Welcome To The NFL Landry Jones
Welcome to the NFL Landry Jones. Apologies to you from all the fans who booed you, doubted you and called for your job. I for one, was not amongst that group, I saw you play at Oklahoma, I knew you deserved a spot on this roster, the talent was there.
When you were first drafted, I wrote about you being a great potential number two guy behind Big Ben and a guy who would eventually be capable of starting if needed.
Well Landry, it looks like you may be needed this week, don’t let me down. You filled in nicely for Mike Vick and really turned the game around, going 8 of 12 for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns. That was good for a 149.3 passer rating. Yes, it’s a small sample size but it’s enough for me to know you should start this week in Kansas City and all of Steeler Nation should rest easy that Big Ben can rest up his sore knee for an additional week and the team will be fine in your hands.
Landry, don’t pay attention to Antonio Brown throwing up his hands, pouting and moaning in disgust. He wants the ball, he’s a play maker, get him his touches when you can but if you can’t, ignore him. Brown is not typically a diva so this attitude of late is not appreciated and hopefully will stop. He knows winning is the number one stat, he just needs to be reminded of that. Keep doing what you did on Sunday and that will remind him, quickly.
Landry, don’t be fooled by the defense being the 5th best scoring defense in the league. Yes, they’re improved but they are still ranked 25th overall in terms of yards allowed, 27th in passing defense. Many fans seem to think this is the return of the Steel Curtain. There are signs of the return but it’s not back yet, far from it. If fans trust the secondary, they aren’t watching the games soberly.
Due to what I deem a very weak secondary and a defense still inconsistent and capable of being gashed on the ground and in the air, Landry, you may be needed to put up a lot of points. You can do that. You know the playbook, you have the arm, you have the high profile college experience and now Landry, you have done it in the league, in a game that counted and you came out on top.
Welcome to the NFL Landry Jones.
This, That and The Other
After the Steelers came away with a great win in San Diego on Monday Night, a few things became very apparent to me.
First and foremost, there is no doubt in my mind, nor should there be in anyone else’s’ that LeVeon Bell is the best running back in the NFL. His versatility is unmatched; he’s explosive yet powerful and can catch the ball as well as any wide receiver in the game, out of the backfield. He’s so great that Mike Tomlin gave him the ball out of the wild cat formation with basically no time left and the game on the line, while a field goal would have tied it. LeVeon Bell delivered and the Steelers won.
Secondly, I need to give Tomlin credit for making that call. I blast Tomlin a lot, and I still feel it’s deservedly so but he made a gutsy call that paid off to win the game. Not many coaches would have made that call even having Bell at their disposal but Tomlin did. Credit him with a game winning decision, a decision that was the correct one.
Thirdly, the NFL officiating is getting worse by the year. How can an entire crew let 18 seconds just dwindle away unnoticed. It very well could have cost the Steelers the game, fortunately it didn’t. Either way, it’s completely unacceptable.
Fourth, there just isn’t a QB like Big Ben. Mike Vick has done an adequate job but he just can’t duplicate or even come close to what Big Ben does. Ask Antonio Brown. His numbers have nose dived since Ben’s injury. With that said, I could certainly do without Brown starting to voice displeasure, especially after a team win. I really don’t want to see him turn into a diva wide receiver. He too, is the best at what he does but part of what makes him so special is his work ethic and generally his willingness to do whatever it takes to win. Now, it’s starting to sound like he’s turning into a ‘me’ first guy and that’s disappointing for sure.
Lastly, not related to the Chargers game but I’m starting to wonder about Maurkice Pouncey. News just broke today that he is probably out for the year now after having a second surgery to clean up an infection from the first one. He’s a great center when he plays but this will now be his second full season missed since 2013 and at Eight Million dollars a year, that’s not good. Dare I say it may be time to move on from him? I know, it’s tough to say that but can we really trust his ability to stay healthy? I’m not so sure anymore.
An Airing Of Grievances
After the Steelers kicked away the game against the Ravens on Thursday night, it’s time to air some grievances.
First up, Josh Scobee. I probably don’t need to explain why. But in summation, he blew two kicks at the end of regulation that should have sealed the game, he’s missed four field goals and an extra point in his first four games as a Steeler and he’s been so bad that Mike Tomlin was afraid to trot him out there for a potential game winning kick in overtime. Mr. Scobee, you should be given the pink slip. To blow a divisional game in which you could have sent the Ravens to 0-4 and out of the race already is completely unacceptable and you, sir, are a big reason why it happened.
Next, Mike Tomlin. Tomlin, seriously, what are you doing? You’re kicking when you should go for it and going for it when you should kick? What kind of a coach are you? I realize that Scobee blew two kicks but when you have the opportunity to win the game, you have to attempt to do so. Scobee actually has a pretty good track record so you have to play the odds that he wasn’t going to miss a kick three times in a row in the same game. Distance wasn’t an issue for him, so you have to trust that he makes an adjustment and puts it through. Poor, poor decision Tomlin. When you’re playing with your backup QB and he gets you a 13 point second half lead, you’re already playing with house money, try to win the game.
Todd Haley, you’re not innocent here either. How dare you not utilize the best running back in football more often. LeVeon Bell was killing the Ravens defense and you chose to get cute on that fourth and one call? You chose to not give him the ball on the ground another 10 times or so? Are you kidding me?! Explain yourself, please. Additionally, how can you not provide Vick with more play calls that allow him to get the ball to Heath Miller or find more and better ways for him to get the ball to Antonio Brown? Vick is not Big Ben, nobody thinks he is, but you could actually allow him to throw downfield, he does have a good arm. You owe Steeler Nation an explanation for your disastrous mistakes.
The defense, yeah, the defense. Many think you played well against the Ravens, you didn’t. In fact, you were bad, really bad. You allowed over 190 rushing yards. That is unacceptable. I don’t care if you got to the QB a lot, you didn’t do it when it mattered, he beat you in crunch time and the secondary proved to be useless, as usual. Arthur Moats and Jarvis Jones, you’re not starting material. Time to come off the bench. I realize the defense is young but they need to step it up or this season is going to derail really quickly.
Fortunately the Steelers have 11 days until their next game but at 2-2, it has now turned into a must win. Don’t blame Vick, blame any of the four categories above.
