I hate to lose games that we should have won. This is a very tough game to grade and judge. I think the Cowboys got little respect for a well-played game. Ben Roethlisberger got a lot of press after this game based on his performance, and rightfully so. But really, Dallas easily won the first half, and were still in control of the game until an untimely fumbled turned it around. Ben was both accurate and impressive, but his passes were short and controlled by the defense, limiting him to under 200 yards. As for that fumble, herein lies the eternal argument. If you are on the fumbling team?s side, you criticize the offense for not doing their job and lay the blame on them. If you are on the recovering team?s size, the praise goes to the defense for forcing the fumble rather than criticize the offense. In either event, in an effort to put the ball away, Vinny hit it on the edge of Richie Anderson?s shoulder pads and the ball took off in the wrong direction. Regardless, good teams make plays to win close games. The Steelers did that, and the Cowboys did not. Again, we won the penalty and turnover battle in the wrong way. Offense: B- They still have issues running the football, but they did get 100 yards. Passing was 248. 6 of 13 on third downs. 5 sacks didn?t help though. Generally, it was the minimum needed, and it should have won the game. Quarterback: B Vinny didn?t get any credit for throwing a pretty decent game. 64% completion percentage on 248 yards. One touchdown. No INTs. Running backs: C- 100 yards, but 54 led the way individually. It required a player in motion as a fake reverse to get those yards. When does Richie start getting more carries???? I?m ready for Jones to get healthy!!! Wide Receivers / Tight Ends: B+ Glenn was a star catching 7 balls for 140 yards. Keyshawn made some key short yardage catches when needed. Bryant disappeared for yet another game and is now gone. Whitten caught 5 balls but wasn?t really an impact player. Offensive line: D+ Credit Pitt?s D, but 5 sacks and an unreliable running attack don?t get good marks from me. Defense: B- Ben was effective, but controlled. Dallas avoided the big plays that usually hurt them. 3 sacks were enough to keep Ben from taking the time to throw long. Staley was controlled much of the game. We need to force some turnovers though. Line needs to apply pressure without needing to blitz. Defensive backs: C I?ll give Newman a break without trashing him too much since he had no help the whole game. New starter Tyrone Williams got safety help pretty much the whole game, so Ben and company went Newman?s way with just about every pass. He didn?t give up the big play, but there were plenty of small ones. Coaching: B No big complaints here. Some question why we didn?t run instead of the passing play that led to the fumble. I disagree. A first down and the game would have been over. Pitt had no timeouts, but they still had the two minute warning. I agree with the call. Big Bill has to stop challenging plays, though. 0-4 now I think. Of course, I didn?t realize you couldn?t challenge the no-call on Glenn being ?helped? out of bounds. They shouldn?t have let the challenge go through if that was a factor. Next up: Green Bay. I don't like the matchup on this one.
u guys really dont have much too look forward to this year i called a 5-11 season and well u guys are falling apart
