Ed: Ben's Injury Why Steelers-Ravens Should Have Been Spread Out

Wednesday, 14 November 2012 06:59

Written by Ed Bouchette

Good morning,
    A few things and then we’ll turn it over to ME & YOU:
--- It appears Troy Polamalu will miss his eighth game with his calf injury. If not for David DeCastro, they could have put Polamalu on that new one-man injured reserve list marked “designated to return” except that would me, you know, they expected Polamalu to return.
--- Ben Roethlisberger’s injury, which could take him out for several weeks, is a reason why the schedule pitting the Ravens and Steelers against each other twice over the span of three games was unfair.
--- Baltimore cornerback Cary Williams on this week’s game:
"We don't like them, they don't like us," Williams said. "It's going to be hell out there."

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/blog/nfl-rapidreports/20956196/cb-cary-williams-on-ravenssteelers-rivalry-we-dont-like-them-they-dont-like-us

--- The dance party is over in Kansas City.
http://www.kansascity.com/2012/11/13/3916111/dance-partys-over.html

--- YOU: Why did Willie Colon get flagged for dog cussin' the refs on Monday night?
I see coaches dog cussin' the refs all the time and they don't get flagged. I've never even seen a flag given for that before. Is there a new rule about cursing, dog cussin', and swearing at the officials that I'm not aware of?
ME: Like the words “national security,’’ many things can fall under the penalty in the NFL called “unsportsmanlike conduct.’’ I’ve never heard an official refer to cursing as a reason but now I have. Colon would not say what he said, so I don’t know but it must have been more than the usual stuff refs here on the field.
--- YOU: Two things were apparent last night: the Chefs ran to their right all night, and their secondary caused a lot of coverage sacks/incompletions (and they dropped two picks). Was the first b/c of Hood's underachieving, and the second b/c Haley didn't call as many quick passes/screens?
ME: The first probably was because that’s how the Chiefs like to run. The second might have been the fact the Chiefs rarely blitzed, rushing just 3-4 all night with a cover two. It’s why Heath Miller was so open often early. That is, without going to the tape and what I saw while watching the game.
 --- YOU: So the Chiefs get penalized for excessive celebration after the fumble returned for a td. But then the fumble is overturned, so no td. It seems like they should wipe out the penalty as well. Because there never would have been a celebration if the play were called properly on the field. Trust me, I’m a Steeler fan, but this seems a bit dumb. It turned what would have been 4th and 7 into a first down.
ME: If there had been a penalty during the course of the play that was then nullified, the penalty would have been nullified as well (such as holding). However, this was a dead ball penalty so it did not matter what happened during the play because the celebration came after the play ended.
--- YOU: During the Chiefs game - Two defenders do a choreographed dance together after a sack right next to an official - no flag. Bowe does an obvious taunt on his way into the endzone. It was called back, but no taunting flag was thrown. There was an endzone dance with like 7 or 8 Chiefs that was flagged.
What's the rule about taunting, celebrating, stuff like that?
I'm pretty certain that ALL THREE of the things I described should have been flagged.
ME: They all should have been penalties.
--- YOU: Ed, what up with the empty seats at Heinz for a Monday night game? Other games this season too. Steeler Nation failed last night even as the team struggled to deliver a win for us.
ME: I wrote about this here yesterday, suggesting that maybe Steelers fans are getting soft. I also wrote about it earlier when there were so many no-shows at a preseason game, that perhaps a system could be created for ticket holders who don’t want to go and can’t give away their tickets, could donate them to a charity and get a tax credit. Anyone?
--- YOU: I'm really intrigued with the offensive line and its strong play recently. My question: Mike Adams looks solid at RT since Gilbert's injury…he struggled with Tuck and the Giants early, but he seems to be learning NFL pass blocking techniques. Meanwhile, he's a MONSTER blocking on the run. Is he better suited for RT, in that he seems to have the body type and feet of a RT rather than a LT? And is it possible that he'll stay there upon Gilbert's return, and Gilbert might make the move back to LT and shuttle in and out with Starks? And do you think Willie Colon has Pro Bowl potential at LG? I do…
ME: Sorry I did not get to this before Monday’s game, when the line did not live up to its previous several games. I’ve written that I thought Adams might be better suited for right tackle and Marcus Gilbert for left tackle. We’ll see. Gilbert’s still not ready. Starks is safe where he is for the season but becomes an unrestricted free agent in March. Yes, I do think Colon has Pro Bowl potential, except he got another holding penalty Monday night and those things won'’ help.
--- YOU: What a difference a few weeks can make! This team has shown resiliency and the players and coaches should be lauded for keeping everything moving forward.
I am not a big fan of “statement games” but facing a good team on the road and an officiating crew having a rough day was a tall task and the Steelers were game.
ME: Again, I’m sorry I did not get to you because this obvious was written after the Steelers beat the Giants and before KC took them to overtime and took down Ben Roethlisberger. It is a good example, though, of how quickly things can change. So, do you feel the same way one week later?
--- YOU: Do you re-watch Steelers games during the week to evaluate individual players, trends or hunches? I'm always impressed when you and Gerry give detailed accounts of the play from guys like Ramon Foster or Cam Heyward or someone that the casual fan doesn't notice while watching the game... Also, do you have any ritualistic steps of preparation for each game. Did you get tape of the KC Chiefs, contact the local KC beat writers, request stats from Elias Sports Bureau, etc.?
ME: I have few rituals and do not watch detailed accounts of a game already played unless there’s a real question of what happened. I do subscribe to NFL Rewind ($69 annually) that provides the broadcast, coaches tapes, and all kinds of other things that are at anyone’s fingertips if they subscribe. But I don’t spend a lot of time there. I’m not a scout or a coach and don’t pretend to be. I’m a reporter who should report what’s going on and that’s what I try to do. I’m also more interested in the human side than the technical.
--- YOU: As folks have been noticing, the Steelers D has been playing very well recently and having Will Allen at the safety position is a significant part of the improvement. My question is: What took so long to replace Ryan Mundy with W. Allen? Allen seems markedly better in games. Is it a case where Mundy is better on the practice field but Allen is better at game time?
ME: I do not know the specifics as to why Allen has apparently played better in games than Mundy, but sometimes it takes time for a player to show he can get a job done. Practice is not always a good place to do that. There is nothing live in practice, especially for a safety on run support. Preseason really is the only place that can happen and for one reason or another they chose Mundy ahead of Allen in the pecking order. That, of course, has now changed. I’ve seen it happen through the years to others and the most famous in history is when Lou Gehrig replaced Wally Pipp, who had a headache, during a game in 1925 and never sat down again until 1939.
--- YOU: Why do the Steelers seem to struggle so much, both offensively and defensively, early in the game? I'm guessing they do better later by adjusting…but is there a consistent reason they seem to get the worse of things early on?
ME: They’ve scored 40 points in the first quarter, which ranks third in the four quarters. They are by far most productive in the second with 74 points. They actually are nearly at their best in the first quarter on defense, allowing 34 points, one point more than their best, the third quarter. Other than that, I don’t really have an answer, other than I don’t believe there’s a trend there.
--- YOU: Is it possible that Ziggy Hood is the weak link and on the cusp of becoming a first round miss? Or is there something else happening that this untrained eye can’t see?
ME: Hood has not played up to his position in the draft.
--- YOU: I know you’ve mentioned that you feel Rashard will be gone after this year. Do you feel the team will not even offer him a contract or will they perhaps offer him what they feel is a fair deal feeling that if he turns it down, they’ll simply go with the other guys like Redman, Dwyer and Batch and perhaps find another horse in the upcoming draft??
ME: This comes purely from observation and instincts and not some inside source, I just don’t believe Mendenhall will be back, and they will have to draft another.