Creative writing storm raging after Browns’ game
These are the TV notes from a sportswriter who has a real creative storm raging on inside of him, but who isn无毛视频檛 really sure where that will lead us today:
n Let无毛视频檚 pray disaster无毛视频檚 not lurking 无毛视频檙ound the corner.
n But is Baker Mayfield really gonna take the field with that mustache? Am I watching a Saturday Night Live skit?
n You know, Jaylen Samuels has either been improving his blocking of late or he无毛视频檚 really ticked off about playing only 21 snaps the previous week with with James Conner out. Samuels belted a blitzing linebacker on third-and-8 like he really 无毛视频� finally! 无毛视频� wanted to.
n Fans, dear, sweet fans, getting off to a slow start is not a product of some low-energy motivational talk in the locker room. It无毛视频檚 not 无毛视频渃oming out flat,无毛视频� either. It无毛视频檚 about getting beat, and that will happen in sports.
n While the Browns were taking an early lead, I无毛视频檓 thinking this Steelers defense is anything but 无毛视频渇lat.无毛视频� In particular, Devin Bush and Terrell Edmunds are all over the field.
n Fans really get cranked up for this rivalry, and that无毛视频檚 the basis of any rivalry, the fans. You can talk all you want about the decade-long fight to the finish with the Ravens, and the hatred invoked by Burfict, Pacman and the Bengals, but there无毛视频檚 no other crazy like there is with yinzers when it comes to the Browns. Y无毛视频檃ll just crazy, and I无毛视频檓 serious.
n I无毛视频檝e learned to back the heck away from all of you. This IS your rivalry, and there无毛视频檚 nothing going to change that. Ever. So stop saying it无毛视频檚 dead or was dead or has been revived.
n Wolf mentioned it this morning, but I want to reiterate that Tevin Jones无毛视频� blocking downfield on Diontae Johnson无毛视频檚 reverse is some more of that 无毛视频渨ant to无毛视频� I无毛视频檓 seeing while reading over texts from friends about 无毛视频淭OMLIN无毛视频橲 TEAM IS (nn) FLAT AGAIN!无毛视频�
n Don无毛视频檛 send your friends texts laced with profanity. Especially while they无毛视频檙e working 无毛视频� and waiting to use those words himself in a column!
n I really wanted to see Kerrith Whyte get the ball on one of those wildcat/jet sweep options. But in spite of my desires, Samuels 无毛视频渄idn无毛视频檛 kill them无毛视频� as he edged the Steelers closer to their first points of the game and settling down the nuts in duck masks.
n OK, but you don无毛视频檛 have to boo Kerrith.
n Oh. You无毛视频檙e still booing Clay Martin for announcing his officiating presence with his ridiculous illegal procedure call as his line judge was trying to make the proper call of offsides. That should无毛视频檝e given the Steelers a second-and-2 at the Cleveland 14.
n Deon Cain spent the week of practice dropping easy passes and catching tough ones, but so far in game he无毛视频檚 been terrific. His 无毛视频渨ant to无毛视频� was evident, too, when he dragged tacklers a couple three yards to the sticks for a first down.
n Johnson had a couple steps deep on two Browns defenders, but the ball was slightly underthrown and there were no Lynn Swann acrobatics to be made on this play. But I see them coming for Johnson.
n There would be many details to discuss that kept the rookie Johnson from making big plays, but so far he无毛视频檚 more perpetual tease than playmaker. Again, I无毛视频檓 assuming the latter will come. At that point the potential of this offense will be realized.
n Tevin Jones with the combat catch at the Cleveland 30 with 1:05 left in the half, down a touchdown. This, D.J., this is what I无毛视频檓 talking about.
n And Tevin doesn无毛视频檛 give us that lousy body language when the pass is off. Someone get in D.J.无毛视频檚 face at meetings this week, please.
n OK, this play put me into a Time Tunnel. Playing the part of Jim Harbaugh is Duck Hodges, and playing the role of Aaron Bailey is James Washington. Thanks also go to the prop man for putting the correct number, 29, on Browns safety Sheldrick Redwine, who of course is playing the part of ol无毛视频� No. 29 hisself, Randy Fuller. This, apparently, was staged to show how a Hail Mary should be done, because Washington caught this 30-yarder from Hodges, whereas Bailey did not haul in that 29-yard, all-your-might heave from Harbaugh back in the 1995 AFC Championship Game that was barely swatted off the chest of Bailey by Fuller.
n Hey, it got JuJu up off the bench. He looked so happy after Washington无毛视频檚 touchdown that I thought he was going to break out into a play.
n Again, and I无毛视频檝e said this several times over this latest stretch of six wins in seven games, the injuries are allowing new playmakers to emerge. Nothing just pops up from the bench. It无毛视频檚 a process, and guys like Washington, Tevin, Samuels, etc., are improving because they have to. When they are rejoined by the injured players, watch out.
n OK, where was I? Oh, Edmunds and Mike Hilton are smothering Odell Beckham deep. And on the next play 无毛视频� an impressive 70-yard bomb by the mustachioed Mayfield 无毛视频� it无毛视频檚 Cam Sutton over the top of Beckham. I can无毛视频檛 say I无毛视频檓 quite used to this type of lockdown from the Steelers无毛视频� secondary. It无毛视频檚 almost like Josh Victorian, Rob Golden, Coty Sensabaugh, Justin Gilbert, Brandon Boykin, J.J. Wilcox, Shamarko Thomas, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Nat Berhe, Ross Cockrell, Curtis Brown, Justin King, B.W. Webb, DaMon Cromartie-Smith and the great Al-Hajj Shabazz never played in the secondary for those stacked teams of the past decade.
n By stacked, I mean stacked as in 无毛视频淗OW COULD TOMLIN LOSE PLAYOFF GAMES WITH THOSE STACKED TEAMS!!无毛视频�
n Anyway, this secondary is sublime. And it无毛视频檚 the final piece.
n Boomer Esiason blatting at halftime that it无毛视频檚 all about the Steelers无毛视频� culture. Hey, I don无毛视频檛 want to diminish the importance of that, but it无毛视频檚 the defense that无毛视频檚 turned this team around. It无毛视频檚 the defense, Boomer. Now settle it down.
n When Conner comes back, and with the improvement shown by Samuels, the innate inside skills shown by Benny Snell, and the outside speed of Whyte, the blocking and savvy of Tre Edmunds, this backfield isn无毛视频檛 in need of help as I thought a couple of weeks ago. Two of them can and should play at a time, and Randy Fichtner should just flat out steal some of the plays Cleveland无毛视频檚 using with Kareem Hunt and Nick Chubb out there together. Freddie Kitchens seems to have a good offensive IQ.
n Of course, Kitchens won无毛视频檛 last. Ownership will fire him for wearing a stupid t-shirt or something meaningless like that.
n The first big defensive play by the Steelers was turned in by Bud Dupree. His strip sack on second-and-20 was part of a 4-man rush, and none of the four had his hand on the ground. Only one of the four was a defensive lineman.
n I noted in the preseason that Bud was the Max Starks from 2008. Ownership didn无毛视频檛 love him enough to get a long-term deal done, but they needed Starks to play left tackle and signed him to an expensive tag. They won the Super Bowl and then signed him to a four-year deal 无毛视频� and released him a year later 无毛视频� and re-signed him three months after that. But Bud无毛视频檚 been more than just a solid piece on a great team. He无毛视频檚 turned into a legit playmaker and, as I无毛视频檝e been writing for a while, I expect they无毛视频檒l find a way to tag him next offseason.
n Now I无毛视频檒l compare Edmunds to Dupree for a different reason. Edmunds is extremely athletic. We see that again in the second half. He无毛视频檚 still all over the field because he can run and jump and play with power. But he无毛视频檚 not making plays. Yet. I wouldn无毛视频檛 be surprised if that Dupree-like light comes on one day for Terrell.
n There无毛视频檚 Snell无毛视频檚 14-yard run. There无毛视频檚 Tevin in the middle of it all blocking his (butt) off.
n Excuse the swearing this morning. I无毛视频檝e been a little worked up of late. 无毛视频淢y mind无毛视频檚 aggrieved and my belly无毛视频檚 ablaze,无毛视频� to quote a great song lyric I just heard.
n I无毛视频檓 really not sure I无毛视频檝e seen a QB mistake 无毛视频� as bad as the one Duck just made 无毛视频� from Mason Rudolph this season. I mean, that left-handed flip fumble to no one on third down while in range of pushing the lead to 10 points could only be made by Hodges in front of this crowd of duck masks. He can do no wrong; he无毛视频檚 one of those guys. But, man, that was dumb. He无毛视频檚 so lucky that ball got out of bounds.
n Hodges threw a pass so high that Johnson无毛视频檚 45-inch 无毛视频� or so it seemed 无毛视频� vertical jump was still about six inches short. But, again, incredible athleticism from Diontae that just wasn无毛视频檛 foreshadowed by his 33陆-inch vertical at the NFL Combine. Or for that matter, the two steps he had on the deep safety wasn无毛视频檛 promised to us by his 4.53 40 time, either. This guy shows MORE with the pads on. Now, if he would just get his head out of his rear end he can be a star.
n Another free agent they need to keep for next year 无毛视频� after this playoff run salties up this young replacement squad 无毛视频� is Javon Hargrave. I know, there无毛视频檚 no money, but this guy took over the most important third downs of this game无毛视频檚 stretch run. Hargrave was reponsible for both third-down sacks, the first forced a field goal and the second forced a punt, while both well inside Pittsburgh territory. Hargrave only got credit for one sack. There should无毛视频檝e been at least another half involved.
n Without my trusty remote in the press box, I wasn无毛视频檛 sure who was responsible for Snell无毛视频檚 11-yard run off the one-foot line, but it went right up the middle so I assumed that our third important upcoming free agent, B.J. Finney, had something to do with it.
n Like a rock, Finney refused to answer for it in the locker room. Here无毛视频檚 how that conversation went (I walked into someone else asking a non-question, so I guess we deserved the non-answer to open):
Q: That run off the goal line by Snell was pretty good.
BJF: 无毛视频淚t was huge. The goal is to always get a first down when you无毛视频檙e backed up and that无毛视频檚 what he did. We blocked well and he hit the hole.无毛视频�
Q: Did you blow that hole open?
BJF: 无毛视频�(Chuckles) The O-line did, sure.无毛视频�
Q: Let me put it this way: How did you do on that play?
BJF: 无毛视频淢y guy didn无毛视频檛 make the tackle, so I did well.无毛视频�
n I love that O-linemen don无毛视频檛 require media attention. But I had to find out who did what, and it came as no surprise that they all drove their men off the ball. David DeCastro probably gets the first star on that play for getting out and smothering the middle linebacker.
n Finally got a chance to revive 无毛视频淰animal无毛视频� with his third-and-6 catch short of the sticks. He broke one tackle that was attempted by two Browns.
n Turns out Duck was instructed to take the sack instead of throwing the ball away and killing the clock. The Tomlin haters are foiled once again.
n Hey, if you get a chance, read Peter King无毛视频檚 gassy bloviations on how Tomlin is the greatest coach in the world. I don无毛视频檛 have a link. It was e-mailed to me.
n Of course, King无毛视频檚 over the top with his cheese. While Tomlin无毛视频檚 not as bad a coach as the haters pray and say, he无毛视频檚 not as great a coach as the pompous bloviators are now saying. No one is. Can无毛视频檛 anyone ever just look at the talent?
n Minkah Fitzpatrick, pointing to the ground while Joe Haden was returning the interception of Uncle Rico, is what I mean by talent. That无毛视频檚 not Josh Victorian out there.