepping to his inside and wasn't able to push Casey upfield once he realized his man was going to the outside. Issue it seemed like was the fact Foster wasn't bringing his feet with him when he tried to push Casey. He lunged and wasn't able to generate much power.

Sack Counter (Game)

Ramon Foster: 1

Sack Counter (Season)

Ben Roethlisberger: 4
Jonathan Scott: 1.5
Wide receivers: 1.5
Ramon Foster: 1.5
Bruce Arians: 1
Good defensive scheme: 1
Marcus Gilbert: 1
Chris Kemoeatu: 1
Willie Colon: .5
Trai Essex: .5
Maurkice Pouncey: .5

Formations

FB: 21
Empty: 10
Pony: 1

Injuries

Redman left with leg cramps.

Pouncey had a bruised knee.

Gilbert with the aformentioned left shoulder. He's questionable this week. If I had to guess, he won't play.

Id like to know your thoughts on Woodley thru 5 games. On paper this was his most productive game, but his sack came when he was solo blocked by a backup running back Hall. Half a sack when Hood pressured the QB to the ground and a lucky INT that was batted by Keisel.

My impression from what I watch is he continues to have little impact overall while lugging around when he could be hustling to the ball. Not just pressuring the QB but running after the plays. He rarely leaves the field and sucks in coverage.

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Originally Posted by Steeltreal

Id like to know your thoughts on Woodley thru 5 games. On paper this was his most productive game, but his sack came when he was solo blocked by a backup running back Hall. Half a sack when Hood pressured the QB to the ground and a lucky INT that was batted by Keisel.

My impression from what I watch is he continues to have little impact overall while lugging around when he could be hustling to the ball. Not just pressuring the QB but running after the plays. He rarely leaves the field and sucks in coverage.

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I know you didn't ask me, but I'm going to answer this one anyway.

Your impression is wrong. Woodley had a great influence in the Titans inability to convert 3rd downs for most of the game.

Before I forget, I saw Hoke attempted to get cut twice. Once he was cut, he fought off the other and ended up making the tackle.

It's safe to assume it happened a little more than that because there were points where I forgot to look for it.

But overall, he wasn't cut very much. The Titans did slant their offensive line and run stretch plays but had little cut blocking in their scheme.

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Originally Posted by Steeltreal

Id like to know your thoughts on Woodley thru 5 games. On paper this was his most productive game, but his sack came when he was solo blocked by a backup running back Hall. Half a sack when Hood pressured the QB to the ground and a lucky INT that was batted by Keisel.

My impression from what I watch is he continues to have little impact overall while lugging around when he could be hustling to the ball. Not just pressuring the QB but running after the plays. He rarely leaves the field and sucks in coverage.

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As others have pointed out on here, Woodley is a notriously slow starter. So don't be too alarmed because this is what he's done in the past.

I will say that especially in the Texans game, was disappointed to see Woodley handled by Owen Daniels as much as he was. He's a big TE yes, but Woodley got washed out of the run too much. Hopefully he picks up where he left off last week because we need him more than ever with Harrison out another 2-4 weeks.

The back that Woodley blew through was a FB, for the record. Not the backup running back. Is a difference.

And for the record, I was one of the few not wanting to re-sign Woodley.

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Originally Posted by zulater

I know you didn't ask me, but I'm going to answer this one anyway.

Your impression is wrong. Woodley had a great influence in the Titans inability to convert 3rd downs for most of the game.

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You dont have to defend him just because you own his jersey.

The Titans showed little respect for him by using a single blocker on most of his snaps and keep in mind this is with Harrison out of the lineup.
Which they learned from the previous week.

@ Houston him with Harrison in the lineup
25 times blocked by a tight end.
12 times by an offensive lineman.
8 times he dropped into coverage.
8 times he went unblocked.
1 time he was double-teamed.

Not much influence from what I watched. Someone with his contract should require a double team and teams got him figured out by week 5 .

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Originally Posted by Steeltreal

You dont have to defend him just because you own his jersey.

The Titans showed little respect for him by using a single blocker on most of his snaps and keep in mind this is with Harrison out of the lineup.
Which they learned from the previous week.

@ Houston him with Harrison in the lineup
25 times blocked by a tight end.
12 times by an offensive lineman.
8 times he dropped into coverage.
8 times he went unblocked.
1 time he was double-teamed.

Not much influence from what I watched. Someone with his contract should require a double team and teams got him figured out by week 5 .

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First off I don't own anyone's jersey. My kid has a few, but not me.

Second the Titans had Dave Stewart assigned to Woodley the majority of the game. He's one of the better right tackles in the league. Hardly a "lack of respect", as you assert.

Third, I defend him because I watched the game. And against the Titans, in the first half particularly he was very disruptive. the Titans inability to convert 3rd downs often was influenced by Woodley pressures or sacks.

Maybe you need to watch a little harder next time? :coffee:

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Originally Posted by Chidi29

As others have pointed out on here, Woodley is a notriously slow starter. So don't be too alarmed because this is what he's done in the past.

I will say that especially in the Texans game, was disappointed to see Woodley handled by Owen Daniels as much as he was. He's a big TE yes, but Woodley got washed out of the run too much. Hopefully he picks up where he left off last week because we need him more than ever with Harrison out another 2-4 weeks.

The back that Woodley blew through was a FB, for the record. Not the backup running back. Is a difference.

And for the record, I was one of the few not wanting to re-sign Woodley.

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Chidi I respect your opinion greatly, and so far Woodely as is typical for him is off to a slow start, so the signing is looking somewhat suspect at the moment perhaps. But I also respect Mike Tomlin and Dick LeBeau's opinion more than anyone's here. And I'm guessing that the Steelers wouldn't have given Woodley that contract if both of them hadn't endorsed it? My thinking is they know his overall value to the defense , and if he wasn't all that, they would have said so and the Steelers wouldn't have signed him long term. Now I realize that if you put yourself in a situation of desperation, and have no depth that could influence what you do. But if that was the Steelers guiding light here, then why wouldn't they have just left the franchise tag on him and played it year by year as they did with Max Starks?

I'll even go one further. Since Colbert's come on board, which of their own veteran free agents have the Steelers resigned that they have lived to regret? They seem to know their own personnel pretty well it seems.

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Originally Posted by Chidi29

As others have pointed out on here, Woodley is a notriously slow starter. So don't be too alarmed because this is what he's done in the past.

The back that Woodley blew through was a FB, for the record.

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And a really good one at that, Ahmard Hall

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Ran a WR sweep we saw practiced in Week 3 of the preseason the play after the fake punt.

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When they came out in an empty back set on that play I was a little surprised. I hate when they tip their hand and make it so the defense doesn't have to respect the possibility of the run. But then they ran that draw sweep, what a great call! It also makes teams think a little in the future when we come out in that formation.

It was worth the timeout! :heh:

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Damian Williams TD. Combination of Lewis caught looking in the backfield and Mundy biting on Hasselbeck's pump fake to the right off the snap. Can't get over in time.

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Good teaching moment for Tomlin. :chuckle: Thank God it was a meaningless score though!

I'm real curious to see how Keenan Lewis holds up as the competition gets harder? I think he's the most improved Steeler this year by far.

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Heyward gets by Micheal Roos on Hasselbeck's intentional grounding.

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That still pisses me off that Cam gets cheated out of a sack!

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Originally Posted by zulater

Chidi I respect your opinion greatly, and so far Woodely as is typical for him is off to a slow start, so the signing is looking somewhat suspect at the moment perhaps. But I also respect Mike Tomlin and Dick LeBeau's opinion more than anyone's here. And I'm guessing that the Steelers wouldn't have given Woodley that contract if both of them hadn't endorsed it? My thinking is they know his overall value to the defense , and if he wasn't all that, they would have said so and the Steelers wouldn't have signed him long term. Now I realize that if you put yourself in a situation of desperation, and have no depth that could influence what you do. But if that was the Steelers guiding light here, then why wouldn't they have just left the franchise tag on him and played it year by year as they did with Max Starks?

I'll even go one further. Since Colbert's come on board, which of their own veteran free agents have the Steelers resigned that they have lived to regret? They seem to know their own personnel pretty well it seems.

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Just to be clear, I'm not really being critical of Woodley. I know he starts off seasons slow and he played very well Sunday. I think anytime you hold Chris Johnson to under 50 yards, you have to give credit to the outside backers for containing him. It won't show up on the stat sheet but you know it's there when the staff hits the film room.

And I know Tomlin/Colbert and the rest of the team have a better idea of Woodley than I ever will.

But I go back to the point of that being a weak argument to present. Because it makes the forum boring. When you say that, you're really saying you can never disagree with the front office. Why was Jonathan Scott starting at left tacke? Why is Aaron Smith still starting? Why does William Gay still exist (according to some..)?

You can play the "trust the FO" card in every case. It makes this forum very boring when we're all agreeing.

Come on guys, no love for the pictures? No more cell phone pixels.

Have to thank Zu for getting me onboard with NFL Rewind. Saves my a bunch of money on the VCR, too.

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Originally Posted by zulater

When they came out in an empty back set on that play I was a little surprised. I hate when they tip their hand and make it so the defense doesn't have to respect the possibility of the run. But then they ran that draw sweep, what a great call! It also makes teams think a little in the future when we come out in that formation.

It was worth the timeout! :heh:








Good teaching moment for Tomlin. :chuckle: Thank God it was a meaningless score though!

I'm real curious to see how Keenan Lewis holds up as the competition gets harder? I think he's the most improved Steeler this year by far.



That still pisses me off that Cam gets cheated out of a sack!

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I've always hated that argument that going empty makes the offense predictable. It really makes the offense unpredictable. Yes, they're going to pass but that's all you know. I've always likened it to a car making a random left turn and me trying to predict it's final destination. You know one clue but that's it.

It's tough for me to blame Mundy on the TD. The stacked side had 3 WR and he was the single high safety. Hasselbeck made a vet move. Probably any safety is going to bite and Mundy did a pretty good job of recovering.

Lewis has played well. Don't forget he got in the way on a 4th down pass to force downs. And that was him playing tight coverage and turning his hips, then having to fight the curl while looking away from the QB. Not easy to do. He's matured a lot and I'm happy to see that.

Yeah, sucks about Cam but LeBeau still knows how good of a play it was.

Those new pics are pretty awesome next comes JPEGS of people getting blown up!

Great stuff Chidi. Love the breakdowns each week. Being from South Africa we don't get much football coverage here. I only got to watch the Colts game so far this season. Your breakdowns, together with some Sportcenter highlights really helps a lot.

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Originally Posted by Chidi29

Just to be clear, I'm not really being critical of Woodley. I know he starts off seasons slow and he played very well Sunday. I think anytime you hold Chris Johnson to under 50 yards, you have to give credit to the outside backers for containing him. It won't show up on the stat sheet but you know it's there when the staff hits the film room.

And I know Tomlin/Colbert and the rest of the team have a better idea of Woodley than I ever will.

But I go back to the point of that being a weak argument to present. Because it makes the forum boring. When you say that, you're really saying you can never disagree with the front office. Why was Jonathan Scott starting at left tacke? Why is Aaron Smith still starting? Why does William Gay still exist (according to some..)?

You can play the "trust the FO" card in every case. It makes this forum very boring when we're all agreeing.

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Of course you can disagree with the front office, but I think their track record when they resign their own to multi year, multi million dollar extensions speaks for itself. So I sort of put that in a separate category. I mean really since Tommy Maddox, when was the last time they whiffed on one? I suppose some will suggest they did so with Willie Colon, and of course Woodley has his vocal critics, but it's too early to determine either of these signings yet. so basically I think it's fair to lean on the recent track record.

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I've always hated that argument that going empty makes the offense predictable. It really makes the offense unpredictable. Yes, they're going to pass but that's all you know. I've always likened it to a car making a random left turn and me trying to predict it's final destination. You know one clue but that's it.

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I don't mind going empty set, just on 1st down, when you're not racing the clock I'm not fond of it. Even when you don't employ play action, as long as you have a back alongside your qb, someone on that defense is going to have to respect the thought you might run. So when you don't have a back you're essentially give a lb or db a free release to blitz or double up on a receiver. I don't know, maybe it's just me still having flashbacks to an early December night in Cleveland a couple seasons back, when we seemed to employ that look way more often than reason or the weather conditions would suggest was wise? :noidea:

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Originally Posted by zulater

Of course you can disagree with the front office, but I think their track record when they resign their own to multi year, multi million dollar extensions speaks for itself. So I sort of put that in a separate category. I mean really since Tommy Maddox, when was the last time they whiffed on one? I suppose some will suggest they did so with Willie Colon, and of course Woodley has his vocal critics, but it's too early to determine either of these signings yet. so basically I think it's fair to lean on the recent track record.

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And I'm still leaning on the point I made when we signed him. That we didnt' need to pay that much for a position we've had a lot of success with since the 90s.

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Originally Posted by zulater

I don't mind going empty set, just on 1st down, when you're not racing the clock I'm not fond of it. Even when you don't employ play action, as long as you have a back alongside your qb, someone on that defense is going to have to respect the thought you might run. So when you don't have a back you're essentially give a lb or db a free release to blitz or double up on a receiver. I don't know, maybe it's just me still having flashbacks to an early December night in Cleveland a couple seasons back, when we seemed to employ that look way more often than reason or the weather conditions would suggest was wise? :noidea:

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Let them double up or blitz. In empty, you're going to have so many options someone is going to get open.

With the weapons we have at WR and the struggles in the run game, why not use it?

And you can always run something short and quick which is essentially a run play anyway.

Whoa big upgrade on the pictures. Hahaha. I was almost going to start the Chidi needs a new camera foundation.

The media is still saying how the Steelers are no longer an elite team. I think they believe they can sell the Packers, Pats and Saints better.

So Chidi what's the rule on onsides kicks? Was it legal that the Titans were essentially tackling Battle before he touched the ball, and if so why?

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Originally Posted by zulater

So Chidi what's the rule on onsides kicks? Was it legal that the Titans were essentially tackling Battle before he touched the ball, and if so why?

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nice catch, i thought i was the only one who saw it

I'm not sure, but I think on kick offs everyone is fair game. Everyone on the kicking team is "on side" and able to handle the ball without the opponent having to touch it. Different than a punt, where only the punter or any player behind the punter would be "on side". Don't think that you have to allow the opportunity for the receiver to catch the ball on kickoffs. The ball is hot and live once it passes 10 yards, by rule. First come, first served.

Good stuff as always, Chidi.

And yes, the pictures look a hell of a lot better! :chuckle:

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Originally Posted by zulater

So Chidi what's the rule on onsides kicks? Was it legal that the Titans were essentially tackling Battle before he touched the ball, and if so why?

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Count pretty much answered it and that's what Tomlin said in his press conference Tuesday. It's fair game once the ball travels the needed ten yards. Keenan Lewis knocks out Marc Mariani on the play. It becomes less of football and more of UFC for a few seconds.