A Few Thoughts on Steelers @ Pats***

[ricojes]

 

 

9. What's with that goal line shift that Roeth was so hot about? I hope we're ready for that kind of trickery.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/ben-roethlisberger--steelers--upset--about-patriots--defensive-formations-125657675.html

 

"They time it up in the cadence," Foster told USA TODAY Sports, smiling and shaking his head. "Yeah, that’s one of the things they do. Welcome to Foxborough."

Edited September 11, 2015 by ricojes

[BuffaloHokie13]

9. What's with that goal line shift that Roeth was so hot about? I hope we're ready for that kind of trickery.

The D Linemen shouted 'shift' in rhythm with Ben's cadence, which in turn caused half of Ben's line to start the play.

[D. L. Hot-Flamethrower]

Graham gets Gronk, Gilmore/Edelman, Darby/Amendola, Bradham gets Lewis out of backfield.

 

The extra safety likely Duke will shade to Gronk.

 

Preston will mix it up by blitzing, coverage.

 

Other than that, the front has to pressure and knock down some passes to the outside.

[aristocrat]

So go to a quick snap and catch them trying to shift. If they knew it was coming just screw with them back. It's like BB is out there playing chess and these other coaches are playing hopscotch. Didn't rex do something a couple years ago where he told the ref to watch for the pats doing something and the refs called them on it?

[Hapless Bills Fan]

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/ben-roethlisberger--steelers--upset--about-patriots--defensive-formations-125657675.html

 

"They time it up in the cadence," Foster told USA TODAY Sports, smiling and shaking his head. "Yeah, that’s one of the things they do. Welcome to Foxborough."

 

The point being, he admits they knew the Pats would do that goal-line defensive unit shift, and yet they didn't prepare by making sure their players (*cough* Roeth *cough*) understood the rules and were ready to counter it. They should have had a play ready to exploit it.

 

I will be upset if we aren't better prepared.

 

It's legal, and it's the sort of boundry-pushing that Belichel adores - finding loopholes that are quite legal within the rules and arguably against their spirit.

[aristocrat]

http://nypost.com/2013/10/21/did-jets-tip-off-refs-to-patriots-push/

 

found it. Pats were pushing players up to try and block fg's.

[bisonbrigade]

1. The Steelers defense is terrible, remember Bills preseason game, two in completions?

2. If you know that your defense is bad and you have a questionable kicker, why are you kicking field goals? You are not beating NE with FG's.

3. New England's defense was bad to, Williams ran all over them, what will shady do?

4. What a shocker that there was a problem with the Steelers headsets, what a fluky coincidence.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

The D Linemen shouted 'shift' in rhythm with Ben's cadence, which in turn caused half of Ben's line to start the play.

 

Did they actually shout? According to my understanding, if they actually shouted, that WOULD be illegal.

"there's no rule against disrupting a team's cadence with a defensive line shift, so long as it doesn't involve "words or signals."

[mannc]

 

I somewhat agree. The first drive the Steelers were moving the ball at will on the Pats. A score there would've set the tone for the game and shut up the crowd a bit. Instead that gimmick play just fired up the crowd and the Pats even more. The missed FG as a result of that botched gimmick play was just the icing on the cake. All downhill after that, really. The tone was set.

And don't forget, Pittsburgh was without 2 of its 3 top playmakers (Bryant and Bell).

[BuffaloHokie13]

 

Did they actually shout? According to my understanding, if they actually shouted, that WOULD be illegal.

"there's no rule against disrupting a team's cadence with a defensive line shift, so long as it doesn't involve "words or signals."

If you can watch a replay of the game, read Ben's lips to the refs. He clearly states "They said shift!" over and over, but the refs didn't want to hear it.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1. The Steelers defense is terrible, remember Bills preseason game, two in completions?

2. If you know that your defense is bad and you have a questionable kicker, why are you kicking field goals? You are not beating NE with FG's.

3. New England's defense was bad to, Williams ran all over them, what will shady do?

4. What a shocker that there was a problem with the Steelers headsets, what a fluky coincidence.

_______________________________________________________^____________________

 

^that resulted in the Patriots Radio Broadcast of the game blaring into them

If you can watch a replay of the game, read Ben's lips to the refs. He clearly states "They said shift!" over and over, but the refs didn't want to hear it.

 

OK, he didn't recap that in his post-game presser. Any idea why?

 

I don't read lips well enough to tell the difference between something like "they said shift!" or "they all shift!" or whatever

So go to a quick snap and catch them trying to shift. If they knew it was coming just screw with them back. It's like BB is out there playing chess and these other coaches are playing hopscotch. Didn't rex do something a couple years ago where he told the ref to watch for the pats doing something and the refs called them on it?

 

This

[dave mcbride]

Watching the Steelers last night reminded me A LOT of the Jauron-era Bills. No fire, soft defense, bad mistakes, horrible clock management...

 

I didn't see anything from the Patriots*** that looked "great". Much more of the Steelers shooting themselves in the foot.

 

Gronk is hard enough to stop when you actually put a guy or two on him. Leaving him completely uncovered, multiple times, is a recipe for a big loss.

 

The key will be doing whatever it takes to stop Gronk and Edleman, and let them try to beat us with Chandler and Amendola. The ultimate solution is getting to Brady early and often.

 

Can't wait to face them next week, but Colts first!

 

I certainly thought Brady looked great last night. He played lights out.

[dpberr]

I've never understood why teams don't give the Patriots the "Patriots Way" right back at them.

[billsfan1959]

Neither defense was impressive to say the least. The Steeler offense put up over 450 yards of offense, even without a few key players, and could have put up 30 points or so had they not killed themselves. Once they are back to a full complement of offensive players and they correct their mistakes, they will be very tough to stop offensively. However, their defense is so bad that they may end up around .500. The Patriots will be contending for a playoff spot because Brady is still one of the top QBs in the game and he still has, arguably, one of the best tight ends to ever play. They will make their plays. Their defense is certainly suspect; however, Belicheat usually manages to get the most out of the defensive players he has.

 

This week we play the Colts and first things first. With that said, I am really looking forward to next week. Ryan has one of the best defenses in the league and he has historically made things tough for Brady - even in most of the losses - with less talent. It will be interesting to see. I am one of those that wanted Brady to play. If we are going to be a legitimate contender, then we have to beat the best players/teams. I also have a lot of faith in Roman. As one poster stated earlier: It sometimes feels like Bellicheat is playing chess while his opponent is playing hopscotch/checkers/etc. I actually believe Roman is up for the chess game.

 

Here's hoping...

Edited September 11, 2015 by billsfan1959

[Rockinon]

If Pittsburgh can have a game this close, we will destroy NE. NE has too many weaknesses. This game was two bad teams beating up on each other. NE came out on top. So what!

[Wayne Cubed]

 

I certainly thought Brady looked great last night. He played lights out.

 

I wouldn't say "great". He looked good but he had a lot of guys wide open. Speaking of, he missed a wide open Amendola. He let a lot of his playmakers, Gronk, do the work and the Steelers did a horrible job up front. 3 rookie OL and they had no answer up the middle. The only way they brought pressure was with a blitz.

[DrDawkinstein]

Those picks his TEs and WRs set helps with his quick decision making

 

It's brutal. I was not surprised to see the Patriots still cheating even after the offseason they had. Blatant picks, coaches headsets going out... Same ol Pats.

 

 

I've never understood why teams don't give the Patriots the "Patriots Way" right back at them.

 

Because other teams arent allowed to play the "Patriot Way". They would get called for the WR picks, the DL shouting, the holding, etc.

 

I certainly thought Brady looked great last night. He played lights out.

 

I expect Brady to be able to hit players that dont have anyone covering them. He's ridiculously accurate, I'll give him that. But Pitt's D made it REAL easy for him. He didnt do anything that EJ and even Simms couldnt do against the Steelers.

[dave mcbride]

 

I wouldn't say "great". He looked good but he had a lot of guys wide open. Speaking of, he missed a wide open Amendola. He let a lot of his playmakers, Gronk, do the work and the Steelers did a horrible job up front. 3 rookie OL and they had no answer up the middle. The only way they brought pressure was with a blitz.

They looked so open because he dissects defenses so quickly and can find the open guy almost all of the time. Also, if you throw it 32 times, you're gonna have some incompletions.

 

He was great. He looked as good as ever. Sad but true.

[BuffaloHokie13]

They looked so open because he dissects defenses so quickly and can find the open guy almost all of the time. Also, if you throw it 32 times, you're gonna have some incompletions.

 

He was great. He looked as good as ever. Sad but true.

Most of them looked open because nobody was covering them, or it was an ILB covering Gronk/Chandler

[BuffaloBill]

This. So much of this. This can't be repeated enough. I never thought I'd hate a team more than Miami. But I do. I feel dirty even saying it as a child of the 70s. But I do.

I am not there yet but quickly gaining ground. One thing I love about Rex is that he hates the cheatriots.

[dave mcbride]

Most of them looked open because nobody was covering them, or it was an ILB covering Gronk/Chandler

I'm sticking with my argument that Brady is freaking good.

[Utah John]

When the Bills QBs all looked all-pro against the Steelers in their preseason games, I figured the Steelers were just evaluating talent, playing ultra-vanilla formations, and not really trying hard. They didn't look any better last night. Brady looked great but I can't recall any difficult throws -- it was 7-11 all over the field. I remember Bills teams that could score a zillion and still find ways to lose, and this Steelers team looks like that. The Pats are just better coached. And what happened to Dick LeBeau? Did he bail because he saw a disaster on the horizon, or was he fired? Hard to believe the Steelers wouldn't keep the greatest D coordinator of all time.

 

The Pats mind games continue. I suspect they knew they could outscore the Steelers and didn't do everything in their own defensive bag of tricks, just to avoid showing their hand to Buffalo. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

[YoloinOhio]

Steelers do not have the defense to play press on the Pats*. They gave cushion everywhere and it blew up again and again. They got no pressure or pass rush - they were able to get the Brady when they blitzed, but they couldn't blitz enough because they don't have the personnel in secondary to handle that. Otherwise I thought they played the better game offensively and beat themselves on the trick play, penalties, missed FGs, and the stupid foot out of bounds by DHB.

When the Bills QBs all looked all-pro against the Steelers in their preseason games, I figured the Steelers were just evaluating talent, playing ultra-vanilla formations, and not really trying hard. They didn't look any better last night. Brady looked great but I can't recall any difficult throws -- it was 7-11 all over the field. I remember Bills teams that could score a zillion and still find ways to lose, and this Steelers team looks like that. The Pats are just better coached. And what happened to Dick LeBeau? Did he bail because he saw a disaster on the horizon, or was he fired? Hard to believe the Steelers wouldn't keep the greatest D coordinator of all time.

 

The Pats mind games continue. I suspect they knew they could outscore the Steelers and didn't do everything in their own defensive bag of tricks, just to avoid showing their hand to Buffalo. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

publically it was a mutual decision to move on with LeBeau. However I believe it was not his decision, personally.

[Alaska Darin]

I've never understood why teams don't give the Patriots the "Patriots Way" right back at them.

Because the officials call penalties when other teams do it. Try holding receivers all over the field or pushing off the way the Pats receivers do. It's be like laundry day for a family of 5.

[Kelly the Dog]

They looked so open because he dissects defenses so quickly and can find the open guy almost all of the time. Also, if you throw it 32 times, you're gonna have some incompletions.

 

He was great. He looked as good as ever. Sad but true.

 

He was fantastic. Fans often have some insane idea that great quarterbacks are accurate on almost every pass. Great QBs miss several passes every game. Brady missed about three passes the entire night. He was phenomenal. Pitt D was awful though.

[LeGOATski]

Steelers do not have the defense to play press on the Pats*. They gave cushion everywhere and it blew up again and again. They got no pressure or pass rush - they were able to get the Brady when they blitzed, but they couldn't blitz enough because they don't have the personnel in secondary to handle that. Otherwise I thought they played the better game offensively and beat themselves on the trick play, penalties, missed FGs, and the stupid foot out of bounds by DHB.

And don't forget that horrible deep ball from Big Ben. That was very Fitz-esque. Blame it on the rain, I guess.

[BuffaloHokie13]

I'm sticking with my argument that Brady is freaking good.

Oh, I'm not in any way saying Brady was bad. He found many of the busted coverages provided by the Pittsburgh D last night, and took what they gave him when it came to cushion. But make no mistake, they were open because of Pittsburgh's ineptitude. Brady just found them accurately and often.

[mannc]

He was fantastic. Fans often have some insane idea that great quarterbacks are accurate on almost every pass. Great QBs miss several passes every game. Brady missed about three passes the entire night. He was phenomenal. Pitt D was awful though.

Aren't you glad we have the one coach who has consistently frustrated Brady and the Pats? It gives me confidence that Brady's days of effortlessly moving up and down the field against us are over, and it's one of the main reasons I was a big fan of hiring Rex.

[sjjr]

If the pats play the Bills the same way they played the Steelers last night, the Bills might run for 200 yds. They won't though, Belichek will have a different front dedicated to stopping the run for sure. The Patriots aren't near as talented as some of their recent teams, especially on D. This should be an interesting year in the AFC East.

[Nanker]

When the Bills QBs all looked all-pro against the Steelers in their preseason games, I figured the Steelers were just evaluating talent, playing ultra-vanilla formations, and not really trying hard. They didn't look any better last night. Brady looked great but I can't recall any difficult throws -- it was 7-11 all over the field. I remember Bills teams that could score a zillion and still find ways to lose, and this Steelers team looks like that. The Pats are just better coached. And what happened to Dick LeBeau? Did he bail because he saw a disaster on the horizon, or was he fired? Hard to believe the Steelers wouldn't keep the greatest D coordinator of all time.

 

The Pats mind games continue. I suspect they knew they could outscore the Steelers and didn't do everything in their own defensive bag of tricks, just to avoid showing their hand to Buffalo. Maybe I'm just paranoid.

Tomlin pushed him out in January after two down years. He signed on with the Titan about two weeks later.

[Kelly the Dog]

Aren't you glad we have the one coach who has consistently frustrated Brady and the Pats? It gives me confidence that Brady's days of effortlessly moving up and down the field against us are over, and it's one of the main reasons I was a big fan of hiring Rex.

It really should be a fascinating game to watch, especially if the Bills win this week.

[RyanC883]

Watching the Steelers last night reminded me A LOT of the Jauron-era Bills. No fire, soft defense, bad mistakes, horrible clock management...

 

I didn't see anything from the Patriots*** that looked "great". Much more of the Steelers shooting themselves in the foot.

 

Gronk is hard enough to stop when you actually put a guy or two on him. Leaving him completely uncovered, multiple times, is a recipe for a big loss.

 

The key will be doing whatever it takes to stop Gronk and Edleman, and let them try to beat us with Chandler and Amendola. The ultimate solution is getting to Brady early and often.

 

Can't wait to face them next week, but Colts first!

 

horribly coached game by the Steelers. not calling TO when you have a barley made the team ILB covering Gronk one on one is inexcusable. Tomlin is average at best, and the new DC is a terrible-crony hire. Plus, the players they have on D are undersized and soft for the most part. When a 38 year old LB is your best player and emotional leader, you have issues. The secondary for the Steelers had no idea where to line-up all game. Really hard to watch that college-level of ineptness.

Tomlin pushed him out in January after two down years. He signed on with the Titan about two weeks later.

The Steelers FO pushed him out because the Rooney's, being the NFL "gods" that they are, simply couldn't loose Butler, the new DC, who looked so freaking great last night. haha. The Steelers have made a number of dumb moves over the past 5 years or so that are coming to haunt them now. W/o Big Ben this is a 5 win team at most.

[dave mcbride]

It really should be a fascinating game to watch, especially if the Bills win this week.

It'll be just as fascinating if they lose. The Bills really will want to avoid an 0-2 start (obviously).

[TheFunPolice]

It was truly amazing how disorganized and unprepared they were...

[Kirby Jackson]

Take away Gronk and Edelman and make everyone else beat you. Their skill players are not good outside of those 2. If the ball is going to Amendola & Chandler we are in great shape. If you let Edelman catch 11 balls and Gronk 3 TDs it is going to be a long day. Let the ball go to the guys that cant hurt you.

[Kelly the Dog]

It'll be just as fascinating if they lose. The Bills really will want to avoid an 0-2 start (obviously).

Important and still fascinating, sure. But if the Bills win this week, then the game will be a true statement should they beat the Pats as well and somewhat announce their arrival as a serious contender for the division.

[Buffalo Barbarian]

I hope this is OK not to bury at the end of a long in-game thread which has already degraded to arguments?

 

1) how can a team have a QB throw 68% completions on 38 attempts for 351 yds, gain 134 yds rushing, dominate the TOP by 4 minutes, and yet look so completely inept on offense?

 

2) I hope folks will remember this game if we're tempted to rag on our young QB. Roethlisberger is a genuinely good, maybe great, QB, and he misfired a few times tonight. The TD pass where the receiver slid out of bounds as he caught the ball is one example - anyone else notice that he had to drop low to pull it in? The INT was just bad. Good QB make bad plays sometimes.

 

3) That strip fumble was a thing of beauty. The Pittsburgh D missed such a game-changing opportunity there.

 

4) Is it true that no one can cover Gronk, or was the PIttsburgh 2ndary just messed up and the announcers ball-washing Gronk and the Patsies***?

 

Edit: must mention ....5) Best play of the game: safety blitz on Brady. I literally screamed like Fitzy

 

6) I hate the Pats***. I do so most sincerely hate them.

 

7) GO BILLS!

 

Scott Chandler the new Hernandez

[Formerly Allan in MD]

A. Williams and C. Graham are safeties with decent CB skills. They can run with Gronk. They can match-up with him. Rex will play three safeties and try to confuse Brady with different coverage looks.

The linebackers need to stay with the RB's out of the backfield. Need to stop the run with the three safety nickel package. Dareus' return and the LB's are the key.

They can run with him but absolutely cannot match up with him size-wise.

[BobChalmers]

If Pittsburgh can have a game this close, we will destroy NE. NE has too many weaknesses. This game was two bad teams beating up on each other. NE came out on top. So what!

 

I'd say that was a good team beating a mediocre team. Both are flawed - Steelers more so than Pats. Pitt D is putrid. NE D is just mediocre.

It was truly amazing how disorganized and unprepared they were...

 

Losing LeBeau is a disaster for them. Leaving Gronk uncovered is sad, going out there with only 10 players was pathetic.

Edited September 11, 2015 by BobChalmers

[Dan]

It seems to me, you absolutely have to jam their receivers at the line. Their entire passing offense relies on timing and pick routes. They've mastered the pick route! That's why so many guys seem wide open. Disrupt their picks, make that cheater hestitate and you have a chance.