SB Nation - Santonio Holmes

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations

Ted Bartlett — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:30:13 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

5 days ago: Denver Broncos wide receiver Brandon Marshall, left, avoids the tackle of Indianapolis Colts linebacker Gary Brackett in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Indianapolis, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2009. Marshall had 21 receptions for 200 yards in the game. The Colts defeated the Broncos 28-16. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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Happy Tuesday, friends, and welcome to another edition of Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Christmas is coming - and I, for one, am hoping for a much more joyous holiday season than I experienced last December. All I got for Christmas last year was the Broncos' historic collapse, and all I had to give was the one scenario that could possibly be worse than the season-ending Chargers game (it involved hypothetically cutting an apple, slipping, and stabbing myself in the groin WHILE watching that game).

I'm not much for moral victories, but today in Donny Deutschland, I will talk about why I feel better about Sunday's loss than I have about any Broncos loss in years. There's no time to waste, so let's not waste any time. Out of the echo chamber, and into the fire, y'all. Ready..... BEGIN!!!

1. I learned on Sunday that what I suspected was the case, was in fact, the case. That is, the Broncos can play with Indianapolis, at Indianapolis. It happened a little differently than I thought it would, but the Broncos competed, and got back in the game after getting down in really ugly fashion. Consider these statistics, as I pretend that I care about statistics for a moment. The Broncos outgained Indianapolis 357-312. They held the ball for 31:27, versus the Colts' 28:33. They won the turnover battle 3-1. The Broncos advanced into Colts territory on 8 of 12 posessions. These measures would tend to indicate victory, but in this case, the Broncos fell a little short.

For next time, we can internalize a few thoughts:

a. The Broncos have the players and schemes to cover the Colts receivers, pressure Peyton Manning, and generally disrupt their offense.

b. The Broncos have the players and schemes to move the ball at will against the Colts defense.

c. As a fan base, we all mistakenly thought to ourselves "Here we go again" when the Colts got up 21-0 after four possessions. We can take this game as a lesson that the past doesn't indicate the future. Those Broncos teams which got their doors blown off by the Colts passing game are definitely not these Broncos.

One general concern is that the Broncos could have run the ball better, and will need to next time. I felt the run scheme was too zone-heavy and horizontal, and it played into the Colts' plan to run-blitz the gaps. A smaller, faster team needs to be man-blocked with a vertical scheme. Those are guys you don't necessarily want moving laterally, because they're comfortable doing so.

The other concern is that at money time, Dallas Clark needed more and better attention. Josh Barrett needed to be on the field manning him up, because he's the best guy in the NFL at covering TEs man-to-man.

All in all, I am proud of the way the Broncos stayed in the game, despite some reasons that lesser men would take to quit. This was really a game which turned on a few plays, and I am pleased to know that the Broncos can compete with Indianapolis, unlike in past years. This week, it's the Raiders, and luckily, JaMarcus Russell will be under center again. Expect Elvis Dumervil to get some shots at him. The Broncos can take care of business at home, and position themselves well to make the postseason. Happy Raiders Week, friends.

2. Information From My Eyes, Broncos at Colts:

a. Andre' Goodman got beat on a crossing route by Pierre Garcon on the first offensive play of the game, and in the moment, I wondered if there was a major speed mismatch. Goodman settled down to play Garcon spectacularly the rest of the game, breaking up four well-thrown balls. Goodman has been terrific all year, but I'd call this his best game as a Bronco.

b. When the Broncos drafted Darcel McBath, I'd never heard of him. I'm very impressed with his play as a rookie, though, and he had a fantastic game Sunday. He separated Dallas Clark from the ball on a 3rd down, and also baited Peyton Manning into his third interception. It's a real bummer that he broke his forearm and is gone for the season, but he showed well when he got the opportunities. I look for him to make a serious run at Renaldo Hill's starting job next season.

c. I really "misunderestimated" the Colts' DTs, Daniel Muir and Antonio Johnson. They both played fantastic, and drove the Broncos' interior players backward consistently.

d. Ryan Clady didn't play very well in the running game, which was a departure from what we've been seeing lately. He got pushed backward several times when he lost leverage, and he misread a few run blitzes, and didn't hit the right guy. He's young and growing, and we can only hope he learns from this game.

e. Brandon Marshall was spectacular, of course. It's obvious that Kyle Orton really trusts him to make plays at this point. I wish he trusted Eddie Royal a little more, though. The truth is, though, Royal hasn't come up with some plays when he's had chances to do so.

f. I was happy to see Jabar Gaffney back in the mix this week. He's a pro's pro, and the Broncos offense is better when he is involved.

g. I was pleased with what I saw from Robert Ayers and Elvis Dumervil, despite the Broncos' lack of sacks. Both played well against the run, and generated pressure against Manning.

h. Peyton Hillis isn't a very good lead blocker, and I think a key part of the trouble the running game had was with the loss of Spencer Larsen. Larsen has been knocking heads the last two weeks, and he wasn't there this time, obviously.

Hillis is a good RB, but he's a true HB, not a FB. The truth is, he is where he should be on the depth chart; the third RB for the Broncos. Zappa said that some DP posters were calling for Knowshon Moreno to be benched, and Hillis to get the starting job. That's not going to happen, and frankly, it's asinine. Hillis could get more opportunity to make plays, but he deserves to be behind Moreno and Correll Buckhalter. There's no question in my mind of that.

i. The Colts' last drive was enabled by missed tackles by Vonnie Holliday (first play of the series) and Mario Haggan (3rd down inside the Broncos 10).

j. Oh, Dallas Clark. Ty Law did a good job on him, but he often was assigned to cover Austin Collie. Wesley Woodyard is a good zone player, but he can't cover a Clark in man-to-man. That 4th-and-4 was badly schemed, because Brian Dawkins shouldn't be manned up on Clark, either.

Finally, at the end of the game, the approach should have been to look at the formation. The power was left, and the only receiving threat was Clark, playing with his hand down on the right side. You need somebody to drive him straight into the ground, so he can't get out in the pattern. That's how I would coach that situation, anyway. Tackle him when he pretends to block, without getting called for holding.

k. D.J. Williams had a very good game, except for the one stupid penalty. Darrell Reid got (another) one of those too, while we're at it.

3. Information From My Eyes, Other Games

a. I thought Thursday's Browns-Steelers game was pretty riveting, and I almost wish I went (but not quite). Several of my friends tried to get me to go, because everybody in the world was trying to dump their tickets. It was 12 degrees, with 50 mph winds, and felt negative-7 in Cleveland that night. That's a recipe for freezing your hind-parts off, as Omar would say.

The Browns are changing for the better, and I wonder if it saves Eric Mangini's job. They're doing some very interesting things, like using Mike Furrey at FS. He's played both ways in his career, but has been more of a WR in the NFL, and caught 98 passes for the Lions in 2006, which was second in the NFL.

He did some nice things at Safety in the game, and it reminded me of Troy Brown playing defense for the Patriots, though, as I mentioned, Furrey has played defense at the professional level. You have to be impressed with a player doing what it takes to help his team win.

b. A guy who I have always liked, who the Browns found for free is Matt Roth. He got on the wrong side of Bill Parcells and Tony Sparano in Miami, and they put him on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list, and then waived him in November. The Browns smartly claimed him, and he's played very well for the Browns thus far. The Sam position in a 3-4 is pretty hard to fill, because it's a unique skill set. Lamarr Woodley and Mario Haggan are both very good at it, and Adalius Thomas used to be, but like RT on offense, there are a lot more average 3-4 Sams than there are good ones. Roth is a good one, because he sets the edge well, and generates a good pass rush when he's called upon to do so. Finding a guy like him in-season is what a bad team has to do.

c. Two unheralded guys who the Browns have discovered on offense are RB Chris Jennings and TE Evan Moore. Jennings won a Grey Cup recently with the Montreal Alouettes, and looked like the best back on the Browns roster last Thursday. He ran with power and explosion against an excellent run defense.

I meant to mention Moore last week and forgot; but I know a football player when I see one, and he's a player. He was a big WR at Stanford for 4 years, and also played basketball for his first 2 years. His fluidity, body control, and overall athleticism jump off the screen, and really remind me of Antonio Gates. I don't know if he's as fast as Gates, but he looks to me like he could definitely be a Brent Celek-caliber receiving TE. He's been key to Brady Quinn's recent improvement, because Quinn does his best throwing work inside the numbers.

Jennings and Moore are two players who the Browns can be very excited about, as they figure out what their program is during the offseason. Like Roth, they came with no significant cost. Now the Browns just need to nail their offseason.

d. I had a friend who is a Steelers fan ask me what was wrong with his team, and I think I may have disappointed him by not having a real definitive answer ready. It's kind of a tough question to answer, really, because Mike Tomlin had it exactly right when he said it was a function of struggles in all three phases of the game.

The defense really misses Troy Polamalu, who I think might be the most irreplaceable defensive player in the NFL. No safety plays with the speed of Polamalu, and the Steelers are much more conservative in their blitz packages without him. Their CBs are also playing pretty poorly over the last five games. On offense, I think the Steelers play-calling has been suspect. Rashard Mendenhall has emerged as a good RB, and the Steelers seem reluctant to commit to letting him run. I'm not surprised at the rumblings Sunday that some offensive coaches are likely going to get whacked after the season.

e. Now, on to why the Browns won Thursday. There were two reasons. One reason is that Joshua Cribbs is a great football player, and he carried his team on offense and special teams. The other is that the Browns covered the Steelers' receivers at a shockingly high level. ST&NO Favorite Brandon McDonald was fantastic. He might have had the best coverage game I have seen from a CB this year (although Andre' Goodman was awesome on Sunday, too). Eric Wright was strong on the other side too, though he gave up a few completions to Santonio Holmes. As has often been the case with the Broncos this season, the coverage allowed the pressure to get to Ben Roethlisberger, who was sacked 8 times.

f. It was another annoying weekend when almost every game was early, including the Broncos. I had the Chicago-Green Bay game on at the same time as the Broncos game,. and as I watched some of it, I was struck by the fact that neither team showed me anything that I didn't already know about them. Aaron Rodgers continued his recent run of getting sacked less, and the Packers defense was strong again. The Bears had some flashes, but self-destructed at key times.

The only real takeaway from this, to me, is another reminder why I don't really like fantasy football. The number one player in the Official MHR League this year has been my QB, Rodgers. In real football terms, he played fine on Sunday. He completed 16 of 24 throws for 180 yards, and lost a fumble on a blind-side sack. His team won the game, so no worries, right? Well, in fantasy terms, he tanked. Not only that, I am playing Zappa in the playoffs this week, and he has Ryan Grant, who had a monster game with 137 yards and 2 TDs, because the Bears were playing coverage to prevent big plays in the passing game.

g. Speaking of guys who tanked on my fantasy team, Randy Moss, this skunky, warm Miller High Life is for you. One catch for 16 yards, and a lost fumble? Really? He really looked like he wasn't trying hard, too; it was a total flashback to the Oakland days. Good thing I had Brandon Marshall and the Eagles (TD scoring) defense.

h. I think the Patriots are in trouble, and that their culture needs an adjustment. I read Bill Belichick's sending tardy players home as a clear indication of that. Adalius Thomas lipped off in the media, and got benched for it, and Randy Moss did it with his play somewhat on Sunday. I wouldn't be shocked if both are gone after this season. Thomas is gone for sure, and Moss is a possibility. The Patriots have a lot of draft assets with which to restock the WR position, and they're pretty solid at LB anyway, with guys like Tully Banta-Cain and Rob Ninkovich making positive contributions.

It was pretty interesting how Tom Brady and Bill Belichick came to Moss's aid on Monday, after he clearly was dogging some pass routes. Michael Lombardi had a good point on NFL Network that Moss has done that his whole career, and that the Patriots probably weren't too alarmed by it. I think it's pretty bad, personally.

i. Scary moment in Arlington, Texas, when DeMarcus Ware was carted off the field with a neck injury. The Chargers had a false start, and then went right down the field in two plays to score the deciding TD afterward. Reports on Monday were that Ware would miss the next two weeks, which would really handicap the Dallas defense. Most casual fans think of Ware as just a pass rusher, but he is a rare player who stars against the run, and in zone coverage too.

j. I alluded to this thought last week, but it was well-articulated by Michael Lombardi last night; Dallas's struggles have nothing to do with what month it is. The same can be said of the Chargers and their success in the month of December. If you're playing in a lot of places where there's bad weather, then maybe the month is a semi-meaningful data point, but neither Dallas nor San Diego particularly qualifies. I know somebody is going to say that a game in December is a pressure game, but even that's not true a lot of times. San Diego has tended to be healthy in December, and Dallas has tended to be banged up. San Diego has tended to play weak late-season schedules, and Dallas has tended to play difficult ones. Don't get caught up in things which Peter King would incorrectly call a factoid.

k. That Radio Shack commercial with the sleeping scruffy dude saying "Dance, Sugar Plum Fairies" is bizarre. It makes no sense at all to me, and I can't imagine how it would make anybody want to shop at Radio Shack, or buy that craptastic phone from Sprint.

l. NBC lucked out with a great game on Sunday night between the Eagles and Giants. Neither defense looked particularly good, but both offenses lit it up. The difference in the game was a defensive TD from Sheldon Brown, and a punt-return TD from DeSean Jackson. Those plays also provided the difference in the Shallow Thoughts team beating Zappa's Sactown Beavers in the playoffs.

m. I would never let Jackson get off the line of scrimmage without getting hit. Teams just insist on letting this guy run free through their secondary, and he kills them. Little, fast guys like him must be re-routed off the line, and then you want over/under coverage on him after that. He's not the typical big, physical number-1 WR like Brandon Marshall, but he does need double-team attention, or at least Cover-3 behind him, so he can be hit at the line with confidence.

n. Brandon Jacobs, to me, is like a 98-mph fastball that's a little too straight, and rarely misses bats. Jacobs has been running harder lately than he was early in the season, but he doesn't make anybody miss. He takes so many hits, and this year, he's going down more easily than he used to. I think the Giants offense is better when Ahmad Bradshaw is getting more carries than Jacobs at this point, even as Jacobs has been better lately.

o. Speaking of the Giants, I want to share some ST&NO light with a Giants fan, because I've coincidentally been listening to his music as I wrote this part of the column. If you like hip hop, you ought to check out Nickel at his website www.SpotMeANickel.com. He's got a couple albums worth of MP3s available for free download there. I went to high school with the guy at Norwich Free Academy in Norwich, CT, and it's cool to see him doing well, and making good music.

p. As always, I watched 5 games on Monday night, and the one I learned the most from was the New Orleans-Atlanta game. Very simply, New Orleans deserved to lose the game, and I haven't seen or heard anybody acknowledge that. I take that as a reaffirmation that my effort is worth the time.

Brent Grimes got called for two horrible pass-interference penalties, on plays where he reached around his man to play the ball. Those two plays directly led to 14 points being scored, and the Saints won by 3. The officials bogusly penalized ST&NO Favorite Thomas DeCoud on an even better play in the fourth quarter too, but Garrett Hartley subsequently missed a Field Goal, so it didn't affect the scoreboard. The Saints are a very good team, and they don't need any bonus help, but apparently you can't breathe on their receivers. It reminded me of the 2006 NBA Finals, when Dwyane Wade got "fouled" practically every time he touched the ball, and it disgusted me just as much to watch.

q. Jonathan Vilma deserves credit for sealing the win for New Orleans. He intercepted Chris Redman with 3 minutes to go in the game. Then, after the Saints arrogantly tried a fake field goal, rather than taking the points and going up 6, Vilma tackled the formidable Jason Snelling cold in the open field, a yard short of the first down on 4th and 2. He made the plays that were there to be made.

r. While I'm on the topic of the Saints, here's an E! True Hollywood Story for you. Or maybe it's a Letterman-style Top 2 list. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Top 2 Things Ted Bartlett Currently Doesn't Give A Damn About (And Al Roker's Forecast Calls For No Change:)

1. Whether or not the Colts or Saints go 16-0, and on a related note, whether or not they rest their starters.

2. Who wins the NFL MVP Award.

Going 16-0 doesn't matter to anything. All it would do is create something which Peter King would someday mistakenly call a factoid (even though it's actually a fact). The only thing that matters is going 3-0 (or 4-0) in the Playoffs. Plus, the whole thing puts Mercury Morris back in the spotlight, and he's a jerk who doesn't deserve it.

As for the MVP Award, really, who cares? I may start caring if somebody other than a QB or RB can win, other than the rare Lawrence Taylor in 1986. (Since the AP award began in 1957, only DT Alan Page, K Mark Moseley, and Taylor have won the award from positions other than QB or RB. Taylor is the only winner for the Pro Football Writers Association award, which began in 1975. This is an absolute farce.)

Remember ST&NO Rule #1: If reporters vote for it, and decide it, it's usually not particularly worth paying attention to. That includes any and all power rankings, the NFL All-Pro team, all season-ending awards in all sports, and membership in all Halls of Fame. Reporters often mean well, and they add some value to the overall football discourse, but the value they add ends when they're not asking questions, finding things out, and reporting those things. When you ask them to judge something, most can't get past the very obvious, or what other people tell them, and nearly all are biased by what they consider to be the most interesting story. While that's understandable, given the fact that they're in the interesting story business, it's also self-serving, and represents noise rather than a reflection of truth.

s. The more I watch Chad Henne, the more I like his mechanics, all the way through the process of playing QB. I most especially like the way he carries out his fakes after he hands off the ball. You can tell that he's very well coached, both at the collegiate level and the professional level.

t. Speaking of good coaching, if Head Coaching jobs were being handed out based only upon excellence as a coordinator, Mike Mularkey would be looking pretty good for a shot at another job. People who know things about offense, and pay attention, know that Mularkey has been getting a lot of production out of some pretty marginal talent the last two seasons. It's equal parts scheme, knowing the capabilities of his players, and getting his guys to execute, but Atlanta's offense overachieves. Remember - Mularkey didn't get fired in Buffalo; he resigned in 2006 because he didn't see eye-to-eye with the recently hired Marv Levy. He's up there with Houston's Kyle Shanahan on offense, and the Broncos' Mike Nolan, Cincinnati's Mike Zimmer, and Arizona's Bill Davis on defense as guys who I think are adding a great deal of value to their sides of the ball.

u. I tend to dislike University of Texas players, because they have a well-known reputation for being coddled in Austin, and often coming into the NFL as soft players. A limitation of making evaluations from a distance is that you sometimes have to rely on information which may or may not be meaningful, such as the fact that coaches are prohibited from cursing at players at UT. That's pretty absurd in my opinion, like the urban legend about stress cards in basic training.

I didn't take to Brian Orakpo much coming out of college, partially due to the UT factor. Turns out, he's very good, and he's brought a lot to the table for Oakland. He has had a very good rookie season, but he was dominant on Sunday against the Raiders' bad offensive line and indecisive JaMarcus Russell. I still prefer Knowshon Moreno to Orakpo for the long haul, and I still think the Redskins should have taken Michael Oher (after the Packers should have taken Michael Oher). Orakpo was a good choice though, and is a good player, so I missed on that one.

v. I said a couple weeks ago that I was pretty sure that the Chiefs didn't regret acquiring Matt Cassel, and he's proceeded to have the two worst games of his career the last two weeks. His ability is very clear, so I still don't think they regret it, but he needs to step it up, and buy Todd Haley and Scott Pioli some cover. Kansas City has an aggressive local sports media, led by Adam Teicher and Jason Whitlock. Whitlock has already renamed Pioli as Scott Egoli, so it would be mighty helpful to this regime if they and Cassel could finish the season stronger than they've been showing, and feel like there's something to build on.

w. A vital part of a 3-step drop passing play is that the outside blocker on the throw side (usually the Tackle) needs to cut the Defensive End and get him on the ground. The 49ers RT, Adam Snyder, failed to cut Darnell Dockett twice in the first half Monday night, resulting in an Interception by Dockett, and another deflection by Dockett, which Alex Smith caught himself, and promptly was tackled for a 6-yard loss. Neither play was Smith's fault; his job is to get to the top of his drop, and let the ball go. Snyder's job is to clear the throwing lane.

x. Speaking of guys clearly not doing their jobs (and jumping back to the Dallas game because of the topic), Tony Dungy was right on when he was asked if coaching was the problem in Dallas. He said that he knows Terence Newman has been coached to jam a WR and re-route him in Cover-2, and that coaching definitely wasn't the problem on the big Vincent Jackson 39-yard catch on 3rd and 12 (right after the aforementioned Ware injury).

That was the key play of the game, and Newman didn't make it. As the play happened live, I yelled out "Where's the f$%^&* jam, 41?" I was glad Dungy called him out, although I bet he wasn't moved to profanity like I was. I've always thought Newman was highly overrated, by virtue of being a Cowboy. It comes with wearing the blue star, I am afraid.

y. Usually, when a defensive lineman is drafted highly, you expect him to be a big sack guy. The Bengals once drafted Justin Smith fourth overall, in 2001. His career high in sacks, mostly as a Right DE in a 40-front, was 8.5 in his rookie season. He had 6.5, 5, 8, 6, 7.5, and 2 in his next five seasons, which are respectable numbers, but not for an open-side DE drafted that highly.

Smith signed a 6-year $45 million deal with San Francisco in 2008, and moved to 5-technique in a 30-front. It's the role he should have been playing all along, because he's always been a physical, block-defeating player more than a speed-rushing player. It's not too different than the highly drafted Derrick Harvey from the Jaguars, or Jamaal Anderson for the Falcons (who moved to DT eventually). Their skill sets are just better suited to playing with physicality than with speed. (Harvey got only his second sack of the year Sunday, and Anderson has 0.5).

Anyway, Smith was dominant on Monday night, and consistently held the point of attack, while often penetrating and disrupting the Cardinals offense. It sure seemed like he is earning his money. I was also very impressed with the pass-rushing skills of Ahmad Brooks, who used to be just a MLB.

z. Another rookie I criticized for seeming to be soft was Beanie Wells, and he continues to play like he isn't. His TD run early in the 4th quarter Monday night was a man's TD run, all second effort. He did fumble later in the 4th quarter, but it was on a kill-shot by Dashon Goldson, who had a couple of those in Monday night's game.

aa. Genetics are a funny thing. In my family, we have something called the Bartlett Calves. My dad and all his siblings have them, and all my siblings and I have them, even my 8-year old half-sister Abby. The Bartlett Calves are notable for being disproportionately muscular and large, compared to the rest of our bodies. I am 6 feet tall and weigh 235 pounds, and when flexed, my calves are 18 inches around, which is 3-4 inches bigger than the average man's calf, and an inch bigger than the average man's neck.

I bring up this genetic oddity, because it makes me feel a certain kinship with Frank Gore, who has thunder thighs like whoa. He's found out a way to make good professional use of his thighs, because they're what give him such impressive power in traffic. Mine don't really come in too useful as an accounting manager and blogger.

ab. The jury is in as far as I am concerned for San Francisco. The 49ers are on the right track, and ST&NO Favorite Alex Smith has definitely emerged as their long-term QB. They have 2 first-round picks this season, which are both going to be in the 10-15 area. They need a CB and an offensive lineman with those picks, or maybe even two offensive linemen. This team is not far at all from the playoffs, and they're not even going to miss by much this season.

ac. The Cardinals are still legitimate championship contenders, but they got their hind parts kicked Monday night. The result of the game was more a reflection of good play by the Niners than it was of bad play by the Cardinals. The bright spot for Arizona was the excellent Adrian Wilson, who baited Smith into a dumb INT, and was around the ball constantly, the whole game.

4. I couldn't agree more with TJ Johnson's piece about deferring the option yesterday, and a smart analyst got out ahead of me before I wrote about it, which happens once in awhile with a Tuesday slot. I'm always glad to see an in-house MHR guy do it. Big up TJ! If you haven't read his article, you should. So should Don Banks (and Dan Fouts.)

From Banks:

• Did I hear that right, the Broncos won the coin toss to start their game at Indy and deferred to the Colts? And Peyton Manning? Why exactly would you give Manning the chance to get the ball in his hands any more than you absolutely have to? What were you thinking, Josh McDaniels? That's a dubious, rookie-like call for the Broncos new head coach. I do believe McDaniels was guilty of overconfidence in his defense.

My two cents was going to be that each team gets the ball kicked to them to start one half, and there's no way around that fact, so if you consider just this fact, it's utterly meaningless which half a particular team gets their opportunity to receive. TJ goes much further, and finds that there is actually evidence that teams who get the ball to start the second half tend to experience more success. Very interesting stuff.

5. That first-rounder from the Bears is looking really good right now. Chicago fell to 5-8 Sunday, and I like them to finish 6-10. They play at Baltimore and home against Minnesota before finishing at Detroit. For the Broncos' playoff chances, I'd like to see the Bears beat the Ravens, but I doubt it happens. A 6-10 record is probably good for a pick in the neighborhood of 9th or 10th overall. I gave a cursory look at the remaining schedules of every team with a losing record, and this is what I came up with for season-ending records, and way-too-early possible picks.

1. St. Louis 1-15 Sam Bradford QB Oklahoma

2. Tampa Bay 1-15 Ndamukong Suh DT Nebraska

3. Detroit 2-14 Gerald McCoy DT Oklahoma

4. Kansas City 3-13 Eric Berry S Tennessee

5. Cleveland 4-12 Russell Okung T Oklahoma State

6. Oakland 4-12 Carlos Dunlap DE Florida

7. Buffalo 5-11 Jimmy Clausen QB Notre Dame

8. Washington 5-11 Trent Williams T Oklahoma

9. San Francisco ~~Carolina~~ 5-11 Joe Haden CB Florida

10. Seattle 6-10 Anthony Davis T Rutgers

11. Denver ~~Chicago~~ 6-10

12. San Francisco 7-9

13. Pittsburgh 7-9

14. Houston 8-8

15. Tennessee 8-8

With a 10th or 11th pick, you can get yourself a difference-making defensive player like a Terrence Cody, Rolando McClain, or Brandon Spikes. You could also go outside the box, and draft a guy like C.J. Spiller from Clemson, who projects as a major home-run threat, a la Chris Johnson, at the NFL level. You have to admit, he'd make a nice tandem with Knowshon Moreno. My move, though, might be to try to trade down, and enjoy some of the depth of this Draft. (I say try, because you can't always do it.) I am treading kind of lightly with this line of thinking, because I am a well-known believer that players are better than draft picks. (A player is a real asset, and a draft pick is a derivative asset; when you're needing to operate now, it's better to have a barrel of oil than a contract guaranteeing the delivery of a barrel of oil at a future date and price.)

To me, the Broncos could get back once or twice to #20 or so, and take someone like either Mike or Maurkice Pouncey from Florida, if they elect to enter the draft. (Incidentally, I think Florida is going to lose a bunch of underclassmen.) Both are 6-5 320-pound interior offensive linemen, and would fill what I think is the Broncos' biggest roster need. The overall point, though, is that it's good to be in the position the Broncos are in right now, with this pick coming in higher than their record would earn. For those who were sure the Broncos erred in trading their own pick rather than Chicago's, I'd hope they remember that you don't know how things are going to play out until they play out.

6. Bad news emerged for QB-needy teams yesterday that Washington junior Jake Locker will return for his senior season. It was not altogether unexpected, but I believe that Locker would have been the first QB selected, and maybe the number-1 overall pick. His talent as a thrower and runner is way ahead of the other guys in this class. The guy who benefits is Sam Bradford, because if he checks out healthy, his size and arm are both a bit better than Jimmy Clausen's. I, personally, am not in love with either guy. Bradford looks like a young Matt Hasselbeck to me, while a comparison for Clausen doesn't come to me so easily. Clausen is short, average athletically, looks like he needs to get a lot stronger, and has an average arm. He looks a bit like a young Drew Brees, before Drew worked so hard to become what he became. I am reluctant to make that comparison, but it's the best one I can come up with.

7. Retired for John Elway.

That's all I have for this week. We'll be back next Tuesday with more Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations. Until then, have a fantastic Raiders Week, and Go Broncos!

Pregame Zone Blitz: Steelers at Browns

ncoolong — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:35:57 -0000

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"You play. To win. The game. Hello??"

-Herm Edwards

"Playoffs?? You kiddin' me??"

-Jim Mora

"I think it's appropriate at this point to acknowledge we have an undesirable pattern of behavior, which produces a series of outcomes that are not what we're looking for."

-Mike Tomlin.

Three coaches. Three separate expressions of frustration. Only one of them is still a coach.

This is no longer about the playoffs, or title defenses. It's very simply about fixing what's wrong. It needs to be fixed for no other reason than the fact it needs to be fixed. No fan is giving up on anything, we're with our team until there isn't another game on the schedule.

We can't clinch a playoff spot with a win tonight anyway, so I'm gonna enjoy a Primetime game against a divisional opponent for what it is, and not worry about the disaster this season has become.

We've beaten Cleveland 12 straight. That streak doesn't have to end because we're 6-6.

Here's what our opponents are saying.

Opponent Web Sites/Forums

A cutesy story about lifelong Browns fan Brady Quinn getting his shot against Pittsburgh

Ryan Kelsey of Dawgs By Nature says Cleveland hates the Steelers.

So does this guy. Interesting concept, though, which Steeler do Browns fans hate the most?

Sort of older news, but an interesting thought nonetheless; Parcells to Cleveland.

Last Game

The universe seems to be sending me clear summaries of how I'm feeling after recent Steelers games. My wife was throwing up in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs game. Now, as I sat in my two-wheel drive sled, fuming mad, "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen came on the radio.

"...and I hope when I get older I don't sit ‘round talkin' ‘bout it, but I probably will. Just sittin' back, tryin' to recapture a little of the glory of...but then time slips away, leaves you with nuthin' mister, but, boring stories of Glory Days."

That pretty much wraps it up for the PZB. Resignation takes over for frustration. We just lost to the Raiders, which is as close to the modern definition of a non-playoff team as it gets. The Raiders haven't beaten a team that's gone on to the playoffs that year since they defeated Washington 16-13 in Week 11 of the 2005 season.

It doesn't seem that streak is in jeopardy now, either. I'm going to stick with the Glory Days, though. I'm going to remember last year's team, and to an extent, the 2007 team. Maybe we don't win again, and Pregame Zone Blitz turns into Pre-Draft Zone Blitz. Maybe we go 4-0 in our final four games, squeak into the playoffs, and make some noise a la 2005.

Maybe. Probably be a good idea for the team to just concentrate on winning in a short week on the road against a quietly improving Browns team. Make no mistake, though, the stars are aligned for a strong Browns showing tonight. Not that the Steelers have the luxury of this anyway, but this isn't an opponent to overlook.

Opponent Spotlight: QB Brady Quinn

Speaking of improvement...Quinn led Cleveland's offense to just 35 points in his first five games this season. In his last three, they've scored 66 points, and he's thrown 8 touchdown passes to five INTs.

His 45 attempts last week in San Diego were a little less than half than the amount of attempts he logged in his first two seasons in the league, and it marked the fourth consecutive game his attempts increased. Granted, the Browns have only one once when Quinn starts, it hasn't seemed as if Cleveland's defense has put together a winning effort in some of Quinn's best games.

Detroit wasted his brilliant 304 yard, 4-TD performance, edging out the Browns 38-37 in Week 11. Or maybe it was his defense. The Browns are in the bottom five of all major team defensive statistical categories, but more than anything, they're surrendering over 25 points per game.

Judging by Quinn's improvement over the past few games, and Pittsburgh's continued struggles in the secondary, the Browns will likely rest the vast majority of their game plan on Quinn's shoulders. It wouldn't be at all surprising to see him attack the corners (like everyone else during Pittsburgh's four game slide), particularly with rookies Joe Burnett and/or Keenan Lewis likely to see an increased role.

Quinn hasn't shown a ton so far in regards to deeper passing efficiency, but Cleveland can control the clock and keep their exploitable defense from being abused by keeping it short and simple for Quinn, and rely on the Steelers' recent fourth-quarter woes to pick up their first win over their division "rival" since 2003.

He'll always have this, though...

Steelers Spotlight: WR Limas Sweed

This really seems to be a do-or-die game for Sweed, donnit? With Ward's hamstring injury likely to hamper him, Sweed will get looks in the Steelers' base offense, and with Cleveland's secondary resembling an average junior varsity squad in both size and ability, Sweed's going to get possession routes called for him. He'll likely get deep routes called for him.

If it's not too much trouble, could someone in the huddle please tell him to catch the ball?

Santonio Holmes has become Pittsburgh's go-to receiver in stretches over the season. A big reason for that is Ward's ability to let the defense know he's still there - particularly early in the game. Pittsburgh has been counting on that spark out of the flanker position all year, and they've gotten it.

It's Sweed's chance to step up. If he's able to get into a groove and patiently work the zone the way Ward does, QB Ben Roethlisberger will see him - he's used to looking to the flanker on first and second downs. It will be Sweed's ability to draw attention away from Holmes that will have the largest impact on the Steelers' passing game.

Make no mistake, they are a pass-to-set-up-the-run-and-pass team now. Rashard Mendenhall started off well last week against Oakland, then barely saw the ball in the second quarter.

If Sweed gets hot, it could be his breakout game. If he drops more passes, it could be the beginning of the end for him.

I See You

I see you, Santonio Holmes, and not just because of your career-high 149 yards, or the fact you're about to pass the 1,000 yard mark for the first time in your career.

Ok, a lot of it is that.

But still, you've typically stepped back in this point of the season, but you are taking over the title of "Go-To-Guy" during a very poor streak of team performance. Your effort is contagious, too. If you hadn't previously shown all-out effort in blocking for your fellow wide receivers, perhaps Mike Wallace doesn't get down field to level a would-be tackler on your big reception against Oakland.

As far as the stats go, you've scored in your past two games, but haven't had less than 74 yards in your last five games. You're one of two receivers in the league to have over 15 yards per catch along with 50 first downs. The other guy is a Patriot named Moss.

Considering you're on pace for over 80 catches and over 1,300 yards going into tonight's game, you may be hearing talk of you challenging Yancey Thigpen's 12-year old single-season receiving record of 1,395.

You seem to be hitting your stride. We can See that, ‘Tone.

Key Stats

Pittsburgh has beaten Cleveland 12 straight times. The last time the Steelers lost to the Browns was in Week 5 of 2003, in the middle of the last time the Steelers lost five straight games.
Browns QB Brady Quinn has gone 126 pass attempts without throwing an INT.
Pittsburgh hasn't earned an interception in 128 straight passes against them (since Week 9 at Denver).
In the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh's previous four games, its defense has surrendered 513 yards and 37 points (0-4).
Quinn has seven TDs and zero INTs in his past three games.
WR Santonio Holmes has 987 receiving yards. Hines Ward has 922, giving them 1,909 yards combined. Ward and Plaxico Burress combined for 2,654 yards in 2002.

Quick Hitters

No Brainer? Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris, responding to a question about whether he would take a cautious approach with KR Clifton Smith's second concussion this season: "That's a no-brainer." Couldn't come up with a better phrase than that, coach? Smith was placed on the IR as a result of his injury.

GOT NUMBERS? Analyzing the Steelers vs. the Browns II

Ryan Kelsey — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:16:43 -0000

More photos » by Tony Dejak - AP

Can Josh Cribbs and the cold weather lead the Browns to an upset?(AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

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We hate the Steelers. No doubt about it. With a big upset, we could all-but-kill our nemesis' chances at defending their title. Is it possible? Amongst Browns fans, there is a general feel of optimism going into this game. It may be misplaced, but it is not completely without reason. Namely:

1.) They are struggling. They have lost 4 straight. Including games at home to the overrated Bengals and the terrible Raiders and on the road to the average Ravens and really horrible Chiefs. They've battled injuries on both sides of the ball, locker room divisions, and pressure from fans and media. And they haven't handled any of it well. Their defense is filled with questions and their offense isn't scoring. On the other hand, they have lost these four games by a combined 15 points, so maybe a little bad luck is in there

2.) We are playing offense. In two of the last three games, our offense has looked like it belongs in the NFL. Quinn is in the midst of his longest stretch as a starter and looks more and more competent and comfortable (um, 7 TD and 0 INT in the last 3 games?!).

3.) Variables. We are still the underdog (currently, we are 10 point underdogs- according to sportsbook.com). And underdogs need variables. Things like- a home game, on a very short week, at night, historical rivalry, in terribly cold (19, wind chill 0), windy (31 MPH + whatever extra off the lake) and wet (70% chance of snow) weather. Also, injuries. You know that the Browns have been ravaged by injuries, but the Steelers are struggling too. Troy Polamalu is out, William Gay and Hines Ward are questionable. And even though the Browns have a bunch of injuries, it has lead to some surprises and solid play from guys we don't have much information on. (e.g., Moore, Roth, Trusnik, Adams, Rubin)

~~I'll still go through some of the numbers, but not in as much detail as normal. Partially because I don't have as much time (damn short week) and partially because~~ I don't think these numbers mean much of anything given the above 3 factors.

As always, the numbers are all thanks to Football Outsiders.

When the Steelers have the ball

I was surprised to learn that the Steelers are currently ranked 9th in Offensive Efficiency by DVOA (17.3%). I was not surprised to learn that the Browns rank dead last in Defensive Efficiency (23.0%)- dropping two spots after the Chargers torched us for 30 points.

The Steelers are very good in the pass game (9th at 37.9% in DVOA) and very average in the run game (16th at 1.6%). The pass game is anchored by two of the least favorite Pittsburghers: my vote, Ohio's least favorite son, Ben Roethlisberger (9th in both DYAR and DVOA of all qualifying QBs) and Dirty Hines Ward (9th in both DYAR and DVOA of all qualifying WRs). Ward catching 71% of all passes thrown his way is pretty impressive. But that hamstring is going to be very difficult to warm up tomorrow. Santonio Holmes (15.3% DVOA), Heath Miller (15.8%) and Mike Wallace (18.4% DVOA) are also real good options. And while the Browns are actually good at limiting #2 WRs (-7.7% DVOA- that's better than average!!! 12th in the league), we are worst in the league against TEs (See what Antonio Gates did to us last week) and really bad against #1 WRs.

The Steelers usually give up a lot of sacks, because their line isn't very good and Roethlisberger holds on to the ball as long as any quarterback I've ever seen. This year they are 24th in the league, giving up sacks on 7.4% of all drop backs. The Browns rank 17th in the league, sacking the QB on 6.3% of opponent drop backs.

The Browns' defense against the run is about 10% worse than average, 29th in the league. Which is blah enough. But with all the injuries, especially to Shaun Rogers, we are probably worse than that. Not good considering the wind and snow and cold will likely force more running than normal. The mediocre running game of Pittsburgh is lead by the mediocre Rashard Mendenhall (19th in the league at 4.5% DVOA). Mewelde Moore (-19.5%) and Not So Fast Anymore But Still Faster Than Me Willie Parker (-26.6%) are having pitiful seasons.

When the Browns have the Ball

The juggernaut that is the Browns Offense has juggernauted all the way up to 28th in overall efficiency. That's up 3 spots from last week. We now are a more efficient offense over the course of this season than the Chicago Bears. Wow. Before that Detroit game this didn't seem even close to possible. The Browns rank 30th in pass efficiency as a team and 23rd in run efficiency. Even with the Steelers' recent struggles, they are still a very good defense, ranking 13th against the pass and 6th against the run in DVOA- good for 10th overall. But before you get too scared, they were ranked 6th before former ~~bum off the street during the awful 08 Browns Season~~ Browns legend Bruce Gradkowski torched them last just three days ago.* The Steelers miss Polamalu. And they, generally, are not playing well in the secondary.

*Seriously, Gradkowski had the career day of all career days. He passed for 308 yards (on 20-33 passing), 3 TDs (0 INTs), and a 121.8 QB rating. Not only were each of those numbers career highs, but he has never come close to a day like that in 24 other games in the league. The last time he faced the Steelers, as the Browns starter in Week 17 last season, his rating was 1.0. That isn't a typo. 1.0. Or 9.5 points WORSE than Derek Anderson's worst game in his career- also, DA's most recent.

Further emphasizing the struggles of the secondary, the Steelers are below average against every type of receiver, except running backs (usually covered by linebackers)- they rank 8th against throws to RBs. So if Quinn is going to keep having success through the air, it probably won't be to Harrison/Jennings/Vickers this week. Quinn is moving up the QB standings rapidly. He is 28th now in both DYAR and DVOA. And that is despite not having a receiver in the top 75 in DYAR or DVOA.

The Browns running game has benefited from variety. They get good contributions from Brady Quinn's scrambling, Josh Cribbs in the wildcat- both handing off and keeping, and reverses to Cribbs. So while Chris Jennings and Jerome Harrison aren't very good, their improving efforts with the (sometimes misplaced, and usually not frequent enough) creativity from other parts of the run game result in a decent unit. Again, this is going to be even more important because of the conditions. Each team will have plenty of runs. I won't mind seeing the wildcat a HUGE number of times. Anything less than 10 plays from that formation would be a disappointment in my mind.

Special Teams

We're number 1!! After several weeks in the 2 spot behind Minnesota, the Browns have taken over the top spot in overall special teams efficiency at 7.0% DVOA. The Browns have the #1 punt return team and the #5 kick return team. They are above average in each other phase of special teams. The Steelers are 31st in special teams overall, mainly because they are -30.6% in DVOA on kick coverage! That is an absurd variance from average for any special teams unit. In fact, only one other special teams unit is more than 15% from league average in either direction (Green Bay is -16% on punt coverage). Think about this. They are 30% worse than league average on kicking off. No team in the last 5 seasons has been 30% worse than average at any single part of special teams. (Only the Browns 2007 kick off unit has been 30% BETTER than league average). And only 3 times has any part of any teams' special teams been ranked more than 20% worse than average. We aren't just talking historically bad,this might be THE reason the Steelers are .500 against a weak schedule, despite having a top 10 offense and top 10 defense.

Special Teams is another unit that will be affected heavily by the weather. Again, variables. Good for the underdog. Phil Dawson seems to do well on bad fields, and while he has tired in past seasons late in the year, he should be fresh this year as he missed much of the first half due to injury. Josh Reed also has had success in inclement kicking conditions, given that he plays 8 games a year on the mush that is the Heinz Field "grass".

Conclusions and Questions

Like I said, this one is all about variables, not really the stats. Still, we need to have a sound game plan to maximize our chances at winning and salvaging some very good feelings for a very rough season. A win wouldn't erase everything, but its something the players, coaches, what exists of the front office, and the fans would feel very good about.

Three questions that will determine the outcome:

1. Will the weather effectively hide our defensive injuries and struggles?

2. Will the Steelers special teams continue to let them down- especially the kick coverage unit?

3. Can Brady Quinn exploit a struggling secondary, or if the weather is too bad, can he continue to avoid turnovers?

With a giant assist to Mother Nature and the ghosts of past Browns teams, I think we finally will avoid losing to the Pittsburgh Steelers!

Browns 13

Steelers 13

Six-Pack of Hu-Dey: Time for a new contract extension for Marvin Lewis?

Kirkendall — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:11:27 -0000

Welcome to this week's Six-Pack of Hu-Dey. Today Jay McDonnell joins us. I (Josh Kirkendall, the Alpha Male) discusses why the Bengals should give Marvin Lewis a contract extension, why Leon Hall should be grouped with the league's elite cornerbacks and I ask whether the team's three-tackle rotation at right tackle should be changed.

Jay says that it's time to cut Daniel Coats, that it's time for Bob Bratkowski to become less predictable and that fans of our divisional foes (ah hum, the Steelers) should give a little respect to the Bengals this season.

Let's get to it.

The Bengals give Marvin Lewis another contract extension after this season. I believe in two things. If the moon had never existed, the complex living organisms that exist today simply don't exist either. I also believe that Marvin Lewis has developed a talent rebuilding teams. Theoretically, it would be nice that rebuilding projects were spaced out more with the Bengals and that the train keeps rolling year, after year, after year. Realistically, even organizations that pump out winners like the Patriots or the St... St... St... Steelers need periods to rebuild themselves. Marvin Lewis is now in his seventh season, finishing his second rebuilding project. This, just perhaps, could be his masterpiece.

After going 1-11-1 in 2008, the Bengals have remarkably won 13 of their next 16 games. These changes include, but are far from being limited to, a deep understanding of the team's personnel. Most notably, Lewis revised the team's entire philosophy to a powerful rush offense and a tremendously performing defense. This will be his second rebuilding project after taking on a team that was 2-12 in 2002 and delivering four straight non-losing seasons and a playoff appearance in 2005.

I really believe that Lewis, like any NFL player, is getting better every season. I'm not just talking about his record either. Controversy is being handled with ease. Adversity is a distant thing of the bitter past with this team. Even his draft picks are improving. And when the team is down and out (ala, 2008), they unified and matured like we've never seen, into this group that we're damned proud of in 2009.

Lewis' existing contract expires after the 2010 season -- the same time the CBA expires, which may be a factor in NOT giving him an extension. The Bengals' biggest mistake would be letting two people leave Cincinnati, namely Mike Zimmer and Marvin Lewis. Lewis could arguably be the most important of the two. After all, he's the face of this franchise.

Is it time to for Andre Smith to get his first start or is the three-tackle rotation working? Okay, I get it. Why mess with chemistry? Let's read into the facts. The Bengals are 9-3, sport the league's sixth best rushing offense and have allowed only 22 sacks (which is tied for eight-best in the league). Quite honestly, the Bengals offensive line is the most improved unit, of any unit, on this team. They deserve tremendous credit for the team's transition into one of the best AFC teams that's dismantled both teams that played in the 2008 AFC Championship game. Personal note: I still like writing that.

One of those success stories on the line is Dennis Roland, who has come from undrafted free agent, to starting right tackle, to the biggest guy in human history to go into motion causing safeties and outside linebackers to say under their breath, "oh f**k." Also, in truth, Roland is an accomplished run blocker, if not one of the better run blockers on this team.

But where he's strong with the rushing offense, he's weak in pass protection. At times he appears slow against defensive ends with a quick inside step. This also leads to the lack of communication or awareness when a stunt brings an outside linebacker or safety on a blitz. Slowly Anthony Collins has quietly won more playing time, especially on passing downs.

From our understanding, Andre Smith's playing time is growing. They started him slowly with basic packages and plays. As they expand the playbook for Smith, he'll keep experiencing an increase in playing time. Cincinnati's use of the jumbo packages (putting three, sometimes four offensive tackles on the line) has led to Cedric Benson's best rushing this year. Whatever the Bengals are doing with the offensive line, it's working.

So the question is should the Bengals keep doing what they're doing, or should they give Andre Smith his first NFL start soon?

Should the national media put Leon Hall in the same class as Darrelle Revis? The other day I had a healthy helping of Hamburger Helper that did a Flozell Adams on my stomach. With an older copy of ESPN shouting "hey, I'll help you kill some time," I flipped to an NFL report. Like it was destiny, I kid you not. One of those reports called Leon Hall "the irreplaceable cornerback". Look at the numbers of the receivers that he's shutdown.

Week	Receiver	Att	Comp	Yrds	TD	YPA
1	Brandon Marshall	2	0	0	0	0
2	Greg Jennings	4	0	0	0	0
3	Santonio Holmes	3	1	18	0	6.0
4	Braylon Edwards	1	0	0	0	0
5/9	Derrick Mason	4	1	12	0	3.0
6	Andre Johnson	6	4	39	0	6.5
7	Devin Hester	3	2	28	0	9.3

As I said, it was an older copy so that's where the list ends. We could go on and presume that Hall is strictly covering the opposing team's best wide receiver, but that would be factually incorrect. Leon Hall mostly lines up on the left and the opposing offenses can shift wide receivers anywhere on the field. Furthermore, when the Bengals call zone, he's not always covering a receiver; rather a specific area on the field. However, we do know that in the past four games against the Steelers, Raiders, Browns and Lions, only two receivers gained 80 yards receiving or more (Santonio Holmes with 88 yards and Calvin Johnson with 123 yards).

The Jets' Darrelle Revis is widely considered the best cover cornerback in the league. He leads everyone with 28 passes defensed with five interceptions. Hall is second with 22 passes defensed and four interceptions. At the rate that Leon Hall is shutting down opposing wide receivers he should without a doubt be considered in the elite group of cornerbacks in the league.

Want to know the most scary part? Johnathan Joseph could theoretically be in the same elite group. Third in the league with 21 passes defensed and five interceptions, Joseph is developing a nasty habit of being one hell of a tackling cornerback -- kind of in the league of Charles Woodson. Well, close to it at least.

Would it be a stretch to say that the Bengals have the league's best cornerback duo?

A decision needs to be made about Daniel Coats. At the start of the season the kicking game struggled, which cost the Bengals valuable points, putting the game in doubt and forcing us to constantly check our blood pressure. When executing an extra point or a field goal, the snap was either too high or mishandled due to a bad snap causing Shayne Graham to get out of sync. This led to missed field goals or extra points, weighing heavily on the outcome of the game. So to solve the problem the Bengals released Brad St. Louis and brought in little known long snapper Clark Harris to take over these duties. This seems to have largely solved the problem with the kicking game.

At the same time another problem exists with Tight Ends not being able to catch the ball, specifically Dan Coats who has dropped more passes in the end zone than any other receiver on the team. When he does catch it, the ball is prone to squirting out only to see it recovered by the opposition. These drops and fumbles have cost the Bengals as much as Brad St. Louis ever did.

The Bengals set the standard by releasing the usually reliable St. Louis, sending a statement that poor play is not acceptable. But somehow, they see fit to hang onto a tight end that cannot catch a ball that hits him in his hands over and over again. Yes, the tight end position is thin with Ben Utecht being released and Reggie Kelly out for the season with a ruptured Achilles tendon. That however is no excuse for hanging onto a player that is extremely inconsistent and costing the team valuable points. J.P. Foschi seems to have taken on the opportunity and showed that he is not only able to block, but able to catch and hang onto passes. The precedent was set with the release of St. Louis; with Foschi showing his worth I think it is time for the Bengals to continue their message that mediocrity is not acceptable. Cut Dan Coats.

It is time for the predictable Bratkowski to become unpredictable. Despite the Bengals 9-3 record and mostly the same ingredients of an offense that once established a reputation as being an explosive offense in the past, the Bengals have only one game this season where they routed a team by more than 20 points. The defense has been the unit doing the heavy lifting while the offense seems to only do what is necessary to win the game. To some extent that is fine, until they run into an offense that is able to put up points and quickly (read: the Minnesota Vikings). There appears however to be a reason the offense has not been as explosive as first thought.

In this article published on Cincinnati.com, Bob Bratkowski acknowledges that he is “getting a little too ‘run on first down, run on second” in his play calling. Really? When did he find this out? How many of us see his play calling develop a pattern that causes teams to load eight in the box on a weekly basis? Does he not see this and want to make some kind of adjustment?

This kind of play calling makes the Bengals offense predictable allowing the opposing defense to load up the box, trying to force the Bengals to be one dimensional. But so far, teams have been unable to accomplish this on a regular basis. There is a thought process that you keep calling the same play until the defense stops it. I am not saying this should continue, but I am sure Brat does this because it works and he will probably continue to do this until someone stops it. However, since Brat has recognized this problem I hope he is able to adjust and open up the passing game showing opposing defenses that predictability is no longer an issue.

How about a little respect from our division foes? My wife and I live in an area that somehow seems to have more Pittsburgh Steeler fans then those who support the local team, the Washington Redskins. We work with several Steeler fans as well. These fans are as loyal as any. They will defend their team no matter the record and performance. But when the discussion turns to how the Bengals have surged ahead of the Steelers, they immediately run behind the 6 Super Bowl Championships and how they won two of the past four. They even cite how they qualified as a wild card team in 2005 and went on to win the Super Bowl, never mind the fact that Carson Palmer had his knee torn up by the Steelers.

The results of this season are not new to those fans; they have suffered through tough seasons following Super Bowl appearances dating back to 1996 against the Dallas Cowboys. Now that the Steelers are struggling and their fans are watching their playoff hopes fade, those fans seem to refuse to accept the fact the Bengals are the better team this season. The Steeler fans my wife and I have come across have shown a bit of arrogance and seem to expect to make the playoffs despite the heavy odds against them. With their current record of 6-6, a playoff appearance seems slim.

The Bengals have the AFC North pretty much sewn up with the magic number being one. Ask any Steeler fan though, and they will tell you how they are going to make the playoffs because of the soft schedule remaining. Well, I have some bad news for those Steeler fans that visit our fair web blog to read what we may have to say. The Steelers are not going to make the playoffs. After losing four straight games and giving up 4th quarter leads in three of those games, the vaunted defense has proved itself unable to protect a lead. This, of course, does not bode well for the defending Super Bowl Champs any chance their fans insist they still have to enter the playoff club in 2009.

Manny Pacquiao nominated for USSA Athlete of the Year

SC — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 17:30:57 -0000

Filipino superstar Manny Pacquiao has been nominated for Male Athlete of the Year by the United States Sports Academy.

You can click here to make your picks. After what I've seen happen with Pacquiao and online polls in the past, they might as well just go ahead and call it a day.

The nominees for Male Athlete of the Year are:

Craig Alexander, triathlete
Usain Bolt, track and field
Drew Brees, American football
Kobe Bryant, basketball
Angel Cabrera, golf
Roger Federer, tennis
Santonio Holmes, American football
LeBron James, basketball
Jimmie Johnson, NASCAR
Manny Pacquiao, boxing
Albert Pujols, baseball
Tiger Woods, golf

Frankly, being totally honest, I think Pacquiao deserves to win. There's nobody there I think has any better a case. All great athletes and Jimmie Johnson, but Pacquiao's case is hard to beat.

Steelers Lose Heartbreaker To Rival Ravens, Lose Third Straight To Fall To 6-5

Blitzburgh — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:02:47 -0000

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

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First of all, if you're curious about where the AFC playoff picture stands as of the completion of Sunday's games, check out my breakdown here. On to my thoughts about the Pittsburgh Steelers brutal 20-17 loss to the rival Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night. Fans are understandably frustrated with not only this loss but the 2009 season for Pittsburgh in general. 6-5 for the defending champs will do that to the morale of a team's fanbase. All the close losses are hard enough to swallow. The fact that the Steelers held late leads in all five losses makes it even tougher to digest. But Pittsburgh's loss Sunday night, on the road against a bitter rival fighting for their playoff life, was hardly what I'd call a major disappointment or setback. In the grand scheme of things, the game was just another example of how hard it is to win close games consistently in this league; it also confirmed how much this defense relies on Troy Polamalu, as well as how competitive this squad is even without their top two players on the entire roster - Polamalu and Ben Roethlisberger.

Some thoughts on the game as well as what the future may hold for the Steelers moving forward in to this final 5 weeks of the 2009 season.

Before I begin in earnest though, let me say this: what a game! We watch the National Football League to be entertained. It's part of our lives and we attach deep seated emotions to seeing the team we love succeed. But at the end of the day, it's about escaping from our everyday lives for a few hours each week to watch a game between the most accomplished and awe-inspiring athletes on the planet. Tonight, both fanbases were treated to fantastic drama, if not perfect football. Too many fans get caught up in the end results. I don't critique them for that. I don't legislate emotions or tastes (we all are drawn to certain things for different reasons and to different degrees) but for me, I have a hard time being too upset after getting to watch an immensely entertaining and emotionally draining game like the one played between the Steelers and Ravens. Last year, the Steelers emerged victorious in all three hard fought battles with the Ravens. This time, they got our number. With our star safety and starting quarterback shelved.

The outcome sucked, but the game itself was outstanding, as was the buildup all week to the game. It's rare that the game itself leads up to the anticipation and the hype. Tonight was one of those nights. That's why we watch the games and care so much.

* Let's first start with Dennis Dixon, who filled in for Ben Roethlisberger on short notice after the coaching staff of the Steelers opted to sit Big Ben because of the headaches he was getting following practice sessions earlier in the week. Here were Dixon's numbers for the game. 12 of 26 for 145 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 3 rushes, 27 yards, 1 TD

Dixon was neither spectacular nor awful. He made a few really nice plays both in and out of the pocket; he did a generally good job getting the offense in and out of the huddle; he went through his progressions fairly well without getting flustered in the pocket; and he showed a competitive spirit that proved the biggest of stages wouldn't overwhelm him emotionally or psychologically.

He did however make some mistakes. Obviously the late interception was costly. He got away with a few other bad decisions - most notably the out pattern he threw that was almost intercepted by L. Webb in the 2nd half. He also had several very positive plays negated by penalties. His lengthy 31 yard run on 3rd down during the Steelers second possession was erased by a holding penalty. He also had a big gain to Santonio Holmes taken away due to a Mewelde Moore hold on Ray Lewis. The Steelers would have had the ball at the Ravens 23 yard line with the score tied at 7. Instead they were forced to punt and the Ravens capitalized with a touchdown drive of their own to take a 14-7 lead in to intermission. It's an awful lot to ask of a kid to lead a team to victory in Baltimore's house in the first place. It's an even greater task to expect him to do so when two of his better plays get negated by penalties.

All in all, I'd give Dixon a grade of B for the evening, all things considered. That was an awfully tough spot for him to make his first NFL start. His teammates helped him at times, but they probably could have done even more to lift some of the burden off the young kid's shoulders. That's the way the cookie's crumbled for Pittsburgh so far in 2009. Still, the Steelers now know they have something in Dixon as Big Ben's backup. Given the number of hits Ben takes, that's good to know.

* To all those who are bashing Bruce Arians left and right for his game-calling tonight. First of all, take this in to very strong consideration. If Tyler Palko is asked to play in this game, the Steelers maybe gain 5 yards of total offense. One hit to the not-exactly-statuesque Dennis Dixon and Tyler stinkin' Palko is playing on the road in Baltimore. That would have been so comically disastrous I don't even know where to start. So, yes, that's most certainly a consideration when crafting a game plan for Dixon.

More importantly though, lots of people seem to be complaining that Dixon didn't get nearly enough designed runs or roll outs as he should have. Well, remember first that Roethlisberger was only scratched late in the week, meaning Dixon wasn't exactly getting all the reps or the undivided attention of the coaching staff leading up to the game. He got some work in with the first unit all week because it wasn't clear whether or not Ben would go, but up until late in the week, the plan was to have Ben start the game. It's pretty simple then - Dixon didn't have a full week to work with Arians and the Steelers offense to get a complete gameplan ready in case of emergency.

They did have enough time to get a few plays ready though. We saw one of them on Pittsburgh's second touchdown of the game - a 24 yard scamper midway through the 4th quarter that gave Pittsburgh its first lead of the game. The play call was exquisite, with Mike Wallace coming in motion from the right side; Dixon faked the handoff to him, then rolled right with Mewelde Moore. Dixon had the option of keeping it or dumping it off to Moore depending on what the Ravens defender in pursuit did. Dixon took off, Moore threw a key block and Dixon was off to the races to the endzone. The play call was outstanding, and the execution perfect.

Yes, I too had some issues with some of Arians' play calls. I thought it was silly not to call timeout for example after Carey Davis picked up that big run as the 1st half came to a close. A timeout after that run gives the Steelers roughly 35 seconds or so to get another 25 yards in 30 seconds to attempt a long Jeff Reed field goal. Instead they chose to let the clock wind down in the half and head in to intermission content that the score was just 14-7. I thought that was a mistake.

I also thought it was a bit of a mistake to not try those bubble screens to Santonio Holmes more often than they did. I believe they called that play twice. Both were completed for solid gains. I might say the same about getting Mendenhall the ball in the passing game a bit more. See how Baltimore isolated Ray Rice against James Farrior in key moments? Well, people were hard on Farrior for getting dusted in that situation, but believe me, Mendenhall would have left Ray Lewis in the dust too had he been in the exact same situation. Arians could stand to see the value he has in Mendnhall in the passing game outside of just the traditional dump offs and screens on the perimeter. Rememer that one pass Mendenhall caught on the outside and took for a big gain after breaking a tackle? What stuck out to me was how fluidly Mendy caught the ball. Same for his catch last week against Kansas City.

Other than that though, I really had no major beef with the gameplan Arians called. Consider this - the Steelers had 38 rushes to just 26 passes. Pittsburgh averaged a solid, if not spectacular, 4.0 yards per rush. Their commitment to the run kept them in the game in the first half after Baltimore forced an early three and out and then scored on their first drive. Pittsburgh had over 150 yards rushing, something they've not even come close to achieving in recent meetings.

Look, I definitely feel the Steelers could benefit from hiring somebody other than Bruce Arians to coordinate this offense. I just don't think he deserves all the ridicule and vitriol he's gotten after this game. As far as I'm concerned, he did a very good job concocting a gameplan that shortened the game, took responsibility and pressure off of Dixon and ultimately put the defense in position to win. The defense deserves a nod for their work in the 3rd quarter, but at the end of the day, they couldn't seal the deal once again in the final minutes.

Finally, for the haters out there, be happy this season is playing out the way it has because if the team does miss the playoffs or even get bounced out in the opening round, you'll probably get your wish and see Arians shuttled out of town after this season.

* Big props to the offensive line of the Steelers for their efforts. The big eaters up front paved the way for 158 rushing yards while keeping Dennis Dixon off his back all evening. Dixon wasn't sacked once and frankly, the times he was pressured most heavily was a result of Mewelde Moore getting lit up by Ray Lewis. Definitely one of the better games the Steelers offensive line has played all season considering the circumstances. Kudos to Trai Essex, Justin Hartwig and Ramon Foster in particular for holding down the fort in the interior of the line. Max Starks and Willie Colon also did a very nice job in both pass protection and the running game.

* In case you were beginning to wonder if the Steelers didn't miss Aaron Smith, let tonight be a reminder just how valuable he is too our defensive success. The Ravens rushed for 132 yards on 29 attempts, good for 4.6 yards per pop. The experience Ziggy Hood is getting is a very good thing, but he got blown off the ball several times tonight in the run game in a way that would never happen to Aaron Smith. The Steelers need him almost as much as they do Troy Polamalu when playing a team like Baltimore. By that I mean the Ravens don't match up particularly well when they're r endered one-dimensional. But with the emergence of Ray Rice as a formidable threat both inside and outside the tackles, the Steelers very much could have benefited from Smith's gap-clogging abilities. I was very impressed with Rice tonight. He displayed an amazing sense of what was going on around him and proved to be both tough, careful protecting the ball, and capable of breaking off a big play on a moment's notice when it looked as if nothing was there. I don't love this Ravens roster, but I will say this - with Ray Rice, they're capable of beating anybody on any given day come January. He gives them a chance to maintain leads, erase deficits and keep teams off balance with his dynamic skill set.

* Special teams rears its ugly head again. Kickoff coverage was better this week, but it was punt coverage that hurt the Steelers this time around. Chris Carr averaged 14 yards per punt return and came close to taking one to the house not once, but twice. Thankfully, one of them was called back due to an illegal block in the back. Still, the Ravens first touchdown drive was set up by a 17 yard punt return that gave them the ball at their own 42 yard line. Carr then took one 34 yards inside Pittsburgh territory in the 4th quarter for what could have been a backbreaking series by Baltimore's offense. Instead, Lawrence Timmons forced a fumble and the Steelers capitalized. But at the end of the day, it was the Ravens special teams that put more pressure on Pittsburgh than vice versa. If there ever was a day when the Steelers could have used a big day from Stefan Logan, it was tonight. To his credit, Logan did have a nifty 14 yard punt return out to midfield that would help lead to 3 points, but he was largely rendered a non-factor once more.

* Three plays that really hurt the Steelers chances - not the obvious critical plays like Dixon's INT or Ike Tay lor's pass inter ference call. The other plays that could have potentially turned the game in Pittsburgh's favor.

1) Dixon and Mike Wallace barely missing out on a TD connection in the 3rd quarter. In the o pen thread, fans were on Wallace for not bringing the TD in. Perhaps he should have made the grab, but it was definitely made harder than it needed to be by Dixon. I was impressed by Dixon's trajectory on his passes and the natural ability he seems to have in terms of knowing when to gun it and when to take something off it and add some trajectory to his throws. On the missed TD to Wallace though, Dixon put just a bit too much air under it and it cost Wallace valuable real estate in the back of the endzone. Not a bad play but definitely one of those 'game of inches' type misses that I imagine he'd convert in the future if given the opportunity now that he knows just how fast paced the action is in live NFL games.

2) Ryan Clark and William Gay whiffing on Derrick Mason on a deep ball late in the 2nd quarter. William Gay let Mason run by him, only to discover that Clark had been sucked too far towards the middle of the field and was late getting over to Mason. Flacco's throw hung up in the air forever, but Clark still wasn't able to get over in time to track the ball in the air and make a play on it. He correctly didn't just level Mason - had he done so, it definitely would have resulted in a flag. Anyway, I love Ryan Clark but I'm starting to question his instincts in the passing game more and more. He's pretty darn good in the angles he takes in the running game, but he keeps missing plays in the passing game without Polamalu back there with him covering up for some of his mistakes.

3) The touchdown run by Willis McGahee on Baltimore's first drive on 3rd and goal from the 2. The Steelers could have really used a stop there to hold Baltimore to just 3 points. Pittsburgh simply doesn't give up rushing touchdowns in that situation very often. They did tonight and were forced to play catch up for almost the entire remainder of the game.

* Total Yards: Baltimore 393, Pittsburgh 298. This marks just the second time the Steelers have been outgained all season - the other coming against Minnesota when two late turnovers led to a Steelers important victory.

* 3rd Down %: Baltimore 5 of 14 (36%), Pittsburgh 6 of 14 (43%). Four of Pittsburgh's first downs on 3rd down came via the run. That's definitely not something we've seen out of Bruce Arians and his offenses in recent years. Just another reason why immediately blaming him for all our problems is wrong. He adapted to the circumstances and by doing so helped the Steelers win the time of possession battle, the third down conversion % battle, and ultimately, put the team in position to win.

* Tip of the hat to LaMarr Woodley for eating Michael Oher's lunch all night long. Woodley had 1 sack and should have had another if not for Oher dragging him to the turf, which led to Travis Kirschke getting the easy sack.

* After an awful first series, Lawrence Timmons played awesome as well. He had two sacks, one of which resulted in a huge forced fumble that the Steelers would take the other way for a touchdown on their ensuing offensive possesion. This 2009 Steelers team definitely is missing something but if the pass rush stays this intense moving forward and Troy Polamalu can return healthy and play the remainder of the schedule, then this defense has a very legitimate shot of getting on a nasty run and dominating. As is, they're still missing too many tackles and surrendering too many big plays late in the game with all the marbles at stake to be a championship caliber team. But, and it's a big but if you ask me, it's important to remember that all five losses have come with Polamalu on the sidelines. They're undefeated with him playing and all signs point to him returning next week for the home stretch. As I've mentioned before, there's a nice 10 day rest coming up after we play the Browns two Thursdays from now. Fingers crossed, but if he can play the rest of the season and do so behind a pass rush that's really starting to round in to form, then it's waaaaaaaaaaay too early to think that Pittsburgh is down for the count this year.

* I actually think that the experience William gay is gaining this year is extremely vital to the Steelers chances of competing for Super Bowl runs in the next couple of years. But man, for now, is he having to pay his dues this year or what. Teams continue to pick on him relentlessly. I actually would have said before this evening that at least he is a fairly sure tackler compared to his current ability to actually not allow his guy to run free and make the catch. To me, his tackling had been his saving grace for most of this season. He had an off night tackling though this evening. Cornerback is definitely the hardest position in all of sports - even more so than quarterback - so it's not unacceptable that he's going through some growing pains. But he's struggling quite a bit this year and it's cost this team to some extent. Again though, as hard as I've been on the guy, I wholeheartedly believe he and the team will be better because of it in years to come.

* I read a comment somewhere earlier on BTSC that the Steelers Super Bowl window may be coming to a close this year and in the next several years. Absolutely not true at all. I wrote this all last year but haven't gotten around to doing so this year yet - but this Steelers roster didn't peak last year; nor have they this year. They're set to be their most formidable in 2010-2012. Think about it - Big Ben will be in his absolute prime, Santonio too (even if he leaves via free agency, we still have him next year and I'd bet quite a bit we lock him up this summer). Mendenhall is coming in to his own. Heath Miller is locked up for quite some time. We've got a player in Mike Wallace. The offensive line is looking better and better, and Starks, Kemoeatu, Foster, Stapleton, and probably Colon soon enough, are all going to be around for the foreseeable future. The defense is going to get better - Woodley and Harrison will be at the same if not higher level for the next few years; Ziggy Hood will improve; Lawrence Timmons should be a dominant force in a few years time; Polamalu still has several great years left. Same with Ike Taylor, while his counterpart William Gay will be better with more experience.

Anyway, this roster needs a bit of work moving forward, but to think that this team is missing out on its chance to win a 7th Lombardi is simply not true. Our franchise quarterback is not yet 27 years old and we've got plenty of complimentary pieces around him that are gaining invaluable experience as we speak.

* Loved John Harbaugh's decision to go for it late in the game facing a 4th and 5 from their own 46 yard line down 3 with just 3:30 left in the game. Totally dumb to punt it there. At worst you risk the Steelers getting 3 points, but most likely not even that considering the circumstances. You just never know when you're going to get that kind of field position and opportunity again to go in for the tying score. By the way, comparing it to Bill Belichick's decision against Indianapolis is asinine. The Patriots were ahead when they went for it on 4th down late in the game; the Ravens were trailing, and near midfield, not deep in their own territory.

* To conclude...again, I would never dare suggest that anybody watches or follows sports in any way except the way that comes naturally to them and brings them the most enjoyment. That said, I sure hope those who are struggling to feel anything but misery and disappointment from this year to step back and rethink how this season only enhances what football means to all of us who love the game. 16 games a year sandwiched by months of life without football. Some years things break our way; others, the opposite. As Steelers fans, we're treated to the psychological sanctification of being right there in the thick of things most years, which if nothing else, manages to at least capture our sense of hope, optimism and engagement for as much of those precious 5 months each calendar year. This is as frustrating as it gets; or at least as frustrating as it gets since the 2006 season....but even the bad years manage to keep us captivated and enthralled with the action each and every week. The Steelers seem to not be subject to the 50% rule in life - the simple truism that for every great break comes an equally unfortunate turn of events. Well, this may just be one of those years where the odds seem to be ridiculously stacked against us. That seems to be the case, but here the team is, still right there in position to accomplish all their goals if their fortunes change. We know the talent's there, so you never know. And that's what keeps us watching and interested...and that's what makes us blessed to love this franchise. Hope still glimmers in even the darkest of days.

I for one, felt content that so much of the energy and emotion that I put in to enjoying this team and league was well founded by last night's immensely entertaining and competitive game. And now, with the Steelers backs' squarely against the wall, we officially are the 'hunters' once more with nothing to lose. Let's get it on. This party's not over yet.

My Thoughts Following Pittsburgh's Late Meltdown Against Kansas City

Blitzburgh — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:09:06 -0000

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Many thanks to Frank for his post-game thoughts following the Steelers 24-27 loss to the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium Sunday afternoon. The loss drops Pittsburgh to 6-4 and marks the second time this season they've lost consecutive games. The good news - as we'll get to later - is that the Steelers lost no ground in the AFC North. Baltimore threw away a win at home against the undefeated Colts, while the front-running Bengals had a legitimate meltdown late against Oakland. Pittsburgh's loss was bad and perhaps an indicator that this year's team may just not have 'it', whatever that may be. Cincy's loss though was outrageous. Watch the highlights if you haven't already seen what happened.

So anyway, at the end of the day, it wasn't all that bad a day for the 6-time champs. But the loss sure was a tough one to swallow - a defeat that never should have happened judging by the game statistics. Numbers only tell part of the story though sometimes. We all know that. Today was one of those days where Pittsburgh squandered plenty of positive plays on both offense and defense with a handful of critical mistakes.

Total Plays: Pittsburgh 78, Kansas City 55

Total Yards: Pittsburgh 515, Kansas City 282

Yards/Play: Pittsburgh 6.6, Kansas City 5.5

Time of Possession: Pittsburgh 39:47, Kansas City 20:13

Turnovers: Pittsburgh 3, Kasnas City 1

Final Score: Pittsburgh 24, Kansas City 27

Thoughts about the game and the immediate future for this team after the jump...

* I'm not sure what the prognosis is for right guard Chris Kemoeatu, but the mauler left the contest in the 3rd quarter with a sprained right MCL. As a point of reference, that's the same injury Troy Polamalu suffered in the opener against Tennessee. Polamalu missed about a month. We'll have to wait until later in the week to see how much time K will miss, but it's safe to assume that it will be at least two games. When he went out, rookie Ramon Foster was asked to step up on short notice. The undrafted free agent out of Tennessee didn't look awful, but it was late in the game when the Chiefs really started collapsing the interior of the Steelers offensive line. I have not re-watched the game, but my guess is that a sizable amount of responsibility falls at his feet. Foster has impressed coaches all training camp and season with his understanding of his assignments, so I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume that he plays a bit better next week against Baltimore than he did. Sound unrealistic considering the Ravens have given the Steelers interior offensive linemen fits recently? Maybe. We'll see.

* Wow, the Chiefs have a special young talent in Jamaal Charles. The 2nd year back out of the University of Texas showed the world what top shelf track star speed looks like when he took the opening kickoff 97 yards to the house. With Stefan Logan in pursuit, Charles was able to basically coast in to the endzone for the final 10 yards. Charles also displayed toughness in the running game, an adept set of hands in the passing game, toughness fighting for yards after first contact, and an impressive sixth sense about how to pick up maximum yardage while protecting both his body and the football. The Chiefs will be a much more dangerous offense moving forward with him back there instead of Larry Johnson.

* If you think the Steelers don't have a total star in Santonio Holmes than you're really underappreciating just how good he's been for almost all of this year. Holmes had 7 more catches for 86 yards. Five of Holme's seven catches went for first down yardage; all five of those went for 12+ yards. Holmes has been so money in traffic, hasn't turned the ball over, continues to block down the field in both the passing and running game, and generally seems to be doing a great job assuming more of a leadership role this year. Remember when some folks were concerned about whether the Super Bowl MVP would start acting like a WR diva in his fourth year as he tried to establish himself on the national picture outside of the 'Burgh? Well, it hasn't happened.

* Perhaps Bruce Arians just isn't utilizing Holmes as well as he could be. That's debatable. I wouldn't say that Holmes hasn't been incorporated in to this offense to a considerable extent. But I do wonder why the Steelers wouldn't keep going back to those quick bubble screens out to Holmes time and time again until teams prove they can stop it. One of the things I've been most impressed by is Holmes' ability to get an angle on the cornerback when running after the catch. Often times he's the one delivering a stiff arm or dragging down defenders with him rather than other way around. Remember when the Patriots smoked the Steelers in 2007 - Tom Brady kept going to Wes Welker over and over again in the 2nd half on those quick hitting passes. Why not? We couldn't stop it. I wonder sometimes why teams in sports - and not just the Steelers - go away from what's working for no apparent reason.

* Sorry Mr. Arians, can't let the 3rd and 2 call in overtime go without mentioning just how atrocious that call was. First of all, it's pretty much totally futile to run sideline to sideline in the National Football League. Sweeps just get gobbled up in this league of insanely fast and sure tackling linebackers. Then, to call Mewelde Moore's number in that situation? Maybe Willie Parker in his prime; maybe Rashard Mendenhall on a day where he's displayed good balance and ball control. Sure, Charlie Batch had just been inserted in to the game so perhaps Arians didn't want to put too much on his shoulders in that situation. But that call makes no sense. Maybe just maybe Batch audibled out of something more reasonable to that call. If so, shame on Charlie. If not, we're left with one more piece of evidence that there's probably a better man for the job out there than Mr. Arians.

Let me ask you this though - why not call a timeout there? It's 3rd and 2 from the Kansas City 35 yard line on the opening drive of overtime. I'm actually not sure how many timeouts the Steelers had at that moment. In fact, I'm not sure if timeouts carry over from regulation or not, but it really doesn't matter. There's no more important moment in the game than that play. A first down and the Steelers are just about in Jeff Reed field goal range. You have your backup quarterback in there. It's the perfect time to talk things over and come up with a safe but well reasoned play call. The Steelers instead rushed things and lost 2 yards. Tomlin opted to punt the ball away on 4th and 4 from the 38 rather than to try a 55 yard field goal or to go for it.

* Some folks are probably up in arms about the decision to punt it there following the head scratching call on 3rd and 2. I don't know. I don't think there's anything wrong with the logic to punt it away there. The Steelers defense had still limited the Chiefs offense to just a shade over 200 yards of offense through 4 quarters of football. Nothing faulty about the logic to try to pin them deep and make them earn a trip in to Steelers territory for a potential game winning field goal. Last year, this defense makes that stop and gets the offense the back somewhere near mid field. Not this year. We all know what happened on the Chiefs final drive. It's worth nothing though that Daniel Sepulveda totally whiffed on his effort to pin KC deep. Once more, special teams rears its ugly head at the wrong time.

* I love Ryan Clark for a lot of reasons. I'll always remember his time in Pittsburgh fondly and admire him for how good a teammate he was, the heavy hits he delivered over the middle, and how he persevered and fought back from a near death experience to continue playing like a warrior for the organization each Sunday. It's tough watching him miss interception opportunities with such regularity though. I'll just leave it at that.

* Deshea Townsend continues to exhibit a substantial dropoff in his play compared to last year when he was an integral part of our top ranked defense. Re-watch the play that set up the Chiefs game winning field goal in overtime. It was a well designed and executed play by the Chiefs; and there was more than one Steeler who was out of position or taken out of the play by nice blocks. But sheesh, Townsend just got annihilated on the play which was partially why the race down the sideline was so wide open. Not sure there's much of a solution for the immediate future. This may just be a transition year of sorts for parts of this team.

* Back to the good news - the Steelers pass rush is heating up. Granted, the Chiefs don't sport one of the better offensive lines in the league. In fact, they're one of the worst. But 5 sacks today by the Steelers was still excellent to see. LaMarr Woodley had two, James Harrison one, and Lawrence Timmons and Casey Hampton had one a piece. Timmons played much better than he did last week, which is certainly something to feel good about moving forward.

* I loved that Charlie Batch came in and delivered a strike on his first pass of the game - a huge 17 yard completion to Santonio Holmes on a 2nd and 14 play early in overtime. It doesn't appear as if Ben Roethlisberger will miss any time due to the injury he sustained to his head. That's great news I suppose (though I hope he doesn't rush back just because of the enormity of next week's game). Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope he stays upright and doesn't sustain any more potential concussions, BUT, if for whatever reason he needed to sit down for a game or however long, I hope the team goes to Dennis Dixon rather than Charlie Batch. I'm not going to really flesh out why because I'm just going to hope and assume our franchise quarterback is okay and stays that way. I will say this though - I think Dennis Dixon might be able to more effectively light light a spark under this team than would. And on a non-esoteric level - we saw the limits of Batch's arm strength when he almost had his pass outside to Mendenhall intercepted due to a startling lack of velocity on the throw.

* This one stung. That's enough from me for now. Next week's game is going to be awfully emotional for both teams. The Ravens and the Steelers are down on the mat heading in to the final 6 weeks of the season. But the winner next Sunday night will still be in plenty good shape in the standings and will have plenty of reason to believe they've got what it takes to make a push towards the playoffs and maybe even beyond.

Cincinnati Bengals beat the Pittsburgh Steelers with unsung heroes and a beautiful red zone defense

Kirkendall — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:00:51 -0000

by Gene J. Puskar - AP

about 1 month ago: Cincinnati Bengals' Bobbie Williams (63) leaves Heinz Field after a 18-12 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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It was a bar in Dayton that an odd fellow, let's call him William, struck up a conversation with me that began with typical fantasy football musings. He drafted Adrian Peterson. His reaction was like anyone else's when drafting a great fantasy football player -- telling EVERYONE. Confident of his chances, not requiring the debate of the rest of his fantasy football draft, the conversation took an expected turn. Everyone that knows me personally, knows that I could chit-chat Bengals all day long. But it's not just about Carson Palmer and Chad Ochocinco. Those are the superstars that everyone else knows. What's more to say about them? Carson just wins. Chad just finds dollar bills laying around, hoping that the ref can find the owner who lost the money. We'll talk how hard Abdul Hodge will smack you in the face on kickoffs. We'll reminisce how the monstrous Ahmad Brooks had every tool to become a super-stud linebacker. We'll agree that Rashad Jeanty is perhaps the most unknown contributor on this defense, since 2006.

It was never about who was right. That's never the way conversations go. It's just about talking about the thing that we both love. William was old enough to remember both Super Bowls as if watching it live. I was too young for Super Bowl XVI. Not Super Bowl XXIII. I've told the story of breaking my mother's lamp when John Taylor scored the winning touchdown more times than I can remember.

But William's mind was sore. Last season left a bitter taste in everyone's mouth. That angry feeling we had before Marvin Lewis' era had resurfaced. Our last conversations didn't detail the exponential growth we saw from the defense last year. It wasn't about Carson Palmer returning. It wasn't about Cedric Benson, who had the best three-game stretch of any running back in the final three games. It wasn't about the veteran free agents, nor the NFL draft in which many observers praised the Bengals selections.

He was mad. And he should be mad. This team was terrible in 2008. Few things could be said about them that actually made us feel good. And that anger carried over to 2009.

William suggested firing Marvin Lewis. I gave the people's eyebrow for good measure, showing my uncertainty while questioning the validity of the source. How could you? Why would you? Who would you replace him with? It really took me aback. His argument is that great coaches could deal with the amount of injuries this team suffered, and still go undefeated... if they were great. Alright. Who would you replace him with? Bill Cowher, he instantly says. Yep. Bill Cowher. He's proven to put great teams together with a core philosophy that lasted most of his tenure, he argues. Yea, but. Well, he's a former Steelers coach. He lowers his head. He knows the point I just made. He knows that level of crazy-talk, while fun at times, has no place here. Are you drinking again, William, I asked. No, he laughed. It wasn't Bill Cowher he was suggesting; but Cowher being a model of stability that this team needed. Understandable.

At this point, I've recovered enough to make sure my adult beverage had a one-way ticket in, assuring that the mist that exhaled from my nose during that conversation had no escape. My composure, solid. I told him, have patience. They did a lot during the offseason, and excuse or not, Palmer's injury last year was a big contributor for their struggles. Even so, they were a solid football team in the second half of the season. They sported a winning recorded in the final eight games in 2008, I argued. That momentum would continue. How can you be so sure, he asked. Well, I can't be. But there are positive things. There is momentum. We won't repeat 2008. I promise.

William thoroughly enjoyed Cincy Jungle. We talked about the Bengals a lot. But we also talked just about football. The Buckeyes. The Bearcats. High School. We even shared our own football war stories.

About two months ago, William died of cancer. I'm going to miss talking to him about football. About the Bengals. But what really makes me sad, is that we won't be able to tell him that the Cincinnati Bengals swept the Steelers and Ravens, have a two-game lead in the AFC North with a 7-2 record. It would have been sweet to watch the pessimistic Bengals fan morph back into an bouncing anxious Bengals fan honestly optimistic that they could win any game on the schedule.

Hey William. We just swept the Steelers. You'd be proud.

The award for Offensive and Special Teams player of the game specifically designed to award Bernard Scott. We wrote briefly about Bernard Scott's ventures yesterday. He not only returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, but several runs late in the game moved the ball forward and helped Cincinnati kill 4:20 off the clock, setting up Shayne Graham's third field goal of the game. Scott also recorded a 21-yard reception.

Think that's it? Scott recorded 206 yards on kickoff returns, giving him 260 yards total on offense and special teams. Bernard Scott isn't the powerful between the tackles runner that Benson is right now, but Scott's speed and acceleration is impressive. With 3:05 left in the game at the Pittsburgh 35-yard line, Cincinnati lined up on second-and-five, Scott accelerated around the right edge, picked up five yards and the first down. This forced the Steelers to use two timeouts, and took another minute off the clock.

Carson Palmer didn't struggle. He did what the Steelers allowed. It was true. Most of Palmer's passes were off target, mostly high. There were some plays that Palmer felt rushed and threw the football early. In the second quarter alone, Palmer completed only two of seven passes for 30 yards. But Palmer's struggles didn't last. In the second half, Palmer's efficiency returned. He completed 10 of 13 passes for 98 yards passing. In the fourth quarter alone, Palmer completed six of seven passes for 54 yards -- including a big third-down 17-yard pass to Brian Leonard. This guy puts it together when it matters the most.

More importantly, Palmer didn't take more than what the Steelers gave him. He didn't commit a turnover. He threw passes that weren't risky. If he was getting sacked, he allowed it, not trying to do the impossible and threw the football up. No, he didn't win this football game. That's not how we beat the Steelers and I doubt that will be true next year, or the year after that. Nor did he lose the game. To me, Palmer didn't struggle. He did only what he could.

Including the big 17-yard pass to Brian Leonard that converted a third-and-five, Palmer completed a deep 16-yard pass to Laveranues Coles down the left sidelines that pushed the Bengals to Pittsburgh's 24-yard line. Palmer completed back-to-back passes for eight yards after a Brian Leonard one-yard run, setting up an easy 32-yard field goal for Shayne Graham to give Cincinnati a 15-12 lead with 7:29 left in the game. Cincinnati largely went into kill-the-clock mode with six minutes left in the game. Scott shined here. Palmer attempted only one pass -- an eight-yard pass to Laveranues Coles with 3:53 left in the game that gave the Bengals their third first down. Thanks to Bernard Scott and a scramble by Palmer where he totally forgot how to slide gracefully, Shayne Graham converted a 43-yard field goal to give the Bengals an 18-12 lead.

No. This wasn't the Palmer we saw against the Bears. Or early against the Ravens. But this isn't the same Bengals either. If Palmer only throws for 178 yards passing, doesn't record a touchdown and the Bengals win, you'll take that.

The Bengals won because they have a defense that wins games. With all of the talk about an inconsistent offense with star-power players, the truth of the matter is the Bengals defense is the biggest reason the Bengals have swept the Steelers and Ravens, own the tie-breaker against both teams and sit in first place at 7-2. It's the defense. Sure the offense has helped. But nothing with the consistency and confidence this defense has right now.

With 1:49 left in the game, the Bengals have an 18-12 lead. Pittsburgh has one timeout left and plenty of time to pick up 67 yards for the game-winning touchdown. Ever since we lost to the Denver Broncos, that little place in the back of my mind that anything could happen, gets really big. Most defenses in this situation tend to go into prevent, with one goal in mind of not allowing the game-winning touchdown. Not Bengals defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. He blitzed. He had his guys in coverage smothering route runners. Roethlisberger didn't have time for deep routes to develop, though he tried to wait. Brandon Johnson pressured Roethlisberger on first down, forcing the incomplete. Chris Crocker and Johnathan Joseph shutdown their guys on respective plays. On fourth down, Roethlisberger was assaulted by Frostee Rucker and Michael Johnson, who forced the quarterback to make a desperate throw that landed several yards away in the middle of nowhere.

Bengals football. Three knees. Bengals win!

Even though this sealed the win, I don't believe this is where the Bengals won the football game. Aside from the final score, here's the most important stat of the game. Four times the Steelers entered the red zone. Four times, the Steelers settled for field goals.

Pittsburgh looked to score a touchdown on their opening possession. They recorded three first downs, including a third-and-13 conversion on a 15-yard scramble by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Bengals this year have struggled defensively when the game starts. And trust me, struggle is a relative term. They're simply not forcing three-and-outs on the opening possession of the game. A little greedy? So. On the first drive, the Steelers recorded three plays of 11 yards or more, reaching Cincinnati's 15-yard line. After that, the bend-but-dont-break defense, stood their ground.

On first down, Johnathan Joseph broke from his cornerback spot to close a rushing lane on the right edge, preventing what could have been a touchdown run for Mendenhall. Instead, two-yard gain. On second-and-eight at the Bengals 13-yard line, Roethlisberger spread out the offense in shotgun, he rolled out left and threw a shovel passed to Heath Miller for another three-yard gain. Third-and-five with 4:50 left in the first quarter, Chinedum Ndukwe sprinted to the line of scrimmage as Roethlisberger received the snap. Ndukwe found a wide open lane on the right, threw his arms up and knocked down the pass. Steelers drive stalls and Pittsburgh takes a 3-0 lead on a Jeff Reed 28-yard field goal.

Pittsburgh would go on to punt on the following two possessions -- including a three-and-out. With eight minutes left in the first half, the Steelers began their second red zone assault. After a 10-yard run by Mendenhall, Roethlisberger throws two incomplete passes. On third-and-10 at the Bengals 36-yard line, Roethlisberger, under pressure rolls left and finds a crossing Santonio Holmes for a 21-yard gain. He follows that up with another 10-yard gain. Three of the Steelers first five plays on this drive picked up 10 yards or more. They were picking up chunks again.

But not for long. With their backs to the endzone, the defense foams at the mouth. First-and-ten at the Bengals five-yard line. Mendenhall gets the carry, shifts to the right, where Chris Crocker shot through the line of scrimmage, taking out Mendenhall for a three-yard loss. On second-and-eight, Morgan Trent ran step-for-step with Santonio Holmes on an out-route towards the back left pylon, easily knocking the pass down. After a timeout that must have conjured up some crazy magical touchdown play, Jonathan Fanene sacks Roethlisberger, forcing Jeff Reed to convert a 33-yard field goal. That's two red zones appearances by Pittsburgh. That's two forced field goals.

Cincinnati's offense went three-and-out.

Pittsburgh gets the ball back with 2:52 left in the first half. The Steelers move until Heath Miller was called for offensive holding. After an incomplete pass to Mike Wallace, the Steelers line up second-and-twenty at the Steelers 24-yard line. Roethlisberger watches Wallace run a deep seam route and lightly presses the "B" button, floating a rainbow pass. A millisecond before the pass arrives, Ndukwe hooked Wallace's left arm, forcing another incomplete. Flag. Defensive pass interference and a 46-yard penalty. Ndukwe knew it. He didn't bother complaining.

After an 11-yard pass to Moore, the Steelers enter the red zone. The Bengals defense foams at the mouth. With :59 seconds remaining, the Steelers line up first-and-goal at the Bengals eight-yard line. After Geathers recorded the team's fourth sack in the half, Roethlisberger was forced to pick up 17 yards for the touchdown. On the first pass, Roethlisberger overthrew everyone in the end zone. On the second pass to Santonio Holmes at the back right pylon, Johnathan Joseph grazed the floating football with a fingernail, causing football enough redirection that Holmes couldn't adjust. Jeff Reed converts the 35-yard field goal.

Bengals force a third field goal on Pittsburgh's third red zone appearance.

Pittsburgh would be shutout of the red zone until there was 2:51 left in the third quarter. After five plays in which the Steelers started at midfield, Pittsburgh lines up at the Bengals 13-yard line. The score is tied at 12. This is big. After Hines Ward's eight-yard reception, the Steelers run three times, including a quarterback sneak, to pick up the first down at the Bengals 11-yard line.

On the ensuing play, the Steelers are flagged for offensive holding. After that, it was the same script that had been played all day. Five-yard dump pass to Mendenhall. Incomplete pass batted down by Jonathan Fanene, who came unblocked and would have sacked the quarterback, at the line of scrimmage. On third-and-15 at the Bengals 16-yard line, Roethlisberger, overthrows the football to Mike Wallace, running towards the left sidelines in the endzone.

Bengals force a fourth field goal on Pittsburgh's fourth, and final, red zone appearance.

Say hello to Morgan Trent. The story of a great day for the team's third best cornerback. When we talked about Morgan Trent after the NFL draft, I wasn't encouraged. It wasn't so much what I've seen -- I really don't remember him playing at Michigan much. It was Wolverine fans who weren't giving us glowing reviews. Then again, what did you expect from a guy who was drafted in the sixth round, for a position that we believed was set, save for building solid depth.

To describe Trent this year would be to say that he's as solid as they come. And against the Pittsburgh Steelers, he made plays. While the Steelers were driving on their first possession of the game, Pittsburgh lined up second-and-eight at the Bengals eight-yard line, threatening to score. Morgan Trent, lined up over Santonio Holmes, sat in the wide receivers hip, following his break towards the back left pylon. Just as it seemed that Holmes created enough space for the touchdown reception, Trent accelerated just in time to knock down the its-not-a-touchdown pass. Jonathan Fanene ended Pittsburgh's threat a play later with a quarterback sack.

On the Steelers opening drive in the second half, Ben Roethlisberger targets Hines Ward on third-and-two at their own 40-yard line. Roethlisberger, in shotgun, throws over the middle. Morgan Trent, trailing Ward on a crossing pattern, flipped his hand up at the inaccurate pass and knocked the football back towards the line of scrimmage where Frostee Rucker intercepted the pass and returned it to the 14-yard line. The Bengals would tie the game soon after.

With 7:15 left in the game, Bengals leading 15-12, Pittsburgh lines up first-and-10 at their own 27-yard line. Roethlisberger throws a deep pass over the middle. Morgan Trent outran Holmes on the deep pass and "got in the way", slowing Holmes progress. On the following play, Roethlisberger throws a quick pass to Holmes on the right. After the reception, he only picks up seven yards, thanks to Trent's great open field tackle. The significance is that the Steelers had three yards to go for the first down and Roethlisberger threw an incomplete pass on third down, forcing the Steelers to punt.

If you weren't encouraged by Morgan Trent's play before Sunday's win, you should be now.

They always say it's difficult to sack Ben Roethlisberger. The situation is second-and-eight at the Cincinnati 25-yard line with 7:42 left in the first quarter. Ben Roethlisberger lines up in double-tight end formation with a single-back. He fakes the handoff to Rashard Mendenhall, who targets the gap between center and left guard. Bengals defensive end Jonathan Fanene, lining up at right defensive end, remains at the line of scrimmage playing the run. Once he figures it's a pass, he breaks outside, actually losing his balance. Tight end Matt Spaeth uses Fanene's momentum and pushes him into the ground. Fanene, roughly a yard from Roethlisberger, lunged and twisted the quarterback's left leg to record the game's first sack.

Bernard Scott had just given the Bengals a 6-3 lead on a 96-yard touchdown return on kickoff. On the ensuing drive, with 3:36 left in the first quarter, the Pittsburgh Steelers lined up second-and-seven at their own 35 yard-line. Roethlisberger motioned Mendenhall out, leaving an empty backfield. After a three-step drop, Roethlisberger pump faked right, looked left, when Dhani Jones delayed a blitz. The Bengals had covered all of the Steelers offensive linemen, allowing Jones to come unblocked, sacking Roethlisberger for a seven-yard loss. On the following play, Santonio Holmes caught a 14-yard pass for the first down. Marvin Lewis said, "bull crap." He threw the challenge. The officials determined the spot was two yards too generous, forcing the Steelers into fourth-and-two. Pittsburgh punts.

Pittsburgh lines up third-and-goal at the Cincinnati eight-yard line with 4:54 left in the first half, threatening again. The Steelers had just called a timeout and were working up some crazy play that guaranteed a touchdown -- that's what teams do during offensive timeouts I think. Roethlisberger sets up in shotgun. Fanene lined up at the right defensive tackle spot. At first, Fanene was stuffed at the line of scrimmage. The Bengals secondary forced Roethlisberger to hold onto the football. After a few seconds, Fanene found a way around the guard, sacking Roethlisberger for a seven-yard loss.

Under a minute left in the first half, the Steelers were driving to the Bengals eight-yard line. Roethlisberger lines up in shotgun and empty backfield. He looks left, pump fakes, braces for Robert Geathers, who nailed the quarterback without even being touched by any blockers. Roethlisberger threw two incomplete passes after that and the Steelers are forced to kick a field goal.

Rushing defense comes up big again. Cincinnati came into Sunday's game with the league's second ranked defense, allowing an average of 83.9 yards per game. Cincinnati limited Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore, Ben Roethlisberger and Willie Parker to 80 yards rushing on 18 attempts.

Rushing offense was effective in spots, but they were always persistent. Not a bad annoying either. The Bengals rushing offense was stuffed and stifled throughout much of the game. They made some plays, but as a unit, they only recorded 61 yards rushing. The thing is, they didn't stop running the football, rushing 29 times. That's commitment to the run.

Driving nowhere. The Bengals defense forced the Steelers offense into four three-and-outs. More importantly, the Bengals defense in the second half forced an interception, three punts, a turnover on downs and a field goal.

Third down domination. The Bengals defense has only allowed four conversions in the past 25 third down situations (16%).

Points allowed domination . The Bengals came into Sunday only allowed 16.9 points per game, ranked fifth in the NFL. They've not allowed a point in the third quarter for three straight games. During that same three-game stretch, Cincinnati has only allowed 12 points in the first half and 17 points in the second half.

What we know. The Bengals win over the Steelers is huge. You know that. Everyone knows that. It's a mark in the division and an introduction to the league that this team is legit. Now, the Bengals enter a stretch of potential trap games. Knowing the maturity of this team, I like our chances. Still, as William would quickly remind all of us, we've seen them fall in games they should have won too many times before. Aye.

Second Half Thread: Cincinnati Bengals (6-2) 6 - Pittsburgh Steelers (6-2) 9

jsl413 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 19:37:07 -0000

More photos » by Gene Puskar - AP

about 1 month ago: Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer looks to pass in the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

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Santonio Holmes dropped a touchdown pass and Jeff Reed kicked a field goal with 16 seconds left in the first half to put the Steelers ahead 9-6 going into halftime. The Bengals took the ball first and self-destructed with an illegal substitution play, and Shayne Graham missed a 51-yard field goal attempt off the upright.

Bernard Scott returned a kickoff for a touchdown, but Kevin Huber mishandled the ensuing snap on the PAT, so the Bengals were left with 6 points and a 3 point half-time deficit, which could have been a 1-point lead.

Negatives so far, just to get it out of the way - injuries and penalties. The Steelers lost Troy Polamalu, but Cedric Benson looked awful after leaving the game early with a leg injury. He is severely hobbled, and I don't think we can expect much from him in the second half. The Bengals have been penalized on almost every special teams play, suffered the aforementioned bad illegal substitution penalty, and Ndukwe committed an absolutely atrocious, unnecessary pass interference penalty late in the first half to give up the Jeff Reed field goal that made it 9-6.

Positives - the defense is playing excellent football (even if they've been on the field for a long time, the Bengals are losing posession by about 5 minutes). They've sacked Roethlisberger 4 times, and hit him 4 more. CBS says that he's been "hurried" on 6 other plays. That's gotta be most of the pass plays the Steelers have run. There's been excellent pressure and excellent coverage from the defense and that's kept the game in reach. The Steelers have simply not been able to execute in the red zone. The defense has also recorded 5 other tackles for a loss.

The offense, meanwhile, has been inconsistent at best. Carson doesn't seem to be very accurate, especially downfield, and the early open receivers were only finding space when they were tapping toes on the sideline. The running game is working okay, but they're really not consistently going to the run, especially without Benson.

The important thing at this point is that the Bengals are right in this game in a great position to win. Despite being down on the scoreboard, they're playing great defense and we all know the offense has the capability, especially without Troy P. in the game, to make points happen. It's a defensive struggle (94 Bengal yards, 139 Pittsburgh yards), and I honestly like our chances down the wire. Let's make it happen, Bengals.

Pregame Zone Blitz: Bengals at Steelers

ncoolong — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:20:17 -0000

by Ed Reinke - AP

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Want to learn to be a sports writer? There's a secret they don't want you to know. You are able to write game previews ("advances") in the same way each week. Just look at the Steelers. You can very easily apply this formula to every divisional game they play. Here it is:

In Week X, the Steelers and the <insert upstart AFC North team here> face off in a champions/challengers type of game. The play of <insert name of upstart AFC North team's quarterback here> has been outstanding, and these two teams hate each other, in particular the <insert upstart AFC North team here> despise Steelers WR Hines Ward. You may remember the feud that broke out between the <insert upstart AFC North team here> and Pittsburgh after one of the two Steelers victories last season. Now, Pittsburgh has beaten the <insert AFC North team here> in x of their last y meetings (x divided by y equals greater than 75 percent), but the <insert upstart AFC North team here> are ready to knock the defending champs off their throne.

Here's what our opponents are saying.

Opponent Web Sites/Forums

It's a new Bengals team. They can get in car accidents and the word "intoxication" does not appear on the police report.

Cincy Jungle mentions a kid who was suspended for getting Bengals stripes shaved into his head. They, of course, accuse the school of being overrun by Steelers fans, which, I guess, is probably true.

Bill Cowher's from Carlynton, huh? Where is that, exactly? (for those who don't know, Carlynton High School is Cowher's alma mater, and it's made up of the boroughs of Carnegie, Crafton and Rosslyn Farms. Cowher is from Crafton.)

Chad Ochocinco in the UFC...yeah, I'd pay to watch that. Seriously.

Cincinnati.com's Chick Ludwig, a Pro Football Hall of Fame voter, uses Wikipedia to define the actions of former Steelers DE Kimo Von Oelhoffen. Let's hope he bases his HofF vote on something more than free encyclopedias anyone can edit.

Woodley's writing for Sports Illustrated again. And he's still proud to be a Steeler.

Last Game

I'm sure Broncos ~~head cheerleader~~ coach Josh McDaniels is offering his kingdom for a splash play. All credit in the Steelers' kingdom goes out to McDaniels and the Broncos, as that first half was about as well-planned and well-executed as it gets. It would have been a different game had they found a way to make a play of 20 yards or more. Pittsburgh had five plays of 20 yards or more. Denver had one, and their longest play in the second half went for 16 yards. They failed to score an offensive touchdown.

It's a mark of Denver's efficient but non-lethal offense, and Pittsburgh's ability to not allow QB Kyle Orton enough time on his deeper drops. DE Brett Keisel must have heard the disrespect Mike Tirico was giving him, consistently saying Aaron Smith and Travis Kirschke were the regular starters, as he was able to bust through for two sacks. Those were Pittsburgh's only two sacks of the game, but the pressure was constant, and the Ryan Clark-less secondary was opportune enough to snare two important turnovers, and one more in garbage time.

The fact of the matter is Pittsburgh has proved since Week 2 the strategy to dink and dunk is bunk. Cincinnati is going to have to find a way to make plays down the field and get the ball in the end zone if they want to continue as this year's token Team That Can Compete With Pittsburgh in the AFC North.

Opponent Spotlight: CBs Leon Hall and Jonathan Joseph

The first time PZB is going with a pair of spotlight players, and it's mostly because they'll both factor into one of Pittsburgh's key weapons in Week 10.

Joseph and Hall, Cincinnati's two former first-round selections, appear to be even in many statistics, and both generally rank in the upper echelon in the NFL in key areas for their position. The main thing, though, is average yards allowed per reception and yards after the catch. Hall is top 10 in the NFL, allowing 12 yards per catch. Joseph drops off quite a bit, landing at 14.5, and Joseph has allowed 150 yards after the catch, compared to Hall's 115.

Joseph's average would be a bit higher if Limas Sweed held onto the ball. Sweed fried Joseph on the play, but unfortunately, could not hang onto the ball in the end zone.

In Joseph's defense, he did have an interception return for a touchdown, but overall, Pittsburgh threw at Joseph nine times, completing seven passes for 114 yards and a touchdown. In particular, Joseph struggled greatly against rookie WR Mike Wallace, and as mentioned earlier, his numbers would have really been poor had Sweed caught the ball.

As the statement goes, if ifs and buts were candy and nuts, we'd all have a merry Christmas. Joseph made what ended up being the critical play of the game. Wallace may feel like it's Christmas Day in the re-match, especially with the production he's had out of Pittsburgh's Hurry-Up offense (more on that below).

Hall fared much better in his match-up against Wallace, along with Santonio Holmes and Hines Ward. Pittsburgh threw at him five times for just 32 yards.

Pittsburgh is likely to push this advantage again, with both Holmes (coming off his best game of the season at Denver) and Wallace (steadily improving). Joseph is going to need to play a more disciplined game, or Pittsburgh's passing offense will chew him up. Hall, on the other hand, has a strong performance in Week 3 to go off of in terms of preparation for the re-match.

Steelers Spotlight: WRs Mike Wallace and Santonio Holmes

Wallace's break-out game came against the Bengals in a losing effort in Week 3. It'd be pretty ignorant of Cincinnati to ignore the rookie this time around, considering his 102 receiving yards were the highest total in the game. Wallace methodically picked apart Joseph, but Hall handled Holmes fairly well; he finished with just one catch for 18 yards, and his mistake led to Joseph's interception which he returned for a touchdown.

Holmes has been held out of the end zone since Week 1, but has caught a pass for 35 yards or longer in the Steelers last three games - they won all three games. With the absence of S Roy Williams, the Steelers are going to look to get the ball deep down the field if QB Ben Roethlisberger sees either Wallace or Holmes with single coverage. Both receivers have shown they can make the big play, it's a matter of timing and protection.

Speaking of big plays against Cincinnati...

I See You

I see you, Tyrone Carter, a.k.a. AFC Defensive Player of the Week. You stepped in for Ryan Clark in true modern Steeler fashion, and elevated your game to his level. You were doghoused by a lot of people (including PZB to an extent) for what we perceived as lack of production earlier this year. Your interception and touchdown return were the only points the Steelers scored when Denver was controlling the game on both sides of the ball, and really gave your team the swagger to know, despite being on the bad end of a 11-4 TOP advantage through two quarters, it could still win.

Your performance was yet another example of the depth the Steelers possess. Going into the game, we knew it would be a tough match-up, playing a hot quarterback on the road with athletic receivers. The defense bent for the first half, then allowed just 49 yards the rest of the way. While we have to give the offense credit, you were a big part of a secondary that played perhaps its finest two quarters of the season.

Despite lacking size, you took an outstanding college resume and translated it into a successful NFL career, one in which you proved year in and year out our team is better with you than without you.

Key Stats

Pittsburgh held the ball for 22 minutes and 25 seconds of the second half in Week 9's win over Denver.
Cincinnati is 19-34-1 since losing to Pittsburgh in the AFC Divisional playoffs in January, 2006.
Rashard Mendenhall is second in the NFL, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.
Santonio Holmes leads the NFL in first down reception percentage at 94.4 (36 catches, 34 first downs).
This game is the first time since 2005 where both teams were above .500 going into their second meeting of the season.
Pittsburgh has scored three defensive touchdowns in the last five quarters.
Cincinnati RB Cedric Benson became the first player since Ricky Williams in 2002 to rush for 100 yards in consecutive games against Baltimore with his 117 yard performance in Week 9.

Quick Hitters

Must-Read: I recently came across Pro Football Focus, and it became a new key resource in my insatiable thirst for statistics. I don't possess a degree of higher education in anything numbers-related, but this site doesn't really require one. The information is presented in an understandable, and not pompous manner - statistics for all games and all players listed without the feeling that someone is trying to prove a point. For what the opinion of PZB is worth, check it out if you're into that kind of thing.

Far Too Much Attention: I used to write with Nick Signorelli back in our Steelers Fever days, and I usually enjoy his take on things. However,his article, like any other article I've read on the subject, failed to present any rational reason behind why we would need former Chiefs RB/full-time slanderer Larry Johnson. I mean, it's not like Mike Tomlin played professional football. Maybe more than anything, though, what's gotten lost in all the gay slurs and bitterness is the fact Johnson isn't any good. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 11 of 2008, and hasn't played 16 games since his monster 416-carry season of 2006. Let's just let him be surly and sullen somewhere else.