Game Balls, Game Goats & FU's...........week 7.................@ Miami

[Steeltime]

I thought Bush played as good as he has in 2 years. Two fills and a pass defensed and solid coverage.

Agree 100%. Noticed that well. The D-line did a solid job on one of those running plays, the RB sees a hole, Bush sees what the RB sees, steps up and stops the play for no gain. Batting the ball down on a crossing route was another good play.

The defense gave up just 16 points, even when dropping three interceptions. Hey, Edmunds, try catching the ball with your hands and not letting it hit your chest.

 

[MeanJim]

I thought Bush played as good as he has in 2 years. Two fills and a pass defensed and solid coverage.

Yes, Bush looked like an average linebacker. Huge step up for him.

 

[topseed]

I hear 'ya. But we all watch a lot of NFL games and if you give most NFL offenses two or three chances to drive the field and put up a TD, the vast majority of the time the offense is going to drive the field and put up a TD.

Zach Wilson did it against the Steelers, right?

Getting picked off twice in a row was disappointing. Both throws were really bad. Yeah, I get the 3rd and 16 was an issue, but Harris is wide open in the middle for a guaranteed 8-9 yards, he breaks one tackle he is challenging for a 1st down. Going for it on 4th anyway so get an easy 10-12 yards there, don't force the ball.

Sure. But NFL defenses get paid, too.

How many times did Miami have the chance to drive down the field in the second half and put up a TD to salt the game away? Five or six?

The interceptions were bad, no doubt. But on the last one, I believe Pickett was thinking a bit too much about the clock -- he thought for a split-second about just taking off with the ball, but he feared (I guess) getting tackled in bounds and running out of time, so he tried to force it downfield. Looking at the replay, he could have easily picked up the first down with his legs inside the 20, and gotten out of bounds with about 18 seconds left. He'll learn.

 

[paperclip]

back to back offensive penalties on one drive

 

[Avoid_Lloyd]

Great post Chicoman, spot on.

Thank you for mentioning the only time we use the middle of the field is when desperate and down on the scoreboard at the end of the game.

Almost the only time we throw deep fades like for so many years in the past is on 3rd and short, and it NEVER works

All coaching...

 

[Troglodyte]

Forgot the DBs who dropped INTs as goats.

Also, I give Najee a game ball. He looked good last night and was underutilized.

 

[Steeltime]

Sure. But NFL defenses get paid, too.

How many times did Miami have the chance to drive down the field in the second half and put up a TD to salt the game away? Five or six?

The difference is this: the team that is trailing will go for it on 4th down. Having an extra down makes stopping a drive much, MUCH more difficult. We routinely see teams convert a 4th down and then drive for a winning score.

The Steelers scored 0 points in the 2nd half, but the Dolphins also put up 0. Does that mean both defenses performed equally? No - the Steelers had 4 downs to use as part of their last two, probably last 3, drives so failing to put up any points in that scenario is not acceptable.

 

[Shane Falco]

Game balls- Teryl Austin and the defensive coaches for making adjustments early. This was surprising and the defense was pretty sound slowing the Miami attack. If they could only hold onto those dropped interceptions. They need to quit hanging around Dionte Johnson.
Pickens- the guy is just a menace and needs to be involved more.
Muth-nice to have him back

Goats-
Pickett- 3 interceptions yesterday- yeah one was a missed PI call, but a kill is a kill. I hope the kid improves. He’s shown flashes of command towards the end.
Offensive line- they’ve become a lot better than I expected them to be as far as pass protection- they need to reel in the negative plays/penalties that kill drives.
Harvin- I was hoping the kid was going to show promise this season. He’s costing field flipping opportunities.

Neutral- offensive coordinator/coaching. You need to let the quarterback be a quarterback. Let him check out of plays when there’s 8 in the box and the safeties are 7 yards off the LOS. Harris is not going anywhere, your jet sweeps are becoming more predictable. Take a note from McDaniels, yes, he went laterally, but he went vertical to go lateral.

 

[maowv]

This team will not, can not, win with Matt Canada in the OC chair gameplanning and calling plays. Nobody wins in the NFL averaging 13 points per game on offense.

After a rough start, the defense held Miami to 16 points. That's good enough to win most games in this era of NFL football. After the first quarter, the defense was very effective.

But the offense is helpless. The playcalling is so basic and limited, it's like watching a high school team's playbook. It's so bad that every week, the broadcast announcers are openly critical of Canada. He must go or the effect will be to tank the rest of the season for that first overall draft pick. It won't matter if we intend to tank or not, that is the Canada effect.

 

[madinsomniac]

I think tgat while there are things I would pin on Canada, its a larger issue than him. People are acting like our actual plays are bad… they aren’t, and the carbon copies of them are being used by successful offenses everywhere… and I definitely don’t think its lack of talent… its fundamentals and coaching philosophy mostly…

Those safeties don’t have to respect anyone over the middle of the field … the wr routes are sloppy and lazy too often… it destroys timing and schematic manipulation of dbs..

Out offense just has no logic behind it. Canada as a college OC frequently used early plays to set up later attacks downfield… here it feels like we just pull plays out of a hat… it feels like a collaboration with a bunch of people trying to accomplish different things…

the Rooneys seem to want a run first offense… we have no ability to do that right now
We suspect Tomlin wants a offense just not to lose games… thats just idiotic
Canada seems to want to show off his really great motions and shifts, but without the qb being able to switch into what tge D reveals its less useful and the players aren’t all even close to on the same page..

 

[slashsteel]

Agree 100%. Noticed that well. The D-line did a solid job on one of those running plays, the RB sees a hole, Bush sees what the RB sees, steps up and stops the play for no gain. Batting the ball down on a crossing route was another good play.

The defense gave up just 16 points, even when dropping three interceptions. Hey, Edmunds, try catching the ball with your hands and not letting it hit your chest.

19. That idiotic decision to go for it instead of kicking a FG took off a gimme 3 points. Not that 19 points given up overall is bad... I think thought the coaches were slow in adjusting which is their normal.

 

[Steeltime]

Does ANYBODY believe this Steelers team can win a shoot-out? You know, sometimes the other team has a really good offense and can put up 30 points, even against a pretty good defense.

An offense must be able to put up more than 30 points when necessary. Collinsworth talking about the "Steelers way" of ugly, low-scoring games with a last-minute score to win but that approach does NOT freaking work against Buffalo, Kansas City, San Diego. The Seattle Seahawks traded Russell Wilson, have Geno Smith at QB, put up 37 against the Chargers defense, is 4-3 and averaging 26 points per game.

That is the difference good coaching can make.

 

[Steeltime]

19. That idiotic decision to go for it instead of kicking a FG took off a gimme 3 points.

That decision was just bizarre. I thought for sure it was the old hard-count, try to get a cheap first down. Who the hell does not take a FG to go up two scores??

Field goals when you are losing = bad. Field goals when you are leading = good. TD when you are winning = great.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

 

[black and gold apex]

Goats, Canada lackluster offense, come out third quarter and run the same do nothing plays. When will a pass deep ever be thrown? Not last plays of game.
This offense that finally gets a TD runs to endzone, for the dancing and finger pointing. Thumps up for Miami shoving it up our behinds with pay back celebration after interception. We are 2-5 , Act like you know that.
Receivers that have no clue what separation is.
Secondary drop four interceptions enough said. Let's not even bring up tackling skills

Diontae maybe should have gotten into to some yelling and screaming at others not doing their jobs at half time. Last play as Johnson didn't even try to run the defender out of bounds or how they showed Miami defender all over Diontae in coverage


Game balls. Kenney, ups and downs as a rookie.
Muth clutches
Pickens big protentional
Jack a lot of tackles
FU Tomlin for not hiring position coaches that can improve players.

 

[steelhurt]

Kenny deserved a goat for his play last night. While he moved them downfield a few times, the three picks were bad throws.
He’s got to learn to make better decisions in those situations and he will.
I wouldn’t get on the cliff here but just have patience with the guy. He will have good games along the way as he grows more comfortable.
This was never a playoff team to begin with so we end up with a losing record and we can position ourselves for a better picks in the draft and put an end to this Tomlin non losing season crap.
This organization has lost their vision which once was SBs to gauge success rather than Tomlin non losing seasons only to get blown out in t to be first round of a playoff game.

 

[ZonaBurgh]

My take is the Fins got the turnovers and the Steelers didn't.

If the ball hits you in the hands, 4 times no less, you have to come up with a few of them.

 

[Litos]

Game Balls to the DC, D, WRs and Muth
Game Goats: the OC/HC
**** you to the OC, if not in 2min drill the playcalling is FUBAR