Bill from NYC Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 1) There are not enough good things to say about Marcus Stroud. He goes all out on every play and even chases plays downfield. He fires up his teammates and the crowd. He is always pushing the pocket and occupying blockers, yet he still makes tackles. LT? Sure, but there are few other examples that come to mind in terms of one player changing an entire defense so much. This in itself is scary, but I am going to enjoy the ride. 2) We need more production from our DEs, especially Schobel. 3) Poz spends a ton of time in pass coverage. This is a great example of how numbers never tell the entire story. The pass that he broke up while fully extended was a pivotal play. This is a very exciting player who might wind up scary good if he stays healthy. 4) People, Butler, had a brutal game, his second in a row. This has got to stop, and quite frankly I don't know what the problem is. 5) The crowd was fabulous. There were several times when Russell appeared to have problems with the noise. 6) As I said last week, I really do believe that Trent has a particularly good chemistry with Josh Reed. Perhaps they worked together a lot when Trent was the 2nd stringer. Not sure why, but he can find this guy and place the ball in the exact spot he needs to for Josh to make the play. Josh is small, so I don't imagine this is so easy to do. 7) OK.....Trent? The kid is amazing. That's right, flat out amazing! Those who wish to should certainly go ahead and pick apart every little thing he does wrong, but he is a winner. Period. His brain gives him a huge edge, but it isn't all about intellect. He is crafty. He throws tight spirals that die in our receivers hands making his passes easy to catch. He doesn't rattle, and has a perfect, winning attitude. As a good friend said at the game, he has a chance to be something VERY special. That is what sets him apart. He will have bad games. I know this because they all do. At this point, I am so pumped and elated that it is hard for me to visualize this happening. 8) RWS was going fully beserk after the kick. When I calmed myself down to be more of an observer than a participant in the madness, it struck me just how much WNY deserved that game and a winning team. 9) I am not going to embarrass people and name names, but thanks to those at Lot 1/Pole 5 for the fun, friendship, hospitality, and yes.....teaching me yet more about NFL Football. I am already planting "playoff seeds" in terms of getting permission from my wife to come back up there. I suppose I should be more macho and just insist, right? Or, maybe not. 10) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Tuesday Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 4) People, Butler, had a brutal game, his second in a row. This has got to stop, and quite frankly I don't know what the problem is. Yes, I mentioned this last week but couldn't get traction around here. I'm very concerned about his play, and we just signed him to an extension. There is no reason for a guy that strong to get bullied around so much. Granted, we just played 3 good front-fours, but considering we play NE twice a year, we should be designing our line accordingly. Again, I'm concerned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fewell733 Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 I didn't notice Butler too much, he had a great pull on the 2nd Lynch touchdown. The Raiders line generally was bullying us through most of the first three quarters. Tommy Kelly is a tough player. Surprised you didn't mention Peters' struggles. He truly had a brutal game. Chambers came in for him for a series after he gave up the sack/fumble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NEEDFREDJACKSONNOW Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 I didn't notice Butler too much, he had a great pull on the 2nd Lynch touchdown. The Raiders line generally was bullying us through most of the first three quarters. Tommy Kelly is a tough player. Surprised you didn't mention Peters' struggles. He truly had a brutal game. Chambers came in for him for a series after he gave up the sack/fumble. FWIW, I heard Joe Delamaliure (sp?) on WGR this morning who believed that Butler's problem was a "scheme" issue. He felt the particular job he was supposed to do (i.e. step back and then power-block out) was not in the best interest of the play. At least that's what I heard him say. Joe D also agrees that JP is very rusty (no kidding!). They did better in the second half after adjusting, though, which is all that matters. Maybe they can adjust sooner? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 Surprised you didn't mention Peters' struggles. He truly had a brutal game. Chambers came in for him for a series after he gave up the sack/fumble. He did struggle, and I agree with the other poster who said he is "rusty." He had a few awesome blocks on running plays, and I am sure he will come around very soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ramius Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 What does Reed's size have anything to do with his ability for the QB to find him? Seems to me the coaching staff is putting him into situations where he can succeed. Being tall or "big" has nothing to do with a WRs ability to get open or the QB's ability to find him on the field. Trent can find him because Reed is a heady player who knows where he needs to go to get open and/or in the QBs vision. I'd be interested to hear your take on the Whitner tackle of Higgins...I"m glad he did that because it wasnt a cheap shot and i like the message it sent that this team will not put up with any bull sh-- in our house. Thusfar, he and stroud are the heart of this very good defense. Trent played a garbage 1st 3 quarters but stepped it up in the 4th in crunch time. He simply knows when he needs to get it done and goes out and does it, which is something this franchise has been sorely lacking. In only 12 starts, he's brought us from behind in the 4th 4 times already. That is something you simply cannot teach. He played his nuts off in the 4th yesterday and pretty much took over the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JStranger76 Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 But Butler cosistently grades out highest out out everybody on the line...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted September 22, 2008 Author Share Posted September 22, 2008 I'd be interested to hear your take on the Whitner tackle of Higgins...I"m glad he did that because it wasnt a cheap shot and i like the message it sent that this team will not put up with any bull sh-- in our house. Thusfar, he and stroud are the heart of this very good defense. I liked the message, but I cannot condone an intentional penalty. If you want to classify Stroud and Whitner as the "heart of our defense," I think you are mistaken to omit Poz. The unit is playing without Crowell, and Poz has huge responsibilities. He is a very hard hitter, and is way more agile than I thought he was. It's all good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted September 22, 2008 Share Posted September 22, 2008 1) There are not enough good things to say about Marcus Stroud. He goes all out on every play and even chases plays downfield. He fires up his teammates and the crowd. He is always pushing the pocket and occupying blockers, yet he still makes tackles. LT? Sure, but there are few other examples that come to mind in terms of one player changing an entire defense so much. This in itself is scary, but I am going to enjoy the ride. Stroud is having such a huge impact not only because he is playing his heart out, but because he fits the scheme perfectly. His build and strengths are made for the Bills defensive line scheme. Great, isn't it? 2) We need more production from our DEs, especially Schobel. It sure does seem that way, at least on the pass rush side of things (I'm pretty impressed with their run-stopping). I'd be interested in finding some stats online for QB Pressures, but I don't know of any site that has it. Do you know of one Bill? Perhaps Lori can help... 4) People, Butler, had a brutal game, his second in a row. This has got to stop, and quite frankly I don't know what the problem is. I've been marching to the beat of the "replace Butler" drum for a while now, although not many people agreed with me last year. I hope I'm wrong and he'll turn it around, but we could sure use an upgrade there. 5) The crowd was fabulous. There were several times when Russell appeared to have problems with the noise. Was hard to hear over the idiots in our sports bar yelling "RAIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDDDDEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRSSSSSSSSS" the whole game, but trust me, we got em back at the end. 6) As I said last week, I really do believe that Trent has a particularly good chemistry with Josh Reed. Perhaps they worked together a lot when Trent was the 2nd stringer. Not sure why, but he can find this guy and place the ball in the exact spot he needs to for Josh to make the play. Josh is small, so I don't imagine this is so easy to do. You're seeing such an improvement in Josh Reed because one of Trent's strengths is finding receivers in the short-middle part of the field. Reed has generally been good at finding soft spots in zones, and we have a QB that can actually find him now. 7) OK.....Trent? The kid is amazing. That's right, flat out amazing! Those who wish to should certainly go ahead and pick apart every little thing he does wrong, but he is a winner. Period. His brain gives him a huge edge, but it isn't all about intellect. He is crafty. He throws tight spirals that die in our receivers hands making his passes easy to catch. He doesn't rattle, and has a perfect, winning attitude. As a good friend said at the game, he has a chance to be something VERY special. That is what sets him apart. He will have bad games. I know this because they all do. At this point, I am so pumped and elated that it is hard for me to visualize this happening. Unbridled enthusiasm, eh Bill? I agree, Trent should be given a ton of credit for winning that game, being a leader on the bench, and willing them to victory. Been a long time since we've had that kind of leader on offense. That being said, I've noticed something with Trent that makes me a bit anxious: He seems to lock onto receivers (or at least sides of the field) at times. I've noticed it in each game so far this year - and it's caused him to miss some open throws. However, if this is his biggest weakness and he continues to not turn the ball over, I'll be very happy to live with it. Some of my other thoughts on the game: - I'm still not sold on Ko Simpson, and getting beat on that 4th quarter touchdown didn't help his cause. - While Dick Jauron continues to make some coaching errors, his management style and motivational skills more than make up for it. The one problem with it? He seems to be a delegator, so he's heavily dependent on everyone else. Right now, it seems as though we have a solid staff other than Jauron, but if one of the coordinators gets replaced by another Fairchild, we could be in trouble. Luckily, that shouldn't happen any time soon. - Someone needs to see if the ballboy was playing a trick, greasing all the footballs. - Lynch isn't the fastest back in the league, isn't the the shiftest, isn't the toughest, but he's damn good at everything, and continues to impress me with his balance and leg drive. Is there a back in the league better at picking up the extra yards? - After playing two solid games, Mitchell had some bad moments this past week. Here's to hoping it's just a fluke. - I saw a few good plays by Spencer Johnson, who is quietly showing why he was a pretty good pickup. I recall a play or two when he ended up running across the field to make a tackle on a RB. - McKelvin hasn't been a great kick returner so far, it seems like he's missing holes and running into defenders. - I think we miss some of our kick coverage people from last year. - Way to blow the fake FG play on a time when the defense was expecting you to go for it anyway. - I never expected to be going "wow" at some of the tackles Youboty has made this year. Glad to see the kid turning it around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Adams Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 He did struggle, and I agree with the other poster who said he is "rusty." He had a few awesome blocks on running plays, and I am sure he will come around very soon. That's what's killing me. He has been pulverizing people, especially sealing the edge for Lynch, but his mistakes are costly. I hope he's taking his poor play to heart, knowing he has to play even harder after that idiotic holdout. I'd like to see a week without a blindside sack for a fumble. Regarding Trent, what can you say? The kid is THAT good. The Int wasn't even his but whatever. He's got three 200 yard games in a row. JP did that in the last 3 games of 2006 (and 1 was 200 on the button). Bledsoe was the last guy to do that (in 2005, he had something like 6 200+ yard games in a row) before Losman. Three 200 yard games doesn't sound like much but considering the last two years of QB drought, it's an oasis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hardy Pyle Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Surprised you didn't mention Peters' struggles. He truly had a brutal game. Chambers came in for him for a series after he gave up the sack/fumble. He's his biggest cheerleader....tough for the guy to call it like it is on that one. I have to watch the game a second time, but on first viewing, it looked like Peters was awful in pass protection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkyMannn Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 I have to watch the game a second time, but on first viewing, it looked like Peters was awful in pass protection. Whoever the guy Peters was up against, he made him look like Bruce Smith is his prime. Consistently beat Peters with upfield speed rushes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
furmill Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 The offense gets a lot of credit for pulling it out at the end, but what impressed me almost as much was the defense. The last two raider posessions, if this was last year they would have run out the clock by getting 4-5 yards per carry. This year Stroud, Williams, and company held 4 run plays to about 1 total yard, causing a punt or a slant pass, that allowed us to get the ball back quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 But Butler cosistently grades out highest out out everybody on the line...... You can mock him all you want with inane comments but the FACT is that he may well have graded out as well or better than anybody else last year, regardless of how snarky you are. He's struggled quite a bit this year and nobody else has claimed otherwise, so your sarcasm is empty and pointless. - Way to blow the fake FG play on a time when the defense was expecting you to go for it anyway. I'll bet my house they weren't running a fake. At the time I just thought they were trying to get the Raiders to burn one of their time-outs to make things harder on their offense in case the Bills didn't convert. It was a sound strategy but the Raiders were smart enough to keep their D unit on the field as it was obvious that going for it was the right move. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevewin Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 1) There are not enough good things to say about Marcus Stroud. He goes all out on every play and even chases plays downfield. He fires up his teammates and the crowd. He is always pushing the pocket and occupying blockers, yet he still makes tackles. LT? Sure, but there are few other examples that come to mind in terms of one player changing an entire defense so much. This in itself is scary, but I am going to enjoy the ride. 2) We need more production from our DEs, especially Schobel. I was disappointed that our front four by themselves wasn't generating much pressure - at least for the first part of the game 3) Poz spends a ton of time in pass coverage. This is a great example of how numbers never tell the entire story. The pass that he broke up while fully extended was a pivotal play. This is a very exciting player who might wind up scary good if he stays healthy. I'm definitely in the minority, but I think Poz still has a lot of work to do on his game. He still seems to get out of position and got pushed right out of the way on some of those gashes up the middle. I don't know what it is - something weird about maybe I am just watching him on his worst plays - but on multiple occasions I've also seen him seem to just give up on plays - almost start jogging - if they get by him - I guess maybe that's one of those things that comes with experience 5) The crowd was fabulous. There were several times when Russell appeared to have problems with the noise. I thought the crowd was great - given the crappiness of the first 3 quarters - but I'm surprised some people are calling it the loudest crowd they ever heard. To me it was one of those games where the crowd was dying to be able to blow up and go crazy cheering for something positive, but the play on the field wasn't really helping. At one point in the 3rd I actually apologized to my daughter (first game) for the game she was seeing and that the crowd was usually more crazy. Again - the crowd was great and very loud/crazy when the Bills gave us something to cheer about - but I definitely wouldn't count that as overall one of the loudest games I've seen. It was fun taking the walk into the stadium with my daughter (10 yrs old). My son (also 10) has gone for the last few years so knew what to expect , but my daughter's previous NFL game experience was seeing a pre-season Bills/Panthers game in Charlotte a couple years ago. I told her this was going to be very different - but not sure she realized how different. As we walked in through the parking lots and tailgates her eyes were the size of quarters. At one point after experiencing the 'atmosphere' for a few minutes I let her know "You're going to hear the F word a lot" and she just looked at me and kind of smiled like "Yeah - no kidding Dad". Our experience was pretty good this game as far as drunks went - mostly just enthusiastic people - no real completely out of control obscene idiots. Saw no fights on the way out either. Oakland fans in our section were mostly respectful (as were Bills fans). Oh - and special idiot props to the moron in 309 who was trying to *start the wave* (which is bad enough) *when the Bills had the ball* and trying to drive for a comeback in the 4th quarter 6) As I said last week, I really do believe that Trent has a particularly good chemistry with Josh Reed. Perhaps they worked together a lot when Trent was the 2nd stringer. Not sure why, but he can find this guy and place the ball in the exact spot he needs to for Josh to make the play. Josh is small, so I don't imagine this is so easy to do. Reed had a great game - but I'm not sure it is possible for a WR to look slower than Reed appeared to be on the overthrow down the sideline - like he was running in wet sand or something 8) RWS was going fully beserk after the kick. When I calmed myself down to be more of an observer than a participant in the madness, it struck me just how much WNY deserved that game and a winning team. It took me a while to comprehend that we actually won. Is there anything better than the bedlam in those situations where you turn around and start high fiving and slapping/hugging complete strangers like they are your best friends in the whole world Other thoughts - When Ellison went out with a stinger I noticed they went right to the nickel with Youboty - and he was playing up near the line almost like a LB looking like he just wanted to attack someone - and then I think he did - It was one of those games where it got to the point that everytime a receiver caught the ball I was just praying that they wouldn't fumble - all I could think was "Get down!". That made the comeback all the more unbelievable for me - just one mis-step/turnover there in the last part of the game (after the way the first part had gone) and it was over - I don't think it can be overstated what Trent has done for this team - Marshawn is a beast - was there anything more beautiful than seeing that pile push five yards into the endzone - then see him walk out of it standing up? - The TD pass to Roscoe was a *great* throw that maybe has been overlooked a bit - there was someone bearing right down Edwards and he knew he was going to get absolutely hammered (and he did) but he stood right in there and made the throw - he said when he let go of it he couldn't see Roscoe but knew he was supposed to be there Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saint Doug Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 4) People, Butler Peters, had a brutal game, his second in a row. This has got to stop, and quite frankly I don't know what the problem is. 10) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Fixed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dibs Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 - Marshawn is a beast - was there anything more beautiful than seeing that pile push five yards into the endzone - then see him walk out of it standing up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SageAgainstTheMachine Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 But Butler cosistently grades out highest out out everybody on the line...... Thank you! Brad Butler might be the best guy on our O-line. Last year, Butler started every game at right guard and allowed one, count em, one sack all year. Compare that to Jason Peters' six. And, I don't believe Butler has allowed one this year, either. On top of that, we tend to run for more yards per carry to the right than to the left. But, for whatever reason, we insist on pounding the left more often. So why all the hating on Butler? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keepthefaith Posted September 23, 2008 Share Posted September 23, 2008 Thank you! Brad Butler might be the best guy on our O-line. Last year, Butler started every game at right guard and allowed one, count em, one sack all year. Compare that to Jason Peters' six. And, I don't believe Butler has allowed one this year, either. On top of that, we tend to run for more yards per carry to the right than to the left. But, for whatever reason, we insist on pounding the left more often. So why all the hating on Butler? No hating unless he hires Parker as his agent. Peters has to be rusty after the long layoff and will only cost himself $$ in the end. Agents = dickheads Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted September 23, 2008 Author Share Posted September 23, 2008 Thank you! Brad Butler might be the best guy on our O-line. Last year, Butler started every game at right guard and allowed one, count em, one sack all year. Compare that to Jason Peters' six. And, I don't believe Butler has allowed one this year, either. On top of that, we tend to run for more yards per carry to the right than to the left. But, for whatever reason, we insist on pounding the left more often. So why all the hating on Butler? Although I strongly disagree about Butler being anywhere near as good as Peters, my goal is/was not to rag on Butler as a young, fairly good RG. I mentioned him because I am in fact used to a higher level of play from him, and he has looked not so good in the last 2 games. Often when this happens, there can be a good reason for this, such as a "hidden" injury, or the player next to him screwing up. The Bills need production from Butler because a poor RG playing next to Fowler would create a rather huge problem up front. I was glad when they extended Butler's contract, and expect him to come around. I hope it happens this week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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