Game Balls and Goats (Cowboy's Game) Week #9

[EzraTank]

Goats = Everyone

Gameballs = Ben

[Edman]

Ben gets the gameball.

Another houdini act by the Steelers.

[Rotorhead]

Game Balls - Heyward, Ben, MFF, Juju

Goats - the entire team

Special Game Ball - McCarthy, if he goes for it earlier on 4th and inches we probably lose

Special Goat - Tomlin for not kicking a FG and making it an 8pt game at the end

[EzraTank]

If this game wasn't a wake up call I don't know what is.

Just flat out HORRIBLE COACHING. Not kicking that FG at the end ... speechless.

[polamalubeast]

I'm sick and tired of seeing Keith Butler's stubbornness of putting linebackers on other teams' WRs .... Seriously it's pathetic!

Good game from Ben when he wasn't handcuffed

[dislocatedday]

I am really concerned with the offensive planning and play calling based on last two weeks. The offense was only productive when it appeared they went into hurry up mode with an empty backfield and Ben in charge of the plays.

[st33lersguy]

Game Balls go to Ben and Juju. Ben carried the team and Juju was hard-nosed

Game Goats go to the rest of this team. This was a poorly played game. Biggest goats are as follows

The coaching is the biggest goat: How does a team starting a scrub at QB with no defense and a piss poor head coach stay competitive right until the very end? Piss poor coaching from the other team. Once again "The winningest black coach in NFL history" had his team completely unprepared and with no energy to play a terrible game. Once again his team made a dreg QB look good. Randy Fichtner holy shit. This guy is probably the worst coordinator in the league and is quite possibly the one offensive-based coach that is worse than Adam Gase. The playcalls were once again mind-numbingly stupid. What the hell was that on the 4th and 1? Good god! Why is the screen still a part of the offense. They need to get this guy the hell away from the offense and make Ben the OC. They won't fire him because Ben likes him so just make him the towel boy. How many bad QBs is Keith Butler going to make look good? How many times will receivers be wide open. Hy let's put our best pass rusher on a WR, brilliant idea! Some real Bellichickian stuff right there. And then there's Danny Smith who somehow still here even though he should have been fired 5 years but he's still here because Tomlin is clueless on when to fire people. This team is probably not making it out of the divisional round and it will be because of the coaching staff

Other top goats. Chase Claypool, I swear, his football IQ dropped like 50 points in a matter of weeks. Getting out of bounds during the TD drive to save time, multiple catchable balls that he didn't catch

Special teams was atrocious. What the hell is blocking on the field goal/XP? I hope this gets addressed, but knowing this team, they won so it won't change. Also at the 50 yard line, why don't you kick it out of the endzone?

Overall, once again this team is more concerned about playing pattycake with an opponent right up until the final play of the game rather than finishing a team off to win.

[pepsyman1]

Game Balls: Ben, Juju, TJ, Minkah

Goats: O-line, Butler, Danny Smith, Mike Tomlin. How do you make a guy who's NEVER STARTED A GAME in 6 years in the NFL, look like an All-Pro all game?

[fansince'76]

Game balls: Ben, Heyward, Watt

Goats: special teams (why is Danny Smith still employed by this team and is there any way we could poach John Fassel from the Cowboys?)

Goat - special mention: Tony Romo for suggesting the refs should have just let it slide when Ben got clocked in the face. That was pathetic.

[Mojouw]

This is so typical and hilarious. Could just copy and paste these every couple of games.

[polamalubeast]

Game Balls go to Ben and Juju. Ben carried the team and Juju was hard-nosed

Game Goats go to the rest of this team. This was a poorly played game. Biggest goats are as follows

The coaching is the biggest goat: How does a team starting a scrub at QB with no defense and a piss poor head coach stay competitive right until the very end? Piss poor coaching from the other team. Once again "The winningest black coach in NFL history" had his team completely unprepared and with no energy to play a terrible game. Once again his team made a dreg QB look good. Randy Fichtner holy shit. This guy is probably the worst coordinator in the league and is quite possibly the one offensive-based coach that is worse than Adam Gase. The playcalls were once again mind-numbingly stupid. What the hell was that on the 4th and 1? Good god! Why is the screen still a part of the offense. They need to get this guy the hell away from the offense and make Ben the OC. They won't fire him because Ben likes him so just make him the towel boy. How many bad QBs is Keith Butler going to make look good? How many times will receivers be wide open. Hy let's put our best pass rusher on a WR, brilliant idea! Some real Bellichickian stuff right there. And then there's Danny Smith who somehow still here even though he should have been fired 5 years but he's still here because Tomlin is clueless on when to fire people. This team is probably not making it out of the divisional round and it will be because of the coaching staff

Other top goats. Chase Claypool, I swear, his football IQ dropped like 50 points in a matter of weeks. Getting out of bounds during the TD drive to save time, multiple catchable balls that he didn't catch

Special teams was atrocious. What the hell is blocking on the field goal/XP? I hope this gets addressed, but knowing this team, they won so it won't change. Also at the 50 yard line, why don't you kick it out of the endzone?

Overall, once again this team is more concerned about playing pattycake with an opponent right up until the final play of the game rather than finishing a team off to win.

In bold,it was the right decision.....Just poor coverage.

[Dwinsgames]

Goats ... Danny Smith and Randy Fichtner - both are useless and have been

Game balls - Ben - Heyward - Minkah -TJ -JuJu -VW who every week just puts great tape out , this guy is so vastly under rated as a box player , sure he is a liability at times in coverage but he balls on the other side of the LOS

[pczach]

In bold,it was the right decision.....Just poor coverage.

I agree.

It was a perfect kick. At the 1 yard line, pinned against the sideline. Complete coverage collapse.

[cubanstogie]

Game balls: Ben, Heyward, Watt

Goats: special teams (why is Danny Smith still employed by this team and is there any way we could poach John Fassel from the Cowboys?)

Goat - special mention: Tony Romo for suggesting the refs should have just let it slide when Ben got clocked in the face. That was pathetic.

Romo said it was right call, the call on claypool he thought was iffy. If i remember correctly

[SteelMember]

Ben and his empty backfield play calling... again.

Special teams... obviously.

[Hawkman]

In bold,it was the right decision.....Just poor coverage.

Yeah I was ok with that call. Coverage has been decent this season. I’m sure the plan was to pin them inside the 10, well didn’t happen but I was good with the call.

[fansince'76]

Romo said it was right call, the call on claypool he thought was iffy. If i remember correctly

Yeah, "it was the right call, BUT..." were his exact words as I recall.

[NCSteeler]

I cannot imagine how anyone thinks we should have attempted a fg. You saw all game thier line owned our ST line. A block there would have been tragic

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[BlackAndGold]

The run blocking was a disaster against a team who is awful in defending the run.

Talent just prevailed today, Tomlin and crew got outcoached.

[BlackAndGold]

Minkah with a INT, FR, and another game saving pass deflection(2 on the day).

- - - Updated - - -

Also, three road games may have started to take a toll. Good to be home with Cincy.

[cubanstogie]

You think about what could have been. Ben injured and we lose game and most others until he returns. I didn’t enjoy the stress but am very happy at 8-0 and just banged up Ben. A lot of second guessing could be done, but just last week Tomlin was front runner for coach of the year. Dallas played well, they were fired up with new QB. Shit happens

[fansince'76]

Even though he had somewhat of a rough day at the office, congrats to Boz on the new franchise record-long 59-yard FG!

[Mojouw]

I agree.

It was a perfect kick. At the 1 yard line, pinned against the sideline. Complete coverage collapse.

Watt
Spillane
Layne
Davis
even Claypool

Those were the early season special teams standouts. I bet that if one were to look into it, that several of those players are playing far less snaps on STs. Put lesser players in the same roles and you get lesser results. Doesn't excuse anything, but I suspect it is a part of the answer.

[86WARD]

Game Balls - JuJu, Ben, Minkah

GoaTs - Special Teams, defense, opening and closing offense.

Fuck Danny Smith.

[pczach]

Watt
Spillane
Layne
Davis
even Claypool

Those were the early season special teams standouts. I bet that if one were to look into it, that several of those players are playing far less snaps on STs. Put lesser players in the same roles and you get lesser results. Doesn't excuse anything, but I suspect it is a part of the answer.

Could be. I didn't really notice who was out there. I was too busy being pissed off at what I had just witnessed!

[Craic]

Gameballs:

Minkah. Solid game by him.
Berry. Nice punts throughout the game.
Boswell. 59 yard field goal. Well done. Line needs to block better for him.

HM Ben for fortitude. Why does he play better injured? I've always wondered if it's because he settles down and doesn't try to do too much.

Goat
If they wear clothing with a Steelers logo, they're a goat this game. Heck, it was such an ugly won I'll even throw in the fans sitting at home.

__________________________

The Game Ball that Should Not Be, But Is.

The Pittsburgh Steelers. This is a game they lose in previous years. Dallas had every chance to come back, and yet the Steelers still come out with a win.

[NCSteeler]

Watt
Spillane
Layne
Davis
even Claypool

Those were the early season special teams standouts. I bet that if one were to look into it, that several of those players are playing far less snaps on STs. Put lesser players in the same roles and you get lesser results. Doesn't excuse anything, but I suspect it is a part of the answer.

I imagine you are at least partially correct

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[RunNGun]

Gameball- Ben. He had some ugly throws, but he came through when we needed him to.

Goat- Mason Rudolph. Mason didn't lose us the game in his limited time, but he tried to...and the fact that he even took a snap makes him the goat. He looked totally lost out there. He panicked in the pocket and he showed no signs of improvement. How he still has a helmet on game days baffles me. He's not an NFL quarterback. He doesn't have the arm or the attitude. Let Dobbs take his spot, because I've seen enough of this guy.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Should have fed Benny Snell more.

Another big game of 1 yard on 3 rushing attempts.

[JimHarbaugh'ssoakedtissue]

Game Ball - False Start! Letting Boz kick the 59 yard one.