wk. 7 postgame observations

overview:
in the end, all it took was 2 minutes to pull out the win, and while that 2 min. was as exciting as any full quarter i've seen in a while i've got to put it in perspective. first and foremost, i'm happy for the win. after that, reality starts to set in and the black and gold colored glasses come off....... we basically held on for dear life most of the game, and while we competed, there were just a few too many deficiencies i noticed to be fully confidant for the majority of the season....... here's hoping i'm wrong.

offense:
1. yes, i know it was watt, but dave decastro got abused often
2. not a game to remember for beachum either as merciless had him for lunch (thank god clowney wasn't playing this one)
3. ramon foster looked pretty bad as well
4. on the flip side, pouncey was a beast
5. bell was his usual beast self...... something is wrong if we aren't getting the ball in his hands at least 20 times a game
6. antonio brown was his usual self......... nice td throw
7. i get the feeling that markus wheaton is about to ride some pine really soon
8. likewise, i get the feeling that martavus bryant just earned himself some quality field time in the future
9. i would be wrong if i didn't give a shout out to mike adams for the solid body of work he put in.......


defense:
1. i get the feeling that high school qb's would lick their chops seeing cortez allen on the field right now
2. where was cam thomas most of the game
3. dan mccullers needs a lot more field time, and i think he earned it with his performance
4. keisel never looked better
5. not enough has been said about the couragous performance put on by timmons
6. run defense still needs a lot of work


special teams:
1. aside from 1 punt, i thought brad wing did a fantastic job
2. suisham was money as usual
3. where is the blocking from our return teams

 

Good observations, I'll be a little more general

Offense - take away the last few minutes of the 2nd quarter, the offense did nothing. Bell only had 10 or so carries, how does that happen with a second half lead? They didn't score a touchdown with 7 minutes to go when that would have put the game out of reach. They foolishly made a low percentage pass for an incompletion rather than run the ball and milk the clock.

Defense - Once again, they come out not ready to play, they were beat badly the first quarter. Then they tightened up. And when it mattered, they let the Bill's drive the field.

If the offense could've gotten a first down, if Wing could have booted the punt, and/or if the defense could have made a stop when it mattered, this team could have / should have beat Tampa Bay and then they would be 5-2. Hard to complain at 5-2. At 4-3, I think we have lots to complain about. Start stacking wins and get better, playoffs start in January.

 

Great observations! What really sticks out to me is how much more time the opposing QB has to throw than Ben. This is troubling on both sides of the ball. I think Munchak has really improved their run blocking, but they still really stink as a group in pass protection. On the defensive side, I see so many plays where the Steeler D looks like they are working with the opposing O linemen to make a perfect pocket. I mean my gosh, can't anyone shed their blocker?

 

- we are not out of the woods yet.
- why is cortez allen playing at all. If it wasn't for Mitchell stripping the ball, Allen was burnt again. I would of cut him at halftime
- we are not talented on defense. If we can add an above average free agent on defense, we could be ok.
- is the Texans defensive line that good or is our offensive line that bad?
- do we have the two best gunners in the league? Antwan Blake and Ventrone was all over the field.
- we need another target opposite AB. Wheaton might fine himself on the bench soon. I would start AB, Heyward-Bey, and Lance Moore.

 

I saw something interesting on Sunday watching the Bronco's game. Now no ttrying to turn this into a Ben vs Peyton thing but it is just something that stodd out to me. The Bronco's lined up in shotgun formation with the RB next to Manning and I want to say it was a dbl TE set, not sure but the part that stood out was that the OL din't immediately backpedal at the snap of the ball in pass protection. They even looked liked they pushed forward as a line. Now granted they didn't have to hold long because manning fired it fairly quickly but it just jumped out at me since almost every OL I see in pass protection steps back or back pedals or creates a pocket around the QB.

 

Did DD get abused because he was doing something that went against the grain of how he is conditioned to play? I mean does he normally work the DBL team with the tackle or even target a DE from his guard position?

 

I think getting tuitt and mt. Dan a regulat hat and reps will turn this front around. Getting JJ and Shazier back will make a big differene as well. Our DB play can be coached up enough to be o-----Kay.... But the scheme of 10 yd cushions will continue to haunt them big time. The O showed some bite last night. Not consistently but that's due to play calling as well. I think the roster change getting some new guys a hat and incorporating different players in the groups spoke for itself. I think this team can turn it around barring injury and if the coaches quit crapping the bed.

 

Maybe Manning is so fast at releasing the ball he doesn't need a pocket? He is the best at the presnap read (not Ben's strongsuit.) I know Ben holds the ball too long sometimes but holy cow, the O-line is a turnstyle. There are bunch of igh draft picks on that line and they just can't protect Ben. I know Watt is a beast, but he made DeCastro look plain silly. As B&G Patrol was saying - imagine if Clowney was healthy and playing - they would have carried Ben off the field.

 

Agreed. Keisel is playing well this season. The guy is pure hustle!

 

I don't have a play-by-play breakdown. This is just my assessment based on what I saw. Ben holds the ball too long. There were several times that I saw the O-Line create a nice pocket. Ben makes a 3-or-5 step drop and still not ready to pass. Ben moves up in the pocket and is still not ready to pass. At this point, the opposing defensive rushers can disengage from their blockers and chase Ben. I'm not ready to keep heaping blame on this O-Line. They're not perfect. And they are starting to struggle a little more with run blocking, but I see them creating nice pockets in pass protection, at a more frequent rate.