What I think I learnt - Steelers/Titans (1 Viewer)

[Coboney]

Steelers

1) Willie Parker looks slow.

2) He'll start because Mendenhall looks like he doesn't belong in the NFL

3) Moore could be the Steeler's best back

4) The offensive line showed no run blocking ability and had issues in protection till late in the game.

5) The Steelers need to run more no-huddle offense

6) Heath Miller and Santonio Holmes are both going to do well.

7) The Steelers defense can still shut down any running game.

8) The Steelers could have issues in the secondary with Polamalu out.

9) Stevan Logan looks for real.

10) The Special Teams will be better this year.

11) Big Ben still holds the ball too long

Titans

1) Kerry Collins looked really good.

2) So did Bo Scaife and Justin Gage (aside from the drop)

3) Lendale White ran well. He ran hard and picked up good yardage based on the defense.

4) Kenny Brit needs to learn to finish plays.

5) Chris Johnson can't pass block.

6) Tony Brown and Jason Jones will make up for the loss of Big Al.

7) The Titans will need to scheme to come up with pressure late in games.

8) Craig Stevens needs to be back on the bench.

9) The Titans need to be more creative with Chris Johnson

10) The Special teams are going to be horrid.

 

[Two Deep]

I'd like to add to the Steelers: Willie Parker has no run vision and wouldn't see a cutback lane if it was marked like a traffic lane.

 

[Chaos Commish]

6) Tony Brown and Jason Jones will make up for the loss of Big Al.

Gotta disagree here. Take those two away, add Haynesworth, and the Titans win. No way Ben sits in the pocket like he did late with Haynesworth collapsing it. That was the difference in the game. I suspect Tennessee will miss him dearly all year. If they blitz to compensate they get burned with dump offs. If they try to bring pressure with 4, the QB has time to tie his shoes. I don't think the Steeler line is that exceptional in pass protection.

 

[Heep]

6) Tony Brown and Jason Jones will make up for the loss of Big Al.

Gotta disagree here. Take those two away, add Haynesworth, and the Titans win. No way Ben sits in the pocket like he did late with Haynesworth collapsing it. That was the difference in the game. I suspect Tennessee will miss him dearly all year. If they blitz to compensate they get burned with dump offs. If they try to bring pressure with 4, the QB has time to tie his shoes. I don't think the Steeler line is that exceptional in pass protection.

What was weird tho, is before the last 2 drives (4th qtr and OT), he didn't have all day. They were getting a lot of pressure with just the front 4. Im not sure what changed...

 

[TheFanatic]

Hines Ward is a great possession WR.

Nobody runs against either of these teams all year

My boy Britt gonna be a stud...

 

[Coboney]

The last 2-3 drives there he had all day but before that they had pressure. Pit wore them down with the no huddle is what it looked like to me.

 

[Knobs]

I'm looking forward to you regularly contributing threads such as this.

I'm diggin' the name...Caboney...it's catchy.

 

[Sheriff66]

Ben is the king of the comeback, 18 4th quarter comebacks since 2004, most in the league.

 

[Knobs]

And for being such a small guy, I actually thought LBJ did a fine job in pass protection. But maybe that was just me.

 

[Kenny Powers]

11) Big Ben still holds the ball too long

It really bothers me when people say this. I cant count how many times Ive yelled at the TV for him to get rid of the ball and then he completes a 20 yard pass.His ability to keep a play going help the Steelers much more than it hurts it

 

[GloryDaze]

Very nice list. Agree on all points except Lendale White. I was not impressed with his 'leaner frame'.

 

[GloryDaze]

LBJ

Who?

 

[TheFanatic]

11) Big Ben still holds the ball too long

It really bothers me when people say this. I cant count how many times Ive yelled at the TV for him to get rid of the ball and then he completes a 20 yard pass.His ability to keep a play going help the Steelers much more than it hurts it

We were doing this last night. All 5 of us were yelling for him to dump it...

 

[Coboney]

11) Big Ben still holds the ball too long

It really bothers me when people say this. I cant count how many times Ive yelled at the TV for him to get rid of the ball and then he completes a 20 yard pass.His ability to keep a play going help the Steelers much more than it hurts it

Oh he makes big plays for sure with it. It just frustrates me as Im sitting there counting and watching him try to make stuff.A lot of great players have bad traits - Berry Sanders and negative yards, Favre and INTs - annoying but you know its part of what makes them great. Big Ben could move into that category. Even if I want to swear at him to throw the ball all the time.

 

[Jewell]

I'd like to add another point for the Steelers -- Mike Tomlin is perhaps the coolest and most bad ### coach in the league.

From the pre-game interview...

Interviewer Chick: Coach Tomlin, who is going to win this game?

Tomlin: The team that is more violent.

As if I wasn't already excited enough for that game as is. Tomlin rules.

 

[Deuce'sWild]

thought CJ3 did a good job pass blocking.

 

[Ray_T]

Hines Ward is a great possession WR. Nobody runs against either of these teams all yearMy boy Britt gonna be a stud...

the numbers look good, but most of his yards came on one catch where the DB didnt cover him. It wasnt a great move he made to gain separation or anything like that. The Steelers corner just messed up. He did get some good yards after the catch, and looked like he had some potential on other plays. I think realistically he wont be a stud until next year.

 

[Sammy Traveller]

I'd like to add to the Steelers: Willie Parker has no run vision and wouldn't see a cutback lane if it was marked like a traffic lane.

Fast Willie Parker is dead. RIP.Now we're seeing Slow Willie Parker.

 

[Coboney]

On CJ pass blocking....

He whiffed at least once and I THINK he did on another and other then that he tried.... but his tries weren't particularly effective on the whole barely putting any dent in the pressure on Collins.

B for Effort

D for results.

As per size - I've seen some small backs who can block fine but CJ doesn't seem to have that yet. He's young so there's a very good chance he could develope that as time. Pass blocking is one of the biggest things for young backs to learn.

 

[Coboney]

Hines Ward is a great possession WR. Nobody runs against either of these teams all yearMy boy Britt gonna be a stud...

the numbers look good, but most of his yards came on one catch where the DB didnt cover him. It wasnt a great move he made to gain separation or anything like that. The Steelers corner just messed up. He did get some good yards after the catch, and looked like he had some potential on other plays. I think realistically he wont be a stud until next year.

He also had at least one play that I saw where he ran a sloppy route on a come back leading to an incomplete and he should have stopped the Interception.

 

[Knobs]

LBJ

Who?

In camp last year, locals and Titan homers dubbed him 'Light Blue Jesus'. CJ was already taken, and Johnson looked like their savior. Hence LBJ was born. I'm not a fan of most nicknames, but I really like that one. It shows a smidge of creativity, it's easy to say, and it fits what he did for them on the field.The op didn't think he did a good job pass protecting...I disagree.

 

[cvnpoka]

not sure about parkers speed, but he definitely looked indecisive in the backfield and stuttered and danced when he got the ball. he showed very very poor vision and missed some holes that coulda got a few positive yards. instead he danced and bounced outside to lose yards.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Is it just me, or did Heath Miller have a career high in targets and probably catches last night?

Ive been saying for years they need to get the damn ball to Heath more. The guy has hands of Elmer's and you might as well mark down 5 YAC

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

Ben is the king of the comeback, 18 4th quarter comebacks since 2004, most in the league.

Ben is a very good QB but this stat is somewhat misleading to a certain extent. There are plenty of what if's in a game and I don't usually like playing that game but I think playing with an extremly good defense helps out this comeback kid. For example Ben's 4th quarter come back in last nights game was one that was only a 3 point deficit. And not only was it only 3 points the score was only 10-7. Also, his special teams did block a field goal as well to add to the heroics of Ben being called Mr. comeback. I do have to admit though that there are limited QB's in the league that you would want leading your team in late game situations than Ben, but lets not give him all the love for these comebacks.

 

[tim_whatley]

I doubt anyone drafted Britt to be a stud THIS year.

In dynasty, the guy looks to have real promise.

 

[NeverEnough]

Anymore thoughts on Mendenhall, folks?

How would you rank against this year's rookie RB crop?

 

[Carter_Can_Fly]

Can I add that Collinsworth is a great addition to the booth. I am going to like this crew a lot.

 

[Coboney]

Is it just me, or did Heath Miller have a career high in targets and probably catches last night?Ive been saying for years they need to get the damn ball to Heath more. The guy has hands of Elmer's and you might as well mark down 5 YAC

He had a lot. What seemed to happen was that Miller's orders were to chip and release into a flat most of the time and with the Titans getting pressure he was throwing it to Miller a lot. My guess though is that this would be his season high in both for the year as most teams won't stop the run as well. Could also be that teams will get less pressure meaning more throws slightly down the field rather then the guy short.

 

[supermark_28]

Very nice list. Agree on all points except Lendale White. I was not impressed with his 'leaner frame'.

I knew last night was going to be tough sledding for both RB's but Lendale seemed to take what was there. Next game, hosting the Texans should hopefully be a better example of the newer,slimmer Lendale.

 

[TheFanatic]

Anymore thoughts on Mendenhall, folks?How would you rank against this year's rookie RB crop?

I'll go ahead and wait for them to play a game too before I comment...

 

[Knobs]

Anymore thoughts on Mendenhall, folks?How would you rank against this year's rookie RB crop?

I'm not sure where I would rank him against this year's rookies, but he looked HORRIBLE. Granted, the Titans are not an easy matchup even without Haynesworth, but he didn't look great in the preseason, or last year.IIRC, his first handoff last night he ran straight into Ben. It looked like somebody was playing Madden with the kid - and not in a good way. He took the ball, did a spin (whether it appeared necessary or not), then proceeded to run smack into whoever or whatever was in front of him. I don't know if he magically expected the hole to just open up in front of him or he thought he could run through both his offensive line and the Titans' defensive line, but he missed a couple small holes.Mendenhall -

 

[GloryDaze]

Anymore thoughts on Mendenhall, folks?How would you rank against this year's rookie RB crop?

He looked every bit as much of a disaster as Parker.

 

[baconisgood]

LBJ

Who?

In camp last year, locals and Titan homers dubbed him 'Light Blue Jesus'. CJ was already taken, and Johnson looked like their savior. Hence LBJ was born. I'm not a fan of most nicknames, but I really like that one. It shows a smidge of creativity, it's easy to say, and it fits what he did for them on the field.The op didn't think he did a good job pass protecting...I disagree.

It wasn't that creative- people were calling peterson purple jesus the year before.

 

[Craig_MiamiFL]

Anymore thoughts on Mendenhall, folks?How would you rank against this year's rookie RB crop?

He's up to 22 (?) career carries now. At this pace, it'll be 2012 before we get a good idea. Pretty damning they go with M.Moore on a 3rd and 1.I'm not high on Shonne Greene, but I'd put him right around him. I think both are viewed as potential starters of the future. I think both have underrated obstacles in their way (Washington/Moore).

 

[Coboney]

Anymore thoughts on Mendenhall, folks?How would you rank against this year's rookie RB crop?

Mendenhall looked awful as I said. I didn't think anyone could make Parker NOT be the worst back in that game but Mendenhall did. The team seemed to have no trust in him either which is really telling

Can I add that Collinsworth is a great addition to the booth. I am going to like this crew a lot.

He did well other then his comment on complimenting Ben's sack taking in my mind. A step up from a lot of Anaylists.

 

[Knobs]

LBJ

Who?

In camp last year, locals and Titan homers dubbed him 'Light Blue Jesus'. CJ was already taken, and Johnson looked like their savior. Hence LBJ was born. I'm not a fan of most nicknames, but I really like that one. It shows a smidge of creativity, it's easy to say, and it fits what he did for them on the field.The op didn't think he did a good job pass protecting...I disagree.

It wasn't that creative- people were calling peterson purple jesus the year before.

It wasn't THAT creative, but there are some awful and lazy nicknames given around these parts. The SP sets a low bar in this category.

 

[Sigmund Bloom]

Is it just me, or did Heath Miller have a career high in targets and probably catches last night?Ive been saying for years they need to get the damn ball to Heath more. The guy has hands of Elmer's and you might as well mark down 5 YAC

Same number of catches as he had against the Titans last year, with five less yards.

 

[pecorino]

i was at the game and i haven't seen many replays so your perspective might be better than mine, but it looked to me that the issue with the steelers running game wasn't the backs but the line. i would hesitate to stick a fork in FWP or to dismiss Mendenhall based on last night's game. looked to me that there was absolutely no room to run.

 

[Coboney]

i was at the game and i haven't seen many replays so your perspective might be better than mine, but it looked to me that the issue with the steelers running game wasn't the backs but the line. i would hesitate to stick a fork in FWP or to dismiss Mendenhall based on last night's game. looked to me that there was absolutely no room to run.

I would say both looked bad. The Line didn't get much of a push but none of the backs made anything or took the small creases available for running. Moore probably looked the best and he was also doing well running in space.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Anymore thoughts on Mendenhall, folks?How would you rank against this year's rookie RB crop?

I'm not sure where I would rank him against this year's rookies, but he looked HORRIBLE. Granted, the Titans are not an easy matchup even without Haynesworth, but he didn't look great in the preseason, or last year.IIRC, his first handoff last night he ran straight into Ben. It looked like somebody was playing Madden with the kid - and not in a good way. He took the ball, did a spin (whether it appeared necessary or not), then proceeded to run smack into whoever or whatever was in front of him. I don't know if he magically expected the hole to just open up in front of him or he thought he could run through both his offensive line and the Titans' defensive line, but he missed a couple small holes.Mendenhall -

Looked to me like Ben went the wrong way.

 

[The_Fonz]

I was pleasantly shocked when Chris Johnson was still around in the 3rd round in my draft.....i guess no one in my league thought he was good enough for a 1st round pick unlike almost every mock i did. Anyway, I think I got a great deal at 6th position on 3rd round. He was up against one of the best run D's there is.....I can't wait to see him against Houston next week!

 

[Franknbeans]

11) Big Ben still holds the ball too long

It really bothers me when people say this. I cant count how many times Ive yelled at the TV for him to get rid of the ball and then he completes a 20 yard pass.His ability to keep a play going help the Steelers much more than it hurts it

For the most part this is true. Just a few times it might behoove him to lob a couple out of bounds so he doesn't lose field position like he did on their first drive.

 

[Resident A]

Britt got 75% of his yardage on 1 busted play where no Steeler was with 10 yards of him, let's not crown him just yet.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Is it just me, or did Heath Miller have a career high in targets and probably catches last night?Ive been saying for years they need to get the damn ball to Heath more. The guy has hands of Elmer's and you might as well mark down 5 YAC

Same number of catches as he had against the Titans last year, with five less yards.

I dont see how many targets he had yesterday yet, but last night was only the 3rd time in his career he had 8 catches.Obviously he had at least 8 targets, which would be only the 4th time he had that many. If he had 10, it would be a career high....I dont expect this every week, but it would be nice if they utilized Miller more; week in, week out.

 

[Lefty27]

I'll add another. I thought Chuck Cecil had no answer for Arians and the no-huddle offense. It was his first game as DC for the Titans and thought he did a fine job with defensive game plan - until the no-huddle. It looked like the Titans defense went "vanilla" at the end of the game.

 

[boubucarow]

Anymore thoughts on Mendenhall, folks?How would you rank against this year's rookie RB crop?

I'm not sure where I would rank him against this year's rookies, but he looked HORRIBLE. Granted, the Titans are not an easy matchup even without Haynesworth, but he didn't look great in the preseason, or last year.IIRC, his first handoff last night he ran straight into Ben. It looked like somebody was playing Madden with the kid - and not in a good way. He took the ball, did a spin (whether it appeared necessary or not), then proceeded to run smack into whoever or whatever was in front of him. I don't know if he magically expected the hole to just open up in front of him or he thought he could run through both his offensive line and the Titans' defensive line, but he missed a couple small holes.Mendenhall -

Looked to me like Ben went the wrong way.

That was my take as well. Ben was standing in the path created by the pulling lineman.

 

[TheBaylorKid]

Can I add that Collinsworth is a great addition to the booth. I am going to like this crew a lot.

Agreed. I didn't find myself distracted from the game by some ridiculous comment made by Collinsworth or Michaels.FWP looks like a flex position player at best this year. If you have 16 deep rosters and especially in PPR, MeMo is worth stashing away.

 

[Diamond One]

Britt got 75% of his yardage on 1 busted play where no Steeler was with 10 yards of him, let's not crown him just yet.

Agree, but the young kid did show a lot of upside. Give him time, he will be a hell of a weapon as he continues to develop.Re Mendenhall --

 

[tdmills]

Anymore thoughts on Mendenhall, folks?How would you rank against this year's rookie RB crop?

I'm not sure where I would rank him against this year's rookies, but he looked HORRIBLE. Granted, the Titans are not an easy matchup even without Haynesworth, but he didn't look great in the preseason, or last year.IIRC, his first handoff last night he ran straight into Ben. It looked like somebody was playing Madden with the kid - and not in a good way. He took the ball, did a spin (whether it appeared necessary or not), then proceeded to run smack into whoever or whatever was in front of him. I don't know if he magically expected the hole to just open up in front of him or he thought he could run through both his offensive line and the Titans' defensive line, but he missed a couple small holes.Mendenhall -

That play could've been Ben's fault as well. But the line play was horrible and he finishes his runs to get whatever yardage he can. He gained yards after contact....showing good power. No he didn't break anything....but neither did any other steelers RB.

 

[meeka]

LBJ

Who?

In camp last year, locals and Titan homers dubbed him 'Light Blue Jesus'. CJ was already taken, and Johnson looked like their savior. Hence LBJ was born. I'm not a fan of most nicknames, but I really like that one. It shows a smidge of creativity, it's easy to say, and it fits what he did for them on the field.The op didn't think he did a good job pass protecting...I disagree.

It wasn't that creative- people were calling peterson purple jesus the year before.

and they call Peterson "purple jesus" because they already call Joe Mauer "baby Jesus" in MN.