Key Play of the Game - Steelers '09

[Doc-phin]

I am going to break from the norm on this game, particularly since the game really didn't matter in terms of win-loss.  Stick to the standard key play concept if you wish.

I think there are two important plays and they were very close to one another...

1st - Pat White takes a shotgun snap that was an obvious pass.  The blitz comes up the middle and he gets rocked nearly as soon as he gets the ball.

2nd - Pat White throws the ball 10 yards short on his first and only actual pass going into the flat.

Here is what I think is so important about these plays...

Either that blitz was an example of how piss poor our o-line has been playing, or they did that crap on purpose.  O-lines are taught to force the free rusher to the outside and yet magically they allow a guy to come up the middle untouched and he didn't even disguise or delay his blitz.  The result was a timid Pat White. 

That play setup the next key play.  As soon as White through that pass (which happened one or two plays later) into the dirt, everyone knew that the threat of passing was nonexistent (including White).  The result was White becoming a running back with QB pads.  This should never have been allowed by Sparano, and I am furious about it.  Pat White may not have been intentionally setup, but make no mistake that he was doomed at this point. 

In the end, this showed that Sparano was willing to leave one of his own out to dry.  I hope this can somehow turn into a driving force for White to find his niche in the pros, but there is a better chance that the coaches failed him miserably IMO.

[dolphins4life]

I'm going with Thigpen's pick, when they were poised to tie or take the lead.