GolfHos

wow, a reed touchback

:o

3rd and 3 early for the titans from the titans 27.

mcfadden nice stick on jones.

titans to punt

punt takes a steeler hop and downed at the 50.
 [sm_shock]

Some really exciting good matchups this week.  Lots of implications.

parker strong run off right tackle for 5 on 1st down

2nd and 5, parker delay on a  pull behind kemoeatu for -1
 [sm_disgust]

3nd and long 5, shotgun quick hit over the middle to miller for 6.

1st down @ the 40

1st and 10, drop back, all kinds of time, dumped incomplete to parker

2nd and 10, spread empty backfield with parker left flank, and ben is sacked for -2


 :sad3:  dumb dumb dumb

3rd and 12.... 42...   ben buys time but overthrows holmes down the left sideline   >:(

punt downed at the 2
 ;D

quit yer bitchin  8)

Steelers force another 3 and out.

Holmes returns the punt to the 41... basically right where the Steelers punted from.

1st and 10, play fake, and ward hit on a nice little drag across the right hash for 26.


1st and 10 from the 15, Parker delay cutback up the RG for a huge gain down to the 4.

1st and goal, power set left, parker up the middle for no gain.

2nd and goal, Parker stuffed for a minus 2 after trying to bounce it right off the 3TE side
 [sm_disgust]

3rd and goal from the 7.
trips slot left, 2 wide right, shotgun,   ben buys time, runs for the goalline, and gets knocked out after taking a shoulder to the head and fumbling it away.  Titans recover.
 :sad3:

he was watching the ball go away. 8)

He will probably be out the rest of the game

BigBen out, Captain Windmill in, 1st and 10 at the Steeler 2.

season over.

LOL

now BigBen is back on the field.  I don't like this.

Timmons actually makes a great play, absolutely killing Chris Johnson

Bironas with a 42 yard FG to make it 3-0 Titans just 45 seconds into hte 2nd quarter

Big Ben is out of it.  There's no way he doesn't have a concussion.  How did he fumble that otherwise?
 [sm_disgust]

10-0 Titans, and this game, and season are officially over.
 [sm_disgust]

goddammit Arians, you see what happens when you actually go unconventional and run quick throws on 1st and  10  out of protect schemes?

BigBen can put the ball in any window in the world---- if he isn't getting hit or running for dear life at the time.

Why is this so f'n hard to figure out.

OMAR YOU DIP! CALL A TIMEOUT THERE AND THROW A PASS IN THE ENDZONE BEFORE SETTLING FOR A FG

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

AND YOU MISS THE FG TO BOOT.

FIRE THIS IDIOT!



*fiddlesticks*ING HATE !

DISGRACEFUL THIS MORON MAKES MILLIONS OF $ A YEAR!

Would love to see Tomlin (back) in Purple next year.

you can have him, but you have to take Tardrians with him.

GO FOR IT, FISHER!!!!!

LMAO

I don't know why Fisher insists on running White on the short gainers. I've seen that *fudge*er get stopped for no gain or TFLed so many times.

I HATE WATCHING THIS TEAM .
 :sad3:

WHAT A COLOSSAL WASTE OF TALENT.

I won't count them out until the Titans go up by 3 scores. The Stillers have been able to pull some amazing *feces* out their asses the last couple weeks.

I was talking more about the season.  They can't beat Tenn today, they certainly won't beat them in the AFC title game in 4 weeks when Haynesworth comes back.   The loss today ended their season.

OK. Now, it's over.  ;D

Well if the Steelers manage to beat the Colts, they get a rematch in Nashville, and will get pounded even worse.  The stomping LenWhale put on the towel at the end is about what Haynesworth will do to BigBen.   Only hope was to get the game at Heinz Field where Kerry Collins might have lost it.
 :sad3:

Oh well.  Blow this team up and start over, starting at the top.  :sad3:

Dude, you crack me up.  ;)

seriously, if they dont win it this year, their window is closed. the OL sucks to begin with, and they are going to lose 3 members of it (in theory) to Free Agency (although i don't know why anybody would want them... never underestimate the FA marker).  Hines Ward will retire after next season, Farrior + Foote are declining, Aaron Smith+Hampton will retire in 1-2 years if they keep getting hurt... etc.

The Steelers have a long history of drafting well, signing low-profile free agents who fit their system, and (in all cases) developing talent that others don't see.  They'll be fine.

I really think everything stems from the offensive line problems.  (With no objective evidence), I don't think Ben holds the ball too long -- I think he gets harried sooner than he normally has been, and sooner than the average QB does.  Ben needs another second without pressure, especially from the blind side.  But trying to provide it by keeping a potential receiver back to block just strengthens the coverage and makes him stand there longer.  Teams seem to be playing for the run more, knowing that they can pressure Ben without having to blitz (and leave uncovered guys running routes).

I'm just saying you have an 11-4 team that would've won me a bet from you based on your preseason statements. IIRC.  ;)

They have had a damned respectable year. They are far from needing to blow it up, just tune up a couple areas.  :)

I predicted they'd go 11-5 when I went through their season game by game.  When I got done and saw "11-5", though, I didn't believe it would happen.

Always go with your first instinct. I just didn't think they had the offense, especially with the OL, to be an 11 or 12 win team.

I'm on pace for my prediction of 9-7 for the Vikes as well.  :sad3:

the problem is aside from woodley (and now, finally timmons) everyone drafted the last 2 years has been a total bust.

btw, for what it's worth , FOOTBALL OUTSIDERS DVOA analysis of the OL says they are playing essentially the same as last year... no real drop off.  the falloff in OFF performance is all on bens injuries (mid year) and , mainly, the insanely predictable and bad playcalling by Tardrians, who Omar refuses to fire.

Does their analysis/rating take into account the strength of the pass-rush or run-defense they face each week?  "Essentially the same as last year" can very well mean less success, given their much stronger schedule.

Can you be more specific?  Is it Ben alone?  Tying this in with the previous point: how is O-line performance measured?  Is Ben getting the same amount of time as last year?  Slightly less time, which translates to "essentially the same [offensive line] performance" against better competition?  Receiver problems?  I don't think the RB output is an issue.

That's the ENTIRE point of FO analysis.  Every single play is normalized the to success of the league average and the quality of the opposing defense played.
DVOA = Defense {adjusted} Value Over Average.


Can you be more specific?  Is it Ben alone?  Tying this in with the previous point: how is O-line performance measured?  Is Ben getting the same amount of time as last year?  Slightly less time, which translates to "essentially the same [offensive line] performance" against better competition?  Receiver problems?  I don't think the RB output is an issue.
[/quote]

Again OL stats are measured on a normalized basis to league average and the quality of Def played against.

As such, unless the quality of OL play, OFF play, DEF play, etc...  signficantly rises or falls year over year as a league-wide whole (and hence average) DVOA analysis allows a pretty good way to compare a team year to year in all phases of the game.

DVOA explanation in more depth
http://footballoutsiders.com/info/methods


OFF DVOA (compare year to year)
http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamoff2008
http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/teamoff2007

Off Line
http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/ol2008
http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/ol2007

QBs
http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/qb2008
http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/qb2007

RBs
http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/rb2008
http://footballoutsiders.com/stats/rb2007


Again, my argument is the OL is playing *essentially* the same mediocre-bad level as last season. The decline of the offense is the sum of the bad (rel to last year) QB and Rushing attack, both of which have had some injuries, but more importantly $.02 are being affected by tragic play calling (and the decision to stick with and not adjust said play calling at halftimes)

Big Ben had a stretch midseason where it was clear his hand/shoulder/etc were preventing him from being able to make throws he *used to* and thought he *could* at the moment (with respect to velocity and cross-body accuracy).  The failure to go away from this is one particularly damning thing i have against Tardrians and Omar, it cost them at least 1 game in that stretch.  Amazingly, they are 11-4, and could easily be 13-2 ...  having been totally dominated in 2 losses and looking very mediocre and 'lucky' at times in winning 13. 

Oh well.
 

Let me start off by saying I don't know WTF this DVOA *feces* is, except for what you've posted.  Thanks for the links.

So back to my out-loud thinking ... if the "mediocre-bad" offensive line is playing against even better teams this year, then that should mean Roethlisberger is getting even less time before he's got to start sliding/running/ducking/fighting.  As I watch games this year (and happily, I've actually gotten to see maybe half of them!), I get the sense every game that Ben just seems to have very little time to look things over once the ball's been snapped.(*)  Especially relative to other QBs I watch in other games, or even the PIT opponent (speaking overall).  The dude just can't think as clearly (and we're talking degrees, which I think make or break NFL-level quarterbacks) when he's constantly awaiting the hit/grab, especially from the blindside.

I'd like to see PIT run more quick-release pass plays, especially using Miller.  But Heath Miller is NOT Wes Welker -- the quickness to be immediately open probably is not there.  And PIT is having to hold back Miller or a RB part of the time to help out with protection.

(*) -- On the other end, I'm reminded of Brady in the pocket last year, who had more time than Angus Podgorny at Wimbledon.  (Here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMCNltgrs1U) at about 6:25 in.)

What the DVOA stats say is the line , despite playing against better defenses, is actually playing as well as it did last year. I think this has to do with Stapleton and the Center being upgrades over last year, while Kemoeatu is a downgrade (slight) from Faneca
 
Bens sack/fumble problems come from a couple of areas:
1- the line routinely whiffs on block schemes against blitzes- that is people come completely untouched.
2- the line struggles mightily against outside-in stunts/twists  ... routinely getting responsibilities confused and having double teams on weak edge rushers and singleteams or RBs against power insider rushers.
3- he does still try tooooo hard to make the hero play because he knows if he throws it away, he's just gonna repeat the process again the next down.
4- they don't run quick hitting plays to compensate for the weakness of the Oline, falling back on the ego and "accustomed to" plays that are slow developing and ... hence... ineffective (as Ben or RB gets creamed).  They had* this figured out last year. I don't get it.