Slug
10-29-2012, 12:47 PM
Hey, finally home from Pittsburgh. A few thoughts:
The experience:
Love the Heinz Field parking lots. Not as good tailgating as FedEX, but still a lot of fun and the lots themselves have personality...character. Not just soulless acres of black-top like most stadium lots. Very cool.
I like the stadium. Everything screams "home town". From the hall of fame area to the open end giving a view of old town Pittsburgh. You look out and see things like the Duquesne Incline and you know exactly where you are. Kudos to the designers.
I ♥ the ketchup bottles. Even though it always meant we were about to be scored on again, I thought they were cool as hell.
A little disappointed in the fans at the game if I'm being honest (don't kill me here). To me Pittsburgh had a rep for hard core game day fans and a great atmosphere. It didn't translate on Sunday. The crowd was...depressed? Dispassionate? Tough to put my finger on. Even when the game was still close there was nobody on their feet. I was 12 rows from the field and everyone sat..like the whole game; only standing if the Redskins went for it on 4th down. And half the crowd split in the 4th quarter. When you were winning! Only a handful of people were really bringing it, being loud and getting into it on every down like I was expecting. I was expecting a raucous, hoppin' football crowd and was left wanting. But I know Pittsburgh fans better than that so I'm going to chalk it all up to the miserable weather.
The whole Styx/Renegade sequence in the stadium was pretty bad-ass.
The game:
Great work by the Steelers holding down Morris and quashing our run game. The Redskins' entire offense is predicated on the run and forcing defenses to respect its potential to open up the play action which comprises over 75% of our passing game. With the ground game effectively shut down PIT was able to maintain secondary discipline and that meant no where to go for Washington. Terrific game plan and execution on y`all's part.
The Redskins seemed to quit in the 4th quarter. With 8 minutes to go, down by 3 scores players were still huddling and sort of casually sauntering up to the line. There was no urgency. And then going for it on 4th and 17 inside field goal and wasting a drive instead of taking the points? It was like they had already given up on the game despite there being plenty of time left. This was particularly frustrating to me due to the time and effort I put in to travel out there to be there for them.
Yay! We have a kicker!
Drops drops drops. I know, "luck" is a weak excuse for anything in football, but the Steelers were "lucky" for as much as that word can apply. Their secondary appeared weak and I counted 5 deep ball gashes where the 'skins had them beat but the receiver dropped a ball that hit them in the hands. And at least two of them had nobody between the receiver and the end-zone for what would've been sure TDs. If the Redskins receivers hadn't been snacking on buttered popcorn before the game then the outlook of the game completely changes.
Speaking of weak secondaries, if D.C. doesn't learn how to cover this is going to be a long, frustrating season. Haslett is a bad game day coach and fails to make adjustments. We obviously don't have the personnel to do whatever he is trying to do. Something needs to change and it has to start with him and then continue on.
Dwyer is LEGIT.
Deangelo Hall needs to STFU.
I hope Ryan Clark is OK. He catches some flak, but I think he's a terrific player.
Overall I had a great time. Obviously I'm disappointed in the outcome of the game, but I had a terrific time in Pittsburgh nonetheless. Fun tailgate, cool stadium. Everyone was friendly. I will definitely go back the next time the Redskins play out there. Fun experience. GG Pittsburgh. :yellowthumb:
(Now do us a favor and beat the hell out of New York and Dallas :reddevil:)
The experience:
Love the Heinz Field parking lots. Not as good tailgating as FedEX, but still a lot of fun and the lots themselves have personality...character. Not just soulless acres of black-top like most stadium lots. Very cool.
I like the stadium. Everything screams "home town". From the hall of fame area to the open end giving a view of old town Pittsburgh. You look out and see things like the Duquesne Incline and you know exactly where you are. Kudos to the designers.
I ♥ the ketchup bottles. Even though it always meant we were about to be scored on again, I thought they were cool as hell.
A little disappointed in the fans at the game if I'm being honest (don't kill me here). To me Pittsburgh had a rep for hard core game day fans and a great atmosphere. It didn't translate on Sunday. The crowd was...depressed? Dispassionate? Tough to put my finger on. Even when the game was still close there was nobody on their feet. I was 12 rows from the field and everyone sat..like the whole game; only standing if the Redskins went for it on 4th down. And half the crowd split in the 4th quarter. When you were winning! Only a handful of people were really bringing it, being loud and getting into it on every down like I was expecting. I was expecting a raucous, hoppin' football crowd and was left wanting. But I know Pittsburgh fans better than that so I'm going to chalk it all up to the miserable weather.
The whole Styx/Renegade sequence in the stadium was pretty bad-ass.
The game:
Great work by the Steelers holding down Morris and quashing our run game. The Redskins' entire offense is predicated on the run and forcing defenses to respect its potential to open up the play action which comprises over 75% of our passing game. With the ground game effectively shut down PIT was able to maintain secondary discipline and that meant no where to go for Washington. Terrific game plan and execution on y`all's part.
The Redskins seemed to quit in the 4th quarter. With 8 minutes to go, down by 3 scores players were still huddling and sort of casually sauntering up to the line. There was no urgency. And then going for it on 4th and 17 inside field goal and wasting a drive instead of taking the points? It was like they had already given up on the game despite there being plenty of time left. This was particularly frustrating to me due to the time and effort I put in to travel out there to be there for them.
Yay! We have a kicker!
Drops drops drops. I know, "luck" is a weak excuse for anything in football, but the Steelers were "lucky" for as much as that word can apply. Their secondary appeared weak and I counted 5 deep ball gashes where the 'skins had them beat but the receiver dropped a ball that hit them in the hands. And at least two of them had nobody between the receiver and the end-zone for what would've been sure TDs. If the Redskins receivers hadn't been snacking on buttered popcorn before the game then the outlook of the game completely changes.
Speaking of weak secondaries, if D.C. doesn't learn how to cover this is going to be a long, frustrating season. Haslett is a bad game day coach and fails to make adjustments. We obviously don't have the personnel to do whatever he is trying to do. Something needs to change and it has to start with him and then continue on.
Dwyer is LEGIT.
Deangelo Hall needs to STFU.
I hope Ryan Clark is OK. He catches some flak, but I think he's a terrific player.
Overall I had a great time. Obviously I'm disappointed in the outcome of the game, but I had a terrific time in Pittsburgh nonetheless. Fun tailgate, cool stadium. Everyone was friendly. I will definitely go back the next time the Redskins play out there. Fun experience. GG Pittsburgh. :yellowthumb:
(Now do us a favor and beat the hell out of New York and Dallas :reddevil:)