I was asked via email if I had time to break down the blame of the 50 sacks allowed last year against the Steelers. We are linking to each play on NFL.com so you can watch each sack yourself and agree or disagree below in the comments. We are missing one sack against the Vikings. We have it, we just need to find it. We will update the results when we find it tonight.
Updated: We found the missing play and updated everything below. It was a busted play.
Steelers 2009 Sacks Allowed
| Name | Blamed |
|---|---|
| Ben Roethlisberger | 10.5 |
| Justin Hartwig | 7.5 |
| No Blame | 7 |
| Trai Essex | 5 |
| Max Starks | 4.5 |
| Willie Colon | 4.5 |
| Chris Kemoeatu | 3.5 |
| Rashard Mendenhall | 2 |
| Matt Spaeth | 1.5 |
| Heath Miller | 1.5 |
| Mewelde Moore | 1.5 |
| Ramon Foster | 1 |
Sack #1 – Titans
Jason Jones beats Trai Essex and Ben escapes initially. By then the line allows more pressure especially by the Max Starks at left tackle. This sack belongs to Essex though.
Sack #2 – Titans
Tony Brown gets the sack as both Max Starks and Chris Kemoeatu are beaten, but Kemo did get a body on his pickup. This sack could be split, but we are pinning it on Starks.
Sack #3 – Titans
William Hayes beats Heath Miller and Jacob Ford beats Max Starks, but this is a coverage sack and gets charged to Ben Roethlisberger as I feel the line did an adequate job blocking.
Sack #4 – Titans
Jevon Kerse gets the sack unblocked. Tunch makes a comment in the video that a line call was not made. Tough to pin this on Willie Colon though as he gets a linebacker. We are placing no blame on this sack.
Sack #5 – Bears
Alex Brown gets by center Justin Hartwig. Mewelde Moore also does a poor job helping with the blitz. Essex allows a man through, but the sacks is already done at that point. We pin this one on Hartwig.
Sack #6 – Bears
Alex Brown gets around Max Starks, but even Phil Simms comments that this is on the Ben and not the line as he had about 3.5 seconds to throw the ball. Blame is on Ben on our eyes here as well.
Sack #7 – Bengals
Antwan Odom blows through Chris Kemoeatu and Justin Hartwig. We are going to split this between each of them and charge them each with a half sack allowed.
Sack #8 – Chargers
Line does a great job here as Ben has plenty of time. This sack is charged to Ben.
Sack #9 – Chargers
Line does a great job again here as Ben once has plenty of time. This sack is charged to Ben. Watch the blitz pickup here by Rashard Mendenhall.
Sack #10 – Chargers
Tim Dobbins and Eric Weedle come clean on the blitz and Rashard Mendenhall chooses to get Dobbins. Chris Kemoeatu has to take the stunting tackle so you can not pin this on him. We are not charging this sack to anyone here.
Sack #11 – Lions
Copeland Bryan gets credit for the sack, but most of the line allows pressure. We are going to spilt this one between Willie Colon and Trai Essex. It should be pretty clear why in the replay.
Sack #12 – Lions
Andre Fluellen beats Justin Hartwig up the middle. This one goes on Hartwig easily.
Sack #13 – Lions
Julian Peterson gets around Max Starks and then chases down Ben as Starks quits on the play. Chris Kemoeatu allows a little pressure but manages to stay locked up on his man.
Sack #14 – Browns
David Bowens gets past tight end Matt Spaeth here for the sack. Robaire Smith is second man in past Max Starks, but the sack goes on Spaeth here. Rashard Mendenhall does another good job trying to pick up the extra blitzer.
Sack #15 – Browns
Cornerback Brandon McDonald comes untouched around the end. The lines does a pretty good job overall. Once Ben eludes the corner, he runs up into traffic and is sacked. We are putting this one on Ben once again.
Sack #16 – Browns
The initial pressure comes from the defender Chris Kemoeatu is blocking as well as the man Max Starks is on. We are charging both Kemo and Max with a half sack here.
Sack #17 – Vikings
Ben Leber comes on a delayed blitz and runs over Rashard Mendenhall for the sack. This one goes on Rashard.
Sack #18 – Vikings
This is tough as if Ben throws on the pump fake, there is no sack. He has about 3 seconds initially but the pressure comes from Jimmy Kennedy who pushes back Kemoeatu for the pressure. We are going to be fair and give a half to Ben and a half to Kemo on this.
Sack #19 – Vikings
The Vikings send the house here, Asher Allen beats Heath Miller around then and gets the strip sack.
Sack #20 – Vikings
I found the clip and it was a busted play. Ben took snap and it looked like he expected to throw right to a wide receiver screen, but noticed no one was home and ate it up the middle. No blame here and it is hard to believe it was scored a sack.
Sack #21 – Broncos
Overall the line does a good job. Mewelde Moore allows some blitz pickup pressure, but Ben still had plenty of time. We pin this on Ben as we feel the blocking gave enough time.
Sack #22 – Broncos
Delayed blitz by the linebackers. Rashard has a poor attempt at a block and Heath Miller allows quite a bit of pressure. We are giving both Miller and Rashard half sacks allowed here.
Sack #23 – Broncos
Kenny Peterson beat Chris Kemoeatu for the strip sack.
Sack #24 – Bengals
Fanene gets by tight end Matt Spaeth, but Ben has plenty of time to throw. This one goes as a coverage sack and put on Ben.
Sack #25 – Bengals
Dhani Jones come untouched on a bit of a delay blitz. Empty backfield meant no one was there to pick it up. We place no blame here as all linemen are locked up.
Sack #26 – Bengals
Ben had well over 4 seconds to get rid of the ball. Line did an adequate job here. We place this again on Ben.
Sack #27 – Bengals
Geathers comes untouched and as the announcer says it looks to be a blown assignment. While it is easy to perhaps point at Willie Colon here, he did get a body on a defender. We are placing no blame here as we surely do not know what the assignment was to place blame here.
Sack #28 – Chiefs
Mewelde Moore has to pick one of two blitzers and it looks like Ramon Foster blew recognizing the blitz as well. We are going to split these between Memo and Foster here. Tough call.
Sack #29 – Chiefs
Very tough call here, but 3 lineman Trai Essex, Justin Hartwig and Ramon Foster all block one man. If Essex gets the linebacker and Mewelde Moore gets the defensive back, perhaps the pressure is stopped. I think Essex missed the blitz look. Might be a bit harsh, but that is what the tape tells us.
Sack #30 – Raiders
Hard to place blame as Scott faked dropping back into coverage. Justin Hartwig and Trai Essex were both locked up and no back was there to pick up blitz. We place no blame here.
Sack #31 – Browns
Pressure comes inside on both Hartwig and Kemoeatu. Williams beats Hartwig for the sack.
Sack #32 – Browns
Hank Poteat untouched off the corner and unaccounted for. No blame to place here except for having empty backfield and bad recognition.
Sack #33 – Browns
Not sure what Willie Colon was thinking here as Benard comes untouched.
Sack #34 – Browns
Hartwig loses Williams on the stunt. Starks also allows a little pressure off the edge, but we are charging it to Hartwig.
Sack #35 – Browns
Marcus Benard schools Willie Colon here for his second sack of the game.
Sack #36 – Browns
David Bowens gets hardly any resistance from Chris Kemoeatu here.
Sack #37 – Browns
The pressure is allowed by Justin Hartwig and Trai Essex up the middle that forces Ben up into the line and thus a sack. we charged both Essex and Hartwig with a half each here.
Sack #38 – Browns
Willie Colon and Rashard Mendenhall both share blame here on this sack with most of it going to Colon.
Sack #39 – Packers
Justin Hartwig misses a delayed blitzing Clay Matthews.
Sack #40 – Packers
Max Starks can not stop Clay Matthews off the edge.
Sack #41 – Packers
Heath Miller does his job and release out into the flat. Ben had a ton of time to throw and we pin this one on him holding the ball.
Sack #42 – Packers
Should be no doubt that Trai Essex is the guilty one here as he is beaten badly.
Sack #43 – Packers
Trai Essex allows the pressure that force Ben up into the line and a waiting Poppinga. Willie Colon did his job long enough here.
Sack #44 – Ravens
Justin Hartwig loses his man that allows things to start going south here.
Sack #45 – Ravens
Haloti Ngata gets by Matt Spaeth and runs over Rashard Mendenhall. We gave both half allowed sacks.
Sack #46 – Ravens
Antwan Barnes blows by Willie Colon and works back to get the sack.
Sack #47 – Ravens
Ramon Foster misses Chris Carr and Justin Hartwig gets worked by Trevor Pryce. We are giving both a half a sack allowed.
Sack #48 – Dolphins
Almost 6 seconds is plenty of time to throw the football or take off with it. This gets pinned on Ben.
Sack #49 – Dolphins
Randy Starks gets around the inside of Max Starks. Ramon Foster looks unsure who to block. We are charging this to Max here.
Sack #50 – Dolphins
Mewelde Moore fails on the blitz pickup. Pretty straight forward here.
