If that special teams played like that every week I would take it. Jeff Reed made 3 of 5 on the day, unfortuneatly missing the probable game winning field goal at the end of regulation. He's normally money in that situation, but every kicker has a bad day, right Mr. Norwood. This bad day extended the game but didn't cost the Steelers, thankfully. The other one he missed was a 55 yarder, which would have been a career best. So, it would have been a bonus for him to make it but the odds were not in his favor. By the way, do you think Jeff might have been trying a little harder on kickoffs, or possible the wind was just blowing that way, but he had a touchback which is rare for him.
Daniel Sepulveda was outstanding in this game. I doubt he'll average 50 yards per punt, but if he can he will be a real weapon in the battle for field position. He got them out of some jams in this game, one with a 55 yarder.
The returners didn't get much of a chance with a couple touchbacks and fair catches. Randle El held onto one that was timed perfectly by the defender and was hit hard immediately and managed to stay out of the way of another one at mid field when Ryan Mundy was blocked into him.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
WHO GETS CREDIT FOR ATLANTA GAME - DEFENSE?
Should the defense get credit for the Atlanta game?
Defensive Line
The defensive line played extremely well in this game. Even missing their anchor, Casey Hampton for part of the game they held Atlanta to 58 yards rushing on 25 carries. Is Chris Hoke one of the most valuable guys on this team, or what? But, that is the great thing about the Steelers and one of the things that won them their last Super Bowl. Someone went down, another guy stepped in and there was little to no drop off in performance. The linemen also put some pressure on Ryan. Overall, they did the main thing they are supposed to do in Dick Lebow's defense, stop the run.
Linebackers
These guys were trying to get to the quarterback the whole game. I have a Madden game on Wii and of course I love to play the Steelers against all takers. I'm no defensive genius, but I know what to do with the Steelers, because in this game they don't lose any steam throughout the game. All I do is blitz every play, cornerback blitz, Townshend blitz, Polamalu blitz, zone blitz and so forth. That's what it looked like they were doing for a large part of the game. They brought the heat with the linebackers. Ryan's shoulder had to be sore after that game because Harrison was tomahawking him every chance he got to knock the ball loose. Both he and Woodley each had a sack. It looks like Timmons may finally be getting the hang of the defense too. He was all over the place making tackles and blowing up plays in the backfield with 9 solo tackles 3 of them for losses. These guys also played outstanding.
Defensive Backs
The defensive backs also played well. Another component of the Dick Lebeau defense is to not give up any big plays. They pretty much picked on Bryant McFadden the whole afternoon. Roddy White just kept catching those 10 to 20 yard passes and ended up with 111 yards. Tony Gonzalez also made a few grabs, but once they caught the ball there were no mistackles or they went out of bounds. No big plays given up. Hopefully McFadden will tighten up his coverage a little and not allow another receiver to get 100 yards, but the plan worked well enough on Sunday with no TDs for the Falcons.
Defensive Line
The defensive line played extremely well in this game. Even missing their anchor, Casey Hampton for part of the game they held Atlanta to 58 yards rushing on 25 carries. Is Chris Hoke one of the most valuable guys on this team, or what? But, that is the great thing about the Steelers and one of the things that won them their last Super Bowl. Someone went down, another guy stepped in and there was little to no drop off in performance. The linemen also put some pressure on Ryan. Overall, they did the main thing they are supposed to do in Dick Lebow's defense, stop the run.
Linebackers
These guys were trying to get to the quarterback the whole game. I have a Madden game on Wii and of course I love to play the Steelers against all takers. I'm no defensive genius, but I know what to do with the Steelers, because in this game they don't lose any steam throughout the game. All I do is blitz every play, cornerback blitz, Townshend blitz, Polamalu blitz, zone blitz and so forth. That's what it looked like they were doing for a large part of the game. They brought the heat with the linebackers. Ryan's shoulder had to be sore after that game because Harrison was tomahawking him every chance he got to knock the ball loose. Both he and Woodley each had a sack. It looks like Timmons may finally be getting the hang of the defense too. He was all over the place making tackles and blowing up plays in the backfield with 9 solo tackles 3 of them for losses. These guys also played outstanding.
Defensive Backs
The defensive backs also played well. Another component of the Dick Lebeau defense is to not give up any big plays. They pretty much picked on Bryant McFadden the whole afternoon. Roddy White just kept catching those 10 to 20 yard passes and ended up with 111 yards. Tony Gonzalez also made a few grabs, but once they caught the ball there were no mistackles or they went out of bounds. No big plays given up. Hopefully McFadden will tighten up his coverage a little and not allow another receiver to get 100 yards, but the plan worked well enough on Sunday with no TDs for the Falcons.
Monday, September 13, 2010
WHO GETS CREDIT FOR ATLANTA GAME - OFFENSE?
That was a great team win for the Steelers. The defense for the most part dominated, the offense provided just enough to get a win and the special teams prevented any long returns.
Offense
Quarterback
Dennis Dixon played ok on Sunday. He could have very easily had a very bad game, but it turned out to be a mediocre performance. He had several throws that could have been interceptions and one did, but it was not a deciding factor in the game. For one time the announcers on TV actually had an insightful point. When Dixon tried to throw out patterns he was nearly intercepted several times, I'm including the screen pass into the gut of the Defensive End. When he threw it between the hash marks that's when he had the most success.
Running Backs
Of course Rashard Mendenhall had a great game simply because he broke the last play of the game for a touchdown. Give a lot of credit to the O Line and Hines Ward for the blocks that sprung him for that TD. But he was the one in the end zone at the end of the play. Up to that point I kept saying to myself that he hadn't done anything. He kept getting stuffed in the backfield, then he'd break a 9 or 10 yarder. It was all or nothing.
Isaac Redman was ok also in his debut this year. He made a first down on a 3rd down attempt and also got stuffed on a third down attempt. The thing about him is he doesn't give up. On the 3rd down he didn't make he made about 5 guys tackle him. I can see why he could make a good short yardage back.
Receivers
The wide receiving corps was not spectacular, but they too did what needed to be done. Hines Ward continued to show why he is still one of the best receivers in the league. He had 108 yards on 6 receptions to lead the Steelers. Heath Miller also chipped in another 4 for 40 yards. Mike Wallace had a big grab for 52 yards also. The one sore spot for me with the receivers was the play of Antwaan Randle El. For some unknown reason Dixon kept trying to connect with him and Randle El kept running routes short of the first down and then dropping a lot of them. Dixon finally figured out who the future Hall of Famer was and that Randle El wasn't. It's only the first game and I wouldn't give up on him yet, but Antwaan has to play better than that.
Offensive Line
The line also played ok. None of them stood out until that last play of the game. In that one play they made up for any mediocre play throughout the game. Dixon wasn't able to sit back in the pocket unharrassed, but he did have time most of the game to read the defense and get off a good throw. The run blocking was good here and good there but not consistently good.
Offense
Quarterback
Dennis Dixon played ok on Sunday. He could have very easily had a very bad game, but it turned out to be a mediocre performance. He had several throws that could have been interceptions and one did, but it was not a deciding factor in the game. For one time the announcers on TV actually had an insightful point. When Dixon tried to throw out patterns he was nearly intercepted several times, I'm including the screen pass into the gut of the Defensive End. When he threw it between the hash marks that's when he had the most success.
Running Backs
Of course Rashard Mendenhall had a great game simply because he broke the last play of the game for a touchdown. Give a lot of credit to the O Line and Hines Ward for the blocks that sprung him for that TD. But he was the one in the end zone at the end of the play. Up to that point I kept saying to myself that he hadn't done anything. He kept getting stuffed in the backfield, then he'd break a 9 or 10 yarder. It was all or nothing.
Isaac Redman was ok also in his debut this year. He made a first down on a 3rd down attempt and also got stuffed on a third down attempt. The thing about him is he doesn't give up. On the 3rd down he didn't make he made about 5 guys tackle him. I can see why he could make a good short yardage back.
Receivers
The wide receiving corps was not spectacular, but they too did what needed to be done. Hines Ward continued to show why he is still one of the best receivers in the league. He had 108 yards on 6 receptions to lead the Steelers. Heath Miller also chipped in another 4 for 40 yards. Mike Wallace had a big grab for 52 yards also. The one sore spot for me with the receivers was the play of Antwaan Randle El. For some unknown reason Dixon kept trying to connect with him and Randle El kept running routes short of the first down and then dropping a lot of them. Dixon finally figured out who the future Hall of Famer was and that Randle El wasn't. It's only the first game and I wouldn't give up on him yet, but Antwaan has to play better than that.
Offensive Line
The line also played ok. None of them stood out until that last play of the game. In that one play they made up for any mediocre play throughout the game. Dixon wasn't able to sit back in the pocket unharrassed, but he did have time most of the game to read the defense and get off a good throw. The run blocking was good here and good there but not consistently good.
1
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
JOB INSECURITY
If you think NFL players have the life, think again. That is at least think about those guys on the practice squad. Yesterday, Doug Worthington was released from the practice squad shortly after being signed to the practice squad. The Steelers then signed another D lineman, Al Woods, formerly a 4th round pick of the New Orleans Saints in the 2010 draft.
Easy come easy go for practice squad players. Stay close to the phone Doug, once they have him in the fold and get a look at him they may dump him and resign you.
Easy come easy go for practice squad players. Stay close to the phone Doug, once they have him in the fold and get a look at him they may dump him and resign you.
James McDonald or Ross Ohlendorf
Remember a year ago around this time. There was a first year Pirates pitcher showing off his stuff interviewing to be one of the cornerstone pitchers of the Pirates staff. Pirates fans were thinking, finally we found at least one pitcher that would be able to provide some stability for this rag-tag staff. That was Ross Ohlendorf. He had a 3.92 era and was 11-10. Not the greatest stats in the world, even his post all star game stats of 4-3 were not very impressive, but the 2.83 era showed promise. It just seemed like he really went on a tear and everyone hoped he would continue that second half success this year. Once again, disappointment. Ohlendorf is sitting at 1-11 with a 4.07 era and done for the season. Still, if you're a Pirate fan and an optimist. That era is still close to respectable. The losses are not. Maybe, just maybe Andrew McCutcheon, Neil Walker, Garrett Jones, Jose Tabata and crew will keep improving and provide some needed offense next year and that e.r.a. will return to the 3.something.
This year's Ross Ohlendorf is James McDonald. An outcast from the Dodgers, picked up by the Pirates. He recently shut out the NL East leading Atlanta Braves and sent them to Second Place behind the Phils. He has shown flashes of being a very good pitcher. Maybe not dominant, but good enough to be a stabilizing force on the Pirates Roster. We'll see if his interview in the remaining games this season can win him a spot next year in the rotation. Hope springs eternal for Pirates fans.
If you're a dreamer, consider Maholm, McDonald, Morton, Ohlendorf and Brad Lincoln all catching fire and the pitching staff actually gives the offense a chance next year. Like, I said you have to be a dreamer. Despite those 18 losing seasons I do remember another group of pitchers finally living up to the hype in another era. Do the names Drabek, Smiley, Dunne ring a bell. Well, maybe not Dunne, but the other two. It could happen. I'd settle for 2 of the 5 actually winning 12 to 15 games and the others keeping them in the game. Wouldn't you?
This year's Ross Ohlendorf is James McDonald. An outcast from the Dodgers, picked up by the Pirates. He recently shut out the NL East leading Atlanta Braves and sent them to Second Place behind the Phils. He has shown flashes of being a very good pitcher. Maybe not dominant, but good enough to be a stabilizing force on the Pirates Roster. We'll see if his interview in the remaining games this season can win him a spot next year in the rotation. Hope springs eternal for Pirates fans.
If you're a dreamer, consider Maholm, McDonald, Morton, Ohlendorf and Brad Lincoln all catching fire and the pitching staff actually gives the offense a chance next year. Like, I said you have to be a dreamer. Despite those 18 losing seasons I do remember another group of pitchers finally living up to the hype in another era. Do the names Drabek, Smiley, Dunne ring a bell. Well, maybe not Dunne, but the other two. It could happen. I'd settle for 2 of the 5 actually winning 12 to 15 games and the others keeping them in the game. Wouldn't you?
Monday, September 6, 2010
FINAL CUTS
I was surprised by a few of the final cuts this year. Here are the cuts:
LB Patrick Bailey
CB Joe Burnett
S Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith
WR Tyler Grisham
DE Sunny Harris
C Justin Hartwig
KR Stefan Logan
DE Steve McClendon
FB Frank Summers
G Craig Urbik
DE Doug Worthington
Depending if you watched the game Thursday or not you might be surprised that Patrick Bailey was cut. He was the Steelers rookie of the year in 2008, but has mostly been a special teams performer since. Thursday he was all over the field making tackles and blowing up plays. Maybe they told him he was going to get cut so he went all out to look good for another team. He has made an impression in other preseason games too.
Unfortunately Justin Hartwig had to go. It would have been nice to have him as an insurance policy behind Pouncey or another line position.
Sunny Harris was on the list after being cut last year in a numbers game. He was impressive enough for them to sign him back from the Panthers practice squad after Aaron Smith went down. He has barely been heard from this preseason and thus a casualty.
Not a surprise
Joe Burnett, not shown anything as a Cornerback since being drafted last year.
Frank Summers, possible backup RB, and like fullback when needed also has done nothing to impress.
Stefan Logan, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders are able to return the ball and play Wide Receiver. Stefan was too small for a wideout. Too many players with positive upsides to keep a one dimensional player around.
Craig Urbik: Plain and simply a bust
LB Patrick Bailey
CB Joe Burnett
S Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith
WR Tyler Grisham
DE Sunny Harris
C Justin Hartwig
KR Stefan Logan
DE Steve McClendon
FB Frank Summers
G Craig Urbik
DE Doug Worthington
Depending if you watched the game Thursday or not you might be surprised that Patrick Bailey was cut. He was the Steelers rookie of the year in 2008, but has mostly been a special teams performer since. Thursday he was all over the field making tackles and blowing up plays. Maybe they told him he was going to get cut so he went all out to look good for another team. He has made an impression in other preseason games too.
Unfortunately Justin Hartwig had to go. It would have been nice to have him as an insurance policy behind Pouncey or another line position.
Sunny Harris was on the list after being cut last year in a numbers game. He was impressive enough for them to sign him back from the Panthers practice squad after Aaron Smith went down. He has barely been heard from this preseason and thus a casualty.
Not a surprise
Joe Burnett, not shown anything as a Cornerback since being drafted last year.
Frank Summers, possible backup RB, and like fullback when needed also has done nothing to impress.
Stefan Logan, Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders are able to return the ball and play Wide Receiver. Stefan was too small for a wideout. Too many players with positive upsides to keep a one dimensional player around.
Craig Urbik: Plain and simply a bust
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Clean up
A few items to clean up that have been here entirely too long.
Poll questions
How many HRs will the legend hit?
Well the legend has not been as legendary as he was last year, but he has really performed as well as anyone this year less a few defensive issues. The year's not over but he's sitting at 20 right now and he'd have to go on a real tear to get to 30. We know from last year he's capable of putting up some high numbers but 10 in the rest of the season is unlikely. I've seen stories that management is cooling on considering him part of the future, but until another one of the 10 first basemen they have step up, he's the man. He's as good of a role model as you'll find in baseball too. Something the Pirates need to keep up relations with their fans. He's capable of hitting some long HRs too. The fans really like that.
Where will the Pirates finish this year?
That one could have been answered several months ago seeing as they're 12.5 games behind the Cubs right now, it can now be replaced with will they finish dead last in baseball. They actually have a pretty good lead in that category. They have 45 wins vs. Baltimore's 49. The prize for finishing last has been Rice University 3rd Baseman Anthony Rendon, but that is now a question mark because of a recent ankle injury. We'll see how that race shapes up in the final 28 games.
Link removed
I was just looking at the sports section for the Morgantown Dominion Post. It is pitiful. A couple of articles and none on the Mounaineers. I removed the link and added MSN Sportsnet. You'll find anything you need to know about the Mountaineers there.
New Posts
The few recent articles I've done have been on the Pirates, it's that time of year again: Football Season and time to switch focus to the Steelers. I'll put in my 2 cents on the quarterback situation. Ben's suspension has been reduced from 6 to 4 games. That's good news. I'm still not happy with how Ben behaved and will replace my license plate BEN XXXX as soon as it expires, but he appears to have done a good job of modifying his behavior. Hopefully Double D or CB can keep them at least .500 till he returns.
Poll questions
How many HRs will the legend hit?
Well the legend has not been as legendary as he was last year, but he has really performed as well as anyone this year less a few defensive issues. The year's not over but he's sitting at 20 right now and he'd have to go on a real tear to get to 30. We know from last year he's capable of putting up some high numbers but 10 in the rest of the season is unlikely. I've seen stories that management is cooling on considering him part of the future, but until another one of the 10 first basemen they have step up, he's the man. He's as good of a role model as you'll find in baseball too. Something the Pirates need to keep up relations with their fans. He's capable of hitting some long HRs too. The fans really like that.
Where will the Pirates finish this year?
That one could have been answered several months ago seeing as they're 12.5 games behind the Cubs right now, it can now be replaced with will they finish dead last in baseball. They actually have a pretty good lead in that category. They have 45 wins vs. Baltimore's 49. The prize for finishing last has been Rice University 3rd Baseman Anthony Rendon, but that is now a question mark because of a recent ankle injury. We'll see how that race shapes up in the final 28 games.
Link removed
I was just looking at the sports section for the Morgantown Dominion Post. It is pitiful. A couple of articles and none on the Mounaineers. I removed the link and added MSN Sportsnet. You'll find anything you need to know about the Mountaineers there.
New Posts
The few recent articles I've done have been on the Pirates, it's that time of year again: Football Season and time to switch focus to the Steelers. I'll put in my 2 cents on the quarterback situation. Ben's suspension has been reduced from 6 to 4 games. That's good news. I'm still not happy with how Ben behaved and will replace my license plate BEN XXXX as soon as it expires, but he appears to have done a good job of modifying his behavior. Hopefully Double D or CB can keep them at least .500 till he returns.
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