No Home Field Advantage Against Steeler Nation

by In Play! Magazine on Oct 12, 2009 3:04 PM EDT Comment 12 comments

By Mike Niziolek

The Detroit Lions sold out Sunday’s game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field, but it was evident from all the terrible towels that many of those tickets were purchased by Steeler fans.
With three minutes and 30-yards to go the Lions looked like they had a golden opportunity to get a touchdown and send the game into overtime – a situation that should have the home crowd’s fans on their feet.

It wasn’t.

Thousands of Pittsburgh fans rallied and made Ford Field anything but enemy territory for the visiting Steelers helping them hold on to their lead and win 28-20.

“They traveled awesome today,” Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin said. “It's spectacular to stand on the visiting sideline and see the fan support we had in this building today."

Hines Ward said the crowd definitely made a difference for the team, but wasn’t surprised at how many fans made the trip.

"We're Steeler nation,” Ward explained. “Wherever we travel, we travel well. Playing in the Super Bowl here brought back a lot of memories. We had just as many fans as we did back then, so that's what we love about playing for this organization.”

Daunte Culpepper started in place of the injured Matthew Stafford at quarterback and had problems with the Steelers defensive pressure. Culpepper was sacked seven times, four of those coming during the Lions critical final possession.

After the game Jim Schwartz talked about the offense not picking up the blitz in the final series…
“We didn't recognize it and ended up taking those sacks,” he explained. “In that situation where you got it right there, we've got to be able to throw that ball away, protect that, whatever we've got to do to avoid a sack right there. We can't give up a sack like that because that took us out of the chance that we had at the end of the game."

Losing Calvin Johnson in the first quarter to a leg injury hampered the Lions offense as well. It was the second consecutive game that the big play receiver was taken out with a leg problem, against Chicago Johnson injured his hamstring and left the game in the third quarter.

Derrick Williams and Dennis Northcutt stepped in and made some nice plays, but the 6’5’’ playmaker could have made a difference for Culpepper as he dealt with the heavy pressure from the Steelers defense.
The Lions will travel to Green Bay next week as they look to get a win before the bye week.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Pride of Detroit's main writer, Sean, or the site in general. FanPosts are valued expressions of opinion by passionate and knowledgeable fans.

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I agree with Schwartz

Throw the ball away, don’t take the sack. Taking an extra 5 seconds looking for a 5-yard dumpoff isn’t worth it.

What? He can’t block a dead gopher? Humph, details.

by GRLion on Oct 12, 2009 6:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

To take it one step further GR,

He should have saw the blitz. Or at the least anticapated the steelers would be coming after him with the game on the line. The sacks on the last drive were inexcusable.

by Lead Hunter on Oct 12, 2009 9:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Guys....the key word is WE

Yes, Daunte should have thrown the ball away if he had the chance…..but the PROTECTION failed to PROTECT!! I’m sure the Lions knew that the Steelers were going to come after Culpepper. I’m sure Culpepper knew it, just like everyone else. Do you think he wasn’t also anticipating better protection? On the first sack of the three consecutive sacks, he had a small amount of time…..however, the coverage was good and he could not make a play. He was sacked, and I chalk the first one up to coverage (If he just dropped back and threw the ball away because he was anticipating a blitz, he would have been doing that all day long and he would have never completed a single pass). On the second and third sacks of those consecutive sacks, Culpepper barely completed his drop before the pocket was collapsed and he was getting hit! He did not have time to throw the ball away! If any blame is to be laid for those 3 sacks in a row, you have to first look at the offensive line (and their inability to give Daunte enough time to throw), and then you have to look at the offensive coordinator (he should have been calling plays that developed very quickly, in anticipation of the blitz that they should have known was coming). Lastly, you can say that the QB should also do his part to avoid the blitz, which in my opinion was only possible on one of those 3 plays. I find it hard to believe that everyone is all over Culpepper for those consecutive sacks…..it just plain baffles me.

There is no way that Daunte Culpepper had “an extra five seconds” for anything on those plays. If he had been standing back there with his thumb up his ass, then I could see why people would be upset. Instead, he had no time to even set his feet on two of the sacks and he tried his best to get away with no time to throw. The end result sucked, but that was not the fault of the QB, but rather the fault of the people who were supposed to be picking up the blitz in front of him…..Daunte can’t block for himself.

by KDawg on Oct 12, 2009 9:41 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

In my opinion.....

Any signal caller you can think of would have been sacked in the same scenario, behind the same line, with the same offensive coordinator, the same number of times…..

by KDawg on Oct 12, 2009 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with you here, KDawg

The bigger problem was Detroit inability to pick up the blitz.

by DrewsLions on Oct 13, 2009 12:21 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Disagree

A good QB dumps the ball off facing that kind of pressure. A RB, a curling TE, something…no excuse when they rush more than 5 to not get the ball off….rediculous.

http://cmufootball.blogspot.com/

by CapitolLions on Oct 13, 2009 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

+1

How many times have you seen Manning or any other QB over throw the endzone just to get rid of the ball when inside the 20?

Daunte’s lack of playing is starting to show… Hopefully he’ll be resetting his ‘alarm’ this week if he gets the nod again.

by CLF on Oct 13, 2009 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

BS

When you can’t even finish a three step drop before you are getting pressured and hit, you have no time to dump the ball off anywhere. The offensive line was the problem on all but one of those 3 consecutive sacks.

by KDawg on Oct 13, 2009 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I half agree to that...

My post was pointed at the Intentional grounding play and a little to the INT.

by CLF on Oct 13, 2009 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think if Pep looked to his left and saw the name "Backus" on a jersey.......

….he shouldn’t have anticipated better protection.

What? He can’t block a dead gopher? Humph, details.

by GRLion on Oct 13, 2009 8:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

and no offense, but aren't we glad staff & his knee weren't the ones sacked 7 times?

by londonlion on Oct 14, 2009 11:34 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think ...

That Schwartz has done well learning from his mistakes, and this was one of them. He should have been calling in plays with a second option release valve to counter the blitzes. The true barameter will come the next time Detroit finds itself in a similar situation. Gotta remember, first year head coach.

I can’t fault Culpepper for those sacks. (The interception after his fumble I do fault him for. That was the worst ‘just trying to throw it away’ play I’ve seen in some time.)

by chekyersix on Oct 12, 2009 11:51 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs