Let the debate begin

[conraddobler]

I am sure now people will call for McCown's head and maybe I am thinking that isn't too far fetched.

The difference is that now we have a coach that will pull that trigger if he thinks he needs too.

This isn't going to be pretty right now but it will get better. We play Atlanta in their house next week and Vick will likely just go off on us.

Things will turn around about as fast as DG can turn over the roster with quality players.

 

[Pariah]

To make it worse, Roethlisberger came in for an injured MAdox and played very well.


McCown is allowed to look bad every once in a while, IMO. He's still learning. If these games become the rule rather than the exception, then we're in trouble.

 

[CaptTurbo]

Id pull the trigger. He is looking more and more like plummer deux.

Most QB's cant see linebackers McCown cant see Defensive Lineman. Unbelievable.

But in his defense everyone on that oline should be fired and grab 5 guys from the stands. Hell make it 5 ladies.

When Berry got the fumble at the 11 and we lost 22 yards after 3 plays my wife said "Why do they even let this team in the league."

 

[arthurracoon]

McCown is allowed to look bad every once in a while, IMO. He's still learning. If these games become the rule rather than the exception, then we're in trouble.

Keep in mind he was going against one of the best Defenses in the NFL.

 

[LVCARDFREAK]

KING, KING, KING


I kid...well. kinda


McCown didnt have a lot of time int he 1st half but in the 2nd half he was playing sandlot football. Forcing throws to covered guys, running around in the pocket, tucking it and running w/o looking downfield.....To blame it all on the o-line wouldnt be correct IMO

He didnt just look bad, he looked like he hadnt played a game before!

 

[red desert]

McCown appeared rattled from the beginning. Actually, he looks stymied, much like Mac did with Plummer. There were at least a couple of times when he would have gotten the first down if he had gone for it. It's like he's consciously thinking not to run, when he should be taking off.

 

[arthurracoon]

Most QB's cant see linebackers McCown cant see Defensive Lineman. Unbelievable.

Pasch and Mistler said this is because the OLineman arent pushing them down.

Pasch and Mistler were defending McCown a little, and ragging on the OL and WR's a little.

 

[CardFan67]

McCown is allowed to look bad every once in a while, IMO. He's still learning. If these games become the rule rather than the exception, then we're in trouble.

How many does it take before it IS the rule and not the exception... he played just about on par with his starting game averages... A little below on yards with one more INT that his average...

 

[Redsz]

To call for McCowns head would be a silly knee jerk reaction to say the least.

Did you honestly think that McCown would come out and throw for 200 yds and 2 TDs and no INTs against the Patriot D? Come on folks, this is the defence that confuses the best QB's in the NFL. McCown is still young and learning. Not to mention the growing pains of learning a new system.

McCown didn't have a good game. But be rational about this. You want to bench him in the second game because he didn't perform against the world championship defence?

How will Roth played doesn't matter. He isn't on our team and never was going to be. Plus he isn't facing the same team so the comparison is useless.

 

[CaptTurbo]

Also McCown could ahve run for about 500 yards today if they rolled him out. And did anyone notice they blitz a LB on clements side 80% of the plays and he went in untouched every one of them.

 

[conraddobler]

Id pull the trigger. He is looking more and more like plummer deux.

Most QB's cant see linebackers McCown cant see Defensive Lineman. Unbelievable.

But in his defense everyone on that oline should be fired and grab 5 guys from the stands. Hell make it 5 ladies.

When Berry got the fumble at the 11 and we lost 22 yards after 3 plays my wife said "Why do they even let this team in the league."

To be fair he had no time at the begining of the game because they did the smart thing and brought the house after a new QB. Just good football by a good coach and it worked.

Honestly that has to happen to a QB a few times before you can tell if they are learning to beat it or if it will end their career. Having Boldin to help beat that type of stuff by running rampant after a 5 yard catch would have backed that off but still it was not a very promising showing by the kid.

Who knows really but our O line stinks and we have said that for how many years now?

Did anyone notice if Step did any good? I ask because to me he seems to be the only decent O lineman we have and he is a DG pick. I can't say for sure though cause the mass of humanity that poured through routinely seemed to come from everywhere.

 

[arthurracoon]

How many does it take before it IS the rule and not the exception... he played just about on par with his starting game averages... A little below on yards with one more INT that his average...

Give him a season, or at least most of it. AT LEAST let him play a few games with Q and co.

Remember, we gave Jake 6 years.

 

[arthurracoon]

Did anyone notice if Step did any good? I ask because to me he seems to be the only decent O lineman we have and he is a DG pick. I can't say for sure though cause the mass of humanity that poured through routinely seemed to come from everywhere.

He did good, but was getting confused by Bellicheck

 

[LVCARDFREAK]

To call for McCowns head would be a silly knee jerk reaction to say the least.

Kneejerk? Some of us wanted to DRAFT a QB back in April!

 

[Buckybird]

Josh was bad for a bad SMU before transferring. He is not a starting NFL
QB. Period!

 

[NMCard]

I think he gets a pass just because they were playing the defending champs.

But he better show some progress next game.

 

[CaptTurbo]

To be fair he had no time at the begining of the game
Did anyone notice if Step did any good? I ask because to me he seems to be the only decent O lineman we have and he is a DG pick. I can't say for sure though cause the mass of humanity that poured through routinely seemed to come from everywhere.

Yeah I agree with your take on McCown pulling the trigger maybe isnt the best option but I really hope to see him play with a little more calmness which i guess is the olines fault.

As you say. Who can tell if step played wll. 3-4 guys got in the backfield every play.

 

[Redsz]

Yeah, and guess what? That drafted QB would of looked of just as bad.

 

[john h]

I am sure now people will call for McCown's head and maybe I am thinking that isn't too far fetched.

The difference is that now we have a coach that will pull that trigger if he thinks he needs too.

This isn't going to be pretty right now but it will get better. We play Atlanta in their house next week and Vick will likely just go off on us.

Things will turn around about as fast as DG can turn over the roster with quality players.

McCown made a lot of rookie mistakes however he had some problems that should give anyone reason to suspect his future as a starting NFL QB. Getting 4 balls knocked down has nothing to do with being a rookie. At least one of them he was in the open field. I get the feeling he cannot read defenses at all. I had questions about him before the season and even more so now. I think before game 6 we will see another QB starting. In the first half when he was under extreme pressure why on earth did we not go into the shotgun? I think it was the second half before our coach put him in the shotgun which gives him at least a few seconds more to look around. The continued penalities is not just a player problem but a coaching problem. Some of these guys will grow into good players. Most want. We are still one of the worst if not the worst team in the NFL and we will not reach .500 with this group of players and in my opinion with this QB. I know it its early but the mistakes he is making are not something you grow out of in a year or so. We still lack a running game and a runner along with defensive lineman and a QB will still be needs come next year. How many games do you think we will lose in a row before DG decides to start a new QB? Will he be hard headed and let him start all games since he made that foolish mistake of annoucing Josh as his QB before training camp at even started. We were outplayed much more than the final score indicated. I am just trying to figure out in my mind who we can beat this year. If McCown does not show "Improvement" by end of game 5 then we need to take a look at the other guys sitting on the bench. If he improves then maybe you keep him in there for the experience but today he took a giant step backwards and as the announcers said he is not ready to play an NFL team of the caliber he faced today. He is a big guy and those batted down balls are scary.

 

[CardFan67]

Kneejerk? Some of us wanted to DRAFT a QB back in April!

I don't even know about draftng, neccesarily, but at least some were talking about making some kind of move for one... any move, a little move... you know as a just in case kind of thing... The chickens and the baskets??? Or eggs or whatever...

 

[Pariah]

How many does it take before it IS the rule and not the exception... he played just about on par with his starting game averages... A little below on yards with one more INT that his average...

If he had these numbers but looked like he knew what he was doing, as he has in the past, then that's not so much of a concern, IMO. The problem is that he didn't look like an NFL quarterback today.

The reason I brought up Big Ben is becaue the title of this thread is "Let the debate begin," and if anyone doesn't think that Roethlisberger is going to come into the debate-because we could have drafted him, and many fans and commentators were saying we should have--then you've got your head in the sand.

I'd give Josh half the season to get these types of games out of his system. I still think he can be The Man, but my confidence is a little shaken.

 

[LVCARDFREAK]

Did anyone notice if Step did any good? I ask because to me he seems to be the only decent O lineman we have and he is a DG pick. I can't say for sure though cause the mass of humanity that poured through routinely seemed to come from everywhere.

Step was awful, especially early on. Wilfork was dominating him and was int he backfield the first 3-4 plays of the game. Then step got a holding penalty because Wilfork beat him off the line.


I am not knocking the kid, hes rookie but he was thoroughly dominated today!

 

[conraddobler]

He did good, but was getting confused by Bellicheck

That's not unusual so good, I like the kid and think we can build around him.

LD and Step are a good start, maybe shelton if he can get healthy and move Cement to guard then pickup another guard and we could have something.

Heck with moving Cement. Get two new guards. Make them like Step and we will be fine with LD and AJ as tackles.

 

[Russ Smith]

That's what you get as a coach when you set yourself up as the man with all the power. It's your team and your decisions to make and you get to take the credit when they go right and the blame when they go wrong.

Today's game was against a really good team and not fair to judge entirely on this, but virtually every "personnel decision" DG made, came up short in this game. Josh struggled, Step got destroyed, Fitz didn't get open, Dansby was ok, Dockett made 2 plays all day.

I thought big was pretty mediocre, had the hold and the false start on one drive, had some ok moments, but basically he looked good because the right side looked so bad it made him look good in comparison. AC and Spikes just stink. The OL was reshuffled but today it looked as bad as ever. I still say by the end of the year LJ will be the LT, Big not sure where and AC will be on the bench.

Josh today looked like a confused football player, didn't see the field, didn't have time to throw, and when he did was too skittish.

Fitz looked like a guy who didn't understand the coverage, he seemed to not understand why he wasn't getting the ball more, because he wasn't getting open. He's in a tough situation because he's getting keyed on, but he's making a ton of money and the team needs him to get open.

Overall the disappointments for me today were Dockett, Step and josh.

We hung tough with a very good team, but I want a win.

 

[Pariah]

I don't even know about draftng, neccesarily, but at least some were talking about making some kind of move for one... any move, a little move... you know as a just in case kind of thing... The chickens and the baskets??? Or eggs or whatever...

I think we have a pretty solid backup in King, but the problem is he's just that--a solid backup.