First, sorry this took so long. I’d forgotten just how crazy preseason games are. You try to study all 11 guys on a given play to judge how they look on a play. Then you have to watch the play 4 or 5 times to figure out what happened exactly and who gets credit or blame. So, here goes. If you’re a relative or friend of Keenan Clayton or Jaiquawn Jarrett, I suggest you go find something else to read.

Preseason Opener – PHI 24, PIT 23

Awkward opener by the Eagles. It was good to see the DL dominate. It was good to see Alex Henery kick a clutch, long FG. It was good to see so many young players play well and show the talent that we thought they had. It was nice to see the team win.

And yet…

The starting offense and defense did not look good. It is tough to figure out what to make of this. On one hand, you can dismiss it as just being the first preseason game. On the other hand, the starting offense literally did nothing. They had 2 short completions and only 6 snaps in the game. This group has lots of talent and experience. Facing a 3-4 team that blitzes is tough in the PS opener since all they’ve practiced is against a 4-3, but that’s no excuse for being that ineffective.

I would be worried except the group has a very good track record. Vick, Shady, DJax, and the guys are explosive players. Marty and Andy can design some great plays. I won’t worry unless the struggles continue, but it was, at the very least, highly frustrating to see the offense look so anemic.

The defense was more up and down. They did some things really well. They were sloppy at other times. A lot of the defenses struggles can be placed on one person…Jaiquawn Jarrett. He missed tackles. He blew the coverage on the TD. He failed to make the stop on 4th/1. No one was expecting him to come up with great plays, but he failed to do basic stuff and the rest of the defense paid the price.

The defense did start slow, but got better as they played. PIT ran to the outside on a couple of early plays, but the defense stopped that soon enough. Inside runs were more of a problem, but not as bad as some are making it out to be. PIT was 6-24 on the ground in the 1st Qtr. Last year PIT’s starters were 22-93 on the ground in the 1st half (later game so starters played longer).

The defense was still too sloppy, aside from Jarrett. There were some missed tackles. DRC hit the QB high on 3rd/long, giving the Steelers a gift 1st down. Rolle jumped over a pile on 4th down, hoping to get the RB. Should have kept his feet and read the play. Lots of little dumb things. The defense started to settle down in the game so I expect much better results in the next game.

The DL was sensational in terms of pass rush. They had 7 sacks. The backup DL was suffocating vs the run at times. They had 6 TFLs.

The Steelers went very conservative on offense in

OFFENSE

* Offense was just 1 of 11 on 3rd down. Terrible.

* Was 1 of 1 in the Red Zone.

* I hated the lack of running from the I-formation. I have no better idea on Havili or Igwenagu as lead blockers.

Players

QB

VICK – Ugly start, but only got a handful of snaps. Worst problem for me was his pocket presence. Vick held the ball on a couple of plays and looked very uncomfortable in the pocket. He could have stepped back from the LOS on the play where he hit his thumb, but stayed tight to traffic. I don’t want to make too much of this since Vick has proven to be a good QB for plenty of years, but this was supposed to be a year when he worked on the little things. That got my expectations up and what we saw was nowhere close.

KAFKA – Overall, a solid performance. 5-9-31. Problem was a terrible INT. It was such a bad mistake that it significantly takes away from the rest of the night. The details are below.

Made good quick throw to Brackett. Moved in pocket and was able to find Chad Hall open to the right side for a good gain. Hit Johnson with pretty good pass that was dropped. Ball was a bit high, but Kafka was trying to get it over the blockers and into a tight window. Putting the ball a bit high still made it very catchable. Also throwing to a tiny target. Made one huge mistake. Got heavily pressured on a screen pass. Instead of taking the sack or throwing the ball into the ground, Kafka tried to get it to the RB. Ball was picked off and run back almost for a TD. Can’t make that throw. Unacceptable. Next 2 throws were really short. Had a chance to hit Brackett over the middle for a good gain, but hit Damaris on an underneath route. Like the quick decisions and getting the ball out, but gotta see wide open guys in the intermediate area. Forced the ball to Brackett on short route and a LB almost picked it off. Bad decision. Had a good throw on 3rd down. McNutt slipped in his route and wasn’t able to catch the ball. LB came free on a blitz and Kafka hung tough in the pocket. Gave McNutt a chance, but the slip ruined the play.

FOLES – Good game. Have to keep in mind that he was facing 3rd string competition, but Foles was a rookie in his first game and looked like an NFL QB. 6-10-144 with 2 TDs. Best thing is that he showed poise and played with confidence. Didn’t look like a lost rookie.

Took over in the 3rd Qtr. Hit Brown on the right side with a short throw that got turned into a good gain. Was hit as he threw it, but Foles was strong enough to get the ball out wide and on target. Had a clean pocket on early 3rd Q pass. Looked left, then came back right. Hit Ford over the middle for 9 yds. Easy throw, but did his job of finding the open guy and getting him the ball. Held the ball with a blitzer coming at him and got it off to Brown just before impact. Stayed focused, showed no fear. Off target on a short pass to McNutt on the left side. The pass was into heavy traffic so I’m sure he put it behind Marvin intentionally, but wasn’t catchable. Moved to his right on a pass play when no one was open. Threw an intermediate pass that was broken up. Not sure why Foles left the pocket. Wasn’t under pressure. Didn’t panic and run around. Just seemed odd to drift that way. Did have receivers to that side so maybe he thought it would help. Great job on the long TD to Johnson. Got pressure, but moved to his right and kept his eyes downfield. Came under control and fired off the pass. Didn’t panic or rush the throw. Accurate and had good touch. Hit Gilyard for a 44-yd TD on the next play. Real simple play. Gilyard ran a go route down the left side. Foles put the ball a little behind him. Gilyard was able to reach behind the CB and get the ball. Foles had a clean pocket and made a good throw.

EDWARDS – He lives!!! Trent saw very few reps in the mini-camps and at Lehigh, but got to play in the 4th Qtr and led the Eagles to a comeback win. Was facing 3rd/4th stringers. Played like a veteran. Smart. Accurate. Efficient. Made one bad throw and that was under heavy pressure. Almost had pass to the left side picked off. Ran for 12 yds up the middle on winning drive. Good showing, but must be kept in perspective. Trent was on the field with a lot of guys who won’t play in NFL games. He was supposed to do what he did. Glad he had some success. Just don’t make too much of it.

RB/FB

SHADY – 1 run, 1 catch. Stayed healthy so give him a gold star.

LEWIS – Good game. Used cutback runs effectively. Elusive, even in traffic. Good blitz p/u on 2nd Qtr pass play. DB came in and Dion hit him square. Didn’t give an inch. Used chip block to put LB on the ground on the next pass play. 4-22 with a long run of 12.

B BROWN – Good debut. Showed good hustle when he chased down the DL who picked off Kafka. Made an effective tackle of the big guy. Caught pass to open the 3rd Qtr. Was right on the sideline. Cut to the inside and got upfield for a gain of 16. Ran over a tackler for the last couple of yards. Good burst, power. Caught a short pass and was tackled for no gain. Bryce had issues with dropping easy passes at Lehigh. Good to see him make the easy catch. Poor blitz p/u in late 3rd. LB came up the middle. Bryce went after him aggressively, but whiffed. Steelers attacked inside with 2 ILBs, causing confusion, but must block one guy cleanly. Highlight play was a draw in the late 3rd that went for 33 yds. Used speed to get first 5 yds upfield. Ran through a tackle and then went toward the sideline. Turned upfield and used speed for 10 yds, then put wicked cutback move on DB. Got by him and used speed to get the final 10 or so yds. Vision. Moves. Speed. NFL running skills.

POLK – Ran draw at end of 3rd and had to fight for 1 yd. Ran hard. Little room. Caught a short pass over the middle to start the 4th Q. Tried to go wide of pursuing LB. Just got by them, but other defender raced in to make the stop. Had lots of space, but only got 6 RAC yards. The difference in him and Brown is humongous in terms of speed, raw ability. Caught screen pass on next play and fought for 4 yds. He is tough and will run through some tackles. Sloppy pass block on final drive. Tried to chip rusher and the guy got by Polk. Should have engaged him and tried to sustain. Lucky that Edwards got the ball out quickly.

HAVILI – Lined up in offset I and sealed OLB. Not a standard FB lead block, but effective. And it was by design.

IGWENAGU – Some FB, some TE. Did okay in pass pro. Must sustain blocks better. Caught short pass on the right side. Fell down, but got up and added a couple of yards.

TE

CELEK – DNP.

HARBOR – Started. Got pushed by by OLB on run play where we tried to go outside. Shady had no room. Few snaps.

BRACKETT – #2 TE. Sort of stalk blocked the backside LB on inside run. Was effective, but should engage and block him more aggressively. Was more aggressive on the next play. Engaged LB on run to his side. Didn’t get movement, but was able to sustain the block. Not bad. Looked good on quick out route. Ran a crisp route, cut well, and caught the ball. Got hit by a couple of LBs. Held onto the ball and got right up. Blocking on the move is a challenge. Goes back to his WR roots and is too much about upper body. Doesn’t work vs LBs. Came in motion on run and then did adequate job of blocking OLB (inside run). Good effort. Caught short pass on the right side and turned upfield. Got 6 yards on the play. So-so in pass pro on 3rd down. Picked up blitzer and kept him wide, but didn’t control him the way you’d ideally prefer. Ran sloppy route in the late 3rd and had the pass go through his hands.

FORD – Played with backups and 3rd stringers. Veteran blocker. Knows what he’s doing. Uses his hands well. Sets his feet when trying to hold his ground. Called for holding on run play in the 3rd Qtr. Ball came to his side. OLB was wide. Chase had no chance to get outside and seal him so he engaged and tried to win. Couldn’t do it. Tough situation to put him in with that play call. Caught a pass over the middle for 9 yards on the next play. Doesn’t look fast, but good catch. Caught another short pass over the middle. Tackled immediately after the catch. Good block on the long TD to Johnson. Rode his guy deep and wide, giving Foles room to move to that side.

WR

MACLIN – DNP

D JACKSON – 1 catch. 1 shoving match.

AVANT – Quiet.

COOPER – DNP

MCNUTT – Quiet game. Tripped on play where Kafka was trying to get him the ball. That threw off the timing. Foles threw a ball his way, but it was off target. Great block on Brown’s long run. Great. Engaged WR a bit upfield and then sustained the block for almost 20 yards. Great effort, technique. Run went to that area. Block made a huge difference.

D JOHNSON – Terrific showing. 5-84-1. Because of Mac’s injury, was the #3 WR. Caught short pass on opening play. Only made one major mistake. Dropped pass from Kafka in 2nd Q. Was in traffic and about to get hit. Also did have to go up for ball, but still gotta catch that. Did still get hit and that drew a flag. Ran good routes. Caught the ball well. Caught pass on a drag route late in the half. Made a LB miss and then got upfield for the 1st down. No fear with working the middle. Hauled in a 70-yd TD pass. Went upfield. Faked inside. Then started outside and came back to the inside. The CB handled the first 2 moves, but the final break back to the inside sent the guy to the ground. Un-freaking-believable move. Damaris was wide open. Looked like he was shooting a sequel to Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. Slowed down to make the grab and then took off for the endzone. Great play.

HALL – Caught 1 pass for 11 yds.

HAMLER – Caught little stop route in the 4th for 7 yds. CB pressed so Hamler used push-off to get open. Made good hands catch. Caught short quick pass on the right side in the mid-4th Q. Side-stepped first DB and then started upfield. Another DB raced in. Hamler slammed on the brakes and cut to the inside. Then used a good burst to race up the field for the score. 16-yd TD. Good RAC skills. Caught pass on right side on final drive. Got 1st down, out of bounds. Ran a good route and made hands catch. 3-34-1.

GILYARD – Caught long TD in the 3rd. Ran go route. Ball was underthrown a tad. Mardy reached behind CB and made the grab. He then stumbled into the endzone for the score. Good concentration on the play.

T JONES – Had pass come his way late in the game. DB was on him. Jones looked passive in going for the ball and it was almost picked off. When the DB gets his hand on the ball, the WR must forget about the catch and turn into a DB himself and knock it down. Eagles went to him on critical 4th/6 play. Made good catch. Pass came his way on final play. Ball was a bit high. Jones extended for it, but was unable to make the grab. Wasn’t easy pass, but should have caught it.

JACOBSON – Caught quick pass in slot on final drive and got 10 yds. Caught quick out route and got out of bounds.

AKPLA – Had a downfield pass come his way in the 3rd, but wasn’t on target enough for him to get it. Tightly covered. Lined up in slot in the 4th and caught a pass over the middle. Went up for it, despite being in the middle of the defense. Took a shot, but held onto the ball.

OL

D BELL – Not a good showing. Awkward on early pass play when he had TE help. LB got wide quickly and Bell wasn’t able to block him. TE did slow the guy down. Good job on the LB on later pass play. Mirrored him well. Looked smooth. Very next play was another pass and the LB got by him. Bell got his hands on the LB and slowed him enough that Vick could get the ball out. LB got by Bell on the 3rd down pass. Bell was again able to push him a bit, but never had control.

Rest of starting OL – Only 6 snaps. Looked okay to me. Blocking wasn’t great, but Bell was the primary problem.

DUNLAP – #2 LT. Typical Dunlap. Solid game.

VANDERVELDE – #2 LG. Got moved back in pass pro early on. Didn’t have his feet set when the DL engaged him. Did a solid job on run plays. Wasn’t getting great movement, but was effective. Anchored well in pass pro when he did have his feet set. Played C in the 3rd Qtr. Got beaten on first pass play. NT was able to get around him. Did a good job of extending his arms and locking onto the NT in pass pro on other plays. Got upfield and blocked LB on Brown’s long run. Not a huge fan of him at C.

REYNOLDS – #2 C. Failed to get push on run play. NT held his ground and Reynolds eventually ended up on the ground after another defender ran into him. Tried to block NT on run, but slid off him (got shed) and fell to the ground. Led to TFL. Got driven backward on pass play. Noticeable, not just a step. Played some LG in the 3rd. Disappointing night. Was hoping he’d look impressive.

KELLY – #2 RT. Flowed with DE on run play and sealed him, giving Dion a lane up the middle. DE did most of the work himself on that by over-pursuing, but Kelly did the right thing to follow and seal. Does a good job of flowing with plays and finding someone to block. Had one critical mistake. Was slow to go after LB coming off the edge. The guy got by him and pressured Kafka into the horrible INT. Fixable mistake. Slid into RG in the 3rd Qtr. Up and down. Showed potential as OT, but looked like a rookie.

DJ JONES – #3 LT. Did okay at first. PIT wasn’t going hard after him. Got beat on pass play in mid-4th. Got hands on rusher, but froze his feet and let the guy around him. Pressured Edwards. Settled down after that and was solid. Does a pretty good job of mirroring the DE. Better feet than I expected. Has some potential as a pass blocker. Good body lean. Used hands well. LB came close to jumping the snap on final drive, but Jones was able to get his hands on the guy and keep control of him. Good block.

MCCULLOUGH – #3 LG. Had a very good block on Edwards scramble. Rode his DL wide and opened big lane.

VALLOS – #3 C. Looked athletic. Got driven back in pass pro on play in mid-4th. Gave too much ground. Did better on other pass plays. Used his hands well in pass pro. Just looks like a Mudd OL.

GIBSON – #2 RG. Athletic. Has the movement skills that Mudd wants. Got off the ball and blocked ILB to give Dion cutback lane on run play. Also played in the 4th Qtr. Solid in pass pro. Threw Steeler DL to the ground on a screen pass. Not sure if that would have gotten a holding call or not. Many times refs assume OL must hold if DL go to the ground like that. Beaten to the inside and that pressure led to Edwards “almost INT” along the sideline.

WELCH – RT in the 2nd half. Missed block of LB on long TD to Johnson. That pressure forced Foles to scramble. Guy took an inside angle and caught Welch off guard. Welch struggled with inside moves in TC. Good awareness, effort in pass pro. Just doesn’t have the speed, footwork. LB lined up wide and beat him around the edge on final drive. Got put on the ground by LB on pass rush on final drive. Faked inside move, got Welch off balance and pushed him to the ground. Ugly.

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DEFENSE

PLAYS

* 3rd/GL from the 2. We used zone. Many think this is dumb. Must press. Here’s the deal. Steelers had WR to right, 2 to left. With multiple receivers to one side, zone does make sense. Coaches do that to counter pick plays. If you go press and the slot receiver runs wide, behind the outside guy, his CB then has to go around Nnamdi and that delay leaves the guy open. One problem with zone. Can’t have starting S playing with his head up his ass. Jai-Jar was looking to the other side for some help on something. He was backing up at the snap. He was too deep for the play. Did he not want to get beat deep? If he stays short and buzzes outside, the QB might not make that throw. If you pause the tape and go slo-mo, JaiJar doesn’t even begin moving forward until the ball is 1/3 of the way to the WR. Ugh.

PLAYERS

DL

COLE – DNP

BABIN – DNP

LANDRI – Very good game. Created a sack for Tapp on the opening drive. Flew off the ball and into the backfield, flushing Ben. Tapp was there to clean up the play. Got held on draw play where Rainey got loose up the middle for 14. Drove LG backward to QB and helped create a sack for Graham. Only fair. Had earlier cost Graham a sack by getting into the backfield. Helped stuff inside run near GL. Beautiful TFL on run near GL. Fired up the field. C tried to reach him, but had no shot. RB went down for almost a 10-yard loss. Had 2 TFLs.

JENKINS – Played LDE and UT. Failed to stand out, but looked solid when rushing from DT.

TAPP – Got a sack on the opening drive, but a lot of it was due to Landri getting inside and flushing the QB to him. Blew up GL run. TE tried to block him. Darryl drove the guy inside and stuffed the RB. Hustled all night. Typical Tapp. Hard working, solid game.

GRAHAM – Good showing. I was most impressed by his power. Drove the RT backward a couple of times. Did the same thing to the TE when he tried to block BG. Beat the RT off the ball on a 3rd down pass and got into the backfield. Went for Ben, but Landri got in his way (drove his G too far back) and Ben escaped. Brandon showed great hustle and flew downfield to force the WR (who made the catch) out of bounds. Lost contain vs a draw play that bounced wide to his side. Needs to stay wide and funnel the runner inside. Used good inside move to get good hit on QB and force errant throw. Got sack in early 2nd Qtr. Drove RT back, shed block and got to QB.

DIXON – Started the game. Real mixed feelings on him. Showed some hustle. Still didn’t get off the ball quickly. Wasn’t much of a force vs the run. Got put on the ground on one play…by a rookie. Did get up, but only because the OL didn’t bury him. A quality vet would have fallen on him. Read screen on the first play and hustled to tackle the RB after a short gain. Fell on the ground on a later screen. Got up, but was useless on the play. I was not impressed with Dixon.

COX – Chased down run play from behind and got in on tackle for no gain. Looks like his pad level is too high and he doesn’t have his feet under him enough. That takes away power. Moved the RG backward on Hunt’s strip sack. That meant the QB could not step up in the pocket. Looked like he got out of position on long run. Was LDT. Shot around the right side of the C. Did get upfield, but OL was able to seal him easily, created running lane. Helped to stuff GL run by working down the LOS. You can see his talent, but is still up and down.

HUNT – Great game. Had 2 sacks, FF. Played both sides. Looked explosive. Read a FB screen and hustled to make the stop after a few yards. Beat the LT for one sack on the opening drive. Ball came loose, but it was ruled down. Beat the LT for a strip sack late in the 1st Q. Used his hands on that play to keep the blocker off him and to get to the ball. Flew upfield from LDE and was able to pressure QB on screen pass. Made a terrific play vs inside run at GL. Came off the edge and then fired to the RB as he started up the middle. Good awareness, burst.

THORNTON – Very good game. Played NT and UT. Held his ground on inside run at GL and helped stuff play. Did a good job on the next play, also an inside run. Drove the RG back on a pass play and then pressured the QB on a rollout pass play. Impressive. Timed his get-off with the snap perfectly on a 3rd Q play. Almost got the RB as he was getting the hand-off. PIT lost 3 yards on that play. Explosive. On the next series he did the same thing, but didn’t get the RB. Curry did. Drove RG backward on pass play and helped to cause the QB to run. Used a quick burst to split a double team and get a sack in the 3rd Q.

OGBU – Able to take on double team on run play and hold his ground. Good motor. Hustled in pursuit. Just missed TFL on draw play late in the game. Did make stop of draw play on 3rd/long.

TROTTER – Played RDT in the 2nd half. Used a spin move to get off a block and get TFL on draw play. Others got penetration to disrupt the play, Trot just cleaned up. Got put on the ground when he tried spin move on pass play. Showed the ability to get penetration on run plays. Good burst, stays low (helps that he’s 6-1). Got driven off the ball by double team on short yardage run play. Never got his feet set.

X BROWN – Played some DE in the 2nd half. Used a good burst on 3rd/1 to get by the RT, but didn’t have the speed to close into the backfield and get near the RB. Called for offside on late drive.

M TAYLOR – Played DE in the 2nd half. Used a good burst to get by the RT and just missed a sack in the late 3rd. Did draw a holding call on the RT on that play. And got the QB on the ground. Good speed, effort. Used good burst to get by RT on the next to last play. Flushed QB. Got held, but no call. Beat the RT on the final play and sacked the QB to end the game. Excellent frame. Good burst, speed. Has potential.

CURRY – Outstanding. Led team with 5 solo stops. Had 3 TFLs. Got pressure on QB. Came into the game in the 2nd Q. Played RDE a lot in the 2nd half. Flew off the ball in the 3rd Q and got the RB down for a 2-yd loss. Unblocked, but showed serious speed to get there that fast from DE. Pulling OG was supposed to get him. Had no chance. Showed a great ability to get upfield fast and then flatten out smoothly. This is a great sign. Most DEs can fly upfield, but then turning to the inside is awkward. Hard to do at full speed. Curry did it on run play. Drove the LT back and then slammed the RB to the ground for no gain.

GILL – Off team now. Good effort. Busted his butt to chase down Rainey on long TD. Didn’t get there in time, but great hustle. Got him down right at the GL. Took on double teams when he had to. Not stout, but effort was good. Battled.

LB

KENDRICKS – Started slow, then got better. First run was to his side. MK didn’t keep contain on the play and the RB got wide. MK stuck with it and helped to make the stop. Slow to get out wide on early 3rd down pass play. Reid mentioned that and it sounded like MK should have lined up wider since PIT had the FB offset and then ran a pick for him. Simple problem that moving a step or two wider could have helped. These are the kind of things rookies must learn. Got caught in no man’s land on 3rd down. Had RB in coverage, but QB running toward him. Peeled off to go for QB and Ben dumped ball to RB who almost got the 1st. Got out wide quickly on 2nd Qtr run and forced RB out of bounds for loss. Good speed, good angle on the play. Played in Nickel as well as base. Read screen correctly. Flew up and made form tackle of RB for loss. Helped stuff run play near GL. Came upfield quickly and got in on stop in traffic. 5 total stops, 2 TFLs. Got better during the game. That tells me he was figuring things out and getting comfortable. Good sign.

RYANS – Wasn’t impressed when watching the game live. Felt much better after checking the tape. Cleaned up MK’s sloppiness on the first run by hustling out wide and putting the RB down. Best play was on a run to the left. Got out wide, fought off cut block by OL and was able to help stuff RB for a short loss. Mis-read an early inside run and the RB was able to get free away from him. Came up quickly in coverage on 3rd/10 to help Hanson stuff a receiver for a short loss. That was zone coverage. Ryans read the play quickly and was there to help instantly. Didn’t see this last year. Came up field vs draw and tried to get RB for a TFL, but wasn’t able to. RB bounced the play out wide to get away from Ryans. Chris Rainey put a good move on him and busted a draw play outside for a long gain.

ROLLE – Not his best game. Made a bonehead decision on 4th/1. Read the run and dove over the pile. Impressive, except that the RB cut outside and Rolle wasn’t there to help stuff him. Came in and got an awkward hit on the LT after he had recovered a fumble. Hustled upfield to try and get in on a sack. Struggled with blockers. Got sealed to the inside on run play where Dwyer went for 33 yards. Can’t have that. Did hustle 30 yards downfield to force Dwyer out inside the 5. Pursued well all game. Played on the #2 Nickel D. Looked solid there.

CHANEY – DNP

MATTHEWS – #2 MLB. Helped stuff inside run near the GL. Came upfield and got TFL on run play. Stayed under control. Had to somewhat fight through a block (OL from side). Still isn’t shedding blocks as well as he needs to. Does engage aggressively and gets square. Taking blocks on correctly is only half the battle. Must shed better. Showed progress so that is encouraging.

JORDAN – #2 SAM. Did a good job of working his way to ball on GL run and helping to stuff the play. PIT ran a draw to his side. Shed block and stopped RB for short gain. Tackled RB on mis-direction play that came his way. Minimal gain. Played in the #3 Nickel. Tackled RB on draw for little gain. TFL on draw play late in the game.

CLAYTON – #2 WLB. Got put on the ground by OG on GL run play. Not good. Made a good tackle on draw play to end the 1st half. Actually had to get off a block to make the stop. Had a chance to really impress me in the mid-3rd. I-form Iso run right at him. Keenan didn’t aggressively take on FB. Did get into a slap fight with him after the snap. WTF?????????? Grow some balls and kick his butt during the play. Show us you can play the run. So much talent, so very, very maddening. Had a TE come upfield to block him on run play and Keenan wouldn’t take him on aggressively. Put his hand on the guy, but let himself get pushed out of the play. Unacceptable run defense. Had a chance to tackle Rainey on screen pass, but got blocked in the back. No call. Turned out to be long TD. PIT ran another Iso run to his side. Clayton used his shoulder to take on the FB. Got sealed and was irrelevant on the play. Pitiful. At this point, I gave up with writing about his failures as a run defender.

RAU – #3 MLB. Got moved back by OL on first snap, but then threw the guy to the ground.

SIMMONS – Played SAM in the 4th Qtr. Looked okay. Not credited with any tackles.

MOTEN – Played the least of any LB. Nothing noteworthy. New to team. He was here as emergency body.

S

ALLEN – DNP.

COLEMAN – Looked like had a good game. Good in run support. Took good angles to the ball. Tackled well. Aggressive, but stayed under control. Chased down Rainey on draw play where JaiJar was useless with his angle.

JARRETT – Awful showing. On the 4th/1 run, JaiJar was confused about where to line up. Kurt Coleman gave him info. Then at the last second, JaiJar started moving backward. This happened as the ball was snapped. He then came up to get in on the tackle, but the delay in going backward and then having to come forward was enough for the RB. Bad job on 3rd/11. Nnamdi released WR to him and took underneath player. JaiJar was slow to come up, allowing Ben to get the ball to the WR. Worse, JaiJar made a terrible tackle attempt and let Sanders add additional yards to the play. Just terrible. Shows no coverage instincts. Terrible angle on draw play where Rainey got loose for gain of 14. If JaiJar does his job in a minimal way, he makes the tackle after a gain of 10 to 12 yds. Couldn’t even do that. Next play was even worse. Flew upfield vs draw. Didn’t get the RB. Did not pursuing DE to the ground with a good hit. Ugh. Got held on reverse. Not sure why. Wasn’t going to make the play. Had a chance at the end of the 3rd Q to stuff a run for minimal yards. Was close to the LOS. RB came his way. Jai-Jar got semi-blocked from the side and didn’t come close to the RB.

ATOGWE – Came up quickly and aggressively in run support. Did a good job of getting through traffic and to the ball. Didn’t have many chances to make plays. Was hoping to see him tested.

ANDERSON – DNP.

P. THOMAS – Played S in the 4th Q. Made a terrific stop on 3rd/1. Lined up close to LOS. Had an opening in the line and shot through it to hit RB in the backfield and keep him from getting the 1st. Good instincts, speed, and tackling on the play. Made good tackle of TE on screen pass. Phillip worked around blocker and then exploded through the receiver’s legs. Strong tackle that up-ended the guy. Read a draw play and came up quickly, but Jordan already made the stop. Nice showing in first game.

NELSON – Tackled RB on outside run in the late 4th. Was 7 yds downfield.

BONNER – Made good tackle in run support on final drive. Exploded through the legs of RB and put him down.

CB

NNAMDI – Tackled well. Was aggressive and physical when plays came to his side. Missed with his jam on Brown and the WR got a slant pass and gained about 15 yards on the play. You can question his decision to go after Ben on the scramble. That’s one of those plays where you don’t know what to do. Nam’s receiver didn’t catch the pass, but in terms of the wisdom of leaving a receiver to for a QB…not sure what the coaches will tell him about the future.

DRC – Had good coverage on a pass play down the sideline. Stayed inside-out on the play and the QB wasn’t able to get the ball to the WR. Came up to support the run on a play, but wasn’t able to get Dwyer down (230 lbs). At least good effort, if not results. Made a foolish decision on 3rd/long play. Covered his receiver initially and all was good. Saw the QB scramble. Made sure another defender was with his receiver and then peeled off to go get the QB. Launched himself and hit the QB up high. Flag. Dumb. You can’t launch. If you do, you have to go low and hope they miss it. Defense should have been off the field with a stop.

HANSON – Good showing. Made a key tackle on early 3rd down. Stopped RB short of the chains, forcing a 4th down. Tackled underneath receiver on short 3rd down pass.

BOYKIN – Played outside in the 3rd Q. Good effort to get downfield and try to stop Rainey on his long TD. Went for the tackle about the 5, but could not get him down. Didn’t have passes thrown his way, but looked like he was solid in coverage. Pursued well.

MARSH – Played LCB in the 3rd Q. Had tight coverage on WR on underneath route.

HUGHES – RCB in the 3rd Q. Did good job on pass play where QB scrambled. Stayed between him and WR. Got help from Rolle with receiver and then forced QB out of bounds short.

HARRIS – DNP

LINDLEY – Took over at RCB in the late 3rd. Had tight coverage on WR on downfield throw. Ran the route better than the WR. Made sure it was incomplete.

K. THOMAS – Played tight press coverage on WR late in the game, but got beat for good gain due to underthrown fade. Just no way to stop that play, aside from luck.

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ST’s

HENRY – Neither P got a serious leg up on the other. Chas punted in the 2nd half. Only averaged 37.8 per punt, but 2 were in the 20 and his long was 54.

MCBRIAR – Averaged 42.3 on 3 kicks. Long was 43.

HENERY – 3 touchbacks with his KOs. Nailed 51-yd FG to win the game. Right down the middle. Could have been good from 60.

MISC

* Boykin ran the first KO out despite catching it 8 yards deep. There was no hesitation. Good speed. Ran hard. Got a good block from Havili and got 46 yards on the play. Casey Matthews also helped.

* Good tackle by Jordan in punt coverage.

* Damaris Johnson had a great PR called back by penalty. Curtis Marsh got the blame, but I’m sure it was Kendricks who blocked in the back. Damaris was close to breaking that for a TD. Looked quick and elusive. Good PR. Made multiple guys miss and ran through a couple of tackle attempts.

* Lindley made a good tackle in punt coverage. Chris Polk had a chance, but got blocked from behind. Did draw a flag.

* Boykin had a chance to return a punt. Kick was short. He didn’t catch it and then it bounced for additional yards. Can’t let the ball hit the ground like that. Must be decisive and make the grab. Lost yardage.

* Damaris fielded a bouncing punt in the 3rd. Made sure not to let it keep rolling. Aggressive, but safe move. Smart as well.

* Rau made good tackle in KO coverage in the 3rd.

* Got good pressure on a 4th Qtr punt.

* Damaris returned KO late in the game. Not much of a gain, but ran hard. No hesitation, no dancing.

* Akpla was called for spearing on final KO. Refs thought he led with his helmet. Iffy to me.

GAMEBOOK