Game Balls, Game Goats, & FU's.........vs Bengals

[Chicoman]

FINALLY! We put one in the win column. Might just wanna enjoy this one I'm not sure how many more victories we will see in 2019 but this was fun to watch. A complete game from the Defense.....they really exploited a depleted Bungles O-line with 8 total sacks by the Defense. Offensively I'll give credit to Randy Fitchner for getting everyone involved in the game early on offense. I'd still like to see him throwing the ball downfield and he will need to do that more efficiently if the Steelers are going to win more games this season. The team seemed better prepared this week than they did the first two weeks. Nice to see some young guys step up today namely Dionte Johnson, Devin Bush, Jaylen Samuels, Nick Vanette, I know for one thing this offensive gameplan the Steelers put out tonight got everyone involved in the offense early however they will need to throw the ball downfield vs the Rats next week if they are going to have any chance at winning. Defense will also need to keep Jackson in the pocket and when he runs....hit him and make him think twice about running again.


As per Tomlin's Post Game:

Injuries:
Cam Heyward - Quad but was able to go back into game
Conner - Left Ankle but also went back into the game

Game Balls:
Mason Rudolph - He did what was asked of him....nice to see him get his first career Win. 24 for 28 for 229 yards and 2 TD's
Jaylen Samuels - Nice to see him get some touches.....Steelers need to get him involved in every game like they did tonight 83 all-purpose yards rushing and receiving
James Conner - 42 rushing & 83 receiving....some tough running on display tonight.....did a good job securing the football
Dionte Johnson - We are starting to see a little more of him each and every week.....tonight he fumbled early but he picked it up the rest of the game....nice to see from a rookie who has all but stepped into the #2 WR position......hopefully he keeps improving.
Nick Vanette - He made a great catch on 3rd down to convert a 3rd & long....he showed good hands on that catch....he also pancaked a Bungles DE on a run block and led the way on Conner's TD catch. I have a feeling we have found our long term solution at TE.
Mark Barron - No one has been more critical of him the past 3 week but tonight he seemed more comfortable in the Defense....had 8 tackles and an INT on the endzone tonight.....he played well.
Devin Bush - For the first time he didn't look lost out there. I know it was only the Bungles but both Bush & Barron looked good tonight....7 tackles and a sack for Bush. Nice game rookie!
TJ Watt - My god the stats don't show it but he really has been terrorizing tackles on Defense and helping generate pressure on the QB. NIce awareness on that fumble recovery
Mike Hilton - He got absolutely trucked by Mixon on the blitz but he has 2 pass breakups and made some nice tackles out there tonight
Bud Dupree - I'll give him credit but beating Andre Smith who might be the worst tackle in the NFL is nothing to get excited about....1 sack & FF tonight
O-Line - Pouncey, Decastro, & Foster repeatedly got the 2nd level tonight....they played great as a unit....Big & Feiler both played good too.

Game Goats:
James Washington - The kid needs to step up and be better! Very disappointed they didn't try to go long to him downfield.

FU's:
FU to the officiating......I don't blame Tomlin on his Challenge in the 1st QTR on the OPI on Holton. The fact that they reviewed it and kept the call as it stands shows how inept the NFL Officials are at getting it right.

 

[Litos]

The play I liked the most from Bush was late in the game when the Bengals offense tried a delayed screen pass and he was the only Steeler near the pass, with three Bengals surrounding him and he recognized it, squeezed by his blocker quickly and tackled the catch immediately for a loss of yards. It could have been one of those plays that changes momentum as the front 7 was on seek'em mode and could have been burned badly.

Also huge props to Hilton as he was everywhere making things happen

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[MT~Forged]

My FU goes out to Tomlin for another stupid challenge, which he AGAIN lost. Can someone just take that challenge flag away from him?

 

[Ike Kelly]

FU's:
FU to the officiating......I don't blame Tomlin on his Challenge in the 1st QTR on the OPI on Holton. The fact that they reviewed it and kept the call as it stands shows how inept the NFL Officials are at getting it right.

Remember Chico, all replays are reviewed by Riveron, not the on field head official. It’s been said the majority of the coaches in the league are pretty peeved of the rule because there has been hardly any overturns on challenges.

The whole set up for this rule is for it to disappear after this year, Riveron has no objective findings.l


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[slashsteel]

The play I liked the most from Bush was late in the game when the Bengals offense tried a delayed screen pass and he was the only Steeler near the pass, with three Bengals surrounding him and he recognized it, squeezed by his blocker quickly and tackled the catch immediately for a loss of yards. It could have been one of those plays that changes momentum as the front 7 was on seek'em mode and could have been burned badly.

Also huge props to Hilton as he was everywhere making things happen

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Bush avoid a block and make a play, imagine that. He is already showing flashes of what he is capable of.

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[slashsteel]

Remember Chico, all replays are reviewed by Riveron, not the on field head official. It’s been said the majority of the coaches in the league are pretty peeved of the rule because there has been hardly any overturns on challenges.

The whole set up for this rule is for it to disappear after this year, Riveron has no objective findings.l


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Riveron is Kraft's buddy. I sware he is an employee.

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[Badcat]

I've been VERY critical of Tomlin and want his *** fired, but he and the coaching staff showed some promise tonight. Fichter's gameplan was on point and although I wish he would have taken the training wheels off of Mason in the third quarter, I'll give him an "A-" for actually game planning. I'm not sure if the Steelers executed well or the Bengals are just that bad? either way, nice to see the young guns have some success tonight.


Ravens just watched the gameplan and you know damn well they'll have 11 guys within 12 yards of the LOS ready to stuff the run and cover RB's out of the backfield. Gameplan for Baltimore...Intermediate routes and counters please!

 

[Slaine]

I'm not sure if the Steelers executed well or the Bengals are just that bad? either way, nice to see the young guns have some success tonight.

This.

I'll take it while I can. I hope that it leads to progress. I really liked Rudolph's pocket awareness and Connor was running hard. And finally some semblance of a game plan and offensive identity. I'm trying to be glass half full here but we're still 1-3.

 

[Ron Burgundy]

FU's:
FU to the officiating......I don't blame Tomlin on his Challenge in the 1st QTR on the OPI on Holton. The fact that they reviewed it and kept the call as it stands shows how inept the NFL Officials are at getting it right.

I thought Shades was finally going to break his three year streak of losing challenges.

 

[Coach]

FINALLY! We put one in the win column. Might just wanna enjoy this one I'm not sure how many more victories we will see in 2019 but this was fun to watch. A complete game from the Defense.....they really exploited a depleted Bungles O-line with 8 total sacks by the Defense. Offensively I'll give credit to Randy Fitchner for getting everyone involved in the game early on offense. I'd still like to see him throwing the ball downfield and he will need to do that more efficiently if the Steelers are going to win more games this season. The team seemed better prepared this week than they did the first two weeks. Nice to see some young guys step up today namely Dionte Johnson, Devin Bush, Jaylen Samuels, Nick Vanette, I know for one thing this offensive gameplan the Steelers put out tonight got everyone involved in the offense early however they will need to throw the ball downfield vs the Rats next week if they are going to have any chance at winning. Defense will also need to keep Jackson in the pocket and when he runs....hit him and make him think twice about running again.


As per Tomlin's Post Game:

Injuries:
Cam Heyward - Quad but was able to go back into game
Conner - Left Ankle but also went back into the game

Game Balls:
Mason Rudolph - He did what was asked of him....nice to see him get his first career Win. 24 for 28 for 229 yards and 2 TD's
Jaylen Samuels - Nice to see him get some touches.....Steelers need to get him involved in every game like they did tonight 83 all-purpose yards rushing and receiving
James Conner - 42 rushing & 83 receiving....some tough running on display tonight.....did a good job securing the football
Dionte Johnson - We are starting to see a little more of him each and every week.....tonight he fumbled early but he picked it up the rest of the game....nice to see from a rookie who has all but stepped into the #2 WR position......hopefully he keeps improving.
Nick Vanette - He made a great catch on 3rd down to convert a 3rd & long....he showed good hands on that catch....he also pancaked a Bungles DE on a run block and led the way on Conner's TD catch. I have a feeling we have found our long term solution at TE.
Mark Barron - No one has been more critical of him the past 3 week but tonight he seemed more comfortable in the Defense....had 8 tackles and an INT on the endzone tonight.....he played well.
Devin Bush - For the first time he didn't look lost out there. I know it was only the Bungles but both Bush & Barron looked good tonight....7 tackles and a sack for Bush. Nice game rookie!
TJ Watt - My god the stats don't show it but he really has been terrorizing tackles on Defense and helping generate pressure on the QB. NIce awareness on that fumble recovery
Mike Hilton - He got absolutely trucked by Mixon on the blitz but he has 2 pass breakups and made some nice tackles out there tonight
Bud Dupree - I'll give him credit but beating Andre Smith who might be the worst tackle in the NFL is nothing to get excited about....1 sack & FF tonight
O-Line - Pouncey, Decastro, & Foster repeatedly got the 2nd level tonight....they played great as a unit....Big & Feiler both played good too.

Game Goats:
James Washington - The kid needs to step up and be better! Very disappointed they didn't try to go long to him downfield.

FU's:
FU to the officiating......I don't blame Tomlin on his Challenge in the 1st QTR on the OPI on Holton. The fact that they reviewed it and kept the call as it stands shows how inept the NFL Officials are at getting it right.

All good picks, and although it has already been said, FU Ref's that was not pass interference!

 

[Ron Burgundy]

The Bungles aren't very good but I expected them to put up more than 3. Good job by the D.

 

[TDX27]

The only one I have to disagree with is the O-line. They are still horrible in run blocking. Sure, we had a couple nice runs in the 2nd half but when we needed a yard or two, the RB was being hit almost instantly as they got the ball. In the 2nd half, we had our two best runs of the year (not saying much there) and then had a 3rd and short. Conner got the ball and was instantly met by at least 5 white jerseys. Terrible! The only time things looked decent was when we ran the wild cat and all of those pitches are considered passes. But, you do what you need to do to win. The O-line is still very much a liability in the run game. If we need short yardage, don't count on running it.

Other than that, GREAT game by the team. Totally different O play calling than we've seen before but it worked (unless we needed a yard or two and tried to run it). The D looked fantastic. Barron was actually moving around and looked like he wanted to be there for the first time in 4 games. Bush looked real good. Bud and Watt looked good. And, our front 3 looked good. Nelson looked mediocre at best when they had him play 10 yards off his man but when he played tight, he was very good. Not sure why they don't have him tight on his man all the time.

Oh, and how is it, our smallest guy on D (Hilton) is one of our better run stoppers. Dude is not afraid to go after a runner who has 40 to 50 lbs on him.

 

[Sarge]

The only one I have to disagree with is the O-line. They are still horrible in run blocking. Sure, we had a couple nice runs in the 2nd half but when we needed a yard or two, the RB was being hit almost instantly as they got the ball. In the 2nd half, we had our two best runs of the year (not saying much there) and then had a 3rd and short. Conner got the ball and was instantly met by at least 5 white jerseys. Terrible! The only time things looked decent was when we ran the wild cat and all of those pitches are considered passes. But, you do what you need to do to win. The O-line is still very much a liability in the run game. If we need short yardage, don't count on running it.

The one thing I noticed is on those 3rd and short and even the failed 4th down is that there is no creativity in the play calling. The Steelers lined up showing run all the way, and the Bengals would bring 8 and 9 guys into the box. They knew what was coming. There was no threat of a pass. They made it easy for the Bengals to diagnose and stop.

 

[MTC]

The Bungles aren't very good but I expected them to put up more than 3. Good job by the D.

I agree. Impressive showing for the defense. They held an nfl offense to 3 points.

Game ball imo probably goes to Samuels. He ran hard.
The defense as a unit. But TJ Watt and.....the..... front 7 were a force last night.

Offense still has some kinks to work out. I agree with Sarge, no creativity on short yardage situations.
The promising thing is, the young skill players look to be willing to make an impact now. We’ll see as the season goes on against stronger opponents.

 

[Ironcitysteelers]

I have game ball. Well, ...a half of one. Nice job OC with doing something different! I don’t think those wildcat this is going to work every week now that teams will prep, but it was the spark the the O needed.

Every years it’s something with refs and replay. Last couple we didn’t know what a catch was, now? We don’t know what PI is. **** sake

 

[MTC]

I have game ball. Well, ...a half of one. Nice job OC with doing something different! I don’t think those wildcat this is going to work every week now that teams will prep, but it was the spark the the O needed.

Every years it’s something with refs and replay. Last couple we didn’t know what a catch was, now? We don’t know what PI is. **** sake

Too many rule changes. I think the refs don’t even know half of the penalties anymore

 

[Ironcitysteelers]

Too many rule changes. I think the refs don’t even know half of the penalties anymore

If I ****** up as much as they do in their job I’d be fired

 

[ianv2012]

I don't understand the idea that there were training wheels on Rudolph, saw in the game thread too whether it was "dink and dunk", "Rudolph is King checkdown", and "Too afraid to push ball downfield with Rudolph". Would anyone be saying that if that was Brady? No, it'd be "he's carving them up" because if the defense is taking away deep passes Brady will kill you underneath, that's what Rudolph did. Those passes were accurate and in stride, this is why the Bungles were getting sliced underneath, this is exactly how Brady always used to kill us.

The amount of jet sweeps and wildcat is the only thing to me that made it seem like they were "trying to help" Rudolph, other than that I'm perfectly fine with Rudolph always taking the open option if that's what the defense gives him

 

[Shane Falco]

Rudolph was playing Brady ball for sure. He managed the game well. Took what was given to him and didn’t try to force something.

 

[MeanJim]

... this is exactly how Brady always used to kill us. ...

Used to? It was September 8th!

I agree, though. And if every team the rest of the season allows it, then I hope that's what the Steelers continue to do on offense. It's ball control, winning football. At least against the Bengals (and Steelers).

 

[Tibs]

Game ball goes to the much-maligned trio of Tomlin, Butler & Fichtner. That's how you put an 0-3 start behind you and play good, smart football for sixty minutes.

 

[Tibs]

And say what you want about the Bungles, Tomlin & Butler just put the clamps on the #3 passing offense in the league.

 

[TDX27]

The one thing I noticed is on those 3rd and short and even the failed 4th down is that there is no creativity in the play calling. The Steelers lined up showing run all the way, and the Bengals would bring 8 and 9 guys into the box. They knew what was coming. There was no threat of a pass. They made it easy for the Bengals to diagnose and stop.

No doubt on that. But, our O-line still used to be able to get some kind of push. Now, they get pushed 2 to 3 yards into the backfield. If you can't run on 3rd and short (when other teams know you are going to run), you have issues. We have not figured out how to do that through 4 games into this season. If they can't run on 3rd and short, then don't. Pass it or run a trick play because we will have a better chance of converting.

 

[TDX27]

Agree on the coaching. D ended up having the right stuff this week. I saw a lot of improvement across the board.

On O, I have no idea where the wildcat with Samuels came from but it worked today. I can't see it being something we use every week as teams will now be ready for it but it worked last night to get our first W that we so desperately needed.

 

[Steelr4evr]

It's a W! Nice pass rush by the defense. The middle of the field only saw a few completions because of it. A great pass rush cures many things and makes everyone look better. Bravo!

The offense had some creative game planning. That should be an every week thing in dealing with different opponents. My personal opinion is that you should always do that and not stick to a one way or nothing approach each week. Adapt&overcome!

I can say without any doubt i like seeing us beat the **** out of teams defensively. It makes me smile the most.

That run by Conner down to about the 2 was beautiful. That kind of heart and attitude is what this team needs a ton of.

I think the run blocking will get better. It has to. They haven't been smashmouth in a long time and that is a total shift in mentality.