I predicted 27-10 in this one and it should have been a three-score win had the Steelers not turned the ball over three times in the red zone - four counting an interception at the 15 by Ben Roethlisberger. I count turnovers on downs as turnovers, even though the Steelers don't.
When I asked Mike Tomlin if he had any doubt about going for it on fourth-and-goal from the 1, he replied, "None. If you can't score on four shots from the 2, you potentially deserve to lose the game."
© If there was any doubt about who the toughest QB in the league is, just watch the tape of this game.
© Chris Kemoeatu should be cut, re-signed, and then cut again.
Three penalties in two and a half quarters of play? Are you serious?
I was watching Full Metal Jacket the other night and had several of R. Lee Ermey's famous lines come to mind while watching that.
The worst thing about it was that Kemoeatu was getting called for holding penalties and still allowing his man to hit Roethlisberger.
If you're going to hold the man, hold him so he doesn't hit your quarterback.
© Even though the score was 7-3 through three quarters, you never really had the idea that the Browns were going to even kick a field goal to make it interesting.
That was still the case even after James Harrison's roughing the passer penalty against Colt McCoy.
Did Harrison hit the quarterback in the head after he threw? Yep.
But McCoy had also tucked the ball and started running with it prior to dumping the ball off when he saw Harrison peel off of Montario Hardesty.
Tough call, but he's going to be fined for it.
© Same goes for James Farrior, who called McCoy a "good actor" after Farrior was penalized for knocking him down three yards out of bounds.
Farrior said he barely brushed McCoy when he went sprawling.
When I asked him if he wished he'd have just drilled McCoy – since he drew the penalty and likely a fine anyway – Farrior replied, "I wish I would have."
© Ziggy Hood said he didn't feel like his sore groin was serious and that he will be back by the time the Steelers play San Francisco.
30 comments:
As a starter, Kemo always had his issues. Now coming off the bench he looks even worse. That probably represents an attitude problem, something I really doubt sits well with the steelers
Won't be shocked at all if he's not with the team by the time they go to San Fran
Kemo is absolutely, without a doubt the worst player on the 53 man roster. Get rid of him now!!!!
To be honest, a couple of those penalties on Kemo were weak calls.
I'm sure Ben will be more than willing to share with the world how tough he is. He doesn't need any help promoting that aspect of himself.
The only reason Farrior got tagged with the hit out of bounds is because McCoy slipped and fell on whatever it is that covers the grass in front of the benches. All he did was give McCoy a two hand brush that wouldn't have hurt in touch football.
The refs were fortunate Cleveland's ineptness kept them from being the story of the game.
A 2 hand brush out of bounds. Clearly a penalty in any game on any field. U r wrong. And if u r one of those dudes that thinks 7 is a drama queen u r a moron. That is a nasty injury that will not heal until next yr.
William Gay was on my cut list at the end of last season. I've officially taken him off the list and put Kemo there.
Dale,
There has to be other alternatives either on the roster or practice squad than to allow Kemo to start on this O-line again. Meredith, Essex, Chris Scott or Trevis Turner cannot be worse than he is at LG.
Look, there's no doubt 7 is a drama queen when it comes to injuries. He likes to play them up and let everyone know he's playing with whatever. Some guys like to hide their injuries. Ben obviously does not.
Doesn't make him any less of a tough SOB. But it's just his thing.
I'd be shocked if Kemoeatu is active against San Fran.
Would cutting Kemo next season save some considerable cap?
Kemoeatu will not be with this team next year. Don't see that happening. It would save a couple of million.
My guess is that 7 sits next week. He more or
Less declared it a high ankle sprain and that means some time off.
Dale, could you get more than 3 yards if you ran behind 3 tight ends?
Colt McCoy has spent some time watching Cristiano Ronaldo. That was a dive. Farrior made the mistake of touching him, but McCoy embellished big time.
Tomlin said the x-rays were negative on Ben's ankle and he was able to return if he felt he could. Did you notice Pouncey had the same type injury and didn't return? I'd guess if there was any serious damage, BR wouldn't have been allowed back in the game.
With Pouncey's ankle looking dicey, I'll bet Kemo is active for insurance purposes if nothing else.
Why isn't 33 getting the ball in goal to go situations? Any chance that will change after this week?
I agree, Kemoeatu better be unemployed by the end of the day.
Also agree on #7, drama or not, dude is nails.
McCoy flopped but why even put your hands on him at that point? Dumb move by Farrior.
Lot of the "heads" think Harrison will be suspended, any thoughts on that? Seems asbsurd, but I wouldn't put anything past this joke of a commish.
Dale,
I am the only to notice or did Charlie Batch really look bad last night when he came in? I don't know if Batch can get the ball down the field anymore. Dennis Dixon can get the ball down the field, but he's just not an accurate QB.
At least the defense is playing at a very high level. The secondary is playing at a level collectively well that I haven't seen in several years with this team.
Kemo should NOT see the field again this year. I have never seen one OL sabotage a game last night like Kemo did. Wow, you almost wanted to check his pockets to see if he had a check from the Cleveland Browns' owner in his pocket. He surely seemed like he was playing for the other team.
McCoy took a dive, no doubt about it, and the refs rewarded him. Anyone notice the late shove Brown took on the 1st and goal from the 2 drive?? It was just before Wallace's catch and run. If he had fallen he probably would have drawn a flag, but he didn't and he was waaaay out of bounds.
Wait, 2 fumbles by usually sure-handed receivers inside the red zone; a qb who allows himself to be sacked and injured because he refused to run forward a few yards out of bounds or throw the ball away; an offense that couldn't push the ball in on 4 cracks from the 1 yard line since the coach disdained a FG that would have given his team a 7 pt lead - all before Kemo even entered the game - and you want to blame him?
Kemo might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but with Pouncey hobbled, who's left to back up? I wouldn't be going into the SF game with only 7 OL if one is Pouncey on a bad ankle.
Antonio Brown made a nice catch and run for the final TD, but before that he dropped a pass that would have been a first down late in the game.
The point is, there were a lot of plays left on the field that could have made the win easier than it was.
I thought Batch looked pretty rusty, but it was cold and he wasn't warmed up at all. He surprised me moving out of the pocket well and getting that short pass off the Moore. I like Dixon better, though, if BR is out for awhile.
WAAAAY to many topics in this post.
1. McCoy/Farrior - McCoy may have embellished a little, but a vet like Farrior should have known better than to touch him. That is just reality. He put the decision about a penalty in someone else's hands.
2. McCoy/Harrison - yeah, it probably was a helmet to helmet hit, but expect a fine-no suspension.
3. Overall play - this team shot themselves in the foot over and over and over last night. Fumbles, interceptions, penalties. They played down to the competition.
4. Dixon or Batch - Honestly I think the D can win the St. Louis game playing offense for us if they had to. That being said, I expect Ben may sit that one for sure. Same could be said for Cleveland.
5. Ben's status - I personally would like to see him gut it out against SF, and hope that Balt. somehow loses a game with us winning out. Ben can sit the last 2. If Balt. chokes I think we could give Ben almost 4 weeks off. Week of St. Louis, week of Cleveland, bye week, up until game time for 1st playoff game.
6. I want this team to get healthy over the final 3 weeks almost as much as I want a 1st round bye. Unfortunately I don't see us getting either.
7. How big is the Baltimore drive to win right now? If we had won, we would currently be sitting at 11-2 and Baltimore would be 8-4 (soon to be 9-4 playing Indy).
I know Indy is a bad team, but I know when the Steelers play a team that's winless well into the season, I always worry our game will be the one where everything goes right for the underdog and they get their 1 win for the year.
Orlovsky can move the ball better than Painter did for the Colts. They have a puncher's chance against the Ravens.
can't seem to find anything on pouncey. knee or ankle injury ? how was he after the game ? thanks
I've been saying it for the past three years, Kemo is a holding/personal foul call waiting to happen. That idiot is solely responsible for more drive killing penalties than any other player on the team. He was a head case in college and he's still a head case. I can only imagine what the score could have been had Pouncey not injured his ankle, thus forcing Legursky to move to center and Kemo filling in at LT. Kemo is a dead man walking as far as his future with this team goes. It still boggles my mind why the Steelers let Keith Urbik go while keeping the penalty machine on the roster.
Ben has no peers amongst all of the starting QB's in this league when it comes to toughness.
Kudos to the defense and special teams for their outstanding contributions to a winning effort.
Kemoeatu single-handedly ended 2 drives w/penalties, would have been 3 but Ben to Brown on 3rd and 20 bailed him out. I'd say Brown had far more plusses than his one minus last night, can't say the same for Chris. Heath and Hines are not without blame either, for sure. The 4 plunges from the 2 were after he entered the game. Kicking field goals from inside the one yard line is quitting.
Kemo came in the game in the second quarter. Had three penalties.
I do not think Harrison will get suspended. It was his first offense of any kind this season. To suspend him after they gave Suh so much rope would look like the commissioner was being vindictive against a player who spoke out against him.
Pouncey has a high ankle sprain. Same as Ben.
2 things
1 - Kemo is an idiot but both those calls were crap
2 - Ben is an idiot and should have thrown that ball away
Pouncey was dinged pretty early in the game. I saw one shot of him flexing his leg, but shaking it off and staying in the game. IIRC, he did not come out the first time Tomlin sent Kemo in to replace him.
Thanks for the correction, did not remember when the 1st and goal sequence occurred in the game.
Hochuli's crew was not on their game last night at all. They were making bad and iffy calls all game.
poor officiating has become a staple of every nfl game. it's a shame, but it is so common place now it barely even gets noticed in the media.
imo, harrison will get a 1 game suspension. he has an extension history with the league in this department and they will base his supension off of that.
i wish the d-line would have pressured mccoy more. it was disappointing.
also, troy was out of position quite often early in the game. a top QB will eat him up on that stuff.
i rest every player with a significant injury next week. don't care if they beat 49ers. more importantly, must be healthy for the playoffs.
That Farrior penalty was ridiculous. He touched him about as hard as a man guiding his wife through a doorway.
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