Week 5 Game Thread: Philadelphia Eagles

Posted on October 7, 2012 by ryan

I really have no idea what to expect. It’s nice to have Deebo and Troy back but whether that’ll be enough to fix a suddenly mediocre defense is another issue.

Related posts:

  1. Week 15: Steelers-49ers Game Thread
  2. Eagles 24, Steelers 23: Preseason Game 1
  3. Week 12: Steelers-Chiefs Game Thread
  4. Week 2 Game Thread: New York Jets
  5. Week 3 Game Thread: Oakland Raiders
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  • LoungeLegal

    I really miss the podcasts…..just sayin’

  • Rob D

    Hope I get the game here in Kingston (Canada not Jamaica, mon!) I usually get Sunday Ticket but the STeelers are usually carried by one of the stations here most weeks and there’s always online if that doesn’t work out.(Looks like I’ll have to watch it in SD…no worries as long as it’s on…this is a huge game for them, IMO)

    Lounge, I agree about the podcasts..always a highlight of this site. Word is that the Steelers will rotate Harrison in and out to keep him fresh. I assume that Mendy and Troy will get similiar treatment… If we had more actual talent along the D-line, it would be great to see them getting more Giant-like in terms of keeping fresh people on the field..but we are lacking the Tucks and Pierre-Pauls of the world..

  • djanyreason

    And that is, more or less, how the steelers d is supposed to work

  • calig23

    Good start by the offense. Mendenhall into the line for nothing, then a snap over Ben’s head, then a nothing completion to Miller on 3rd down.

  • calig23

    That was a lucky fumble. Let’s hope it holds up.

  • calig23

    Oh well.

  • calig23

    Timmons has been playing very well so far.

  • calig23

    Is it me, or has Ike been getting flagged a lot lately?

  • calig23

    That fumble will hold up. Huge play.

  • calig23

    Gah! They are so undisciplined sometimes. Great run wiped out by illegal formation.

  • calig23

    And another penalty.

  • calig23

    And another…

  • calig23

    Another penalty on the punt.

  • Sarah

    Comedy of errors thus far. Nice job Mr Holdout, killing the longest run of the season so far with a simple mental error.

  • calig23

    And another fumble by Vick!

  • calig23

    Troy limped off the field…

  • calig23

    Thus far, this game has been a reversal of the first three games. Defense has made some plays, while the offense has been bumbling.

    4th and 10 sees another bad snap, and Ben is forced to just chuck it and hope for the best.

  • calig23

    Surprised Harrison didn’t get flagged for a late hit. He probably should have.

  • Sarah

    I know it’s impolite to say, but Cripes.
    Troy is just a potato chip at this point.

    • Jason F

      Not impolite, just factual. I hope he doesn’t become a potato later in life from all the concussions. He’s given himself to this team and deserves to enjoy life after football. Class act.

  • Sarah

    Oh , BTW HI BOYS!
    Nice to be back….

  • calig23

    Finally on the board. Dump pass to Mendenhall for 6

    • calig23

      Or a run, I guess.

  • calig23

    Geez. Everybody on the defense is getting hurt. I think Woodley is out, and now Taylor is down.

  • calig23

    So, that should have been a late hit

  • calig23

    Brown has to catch that

  • Sarah

    OMG catch it!!!!!

  • calig23

    That should have been a flag on Cromartie for holding Wallace’s arm

  • calig23

    By the way, why do the Steelers consistently misuse the spike in the two minute offense? Why not use the timeout when you got into 1st and goal and give yourself 3 shots at the endzone instead of only 2?

    • Rob D

      They aren’t exactly elite when it comes to game management..that’s for sure. Hate Belichick but he makes Tomlin and Co. look like amateurs in that category

  • calig23

    Maybe Rainey shouldn’t be returning kicks out of the endzone…

  • Rob D

    Willie Colon following in the proud tradition of one Brendan Stai. A penalty generating MACHINE! Routinely gives up on plays after his perceived “job” is over. We must have the worst two starting guards in the NFL for a supposedly elite team. DeCAstro …hear he is doing great in rehab and walking without a limp etc. He can’t get back soon enough for me or I suspect most STeelers fans..
    Hello to Sarah! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSQj1-K3w0M

  • calig23

    Ryan Clark’s wallet will be a little lighter next week…

    • calig23

      Mundy’s probably will, as well.

  • calig23

    McCoy just made Larry Foote look like a fool.

  • Sarah

    Thanks Rob D! I’ll be smilin’ if they pull off this W!….

    • Rob D

      There ya go! Suisham starting to look clutch and not a minute too soon..
      We need a woman’s touch around here, Sarah. For starters, I think us guys should all go to our rooms and THINK about what we’ve done…well, that was my mother’s ultimate hammer down anyway..lol…

  • calig23

    The defense pretty much choked on that drive

  • calig23

    Naturally, the Steelers drive starts with an ineffective run and yet another Colon penalty

  • calig23

    I’ll say this: Other than the fumble out of bounds, Mendenhall has had a pretty darn good game, both running and as a receiver. It’s good to have him back.

  • calig23

    Let’s not settle for a long field goal attempt here

  • calig23

    FG is good. Steelers win.

  • David

    Welcome back Sarah!!

    Also, I’ve have a funny feeling that Troy just played his last game for us. Hope I’m wrong.

  • Sarah

    Wow I hope that is not the case for Troy.
    Do we have any late word on the seriousness of it? Didn’t look good.
    Something I recall from several years back – that the Steelers were so impressed with Troy’s fitness and flexibility that they actually did not compell him to do the team’s general training regimen and let him follow his own workout design and schedule. He was not getting injured back then and basically they let him do his own thing….I would guess this was as far back as maybe 2005…?….Earlier even?…
    Anyway…..just wondering if all that is still the case. He’s basically been frgaile for the last how many seasons – three at least? And while the Steelers are somewhat known for pushing players back early, there’s no doubt Troy is just not handling the rigors of play/his style anymore.
    Thoughts apprec’d!
    I guess the good news is – Troy was out for 3 qtrs and they still won.

    • Rob D

      I’ve reached the point with Troy that I don’t count on having him in the lineup. I really believe he’s not long for the STeelers..cap casualty at some point.
      His playing arc is starting to resemble this guy’s career:
      http://bleacherreport.com/articles/613338-indianapolis-colts-release-veteran-safety-bob-sanders

      Hope that doesn’t come off as dismissive..I love Troy, but you have to be able to stay on the field and he can’t anymore. Too much money tied up for little production. WE’re playing Ryan freaking Mundy as a result. That ain’t gonna cut it.

  • Rob D

    49ers today..I have seen the future dominant team of the NFL. That D is amazing, Their O-line might be the best in the league, the running game? ditto..Smith is not making many mistakes and they are very creative using the K man as an option QB. Loaded team, well coached and have already gone through their baptism of fire by losing in heart breaking fashion in the NFCCG last year. Contrary to many reports, they aren’t having a sophomore slump after their breakout season.

    That’s one heck of a team. So are the Giants. Two teams I envy right now.

    • ROb D

      A bit too much blind praise on my part…let’s just say they are an impressive team…lol…

  • Jason F

    Is Ike Taylor having a down year? Seems to me like he is getting quite a few balls caught on him in man coverage. Also a few costly PI’s.

    • Rob D

      Ike looks late to the party this year..half a step behind the play..should have been called for PI at least twice this game but they were letting both teams play more than usual in that category. I think we should be genuinely worried about our secondary. Polamalu , Taylor not looking quite the same, Mundy better not mentioned too much and Clark having a good year but he’s ..old.

      Add that to our well chronicled D-line problems and it can start to look like the end of the line for them. I’m not QUITE there yet, I believe they can and will play better as the season wears on but we need to reload somehow..the draft, FA..whatever it takes.

      • http://www.facebook.com/randy.steele.583 Randy Steele

        I agree. Ike looked beat out there. (Did I mention I was at the game?? Did I mention Brett Keisel signed my 99 field jersey in the parking lot after the game?? Did I mention that he patted me on the chest and that he has a beautiful beard and that he a wonderful human-being and a great humanitarian and a truly terrific guy and a wonderful…)

        • EasyLikeSundayMorning

          Ike does seem a little off.  But he’s also been called for two terrible DPIs in the first four games.  The 31-yarder in the first quarter was, if anything, offensive pass interference.  Any the call against the Jets has been labeled the worst DPI call ever:  http://content.usatoday.com/communities/gameon/post/2012/09/The-worst-pass-interference-call-youve-ever-seen-VIDEO-70000475/ike-taylor-pass-interference/70000475/1#.UHOL4Yl5mc0

          That said, I saw a stat in the last year that Ike had been called for DPI more times than anyone else over a several year period.  So maybe his reputation is affecting calls.

          • Jason F

            It may be that the bad DPI’s earlier are affecting his coverage. I hope he and Carnell Lake are able to right the ship sooner than later. Some continued pass rush will help out our secondary a ton. I don’t want to overblow the issue–I mean, every secondary is suspect when there is no pass rush. But I don’t remember Ike getting beat consistently like this in a long time. It started in Denver.

        • Rob D

          You don’t say! lol…

          Great stuff.

          .someday I will make it to a game at Heinz. My last visit to Pittsburgh was when 3 Rivers still stood. Sigh…how time flies.

  • Cols714

    So this game the Steelers were able to make the drive to win it unlike Oakland and Denver.

    Timmons looked great, Worilds played well, and the OL (besides Colon) looked great too.

    The Colon to guard move is looking worse every game. I guess there was a reason why the coaching staff didn’t want to move him there until this year. He’s at Kemo levels of suck right now.

    • Rob D

      I didn’t think he would turn into Faneca, but I am amazed how bad he is in pass protection.

      • http://www.facebook.com/randy.steele.583 Randy Steele

        The odd thing, however, is that the line is starting to get some push. Holes are opening up. There might actually be a run game lurking in there somewhere. (Did I mention that I was at the game? Section 211? North side? On the 45-yard line?!)

  • Sarah

    How much of Timmons great play was because with Harrison back he was being used in different schemes? Freeing him up somewhat, having to play less pass covg….?

    • Rob D

      It would be great to see a breakdown of how Timmons seemed to be everywhere, especially in the first half.
      I think that’s the first time this year we’ve seen him display the speed that makes him special.

    • http://www.facebook.com/randy.steele.583 Randy Steele

      My uneducated guess is that LeBeau simplified Timmons’ assignments during the game, using him primarily to shadow Vick and McCoy. It seems that the less Timmons has to think about, the more he can focus on the basic mission of search and destroy, which he’s good at.

      He played what seemed his best game in a long long time, although I screamed out loud (I was at the game) when Timmons had trapped Vick in the backfield, but then flew completely over the top of him and missed the tackle. Fortunately, Ziggy Hood was there and made the sack.

  • Cols714

    It’d be really fun to have a new podcast up before the Titans game…

    • http://www.facebook.com/randy.steele.583 Randy Steele

      What’s a podcast?

  • hoffstra323

    A few notes… Of course having deebo and Troy back would be enough to fix the defense they have both been crowned as defensive players of the year. Notice how well the defense played with just James, even with Lamarr being out. Troy made a cameo appearance and sadly thats about it. He looked good but it was short lived. I fear the worst for Polamalu and his career, that calf does not seem to go away. Lets look at what we do have.

    I like what I have seen from this Al woods guy who is virtually an unknown.Please get Steve mclendon in the game more. He should be in on every third down rushing the quarterback and on other plays. Its nice to have the snack in there on run plays, but its a passing league and he generates no pass rush. Steve Mclendon is a better player at this point, we need to get the younger guys in. Mclendon is not even that young, at 26 he is in his prime and should not be sitting behind a 35 year old hampton. Why don’t they try letting Keisel play outside line backer to fill in for deebo or woodley. Jason Worilds just does not have the all around game needed to play steelers line backer, he can do one thing which is get after the quarterback, and he certainly is no james or lamarr in that aspect. Keisel has the instincts, athleticism and the speed to do it. Chris carter is a joke.

    Finally, get Cam Heyward in more, you don’t draft these first round talents to have them rot on the bench. Look around the league, there are first year rookies playing everywhere. I agree with taking time to develop guys but we have some real talent in waiting. We have to try some different things, We have some real talented guys who’s names are not Troy Polamalu.

    • Rob D

      I think we have marginal talent behind Keisel, Hood and Hampton. Lots of one trick ponies as Tomlin would have it. McClendon isn’t good against the run playing NT but he does provide a pass rush. He’s probably more suited to DE but realistically he won’t start there if Hood and Heyward are on the team next year. Woods is an unknown entitty in actual game situations but he does look decent and I’d like to see more of him too. If Ta’Amu is the real deal and can anchor the NT position for us starting next year, we’d probably still need to draft a DE stud to get back to anywhere near our 08 D level. NOt easy to do.

      I like Keisel but I don’t think he’s on this team next year. He looks “hit out” as they used to term it before the NFL banned hitting…wink..Great warrior for the Steelers but he looks finished to me. WE don’t make the playoffs and I belive we could see some SERIOUS bloodletting on the defensive side of the ball. AGE and non production isn’t tolerate for long, even by a team famous for fair dealing like the Steelers.

      • Cols714

        Yeah, Keisel has really been weak this year. I thought last game Hood played pretty well. If he comes around, we are in better shape on the DL than I thought last week. Heyward will probably start seeing some more time if Keisel continues to struggle. I thought Hampton played better last week too.

        • Sarah

          Didn’t The Beard have a High Ankle at end of pre-season?
          I say we give him another week or two and hope he’s fine.
          Troy – not so much. Papers today calling the calf injury “severe”.
          I know calf injuries are tough – but this started end of last season yes? What is going on with 43′s fitness/rehab that it’s still so fragile after 8 – 9 months? There wasn’t even contact on that play.
          And if you can’t even run without injuring yoursefl, well, you aren’t gonna play NFL football…

          • Cols714

            I’ve heard this about Keisel and if true then he should be sitting, not playing. That’s on Tomlin. Troy, well, he’s probably not going to play much this year. Some players are just injury prone. I’m sure he’s rehabbing and working hard, but sometimes it’s just your body.

            s

          • Sarah

            Yah Cols agreed…I guess in a perfect world Beard should sit….as should prolly Troy if he was still so fragile. Dunno. I just recall so much last few yrs re Troy’s alternative training off-season and so on….I just wonder if he’s still doing that. I know calf injuries are nasty. But his fragility has got to point the finger at his rehab process don’t you think? And/or STeelers train staff? How much do we know about the Steelers training staff and their ability to rehab players and get them back 100pct quickly? I know the team has a general rep of pushing players back early…. Troy’s story recently just seems to put a spotlight on that….

          • Cols714

            I really don’t think the training staff should be blamed. They got Harrison and Mendenhall back pretty quickly and they looked good. Same for Hampton who looked good on Sunday. I just think Troy is an injury prone guy who is probably just about done.

          • http://www.facebook.com/randy.steele.583 Randy Steele

            As an admittedly big fan of Keisel (see all my other posts!), it will come as no surprise that I think his ankle is healing fine and he played more than an adequate game. His primary job is to control his gaps, which he did. He was disruptive at times, too.

            No, he didn’t have any flash plays like knock-downs or sacks, but he was readily and steadily in the mix. Don’t worry about him. Keisel will be A-OK this year. Bet on it.

      • hoffstra323

        The Steelers are going to the playoffs this year, for sure. I hope everyone see’s how much better Todd Haley is than Bruce Arians. The Eagles game was a prime example. If Arians was still here our offense would have played like it did in the first quarter all game long. Ben is now getting rid of the ball. Last time we played the Eagles they sacked Ben 9 times. Not one sack on sunday. Its certainly not because our line is better than it was then. The biggest thing is that Todd Haley uses the running back better and much more often than Arians did in the passing game. I had been screaming for Arians to use Mendenhall in the passing game and he never did. Why???? Can anyone tell me??? You draft a stud running back with decent hands and superb lateral movement and quickness and you never throw him the ball. Also take note to how Haley is utilizing Heath Miller. Our offense may carry us this year, but hey its there turn. Also a heads up Wesley Saunders comes back this week and I’m sure Todd Haley has some plans for him, he will help us in the red zone. Our defense will be ok, We have excellent depth at defensive line. We have some talented youth in our defensive backfield. We need our linebackers healthy so we can pressure the quarterback and we will be alright.

        • Cols714

          This is a ridiculous thing to say. While I think the offense is playing OK, they didn’t really light up the scoreboard here on Sunday despite the defense forcing some turnovers.

          Arians definitely had his faults. But people always point out 3 games out of many that he coached. You here endlessly about the 2008 Eagles game, the Jacksonville playoff game from 2007, and the Cleveland game from 2009.

          Everybody always brings up these games. Once Haley is here long enough he too will have games where he calls a crappy game.

          But yes, I agree that I like the Haley offense so far. But please lay off the Bruce Arians bashing.

  • EasyLikeSundayMorning

    The NFLN now appears to be on Time Warner in NYC. So I got my first chance to see their highlight package with Deion Sanders. He was surprisingly funny. My favorite line was when they showed the shot of Ben and Tomlin with their arms around each other while waiting for the Suisham kick and Deion broke into “Ebony and Ivory.”