A Few Thoughts About The Game,

[ganesh]

No need. It isn't about wanting the Bills to make dumb moves. It is about wanting them to win football games. When Whitner makes tackles on pass plays 18 yards down the field on 3rd and 17, I am not going to praise him. When he plays well, I will.

 

As for Bell, he is a very hard player to rate. As another poster said, he is still raw. One thing he is NOT, is Jonathan Scott. Did you see just how bad he was yesterday? This is what Bills Fans were forced to endure for too many years. The problem is drafts such as 2006 did nothing to correct this vital issue.

 

It looks as if, as long as Ralph stays out of it, Gailey and Nix know enough about football to build this team up. That is the good news.

And neither has the drafts of 2007, 2008, 2009 or 2010....

 

The Bills stars for the season are Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson, Steve Johnson (Besides the bad game against PIT), Kyle Williams etc.....players drafted in 5th round and beyond or Undrafted....It is a shame that the only Top Round pick who is doing very well is Levitre.

[eball]

I'm not necessarily defending Evans, but he made a HUGE play to recover Fred's fumble that could have led to the win if not for Stevie's drop a play later that Polamalu intercepted. Evans sacrificed his body and out-hustled two Squealer defenders to recover the ball. That shows me he cares.

 

The Bills are still woefully inadequate at LB, but I like what I see out of the young guys on the DL.

[KOKBILLS]

Johnson is the epitome of inconsistency. He's fantastic and terrible at once. He's young but replaceable. I credit his emergence as 90% Fitzpatrick, 10% Johnson.

 

Oh wow!

 

Replaceable? Have you seen The Buffalo Bills at WR over the past decade? Unless you're talking about A.J. Green or Julio Jones I doubt Stevie is too replaceable...And no matter what happens the rest of this Season I doubt the Bills take a WR high in 2010 anyway...I admit Stevie is not perfect, it's easy to do so after yesterday...But the Kid gets open A LOT...And granted Fitz has been a big help, but that 90/10 split estimation is ridiculous...Come on now...

[Peace]

Oh wow!

 

Replaceable? Have you seen The Buffalo Bills at WR over the past decade? Unless you're talking about A.J. Green or Julio Jones I doubt Stevie is too replaceable...And no matter what happens the rest of this Season I doubt the Bills take a WR high in 2010 anyway...I admit Stevie is not perfect, it's easy to do so after yesterday...But the Kid gets open A LOT...And granted Fitz has been a big help, but that 90/10 split estimation is ridiculous...Come on now...

 

So the line got great, Roscoe became a "go to" WR, Steve Johnson broke out, and Donald Jones is a player...all at the same time just by coincidence?

 

To credit Johnson too much would be a huge mistake. All of these players emerged once Fitz became the starter.

 

You want 80/20? Sure. The point is that Steve Johnson+average QB=unremarkable.

[BillsVet]

Oh wow!

 

Replaceable? Have you seen The Buffalo Bills at WR over the past decade? Unless you're talking about A.J. Green or Julio Jones I doubt Stevie is too replaceable...And no matter what happens the rest of this Season I doubt the Bills take a WR high in 2010 anyway...I admit Stevie is not perfect, it's easy to do so after yesterday...But the Kid gets open A LOT...And granted Fitz has been a big help, but that 90/10 split estimation is ridiculous...Come on now...

 

This team doesn't have a need at WR. And even if they did, there are more important positions to upgrade, like say pass rushing OLB, perhaps a ILB, RT, and a better all-around TE that. A good QB makes his receivers better and you don't always need names at WR.

 

Granted, the position is one where guys coming from college need time to acclimate, but I think Buffalo's OK at WR.

[Rubes]

To credit Johnson too much would be a huge mistake. All of these players emerged once Fitz became the starter.

 

Some might argue that they all emerged once Gailey took over the offense.

[Kelly the Dog]

Some might argue that they all emerged once Gailey took over the offense.

People seem to forget that Gailey benched Stevie Johnson for two games in favor of Roscoe Parrish AFTER Fitz had already taken over the team in game three. It seemed to spark Johnson's play but he only regained the #2 spot when Parrish got hurt. Since then he has exploded. He was still very lost early in the season, and it wasn't only because of Trent. He quickly became a very good player, and has a lot of intangibles. He's really good already at getting open. I'm afraid the drops will continue but he's too good to let that distract from the fact he makes plays and makes first downs and scores TDs.

 

Which would you rather have, a guy who gets open 33% of the plays and catches it 95% of the time, or a guy who gets open 50-60% of the plays and catches it 90% of the time? Johnson was open all day long yesterday, which is why Fitz kept going back to him. And while the Steelers didn't double cover him, they talked all week about how good he was and they had to stop him. On the drop he faked the crap out of the CB. We only sent one WR out on the play and he was wide open in the endzone.

[Peace]

Some might argue that they all emerged once Gailey took over the offense.

 

Tell that to Trent Edwards.

 

I credit Fitz as being the perfect compliment to Gailey. But remember, under Edwards, Steve Johnson had 6 catches for 70 yards in 2 games.

Edited November 29, 2010 by Peace

[Kelly the Dog]

This is the first time I have felt that MAYBE George Edwards knows what he is doing. We did a lot of interesting things out there. Rushed a lot of different players from different spots. It kind of reminded me of the Creep defense we debuted against the Cowboys on MNF in another epic loss snatched from victory.

 

It's highly possible that Troup and Carrington just needed this time to get caught up. We switched defenses, which doesn't really matter to them as rookies as they would be required to learn a new defense anyway, but it prevented veterans like Stroud and Kyle Williams and Spencer Johnson from helping the rooks learn the game and the position and responsibilities too because they were learning it themselves.

 

Plus -- we sucked immediately on defense, and to Gailey and Edwards credit, they didn't let it last too long before they started playing 4-3 as much or more than 3-4. So now you're asking Carrington and Troupe to learn how to play in the NFL, how to play in a 3-4, AND how to play in a 4-3, which is often completely different techniques and responsibilities, all on the run in the middle of the season in the middle of a cluster!@#$.

 

So it's very understandable that it has taken half a season for either of them to get up to snuff. I was very impressed with Carrington yesterday.

 

It's also very possible if not likely that Edwards couldn't afford to get too exotic in his defenses and blitzes and game plans because the defensive basics hadn't been mastered yet. The guys were making mistakes out there all over the field in the first half of the season. It's hard to play when you're thinking not reacting instinctively because you know your duties. They may not have felt it was possible to put in more exotic blitz packages until now. As fans, we always want teams to blitz more when we don't get enough pressure on the QB. I still think we should blitz more because before we werent taking away ANYTHING from the other team.

 

But lately, I'm starting to like what I'm seeing from the D, especially the DL. I was wrong about Kyle Williams who I just thought was good not very good (OR he has really stepped up his game and play, it's likely both). It's maddening that teams can pick up first downs on us, but Big Ben does that against everyone. He's really hard to stop.

[Ed_Formerly_of_Roch]

Give a year under his belt and he could be quite the change of pace guy to Freddie. Bring him in 2nd and long, then send him in motion and goes out as a receiver Hard for some LB to cover him. Next time you run him.

 

Biggest area offensively I'd like ot see the Bill's improve in is run blocking.

 

I'm really not sure what role Spiller plays on this team. He's not even a good 3rd down back considering how fantastic Jackson is at picking up the blitz.

[Dan]

Always thought provoking comments, well done.

 

Here's a few of my thoughts:

Bell - I think he's' really coming along and will be the LT for years to come. For anyone wishing/hoping we draft the best OT, I think it's time to hitch a new wagon (perhaps we draft a RT this year, but I doubt that will be a 1st rounder). Bell can certainly improve areas of his game. And I think that this full year, followed by a full offseason of conditioning and adding weight and he'll do just that. Funny how the urgent need to find a LT is quickly becoming a thing of the past.

 

Fitz - His play has been nothing short of tremendous, especially in helping the Oline look good. But, the one thing that stands out from yesterday was the number of times he sold out to make blocks for extra yardage. On one handoff to Fred, Troy P. was blitzing from the left and would have closed in on Fred from the backside for little to no gain, but Fitz dove forward and held Troy up just enough so that Fred got through the line for a nice gain. On a different play to Fred, Fitz ran well down field in an effort to throw a block. I believe it was on the play Fred fumbled and Evans recovered.

 

I ask, how often do you see any QB so willing to be involved in every play and truly do everything he can to help get positive yards? What Fitz has done and continues to do is prove that he's the leader of this team. We may draft a QB next spring, but I'd be shocked if Fitz isn't our starter for the foreseeable future. People who were holing out judgment until the Steeler game, what do you have to say now about Fitz?

 

Jackson - He's nothing short of our best offensive player again. My primary problem with Chan is that he doesn't use Fred enough. There's no sound reason to only give the guy 1 carry in overtime. Give the ball to Fred, even out the run to pass ratio, and we'll win more games. I'm certain of it.

 

Stevie - He had a bad game. We all know it; he knows it. But, he's still young and learning to deal with the game. The mental part of the game will catch up to the physical part; or at least I like to think it will. In no way am I concerned about him. He just needs to shrug it off, put it behind him, and practice even harder this week. I think the next game will be a good barometer of the type of player he can be.

 

Edwards - I'm not in any way sold on George Edwards yet. The defense still gives up entirely too many plays. They're still out of position and slow to the ball. Maybe it's the players, maybe it's the scheme. But a decent second half doesn't make me forget about the 24 minutes of TOP for the Steelers in the 1st half or the complete inability to stop the run in overtime. Chan had the offense hitting a stride; but the defense still looks dazed and confused for the most part. IMO, we need an upgrade at DC.

 

The Team's attitude - for the first time since perhaps the early '00s the players actually sound pissed off that they're losing. That's a good thing. They played hard; they thought they would win. They didn't. But, rather than give ho hum lip service; they genuinely sound pissed off, frustrated, and depressed about it. Sooner or later I have to believe they're going to start taking those frustrations out on opposing teams. Gailey, if nothing else, seems to be changing the mindset on the team. And, that, was/is the first order of business and perhaps the hardest part of taking over this team. If there's any positive I can pull from yet another miserable loss; it's that the players finally sound pissed off and want to change it.

[Fan in San Diego]

Is it time to get rid of Lee Evans and get another top tier WR? Lee has been invisible this year. Our #1 WR is supposed to be making big time catches like Hines Ward does for the Steelers.

[lets_go_bills]

I disagree with points 1, 3, 4, 8, and 12.

 

1. Whitner's stats were a little inflated as he was making tackles downfield after big gains. He's made a few big hits but these have not forced any turnovers nor separated any players from the ball. He's having his best season, playing for a contract, but he's still just a "good" player, not great.

 

3. I completely disagree. Whil Williams is having a Pro Bowl year and Carrington has got on the field and done some positive things, this team still gets gashed on the ground. The front seven still needs an influx of talent. We need pass rushers. This team still needs an edge rusher and a MLB. Not that the offense doesn't need help, but we need to focus on the front seven come the draft, IMO. We need LBs!

 

4. While Johnson does need to improve his concentration to mitigate drops, I wouldn't go so far as to say he can't be a great receiver, as we all know T.O. has forged a HoF career with monster stats despite having big time drop problems his whole career.

 

8. McKelvin still scares me on returns. While he is awesome on kick returns and better than Spiller, he has major ball security issues and every time a defender close in to tackle him, I cringe and tense up, waiting for the ball to come loose. This is a major concern for me and it's an issue that continues to plague him.

 

12. DC Edwards is making the most of what he has but the middle of the field is constantly open and frequently targeted by opposing offenses for large gains. This has plagued the D all year and frustrates me to no end. Their inability to cover the TE is also a major problem. Sometimes it seems to me like there's only 10 defenders on the field. And they need to apply pressure to the QB consistently. Too often do opposing QBs have all day to throw. Personnel is certianly lacking, and he can't be faulted for that, but I'm still not sold on Edwards yet.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Our #1 WR is supposed to be making big time catches like Hines Ward does for the Steelers.

 

 

He is, his name is Steve Johnson.

[Bill from NYC]

I fully believe Fitz helps the O-line recognize what is coming and that's why they are so much better in protection than pre-

Fitz.

 

People who think any rookie QB could do what Fitz is doing is on crack. Chan and Fitz are an amazing combination. Fitz needs to be the QB of the future. He's made the O-line, Roscoe Parrish, Steve Johnson, and Donald Jones look good for crying out loud.

 

The above is tough to argue with.

I guess the question will be wrt the 2011 draft is whether or not Nix/Gailey think that any QBs we could select have a chance at being great.

Peyton Manning won titles and a superbowl on a team that I didn't think was all that. HE is great. Fitz looks good, but he will undoubtably need much more support and a MUCH better defense than a great quarterback would.

 

Given more tools, better blocking, and a much better defense, I am convinced that Fitz could take us to the playoffs. Could he win us a superbowl? I dunno; make your case.

[Spiderweb]

Kudos on your admissions on Bell and Whitner. I applaud you.

 

50 / 50. Bell has improved tremendously over last year and while Whitner may have made some hits, his coverage skills still seem horribly lacking to me.

[Peace]

The above is tough to argue with.

I guess the question will be wrt the 2011 draft is whether or not Nix/Gailey think that any QBs we could select have a chance at being great.

Peyton Manning won titles and a superbowl on a team that I didn't think was all that. HE is great. Fitz looks good, but he will undoubtably need much more support and a MUCH better defense than a great quarterback would.

 

Given more tools, better blocking, and a much better defense, I am convinced that Fitz could take us to the playoffs. Could he win us a superbowl? I dunno; make your case.

 

Who knows? But you'd be hard-pressed to find a QB doing more with less than Fitz right now. Imagine if there was a monster RT on this team. Imagine if there was another stud guard to go with Levitre. Imagine if there was a WR to go with Johnson, who's clearly the #1 at this point. Imagine him with a TE that could both block a little and catch. Adding good (not great) RT, OG, TE, and medium-good WR is not that hard of a task in a single off-season. The LT, as you've pointed out, is at least passable and that's a hard position to fill. The RBs seems fine and maybe Spiller will evolve into the player Jackson is--if he doesn't, he's still a nice weapon to have. I believe in this offense for next year.

 

On defense...even that's looking up. The D-line is not good but they are nowhere near as bad as the linebackers. Luckily, LBs are not as hard to grab in a draft. I could handle heading into next year with a top LB rookie and some good (not great) free agent LBs and maybe a couple cast-off DEs.

 

I look at this team as suddenly closer to the playoffs than I thought possible. Rather than drafting another luxury (QB this year...RBs and DBs in years past), can we draft a need position for once? The Bills will pick #3 or 4 which means only Mallett will be there and ranked that high. I can't see that being worth it. Rookie QBs play like crap or take years to develop. I'd much prefer an impact LB or DE(if one is out there). I wouldn't even care if they traded down a little if they got really good value because the draft is a crapshoot and I'd rather have more picks than less.

[Orton's Arm]

So the line got great, Roscoe became a "go to" WR, Steve Johnson broke out, and Donald Jones is a player...all at the same time just by coincidence?

 

To credit Johnson too much would be a huge mistake. All of these players emerged once Fitz became the starter.

 

You want 80/20? Sure. The point is that Steve Johnson+average QB=unremarkable.

This is the first year in which Stevie got any real playing time. Obviously he didn't have much chance to emerge last year when he was sitting on the bench watching Terrell Owens play.

 

This year he got off to a slow start because of his lack of experience, lack of familiarity with the new offense Gailey was implementing, and because of Edwards' problems at QB. But now he's familiar, he has a QB who gets him the ball, he's on the field, and he's playing well. (Other than yesterday's slew of drops.)

 

Obviously, Fitz deserves a ton of credit for his toughness, desire to win, football intelligence, choosing the correct target to throw to, and being a superb on-field general. But Johnson's done a very good job of getting open, and I'm not sure that Fitz deserves the credit for that!

[C.Biscuit97]

Even when I disagree with your thoughts, I always appreciate them. And I like to see your positive thoughts on Whitner. He's not Troy P or Ed Reed but he is a very solid safety. You could do a million times worse.

 

Also, you always seemed to be very harsh on Bell. He was always a very raw football player. The guy is constantly improving and this is a very young oline that seems to be gelling. Arguably our best olineman was out and they didn't miss a beat.

 

The play of this oline is a huge positive to take out of this season.

[Orton's Arm]

1) I have blasted him many times and called him "Lil Donte." Yesterday, Whitner had his best game as a Bill imo. His tackles actually meant something, and he was laying hits on a very strong Ward. As annoying and opiniated as I can be, I give credit when it is due. I salute the play of Donte Whitner in yesterdays game.

 

2) Thank goodness Jauron is gone. Drayton is not playing as well as he did last season imo. Jauron would see this and grab a first round corner just as sure as you know what, even if we pick in the top 5.

 

3) Not only did Carrington have a sack, there was an important holding call against him. Troup also applied some pressure and was in on a few plays. I am telling you people, we need to concentrate a lot on offense in April. These kids are improving late in the season, and this was the plan imo.

 

4) I have been on both sides wrt Stevie Johnson. Early in the season I called him a possession receiver with bad hands due to his drops. He proved to be much more, but he really does need better concentration. He is good, but will not get to the next level until he solves this problem.

 

5) Fitz played his usual game imo. He was gritty and doesn't give up. His stats were skewed because of the drops. In fact, this game is a good example of how stats are quite deceiving.

 

6) I said that I was going to focus on Bell this week and I did. I am NOT copping out, but his play does confuse me. You see, for 15 or so years we either had a very good LT (Peters briefly), or one who completely sucked. The only small exception was Jennings (when he wasn't on a gurney), and now Bell. Anyway, he is VERY agile, and this is what makes finding a top LT so difficult. He looks like his balance has improved as well. I do wish he would put on a few pounds and get stronger so he could be better on running plays. Again, his best asset is SO rare!!! This is obviously why different staffs kept him. So, maybe I am copping out because he has talent, but I cannot say that I am completely sold on him either. Time will tell.

 

7) I AM sold on Levitre, who imo is our best all around blocker.

 

8) Like I said, I prefer McKelvin to Spiller on kickoff (not punt) returns.

 

9) Believe it or not, this season has been fun lately. Yes, the pain of these heartbreaking losses is a given, but our playoff hopes were dashed weeks ago. We are actually now seeing some young players get better, and it offers a ray of hope to the weary. I wanted to win as much as any fan, but losing didn't hurt the way it normally would. We played well against a pretty good team, and might wind up with a very early pick.

 

10) Props to Jones for his special teams play. In fact, there were many nice tackles made on special teams.

 

11) Obviously, Lee Evans hurt us yesterday.

 

12) I can't help it.....I like Gailey, and think that there is something impressive about Edwards at DC.

 

13) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Good post!

 

I agree with just about everything you've written here, so I'll focus on expanding on point #3 (whether to focus on offense or defense in the offseason).

 

I think that the only way the Bills should take a QB early is if they feel he has a good chance of being a significant upgrade over Fitz. With the way Fitz is playing, that's a pretty high bar! If they don't use their first round pick on a QB, they should probably go with a defensive front 7 player. As you've pointed out yourself, Bell is improving, and there are no OTs worthy of going in the top-5 anyway.

 

Ideally, the Bills would take a RT in the second round. But--especially if they're going to continue transitioning to a 3-4--they're going to need more LBs. So a LB in the third round would make good sense.