Hot Iron Hot Takes #7: Smelted Opinions from the Steel Mill Rant Room
Our honest, sometimes terrible post-game breakdowns win, lose, or draw.
DETROIT VERSUS PITTSBURGH; MOTOWN AND THE STEEL CITY; “HONOLULU BLUE” BLUE COLLAR VERSUS “BLACK AND GOLD” BLUE COLLAR; GRIT-ON-GRIT.
WE HAD BRAIN CELLS, BABY!
ANOTHER WINNING SEASON FOR SUPER BOWL CHAMPION HEAD COACH AND WILLIAM & MARY ALUMNUS MIKE TOMLIN; BOOK IT.
WHILE KENNETH GAINWELL SECURED CATCH OF THE YEAR (AND A NEW DEAL), JAYLEN WARREN BLASTED TWO HOME RUNS, OUTPACING THE LIONS’ MUCH-TALKED-ABOUT BUT NOT-MUCH-OF-A-FACTOR RUNNING BACK DUO “SONIC AND KNUCKLES.”
There’s a statistic in football called “Pass Deflections” (PD) or “Pass Breakups” (PBU), which refers to a defensive player’s responsibility for an incomplete throw attempt from the opposing quarterback by batting the ball to the ground, thereby preventing a reception by the offensive player. It’s a deceptive metric because making a skilled play on the ball counts the same as dropping an interception (when a defensive player catches a forward pass, thrown by the opposing quarterback). Plays resulting in a change of possession (like an interception) are called turnovers, and turnovers are crucial for winning ball games. They are forced, not guaranteed, and they grant the competing offensive team a new opportunity to score, or elapse time.
Chuck Clark, Number 21 for the Stillers, recorded a team-leading two pass deflections (tied with Joey Porter Jr., whose name is being singled out less and less for pass interference penalties and more and more for lockdown defense). One ball ricocheted off his chest, thus dropped, and the other incomplete throw he reacted to, diving from behind the intended wide receiver to swat the pass. ‘You have to bring the ball back!’ Because those pass deflections were not interceptions, the Lions were able to prolong their dramatic, anxiety-inducing, and game-deciding drives, where the Stillers almost lost on two separate occasions.
Thankfully, the officials maintained consistency throughout the four quarters. Offensive pass interference was offensive pass interference—everywhere.