Defending Jon Kitna
Yeah, I'm that Kitna apologist. Here's my take on the Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game Sunday, and why it's not all No. 3's fault. - scott pianowski
Cincinnati didn't lose solely because Carson Palmer got hurt. Oh sure, their chances went down significantly when the injury occurred - Palmer is a superstar, Jon Kitna is a journeyman. But people want to post-script this game as a blowout decided by that play, and that's just not the truth. It annoys me how this game is being reported after the fact.
Kitna played pretty well in the first half (14-20-109, 99.8 rating), helping Cincinnati grab a 17-14 lead at halftime. The Bengals twice led by 10 points (10-0, 17-7). It looked like anyone's game.
Cincinnati started with the ball in the third quarter and moved right down the field, marching to the Pittsburgh 15 before the drive stalled. Here's where it gets fuzzy.
- A botched snap turned a chip-shot field goal into a non-attempt for the Bengals. The Steelers even gained 19 yards on the play. This all happened with five minutes gone by in the quarter.
- Pittsburgh put together a nine-play, 66-yard TD drive. Bettis scores with 5:17 to go in the quarter.
- Cincinnati had an ugly 3-and-out, with two sacks sandwiched around a short completion. Kitna looked bad here, I won't argue the point.
- Three plays into the next series, Pittsburgh struck with the wonderfully-timed gadget play, Randle El to Roethlisberger to Wilson. Perhaps time for it, flawless execution, and wham, bam, the Steelers lead by 11. The Bengals and their fans had already overcome one huge emotional blow (Palmer's injury), but they weren't getting off the mat again. Game Over.
Let's add it all up: over a span of 8:29, the Bengals had severe breakdowns in all three phases - offense, defense, special teams. Pittsburgh, to its credit, played very well in this segment. The Bengals should have been up six early in the quarter, and 8:29 later, they're down 11 and all but sunk. I can't blame Kitna for all this - it was truly a team collapse. And credit the Steelers, they made the plays.
Kitna never got the ship righted after that, and that didn't surprise me at all. He's a guy that needs to be surrounded by a running game and a balanced offense. He can't win a game on his own, especially against a defense that (a) can rush the passer like crazy, and (b) had no reason to respect the ground game anymore. The Steelers had their way with the Bengal offense the rest of the day, which was to be expected.
END POST
span>
Cincinnati didn't lose solely because Carson Palmer got hurt. Oh sure, their chances went down significantly when the injury occurred - Palmer is a superstar, Jon Kitna is a journeyman. But people want to post-script this game as a blowout decided by that play, and that's just not the truth. It annoys me how this game is being reported after the fact.
Kitna played pretty well in the first half (14-20-109, 99.8 rating), helping Cincinnati grab a 17-14 lead at halftime. The Bengals twice led by 10 points (10-0, 17-7). It looked like anyone's game.
Cincinnati started with the ball in the third quarter and moved right down the field, marching to the Pittsburgh 15 before the drive stalled. Here's where it gets fuzzy.
- A botched snap turned a chip-shot field goal into a non-attempt for the Bengals. The Steelers even gained 19 yards on the play. This all happened with five minutes gone by in the quarter.
- Pittsburgh put together a nine-play, 66-yard TD drive. Bettis scores with 5:17 to go in the quarter.
- Cincinnati had an ugly 3-and-out, with two sacks sandwiched around a short completion. Kitna looked bad here, I won't argue the point.
- Three plays into the next series, Pittsburgh struck with the wonderfully-timed gadget play, Randle El to Roethlisberger to Wilson. Perhaps time for it, flawless execution, and wham, bam, the Steelers lead by 11. The Bengals and their fans had already overcome one huge emotional blow (Palmer's injury), but they weren't getting off the mat again. Game Over.
Let's add it all up: over a span of 8:29, the Bengals had severe breakdowns in all three phases - offense, defense, special teams. Pittsburgh, to its credit, played very well in this segment. The Bengals should have been up six early in the quarter, and 8:29 later, they're down 11 and all but sunk. I can't blame Kitna for all this - it was truly a team collapse. And credit the Steelers, they made the plays.
Kitna never got the ship righted after that, and that didn't surprise me at all. He's a guy that needs to be surrounded by a running game and a balanced offense. He can't win a game on his own, especially against a defense that (a) can rush the passer like crazy, and (b) had no reason to respect the ground game anymore. The Steelers had their way with the Bengal offense the rest of the day, which was to be expected.
END POST
span>
Entry #113695637429827280 posted by Catherine Salfino at 12:11 AM
<< Home