SB Nation - James Farrior

Broncos Thoughts and Musings - Kansas City Week

Emmett Smith — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

20 days ago: Denver Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil (92) reacts after sacking New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Denver, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009. Denver won 26-6. (AP Photo/ David Zalubowski)

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Following the burden of four losses, and continuing through the lighter job of a Thanksgiving turkey-down being visited on the NY Giants, I've been busy in the film room. The Broncos had gone through a hard stretch of the season and I wanted to know why: What changed? What made them goats after weeks of success? The game film was the only place to find out.

Of course, film room is a slight exaggeration. It's also the TV room, the reading room, the computer room and the filing room. In my case, it holds a large table that holds a lot of equipment, including my phones, router, speakers, tower (yes, I was raised PC) and a 26-inch monitor that lets me work in comfort. I worked in a padded brown leather office chair and a small table for the keyboard. I'd go wireless, but the keyboard is a special ergonomic model that I got used to and can't stop using. Maybe Microsoft will awaken and make a wireless version of this one, but so far, no joy. You can step outside the french doors that lead from the room onto my deck and watch the molten brass of the autumn sun sliding down into the ocean almost every night and that's a big plus. I miss the mountains, but that view doesn't seem to get old.

It's the only room that I have privacy in, other than a bedroom, but when I'm watching this much film, it's definitely a film room, so I'll use that term. The TV will have a DVD or a Tivo going that's relevant and the computer can be running two more games at once if I need to make some comparisons. I indulged in a quad core, 64-bit with a suitably large HD and an even larger external backup drive that saves everything, everyday. If I'm not on the computer, I also put in a leather recliner for the TV. Life is not hard...anyway you slice it, I've had a lot of time to watch the Broncos recently. The first few days of that were sheer torture, but it suddenly got much easier on Thursday last. It's funny how you enjoy breaking down film more when your team is winning.

I spent a lot of time watching each of the losses and trying to comprehend exactly why, in terms of their on-field play, they were losing. It was a helpful exercise. The losses showed exactly why we were struggling and the victory last week showed equally well what happens when you rectify those same errors. Losing is usually about errors -- sometimes you just are beaten by a better team, but most of the time you open the door and usher them into the victory circle. Jimmy Johnson is a complicated man but he nailed it when he pointed out that you only have to beat about 10 teams in the NFL. The others will create the victory for you if you just stay around. That's exactly what Denver was doing.

The entire breakdown is fiendishly long and I won't bore you with all of it. I'll pull bits and pieces off of it as the next few weeks move along. I can say this -- everyone agrees that there are certain basic principles that are essential to winning. Discipline is essential. Gap control is essential. Success in the trenches is essential. Mental errors are the bane of the football existence. If you just apply those to the losses, you'll find that nearly every failure was created not by the opponent, but by the Broncos.

For those who have asked me, yes, I was badly disappointed in the work of the referees during some of the games. They missed calls, called phantom infractions and generally weren't as good as they have to be, but the real culprit was gazing implacably out of the mirrors in the locker room when the Broncos came back in from the games. Here are a few observations to get us started, in no particular order.

Tight Spots

It didn't take a lot of film work to notice exactly why the Broncos drafted Richard Quinn earlier this year. Josh McDaniels requires a talented blocking tight end and long-time TE Daniel Graham showed up on film as having difficulty at holding the edge on passing downs. While Quinn is still struggling to master the speed of the NFL and the intricacies of the complex Broncos offense, he was the highest-rated blocking TE at this year's Combine. He'll have to step up greatly to fulfill the Broncos' faith in him, taking him as the last pick in the 2nd round of the 2009 Draft, but it's still fair to say that Graham was struggling during the losses. He'd look like an All-Pro on one, then disappear on the next.

About Quinn - the Broncos drafted off of a 'short board' this year, listing only those players that they felt would fit their system effectively. That has led to complaints by the Mile High community regarding where, exactly, they made their choices, but it explains a lot. Drafting a player that they didn't see in their system makes far less sense than using a 2nd-round pick on a player who was rated in the late-2nd to the 4th round. Why Quinn? Because during the losses, Daniel Graham made me wonder if he was getting older. Of course, after last Thursday, I'm not as concerned with that problem. He just hadn't played his best for a few games.

When Graham is on, he's one of the best. Blocking, chipping, running routes and catching, Graham is a tremendous advantage for Denver. When he fails, though, especially since Tyler Polumbus was struggling, it can make for a long game for both the run and the pass.

Graham has an issue with his hand placement. I've mentioned this previously on a thread, but he has a tendency to grab at the outermost aspect of the shoulders of the jersey. Technically, it IS holding, the way he uses it. Keep in mind, by the way, that his placement is legal as long as he works inside from it. Unfortunately, Graham has been finishing plays with a hip-twist to the side that takes down his player with a judo-like throw. He seems to do this a great deal - some refs call it, some don't, but he has to learn a better hand placement or we will have that issue regularly. It's a lot of fun to watch, but is still illegal. We need his play, though - he's still one of the best, all-around, and that's a huge plus.

Lots of fans including myself have awaited two things - a more balanced attack and better usage of Tony Scheffler. A big reason the latter didn't happen was that the blocking wasn't good enough for him to be used as a receiver more often. As the blocking improved, magically, Scheffler got free and started to create matchup troubles for NY.

It all starts with blocking. The trenches are where the games are won.

Being Offensive

Speaking of blocking, watching film over the past week has opened my eyes to the exact nature of the Broncos' decline on offense. I'd like to state, for the record, that I more or less expected to see problems that could be traced to many players and situations, but particularly to issues with the blocking and to the offensive line. I was still stunned to see how far those problems on the O-Line extended, though. Here are a couple of examples from the 1st quarter of the Pittsburgh game that might serve to clarify the issue. They were good illustrations of what we are dealing with.

The right side of the offensive line, except for the continuing excellence of Chris Kuper, has been a huge problem during the losses. Ryan Harris has been injured and Tyler Polumbus hasn't been able to step up fully in his absence until the Giants game. Daniel Graham seemed to be struggling to finish his blocks. In addition, I grew convinced that Russ Hochstein isn't the answer at guard before he played well on Thanksgiving and confounded me. The following two plays were a good indication of the problems as they stood. The plays ran back-to-back.

In the first one, Denver is lined up on offense with 5 down lineman and 4 receivers; Brandon Marshall is in the right slot. His safety, the man covering Marshall, releases to penetrate, going after Orton. Orton sees him and chooses his receiver quickly, accurately gunning it to Brandon. Marshall goes over the middle and makes the reception. However -- the safety ran square into Polumbus who missed the speed rush, letting the safety move easily past before he hurried Orton. The pass is still complete, but Polumbus got taken.

An illustration of just how bad the blocking had become came next, on a power running play Denver used toward to the end of the 1st quarter. The Broncos lined up the usual 5 OL, with Hochstein outside of Polumbus on the right side of the line and Graham on the outside of him to the right. Hochstein was essentially playing as an extra blocking lineman, as was Graham. This wasn't the kind of play that is designed to fool anyone: it was a simple, power run formation. It looked good, right up until the ball was snapped.

At the snap, Hochstein fired out of his stance and toward an OLB on the right as Orton took the snap and handed the ball to Knowshon Moreno. Unfortunately for Russ, his man simply stepped back and to the side. Hochstein went after him, and the end of the play saw him still literally chasing around behind the player who was not, happily, much in the play. Polumbus was keyed on James Farrior, ILB, who brushed him aside as you might a small child, knifing into the backfield. Polumbus fell flat on his face, Farrior reached Moreno in the backfield, almost untouched, and the play went for a loss of three.

There are a couple of obvious things to mention. I've rarely, if ever, seen a power run to the right that left two of our right-side lineman grasping at air, having failed to engage anyone at all that they were supposed to block. Polumbus knelt there on the ground and pounded it with his fist, but that's no substitute for doing your job. This wasn't the only play that left me leery of Hochstein, by the way - it seemed unfortunately obvious why he's been a backup for most of his career. In my own view, I'm sad to say that Tyler hadn't played well enough to even keep him as a backup in the offseason unless he improved rapidly. Of course, this changed greatly against the Giants and he had a very good game. That's been a pattern -- good O-Line play will win you games. Lacking it is an invitation to a loss. What's new?

A third example involved Ben Hamilton. Ben looked like a different player on the recent film. It's almost as if someone stole him in the night and left a changeling in his place, one who fooled everyone into believing that he's Ben. How bad was it? In the same quarter listed above, earlier on, the Broncos ran off-guard to the right. Hamilton was tasked with taking up a linebacker on the play. He easily got to the second level, made contact - and quit. He just stopped and let the player disengage. His man promptly ran over, following the run, and tackled Correll Buckhalter. Hamilton was immediately pulled for one play, with Hochstein taking his place. Unfortunately, Russ wasn't an improvement and Hamilton returned for the next play after, having received some loving personal instruction and attention from Rick Dennison. I've never known Hamilton to quit on plays before this season - something is obviously going on with him.

Think about it. Orton is hit on the first play. He made the completion anyway (Orton looked very good in that half) but it was touch and go whether he could get the pass off accurately within that narrow window. On the next play, Moreno never had a chance - Farrior had a perfect shot at him. On the third play, Buckhalter would have had a first down if Hamilton just finishes the play. Instead, the Steelers killed that drive. That was a pattern during the losses. Individuals didn't play well and the team couldn't get anything going.

I'm not claiming for a moment that we don't have other issues, and I'm going to talk about others over the next few weeks. The defense was also a problem, communication between Orton and the receivers left some points on the field, and there were plenty of other things to work on. It's just that the degree of problems with the offensive line were killing drive after drive, even when you had to look carefully to see why that's true. I had to run the plays over and over to spot every player, but once I did, the crux of the matter was too obvious to miss.

I also saw that plenty of people - far too many - made mental errors at critical times. To be honest, it's the NFL - any time is a critical time. A single mistake wipes out a 40-yard gain - is that critical? It is to me. The difference in the Giants game? For what it's worth, I think that it's not that they didn't make those errors - they still did. It was that once they had, they got it back on track and didn't keep on making them, while the Giants did. If they can keep that kind of aggressive spirit and increase their effective discipline, the Broncos can still compete in the playoffs.

Not-so Special Teams

In watching film, a pattern emerged that had hovered just at the edge of my consciousness. I've been listening to and reading about how the special teams play has been a problem and I fully agree. If you look at the overall results it's hard not to be concerned about this area of the Broncos. Many of the members had problems with bringing ST coach Mike Priefer on board, and I tend to agree. But the problem here, even so, can easily be deceiving. A pattern came to light that has no simple solution.

It's this: Our opponent gets the ball. We stop their drive, but they make it to about mid-field. They punt, and their punter is good at finding that 'coffin corner', pinning us back in our end of the field. Sure, you hope that Eddie Royal can break a few, but let's be real - Eddie is getting the ball with two players or more in his face. He's in a tight area, with defenders reaching him under the punt. We get pinned in the 10-20 if he catches the ball, maybe the 23 or so. It's on the 20 if it rolls into the end zone. We're looking at another long, tiring drive - if we're successful. If not, we're punting and the opposing team gets it at about the 30-to-40 yard line. then we do it all over again until the D is tired and/or we get scored on. I used to notice this with Shanahan's last few teams as well. It's a terrible habit to get into, since it assures that you will have the maximum problems scoring and will give the easiest time to the opponent.

And then came the Giants game and it all changed back, as mysteriously as it arrived. The Broncos suddenly woke up from an autumn nap, smelled the air and strapped on their helmets. They stopped them at their end of the field, created a little more room to run back punts and boomed punts that stuck the Giants back in their end of the field. Everything was different. In the end, the starting field position was Den: 30.20, NYG: 21.30 according to StatMaster TJ (Thanks for the aid, Your Dudeness). Seeing that showed why the difference was so stark.

If we look more at the starting field position, we really did get clobbered by BAL and PIT. After that, it was more about errors. Consider our starting field position over the past 5 weeks:

Week 8, Baltimore: 20.55

Week 9, Pittsburgh: 21.64

Week 10, Washington: 27.91

Week 11, San Diego: 29.60

Week 12, New York: 30.20

The Washington game, to me, was a matter of mistakes and the issue of Chris Simms - if we had Orton, I still think that we would have won, even with a poor performance by the D. Our field position was not that bad and we did score well. the lack of defensive discipline may have tipped the game in their favor. SD was a meltdown. Error compounding error, awful work by Simms, who will not return, Orton trying to play lame. We had decent position and lost it anyway.

Yet, with about the same position, we pounded on NYG. The difference was that we put together a comprehensive, complementary football game, with all sections doing "A" work. That's hard to beat. It sounds awfully simplistic, but this time, the solution was simple. Stop making egregious errors that kill drives or sustain the opponents' drives. If a mistake happens, overcome it with better play. Many times, how we responded to errors determined whether or not we won any given battle.

Throwdown, Elvis Style

Daniel Graham wasn't the only Broncos who's been engaged in throwdowns recently: What to make of Elvis Dumervil? With 5 games to go in the season, he's accumulated a career high and NFL-leading 14 sacks. Will the Broncos pay to keep him around? Count on it. I don't know any more than you about how they will deal with the uncapped year and the new CBA beyond that, but Doom will be a Bronco in 2010. Dumervil is already sixth all-time in the NFL in third-down sacks in a season. The record is held by San Francisco's Tim Harris, who had 11 third-down sacks in 1992 and Doom has 5 more games to pad that stat. When he finds the QB on third down, it does more than just give us back the ball. It changes the way the game flows. How will they pay him? Again - that's what Brian Xanders does. I've got a lot of faith in him. Gosh, why do you want a GM with a lot of cap experience? I couldn't believe it when I heard that in the offseason. The cap is a defender who will always be waiting to trip you up, year 'round.

When Doom is getting his sacks on any down the Broncos are almost impossible to beat. That's because when he's bringing the QB down, It also means that everyone else has tied up their guys or is bringing their own pressure. Good as he is, only when the team plays well does he do as well. His numbers are a tribute to Mike Nolan's job and the play of the front 7 in general. It was one of the huge differences in the losses and the wins. The play of the front 7 will always be essential to success.

Very few teams get a weapon like him, someone who can shut down the passing game in the 4th quarter and protect your win. Doom gets his sacks more often than not when the Broncos play aggressive defense, stay in their gaps and collapse the play. Usually, Doom places a move on a lineman while his cohorts are filling the lanes and gaps, giving the QB no place to run. Even though the number of sacks is a tribute to his talent and performance, he's getting there because the players next to him are doing a great job.

It comes up a lot when I talk to other football geeks: Disciplined gap defense wins games. I can't explain why the Broncos started trying to run around their blockers instead of taking them on and defeating them, but that was exactly what happened as they lost and it didn't change until Thursday. By moving back to gap control and discipline, they took on and overpowered blockers and showed the kind of performance that they can be proud of. Brandon Jacobs is a big load at running back but he was held to 27 yards on 11 carries. There were no gaps for him to exploit, leading to gang tackles and short yardage. That's the kind of defense that wins game.

If the Broncos maintain that gap discipline against the weaker KC line and Jamaal Charles they can shut down the run game and force Matt Cassel to beat them. If the secondary plays the kind of vicious, lockdown coverage that they showed last Thursday KC won't be able to keep up.

What else does gap discipline result in? Stopping the run on first and second down leaves a lot of third-and-long plays which plays into the Broncos' aggressive style and leads to chances for Doom and Co.

Rookies

There is a lot of talk about the Broncos' rookies in the game. Some fans are leaping to conclude that X player is or isn't a bust based on the 1st half of the season. That's something of a bizarre idea. Despite fan 'rules' about how anyone taken in the the top 10 or 15, or the 1st round, should be ready to come in and contribute immediately, that's a rare thing in the NFL. What you really hope for is that they find some ways to contribute the first season and that they play well over the course of the rest of their career. Anything else is 'gravy' so to speak.

Josh McDaniels isn't opposed to playing rookies who can contribute immediately, such as Moreno and Alphonso Smith. Even Knowshon has struggled as he has to learn a completely different style of running, reading and executing. From the early results, I suspect that he'll be fine but it's also fair to say that playing running back is less stressful mentally than playing cornerback, as an example. Then you get to the defensive line, where you really hope for a breakout in the player's 3rd or 4th year. Demanding too much from the rookies is a path to problems. Why? Rookies = mistakes.

It's not just in the NFL, either. Regardless of the sport, very few rookies contribute much. There's just too much to learn. Even those who play brilliantly in their first season, rare as they are, often suffer a diminishment in the second season, just as Eddie Royal and Ryan Clady have done. Why? It's a tough, fast, difficult game. Once other teams know what you do and what you struggle with, you're going to see a lot of hard situations that will challenge you in new ways.

This means exactly nothing over the course of the player's career; most players improve during their first few seasons. Much is made of the stat that the average player has about a 4-year career, but that stat takes into account the number of payers who don't stay after a single year. They are the undrafted or the badly drafted, those who just can't make the leap from college to the pros. I've never seen a breakdown of how the average is determined, and I'd like to. Because in general, those who do fairly well during their first year tend to be out there for a long time.

That's what we're going to see from some of our rookies. Knowshon Moreno, Alphonso Smith, Darcel McBath, Robert Ayers and David Bruton have all done some good things during their rookie season. I'm not going to get bent out of shape if they can't suddenly be brilliant - that's a rare thing in the NFL. But I do want to see flashes of why we wanted those men, and I have. The rookies are doing well. Give them time.

I have to note that we saw some fine performances from a lot of our 2009 rookies against New York. The draft class stepped up front and center last Thursday night and the list of contributors is long. Alphonso Smith had a big game - he made a couple of mistakes, but his overall performance was excellent and lends support to his draft status. David Bruton and Knowshon Moreno we've discussed; Bruton was brilliant and Knowshon gets better every game. I went back and saw more of Quinn on ST than I expected to. Robert Ayers also returned to the active roster after a week in which the Broncos believed that Jarvis Moss could contribute more for them; they were playing the odds because SD had troubles with speed rushers, and that fit Moss better than Ayers. Ayers had another good game against NY, though. McBath played well. The team has some great young players and they will contribute for seasons to come.

Knowing Knowshon Moreno

Speaking of great young players, I loved Knowshon Moreno's comments after the Giants game:

"Every week it's gonna be tough. The offensive line opened up those big holes for us and we just ran through them. We all looked out for each other."

Typical Knowshon. No arrogance, no personal preening, just a willingness to share the credit and to accept the blame. Given that he's also reputed to be a delight to coach and a pleasure to have around in the locker room, I'm thrilled that he's going to be a Bronco for a long time. Watching his TD run over and over, each time I'm sure that he'll be stopped short and each time he keeps the legs churning in classic form. He's up for Rookie of the Week again, too. Talented, gutsy player. Great draft choice.

Knowshon has been growing into this role on the team steadily and not that slowly, either. The only thing that has stood between him and a few 100-yard games is the fact that he's being rotated with Buckhalter, a runner whose contribution to the team is just as essential. 'Buck' is teaching Moreno during the week and making him more effective on weekends. Both runners block well and receive well and Buck even had a 41-yard kickoff return in the third quarter. That's exactly what a good team requires. I'd love to see a third back in the rotation, but that hasn't been important so far (knock on wood).

Knowshon's comments also bring out the same thing I mentioned above: The Broncos go as the lines go. When the O-Line is making three errors in the red zone, back-to-back-to-back, we are in serious trouble. When they get it together and blast open those holes, they're tough to stop.

By the way, check this from the denverbroncos.com:

During the last three weeks, rookie RB Knowshon Moreno has totaled the sixth-most rushing yards (265 / 88.3 ypg.) and the third-best yards per rush average (5.6) in the NFL. He leads all league rookies in rushing yards (688) and yards from scrimmage (784) this year.

To that end, I loved seeing Polumbus and Hochstein step up against NY. That's exactly what we need to see from them. Daniel Graham made a few bad errors, but he also blasted linemen and linebackers alike and he deserves a round of applause as well. The Giant's were holding him and trying to apply what looked like takedowns against him by the end of the game - he confounded them in high style. The running game will always be dependent on what happens in the trenches, including the TEs. Always has been, always will. Last week, they were the team that's very hard to beat. They need to take that anger that they seemed to tap into to KC. Decembers there are tough.

By the way, a big thank-you to Spencer Larsen and Tony Scheffler as well for their work against NYG. They each played a role in making this a complete-team win and blocked like demons in the running game. I can't think of a single area where the Broncos didn't dominate. The final stats seemed more respectable due to the vagaries of garbage time, but the fact was that NY was shut down and hammered flat.

Another player that deserves recognition is Wesley Woodyard. Woodyard has struggled recently, as did most of the defense, but he brought back his "A" game for the Giants. He was in the right place at the right time over and again, and even though he's very light as LBs go, he's doing a heck of a job on the nickel defense, hitting and making tackles. Nice going, WW. I hope that his neck injury is short-lived.

Orton and Learning

There's no way to deny it: I've been a Kyle Orton fan ever since I watched a lot of film on the man during the offseason. The more I saw of it, the more I liked him. Now that he's thrown with a brace on a right index finger that was mangled and played hobbled without excuse, he's impressed me. This is the second season in a row that he's played on a bad ankle and never complained; I'm starting to really like the man. He never, ever, blames anyone. He puts it on his own shoulders. If they're successful he talks about wishing that he had a couple back and about how well the team played. If they lose, he states baldly that everyone needs to step up more. There's no finger pointing, no nonsense. No fuss, no tantrums, no excuses. Expect to see a lot of Kyle over the next few years. I'm great with watching Tom Brandstater, by the way. If he can outplay Kyle, more power to him. I expect Brandstater to be 2nd string next season. But Orton? You have to go a long way to find a tougher QB. I love that in any player.

It's also worth noticing that we're starting to see more of the longer passes. Whether that's the playbook opening, players getting to know each other better, or taking what the defense gives us can be debated, but Brandon Marshall on a go route will scare a lot of defensive coordinators. He's not blazing fast but his ability to get to the ball is rare when he's playing like he did on Thursday. Orton said this, yesterday:

"He's the first guy that I've had like this. It's been a change for me in my way of thinking, being able to trust him and give him those chances. He's a phenomenal player, and I don't see too many people when the ball is in the air going out and out-jumping him or being more physical than he is going for the ball. You certainly want to put it in a good spot to give him the best chance go up and make a play."

What that tells me is that the early comments that Orton and the other players needed to get used to each other and the offense were right on, and kudos to the guys that caught it. I'm starting to see the defenses collapsing on the short and mid routes and Marshall taking the go route to counter and I love it. Those fans who called for more longer passes are getting their wishes fulfilled. The NY game showed us that this is still the team that started 6-0. They can win a wild card slot if they continue to play like that as the season winds down.

You can talk 'til Hades is endothermic, but Orton will be our starting QB next year. He will agree to a nice contract that will keep us cap-friendly and will give him a lot of financial security. That's exactly why we brought him in and why we brought Brian Xanders on board.

Orton has also improved every year that he's been in the pros. I'd say that you can look for that to continue, and that he's going to bring the rest of the offense with him. .

For Kicks

Here's a toast to Mitch Berger, the much-maligned punter who took over for the struggling Brett Kern a few weeks past. He managed 3 punts for 145 yards, an average of 48.3 yards per punt. I can't tell you why he seems to be improving, but that kind of performance can't be overstated. The punting game in the previous losses tended to the pattern I talked about earlier. By kicking longer and permitting good hang time, he let the coverage move down the field and do their jobs. They did - and a special thanks to MHR favorite David Bruton, who was tearing up ST on Thursday night. When we talk about young drafted players who are stepping up, I don't hear his name quite often enough. Give him a few years and he's going to be a heck of a safety, too, bringing that same intensity and talent for the big hit. I know that we talk about this safety and that one, and that's understandable. I'd love to have Eric Berry playing for the Broncos. But it's more likely that we won't, and we won't have a big dropoff if Bruton continues to develop the way that he has.

Berger wasn't the only one who knocked the laces off the rock, by the way. Matt Prater had a stellar night, bisecting the uprights on kick after kick and driving his kickoffs far back into the end zone. If they can't run it out, they won't have much of a runback. Domenik Hixon managed just two returns for 20 yards each for NY, while Prater was faultless on 4 field goals, with a long of 47 yards. Contrary to many concerns, he's shown no signs of fading as the season wears on. He won the AFC ST Player of the Week award, and he earned it.

"I think that's the best game I've ever had," said Prater. "It was perfect weather for kicking." Perfect weather for a dominating win, too.

Kansas City Here I Come

Want an unusual stat? Kyle Orton is still one of the best QBs in terms of home record in the past 3 decades. That's a heck of a stat, really, but it's not even the one I'm interested in. What interests me is that he plays even better on the road, whether his team might or not. Orton's home QB rating? 80.3, less than his overall average of 84.1. On the road, Orton is managing an 89.6 QB rating. That's one of the things that gives me a lot of confidence gong into the KC game this week: Orton has actually been better on the road.

KC can be a meat grinder at home - that's worse in December and I'll never discount that. The Steelers took them too lightly and were handed their hats with a defeat that could end up influencing their post-season standing. The Chiefs gave a heck of a tussle to Baltimore and beat the Redskins (who are coming on themselves, you might notice) and the Raiders. They are still a weaker team, but they have some pieces that are starting to fall together and their 3-4 is starting to play well. Jamaal Charles is a great addition to their team and Larry Johnson a great subtraction.

The Broncos will be well rested going into the game and they will have some extra time to gameplan. My sole concern is whether this squad is ready to keep on being angry and aggressive. If that happens, I believe that we'll have an eighth victory to celebrate, moving into the game against Indianapolis, but I expect this one to be hard-fought.

One thing I like about KC: Matt Cassel. I like the fact that he's working hard, making improvements, and that he's able to score some points if you give him some time. KC still doesn't have that great an offensive line and frankly, I'm shocked that the Steelers gave them so much time to throw -- it's not a mistake that Denver can afford to emulate. I'm glad that PIT did, though. It gives us a clear picture of what happens when you don't bring the intensity that the NFL requires to a game. My question is whether the Broncos can bring the kind of pressure that has won us some games. If so, we'll probably take this one.

There's a certain glow to a long week off after an excellent home win. Now, let's take it on the road...

Go Broncos!

Final Injury/Practice Report: Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)

Kirkendall — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 16:04:38 -0000

CINCINNATI BENGALS

DOUBTFUL	PROBABLE
G Evan Mathis (ankle)	WR Andre Caldwell (illness)
LB Keith Rivers (calf)	DE Robert Geathers (hip)
	DT Tank Johnson (illness)
QUESTIONABLE	C Jonathan Luigs (illness)
RB Jeremi Johnson (chest)
DE Frostee Rucker (neck)

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

OUT
RB Carey Davis (hamstring)
DE Travis Kirschke (calf)

Practice

BENGALS	WED	THUR	FRI
RB Jeremi Johnson (chest)	DNP	LP	FP
G Evan Mathis (ankle)	DNP	DNP	DNP
LB Keith Rivers (calf)	DNP	DNP	DNP
RB Cedric Benson (not injury related)	LP	FP	FP
DE Robert Geathers (hip)	LP	LP	LP
DE Frostee Rucker (neck)	LP	LP	FP
S Roy Williams (forearm)	FP	DNP	IR
WR Andre Caldwell (illness)	--	--	DNP
DT Tank Johnson (illness)	--	--	DNP
C Jonathan Luigs (illness)	--	--	DNP

STEELERS	WED	THUR	FRI
RB Carey Davis (hamstring)	DNP	DNP	DNP
G Trai Essex (illness)	DNP	--	--
LB James Farrior (not injury related)	DNP	--	--
DE Travis Kirschke (calf)	DNP	DNP	DNP
CB Deshea Townsend (not injury related)	DNP	--	--
WR Hines Ward (not injury related)	DNP	--	--
S Tyrone Carter (illness)	--	DNP	--

Practice Report: Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) at Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2)

Kirkendall — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:54:19 -0000

Every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday evening, we'll (TRY TO) update the practice/injury chart leading up to Sunday's game. The chart is pretty self-explanatory. If the player is listed as out, they're out for the game. If they did not participate, they didn't practice. If they were limited, then they only participated during a portion of practice (typically means missing 11-on-11 drills). If the player is listed as full participation, it simply means that they practiced fully and that the only reason they're listed is because injury was an issue the week before.

Practice

BENGALS	WED	THUR	FRI
RB Jeremi Johnson (chest)	DNP	LP
G Evan Mathis (ankle)	DNP	DNP
LB Keith Rivers (calf)	DNP	DNP
RB Cedric Benson (not injury related)	LP	FP
DE Robert Geathers (hip)	LP	LP
DE Frostee Rucker (neck)	LP	LP
S Roy Williams (forearm)	FP	DNP

STEELERS	WED	THUR	FRI
RB Carey Davis (hamstring)	DNP	DNP
G Trai Essex (illness)	DNP	--
LB James Farrior (not injury related)	DNP	--
DE Travis Kirschke (calf)	DNP	DNP
CB Deshea Townsend (not injury related)	DNP	--
WR Hines Ward (not injury related)	DNP	--
S Tyrone Carter (illness)	--	DNP

2010 NFL mock draft

Mocking Dan — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 14:15:55 -0000

Here is the first half of my mock draft. The other half will go up tonight after I get home from work.

Quick note: I swapped Sam Bradford in the draft for Washington quarterback Jake Locker. The reason was mainly following an email exchange with 3k from Turf Show Times. And listening to Bradford's recent press conference, it sounds like he's ready to go pro.

For the draft order, I used the one put together by ejrulz in his mock draft.

1. St. Louis Rams - Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma
The Rams have no direction on offense. Taking a quarterback first overall would provide as much. Bradford has only played a half this season, but listening to a recent press conference, he sounds like a man ready to go pro.

2. Cleveland Browns - Eric Berry, SS, Tennessee
The Browns might have Abram Elam currently at strong safety, but Berry looks like a player who comes along once a decade. The Browns need help on the right side of their line, but Berry is hard to pass up.

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska
Whether it's Suh or Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, the Buccaneers need help along the defensive line. Suh has been arguably the best player in college football this season and will be a difference maker immediately.

4. Kansas City Chiefs - Bryan Bulaga, OT, Iowa
Branden Albert has been only average, and that's not good enough for a left tackle. Bulaga has the ability to be an elite player. If his health checks out fine, there's no reason to think he won't be a top five selection.

5. Tennessee Titans - Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma
Clearly the Tennessee has skipped a beat this season without Albert Haynesworth. Many considered McCoy an early first rounder had he come out following his redshirt sophomore season. He's a quick, penetrating defensive end with great character.

6. San Francisco 49ers (via Carolina) - Taylor Mays, FS, USC
This is just a great fit for San Francisco. He's the physical presence the team doesn't have in its secondary. Mays might conjure thoughts of Ronnie Lott for Niners fans.

7. Detroit Lions - Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State
This would be a tough spot for Detroit with the top two defensive tackles off the board. If that's the case, the team could reach a little bit to take the left tackle many expected them to this season.

8. Oakland Raiders - Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida
Lame Al Davis jokes aside, Dunlap is a great fit for the Raiders. Richard Seymour's contract is up at the end of the year and he's not expected to re-sign. Even with Seymour, a better pass rush is needed.

9. Buffalo Bills - Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame
Really, is Trent Edwards the future of quarterbacking for Buffalo? The team seems to have settled on Demetrius Bell at left tackle and no outside linebackers are really worth a top 10 pick.

10. Seattle Seahawks - Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech
It can be hard to justify taking a running back this early in the draft, but Dwyer has immense talent. Julius Jones is better as a second option and Edgerrin James has shown it's time for him to retire.

11. Miami Dolphins - Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma State
While Miami could use a nose tackle or future pass rushing linebacker, Bryant could be the best receiver in the draft since Calvin Johnson. Being ruled ineligible shouldn't affect Bryant's draft stock.

12. Arizona Cardinals - Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma
Williams is still a project at left tackle, but Mike Gandy has struggled for the Cardinals. At the least, Williams is an NFL-ready run blocker.

13. Washington Redskins - Colt McCoy, QB, Texas
Clearly Redskins owner Dan Snyder is done with current starter Jason Campbell. The team tried to get Jay Cutler and Mark Sanchez. McCoy is a dependable passer who has better arm strength than people think.

14. San Diego Chargers - Damian Williams, WR, Southern California
The Chargers could be forced to replace receivers Vincent Jackson and Chris Chambers after this season. Williams has emerged as a legit No. 1 receiver for the Trojans.

15. Houston Texans - Joe Haden, CB, Florida
Everyone expected the Texans to take a difference maker in the secondary this year, and they didn't. Haden can get out position in pass coverage, but he's a great all-around corner.

16. Pittsburgh Steelers - Brandon Spikes, MLB, Florida
Steelers fans might be convinced Lawrence Timmons is the future inside, but I am not. Good middle linebackers average more than three tackles a game. Spikes would be a steal here. And even if Timmons sticks at middle linebacker, James Farrior is 34.

17. Green Bay Packers - Ciron Black, OT, LSU
Black might not be the best left tackle, but he's the best one available in this scenario. The Packers clearly need help along the offensive line.

18. Jacksonville Jaguars - Morgan Burnett, SS, Georgia Tech
Everyone seems to think Tim Tebow should be the choice here, but the team has a better chance of winning immediately by filling other holes. Wide receiver is a possibility as well, but Mike Sims-Walker is having a breakout season.

19. Dallas Cowboys - Brandon LaFell, WR, LSU
Since getting rid of Terrell Owens, justifiably, the Cowboys have lacked a dependable wide receiver. That's what LaFell would provide. He's not the fastest or the flashiest, but he gets the job done.

20. Atlanta Falcons - Greg Hardy, DE, Mississippi
Thirty-four games into his career, it's official: Jamaal Anderson is a bust. He has two sacks, which won't cut it for a 4-3 end. Hardy, when motivated, is as good of a pass rusher as there is in the nation.

21. Philadelphia Eagles - Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas
Philadelphia's current group of outside linebackers feature a bunch of players who are only average. Kindle could be a sensation in the team's blitz-heavy scheme.

22. Cincinnati Bengals - Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma
Gresham's season-ending knee injury shouldn't stop a team from taking him in the first round. That's especially true if you consider that the Bengals' starting tight end is Daniel Coats.

23. New England Patriots - Rolando McClain, LB, Alabama
Whether they used him inside or outside, McClain could make a big impact for the Patriots. Other than Jerod Mayo and an aging Adalius Thomas, New England is somewhat light on linebacker talent.

24. Denver Broncos (via Chicago) - Terrence Cody, DT, Alabama
Cody would be the last piece the Broncos need to finish off the conversion to a 3-4. While I'm not the biggest fan of Cody's, the Broncos need someone in the middle to regularly take up multiple blockers.

25. New York Jets - Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
In the Jets' 3-4, Jones would get moved over to end, a position the team needs to address. Jones has the quickness and size to play end and would give coach Rex Ryan another good pressure guy.

26. San Francisco 49ers - Eric Norwood, OLB, South Carolina
Many expect San Francisco to take a quarterback, but Shaun Hill might be the kind of game manager coach Mike Singletary wants. Norwood would help a pass rush that's below-average from the linebacker spot.

27. Baltimore Ravens - Golden Tate, WR, Notre Dame
Tate is the kind of playmaking wide receiver the Ravens have never had. He can make big plays out of short passes and will be able to help on special teams.

28. Minnesota Vikings - Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech
Ray Edwards is a free agent after the season and is average at best. Morgan has shown flashes of dominance this season. He can get after the passer or stay at home and handle the run.

29. New York Giants - Marvin Austin, DT, North Carolina
Barry Cofield and Fred Robbins are facing free agency following this season and if both don't come back, tackle could be a big need. Austin has been inconsistent thus far, but has great talent. A coach like Tom Coughlin could harness it nicely.

30. Seattle Seahawks (via Denver) - Charles Brown, OT, Southern California
The career of left tackle Walter Jones is winding down. Brown is a similar kind of offensive lineman who has good athleticism and drive. While safety and quarterback can be considered needs, no players seem worth this slot.

31. Indianapolis Colts - Selvish Capers, OT, West Virginia
Some project Capers to play left tackle, but he's been on the right side for the Mountaineers this season. Either spot he plays, the Colts could use him. Middle linebacker could be a need, but that is a position that traditionally be addressed later in the draft.

32. New Orleans Saints - Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri
Outside linebacker and defensive tackle are the top needs for an overachieving Saints defense. Weatherspoon would be a perfect fit outside. He's a good tackler and can make up for the mistakes of teammates.

My Thoughts on What the Raiders Need to Do

KA1Z3R — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 21:41:14 -0000

It's no secret the Raiders are in a complete tailspin right now. Don't argue otherwise, after a great game against SD, the Raiders have given up over 140 yards rushing to the Chiefs and over 200 to the Broncos. Which shows Marshall's offseason plan of working on discipline has fallen apart and that it's not just discipline but the personnel. Basically what ever Raiders fan has been saying since 2003.

The passing game, I can't really say anything since Schilens is a big difference maker in the passing game because he's a comfort zone on the scale of Miller for Russell. But in all honesty, Russell should be comfortable with guys like Murphy and DHB after a whole offseason working with them.

Running game? Not enough of it and misuse of the backs' respective talents. Also, the lack of a passing game is ruining what should be a top-5 rushing attack.

Pass D, this falls on run D. When you're first and second instincts are to rush to the line to tackle a back, of course you're going to slip in coverage. In no way is this a personnel problem, other than that there should be some better nickel and dime corners, but I won't dwell on that.

So how do I think the Raiders can remedy their ailments, read on to find out.

Passing Game

Like I said, we'll wait to see how this looks when Russell gets Schilens back this week. Until then, this can still be worked on. All it comes down to is Russell, if he really cared about winning then he'd have taken time from his apparently busy day to work with the receivers after practice and on off-days.

After all, this is what successful QB's do. You think Rodgers magically got amazing with his receivers overnight? He had to work on it, he had to get his timing down.

Now let's stop right there, what exactly do people mean when they say timing? It simply means learning where the receiver will be at what point on every single play. Sticking with the Green Bay example, Jennings is clearly a faster receiver at this point than Driver. So he'll be farther in his route than Driver will be at, say, 5 seconds into the play. Learning the speed, agility, and acceleration abilities of your receivers is a big factor.

Another part of timing is knowing where to throw it to each receiver. Unless it's a curl or screen, you always throw the ball in front of where the receiver is, aka where he's going to be instead of where he is. However, you have to know how fast the receiver will be running to know how far ahead of them to throw. Throw it to far ahead and they won't catch up to it, throw it behind and they'll have to somehow stop and go back to it.

I've read plenty of articles about guys like Peyton Manning, Donovan McNabb, etc who's receivers have talked of how those QB's have pulled them and the other receivers aside to work on extra passing practice and to watch film on how each guy runs and moves.

If Russell wants to be successful, he has to be willing to work at it. His mechanics and footwork are problems, but timing to me is the one thing he should be good at by now.

If he isn't willing to work at it, then he clearly needs to be off this team. To anybody who says that's too harsh or I'm Russell bashing, I have to restrain myself from buying a plane ticket, going to where you live, and screaming in your face.

Plain and simple, if Russell isn't motivated enough to work on his craft, to work with receivers, and basically do some work for once, then bench him for the year and draft a QB next year. This is the plan I'd like. He's gotten much worse this year despite having much better receivers and pass protection. So it's not anybody at WR or on the O-Line (not even Green who is actually a great blocker this year) it's just Russell.

Cable (cough I mean Davis) clearly doesn't want to admit that Russell is quite plainly, a lazy pouty kid and therefore refuses to bench him. Gradkowski is actually motivated and has his mechanics figured out. Timing will come when he actually starts.

I've defended Russell for too long, but until he gets his act together, if he ever does, I'm hoping for Gradkowski to start and for this guy to be our first round pick next year:

via media.collegepublisher.com

Running Game

I'd like to see how the running game plays out when, which means if, the passing game gets put together. Till then, this facet of the offense can be worked on.

For one thing, don't just mix up your running backs, mix up your running plays. Instead of changing it every drive, change it with each couple plays. Then again, a couple plays is usually the extent of a Raiders drive.

What I mean though is, pound it up the middle, then go off tackle to the left side, try to pound it between the left guard and center, then go for a sweep to the right when the D is focused on that left side, maybe even misdirection it to the left on that sweep play. Just because you've dumbed the passing game down for Russell, doesn't mean he isn't capable of handing it off on a misdirection or throwing a pitch.

After all, Russell isn't this man:

via www.judiciaryreport.com

Just because you're unable to mix up the passing game, doesn't mean this should simplify the running game. If you watch the great running teams in this league like the Ravens or the Giants, they're constantly diversifying their running attacks. The O-Line is blocking very well and the backs can run very well. Just a simple matter of fixing up your playcalling.

Speaking of those backs, let's talk about how to properly use McFadden and Bush since it makes Cable cry to actually have to think.

via assets.espn.go.com

McFadden is a speed guy, and though he should definitely be developed to be able to do so, he's not a guy you should be using to pound it up the middle every play. We'll get to that runner in a minute.

Use McFadden's speed to execute plays you couldn't execute with Bush. Hand it off to him in the shotgun; the defense will be spread out and McFadden has the speed to get out of the backfield before the defense gets there. Run stretch plays with him. You have athletic O-Linemen who can move to wherever the run is going to create a path for Mcfadden to blast it outside and turn the corner. Same goes for sweep plays, especially since O'Neal is your lead blocker.

The only time I'd use Mcfadden to go up the middle is if you have three or four WR's on the field to spread the defense out and leave room in the middle for Mcfadden to burst through. Actually, if you've been running all these stretches and pitches, the defense should already be spread out to watch the sides, thus allowing you to keep a lead blocker for the middle runs.

Mcfadden needs to work on tough running and holding onto the ball, but he's a hard working guy so I'm not worried about that.

via imgs.sfgate.com

First of all, you should actually run this guy. More so than McFadden. Bush is a much tougher runner, can pound it up the middle like Cable likes to do, and he's actually pretty fast.

And like I said, he can pound it up the middle. If Cable is so in love with running up the middle, at least use the guy who's 245 pounds and stronger than most linebackers not named Ray Lewis. Plus he can do a lot of the off-tackle running I mentioned earlier. Give him some chances on those runs in between the guard and tackle because Bush is capable of getting out of the backfield decently quickly. Bush can easily find the holes, fire through them, and keep pushing forward.

In a league where it's all about the fight for every inch, you should the put the guy in who fight for every foot.

An interesting theory I've come up with when looking over a lot of film of teams running the ball, I came about something rather interesting. The Giants run Brandon Jacobs from the shotgun frequently.

Why are we not doing this with Bush? He's a tough runner much like Jacobs, and he's actually quite a bit faster. If Jacobs can get out of the shotgun backfield before the defense gets there, what's stopping Bush from doing it even better?

Play to the strengths of your backs, and experiment with stuff like Bush from the shotgun or McFadden in short-yardage when it's during a reasonable point in the game.

Running Defense

I love defense, I love it so much that people have told me that I would be a great defensive coordinator, and this is at age 14 close to 15. And if there's one thing I focus on more than anything else, it's the run defense.

Kinda makes you wonder why I root for a team that does so horribly at what I love most.

And though I probably could be a good D-coordinator, even I couldn't make this team a top-20 run defense in the state it's in.

Two reasons why:

Personnel
Lack of an offense to offer a break for the defense

But we're here to focus on #1 more than #2. Kirk Morrison is not a good middle linebacker by any means. He's not strong enough, he doesn't fill the gaps well enough, he doesn't see the field well enough. Put him outside where he only has to watch half the field and where is speed is better suited for outside runs, after all it work for Oakland's very own Thomas Howard. aka the only linebacker I'd keep at his current role on this team if I coached it.

Kelly and Warren have definitely gotten better thanks to Ellis and Seymour, but neither is the nose tackle this team sorely lacks. Look at Minnesota, 3-0 and they have two of the best nose tackles in the league starting.

Brown, I honestly don't know why he's not more successful. He's fast, the same size as Morrison (actually a little heavier I believe), so it must be the same problem Morrison has. He doesn't fill gaps and doesn't do a good job seeing the field.

Ellis and Seymour are perfectly fine, as are the safeties and corners. Especially since Asomugha and Chris Johnson who are two of the finest tacklers at the cornerback position that I've seen all year.

So what to do? Get a nose tackle, hopefully via the draft, and change Warren to a pass rush specialist. Why not Kelly? Kelly's actually been pretty okay for me. He's better than Warren's been and I wouldn't risk taking him off the field if the defense decides to pull a fast one and throw the ball.

Now what exactly do I mean by nose tackle?

Take a good long look at the following pictures:

via blogs.suntimes.com

via i123.photobucket.com

via i.cdn.turner.com

What you just saw are three of the finest examples of nose tackles in the league, Pat Williams of the Vikings, Casey Hampton of the Steelers, and Haloti Ngata of the Ravens. What stands out other than that these guys are incredibly great players?

They're big yes. But if you look at the size of the shoulders, arms, thighs, and though none of the pictures shows it, the legs, you have to be a muscle man. It's not as simple as getting a 350 pound guy, you need a DT who is strong and capable of throwing the athletic freaks that are the guards and centers of the NFL, to the ground. Nose tackles are guys that can clog the holes, and move O-Linemen so that other holes disappear.

Another thing, and this is Cable's most tired excuse, pad level. He's said it a thousand times, but it's true. You have to be low. DT's have to be low enough that when the ball is snapped they can get under the pads of the O-Linemen and make it harder for them to not only block you, but to push forward. It's easier to push when you're bent down, than it is to be standing upright.

How low are we talking? Take it away my man Ngata.

via masnsports.com

Though admittedly, even he could get a lower if he used a four-point stance. But for DT's that like to get some extra burst on the snap, that's the perfect stance.

In regards to the linebackers, Morrison must be moved to the outside after this season or do some serious bulking up and work on his ability to scan the field and react accordingly. But if the latter doesn't happen, it's time to draft a middle linebacker. if the latter happens but the former doesn't, draft a better outside linebacker than Brown. if you have that much trouble reading and reacting to only half the field then you're not going to get better any time soon.

The proper middle linebacker has to be big (about 250 or 240 if the linebacker can react and tackle quickly), have the strength of a defensive end in a 3-4 (meaning a 265 to 275 pound man), and be able to play the middle zone. Morrison fits the last part of that perfectly and is great in man coverage, but his reaction skills and strength are the issue. So what's the ideal middle linebacker look like?

via www.everyjoe.com

via i.cdn.turner.com

via www.getsportsinfo.com

EJ Henderson of the Vikings, James Farrior of the Steelers, and Antonio Pierce of the Giants. All are guys who can get through the holes on the O-Line to make the tackles, won't get held up for very long; if at all; by fullbacks, and are fast enough to play the middle zone and even play some man. Notice here, big shoulders, well built abdominals, and bulky legs.

All I can suggest for the linebackers is simply wait till next year and hope you can draft someone like Brandon Spikes or a guy that fits the mold of these three players.

So in all reality, the run defense is so broken this year, that it can't really be fixed until next year.

Pass Defense

Really, there's nothing wrong here. The run defense just makes these guys so hesitant to move away from the line of scrimmage that it makes them slow to react to the pass. The pass defense will return to its proper top-10 position once the run defense can stop giving up nearly 200 yards to the likes of Correl Buckhalter.

Now then, I beg and plead to you, the readers of this post, to ask Tyvon Branch to read this article, print out two or three copies, and give one to each of Tom Cable, Al Davis, and JaMarcus Russell. I can guarantee that all of these will translate to success, because it's worked for teams like Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Giants, Jets, etc. Plain and simple, these things work and have worked for just about every team in the league.

If these things don't happen, at least we'll be assured a chance at Brandon Spikes or Colt McCoy. At this point, I feel confident in saying that 3-13 is an incredibly likely record for this year.

Final Note: I ask that anybody that reads and agrees with this rec's this post. The more recs that it gets, maybe the more Tyvon Branch will see how mad we fans are and be more convinced to print this for Cable and Davis.

Wishful thinking I know, but at this point, wishing is all I can do for this team.

Under further review: When the defense stepped up, the Bengals took advantage

Kirkendall — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 18:59:40 -0000

More photos » by Ed Reinke - AP

2 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson (32) is lifted in the air by Anthony Collins (73) after Benson scored on a 23-yard run in the second half of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Cincinnati. Cincinnati won the game 23-20. (AP Photo/Ed Reinke)

Browse more photos »

If you took every thing you knew about the Cincinnati Bengals, while applying every bit of team history that you've observed during the Mike Brown era, then the Bengals win over the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday would seem almost foreign. For example, the team's first quarter was an alarming effort at self-destruction. Cedric Benson rushed the football four times for no-yards. Carson Palmer attempted three passes -- two to Coles, one to Henry -- falling incomplete. Kyle Cook missed a block on Casey Hampton, who sacked Palmer. Evan Mathis was called for a false start and Anthony Collins lined up off the line of scrimmage, penalizing the Bengals five yards.

Willie Parker rushed for 53 yards on nine carries while Ben Roethlisberger completed seven of nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown -- a 149.5 passer rating. By the time the first quarter ended, the Steelers had a 10-0 lead, time of possession nearing 11 minutes and seven recorded first downs. The Bengals had just over four minutes of possession, no first downs and actually lost 20 yards with only one recorded yard on offense -- which was lost on the next play.

This was the first quarter. This was why I said the Bengals had a big DOA stamped on the mid-field team logo. Even though a ten-point deficit is manageable, the score clearly didn't show the team's immense struggle on both offense and defense. Over 17 minutes had passed before Carson Palmer completed his first pass of the game. Over 17 minutes had passed before the Bengals recorded their first first down of the game. Nearly 19 minutes had passed before Cedric Benson recorded more than one yard rushing on the ground. Even though the Bengals would later punt on their fourth possession, when Phil Simms called the drive successful, based on what happened in the first quarter, he was absolutely right in his assessment.

Afterwards, the Bengals offense and defense steadily improved. After the team's fourth straight punt to start the game, the offense went three-and-out only once, punted twice, missed a field goal and scored on three of the final five possessions; two touchdowns in the final ten minutes of the game. Defensively, the Bengals went into shutdown mode in the second half, forcing a pick-six, a missed field goal and two punts. They allowed a 11-play, 85-yard touchdown drive in the third quarter. However, aside from that, with a bit of luck (dropped passes for example) the Steelers offense was largely ineffective.

When the Bengals were hit with a mountain of adversity, they climbed that mountain and won the game. It was foreign to see this after so many times witnessing the Bengals pack it in, following their collective sigh with there's always next week. This team is far different with their motivations and heart.

Did the offense line really play well? You could make the argument that the Bengals offense was as dreadful or successful as the offensive line was. On many of the early tackles by the Pittsburgh Steelers during rushing downs was a result of the line's inability to reach the second level. Pittsburgh's defensive line did a good job holding up the Bengals offensive line from getting in the linebackers way. James Farrior and Lawrence Timmons were on fire early as a result. However, I also noticed that the Bengals offensive line was often a step slow when Steelers linebackers shot through the gaps. Andrew Whitworth, who ended up playing as well as anyone on the team, still struggled with a defender making an inside move.

Aside from the sack allowed to Casey Hampton, Kyle Cook went largely unnoticed. However, after watching the game a second time, he struggled against the massive defensive tackle. So much so that the Bengals decided to only call two rushing plays up the middle, and an additional two off the right guard. Of those four rushing plays, the Bengals gained two yards. Were they trying to protect Cook by not making Hampton a factor in the game? It would be reasonable to think so. However, there really was no reason to run up the gut into the heart of the Steelers defense when the edges were wide open.

The Bengals ran behind Andrew Whitworth six times for 51 yards on Sunday; including a 23-yard touchdown run by Benson. He's not the only reason that Benson averaged 8.5 yards-per-rush when rushing off the left edges. Mathis was solid, as was Dennis Roland, Daniel Coats and J.P. Foschi. Anthony Collins' side saw a good measure of success also, with six runs gaining 23 yards, which included runs of nine and eight yards. As offensive linemen go, the team's left side of the line dominated the Steelers most of the game. Benson found holes, picking up chucks of seven yards three times, an eight-yard as well as the 23-yard touchdown run.

Furthermore, the Bengals were impressively solid defending against the nasty Pittsburgh pass rush. Hampton recorded a sack early in the game and James Harrison recorded a sack in which the Bengals didn't lose a yard when Harrison dropped Palmer at the line of scrimmage. Aside from that, Palmer was only hit two more times and remained on his feet the rest of the game. Some could argue that he panicked when he didn't need to, forcing throws before the receivers went into their breaks. When that happened, the pass visibly sailed over the receivers' heads, typically down the right sidelines. However, it's the survive to fight another day mentality. If you're uncomfortable, throw the pass away preventing a sack or an interception. After watching what happened last year, as well as the interceptions early this season, I think I'll take passes thrown away every time. Once Palmer understands that his line is holding up well, he'll develop more confidence to make plays. For the time being, it didn't hurt the team.

Palmer on third down.
Att	Comp	Pct.	Yards	TD	INT
10	3	30%	12	0	0

Palmer on fourth down.
Att	Comp	Pct.	Yards	TD	INT
2	2	100%	16	0	0

When momentum was too hard to define. Every football game is based on momentum. It's that invisible ghost that defines the game, which isn't entirely out of the hands of mere mortals. The Steelers had it early. The Bengals took it late. But when did the Bengals truly turn the tide, taking advantage of the momentum with a Paul Brown Stadium crowd that was noticeably loud? We have several instances.

We could go as far back as the 1:15 mark in the second quarter. The Steelers were leading 13-0 when Pittsburgh lined up fourth-and-four at the Bengals 35-yard line. At this point, if the Steelers take a 20 point lead into the lockerroom, the Bengals have a slight to zero chance. Ben Roethlisberger took the snap and felt immediate pressure from the Bengals' star pass rusher, Antwan Odom. Roethlisberger was forced to roll out to his left, where Jonathan Fanene, who had a tremendous game, wrapped the quarterback's legs. Ben doesn't go down easy. And he didn't here. While standing upright, rather than risking a quarterback sack, threw the football away. The Bengals offense took possession with a minute left in the half and managed a field goal. What could have become a 20-point deficit, turned into a 10-point deficit heading into the lockerroom. After stopping the Steelers on fourth down and after scoring a field goal, you have to wonder how much the players used that.

On the Steelers first possession of the second half, after hitting Heath Miller for five yards and after Hines Ward was called for his second offensive pass interference (which I simply noted as thanking the football gods for currying favor with the Bengals), Santonio Holmes sprinted off the line of scrimmage and kept going. Roethlisberger expected Holmes to run a hook-route and threw it as such. Johnathan Joseph watched Roethlisberger all the way. After allowing a second quarter 51-yard pass to Mike Wallace, Joseph tried to redeem himself all game. If it wasn't for his good hits, or sure tackles, it was the interception that Joseph returned to the endzone, giving the Bengals the first touchdown in the game.

After a long kickoff return, the Steelers start their second second-half possession on the Bengals 40-yard line. Momentum was nearly crushed when Roethlisberger hit a wide open Limas Sweed in the endzone. Sweed's natural enemy, the ground, knocked the football out of his hand, preventing the easy touchdown. On the next play, Jeff Reed missed a 52-yard field goal attempt.

Even though Sweed dropped the easy touchdown pass and Reed missed the field goal attempt, the Bengals didn't take advantage, going three-and-out; actually run-run-pass-punt. The Steelers went 75 yards on 11 plays on the ensuing drive, finishing the drive with a one-yard touchdown run by Roethlisberger. Rey Maualuga was carted off and whatever momentum the Bengals built, was dying (if not dead).

Then the Bengals performed their best fourth quarter performance since Carson Palmer engineered a 24-point fourth quarter, throwing three interceptions against the Baltimore Ravens in 2004.

Times each wide receiver was targeted

Receiver	Target	Catches	Yards	TD
Chad Ochocinco	11	5	54	0
Andre Caldwell	9	6	52	1
Laveranues Coles	7	5	34	0
Chris Henry	3	1	19	0
Brian Leonard	2	1	11	0
Cedric Benson	2	1	5	0
Daniel Coats	1	1	8	0
	35	20	183	1

Breaking down the quarters. The game was never out of reach in terms of the score. In terms of the performance, it was dreadful early. When it mattered most, Carson Palmer and Cedric Benson came through in the fourth quarter. Both scored touchdowns and recorded their strongest quarter. Furthermore, the defense rose as well, limiting Willie Parker and Ben Roethlisberger to their worst quarters in the game.

Carson Palmer

	Att	Comp	Yard	TD	INT	Rating
1st	3	0	0	0	0	39.6
2nd	13	7	81	0	0	72.9
3rd	4	3	6	0	0	77.1
4th	17	10	96	1	0	94.2
	37	20	183	1	0	76.7

Cedric Benson

	Att	Yards	Avg.	TD
1st	4	0	0	0
2nd	4	18	4.5	0
3rd	4	16	4.0	0
4th	4	42	10.5	1
	16	76	4.8	1

Ben Roethlisberger

	Att	Comp	Yard	TD	INT	Rating
1st	9	7	99	1	0	149.5
2nd	10	6	81	0	0	85.5
3rd	9	7	81	0	1	64.5
4th	3	2	15	0	0	78.5
	31	22	276	1	1	95.6

Willie Parker

	Att	Yards	Avg.	TD
1st	9	53	5.9	0
2nd	5	19	3.8	0
3rd	6	14	2.3	0
4th	5	7	1.4	0
	25	93	3.7	0

It's always about the fourth quarter; the Bengals showed us something

Kirkendall — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 01:20:32 -0000

More photos » by Tom Uhlman - AP

2 months ago: Cincinnati Bengals receiver Andre Caldwell leaves the field after they defeated the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-20 in an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009, in Cincinnati. Caldwell caught a four-yard touchdown pass in the closing minute. (AP Photo/Tom Uhlman)

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It would be wise to say the Bengals game-winning touchdown drive as, thus far, the marquee comeback performance of the season. They were down 13-0 in the first half before converting a late first half field goal. Late in the third quarter, the Bengals started feeling it; Leon Hall had left and Rey Maualuga was being carted off after Ben Roethlisberger stretched into the endzone on a quarterback sneak with 3:04 left in the third quarter.

Things looked bad.

Then, on fourth-and-three at the Cincinnati 38-yard line with 1:32 left in the third quarter, Brad St Louis snapped the football to the up-back, Chris Crocker, who rushed for 21 yards and the unlikely first down. Cedric Benson rushed for nine yards, lost two yards before the third quarter ended. The Bengals picked up one first down in the third quarter -- the fake punt. Even so, Shayne Graham attempted a 52-yard field goal attempt, which, as one commenter said in the open thread, might have hit a pigeon.

The Bengals defense weren't through. They were determined to stay in this game. Hall and Maualuga return to the field after respective injuries. Willie Parker rushes twice for three yards and Roethlisberger completed a pass to Mike Wallace a yard short of the first down. At this point, there was no reason to think that the Bengals could overcome an 11-point deficit with under 13 minutes to play in this football game. So the Steelers elect to punt on fourth-and-one at mid-field. It was the smart conservative choice.

This is when Carson Palmer showed up at the front door presenting gifts to the football gods.

The football gods, smiling like football gods smile, repaid in kind. The Bengals ran mostly shotgun formations in five of the next six plays (one of which was a defensive pass interference), completing passes to Andre Caldwell (14 yards) and Chad Ochocinco (14 yards). After rushing the ball for eight yards, James Harrison kind-of sacked Carson Palmer, who was dropped at the line of scrimmage. It was a kind-of sack because the Bengals didn't lose any yardage and Palmer had already decided to run with the football. On third-and-two, Palmer hit Laveranues Coles for a nine yard conversion.

Palmer hands off to Benson, who stretches outside Andrew Whitworth, and sprints down the sidelines, largely unmolested for a 23-yard touchdown run. After a failed two-point conversion, the Bengals kickoff with a 20-15 lead and 9:14 left in the game. What's most impressive about the touchdown drive is that the Cincinnati Bengals started the drive at their own 15-yard line. It took them six plays to go the length of the football field for the score.

But the Bengals were still down by five points. A botched field goal attempt forced the Bengals into a two-point conversion later, which also failed. We wonder if we shouldn't call the botched PAT the biggest good mistake of the year -- the football gods smiling? If the Bengals know that they can tie the game, do they try to win the game with a touchdown when a field goal with a five-point deficit does them no good? Karma is a bitch. And that bitch has been knocking at our front door way too much this season.

You have to give the defense 90% of the credit for this one. The defense was spitting at this point. After allowing 13 points in the first three possessions, the defense forced a turnover on downs, a pick-six, a missed field goal, a touchdown and back-to-back punts. In fact, the Steelers offense gained more than 10 yards on only one offensive possession in the second half. The defense didn't allow the Steelers a first down in three of the five second half possessions; if you don't include the Steelers final possession -- a one-play hail mary. In two of the first three possessions in the first half, the Steelers were within the Bengals ten-yard line. Both times the Steelers kicked field goals rather than touchdowns. Going down 21-0 with 12:44 left in the second quarter, would have been disaster.

Instead, it turned out to be manageable.

With the score being 20-15 in favor of the Steelers, Pittsburgh started their offensive possession at their own 27-yard line. Domata Peko destroyed Willie Parker before Roethlisberger completed two passes for 11 yards and a first down. The clock was crucial at this point. There was no reason to believe the Bengals had a big offensive play in their pocket; a sustained drive was their best shot at winning this football game. But the defense still needed to save the Bengals. Just one more time.

Parker rushed two twice for four yards setting up a third-and-six at the Pittsburgh 42-yard line with 5:54 left in the game. Roethlisberger sets up in shotgun, when the entire Bengals defensive line collapses the pocket. Antwan Odom got a hand in; Robert Geathers, Pat Sims and everyone else cleaned up the mess. It was, perhaps, the most critical sack of the season. Steelers punt and Quan Cosby, who is the best punt returner this team has seen in ages, returns it 17 yards to the Bengals 29-yard line.

The Bengals down by five, have 5:14 to drive the football 71 yards for the required touchdown to take the lead. A field goal wasn't an option. So Brad St. Louis can stay over there, by the cooling fan, where he would do the least amount of damage. After a three-yard run for formality purposes, Palmer hits Coles and Benson for 22 yards. Benson rushes for another eight yards (another formality). Palmer scrambles for a yard in between two Caldwell receptions that picked up another 17 yards. Bengals take their first time out with a minute left in the game.

At this point, fans are generating so much anxiety that the general feeling of broken hearts inadvertently swell; it's a defensive mechanism; it just happens. The Bengals offense was as productive as it had been all game. Still, one tipped pass could fall into a defender's basket at any time. A quarterback sack could make to-go yardage too far. This isn't just a feeling being a Bengals fan, but most fans get this feeling late in games. It's the one play that messes everything up. Some teams just do it more often, you know, like the Bengals.

After an all-or-nothing pass to Chad Ochocinco into the endzone that fell incomplete, the Steelers called a timeout and the Bengals offense huddled on the sideline, discussing what to-do. See, it's not just any ordinary think tank. The Bengals were a touchdown away of winning the first game, at home, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, since 2001. The Bengals were a touchdown away from putting a blemish on that idiotic statistic that Ben Roethlisberger hadn't lost a game as a professional in the state of Ohio. It was a discussion towards a decision that you wish you were apart of.

However Bengals players didn't feel that weight upon them. No. They were serene. They knew they could do it. This is something Bengals fans are unaccustomed too, so we're taken aback. Palmer. Shotgun. Five-yard pass to Laveranues Coles. First down. Holy crap. It really happened that fast? Holy crap. It really happened?

Alright, alright. The Bengals are alive. There's :48 seconds left on the clock when Carson Palmer spikes the football. Three downs to go. Palmer fired a pass over the middle to Chad Ochocinco that Ike Taylor needed a full body stretch to barely tip, which caused the football's trajectory to fade away from Chad. Incomplete. My finger nails are like, so gone. After throwing an incomplete pass to Chris Henry, the Bengals were left with a fourth-and-ten situation. So they call a timeout.

They wouldn't do it again, would they? Apparently they didn't feel the anxiety we did. Palmer, cool as a cat, started talking about Gatorade mixtures. Chad's planning his topics for tonight's ustream session, even calling around to book guests. The offensive line discusses how wave-particle duality relates to quantum physics. Palmer looks down the field, starts to rollout right when Aaron Smith got a fist-full of jersey. Palmer, with a heavy diet of John Morrell hot dogs, throws the football to Brian Leonard out of the backfield. With about a yard or two short of the first down, James Farrior hits Leonard, knocking him down. Leonard, like a climatic moment of a movie, lowers his hand on the turf and propels himself over the first down marker. First down.

At that point, while cheering, about 15 of us suffer a heart attack while the rest of us jump with some awesome fist-pumping motion. Palmer spikes the football to stop the clock. With :18 left in the game, Palmer takes the shotgun snap and... did he really catch it? After putting "DOA" in big block letters on the team in the first quarter, did Andre Caldwell really catch the game-winning touchdown? When the camera zoomed in, it showed the Bengals receiver with the football. Like it was supposed to happen. Calm. Cool. Collected. The Bengals offense just scored their second touchdown to take the lead away from the defending Super Bowl champions. Brian Leonard caught a two-yard point after attempt, giving the Bengals a three-point lead.

After that, it was semantics. The Steelers tried to do what desperate teams try to do. Lateral the football on kickoff return in the hopes that someone breaks free. It wasn't meant to be. The football gods were pleased with Cincinnati. Way too charged up to let anything happen, with the heart-breaking loss to the Denver Broncos still fresh on their minds, the Bengals weren't about to lose this one. As a result, the Steelers wasted 12 seconds on the kickoff return giving Roethlisberger all of two seconds for a 66-yard touchdown throw. Hey, it happened to us once before, why not again, right? Geoffrey Pope made a play on the football, which feel harmlessly to the ground.

The Bengals were awful in every phase of the game leading up to the fourth quarter. The defense turned things around earliest to start the second half with a pick-six by Johnathan Joseph. When Carson Palmer and the offense had a chance to win the game out of the clutches of defeat (cliche alert!), they did. Palmer did. For all of the complaining we've justifiably shouted about Palmer in the past, against the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers, he led the offense on game-winning touchdown drives. Denver was what it was. Palmer did his part in the end.

So far we have names for the first two games this season. We have The Fluke against the Denver Broncos. The holy crap we just converted a third-and-34 by accident against the Packers (probably should come up with a better name). Now we have several nominations for a name against the Steelers. We could call it The Drive. We could call it The Fourth. We could call it, The Comeback. Whatever it is, it's a win. A critical division win in comeback fashion. The Bengals players proved something to their fans. They won't quit until the very end. We should be proud of these guys. They did what we asked them to. Beat the Pittsburgh Steelers at home. And they did it.

Steelers Defense Needs Huge Contributions From Lawrence Timmons In Troy Polamalu's Absence

Blitzburgh — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:44:42 -0000

A couple of thoughts from me about the Pittsburgh Steelers's defense - a topic that seems to keep creeping in to my mind as I try to determine how the immediate and intermediate future of the team will play out. To start, I'd say that I think the Steelers problems largely lie on the defensive side of the ball. I know the offense has had its struggles. And to be sure, 27 points through two games won't cut it over the long haul. I'd like to comment more on the offense in a different post, but I would say here, just remember how efficient Ben Roethlisberger and the passing game has looked for most of the first two games. And also, don't sneeze that the success the running game had against Chicago, even if it was inconsistent and not enough to rely on or lead us to victory.

Anyway, I am quite concerned about this defense without Troy Polamalu. Before the season started, I stated on multiple occasions that I thought we would see a noticeable dropoff between the play of Bryant McFadden and William Gay. I think Gay will be just fine over time, but as he gets initiated in to every down play in the National Football League, he's definitely taking his lumps. Reserve safety Tyrone Carter is also getting plenty of flack for his play in Polamalu's absence. At this stage in his career, we know what kind of player he is and what he's capable of contributing. To expect more from him really is unrealistic. Yes, the Steelers have won football games with him starting - most notably in 2007 when Polamalu missed five games - but if you look back at those games, the best team performances were against hapless offenses like the Seahawks (w/o Hasselbeck), the Dolphins (the Mud Bowl game), and a depleted Bengals offense.

The long of the short of it, to me at least, is that this defense is going to need one player in particular to really step up his game this next month. That player is Lawrence Timmons, who saw his first action of the 2009 season on Sunday against the Bears. Timmons played pretty well against the Bears. He had two passes defended and three tackles. He was around the ball on numerous other plays and generally looked as quick and as explosive as I remember him being late last year when he really started to come on.

Think back to Sunday's game real quick with me. Do you remember how it seemed as if the Steelers were frequently this close to getting to Jay Cutler and forcing a momentum-changing sack? We'll see if I have time to re-watch the tape of this one later in the week, but I definitely can recall at least two or three times when Cutler gracefully sidestepped a blitzer and got rid of the ball. My recollection is that James Farrior was the blitzer that was getting close, but not making the play.

It seems to me that teams are spending quite a bit of capital in their pass protection packages to negate the effect of reigning Defensive Player of the Year James Harrison. Deebo has yet to register a sack this year. I do think he's getting held more frequently than is being called. And he's faced two great left tackles to start the year. But I do also think that teams are more than cognizant of the fact that he's difficult to contain with just one man.

Consequently, I think we've seen James Farrior being sent on stunts up the middle where there's less attention being paid by opposing offensive lines. In my humble opinion - and I'm certainly no Dick LeBeau - I'd swap James Farrior for Lawrence Timmons as the guy who should be most frequently sent up the middle while dropping the more savvy Farrior in to pass coverage. Timmons has ability in pass coverage - two passes defended in his first game back from injury should tell you something. But he's just more explosive and disruptive getting after the quarterback in my estimation.

Remember the play he made against Joe Flacco in the second regular season matchup between the Ravens and Steelers last December? The one where he displayed an amazing combination of speed, balance and explosive closing speed to sack Flacco and force a fumble that put them out of field goal range?

Those are the kinds of plays that have been lacking the first two weeks of the 2009 regular season. Or at least the last 6 quarters since Polamalu was injured. There are lots of talented individual players on the unit, and they're all coached by one of the best in the business. But with all the attention that Harrison, and even Woodley to some extent, are getting, there's not one athlete on the roster as capable of making a game-changing play with his athleticism than Lawrence Timmons.

Pregame Zone Blitz: Steelers at Panthers

ncoolong — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 10:44:30 -0000

More photos » by Don Wright - AP

Pittsburgh Steelers' linebacker Keyaron Fox, left, pressures Buffalo Bill quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick as he releases the ball in the second half of the NFL preseason football game in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009. The play was ruled an incomplete pass. The Steelers won 17-0. (AP Photo/Don Wright)

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The third preseason game was as crisp as fall air. We even got to hear a little bit of smack talk from James Farrior. While the Panthers have yet another quality running back in the works, the final game of the preseason - tonight at Carolina - is all about the final roster cuts. Here's what our opponents are up to.

Opponent Web Sites/Forums

Panthers CB Chris Gamble got a huge contract this off-season. He responded by giving up multiple plays to Ravens receivers Kelley Washington and Derrick Mason in their 17-13 preseason week 3 loss to Baltimore.

The Charlotte Observer's Scott Fowler says the Panthers need to play their starters against Pittsburgh, because, "it's a chance to practice with their defense against the defending Super Bowl champs."

This isn't normally something that would make the link list, perhaps it's because I was hungry when I wrote this, but fans posting on the Carolina Huddle Message Board are describing one helluva tailgate spread before tonight's game.

The resignations of Stadium President Jon Richardson and Team President Mark Richardson from the Panthers organization were announced this week. Their father, Jerry Richardson, is the Panthers owner and founder. Will that make Christmas Dinner weird?

Opponent Spotlight: RB Mike Goodson

It could be too early to call Panthers rookie RB Mike Goodson the next Maurice Jones-Drew. His versatility, though, shows flashes of the Jaguars supposed undersized multi-purpose threat. What's even better for the fourth-round pick out of Texas A&M, at 6-foot-0, 212 pounds, he's a lot bigger than MJD - just not as talented yet.

Goodson had an impressive 78 total yards from scrimmage on 11 carries and three receptions against Baltimore in preseason week 3. With injuries to regulars DeAngelo Williams and Jonathon Stewart this preseason, Goodson made enough of his chance to earn a roster spot behind the two former first-round picks.

He made such an impression after the draft, All-Pro WR Steve Smith even mentioned being impressed with him after checking out his college highlights on YouTube.

In a game that typically only has the allure of watching the 51-55 ranked players on teams fight for special teams spots, it'll be interesting to see how Goodson can handle facing the starting units of two of the best defenses in the game. He's been impressive so far, let's see if he can continue it.

Steelers Spotlight: KR Stefan Logan

"I think this is the right spot for me, and I feel like I definitely can do the right thing for them." - KR Stefan Logan on playing for the Steelers

Guys like Stefan Logan make coaches love their jobs. They make it so incredibly hard to cut him, coaches get the chance to make the difficult decisions they love to make.

His lack of ability to make the squad solely as an offensive player aside, he's turned enough heads as the first explosive return man the Steelers have had since Antwaan Randle-El. Len Pasquarelli of ESPN writes that the Steelers have had 16 kick returners and 10 punt returners since Randle-El.

Logan, the diminutive pinball from small Division II University of South Dakota, has done enough with returns alone to merit a roster spot.

Numbers may work against him, as they usually do for players competing to make the team as special teams contributors, but as John Harris pointed out Wednesday, Steelers 2008 Rookie of the Year Patrick Bailey cemented his roster spot in the last preseason game.

Logan's not a rookie in terms of age. At age 28, it's his first year in the NFL, but he looks plenty comfortable filling a role the Steelers have been without since 2005. Rookie CB Joe Burnett has fumbled twice in his punt return opportunities, and Logan's 14 yard average shows consistency and the ability to break the big play. He also had a 60 yard return against Washington and his nearly 40-yard average gives him a clear advantage over rookie Mike Wallace going into Week 1 vs. Tennessee.

Last Game

"Maybe they need to huddle up a little more." - Steelers LB and Captain James Farrior, on Buffalo's newly installed no-huddle offense, which was yielded zero touchdowns so far this preseason.

Preseason aside, Pittsburgh's 17-0 blanking of offense-less Buffalo at least appeared to be what head coach Mike Tomlin asked for before the game - 60 minutes of Steelers football.

Despite the fact the Bills were without WR Terrell Owens, they were able to manage just 135 total yards (86 through the air), and the Steelers got a blocked field goal from rookie CB Joe Burnett with less than three minutes to go to conserve the shut-out.

It was that kind of a game for the Steelers defense. Completely overpowering.

LB James Farrior scored on an interception return, and the Steelers stopped the Bills starters to just 50 yards of offense in the half the two starting units faced each other.

I See You

I see you, Brett Keisel. You're the latest example of the recent Steelers trend of bucking age when it comes to signing the "right" veterans to extensions after they reach 30, joining James Farrior, Hines Ward and James Harrison.

Keisel got his contract not just because he's a great, versatile athlete; it's simply because he's one of those players who doesn't need coaching, shows up each practice ready to work and goes about his business the right way. On the field, the intensity in which he plays mirrors the seventh round pick he was back in 2002, when he was just trying to make the team.

There are few who typify Steelers Football more than Brett Keisel. It's great to have him around for another five years.

We're Canoe-Paddling right along with you, Brett.

Key Stats

Stefan Logan is averaging 13.9 yards per punt return, and 39.3 yards per kick return. The Steelers averaged 6.2 yards per punt return and 20.3 yards per kick return in 2008.

The Steelers starting defense has yet to allow a touchdown in three preseason games.

Pittsburgh has completed 55 passes this preseason, 31 of them have gone for first downs (56 percent). New Orleans leads the preseason at 60 percent.

QB Ben Roethlisberger had more passing yards (168) in the one half he played than Buffalo had total yards all game (135) in Pittsburgh's 17-0 preseason week 3 win.

Quick Hitters

Bronco Legursky: With Darnell Stapleton placed on ice for this season, veteran C Doug Legursky has likely locked down a roster spot. Rookie A.Q. Shipley will likely end up on the practice squad (has anyone mentioned he's from Pittsburgh?).

Mr. Fox: Keyaron Fox got to join the highlight reel of Steelers linebackers making audibly violent hits against Buffalo, when he crushed return man Leodis McKelvin. He continued to thump his way toward recognition, and with the ankle injury to Lawrence Timmons, he'll start at the mack linebacker spot against Carolina. It's up in the air whether Timmons will be able to play in the season-opener.

BTSC Monday Morning Notes

Blitzburgh — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 09:22:28 -0000

Happy Monday Steeler Nation and all the rest checking in on this last day of August. I just returned from four days in Denver at a dual bachelor party for two old friends. Was tempted to plug in but ultimately was happy to have shunned the internet and my cellphone for the weekend. A few thoughts on this and that to start off the week - the final week of the 2009 NFL preseason. September 10th is rapidly approaching, no longer some far off date in the future that seems impossibly far off.

* Let's start off with a few thoughts from the Pittsburgh Steelers 17-0 shutout over the Buffalo Bills Saturday night at Heinz Field. How about Ben Roethlisberger's return to action?!? Good stuff. Not that too many - if any at all - were worried about Big Ben heading in to this season. Nevertheless, it's always excellent to watch Big Ben when he's in rhythm and has the offense humming. Roethlisberger finished 15/19 for 168 yards in one half of action before Mike Tomlin decided he'd had enough work for the night. Steelers fans are simply blessed to have one of the best in the business under center. And to think we've likely not even seen the best of him yet...

* Steelers quarterbacks threw the ball 31 times on Saturday - Roethlisberger 19; Batch 9; Reily 3. They were collectively sacked just once. That's good stuff from the Steelers offense live in the passing game.

* Now, in the running game, the line's play was a bit less deserving of adulation. The Steelers play calling became overwhelmingly vanilla after they scored 17 2nd quarter points and continued to stifle Buffalo's fledgling offense. And there were a few holes opened up at various points in the game. For the most part though, the line was only so-so in the running game. Rashard Mendenhall finished with 48 yards on 16 carries, but 13 of those came on a single run, meaning he had just 33 on his other 15 carries. Isaac Redman wasn't much better, finishing with just 31 yards on 13 carries.

* I did, however, like what I saw from Mendenhall. Besides his fumble deep inside Buffalo territory of course. If you recall, fumbling was a mounting issue for him last preseason. Let's hope we're not seeing something similar materialize with him right now. I doubt we are, and if not, I think we should feel pretty good about what he's going to add to this offense, with or without a healthy Willie Parker complimenting him in the backfield.

* Tip of the cap to the front office for bucking its trend of not re-signing aging players like James Farrior. The veteran linebacker got what's his financially. The team, meanwhile, continues to reap the benefits of having him on the roster. On Saturday, Farrior returned a Trent Edwards interception 22 yards for a touchdown. I imagine he'll come up with similarly momentum-changing plays when the regular season starts next week. He's a special player in so many ways.

* If this defense can stay healthy at several positions in particular, look out. I'm still a bit nervous about William Gay and the pass defense, particularly if the pass rush is somehow slowed down a bit, but that's a conversation for another day. But that preoccupation isn't a huge one for me. For the most part, it's hard for me to see any way that this defense isn't one of the league's top two or three defenses in all significant statistical categories. On Saturday, Buffalo was held to 55 yards in the 1st half. They turned it over once and picked up just two first downs against the Steelers first-string defense.

* Stefan Logan continues to make it impossible for the organization to not strongly consider keeping him on the 53-man roster. Logan returned 5 punts on Saturday night for an average of 15.8 yards per return. The leading punt returner last year, Roscoe Parrish, averaged 15.3 yards per return. We'll see. The moment of truth for Logan and his future with the Steelers is coming quite soon. Congratulations to him for making the most of his opportunity and putting himself in this situation at all.

* There's a few key bodies that need to heal up a bit before the regular season starts two Thursdays from now at Heinz Field against the Tennessee Titans, but for the most part, the Steelers have avoided major injuries during training camp and in the first three preseason games of 2009. Fans can breathe a sigh of relief now knowing that the top-line guys on both sides of the ball won't play much, if any, in the team's final preseason game. It's customary for teams to not play their starters much in the fourth and final preseason game. They instead are content not risking an unnecessary injury. Let's get Santonio Holmes and Willie Parker feeling better and get this party started. So far, so good.

* More from me later, but I wanted to at least get a few thoughts out there after stepping away for a fun (and overly expensive) long weekend. I hope to have plenty more time in the coming weeks as we inch ever closer to what we all have been waiting for not long after the Steelers won an unprecedented sixth Lombardi Trophy last February - the return of NFL (regular season) football.