Where is Kelvin Sheppard?

[DrDawkinstein]

At some point today (hopefully) Im going to rewatch the game, specifically to key in on Shep. I'll be documenting his plays and will post a breakdown here, unless someone else beats me to it. I think the criticizers will be quite surprised.

[ajzepp]

At some point today (hopefully) Im going to rewatch the game, specifically to key in on Shep. I'll be documenting his plays and will post a breakdown here, unless someone else beats me to it. I think the criticizers will be quite surprised.

 

I don't know how many running plays they had, but BB.com is reporting that our 1st string D held Pitt to 1.9ypc in the first half. I guess we were doing something right.

[3rdand12]

At some point today (hopefully) Im going to rewatch the game, specifically to key in on Shep. I'll be documenting his plays and will post a breakdown here, unless someone else beats me to it. I think the criticizers will be quite surprised.

Fair enough. i expect him to come around, but after the Vikes he has alot of work to do.

I expect to rewatch the game but no doubt you will beat me to it.

Looking forwrd to your report!

Edited August 26, 2012 by 3rdand12

[Kelly the Dog]

I thought Shep played much better, and made a couple very nice reads and stuffs. He has to make that tackle on the TD though, although Dareus got pushed as well.

[bmur66]

has anyone ever seen Shep put a good lick on anyone? cause I have been waiting and I haven't seen it yet

Edited August 26, 2012 by bmur66

[Buffaloed in Pa]

has anyone ever seen Shep put a good lick on anyone? cause I have been waiting and I haven't seen it yet

I`ve seen him take a few lickings. Time for Morrison to take over. He needs to sit and get stronger, meaner.Like I said before hard to teach someone to want to come up and fill a hole or penetrate,when its not in him. He needs to sit and get hungry.

[DrDawkinstein]

has anyone ever seen Shep put a good lick on anyone? cause I have been waiting and I haven't seen it yet

I`ve seen him take a few lickings. Time for Morrison to take over. He needs to sit and get stronger, meaner.Like I said before hard to teach someone to want to come up and fill a hole or penetrate,when its not in him. He needs to sit and get hungry.

 

Rewatch (and really watch this time) the game from last night. Im doing that right now, and the kid was hitting. Breakdown on it's way...

[Pirate Angel]

Looks like we found the whipping boy for tbd this year

[Santana]

Kelvin is not ready to start yet, neither is Aaron Williams. These guys are being forced into starting roles based on where they were drafted and they're definitely not ready. Kirk Morrison should definitely be starting over Kelvin, he's more physical and is a proven LB in the league. He got completely ran over at the goal line yesterday as well

[Pirate Angel]

Atleast the cosching staff is recognizing this. Theyve had george Wilson call the plays and Kirk Morrison has been working at MLB. But remember...Its hard to win in the NFL.

[DrDawkinstein]

Kelvin Sheppard Performance Breakdown

Green = Positive Play to Doing his job

Red = Negative Play to Could have done better

Blue = Neutral or Was not involved

Black = Not on field

 

 

1st Drive, 15:00 in 1st QTR

1 43, Pass, drops in coverage, play goes other way, dropped pass

2 Nickel

3 Nickel

4 PUNT

 

2nd Drive, 1st QTR (No clock provided on Broadcast)

5 43, Pass, Shep's guy stays in to block, play goes other way, dropped pass

6 43, Run, Shep fills hole, takes on pulling guard and drive each other into RB/other blocker for a stop at the line.

7 Nickel

8 PUNT

 

3rd Drive, 10:04 in 1st QTR

9 43, Pass, quick pass, no play to make

10 43, Run, Shep fills hole at LOS, forces runner into pile, runner pushes for 6 yards.

11 43, Run, Shep flows right, fills hole and takes on blocker, runner cuts back and Barnett makes tackle

12 43, Run, Shep takes on blocker and misses making his play on RB (as does Moats). Gets blocked into ground. Play comes back for holding.

13 43, Run Outside, Shep is picked up by Center but fights him to the sideline and sheds blocker to make gang tackle [2nd DL in]

14 Nickel [2nd DL in]

15 Nickel

16 PUNT

 

4th Drive, 3:21 1st QTR

17 43, Pass, Shep covers RB, play goes other way

18 43, Pass, Quick pass to outside, no play to make

19 43, Run, Up middle, Guard gets to Shep, but play is made by DL in front of him

20 43, Run, Off right side, Takes on blocker and GWilson and Shep make stop of 5. Could have been a bit better maybe.

21 43, Pass, All LB Rush, RT chooses to take on Shep and lets Barnett go free to QB, hit while throwing

22 43, Pass, Shep drops in coverage, ball goes deep, incomplete

23 PUNT

 

5th Drive, 13:43 2nd QTR

24 43, Run up middle, Shep comes up to take on OL, Runner tries bouncing outside, strung out, stopped at line.

25 Nickel

26 43, Run, Up middle, Shep comes up, fills hole and makes play behind LOS for stop

27 43, Screen pass, Shep covering his guy on other side

28 43, Run, Up middle on 3rd and 1. Shep takes on OL, sheds 2 blockers and comes up in hole to help make stop with Johnson and Moats for loss. Forcing punt

29 PUNT

 

6th Drive, 10:27 in 2nd QTR, Ball on 18 following Spiller fumble.

30 43, Run, Comes up and helps make play just past line for short gain

31 43, Pass, Drops in coverage, play goes other way.

32 43, Run, Kyle Williams kills play before anyone can do anything else

33 43, Pass, play goes other way

34 Goal line, Run comes at Shep, Dareus, Shep, and Byrd meet runner at 2 but get pushed into EZ.

Touchdown

 

7th Drive, 5:03 in 2nd QTR

35 43, Run, Shep comes up to line, Runner stopped in backfield

36 43, Pass, Shep drops, Sack.

37 Nickel

38 PUNT

 

8th Drive, 1:46 in 2nd QTR

39 43, Run, Up middle, comes up to line, stopped in backfield by Dareus and Williams

40 43, Run, Fullback up middle, Shep comes up to fill, runner stopped at line

41 43, Pass, Shep in coverage down low. Play goes other way, Complete to RB over Barnett.

42 Nickel

43 Nickel

44 Nickel [2nd DL in]

45 Nickel [2nd DL in]

46 Nickel [2nd DL in]

47 Nickel

48 Nickel, Pass

Touchdown

 

Numbers:

Shep was in for 28 out of 42 plays in the 1st half (not counting punts).

Of those 28, 16 went another way or were stopped before he was involved.

There were 12 plays he was, or could have been, involved in.

Of those 12, I graded 9 as positives (or doing his job), and 3 as negatives (or could have done better). 1 of the 3 negative plays was called back for offensive holding.

 

There it is, folks. Sheppard's performance was pretty solid, as was the Defense's in general. Sheppard was coming up to bang with OGs all night. Filled holes, shed some blockers, and came away with 4 tackles.

 

Yes, there were some plays he needs to (and will) review and improve on. But nothing that was too embarrassing or reason to think he needs to be replaced. The touchdown run sucked for our Defense. Dareus and Sheppard had it stopped at the 2, and even Byrd was there, but the OL put his head in the RBs back and they just kept driving. Shep needed to go lower, and both Dareus and Shep should have kept their feet moving.

 

The D held the Steelers offense to ZERO points and 5 punts well into the 2nd quarter, before Spiller's fumble gave the Steelers a great red zone scoring opportunity and momentum swing.

 

If Spiller doesn't fumble, I think the starters go into half no worse than 7-7, and possibly as good as 14-0, Bills. But he did fumble, and the D will need to be ready for those situations. The loss in composure on the last drive didn't help either, but I'm confident they'll get that fixed. I'd rather see them have those learning experiences now in the preseason than week 10. It should be noted that the subject of this thread and post (Sheppard) was not on the field for the D's collapse on the last drive. I think our Nickel needs more work. And not surprisingly, the pass rush fell off hard in the middle of that drive while our 2nd DL was in.

[You herd it hear last]

I watch all the contests on the preseason pkg and have been comparing Sheppard and Poz. They both play about the same level it seems. Slow to pursue and hesitant to attack, and like many have pointed out, no bone jarring, fumble causing hits that make you say, "whoa, that guy can flat out play football". I was hopeful about the comments made by his peers during the OTA's, but that seems to have been just an attempt to boost his confidence, hindsight tells me. I believe many are glimpsing a ceiling on him and are a trifle disappointed.

[DefenseWinzChampionshipz]

I`ve seen him take a few lickings. Time for Morrison to take over. He needs to sit and get stronger, meaner.Like I said before hard to teach someone to want to come up and fill a hole or penetrate,when its not in him. He needs to sit and get hungry.

 

I so agree with this....

[Kelly the Dog]

Thanks for taking the time and doing some actual detailed analysis, Herr Doktor. I thought he looked far better than he has, except for the crappy TD tackle.

[ajzepp]

Dr.D: Great job! Play # 12 is the one I cited in my post where he ends up on the ground. I think people happened to see this play and then came rushing to TBD saying how much he sucks.

 

I know it's cliche, anyone who actually WATCHED the game last night knows that Shep looked improved. Thanks for taking the time to break it down!

[DrDawkinstein]

Thanks for taking the time and doing some actual detailed analysis, Herr Doktor. I thought he looked far better than he has, except for the crappy TD tackle.

Dr.D: Great job! Play # 12 is the one I cited in my post where he ends up on the ground. I think people happened to see this play and then came rushing to TBD saying how much he sucks.

 

I know it's cliche, anyone who actually WATCHED the game last night knows that Shep looked improved. Thanks for taking the time to break it down!

 

My pleasure, fellas.

 

I'm in no way arguing that he is 100% perfect. But 9 good plays out of 12 possibilities is pretty decent, imo. Plus he was attacking the line and filling holes, regardless of what other people say. It's right there on tape.

 

Certainly better than those who were calling for him to be cut are giving him credit for.

 

And I agree, AJ. I hate the old line "Did you even watch the game?", but anyone who is still ripping on him, clearly hasnt.

[RyanC883]

Generally on the ground being run over by the other teams RB. Or missing tackles, not being in position to make a play, etc. This is very disappointing because I thought he played decently at the end of last season, and there seems to be zero improvement or regression. HOpefully some LB's become available like Barnett did 2 yrs ago.

[DrDawkinstein]

Generally on the ground being run over by the other teams RB. Or missing tackles, not being in position to make a play, etc. This is very disappointing because I thought he played decently at the end of last season, and there seems to be zero improvement or regression. HOpefully some LB's become available like Barnett did 2 yrs ago.

 

You just making statements? Or do you have anything to back that up with?

 

What do you think of last night's performance?

[RyanC883]

Kelvin Sheppard Performance Breakdown

Green = Positive Play to Doing his job

Red = Negative Play to Could have done better

Blue = Neutral or Was not involved

Black = Not on field

 

 

1st Drive, 15:00 in 1st QTR

1 43, Pass, drops in coverage, play goes other way, dropped pass

2 Nickel

3 Nickel

4 PUNT

 

2nd Drive, 1st QTR (No clock provided on Broadcast)

5 43, Pass, Shep's guy stays in to block, play goes other way, dropped pass

6 43, Run, Shep fills hole, takes on pulling guard and drive each other into RB/other blocker for a stop at the line.

7 Nickel

8 PUNT

 

3rd Drive, 10:04 in 1st QTR

9 43, Pass, quick pass, no play to make

10 43, Run, Shep fills hole at LOS, forces runner into pile, runner pushes for 6 yards.

11 43, Run, Shep flows right, fills hole and takes on blocker, runner cuts back and Barnett makes tackle

12 43, Run, Shep takes on blocker and misses making his play on RB (as does Moats). Gets blocked into ground. Play comes back for holding.

13 43, Run Outside, Shep is picked up by Center but fights him to the sideline and sheds blocker to make gang tackle [2nd DL in]

14 Nickel [2nd DL in]

15 Nickel

16 PUNT

 

4th Drive, 3:21 1st QTR

17 43, Pass, Shep covers RB, play goes other way

18 43, Pass, Quick pass to outside, no play to make

19 43, Run, Up middle, Guard gets to Shep, but play is made by DL in front of him

20 43, Run, Off right side, Takes on blocker and GWilson and Shep make stop of 5. Could have been a bit better maybe.

21 43, Pass, All LB Rush, RT chooses to take on Shep and lets Barnett go free to QB, hit while throwing

22 43, Pass, Shep drops in coverage, ball goes deep, incomplete

23 PUNT

 

5th Drive, 13:43 2nd QTR

24 43, Run up middle, Shep comes up to take on OL, Runner tries bouncing outside, strung out, stopped at line.

25 Nickel

26 43, Run, Up middle, Shep comes up, fills hole and makes play behind LOS for stop

27 43, Screen pass, Shep covering his guy on other side

28 43, Run, Up middle on 3rd and 1. Shep takes on OL, sheds 2 blockers and comes up in hole to help make stop with Johnson and Moats for loss. Forcing punt

29 PUNT

 

6th Drive, 10:27 in 2nd QTR, Ball on 18 following Spiller fumble.

30 43, Run, Comes up and helps make play just past line for short gain

31 43, Pass, Drops in coverage, play goes other way.

32 43, Run, Kyle Williams kills play before anyone can do anything else

33 43, Pass, play goes other way

34 Goal line, Run comes at Shep, Dareus, Shep, and Byrd meet runner at 2 but get pushed into EZ.

Touchdown

 

7th Drive, 5:03 in 2nd QTR

35 43, Run, Shep comes up to line, Runner stopped in backfield

36 43, Pass, Shep drops, Sack.

37 Nickel

38 PUNT

 

8th Drive, 1:46 in 2nd QTR

39 43, Run, Up middle, comes up to line, stopped in backfield by Dareus and Williams

40 43, Run, Fullback up middle, Shep comes up to fill, runner stopped at line

41 43, Pass, Shep in coverage down low. Play goes other way, Complete to RB over Barnett.

42 Nickel

43 Nickel

44 Nickel [2nd DL in]

45 Nickel [2nd DL in]

46 Nickel [2nd DL in]

47 Nickel

48 Nickel, Pass

Touchdown

 

Numbers:

Shep was in for 28 out of 42 plays in the 1st half (not counting punts).

Of those 28, 16 went another way or were stopped before he was involved.

There were 12 plays he was, or could have been, involved in.

Of those 12, I graded 9 as positives (or doing his job), and 3 as negatives (or could have done better). 1 of the 3 negative plays was called back for offensive holding.

 

There it is, folks. Sheppard's performance was pretty solid, as was the Defense's in general. Sheppard was coming up to bang with OGs all night. Filled holes, shed some blockers, and came away with 4 tackles.

 

Yes, there were some plays he needs to (and will) review and improve on. But nothing that was too embarrassing or reason to think he needs to be replaced. The touchdown run sucked for our Defense. Dareus and Sheppard had it stopped at the 2, and even Byrd was there, but the OL put his head in the RBs back and they just kept driving. Shep needed to go lower, and both Dareus and Shep should have kept their feet moving.

 

The D held the Steelers offense to ZERO points and 5 punts well into the 2nd quarter, before Spiller's fumble gave the Steelers a great red zone scoring opportunity and momentum swing.

 

If Spiller doesn't fumble, I think the starters go into half no worse than 7-7, and possibly as good as 14-0, Bills. But he did fumble, and the D will need to be ready for those situations. The loss in composure on the last drive didn't help either, but I'm confident they'll get that fixed. I'd rather see them have those learning experiences now in the preseason than week 10. It should be noted that the subject of this thread and post (Sheppard) was not on the field for the D's collapse on the last drive. I think our Nickel needs more work. And not surprisingly, the pass rush fell off hard in the middle of that drive while our 2nd DL was in.

 

You can't grade a defense as "decent" when they melt down at the end of the first half the way they did. That's simply unacceptable play. Playing well 58 minutes (or here, 28) does not get the job done. The D had the same redzone problems as last year, and let the Steelers destroy them at the end of the first half. Very disappointing game.

[Reed83HOF]

Dr D. Thanks for the write up, I tuned in late and missed the first half. I had planned on really focusing and watching Shep play. Overall I would say it was a good day. As your write up shows, he made 3 "bad" plays and one was called back for holding. For a second year kid, I would say that is pretty damn good. I'm not expecting him to be Ray Lewis (wouldn't complain if he was though!)

 

Any idea if he was calling plays last night or if they were letting the secondary do it?