FREE 27 and 83!!!!

[dcity21]

Just got back from the game and have to let it all out

i'm sick of saying it, thinking it, and knowing it.. Smith needs to start or at least play 80 percent of our defense downs..

he is f'in everyhwere, killing guys and defending passes.. i like clark and love having him as a 3rd S but Smith is just a monster waiting to happen..


Heath, Heath, Heath.. i love it when he gets the ball.. he just doesn't go down.. and his routes looked pretty good to me tonight so i'm starting to think he gets open and just doesn't get thrown to or he was stuck helping Starks fat ass (which did pretty well tonight, for a change) in the past.


By the way, Krieder must stay.. i try not to doubt management too much but i'm really hoping they dont cut him cuz i think it will really hurt this team in a toughness on and off the feild kind of way.. he goes into D-lineman, even tackles, like it's nobody's business.. and everyone loves it when you throw the big man a bone and he rumbles with it.. so come ooooooooon Mikey, Bruce, and Kev keep the man!!!


and i want both kids so i guess later 34.. i'll miss your ridiculous dance routines during the pregame but you just don't have upside like 38 and 41.. almost wish he was hurt so we could just make him the next staley cuz i like Haynes..


D looked good.. to get out of that half with only 6 on us was very very good.. and we did it against a pass happy offense which seems to usually tear us apart.. after tonight I'm glad to have drafted my steelers D a round too early for the sake of having my own guys..


Still want to see us get more done on the ground. i don't mind Ben passing but that first quarter, even half, worried me..

and GOD DAMNED F'IN PUNT SHITTING RETURNS!!!!! I mean Willie is the guy, but the typical Stiller fan isn't gonna put up with this drop crap much longer.. not after last year and while i disagree with the boos i can't hardly blame them..


speaking of boos i was absolutely furious when boos scattered their way down toward Sepulveda after what i think was a blocked kick (maybe someone can enlighten me on this one, cuz i about went rounds a fat ass drunk about it). in any case, the boos pissed me off. he's gonna be a stud plain and simple that's all there is to it and he has been so far in the preseason. i hate that there are fans who boo A KID at this point in the year over one lousy play.


Faneca seemed to play his balls off and be right in there for any of his teammates. I didn't watch him much but when i was it mad me a bit worried to think about him leaving.. he's still pretty good and even in his situation he was balls to wall in the preseason..


and the whole team seemed to be very disciplined, at least compared to the eagles..


OK, i'm done.. I'm sorry.. i know i'm a seriously optomistic homer, but i can't help it.. my one true love is baseball and well after that wreck of a team is done with me it's easy for me to get really excited about the 'lers...

 

[TwistedLemon]

Watched the first half and came up with this:

The O-line was not bad, but not real good either.

Was getting pissed about Colon not blocking worth a damn on a few plays early, then realized Colon appeared to do fine, it was Health missing the blocks.

He did make some nice catches though.

Ben made some good throws, and several POOR decisions.

Ced, for everyone wanting him gone, seems to be playing his ass off.

Seems to be more checking down to the RB on pass plays, I like this.

Agree with the booing of Sepulveda (not liking to hear it).  I will say that the punt did not appear to me to be blocked, but went off the side of his foot.  Definately a kick worthy of BOOOOOOOO's, but as you stated, one bad kick in the preseason.  After seeing the bad punt and hearing the booing I simply said, "Welcome To Pittsburgh".

Davenport looked good catching the ball out of the backfield......as did FWP.

Agree that Smith needs to start at FS.  Pairing him with TP, I think they would quickly become the best safety tandum in the league.

Why do, on most pass plays, our CB's seem to almost always line up 10 yards from the WR's?  Been that way for years it seems.

How far ahead of McFadden is Townsend?  I like Townsend, but I think I like him better as a #3.





 

[LambertsFrontTeeth]

Was getting pissed about Colon not blocking worth a damn on a few plays early, then realized Colon appeared to do fine, it was Health missing the blocks.

 

Same here. Heath wasn't blocking well last night, but maybe that was intentional.

I think he's trying to tell Tomlin/Arians he needs to be out running routes.  

[Finnegans Wake]

Why do, on most pass plays, our CB's seem to almost always line up 10 yards from the WR's? Been that way for years it seems.

That always drove me nuts, too.  But moreso under Lewis, when our corners blew chunks.  I think part of it is just scheme.  If you're running a 3-4 with your SS playing up at the LOS a good bit, you have to figure your coverage zones will be configured in a way that basically has three areas: each corner has responsibility for his side of the field, short to medium; the FS has deep cover; the SS can come up for blitzes or slide over the middle on TEs/WRs or can drop deep.  

The thing is, if you play bump at the line and your WR gets past you, it's ALL on the FS.  And there's a lot of territory between the LOS and the FS, more can go wrong, basically.  The CB has a better chance of not allowing the big play keeping the WR in front of him, and if the offense is chucking short yardage passes he can come up and stop the WR at the spot.  That dink and dunk is really exploiting the weakness of the coverage, unless the CB gets a sense of the offense's rhythm.  But again, he can't take too many chances on jumping routes and allowing the WR to beat him.  The two things the corner can't do is let his man beat him deep, and let his man get the inside.

[Finnegans Wake]

Here's a better way of describing it.  They call LeBeau's scheme a "Cover 3" and more accurately define the cover zones as "quarter-half-quarter."

If you like da blitz, you live with the coverage zones.  C'est la vie.

[aj_law]

I very much agree with the Anthony Smith stuff.  IMO, if he doesn't start from the getgo this year, he'll be in the starting lineup by mid-year, at the latest.  The defense kinda needs that firey guy who backs up his trash talkin' with big plays and hits.  Smith and Pola at S is a scary good tandem.

Good to see that they finally found the TE.  Still highly doubt we'll see any passes going to a TE not named Miller though.

I also agree that Krieder should get a spot.  I've been waffling back and forth on this one, but last night's game clinched it for me.  The problem is I'm not convinced that #34 should get the axe.  And, frankly, with the lack of playing time that he got yesterday, I don't think he's likely to get cut.  I think it'll be either Davis or Russell.  I think it a tough decision on who's sent packing there.  Glad I don't have to make it.  Speaking of Russell, anybody else notice two #41's out there?  Russell and Mason??  I thought Russell was going...ah, both ways for a second there...

Robopunter shanked that one.  It wasn't a block.  Happens.  Until it becomes the rule and not the exception, I'm not going to worry about it.

[Finnegans Wake]

I very much agree with the Anthony Smith stuff.  IMO, if he doesn't start from the getgo this year, he'll be in the starting lineup by mid-year, at the latest.  The defense kinda needs that firey guy who backs up his trash talkin' with big plays and hits.  Smith and Pola at S is a scary good tandem.

 

 Yeah, I agree with that.  Nothing against Clark, who's pretty decent, but I like the idea of putting fear into opposing WRs.  

Good to see that they finally found the TE.  Still highly doubt we'll see any passes going to a TE not named Miller though.

I don't think they'll throw a whole lot to Spaeth, but I still think he could come in ~200 yards on the season.

I also agree that Krieder should get a spot.  I've been waffling back and forth on this one, but last night's game clinched it for me.  The problem is I'm not convinced that #34 should get the axe.  And, frankly, with the lack of playing time that he got yesterday, I don't think he's likely to get cut.  I think it'll be either Davis or Russell.  I think it a tough decision on who's sent packing there.  Glad I don't have to make it. 

Well, depends on how many RBs we carry.  IMO, there's justification for 5 (FWP, Dooks, Davis, Kreider, Russell).  I think Kreider may have beaten out Haynes for a spot.  A lot of the local beat writers are saying Davis has already won a spot; their reliability aside, I think he's made a strong case for himself.  It comes down to Russell, and whether we can carry 5.  I hope to God we do.

Speaking of Russell, anybody else notice two #41's out there?  Russell and Mason??  I thought Russell was going...ah, both ways for a second there...

Hey, way to be on that little bit of info, aj.  It's only been that way since we played the Aints, dude.  Apparently confusing as hell for the statisticians as well; that, or Russell is making some tackles this preseason that I wasn't aware of.

By the way, I hear gas may be going over two dollars a gallon any day now, too...  :P  

[vinman3]

Outside the box thinking here, but hear me out.

Why not keep Kreider as a H-back/Third TE? Cut Tuman. I haven't seen much of Spaeth with the games being blacked out, but can he block? Really that is the role Tuman has. We know Kreider can. It frees up room for another RB, and keeps Kreider in the mix. Am I crazy thinking this? Or just crazy in general?

[give'emthaboot]

Outside the box thinking here, but hear me out.

Why not keep Kreider as a H-back/Third TE? Cut Tuman. I haven't seen much of Spaeth with the games being blacked out, but can he block? Really that is the role Tuman has. We know Kreider can. It frees up room for another RB, and keeps Kreider in the mix. Am I crazy thinking this? Or just crazy in general?

im with ya on this one, vin.  i honestly dont see a point in keeping Tuman on this team.  have never liked him, but we just never had a better option.  Spaeth's gotta be better than him (well he surely cant be worse).

[Finnegans Wake]

Outside the box thinking here, but hear me out.

Why not keep Kreider as a H-back/Third TE? Cut Tuman. I haven't seen much of Spaeth with the games being blacked out, but can he block? Really that is the role Tuman has. We know Kreider can. It frees up room for another RB, and keeps Kreider in the mix. Am I crazy thinking this? Or just crazy in general?

Interesting indeed.