AKC Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 There are promising improvements on offense for the 2006 version of the Buffalo Bills. The OLine is an improved unit. The greatest concern remains that while Chris Villarial is playing with the best upper body fundamentals of any of our starting 5, his lower carriage is not up to snuff even now in the 3rd pre-season game. If ChrisV is simply a decent pass blocker and not an overall plus in the running game, his spot on the line is in danger. If he isn’t making plays with his legs by the time we line up against NE in the opener, I’ll be surprised if he’s still holding his spot by week 4. And considering our schedule, that might prove to be too late for this team. While it was tough to watch Royal really getting worked by McGinnest and their 1st round pick Wimbley a few plays, he is sticking his head in there and has more upside than Mark Campbell offered. An argument also could be made that for the first time in years our #2 TE might actually be that high on someone else's depth chart. It’s easy to argue our WR corps is improved by moving an aging 2nd tier “star” and inserting a guy who may very soon actually fit that bill. The RAC game they're promoting is also reminiscent of some of our best Offensive years. Lionel Gates move up the depth chart appears to improve our RB depth, although it’s always wise to exercise some caution predicting running back contributions based on their productivity in the Pre-season. Thomas at #3 rounds out a versatile group. Unfortunately, one of our biggest Achilles heels of the past few seasons still remains a major handicap. This team continues to stink in pass blocking by our backfield. Willis McGahee is unwilling to use his body to take on rushers and Damien Shelton has never had a good ratio of opportunities to effective blocks. The Losman to Price TD pass is nearly done in by an absolutely pathetic failure on McGahee’s part to acknowledge and engage the outside rush. He also takes a chop block penalty for trying to save his body by laying down instead of simply confronting a blitzer. Shelton continues to be the same guy who occasionally makes a standup and impactive block in the run game while on many downs simply glancing off assignments and missing hitting his target squarely. In the pass game Shelton has always IMO been a dicey prospect to pick and and handle a blocking spot, once again for the same reason he sometimes stutters in the run game- he simply does not square up on his target like the better FBs who play this game do with regularity. The Cleveland game is a perfect example of the difference between Damian Shelton and a good blocking FB- his first 3 run blocking opportunities in the game are all whiffs. Each play offers him a clear assignment and the best he does is get a glancing check on the opponents arm in two of the plays, missing the opponent completely in the third. This is just astronomically poor run blocking- I’ll bet Sam Gash didn’t go 3 straight running plays in his career- from Pop Warner and Preseason to the biggest games of his life- where he failed to make solid contact on an assignment, yet Shelton does it with regularity. A good FB looks for something to hit on ever play, ours seems to be looking for something else. Once again we enter a season where big plays will surely be given up by the poor quality of our starting RBs pass blocking. I also sometimes during this preseason have looked at Shelton looked as if he’s the least enthusiastic of the guys on his unit. That’s a tough rap to hang on a player and I hate to do it, but I continued disappointment in DShelton’s contributions has led to that conclusion. On STs, it seems like one event likely to happen sooner rather than later is for RParrish to end up in the EZ on a Punt Return; that is if the team keeps from getting him killed returning kicks. There is clearly too high a risk factor to have a KR as small as he is taking on guys with a 50 yard full head of steam. Whitner’s short holdout looks as if it will put him a few games back- and that’s too bad. He looks like a very good athlete and he simply needs time in the starting D to begin to get the instinct to take better angles at this level. It’s almost as if you see him learning play by play right now, and that is very promising if it turns out to be true. Our DTs have had good coaching on getting their hands up on pass rushes, but in our interior I wonder how much different that’ll make? We are starting a rotation where only one guy is over 6-2, and that’s our DT with the shortest wingspan. This could be a challenge during the season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuntheDamnBall Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Wow, excellent post. I echo your sentiments on McGahee's difficulties with the blocking game and Shelton as an inadequate #1 FB in this league. Did you see any improvement or anything better from Gates, Goldsberry, or Ricard? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Good job as usual Bro. Did you focus on Reyes and Fowler. I was having trouble with the camera angles, but I failed to see a push in the middle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Wow, excellent post. I echo your sentiments on McGahee's difficulties with the blocking game and Shelton as an inadequate #1 FB in this league. Did you see any improvement or anything better from Gates, Goldsberry, or Ricard? 756162[/snapback] McGahee's difficulties? Yeah right. He's just a turd when it comes to blocking. Scared to put his body in the way of the QB because he hasn't gotten his BIG contract yet. Give him a contract with 15 to 20 million $'s in gauranteed money and he'd probably start blocking. His "baby's mammas" would be poppin and lockin in the middle of the street too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbills17 Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 McGahee's difficulties? Yeah right. He's just a turd when it comes to blocking. Scared to put his body in the way of the QB because he hasn't gotten his BIG contract yet. Give him a contract with 15 to 20 million $'s in gauranteed money and he'd probably start blocking. His "baby's mammas" would be poppin and lockin in the middle of the street too 756198[/snapback] Added to the fact that McGahee also has done nothing for us in terms of running the ball, and everyone here just rants on it always being out line, every single time. How many long runs has he broke outside, or on a cutback? NONE. How many times have you seen the 'real' great backs in this league do it on their own without great blocking and break a long TD run? Plenty. The guy has been average AT BEST for us, with a poor cocky attitude, yet everyone here seems to rave about everything he does and it's never his fault. I'm hoping everyone's reports about him being lighter and quicker this season are accurate, and not just more hyperbole. Because the McGahee of last season was tenative, slow, and very average at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eSJayDee Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 re: pass blocking from our backs: I seem to recall a couple or more years ago, we had a part time RB who absolutely MAULED oncoming rushers. I can't say for certain that he actually picked up the right guy, but often the guy that he engaged, the guy literally ended on his butt. I'd be inclined to think that the RB in question was McGahee in his rookie yr. Can someone correct me &/or confirm my recollection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Well in 2004, after Willis became the full-time starter, Bledsoe's sacks-taken per game got cut in half. I'm hoping that the lack of effort is because it's pre-season ("we're talkin' 'bout practice, man!") Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Well in 2004, after Willis became the full-time starter, Bledsoe's sacks-taken per game got cut in half. I'm hoping that the lack of effort is because it's pre-season ("we're talkin' 'bout practice, man!") 756289[/snapback] I agree 100% It doesn't mean he shouldn't be putting forth the effort now, but I think that we will see him block more when the season begins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkwwjd Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Added to the fact that McGahee also has done nothing for us in terms of running the ball, and everyone here just rants on it always being out line, every single time. How many long runs has he broke outside, or on a cutback? NONE. How many times have you seen the 'real' great backs in this league do it on their own without great blocking and break a long TD run? Plenty. The guy has been average AT BEST for us, with a poor cocky attitude, yet everyone here seems to rave about everything he does and it's never his fault. I'm hoping everyone's reports about him being lighter and quicker this season are accurate, and not just more hyperbole. Because the McGahee of last season was tenative, slow, and very average at best. 756273[/snapback] Uh ... he had a 61 yarder a couple weeks ago, behind that same line, on a night that he didn't eat, after all, it is only practice right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zac Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Willis was on total cruise control against the Browns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemhoff Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 And Shelton sucks at catching the frickkin ball too. What the.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lori Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 Q for you, AKC: does Alan Ricard appear anywhere in those Cleveland notes? I know he was on the field for some ST plays, but I don't remember seeing him on offense. (Believe Joe Burns played the rest of the way at FB after Shelton came out of the game.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
firedawg Posted August 30, 2006 Share Posted August 30, 2006 I agree 100% It doesn't mean he shouldn't be putting forth the effort now, but I think that we will see him block more when the season begins. 756339[/snapback] I agree. I think one of the reasons we didn't see him block more last year is all of the turmoil in the locker room. With all of that garbage going on it is really easy for a person to focus on themself and basically say phooey on the rest of the team. Jauron seems to have the Bills playing as a team again and I think Willis trusts JP a bit more this year so I expect to see more out of him in the regular season as far a blocking goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKC Posted August 30, 2006 Author Share Posted August 30, 2006 Q for you, AKC: does Alan Ricard appear anywhere in those Cleveland notes? I know he was on the field for some ST plays, but I don't remember seeing him on offense. (Believe Joe Burns played the rest of the way at FB after Shelton came out of the game.) 756531[/snapback] I did a run through to the end of the 3rd (and I was actually keying on TE play) and then went back to review mostly the first half. I didn't pick Rickard up in the offense, but it didn't mean I wasn't hoping to see somone else after rewatching the first 3 series- focused on Shelton- to verify what I thought I saw the first run-through. Unfortunately it was even worse than I first thought. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKC Posted August 30, 2006 Author Share Posted August 30, 2006 Good job as usual Bro. Did you focus on Reyes and Fowler. I was having trouble with the camera angles, but I failed to see a push in the middle. 756166[/snapback] Reyes is game- although he isn't the most "stylish" runner, he still works to keep himself in plays. Maybe I'm just surprised to see any "hustle" from that spot ;-) He plays well with Fowler- who continues to impress me. Fowler works well to either side and has improved his line calls since the first game, probably the biggest reason for our improved pass pro. I can promise you Crennel wasn't holding back his good pass rushers because it's Preseason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanInSouthBuffalo Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 I was at the game and didn't see Ricard at all. I was figuring that they would give him a LOT of playing time in the second half. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Ricard played in the game, but didn't record a single stat. I hope he sees extensive action tomorrow night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibs Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 There are promising improvements on offense for the 2006 version of the Buffalo Bills.........756155[/snapback] Great post. It makes a change to read a post saying both positives & negatives about us with reasonable explanations given for the them. For those of us who can't get to see the game, this sort of assessment is greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 Well in 2004, after Willis became the full-time starter, Bledsoe's sacks-taken per game got cut in half. I'm hoping that the lack of effort is because it's pre-season ("we're talkin' 'bout practice, man!") 756289[/snapback] Great post. I knew when I read the title of the string that this was going to be another bash Willis string. Maybe some of these guys are wistful for the days when TH was back there with his look out blocks. Willis is a pretty good pass blocker. He is not in Thurman's league yet (and may never be). Thurman was one of the best pass blockers as a running back that I have ever seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Posted August 31, 2006 Share Posted August 31, 2006 For those of you saying that Willis has done nothing running the ball in the preseason, take a look at what LT and the Edge have done in the preseason. By the way, I am not saying that Willis has played up to their level yet in the regular season, but let's not get too carried away with the preseason. As a former running back, one of the things that I focus on is when first contact is. If you watch the Bills, then I am sure that you are aware that there has been an abnormally large percentage of the time when first contact is either behind or at the line of scrimmage. I would really love to see the line push the D off the line of scrimmage and create some holes. Of course, this will be easier if our passing game can get the D to stop commiting eight men or more in the box as was so often the case last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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