Can we end this Bledsoe BS

[Mikie2times]

We have played two games so far, in both we had numerous opportunity's to win, both times we failed. Was Bledsoe responsible? To a degree. Was the rest of the team responsible? to a degree.

 

I'm not a Bledsoe hater or supporter, all I want is for this team to succeed. I realize that the statistics don't support Bledsoe anymore but the fact is we don't have anybody else to take his place. My honest opinion? I don't believe Drew will lead this team to the promise land, the reason I don't post a lengthy anti Drew campaign is I know Matthews won't either. I can't for see a situation were we turn into a NFL power this season, but anything is possible, and if the impossible happens it will be with Drew at the helm, not a NFL journeymen or a rookie.

 

I guess I'm just sick of my favorite website turning into 30 different topics discussing the same thing. Bills fans are the smartest fans in the league, I truly believe that. But how much longer can we make that claim when we simplify 3 years of mediocrity into one player? We may be better off without Drew next season but for the time being he is the only option we have. So can we please focus on the team again, because the only way we turn this around is if the whole team does, not just Drew.

[jarthur31]

Hush.

 

The haters don't like logic!

[BB2004]

I agree. Now, if we could get that offensive line in order, that would be a good start.

[MartyBall4Buffalo]

Its too bad we won't get the offensive line in order for we simply do not have the players for this too happen. I could preach from here to kingdom come about how the single most important fundamental aspect of winning football games is winning the battle of trenches, but it would be like talking to a brick wall. People are too qb fixated. Facts are facts, the only way our oline will even look moderatlly decent is with a mobile qb. Well our mobile qb is out with a broken leg and plus he's a rookie. I'm not tanking this season I'm just being realistic, but even with a mobile qb all we're esentially doing is slowing down the dam thats about to erupt into a flood.

[Guest cal t]

We have played two games so far, in both we had numerous opportunity's to win, both times we failed.  Was Bledsoe responsible? To a degree. Was the rest of the team responsible? to a degree. 

 

I'm not a Bledsoe hater or supporter, all I want is for this team to succeed. I realize that the statistics don't support Bledsoe anymore but the fact is we don't have anybody else to take his place.  My honest opinion? I don't believe Drew will lead this team to the promise land, the reason I don't post a lengthy anti Drew campaign is I know Matthews won't either. I can't for see a situation were we turn into a NFL power this season, but anything is possible, and if the impossible happens it will be with Drew at the helm, not a NFL journeymen or a rookie.

 

I guess I'm just sick of my favorite website turning into 30 different topics discussing the same thing. Bills fans are the smartest fans in the league, I truly believe that. But how much longer can we make that claim when we simplify 3 years of mediocrity into one player? We may be better off without Drew next season but for the time being he is the only option we have. So can we please focus on the team again, because the only way we turn this around is if the whole team does, not just Drew.

No--its also the O-line...-which Drew makes look worse than it really is

43804[/snapback]

[PromoTheRobot]

If it's a team sport, and Bledsoe's a team guy, why doesn't he sit his a$$ down and let Shane play?

 

PTR

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

Cliff notesL yep the OL is bad right now but I wouldn't give up hope.

 

 

My sense of the O-line is:

 

1. The unit actually has some potential, but my sense of potential in the NFL simply means you haven't done anything yet so this group has little to be proud of in general and nothing to be proud of this year.

 

2, There are several real things which actually account for this potential:

A. It's a group game overall few units on the team will perform well based more on how they mesh and co-ordinate with each other rather than the sum of the individual skills of the olayers. Individual talent is obviously a baseline from which you start, but I have both seen talented athletes individually suck as an OL because they can't communicate and co-ordinate well the line calls anf blocking scheme and I have also seen underweight pedestrian talented blockers produce 1000 yard seasons with a fair to middlin RB because they cio=ordinate well together. There is potential here because the Bills braintrust seems to get it (even if fans don't with our typical over-focusing on the talents (or lack thereof) of individual players and the counter-productive desire to switch players in and out of the line-up or between OL positions in mid-season as though the players were tinker-toys who can be moved anywhere. The key here is to make the whole greater than the sum of the parts so i am not freaked out by individual problems with adequate players.

B. Age- Its a yong unit for the most part and the players should be expected to learn and get better.

C. The individual players the Bills have strike me as adequate across the board and actually exceptional in some regard in many cases:

1. Jonas Jennings- Seems to be generally regarded as an exceptional talent by most observers and his peers. The fact he has moved into the LT slot for the Bills when originally he was not visualized there is objective evidence of his quality. The likelihood that he should cimmand vigorous interest as an FA is further outside validation of his talent. However, his FA status is a negative for his Bills prospects as he appears to be ready to head south to his home after this season. His FA status problem is only exceeded by his inability to stay healthy throughout his career. Still, it is easy to see why Bills fans should be hopeful about his play this year.

2. Lawrence Smith- Too arly to tell if he is really any good, but the fact he broke into the lineup from UDFA status may bode very well. The lack of a returning starter at his LG position does raise the possibility that the move to Smith spoke more to the lack of a firm answer here than to his talent. However, the bck-ups here seem to be credible NFL players though not world-beaters so the likelihood is that Smith is at least a credible NFL talent and we hope he develops into a star.

3. Trey Teague- He is a whipping boy on TSW and it is true that he is underweight for an NFL lineman and given the trend of increased size of opposing DTS in this league, a level of concern is justified particularly when you see him get bullriushed from time to time. However, fans tend to overblow these issues as the keys to the center position are primarily in other areas such as the smarts to analyze quuickly to do good line calls, am ability to communicate well with your peers to help them co-ordinate, communication with your QB and the ability to make consistent good snaps in the shotgun.

Teague is generaly recognized as a smart player who can handle the mental aspects of the center game which are a key to its success. He is also talked about as having good communication and rapport with his linemates on and off the field, he and Drew seem to communicate well. His shotgun snaps were a real adventure last year and seem to have improved.

I think the major issue I see with Teague is one of multi-tasking, he does a lot of things quite well, but seems to have trouble sometimes when called upon to do multiple items at the same time, My sense is that he is most prone to be bull-rushed when O-line analysis and making line calls or making a shotgun snap distract him from getting the leverage he needs as an undersized guy against an onrushing DT. Who knows wether he can do all of this, but practice we hope makes perfect/

4. Chris Villarial- He has a good rep and seems to step right in to a needed area when we loss the only experienced OL player we had when we cur Ruben. We know what he can do, he simply has to do it, The holding call on thrid and short reversing WM's first down did not bode well, we must hope it was an exception that will prove the rule of a productive Villarial.

5. Mile Williams- despite earned disgust with him taking a death hard and allowing himself toget overweight, it is still way too early for fans to devlare him a bust and give up on him. A lot of the acrimony against him on TSW seems more prompted by the hatred some have for TD than any understanding of this athlete proving to be unfortunately human or any sense of his development as a player really being arrested by being under the leadership of Vinky and Ruel. He is still a big boy who is light on his feet and had success in college.

 

Back-ups- I like Price and Tucker alot as back-ups and would give them the call first at both tackle positions for Price and all three interior positions for Tucker. Pucillo cannot be counted upon to start but has seen alot of gametime which makes him reasonable a back-up to my back-ups. Both McFarland and PS guy Sobieski are future speculative investments as far as I am concerned,

 

Overall, the OL looked pretty good to me in the first game and simply sucked against Oakland. We'll see who shows up against the Pats but despite some problems that must be addressed I remain hopeful about this bunch. For the most part, this is the same crew that was effective at run blocking the last two seasons for Travis and showed surprinly good results with pass pro last week.

[Lori]

Fat chance, Kzoo. Did you not learn from the DF/RJ Wars? It's ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL about the QB, my good man!

[Fan in San Diego]

Hush.

 

The haters don't like logic!

43953[/snapback]

 

Logic ? You want some logic ? Is it easier to replace one player or six ? To keep Drew you need to upgrade to O-Line involving multiple players and lot's of cap to save one player.

 

Or you can change the Qb to compensate for the mediocre O-Line and only change 1 player to get similar results.

 

Which plan has more logic?

[Lori]

Logic ? You want some logic ? Is it easier to replace one player or six ? To keep Drew you need to upgrade to O-Line involving multiple players and lot's of cap to save one player.

 

Or you can change the Qb to compensate for the mediocre O-Line and only change 1 player to get similar results.

 

Which plan has more logic?

44100[/snapback]

Actually, after spending the last several years watching multiple Bills QBs running for their lives and Bills RBs getting hit in the backfield, wouldn't an OL upgrade affect more than one player?

[Guest RabidBillsFanVT]

PLEASE! Stop the madness... we have a chance to break the Patriots massive win streak, and I am going to reserve my comments for the end of the season on whether or not we should keep DB around, but as I have said before...

 

You CAN'T blame DB for a game plan that is pedestrian based on our sorry O-line!

 

You just can't.

 

BTW, Flutie STILL sucks. Andre Reed lives FOREVER!

[ExWNYer]

PLEASE! Stop the madness... we have a chance to break the Patriots massive win streak, and I am going to reserve my comments for the end of the season on whether or not we should keep DB around, but as I have said before...

 

You CAN'T blame DB for a game plan that is pedestrian based on our sorry O-line!

 

You just can't.

 

BTW, Flutie STILL sucks. Andre Reed lives FOREVER!

44113[/snapback]

 

Will you and KzooMike please stop making sense. What are you guys trying to do...restore some kind of order to this board?

[stevestojan]

Im one of Bledsoe's biggest detractors, but I am ready to stop hearing/talking about him too. Hes the QB. The only way Matthews comes in is if Bledsoe goes down. We all know that. So, lets talk about something else. . . hmmmm... well, Moorman's average might not be great, but he had a couple bombs so far, huh? Discuss.

 

 

Oh, and against the pats: Drew, break a leg!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

juuuuuuuust kidding, i wouldnt wish harm on one of my one guys... take it easy!

[ExWNYer]

So, lets talk about something else. . . hmmmm... well, Moorman's average might not be great, but he had a couple bombs so far, huh? Discuss.

 

Yeah...that 29 yarder he had against the Raiders was especially impressive.

He's been very erratic in the early going. I'll take two 48 yarders over a 29 yarder and a 70 something, anyday.

[CoachChuckDickerson]

Logic ? You want some logic ? Is it easier to replace one player or six ? To keep Drew you need to upgrade to O-Line involving multiple players and lot's of cap to save one player.

 

Or you can change the Qb to compensate for the mediocre O-Line and only change 1 player to get similar results.

 

Which plan has more logic?

44100[/snapback]

 

Oh yeah that is pure genious. Name one them that has won the Superbowl with a below average line.

[Guest RabidBillsFanVT]

Will you and KzooMike please stop making sense. What are you guys trying to do...restore some kind of order to this board?   

44141[/snapback]

 

Maybe if we say it enough, it will sink in!!!

 

I thought I would never say this, but John Fina wasn't all that bad!!!

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

Yeah...that 29 yarder he had against the Raiders was especially impressive. 

He's been very erratic in the early going. I'll take two 48 yarders over a 29 yarder and a 70 something, anyday.

44152[/snapback]

 

Certasinly the most interesting play Moorman has made this year from my perspective was the pass he completed for the first down in Sundays game. While discussion of this will likely breed such silliness from folks who devote far too much time to Bledsoe than he is worth as suggestions that he be made our starting QB, I found it important for several reasons:

 

1. It should make Moorman a more effective punter as opponents now know he can and will pull off this play. Players blitzing from that side now need to keep an eye on a potential WR as well as simply making an all-out blitz to block the kick. In addition by making himself a potential receiver. it becomes even more important for anyone trying to block the gunner to not hit him after 5 yards lest they draw an interference call.

 

2. It is tangible evidence that MM has retained his bag of tricks and willingness to go to the trick play on occaision.

 

3, it is some evidence that the Bills have identified their seemingly recurrent problem of going 3 and out on the first series as an issue to be addressed. One would prefer the real O do some drives, but if it comes down to a fake punt this is part of our bag of tricks.

 

This pass certainly does not outweight Moorman being judged on his performance as a punter as that it is primary job, but it is a positive factor in his game that needs to be mentioned in any analysis of him which purports to be complete.