Week 13...@ Bengals ***MNF***

[CrashDavisSports]

The Karma comment?

Are you implying that Burfict is innocent of any past transgressions?

Absolutely not. But once again, only thing Burfict did wrong against the Steelers that I can remember is the hit on Brown in the playoff game. So I guess to Brown, everything is about him, so that would be karma I suppose.

Like I said, Burfict had him lined up, he could have probably killed Brown there and with tempers flaring, he laid up to late and still made poor contact, albeit, much lighter than it could have been, but suspend able none the less.

You saying that with all the rule changes made due to Steeler players hitting/tackling/blocking ON BENGALS that the Steelers didn't deserve a little karma themselves? Are there any rules named after Bengals due to ridiculous hits that they had to re-write the rule book to make room for it because of their hits on Steelers?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

On a rainy night in Cincinnati…

PIT wins 23-20 featuring some bizarre plays(Jackson #22, Dupree #48???), and lots of hard hitting.

The Steelers notched #10 and 6 consecutive vs CIN in a fierce battle with a determined Bengals team. Congrats to Tomlin and staff for making some real halftime adjustments.

Taking a moment…prayers go out to our own Ryan Shazier especially, but also Vontaze Burfict and Joe Mixon of the Bengals. All were knocked out of the game on big hits…the early reports are positive for Ryan. Burfict will almost certainly go into Concussion Protocol, but I expect he will be okay, same with Mixon.

Per my norm, below are my grades OFC, DEF, ST.

OFC…3 of 5

The 1st half it looked as if Haley had met his match once again. Pick, then drive after drive resulted in nothing. A sack killed another drive, Ben hit a few other times. One big pass play by Bell and the recipient of one of several PI calls is the reason they had anything on the board.

2nd half, the OL got their act together...he still dropped one I thought he should’ve had, but Ben has to be developing more confidence in Bryant and he’s delivering. He made 2 or 3 big catches in the game. Jackson makes a huge mistake not pushing Bell out of bounds, but I’ll take it.

4th and 1, with 12:39 on the clock in the 4th quarter, down 10 points from his own 36 yd line. Tomlin makes the call of the game…let’s go! They execute the play flawlessly and Bell makes it easily. Even though the drive only resulted in a FG, it made a one possession game with roughly 9 mins to go. That kept the run game in lay and his full slate of plays. If they had not gotten anything from that drive and they got the ball back still down 2 possessions, CIN is able to play nickel and tee off on Ben.

Side note…I admit I did and imo you’re not a Steeler fan if you didn’t smile on the Juju hit put on Burfict. The taunting I didn’t care for, but I don’t think he thought he was hurt badly at first.

Iloka made AB pay on his TD catch, but fortunately he was okay.

DEF…3 of 5

Also a tale of two halves. The quick hitting passes kept the DL from getting much pressure on Dalton. Credit the playcalling for keeping PIT off balance with Joe Mixon and the quick passes. When they finally got them in 3rd and long Sensabaugh puts on some of the worst CB play I’ve seen. Butler/Tomlin had enough of that…rookie Sutton gets his job in the 2nd half. Yeah he gave up a 1st down, but play tighten up on that side…curious to see if Sens gets back in there or will Sutton hold it down until Joe comes back.

They got more heat on Dalton in the 2nd half. No picks from him this time, but they did a much better job getting off the field on 3rd down.

Dirty Red was playing well in Shazier’s absence and he goes down…in comes Foyt who I thought made a blunder on 3rd down play, but otherwise held his head up okay. Please tell me Dupree has the hearing of a dog and heard a whistle that no one else heard.

ST…4 of 5

Boswell just keeps doing what he does. Glad he’s kicking for the Steelers. If not for JJ Wilcox this group would have gotten a 5.

Outlook

Although surgery has been ruled out for Shazier…I think it’s safe to say he’s going to miss some time if not the rest of this season. We hope that’s not the case, but we’ll see how that sorts out…wishing the best for him.

This win keeps PIT in the #1 seed position via a tie breaker over NE. The Steelers now turn their attention to another DIV rival. The Ravens who are currently holding the 6th WC position with a game lead on the Chargers. By my math, beat the Ravens and the Steelers will clinch the DIV. I said this was the season to sweep the Ravens…hopefully they can deliver.

Great writeup @ATL96Steeler per usual! Great in-depth analysis.

Coaching... Honestly wasn't all that surprised by the sluggish start. But what happened after halftime is what truly defined this group's grading this week. Reminded me of one of my favorite Tomlinisms (not that I know if it was his own or a regurgitation): "We do not coach in our fears". Man oh man that wasn't ever more true than what they did last night. ATL touched on the play of the game in the form of a 4th & 1 near midfield with 12+ mins left on the clock. It was then or never in Tomlin's mind. Balls of steel! But one thing I thought really defined that game for Tomlin was his ability to keep his players focused when everyone was clearly horribly shaken up after watching their teammate, one of the defensive heartbeats, leave the stadium on a stretcher only to find out he was being rushed by ambulance to the hospital with no feeling in his legs. I can't imagine what that must have felt like for those guys. But Tomlin did what head coaches are supposed to do in that situation, sharpen his team's focus & determination. Hats off to Tomlin. On offense Haley's playcalling continuously stretched the field & pushed the tempo even in nightmarish weather where most teams would have tried to run more. And hell, he even handed over the keys to Ben for the no-huddle on multiple occasions. F*ckin A Haley, where has this side of you been all year? And on defense Butler recognized the flaws & corrected them. Sutton over Sensabaugh was a huge adjustment that paid off bigtime. Couple that with Butler throwing in more inside blitzes & stunts, the pressure was finally getting home. A-

Offense... Some miscues plagued them early and the offense got nothing done until the waning moments of the 1st half. Luckily they escaped a 1st half shutout thanks to the Bengals defenders getting very sloppy. O-line struggled early but provided the catalyst for the sparks they desperately needed. They are one helluva resilient group. Credit to the Bengals D though, they were rock solid in the 1st half. Got some clutch contributions from their 2nd & 3rd options. Still would like to see those guys get more involved. Bell played his tail off last night. Didn't care for him getting the bait & hook from Burfict early in the game. Bell should know better than that. And I too loved the hit from Juju but do not condone the proceeding actions. It's a good learning moment though for a 21 year old with a big head on his shoulders. Can't end this section without giving a shoutout to the field general. Ben was locked in during the 2nd half. That was vintage Roethlisberger. B-

Defense... Can't start this section without giving props to Dalton. I don't think I have ever seen him play as well as he did in the 1st half of last night's game, and arguably through 4 quarters. If it weren't for untimely team sloppiness & his receivers letting him down in the 2nd half I think they would have easily won that game. Defense was giving up what felt like everything on 3rd downs, especially 3rd & longs. Dalton was showing some incredible accuracy & field vision. But as stated before the defense tightened up just enough. They got a few phantom callbacks in their favor to save their night. Depth was tested but they played fairly well. Chickillo, Moats, Matakevich & Fort all saw plenty of action. Butler has his work cut out for him this week. They need to get healthy fast. C+

ST... Boz, you're the hero once again. Can't thank this man enough. I got worried after seein him limp after that offsides penalty where the Bengals player caused him to clash their feet together. Had an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach after that. And I agree with ATL that if it weren't for Wilcox this would have been a A+ effort from this group. Glad to see Bryant continue to make plays in the return game, even if they are called back. A-

Overall... As always, Steelers still have work to do. As a Steelers fan we are accustomed to not favoring style points. A divisional win is huge no matter the outcome. I'm sure there are some unforseen circumstances, but I think the Steelers have punched their ticket for a postseason berth. If the Steelers can continue to display this sort of resilience then they will be a tough team to beat in the postseason. B

Injuries... Nothing to say that hasn't already been said about Shazier. Praying for him. Side note, with this defense losing a key heartbeat & vocal leader, I wonder if we may see Harrison get some snaps. They certainly could push Moats inside with the depth at ILB be perilously thin right now. Just a random thought. Matakevich left with a shoulder injury & did not return. No updates at this time.

Outlook... Steelers have no time to let the dust settle. Its once again rivalry week with a roaring Ravens team coming to town. The divisional crown is still up for grabs. Thankfully its a home game, but still looks to be another physical matchup. Ravens always bring their A game, and they are clawing their way into the playoffs right now. They cannot afford a loss with how tight the WC race is. Ravens offense is leaning hard on the run game, which should benefit the ailing Steelers D. But I don't doubt that Flacco will be airing it out. They'll aim to replicate what Dalton & Hundley were able to do.

 

[Bridgeburner]

On a rainy night in Cincinnati…

PIT wins 23-20 featuring some bizarre plays(Jackson #22, Dupree #48???)

Dupree... anyone else think of their dog when that happened? It was like Dalton was saying "go get it boy!" and then palming the ball to watch the dog chase after a ball that was never thrown.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Dupree... anyone else think of their dog when that happened? It was like Dalton was saying "go get it boy!" and then palming the ball to watch the dog chase after a ball that was never thrown.

Exactly...That like the Globletrotters pulling the string on a pass....in the end he got his sack, but he'll look back on that as a missed opportunity...fortunately they still had to punt.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

Seems reasonable.

Honestly, as much as I pray Shazier is okay and returns to 100% shortly, I think he should be suspended for a game due to leading with the crown of his helmet on a tackle. He got hurt because of that, and the league needs to take those types of tackles serious even if the player he hit was 100% fine with no real issue. Those kinds of hits can paralyze or possible kill the tackler. Crown of helmet should not be used period. Grazing helmets hard but face up...shit happens in a fast pace game. Facemasks to helmets, incidental contact.

Shazier did the same thing a couple years ago to Bernard when he knocked him unconscious. The only difference this time, he didn't hit the WR in the head or neck area, instead he had his head and neck smashed.

If you are going to protect the person getting hit, you need to protect the person doing the hitting. You punish the tackler everytime he puts his head down to make a tackle, eventually, you will get guys to stop doing that.

Iloka deserved to suspended as well. I fully agree.

The only dirty hit I ever remember Burfict doing to a Steeler was Brown in that playoff game, and that hit could have killed Brown if he hadn't pulled up last second. Definitely deserved to be suspended. However, that is the only hit I can remember, not sure why all the hate for Burfict. The tackle on Bell that ended his one season was pure accident on a clean tackle, just unfortunate for the way Bell got folded under Burfict.

Good post, Shazier has put himself and others at risk with crown of the helmet shots...but I think you're missing a few dirty hits.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Absolutely not. But once again, only thing Burfict did wrong against the Steelers that I can remember is the hit on Brown in the playoff game. So I guess to Brown, everything is about him, so that would be karma I suppose.

Can't speak for him obviously, but IMO 100% of what he was implying by the Karma comment was related to the hit on AB back in '15.

Like I said, Burfict had him lined up, he could have probably killed Brown there and with tempers flaring, he laid up to late and still made poor contact, albeit, much lighter than it could have been, but suspend able none the less.

Bang bang plays are part of life in the NFL. They own that. But a player with Burfict's history doesn't leave room for debate.

You saying that with all the rule changes made due to Steeler players hitting/tackling/blocking ON BENGALS that the Steelers didn't deserve a little karma themselves? Are there any rules named after Bengals due to ridiculous hits that they had to re-write the rule book to make room for it because of their hits on Steelers?

Well dirty is a matter of perspective. They were playing by the rules at the time. And if anyone wants to claim it was ONLY the Steelers doing these things at the time, then they are smoking crack. That's like tryin to claim it was only the Steelers using steroids back in the 70's. GTFO... lol

The Kimo hit in '06 wasn't dirty at all. He came off a block and lost his footing causing him to come in low at the QB. Why people want to call that play dirty is simply because it caused a Super Bowl (hopeful) powerhouse team to collapse and the resulting fanbase wanting to point fingers. That was bitterness, not dirtiness. They made that play an example for the new rule simply because it was a grey area. And don't forget that the early 2000's was when all that "CTE" stuff came out and the league was up against lawsuits. There was a lot of emphasis on player's safety at that time and there were multiple brutal knee injuries in 2006 alone. Roethlisberger had scare that year as well, luckily he came back. They weren't trying to make an example out of Kimo. But it did result in better player safety. IMO that rule should have been in place long before that play.

The "Hines Ward rule" was dirty. But at the time it was legal and the entire league was doing it, and had been doing it for decades. Hines Ward simply excelled at it during his prime and enjoyed doing it more than others. Not many WRs in the league were physical enough to do it. Those hits I can definitely get on board with as being dirty though.

IMO the "Carson Palmer rule" is what spurred most of the hate. But it didn't cause the dirty play because they went 3 years without another "incident". That was when

And the "Ryan Shazier incidents" only proved more grey area in the rulebook, which moved the league to provide further clarification (changed for better interpretation). I do think leading with the crown of the helmet is a danger to players and they should avoid it, but according to the NFL:

Shazier wasn't flagged because Bernard had turned and established himself as a runner instead of a defenseless receiver. Additionally, Shazier didn't intentionally line up "head on" with Bernard.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

not sure why all the hate for Burfict.

It has more to do with his post-whistle work than his hits.

But he still has plenty of hits that are dirty, not just on the Steelers. Another one vs the Steelers that does come to mind however was the play where he dove low at Ben's knees in the 2015 season:

He wasn't falling. He wasn't even touched by DeAngelo Williams. Well maybe a fingertip touched him, but still nothing to cause him to shift his balance. He turned and committed to the QBs knees. That's just plain dirty.

 

[Psych-Ward]

It's funny to read you guys make qualifiers for dirty behavior, when you've told me in the past that the Steelers don't stand for this shit. Whether Burfict deserved it or not, it was a bullshit play to taunt a player he just hit illegally.

FWIW - I think Burfict had it coming. You can only do so many things before getting a target on your back.

But in 2015 when Burfict rolled up over Bell's knee, ending his season, it was acceptable for Burfict to do his little celebration dance......

I see.

For as many Steelers players as Burfict has targeted and injured, if it were someone else, Yes it's dirty.
But because it's Burfict, who cares.....do it again. End his career as he has tried to do to how many individuals in the NFL.

 

[Psych-Ward]

 

[Ojb81]

Dupree... anyone else think of their dog when that happened? It was like Dalton was saying "go get it boy!" and then palming the ball to watch the dog chase after a ball that was never thrown.

I would have except I was in a bit of a fit of rage at that moment

 

[cincygrad]

But in 2015 when Burfict rolled up over Bell's knee, ending his season, it was acceptable for Burfict to do his little celebration dance......

I see.

For as many Steelers players as Burfict has targeted and injured, if it were someone else, Yes it's dirty.
But because it's Burfict, who cares.....do it again. End his career as he has tried to do to how many individuals in the NFL.

This is what I don't get..... I appreciate the opinion you've posted here many times - That Burfict is cheap and you don't want cheap players on your team. But why qualify it? Do you feel it's okay for teams to target Mike Mitchell because of some of the cheap shit he's done in the past?

FWIW - I've said it here before.... Burfict was asking for it. Some of his words and actions have put a mark on him and he took a vicious hit. Frankly, he deserved it.

But the taunting was bush league..... And Brown's gloating about it was very low level - Particularly for an all-pro.

I'm just not sure how you can claim your guys (the Steelers) are doing it any differently than Burfict.

 

[Psych-Ward]

This is what I don't get..... I appreciate the opinion you've posted here many times - That Burfict is cheap and you don't want cheap players on your team. But why qualify it? Do you feel it's okay for teams to target Mike Mitchell because of some of the cheap shit he's done in the past?

FWIW - I've said it here before.... Burfict was asking for it. Some of his words and actions have put a mark on him and he took a vicious hit. Frankly, he deserved it.

But the taunting was bush league..... And Brown's gloating about it was very low level - Particularly for an all-pro.

I'm just not sure how you can claim your guys (the Steelers) are doing it any differently than Burfict.

I honestly can't stand 90% of Brown's childish bullshit.
He gets a first down and has to be a dick about it. Put the points on the board and streak the field, you earned that. But a Piss ant first down.....really.

Mitchell, if someone takes his head off, that's on him. He is mediocre at best, so if he feels he needs to hurt people for fans to think he is better than what he is, he'll get some of that karma Shit too.

As for the taunting thing, he was already getting a fifteen yard penalty for the helmet to helmet, he wasn't going to get a 30 yard penalty for both. But honestly I think the kid got caught up in the moment and was pumped after laying a mean lick on Burfict. Do I think he'll do something likes that again, no.
You have to look at it from the perspective of a 20 year old.....his teammates, all the vets, including Ben, probably talked about Burfict all week. And here the youngest guy on the team just knocked him out of his cleats....at that split second he felt like a hero and over reacted and stupidly at that.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

But in 2015 when Burfict rolled up over Bell's knee, ending his season, it was acceptable for Burfict to do his little celebration dance......

I see.

For as many Steelers players as Burfict has targeted and injured, if it were someone else, Yes it's dirty.
But because it's Burfict, who cares.....do it again. End his career as he has tried to do to how many individuals in the NFL.

I disagree. Dirty is dirty. There was no way Burfict meant to hurt Bell on that play, it was completely unfortunate. Burfict celebrates on every single tackle, it was complete perception I guess. Burfict got up and ran to his teammates to celebrate the tackle. He didn't stand over Bell and rub it in. Burfict didn't even know he had hurt him at the time.

As for JuJu's hit on Burfict. I can live with that as it was caught and going to be penalized because it was an illegal hit. Shit happens quick in this league and whether he lined him up or not, doesn't matter, it was an illegal hit. It was going to be penalized, I am good with that. The celebrating was the ridiculous part, and not just celebrating with teammates somewhere else, but standing right over top, straddling him and taunting Burfict with it. I get that it was Burfict, Steelers hate him. But still necessary? Nope.

I also understand that at the time Shazier hit Bernard in the playoffs, it was not an illegal play but it was on a technicality. Because he BARELY established himself as a runner, it made it a legal play. However, Shazier led with the crown of his helmet right into the face of Bernard and knocked the guy unconscious. Then while Bernard is literally knocked out on the field, Shazier was dancing and hooting and hollering and taunting the fans with teammates. Once again, I didn't like the hit, but I can live with it but it still should have been a penalty because you are not supposed to be leading with the crown of your helmet to make a tackle even then. That rule was in place, same as the runner is not supposed to duck his head and use his head as a battering ram against a defensive player.

I never had an issue with the Palmer hit, as I know Kimo was not trying to hurt Palmer. I only get fired up about it because Steeler fans are assholes about the whole thing saying things like: maybe we should bring back Kimo, or he got Kimo'd, time to Kimo Dalton, etc. That is the only thing that pisses me off about it.

Ward, he was a dick. He is the Bengals Burfict of the Steelers. Bengals fans have that same distaste for Ward as Steelers do for Burfict, so trust me, we understand.

I started developing that same hate for Shazier a couple years ago after that celebrating after knocking Bernard out. JuJu looked like he was about to cry on the field for a minute after he got reprimanded by Tomlin, fans, the media and the ref. I think he learned his lesson. I am okay with Juju as long as he doesn't conitnue down that path.

 

[cincygrad]

I honestly can't stand 90% of Brown's childish bullshit.
He gets a first down and has to be a dick about it. Put the points on the board and streak the field, you earned that. But a Piss ant first down.....really.

Mitchell, if someone takes his head off, that's on him. He is mediocre at best, so if he feels he needs to hurt people for fans to think he is better than what he is, he'll get some of that karma Shit too.

As for the taunting thing, he was already getting a fifteen yard penalty for the helmet to helmet, he wasn't going to get a 30 yard penalty for both. But honestly I think the kid got caught up in the moment and was pumped after laying a mean lick on Burfict. Do I think he'll do something likes that again, no.
You have to look at it from the perspective of a 20 year old.....his teammates, all the vets, including Ben, probably talked about Burfict all week. And here the youngest guy on the team just knocked him out of his cleats....at that split second he felt like a hero and over reacted and stupidly at that.

This is good perspective. I agree about JuJu.... I'm sure he felt like the king of the world in the moment - He KO'd the one guy everyone wanted KO'd.

It's going to be very interesting to see who the next Bengals coach is.... You know Burfict isn't going to take that hit quietly. I feel a cheap shot is coming - We'll need a strong-willed coach to lead the team or this is just going to get worse.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

This is good perspective. I agree about JuJu.... I'm sure he felt like the king of the world in the moment - He KO'd the one guy everyone wanted KO'd.

It's going to be very interesting to see who the next Bengals coach is.... You know Burfict isn't going to take that hit quietly. I feel a cheap shot is coming - We'll need a strong-willed coach to lead the team or this is just going to get worse.

It's a snowball effect that could get ugly. Honestly I'm shocked that the 1st meeting this year went as smoothly as it did. There was definitely a different tone to it. Hell, even Roethlisberger & Bell were praising Burfict as a player before the game. Felt weird when previously all they wanted to talk about before games against the Bengals was the rivalry and how dirty those games are, especially in regards to Burfict. Thought they had finally moved past all the BS. But here we are again lol.

Steelers set the tone early in this game when Bell got the bait & hook. He should have been smarter than that, but luckily nothing really resulted from that until JuJu's hit. Which I'm completely onboard with @Psych-Ward's perspective on JuJu. Burfict has been painted as the villain and JuJu was in the right place at the right time to play hero. As a young 21-year old he's still trying to make a name for himself. I'm hopeful that it is a great learning moment for him about being a true professional.

 

[Psych-Ward]

I disagree. Dirty is dirty. There was no way Burfict meant to hurt Bell on that play, it was completely unfortunate. Burfict celebrates on every single tackle, it was complete perception I guess. Burfict got up and ran to his teammates to celebrate the tackle. He didn't stand over Bell and rub it in. Burfict didn't even know he had hurt him at the time.

As for JuJu's hit on Burfict. I can live with that as it was caught and going to be penalized because it was an illegal hit. Shit happens quick in this league and whether he lined him up or not, doesn't matter, it was an illegal hit. It was going to be penalized, I am good with that. The celebrating was the ridiculous part, and not just celebrating with teammates somewhere else, but standing right over top, straddling him and taunting Burfict with it. I get that it was Burfict, Steelers hate him. But still necessary? Nope.

I also understand that at the time Shazier hit Bernard in the playoffs, it was not an illegal play but it was on a technicality. Because he BARELY established himself as a runner, it made it a legal play. However, Shazier led with the crown of his helmet right into the face of Bernard and knocked the guy unconscious. Then while Bernard is literally knocked out on the field, Shazier was dancing and hooting and hollering and taunting the fans with teammates. Once again, I didn't like the hit, but I can live with it but it still should have been a penalty because you are not supposed to be leading with the crown of your helmet to make a tackle even then. That rule was in place, same as the runner is not supposed to duck his head and use his head as a battering ram against a defensive player.

I never had an issue with the Palmer hit, as I know Kimo was not trying to hurt Palmer. I only get fired up about it because Steeler fans are assholes about the whole thing saying things like: maybe we should bring back Kimo, or he got Kimo'd, time to Kimo Dalton, etc. That is the only thing that pisses me off about it.

Ward, he was a dick. He is the Bengals Burfict of the Steelers. Bengals fans have that same distaste for Ward as Steelers do for Burfict, so trust me, we understand.

I started developing that same hate for Shazier a couple years ago after that celebrating after knocking Bernard out. JuJu looked like he was about to cry on the field for a minute after he got reprimanded by Tomlin, fans, the media and the ref. I think he learned his lesson. I am okay with Juju as long as he doesn't conitnue down that path.

TL;DR


FUCK OFF.

 

[CrashDavisSports]

TL;DR


FUCK OFF.

Huh?

 

[cincygrad]

Huh?

It means "Too Long. Didn't Read."

The fuck off part works the same way it always has..... I believe.