Balls:
- No one. When you lose to a 5-9 team nobody wins a ball
Goats:
- Juju: Way to earn that contract extension, it sure appears that the two first year starters are both playing better than him.
- Finney: His bad snap got Mason injured and utlimately might have lost the game
- Duck: Yep, might as well say this guy's nickname is duck because his passes float for an eternity. What started off as a feel-good story might end up in the CFL or XFL
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Ball seems to always go to watt & heyward
Goat always seems to go to the OC the offense can’t get out of there own way most drives
For those i love i will sacrifice.
Si ventus non est, remiga
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I missed the game. Was going to watch on demand but heard the score during the Titans game. These QBs suck. I have no idea who else didn’t show up. Looks like the Titans are going to lose though. I’d roll with Paxton Lynch against the Ravens next week.
To be fair Mason actually looked like an NFL QB. His balls had some zip on it and he threw with authority. Then he tried getting up after handling a bad snap and got injured on the play. Duck on the other hand, looked like an undrafted rookieOriginally Posted by DesertSteel
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Rudolph came in for Duck and actually played pretty well. The time sitting and watching seemed to help him.
It was a M.A.S.H unit and Keystone Cops rolled into one today.
This team had zero luck this year.
Man I'm glad your not coaching. When the sky falls it falls fast for you.
Game ball: TJ watt, dline keeping leveon runs to a min.
Goats:
pouncey... too many high snaps all season , inexcusable.
Duck- we gave up 3 points trying to throw a TD to a RB in the corner of the endzone.
Oline- they've looked horrible for weeks. Free pass rushers, no time for inexperienced QB to get comfortable.
Matekavic-crucial penalty cost us a drive and time outs and the lead.
This was a slopppppppy game. This defense is playoff/superbowl ready. But offense has a lot of work ahead of them.
Ben heir apparent is needed.
Running back needed
Wr or te needed to free up
Offense line needs an overhaul.
Just imagine this for a second. We could of had George kittle instead of cam sutton.
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I only listened to part of it, decided to wash the truck as the weather was nice today and neighbor decided he wanted to tell my his life story right about the time Duck got sacked out of FG range. But what I heard from part of the game is neither QB can lead this team. mR had a good drive then was full of his usual 3 and outs, WRs dropped his passes, Duck didn’t bounce back from his INTs like we had hoped. Def was not good enough today and STs have resorted to their worse that terrible ways.
Today everyone is a goat, I am glad we did as well as we did this season, but too many injuries to overcome. We now know MR and Duck will only be backups at most so we will need to start looking for our next franchise QB soon.
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No goats. This team did well considering how everything snowballed this season. I didn't think they would make it to the playoffs, but they did play better than I expected. Fan's expect way too much out of a team that had its legs cut off at the knees. Lots of work needed in the off season.
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Lots of goats, but the rest of what is here is pretty on point
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I think TJ gets DPOY.
QFT.
The biggest issue now is CAN Ben come back? If he can't we are in for a long road back. Yes it looks like we finally have a defense but the offense and coaching staff are still a raging:
I think the Steelers made a mistake going into the season without experience at the backup QB position. Ben is up there in age and has an injury history - just bad planning. I never liked the move the Steelers made in letting Landry Jones go and replacing him with rookies. With his limitations he still had valuable nfl experience and I’m pretty sure he would have done better than Rudolph and Hodges.
True, cant expect more from the rest of the team given the injuries but the QB play held them back, they get into the playoffs, probably at 10-6 or 11-5 with Jones.
You guys are so delicate and quick to anger. A team ravaged by injuries at key positions and with QB play so far below competent that I can't even begin to think of how to describe it and they still almost kinda sorta pulled the whole thing off.
Sweet googly moogly. This isn't a total tear-down and rebuild. Patch a few holes and hope that your HOF caliber franchise QB can return to health for a full 16 game season.
Quick -- name the great team seasons woth a back-up QB for basically 15 games. Ready....go....
Game Balls
Watt
Johnson
Boswell
Goats:
Tomlin, for not red flaming the interception Haden had.
Duck - Two interceptions
Pouncey - snapping the ball should not be an issue. He long snaps like a guard.
Edmunds - Costly again in coverage
I did think Rudolph looked his best, but it did not lead to many points. I'm tempted to call out Ju-ju for not doing up with the ball, he should have had that catch.
We might be better off going 8-8 and getting a better draft spot. I can't see us beating anyone in the playoffs. Not with these QB's and this coaching.
lol ok, and you basically said the same things I had to say. Sorry if the offense does nothing to inspire confidence leading into the postseason, they couldn’t score on a drunk college slut
Correction: a backup QB and an undrafted guy elevated from the PS. A lot of the key guys on this offense are "nobodies"; guys who wouldn't even be in the league if not for the Steelers' desperation.
If we break even or end up with a winning season without an offense, that's a pretty darn good outcome in my book.
"You've heard people brag about 'being in the zone'. They don't know what the Hell being in the zone is about. I played in the NFL for 15 years and I was only in the zone that one time." - "Mean" Joe Greene on the 1974 playoff victory over Oakland
Game Balls - Diontae Johnson, TJ Watt, Mark Barron
Goats - Offensive Line, Running Backs, Duck
The offensive line is horrendous. They can’t block for the run or pass, there’s soooooo much miscommunication. Again this week they had 8 guys in pass protection and couldn’t stop the rush. People running in free. Matt Feiler needs to go to the bench. He’s not starting material...
Enthroned Into The Good Old Boys Club - 2024
Regardless of QB play, the O-Line has been shit since week one with Ben. That’s really the most consistent thing about this team is the shitty blocking and communication in the O-Line.
They’ve played well above their heads here as a team but that O-Line is maybe as much a problem as the QB play has been.
I agree. Looked like the offense would be able to move the football when Rudolph came into the game. Took care of the football and at least got the 3 points on the first drive that Hodges should have had when he threw the INT in the end zone on 3rd down, instead of just completing the crossing pattern to Johnson and moving the sticks.
Your notion that JuJu somehow is a goat I don't agree with. The guy is injured and they were trying to play him sparingly because he isn't 100%, but 60% JuJu is better than 100% Holton or Cain IMO.
I still don't understand why Fichtner didn't try and use those pro bowl O linemen, with Banner in as the 6th lineman or some double TE sets to block for the RB's or even pass out of that personnel grouping. The Jets running game was more effective than the Steelers and passing out of those formations worked for them at the start as well. With youth, inexperience and UDFA's at skill positions, why not put a fair portion of your offensive responsibility on the high paid veteran O line?
One hand washes the other and all the parts of an offense are interconnected. From what I have seen, it is because defenses are not even pretending to respect a single thing about the Steelers offense, they are able to put stresses on the pass protection schemes that are going to cause breakdowns to any 5 man line +RB+TE. That is not to say that the line has not caused its own problems with Feiler in particular looking a bit lost at times. But honestly, I would bet a great deal that even mediocre QB play would change the shape, alignment, and plan of defenses to the point that you wouldn't see the same degree of offensive line issues.
While the team's problems may not end with the QB position, they all start there.
This is the main problem and many are blaming the young QB's. Of course they are not helping as to be expected. Ben wouldn't be no savior with this OL.. It is that simple and add Fichtner and the injuries and young wr's. It's a crap show!
The O line is the same as last season. An experienced and competent QB is the difference, as is a healthy run game with a feature RB and a good blocking FB.
If Ben was healthy and playing QB, teams would not be crowding the line of scrimmage and routinely sending 5 rushers, nor putting 8 defensive players in the box. Inexperienced QB's that cant make the right read, not routinely beat the defensive blitz are going to get blitzed. This is especially true when the Steelers are often in 2nd and 3rd down and long.
I think when Rudolph entered the game and looked to be making the reads and stepping into his throws, there was some offensive production and threat that the Jets needed to back some defenders into coverage, but when Hodges re entered the game there seemed to be less risk to crowding the LOS and blitzing, because he didn't look confident nor capable of beating the blitz with completions. IMO, the play calls didn't put Hodges in position to be in manageable distance on 3rd downs and he made some questionable decisions under the pressure and some inaccurate throws.
IMO, the O line is not the problem, its all the injuries and therefore lack of good NFL talent at the skill positions, plus the OC not helping out by calling a game that puts the offense in manageable down and distance to sustain drives.
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Gameballs:
- Mason: came in and actually looked like an NFL QB. He looked decisive and zipped the ball in.
- Watt: How nice is to have him on this team. When he was drafted, my fear with him was that he didn't have NFL speed and didn't show superior strength or even a lot of moves. I was outright wrong on speed. I think he's focused on strength. Moves came from film study and work.
HM
- Johnson put in a hard day's work today.
- Washington had some nice catches and fought through the ankle problem after the horse-collar tackle.
GOATS
- Duck: Two games in a row he threw up bad balls that were INTs.
- Mason's Shoulder: Do I need to say anything?
- The football gods: Honestly, how many injuries is this team going to sustain?
- O-Line: Say what you will, and I know there's people defending the line. But this line is not as good as advertised. And, don't give me, "But the defense doesn't have to worry about..." as an excuse. A decade and a half ago, the defense would line up with 9 in the box against the Steelers and rush most of them, and the Steelers O-line still kept their QBs upright.
2008 - matt cassell with the patriots - they went 11-5, good enough for the playoffs this year - I would take that in a second
So there is basically one time ever (recently) and everyone is back to firing everybody because the Steelers didn’t hit the 1 in 100 shot.
not the only time, it’s happened other times. Remember Joe theismann’s career ending on Monday night in 1985? They were 6-5, some backup from UCLA took over for the skins that night, went 4-1 to finish the season and 12-4 the next year. Not saying anyone should be fired but Colbert and co missed badly on the backup QB plan this year.
You asked for the exception and it was delivered. You aren't new here...to expect rational thought over knee jerk reactions is a bit much IMO.
Just trying to get everyone to breathe and realize that since the salary cap, there’s basically been Brady and Cassel. That’s it for the “back-up saves the season” narrative.
If you have a good QB you can’t devote the cap resources necessary to entice a high end borderline starter to even consider rotting away on your bench.
So your stuck playing middle draft round roulette for your backup.
The high end vet backup who is a borderline starter is about 15+ years in the rearview
you are absolutely correct, this is a very profound post!
We were able to acquire Batch and Grad and fit them into our cap, two starters with their former clubs
I don’t buy the notion we have to resort to relying on two rookies :a mid draft pick and an undrafted rook
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