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Gerry Dulac's Two-Minute Drill: Game Six vs. Miami Dolphins
Monday, October 25, 2010
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10298/1097891-66.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10298/1097891-66.stm[/url]
Game ball goes to: Hines Ward
If he wasn't catching balls off the top off a defender's helmet or shaking a tackler off his back on a 21-yard TD play, Hines Ward was getting behind the defense for a 43-yard catch on a busted play or picking up a blitzer on a big third-down conversion on the winning scoring drive. Ward finished with seven catches for 131 yards -- both season highs -- and has 12 catches for 185 yards and two touchdowns in two games since Ben Roethlisberger returned. "He's an incredible warrior and an incredible player," Roethlisberger said.
The Countdown
A quick look at the top performances from Sunday's game:
1. BIG DEFENSIVE STOPS: After Miami recovered Sanders' fumble on the opening kickoff at the Steelers' 22 and Roethlisberger's fumble at the Steelers' 13 on the next possession, the defense stopped the Dolphins on three plays each time, forcing them to settle for field goals and a 6-0 lead. "That's the game right there," linebacker James Farrior said. "They get a touchdown on any one of those drives, we're going to lose the game. It was huge."
2. BEN'S BUMBLES: Roethlisberger fumbled three times with three different outcomes -- a recovery by the Dolphins, a recovery by Maurkice Pouncey and, the most significant, a non-call by the officials after his 2-yard TD run was overturned by replay.
3. HINES SHINES: On third-and-10, following a fumble recovery by Farrior at the Miami 34, Ward caught a pass in the right flat, ducked under a tackle by CB Benny Sapp and cut inside S Chris Clemons for a 21 yards and a TD to take a 10-6 lead.
4. BESS FOR LAST: Trailing 17-9, QB Chad Henne completed five consecutive passes for 70 yards, the final one in which WR Davone Bess broke tackles by William Gay and Ryan Clark to score from 26 yards out with 1:50 remaining in the half.
5. MOORE SOARS: Facing third-and-5 with 2:49 remaining, Roethlisberger checked off to a quick dump pass to Mewelde Moore, who went 29 yards to the Dolphins' 14 to set up the crazy final sequence that resulted in Jeff Reed's winning 18-yard FG.
5 ... Inside the Number
That's the number of catches of 41 yards or longer this season for WR Mike Wallace, who had a 53-yard touchdown against the Dolphins. Those plays account for more than 35 percent of his season totals.
What was he thinking?
WR Emmanuel Sanders said he was determined to make up for fumbling the opening kickoff that led to a Dolphins field goal, and he did. He had a 37-yard kick return to set up Wallace's 53-yard TD catch, an 18-yard catch on third-and-11 and a 48-yard return to the Miami 48 to set up the winning scoring drive. "I had to let that play go," Sanders said of the fumble. "If I didn't, that fumble would hang over my head and I would have a bad game and my hat would be gone next week."
Overheard
"I had the ball but the official said 'Let the ball go, it's a touchdown," so I did. But I knew I had the ball because I was losing the feeling in my arm from squeezing it." -- Jonathan Scott, Dolphins RT who said he recovered Roethlisberger's fumble in the end zone on the bizarre replay review
X's and O's
Even though Dolphins CB Jason Allen leads the team with three interceptions, the Steelers knew he was vulnerable to deep passes and intended to test him whenever the opportunity was right. That chance came when, on the first play after Emmanuel Sanders' 37-yard kick return, Mike Wallace ran past Allen's 10-yard cushion and caught a 53-yard touchdown pass. "It might have been like 13 to 15 yards," Wallace said of the cushion. "It doesn't matter. I just run past them."
NEXT SUNDAY'S OPPONENT
@ NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, 8:20 P.M. SUNDAY: The Steelers have not played in the Superdome since 2002 and have lost four of their past six games in New Orleans. The Saints are coming off a disappointing 30-17 loss to the Browns.
Read more: [url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10298/1097891-66.stm#ixzz13LsTMBMP"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10298/10 ... z13LsTMBMP[/url]
Monday, October 25, 2010
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
[url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10298/1097891-66.stm"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10298/1097891-66.stm[/url]
Game ball goes to: Hines Ward
If he wasn't catching balls off the top off a defender's helmet or shaking a tackler off his back on a 21-yard TD play, Hines Ward was getting behind the defense for a 43-yard catch on a busted play or picking up a blitzer on a big third-down conversion on the winning scoring drive. Ward finished with seven catches for 131 yards -- both season highs -- and has 12 catches for 185 yards and two touchdowns in two games since Ben Roethlisberger returned. "He's an incredible warrior and an incredible player," Roethlisberger said.
The Countdown
A quick look at the top performances from Sunday's game:
1. BIG DEFENSIVE STOPS: After Miami recovered Sanders' fumble on the opening kickoff at the Steelers' 22 and Roethlisberger's fumble at the Steelers' 13 on the next possession, the defense stopped the Dolphins on three plays each time, forcing them to settle for field goals and a 6-0 lead. "That's the game right there," linebacker James Farrior said. "They get a touchdown on any one of those drives, we're going to lose the game. It was huge."
2. BEN'S BUMBLES: Roethlisberger fumbled three times with three different outcomes -- a recovery by the Dolphins, a recovery by Maurkice Pouncey and, the most significant, a non-call by the officials after his 2-yard TD run was overturned by replay.
3. HINES SHINES: On third-and-10, following a fumble recovery by Farrior at the Miami 34, Ward caught a pass in the right flat, ducked under a tackle by CB Benny Sapp and cut inside S Chris Clemons for a 21 yards and a TD to take a 10-6 lead.
4. BESS FOR LAST: Trailing 17-9, QB Chad Henne completed five consecutive passes for 70 yards, the final one in which WR Davone Bess broke tackles by William Gay and Ryan Clark to score from 26 yards out with 1:50 remaining in the half.
5. MOORE SOARS: Facing third-and-5 with 2:49 remaining, Roethlisberger checked off to a quick dump pass to Mewelde Moore, who went 29 yards to the Dolphins' 14 to set up the crazy final sequence that resulted in Jeff Reed's winning 18-yard FG.
5 ... Inside the Number
That's the number of catches of 41 yards or longer this season for WR Mike Wallace, who had a 53-yard touchdown against the Dolphins. Those plays account for more than 35 percent of his season totals.
What was he thinking?
WR Emmanuel Sanders said he was determined to make up for fumbling the opening kickoff that led to a Dolphins field goal, and he did. He had a 37-yard kick return to set up Wallace's 53-yard TD catch, an 18-yard catch on third-and-11 and a 48-yard return to the Miami 48 to set up the winning scoring drive. "I had to let that play go," Sanders said of the fumble. "If I didn't, that fumble would hang over my head and I would have a bad game and my hat would be gone next week."
Overheard
"I had the ball but the official said 'Let the ball go, it's a touchdown," so I did. But I knew I had the ball because I was losing the feeling in my arm from squeezing it." -- Jonathan Scott, Dolphins RT who said he recovered Roethlisberger's fumble in the end zone on the bizarre replay review
X's and O's
Even though Dolphins CB Jason Allen leads the team with three interceptions, the Steelers knew he was vulnerable to deep passes and intended to test him whenever the opportunity was right. That chance came when, on the first play after Emmanuel Sanders' 37-yard kick return, Mike Wallace ran past Allen's 10-yard cushion and caught a 53-yard touchdown pass. "It might have been like 13 to 15 yards," Wallace said of the cushion. "It doesn't matter. I just run past them."
NEXT SUNDAY'S OPPONENT
@ NEW ORLEANS SAINTS, 8:20 P.M. SUNDAY: The Steelers have not played in the Superdome since 2002 and have lost four of their past six games in New Orleans. The Saints are coming off a disappointing 30-17 loss to the Browns.
Read more: [url="http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10298/1097891-66.stm#ixzz13LsTMBMP"]http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10298/10 ... z13LsTMBMP[/url]
