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The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - Pittsburgh Steelers - Game 1


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[b]Good [/b]


Burfict

Whalen - for the most part

Running Game

Lack of turnovers minus the fluke play


[b]Bad[/b]

Pass Rush - they got 2 sacks, but they've shown an incredible lack of consistency over the last 3 games.

Drops - Whalen, Gresham and Green. Forget who the 4th was on, I think Sanu. Drive killers.

Where did Hawkins and Gresham go?

Front 7 is really bad at shrinking passing lanes. No one on the DL or LB corp gets their hands up to make QB's adjust throws. That's on the coaches.

3rd week in a row Gruden and Zimmer got outcoached.

[b]Ugly[/b]

Run D - 166yds to the worst rushing offense in the league that was missing their top 2 RB's and 2 starting OL? Really?

Marvin's first challenge. Knee was clearly down. Don't know if it was Marvin's call or someone upstairs told him to, but it was a horrible call either way. The second challenge was kind of a damned if you do, damned if you don't scenario.

30yd pass on 3rd and 4? Just get the first down!

2 straight running plays inside your 20 down 7 with under 4 minutes left?


[b]Unfortunate[/b]

Marvin Jones injured before the offense ever stepped on the field.

Dalton's INT slipping out of his hand on the pump. I've seen it happen probably 6-7 times over the years in the NFL, but you don't tend to see it bounce off your lineman's helmet and right into the chest of a defender. Was a momentum changing play.
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[quote name='sparky151' timestamp='1350885893' post='1173591']
That was embarrassing. Trevor Robinson looked like Ghiaciuc II. Yet we kept running inside because BJGE doesn't have the speed to run outside. Ridiculous. Tackling was atrocious. If Pittsburgh didn't drop so many balls the score would have looked like the game from week 1.
[/quote]

forgot to mention that. What was up with the benching of Faine? I know they did it for a series last week, but Faine was FINALLY playing a good game and they took him out at halftime, and I don't think he ever came back in. IMO it was a big part of why the offense faltered in the second half. Robinson couldn't handle Hampton.

I'm all for getting the guy reps in case something happens to Faine, but last night was not the time to do it.
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[quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1350907696' post='1173608']
forgot to mention that. What was up with the benching of Faine? I know they did it for a series last week, but Faine was FINALLY playing a good game and they took him out at halftime, and I don't think he ever came back in. IMO it was a big part of why the offense faltered in the second half. Robinson couldn't handle Hampton.

I'm all for getting the guy reps in case something happens to Faine, but last night was not the time to do it.
[/quote]


They said Faine had a quad/hamstring injury and was Questionable to return.
That is why Robinson was in and Faine never returned.




[b] Jeff Faine: Jeff Faine leaves with hamstring injury[/b]
[b][url="http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=NFL&id=2607"]Jeff Faine[/url] - C - [url="http://www.rotoworld.com/content/content/clubhouse_news.aspx?sport=NFL&majteam=CIN"]CIN[/url] - Oct. 21 - 10:10 pm et[/b]
Bengals C Jeff Faine exited Sunday night's game against the Steelers with a hamstring injury.
[color="blue"]He was replaced by Trevor Robinson, an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame. Faine was signed in late August following the loss of Kyle Cook to a significant foot injury. Faine's return to the game is considered questionable.[/color] Oct. 21 - 10:10 pm et




http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=NFL&id=2607&line=245285&spln=1
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The defense played well enough yesterday to win that game. Few NFL defenses can stay on the field that long and be expected to not cave. How many possessions did Pittspuke have the second half? We have seen the exact same offense week after week completely lay an egg the 2nd half. The epitome was the 3rd and two play when Dalton went deep to AJ. AJ was open and a pass toward the right side of the endzone is a td. Instead he throws it down the middle into converging coverage. Their db never had to make an adjustment to the ball, just continue his straight line sprint to the catch point.
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[quote name='SF2' timestamp='1350878456' post='1173527']
Dre can not fix this pathetic offense. Worst part is the oline did fine today.
[/quote]

he'll help, but the problem is scheme.


I just don't know that zone coverage consistently works in today's NFL. Too many accurate QB's and WR's who are used to seeing a lot of zone in college.

Further, when is the last time any of the DB's jammed somebody at the line? It's time the DB's started roughing people up to throw off the offense's timing and give the pass rush an extra second to get to the QB.
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[quote name='SF2' timestamp='1350907845' post='1173610']
The defense played well enough yesterday to win that game. Few NFL defenses can stay on the field that long and be expected to not cave. How many possessions did Pittspuke have the second half? We have seen the exact same offense week after week completely lay an egg the 2nd half. The epitome was the 3rd and two play when Dalton went deep to AJ. AJ was open and a pass toward the right side of the endzone is a td. Instead he throws it down the middle into converging coverage. Their db never had to make an adjustment to the ball, just continue his straight line sprint to the catch point.
[/quote]

I see it different. The defense was awful yesterday. They were a few Pittsburgh drops away from getting blown out. The Bengals were very lucky it was tied at halftime.

Now the offense wasn't good either, but the Bengals very well could have been down at least 7 at halftime if it wasn't for a couple drops.
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[quote name='oldschooler' timestamp='1350907822' post='1173609']
They said Faine had a quad/hamstring injury and was Questionable to return.
That is why Robinson was in and Faine never returned.




[b] Jeff Faine: Jeff Faine leaves with hamstring injury[/b]
[b][url="http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=NFL&id=2607"]Jeff Faine[/url] - C - [url="http://www.rotoworld.com/content/content/clubhouse_news.aspx?sport=NFL&majteam=CIN"]CIN[/url] - Oct. 21 - 10:10 pm et[/b]
Bengals C Jeff Faine exited Sunday night's game against the Steelers with a hamstring injury.
[color=blue]He was replaced by Trevor Robinson, an undrafted rookie out of Notre Dame. Faine was signed in late August following the loss of Kyle Cook to a significant foot injury. Faine's return to the game is considered questionable.[/color] Oct. 21 - 10:10 pm et




[url="http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/playerbreakingnews.asp?sport=NFL&id=2607&line=245285&spln=1"]http://www.rotoworld...e=245285&spln=1[/url]
[/quote]


thanks.
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[quote name='Bengals1181' timestamp='1350907942' post='1173611']


he'll help, but the problem is scheme.


I just don't know that zone coverage consistently works in today's NFL. Too many accurate QB's and WR's who are used to seeing a lot of zone in college.

Further, when is the last time any of the DB's jammed somebody at the line? It's time the DB's started roughing people up to throw off the offense's timing and give the pass rush an extra second to get to the QB.
[/quote]. I honestly think the problem is the pipe dream that almost any defense in the NFL can continue to play at a high level after 25 three and outs by the offense. They start trying to do too much and eventually a good O coordinator makes them pay.
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Burfict was good. Pissed me off when that fat ass Colon pancaked him and kept driving him in the ground. I think Collinsworth had an orgasm watching that.

It was beautiful when Geno threw that fat ass back like a bitch and sacked Ben.

Our pass defense sucks shit. Hell our defense overall sucks, minus a couple of really good players. I think Zimmer's vastly overrated. We always fall for those gadget plays hook, line, and sinker. Always. Never prepared.
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[quote name='SF2' timestamp='1350908277' post='1173615']
. I honestly think the problem is the pipe dream that almost any defense in the NFL can continue to play at a high level after 25 three and outs by the offense. They start trying to do too much and eventually a good O coordinator makes them pay.
[/quote]


I definitely think the offense stinking didn't help, but the defense has no one to blame but themselves. The stealers were moving the ball at will pretty much all night, long before the defense ever got worn out. The stealers came into the game with a league leading 51% conversion rate on 3rd down. Achieved 62% last night.

The defense wore down in large part because they failed to get themselves off the field.
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[quote name='JC' timestamp='1350878045' post='1173515']
Marv's got to go. I've never had a huge problem with him, but this team has not played a complete game since 2009. Before that, you have to go all the way back to 2005. We really need someone to light a fire under this teams ass. With so many young guys, a message needs to be sent. We cannot afford to waste another young core to mediocrity.

The 49ers were stuck in mediocrity until Harbaugh got there and as much as I hate the guy, he has kicked that teams ass into second gear. That is what we need.
[/quote]

The Bengals will never do better than they did last season until Marvin is replaced with a good coach. That was the glass ceiling for his success. They still have a year of great draft pick slots coming up. They need to hire a coach to take advantage of the young talent they have now and the players they can get in the upcoming draft.The coaching staff embarrassed themselves yet again with a horrible second half showing. They had fun, aggressive play calling in the first half, then what happened?
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[quote name='Phatcat' timestamp='1350909223' post='1173623']
This was a team loss if there ever was one. Offense, Defense,[b] Special Teams, [/b]Marvin, Gruden and Zimmer all sucked. As Backer so succinctly stated - this is simply not a good football team.
[/quote]


another thing I forgot to mention. The kick coverage was absolutely atrocious last night.
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Our defense gave up 10 points in the second half. That with a our best corner being a 42 year old washout from Dallas and Rey sucking like a dog in the middle of the field. Of our six possessions in the second half, 4 of them were 3 and outs and another a 5 and out gaining a whopping 15 total yards. We scored 3 fucking points on 6 second half possessions. Lets put it in CLEAR terms, in 5 second half possessions we gained a total of 28 yards.

At the 5:29 point in the fourth quarter down by 7, we forced Pittsburgh to punt. We got the ball on our 11. After 3 plays, it was 4th and 10.
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[quote name='Le Tigre' timestamp='1350907226' post='1173606']


Things usually never turn out as rosy as they all seem in July. Which is why it is a fool's game to expect immediate high-end production from rookies and second year players. Last year was an aberration in that regard.
[/quote]

The quality you put in is 'immediate high-end production.' I'm not looking for 60 snaps of Pro Bowl play. I want contributions that take a little off the starter's plates. Still, Thompson, and Kirkpatrick have really given nothing. Peko and Atkins can't come off the field because there's no one to spell them. Kirkpatrick isn't giving anyone a snap or two off. I think those are reasonable expectations from guys taken in the first two days of the draft.
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Rewind to last week. Against perhaps the worst team in the league we scored all of 10 points in the second half and had 4 turnovers. We also let Josh Cribbs run one back for 60 than another for 44. Dalton threw a pick on our own 23 yard line which resulted in 3 points. Threw another which was a pick 6 from our own 12 yard line. We finally score a touchdown and then the defense holds Cleveland to 3 and out. Next possession, Dalton fumbles on the CLEVELAND 9 yard line and the fumble is returned 35 yards.

Our defense is not good but our offense is PUTRID.
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[b]Opening observations[/b]

*Tomlin > Lewis, LeBeau > Gruden, Haley > Zimmer, Steelers > Bengals.
*Remember when Bengals started 6-2 last year? They are 6-10 since then (including playoff loss).
*Remember when Bengals could only beat teams with losing records? Now they have lost 3 straight to teams with losing records when they played them.
*Allowed 27-3 run by Browns last week, allowed 21-3 run by Steelers last night.
*9 straight primetime losses. Lost 12 last 14 to Steelers at PBS.
*0-6 vs Steelers/Bengals in Dalton/Green era.
*What does it say when your best player Sunday night was undrafted?
*Still don't get Marvin's 1st challenge. He has now challenged 66 plays in his career. 26 have been overturned (31.5%).
*In 2009 Bengals went 6-2 at PBS and 6-0 in AFC North. Since then 8-11 at PBS and 5-11 in AFC North.
*Steelers have not lost consecutive games over last 42 games.

[b]Offense[/b]
*Rushed 9 for 49 opening drive, 12 for 31 rest of way.
*80 yards first drive, 105 rest of game?
*Dalton threaded needle and threw a TD bullet to Green. Might be best pass as Bengal.
*Dalton's INT end half was killer...leading 14-6, Steelers turned into 14-14 tie.
*Dalton has been picked 7 straight games, tying Carson's franchise record.
*Dalton has had four passes INT at line since Texans playoff lose. (Hou, Wash, Miami, Pitt).
*AJ Green 1 catch, 8 yards. As John Thornton said Thursday night, Steelers will take Green out of it and Bengals don't have a Chris Henry or TJ to make them pay.
*Deep ball. Anyone?
*Down 7, 5:40 left, 89 yds to go, Bratkowski called run, run, and then Dalton threw about 10 feet over Green's head.
*What happened to Andrew Hawkins and Jermaine Gresham?
*Instead of fighting for 1st down, Gresham turned his back on contact.
*Tough loss of Marvin Jones on opening kickoff. Emailer Dave wonders if Jones was #2 WR should he have been on KR?
*Opening drive was thing of beauty: 15 plays, 80 yards, 8:09...ran 9 for 49, passed 5 of 6 for 31 yards. Converted three third downs and a 4th down.
*Killer instinct: 4th and 1 coversion.
*Faine hurt, Robinson overmatched, Cook not ready, now what?

[b]Defense[/b]
*No way makeshift Pittsburgh OL should have handled Bengals DL.
*Allowed Steelers to convert 10 of 16 (63%)
*3rd string RB gained 122 yards on 17 carries?
*Vontaze Burfict a bright light in a season gone dark.
*Amazing how many runs/passes targeted middle of field.
*One of these years they will cover the TE.
*Nice job by Gilberry fighting off block, extending play for Hall to finish.
*Loved combo sack with Geathers/Still turning into fumble for Gilberry recovery.
*Credit Hall for comeback, accept he's not starting NFL CB
*Geno Atkins is simply a manhandling beast. 7 sacks. 7.5 last season.
[b]Special teams[/b]
*Big 45 yds KR to start 2nd half=FG and 17-14 lead.
*TaTE 39 YD KR
*Nugent not giving them enough distance on KO.


[b]Throw the flag[/b]
Marvin Lewis is 1 for 3 in winning replay challenges this season (33%).
Marvin replay challenges by the years:
Total challenges: 66
Overturned: 26
Percentage challenges won: 31.5%
[b]Season, challenges, overturned[/b]
2012: 3/1
2011: 5/2
2010: 8/4
2009: 7/4
2008: 7/6
2007: 13/3
2006: 8/2
2005: 5/1
2004: 5/2
2003: 5/1
[b][url="http://www.nflgsis.com./"](Per NFL GSIS)[/url][/b]


Read more: [url="http://www.espn1530.com/pages/lancesBlog.html#ixzz2A2256XLn"]http://www.espn1530.com/pages/lancesBlog.html#ixzz2A2256XLn[/url]
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[b]What they are saying about the Bengals[/b]

[b][url="http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/57458/rapid-reaction-steelers-bengals"]ESPN Rapid Reaction[/url][/b] The Bengals (3-4) lost their third straight and their ninth in a row in prime time. This marked the Steelers' fifth consecutive win over the Bengals.

[b][url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/20636963/bengals-show-no-urgency-in-crucial-game-thats-there-for-the-taking"]Bengals show no urgency in game there for taking[/url][/b]
[b]Gregg Doyel, CBS Sports[/b]
CINCINNATI -- Marvin Lewis was talking to his team in a calm, measured tone. Every now and then, the door to the Cincinnati Bengals' locker room popped open and Lewis' voice spilled into the hallway outside. How did he sound? He sounded bored.
The Bengals had just lost 24-17 to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night, blowing a double-digit lead at home to an aging, aching division opponent. The Steelers won this game because they wanted it.
The Bengals lost because they didn't.


[b][url="http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/F/FBN_STEELERS_BENGALS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-10-21-23-35-28"]Associated Press[/url][/b] CINCINNATI (AP) -- The top two running backs were gone. So were two offensive linemen. Safety Troy Polamalu was sitting on the bench along with all those other injured Steelers.
So, what exactly did Pittsburgh have left? A determined defense. Some reserve running backs. And Ben Roethlisberger.
That's enough, especially in Cincinnati.

[b][url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/eye-on-football/20633918/2012-nfl-grades-week-7-green-bays-getting-kind-of-scary-again"]NFL Grades[/url][/b]
[b]CBS Sports
Bengals: C-[/b]
What happened in the second half? The Bengals took over early and then completely folded to the Steelers. The defense couldn't stop Pittsburgh in any facet and the play calling was just incredibly bizarre, especially when they ran the ball two-straight times, down seven points, 89 yards away from the end zone, with just 5:40 remaining in the game. Marvin Lewis continues to not excel at coaches' challenges.

[b][url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/nfl-rapidreports/20636814/postgame-analysis-steelers-24-bengals-17"]Postgame analysis[/url][/b]
[b]Paul Dehner, Jr, CBS Sports[/b]
With its season backed into a corner, beset by injuries and in desperate need of its first road victory, Pittsburgh did what Pittsburgh traditionally does in those situations: It found a way to win.
And the Bengals did what they have done over and over again in the Andy Dalton-A.J. Green era: They failed to capture a signature win.

[b][url="http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2012/10/22/fifth-quarter-reviewing-the-24-17-loss-to-the-steelers/"]5th quarter[/url][/b]
[b]Joe Reedy, Cincinnati.com[/b]
Frustrating, exasperating, disappointing. There are many verbs that Bengals fans could use to describe Sunday’s loss. Here’s mine – typical.
Name the last time this franchise has truly had their backs up against the wall with the need to deliver a statement win and they delivered? It has now been close to seven years.

[b][url="http://www.bengals.com/news/article-1/Bengals-grapple-with-third-straight-loss/78ee28dd-cbc0-417e-ba57-9268636e2517"]Bengals grapple with third straight loss[/url][/b]
[b]Geoff Hobson, Bengals.com[/b]
At 3-4 and heading into a bye, both the Bengals; playoff hopes and their offense are hanging precariously by the proverbial thread. The good news is they're heading into a bye. The bad news is they're heading into a bye.

[b][url="http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/story/20636215/week-7-judgements-patriots-inability-to-close-out-games-cause-for-concern"]Judgements[/url][/b]
[b]Clark Judge, CBS Sports[/b]
And that, folks, is why Cincinnati can't win the AFC North. The Bengals can't beat Pittsburgh and Baltimore. They lost their last nine to the two teams combined and are 1-11 in their last 12 games (including the playoffs) vs. Pittsburgh in Cincinnati.

[b][url="http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/Week-7-rewind-Dallas-Cowboys-Carolina-Panthers-Tennessee-Titans-Buffalo-Bills-102112"]Alex Marvez, Fox Sports[/url][/b] As the Bengals were being limited to 185 total yards, no other receiver took advantage of the extra attention Green was getting. This includes tight end Jermaine Gresham, an underachiever for not transferring so much physical talent into productivity. The difference in this game was Pittsburgh’s superiority in the passing game and pass defense even without injured free safety Troy Polamalu (calf). Cincinnati’s defensive line isn’t as much of a strength as projected entering the season. Better pass rush would help compensate for ongoing issues in Cincinnati’s secondary. Bengals running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis has yet to prove a better option than had Cincinnati re-signed Cedric Benson at a much cheaper rate.

[b][url="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/21/sunday-night-wrap-up-roethlisberger-keeps-it-going/"]ProFootballTalk.com[/url][/b] Lewis still doesn’t seem to understand when to challenge and when not to. It’s an unusual blind spot for a coach who is good at so many parts of the game. He burns way too many timeouts on things that might gain him negligible amounts. He’s not the only coach with that problem, but it’s a persistent issue for a coach who is good at so many of the larger aspects of the game.
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[quote name='oldschooler' timestamp='1350911170' post='1173636']
[b]What they are saying about the Bengals[/b]

[b][url="http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/10/21/sunday-night-wrap-up-roethlisberger-keeps-it-going/"]ProFootballTalk.com[/url][/b] Lewis still doesn’t seem to understand when to challenge and when not to. [b]It’s an unusual blind spot for a coach who is good at so many parts of the game.[/b] He burns way too many timeouts on things that might gain him negligible amounts. He’s not the only coach with that problem, but it’s a persistent issue for a coach who is good at so many of the larger aspects of the game.
[/quote]

I have no idea what he is talking about. We are 1-11 against the Stealers and Ravens in the last 12 games. If you can't win in your division, what exactly are you doing good?
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[quote name='SF2' timestamp='1350911901' post='1173639']
I have no idea what he is talking about. We are 1-11 against the Stealers and Ravens in the last 12 games. If you can't win in your division, what exactly are you doing good?
[/quote]

Sounds like we should sign him up for a lifetime contract.
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[quote name='Phatcat' timestamp='1350912638' post='1173643']
Putting aside whatever opinion one has about Marvin, the job both Gruden and Zimmer have done is shockingly bad, IMHO. :(

edit: Our coordinators were one of the reasons I was very optimistic going into this season.
[/quote]


x2. Also, what contribution is Hue Jackson making at this point? If he was supposed to be helping Zimmer find the weaknesses in his defense, its not working...

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[quote]
[url="http://cincinnati.com/blogs/bengals/2012/10/22/fifth-quarter-reviewing-the-24-17-loss-to-the-steelers/"][b][color="#0f72da"]5th quarter[/color][/b][/url]
[b]Joe Reedy, Cincinnati.com[/b]
Frustrating, exasperating, disappointing. There are many [b]verbs[/b] that Bengals fans could use to describe Sunday’s loss. Here’s mine – typical.
Name the last time this franchise has truly had their backs up against the wall with the need to deliver a statement win and they delivered? It has now been close to seven years.
[/quote]


Quite a few adjectives too ...

This guy's a journalist?
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