Rubes

Sabres win!!! Nice job by Miller.

Yeah. Like we need another thread hijacked by this.

Sorry, forgot the /sarcasm

37-14. It was quite the splash of cold water in the face. I'm at least a little better prepared for that this week.

Per league rules the Bills are not allowed on any prime time games this year.

The grade is not based only on their catches. I did mention that Royal's blocking skills are solid. But there are other TEs besides him, and their blocking skills are not exactly top-notch. So, as a sum, I would say Royal's blocking earns the TEs a B+ or so, but his receiving, as well as the blocking and receiving of the other tight ends, brings that grade down considerably.

Good points, yes. Like I said above, I was having a tough time deciding between C+ and B- for the overall grade, so I can't really argue with C+. (BTW, isn't that only one half grade?) But overall, I do think that the grade does take into account that the coaches have been working with either raw or less than stellar talent for the most part, and I think so far they have extracted more from this offense and done a much sounder job than I was expecting. And, I think they've set themselves up for more success down the road.

The other interesting thing about his first game against Denver...he was just acquired from the big trade, and he really didn't have any time to practice with the defense, so Denver had nothing to go on. I remember he applied heavy pressure on Elway his first two plays, and the following day Larry Felser wrote something like: "Then, on his third play from scrimmage as a pro, Cornelius Bennet was double-teamed."

I don't think a bear would even give it a try against a pissed off Bison.

Thanks... The overall grade is B-, which is a little above average (but not quite the true above average of a B). I think that's fairly accurate (although I had a tough time deciding between C+ and B- ), given that Willis and JP have pretty decent stats, the receivers are doing better than expected, and the coaching has been very solid. If they were doing a better job of scoring, they would definitely be a B or B+.

Don't worry, if we win this game (unlikely), the media will say it was because of an off day for the Bears. Or maybe Jauron had an insider.

Bills' Grades at the Quarter Pole: Offense I've always believed a team needs four regular season games under its belt before you can start to assess how it's doing in a given season. So with the Bills in second place in the AFC East at 2-2 a quarter of the way through the season, here is my assessment of the offense, with apologies to Pyrite Gal for posting something even longer than he does. For the record, my grading system is: A = Excellent; B = Above Average; C = Average; D = Poor; F = Really F'ing Lousy. Offensive Line Of all the units, I believe the offensive line is at the greatest disadvantage starting off a season, given how much time it takes for the unit to find its comfort zone. That's particularly true for this group, given that two of its five starters are new this year and a third is still raw. The offensive line has been the Achilles' heel of this team for some time now, and expectations coming into this season were not high. That said, my assessment of their performance thus far is guardedly optimistic. Right now I would say that the offensive line, as a whole, is average -- which is still a lot better than previous years. Against defensive fronts that are below-average (Jets) they performed reasonably well; however, against those that are average to above-average (Patriots, Dolphins, Vikings), they have had both successes and failures. Run blocking has been mostly solid, with the team averaging 3.9 yards per carry and 117 yards per game, the latter good enough for 5th in the AFC and 9th in the NFL (back in the heydey of the early '90s, the Bills, one of the best rushing teams in the league, were averaging about 130-135 yards per game). They still have difficulty run blocking against the stronger defensive fronts, like that of the Vikings, but I am optimistic that this will improve as the year goes on. Pass blocking has been a bit more erratic, however, as we have been used to seeing. Gandy and Peters have done reasonably well in this regard, but the interior of the line still appears susceptible at times to stunts, blitzes, and power rushes. Although sacks allowed are certainly not all attributable to the offensive line, the Bills have allowed 11 sacks, which is in the bottom third of the NFL. That said, it's hard to argue that they appear more capable this year than last year, and their improvement over the first four games is tangible, with Losman clearly having more of a pocket to work with lately. This unit needs a few more games together to become comfortable with each other and with the others (RBs, TEs) that provide blitz and stunt support. The loss of Villarial stings but was not entirely unexpected; Preston will need to be solid for this unit to reach its potential, which I believe is in the above-average range. We have yet to see their performance against a clearly superior defensive front (Bears), which should be a good gauge of their progress. Grade: C+ Tight Ends I think most of us weren't sure what to expect from our tight ends this year. In the past, coaches have talked about incorporating them more into the passing game, although this never seemed to materialize. It would seem to be the ideal approach for a learning QB, particularly on a team without an established #1 WR threat at the start of the year. Royals received rave reviews in the offseason for his blocking skills (and was called the "best blocking TE" in football by TMQ), but it sounded as if Jauron and Fairchild were planning on getting him more involved as a receiver. So far, that hasn't happened. After 4 games, Royal has 4 catches and Everett has 1, combining for 7% of Losman's completions. Run blocking has been solid, particularly for Royal. It would be nice to see these guys more involved in the short to medium passing game, particularly against teams that are able to generate pressure on Losman with blitzes. Grade: C- Wide Receivers The thought coming into this year was that the loss of Moulds would be palpable, given the uncertainty of Evans as a #1 WR and the questionable depth behind him. I think the jury is still out on Evans as a #1 WR, although the early returns are encouraging. He leads the team with 19 receptions (almost 5 per game) and averages almost 13 yards per catch, but he has not yet caught a touchdown pass this year. He was effectively taken out of games early in the season, catching only 4 total balls against New England and Miami, but the last two games he has emerged with 8 and 7 catches. He and Losman appear to be adjusting to the double-teams and blitzes, but it will be a few more games until we know if this is a trend or a blip. Reed has been suprisingly consistent and reliable this year, and appears to be much more comfortable in this offense. Price started slow but has also emerged as a reliable and dangerous option for Losman, which is another pleasant surprise. Parrish has shown flashes and can be a serious threat whenever he gets the ball, but it might be some time before we see more offensive plays installed that utilize him. Overall, it is good to see that we have four receivers that have all caught 10 or more passes, which would seem to indicate that Losman is confident in all of them. Aiken and Davis have yet to catch a pass this year. Grade: B- Running Backs We came into the season expecting McGahee to be the workhorse back, and so far Fairchild has kept to this plan. He is averaging almost 25 carries per game and 3.9 yards per carry, and he leads the league with 389 yards (though he is 4th overall with 97.2 yards per game). At this pace, he is on track for a 1500+ yard season, which is exactly what this young offense needs. He has run with power and determination, particularly against the better defensive fronts, and has done a solid job in helping the Bills reach 7th in the NFL in time of possession (31:49). Although he has had a 32-yard run this year, everyone is still hoping for a real breakout run like in the preseason. On the downside, he only has 1 touchdown so far, and the Bills need to find a way to get him into the endzone, particulary when they reach the red zone. Thomas showed some flashes in the New England game but not much since, and Shelton so far has been a disappointment, being noticed more for missed blocks and penalties than anything else. Grade: B+ Quarterback Losman was probably the biggest question mark for this team coming into this season, and it would be hard to find someone who is not impressed with his progress to this point. Fairchild, Schonert, and the rest of the staff have done a great job so far tutoring Losman and keeping the offense fairly simple and concise. In the first two road games, they didn't ask him to do too much and he played with quiet efficiency; at home, they loosened the reins a bit and he responded with 550 passing yards, including the first 300-yard passing day by a Bills QB in years. More importantly, in the last couple of games Losman has looked very comfortable in the pocket and making decisions, and his cannon arm has handled the RWS winds easily. It is also remarkable that he has thrown only 1 interception after 4 games, which I think is testament to the solid gameplanning and preparation by Fairchild. At the beginning of the season, anyone who thought his QB rating at the quarter pole would be greater than 90 (90.6, good for 7th in the AFC and 13th in the NFL) would have been a liar. Nevertheless, we all knew going into the season that Losman would have his ups and downs, and this has been true. His sack for a safety against New England and his 3 turnovers against the Jets are significant reasons the Bills have 2 losses so far, although I personally feel that Losman is only partly to blame for those miscues. We also have yet to see if Losman has any 4th quarter comebacks in him (0-for-1 so far), and sooner or later we'll have to find out. He will certainly struggle in some games this year and perform well in others; it is up to Jauron and Fairchild to be patient and keep things simple for him to build his confidence. So far, they've done a commendable job -- and I, for one, am pleasantly surprised. Grade: B Offensive Summary I don't think anyone had any idea what to expect from the Bills offense this year. Expectations were generally low, owing mostly to uncertainty regarding the offensive line, Losman, the wide receivers, and a new offensive coordinator. So far, the returns are encouraging. Fairchild has done what many before him have failed to do; stick to the game plan, pound the ball with McGahee, and keep things simple for Losman. The Bills still need to figure out how to score touchdowns; Buffalo is 19th in scoring with 17.5 points per game, and the big three on offense -- Losman, McGahee, and Evans -- have a grand total of 5 touchdowns between them. That's going to have to improve if the Bills want to win more than they lose. They also have to figure out how to close out games by eating up more clock (and scoring) in the fourth quarter; this was a big reason they lost to New England and almost let wins against Miami and Minnesota get away. I expect these things will improve as the season wears on and the offense becomes more comfortable with themselves and with Fairchild's system. They just need to avoid the injury bug, especially on the offensive line, because the margin for error now is dangerously thin. Overall grade: B- Comments! (if you're still awake)

I agree, that's one thing that has impressed me in the past couple of weeks. But as far as the scoring issue goes, let's be real...the Bills have played two home and two road games. In the relative safety of our home games, we've averaged 18.5 points per game against some average defenses. In the hostile road games, against what I would consider above average defenses, we're averaging 16.5 points per game. But on the road against probably the best or second-best defense in the league? I'd consider us lucky to get one touchdown. I'm thinking 9 or 12 points. Maybe 15 if we get an extra turnover. A defensive touchdown would be sweet. I think we need to hold Chicago to 14 points or less to have a chance. Oh, they're averaging 29 points per game, 35.5 points per game at home.

As a whole, quarterbacks who have played the Bears this year have a passer rating of 62.1 and have been sacked 15 times (almost 4 per game). That includes Brett Farve, Jon Kitna, Brad Johnson, and Matt Hasselbeck. Just a thought as our boy heads out on the road. I'm hoping for some confidence and composure in the face of a hostile D and a hostile environment, but don't go and throw JP under the bus if he ends up looking a little raw out there -- like everyone else has.

Don't worry, it'll pass.

"Questionable."

Now that is freakin funny.

I agree, but remember, Tommy was feeling a little depressed in that first game. His bestest friend left town and his feelings were hurt. He seems to have gotten over it.

The next three games are absolutely key (not that that others aren't, though). We have to find a way to win two of those three.

What the hell was Kyle Williams doing sacking his own QB?

...not to mention the Bears in '85.

I'll take this one. "Questionable."

This is a little much, don't you think? According to the NFL, there were really 54 penalties today.

Young and learning how to win. This team is doing a nice job executing the game plan for the most part and getting leads on teams. They're having some problems adjusting and finishing games, but that's nothing unusual. I remember the same type of problem back in 1987., especially with the offensive output in the red zone.

I saw him in there on a few plays. He had decent penetration on a couple, but they had some pretty good inside blocking today. Anderson had a really good game, I thought.