A Few Thoughts About The Game, in no particular order.....

[Kelly the Dog]

The reason the Watkins trade was great as soon as it was made is that he is a star. He was almost a surefire star, and there is maybe one or two guys at most that are can't miss.

 

Plus, it's hard to win without a couple stars. They can be at any position. Pittsburgh would win with a safety as their star. But you need them. In his second game, hurt, with bruised ribs, he showed why that was a great trade. He's already a star.

[Fixxxer]

My obvservations

 

1) EJ is progressing, the YPA is healthy and he makes very few errors for such a young player. He needs to develop more confidence down in the redzone, he needs to realize that we can't let points on the field if we want to be considered a serious contender.

 

2) another player that I see making unspectacular but positive plays is Manny Lawson. Him, Searcy and Graham are similar, they're not the greatest athletes but they get things done.

 

3) Bradham has arrived, he doesn't look lost and he hits hard, he's the Aaron Williams of the LBs, they're both growing into solid players.

 

4) For such a young guy, Hackett doesn't flinch, doesn't overreact doesn't panic. You see experienced coordinators, accomplished ones, putting the blinders on and completely hurt their teams in the process. You may dislike his play calling but I think there is some virtue in what he does while developing a young QB.

 

5) Can you imagine what the team will look like when Marrone gets the locker room back?

[BuffaloBillsMagic1]

To me Marrone will be Coach of the year!

[transient]

My obvservations

 

1) EJ is progressing, the YPA is healthy and he makes very few errors for such a young player. He needs to develop more confidence down in the redzone, he needs to realize that we can't let points on the field if we want to be considered a serious contender.

 

2) another player that I see making unspectacular but positive plays is Manny Lawson. Him, Searcy and Graham are similar, they're not the greatest athletes but they get things done.

 

3) Bradham has arrived, he doesn't look lost and he hits hard, he's the Aaron Williams of the LBs, they're both growing into solid players.

 

4) For such a young guy, Hackett doesn't flinch, doesn't overreact doesn't panic. You see experienced coordinators, accomplished ones, putting the blinders on and completely hurt their teams in the process. You may dislike his play calling but I think there is some virtue in what he does while developing a young QB.

 

5) Can you imagine what the team will look like when Marrone gets the locker room back?

 

I think your first point and fourth point are in conflict with one another. I think EJ has to get Hackett's confidence in the red zone, then they'll open up the playbook. Today, despite the frustration of it, I get why they were conservative. They were moving the ball up and down the field on a team that their defense was absolutely dominating (64 yards without getting into Bills territory in the first half). Instead of doing something that was going to get them burned, they relied on their running game and came away with points. There is also something to be said about being able to run when a team knows it's coming, and if this is the way they're going to bring EJ along, then they've got to be able to do that, as well.

[bigK14094]

I was there.......CB situation is interesting and hard to read. McKelvin sat out q1 and about 1/3 q2.....then he played until halftime. then, Gilmore back in....and played until about middle of Q4...then McKelvin again. Gilmore didn't look good....got beat numberous times...and seems to be a step slow out there. McKelvin makes the pick at the end.......but it was over by then. Anyhow, somebody is reading the marketing stuff on Gilmore....he is a concern.

Now, Sammy, reminded me of Andre Reed going over the middle in his prime. We are going to see that a lot, and for big yardage as Sammy is so quick after the catch. The early long pass was right there in the Endzone, but the Miami back made a great play to knock it out.

The officials made a few bad calls...missed two false starts by Brandon Alpert.....a critical one when Miami went on 4th down.....couple of other bad misses both ways.

LB play was good, Brown/Bradham playing well. D line was good, plays by many, and yes, Manny Lawson had some great plays from the DE. Jerry Hughes a couple of off sides....he is the new Fred Smerlas in that regard.. But, he got a sack also......

 

EJ no mistakes, so far so good. He missed a couple of throws, but mostly was good. He is not doing his running thing with heart yet though, remembers getting hurt last year I am thinking.

 

Special teams looking better than last year. I guess I have to think hard for a bone head play, other than the guy in shorts on the Bills bench who knocked down the offical on CJ's 102 yard return. Cost the Bills 15 yards on the kickoff. You got to stay clear of those officals whereever. I think the side line team folks are supposed to stay behind the yellow line....anybody confirm that rule?

[Redneck]

Love your posts Bill! On Seantral Henderson, the one stat we can immediately point to is that Cameron Wake had 1 Tackle, no Solo's and NO SACKS!

 

I tried copying and pasting his line from the stat sheet, but could not format it.

 

Not sure how many times Henderson lined up directly against Wake, but thats lots of 0's !

 

While is not ideal that our 2nd rounder OL cannot make the lineup. we do have 1 OL starter from this draft.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Redneck

[hondo in seattle]

1) Call me a broken record. I have been called worse. The thing is Da'Norris Searcy can play football. If I was a GM, he would be on my football team. Limitations? Sure, but the man makes PLAYS.

 

2) Chandler is a strange player. Isn't he hard to really grade? His catch today (the play that was over turned) was flat out tremendous. He also caught a key first down.

 

3) You see, there are no stats to confirm this, but Seantral Henderson played about as good as a Right OT is capable of playing.

 

4) There is much to say about Watkins. People, he was COLLEGE open!!! He truly was. On many plays there was nobody near him. EJ missed him for a TD, but I will get to that, and more on Watkins.

 

5) Those who have read my posts know that I want players, especially high draft selections, to take over a football game and win it. Well, CJ Spiller did just this today and I am here to say it. Hats off to John C. Let's hope he can continue to do this.

 

6) Corey Graham is just so good. OMG does this man make play after play!!!

 

7) Wake up to find out

that YOU are the eyes of the world.

The heart has its beaches,

its homeland and thoughts, of its own.

Wake now discover that you

are the song that the morning brings.

The heart has its seasons,

its evenings and song.....of its own.

 

8) Watkins? He was just sick today. This kid was "college open" in the NFL today. It's important that we as fans understand this. The guy was alone on pattern after pattern. It was just SO impressive. Seriously, this is the NFL. The kid was by himself on numerous plays. This imo is just so rare.

 

9) Anthony Dixon is another player who can win a team football games.

 

10) Nigel Bradham played to his preseason form. He is a tough guy, and btw so is Preston Brown.

 

11) Congrats to all who were at the TBD home opener. I was there in spirit and thinking of you.

 

12) EJ was OK today, but I'm not going to go too crazy. Again, I cannot stress just how open Watkins was. He almost had a couple of picks, and I wish that he would have run more often, but that's not his fault.

 

13) Gilmore continues to be a concern. Sorry, but it's true.

 

14) Mario didn't show up huge on the stat sheet, but he is flat out great. Yes.....great.

 

15) OMG I'm sorry to be trite. I've spent a lifetime trying not to be. But in a weird way, after all we have been through, Bills Fans ARE the "eyes of the world."

 

16) Congrats my friends and fellow fans.

 

17) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I know you aren't used to Bills WRs being wide open but it's really not that unusual in the NFL.

 

I remember early on in Brady's career thinking Brady was overrated because (1) he was protected so well, and (2) his receivers were open so often.

 

I can't blame EJ for our offense starting to run the way other offenses run.

 

Didn't we blame previous QBs for not finding open receivers? EJ found them and got them the ball. Kudos to him.

[Rocky Landing]

Henderson, Watkins, Mario, Kyle, Aaron, GRAHAM, Searcy, Bradham, Chandler, Spiller all had such a great game. SO much fun to watch. Our defense is such a well oiled machine-- so efficient. And, our offense exudes competence.

 

And, EJ. He wasn't great. But, he was everything he was supposed to be, today. He's doing what he knows how to do, and not making bad mistakes. He is allowing himself to get better. His may be a slow progression, but it is a progression-- in the right direction.

[Saxum]

Did you see Stefan Charles reaction after sack? It was 'See guys I joined you in the sack the QB club".

[Dan]

In the pre-game thread, I said I was looking at 5 different things. Here's what I saw:

 

1. Henderson was a stud today! All the talk coming into the game was about Wake and the Fin Dline. And Henderson, without much help at all, just shut him down. EJ should buy him a huge steak dinner. Henderson is odds on favorite for steal of the draft right now.

 

2. The Bills secondary had a solid all around game, and Corey Graham had another stellar game. Just a solid game all the way around.

 

3. Neither team really set the turf on fire running the ball, but thanks to Spiller's 47yd run the Bills easily out rushed another opponent. Looks like running and stopping the run is a major piece of their game plan through 2wks. And its working!

 

4. I've been very critical of Marrone since his hire, but this week he did what a good coach needs to do. The team was riding high with enthusiam and energy, but played focused and smart. The game plan was solid. The challenge of Chandler's catch was right on the money. I have to give him a lot of credit for this win.

 

5. The fans wee clearly rocking the Ralph! It was a beautiful thing to see and hear!

 

And I'd like to add... EJ really impressed me. He played the smart, consistent game that we need from him right now. He's not the best QB in the league... yet. But, he's progressing nicely so far.

 

Love this thread each week, Bill. Thanks.

 

edit.. I forgot to add, Bradham. Man that guy is coming into his own! I loved his hit on the screen. He seemed to be everywhere.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Dan

[Fixxxer]

I think your first point and fourth point are in conflict with one another. I think EJ has to get Hackett's confidence in the red zone, then they'll open up the playbook. Today, despite the frustration of it, I get why they were conservative. They were moving the ball up and down the field on a team that their defense was absolutely dominating (64 yards without getting into Bills territory in the first half). Instead of doing something that was going to get them burned, they relied on their running game and came away with points. There is also something to be said about being able to run when a team knows it's coming, and if this is the way they're going to bring EJ along, then they've got to be able to do that, as well.

 

There could be a relation but one thing is the play call and another is the execution. I think there are times where EJ doesn't want to make the mistake and he doesn't press enough on a particular play. That pass to Woods, maybe if he waits a little more and doesn't hurry the throw the result is a TD.

[Clippers of Nfl]

I think bill fans expect perfection from ej. Thats just not fair... as if great qbs never throw an inaccurate pass...

[John Adams]

RE: EJ. Think of how efficient he was. He was 62% completion, had 3 nice throwaways, and barely saw the field in the 3rd quarter. In the 4th, he didn't have to throw. It was about a perfect game from a game management perspective from him. Time and again in the first half, he converted big third downs.

[Fixxxer]

Did you see Stefan Charles reaction after sack? It was 'See guys I joined you in the sack the QB club".

 

Yeah, that was awesome, happy for him.

[Gray Beard]

CJ mad a believer out of me today. He has learned to run between the tackles and turn small holes into big gains. Also, he looks like he has put on some muscle. His arms are huge.

[Deranged Rhino]

RE: EJ. Think of how efficient he was. He was 62% completion, had 3 nice throwaways, and barely saw the field in the 3rd quarter. In the 4th, he didn't have to throw. It was about a perfect game from a game management perspective from him. Time and again in the first half, he converted big third downs.

 

Yup. He grounded it on the blown screen pass when last year he would have forced it. That was a (tiny)big moment of growth, at least to me.

[Big C]

 

 

Yup. He grounded it on the blown screen pass when last year he would have forced it. That was a (tiny)big moment of growth, at least to me.

 

Lots of people at the bar here were getting pissed at that and I had to set them straight.

[DC Greg]

How about the special teams today, y'all? KR for TD, blocked punt, the muffed punt return (granted not really us, but great recovery), any kick they tried to bring they were dropped behind the 20

[YoloinOhio]

How about the special teams today, y'all? KR for TD, blocked punt, the muffed punt return (granted not really us, but great recovery), any kick they tried to bring they were dropped behind the 20

ST was like night and day from last year

[Deranged Rhino]

ST was like night and day from last year

 

It's amazing what talent up and down the roster can do for Special Teams.