geggytah Posted October 17, 2004 Posted October 17, 2004 first and foremost, we FINISHED the game out. miami had every right to think that with the ball at the 5 yard line with 6 minutes left in the game that they would be sitting pretty with some great field position when they get the ball back. instead, they don't touch the ball AT ALL. that, my friends, is how good teams win games. no luck involved there...smart play calling, great execution, and an attitude that they imposed on miami that "we are WINNING this game no matter what you do." i want to point to a few issues, both positive and negative that helped us win and/or could have cost us. 1) on the INT thrown by drew that was negated by defesive holding, lee evans made a route running mistake. mistakes like that CANNOT happen on a good football team. in the past, the offense walks off the field with their tail between their legs. the receiver runs to the sideline and hides. NOT today...drew immediately ran to lee and chewed him out. this sets the tone on the team that EVERY ONE is accountable on EVERY play. one person making a mistake scews up a play for the entire team. drew set the tone today and made sure that the losing culture that has developed on this team is (at least for today) NO MORE. 2) early in the game on a 3 and 15 or so play there was a 5 yard pass thrown over the middle to chambers. fletcher attempted to break up the pass and was flagged for pass interference. WHY GO FOR A PASS BREAKUP THERE? if a chace for an INT is there then go for it, but to merely save 5 yards and risk a PI call is just plain dumb. being fundamentally sound, conceding a 5 yard gain, and tackling chambers as soon as he touches the ball (maybe forcing an incomlete any way) was the smart play there. 3) i have noticed in the past few weeks that the really good RBs in the league this year (holmes, LT, c. martin, etc...) are patient behind the line of scrimmage. they wait to see the right hole to take and then hit it. even without a dominating o line, there are holes to run through on each play, and a patient back gives the line a chance to make those holes. today validated that statement. willis and sammy both ran very well today against VERY good defenses. not surprisingly, each team's o line has been ridiculed. i'm not going to chalk this one up to luck, or the o lines playing better....with a less than stellar offensive line, patient RB's are a necessity. i love travis henry after all he has given and done for the bills, but its time to start thinking about featuring willis. 4) after willis got hit late out of bounds at the 2 yard line, we had a first and goal. i'm sorry, but that 2nd down PA pass was a little more than expected. at the 2 yard line with a first and goal, we need to run the ball 4 straight plays if necessary. and speaking of running on the goal line, i don't think we have had a RB since morris in his rookie year utilize the "over the top" move. i'd like to see willis use this (henry not so much because of his smallish hands). 5) our offense was very aggressive and creative with their play calling after halftime. with the talent we have on offense, there is no reason we can't be that aggressive every week. same with the defense. (was it me or was spikes all over the field covering passes today?...he must have had his hands on at least 5 or 6 of them) 6) we went deep once, and it was incomplete. we tried to several other times, but it just wasn't there. good play calling to at least attempt it, and even better decision making on drew's part not forcing it. keep up the deep play calling...the defense has to respect it. the last 2 games we went deep on the first play. watch for us to send moulds and evans deep on an early play in the future weeks, and have either cambell or reed run a deep post for a big gainer as the safeties double cover evans and moulds. 7) lastly, i was impressed with drew's play action fakes today. in the past i don't think i have ever been actually faked out when drew sticks his hand out to the RB and takes it back as fast as he can to attempt "play action." today, his acting on play action was superb...not as good as a manning or pennington, but certainly servicable. well done drew....now that i know you can do it, keep doing it. our schedule certainly is in our favor the rest of the way....play like we did today in the second half and we really do have a shot at 9 or 10 wins....10 might get us in the playoffs
geggytah Posted October 17, 2004 Author Posted October 17, 2004 bump again...i think these points need to be addressed, or at least considered
Kelly the Dog Posted October 17, 2004 Posted October 17, 2004 Number seven is not discussed a lot. Bledsoe is very good with play fakes once the run has been established. The TD was an excellent fake. There was oe well designed play where he faked the run twice and then threw for a first down. That is the advantage to running first, and Drew is good at it. Overall, the play design and the play-calling was very good. I had one big problem with a Killdrive-esque 5 wide formation on 3rd and 1 without the chance of running. Bledsoe did hit the first down but I still hated that call.
jester43 Posted October 17, 2004 Posted October 17, 2004 eh. ...we beat an 0-6 team by 7 points at home...i hope you will excuse me if i reserve judgment for the time being. i'm grateful we got one win...i'm just not quite sure it means much yet.
Campy Posted October 17, 2004 Posted October 17, 2004 Good post! I think Fletch was a little too agressive on that play also, but he's played his arse off over the past few games, I'll give him a pass. As far as WM's running, I couldn't agree more. I mentioned to a few of the folks watching the game at our Backers bar that it was reminiscent of Thurman. Patience, and popping out of a pile for a couple more yards. Also, he doesn't seem to take direct shots, which should reduce the potential for fumbles. I'm not ready to chase TH out of town just yet, but I'll admit, WM has the potential to be a very good player for a very long time. He's a playmaker, and IMO, we need those types of players.
MRW Posted October 17, 2004 Posted October 17, 2004 6) we went deep once, and it was incomplete. we tried to several other times, but it just wasn't there. good play calling to at least attempt it, and even better decision making on drew's part not forcing it. keep up the deep play calling...the defense has to respect it. the last 2 games we went deep on the first play. watch for us to send moulds and evans deep on an early play in the future weeks, and have either cambell or reed run a deep post for a big gainer as the safeties double cover evans and moulds. 73073[/snapback] Good point. One of Drew's plays I was happiest with was on the flea-flicker. Nothing there, he got out of the pocket and threw it away.
Campy Posted October 17, 2004 Posted October 17, 2004 Number seven is not discussed a lot. Bledsoe is very good with play fakes once the run has been established. The TD was an excellent fake. There was oe well designed play where he faked the run twice and then threw for a first down. That is the advantage to running first, and Drew is good at it. Overall, the play design and the play-calling was very good. I had one big problem with a Killdrive-esque 5 wide formation on 3rd and 1 without the chance of running. Bledsoe did hit the first down but I still hated that call. 73420[/snapback] DB played his arse off today. He was elusive in the pocket, and accurate on his throws. Hard to ask for more than that from ANY QB.
zow2 Posted October 17, 2004 Posted October 17, 2004 Not to be a buzzkill...Drew had a decent game BUT this is classic Drew. He has a good game, gets everyone excited ("see, Drew really is a big time QB...he just needs a little time back there and he can be great!"). Then he follows up with 2 or 3 really awful performances,,,especially on the road. Time will tell but I'm not getting snookered in again.
jester43 Posted October 17, 2004 Posted October 17, 2004 yeah really....look out when he gets ray lewis in his face...this game will be a distant memory...
geggytah Posted October 17, 2004 Author Posted October 17, 2004 yeah i def would not be penciling drew in for the pro bowl or anything, but give credit where credit is due. he had a good game against a great defense. he made no mistakes to cost his team the game and he made plays to help win the game. this wasn't a peyton manning-esque performance, it was a trent dilfer from the ravens super bowl team-esque performance. with our defense and WM running the ball, that is all we need to be a good good team (playo.......nah can't mention that yet)
Snorom Posted October 18, 2004 Posted October 18, 2004 LMAO grasping for straws. We barely beat a crappy team
RunTheBall Posted October 18, 2004 Posted October 18, 2004 I agree with much of your post but the last paragraph was a bit disturbing. First of all, we beat the worst team in the NFL by only seven at home. Whoopee. I'm very happy with a win but you can't read much into it when you are playing the worst team and offense in the league. Second, I don't think our schedule is in our favor. At Baltimore, at NE, at Miami, at Seattle, then St. Louis and Pittsburgh at home. The team that played today would have a very tough time beating any of those (except maybe Miami). 1) Agree. Lee Evans is a rookie and is going to make some route mistakes. It was nice to see Drew get in his face. 2) Another example of our so-called leader on D making a stupid mistake. Was a close call, but at least Fletcher didn't hit him late and get a stupid 15 yard personal foul 3) Willis showed he can carry the load. I didn't see a stellar performance, he did miss a few blits pickups, but overall a great 1st start. Henry is gone at the end of the year if not sooner assuming WM stays healthy. I'm happy with the win. I'd like to see one against a quality opponent before I start thinking about a 10 win season. I think 8 - 8 will be an accomplishment for this team. RunTheBall
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