Last Guy on the Bench

There are a bunch of good backs now. But it's not all about the YPC. Freddy gets all of those little yards that don't seem to be there. He is a very good blocker and a decent receiver. He is not as explosive as many of those guys, but he just feels so solid all around. I can't argue he's better than many of those guys, but in terms of who I would want starting for the Bills right now, there are probably only 3-5 guys I would take over him. Some of the others might make my pro bowl ballet ahead of Freddy, but Freddy makes my lineup sheet ahead of them.

That's true for guys that have been around a little bit, I agree, but not for rookies just learning a system (especially without minicamps). Most guys take a while to make the mental adjustment to the NFL in general and to their new team's scheme in particular.

I was less worried by all of his errant passes than by his body language. He had that kind of hang-dog, confused, frustrated, but not angry-enough-to-do-something-about-it look all night. Doesn't mean much maybe, but I feel like I've seen that look on QBs before, and never on a good one. I know he has only been around this offense for a handful of weeks, but he looks physically, intellectually, and emotionally bewildered out there to me.

It may be fair, but it is just so lazy. CNN/SI takes the trouble to send someone all the way to camp, and all he brings up are the usual tropes. Shawn Merriman. New guy from the Jets. Stevie Johnson now number 1. CJ Spiller needs to be better. Etc. If all you want to do is let people in other markets know a few generic things about the Bills then fine. But why go to camp then? You could write this piece by watching Sports Center and a few post-practice videos of Chan Gailey on buffalobills.com. I want someone like this to dig a little. Talk to people. Observe something that everyone else hasn't already observed a thousand times.

Also, if it works the same as Game Pass (the int'l package - I'm in South Africa and just got it - it's amazing), there is a toggle in the upper right hand corner of the small screen to turn scores off. If you do that, you don't even see the big play markers in the small screen. (Not positive that it's the same for Rewind, but I don't know why they wouldn't be using the same interface.)

Big thanks for doing this (and to Fitzbeardy too!). Absolutely my favorite thing about TSW is reading notes from people who break things down beyond the ****ty media coverage ("Merriman was great!" Yeah, he was, but people in Peru can see that.) either by taking the time to review the game play-by-play as you did or by paying attention to aspects of the game that many of us may not the see first time around (e.g., Simon, Bill in NYC, etc.). Love this stuff and my appreciation for and understanding of the game goes way up because of the many (well, handful of) wallers who actually know what they are talking about - or who at least see things from a non-predigested perspective.

+1 !

I was at the Ralph a few years ago in December. Standing at the troughs at halftime, the bathroom packed as usual, and this big fat guy next to me, after rooting around through the crotch layers for a couple of minutes, says, "I know it was there when I left the house this morning." The whole bathroom cracked up.

I'm with you. I'm not exactly raging with optimism, but this team has won 7, 7, 7, and 6 games the last four years, and it's hard for me to see why this year they would be any worse than the scrappy semi-losers we've come to "love." The last few years they've been devastated by injuries, had questionable coaching, etc., and still have managed to win almost half their games. I doubt they'll make the playoffs, but I don't get all of these 2-4 win predictions. What amazing players did we lose?

I had both games on (thank you CBC streaming). Slovenia tried the whole game. They knew that they were in a fragile position. The kept coming and had some decent chances, but overall, England were clearly the better team. Could have been 3 or 4 nil.

I think South Korea is that good. They play a precise, compact passing game. They've got some good finishers. They're surprisingly tough physically (given that they are not too large, and play more of a skilled game). And they have a world-class player in Park Ji-Sung. I doubt they'll beat Argentina, but they could. Should be an interesting game with lots of sweet passing.

It's not even close. NFL Network was excellent. Tons of insight. I've actually enjoyed ESPN over the years, but I found it painful to watch this year. Borderline unwatchable. Too many guys, low energy, lots of stumbling, no one seemed that well informed, and Steve Young almost single-handedly kills it - he is such a boor (loves to hear himself talk, interrupts, doesn't listen to anyone, offers nothing new - just godawful). I was really impressed with the NFL Network coverage.

The Sporting News said that he really came on the second part of the year as he adapted to the coaching. They seem to think a light switch went on and that he's going to keep developing into a pro style QB rapidly. TSN can be way off, but they do their own homework, and you have to admire the way they call 'em as they seem 'em, no matter what the other rags/mocks say. They think Crompton is a better bet in this draft than any QB but Bradford.

I've been thinking about Graham too. I would be way on on board with that pick. Especially if Schobel retires.

You need to post more. Post of the year.

Good one. A great movie. I'd add Angel Heart and Sleuth (only saw the original, not the new one) to the list. Fun, not-great movies with good twist endings.

Great, great post. Super Bowl obsession is simple-minded. ("You either win everything or you are a loser.") Honestly, I'd love for the Bills to win the big one, but it's way down on my list of Bills' goals. I like watching football. I love watching football when the Bills are interesting and competitive week in and week out. Sure the Super Bowl losses stung. But my life doesn't change based in one game. It does change, however, based on the overall experience of watching the team every week. When I think about the 90s Bills, I think about how MANY amazing, fun games there were. Every season there were tons of great moments: gritty victories, comebacks, upsets, playoff wins - all mixed in with the occasional crusher that kept life interesting. This has been a generally boring effing team for the last decade. Tell me the Bills will be interesting and exciting and win more than their share of games, and I say you can stuff your Super Bowl.

http://www.justin.tv/broadway_ruuby password: beastmode

I agree. I've seen enough good things out of Trent (and TO for that matter) to remain marginally hopeful. But then again, I'm an idiot.

I gotta agree with Murra on this. I still hold out some hope for Trent, and I hate to judge anyone on preseason, but that hope is weakening a little. I thought our DL looked pretty good tonight. They actually got quite a bit of pressure on Ben, but watching him slip that pressure, or get rid of the ball just in time, rifling it into a covered receiver time after time, reminded me what a real. winning QB looks like. I don't expect Trent to be Big Ben (who I think is just a fantastic QB - criminally underrated, because he doesn't sling the 300 yard games like Manning/Brady/Rivers/Brees). But the good QBs can work well with and even take advantage of moderate pressure. (No QB looks good in a jail break, but that's not what we mostly saw tonight.) I'm not saying our OL was great, but they were adequate given the defense they were facing, and I thought Trent had enough time to do much more than he did. Even throwing the ball away with authority if he felt the pressure too much would have been an improvement over those desperate, tentative, tardy passes.

Fair enough.

Exactly. He got stuffed on his first move. But disengaged really well and then juked the OT. That let him fill the gap that Big Ben was trying to escape through. That was a well deserved sack. And why would anyone begrudge the guy a little dancing on his first sack in the NFL?

Simon, what's your take on Nic Harris? Just curious, as you often don't see things the way the crowd sees them. I'm with the crowd on this one. Seems to me like he has really good awareness, is decisive, and hits. I could live with with a few big rookie mistakes along the way if it's in the service of acclimating a guy who seems to know how to make things happen. Would you start him?

I think Omon got hurt a little, and then Hall took a whack right before he came out. I doubt they want to go back to one of their top three.

Bills QBs are 23/26.