Game Thread: Week 6... vsCLE

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I already have plans now to do something else. Going to Hersheypark (We're seasonpass holders) and treating my SIL's family with our comp tickets.

I might sneak my earbuds to listen, but I'll still just have to torrent it and watch much later tonight.

But I'll keep that one in mind for when I need it again. NFL needs to get away from this artificial market bullshit and let us stream properly, without Sunday Ticket.

Agreed. Hate the geolockin BS. Doesn't make any sense to me why they do that. Let the fans decide what they want to watch.

Forgot theres also Cr ac kS tr ea ms .

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

That was strange. Both Dupree & Watt lined up on the same side?

 

[Yo Tee]

Steelers defense looking stellar at this point.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[Yo Tee]

FUUUCK MAN

 

[Superbelt]

Bush isn't an irreplaceable linchpin of the D like Shaz was.

At least....

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Bush isn't an irreplaceable linchpin of the D like Shaz was.

At least....

Shazier was covering up a LOT of holes in the defense at the time... Bush is just a supplementary piece to the star power they have now.

His sideline to sideline range is what will be missed. His ability to go 1v1 with receivers & RBs allows them to be a lot more aggressive up front. Will be interesting to see how they adjust. Spillane looked good today but he wasn't tested much in coverage. Hopefully a combination of Spillane, UG3 & Allen can get the job done.

 

[thedddd]

I agree with the both of you. Any other year I would be like there goes the season but their defense is too good around Bush.
Also Spillane wasn't bad and with great talent all around, except Edmunds, he won't get exposed as much.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Coaching... It's quite hard to ask for much more of this team than what we witnessed yesterday. They annihilated an amped up divisional team that was playing their Super Bowl. It was a relatively clean effort too with only 6 penalties. A couple of which were terrible calls, but such is life in the NFL. I don't know what Fichtner was trying to do with the fake handoff to quick slant routes that nearly resulted in 3 separate INTs in the early goings of this game. It looked possible with the Cleveland DBs sitting off the ball 8-10yds, but they were steadfast sitting on those receivers. I guess Ben & Randy just wanted to test them early. Luckily it didn't end in disaster each time. Butler dominated this game. But we have to give some level of credit to the secondary coaches: Bradley & Austin. The secondary finally lived up to their potential. A

Offense... We knew the Browns defense was pretty banged up heading into this matchup, but that isn't what impressed me the most. What did was the fact that the Cleveland defensive front was nearly non-existent. Myles Garrett was on course for early DPOY and he failed to make any sort of impact other than a single sack off a busted play. The offense wasn't humming in this game, and the end stats show a meager effort. But this game was one of the AFCN clashes akin to the early 2000's. Every yard had to be earned. Credit to the Browns defense. Even without a full supporting cast they still were stifling the Steelers offense for at least 1 half. The Steelers were a paltry 5 of 14 on 3rd down conversions. The Steelers offense was admirable though. They found creative ways to grind out yards & capitalize in the RZ. Ben credited Dobbs on drawing up the play with Washington's double-move for an easy TD. Dobbs recognized that the DBs were biting hard on the underneath out-routes. James Conner deserves a lot of credit for this offenses' success. He looked like an all-pro again by routinely grinding out tough yards when their offense needed them most. And Claypool needs to get more involved, and earlier. Kid is a star. Still not sure I'm entirely sold on Ebron. B

Defense... This is what we knew they were capable of. They not only shut down the leagues best rushing attack (Hunt held to 40yds on 13car), but they also contained Baker inside the pocket and absolutely harrassed him all day long keeping the Browns' high-scoring team under double digits. Apart from a single drive before the half, they dominated this game from start to finish. The front seven enforced their will all game long against a top 3 O-line. Hats off to this wrecking crew. Unbelievable performance this week from everyone involved. Tuitt was especially impactful as he was in the backfield on nearly every play. And also gotta commend the secondary for finally showing up. Big performances from Fitz, Haden, Nelson, Hilton & Sutton. Getting the early pick 6 wrecked the Browns' confidence. You could instantly see the wind taken out of their sails. Hats off to Baker for trying to gut it out, but man his O-line let him down big time. The Steelers defense was teeing off on him before he finally & mercifully got taken out of the game in the 4th quarter. Browns only converted ONE 3rd down conversion in 12 attempts. That's unreal considering how dominant this Cleveland offense was heading into this game. The 4th down stops were the more memorable highlights. Browns needed a half foot to convert, and instead they lost 2 yards. That was all you needed to know about how dominant this defense was. A+

ST... Nearly perfect day, if it weren't for a misaligned Highsmith on a punt formation that drew a flag. But speaking of Alex... Can we talk about how frightening he must look barreling down the field full-tilt and smacking these returners in the teeth? Couple of huge hits on kickoff returns. Also, something that went unnoticed late in the game on one of Boz's final XPs... Kanaday fired in a loooow snap that IIRC skidded into Colquitt's hands, but the savvy vet somehow still managed to get the ball up for Boz to chip it in. That's almost golden glove status, and something only a vet could accomplish. Jordan Berry would have broke a finger trying to field that. A-

Overall... I'll admit that this isn't even close to how I saw this game playing out. This win came with a huge cost though as we all know we lost Bush for the season with a torn MCL. It isn't close to losing someone like Shazier, but Bush's range will be impossible to replace this year. The coaches have their work cut out for them to figure out a way to shore that up and adjust to it. Spillane looked good, but we need to see how he holds up in coverage. Also they may be looking at life without Hilton for stretch. Sutton is more than capable, but Hilton was having himself an all-pro season. Hopefully we get some good news on him this week. A

Outlook... Keep yourselves buckled up, because the road gets even tougher this week as the Steelers hit the road to take on the undefeated Titans. Easily their toughest test to date. They have one of the most dangerous offenses in the league with Derrick Henry running like his usual freight train self, but also Tannehill is dropping dimes and arguably having a MVP-caliber season (but not otherworldly like the likes of RW). The Steelers defense arrived at the right time to instill confidence, but they will need to put forth the same sort of effort that they did this week if they hope to contain the Titans attack. They've been doing a stellar job shutting down the rushing attacks, so they should be up for this task.

 

[Superbelt]

Outlook... Keep yourselves buckled up, because the road gets even tougher this week as the Steelers hit the road to take on the undefeated Titans. Easily their toughest test to date. They have one of the most dangerous offenses in the league with Derrick Henry running like his usual freight train self, but also Tannehill is dropping dimes and arguably having a MVP-caliber season (but not otherworldly like the likes of RW). The Steelers defense arrived at the right time to instill confidence, but they will need to put forth the same sort of effort that they did this week if they hope to contain the Titans attack. They've been doing a stellar job shutting down the rushing attacks, so they should be up for this task.

Derrick Henry, meet the league leader in TFL.


And his sidekick, TJ

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