SB Nation User Blog: rushthequarterback

Was Warner's Last Attempt a Forward Pass?

rushthequarterback — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 22:32:54 -0000

Steelers fan here, with great dislike for your Ravens, but with a great deal of respect for their play. I want to know if you folks honestly think that Warner's last attempt was a forward pass. I don't want to know if you think it should have been reviewed (I think that already - there was no excuse for that). I just want to hear if you think it was not a fumble. I hope you'll view the footage anew and let me know. I can't see how any fan familiar with defense could disagree with that call, but let me know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXDcNbwyKiI

Harrison's Penalty - Reactions?

rushthequarterback — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 20:30:47 -0000

What was the deal with Harrison's penalty? A lot of people are saying that he should have been ejected and, apparently, Madden said something to that effect. I didn't really see it at the time and haven't reviewed the game, yet. I have looked at the youtube content, however, and the thing is that I see nothing wrong unless, and I am not sure of this, he was blocking the opposing player and the play was over or something. The opposing player gets up repeatedly and Harrison knocks him down repeatedly, but I fail to see the cause for concern in that. What did I miss? (Probably alot?)

Turf

rushthequarterback — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:28:10 -0000

Please lend me your brains. How bad will the turf be? What other games are happening prior to Sunday? Which set of running backs will be better in a mudbowl? What'ya think? I do not like FWP on anything slippery and I don't think it matters in this regard if he is healthy or not. (Ward will be great in the mud, however). I would like to see Moore rather than FWP, with lots of Russell, but I have seen no reason to suspect this will happen. I have no idea if Barber is or isn't a mudder.

Arians vs Belicheck

rushthequarterback — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 19:16:25 -0000

The whole early season Jim Johnson/Eagles fiasco should scare the hell out of all Steelers fans this week. Personally, I don't buy the entire Belicheck mythology, but his NE defenses play some ball. In my view, he outschemed Arians at about 9 this morning. The Steelers can win, of course, but I think Ben will be put in a very difficult position this week. Hopefully, FWP will find better footing on the road.

Laugher Time

rushthequarterback — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:54:23 -0000

This defense will not lose to this quarterback. I just don't see a scenario for the Bengals to win the game. Were this last year, I would fear the special teams play.

Now, I am usually one to temper my enthusiasm, so this feeling of mine is out of character. I guess if I had to come up with a scenario, it would run something like "Ben throws 3 picks and 1 TD and Cincy wins in a defensive struggle". If the Steelers throw (ONLY) early and to acquire a lead, then this should be a nice laugher. We need one of those.

Sour Grapes

rushthequarterback — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 05:06:23 -0000

Yeah, I'm making some funky wine with some bad grapes here in Maryland.

There is no way in hell the Steelers should have had a shot at the game, that's my only consolation as I stew here. Garrard for all the laudatory statements by the media post-game did everything he could to allow the B&G back into the game and they obliged, thanks to Ben and Holmes and Ward and Miller. The biggest choke, however, was the QB draw by Ben - what the hell was that call? Talk about playing to lose. That play was symptomatic of the offensive play calling in big situations all year - just wacko knuckle-dragging stuff.

On the sour grapes theme, I feel pretty jobbed by the zebras. There is no way in hell that catch within the 2 min warning in the first half should have been reversed. Also, how often do you see a holding call on the center on a 2 pt conversion? That was a bullshit illusionary call besides the fact that it never gets called even if it exists.

Again, again, again - why not throw on 3rd down to stick the knife in them? Don't you trust Ben, dammit?

Oh yeah, nice last punt, too, Sepulveda - Ray Guy is spinning in his goddamn grave.

Final analysis - they should have won this game even though there is no way they should have been in it at the end. Ben was Hyde and Jekyll. The O-line was terrible. The refs were terrible. Gerrard was Jeykll and Hyde. Brain lock ultimately cost the game. A total team loss. They would have gotten killed in the next round anyway, though, so its really, in the end, not as disappointing as if they were healthy.

Silver Linings and Thoughts on the Jags Game and Tomlin

rushthequarterback — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 02:35:32 -0000

I saw a loss to an excellent team on their home field today. I saw the Pats hold serve on their turf, as they should. There were many positives in this game for the visitors.

Effective ball control offense in the first half. A gunslinger mentality. 17-13 at the half. A chance to make things interesting. The Steelers didn't capitalize, but they didn't capitulate and they didn't play dumb or scared. I saw Ben being Ben, Willie being Willie. I saw pressure on Brady and linebackers flying. I saw hard hitting and good tackling. For the most part, Brady just defeated them, by himself. He does that - he is superlative and superhumanly aggravating.

What was not good? Well, Mahan, for one. I thought that Wilfork's pressure on BB was very damaging. The receivers (Miller excluded) disappointed as well. I love Ward, but he looked very slow this week to me. The others just didn't get open or didn't catch the ball. The safety play was not great, either, but this was a supreme test and I don't buy all the negativity heaped on them - that's just media simplification because of the (moronic) guarantee storyline served up so nicely to them.

Really, though, I don't feel like pointing the finger very much after this loss. The Steelers had to play this excellent Pats team in Foxborough after 2 subpar outings by the home team on the road. Hell, it was even a Phil Simms game (has there ever been a Steelers-Pats that hasn't been one - it seems like he's always sniping from the booth, the bastard). All in all, the stars were really not well-aligned. They would have had to be falling from the sky for the Steelers to overcome a great effort by Brady at home in December. And, yet, even given the great Brady plays and all that, a couple of moments could have turned this one in Pittsburgh's favor. Oh well (hell), sometimes the bear just gets you, that's just the NFL.

Final note - the officiating. There, by rights, should have been a flag on Harrison on the 3rd down pass from the 1, in my view. Harrison had his arms draped over Holmes (right?). I actually give the zebras a bit of a pass because this was the Pats at home and the home team always gets the calls in the NFL. Further, it would not have affected the outcome. However, I will say that I sense some hesitation from officialdom to penalize the Pats. They truly are the Duke of the NFL, no? I am not saying they win because of any of the calls, but they surely win a bit easier because of some of the small favoritisms that I sense they enjoy. Anyone disagree?

All that aside, I am very much looking forward to the Jags game. I want to see how the Steelers respond to this setback. To me, this season is all about Tomlin. All those who would write this season off without a Super Bowl and would judge Tomlin on that basis are, from a historical vantage, insane. I won't even argue this on the merits - first year head coaches just do not win championships in the NFL. I will not hear bellyaching about Tomlin. He just showed up, for me. I'm just starting to get a sense, barely, of what he plans for this team.

Tomlin's now got a 9-4 mark and now a home game in December - outstanding, I say. Its time to have some fun, bar the gates and pour tar all over another visiting playoff-caliber team, serving the same dish to them that the Black and Gold were forced to consume this week. If the Steelers respond this week, I will be very satisfied that Tomlin has solidly established himself and his staff in the hearts and minds of the players that count. He's going to have to make some waves with personnel moves in the off-season in order to improve the team for next season. His credibility will grow by leaps and bounds with a convincing win this weekend.

It is time to win the North. It is time to establish mo for the playoffs. It is time to get revenge for the loss to the Pats. Go Steelers - beat the hell out the Jags.

2 Yards - Can They?

rushthequarterback — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:52:27 -0000

Do you remember when the B&G could get 3 yards anytime, but a 10 point deficit was a death sentence? Those days are gone forever (?) (should we just let 'em go?).

This is not a careful analysis based on stats. This is about a gut feel. My feeling about the 2007 Steelers is that they can't get convert 3rd and 2 against a good defensive line without passing the ball. This is especially so on a wet field because FWP just cannot run on a wet/bad field from what I have seen, and I have seen enough!

This is very odd, historically. It has often been the case that the Steelers 'skill' positions have lagged the brute force positions. To me it seems that this has been reversed. I like the Steelers chances on turf and I like them on dry grass, against ANYBODY. I do not, however, like their chances on mud or snow (against the same). If not for Big Ben's great season, I think we'd all be talking (more) about the serious loss of sheer horsepower from the O-line. Again, I know this isn't news to anyone here, but my therapist tells me it is useful to express my feelings.

If the playoffs come and we face a big line (Jags), I will be worried, which sucks. I really do not like the prospect of losing to power teams on a power basis - it offends my notion of Steeler identity, which is why losses to the Ravens have always stung me worse than other div loses. Now, BB may be able to beat the Jags even with a bad running day from FWP, maybe in the snow - that is this team's saving grace. This year, being down 10 is not a death sentence. Even more, BB may be able to beat Manning and/or Brady, especially given good turf and better decision making early in the game. But this brings me to a final hypothetical...

Could the Steelers put away either Indy or NE given precipitation, a 10 point lead, 12 minutes left and the ball? Could they grind out 6 minutes and 3 pts? I don't think they could, except maybe in a dome. In a snowy NE, they might have to keep throwing because they can't get 2 yards when it counts.

In sum, the security blanket is gone and tossed in the fire, folks. The Steelers are a pass-first team with a smothering defense, with much in common with Philly and NE teams of recent vintage in that regard (sans outstanding pass protection). BB's play will determine the outcome of the season, period. Cowher would have never had it this way. However, he only won 1 in 15 and maybe, just maybe (though not likely), the new regime's willingness to take more risk for more reward will be, well, rewarded in these modern times. I'll have my antacids pop-pop-fizz-fizzing and I'll be chewing my towel to shreds as I watch the games to find out.

No Sacks, No Problem(!)

rushthequarterback — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 02:48:45 -0000

Despite not getting to Carson Palmer, the Steelers were able to limit the QBs effectiveness and force the Bengals to crawl down the field.

Sunday's defeat of the Bengals was refreshing. I watched this live on TV and then on NFL Network's NFL Replay. Watching a second time, it became clear to me that the Steelers did to Cincy what NE has done to us many times - force the QB to make 8-9 passes to score, preventing big plays and allowing big hits on opposing offensive players to take a toll. Cincy had the ball a lot, but they really were inefficient at creating scoring opportunities and they got beat as a result.

Note one thing - 0 sacks. I watched Palmer - he threw the ball in rhythm and quickly. He was not misfiring very often. This is usually anethema to Steelers designs. But the game was really never in doubt. It just felt that way. It felt like Palmer had the ball enough to steer the orange kittens to victory or at least make it tight. But that is just perception. The defensive scheme did not hinge on getting to the QB, all or nothing. It would have been nice, but it was not deadly that Palmer was not tackled to end a single play.

I think that this is the kind of defense that will be necessary to beat New England. Brady is the best. You have to force him to throw a great deal in order to catch him in a mistake. I hope the Steelers will do to the Pats what the Pats have done to them. Beat them with this scheme that punishes the would-be receivers. This scheme does not depend on the timing of the defensive line off the ball, which is good because the games will no doubt be played in NE, and lack of crowd noise has limited what this year's version of the pass rush can do in opposing stadiums.

Brady does take what you give him. It is important, therefore, not to give him too much. Yes, he will score if you can't pressure him. However, the talent his offense deploys is far superior to previous years - you must make them spend time scoring, in order to give the other players opportunities to cough the ball up and just basically limiting the scoreboard damage that can be done. Wouldn't it be fanstastic for a fumble and a late punt return to doom the Pats for a change?

Kudos to Lebeau and to Tomlin. I know that they wanted pressure. A bunch of times, the rush was close to dropping Palmer. Fantastic that its failure to do so didn't sack the black and gold.