Grading the Steelers:
Jack McCurry is in his 22nd season as the head coach of the
North Hills High School Indians. He has won four WPIAL titles.
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Grading the Opponent:
Neil Gordon is in his 13th season as the head coach of the Penn
Hills High School Indians. He has won one WPIAL title.
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Offense: C
Kordell Stewart played his best game since the opener. The improved passing
game, however, couldn’t overcome the lack of a running game and the critical
fourth-quarter interception. Jerome Bettis has been ineffective and that’s due to the
offensive line. |
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Offense: A-
Doug Flutie turned in a near-perfect performance dissecting the vaunted
Steelers’ defense with great precision. Sam Gash, Eric Moulds, Andre Reed and Jay
Riemersma found the seams, and the magician showed great accuracy, touch and play action
to complete the package. |
Defense: C
The Steelers’ defense fell victim to Doug Flutie’s ability to
scramble and make plays. The Steelers’ cornerbacks had difficulty trying to cover
Eric Moulds and Andre Reed. With the game on the line, the Steelers couldn’t stop
Jonathan Linton from gaining two critical first downs. |
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Defense: B
Although Bruce Smith is still certainly the headliner, this unit boasts
great quickness, speed and intensity from top to bottom. While the front seven were
capably shutting down The Bus, the secondary broke on the ball very well and provided some
big hits. |
Special Teams: C
Nothing special about the play of the special teams. Troy Edwards needs to
catch all balls. The general rule is to never catch a ball inside the 10-yard line, but
Edwards failed to field punts that hit near the 20, and that’s a gamble the Steelers
can’t afford. |
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Special Teams: B
Overall, a good day. Return specialist Kevin Williams turned in a solid
performance and provided the Bills with decent field position. Steve Christie’s
strong day was slightly blemished with a missed field goal. Chris Moore was unusually very
strong and quite accurate down the stretch. |
Coaching: C+
The coaches’ patience with Kordell Stewart is beginning to pay
dividends. It’s the lack of a running game that is the Steelers’ most pressing
problem. The defense couldn’t get the ball back late in the game and it was due to
poor tackling rather than the defensive scheme. |
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Coaching: A
Joe Pendry has long been known as one of the best offensive minds in the
business -- today’s execution attested to his talents. Despite a short preparation
week, the Bills played with great intensity on both sides of the ball. |
| Team
Score: 79 |
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Team
Score: 93 |
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