dont fumble
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First of all let me tell you something about the officiating. A lot of people may say we have no reason to complain because of the obvious PI that was not called. But those who watched the game and know what a holding and a block in the back is know that we also played against the tuck ref and his crew. However the refs were NOT the main reason we lost. Here are my thoughts:
1. We played the World Champions; on the road! I don’t care whether they had there starting QB or not. The Steelers don’t need a good QB, just remember the Super Bowl. We played a team that is rock solid on both sides of the line. We were in the game until deep in the fourth quarter. Not bad for a team that is still in the rebuilding process and brought in much more players the last offseason than its opponent: The Super Bowl Champ. But here are still some things I didn’t like about our game:
2. I was disapointed by our O-line. Not about our run blocking. We knew it would be a mess. But the pass blocking wasn’t good either. (I just hope it was because we played a 3-4 the first time and because the Steelers front seven is so good.) There were plays were DC had a lot of time, but he then didn’t have an open receiver. The reason: We ran max protect. When we didn’t do it, we had some passes, but DC didn’t have that much time. That was pretty obvius at the end of the game. There we had to pass and we had to send more than three players down the field. DC was killed.
3. I was killed for it last year, but I will say it again. CC is not a pro bowl receiver. I don’t need 200+ receiving vs. the Bills. I need clutch plays in tiebreaker games. He lost the game vs. the Pats last year. He was the reason we were behind with 3min to go. As our NR. 1 receiver, you just have to catch that ball and the end of the first half!!! I don’t blame him and Randy for not getting open though. Either it was max protect and they all were doubled or CC and co had no time to run there routes or even adjust to the blitz because DC had to get rid of the ball. There you need your 2nd TE, your backs and your slot guy to be smart guys with good hands. They were all good to very good yesterday.
4. DC, well, he didn’t look comfortable. I don’t think it was knee, more the plays he had to make. He is not the guy for this quick drop-release plays. But let’s be honest. Right know he may have one of the most dificult jobs in Football, only Warner may be in a similar situation. No running game at all, the pass blocking is only really good with max protect but than you have to force the ball in there which makes you look stupid.
5. Our Kickoff coverage sucks. It’s only a matter of time until our opponent will bring one back. The Carolina game was no coincidence. The rest of special team is ok. However, there was one play that cost us a first down. Pit had 12 men on the field, Jones saw it. He wanted Denney(?) to snap but he din't get it. It was on a 3rd and 4 @ Pit's 45 yard line. That play was huge and very smart by Jones. I hope they improve on that!
6. Now let's get to the point were I was get killed for this preseason but I don’t care. I will say it again: Our blitzing sucks, sucks, sucks:tantrum:. I hate it :fire:. Especially against those rock solid teams. It is not efficient!!! We may get pressure here and there, we may get the sacks, but it is not efficient. To often, our LB don’t get through the line-Pit or whoever connects for another first down (especially on third downs). But here is an even bigger problem with the blitzing vs. teams with fast running backs. The blitzing kills us on runs to the outside. Our LB get lost at the line of scrimmage somewhere between the hash marks and no one is there to stop the outside run. I didn’t like these blitzes last year, I don’t like them this year. The numbers may be good, but they are not efficient:tantrum:!!! By the way, our only sack came on a five man rush. On the third and long after that play we rushed four and they gained nothing. We had pressure and the coverage was there. That is why the blitzing is not efficient:tantrum::tantrum:!!! We are better without it!
7. Secondary is diffcult to analyze while watching on TV. I think they played solid. I know that they get a lot of blame for longer passes, but it’s tough to defend passes when you send 6 guys to the QB and you still have to cover for 3+ seconds. Did I mention that our blitzes are not efficient??? I still wonder what happened on the pass to the Miller play. Was Zach really the only one supposed to cover Miller with no Safty help? It looked like miscommunication with the CB on that side, but I’m not sure. I hope someone can explain it to me.
8. Ok, I have to come back to Mr. Walt Coleman. What exactly is Saban supposed to do? He was late, but not too late. I just don’t get it. But I guess there will be a half dozen threads about that call so let’s just forget it for a moment and think about our blitzing!
Despite all these points I mentioned, we are everything but lost. We lost a close game against the Champs and played everything but perfect. This should make us think positive about the season. However, Houck has a lot of work to do. CC has to step up on a ‘regular basis’ and to make the clutch plays. And either or LB have to get better in blitzing or Capers and Saban have back off with the blitzes, at least vs. teams like the Steelers.
[FONT="]Let’s enjoy the season. It should be a great one and Saban said, we will play more than 16 games. I hope he is right, it is everything but impossible.[/FONT]
1. We played the World Champions; on the road! I don’t care whether they had there starting QB or not. The Steelers don’t need a good QB, just remember the Super Bowl. We played a team that is rock solid on both sides of the line. We were in the game until deep in the fourth quarter. Not bad for a team that is still in the rebuilding process and brought in much more players the last offseason than its opponent: The Super Bowl Champ. But here are still some things I didn’t like about our game:
2. I was disapointed by our O-line. Not about our run blocking. We knew it would be a mess. But the pass blocking wasn’t good either. (I just hope it was because we played a 3-4 the first time and because the Steelers front seven is so good.) There were plays were DC had a lot of time, but he then didn’t have an open receiver. The reason: We ran max protect. When we didn’t do it, we had some passes, but DC didn’t have that much time. That was pretty obvius at the end of the game. There we had to pass and we had to send more than three players down the field. DC was killed.
3. I was killed for it last year, but I will say it again. CC is not a pro bowl receiver. I don’t need 200+ receiving vs. the Bills. I need clutch plays in tiebreaker games. He lost the game vs. the Pats last year. He was the reason we were behind with 3min to go. As our NR. 1 receiver, you just have to catch that ball and the end of the first half!!! I don’t blame him and Randy for not getting open though. Either it was max protect and they all were doubled or CC and co had no time to run there routes or even adjust to the blitz because DC had to get rid of the ball. There you need your 2nd TE, your backs and your slot guy to be smart guys with good hands. They were all good to very good yesterday.
4. DC, well, he didn’t look comfortable. I don’t think it was knee, more the plays he had to make. He is not the guy for this quick drop-release plays. But let’s be honest. Right know he may have one of the most dificult jobs in Football, only Warner may be in a similar situation. No running game at all, the pass blocking is only really good with max protect but than you have to force the ball in there which makes you look stupid.
5. Our Kickoff coverage sucks. It’s only a matter of time until our opponent will bring one back. The Carolina game was no coincidence. The rest of special team is ok. However, there was one play that cost us a first down. Pit had 12 men on the field, Jones saw it. He wanted Denney(?) to snap but he din't get it. It was on a 3rd and 4 @ Pit's 45 yard line. That play was huge and very smart by Jones. I hope they improve on that!
6. Now let's get to the point were I was get killed for this preseason but I don’t care. I will say it again: Our blitzing sucks, sucks, sucks:tantrum:. I hate it :fire:. Especially against those rock solid teams. It is not efficient!!! We may get pressure here and there, we may get the sacks, but it is not efficient. To often, our LB don’t get through the line-Pit or whoever connects for another first down (especially on third downs). But here is an even bigger problem with the blitzing vs. teams with fast running backs. The blitzing kills us on runs to the outside. Our LB get lost at the line of scrimmage somewhere between the hash marks and no one is there to stop the outside run. I didn’t like these blitzes last year, I don’t like them this year. The numbers may be good, but they are not efficient:tantrum:!!! By the way, our only sack came on a five man rush. On the third and long after that play we rushed four and they gained nothing. We had pressure and the coverage was there. That is why the blitzing is not efficient:tantrum::tantrum:!!! We are better without it!
7. Secondary is diffcult to analyze while watching on TV. I think they played solid. I know that they get a lot of blame for longer passes, but it’s tough to defend passes when you send 6 guys to the QB and you still have to cover for 3+ seconds. Did I mention that our blitzes are not efficient??? I still wonder what happened on the pass to the Miller play. Was Zach really the only one supposed to cover Miller with no Safty help? It looked like miscommunication with the CB on that side, but I’m not sure. I hope someone can explain it to me.
8. Ok, I have to come back to Mr. Walt Coleman. What exactly is Saban supposed to do? He was late, but not too late. I just don’t get it. But I guess there will be a half dozen threads about that call so let’s just forget it for a moment and think about our blitzing!
Despite all these points I mentioned, we are everything but lost. We lost a close game against the Champs and played everything but perfect. This should make us think positive about the season. However, Houck has a lot of work to do. CC has to step up on a ‘regular basis’ and to make the clutch plays. And either or LB have to get better in blitzing or Capers and Saban have back off with the blitzes, at least vs. teams like the Steelers.
[FONT="]Let’s enjoy the season. It should be a great one and Saban said, we will play more than 16 games. I hope he is right, it is everything but impossible.[/FONT]
