A Few Thoughts on Yesterday

[mgteich]

And our starting CB Leigh Bodden.

Meanwhile, the New England Patriots starting offensive right guard (Neal) and offensive right tackle (Kaczur) were out while the New England Patriots left defensive end (Warren) was out.

 

[ATippett56]

And our starting CB Leigh Bodden.

I swear the injury excuse for the Steelers and Colts are getting old. The New England Patriots won a Super Bowl during the 2003 NFL Season with a ton of offensive line injuries and won a Super Bowl during the 2004 NFL Season with a ton of cornerback injuries.

 

[SVN]

--Wow…just wow. Forget those 16 points Pittsburgh scored in the 4th—as Tomlin said, teams that far behind are usually able to move the ball. That was a domination.

--One of the things that was bugging me when Moss was still around was the feeling that Brady had to babysit—that is, sit next to him all the time. Winning or losing, the Brady of the Super Bowl years, charging around the sideline, talking to guys, was replaced by Brady sitting next to Randy. It started changing the minute Moss was traded, and yesterday the old Brady was all the way back.

--Chung Chung Chung. Seemed like the Pats D was finding its identity until he got hurt a few games ago, and then they found it again last night (and while the Steelers points were garbage time, wonder if they would have been as easy w/Chung in there.) One guy can make an absolutely huge difference. Remember the ridiculous W/L splits the Pats had with Rodney Harrison vs. without? They essentially never lost w/him. Chung’s starting to seem like that kind of guy. I hear on the board that he’s OK, so a big whew! on that.

--Speaking of Chung, he came out of nowhere to flatten the Pittsburgh receiver on the last play of the 1st Q—I thought he stopped him short of the first down. Second Q., it was first down w/no mention of a measurement or anything. Did I miss something?

--The line play was outstanding on both sides of the ball. Anyone who was getting pissy about Mankins holding out should realize now you gotta shake that stuff off. Brady could have drawn pictures of his receivers he had so much time. Fantastic.

--No matter how much time he had, Brady was awesome. Still trying to figure out how he got that one ball to Gronk, I think it was the first TD.

--Speaking of Gronk, many have been wishing he would be more involved, so his contributions were great. Wonder if it was partially motivated by his mistakes last week--get the guy back in the mix before he loses confidence. Whatever, that's what we've been looking for. And it gives Hernandez a bit of a breather too, which could help down the road.

--OT….man, the Jets are lucky, huh? All that matters is the record, as we always say, but wow. That’s 3 Ws in a row they easily could have lost. Having said that, I don’t have a problem w/the Pats getting pushed by another team in the division. Hell, maybe it helps ‘em in some way. Bring it on.

Let me add my 2 cents from last nite too..

-Credit BOB for calling a very good game.We hve bashed him enough so he deserves some credit.He did call some braincramp plays like the handoff to woody during a series for no reason and the pass to morris but otherwise called a perfect game and even got 100 yards rushing on the steelers.One play which i thought was cool and some experts here can explain more maybe was when they lined welker at tailback behind brady and ahead of woody and he ran out left at the snap for an easy 10 yard or so completion.The steelers were confused who was covering him
-Defense played with a lot of emotion but some of them can learn some tackling from mayo and chung two of our best tacklers.Chung has a great knack when to deliver a hit vs wrap up a player something i wish merriweather did more. Lots of moore and mendenhall runs were because of missed tackles.
-Pass rush was awesome but i doubt we will see them blitz this much next week. will be a more nickel and dime defense kinda game.
-i usually dont complain a lot of refs in the game but last nite were some ticky tacky calls- the off pi on gronk,the chop block on BJGE.
-finally , taking no credit away from the pats but has anyone wondered why they always had had success vs the steelers.ITs because steelers are so inflexible in their style of play that if other teams force them to change they wont.All the accolades for the steelers D are well deserved but no one esp steeler pompom wavers rod woodson and jamie dukes care to mention that they can be thrown on for years now.Pats have shown it,kurt warner showed in the Superbowl. If **** Lebau had switched to nickel D in the second half and played coverage it couldve been interesting just like rex ryan did in the jet game but thankfully he didnt.his style of defense of "we do what we do" can be beat of teams are willing to be flexible and just try and throw the ball instead of running for the sake of it.

 

[apple strudel]

I swear the injury excuse for the Steelers and Colts are getting old. The New England Patriots won a Super Bowl during the 2003 NFL Season with a ton of offensive line injuries and won a Super Bowl during the 2004 NFL Season with a ton of cornerback injuries.

Who's making excuses? It's obviously a factor in last night's game, and most teams in the NFL are not nearly as good as the Patriots at overcoming them. What is so hard about that for people to understand? This board, I swear.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

Anyway, the Steelers only had 2 starting O linemen play, one of whom is a rookie. Both tackles were out, and a starting guard was out. No wonder we got 5 sacks. It was a great win (necessary disclaimer for all the insecure panicky types), but it's not like our pass rush broke free from the chrysalis overnight.

Had this game been refereed even close to normal, the Pats would have had a half dozen offensive holding calls and at least two that I saw OL hands to the face mask of the defender calls. Brutal.

 

[goheels22002]

The New England Patriots defense was dominant in the first half.

The New England Patriots have moved on from the Randy Moss Era. In the meantime, Brandon Tate is essentially a rookie wide receiver in this year's Patriots offense; Deion Branch needs to reacclimate himself to this year's Patriots offense; Wes Welker is returning from knee surgery alot sooner than most of us probably predicted. Throw in two rookie tight ends and a running back who was not in training camp for the New England Patriots, and it will take time for this offense to gel. The bottom line is the Pittsburgh Steelers game illustrated the potential of the New England Patriots offense near or at its best.

Agreed on moving past the Moss era yesterday, but let's see next week against the Colts what Tate does and the week after against the Lions. The underneath and mid-range stuff worked very well against the Steelers - the long ball was a problem with Polamolu patrolling and the blitz package as varied as it was. When the Steelers cam, they cam fast which prretty much negates a long vertical game.

I can see Brandon Tate going deep to stretch the field the next two weeks given the condition and quality of the upcoming linebacking crews and safeties. I doubt Mathis and Freeney will be able to do much more than pressure the pocket and contain unless the Colts get a big lead and they can just pin their ears back. The emergence of a quick-hitting running game was a combination of BJGE and Woodhead having a full set of plays just for them and getting Mankins back.

A healthy offensive line is huge at this point in the season. The confidence on the offensive side of the ball with Brady's 3-yard sneak was huge last night and going forward.

The defense was such a huge key to the Steelers game - where were those guys against Colt McCoy and Hillis? I agree with the original poster and others that Patrick Chung is a tremendous difference maker.

 

[Patriotic Fervor]

Who's making excuses? It's obviously a factor in last night's game, and most teams in the NFL are not nearly as good as the Patriots at overcoming them. What is so hard about that for people to understand? This board, I swear.

Injuries are a part of the game - sometimes a major part. If you can't overcome the injuries, you'll probably lose.

Last night, the Steelers apparently couldn't overcome them (there are other reasons for the loss here, too), and they lost.

End of story.

 

[ATippett56]

The defense was such a huge key to the Steelers game - where were those guys against Colt McCoy and Hillis?

The New England Patriots were outplayed and outcoached by the Cleveland Browns. With so much parity in the NFL this season, no team can come out flat and expect to win a game, especially on the road.

 

[apple strudel]

Injuries are a part of the game - sometimes a major part. If you can't overcome the injuries, you'll probably lose.

Last night, the Steelers apparently couldn't overcome them (there are other reasons for the loss here, too), and they lost.

End of story.

That's essentially my point. That and not knowing how good this team really is yet.

 

[apple strudel]

Had this game been refereed even close to normal, the Pats would have had a half dozen offensive holding calls and at least two that I saw OL hands to the face mask of the defender calls. Brutal.

Big Ben was all "doesn't your daughter go to Penn State?" to the refs. Refs succumbed.

 

[The Brandon Five]

Big Ben was all "doesn't your daughter go to Penn State?" to the refs. Refs succumbed.

Unfortunately for Ben he was the catcher rather than the pitcher last night.

 

[aluminum seats]

Let me add my 2 cents from last nite too..

-Credit BOB for calling a very good game.We hve bashed him enough so he deserves some credit.He did call some braincramp plays like the handoff to woody during a series for no reason and the pass to morris but otherwise called a perfect game and even got 100 yards rushing on the steelers.One play which i thought was cool and some experts here can explain more maybe was when they lined welker at tailback behind brady and ahead of woody and he ran out left at the snap for an easy 10 yard or so completion.The steelers were confused who was covering him
-Defense played with a lot of emotion but some of them can learn some tackling from mayo and chung two of our best tacklers.Chung has a great knack when to deliver a hit vs wrap up a player something i wish merriweather did more. Lots of moore and mendenhall runs were because of missed tackles.
-Pass rush was awesome but i doubt we will see them blitz this much next week. will be a more nickel and dime defense kinda game.
-i usually dont complain a lot of refs in the game but last nite were some ticky tacky calls- the off pi on gronk,the chop block on BJGE.
-finally , taking no credit away from the pats but has anyone wondered why they always had had success vs the steelers.ITs because steelers are so inflexible in their style of play that if other teams force them to change they wont.All the accolades for the steelers D are well deserved but no one esp steeler pompom wavers rod woodson and jamie dukes care to mention that they can be thrown on for years now.Pats have shown it,kurt warner showed in the Superbowl. If **** Lebau had switched to nickel D in the second half and played coverage it couldve been interesting just like rex ryan did in the jet game but thankfully he didnt.his style of defense of "we do what we do" can be beat of teams are willing to be flexible and just try and throw the ball instead of running for the sake of it.

Agreed on the playcalling--seemed to have a rhythm that's been lacking a lot of times this year (granted, plays working tends to make the calls look good.)

Also agreed on the officials' calls you mention. Thought Gronk's pushing off was very ticky tack. On the chop block, I'm embarrassed to say I'm not really sure I understood it, at least how Collingsworth explained it. I know what a chop block is, but it seemed sort of convoluted on the replay as to why that was one. Maybe it was clear--I didn't rewind it or anything.

 

[SuperPatsFan]

It's illegal to cut/chop-block a defender when the defender is already being blocked by another player. The officials determined that Light was already blocking the defender, thus when Green-Ellis cut the defender it was an illegal chop block.

 

[BradyManny]

It's illegal to cut/chop-block a defender when the defender is already being blocked by another player. The officials determined that Light was already blocking the defender, thus when Green-Ellis cut the defender it was an illegal chop block.

IIRC, BJGE and Light pretty much went at him at the same time, so it was pretty tough to avoid.

Either way, a 15 yard penalty is better than Brady taking another low hit from J Harrison.

 

[ATippett56]

It's obviously a factor in last night's game?

What's the excuse for the Steeler's defense?

 

[aluminum seats]

It's illegal to cut/chop-block a defender when the defender is already being blocked by another player. The officials determined that Light was already blocking the defender, thus when Green-Ellis cut the defender it was an illegal chop block.

I should have said I know what the penalty is but didn't see it there...seemed like they were blocking separately.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

Don't disagree, and the Pats have better depth (almost as a rule due to philosophy) than most other teams in the NFL. I just have a sneaking feeling that this game isn't a really accurate reflection of this team. Of course, I still don't have a handle on who this team is, exactly.

Hmmm....

So basically you are telling us you don't know anything.

Thanks for the input there, Captain Obvious.

I guess there is no point asking if a 7-2 record can tell you anything.

 

[apple strudel]

What's the excuse for the Steeler's defense?

I'm not sure what the h3ll your point is unless you're just trolling (not very well) since nobody's making excuses for anybody (why would a Pats fan make excuses for the Steelers?). But I assume that you are aware that they have 2 starting DEs, Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith, that did not play last night. The Pats O line was down 2 starters last night, but you could argue that it was 1 effective starter given how solid Vollmer is. It all goes back to depth. The Pats have it, and they deal with injuries better than any team in the league, IMO..

 

[PATRIOTSFANINPA]

Do we win this game with Brady forcing the ball to Moss deep all game?

That means BJGE probably would not have had as much an impact and the Steelers might have had a better game.

I really don't know if Moss was here that we beat Pittsburgh..it would have been a different offensive game plan.

 

[patsfaninpittsburgh]

Let me add my 2 cents from last nite too..

-Credit BOB for calling a very good game.We hve bashed him enough so he deserves some credit.He did call some braincramp plays like the handoff to woody during a series for no reason and the pass to morris but otherwise called a perfect game and even got 100 yards rushing on the steelers.One play which i thought was cool and some experts here can explain more maybe was when they lined welker at tailback behind brady and ahead of woody and he ran out left at the snap for an easy 10 yard or so completion.The steelers were confused who was covering him
-Defense played with a lot of emotion but some of them can learn some tackling from mayo and chung two of our best tacklers.Chung has a great knack when to deliver a hit vs wrap up a player something i wish merriweather did more. Lots of moore and mendenhall runs were because of missed tackles.
-Pass rush was awesome but i doubt we will see them blitz this much next week. will be a more nickel and dime defense kinda game.
-i usually dont complain a lot of refs in the game but last nite were some ticky tacky calls- the off pi on gronk,the chop block on BJGE.
-finally , taking no credit away from the pats but has anyone wondered why they always had had success vs the steelers.ITs because steelers are so inflexible in their style of play that if other teams force them to change they wont.All the accolades for the steelers D are well deserved but no one esp steeler pompom wavers rod woodson and jamie dukes care to mention that they can be thrown on for years now.Pats have shown it,kurt warner showed in the Superbowl. If **** Lebau had switched to nickel D in the second half and played coverage it couldve been interesting just like rex ryan did in the jet game but thankfully he didnt.his style of defense of "we do what we do" can be beat of teams are willing to be flexible and just try and throw the ball instead of running for the sake of it.

I don't think it's just a Steelers problem. It's a herd coaching/mediot mentality. The same one that insists Manning is the GOAT. There is no reason for it, it just is.

Look at the Steelers/Saints game. The mediots talked about how great the Steelers were in the first half. Never mentioned they got lit up in the second half. I believe there are two factors.

The Steelers dominate a sizable majority of the league. They don't dominate elite offenses and elite QB's. As such, Brady and Warner and in the past Palmer can light them up but there is no consistent pattern since the next week has them dominating an inferior opponent.

"Pressure" is overrated against elite offenses. Yet the media clings to it like the second coming because it's "sexy". Against elite offenses, you have to mix up defenses, be selective with blitzes and really bring "pressure" up the middle. Not the Steelers forte. They also don't have the personnel to play man and I doubt they can play with the requisite level of disciplined.

Polamalu can't.

However, every system has it's advantages and drawbacks and two recent Super Bowls is nothing to complain.