The Smell of Desperation
by Evan Skev on Oct 5, 2011 1:13 PM EDT
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PrintAfter their worst offseason in recent memory, the Pittsburgh Steelers are scrambling to find help for their offensive line --and when I say offensive, I mean offensive. I won't bother going into detail because this O line doesn't even pass the eyeball test. Ben Roethlisberger has been abused in his first four games and is not likely to make it through the season unless he starts throwing the ball immediately while playing out of the shotgun.
After four games of thorough ineptitude, the Pitt front office decided to bring back one of the worst tackles in recent memory, Max Starks. Mr. Starks does his best turnstile impersonation while the Rooneys do their best ATM impersonation. I believe Starks has earned about $30MM over the past five years while being a mediocre tackle, at best. He is now back in black and yellow after being released this past offseason.The fact that no one signed him is a good indication of the type of player he is and the type of contribution he'll make in Pittsburgh.
Maybe Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says it best via Twitter:
"Not sure what Max Starks can contribute on the field yet, but the that locker room is already better off than it was, I can assure you that"
As a Baltimore Ravens fan, I am thrilled that the Steelers locker room has been improved with the addition of this towering hulk of a man. Can't wait to see opposing defenses play "rag doll" with Pittsburgh QBs!
The opinions posted here are those of the administrator of this blog and his loyal readers. They are in no way official comments from the team, and should not be misconstued as such, even though he thinks he could do just as well or even a better job!
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Well said by a Ravens fan
But the Steelers will call Starks the “missing link” to their return to dominance. Just wait….
aka 'Rexx'
i love that signing starks got their hopes up. he hasn’t played football in a year… and he’s been up to 400 pounds since then. im also hoping they somehow manage to make the playoffs so that tomlin, colbert, and arians remain in their current positions. i have other hopes… saving them for later in the season.
Long Live Baltimore and it’s fine, humble citizenry and quality American football club.
You have to give praise to their FO for putting together a competitive team almost every year. But they have a tendency to rest on what they have done in the past and assume things will work out like they have in the past and then they have a terrible year. But for the most part, they always have a good team, so bashing their coaching and FO isn’t really accurate.
Though it is hilarious to see them scramble around to try and fix a problem they should have tried to fix months ago. Its also funny to see them at 2-2 and probably missing out on the playoffs unless some miracle happens for them. Barring a complete collapse from the Ravens and a complete turnaround by the Steelers, they absolutely won’t win the division and they will be a long shot to make a wild card spot. Great great stuff!
On a side note: Where are all those Steeler fans at now? Where are those fans that said “Come back at us when you beat us when it matters” now that they are sitting at .500 and looking horrible? Its pretty hard to beat you when it “matters” when you guys aren’t in the playoffs this year!
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 5, 2011 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I think they have this philosophy of bringing players along slowly, and finally they haven’t brought them on fast enough. They have these youngsters waiting in the wings who still haven’t proven they can produce in the NFL.
We always find out what we have in a player very early on.
Obstacles are the things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.
Yeah, they just sat on it assuming hey would be fine this year because they went to the SuperBowl last year. Then 1 or 2 injuries happen, a few guys don’t perform up to par and you are sitting at 3-2 looking up in our division from 3rd place.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 13, 2011 3:06 PM EDT up reply actions
Still taking under 8
in the number of games Ben starts.
"What we've got here is failure to communicate."
yes
Don't let my defense dictate your offense..
by lastcallbmore on Oct 5, 2011 8:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Oh Shadow, what would we ever do without your pessimism?
"Is adult entertainment killing our children, or is killing children entertaining adults?"
-Marilyn Manson
by StuckInUtah on Oct 5, 2011 8:58 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Pot… Kettle… Black
re: Big Ben - "God can have his soul. His ass is mine." - Terrell Suggs
by GrumpyOldBird on Oct 11, 2011 12:32 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
""Not sure what Max Starks can contribute on the field yet, but the that locker room is already better off than it was, I can assure you that"
looks like he contributing to a great Steelers victory!
As a Baltimore Ravens fan, I am thrilled that the Steelers locker room has been improved with the addition of this towering hulk of a man. Can’t wait to see opposing defenses play “rag doll” with Pittsburgh QBs!
Since the ravens weren’t on TV hopefully you got a good look at that beatdown!
On a side note: Where are all those Steeler fans at now? Where are those fans that said "Come back at us when you beat us when it matters" now that they are sitting at .500 and looking horrible? Its pretty hard to beat you when it "matters" when you guys aren’t in the playoffs this year!
Some people truly are complete morons for counting out the Steelers. We were 2-2. Dumbasses. 3-2 now. Keep talking trash! We’ll be the ones laughing last.
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
(cough) 35-7 (cough).
On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu
by AV23 on Oct 9, 2011 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Keep talking trash! We’ll be the ones laughing last.
it could happen but dont think the ravens wont put up a good enough fight to keep you guys litterally last but i dont count the steelers out and I do think its a little overboard for ravens fans to think the steelers are going down hill so early in the season but that 35-7 ravens win will always be there lol for ever and ever
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?-langton Hughes
yeah I agree with Jimmy and Cary shutting down the other teams WR’s, they’ll make anybody rushing the QB look good - Jaz
"I do think its a little overboard for ravens fans to think the steelers are going down hill so early in the season"
And that is a reasonable opinion. Steelers should be underdogs in their house Nov 6, but they’ll be ready.
ravens 12 games to go with no breaks now
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
You flaunt that internet hate showtime!!!
Flacco has to trust his receivers to make catches, but shouldn’t throw towards coverage. He needs to attack deep more often, but shouldn’t hold onto the ball so long. He needs to show more awareness in the pocket and move to extend plays, but nothing good comes of him leaving the pocket. He should run with the ball if nobody’s open, but he definitely can’t run with the ball.
Flacco should have the awareness of Roethlisberger, the elusiveness of Vick, the control of the offense of Manning, the leadership of Brady, the accuracy of Brees, and the arm strength of … Flacco? - Ampallang
that's right I hate you guys and I'm proud of it
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
You and all of the other Steelers fans who are regulars here
disappeared when the Steelers were struggling lately. Now you get a W and the trash talk resumes. Shocking.
"Now you get a W and the trash talk resumes. Shocking."
I came to respond to trash talking I saw from the moron evan. It’s the first time I’ve been baited by raven stupidity lately. When you people have stupid articles, I come and taunt you. That’s how it works, independent of anything else going on.
You have a simplistic mindset. I wonder about your level of education.
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
It’s the first time I’ve been baited by raven stupidity lately. When you people have stupid articles, I come and taunt you. That’s how it works, independent of anything else going on.
You have a simplistic mindset. I wonder about your level of education.
Derogatory generalizations about a rival team’s fans, lame personal attacks, and absolutely nothing worthwhile provided to the topic at hand? You’re like Evan Skev from Pittsburgh.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
State your case, back it up with facts and reasonable opinions ...
Bruce Raffel
by Ampallang on Oct 10, 2011 7:30 AM EDT up reply actions 9 recs
Remove yourself from my jock, amp
Thanks for the mention… Nice to know you think of me…
by Evan Skev on Oct 10, 2011 1:41 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
… lame personal attacks, and absolutely nothing worthwhile provided to the topic at hand?
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
State your case, back it up with facts and reasonable opinions ...
Bruce Raffel
by Ampallang on Oct 10, 2011 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions 9 recs
Perfect.
Flacco has to trust his receivers to make catches, but shouldn’t throw towards coverage. He needs to attack deep more often, but shouldn’t hold onto the ball so long. He needs to show more awareness in the pocket and move to extend plays, but nothing good comes of him leaving the pocket. He should run with the ball if nobody’s open, but he definitely can’t run with the ball.
Flacco should have the awareness of Roethlisberger, the elusiveness of Vick, the control of the offense of Manning, the leadership of Brady, the accuracy of Brees, and the arm strength of … Flacco? - Ampallang
we’ve been hoping you might do exactly that for some time now.
Obstacles are the things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.
by jackmca on Oct 13, 2011 11:15 AM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
"absolutely nothing worthwhile provided to the topic at hand?"
The topic itself was not worthwhile, which is why it needed a bashing. What do you want me to say? I’m not gonna post a diatribe about how it’s not desperation to resign a guy that helped us win two Superbowls. I told evan he was a moron. That’s not a generalization. That’s a fact. So I’ve added something.
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
4 days between when you posted and their first comments. Those first comments also just so happen to be after the Titans game on Sunday. Coincidence? Nah
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 12, 2011 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Come on
Trent Dilfer helped us win a Super Bowl, but I don’t think we’ll be re-signing him any time soon. Stop living in the past. If you didn’t notice, that guy who helped you win 2 Super Bowls got cut from an already weak O-line in the offseason, and was only signed back due to desperation. I know you have to support your team, but you are absolutely delusional if you think it’s not a desperation move.
He had a neck injury that prevented him from working out and he ballooned into the 400s
And he was due a couple million. It was impossible to keep Starks on the roster with the Steelers’ cap situation. I believe they were expecting a much higher cap.
Injuries happen, and yeah they can breed desperation. Luckily their first solution appears to have worked out.
I thought McKinney was desperation when the ravens signed him, but hats off to yinz for somehow motivating him.
Both teams are lucky to have found some needed help at left tackle. Luck is key in the NFL.
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
Luck is key in the NFL.
Which team do you think gets him?
Flacco has to trust his receivers to make catches, but shouldn’t throw towards coverage. He needs to attack deep more often, but shouldn’t hold onto the ball so long. He needs to show more awareness in the pocket and move to extend plays, but nothing good comes of him leaving the pocket. He should run with the ball if nobody’s open, but he definitely can’t run with the ball.
Flacco should have the awareness of Roethlisberger, the elusiveness of Vick, the control of the offense of Manning, the leadership of Brady, the accuracy of Brees, and the arm strength of … Flacco? - Ampallang
man come on I thought about that when I posted that
I guess you have to go with the Colts. They’re done.
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
So no one else even looked at him in the meantime and he was willing to take a much lower salary now? It was 1 game, he did play well, but he has to play against much harder pass rushes soon so we’ll exactly how well he can handle himself at that point.
Mckinnie was a desperation signing by us and it showed. That did work out for us, but it really wasn’t luck. McKinnie when even remotely motivated is a ProBowl caliber player
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 12, 2011 10:21 PM EDT up reply actions
I never disappeared. I’ve been posting still. I just this post was as stupid as the poster, so I didn’t respond.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
Follow me on Twitter
by John Stephens on Oct 10, 2011 8:40 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
just thought*
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
Follow me on Twitter
by John Stephens on Oct 10, 2011 8:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Bandwagon is back in biz after a home win against a crippled titans team. Good stuff
by Evan Skev on Oct 10, 2011 1:38 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
“Crippled”. You mean missing 1 WR? I wonder what it’d be like to be missing a starting OLB, a starting OT, a starting G, and a starting RB?
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
Follow me on Twitter
by John Stephens on Oct 10, 2011 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions
you’ve been very quiet all week, johnny boy
i dont care who pitt beat at home yesterday… im not impressed
as for you, youve shown a willingness and ability to twist the facts to fit your arguments. dangerous starting point for someone your age…
You’re a Grade ‘A’ moron. That’s the worst kind of dangerous.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
Follow me on Twitter
by John Stephens on Oct 11, 2011 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions 6 recs
very quiet… and you have a couple little boyfriends in purple & black….including a grumpy old one. im jealous
why do you always have to make “gay” comments Evan. Why is everything with you “boyfriend” whenever someone disagrees with you? Well the theory that has the most pull is if you say it so much, you must be it.
Anyway, the fact you have no friends in purple and black should have shut you up months ago. But then again, the helmet you’re wearing is probably a little too tight. Buckle up Evan!
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 11, 2011 10:18 PM EDT up reply actions
dude, my website has won awards along with my design firm. The fact that I work with clients all over the world and have employees should tell you that I’m at the top of my profession.
Now go finish your applesauce before your mom grounds you. And don’t forget to buckle up that helmet man. Don’t want any more boo boos killing any more braincells, especially since they are such a commodity for you.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 12, 2011 10:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Wow you guys were complete silent for weeks after getting your ass handed to you. This post has been up for quite a long time and it took you beating a really beat up Titans to come back at us?
That is just as pathetic as how the Steeler’s chances are this year. Get ready for your bye week cause after week 17, you’ll have nothing but time at home watching us play.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 10, 2011 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions
you had to of known they would be back. To think it was so peaceful without them. Don’t worry though they will be gone again after they drop two in a row to the Pats and us. Then it’s back to the ledge.
On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu
Call me crazy, but I think the Steelers match up better against the Pats this year than they have in a long time. And I said that before this game on Sunday.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
Follow me on Twitter
by John Stephens on Oct 10, 2011 4:22 PM EDT up reply actions
All smack talking aside you guys got a chance, but that’s assuming you get more consistent play. This was a game where you guys were the underdogs, were missing players, Ben was hurt, your backs were against the wall and you guys came out fighting and determined. You’re back on track now, but is that fire going to stay or is it going back to being inconsistent? You guys definitely are talented enough to turn it all around and be the same Steelers, but I think as of now nobody really knows what Pitt team we will get from hear on out. Oh and like Shadow said their defense sucks.
On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu
I honestly thought the Titans didn’t show up to play. Watching that entire game, I kept saying that the Titan players just don’t have the hustle, the determination at all in this game from the opening kickoff. Absolutely atrocious tackling and horrible line play all game long was what won the game for the Steelers. The Steelers still made stupid mistakes and still had plenty of errors, but none of them were capitalized on.
It almost looked like they expected to come in and steamroll Pitt without breaking a sweat. They do have a little swagger back and they go into games with hungry teams in Arizona and Jax that they might overlook. What is so funny is to see all these fans that were threatening to boycott the team just a few days ago that are now saying things “have turned around” and “they are back on track”. The team finally got on the tracks, but the cart hasn’t moved anywhere yet. Sweep the 2 easy games coming up and make it look easy and then you’ll be back on track, until then… try and figure out how to make your team better.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 11, 2011 12:24 AM EDT up reply actions
"What is so funny is to see all these fans that were threatening to boycott the team just a few days ago"
I don’t recall reading anything like that.
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
Took the short bus to school.......didn't you?
“ripe for the picking” per your quote on the Titans blog……
The quality of your team is more deserving of your IQ level
not lovin that you're still sharing your moronic opinions with the world
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
dude you are a piece of shit teenage hater with the brains of a busboy. your balls haven't even dropped yet
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
by showtime on Oct 10, 2011 7:16 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
You’re very upset over football… and you question oír level of education? Rube.
by Evan Skev on Oct 10, 2011 1:40 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
hmm, dont like to be mean... but didnt, erm, you guys get whacked by the titans (lololololol!)
by troy43polamalu on Oct 10, 2011 2:24 PM EDT up reply actions
Don’t like to be mean, but didnt you guys get DESTROYED by the Ravens? lololololololol
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 10, 2011 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Maybe the loss to the Titans....
was the “super bowl” hangover for the Ravens? We feel your pain, after we win our super bowls we typically struggle too. Given that our super bowl wins are actually super bowls our hangover lasts a full season not just one game.
I think you could have fit SuperBowl in there 1 more time :)
Your whole argument is based on last season, this is this season and wins this year matter. If you want to ride on last year, go right for it man and when you sit at home this January and you’re watching us play, you can continue polishing that trophy you wo….. oh that’s right. You lost and ended up with the same trophy we got…….. :( *sniffle sniffle
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 11, 2011 12:09 AM EDT up reply actions
I love the fact that after a mediocre win against a Titans team that has been beat up from playing good teams, they want to roll in here like they have done something of some value. Let’s face it, you guys have far more problems with your own team than to worry about what “trash” we are talking about you guys. You are now at 3-2. entering the hardest part of your schedule and in 3rd for the division!
Until you guys are in 1st, you can’t say a damn thing about us or our team until we play you guys again (and win…. again). It just comes off as ridiculous at this point.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 10, 2011 3:56 PM EDT reply actions
Actually we've played one of the most difficult parts
3 out of the first 4 games were on the road. Add to that the team was searching for it’s identity and it kind of hurt us. I think they will have a better showing in the rest of the games for the simple reason that the schedule is much easier as well as the fact that I think the team has figured itself out and will eventually get some of its key pieces back healthy.
Probably not
but you can always smell it as you’re driving up rt79
by kryptonianjorel on Oct 10, 2011 10:27 PM EDT up reply actions
So road games against fairly easy teams (except us) mean they are harder? Lets review your losses and wins this season….
•Ravens – Lost big time and made to look really stupid
•Seahawks – You beat a really really really bad team
•Indy – You barely beat a team that can’t hold KC down for the count. Had Painter been in all game, this is a loss
•Houston – Lost, but the score should have been a lot worse
•Titans – You beat a team that is missing a major player and beat up pretty bad right now.
You guys are 1 sneeze away from being 2-3 right now against mediocre competition. You have played 3 good teams this year, with 1 of them being beat up and you lost 2 of those games and got embarrassed during them.
Now you get to go into 2 relatively easy games, but with hungry teams. Then you face off against NE, us and Cincy all back to back to back. You haven’t figured out anything until you can repeat those wins against good teams.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 11, 2011 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions
For all you bandwagon yinzers
You had the nerve to show up hear flappin your cockholsters after the game.
Where were you to talk up your team all week long? Where was the faith? I’ll tell you where it was… deep in your black & yellow rectums. You all have been bitching and whining about how bad your FO screwed up and how terrible your OC is. It’s been a pleasure to read.
I expect to hear a lot of chirping from you ladies as this week goes on… don’t let me down.
Sincerely,
Your Daddy
by Evan Skev on Oct 10, 2011 5:59 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
PLEASE STOP SAYING YINZER!!!
Do you even know what it means Yvonne? Yinz is the Pittsburgh form of Youse in Jersey and Y’All in the south. It’s not a fucking noun. It’s a colloquial contracted sentence fragment. So adding “er” to it as if it were a noun is “evan stupider”. It’s like calling a Falcons fan a y’aller or a Jets fan a youser. It makes no sense.
re: Big Ben - "God can have his soul. His ass is mine." - Terrell Suggs
by GrumpyOldBird on Oct 11, 2011 12:48 PM EDT reply actions 4 recs
Keep it together, grumpy… Everything is going to work out… I promise
by Evan Skev on Oct 11, 2011 1:34 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Really? You promise? How long did the doctors give you? Now, I’m excited!!
re: Big Ben - "God can have his soul. His ass is mine." - Terrell Suggs
by GrumpyOldBird on Oct 11, 2011 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions 6 recs
i meant that everything will work out for you as long as you keep your sunny disposition on display… but i appreciate your sense of humor. good one… good stuff
You call it humor – I call it wishful thinking.
re: Big Ben - "God can have his soul. His ass is mine." - Terrell Suggs
by GrumpyOldBird on Oct 11, 2011 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions
haha
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
Follow me on Twitter
by John Stephens on Oct 11, 2011 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Who is Yvonne?
Flacco has to trust his receivers to make catches, but shouldn’t throw towards coverage. He needs to attack deep more often, but shouldn’t hold onto the ball so long. He needs to show more awareness in the pocket and move to extend plays, but nothing good comes of him leaving the pocket. He should run with the ball if nobody’s open, but he definitely can’t run with the ball.
Flacco should have the awareness of Roethlisberger, the elusiveness of Vick, the control of the offense of Manning, the leadership of Brady, the accuracy of Brees, and the arm strength of … Flacco? - Ampallang
Probably the girly form of the name who Grump is talking to.
Props on the “evan stupider” as well Grump.
The writer formerly known as This White Man Can Jump; Powah Stached; Bear Killer; Da Dude; The Other Bambino; TJ Dropped The Season; Harbaugh Is My Co-Pilot; Billick's Alter Ego; Mr. Poopy Pants.
Thanks and yes – Yvonne = Evan.
re: Big Ben - "God can have his soul. His ass is mine." - Terrell Suggs
by GrumpyOldBird on Oct 11, 2011 4:28 PM EDT up reply actions
I normally don't reply to morons but saw your quotes on Music City Miracles
their team is a mess. if titans score first, the pitt o line will handle the rest. beat them at home please
The key is Hasselbeck and I say he goes into heinz field and puts a smackdown on pitt’s weak corners. pitt O line is horrible. one dude was on his couch last weekend but tomorrow he’ll be starting at LT. the OC is a complete imbecile and the HC is an enabler. ben will hold on to that ball trying to throw hero balls and if your D gets pressure on him, he will throw picks. i wont even get into the rest of their plentiful weaknesses.
if CJ gets going, it will be a blowout. ripe for the picking gentlemen
And also…..your team has done nothing yet…..extremely promising….but nothing……Yap when you have something to yap about…..Mr not-so-bright “Ripe for the picking”……nice prediction
Where were you all week, toona? How about your prediction for this wknd.. let’s hear it
by Evan Skev on Oct 11, 2011 1:36 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
As much as I hate to admit it Evan was right. If CJ could have gotten up to speed quickly, if the Titans could muster up a mediocre performance, if they weren’t missing their biggest threat on offense. I give you guys credit for winning against a beat up Titans team, but lets get things straight here…. If we haven’t done anything yet, where does that sit you guys? Or did you forget that we beat you guys already and are at the top of our division?
Its funny to read you few Pitt fans that like to roll over here on your fat person scooters and talk about us “yapping” when you guys are the only ones yapping so far. How about you guys get to the top of the division before opening your mouths?
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 11, 2011 3:23 PM EDT up reply actions
If CJ could have gotten up to speed quickly….
Maybe it’s just from being used to watching Ray Rice play, but I thought Johnson looked really slow. I know his line didn’t give him much help against the Steelers, but I really expected him to look faster.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
State your case, back it up with facts and reasonable opinions ...
Bruce Raffel
I’m with you it’s not all CJ’s line. He isn’t as decisive and doesn’t hit the hole as quickly as he used to. He gets bottled up way too easily. I’m wondering if he didn’t keep as fit as he should have.
On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu
The holdout definitely hurt him
but correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe Munchak switched to a zone blocking scheme with the O-Line, and said CJ is struggling learning the new system.
haven’t heard that, but if they did, that would make sense because he just doesn’t look like the same player right now.
On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu
I don’t buy that the holdout or the new blocking scheme is really hurting him. He isn’t showing the same effort as before. He’s freezing at the line instead of lowering his shoulder and fighting for yards. It almost looks like he’s injured or just came back from a nasty injury and he’s scared.
For a RB, very little really changes in terms of what you do. You run in the gap you are supposed to run to and thats what they’ve been doing since they were in PeeWee football. Now there are some intricacies of the blocking scheme that might hurt him a bit with how he cuts back, but his vision should more than make up for that an it isnt.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 12, 2011 12:21 PM EDT up reply actions
You run in the gap you are supposed to run to …
That’s not really how a zone blocking scheme works.
Water covers 2/3 of the Earth's surface. Ed Reed covers the rest.
State your case, back it up with facts and reasonable opinions ...
Bruce Raffel
I understand that, but you are pointed in a direction and you choose a hole. What makes a RB like CJ so good is his vision and ability to hit that hole hard and then have the speed on the backend to make people miss. He hasn’t had the same vision or more importantly the same decisiveness to hit the hole.
There have been gaps and holes open, but he runs into the back of the line or he cringes as he gets close and gets tackled for no gain. You saw it when he played us and more so when he played the Steelers. He just has no pop in his step and its killing his productivity.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 12, 2011 10:16 PM EDT up reply actions
He’s been horrible all year. This was one of his best showings and he had 51 yards with a 3.6 ypc average. He has that speed, but he’s just indecisive and almost afraid to hit the hole. Even the announcers mentioned that he didn’t seem willing to smash himself into the line to get a yard and I frequently saw him just go up to the line and cringe before he was touched.
Not entirely sure whats going on with him, but he is a shadow of his former self this year and it doesn’t seem to be getting better.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 11, 2011 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Not entirely sure whats going on with him, but he is a shadow of his former self this year and it doesn’t seem to be getting better.
its the money he forget to leave it home but he carries it even in games lol we all know sometime when players get a big contract they dont play as good as you like the following year and eventualy come back strong the next year
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Wait, only the Titans fielded a beat up team? So Willie Colon played? Rashard Mendenhall played? Chris Kemoeatu played? James Harrison played?
Saying we only won because they were beat up is really lame. Every team in the NFL has injuries (hell, we even had more), but you still have to come out and play on Sunday.
I’m not over here yapping that you all haven’t done anything yet, because you stomped us to start the season. There is no doubt about that. But Sunday was clearly the best the Steelers have looked all year. They actually protected their QB against a good DL that was using overload blitzes for the first time this year and the “new” guy played lights out. Time will tell, but I think that next meeting will be a lot more competitive.
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by John Stephens on Oct 11, 2011 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions
You forgot Hampton and Smith.
Flacco has to trust his receivers to make catches, but shouldn’t throw towards coverage. He needs to attack deep more often, but shouldn’t hold onto the ball so long. He needs to show more awareness in the pocket and move to extend plays, but nothing good comes of him leaving the pocket. He should run with the ball if nobody’s open, but he definitely can’t run with the ball.
Flacco should have the awareness of Roethlisberger, the elusiveness of Vick, the control of the offense of Manning, the leadership of Brady, the accuracy of Brees, and the arm strength of … Flacco? - Ampallang
touche
I guess Hoke played so well I forgot.
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 8:05 AM EDT up reply actions
Yep, but Britt is the main cog in the offense. You take him away and the Titans are half the team they normally are. Not to mention that their secondary was pretty banged up as well. You look at what the Steelers were able to do and it just so happens that it was stop the pass and pass against the Titans.
Not to mention that the Titans just looked deflated from the first snap. Again, I give you all the credit in the world for beating a team. But lets be honest, it was against a banged up Titans team (much much crappier than the 1 we faced) and you guys are still 3rd in the division. The season is far from over, but yapping this much is just ridiculous when you all were ready to kick the chair from under your feet just 1 week ago.
The same thing I said about Torrey Smith, I’ll say about you. That was a good showing, but do it a few games in a row before I say you’re for real.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 11, 2011 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Okay, so one player out is more significant than missing 6 starters? You don’t see how ridiculous that sounds? James Harrison is just as important of a “cog” in our defense. And the fact that he was out made us more our best player on the inside to the outside made it even worse. Are you telling me the Ravens handle the Titans if Britt is out but you are missing Ngata, Cody, Rice, Grubbs, Oher, Suggs (and Ray is moved to OLB)?
It’s in your nature to discredit what the Steelers did while making excuses for your own team. I do it all the same for my team.
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 8:13 AM EDT up reply actions
made us move, not more
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 8:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Oh
and you might as well throw in a sprained planting foot for Flacco
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 8:20 AM EDT up reply actions
Lets please not compare any of your players to Rice or Ngata. I will sort of say that Suggs would be your Harrison, but we aren’t talking apples to apples here.
Either way, I do say that you guys get credit for beating the Titans. Thats a hard thing to do regardless of the team or injuries or whatever. But lets be real here, they aren’t at full strength so celebrating like you dethroned the Packers is a bit premature and funny looking from here. What I see is a bunch of fans that were pissing themselves just a week ago and were about to jump off a cliff because their team looked awful and 1 mediocre win “solves everything” and they get mouthy again. Like I said, win your next 2 easy games convincingly and you’ll have some credit and respect again. Win against NE and we’ll actually be worried again.
But until either of those happen, you guys are a weak team in my eyes and you really aren’t a threat. Until either of those happen, yapping like the Steeler fans have been is totally unwarranted and ridiculous.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 12, 2011 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions
If I can’t compare Mendy to Rice than please do not try to compare Suggs to Harrison.
Anyway, we aren’t acting like we beat the Packers. If you want to let the one guy going crazy on here represent the entire Steelers fanbase that’s your own fallacy. The majority of us are just excited that we beat a good team and that team happened to manhandle our division rival earlier this season.
All I can do is laugh at the rest of what you said.
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 10:17 AM EDT up reply actions
please do not try to compare Suggs to Harrison.
At this point, you and I both know Suggs is the best OLB in this division. Get real now boy.
Flacco has to trust his receivers to make catches, but shouldn’t throw towards coverage. He needs to attack deep more often, but shouldn’t hold onto the ball so long. He needs to show more awareness in the pocket and move to extend plays, but nothing good comes of him leaving the pocket. He should run with the ball if nobody’s open, but he definitely can’t run with the ball.
Flacco should have the awareness of Roethlisberger, the elusiveness of Vick, the control of the offense of Manning, the leadership of Brady, the accuracy of Brees, and the arm strength of … Flacco? - Ampallang
No, he is not. Like I said before, James Harrison is the most well-rounded OLB in the league.
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Not a chance
Suggs has always been the most complete OLB in the league. He plays the pass, the run, and rushes the QB very well. Harrison does not look like the same guy this year, while Suggs has been as dominant as ever.
Want to bet?
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Bet on what?
that doesn’t even make sense, there’s no way to quantify that. And if you wanna go by stats (sacks, tackles, etc) Suggs will blow Harrison out of the water this year, especially with Harrison missing significant time.
AKA would you like to put your money where your mouth is
On either of these statements:
Suggs has always been the most complete OLB in the league
Harrison does not look like the same guy this year, while Suggs has been as dominant as ever.
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions
As I said
there is no way to quantify that, so there is nothing to bet on. And I completely believe that both of those statements are true.
Yes, there is a way to quantify that. Thanks to ProFootballFocus.
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Those other “experts” don’t watch every player for every snap and then quantify their performance.
And there are other “experts”, the one’s who have never given Suggs an DPotY vote.
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by John Stephens on Oct 13, 2011 9:55 AM EDT up reply actions
You know you have a weak ass argument
when you bring in past accolades into a debate about this year’s performance. Face it, Suggs right now is better than Harrison right now. I’m not trying to take anything away from Harrison, he’s just banged up, maybe getting a little old, whatever the reason, he’s just not at the top of his game, and Suggs is as good as ever, maybe the best he’s ever been.
Alright, enjoy your ignorance.
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by John Stephens on Oct 14, 2011 8:38 AM EDT up reply actions
This is an Evan-like argument. Regardless of people asking you to just admit an absolute fact, you retort with stupid, 1 line comments that shed absolutely no light on why you feel we are wrong.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 14, 2011 10:02 PM EDT up reply actions
You haven’t showed any fact. Your entire God damn argument is opinion. I showed you fact, AKA statistics, and you just say “no I’ve watched both and Suggs looks better”. You’re absolutely wrong.
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by John Stephens on Oct 16, 2011 8:46 AM EDT up reply actions
You showed stats from last year and argued that a website has him ranked higher. Your whole argument is based on Harrison’s past and not this current year.
In your opinion, is Harrison playing better than Suggs this year? If you say yes, please back that up with stats from this year and not some ridiculous ranking or stats from previous years or stats based on the percentage of dropping into coverage vs rushing the passer.
On that note, again I’m not arguing that Suggs is better, but that they are in the same ballpark as one another in terms of talent and productivity.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 16, 2011 10:12 PM EDT up reply actions
It's kind of silly that
I have to link to quote a comment you already read.
Per snap when they blitz they are equal in sack% and Harrison is higher in QB hits and pressure.
He is better against the run, see more TFL, more stops, and more tackles.
I’d say the same about coverage, but I can’t quantify that.
Those are numbers for this year, before this past weekend.
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by John Stephens on Oct 19, 2011 2:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Dude,
You are not even close.
Suggs is having a DPOY season so far by any measure by most any reasonable person’s football opinion while Harrison, as great as he has been, is having an amazingly Claude Rains -like season.
Look, Harrison is injured/dinged; his tights with the “S” are at the dry cleaners; these things happen.
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So well rounded that he is getting blocked fairly easily by all the teams you’ve faced. For whatever reason Harrison has been half the player he normally is. If you want to go by the past, then Suggs and Harrison are on par, but Suggs is widely considered in the same level as Harrison and is far outplaying him this year.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 12, 2011 12:07 PM EDT up reply actions
I can tell that neither of you have watched James Harrison play this year.
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 12:08 PM EDT up reply actions
No I actually have. I made the statement that I think he is slower and not as good of a player this year as in years past and with that, the rest of defense is going to struggle because they all rely on him and his energy to do well. Harrison is like our Ray Lewis, if he has a bad year or is not on the field, the rest of the defense struggles.
Because I said that after week 1, I have been paying special attention to him. He’s been getting blocked fairly easily so far this season and isn’t having anywhere close to his normal impact. Hence why your pass rush has been mediocre and why the defense has struggled overall.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 12, 2011 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions
So, why does PFF have him ranked as their best 3-4 OLB for this season?
The pass rush has struggled because Woodley hadn’t done much until this most recent Sunday.
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 12:36 PM EDT up reply actions
Rankings are pointless comparisons based on opinion with very little fact behind them. I can just tell you that watching your games, Harrison was getting blocked and was a non factor most of the time. He’s a good player, but he wasn’t showing it this year.
Without Harrison, the rest of the defense is mediocre at best. They rely on his ability to get attention to do delayed blitzes and to get rushed throws. With him being so ineffective, those other players have been showing their true colors. Now with him out, players have stepped up for 1 game and have caused a little more thought to go into gameplanning and therefore caused more havoc than in previous games.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 12, 2011 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Rankings are pointless comparisons based on opinion with very little fact behind them
No, they are not. The rankings are based on statistics and do not compare player A to player B to calculate them.
You are so absurdly wrong it’s laughable. You are the only person I’ve heard say Harrison is not playing extremely well this year, especially considering he has the back injury.
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by John Stephens on Oct 13, 2011 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions
I think we had a long and hilarious debate about blocking WRs a while back that pretty much laid PFF to rest. You can’t just rest any argument on PFF dude.
I think people here are underestimating Harrison, but he was held without a sack against us and 2 sacks in 4 games—though a small sample size—is not his usual pace. Can we agree on that much?
Obstacles are the things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.
I thought we came to the conclusion that PFF proved me wrong about Boldin not being an elite blocking WR?
So James Harrison only rushes the passer? And it doesn’t matter to you that he has rushed the QB half the amount of times that Suggs has, who coincidentally has twice as many sacks? You all are just looking at the sack number and saying “He isn’t playing well.” Or you are MD, who claims he has watched him play and says he saw something no one else did. Neither are correct.
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by John Stephens on Oct 13, 2011 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions
I could care less about PFF to be honest. I know what I’ve seen and I know that he isn’t on his normal pace like Jackmca has said. I’m not saying he sucks, just that he isn’t performing up to the standard he has set in the past.
It might be the back injury, but we’ll never know. To make excuses of “he doesnt rush as often as Suggs” and “PFF has him rated as the highest” are all moot points here. PFF isnt the end all be all in terms of rankings and there is a certain amount of favoritism that goes into any ranking situation…. We aren’t talking about him being better than Suggs, but that they are both in the same ballpark here and being fairly comparable.
The fact is, they both play completely different. This goes right back to the Reed vs Troy discussion that got everyone nowhere. 2 different playing styles and 2 different schemes mean 2 different sets of stats…. in the same ballpark though? Yep! Why you keep trying to say that Harrison is better is beyond me when we aren’t discussing that. We are discussing whether he is performing up to par and if Suggs and Harrison are fairly close together in terms of production and talent.
Now the other part of this discussion was about Mendy and Rice. Those 2 aren’t even in the same zip code and we all know it.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 13, 2011 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions
lol wat?
and there is a certain amount of favoritism that goes into any ranking situation
Said the Ravens fan talking about a Steelers player…
Why you keep trying to say that Harrison is better is beyond me when we aren’t discussing that….We are discussing whether he is performing up to par and if Suggs and Harrison are fairly close together in terms of production and talent.
…uhhhh…that’s the same thing…
And in Ravens fans eyes, I am sure Rice is the best RB in the game. I am sure he would run just as well behind the Steelers line. Or not. Most likely not.
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by John Stephens on Oct 13, 2011 3:41 PM EDT up reply actions
Said the Ravens fan talking about a Steelers player…
You really think that I hate the Steelers that much to completely dismiss a player? When up above, I clearly stated that the FO is very solid and you guys field a great team almost every year. Just because I don’t agree with you doesn’t mean my point is any less valid. The fact you had to go with that leads me to believe that I’m completely right and you know it and instead of trying to find some stupid fact and argue with me you went the route of “well you’re biased! Yeah!…”. What a joke of a conversation if you seriously think that.
…uhhhh…that’s the same thing…
Oh come on really!? You seriously think that saying someone is comparable to another player is the same as arguing that 1 is better? Just that right there means your entire argument should be dismissed as being a homer.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 13, 2011 9:42 PM EDT up reply actions
When comparing a Ravens player to a Steelers fan I absolutely believe you would be bias, evident by this entire conversation.
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by John Stephens on Oct 14, 2011 8:42 AM EDT up reply actions
This coming from the guy that is going out of his way to say his player is better. I think they are pretty much equal, but they do different things. Why is that so hard to understand?
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 14, 2011 10:01 PM EDT up reply actions
I think Suggs is clearly better right now. Obviously, I’ve watched every snap that Suggs has ever played and I cannot say the same about Harrison… Although I have watched him quite a bit.
This discussion reminds me of the Shaun Rodgers versus Ngata debates that we had with Browns fans back in 2007-2008. At that point, it was clear that Ngata was a young, up-and-coming star but Rodgers had been really good in 2007 and was a Pro Bowler in 2008. Obviously, Ngata was a ascending talent and Rodgers was descending.
I would say it’s the same with Suggs versus Harrison. Suggs is the young stud and Harrison has had an excellent career but is clearly on his way out. Suggs is in his prime and just turned 29 a few days ago.
by BAL_Hawk on Oct 13, 2011 5:05 PM EDT up reply actions 2 recs
Sorry, it’s just not accurate.
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by John Stephens on Oct 14, 2011 8:43 AM EDT up reply actions
Did you not read this entire thread?
Simply saying “well he has more sacks” and “I’ve watched both and it passes the eye test” is a load of crap.
Per snap when they blitz they are equal in sack% and Harrison is higher in QB hits and pressure.
He is better against the run, see more TFL, more stops, and more tackles.
I’d say the same about coverage, but I can’t quantify that.
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by John Stephens on Oct 14, 2011 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions
All I was saying was that Harrison is on his way out of the league… He’s 33 with several nagging injuries for crying out loud. Even you must agree with that. Suggs is in his prime, five years younger and still getting better.
Who’s better or worse is a pointless debate in my opinion because even if Harrison is slightly better right now, it won’t be long before Suggs overtakes him by a long-shot. That’s why it reminds me of the Rogers-Ngata debate because Ngata is clearly better now even though it may have been close back in 2007 or 2008.
I still don’t see how you can blatantly say that what I said is “not accurate.” I think Harrison is still pretty good and all that, but let’s be realistic here. He’s getting old… fast.
Well when he slows down then we can have this conversation. Until then…
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by John Stephens on Oct 16, 2011 8:47 AM EDT up reply actions
But again, they play 2 very different styles and are asked to do very different things. By your argument Reed is the much better safety overall because he has the stats on his side on pretty much everything.
Stats will not and can not show the whole story. They can help you get there, but it does take a little bit of thought and actual analysis to really see anything.
Again, you are really the only one arguing that Harrison is better than Suggs. So far everyone else is saying they are in the same ballpark and are pretty close together. I’d take either one over the other for different reasons, but that doesn’t make either one better.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 14, 2011 9:59 PM EDT up reply actions
By your argument Reed is the much better safety overall because he has the stats on his side on pretty much everything.
Since when has Ed Reed ever been better against the run?
I’m still waiting for your analysis, besides “I’ve seen them play and Suggs clearly looks better.” That’s not exactly ground breaking analysis.
They can help you get there, but it does take a little bit of thought and actual analysis to really see anything.
Again, you are really the only one arguing that Harrison is better than Suggs.
Right, because this is a Ravens site. That surprises you? And, I believe I originally said Harrison is the most well-rounded OLB. And then that turned into the separation between the two in skill is equivalent to the separation between Rice and Mendenhall.
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by John Stephens on Oct 16, 2011 8:53 AM EDT up reply actions
Right, because this is a Ravens site. That surprises you?
Dude you are dense…. my point there is that I’m not arguing one is better than the other. I am arguing against your thoughts that Suggs isn’t even close to Harrison, which is insane on so many levels.
We could keep going round and round here, but you’re just being the ultimate homer and looking to argue with someone over something. Go argue with Evan some more in that case.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 16, 2011 10:15 PM EDT up reply actions
If I can’t compare Mendy to Rice than please do not try to compare Suggs to Harrison.
While I agree with your arguments that your win over Tennessee was definitely legit I don’t see the problem with comparing Suggs to Harrison. When healthy Harrison is a monster and I’m not even going to argue who’s better because that will get us nowhere, but to say suggs isn’t in his class is ridiculous. When it comes to Mendy and Rice you know that’s not close right now. I have been on btsc and have even seen your frequent fans talking about benching Mendy for Redman even when healthy. Rice strikes fear into every D he goes against and makes teams put all their attention to him. Mendy doesn’t do that and has to hope he doesn’t get passed up on the depth chart.
On Ed Reed:
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"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
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I think Rashard Mendenhall would look just as good as Rice behind the right line. Take last year for example.
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 11:36 AM EDT up reply actions
that’s the thing, behind the right line. Many people thought Mendenhall broke out last year and did that with a 3.9 YPC. Last year was a down year for Rice and was at 4 YPC behind a horrible line, but he lead backs in reception yards. Not saying Mendenhall can’t catch, but is nowhere near the receiving threat of Rice. you don’t have to game plan for Mendenhall and he is not on the level of Rice. That’s evident by your fans calling for Redman to start over him. He’s undecisive and dances too much.
On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu
I’d still argue your line was miles better than ours was last year. And no, Mendy is not the same threat as Rice in the passing game. Just like Suggs is not called as much to drop into coverage like James Harrison is.
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions
Just like Suggs is not called as much to drop into coverage like James Harrison is.
Are you sure about that? Suggs is asked to do a lot for our defense. I can’t speak to the correlation to percent of plays spent dropping back, but Suggs does have more than twice as many pass deflections as Harrison since 2003 (the first year either player posted stats). That leads me to believe that either Suggs spends a lot more time than Harrison dropping into coverage, or he’s much more skilled at doing so.
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Yes, I am positive. James Harrison was mostly a ST guy from 2002-2006. It wasn’t until that huge game in 2007 against you all that he really stepped into the lime light. Suggs, on the other hand, has been starting since 2004. Not exactly a fair comparison. And I’d also say that PDs do not tell the whole story of playing coverage.
You can use PFF’s snap count numbers and see that since 2008 (their first year of data) James Harrison has dropped into coverage 859 times on 3569 snaps (or 24.1%) where as Suggs has dropped into coverage 276 times on 3396 snaps (8.1%). Just this year Harrison has dropped 24.4% of the time compared to Suggs 9.7% of the time.
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 1:59 PM EDT up reply actions
And, if you just average it out by the total number of pass snaps and rule out run snaps, Harrison is at 37.8% and Suggs 13.3% over the last 4 seasons.
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I checked out PFF’s premium thing, and all I can say is that I wish I’d known about it sooner. I’ll get on board with that sooner or later and look further into this.
It wasn’t until that huge game in 2007 against you all that he really stepped into the lime light. Suggs, on the other hand, has been starting since 2004. Not exactly a fair comparison.
Truncating pre-2007 data, Suggs still has significantly more pass deflections than Harrison, so it’s not exactly an unfair comparison, either.
And I’d also say that PDs do not tell the whole story of playing coverage.
That’s very true, but I think it’s probably the most objective way to judge it that we have available to us.
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The thing that really sucks about PFF’s numbers and I just tweeted them about is that for 3-4 OLBs they show coverage stats (i.e. targets, catch%, Y/A, YAC), but for a guy like Suggs who they classify as a 4-3 DE (although they make it clear it’s a loose fitting) they don’t. I really wish I could get to his numbers. Catch%, Y/A and YAC/A tell me a lot more about pass coverage than just PDs can.
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 2:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Amp, I would submit a guess to you that most of Suggs’ deflections did not happen in coverage, but rather as he was rushing the passer. As the numbers show, he isn’t really in coverage as much as most people seem to think.
Obstacles are the things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.
I agree that pass deflections aren’t a perfect measure of ability in pass coverage, but I’d have to look at the numbers before I agreed that most of his deflections happened outside of pass coverage.
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Bruce Raffel
I think one of the best metrics for pass coverage ability is the opposing QB’s rating when throwing at the players assignment -whether that be a zone or man assignment.
The only problem with that is it is sometimes hard to determine assignments… especially in a complex defensive schemes like Pittsburgh and Baltimore run.
That being said, I still think it works better than most techniques because you can just assign a neutral rating for plays were assignments are not clear and only add positive or negative ratings when assignments are clear. Therefore, only clear-cut good and bad plays affect the rating.
That’s what PFF does and it helps to separate the statistical chaff from the wheat so to speak. It’s not perfect, but I think it works well enough to base general opinions off of -so long as you are aware of the shortcomings.
this is mostly by virtue of your Zone Blitz scheme. Suggs, in our defense, may not always line up as a DE but he essentailly plays DE for us. Many people on this blog and elsewhere may not realize this, but Hawk posted a great link to an article called “Hyping the Hybrids” that basically explains that we run a 43 and Suggs is our RE.
Obstacles are the things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.
not called as much doesn’t mean he’s not even close to harrison. Suggs causes havoc rushing the passer and using your PFF stats I believe I recall he was #2 against the run last year behind only D ware. Suggs does everything he is supposed to do and does it at an extremely high level. Also with Mendy from the games I have watched Redman and Moore seem to be producing more when they are in and you could also argue last year that Rice faced more of a stacked box because we had no one even close to the deep threat of Wallace.
On Ed Reed:
"I’ve told him to his face many times, ‘You’re the greatest safety ever to play the game,’"
"We all learn from each other, but we all learn most from him."
- Troy Polamalu
I’d still take your line over our line last year facing an extra man in the box.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions
And for last year
Suggs got a 16.6 against the run and Harrison was a 21.0
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 2:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Oops
Just realized you said rush. Suggs got a 20.1 and Harrison got a 22.2
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions
So yet again, right in the same ballpark man. The original point wasn’t saying Suggs is better than Harrison or vice versa. I was saying that Rice is significantly better than Mendy and Suggs-Harrison is pretty close.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 12, 2011 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions
And I am saying Rice is not significantly better than Mendy. He just has a significantly better offensive line.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 13, 2011 9:57 AM EDT up reply actions
You wild’n. Mendenhall is not on Rice’s overall level. Rice is the most well rounded RB in the game, and you damn well know it.
Flacco has to trust his receivers to make catches, but shouldn’t throw towards coverage. He needs to attack deep more often, but shouldn’t hold onto the ball so long. He needs to show more awareness in the pocket and move to extend plays, but nothing good comes of him leaving the pocket. He should run with the ball if nobody’s open, but he definitely can’t run with the ball.
Flacco should have the awareness of Roethlisberger, the elusiveness of Vick, the control of the offense of Manning, the leadership of Brady, the accuracy of Brees, and the arm strength of … Flacco? - Ampallang
I’m not saying he is as good. I’m saying the separation of skill is similar to that of Harrison and Suggs.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 13, 2011 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions
that’s not ABSURD but reasonable fans could disagree about that. I’m actually kind of laughing that such an innocuous and petty distinction there caused such a long argument.
Obstacles are the things you see when you take your eyes off your goals.
Well my team beat the Titans. That’s why I wanted to have it. Duh!
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 13, 2011 11:58 AM EDT up reply actions
I Can Tie Both
These arguments nicely for you: this year, you have a choice- you must pick either Suggs or Harrison for your team, and you must pick either Rice or Mendy.
90% of the folks, for this year so far, are going to pick Sugss and Rice, hands down. Not for years past, this year.
"A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
"God's whiskers! Your face is as hideous as the demon's in my storybook!"
"I never expected to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the places they do today."
"It's big for a reason."
For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind
For this year? I’d take Harrison and Rice. And the “90%” is your bias Ravens opinion.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 19, 2011 2:52 PM EDT up reply actions
Fine
85%, 90%, 95%, whatever…
You get my point.
I think we will have to agree to disagree about Harrison over Suggs, this year, ’cause I think you are crazy on that one…
"A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring."
"The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug."
"God's whiskers! Your face is as hideous as the demon's in my storybook!"
"I never expected to see the day when girls would get sunburned in the places they do today."
"It's big for a reason."
For Pittsburgh fans, that's Pope, Twain, Rostand, Rogers and Megamind
I think none of you have watched him play or just watched ESPN.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 19, 2011 4:30 PM EDT up reply actions
You guys are totally acting like you beat the Packers. All of a sudden, the day you beat the Titans you all show up here to talk smack like you’ve done something. This story has been up for long enough that if anyone had any problems you all would have mentioned something before. But lets face it… a majority of your own fan base was seriously worried and were talking about boycotting the team just a week ago. Now, after that win, everyone is full of confidence again and talking just as much shit as ever.
You all would have been on here sooner if you really had confidence in your team just a week ago. To come on this late and try to stick up for them after that win shows that you guys are riding back and forth on the fence. I guarantee that if you all lose either of your next 2 games, I’ll see a ton of posts on here and on your site about how the team is in trouble and all these players need to get benched and the OC is a moron and Tomlin should be fired and we won’t hear from you guys until you have a good win again. Your ego and faith in your team is in serious jeopardy right now as it should be.
To act like you’re not worried about the team and that Titans win makes all those problems go away is hilarious to see.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 12, 2011 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I really don't know where you get your information from
Do you ever read BTSC or do you just read the comments of the Steelers fans who come over here? Sure, we have a few fanposts from the doom and gloom people who flipped out after the first few weeks, but the majority of us knew to wait and see. The Steelers are still fresh off a SB appearance with very little turnover. To think they had all the sudden just become a “weak” team is “hilarious to see” IMO.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 12, 2011 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t really go over there because half of the comments are from those
doom and gloom people who flipped out after the first few weeksfans. Or as we like to call them “bandwagon fans”. Its the 1 biggest thing I hate about the Steelers. Most of you guys are pretty cool and I have respect for your team, but a majority of the fans are just like Yankee fans…. they hold on because times are usually pretty good, but god help you if you lose 2 games.
Then this story gets posted up and if you notice, I actually defended the FO, but I did say the team is in some trouble with injuries and inconsistent play (all very true things btw). Now none of you came on here and said a single word until 4PM on Sunday. Lets be real here, you all were worried about your team’s chances on Sunday and you beat a relatively quality team in the Titans. Now all that bravado is back and everyone comes on over to puff out their chest a little and act like nothing ever happened. But here is the issue, the bravado shouldn’t be back yet because you guys don’t really have any quality wins aside from this one and you’ve struggled against every team except Seattle and the Titans and its because those teams didn’t prey on your weaknesses and issues.
Again, I could care less how you all feel about your team or what you do over in your own little blog. This story had been dead over here until you all came on. To come in here this late and continue to puff out your chest is just funny and ridiculous.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 12, 2011 10:05 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Your entire point is so hypocritical it’s pretty damn hilarious. Every time Flacco has a bad game I come over here and there are posts about benching him for whatever guy you have behind him. Or, I come here and there are remarks about whether Harbaugh should be the right coach and maybe Rex Ryan should have been the guy. Get off your damn high horse.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 13, 2011 10:01 AM EDT up reply actions
What!? There are criticisms of Flacco and some are warranted and some are not. But I’ve never seen anyone here aside from someone with like 2 posts mention anything about Harbaugh and Rex Ryan. Maybe that first year and you could sort of see the point in that with it being such an unusual hire given the circumstances.
I will admit that there are a lot of fans that get close to the edge over here as well and I hate that about our fan base just like I hate that about your fan base. My whole point was that a majority of you guys were like that and now I see all of you back after you beat the Titans. Some of you are classy guys that stick with the team and some of your guys tend to get a little upset at the team’s every move just like any group of fans, but to see all of your fan base over here like you guys did something impossible is hilarious.
I just don’t see how all of you decided at the same time to come over here and complain about this thread. Not even argue about its merits, but complain and start saying things like
Uhh, didn’t you all lose to the Titans? lolololand
Ravens Suck the Steely McBeam!and
I just thought this post was as stupid as the poster, so I didn’t respond.(until after your team won of course) and
When you people have stupid articles, I come and taunt you.and
The topic itself was not worthwhile, which is why it needed a bashing… I could go on here.
The issue is, you haven’t talked about what the original story was about at all. All you and the other fans have done is come on here and bash us directly. Absolutely no argument on the merits of Evan’s and the rest of our thoughts, just mindless bashing as though you still have some seniority over us or in some way better when you sit at 3-2 behind the Bengals. If you want respect, lets have a conversation about the topic in this post and not about stupid prepubescent shit.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 13, 2011 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions
First of all, Evan is an idiot and doesn’t deserve to be treated otherwise. If you want to debate that, that’s fine, but I am not going to treat him any differently. That’s why I made my comment you quoted and I stand by that. If you can’t see that it is moronic to claim making a smart FA signing is “desperation” than I don’t know what to tell you.
My whole point was that a majority of you guys were like that
Right. And your whole point is wrong. Go over to BTSC and you will see that the minority is like that, just like here. The only problem is we have more traffic than BB, so it might seem like more. But a quick glance over and you can see that all of the comments in those “doom and gloom” posts were ripping on the poster.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 14, 2011 8:49 AM EDT up reply actions
First of all, Evan is an idiot and doesn’t deserve to be treated otherwise.
He may be an idiot and disliked pretty much everywhere, but you have to respect the opinion when it has reasoning behind it. I don’t really care for the guy, but when he has a thought that is well founded, you debate with him.
Now when he says something childish and passive aggressive, as his way, bash away in my opinion. Hell, I’ll probably rec it if its funny enough, or if he was a big enough of a jerk.
But a quick glance over and you can see that all of the comments in those "doom and gloom" posts were ripping on the poster.
You are very right on that one John. I don’t really visit your site often and I really don’t stick around and read everything, so I might be mistaken on that level. Though my opinion is not just from that 1 thing, but from years of working and being around Steeler fans. They can dish it, but they very rarely have the stones to take it when it comes back around. That to me makes them “doom and gloom” fans when they can’t take a little ribbing because they secretly believe what is being said.
I’ve said it a few times already… most of you guys that come on over are pretty cool. You all can be a little touchy sometimes, but you’re all pretty relaxed about most things. There are a few ignorant ass hats that come around here, but every fan base has those. So please don’t take what I say about your fan base as though I am talking about you or the few other guys here, just the rest of the knuckleheads out there in the real world.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 14, 2011 9:56 PM EDT up reply actions
Fair enough. For me, it’s just impossible to talk to Evan at all. Even if I had come back with a reasonable response he would have just called me a “bandwagon yinzer troll” and my response would just be a waste of time.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 16, 2011 8:59 AM EDT up reply actions
That is incredibly true and I often think that I must be insane for trying to debate with him myself. But the second that you give in and just trash his thoughts without backing it up with fact and solid thought is the second that you give him full ability to troll the hell outta you and have the conversation turn into mush.
Even though conversations with him usually turn into mush, you gotta hope that 1 day he can be civilized.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 16, 2011 10:17 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
"All of a sudden, the day you beat the Titans you all show up here to talk smack like you’ve done something. This story has been up for long enough that if anyone had any problems you all would have m
Sorry I was busy last week. I would have said essentially the same thing. People are morons to count ANY team out at 2-2. Even the bengals.
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
all of you just so happened to be busy last week. You all just so happened to be busy until 4PM on Sunday? Come on man, we all know that’s BS. I’m cool if you don’t want to admit it here, but then don’t talk trash until you feel better about your own team.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 12, 2011 9:58 PM EDT up reply actions
I honestly can't believe this post went under my radar for so long. Believe what you want I know the narrative you guys want to hear.
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
It is gonna be bad once we lose, you will come here with a purpose to make every miserable. But I guess this post brought that upon us.
Flacco has to trust his receivers to make catches, but shouldn’t throw towards coverage. He needs to attack deep more often, but shouldn’t hold onto the ball so long. He needs to show more awareness in the pocket and move to extend plays, but nothing good comes of him leaving the pocket. He should run with the ball if nobody’s open, but he definitely can’t run with the ball.
Flacco should have the awareness of Roethlisberger, the elusiveness of Vick, the control of the offense of Manning, the leadership of Brady, the accuracy of Brees, and the arm strength of … Flacco? - Ampallang
Are you telling me the Ravens handle the Titans if Britt is out but you are missing Ngata, Cody, Rice, Grubbs, Oher, Suggs (and Ray is moved to OLB)?
It’s in your nature to discredit what the Steelers did while making excuses for your own team. I do it all the same for my team.
Well Ray wouldnt be playing OLB becaue Paul Krugar or Sergio Kindle would . the ravens have alot of solid back up players who i feel could be starter in the future for the team and starters for other teams.
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?-langton Hughes
yeah I agree with Jimmy and Cary shutting down the other teams WR’s, they’ll make anybody rushing the QB look good - Jaz
Our back up OLB was injured as well.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 13, 2011 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m not over here yapping that you all haven’t done anything yet
Thats a little narcasistic. I never called you out directly, but the fanbase as a whole. If that annoys you, reign those morons in a bit.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 11, 2011 10:11 PM EDT up reply actions
"I never called you out directly, but the fanbase as a whole. If that annoys you, reign those morons in a bit."
Now that you’ve hammered this point about ten times in this thread, it reminded me of why you’re so sensitive about the topic of negative fans.
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh lashed out at fans Tuesday night after receiving complaints about the team’s performance during the 13-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
Speaking on his weekly radio show, Harbaugh told angry fans to root for someone else if they are displeased with the Ravens’ efforts.
“go find another team to cheer for. If you’re not proud of this team then you don’t know football.”
That was hilarious!
"It was an attrition football game and you know we like that."
Its pretty funny to take a stroll through the Steelers blog this week. Also funny to know that no one will show up around here again this week after a mediocre performance and barely beating the Jags. I love that you Steeler fans try and act like you all love your team and that you think they could beat anyone, but then see how you all actually talk about the team when they do bad. Its also hilarious to see you guys have to watch the Bungles games so you can hopefully squeeze into 2nd place in the division if they lose.
A lot of excuses about getting fined, penalties never going your way, bad play calling and just how bad the team is playing in general. Then when you guys beat a team like Arizona, we’ll see you all back here shouting like you have some huge accomplishment.
by Mstevens_Design on Oct 16, 2011 11:54 PM EDT reply actions
Still here. Don’t really give a shit. We got the W.
"It’s easy to lie with statistics, but it’s easier to lie without them." -Fred Mosteller
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by John Stephens on Oct 19, 2011 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions
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