More Banjo: Week 12 @ Pittsburgh

[mraynrand]

Lowry's hit from the previous week?

i get it now....

[Teamcheez1]

I agree with this summary of the game (not from me):

But I wouldn’t say that the Packers lost despite a great BH performance – I would say that while he had his best game, he still made a lot of mistakes and was part of the reason that the Packers won the turnover battle 3-0 but somehow still lost the game. Too many really short drives. A few really bad throws to open receivers. Second-half sacks due to bad old habits. (An egregious, but unflagged helmet-to-helmet hit on the QB by Watt didn’t help – I can’t believe BH wasn’t concussed on that play.) And a defense missing Clark and Matthews and, for a while, Randall, that eventually succumbed to Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell, especially Bell. Bell ate them alive in the 2nd half, one dump-off after another. Despite having three drives ended by turnovers, Pittsburgh still won the time-of-possession "battle" by 7 minutes.

The Steelers once again played down to the level of their competition, made a game out what should have been a blowout, and got away with it.

[ND72]

Saw the officials both said they were "shielded from view" of the helmet to helmet hit. One of the local radio guys here said, you didn't need to see it, it was heard so badly, Pepper Burress was looking away from the field at the moment of impact and new what just happened. That's terrible officiating. A pinky brushes the helmet of Tom Brady and you get a flag, but obvious helmet to helmet, which a year ago gets Watt ejected, no call.

I've seen and heard people say "Hundley was ok"....kidding me? 134.8 passer rating, 3TD, 0 INT. That's just OK? People want him to fail so badly it's stupid. There were at least 6 other teams that wished they had Brett Hundley's 134.8 passer rating from their QB yesterday. Hundley played fantastic.

Stubby, again, with some questionable, stupid play calls that will never lead to anyone having success, was the problem. Our own lack of pass rush, and lack of talent in the DBackfield, was a problem. I know our DB's played decent, but again hearing press conferences, 2 of the steelers touchdowns were incorrect coverages, blown first by Dix, and second by Burnett. Just never ends.

[mraynrand]

^^ reasonable. Dix is having an awful year. Is it him, coaching, injury or all of above?

Randall's progression is really unexpected. Think about how how down and out he was at one point. Gotta at least give coaches some credit for sticking with him and getting him back into shape.

[texaspackerbacker]

I've been saying all along that Hundley is at very least decent. He did what he did with better than usual O Line play, but still way below average for the league - he got the same thing Aaron Rodgers has had to live with for years. It would be so nice if our QB could have the time that Roethlisberger or Brady or Brees or a lot of others get routinely.

I'm about ready to label Clinton-Dix as crap - he's been pretty consistent that way this season. Randall seems much improved, but I see him as a risk-taker (for better or worse) who will make big plays but also get beat sometimes. King seems just the opposite - steady but not much in the line of big plays, for this year anyway.

I think our lack of pass rush was more a matter of them having a decent O Line than badness on our part. You could see the burst of our guys, but they got blocked just enough to come close and not get the QB.

Jamal Williams woulda been the player of the game (other than Hundley) if we had won. That kid looks damn good going forward - he and Aaron Jones, and I still think Mays is more like he showed in the preseason and not like last week.

[Teamcheez1]

I guess Mays must officially be in the dog house. He didn't even get one carry after the two fumbles last week.

Also, our the TE's no longer part of the game plan, or only there to block? Rodgers did have one nice catch, but that makes three total catches for Kendricks/Rodgers the last two games. It would seem they could at least be a safety valve sitting down in a route 5 yards down the field.

[call_me_ishmael]

I am pretty sure that was the fastest Richard Rodgers has ever run

[mraynrand]

Jamal Williams woulda been the player of the game (other than Hundley) if we had won. That kid looks damn good going forward - he and Aaron Jones, and I still think Mays is more like he showed in the preseason and not like last week.

The O-line (see: scheme) was blocking well for him. Would have been nice had he pulled in that sideline pass, but he does OK in pass catching.

[mraynrand]

Also, our the TE's no longer part of the game plan, or only there to block?

And sometimes not even that. But Rodgers had a couple of nice seal blocks that I saw.

[Smidgeon]

Saw the officials both said they were "shielded from view" of the helmet to helmet hit. One of the local radio guys here said, you didn't need to see it, it was heard so badly, Pepper Burress was looking away from the field at the moment of impact and new what just happened. That's terrible officiating. A pinky brushes the helmet of Tom Brady and you get a flag, but obvious helmet to helmet, which a year ago gets Watt ejected, no call.

I've seen and heard people say "Hundley was ok"....kidding me? 134.8 passer rating, 3TD, 0 INT. That's just OK? People want him to fail so badly it's stupid. There were at least 6 other teams that wished they had Brett Hundley's 134.8 passer rating from their QB yesterday. Hundley played fantastic.

Stubby, again, with some questionable, stupid play calls that will never lead to anyone having success, was the problem. Our own lack of pass rush, and lack of talent in the DBackfield, was a problem. I know our DB's played decent, but again hearing press conferences, 2 of the steelers touchdowns were incorrect coverages, blown first by Dix, and second by Burnett. Just never ends.

And that was against the #2 scoring D in the league this year.

Honestly, I didn't feel like the Packers were a sieve like they were with the Falcons last year in the playoffs. They weren't giving up routine passes like in the past, but Antonio Brown made some phenomenal catches against tight coverage.

As much as people want to complain, this is not the defense of 2011. It has progressively gotten better.

I'm hoping the strategy of selecting DBs over LBs pays off though. It seems TT collects the DBs and the Steelers collect the LBs.

[ThunderDan]

I guess Mays must officially be in the dog house. He didn't even get one carry after the two fumbles last week.

Also, our the TE's no longer part of the game plan, or only there to block? Rodgers did have one nice catch, but that makes three total catches for Kendricks/Rodgers the last two games. It would seem they could at least be a safety valve sitting down in a route 5 yards down the field.

There was one play that I remember that Hundley took a sack and the TE was running a shallow crossing route. He was a good 3 yards ahead of the LB but Hundley would have had to throw the ball across his body. Also wondering if his feet weren't set at that point. But Hundley did have a dump off if he had been able to get rid of the ball.

[Guiness]

I understand that gets called often, but if my OLB hit the QBs helmet when he ducked down and we lost a game on a flag I would be livid.

Exactly, and it seems to me the Pack has been penalized for a hand.

[pbmax]

The problem with Williams is that if you block 3 yards, he gets 3.5. If you block 5, he gets 5.5. If you block 15, he gets 7. The better you block the worse the pickup rate.

The lack of takeoff speed is evident every time he had downfield space and got caught by his shoelaces. Had to happen at least 3 times with yardage ahead.

But this isn't an issue because he can be your banger AND catch passes, which makes for some fun heavy packages. And when you want to break one, you have Jones or Mays. Plus Ripper can run, block and catch. Its seriously an overstuffed position now, if people could remain healthy and non fumbling.

[pbmax]

ND72 asked why so many stick routes for the Packers. I think there are a couple of reasons, its one of their run/pass options being the obvious one. But I also think its the design of the offense to get vertical levels working against the defense, which for McCarthy opens up the deeper passing game.

This video actually covers a hook route at 10 yards by the TE. Stick route is normally shorter. But its effect is similar. It stars Mooch at Stanford.

Chris Brown covers the history of this play and how Spurrier, the West Coast Offense and Brett Favre combined to help popularize the 3rd option on this play, the post. http://smartfootball.com/offense/the....9cttcyzy.dpbs

https://player.vimeo.com/video/242619434

[Pugger]

The problem with Williams is that if you block 3 yards, he gets 3.5. If you block 5, he gets 5.5. If you block 15, he gets 7. The better you block the worse the pickup rate.

The lack of takeoff speed is evident every time he had downfield space and got caught by his shoelaces. Had to happen at least 3 times with yardage ahead.

But this isn't an issue because he can be your banger AND catch passes, which makes for some fun heavy packages. And when you want to break one, you have Jones or Mays. Plus Ripper can run, block and catch. Its seriously an overstuffed position now, if people could remain healthy and non fumbling.

With him, Jones and Ty back next year we might have a pretty nice stable of RBs.