A Few Thoughts about the Steelers Game, in no particular order

[GaryPinC]

3 hours ago, ganesh said:

Yes..But the surprise element in the 1st half was their DBs repeatedly blitzing..  That changed the game plan and required adjustment.    I don't really know why we keep second guessing these people who are paid to do their jobs.

I also felt like the Steelers backed off a bit after halftime with their blitzes and stunts.  Anyone else notice that or just me?

2 hours ago, Chandler#81 said:

it WAS!! Dammit!🤬

I saw the kick as passing mostly over the post.  Has to be clearly inside the post so I agree with the refs.

[CSBill]

A few thoughts about your "Thoughts" Virgil:

1. Thank you! As always, good work. I look forward to your post every week and I had given up on you for this game. Way to come through in the 4th quarter.
2. On Pele: He is on the pantheon of transcendent athletes with W. Gretzky, B. Ruth, M. Jordon, R. Petty, L. James, and T. Brady (sorry about that last one all, but by my criteria of people who were the best in their sport, and who are cultural icons outside of it, apologetically, I have to include him). . . . Am I missing anyone?
3. Points 1, 2, & 3: They are, as the saying goes, "On Point!" You nailed all three.

 

Edited December 16, 2020 by CSBill

[Virgil]

1 hour ago, GaryPinC said:

I also felt like the Steelers backed off a bit after halftime with their blitzes and stunts.  Anyone else notice that or just me?

I saw the kick as passing mostly over the post.  Has to be clearly inside the post so I agree with the refs.

I haven’t looked it up, but I heard differently on a other game. They said it could be directly over and part of the post and be considered good. 

[GaryPinC]

52 minutes ago, Virgil said:

I haven’t looked it up, but I heard differently on a other game. They said it could be directly over and part of the post and be considered good. 

 

Here's the rule snippet:

 

(c) The entire ball must pass through the vertical plane of the goal, which is the area above the crossbar and between 
the uprights or, if above the uprights, between their outside edges. If the ball passes through the goal, and returns 
through the goal without striking the ground or some object or person beyond the goal, the attempt is unsuccessful.

 

I know it was close, but I felt like part of the ball was beyond the outside edge.  The rule makes sense from the point that the ref is directly beneath the post looking up.

 

 

[BobbyC81]

16 hours ago, section122 said:

Let me join the ranks of glad all is well @Virgil

 

When this game was over I realized I was never really worried about the outcome once it started.  The Bills d was matching the Steelers d drive after drive.  Once the pick 6 happened I was fully confident the Bills would win.  It is a weird feeling to fully trust the Bills. 

 

The Hail Murray didn't bother me as much as it would have in years past because I knew that the Bills were legit and one loss like that wasn't the end of the world.  I believe in Josh in a way I only have Jim Kelly in my life.  3rd and whatever and I think he'll get it.  4th quarter, game on the line?  He will do it.  

 

The Bills came out firing in the 3rd quarter.  Diggs was uncoverable.  They were doing so well I had to double check it was indeed the 3rd quarter!

 

That 7:11 drive to end the game was a thing of beauty.  That was the best defense in the NFL and the Bills just rammed it down their throat.  Now I fully respect they are suffering from injuries and their depth is weak but you play the team in front of you.  Josh got that 3rd down that was just some ref bs to see if they could help the Steelers out a bit.  Didn't matter one bit.  Lined up and hit them again for the first.  Years past and that would have been the mental mistake to somehow cost the game.

 

I watch a lot of football and feel this team can play with anyone in the NFL. Chiefs, Packers, I don't care what team it is.  What a feeling!

 

We should call QB slides that are short of the first down an “Orton”

[Kwai San]

11 hours ago, Gugny said:

 

Still waiting for some lyrics to speak to me.  Nothing yet.  14 long weeks.  Sigh.

 

Are you not a dead head Gugs????  Try a little "enhancement: and then read the lyrics.....or better yet play the song.....

[Gugny]

2 minutes ago, Kwai San said:

 

Are you not a dead head Gugs????  Try a little "enhancement: and then read the lyrics.....or better yet play the song.....

 

I respect the Grateful Dead and like anything I've ever listened to by them.  But they're not a band that I'm interested in taking a deep dive into.  So, I'm not a Dead Head - but I acknowledge their talent.

[Kwai San]

10 hours ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

I felt like the Bills set the tone from the very first kickoff where Ray-ray McCloud made the foolish decision to bring the kick out to be met by a serving of Matekavich with a side order of Siran Neal on the 10.

 

 

THAT was an awesome play and very strange in that a pick up this season from the Steelers for the Bills and a pickup from the Bills for the Steelers lead to the first play!  That played well.

[Kwai San]

40 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

I respect the Grateful Dead and like anything I've ever listened to by them.  But they're not a band that I'm interested in taking a deep dive into.  So, I'm not a Dead Head - but I acknowledge their talent.

Pretty much sums my experience....having been in a Frat house of Dead guys however lead to WAY more exposure than normal....not to mention more than a few concerts.

 

At the end of the day I am a Floyd/Stones/Zeppelin kinda guy with a smattering of late 80's to early 90's R&R thrown in too.  I prefer to listen to tunes rather than announcers during games.  Drives.  My.  Wife.  NUTS!  I love her tho!

 

Go BILLS!!!

[corta765]

20 hours ago, Virgil said:

4 - Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandanna,

Like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eye jack.

A leaf of all colors plays a golden-string fiddle,

To a double-E waterfall over my back.

 

 

China Cat Sunflower! Finally got one I knew haha. Not a big Dead fan but always loved this song and the guitar work. The live version where they go into a I Know You Rider is superb

[OrtonHearsaWho]

20 hours ago, Virgil said:

2 - Momentum - The shifting of a games momentum is something you typically gradually feel.  For this game, if you weren't lulled asleep by the punt-fest yet as the thoughts of depression creeped in about another poor Prime Time showing, you could see the entire game turn on the pick six by Taron Johnson.  Of all the plays fans have been clamoring for, this was it.  The Steelers had established their offense all season on their short passing attack.  Our offense couldn't score.  Our defense had yet to score a defensive touchdown all season.  Johnson's anticipation, cut on the ball, and break away speed from JuJu was the most perfect moment that could happen for this game and defense.  Within a few moments, all of your doubts and questions about this game and contender talk went away.  There was no looking back.

 

 

Great as always Virgil!

 

I think the Johnson play was not only a great play to switch the momentum of the game but also for the season itself & is right up there with the forced Cam Newton fumble as one of the more important plays of our season the keep our momentum & overall trajectory going.  I love that those two plays were made by someone other than stars on the team as well.  Really seems to show that this is a real team.

[RevWarRifleman]

On 12/14/2020 at 4:17 AM, entropyrules said:

must be the Sarah Palin effect

Good work, Virgil. Keep'em coming.

[MJS]

5 hours ago, GaryPinC said:

I saw the kick as passing mostly over the post.  Has to be clearly inside the post so I agree with the refs.

When the kick is above the height of the posts the rule states that if any part of the ball is over the posts, it is good. So in fact, if any part of the ball did that, even if most of the ball was outside, it should be called good.

 

But it's Bass's job to not kick it so high and force a judgement call by the refs. The refs get things wrong all the time, so don't put it in their hands.

[Meatloaf63]

5 hours ago, GaryPinC said:

I also felt like the Steelers backed off a bit after halftime with their blitzes and stunts.  Anyone else notice that or just me?

I saw the kick as passing mostly over the post.  Has to be clearly inside the post so I agree with the refs.

No it just has to pass over the post. 

The rule says: “The entire ball must pass through the vertical plane of the goal, which is the area above the crossbar and between the uprights or, if above the uprights, between their outside edges.” 

 

[Figster]

13 minutes ago, Meatloaf63 said:

No it just has to pass over the post. 

The rule says: “The entire ball must pass through the vertical plane of the goal, which is the area above the crossbar and between the uprights or, if above the uprights, between their outside edges.” 

 

If you think about it,  below the upright with most of the football in, in all likelihood would donk in off the upright IMO. 

 

Seems like when its above the upright and that close it should be called good IMO.

[Mark Vader]

22 hours ago, Virgil said:

8 - Pass Rush - The Steelers and Bills send pressure in very different ways.  The Steelers adjust their defensive lineman to bunch on a certain side, and then send half-second delayed blitzes from the box.  This makes it really hard for Josh to see where the pressure is coming from and where the coverage will be.  It was very well executed and I have to tip my cap to them.  The Bills typically put everyone in the box and either sent them all, or pulled some back.  While both quarterbacks were under duress, once the game was said and done, the Bills hit home more than the Steelers.  As said before, the Bills seemed to figure out that pressure at half time and Josh made them pay.  My favorite blitz of the night was when Milano came in and physically pushed the Steelers halfback off his feet and into Bed.  It wasn't a sack, but my god.

That was most impressive on Milano's part. It caused a bad throw by Roethlisberger too.

 

While I love that the national media is finally giving credit to Josh Allen and the offense, no one is really saying much at just how good the Bills defense was in this game.

 

As always, good write-up @Virgil

[Einstein's Dog]

36 minutes ago, Meatloaf63 said:

No it just has to pass over the post. 

The rule says: “The entire ball must pass through the vertical plane of the goal, which is the area above the crossbar and between the uprights or, if above the uprights, between their outside edges.” 

 

Seems like you're contradicting the rule you are citing.  Because if the ball passes over the  post with some of it outside the post, it is no good.

[Meatloaf63]

1 minute ago, Einstein's Dog said:

Seems like you're contradicting the rule you are citing.  Because if the ball passes over the  post with some of it outside the post, it is no good.

What part of pass over the post don’t you understand? I didn’t say partially pass over the post, that would be is no good obviously...

[GaryPinC]

2 hours ago, MJS said:

When the kick is above the height of the posts the rule states that if any part of the ball is over the posts, it is good. So in fact, if any part of the ball did that, even if most of the ball was outside, it should be called good.

 

But it's Bass's job to not kick it so high and force a judgement call by the refs. The refs get things wrong all the time, so don't put it in their hands.

No, it doesn't.  Read the language more carefully.  The ref is under the upright looking up.  The ball spins.  If he sees any part outside the post, even if most of it is straight over the post then the kick is no good.  Einstein's right.

2 hours ago, MJS said:

When the kick is above the height of the posts the rule states that if any part of the ball is over the posts, it is good. So in fact, if any part of the ball did that, even if most of the ball was outside, it should be called good.

 

But it's Bass's job to not kick it so high and force a judgement call by the refs. The refs get things wrong all the time, so don't put it in their hands.

Nope, with all respect, that is not the wording of the rule.  Please read more carefully.  No part of the ball can be visible outside the upright to the ref underneath as it passes.

[4BillsintheBurgh]

1 hour ago, Figster said:

If you think about it,  below the upright with most of the football in, in all likelihood would donk in off the upright IMO. 

 

Seems like when its above the upright and that close it should be called good IMO.

It's basically saying if the referee, properly positioned directly under the goal post,  sees any part of the ball on the outside as it passes over the post the attempt is no good. You can't ask a ref to  measure how much of the ball is inside a goal post. There's enough gray area there if the ball doesn't have a true upright spin etc.

 

Just keep it away from the posts or below their tops.

[Virgil]

2 hours ago, 4BillsintheBurgh said:

It's basically saying if the referee, properly positioned directly under the goal post,  sees any part of the ball on the outside as it passes over the post the attempt is no good. You can't ask a ref to  measure how much of the ball is inside a goal post. There's enough gray area there if the ball doesn't have a true upright spin etc.

 

Just keep it away from the posts or below their tops.

 

Why don't the goal posts have that camera on them anymore that looked straight up?  Seems like an easy solve

[4BillsintheBurgh]

3 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

Why don't the goal posts have that camera on them anymore that looked straight up?  Seems like an easy solve

If you're going to do that, you might as well invest in the ball tracking technology the premier league uses to tell when a goal is scored. No reason to rely on a camera. It's ridiculous they don't have it already.

[Bad Things]

On 12/16/2020 at 8:00 AM, RochesterLifer said:

Thank you for the thoughtful and enjoyable write-up. Regarding:

#1. I had the thrill of seeing Pele play as a Cosmo against the Rochester Lancers back in the NASL days - a treat I'll never forget.

Yup, I was at that game too.  August '77.

It was a BIG deal in Rochester.

 

Pele scored a goal and played along Franz Beckenbauer.  Bicycle kick too!

[1ManRaid]

https://youtu.be/_a6Ch1mMS-g

 

I'll edit in the embed when I'm not on mobile.  Only thing missing was a time-lapse of the final soul killing drive to ice it.  Somehow also managed to make puntpuntpuntpuntpunt look hype.

[Rochesterfan]

On 12/15/2020 at 10:48 PM, HappyDays said:

 

I give Daboll a ton of credit for making those adjustments at halftime but I also wish that had been the original game plan. It's not like Pittsburgh's pass rush is a surprise. You don't go against Watt and Heyward and expect long developing routes to open up. I thought the 1st half gameplan was just terrible and thankfully the defense held long enough for Daboll to figure it out.

 

It is very difficult - the last couple of weeks teams started to attack by spreading the Steelers out (empty backfield) and preventing certain blitzes.  That was what the Bills started with, but the Steelers had adjusted and were bringing pressure and the inside of the line was not holding up one on one.

 

Dabol actually made the adjustment in the 2nd quarter - not at halftime.  He brought the RB and 2 TEs in and chipped on Watt and allowed Ike and Morse to double team Hayward.  That then played into the “green dog” blitzing scheme of the Steelers - where if the guy you are covering blocks - you blitz.  
 

The Bills adjusted to that more after halftime because that gave them more one on ones with Diggs rather than the blanket coverage - he and Beasley had in the first half.  That is why I can’t wait to see a healthy Brown return because they can not double team all 3 guys.

 

I think Dabol went into the first half with a plan based upon what he saw from other teams having success and I am not sure how well it would have worked if the players made plays.  You had drops by WRs and TEs that would have been conversions, the Knox fumble, and guys flashing in Josh’s face.  All of those were mostly player issues - not coaching.  I give Dabol credit for then saying - let’s do what are we confident with, but also the players for stepping up.  Once they started making plays and the offense shifted in the 2nd quarter - they were the better team.

Edited December 18, 2020 by Rochesterfan