Browns at Steelers - Nearly Meaningless In Game Thread

solardave wrote:

We will need both of them if we're gonna stop the run.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that Ajayi is already licking his chops after putting up 200+ on us earlier in the season.

Lokki wrote:

solardave wrote:

We will need both of them if we're gonna stop the run.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that Ajayi is already licking his chops after putting up 200+ on us earlier in the season.  

I imagine the Steelers defensive front 7 are just as anxious to see Ajayi again in order to get a different outcome.

Not only did Jones do a nice job for never playing but he did it without Brown, Bell, Green and Pouncy

rellimie wrote:

Not only did Jones do a nice job for never playing but he did it without Brown, Bell, Green and Pouncy

Careful....that is almost a compliment of Landry Jones. That should get you verbally abused around here.

Borderline grounds for getting banned.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

rellimie wrote:

Not only did Jones do a nice job for never playing but he did it without Brown, Bell, Green and Pouncy

Careful....that is almost a compliment of Landry Jones.  That should get you verbally abused around here.  

Borderline grounds for getting banned.

I started off blasting the guy. Then I switched gears by comparing him to Ben on a bad day. Now I look at him as a QB that started out bad and figured it out. Maybe he is a legitimate back up. He did finish well and won the game and that is a compliment.

Call me crazy but I don't think the Browns wanted to win that game. They had numerous chances to close out the game but costly fumbles and a missed fg. I don't know something just seems fishy about that. Would they have lost the #1 pick if they won?

Fire Arians wrote:

Call me crazy but I don't think the Browns wanted to win that game. They had numerous chances to close out the game but costly fumbles and a missed fg. I don't know something just seems fishy about that. Would they have lost the #1 pick if they won?

You are crazy.

If they are trying to lose, there is no way they get an INT, just to fumble it thru the endzone. Also, there is no way they drive all the way down the field to fumble on the Steelers 1 and finally, they don't drive in OT to the shadow of a TD, just to have a 20 yard loss and kick a FG.

That was Bob Griffin at QB and he was made to look like Mark Brunell running the west coast offense for most of the game, but he is still a guy that wont be in the NFL in 2 seasons. If they were trying to fail, it would have been much worse. Its just the clowns being terrible.

Browns defiantly were trying to win that game. DHB play won it for the Steelers. If he doesn't make that play, Steelers are down 21-7 late in the game and all momentum with the Browns. Unlikely Tomlin plays Shazier and those guys to risk injury if they scored there. I wouldn't have.

It's funny, Tomlin has issues playing up against teams the Steelers should beat. But his best work is when his team is handicapped. Whether it's from suspensions or resting players, he seems to coach these games for wins or near wins when he might not have any business winning them.

If that was the Clowns being terrible then that's not saying much for our D.
They didn't have to much trouble moving the ball.

WVABE wrote:

If that was the Clowns being terrible then that's not saying much for our D.
They didn't have to much trouble moving the ball.

I don't think the Steelers took them seriously the entire game. Steelers didnt have their 2nd stringers in there, they had their 3rd and 4th in there and still won. Browns are BAD!!!! RG III is BAD. That team for the last 17 years has been as bad as the Lions have been for the last 57 years.

OX1947 wrote:

Browns defiantly were trying to win that game. DHB play won it for the Steelers. If he doesn't make that play, Steelers are down 21-7 late in the game and all momentum with the Browns. Unlikely Tomlin plays Shazier and those guys to risk injury if they scored there. I wouldn't have.

It's funny, Tomlin has issues playing up against teams the Steelers should beat. But his best work is when his team is handicapped. Whether it's from suspensions or resting players, he seems to coach these games for wins or near wins when he might not have any business winning them.

Sorry, but just as I don't give Tomlin the load of blame for losing a game like the Dolphins game (one where many thought the Steelers were much superior to, but actually are not), I don't give him the lion share of credit for the win yesterday.

Tomlin didn't hustle back to knock the ball out of the Browns DB on the goal line. Tomlin didn't cause the fumble in the shadow of the Steelers end zone, Tomlin didn't stand in and make some tough throws to move the ball when needed and he sure didn't make the game winning TD catch in the end zone.

Its why all this notion of ..."Tomlin cant win against bad teams but can beat tough teams" is something fans like to manufacture to doubt on the coach when its convenient or pump him up the same. Nobody is scheduling Austen Peay for homecoming in the NFL. Every game has the potential to win or lose, but the fact the guy has had 7 out of 10 seasons with 10 wins or more says enough about his leadership and the coaches, players that goes out and does the job on Sundays.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

OX1947 wrote:

Browns defiantly were trying to win that game. DHB play won it for the Steelers. If he doesn't make that play, Steelers are down 21-7 late in the game and all momentum with the Browns. Unlikely Tomlin plays Shazier and those guys to risk injury if they scored there. I wouldn't have.

It's funny, Tomlin has issues playing up against teams the Steelers should beat. But his best work is when his team is handicapped. Whether it's from suspensions or resting players, he seems to coach these games for wins or near wins when he might not have any business winning them.

Sorry, but just as I don't give Tomlin the load of blame for losing a game like the Dolphins game (one where many thought the Steelers were much superior to, but actually are not), I don't give him the lion share of credit for the win yesterday.  

Tomlin didn't hustle back to knock the ball out of the Browns DB on the goal line.  Tomlin didn't cause the fumble in the shadow of the Steelers end zone, Tomlin didn't stand in and make some tough throws to move the ball when needed and he sure didn't make the game winning TD catch in the end zone.

Its why all this notion of ..."Tomlin cant win against bad teams but can beat tough teams" is something fans like to manufacture to doubt on the coach when its convenient or pump him up the same.  Nobody is scheduling Austen Peay for homecoming in the NFL.  Every game has the potential to win or lose, but the fact the guy has had 7 out of 10 seasons with 10 wins or more says enough about his leadership and the coaches, players that goes out and does the job on Sundays.

It isn't a notion, it's reality. Tomlin has had a chronic issue prepping his teams against lesser football teams. The good thing is, this is the playoffs, and the reality is as long as it's not Tim Tebow, Tomlin usually has his guys ready for the playoff run.

OX1947 wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

OX1947 wrote:

Browns defiantly were trying to win that game. DHB play won it for the Steelers. If he doesn't make that play, Steelers are down 21-7 late in the game and all momentum with the Browns. Unlikely Tomlin plays Shazier and those guys to risk injury if they scored there. I wouldn't have.

It's funny, Tomlin has issues playing up against teams the Steelers should beat. But his best work is when his team is handicapped. Whether it's from suspensions or resting players, he seems to coach these games for wins or near wins when he might not have any business winning them.

Sorry, but just as I don't give Tomlin the load of blame for losing a game like the Dolphins game (one where many thought the Steelers were much superior to, but actually are not), I don't give him the lion share of credit for the win yesterday.  

Tomlin didn't hustle back to knock the ball out of the Browns DB on the goal line.  Tomlin didn't cause the fumble in the shadow of the Steelers end zone, Tomlin didn't stand in and make some tough throws to move the ball when needed and he sure didn't make the game winning TD catch in the end zone.

Its why all this notion of ..."Tomlin cant win against bad teams but can beat tough teams" is something fans like to manufacture to doubt on the coach when its convenient or pump him up the same.  Nobody is scheduling Austen Peay for homecoming in the NFL.  Every game has the potential to win or lose, but the fact the guy has had 7 out of 10 seasons with 10 wins or more says enough about his leadership and the coaches, players that goes out and does the job on Sundays.

It isn't a notion, it's reality. Tomlin has had a chronic issue prepping his teams against lesser football teams. The good thing is, this is the playoffs, and the reality is as long as it's not Tim Tebow, Tomlin usually has his guys ready for the playoff run.

So what "lesser football teams" did Tomlin lose to this year?

Steelers lost to Patriots*, Cowboys, Ravens, Dolphins and Eagles. 3 of those 5 teams are in the playoffs, while the Ravens were 1/2 an Antonio Brown arm length from being a playoff team. The Eagles beat the Falcons, Giants, Cowboys and was a 2 point conversion from beating the Ravens.

The state of parity in the NFL really makes the notion of "lesser football teams" something that fans and media create by looking at records. The Seahawks lost to the Rams and Cardinals this season, which one could argue are worse teams than the Eagles and Ravens...yet nobody is blaming Pete Carrol for not getting his guys ready to play. I wonder why.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

OX1947 wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

OX1947 wrote:

Browns defiantly were trying to win that game. DHB play won it for the Steelers. If he doesn't make that play, Steelers are down 21-7 late in the game and all momentum with the Browns. Unlikely Tomlin plays Shazier and those guys to risk injury if they scored there. I wouldn't have.

It's funny, Tomlin has issues playing up against teams the Steelers should beat. But his best work is when his team is handicapped. Whether it's from suspensions or resting players, he seems to coach these games for wins or near wins when he might not have any business winning them.

Sorry, but just as I don't give Tomlin the load of blame for losing a game like the Dolphins game (one where many thought the Steelers were much superior to, but actually are not), I don't give him the lion share of credit for the win yesterday.  

Tomlin didn't hustle back to knock the ball out of the Browns DB on the goal line.  Tomlin didn't cause the fumble in the shadow of the Steelers end zone, Tomlin didn't stand in and make some tough throws to move the ball when needed and he sure didn't make the game winning TD catch in the end zone.

Its why all this notion of ..."Tomlin cant win against bad teams but can beat tough teams" is something fans like to manufacture to doubt on the coach when its convenient or pump him up the same.  Nobody is scheduling Austen Peay for homecoming in the NFL.  Every game has the potential to win or lose, but the fact the guy has had 7 out of 10 seasons with 10 wins or more says enough about his leadership and the coaches, players that goes out and does the job on Sundays.

It isn't a notion, it's reality. Tomlin has had a chronic issue prepping his teams against lesser football teams. The good thing is, this is the playoffs, and the reality is as long as it's not Tim Tebow, Tomlin usually has his guys ready for the playoff run.

So what "lesser football teams" did Tomlin lose to this year?

Steelers lost to Patriots**, Cowboys, Ravens, Dolphins and Eagles.  3 of those 5 teams are in the playoffs, while the Ravens were 1/2 an Antonio Brown arm length from being a playoff team.  The Eagles beat the Falcons, Giants, Cowboys and was a 2 point conversion from beating the Ravens.

The state of parity in the NFL really makes the notion of "lesser football teams" something that fans and media create by looking at records.  The Seahawks lost to the Rams and Cardinals this season, which one could argue are worse teams than the Eagles and Ravens...yet nobody is blaming Pete Carrol for not getting his guys ready to play.  I wonder why.  

Losing to the Eagles with a rookie QB should never happen. They win that game and they have another week off. Ill give you the rest, even though the Dolphins suck. I cant figure out how they are in the playoffs.

I'm not that worried about our D, they simply weren't taking the game seriously. Shazier called them out on it. I can imagine it's hard to get a bunch of veterans fired up for a game against the Browns when they've played two brutally physical games the past two weeks, and they've already clinched the playoffs.

Fact is, they ended up winning it. We'll be healthier going into this weekend with Stephon Tuitt coming back, and we'll have all our starters. The attitude will be much more serious come Sunday.

OX1947 wrote:

the Dolphins suck. I cant figure out how they are in the playoffs.

Look at their roster. That Offensive line when healthy was just as good as the Steelers and their WR group of Devante Parker, Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills is better overall than the Steelers right now. Then look at a front 7 that includes Suh, Mario Williams, Cam Wake, Donald Butler and Kiko Alonso. Defensively, the Dolphins are better than the Steelers. This game is by no means a gimme on Sunday.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

OX1947 wrote:

the Dolphins suck. I cant figure out how they are in the playoffs.

Look at their roster.  That Offensive line when healthy was just as good as the Steelers and their WR group of Devante Parker, Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills is better overall than the Steelers right now.  Then look at a front 7 that includes Suh, Mario Williams, Cam Wake, Donald Butler and Kiko Alonso.  Defensively, the Dolphins are better than the Steelers.   This game is by no means a gimme on Sunday.

Fully agree with this. However, Vegas does not agree. They currently have the Steelers -10.

jak341 wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

OX1947 wrote:

the Dolphins suck. I cant figure out how they are in the playoffs.

Look at their roster.  That Offensive line when healthy was just as good as the Steelers and their WR group of Devante Parker, Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills is better overall than the Steelers right now.  Then look at a front 7 that includes Suh, Mario Williams, Cam Wake, Donald Butler and Kiko Alonso.  Defensively, the Dolphins are better than the Steelers.   This game is by no means a gimme on Sunday.

Fully agree with this. However, Vegas does not agree. They currently have the Steelers -10.

Yeah, they generally give 3 points for home field and I guess we are a TD favorite on top of that. Probably the Matt Moore factor. I'm not giving my buddy who is a Miami fan 10 points.

solardave wrote:

Maybe we make some adjustments at halftime. I'd like to see Cockrell replaced with Gilbert.

Good thing they didn't. Cockrell had a pretty good game and actually ranked out by PFF as the top Steelers defender.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/pro-cle-pit-grades/

And for all the Landry Jones angst by some fans, he had a passer rating of 103.1 on Sunday. That is much better than Ben's rating against the Browns in week 11 of 74.7.

So Landry Jones played better at QB against a Browns team without Bell, Brown and Ladarius Green, than Ben Roethisberger did with those guys. I'd love to see somebody explain that. Maybe Ben plays down to bad football teams and Landry Jones doesn't?? Oh no........BLASPHEMY!!

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

solardave wrote:

Maybe we make some adjustments at halftime. I'd like to see Cockrell replaced with Gilbert.

Good thing they didn't.  Cockrell had a pretty good game and actually ranked out by PFF as the top Steelers defender.

https://www.profootballfocus.com/pro-cle-pit-grades/

And for all the Landry Jones angst by some fans, he had a passer rating of 103.1 on Sunday.  That is much better than Ben's rating against the Browns in week 11 of 74.7.  

So Landry Jones played better at QB against a Browns team without Bell, Brown and Ladarius Green, than Ben Roethisberger did with those guys.  I'd love to see somebody explain that.  Maybe Ben plays down to bad football teams and Landry Jones doesn't??  Oh no........BLASPHEMY!!  

Maybe because Jones was putting on a performance for his future?

Or, like you said, Ben sucks against the suckiest of teams?

stlrtruck wrote:

, Ben sucks against the suckiest of teams?

That might be something. From 2005-2016 the Steelers have 12 wins and 10 losses without Ben in the lineup. It seems like the coaches do a great job of playing without their HOF QB and manage to still have a winning record. So maybe Ben sucks against the suckiest of teams and play down to his competition, while the reserves come in and rise above expectations to be competitive?

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

solardave wrote:

Maybe we make some adjustments at halftime. I'd like to see Cockrell replaced with Gilbert.

At some point, J. Gilbert went out with a shoulder injury. That's probably why we didn't see him at all.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

OX1947 wrote:

the Dolphins suck. I cant figure out how they are in the playoffs.

Look at their roster.  That Offensive line when healthy was just as good as the Steelers and their WR group of Devante Parker, Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills is better overall than the Steelers right now.  Then look at a front 7 that includes Suh, Mario Williams, Cam Wake, Donald Butler and Kiko Alonso.  Defensively, the Dolphins are better than the Steelers.   This game is by no means a gimme on Sunday.

I guarantee the Steelers win this game.

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

OX1947 wrote:

the Dolphins suck. I cant figure out how they are in the playoffs.

Look at their roster.  That Offensive line when healthy was just as good as the Steelers and their WR group of Devante Parker, Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills is better overall than the Steelers right now.  Then look at a front 7 that includes Suh, Mario Williams, Cam Wake, Donald Butler and Kiko Alonso.  Defensively, the Dolphins are better than the Steelers.   This game is by no means a gimme on Sunday.

They might have some playmakers, but overall their defense is lacking. Mario Williams has 1.5 sacks this season and is getting cut come the end of the season, Cameron Wake is probably their best pass rusher with 11.5 sacks. Their best tackler is Alonso. Their defense is not better than ours. They have a sack total of 33, ours is 38. Miami is 29th in total defense, we're 12th. They are not better than us defensively. We might not have one individual putting up great stats but we play better team defense overall.

Jarvis Landry is a good reciever, but Brown is better. I'll give you Stills and Parker though. They are playing at full strength, we're still trying to find that WR2 ever since Coates broke his fingers. Eli Rogers is getting better and better though, and my X Factor for this game is Demarcus Ayers whose shown some flashes that he can play. So on paper they're better and more consistent at the WR position, but they'll also be going up against our secondary which is playing pretty well, better than they were earlier this season when the Dolphins beat us.

The key to shutting Miami down though is going to be stopping Ajayi. I think we can definitely do that. Our defense is still salty about giving up 200yds to that kid before, I guarantee that's their main focus this weekend.

IowaSteeler927 wrote:

El-Gonzo Jackson wrote:

OX1947 wrote:

the Dolphins suck. I cant figure out how they are in the playoffs.

Look at their roster.  That Offensive line when healthy was just as good as the Steelers and their WR group of Devante Parker, Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills is better overall than the Steelers right now.  Then look at a front 7 that includes Suh, Mario Williams, Cam Wake, Donald Butler and Kiko Alonso.  Defensively, the Dolphins are better than the Steelers.   This game is by no means a gimme on Sunday.

They might have some playmakers, but overall their defense is lacking. Mario Williams has 1.5 sacks this season and is getting cut come the end of the season, Cameron Wake is probably their best pass rusher with 11.5 sacks. Their best tackler is Alonso. Their defense is not better than ours. They have a sack total of 33, ours is 38. Miami is 29th in total defense, we're 12th. They are not better than us defensively. We might not have one individual putting up great stats but we play better team defense overall.

Jarvis Landry is a good reciever, but Brown is better. I'll give you Stills and Parker though. They are playing at full strength, we're still trying to find that WR2 ever since Coates broke his fingers. Eli Rogers is getting better and better though, and my X Factor for this game is Demarcus Ayers whose shown some flashes that he can play. So on paper they're better and more consistent at the WR position, but they'll also be going up against our secondary which is playing pretty well, better than they were earlier this season when the Dolphins beat us.

The key to shutting Miami down though is going to be stopping Ajayi. I think we can definitely do that. Our defense is still salty about giving up 200yds to that kid before, I guarantee that's their main focus this weekend.

Who is better Suh, or Tuitt(if he can play). Mario Williams or Ricardo Matthews(if he can play)? Cam Wake or James Harrison?? I would say Wake is better at this point of his career. I think Timmons and Shazier are playing better than Alonso and Butler, but they are good too. The dolphin safeties I think are better than Steelers, but corners are similar.

I agree, the key will be stopping the run and Ajayi and if Tuitt and Hargrave are healthy they have a good chance. I see Ayers as a poor mans Eli Rogers, but the X factor is that Ben can find any of those guys if he is kept clean by the O line. The threat of #89 and #85 (again if healthy) is bigger than Ayers IMO.

My point is that the Dolphins don't suck, they have talent and Matt Moore is a backup, but it wouldn't be the first time the Steelers let a backup QB get the better of them. Lets just hope it doesn't happen this week.