My Meaningless Opinion

[R. Rich]

And so the winless streak continues, huh? That stinks. But, despite the Bills' struggles, I had a great time last weekend. I got to spend some quality time before and after the game w/ my family and I got to see many of the TBD regulars on game day. Lancaster Steve and his wife Lisa, Harvey, BuffaloBart (Pittsburgh game, not Cleveland!), Philster, Mikey, cablelady, sidbuff w/ wife and crew (great to see you, bro), my two favorites for football discussions on game day: Badolbilz and Lori, and last but certainly not least, William and his awesome NYC crew. Good times were had by all...I think. We'll do it up again for the Stillers game next month and we'll be there much earlier than the 11:30ish that my brother and I arrived last Sunday.

 

On to the game...

 

I thought Ryan Fitzpatrick was okay. He did overthrow a few passes that could've gone for long gains, but that's to be expected. The guy is a quality backup but not much more, so none of us should get too crazy over his shortcomings. I loved the idea to quickly strike after the turnover via the bomb to Lee Evans, and Fitz threw a very good pass on that one. There were a few times when you'd wish he would go through his progressions quicker (took a really bad sack by holding onto the ball), but again, those thing will happen w/ a guy who isn't a franchise QB. But give the guy props for not throwing a boneheaded INT by forcing a big play (another thing he has a knack for @ times) and for not trying to do too much and, in the process, make the kind of mistakes that blow the game wide open.

 

Fred Jackson ran well, I thought. Could've been better, but the opportunities weren't there all day. His 31 yard run was nice! C.J. Spiller again showed flashes of potential. He runs well 'tween the tackles; not stutter stepping, but hitting the hole and then making guys miss when he can. He could learn to trust his blocking a bit more (be a bit more patient, especially on plays where they lead w/ a guard or FB) and get his blitz pickups down more, but he looks to be a really good young back. Corey McIntire has had some really nice lead blocks, which is even more reason for Spiller to develop patience in his running.

 

Evans made some nice catches and even did the littl things to help Fitzpatrick out (like coming back to the ball, which hasn't been a strong suit for him). I like the way he's developing into a fine third down receiving option also. No longer is he, "Mr. 9 Route". Thankfully. Roscoe Parrish also is making some nice catches. He had a really nice third down conversion where he could've (and had, in the past) lost the ball coming down due to contact. Hopefully he'll continue to become a solid slot receiver. Problem is, the Bills still need someone opposite Evans to be a consistent option. Yeah, Steve Johnson caught a pair of TDs, but he still has those annoying lapses in his game where he drops passes and looks lazy in his route running. Maybe David Nelson? Maybe Johnson becomes consistent and reliable? We'll see. Shawn Nelson came back, though you wouldn't really know it. No catches, a drop, and no factor in run blocking. Then again, none of the Bills' TEs are that good in run blocking. This unit continues to be a huge weakness. [i'm an idiot: Johnathan Stupar, not Nelson, was the TE, and he actually did have a catch. One.]

 

On to the offensieve line. Pass blocking still isn't that good, as Fitzpatrick was dropped three times and pressured quite a few others. Terrence Knighton is a real good interior pass rusher for the Jags! Or, @ least he was in this game. I will give props to Andy Levitre for a fine lead block early on. He does look pretty good getting out in front for the RBs. Still waiting to see more stout play from Geoff Hangartner and Eric Wood. These guys still allow far too much pressure up the middle. Cornell Green continues to get penalized @ very inopportune moments, like in the red zone. C'mon man; you're on OFFENSE! Know the snap count, fire out, and do your job. As for Demetrius Bell, he had a few decent moments, but still gets beat to the outside far too easy.

 

The defensive line had another rough outing. I do think many of the issues w/ their performance in this one came down to fatigue though. Early on, Maurice Jones-Drew found little room to operate. But as the game wore on and the offense failed to produce or to @ least sustain drives (3 for 11 on third downs), these guys just wore out. Kinda like the way the Bills stymied Drew Brees last year, only to get worn down and have Pierre Thomas carve 'em up late. I thought Spencer Johnson did a better job of getting past his blocker and forcing plays away from the primary hole. Marcus Stroud still looks too slow and is not beating those blocks to either put heat on the QB or re-route the RBs. Kyle Williams got pressure inside by shooting the gap, but also got taken out of plays when he should've been holiding the point of attack. Both Torell Troup and Alex Carrington got some reps and showed some good stuff. Troup has very good strength, but his technique needs work. As I said after the game, he can stack, but he can't shed very well. There were plenty of times I saw him take on the blocks and clog up the hole. Problem was, he couldn't disengage once the RB got there to make the play. He'll get it w/ more work, I'm sure. I do think he can be a good NT for the Bills once he gets his technique down.

 

Then there were the linebackers. Yikes. This is, in my opinion, the worst unit on the Buffalo Bills, and it's not even close. Sad to say, but that's how it is. Paul Posluszny has got to diagnose plays and get to the action earlier than he does. He and the other LBs have to do a much better job of taking on the blocks, shedding 'em, and getting to the action. They are late to plays, are not physical enough, and are woeful in pass coverage. If David Garrard was any sort of stud QB, Marcedes Lewis would've had a monster game against the Bills and the Jags would've blown the game wide open. He was like 7-Eleven; open all day. Props to Andra Davis for deflecting the pass and then getting the INT. Outside of that, there were ZERO impact plays from this unt. No forced fumbles, no sacks (one came by Stroud, the other was a corner blitz), and no tackles for losses. Badolbilz made reference to the good old days of the 3-4 w/ Biscuit and Talley and how we had quality guys like Ray Bentley too. He said Bentley would now be the best LB on this team by far. He's so right. For a team that runs a 3-4, the Bills are horribly equipped @ this most vital position.

 

The secondary was solid in that they wouldn't allow the Jags' WRs to really get anything going. Mike Sims-Walker had a TD grab, but had 'bout 8 yards per catch on his other 3 catches of the day. The guy who really did the Bills in was Lewis, and that was mostly the LBs Lewis abused. Leodis McKelvin and Jairus Byrd got a bit more involved in run support, but that is still not a strong point for these guys. Donte Whitner had 10 solo tackles, but really didn't come up w/ any big time hits, crucial stops in critical moments (like third downs,goal line situations), nor did he force any turnovers.

 

Special teams were not that special. Brian Moorman had a solid game, w/ nearly 44 yards per punt including a nice 61 yarder. Rian Lindell converted a pair of short FGs. Problem was the return units. Not much in the way of returns (no punt reutrns as kicked FGs or turned the ball over) and the kick returns were minimal. The coverage units had some good (only 19 yards yielded on 3 punt returns) and some not so good (an average of 36 yards per kick return, including a 51 yarder @ the start of the 2nd half).

 

Coaching wise, the Bills still aren't quite there. They did get aggressive w/ the early fumble, which resulted in the 45 yard TD to Evans. That was good. But they still play things a bit close to the vest when they could be more open (on third/fourth and short situations). While Troup isn't as refined a DT as Williams, he does hold up better to double teams. I would love to see the Bills experiment w/ moving Williams to DE and start Troup @ the nose. Couldn't hurt @ this point, and you'd get to see more of your younger players. A lot of people will bash George Edwards for the defense's shortcomigs, but as poorly as the LBs are playing, the Bills should expect to see teams attack 'em like Jacksonville and New England did. It's there all day, so why not?

 

 

So add another 0 to the pack, eh? Now that's 5 of 'em. I know, I know; 11 more to go, right? So what? I'm not rooting for the team to lose to lock up the chance to grab an Andrew Luck or a Ryan Mallet. I'm rooting for the organization to realize what they have and what they don't have in terms of personnel. They need LBs for this 3-4. They need a TE. They need a pair of quality OTs. They may even need to bring in another interior OL (either get a center or move one of the guards to center and bring in a mauler @ guard). They need a pass rusher, but since they're going to run the 3-4, that's why they need to bring in an OLB who can do that. Like what Dallas has in DeMarcus Ware or what Pittsburgh has in James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. Impact players is what is needed. QB? W/out question, but also @ the other positions I mentioned. The Bills are a long way from being ready to compete. The thing to watch for now is the development of the guys on the roster. I am hoping for the best, as usual. Meanwhile, not even this 0-5 start is going to put a damper on what was a very good weekend for me.

[polish lover]

actually Shawn Nelson was not activated until monday, so I'm not sure what game you were watching...

[R. Rich]

actually Shawn Nelson was not activated until monday, so I'm not sure what game you were watching...

 

 

D'oh! I guess I was referring to Johnathan Stupar. Then again, the TEs are so nondescript, I guess it could be any of 'em. Good catch, though.

[Rubes]

Great write up, thanks. Maybe one day I'll get back there and get the opportunity to hang with the TBD folks on game day...

[Chandler#81]

Great read, RR.

 

It's refreshing -and VERY RARE- to read an account of the Bills from a fan who doesn't feel the need to blow up, curse and wish death on everybody! Thanks!

 

I, too, am resigned to watch the development of what we have now to better discern where we need to go. Shawn Nelson has 'freak' written all over him and I hope they give him a shot at WR. Why bother teaching him to stay in and block speed rushers? Use that size, speed and determination to get separation from DB's. JMO.

 

Gorgeous day Sunday as well! Wish I was there!

[BobDVA]

For those of us that live too far away, I would have loved to have been there, win lose or draw.

 

I will however, get that chance after the bye week, in enemy territory, Baltimore.

[The Big Cat]

Great post, RR.

 

Totally agree that LB is our weakest unit. I say if Luck doesn't declare, we forgo finding the franchise quarterback, trade back, stock pile picks, and draft a half dozen linebackers.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

Tried tested and true. The more humble the title, the better the post. Nice effort.

 

Sounds like if you add 2 great LB's or 3 really good ones and the D might have a fighting chance.

[bowery4]

Nice write up, agree w/ you it would be good to see Troupe develop more and move Williams to DE.

I thought Roscoe was the number 2 most the time IIRC it looked like Jackson was in the slot (I could be wrong tho). All of our receivers need to come back for the ball, I did like Evans did it a couple of times and the one catch he made on 3rd down was short so he had to, that would have been a first otherwise. I too want to see more Nelson.

 

I would have loved to see Chan stick to the run and MAKE it work. The Bills needed the Jags game plan IMO.

 

LOL you didn't mention Fitz's bounce pass but I thought he played well, even threw a block. He might be decent behind a good line. I would like us to go with him until the new franchise guy is properly developed unless some other FA very decent drops in our lap.

 

I know it sounds crazy but, I half want them to try Maybin at TE and see if he can catch and run patterns, 2 birds w/ one stone (Jauron might have tried it), he has speed and athletic ability, who knows? We are probably stuck w/ him sitting for most the year anyway.

 

The center of the line? don't know what is up with Wood? I hope he just is still working on strength. Hang would be worth finding competition for in the off season. Howard looks serviceable and is young was happy Green was "banged up" to see him in that tackle spot a bit.

[CodeMonkey]

For those of us that live too far away, I would have loved to have been there, win lose or draw.

 

I will however, get that chance after the bye week, in enemy territory, Baltimore.

Boy that has the potential to be one Fugly game.

I hope you will have plenty of Tito's available to dull the pain

[Lori]

That was my line about Bentley, not Badol's, ya galoot.

 

Good seeing both you and Kevin, as always. (He probably appreciated me not trying to monopolize his day with shoptalk this time. )

[Bill from NYC]

That was my line about Bentley, not Badol's, ya galoot.

 

Good seeing both you and Kevin, as always. (He probably appreciated me not trying to monopolize his day with shoptalk this time. )

 

I made the case a few weeks ago that Sam Rogers was a clearly superior OLB than Kelsay. I have decided to take it a step further and say that I would also rather have Gabe Northern out there.

 

Gabe had a short shelf life, but I remember him taking one home for a TD, and if I remember this, omg you certainly do!

 

PS: It was great (as always) to see you!!!!!!

[Paup 1995MVP]

And so the winless streak continues, huh? That stinks. But, despite the Bills' struggles, I had a great time last weekend. I got to spend some quality time before and after the game w/ my family and I got to see many of the TBD regulars on game day. Lancaster Steve and his wife Lisa, Harvey, BuffaloBart (Pittsburgh game, not Cleveland!), Philster, Mikey, cablelady, sidbuff w/ wife and crew (great to see you, bro), my two favorites for football discussions on game day: Badolbilz and Lori, and last but certainly not least, William and his awesome NYC crew. Good times were had by all...I think. We'll do it up again for the Stillers game next month and we'll be there much earlier than the 11:30ish that my brother and I arrived last Sunday.

 

On to the game...

 

I thought Ryan Fitzpatrick was okay. He did overthrow a few passes that could've gone for long gains, but that's to be expected. The guy is a quality backup but not much more, so none of us should get too crazy over his shortcomings. I loved the idea to quickly strike after the turnover via the bomb to Lee Evans, and Fitz threw a very good pass on that one. There were a few times when you'd wish he would go through his progressions quicker (took a really bad sack by holding onto the ball), but again, those thing will happen w/ a guy who isn't a franchise QB. But give the guy props for not throwing a boneheaded INT by forcing a big play (another thing he has a knack for @ times) and for not trying to do too much and, in the process, make the kind of mistakes that blow the game wide open.

 

Fred Jackson ran well, I thought. Could've been better, but the opportunities weren't there all day. His 31 yard run was nice! C.J. Spiller again showed flashes of potential. He runs well 'tween the tackles; not stutter stepping, but hitting the hole and then making guys miss when he can. He could learn to trust his blocking a bit more (be a bit more patient, especially on plays where they lead w/ a guard or FB) and get his blitz pickups down more, but he looks to be a really good young back. Corey McIntire has had some really nice lead blocks, which is even more reason for Spiller to develop patience in his running.

 

Evans made some nice catches and even did the littl things to help Fitzpatrick out (like coming back to the ball, which hasn't been a strong suit for him). I like the way he's developing into a fine third down receiving option also. No longer is he, "Mr. 9 Route". Thankfully. Roscoe Parrish also is making some nice catches. He had a really nice third down conversion where he could've (and had, in the past) lost the ball coming down due to contact. Hopefully he'll continue to become a solid slot receiver. Problem is, the Bills still need someone opposite Evans to be a consistent option. Yeah, Steve Johnson caught a pair of TDs, but he still has those annoying lapses in his game where he drops passes and looks lazy in his route running. Maybe David Nelson? Maybe Johnson becomes consistent and reliable? We'll see. Shawn Nelson came back, though you wouldn't really know it. No catches, a drop, and no factor in run blocking. Then again, none of the Bills' TEs are that good in run blocking. This unit continues to be a huge weakness. [i'm an idiot: Johnathan Stupar, not Nelson, was the TE, and he actually did have a catch. One.]

 

On to the offensieve line. Pass blocking still isn't that good, as Fitzpatrick was dropped three times and pressured quite a few others. Terrence Knighton is a real good interior pass rusher for the Jags! Or, @ least he was in this game. I will give props to Andy Levitre for a fine lead block early on. He does look pretty good getting out in front for the RBs. Still waiting to see more stout play from Geoff Hangartner and Eric Wood. These guys still allow far too much pressure up the middle. Cornell Green continues to get penalized @ very inopportune moments, like in the red zone. C'mon man; you're on OFFENSE! Know the snap count, fire out, and do your job. As for Demetrius Bell, he had a few decent moments, but still gets beat to the outside far too easy.

 

The defensive line had another rough outing. I do think many of the issues w/ their performance in this one came down to fatigue though. Early on, Maurice Jones-Drew found little room to operate. But as the game wore on and the offense failed to produce or to @ least sustain drives (3 for 11 on third downs), these guys just wore out. Kinda like the way the Bills stymied Drew Brees last year, only to get worn down and have Pierre Thomas carve 'em up late. I thought Spencer Johnson did a better job of getting past his blocker and forcing plays away from the primary hole. Marcus Stroud still looks too slow and is not beating those blocks to either put heat on the QB or re-route the RBs. Kyle Williams got pressure inside by shooting the gap, but also got taken out of plays when he should've been holiding the point of attack. Both Torell Troup and Alex Carrington got some reps and showed some good stuff. Troup has very good strength, but his technique needs work. As I said after the game, he can stack, but he can't shed very well. There were plenty of times I saw him take on the blocks and clog up the hole. Problem was, he couldn't disengage once the RB got there to make the play. He'll get it w/ more work, I'm sure. I do think he can be a good NT for the Bills once he gets his technique down.

 

Then there were the linebackers. Yikes. This is, in my opinion, the worst unit on the Buffalo Bills, and it's not even close. Sad to say, but that's how it is. Paul Posluszny has got to diagnose plays and get to the action earlier than he does. He and the other LBs have to do a much better job of taking on the blocks, shedding 'em, and getting to the action. They are late to plays, are not physical enough, and are woeful in pass coverage. If David Garrard was any sort of stud QB, Marcedes Lewis would've had a monster game against the Bills and the Jags would've blown the game wide open. He was like 7-Eleven; open all day. Props to Andra Davis for deflecting the pass and then getting the INT. Outside of that, there were ZERO impact plays from this unt. No forced fumbles, no sacks (one came by Stroud, the other was a corner blitz), and no tackles for losses. Badolbilz made reference to the good old days of the 3-4 w/ Biscuit and Talley and how we had quality guys like Ray Bentley too. He said Bentley would now be the best LB on this team by far. He's so right. For a team that runs a 3-4, the Bills are horribly equipped @ this most vital position.

 

The secondary was solid in that they wouldn't allow the Jags' WRs to really get anything going. Mike Sims-Walker had a TD grab, but had 'bout 8 yards per catch on his other 3 catches of the day. The guy who really did the Bills in was Lewis, and that was mostly the LBs Lewis abused. Leodis McKelvin and Jairus Byrd got a bit more involved in run support, but that is still not a strong point for these guys. Donte Whitner had 10 solo tackles, but really didn't come up w/ any big time hits, crucial stops in critical moments (like third downs,goal line situations), nor did he force any turnovers.

 

Special teams were not that special. Brian Moorman had a solid game, w/ nearly 44 yards per punt including a nice 61 yarder. Rian Lindell converted a pair of short FGs. Problem was the return units. Not much in the way of returns (no punt reutrns as kicked FGs or turned the ball over) and the kick returns were minimal. The coverage units had some good (only 19 yards yielded on 3 punt returns) and some not so good (an average of 36 yards per kick return, including a 51 yarder @ the start of the 2nd half).

 

Coaching wise, the Bills still aren't quite there. They did get aggressive w/ the early fumble, which resulted in the 45 yard TD to Evans. That was good. But they still play things a bit close to the vest when they could be more open (on third/fourth and short situations). While Troup isn't as refined a DT as Williams, he does hold up better to double teams. I would love to see the Bills experiment w/ moving Williams to DE and start Troup @ the nose. Couldn't hurt @ this point, and you'd get to see more of your younger players. A lot of people will bash George Edwards for the defense's shortcomigs, but as poorly as the LBs are playing, the Bills should expect to see teams attack 'em like Jacksonville and New England did. It's there all day, so why not?

 

 

So add another 0 to the pack, eh? Now that's 5 of 'em. I know, I know; 11 more to go, right? So what? I'm not rooting for the team to lose to lock up the chance to grab an Andrew Luck or a Ryan Mallet. I'm rooting for the organization to realize what they have and what they don't have in terms of personnel. They need LBs for this 3-4. They need a TE. They need a pair of quality OTs. They may even need to bring in another interior OL (either get a center or move one of the guards to center and bring in a mauler @ guard). They need a pass rusher, but since they're going to run the 3-4, that's why they need to bring in an OLB who can do that. Like what Dallas has in DeMarcus Ware or what Pittsburgh has in James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley. Impact players is what is needed. QB? W/out question, but also @ the other positions I mentioned. The Bills are a long way from being ready to compete. The thing to watch for now is the development of the guys on the roster. I am hoping for the best, as usual. Meanwhile, not even this 0-5 start is going to put a damper on what was a very good weekend for me.

Dude,

 

Your analysis of the game was spot on. The weakest spots on the team are LB and O line, particularly OT. But don't be fooled, the D line and the interior of the O line is not much better. With a solid O line, Fitzie is a middle of the road starter in the NFL. Give him some time and he can keep drives going. He will never be a stud, but he understands the game and will always try to hit the correct receiver. (never afraid to put it up, but has some lapses in accuracy.) The problem is our line other than Levitre is just not very good, and that includes Wood and Hangartner. As for the Defense, I have never seen a team with such unathletic LB's. Poz, Kelsay, and Torbor have no business being on an NFL roster. Davis is the ONLY one who has a clue, and he would be a backup on most teams. I honestly think Poz has regressed since his rookie season. He is not reacting to anything and looks like he has the quickness of a Division 2 college player. He is definitely a shell of what he was playing at Penn State. Have no idea how this regime plans on stocking this roster with NFL players. Again, thanks for the excellent post.