Wk 12...@ CIN

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Not sure what to expect this week. Fichtner is expecting Mason to have a big bounceback game, but I doubt it. I think the only thing that I can really have faith in at this point is the Steelers defense. They should be able to control the Cincy offense. At least through 3 quarters until the Steelers offense inevitably sucks the life out of them. Hopefully the offense (and defense) will have put enough points on the board by then to survive this game.

Guessing this is going to be one of those low-scoring nail-biters. Neither offense is capable of putting up 20+ points. Mason will continue to show how inept he is and without any semblance of an offensive identity I can't say for sure how they will attack the Bengals. We know how they should, but Fichtner ain't the exploitative type. I also have a suspicion that Mason is going to be so eager to shake off the stank & negativity surrounding him that he'll try to do too much early on and it won't be good.

Steelers 17
Bengals 12

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Butler logic... lmao

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

That 1st RZ trip was dismantled by Mason. There was a play that looked like he had a guy in single coverage in the EZ but Mason had his eyes on the TE rollout at the LOS the entire time and opted to run instead of take a shot. No vision there.

Then immediately after that he displays the pocket awareness of a toddler before making a very ill-advised throw into triple coverage. The tip made it look like it wasn't his fault, but that ball had a 2% probability of not being intercepted regardless. Terrible mechanics & vision inside the RZ.

I'm tellin you, he's already in a shell and he's not working progressions... And its the 1st quarter. He's throwing it to where the play is designed regardless of what the defense is doing. The game is in Fichtner's hands lol

@SteelersPride

 

[TheBurgh88]

But but but Colbert/Tomlin had a 1st round grade on him. What a joke.

 

[Yo Tee]

Man...this is a disgusting game.

 

[Yo Tee]

Hodges in at QB now.

 

[Yo Tee]

What a throw and what a play by Washington!!

 

[Yo Tee]

It would be great if Haden could catch one of these almost INTs once in a while.

 

[Superbelt]

Dying for some photoshop, here.

 

[thedddd]

Dying for some photoshop, here.

I guess all QB's people want to love have the pron stash going.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

I guess all QB's people want to love have the pron stash going.

The power of the stash... I'm here to support it

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

 

[ATL96Steeler]

HC…B, got a DIV road W with a QB3 is not too shabby even if it was over a winless team. There was some shabbiness though…10 penalties standout…Kudos on the QB change. Rudolph is holding it…starting to focus on the rush and not letting the ball go…arm hit on the INT, but he was staring the throw down, had 3 Bengals around #14, probably was going to be picked anyway.

OFC…C-, did a pretty good job of possessing the ball. Running game looked good at times and I like the concept of bringing in a change of pace RB…#40 made some nice runs. With your WR1 and RB1 out of the game you maybe expect to call a conservative game, but one target to the TEs all day?…and they played a lot of zone DEF…I don’t get that. The co mvps of the game imo was Washington (helluva stiffarm!) and Boswell.

DEF…B+, Joe Mixon was the brunt of the Bengal OFC. The had a healthy 4 ypc avg, but didn’t really get enough touches to do any significant damage. Tyler Boyd showed his skills with 2 great catches including one for 6…he went over 100 yds on the day but not much else. The DEF forced 4 fumbles recovering 2. Joe Haden left 2 INTs on the field…will have to start calling him Ike II…They got pressure with both OLBs, getting sacks from both TJ and Bud…4 sacks all told.

ST…B+, Got a punt dropped inside the 20, Boz was rock solid…coverage was better this week.

Summary, with OAK and IND losing this week, PIT moves back in the 6th seed position. I really think they need to give Duck the ball next game. The OFC looks better with Hodges at the moment. They completed the sweep of CIN…now back home to face CLE again trying to avoid being swept and keep their playoff hopes alive….I expect the DEF to be fired up for this one.

 

[cincygrad]

I'm all for giving Zac Taylor a chance. He's inherited a roster with significant holes from a previous regime and the coaching staff is basically all new with the exception of the special teams (guess which unit ISN'T playing bad). In general, it seems like the Bengals compete. They definitely weren't out there mailing it in. Credit to Taylor for their effort and professionalism...... But, he's a shaky game coach. One sequence yesterday says it all. After the Bengals blow a golden chance to take the lead with less than 1/2 a quarter to play, the D holds and the offense has the ball with 5ish minutes and down 3 points. Taylor rolls out a rookie qb and 5 wides (2 of which are basically practice squad players).... Doesn't even give Mixon a chance on the drive. Mixon is the one star they have on the offense. It's getting hard to argue with those that say the job is too big for him.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

In general, it seems like the Bengals compete. They definitely weren't out there mailing it in. Credit to Taylor for their effort and professionalism...... But, he's a shaky game coach. One sequence yesterday says it all. After the Bengals blow a golden chance to take the lead with less than 1/2 a quarter to play, the D holds and the offense has the ball with 5ish minutes and down 3 points. Taylor rolls out a rookie qb and 5 wides (2 of which are basically practice squad players).... Doesn't even give Mixon a chance on the drive. Mixon is the one star they have on the offense. It's getting hard to argue with those that say the job is too big for him.

The last few games the DEF has played like they want to pick up a paycheck.

This sequence you mentioned is spot on...granted they were backed up inside the 20, maybe he didn't think the Steelers would recognize what they were doing at 1st, but two of the 3 passes should've been picked off by Joe Haden. Only down 3 with over 5 mins to go, there was no reason to take Mixon out of the game plan. Keeping him on the field you would think would at least force the PIT LBs to respect that he could get the ball.

I think they should give him his QB, and at least 3 yrs with him.

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

HC…B, got a DIV road W with a QB3 is not too shabby even if it was over a winless team. There was some shabbiness though…10 penalties standout…Kudos on the QB change. Rudolph is holding it…starting to focus on the rush and not letting the ball go…arm hit on the INT, but he was staring the throw down, had 3 Bengals around #14, probably was going to be picked anyway.

OFC…C-, did a pretty good job of possessing the ball. Running game looked good at times and I like the concept of bringing in a change of pace RB…#40 made some nice runs. With your WR1 and RB1 out of the game you maybe expect to call a conservative game, but one target to the TEs all day?…and they played a lot of zone DEF…I don’t get that. The co mvps of the game imo was Washington (helluva stiffarm!) and Boswell.

DEF…B+, Joe Mixon was the brunt of the Bengal OFC. The had a healthy 4 ypc avg, but didn’t really get enough touches to do any significant damage. Tyler Boyd showed his skills with 2 great catches including one for 6…he went over 100 yds on the day but not much else. The DEF forced 4 fumbles recovering 2. Joe Haden left 2 INTs on the field…will have to start calling him Ike II…They got pressure with both OLBs, getting sacks from both TJ and Bud…4 sacks all told.

ST…B+, Got a punt dropped inside the 20, Boz was rock solid…coverage was better this week.

Summary, with OAK and IND losing this week, PIT moves back in the 6th seed position. I really think they need to give Duck the ball next game. The OFC looks better with Hodges at the moment. They completed the sweep of CIN…now back home to face CLE again trying to avoid being swept and keep their playoff hopes alive….I expect the DEF to be fired up for this one.

O... I really don't understand Fichtner's disdain for using his TE's in situational football. 3rd & long, RZ or otherwise... Majority of those snaps you don't even see a TE run a route, or one thats even on the field. They have too much invested in that position to be ignoring it the way they are. Makes zero sense, and one of the many reasons I do not support Randy Fichtner.

D... I'd probably only say 1 of those 2 INTs were catchable for Haden. The backpedaling one. Unless I'm thinking of the wrong play & forgetting one? The one where he undercut the route in the 4th quarter? Seemed like he had to lay out just to bat the ball away.

 

[ATL96Steeler]

O... I really don't understand Fichtner's disdain for using his TE's in situational football. 3rd & long, RZ or otherwise... Majority of those snaps you don't even see a TE run a route, or one thats even on the field. They have too much invested in that position to be ignoring it the way they are. Makes zero sense, and one of the many reasons I do not support Randy Fichtner.

D... I'd probably only say 1 of those 2 INTs were catchable for Haden. The backpedaling one. Unless I'm thinking of the wrong play & forgetting one? The one where he undercut the route in the 4th quarter? Seemed like he had to lay out just to bat the ball away.

O...I guess it's a week to week thing, but I've always thought vs zone a good TE is your friend...CIN played a lot of zone yesterday...this will be one to look at again when the coaches tape comes out...I want to see what Rudolph was doing when the WRs were coming out of their breaks again.

D...yeah both were in the 4Q actually on the same drive. The 1st one was on the back pedal, basically had the ball in his hands I thought. The next one was the very next play...he did undercut it on the dive, got both hands on it from what I saw...tougher catch maybe you're right....Fitz woulda caught it....

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

O...I guess it's a week to week thing, but I've always thought vs zone a good TE is your friend...CIN played a lot of zone yesterday...this will be one to look at again when the coaches tape comes out...I want to see what Rudolph was doing when the WRs were coming out of their breaks again.

D...yeah both were in the 4Q actually on the same drive. The 1st one was on the back pedal, basically had the ball in his hands I thought. The next one was the very next play...he did undercut it on the dive, got both hands on it from what I saw...tougher catch maybe you're right....Fitz woulda caught it....

O... Keep saying this, but aside from all the QB personnel issues, the OC could do the offense a TON of favors getting the TEs more involved. Instead he's been relying on guys like Johnny Holton, Tevin Jones & Deon Cain instead of using the better tools available. Especially in situational football. It pains me not to see Vannett & McDonald get used in those situations.

After the 1st quarter it was quite easy to see that Mason was only putting the ball exactly where the play was designed. As if he had his mind made up where he was going to throw before leaving the huddle. Presnap reads be damned. That RZ trip where he ran the ball when McDonald was covered at the rollout LOS route was the identifier for me. He never gave those guys in the EZ a moment's look, and I'm pretty sure there was someone in single coverage back there. Why not take that shot? Put the ball low & away at the EZ and let the receiver go after it. Instead Mason locked his eyes on the TE during the entire rollout and opted to run it instead.

D... Maybe Joe Haden in his prime woulda grabbed that 2nd one.

 

[Wamu]

Dont' feel like going through 2 pages of comments. If this was already mentioned my bad.

Why did Rudolph get benched & will he be playing next week?

 

[FaCe-LeE-uS]

Dont' feel like going through 2 pages of comments. If this was already mentioned my bad.

Why did Rudolph get benched & will he be playing next week?

Stiller Hooplans (minus that bech @Bridgeburner): "Because he's trash"

Mike Tomlin: "Because the offense needed a spark"

He left the door open for either to start next week and said "NEXT" to the direct question asking who he will start next week. We the Stiller Hooplans will f*cking riot (without that bech @Bridgeburner of course) if Hodges doesn't start.