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Takeaways from the game

Discussion in 'Steelers Talk' started by Steel4Blood, Oct 22, 2017.

  1. Steel4Blood

    Steel4Blood Well-Known Member

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    Excellent Win against a division rival.
    Here are my thoughts on the game good and bad.

    The Bad:
    -Situational playcalling. Very bad today. too many missed opportunities in the game on 3rd down short.
    The 3rd and goal that they ran when the defense was loading the box, The 3rd and 1 that was a bomb down the field after the int was ridiculous. Haley tries to get too cute with these calls.

    - Settling for FG's in gonna be a problem when we play the Pats. Need to punch in more TDs. This relates to the first topic with bad 3rd down playcalling.

    - There is a big difference in our rush defense when Tuit is not in there. need him healthy.

    - Vance Mcdonald needs to CATCH the ball. That dropped pass in the endzone was bad. Im losing all faith in him as a pass catcher. It seems to be in his head now.

    - The missed timeout to end the 1st half. Idk what happened there. Was that on Tomlin or Ben? Anyone know the answer to this?????

    - The Bengals have one of the worst O Lines and yet in the 1st half we couldnt get near Dalton. This obviously changed in the 2nd Half. See Good Topics.

    - Martavis Bryant. I dont know whats going on here but he is just not performing. I dont know if its Ben, the playcalling or him. This needs fixed.

    The Good:
    - Obviously we gained more ground in the division and conference with this win and the Ravens losing also.
    In the drivers seat as far as playoff seeding.
    - Bell and Nix, Bell is the best back in the league no question, Every time he had a good run though Nix was making key blocks.
    - JU JU, we found our true #2 to AB in this kid, Only 20. Blocks and catches the tough balls in the middle.
    - Ben looks to finally be settling down. Starting to look like the old Ben
    - Pass Defense, These guys are legit. Haden and Burns looking like a legit corner tandom. Plus they are creating turnovers.
    - AB this is obvious, best in the league.
    - O line, Decastro to me is the best rush blocking guard in the league. This O Line might be the best as a group. No sacks allowed on Ben today with atkins and Dunlap on the other side. Great Job.
    - Geno Atkins usually gives the Steelers problems. It was nice to see him kept in check.
    - The second half Pass Rush was awesome. I dont know if their guys got tired or we just got stronger in the 2nd half but Dupree and Watt looked unstoppable getting at Dalton. We need to do this all game.
    - Ben's Hard counts, might be one of the best at this in the league. Key first down on an Offsides because of this.
    - That punt fake was AWESOME. Was that Tomlin or Golden that called that?

    All in All great performance. Need to just tighten up these aspects to win the Chip this year.

    Any others i missed? Pros or Cons.
     
    • Like Like x 2
    • Agree Agree x 2
    • Informative Informative x 1
  2. steelersrule6

    steelersrule6 Well-Known Member

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    They need to get Bryant more involved in the offense, instead of throwing long to AB on 3rd and 1 in triple coverage throw a slant to Bryant :shrug:. The fake punt is likely Tomlin has to give the okay along with Danny Smith I guess.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  3. bigbenhotness

    bigbenhotness Well-Known Member

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    Fake punt was golden calling for it
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  4. Boomer

    Boomer Well-Known Member

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    Where on earth has Hargrave gone? You don't hear much about Gravedigger anymore.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  5. InBenWeTrust

    InBenWeTrust Well-Known Member

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    Looks like Bens got a couple years left in him.
     
    • Very Optimistic Very Optimistic x 1
  6. strummerfan

    strummerfan Well-Known Member

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    As for your comment regarding getting to dalton. You have to look at what their offense was doing i.e. Short quick passes to compensate for the line. When they were down and time was short they had to switch to longer developing plays which results in sacks.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  7. dobbler-33

    dobbler-33 Well-Known Member

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    I agree...3rd and 1 downs were head scratchers. Didn't notice nix in on those (or atleast a time or 2) and that would've been ideal. Virtually same formation repeatedly... Change it up?

    V Mac came out of Frisco known as meat hands. Hell of an athlete, great blocking, high energy... Suspect mitts... He is what he is don't know if that changes, but you can count on some good and some whoopsies but still very fixable.

    Don't know bout the TO flap either... Weird and again, fixable.

    Idk what's up with Bryant either other than the occasional not connecting on the long ball. I'd like to see them try to get him some more intermediate route work... Crossing patterns something just to get him engaged and going.

    Nice to see the D adjust... Maybe they just took Cincys best shot in the 1st half and that was all cinch had honestly. Don't know but they dominated second half and it destroyed their will.

    Was happy when we picked up JUJU even happier with how fast he's blossoming.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  8. bigbenhotness

    bigbenhotness Well-Known Member

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    Juju is Coates replacement not minds.


    Frustration is growing lol
     
    • Hilarious Hilarious x 2
    • Like Like x 1
  9. dd63

    dd63 Well-Known Member

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    -Offense still needs to finish games off, 5 second half field goals will not cut it against the better teams in the league.
    - Defense rose to the occasion today, second week in a row. Closing out games when they have the chance is the mark of a good unit.
    - Special teams played well, contributing with a well timed fake and five field goals. No gaffes on the return units.
    - Very disciplined, very few penalties. Not beating yourself is just as important as not letting the other team beat you. Props to the coaching staff for having the team well focused and playing mistake free football.
    -
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  10. TomlinSux

    TomlinSux Well-Known Member

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    Good divisional win with other divisional losses. Nice to see pass rush come alive....and Dupree! On the other side of the coin...red zone still an issue and we need some TDs versus the FGs. Game should have been well out of reach much earlier in the game. Better teams will take advantage of the missed TD opportunities. Always nice to beat the Bungholes.
     
  11. Steel4Blood

    Steel4Blood Well-Known Member

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    Completely agree. Constantly settling for FG instead of TD's is going to be a problem in the Playoffs. That really falls on the playcalling though. I just dont know what Ben or Haley are seeing in some of those calls. Bell was getting 3 or more yards per rush easily and still on 3rd and one Ben is bombing it downfield. I dont get it.
     
    • Agree Agree x 2
  12. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

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    Simple. He was double teamed for the majority of the game.


    When he was not, he dominated.
     
  13. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

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    What did I learn? This defense is official.


    Holding A.J. Green to just three catches for 41 yards? That is something Artie and Joe can hold their heads high on.


    Limiting Cincy to under 75 total rushing yards was another... and that is before the late game sack party.



    For Colbert, Lake, and Butler to reconstruct a defense in just three years is nothing short of incredible.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  14. The Renegade

    The Renegade Well-Known Member

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    Mike Hilton is a diamond in the rough. That's my takeaway.
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
    • Like Like x 1
  15. Busman

    Busman

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    robert golden could be our emergency qb : )
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  16. swann_88

    swann_88 Well-Known Member

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    as long as nobody is covered anyways
     
    • Hilarious Hilarious x 1
  17. theRealeHarris

    theRealeHarris Well-Known Member

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    WHAT IF WE TURNED OVER ON DOWNS? 6 minutes left? 26-14 Steeler lead. Cincy ball at midfield. We're a bit fortunate that we're not asking more questions. That's the NFL though. One play can make or break 'everything'.

    And how about Boswell going 5/5 :thumbs up:. That makes me as happy as anything else given our recent carousel of kickers.
     
  18. The Glory Days

    The Glory Days Well-Known Member

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    7 games in and we still can't score from the red zone. Haley and Tomlin better pull their heads out of their butts and start using them for something other than corks or we're in for some serious disappointment over the next few weeks.
     
  19. AskQuestionsLater

    AskQuestionsLater Writing Team

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    Come again? Tomlin and Haley?



    More like Haley and Ben. If Ben sees something within the defense pre snap, he should audible to exploit personnel weaknesses. For that matter, Ben needs to understand there are more targets than Antonio Brown unless said targets are not getting open either moving the chains or in the redzone.



    Meanwhile, if Haley has a defense on its heels via the rushing attack, go for play action. Better yet, use players best suited towards their ideal situations, such as Rosie Nix on those failed third and one attempts via running the ball.



    Outside of the fact that the officials did not give Tomlin those seven seconds back evem though he did yell timeout to them at the time, I have zero issues with him.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  20. MadtownDruankard

    MadtownDruankard Well-Known Member

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    You must have missed the fact that Bryant isn't getting open. He's dropping balls. He's not running good routes. When he does catch the ball he'll go to the ground if a slight breeze hits him. Right now this guy is playing like he's lost his game strength. He's not playing the ball well. If he doesn't get his **** together soon, I'd like to see JuJu take his spot and play Rogers more in the slot.
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
  21. Steel Acorn

    Steel Acorn Well-Known Member

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    Yep, playing with a lead can make a defense look really good. That is why our offense is so key to making the defense good.
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
  22. Steelers89

    Steelers89 Well-Known Member

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    Those redzone issues will be a problem against better teams.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  23. Da Stellars

    Da Stellars Well-Known Member

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    There are all sort of short to medium routes they could have him run to get him involved, not just the deep routs, which is all they are using him for.

    You might have point about demoting him though. If you remember during his rookie year, a lot of his big plays were from going against other teams' nickel and dime corners. Not #2 corners on the outside.

    JuJu could probably play outside.
     
  24. The Glory Days

    The Glory Days Well-Known Member

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    Yes. Mike Tomlin is the head coach and Todd Haley is the offensive coordinator. The head coach is the boss and is responsible for all three phases. He appoints coordinators, coaches, and staff members to carry out his directions. If the offense doesn't produce, it is the head coach's job to fix it. I can be more specific if you are still confused.

    Ben can audible and check out of plays based on what the defense is showing, but unless he's greenlit, he doesn't call the plays in the huddle. He is supposed to carry out the offensive coordinator's game plan AND run the plays that are called. It is his job to execute, not coordinate the offense. With his experience, he does have some latitude over play calling, and is greenlit to take over play calling based on situation, but only at the discretion of OC and ultimately, HC.

    And it's getting old hearing some of you continually gripe about AB getting all the targets. Watch the game and/or check the stats before you speak out of turn. AB had 4 of the 15 completions against the Bengals. He isn't being overly targeted. Please stop saying that Ben needs to spread the ball around.

    And if Haley doesn't do something more successful, it is Mike Tomlin's job to make him.

    That's fine. Just remember as you are blaming others for the things you feel are wrong, the HC is ultimately responsible for everything.
     
    • Agree Agree x 1
  25. theRealeHarris

    theRealeHarris Well-Known Member

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    Agree with you both. Too early to count Bryant out. That being said, this is an IMPORTANT season for him. Lots of factors holding Bryant back. He's almost definitely showing early rust from that year off. When we find our stride, we'll use a mix of our top 3/4 WRs moving around the field, in slot and outside positions. Presumably, we'll see this next year with Brown, Bryant, JUJU, Eli.
     

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