thewildrabbit

EJ says...how ya like me now?

who was the one who said Geno is better then EJ, with 6 INT's vs 2 TD's I gotta wonder what Geno would look like playing in EJ's shoes against that Jets D

probably the reason the Jets are ranked #2 in the NFL in total defense

5 / 10, 53 yards passing for EJ, 5 att, 21 yards Spiller is pretty bad Will the Bills OC be able to make the proper changes?

The offense is looking pretty bad so far

The Jets have the #2 defense in the NFL...I'd rather he pick his passes or throw it away.

Say what? Last time I looked the Colts went 11-5 last season with "rookie" QB Andrew Luck !

30th against the run after two games...kinda glad teams are trying to throw so much at the Bills depleted secondary

I see this move as the Browns already giving up on this season, giving up on QB, Brandon Weedon, RB Richardson. QB Teddy Bridgewater, and or DE Jadeveon Clowney ?

All ya gotta know is that 2 min drill EJ ran to perfection in the pre season was no fluke. At the end of this game the Bills got the ball on their own 20 yard line with 1:28 left, and no time outs. 10 plays later EJ hits SJ in the end zone with :06 seconds left on the clock for a TD.The Bills tie the score and the point after gives them a one point win!! 23-24. Poise out the kazoo for EJ, 27 / 39 for 296 1TD, 1 INT against a very good Panther front 7.

The Jets have the better defense ATM, #2 vs #18 in the league. Buffalo has the better offense, #16 vs #25. The Bills are currently 30th against the run. At some point I suspect some team is going to wise up and stop trying to throw at Buffalo and simply pound the rock. But, the Jests are not that wise

I have no idea why the Panthers went away from the read option, and didn't simply try run the ball more. Pettine is showing what its like to have a DC that knows what he is doing. Lovin it.

EJ showed us today he can be the QB we have all been waiting for. FJax is a beast. Kiko & KW both played great. Gotta love what Pettine has done with this defense

NE has a bunch of injured players, Gronk, Danny A, the RB who got 100+ yards against the Bils, and some rookies at WR. I wouldn't count them out as the division leaders just yet, as long as Belicheat and Brady are there they will have a winning record. I'd think by mid season those rookie NE receivers are either playing well or benched.

My take is the Bills were trying to keep a TE in to help protect EJ and his knee. So the last thing they probably want to see is him running all the time. But yea, I think the Bills could easily be more potent on offense by simply running the single back, 4 wide, shotgun spread a whole lot more. The Bills do have Marquise Goodwin (4.27, 40) (who is now injured) TJ Graham (4.34, 40)(who can't separate and catch) I suspect the Bills don't want EJ running very often at this point. so true about the line, 2 players away

Perhaps... That Panther D line contained Russell Wilson and Marshawn Lynch pretty well, and the defense only allowed 12 pts against the #3 rushing offense from last year. That Bills secondary has to be a concern, and the backup RB for the Patriots managed over 100 yards rushing. I know its only one game, but the bills are ranked 30th against the run. Hey man, I want the Bills to win, and hope they do.

"To my eye, a large combination of factors went into Spiller's day. He did not look as sharp as usual cutting, and missed some opportunities with his eyes as he appeared to be pressing the issue from time to time. Mostly, however, it looked like the Bills simply weren't blocking particularly well for No. 28 up front. They struggled in particular with Wilfork, who continually closed down running lanes. The run blocking execution was sloppy, but it's not as if it was bad scheming - there were opportunities for much bigger chunk runs that were left on the field." http://www.buffaloru...ller-film-study "Questions at Left Guard The left guard position has been a hot-button issue throughout Bills camp given the departure of free agent Andy Levitre, and it wasn’t a good start to the post-Levitre era. We’ve already mentioned some of LG Brown’s difficult day, as he finished at -7.8 and was just as poor as a run blocker (-4.4) as he was in pass protection (-3.7). Brown may have had the most difficult task on the Bills’ line, however, as he often found himself battling not only the Patriots’ best run defender in Wilfork, but also their best pass rusher in Jones. Not only did Wilfork control Brown in the running game, he also bull-rushed him for a pressure with 1:43 to go in the second quarter. Jones lined up on the inside, a new wrinkle for the Patriots, as he played defensive right tackle (on a four-man line) seven times on Sunday after doing so only three times all of last season. He beat Brown for a hit and two hurries in his limited time, going to his outside shoulder each time. https://www.profootb...-ne-buf-week-1/ A few things, while I'm not ready to proclaim EJ as the next Jim Kelly just yet. He did play well considering....the Patriots only blitzed 6 times out of 32 drop backs. Which tells me given EJ's limited play in the pre season, Bill Belicheat had his D dropping into coverage in hopes that EJ would make mistakes, which he didn't. My take on Spiller this week was a combination of things. The Bills ran a 4 wide, spread shotgun passing play with CJ as the single back ( like Gailey did all last year) then on the first play of the 3rd series. They handed off to CJ who ran for 8 yards. Then they went to FJax on the next two run plays. A penalty on Glenn, an incomplete pass and a punt. This single run play out of a passing formation showed me that the 4 wide, shotgun spread offense did work. But for some reason the Bills didn't utilize that play again and kept trying to make certain other plays work, and they didn't work because the Patriots were stacking then box to stop Spiller. The Patriots were stacking the box to stop Spiller and the Bills OC had no counter except to run FJax. The Bills O line had difficulty with both Wilfolk and Jones at the LG position. The Bills kept the TE in for a lot of plays to max protect...dunno why if the Patriots weren't blitzing that much. In regards to the next game against the Carolina Panthers. As much as I want the Bills to own the Panthers. That front 7 of the Panthers is better then the front 7 of the Patriots IMO, and I expect them to blitz a whole lot more then 6 out of 32. Cam Newton could have a field day running / passing against the Bills injured defense. Will Spiller have a better day? If the Bills go 4 wide shotgun spread, then yea. If they max protect, who knows.

Welcome to the board Carolina had a tough home opener against the possible NFC SB team this year in the Seattle Seahawks. Buffalo's D is no where near as good as the Seahawks, Newton should have a field day. I've been very skeptical of the Bills O line this offseason. We are going to see if that line can pass block against a team that will blitz more then 6 times in 32 drop backs like the Patriots did. NE showed how to stack the box to stop Spiller. As much as I want the Bills to win, I simply don't think the defense is up for the challenge.

I don't think its as much about Andy Levitre as it is about the overall inability of that O line to open holes against a stacked box. They couldn't do it last season either with Levitre. The Bills were always throwing on 3rd and short and the running game worked because of their running out of the shotgun spread "passing" offense. Pro Football Focus stated that the Patriots only blitzed 6 times out of 32 dropbacks. So Belicheat was more focused on stopping Spiller while allowing EJ time to throw. That scheme almost bite him in the arse as EJ played well and didn't make many mistakes. The Bills couldn't control the clock with 5 min left in the game. So they desperately need to get their ground game working. Even when opponents stack the box against them. Yea, the Patriots were keying on Spiller all day and they did a good job of stopping him. The Bills did run a spread shotgun formation in the 3rd series on first down then handed off to CJ who ran for 8 yards. After that they went with FJax, dunno why.

Not many get this..coaching staffs included. The key to winning games is running the ball, moving the chains and controlling the clock when you need to. Running the ball also makes it immensely easier for the QB to do his job. Keeps the defense fresh, wears the other team out. Most fans here look at this game and say that FJax was running well with a 5.2 ypc avg, all they needed to do was run him more. Sorta true, but the Patriots were keying on Spiller and determined to stop him, and they did! Spiller had a paltry 2.4 YPC avg. 17 carries for 41 yards. Yet this same player in Gaileys spread offense rushed for over 6 YPC last year. Different scheme this year, different results. And yet...On the 3rd series for Buffalo, first down at the Bills 20. The Bills went 4 wide, and single back with Spiller in the backfield. (shotgun spread) EJ hands off to Spiller who runs for 8 yards. Then the Bills went to FJax. I'll wager Bill Belichick went into that game thinking stop Spiller and make EJ beat us. Reasoning that because EJ had so little opportunity to play in pre season and hadn't faced a 1st string defense for four quarters, that he would make many mistakes. To his credit EJ didn't make that many mistakes and the Bills could have won that game. Save for the stupid mistakes by several other players and the inability to control the clock at the end of the game.

Figures that the two guys that really stood out for the Patriots against Buffalo won't play against the Jets this Thursday due to injuries.

Interesting notes by Pro Football Focus on the Bills LG position. "Questions at Left Guard The left guard position has been a hot-button issue throughout Bills camp given the departure of free agent Andy Levitre, and it wasn’t a good start to the post-Levitre era. We’ve already mentioned some of LG Brown’s difficult day, as he finished at -7.8 and was just as poor as a run blocker (-4.9) as he was in pass protection (-3.2). Brown may have had the most difficult task on the Bills’ line, however, as he often found himself battling not only the Patriots’ best run defender in Wilfork, but also their best pass rusher in Jones. Not only did Wilfork control Brown in the running game, he also bull-rushed him for a pressure with 1:43 to go in the second quarter. Jones lined up on the inside, a new wrinkle for the Patriots, as he played defensive right tackle (on a four-man line) seven times on Sunday after doing so only three times all of last season. He beat Brown for a hit and two hurries in his limited time, going to his outside shoulder each time. It looks like the Levitre whispers will continue for at least another week in Buffalo." https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/09/09/refo-ne-buf-week-1/ Take note that as I stated previously, the Patriots only blitzed 6 of EJ's 32 drop backs.

Jeez, exactly what Spiller needed. The Bills could easily run the exact same things the Eagles ran with probably as much success. The penalties, the turnovers, the lack of run blocking, and a far too vanilla offensive scheme killed the Bills. The Bills used a 4 WR shotgun spread formation and ran Spiller, he got 8 yards on that play. Then didn't see it again.

They not only missed Levitre in the run game. They also missed Chad Rinehart who started at LG for the Chargers. The run blocking stunk big time as Spiller had no holes. The pass blocking was better because the Patriots D was keying on Spiller and not blitzing EJ much. I think the reasoning there was that EJ only partially played in the first two pre season games and hadn't really seen much of as 1st string defense. Therefore didn't have much game experience, so belicheat sat back in coverage waiting for EJ to make mistakes. Which to his credit he didn't do. EJ played well despite the lack of a decent run game.

The Patriots D was keying on Spiller and stopping him cold, and yet the Bills just kept running him. On the 3rd series or so, the first play the Bills went shotgun spread with 4 wide and Spiller the single back. Looking like a passing play on first down, and they handed off to CJ and he gained 8 yards. (The same type of play that Gailey used to run last year with great success)Then the Bills switched up formations and didn't run that play again, dunno why. Bottom line... that the Bills couldn't control the LoS or the clock, and Spiller was held to a paltry 2.4 YPC avg, 41 yards on 17 carries. Run blocking didn't open holes for Spiller