Sam Wyche- your star pupil is shining

[Kelly the Dog]

Another little item about JP taking off early and scrambling: Granted, in a perfect world we would like Losman to stand tall in the pocket, go through his reads, and then fire the ball to his 2nd or 3rd or 4th read, but let's face it, the Bills pass blocking is pretty mediocre at best. NONE of our linemen are known for either their pass blocking skills or for holding their blocks and dominating their opponent. He simply is not going to have a lot of time. I don't like him running early either, and he has been taking off a little early. But IMO it's at most a half second early, it is not like he has all day and he takes off when he doesnt need to.

[Lori]

If you're watching tape of the GB game, note that at least twice, part of the line blows the snap count. On one play in particular, Anderson never gets out of his stance before a GB defender is through the line.

 

That doesn't help, either.....

[Crap Throwing Monkey]

So from about the 30 yard line, Losman hands the ball off to Willis and steps back, Willis runs into the line, stops, turns around, laterals back, Losman catches it and then throws a perfect pass that hits the receiver right in the hands but he drops it and you blame Losman for the defensive backs NOT biting on the run fake?

414804[/snapback]

 

No. You're saying he had nothing to do with the failure of the play. I merely suggest that's not only not demonstrable, but given Losman's penchant for staring at a single receiver, may very well be fallacious as well.

 

And sorry about the big words. Hope they didn't confuse you too much.

[34-78-83]

No.  You're saying he had nothing to do with the failure of the play.  I merely suggest that's not only not demonstrable, but given Losman's penchant for staring at a single receiver, may very well be fallacious as well. 

 

414941[/snapback]

 

That would be more interesting if he indeed had a penchant for "staring at a single receiver"..

[Simon]

If you're watching tape of the GB game, note that at least twice, part of the line blows the snap count.

You know I'm thikning the Bills are working something wierd with their snapcounts. They had the GB DLine twitching and jumping throughout the first half and I doubt it had much to do with a young kid's cadence. A couple times when you could hear JP barking on TV, on the count on which he'd call for the ball the OLine would stand pat for another halfcount before they went, without another sound. It was almost like they were doing it on purpose and it was working as the Pack front4 would flinch forward on the apparant snapcount, but then as they were resetting Teague would snap the ball before JP made another sound but while the Pack DL was still sitting back. I also saw JP doing something really wierd with his left hand under center once, almost like he was flapping it or patting Teague to create some kind of silent cadence before he snapped the ball; I couldn't hear any audio on that play though so I couldn't compare the apparently wierd count with the apparently wierd hand motion.

I don't know if it was just my imagination or what, but somebody keep an eye and/or ear out for it to see if it continues.

Cya

[Dan III]

I also saw JP doing something really wierd with his left hand under center once, almost like he was flapping it or patting Teague to create some kind of silent cadence before he snapped the ball; I couldn't hear any audio on that play though so I couldn't compare the apparently wierd count with the apparently wierd hand motion.

I don't know if it was just my imagination or what, but somebody keep an eye and/or ear out for it to see if it continues.

Cya

415007[/snapback]

I caught that too, it was during a replay w/o audio. I was thinking they must be practicing a silent count in a friendly enviroment.

[Dan Gross]

You know I'm thikning the Bills are working something wierd with their snapcounts. They had the GB DLine twitching and jumping throughout the first half and I doubt it had much to do with a young kid's cadence. A couple times when you could hear JP barking on TV, on the count on which he'd call for the ball the OLine would stand pat for another halfcount before they went, without another sound. It was almost like they were doing it on purpose and it was working as the Pack front4 would flinch forward on the apparant snapcount, but then as they were resetting Teague would snap the ball before JP made another sound but while the Pack DL was still sitting back.

415007[/snapback]

 

Well, after the Colts game the Coaches probably said the first lineman to false start has to pay for "Team Pizza Night" this week...

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

So because it worked, it's okay, even though it's bad play...and even though the flea flicker DIDN'T work, largely because the defensive backs didn't bite on the run and played "pass" all the way...which presumably had nothing to do with Losman staring down the receiver the entire play? 

 

Uh, okay. 

414799[/snapback]

Actually, though the fact it worked doesn't necessarily mean that it;s okay. the fact that it worked is a pretty strong indicator that it was not a bad play even though he only looked at one receiver.

 

It is a sure thing that the receiver he threw the ball too was open enough to catch because the play worked and it was a reception.

 

When the team lines up the QB has transfered the play called by the OC to the team in the huddle. He comes to the line and scans the D and if he is good (this is what he and Wyche were doing in the halftime piece( immediately he knows which receivers are likely open and which are no help to him on this play.

 

If the play call is a quick pass off a 3 step drop and JPs read of the coverage being used tells him that the quick opening receiver should be open because the defenders are set up to cover him lose while the other receivers in his progression are double covered or running deep routes into this lose coverage, the only thing for him to do is focus on the receiver he is going to throw to after 3 steps.

 

Should he look at another receiver for 1 second before turning his attention and staring at his intended receiver for the additional second before he releases the pass? Not necessarily, because if the single coverage he is throwing into will be the quick out if the defender drops back, or the receiver and the QB have the option to read whether the DB is coming in and then to instead go long if they both read the DB as closing in, then JP should only be staring toward this intended receiver to see whether the DB is dropping back pr doing press coverage and then JP need only be sure he and the WR make the same read and let fly.

 

I see no problem with JP staring at one receiver if the play worked because it "probably" means they read the coverage the same way as allowing the receiver to pretend he is going deep and then to cut off his route for the reception.

 

Staring and locking onto one receiver can be a big problem. However, there are also usually indicators that show this is a problem which were not present on the plays in question (certainly not the completions and even on the flea-flicker as best as I could tell).

 

1. Are these long plays- Locking onto one receiver would be a problem if it were like the play where his scrabling allowed him 13 seconds to throw or if the blocking gave him that much time, but staring is simply not a big issue on 3 step drop immediate passes. It would be nice if he did fool the DBs by looking them off, but actually on these quick plays the key is often for him to watch the what the coverage of the DB gives him and for him to make the same read a his receiver.

 

2. Are the DBs jumping the route- he did show a problem in the scrimmage where he focused to intently on a receiver in the flat and a GB DB barely missed the INT when he jumped the route. We have seen Greer INTs both these weeks where Greer made the read and jumped the route. However, I see no signs in the last game or that I remember against the Colts of this being a sign of a problem.

 

I think that JP has a number of issues he must work on:

 

1. Bailing too quick and running.

2. Taking a needless hit when he does run.

3. Aiken gets some grief as he was running downfield when JP threw a pass to empty space because he seemed to feel Aiken would make a hot-read that the blitz was coming when Aiken went long. However, given that actually Losman had tons of time to throw and his hot-read may have been wrong Wyche and Losman MAY have to talk about this. Ob the very next play Lee and Losman failed to connect on a handoff as they were too far apart. Did Lee screw up or did Losman? We do not know but it is the QBs duty to make this work one way or the other whether it is correcting Aiken or Lee or correcting himself.

4. His completion % the last two weeks has actually been pretty mediocre. I think there are a variety of reasons the misfires did not work but it must be diagnosed and a good QB will do better.

 

All in all I found JPs performance to be quite encouraging and good for a first year starter. However, I expect his performance to be fairly "2004-Bledsoe" like in the QB results he achieves and it would be a big mistake to demand or expect that he is going to Elway or Favre like in his production.

 

I think the Bills can actually win and even make the playoffs if JP is merely 2004 Bledsoe-like but we get some good breaks such as if Smith had not caught lightening in a bottle for Jax in the first game or the refs had not blown enough calls that even the NFL apologized the Bills for that game.

 

Who knows maybe another win in either game would have made us 10-6 instead of 9-7 and we make the playoffs last year even with 2004 Bledsoe performing mediocrely. All in all I must admit that though I was pissed when the D got sredded by Pitts scrubs, and when Lindell missed a chip shot FG and Clements laid the ball on the carpet, and when Bledsoe proved he was not a goo enough QB to win without superior D and ST perfirnance. I am pleased today that JP is our QB and we do not have to live through another year of Bledsoe on the downhill side of his career. TD screwed up big time not cutting Bledsoe after his horrid 2003 season and we have the 2004 cap dead space to prove this.

 

However, we came close to making the playoffs even with a 10 year vet QB on the downhill side of his career. I think with some good breaks we can not only come close with a first year starter QB but even make the playoffs with a 2004 Bledsoe-like result for JP this year (though I think watching JP make errors as he learns will be a lot more fun and interesting to watch -or at least less frustrating- than seeing a 10 year vet QB make a different set of mistakes with the same result).

[MadBuffaloDisease]

I watched the game and looked for JP locking-onto a receiver. Sure he did it a few times, but the defender had NO chance to defend the ball, because of the speed and quickness with which the ball was thrown. But I'm sure that in-time, JP will learn to use the look-off as a weapon.