Martavis Bryant catches his 36-yard touchdown ahead of the Texans’ Andre Hal on Monday. — GETTY
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
The rewind of the Steelers’ 30-23 victory over the Texans on Monday night will focus almost entirely, I’m sure, on those ridiculous three minutes in which the home team piled up 24 points. And that’s as it should be.
Me, I’ll take one fairly nondescript play that occurred later, in the third quarter, when Ben Roethlisberger hit Darrius Heyward-Bey across the middle for a 17-yard gain and an escape from the shadow of their goal posts.
Not because it amounted to much. It didn’t. The Steelers would punt from their 39.
And not because it was spectacular. Heyward-Bey made a very nice effort, coming back to the ball through two defenders to haul it in, but it’s a play you see a lot.
Just not in Pittsburgh.
The pass across the middle to a wide receiver, I mean.
This isn’t one of those cases where I’m going to produce all kinds of fancy stats to support my case. I’ve got nothing here other than the eye test of having covered all of this team’s games, regular season and preseason, and having been pretty much bowled over by seeing the quarterback throw a straight ball downfield to anyone other than Heath Miller.
Part of this, of course, has to do with Emmanuel Sanders’ loss, which has become the great unspoken in these parts now that he’s doing very well with Peyton Manning in Denver. Justin Brown hardly was a replacement, and Lance Moore still really hasn’t been given a chance. Antonio Brown is capable of all kinds of catches, but I’m not sure that’s where I’d want him, risking decapitation, rather than just creating offense on his own.
So who, if anyone, can do that job?
And how much have the Steelers been missing it?
I’ll bet it’s a ton, to answer the latter. And to the former, I’m looking to Martavis Bryant. I’ll accept what Mike Tomlin said Tuesday at his press conference that Bryant is “still working to round out his game, like a lot of young guys are.” I’ll also accept that Bryant’s elegantly received 35-yard touchdown from Roethlisberger was more of a Bryant specialty in practice than a sign that he’s ready for full-time duty. Both are eminently fair points by the coach.
But I also look at this roster and see that Bryant is the best choice for this sort of duty — call it Plax duty, if you will — and that the fast-forward button needs to be pressed.
Here’s guessing Bryant won’t disagree.
“It’s a great feeling to get the first touchdown and get it out of the way,” he said Monday. “But I want plenty more.”
• OK, I lied: I will give you stats to back up that stance up there. Of Roethlisberger’s 252 passes attempted this season, only 30 have gone over the middle of the field and in the air 10 yards or farther. That’s one out of every 8.4 attempts.
• Injury updates: Tomlin described everyone except Ike Taylor and Jarvis Jones as being candidates to play against the Colts, and he even included Marcus Gilbert despite Gilbert having been diagnosed with a concussion. (Marvin Lewis Medical School awaits.) Also, for what it’s worth, I got a wink and nod from Jarvis late Monday night about his wrist, which is still wrapped up. He seems pleased with the progress.
• It would be fairly easy to guess the Steelers’ top two offensive performers, as graded by Pro Football Focus: AB and Le’Veon Bell. But right behind them was Ramon Foster, even though he was clearly beaten for a sack. Foster’s superlative 2.8 grade in run blocking more than canceled that out. Seriously underappreciated player, especially in that area.
• Miller had only one catch for 13 yards, but his more egregious shortcoming was being directly responsible for one QB hit and two hurries. He’s better than that.
• It’s perfectly awesome that Roethlisberger was officially charged with allowing a QB hurry of his own, that of course coming on AB’s touchdown pass.
It’s even more awesome that AB said this of the incomparable J.J. Watt being the one hurrying him: “He didn’t have a chance.”
• How about those newly disciplined Steelers, with just six flags for 38 yards?
I snapped a pic the other day of the men behind that success …
High school referees walk to work before the Steelers’ practice last Wednesday on the South Side. — DEJAN KOVACEVIC
I walk past these guys every other day at the South Side HQ. These, of course, are the WPIAL refs Tomlin has hired to officiate the Steelers’ practices and, from what I’m told, they’re doing the job diligently. No favorites played. Flags fly when something’s amiss.
• Roethlisberger completed 9 of 10 passes when pressured, only 14 of 23 when he had ample time. Do with that one as you will.
• Jason Worilds might not be a $10 million-a-year player in the long haul, but he sure was one Monday: He had seven QB hurries, four tackles and — get this — four defensive run stops all on his own. And this despite dropping into pass coverage on 11 of his 62 snaps. On one play late in the game, he drove Houston right tackle Derek Newton back so far that Newton ran into Ryan Fitzpatrick as he threw.
On a far less tangible level, it was nice to see him smile for a change afterward.
“It isn’t about me,” he said. “Our whole defense got after it.”
• I called Brice McCain maybe the best performer on either team in the Monday column, but Worilds, Lawrence Timmons and Cam Heyward all graded better.
• Still waiting to unleash the kids: Stephon Tuitt played 24 snaps, Daniel McCullers 10. So much, too, for Cortez Allen’s benching. Because of all the nickel, he was on for 43 snaps. And he was terrible. Again.
• Always end on a happy note?
Well, OK: In addition to becoming one of the most productive backs in the game, Bell has shown himself to be quite the teammate when it comes to doling out credit. Of his big play on the screen, he pointed squarely to Maurkice Pouncey for “blocking his tail off all the way down the field. Those are things you can’t coach. That’s not me. That’s Pouncey doing a lot of things down the field, and I’m just able to run off him.”
October 21, 2014
Steelers PATs: Martavis and the forward pass
by Dejan Kovacevic • News/views • Steelers
Martavis Bryant catches his 36-yard touchdown ahead of the Texans’ Andre Hal on Monday. — GETTY
DEJAN KOVACEVIC, DK ON PITTSBURGH SPORTS
The rewind of the Steelers’ 30-23 victory over the Texans on Monday night will focus almost entirely, I’m sure, on those ridiculous three minutes in which the home team piled up 24 points. And that’s as it should be.
Me, I’ll take one fairly nondescript play that occurred later, in the third quarter, when Ben Roethlisberger hit Darrius Heyward-Bey across the middle for a 17-yard gain and an escape from the shadow of their goal posts.
Not because it amounted to much. It didn’t. The Steelers would punt from their 39.
And not because it was spectacular. Heyward-Bey made a very nice effort, coming back to the ball through two defenders to haul it in, but it’s a play you see a lot.
Just not in Pittsburgh.
The pass across the middle to a wide receiver, I mean.
This isn’t one of those cases where I’m going to produce all kinds of fancy stats to support my case. I’ve got nothing here other than the eye test of having covered all of this team’s games, regular season and preseason, and having been pretty much bowled over by seeing the quarterback throw a straight ball downfield to anyone other than Heath Miller.
Part of this, of course, has to do with Emmanuel Sanders’ loss, which has become the great unspoken in these parts now that he’s doing very well with Peyton Manning in Denver. Justin Brown hardly was a replacement, and Lance Moore still really hasn’t been given a chance. Antonio Brown is capable of all kinds of catches, but I’m not sure that’s where I’d want him, risking decapitation, rather than just creating offense on his own.
So who, if anyone, can do that job?
And how much have the Steelers been missing it?
I’ll bet it’s a ton, to answer the latter. And to the former, I’m looking to Martavis Bryant. I’ll accept what Mike Tomlin said Tuesday at his press conference that Bryant is “still working to round out his game, like a lot of young guys are.” I’ll also accept that Bryant’s elegantly received 35-yard touchdown from Roethlisberger was more of a Bryant specialty in practice than a sign that he’s ready for full-time duty. Both are eminently fair points by the coach.
But I also look at this roster and see that Bryant is the best choice for this sort of duty — call it Plax duty, if you will — and that the fast-forward button needs to be pressed.
Here’s guessing Bryant won’t disagree.
“It’s a great feeling to get the first touchdown and get it out of the way,” he said Monday. “But I want plenty more.”
• OK, I lied: I will give you stats to back up that stance up there. Of Roethlisberger’s 252 passes attempted this season, only 30 have gone over the middle of the field and in the air 10 yards or farther. That’s one out of every 8.4 attempts.
• Injury updates: Tomlin described everyone except Ike Taylor and Jarvis Jones as being candidates to play against the Colts, and he even included Marcus Gilbert despite Gilbert having been diagnosed with a concussion. (Marvin Lewis Medical School awaits.) Also, for what it’s worth, I got a wink and nod from Jarvis late Monday night about his wrist, which is still wrapped up. He seems pleased with the progress.
• It would be fairly easy to guess the Steelers’ top two offensive performers, as graded by Pro Football Focus: AB and Le’Veon Bell. But right behind them was Ramon Foster, even though he was clearly beaten for a sack. Foster’s superlative 2.8 grade in run blocking more than canceled that out. Seriously underappreciated player, especially in that area.
• Miller had only one catch for 13 yards, but his more egregious shortcoming was being directly responsible for one QB hit and two hurries. He’s better than that.
• It’s perfectly awesome that Roethlisberger was officially charged with allowing a QB hurry of his own, that of course coming on AB’s touchdown pass.
It’s even more awesome that AB said this of the incomparable J.J. Watt being the one hurrying him: “He didn’t have a chance.”
• How about those newly disciplined Steelers, with just six flags for 38 yards?
I snapped a pic the other day of the men behind that success …
High school referees walk to work before the Steelers’ practice last Wednesday on the South Side. — DEJAN KOVACEVIC
I walk past these guys every other day at the South Side HQ. These, of course, are the WPIAL refs Tomlin has hired to officiate the Steelers’ practices and, from what I’m told, they’re doing the job diligently. No favorites played. Flags fly when something’s amiss.
• Roethlisberger completed 9 of 10 passes when pressured, only 14 of 23 when he had ample time. Do with that one as you will.
• Jason Worilds might not be a $10 million-a-year player in the long haul, but he sure was one Monday: He had seven QB hurries, four tackles and — get this — four defensive run stops all on his own. And this despite dropping into pass coverage on 11 of his 62 snaps. On one play late in the game, he drove Houston right tackle Derek Newton back so far that Newton ran into Ryan Fitzpatrick as he threw.
On a far less tangible level, it was nice to see him smile for a change afterward.
“It isn’t about me,” he said. “Our whole defense got after it.”
• I called Brice McCain maybe the best performer on either team in the Monday column, but Worilds, Lawrence Timmons and Cam Heyward all graded better.
• Still waiting to unleash the kids: Stephon Tuitt played 24 snaps, Daniel McCullers 10. So much, too, for Cortez Allen’s benching. Because of all the nickel, he was on for 43 snaps. And he was terrible. Again.
• Always end on a happy note?
Well, OK: In addition to becoming one of the most productive backs in the game, Bell has shown himself to be quite the teammate when it comes to doling out credit. Of his big play on the screen, he pointed squarely to Maurkice Pouncey for “blocking his tail off all the way down the field. Those are things you can’t coach. That’s not me. That’s Pouncey doing a lot of things down the field, and I’m just able to run off him.”