Week 4: Dan Rooney Award

[wig]

Oh the suspense...

Shazier impressed me. I'm not gonna lie. 11 tackles. A tipped ball that was intercepted by Hilton. An interception of his own... That's pretty damn good.

How bout JuJu. Got himself some catches and points. Even put a hurtin' on a Raven with a nice block. Can't complain about that. I heard a commentator draw comparisons to Hines Ward and I said out loud, "Not so fast, those are big shoes."

Mike Hilton - Who the hell is THIS guy? Zooms in for a "work sack" (That's what I call it when he misses on the first wave, but then works back and gets the QB on the 2nd go.) Then makes a play on a tipped ball and gets his first career int. THEN he has the wherewithal to run it back for a chunk of yards and just get down to not risk a strip or a fumble. Maybe not the bravest thing in the world but you got the ball and you retained it. Heads up play, young man.

But - In the end as Connor McCloud taught us, "There can only be one".

Welcome Back LeVeon. We missed the **** outta you. There was a time when the Ravens prided themselves on their unbreakable Run D. Sure a bunch of those guys are gone, but that defense has some pride and yesterday they got the **** kicked out of them. Congratulations. You are the Week 4 Dan Rooney Award Recipient.

Honorable Mention to the others. That Defense was astounding. Antonio, I'm sorry you didn't have your usual big game, but we all know what you can do. There aint nobody forgetting about #84.

I asked for the Steelers to kick the **** out of the Ravens and that's just what we got.

It was a great day all around in the Steeler Nation. Rats Lose, P*ts Lose, and the Cowboys lose. If the Bengals had manged to lose to the Browns it would have been just about perfect. But hey, let's not look a gift Shannon Sharpe in the mouth.

 

[slashsteel]

no love for Heyward?

About that rat D. They have thrown everything and the kitchen sink at the D in the draft. So you know they will field a solid D. Which makes the win, even more satisfying.

 

[Coryea]

Bell was a monster, but if you go back and look at the two picks, the tipped ball by Shazier, the wr was wide open for at least 15 yards and a first down.
Second INT, Shazier looked like he read that perfectly left his coverage and went after Watson, again if Shazier doesn't make that play that's a big gain for the Ravens.

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[mightyguru]

This Hilton kid is killing it.

 

[wig]

I do think Heyward is playing some great ball. He was panned last week by a few folks, but there were some pieces missing on the defense and if you try to do too much yourself you tend to make a mistake or two.

Often times as a defensive lineman, not hearing your name is a really really good thing. I'd say Heyward is having a very good year so far.

 

[ark steel]

Bell was a monster, but if you go back and look at the two picks, the tipped ball by Shazier, the wr was wide open for at least 15 yards and a first down.
Second INT, Shazier looked like he read that perfectly left his coverage and went after Watson, again if Shazier doesn't make that play that's a big gain for the Ravens.

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If.....?

 

[awboatguy]

Without our D we lose that game. Without Bell but WITH our D we still win that game.

Sorry Wig, as nice as it was to see Bell running good, it was twice as nice to see our defense playing a complete game. At the heart of it all was Ryan Shazier and Cam Heyward. My vote is for the hairless backer! He was streaking all over the place and kept Ben Watson from hurting us. #50 for DRA!


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[Coryea]

If.....?

My point is those were going to be big gains if Shazier didn't read and react the way he did.

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[wig]

I'm happy with the D too aw,

However the Ravens haven't been lighting it up. In fact Flacco has been off all season and their running game has yet to really establish itself. The truth is the Ravens are a team that is struggling. The Steelers D is improving. There is no question about it. The defensive backfield is becoming more cohesive every game and when the proper group is together in the front seven they are impressive. But if you look at last week and see what happens when the Steelers dip into the depth pool, you can see the cracks.

The defense tried to do too much, took bad angles, over-pursued, tackled poorly and had tremendous mental breakdowns at critical times. True, that was last week and it was fixed this week. But the Rooney Award, difficult as it is, goes to the one player who ultimately either inspires or carries the team through his efforts.

Shazier certainly warrants consideration, but ultimately (even though I'm annoyed at how over-used he was) LeVeon Bell did more individually overall than even Shazier. Although, you know what, as I type that I can see the hypocrisy there. Bell needs blockers. Shazier got 11 tackles, a tip and an int. That's pretty damn good. I should have considered that a bit more.

The "defense" however cannot win the Dan Rooney Award. (Sorry Defense. I do still love you!)

 

[Stryker]

I'm happy with the D too aw,

However the Ravens haven't been lighting it up. In fact Flacco has been off all season and their running game has yet to really establish itself. The truth is the Ravens are a team that is struggling. The Steelers D is improving. There is no question about it. The defensive backfield is becoming more cohesive every game and when the proper group is together in the front seven they are impressive. But if you look at last week and see what happens when the Steelers dip into the depth pool, you can see the cracks.

The defense tried to do too much, took bad angles, over-pursued, tackled poorly and had tremendous mental breakdowns at critical times. True, that was last week and it was fixed this week. But the Rooney Award, difficult as it is, goes to the one player who ultimately either inspires or carries the team through his efforts.

Shazier certainly warrants consideration, but ultimately (even though I'm annoyed at how over-used he was) LeVeon Bell did more individually overall than even Shazier. Although, you know what, as I type that I can see the hypocrisy there. Bell needs blockers. Shazier got 11 tackles, a tip and an int. That's pretty damn good. I should have considered that a bit more.

The "defense" however cannot win the Dan Rooney Award. (Sorry Defense. I do still love you!)

No need to beat a dead Shannon Sharpe , your awards are just fine!!