A Few Thoughts About The Game

[jarthur31]

I'm not sure after the way Schouman and Fine played today that Royal even has any business being on the field anymore...

 

With the line as it is, he's still a decent run blocker.

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

Over the last two weeks, I've had a hard time believing what my own two eyes told me was true. We've had an offensive line recently! There's been pass protection. There's been (gasp!) run blocking. I don't understand the reasons for this sudden, dramatic improvement, but I'll happily take it! Other than at center, this team may be able to use its early picks on non-OL positions. The DL comes to mind as an obvious area of need.

Until we get a center who can get in there and get nasty with those big 3-4 nose tackles, I doubt we'll be able to run like this against the division opponents. It is nice to see them run well against Cleveland and Kansas City, because earlier in the year, we couldn't run even against similarly flawed defenses. But somehow I think we'll be living and dying with Edwards' arm down the home stretch.

[bowery4]

A few of my own thoughts

 

1. It is great McKelvin stepped up today, but we played a team FULL of rookies, he really, really needs to get out side sooner on KO returns, it has been disturbing to see him get tackled by kickers since the preseason. BUT at the same time, I have to say he is really improved and that is good to see. He is still a rookie and I expect to see more mistakes in the coming weeks. Seeing him taking KOs in stride is a thing of beauty.

 

2. Why, oh why does DJ let them take timeouts like they mean nothing? He is a frustrating fellow, I was happy to see us win and win big but I really do doubt he should be our coach, still. He lost me after our first loss this season when he went back to the coach he was last year. The losses this year are still on him, in my mind. I really, really hope I am wrong to say it. I hope he proves me wrong, I understand that this is a young team who has had key injuries and we are still developing; I understand we will make mistakes. I think he has built a good nucleolus, but the game day decisions.... well, I just don't have faith in him, even today. I hope he can see you have to try some other personnel even if there are not injuries. Rotation can be a very good thing. I was encouraged about what I saw on offence today but not so much on the Ds part. 31 points and lots of yardage, break but we did break again today. Some good play and luck got us the win not the D game plan or execution.

That said TS and TE both seemed to come out of the rookie slump against the Chiefs. They must of saw what they practiced against out there this week. And it was a good game plan, although they got a little too pass happy in the second and early third still, the run game was working ML and Head could have had bigger days. These guys really need to watch the Giants play some games. We have a similar offense.

 

3. I thought the middle of the Dline looked good this week and last but we really need some LB and DE help to be good. I think it is hard to have a rookie MLB and undersized guy behind our weakest side of the line. The injuries to our DBs hurt us and I hope Whitner and Co. are better by the remaining in-confrence games at the latest. And yeah, the Crowell situation was badly handled, we could certainly use him.

 

4. Since it was discussed above, one of Jason’s penalties on that drive was not a penalty, the other was. Trent made up for both by running and it was good he showed that he can be tough out there. Jason has looked better the last few weeks; I think he has improved a lot on his RUN blocking this year. He doesn't look as good as a pass blocker but maybe that has been because of the injuries around him this year. He is a much better LOT than many of you are giving him credit for. It really is one of the most important positions in modern football, our close games that we won earlier in the season shows that.

""if we have a very good LT on the roster it would probably behoove us to re-sign him during the next off-season in order to lock up such an important position for the next 7 years.""

I totally agree with that statement.

 

5. Trent............................ wow, that was what I expect to see from you. You seem to have the tools. I hope you found IT and don't lose IT again. I can see a lot of reasons that you had trouble the last few weeks, good to see the roll out and play-action, I hope you can continue to do that when Preston is getting blown up by a big NT when we play a 3/4 team again. Please remember you can take a hit and you can run. Also, pump faking is an effective tool that you should use. It was also great to see you audible, totally what I want to see. I think DJ and TS kept him in there in the fourth because the D was letting them score at will all game long and the biggest thing that stopped them was their own mistakes. I didn't feel really comfortable until we had more than a 21-point lead. It might have also been a confidence thing.

 

6. Josh Reed is the only receiver who comes back to the ball consistently, I liked Steve Johnson in there because he did it too. Lee is great and has great speed but he keeps going. That is what is wrong with our receiving corps, they all need to come back more when they can't get open and get IN FRONT of coverage, if for no other reason than Trent needs to see that to feel comfortable. Actually, I don't know what to do with Parrish. He is fast and a great runner but how can we get him the ball in the open? Why does he seem to get no separation to get open? I don't get it.

 

7. We played a team really full of rookies with a crap coach. I hope it helped the confidence level on the team. We really needed this win to stay in the season, we need the rest of the year to be good, to look at this year in a positive light IMO.

 

8. Those games the Pats* and the Fins in TO are looking very, very BIG now.

[reddogblitz]

HUGE WIN !!

 

Against a very bad team no doubt but we dominated an NFL team. Trent looked like his old self again. I hope he keeps that up. The 1 2 punch of ML and Fred is great. We need to resign that guy for sure. The defense did give up a lot of points though. That worries me a little, but KC had a lot of opportunities with the way the Bills offense was going.

 

As far as Robert Royal goes, he has improved greatly over last season. With the exception of the Patriots game debacle, can anyone list any other big gaffs by Robert? I'm to the point now where I think he'll be alright. Not great, but definitely servicable. I'm also taking him out of the Lonnie Johnson category!

 

We need to treat the 49ers the same way on Sunday and then bring on the stretch drive. This could be a lot of fun.

 

Ah, so I guess Leodis is not bust after all?

 

Go BILLS !!

[thepizzaking]

That ridiculous fumble in the ARI game comes to mind I suppose.

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

That ridiculous fumble in the ARI game comes to mind I suppose.

Bingo.

[Orton's Arm]

Until we get a center who can get in there and get nasty with those big 3-4 nose tackles, I doubt we'll be able to run like this against the division opponents. It is nice to see them run well against Cleveland and Kansas City, because earlier in the year, we couldn't run even against similarly flawed defenses. But somehow I think we'll be living and dying with Edwards' arm down the home stretch.

I can't argue with any of this. I'd like to see the Bills take a center in the first two rounds of the 2009 draft. Probably they'll go defense though, and wait until round 3 or 4 to address the center position.

[cale]

Just to add:

 

1) Butler is our best OL. He makes our OL better. I never thought that was possible. But his nastiness is a real asset.

 

2) I was wrong, wrong, wrong per Josh Reed. He's a man! He was like a coach out there with the offense.

 

3) Cut Royal in the offseason. I can't believe Guy gets paid to find players like RR. Get Fine in on the rotation more often. Our TE rotation should be: 1) Fine 2) Schouman 3) Royal.

 

4) Pass rush, TE and Center should be a priority in the offseason. LBs are easier to find in FA. I'd even try Kellen Winslow Jr. out. If we can backload his contract and make sure he isn't a head case.

 

5) Our D still blows when there is a decent passer and a decent run blocking line on the other side. They just double Stroud. Game over.

 

6) Steve Johnson needs to get more playing time.

 

7) McKelvin is worthy of a 1st round pick. Whitner is not. Whitner is a better player right now. He'll be solid for us for years to come. But 1st round players are game changers. McKelvin is changed the game for us today. Ngata should have been our pick. He changes games. Why didn't the coaches and FO listen to Levy?

 

C

[Bill from NYC]

Peters is still not at pro-bowl form. He single handedly almost cost the Bills a TD at the end of the 2nd quarter with two stupid penalties. In terms of the rest of the line, you already mentioned the mediocre play of Dockery, but they still fail to create holes in the running game. Being stopped in the 1st quarter on 1st and goal with one yard to go is pretty embarrassing, especially against a team that is terrible against the run. I also want to mention that the Chiefs are even worse than the Bills at getting to the QB. So although I am optimistic about certain things on offense, the O-Line still worries me.

 

Poz is a solid linebacker, but does he really look like a 2nd round steal?

 

-And finally, and maybe the most overlooked thing, How big of a difference does Reed make for our offense? I never thought this guy would develop into much after having a lackluster follow up to his rookie season, but Sully from the Buff News was right when he said Reed was Edwards "favorite receiver".

 

First, thanks for the dialogue and for raising interesting points.

 

We disagree about Peters. He has been crushing people imo. I watch him more than any other Bills player, and now he is starting to fire out on running plays. My guess is that his return to game shape is fairly recent. This is unusual, whereas it is much easier (and more enjoyable) for blockers to run block than pass block. Obviously, they know the count and on running plays, they are the ones who fire out and hit people. After the holdout, he was better vs. the pass than the run. I suppose this is due to his tremendous agility for someoone that big.

In summary, he will be fine as long as he is healthy. The man can play.

As far as the rest of the line.....you are right to be worried. We have nobody at center and we need 1 more guard who can compete with Butler and Dockery.

 

As for Poz, I'm not at all worried. The kid is calling signals already. I don't expect him to ever be a Willie Lanier, but with a solid front 4 he can be a very solid lb.

 

Wrt Reed I agree. He seems to be Trent's favorite target. Weeks ago I noticed the chemistry they seem to have. WR is another area where we need to improve, but I like what little I have seen from the 7th round pick.

 

We have to hope that Jauron will see fit to bring in people who can play DT, DE, OC and TE.

[BillsVet]

7) McKelvin is worthy of a 1st round pick. Whitner is not. Whitner is a better player right now. He'll be solid for us for years to come. But 1st round players are game changers. McKelvin is changed the game for us today. Ngata should have been our pick. He changes games. Why didn't the coaches and FO listen to Levy?

 

You're treading an extremely thin line around this board with that comment on Whitner. Being a leader and non-bust isn't a reason to build DW up, but that seems to be the reason most cite regarding DW. He's a good, not great player and isn't better because Michael Huff can't start for the Raiders.

 

Game changers are what this team needs Even though most players don't become that, every successful team has their share. It's a difficult thing for a safety to be a game changer, given how far off the LOS they usually play. You can see how plays like McKelvin's make problems go away quickly. Without his INT return, that game may turn out different.

 

Looking back, many fans thought DT was the way to go in 2006. Yes, we're not experts, but the Bills fan base (some of them) know that you prioritize OL and DL before small players. DJ and Marv thought otherwise, and we can only wonder what if in 2008.

[aussiew]

He could have put him in early in the 4th quarter and gotten him some reps at game speed. That might help him in the event he's needed down the road. You could also make the case that Trent needs those same reps. There were other backups that could have played as well at the same time.

 

Agreed. All of the Bills fans grouped behind the bench were yelling to take out the starters in the last 10 minutes. None of us could believe they kept Trent in so long and then just put JP in to take a knee rather than practice a few plays.

[guesswhosback]

What would have happened if he played for McGee against Miami? Not putting Leodis in in favor of a guy not yet recovered from a knee sprain further makes me question the staff's competence.

Agreed!

[StupidNation]

At this point I agree that we have to see more of Johnson over Parrish. Parrish is not a good NFL WR. He is a good #5 and nothing more. He doesn't find seams and gaps, doesn't adjust well in his routes, and he would make a good back-up #3 maybe.

 

Johnson has better potential in the slot to find seams and out-muscle the opposition for some easy yards. Johnson also has the potential to be a true #2 as well and get Reed back to the slot where he is even BETTER. Johnson is also big enough to be physical whereas Evans is not a physical receiver, and I dare say he's extremely soft.

 

It would be nice to see Hardy develop into a decent WR too, but at this point, and I don't like to criticize rookies, he looks really sloppy out there and his development might be in 2 years from now in the 2010 season. I'm not a guy to say he has no shot, but I know he chances look pretty bad considering his routes look so slow and sloppy unless he does some major work in the off-season.

 

Give me Johnson in the slot. I like my chances with him over Parrish at this point. We know what Roscoe brings, and Johnson brings more as a WR as a freaking rook.

[CowgirlsFan]

The decision to leave so many starters in was wrong. It makes as much sense as the late 4th quarter carries that Marion Barber III had in the Cowboy 49ers game.

[Gordio]

Hardy will not be a flop. He has 2 TD's. That is third most among rookie WR's ( or at least rookies taken in the first 3 rounds). Donnie Avery and Eddie Royal are having better seasons, maybe with DeSean Jackson thrown in there as well. But, Avery plays for a subpar team, Royal plays for a decent team who was not already 3 deep at WR (like the Bills) and Jackson is in the same boat as Royal. Not to mention, Hardy is a completely different wideout than those three, with arguably far more potential. Wait until he learns the system a bit, he concentrated on football for only around 2 years before being drafted.

 

 

Hardy will be fine. He is just not going to help us much this year.

[LabattBlue]

Hardy will not be a flop. He has 2 TD's. That is third most among rookie WR's ( or at least rookies taken in the first 3 rounds). Donnie Avery and Eddie Royal are having better seasons, maybe with DeSean Jackson thrown in there as well. But, Avery plays for a subpar team, Royal plays for a decent team who was not already 3 deep at WR (like the Bills) and Jackson is in the same boat as Royal. Not to mention, Hardy is a completely different wideout than those three, with arguably far more potential. Wait until he learns the system a bit, he concentrated on football for only around 2 years before being drafted.

The Bills are 3 deep at WR? Evans, Reed and who?

[StupidNation]

Hardy will not be a flop. He has 2 TD's. That is third most among rookie WR's ( or at least rookies taken in the first 3 rounds). Donnie Avery and Eddie Royal are having better seasons, maybe with DeSean Jackson thrown in there as well. But, Avery plays for a subpar team, Royal plays for a decent team who was not already 3 deep at WR (like the Bills) and Jackson is in the same boat as Royal. Not to mention, Hardy is a completely different wideout than those three, with arguably far more potential. Wait until he learns the system a bit, he concentrated on football for only around 2 years before being drafted.

 

I never said a flop, but a development in 2010. The Bills are not 3 deep at WR, and Reed is not a #2, but a #3 playing there because he has to out of necessity. We don't even have a real #1. Royal would start for us too and Reed would go back to where he's best suited at #3.

 

A guy his size needs to play tough and not soft. There is no one to teach him that who plays for the team. He also needs to learn body placement for those balls that he needs to get in front of the CB and just shield the ball. The big physical guys do that and it's unstoppable. So far he's playing soft. If he can learn and actually do it on the field he's fast enough to be a great possession receiver and red-zone terror.