Wow... I'm not always right, but I hit nail precisely on the head on this whole perception issue. The Steelers came into the week as the league's second best team in most people's eyes. They enter week ten as a lesser team than the Ravens. The same Ravens who were on the brink of being written off after a loss to the lowly Jaguars, and barely beating the incapable Cardinals, are again one of the top teams in the league. It's amazing how quickly opinions can change. So as the Steelers start their climb back towards the top, let's go around the NFL.
Ravens 26, STEELERS 23
- I have to admit, I thought the Steelers had finally figured it out. I thought that they would finally become the unstoppable team that so many of their fans know they can be. For years, the Steelers have frustrated fans with more than capable personnel used in inexplicable schemes. Last week, the Steelers got it right, becoming the team that will throw 50 times to beat you if that's what it takes instead of forcing the run. Offensively it could have been worse, but defensively Dick LeBeau went back to the defensive approach that has irked me and others for so long. The Ravens used a New England Patriots style offense and the Steelers never adjusted back to the defense that worked so well for them last week. I have no idea why, but I've been asking that question for years. You'll win a lot, you'll lose a few, I guess that's what we're stuck with.
- Officiating didn't cost the Steelers the game, but I'd be remiss if I didn't go there. First of all, the defensive pass interference call on the winning touchdown may have technically been correct, but William Gay only needed to grab Torrey Smith because Smith pushed off of Gay first, and then when Gay grabbed Smith, Smith pushed off a second time. It is very frustrating when the deciding touchdown is scored because of a botched penalty. But, I'd also be remiss if I wasn't at least somewhat objective and say, in all fairness, that the opening play of the game was a bad holding call as well. You'll recall Ray Rice running 76 yards for a score only to have it come all the way back on a nitpicky holding call at best. Of course, throw in the personal foul non-call on Ray Lewis, and the actual personal foul called on Ryan Clark, and you just have an overall horribly officiated game. The first I've seen in quite a while which is a credit to the referees this season.
- Back to the defensive scheme now. It was a really poor gameplan and the Steelers never seemed to adjust. Why the Steelers stubbornly trot out the same defense (and offense) when it is obviously not working, makes little to no sense to me.
- I'm not necessarily against the Steelers decision to punt the ball from the Ravens 29, however, the obvious lack of trust in kicker Shaun Suisham is a bit disconcerting. First of all, I do trust the guy kicking the ball. I know I'm one of the few, but he hasn't really proven that he's incapable. But, those three points would have given the Steelers an overtime ballgame at worst. If Mike Tomlin doesn't believe in him, wouldn't it just be better to sign a different kicker? Maybe Jeff Reed, baggage and all?
- This week Ben Roethlisberger became the second fastest ever to 25,000 passing yards. Right behind Kurt Warner and right ahead of Johnny Unitas, if you were wondering. Not bad for a guy whose defense and running game has carried him to two Super Bowls...
Around the NFL
- I'm very surprised at the outcome of the New York Jets-Buffalo Bills game. It's not surprise at the fact that the Jets won. I thought the Bills would win, but it was far from a lock. It's more of a surprise that the Jets basically manhandled the Bills. It seems like Buffalo may be coming back to Earth. I won't be the first to say it, but I'd have trouble arguing against it.
- Don't ask me what happened to the Kansas City Chiefs. Many predicted the Miami Dolphins would win, but I didn't think it would be close. I was half right, but it was the winless Dolphins that came through with their first win of 2011. And Matt Moore had the highest total QBR for the week. Maybe they've decided they're okay without drafting Andrew Luck?
- The Indianapolis Colts lost. This one was not a shocker... With every loss, Peyton Manning's career in Indianapolis gets shorter.
- I thought the Seattle Seahawks had something going a little bit after their shutout loss to the Steelers, but it appears I was wrong.
- The San Francisco 49ers won again against the Washington Redskins. It's another win against a not-so-stellar opponent so I'm still of the thinking the 49ers aren't that great, but they're almost in the playoffs already, so I'll give them as good a shot to win it all as anyone else right now.
- The New Orleans Saints bounced back from a bad loss against the St. Louis Rams with a win over a tough Tampa Bay Buccaneers team. I have a feeling they'll be tough to beat in any game the rest of the season.
- I get a lot wrong. A whole lot. But did I have it right about Tim Tebow? Come on. Give me some love. You know you want to. The Denver Broncos went to a Florida Gators-esque offense, just as I said they should, and look what happened. Tim Tebow may not be able to win forever like that, but the Broncos will have a fighting chance this year especially being only a game out of the division lead.
- The poor Oakland Raiders. Jason Campbell hasn't been placed on IR yet right?
- The Cincinnati Bengals are for real. They may not make the playoffs. They may get killed by the Steelers this week. But the Bengals aren't going to go away quietly, if at all.
- Just asking but Carson Palmer or Andy Dalton?
- Just asking but Kevin Kolb or John Skelton in Arizona?
- The San Diego Chargers still suck. Yes, I can confirm that nothing has changed since last week.
- The Green Bay Packers are not unbeatable. They can't be beaten, but they're not unbeatable.
- Yes! Another team I get to gloat about! I've said time and time again that the New York Giants are one of the best teams in the NFL. Just look at my power rankings if you don't believe me. They won the first game of their extremely difficult five game stretch, and I think they'll come out of it very respectably.
- It appears the "dream team's" season is about over as we come to the halfway point of the season. As far as I can predict, ten wins is the sheer minimum to make the playoffs in the NFC, if not eleven. So the Philadelphia Eagles would have to finish either 7-1 or undefeated the rest of the way to have a chance at the postseason. I can't see it happening.
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Can't disagree with you much at all this week. I still do believe the Giants are not an elite NFL team, but either they are better than I thought, or the Patriots or worse than I thought. Still don't buy them as for real though, but looking around the NFC, it seems like it is the Packers and then a grab bag of also rans. As for my Eagles, blech, is about the best I can say after giving up 30 points to a relatively bad offense, and getting absolutely zero pressure on the fourth most sacked QB in the NFL against the widely believed to be worst offensive line in football. And this is just the tip of the iceberg in this game, and for this team. you mentioned the Steelers having more than capable talent and inexplicable schemes leading to losses, and I think this is a bill that fits the Eagles season.
ReplyDeleteSo many things in this game to cite the Eagles deficiencies. So many single plays that each could have changed the outcome of this game. I also put a big blame on Vick, the Bears kept seven in the box most of the game, meaning one on one against "one of the most talented WR cores in the NFL," but the only person he seemed capable of connecting with was Celek. Maclin dropped a critical pass when he was wide open earlier in the game and Vick hit him in the numbers, then fell down before being able to convert a fourth down attempt very late in the game on an admittedly bad pass. DeSean Jackson has totally vanished from the offense (and my damn fantasy team), either he lost a step or he is just quitting on plays, because he can't seem to get any separation all of a sudden, which either way hurts this offense quite a bit. Throw in the awful fumble on a punt return attempt at the end of the first half, and he really hurt the Eagles in this game.
The officiating in this game didn't do the Eagles any favors either, but I am not blaming the game on them. They setup a critical TD at the end of the half on an atrocious roughing the passer call on Babin when he was clearly pushed in the back into Cutler after a third down stop to setup a FG at least after Jackson's inexcusable fumble. Plus a fumble later in the game from Forte right in front of an official that took all of ten seconds of review to overturn, but at least there is review to fix some of their errors.
The biggest thing this week to me though was the defense, you simply have to get pressure on Cutler. If the Bears are going to try to beat you with their passing game, most NFL teams are going to have a field day. With all of the high priced members of this secondary, getting picked apart by Cutler and the Bears very mediocre group of receivers is just beyond my level of comprehension. Several 3rd and long conversions come to mind, and Cutler was able to hit wide open receivers on all of them. Part of the problem is picking up two CB's that are great at man coverage and forcing them into zone coverage, so back to scheme again.
So many problems in this game, but to keep it simple, they had to win against a mediocre Bears team, and couldn't pull it off. Their best chance of making the playoffs is the NFC East still, but the playoffs seem to be a fading hope for this team. They probably need to go at least 7-1 for the second half, and must beat the Giants at the Meadowlands in two weeks to have any chance, otherwise the faint pulse is pretty much gone.
ReplyDeleteSeven games now they have had a lead in the fourth quarter, and they are just 3-4 in those game. Plus the other loss to the Bills they had a chance to score on a game winning drive and failed, after forgetting to play for the first 30 minutes. And you have probably the most frustrating team in the NFL.
Still with you that I don't see the Niners as a team that is nearly as good as their record, but it is what it is. Looking at the rest of their schedule and playing in probably the worst division in the NFL, and it is hard to see them winning less than 12 games, which should give them a first round bye in the playoffs.
I agree on Manning too, the Colts look like the likely candidate now on the Suck for Luck sweepstakes, maybe Manning gets another year if he can ever play again, but I am not sure he ever comes back from his injury, and if he does if he can be effective.
As for your QB questions, the Raiders have to give Palmer a shot after all they have given up to get him, I just can't see how you give up after only two weeks. As for Arizona, Skelton gets the call this week again, but that is simply due to Kolb's injury. Skelton isn't even a good backup, Kolb hasn't been the QB the Cardinals though they were getting, but Skelton is just awful, battling Painter, Blaine Gabbert, and Tebow for the worst QB starting in the NFL this week, and probably winning that battle of mediocrity.
And the Giants still make scratch my head nearly as much as the Niners. They win every game in the fourth quarter, making them the Bizarro Eagles. This week the defense looked pretty good, shutting down a suddenly ineffective Brady. But the offense was nonexistent for 55 minutes of the game, and then out of nowhere they can move efficiently up and down the field, can't figure them out at all, I don't see the talent to be 6-2, but there they are. Now will Tom Coughlin's trademark second half collapse happen is the only question left to be seen, but they have a two game cushion to work with this year, so they would need to fall apart, plus have at least one of the other three teams come on strong, and I am not sure that is going to happen. A win this week puts them in a very good place, a loss, and all of a sudden next weeks Eagles game could become important for them.
I could keep going, but that is my points for this week if anyone cares.