The Good, The Bad & The Ugly - Week 3 - Bears

The thing I like about Sunday Ticket besides catching every Steelers game is watching the screen with all the games on it and switching between the games when something interesting happens. Never during a Steelers game though.

 

What you have is already paid for and won't matter to the NFL. As for myself, I won't be spending another dime and will also just sit on my Steelers/Patriots game without attending.

 

This loss was a team effort, Some of you seem to be piling it all on Ben. Yes our offense is rather anemic right now, this offense hasn't played together since 2015. Ben's timing is off with Bryant, I believe Bryant is lacking confidence right now, Bell holding out the entire offseason. They need to get their shit together especially next week.

Please tell me how an elite front 7 such as ours can't stop a one-headed monster such AS THE CHICAGO BEARS, you knew all they had was their running game and the front 7 still couldn't stop them. PATHETIC!! This should've been one of the easiest gameplans to defend and they couldn't do it.

Maybe instead of calling a team players only meeting to discuss what they needed to do about Chump, they needed to actually discuss gameplan and handle the business they can control first.

 

You know what, that statement doesn't exactly hold any water if Jared Goff can connect with Sammy Watkins like the two have been on the same team for years after three games. Wouldn't it stand to reason that if everyone was focused on practicing hard and winning football games that time away from the game prior wouldn't matter? Someone isn't putting in enough effort, and judging by the fact that he said he wants to retire I'd have to figure that someone is Ben. Maybe it's Bryant too though. After all, he wasn't known for his work ethic before his suspension, so why should he be any different now?

Bell is a diva who currently isn't putting his money where his mouth is. Despite his fantastic o-line, he's running like a plodder. He was never known for his straight-line speed before but now it seems like he lacks explosiveness. I'd easily buy that it's because of lack of effort on his end too. Maybe he wants to avoid injury to maximize his payout. Maybe he just doesn't carry loyalty for the team anymore. Or, maybe he legitimately can't run like he used to because of his past workload.

Regardless, the whole offense has clearly read headlines regarding them as the best offense in the NFL. Methinks it's gone to their heads and now they think they can just show up and have teams roll over for them.

Our front seven isn't elite without Stephon Tuitt or T.J. Watt, and even then that's debatable. When the offense actually performs to standard, maybe comes out looking like they practiced a little the previous week instead of taking until the third quarter to start looking like they belong there, then maybe I'll start criticizing the long run given up here or there by the defense more fervently.

 

I liked your post demolisher, and it is just sad that there are so many other variables in modern football today to have to consider when watching these guys and questioning so many things


You're probably too young to remember but in the old days heart and effort and giving your all were expected on every play and there were serious consequences for even the suspicion that someone wasn't.

When players disrespect the game this much you have to wonder if the game is still worth respecting.

 

Dude, I admire your stance, and I try to pull that off but man it's tough when my daughter is so wrapped up in it because I got her wrapped up in it and we enjoy our time together watching it if only to make fun of all the obvious things that go on in the modern NFL and bond and hang out

 

Saw a stat that our semi-beloved not so Super Steelers are 5-13 in last 18 road games vs below .500 teams. Thoughts?

 

That includes losses to the 11-5 Chiefs, 10-6 Ravens, 10-6 Dolphins and a couple others. That stat reads "below .500 when they played them". It's misleading and worthless.

 

Good insight beach. It's nice to get the facts behind the stats.

 

Spoke with a young guy I work with in his mid twenties about this game and he said it best:

"The NFL has become the NBA."

He spoke of the weirdness of games regarding lack of effort, lack of discipline, going thru the motions, the disinterest of the players, crappy refs and erratic enforcement of rules, feeling like increasingly a staged production more than guys leaving their heart on the field. Happy to see others are feeling that way.

From what I understand, the NFL is projected for a huge continued ratings decline in both this and successive generations. I don't know many millennials who give two craps about NFL

 

I don't know any millenials who give a crap about anything other than their next smart phone or coffee order.

 

Hahahahahahah, thank you for adding laughter to my life Lyman, that's hilarious and mostly true as far as I can tell.....let's just call this millenial I work with exceptional - he really is a throw back to a prior generation.

 

The NFL will be lucky to get a billion dollars for next contract the way ratings are going.

 

Well, I'll get back to the format a bit, although the conversation is always good IMO.

The Good:

Antonio Brown. I'm not always a fan of the flashiness but, behind that stuff beats the heart of a guy who will leave it out on the field and works every day to be the best he can be. If every player on this team did what he does, can you imagine the intensity. He's got 350+ yards this year and some very clutch catches.

Shazier. Two FFs and 11 tackles. He was another max effort guy yesterday and I was sad for him that they lost. He threw his helmet in disgust. He should be pissed and I hope it carries over to others.

Ben R. He took blame, for whatever it's worth

Jordan Howard. Yes he plays for the Bears but he could've bailed out with that shoulder. Instead he gives an inspired performance and carries his team to victory. Could we get one of those types. The Steelers have a few but not one yesterday.

The Ravens lost

The Bad:

It's not all Ben but it's some, and it's a good amount on him. The bombs away garbage is crap but he can't learn. I've got a seven yr old with better cause and effect retention than him. The thing is I watch every Packer's game because I live here and I had sit and watch Rodgers have a bad first half. I turned to my wife at the half and said, "Don't worry, Rodgers has this." Low and behold a win. I wasn't that confident with Ben. It's funny because when you look at his stats you see 62.7% completion, 5TDs and one INT for a 93.8 rating. The stats are good but I just don't see it one the field sometimes.

The D late in the game. I know it's hot but that shouldn't affect the D when a RB cuts back because they overpursued. Stay in your gap and tackle. The 36 yard un by Cohen and the 19 yarder from Howard were direct results of poor discipline IMO.

The ugly.

There is so much to say and it goes everywhere. It's not all Ben, Tomlin, Bell, and others but the blame goes around.

Tomlin just strikes me as a coach that doesn't realize that bad teams need to be wailed on early and physically beaten so they quit. That's why they're bad. Cowher's teams seemed to do this. The Patriots do it all the time. There's such a difference between this team and one with a champion's mentality. Attitude goes from the top down and it seems for a long time that Tomlin doesn't get it. Less cheering and more accountability.

All this crap with the National Anthem. This will bite the NFL sooner than later. There's lots of apathy for this country sometimes but there's a lot people who love it and served it and they're getting mad. Really mad. Figure it out or backs will be turned and the product will be gone.

Summary.

When I saw the Jags were pounding the Ravens, I was so happy and then at 3:30 CST, I came back to earth. The thing is that if they won yesterday, the game next week wouldn't be so crucial. They would be 3-0 and one game up. Even with a loss they're both 3-1 with a game in Pittsburgh. I hate to be pessimistic, but I'm 99.999% certain they lose next week. The Ravens have their number and they'll be pissed off about the Jags whipping. Harbaugh is twice the coach Tomlin is and he will have the Ravens up for Sunday. Sadly, I doubt Tomlin and the so called "team leaders" for the Steelers will.

.500 by the time late Sunday afternoon rolls around and that really makes me sad.

 

I'm not burning anything. I'm not throwing anything away. I am turning the games off until they end the demonstrations and protest during the national anthem. What the Steelers did yesterday was wrong in my opinion. The NFL and these players protesting have the money and influence to make a difference in society if they choose. They are going about this the wrong way. Ben has already issued a statement saying he wishes they had approached this differently.

http://bigben7.com/from-ben-6/

 

Didn't watch the game but know the Steelers couldn't stop the run. I read that James Harrison didn't play again. Best run stopping OLB on the roster doesn't play in a game they can't stop the run. Definitely not on the list of good.

 

I agree. It is just a dumb decision the more and more I think about it as a leader to let your team decide by majority vote what they all have to do. Then I read this and I think oh man there is going to be some outrage in Pittsburgh big time by a large subset of the fan base. I don't think Tomlin's comments are putting out the fire any, but they are getting me a tiny bit closer to washing my Tomlin jersey in a fire pit, hahah


Article title below is Tomlin rips afghan war vet for coming out of locker room to stand for the anthem.

http://www.breitbart.com/sports/201...ips-afghan-war-vet-coming-locker-room-anthem/

This kind of press, although sensationalistic and overblown, is just bad for business.

 

If you watch the press conference from Ben and Cam today it's obvious they are very uncomfortable right now.

I'm reading articles that are trying to make it sound as if Tomlin Ripped Villanueva. He sounded irritated but I didn't take it that he was ripping him.

There are articles trying to make Harrison sound like he's irritated at Villanueva. I didn't take the same meaning from Harrison's comment as the media is suggesting.

Why were the coaches on the field but the players weren't? Tomlin talking about unity??? Come on man! If you wanted unity you should have stood with them. Tomlin pushed the expectation of 100% participation and unity then he went out on the field. From the reports the decision was made by a slight majority to stay in the tunnel. Great job head coach! Way to create unity!

 

1) I was laughing reading your above Ben critique bc it is so true and summarizes my frustration with him so well. I agree with you on the differences between Ben and Rodgers too.

2) Definitely agree with you on Tomlin as did a writer for a major Pitt newspaper today in his Q and A section.

3) Man I feel ya on the Ravens game. Wish I didn't. Maybe we will be pleasantly surprised ... ???

 

Good:
Brown/Shazz/Wilson

Bad:
Playing down to another shitty team. The Steelers seem to do this every year.
This was a VERY winnable game that Tricky/Haley/Butler just couldn't grasp. The Bears have no QB/WR chemistry and we knew that they would run the ball. Still.

Ugly:
That was some of the worst fucking attempts at tackling I've seen in a long time.
Not capitalizing on the Ratbirds shitting their pants in London.