Week 3 Hook Shots
By: Hook
Hook Shots
1.) Offense – Only ran 19 plays in the first half compared to 48 for Pittsburgh. But the second half was a bit of a reversal, as Palmer showed nice touch on the short stuff and stayed calm in the face of pressure. This helped the offense convert five of six third downs in the second half. Can’t comment on the early pick, because CBS preempted the entire first quarter to show the overtimes of two other games.
2.) McFadden – Not exactly a breakout game but he did top 100 yards rushing. Didn’t get to see his long run in the first quarter (thanks, CBS). But it still looks like he’s slamming into a brick wall on some plays, especially those awful pitches to the right side. But I love his role in the passing game.
3.) Defense – Corners held their own in the second half despite the lack of a pass rush. So far Kelly and Seymour have been non-factors. Dez Bryant is outplaying the two of them.
4.) Officials – I’m the last guy in America to criticize the replacement refs. After all, I’ve seen forty years of seemingly biased officiating against the Raiders, including the Tuck Rule. But yesterday there were two vicious helmet-to-helmet hits on Raider receivers that resulted in concussions. No penalty was called on either play.
5.) Mike Goodson atoned for his on-side kick blunder with a 51-yard kick return in the fourth quarter.
6.) Where was Matt Shaugnessy yesterday?
The East Coast Raider 
Shaughnessy was nearly invisible, but so was the rest of the line for most of the game! For most of the game, they weren’t able to put consistent pressure on Roethlisberger. If he got pressured, he’d just roll out of it and complete a throw. Only towards the end of the game did the Raiders start to swarm Big Ben, though I guess at least they stepped up when it counted.