NFL 2012

[skeptik]

So RT Willie Colon apparently tore his right tricep muscle under the pile after Roethlisberger's second strip sack. He had surgery today and was replaced on IR. Rookie 2nd round pick Marcus Gilbert will start at RT. To take Colon's roster spot, they Steelers signed journeyman Jamon Meredith, originally a 5th round pick of the Packers in 2009. Started 4 games in 2009 with the Bills alongside current Steelers LT Jonathan Scott, under current Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler.

Personally, I choose to look at the silver lining in this issue. I thought that Gilbert looked impressive in the preseason, although he saw most of his snaps on the left side. I believe he will be the starting LT next year, with Colon returning once again (after also missing all of last year) to play RT, so it's good that he is getting playing time now. Personally, I was originally hoping that Gilbert would beat Scott outright for the LT spot at some point during the course of this season, but obviously there is now a need at RT. He will be able to get his feet wet, and do so earlier, however, at the less demanding position, so at least there's that. If Gilbert, Pouncey, and Colon can solidify their positions next year and the Steelers can draft at least one guard in the early rounds next year and maybe sign another FA G, the Steelers have the potential to be a good offensive line again, which hasn't been the case for half a decade.

 

[King Richard]

The Colts cut OG Jamey Richard (who blows) and signed OG Seth Olsen off of waivers. They also cut WR Chris Brooks from the practice squad and signed LB Caleb Campbell.

This means pretty much nothing in the grand scheme of things. The Colts are teh suck.

I was thinking about the idea of the Colts going into 2012's draft with a top 10 pick. And honestly, even if Andrew Luck was available, I'd rather see the Colts draft a dominant defensive tackle than a QB who is going to ride the pine for the next five seasons. There's still time to try and find a gem of a player in the later rounds.

 

[crimsonfloyd]

The Colts cut OG Jamey Richard (who blows) and signed OG Seth Olsen off of waivers. They also cut WR Chris Brooks from the practice squad and signed LB Caleb Campbell.

This means pretty much nothing in the grand scheme of things. The Colts are teh suck.

I was thinking about the idea of the Colts going into 2012's draft with a top 10 pick. And honestly, even if Andrew Luck was available, I'd rather see the Colts draft a dominant defensive tackle than a QB who is going to ride the pine for the next five seasons. There's still time to try and find a gem of a player in the later rounds.

The only way the Colts are getting Luck is if they get the 1st overall pick. I think whoever gets the 1st pick has to take him. Manning is 36 I believe. Franchises have to move on if the situation offers itself to them. This is why a team like the 49ers were able to extend their dynasty- because when another younger, franchise QB became available, they jumped on it.

 

[King Richard]

I understand that, and Polian has admitted that the search for the heir apparent has begun. Maybe it will be Luck? Maybe the Colts trade up for him? Or maybe the Colts start looking for later round prospects and let Peyton groom him. I don't know. It is reassuring to hear from Polian he's on the hunt. You have no idea how good that feels to hear, especially from someone like Polian.

 

[Jimmy... Dead.]

Um, that bobbled snap was because he hadn't called for the snap. The center was on his first start.
He also had the ball tucked for the fumble. Can't do anymore.

Dude, Romo lost the game for them. The fumble on the goal-line was typical Romo and the bonehead int was the icing on the cake.

 

[King Richard]

Ya Romo and the cowboys choked that one away.

 

[Dak]

Dude, Romo lost the game for them. The fumble on the goal-line was typical Romo and the bonehead int was the icing on the cake.

The fumble on the goalline was not his fault for two reasons:

1. Playcalling in that series was re-tarded, and the blocking was horrendous. He shouldn't have needed to retreat nearly 10 yards and then still scramble forward after all that, because it shouldn't have been a pass play.
2. He had the ball tucked into his body. Other than going down with both hands on the ball, he couldn't have done anymore.

While Dez Bryant ran a horrible route on the INT, Romo still shouldn't have made a cross-body throw into double coverage. That was a boneheaded, Favre-esque move.

The blocked punt lost the game. Why no one even attempted to block the guy coming up the middle is beyond me.

 

[skeptik]

Sorry, but it's a complete fucking joke to say that the fumble wasn't his fault. It was his decision to scramble and try to run. It doesn't matter what the play should have been. Bad play calling does not excuse a turnover. That's seriously ridiculous. Romo fucked up and fumbled. There are a lot of ways in which that play could have ended in ways other than a turnover. And the fact of the matter is that Romo does have a history of fucking up late in games with big turnovers, like he did against the Steelers in '08.

As far as the punt goes, since you decided to use the play calling argument...well, the Jets called a good play. Instead of lining up body to body, they took the man over the left shoulder of the left guard guard and moved him to 1 hole on the left, while sticking the player in the vacated spot behind the 1 hole. Thus, the left guard and center were left with 3 people to block on their own, while the guy to the left of the guard had nobody. The guard and center picked up their men, but McKnight followed the hole. It's called a well-designed play, one that would have needed to be spotted and called out at the line so that the blocking assignments could adjust.

 

[King Richard]

God, why can't Peyton be healthy? I'm going through withdrawals ffs.

WHY GOD

 

[Jimmy... Dead.]

Hey Dodens, I know you think the Raven/Steeler game was an aberration and I agree with you to a certain extent, but, after looking at the stats I saw another uncharacteristic flaw, 170 rushing yards wtf!?

That is alarming. How do you explain it?

Oh and whatcha think of the Giants? I think we are in for a long season.

 

[King Richard]

I think they're like the Colts: same problems, different year.

 

[muzmaze]

God, why can't Peyton be healthy? I'm going through withdrawals ffs.

WHY GOD

just thought i'd give you this your withdrawals...
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwhAn5KCFkw&feature=related[/ame]

 

[skeptik]

Hey Dodens, I know you think the Raven/Steeler game was an aberration and I agree with you to a certain extent, but, after looking at the stats I saw another uncharacteristic flaw, 170 rushing yards wtf!?

That is alarming. How do you explain it?

Oh and whatcha think of the Giants? I think we are in for a long season.

Honestly, playing the Ravens week 1 doesn't work in favor of the Steelers. They're a team that tends to strengthen as the season wears on. Aaron Smith played very poorly for his standards. I expect that he needs reps after not having played a meaningful game since week 6 last year. Brett Keisel had a better day, but the running toward his side was better than expected because James Harrison is not at full strength and also needs reps to get his conditioning up. The ILBs also inexplicably played a very average (at best) game for the most part. Casey Hampton actually played a pretty good game blowing up the middle of the line, but unfortunately, all he accomplished was widening the running lanes because the ILBs were not getting to the holes. Another major issue that contributed to the longer runs was Ryan Clark having a bad game. For the Steelers, the difference between 10-15 yard runs and 25-40 yards runs are whether or not Clark misses a tackle, and he missed a couple.

The other elements that contributed to the outcome of that game are the Ravens' solid gameplan and, simply, the flow. Other than that, the defense was just on the field too long. The first play from scrimmage was a 36 yard run that was just blocked flawlessly and set the tone for the rest of the game. The Ravens pounded the ball on the ground, which opened up the passing lanes, then Flacco hit Boldin streaking down the field for a 27 yard (I think) TD on a play in which McFadden actually had good coverage. Then after pushing the safeties back, the middle of the field was open all day for the TEs and backs. Flacco only completed 4 passes to WRs that day, all of them going to Boldin. Ike Taylor blanketed Lee Evans all day. He was thrown at 4 times with no completions and Taylor defending two balls. I don't find this particularly alarming mainly because I believe that the Steelers, through reps, can get back to their standard before they play another legitimate contender in week 4. They get the Seahawks at home next week and the Colts away the week after. By then, I think you'll see the Steelers looking more like the team that made Michael Vick cry in the preseason.

As far as the Giants go...man, the injuries are very concerning. I like the safety rotation of Phillips, Rolle, and Grant to soften the blow to the CBs, as all 3 are quality players, but the linebackers are still a major weakness. Not that I don't like Boley, but he's never made the impact he was expected to make. Kiwanuka will also probably continue to be a work in progress. I saw them using him up at the line quite a bit though, which is obviously more his speed. The offense has major issues, on the other hand. Eli simply needs to be a better decision maker. If he can't orchestrate a drive without fucking up mentally, then the Giants are just not going to be successful on offense. With the offensive line needing some time to come together as a unit, and the quality of play of Diehl, Snee, and McKenzie in particular declinging (and Beatty just not being all that great), the offensive line is not quite the boon it used to be, but it's still slightly better than average, I think. I am pleased with Baas so far. Lack of quality TE play will probably be an issue as well, but I think Hynoski will be a quality player in the future. I liked him in the draft and would have wanted him for the Steelers if Bruce Arians was actually willing to employ a legitimate fullback. I have no issues with their top two receivers, but somebody needs to prove to be the answer for the number 3. Victor Cruz didn't really help his case.

 

[crimsonfloyd]

The fumble on the goalline was not his fault for two reasons:

1. Playcalling in that series was re-tarded, and the blocking was horrendous. He shouldn't have needed to retreat nearly 10 yards and then still scramble forward after all that, because it shouldn't have been a pass play.
2. He had the ball tucked into his body. Other than going down with both hands on the ball, he couldn't have done anymore.

While Dez Bryant ran a horrible route on the INT, Romo still shouldn't have made a cross-body throw into double coverage. That was a boneheaded, Favre-esque move.

The blocked punt lost the game. Why no one even attempted to block the guy coming up the middle is beyond me.

Jesus Christ, is Romo your husband or something?

1) Most teams throw on 3rd and goal from the 2 yard line, since defenses are gonna stack the middle to negate the run.

2) When a player fumbles the ball it is the player's fault. I really wouldn't say he had the ball tucked away on the play either. He was swinging the ball all over the place while running, then as he began to dive, he started to pull the ball in, but at the same time DeVito hits it out.

 

[Krigloch the Furious]

Romo sucks. He prooves every game that he has a ton of skill. But he ALWAYS makes a mistake that costs his team.
They give Cutler shit for making bone headed mistakes, but Romo is still somehow a great qb.
All the while he has an an awesome WR, a solid #2 WR, and a great TE. Maybe a top 5 receiving TE of all time.

 

[King Richard]

Don't put all the blame on Romo. That entire franchise has been underachieving for years.

 

[PhlegethonVeins]

While this thread is refreshingly objective most of the time, there are periods where it shows through that with these kind of things the heart will always hold things higher than the head.

 

[Jimmy... Dead.]

As far as the Giants go...man, the injuries are very concerning. I like the safety rotation of Phillips, Rolle, and Grant to soften the blow to the CBs, as all 3 are quality players, but the linebackers are still a major weakness. Not that I don't like Boley, but he's never made the impact he was expected to make. Kiwanuka will also probably continue to be a work in progress. I saw them using him up at the line quite a bit though, which is obviously more his speed. The offense has major issues, on the other hand. Eli simply needs to be a better decision maker. If he can't orchestrate a drive without fucking up mentally, then the Giants are just not going to be successful on offense. With the offensive line needing some time to come together as a unit, and the quality of play of Diehl, Snee, and McKenzie in particular declinging (and Beatty just not being all that great), the offensive line is not quite the boon it used to be, but it's still slightly better than average, I think. I am pleased with Baas so far. Lack of quality TE play will probably be an issue as well, but I think Hynoski will be a quality player in the future. I liked him in the draft and would have wanted him for the Steelers if Bruce Arians was actually willing to employ a legitimate fullback. I have no issues with their top two receivers, but somebody needs to prove to be the answer for the number 3. Victor Cruz didn't really help his case.

Yea, couldn't explain it any better. I really can't stand Gilbrides play calling. Eli could have played better but between the way the O-line pass protected and the vanilla play calling he really didn't have much.

I think the Giants are going to go after a receiver in the coming weeks before the trade deadline. I would not be surprised to see T.Owens at this point. Especially while Coughlin and our GM are on the hot seat, and I can't believe I'm saying this but I really wouldn't mind. Even with all his bs he would be excellent with Nicks and Manningham. He might even light a fire under our QB's ass!

 

[Dak]

1) Most teams throw on 3rd and goal from the 2 yard line, since defenses are gonna stack the middle to negate the run.

Got stats to back that claim up? Just curious.

2) When a player fumbles the ball it is the player's fault. I really wouldn't say he had the ball tucked away on the play either. He was swinging the ball all over the place while running, then as he began to dive, he started to pull the ball in, but at the same time DeVito hits it out.

A fumble is always the ball carriers fault? Sometimes they simply can't be helped.

 

[Jimmy... Dead.]

Of course it's his fault! Especially as a QB, You throw the ball away. You run out of bounds or you crouch, take a sack and preserve a field goal. What the fuck was he doing running into the heart of the defense like that!? Cmon man!