Ed B chat 10 / 5

[MasterOfPuppets]

BSidwar78: Ed, chalk up that last drive for those opposed to the prevent defense.
Ed Bouchette: I'm not sure those opposed to the prevent defense even knows what a prevent defense is.
dimondandkooman: we're you ok with them running 3 times after the goal line stop?
Ed Bouchette: Yes, I was. I thought calling a pass there might have ended in a Baltimore touchdown.
DiamondSteel: Did you see Ben practice today? How did he look?
Ed Bouchette: He looked like Ben R. He uncurled his first pass deep to Mike Wallace, who caught it over his shoulder. Perfect. His passes had good zip on them all day. I think the offense was energized having him out there.
BSidwar78: Ed, do you think there is any correlation between the walk-through practices and the penalties last Sunday?
Ed Bouchette: They had walk-through practice on Wednesday before Tampa, too. So, the answer would be no.
Steeltyke: The obvious move on expiry of Ben's roster exemption is McClendon to the PS but that depends on Hokey being fit. How is he doing as regards that MCL sprain that he has?
Ed Bouchette: I think he'll be ready to go for cleveland.
Fresnosteel: Your opinion on how quickly Ben and recievers timing is in synch?
Ed Bouchette: From what I saw today, it's already happened.
dimondandkooman: To what do you attribute the great leap forward for 94?
Ed Bouchette: Healthy ankles and maturity.
BSidwar78: Should we expect to see more Redman in place of Moore?
Ed Bouchette: From what I saw, yes. Moore failed to even see the blitzer from his left and Batch paid the price.
Nate: Ed, Reed missed 4 field goals all of last year and has already matched that this season. Now I like Reed and think he is a very reliable kicker. However, with him only signed this year, do you see him in a Steelers uniform next year or no?
Ed Bouchette: One of those misses came from 55 yards. I don't count that. I think they'll try to keep him, but they'll have to come to agreement on both sides.
AvoidLloyd: Ed... we were 30 seconds from beating the ravens with our FOURTH string qb. with Ben back, how are we not the favorite?
Ed Bouchette: Favorite for . . . what? To beat Cleveland? To win the division? To win the Super Bowl?
Amos_P_Swanson: Ed...Not saying this is why we lost the game, but it sure looked like Oher had about 3 false starts in the last few minutes. I have seen it mentioned. Did you notice? And why no call?
Ed Bouchette: Everyone saw it, apparently, except for the body builder referee.
Guest: Ed- Housh looked wide open on the TD at the end of the game... thoughts on whether it was a break down/mistake in coverage or BM just got beat?
Ed Bouchette: I think McFadden just got beat on a play in which Troy P. blitzed, so he was all alone.
Mike-EE: Ed, Will the offense still emphasize the run game now the BR has returned?
Ed Bouchette: I think you'll see them strive for more balance. Obviously, the passing game will get a boost but with defenses respecting the pass more now, it should loosen up things for the run.
dimondandkooman: contrary to most folks, i think what reed did on sunday just makes me again realize how much he has been taken for granted.
Ed Bouchette: I agree. Ask the Saints about kickers.
tom: Ed, Gerry made a comment last week about getting Sanders active. What do you see as the best option for having that happen, or did you see improvement in Randle El getting himself open.
Ed Bouchette: I agree with Gerry. What I do not understand is they dress Antonio Brown for his return ability -- Sanders right now is the more accomplished receiver. yet, they don't let him return punts, just kickoffs. Me, I'd dress Sanders, let him return kickoffs and use him at receiver.
Polamalu43: Ed, will Legursky be the starting RG for the rest of the year?
Ed Bouchette: You probably saw what Bruce Arians said last week. I'm thinking, yes.
JAMES_TAIPEI_GONE_MISSING: Ed: my little brother always told me it's hard to beat a good close team 3 times. don't feel too bad losing to Ravens. now we only have to beat them 2 out of 3. agree? water under the bridge. move on.
Ed Bouchette: You mean, it was too hard for them to beat them three times in 2008? You should see how hard it is to beat a team FOUR times. Of course, it's hard to beat a team 3 times. It's hard to beat a good team twice.
dimondandkooman: for everyone who said they'd be dancing at 2-2, there sure is a lot of griping going on for 3-1, Ed.
Ed Bouchette: That's the nature of Steelers fans, don't you know? They lost. They'd feel better this week if the team had lost its first three games, but won on Sunday.
phineasfog: Ed, why aren't the Steelers getting Redman more carries? They are going to wear Mendenhall out.
Ed Bouchette: I've alerted all to this problem from the beginning. Mendenhall is the only back with any kind of resume.
Polamalu43: Ed, will any of the WR being hanging out and practicing with Ben during the bye week?
Ed Bouchette: Yes, they hung out for about 90 minutes today and will do so again on Wednesday and Thursday. He actually threw for about 30 minutes to his receivers today during individual drills, which is not normal.
Steel Curtain Rising: Any word on how the competition between Doug L. and Trai Essex has developed in light of last Sunday's game?
Ed Bouchette: Trai Essex hasn't practiced in the past 2 weeks. He's hurt.
DSF: On the 3rd and Five play where Batch went to Wallace deep, it looked like a corner blitz. Is that what should have been a hot read for wallace where he just needs to break off his route and get 5 yards instead of a TD? Is that also emblematic of missing Holmes who may have ran a route for the five yards, not the TD?
Ed Bouchette: No, I think receiver and QB were on the same page on that one.
loacdimond: 34 looks like he has lessened the spinning and is lowering those pads. your thoughts?
Ed Bouchette: yes, he's started wearing them around his ankles. Last year, he spun after he got the ball and before he hit the hole on occasion. This year, his spins seem justified, coming after he hits the hole and away from a tackler.
Mayor: Why does Gay typically look good in the nickel and terrible out wide?
Ed Bouchette: Maybe he's just more comfortably playing there.
john: any update on keisel? eason and ziggy just did not do the job after he got hurt
Ed Bouchette: Keisel's fine. He had leg cramps, although he did not practice today. But then, many did not.
Steeler_Fan_In_Cen_CA: Ed, can the Steelers stop Hillis?
Ed Bouchette: That's Peyton Hillis, not Jim Brown.
stlrcalfan: Do you think teams will bed gunning for BR more now this year.
Ed Bouchette: More than, say, last season? They will be gunning for him more in the fifth game than they were in the first four, I can tell you that.
Chris: Who do you think our remaining loses will come from?
Ed Bouchette: I don't know but this stretch after Cleveland looks like their toughest -- three straight road games at Miami, New Orleans and Cincy followed by a home game vs. New England. Go 3-1 through those four and you're doing well.

[wootawnee]

dimondandkooman: we're you ok with them running 3 times after the goal line stop?
Ed Bouchette: Yes, I was. I thought calling a pass there might have ended in a Baltimore touchdown.

This is the piss poor attitude I can't stand......Affraid to win..........Ed Bouchette can take his skirt and hit the highway for all I care...........Steeler Nation(in Pittsburgh anyway) has to loosen up there sphincter at the end of games like this last one............I mean jeez, why be "AFRAID" of losing..........Ya look around the stadium and you see paranoid faces everywhere............Come on people get a positive attitude and give off some positive vibes instead of the paranoid ohmygod afraid vibes.........Thats how you win and lose.......That's how you support your team......And thats how you get that first down to seal the victories.......

[pete74]

i cant stand this prick. he always seems to talk down on people and i just hate Ed's attitude of how he knows something everyone else should

[finesward]

Originally Posted by wootawnee

dimondandkooman: we're you ok with them running 3 times after the goal line stop?
Ed Bouchette: Yes, I was. I thought calling a pass there might have ended in a Baltimore touchdown.

This is the piss poor attitude I can't stand......Affraid to win..........Ed Bouchette can take his skirt and hit the highway for all I care...........Steeler Nation(in Pittsburgh anyway) has to loosen up there sphincter at the end of games like this last one............I mean jeez, why be "AFRAID" of losing..........Ya look around the stadium and you see paranoid faces everywhere............Come on people get a positive attitude and give off some positive vibes instead of the paranoid ohmygod afraid vibes.........Thats how you win and lose.......That's how you support your team......And thats how you get that first down to seal the victories.......

I don't know about you, I wasn't at the stadium...but watching the game I just had that oh ****.... feeling about how things were gonna pan out after we made that 4th down stop. Everyone was clapping and cheering but I knew it wasn't over, not by a long shot. When they showed gay and taylor and other celebrating steelers on the sideline it cemented what I already knew would happen. So when they went 3 and out (regardless of penalties they would of gone 3 and out) and we punted (again regardless of the holding penalty) the defense wasn't ready to put the game away and sure enough they scored easily, WITH time to spare (penalties didn't matter). It's the attitude of the players that had me paranoid. They started to get too high on themselves and lost their edge. It's why McFadden bit so hard, and it's why we had no pass rush. Lebeau lost control of his players and called a chickenshit predictable defense which Balt has seen oh at least 100 times on film and in person. I'm sure flacco wasn't even phased when he threw incomplete b/c he knew he'd get another shot with more of the field to work with against a predictable softy D. The D lost this game, not arians play calling. To throw the ball in that situation with a QB who was having a shitty game is not playing to win, I'm sorry. You ride your top ranked defense. It was the right call.

BTW I hate bouchette's attitude as well. Smug douche

[wootawnee]

Originally Posted by finesward

I don't know about you, I wasn't at the stadium...but watching the game I just had that oh ****.... feeling about how things were gonna pan out after we made that 4th down stop. Everyone was clapping and cheering but I knew it wasn't over, not by a long shot. When they showed gay and taylor and other celebrating steelers on the sideline it cemented what I already knew would happen. So when they went 3 and out (regardless of penalties they would of gone 3 and out) and we punted (again regardless of the holding penalty) the defense wasn't ready to put the game away and sure enough they scored easily, WITH time to spare (penalties didn't matter). It's the attitude of the players that had me paranoid. They started to get too high on themselves and lost their edge. It's why McFadden bit so hard, and it's why we had no pass rush. Lebeau lost control of his players and called a chickenshit predictable defense which Balt has seen oh at least 100 times on film and in person. I'm sure flacco wasn't even phased when he threw incomplete b/c he knew he'd get another shot with more of the field to work with against a predictable softy D. The D lost this game, not arians play calling. To throw the ball in that situation with a QB who was having a shitty game is not playing to win, I'm sorry. You ride your top ranked defense. It was the right call.

BTW I hate bouchette's attitude as well. Smug douche

Dude....You should start a column,... cause that post was the most intelligent thing I heard on this sight in a while.....

[ricardisimo]

Originally Posted by finesward

I don't know about you, I wasn't at the stadium...but watching the game I just had that oh ****.... feeling about how things were gonna pan out after we made that 4th down stop. Everyone was clapping and cheering but I knew it wasn't over, not by a long shot. When they showed gay and taylor and other celebrating steelers on the sideline it cemented what I already knew would happen. So when they went 3 and out (regardless of penalties they would of gone 3 and out) and we punted (again regardless of the holding penalty) the defense wasn't ready to put the game away and sure enough they scored easily, WITH time to spare (penalties didn't matter). It's the attitude of the players that had me paranoid. They started to get too high on themselves and lost their edge. It's why McFadden bit so hard, and it's why we had no pass rush. Lebeau lost control of his players and called a chickenshit predictable defense which Balt has seen oh at least 100 times on film and in person. I'm sure flacco wasn't even phased when he threw incomplete b/c he knew he'd get another shot with more of the field to work with against a predictable softy D. The D lost this game, not arians play calling. To throw the ball in that situation with a QB who was having a shitty game is not playing to win, I'm sorry. You ride your top ranked defense. It was the right call.

BTW I hate bouchette's attitude as well. Smug douche

I don't know what to tell you, guy... that "predictably softy D" was leading the league in several categories before the game (and still is, actually). And pretty much the same D - minus Polamalu and Smith - more or less spanked Flacco and Co. in week 16 of last year. The exception, oddly enough, was Ray Rice getting a zillion yards on the ground.

Now, I didn't like them blitzing Troy on an obvious passing down, and obviously into the endzone, but I don't think one bad play called make our D "predictably softy". Get real.

I'll never understand people's animosity to Bouchette. He's a smart guy who knows his Steelers. He pretty much predicted their collapse last season, and everyone called him a douche for that as well, but he called it like he saw it. What do you want him to do? Cheerlead? I like that he's neither a Debbie Downer nor a lickspittle, like everyone else in the Pittsburgh media with the sole exception of Scott Brown.

[ricardisimo]

I thought three straight home or away games was against the rules.

[tony hipchest]

i like bouchettes column. its entertaining. alot of fans write him jagoff questions and he lets them know it.

[finesward]

Originally Posted by ricardisimo

I don't know what to tell you, guy... that "predictably softy D" was leading the league in several categories before the game (and still is, actually). And pretty much the same D - minus Polamalu and Smith - more or less spanked Flacco and Co. in week 16 of last year. The exception, oddly enough, was Ray Rice getting a zillion yards on the ground.

Now, I didn't like them blitzing Troy on an obvious passing down, and obviously into the endzone, but I don't think one bad play called make our D "predictably softy". Get real.

I'll never understand people's animosity to Bouchette. He's a smart guy who knows his Steelers. He pretty much predicted their collapse last season, and everyone called him a douche for that as well, but he called it like he saw it. What do you want him to do? Cheerlead? I like that he's neither a Debbie Downer nor a lickspittle, like everyone else in the Pittsburgh media with the sole exception of Scott Brown.

More or less? Seriously? Was definately LESS. What game did you watch last season? The game I saw had the Ravens lose like 2 int's (one a pick six) to flags, an easy TD catch dropped by mason, some 10+ penalties by the ravens and they STILL lost by only 3 points. Sound familiar? We are just on the flip side this season W/O our starting QB. Last season they ran all over us, and heap and mason were killing us on the corners. This year we stopped the run and they used heap to block and used smart play calling to beat us. Last year we were ranked what? Like #5 in defense...and still lost how many games in the final minutes? Stats don't mean squat, it's all about the W's and L's.

Again it wasn't the play call that was bad, it was the focus from the PLAYERs that was bad. BMAC bit on an out route with time running down WITH the lead. That should never happen. Playing the majority of the game 10-15 yards off the WR is playing soft. Overloading blitzing on obvious pass downs is predictable. They executed better than the 3 other teams we have faced this year, maybe because they have seen us twice a season instead of twice a century like tampa and atlanta. They called the right protection scheme, we didn't get after the QB, and when that happens our CB's are exposed.

The ravens have literally been built from scratch to beat us. You better believe they study every bit of film they can and draft guys and build an offense to negate our D. They beat us, they win the AFC North and are sure to make the playoffs. Cinci was a fluke last year, the browns will always be the browns. There is only us, and all I'm saying is that it's no big surprise to see them beat us even with the penalties we had in the final minutes, or ones not called against them. No sense in crying over spilled milk. Look at the bright side, humble the defense a bit, start fresh in 2 weeks with your QB back. Circle the game against Balt on the calendar and dish out some payback