Game 9 - Studs and Duds - Pittsburgh

[Half Empty]

He was 9 for 70 so take away the 40 and he was 8 for 30 or just under 4 yds per carry. Not great, but not bad. Jones average 2.7 ypc. Take away his longest and it might be sub 2 ypc. He'll, take away Barry Sanders longest run per game and he would look rather average.

Glad I read the whole thread. This was the first thing that came to my mind, too.

 

[Sanguine camper]

2 tries? Maybe should have kicked the FG the first time so you only needed one to win it.

In-game coaching decisions continue to be a big problem for MFL. At this point, is there anything he excels at? Play calling isn't great, he can't manage a coaching staff and the team is rather undisciplined to go along with stupid decisions during the game.

 

[BrokenArrow]

In-game coaching decisions continue to be a big problem for MFL.

Ok. Who's MFL? Maybe you meant MLF? Either way, why are is decisions such a big problem? Because he doesn't do you would do in Madden?

 

[PikeBadger]

In-game coaching decisions continue to be a big problem for MFL. At this point, is there anything he excels at? Play calling isn't great, he can't manage a coaching staff and the team is rather undisciplined to go along with stupid decisions during the game.

It's been an overall cluster. Coaching decisions, rookies playing like rookies, injuries to all of our best players, experienced veterans making stupid rookie mistakes, penalties. Everyone has had an off year. Everyone blowing chunks. Including the equipment manager and strength and conditioning staff.

 

[PackerDNA]

Time to stop thinking Aaron Jones is the savior of this offense. Does he really elevate anything anymore? Two key dropped passes yesterday, one killed a drive, the one on the throwback screen would have been a big gain if not a touchdown. Turning back in field for no extra yards when he could have just ran out of bounds. That cost at least 20 seconds, and was the difference between one desperation play from the 16 with seven defenders across the goal line and having three or four plays.

 

[gopkrs]

Time to stop thinking Aaron Jones is the savior of this offense. Does he really elevate anything anymore? Two key dropped passes yesterday, one killed a drive, the one on the throwback screen would have been a big gain if not a touchdown. Turning back in field for no extra yards when he could have just ran out of bounds. That cost at least 20 seconds, and was the difference between one desperation play from the 16 with seven defenders across the goal line and having three or four plays.

He had a very bad game. It happens. Doesn't mean we shouldn't draft a RB pretty early though. Rather that than hold on to Dillon jmo. And we really don't know what we have in Wilson. Evidently we think he's good or else he'd be on the practice squad.

 

[McKnowledge]

It's almost like our coaches are coaching like rookies. No wonder why this team plays the way the do. Every team that plays us the rest of the way is going to run all over us. Pickett is a terrible qb..but they never really made him throw it much..well until the 2nd half. By then the damage was done.
Joe Barry is a clueless *** clown! That 2 down linemen look is just plain stupid..especially in running situations!!

I agree.

The schemes on both sides of the ball are overly complicated.

The arrogance of the coaching staff rears its ugly head once again.

The flea flicker was unnecessary and beyond stupid...

Although sneakily good at coverage from the LB position, Campbell can't run all over the field covering slot WRs and TEs...

 

[milani]

I heard this one was on the longsnapper. I snapped to early.

What I read (currently looking for the article) was the Packers noticed the Steelers were over-eager on jumping the snap on field goals/extra points. Leading up to this week, they practiced some kind of dummy signal to see if they could get the Steelers to jump early. If it works, cool, free 5 yards. If it doesn't, you've at least got them thinking and maybe they can't come as hard the rest of the game. On to the try, Deguera cannot see the snap. The snap happens, on what he understands to be the dummy call. He doesn't move, because the ball should still be on the LOS. Error was on the snapper.

This of course presumes the article I found is accurate.

This is not a surprise. Biasacia had the video of the 2021 Steeler game although he was not there at the time. The Steeler came around the OTHER side to block a a Crosby FG. Fortunately, he was very closely deemed offside and we rekicked. But that was a a Tomlin team, too. He should have had our ST on high alert. It is what the Steelers have done for years.

 

[Schultz]

You both just wrote sentences with Sanders and Average in them.

Correct, but it is okay when used as rebuttal testimony. Plus you now lead 2 to 1 over both of us.

 

[tynimiller]

This is not a surprise. Biasacia had the video of the 2021 Steeler game although he was not there at the time. The Steeler came around the OTHER side to block a a Crosby FG. Fortunately, he was very closely deemed offside and we rekicked. But that was a a Tomlin team, too. He should have had our ST on high alert. It is what the Steelers have done for years.

He did, the staff has talked about how they instituted a different snap count or signal and it failed. Deguara and the other flanker and more didn’t move at all because they didn’t know it was snapped till it was too late

 

[longtimefan]

One of those bounced off his receiver's hands and the other was a last second play where nobody was really open and trying to make something out of nothing. Not a dud for those.

I've learned that the fans that think Love never can get better, will always fault him

 

[El Guapo]

He did, the staff has talked about how they instituted a different snap count or signal and it failed. Deguara and the other flanker and more didn’t move at all because they didn’t know it was snapped till it was too late

Interesting. I had read somewhere that LaFleur said they were discussing a dummy snap but it must not have happened on the play. It makes more sense that they snapped it early, catching the offense (and not the defense) off guard.

 

[milani]

He did, the staff has talked about how they instituted a different snap count or signal and it failed. Deguara and the other flanker and more didn’t move at all because they didn’t know it was snapped till it was too late

Par for the course.

 

[Poppa San]

The flea flicker was unnecessary and beyond stupid...

After years of MM never doing a trick play it seems MLF does at least one a game. If they would ever work, great but the cross field pass always seems low or muffed or something similar.

He did, the staff has talked about how they instituted a different snap count or signal and it failed. Deguara and the other flanker and more didn’t move at all because they didn’t know it was snapped till it was too late

Why would you try a trick ST play on an XP kick? Trying to gain 5 yards? On a 52 yard FG try on 4th and 3 I would understand but on an XP?

 

[OldSchool101]

One of those bounced off his receiver's hands and the other was a last second play where nobody was really open and trying to make something out of nothing. Not a dud for those.

It’s interesting and some will call this optimistic. However the worst case scenario isn’t throwing an INT on the last play for a team coming from behind. There are worse scenarios.

Edit: I didn’t read you next post until afterwards but you hit right in what I was thinking

throwing the ball too low or essentially grounding it.

Throwing the ball out of bounds.

Throwing the ball too high where no player can catch it.

Taking a sack.

Running out of bounds.

We’ve actually seen all of these stupid things happen in other games pretty regular and it’s really a wasted play and speaks to poor coaching. At least throw it where someone can catch it. Heck you might get a tipped ball 3 in 100 times or just get lucky. I don’t blame him for thread one in there it’s the last play.

 

[OldSchool101]

Why would you try a trick ST play on an XP kick? Trying to gain 5 yards? On a 52 yard FG try on 4th and 3 I would understand but on an XP?

no. What Tyni is saying is that we noticed Pittsburgh has been using a method to get a jump on the ball in previous contests. So we had purposely tried to apply a counter to their known tactic by switching up the snap count so they’d jump offsides OR more presumably the Steelers would not get a free run at our Holder.
Unfortunately everyone else was on board except Deguara who was caught taking a nap instead of implementing our counter. Id call this we outsmarted ourselves!

 

[OldSchool101]

STUDS
Jayden Reed - this young man is IMO literally the second coming of a young Randall Cobb. His knack for getting open and make things happen before, during and even if he doesn't get the ball in his hands. Out of all the rookie WRs, only two have more TDs than him - this young man's rookie year has been special so far. FAR FAR too early to know for sure if this is a sign of what is to come or will he like Watson - who also had a MASSIVE drop this year - come down to earth. ATM though this young man is for sure illustrating that he is a weapon teams cannot overlook.

Jordan Love - Yup, gonna put him here because he deserves it. Pittsburgh came out and punched us in the face...this young starter strolled out and punched them right back. He never gets overwhelmed, never appears defeated and even following blown plays by others with drops or STUPID moments of not running out of bounds happens his demeanor doesn't change. He had multiple throws today that were elite level.

Totally agree on this. I’m not sure if some realize but this was the first time we scored on the opening drive in a century I think it was?
Starting fast was something we had to show we could do. These things shoe improvement. As you said, it wasn’t Jordan’s fault our Defense got ripped to shreds for 14 points on the very first 2 Possessions.

What I like about our boy Jordan is that he has a short memory. He’s not phased by a bad outcome on the previous play. Favre was kinda that way. He’d throw a INT and the next drive throw a TD.

Dontayvion Wicks - again like Reed, while we see Watson regress or simply not be fitting to be a feature of this offense, Wicks is maximizing his time out there constantly. I cannot wait to sit down and watch the All22 because like I've said he is one of the BEST on our team, and typically is THE BEST at getting open. Wicks IMO has shown more quicker in that ability than any single WR has on our team that I can remember. Now could this be slightly inflated due to he got so few snaps early on and still isn't getting a ton...but still, this young man right now almost shows more for the future than many others in that WR room.

depending on how the draft falls. Not to get way off topic, but do you think adding 1 more WR in the mix (plus obviously Wicks, Reed and the others being another year seasoned) would change our WR dynamic?

I ask because we’re obviously young, but somewhat thick at WR. We haven’t even seen our full array of WR options. However Egbuka or possibly even Corley, who can tear up the field once the ball is in hand,
for me? Makes us exponentially more dynamic. Just curious if you think we’re already set because I value your thoughts there.

 

[milani]

After years of MM never doing a trick play it seems MLF does at least one a game. If they would ever work, great but the cross field pass always seems low or muffed or something similar.

Why would you try a trick ST play on an XP kick? Trying to gain 5 yards? On a 52 yard FG try on 4th and 3 I would understand but on an XP?

Tricky offense.

 

[tynimiller]

depending on how the draft falls. Not to get way off topic, but do you think adding 1 more WR in the mix (plus obviously Wicks, Reed and the others being another year seasoned) would change our WR dynamic?

I ask because we’re obviously young, but somewhat thick at WR. We haven’t even seen our full array of WR options. However Egbuka or possibly even Corley, who can tear up the field once the ball is in hand,
for me? Makes us exponentially more dynamic. Just curious if you think we’re already set because I value your thoughts there.

To me this is one of the most massive questions of the 2024 draft....but it all hinges to me on whether or not Gute/MLF believe there is a WR in that room that an offense can be built around from a WR perspective. Do we have a bunch of guys we expect to be highly productive like a Cobb or James Jones or do we have that Nelson or Adams? If the answer is the first that none of our main four the inhouse believes will be that no doubt WR1 than I think the argument is there to draft a blue chipper in the first 50 picks. BUT you draft one it instantly changes that room and you run the risk of either pissing someone off and it becoming an issue or lighting a fire under them....that is likely Watson or Doubs. That is a coin flip decision that choose wrong you could be the catalyst for a locker room crumble or it could be what makes Watson wake up?

I have a lot of WRs I think I really like...but I personally have three what I would consider blue chip guys...you draft them they walk out game 1 as #1 and that is Harrison Jr, Coleman and Nabers.

Coleman would be a pretty cool fit because he and Reed were together at MSU with abysmal play in 2022...he transferred and is SHINING at FSU with a better QB.

 

[tynimiller]

After years of MM never doing a trick play it seems MLF does at least one a game. If they would ever work, great but the cross field pass always seems low or muffed or something similar.

Why would you try a trick ST play on an XP kick? Trying to gain 5 yards? On a 52 yard FG try on 4th and 3 I would understand but on an XP?

Wasn't from what I took of the discussion a trick so much as a way for them to fight PIT getting very good jumps on timing of snaps. Resulted in a massive failure.

 

[Team Ronny]

After years of MM never doing a trick play it seems MLF does at least one a game. If they would ever work, great but the cross field pass always seems low or muffed or something similar.

Why would you try a trick ST play on an XP kick? Trying to gain 5 yards? On a 52 yard FG try on 4th and 3 I would understand but on an XP?

That made no sense, especially at that point in the game. They only needed the 1 point to tie. It's not like they are converting 100% on 2 pt tries.There are times Lafleur will not go for it on 4th and short..but tries to draw offsides. He is just trying to cover for another **** poor block attempt by his boy Deguera!
He got angry when someone questioned the 2 down linemen call on the steelers 2nd td. Tried saying their big linebackers are linemen on that play. Why are they so far away from the action then? They had no chance to stop that play. Stupid coaching! Let Bisaccia take over..all the other coaches..turn in your key cards..clueless buffoons!

 

[BrokenArrow]

What I like about our boy Jordan is that he has a short memory. He’s not phased by a bad outcome on the previous play. Favre was kinda that way. He’d throw a INT and the next drive throw a TD.

That's funny. I told my daughter the exact same thing yesterday. And for all the things he was good at, this was not one for Rodgers. With Rodgers a defense could get into his head. He would get rattled, especially after he broke his clavicle the second time.

 

[BrokenArrow]

To me this is one of the most massive questions of the 2024 draft....but it all hinges to me on whether or not Gute/MLF believe there is a WR in that room that an offense can be built around from a WR perspective. Do we have a bunch of guys we expect to be highly productive like a Cobb or James Jones or do we have that Nelson or Adams? If the answer is the first that none of our main four the inhouse believes will be that no doubt WR1 than I think the argument is there to draft a blue chipper in the first 50 picks.

I would be good with tanking the season and drafting MH,Jr. You can show improvement and work toward building the team without putting the most points on the board.

 

[PikeBadger]

Time to stop thinking Aaron Jones is the savior of this offense. Does he really elevate anything anymore? Two key dropped passes yesterday, one killed a drive, the one on the throwback screen would have been a big gain if not a touchdown. Turning back in field for no extra yards when he could have just ran out of bounds. That cost at least 20 seconds, and was the difference between one desperation play from the 16 with seven defenders across the goal line and having three or four plays.

He may not be the savior and certainly has not played very well post-injury, but he is still our best weapon on offense because of his speed, experience and versatility. I don't see any alternatives other than to get the ball in his hands more often than any other player on the roster.

 

[PikeBadger]

Interesting. I had read somewhere that LaFleur said they were discussing a dummy snap but it must not have happened on the play. It makes more sense that they snapped it early, catching the offense (and not the defense) off guard.

Dummy snaps with this team? It just shows who the real dummies are.