Saudi Arabia Rob Posted August 23, 2009 Posted August 23, 2009 I guess I'm just a glutton for punishment, but since it's been raining in Tampa I am watching the Bills-Packers game on NFL network. What is disheartening is the way both lines are just getting manhandled. It is a precise repeat of last year. Our pass rush doesn't get to the quarterback. Teams kill us on quick slants. I guess if there is anything positive is the run defense is still adequate, but our blitzes all get picked up. I guess I'm not ready to call it a season, but with the rest of the AFC East with a 3-4 and Brady back, it's not going to be easy.
fishmonger Posted August 23, 2009 Posted August 23, 2009 Green Bay looks a step ahead... Ellison called interference, EXACTLY the same infraction...
nero47 Posted August 23, 2009 Posted August 23, 2009 Both Snert and Fewell's game plans are problematic. The offense looks slow and predictable and the defense plays receivers too soft and doesn't seem to adjust. I wonder if RW insisted that Snert and Fewell be retained for "continuity". The impression I'm getting is that we are not game planning at this point. The purpose is to run various plays related to down and distance regardless of the D against them, therefore no audibles. Secondly, our D is so Vanilla calling it bland would be an overstatement. This week we should see a true audition of things to come. Excess players should be gone. JMO
Saudi Arabia Rob Posted August 23, 2009 Posted August 23, 2009 McGee got beat twice when the receivers adjusted to the pass and he didn't. First on the one in the first quarter down the sidelines, then the third touchdown. Ouch. It's tough when the quarterback doesn't have any true pressure on him. They allowed Rogers to roll out and he had no particular pressure at all.
Billistic Posted August 23, 2009 Posted August 23, 2009 Some thoughts (JMO); 1. Almost nobody on the first team looked anywhere close to good. IMO, that's a good thing since it's still preseason. I'd much rather they get schooled during the pre-season than in the regular season. Good teams bounce back with a strong showing the week after an embarrassment like that. The game against the Squealers should go a long way toward seeing where they really stand. 2. One game, especially in the preseason, doesn't determine the forecast for an entire year. They can still put it together. There is plenty of time. Anyone saying 3-13 is way off base here. I don't know what their record will be but I definitely think another 7-9 season is the worst they'll do. 3. TE was schooled last night. Hopefully he learned a lot. Holding the ball against a great D with this O-line just isn't gonna cut it. Also his play calling is weak against a team like GB. They didn't do NH much this game but he still has the ability to change the call at the LOS. 4. Schonert needs to re-evaluate the way he attacks 3-4 defenses. The gameplan, IMO, was lackluster, even for a pre-season game. He has to look hard at his teams weakness' against 3-4 defenses and work around them. I don't think he's doing that well. He can't just look at how other teams have attacked another teams 3-4 defense because they'll have much different personnel. 5. I say shuffle the line right now. Give it two pre-season games of work. I would like to see; LT - D. Bell LG - E. Wood C - Hangartner RG - Butler RT - Walker I just don't think Levitre is ready for prime time yet. IMO, there is very little drop off from Walker to Bell. The best way for Bell to improve is to play. Put him out there. 6. The TO not being on the field argument is weak. Good teams can keep humming without a player. If the offense is so reliant on one player then they have too many problems. Once again this goes back to Schonert's game plans. 7. I don't know if it was the O-line's blocking schemes or just that they can't deal at all with a DL like GB's. If it's the latter then it's gonna be a long season. The inability to run the ball was horrifying when you consider Lynch and Jackson are two of the better RB's in the NFL. 8. It was one preseason game. Don't start crying about the entire season now. At least wait three games into the regular season before starting to gauge how the team will do this season. JMO Here's to great improvement over the next few games and in the regular season. 1. You should have sobered up by now. Why rub salt in the wounds by mentioning the Steelers? 2. Unlike you, some of us remember the 2-8 swoon last year. 3. Trent was the General of the Haitian Army last night. 4. I hope Schonert doesn't look hard at his offense. If he quits, does Russ the Salesman promote Alex van Putz? 5. You jest! They all looked like they were in some surrealistic a back-pedaling drill. 6. TO just resigned, and is starring in a different comedy TV program. 7. doh? Can I quote you on that? Here come the Steelers. 8. The "Three Game Rule, was that on the back of the Ten Commandments?
Steely Dan Posted August 23, 2009 Author Posted August 23, 2009 Okay, I can buy the premise that this is just one preseason game, and Lord knows I've seen plenty of crappy Bills games in August. (Some by teams that ended up in the Super Bowl that season.) That said, the idea that they didn't bother practicing against the 3-4, knowing that 1.) Dom Capers is now in GB, 2.) all three other AFC East teams run it, and 3.) they were 1-8 in games against 3-4 defenses last season, absolutely blows my mind. They didn't think that giving Trent Edwards -- who's been known to struggle against the formation -- a few 3-4 looks might, just might, possibly be a good idea? Oy. Obviously you have more ins with the scuttlebut but where did you hear they never practice against the 3-4?
billybob Posted August 23, 2009 Posted August 23, 2009 I think we all understand that this is preseason and its only one game. It doesn't automatically mean a lousy season. But the inescapable truth is that to the limited extent that game was a window on the regular season, there is plenty to worry about. Getting schooled in preseason is abviously better than in the regular season but better still is not getting schooled at all. Certainly, getting schooled now is no guarantee they won't get whupped just as bad later so I don't see how on earth anyone can consider last night's miserable performance a good thing. They sucked last night, face it, deal with it. And Bell at LT would be a disaster. The best way for him to learn is in practice and in the preseason, not in a game where we would like our QB to make it to half time. You are right, Levitre isn't ready but putting another guy who is also not ready won't remedy that problem, just make it worse because you can hide a crappy guard easier than you can a crappy LT. Disagree, Bell has improved every outing I've seen him and he is better at LT than at RT, probably because at the moment he's better against speed and quickness than power.
Lori Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 Obviously you have more ins with the scuttlebut but where did you hear they never practice against the 3-4? I wouldn't say "never," but they didn't last week: http://blogs.buffalonews.com/billboard/200...ions-in-gb.html Trent: "The hard part now is I don’t know how much scout team we’re going to be running. We didn’t face a scout team 3-4 defense (this past week), we faced our 4-3 defense. It is the preseason. We do kind of need to just learn things on the fly and be able to make in game adjustments. But I don’t know how much scout team we'll get, how many looks we'll get of Steelers defense. I was very surprised how many different looks their defense did give us. They brought corner blitzes, safety blitzes, a couple linebackers here and there, and that’s not something you see a ton of in the preseason. But give them credit they dialed them up and they beat us." Again -- not to get into preseason gameplanning, but wouldn't it make sense to practice just a little every week against a set they'll see at least six times this season? Trent has had problems reading the coverages in that formation, as did Losman before him. Perhaps now we know part of the reason why?
Simon Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 I wouldn't say "never," but they didn't last week: http://blogs.buffalonews.com/billboard/200...ions-in-gb.html Again -- not to get into preseason gameplanning, but wouldn't it make sense to practice just a little every week against a set they'll see at least six times this season? Trent has had problems reading the coverages in that formation, as did Losman before him. Perhaps now we know part of the reason why? Wow, hadn't seen that. Is Trent sanding up for himself and calling the coaches out a wee bit? Either way, this staff continues to horrify.
Captain Caveman Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 I wonder how much of this is just based on the coaching staff really feeling the need to evaluate players who are competing for a roster spot in their system? I would think they could at least throw together some scrubs to run a scout defense, but I'm not sure what other excuse there might be....
Steely Dan Posted August 24, 2009 Author Posted August 24, 2009 I wouldn't say "never," but they didn't last week: http://blogs.buffalonews.com/billboard/200...ions-in-gb.html Again -- not to get into preseason gameplanning, but wouldn't it make sense to practice just a little every week against a set they'll see at least six times this season? Trent has had problems reading the coverages in that formation, as did Losman before him. Perhaps now we know part of the reason why? Thanks, I defended this coaching staff up until the slide last year. Now I'm even more convinced they don't have a clue what they're doing. It just seems soooooo obvious that they would practice against the 3-4, almost exclusively, in camp and before playing a 3-4 D.
Magox Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 I wouldn't say "never," but they didn't last week: http://blogs.buffalonews.com/billboard/200...ions-in-gb.html Again -- not to get into preseason gameplanning, but wouldn't it make sense to practice just a little every week against a set they'll see at least six times this season? Trent has had problems reading the coverages in that formation, as did Losman before him. Perhaps now we know part of the reason why? Seemed like a subtle call out of the coaching staff by TE
Lori Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 I wonder how much of this is just based on the coaching staff really feeling the need to evaluate players who are competing for a roster spot in their system? I would think they could at least throw together some scrubs to run a scout defense, but I'm not sure what other excuse there might be.... Especially considering they still have an 80-man roster right now, no? At one of the practices I attended -- think it may have been the night Vick signed -- Bobby April took part of the session to run through seemingly everything in his playbook. Run the FG team out there as the clock ticks to 0:00, check. Fake FG, check. Lindell pooch-punting from FG formation, check. Mostly for show, but it made one aware that they were working on all the possibilities. On the other hand, the offense apparently spent the week practicing against "our defense" ... a defense that finished the 2008 season 20th or lower in: rushing yds allowed yds/carry passing yds/play interception rate sacks/pass att No wonder they looked confused last night. I dropped the Edwards quote into the replies of Tim's "Random thoughts from the game" post. He added this a couple of responses later: When I passed through Orchard Park on Thursday, I twice asked Jauron about preparing for the Patriots' defense in the opener since they're moving to a 4-3. He essentially informed me -- and in what I thought was a pretty condescending tone -- the Patriots always have run four-man fronts. So what? I guess they're wasting an awful lot of ink and bandwidth in Boston. In other words, why should we prepare any differently? It's not like the Pats have won, let's see, 16 of the last 17 games, or that the Bills have failed to score more than one offensive TD against them in any one of those losses since the 2003 season opener ...
BillsVet Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 Thanks, I defended this coaching staff up until the slide last year. Now I'm even more convinced they don't have a clue what they're doing. It just seems soooooo obvious that they would practice against the 3-4, almost exclusively, in camp and before playing a 3-4 D. With all the trouble they've had against 3-4 defenses, yesterday should have been a better opportunity than what they made it. If it's true they trotted out a vanilla game-plan on offense and defense, my question is why? It seems like they're more concerned with not showing anything than actually using pre-season to prepare for the regular season. We'll see if they change their tune when Pittsburgh hosts them next week. If we thought GB was rough, I've got a feeling Harrison and Woodley will be a much bigger challenge.
jwws9999 Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 Some thoughts (JMO); 1. Almost nobody on the first team looked anywhere close to good. IMO, that's a good thing since it's still preseason. I'd much rather they get schooled during the pre-season than in the regular season. Good teams bounce back with a strong showing the week after an embarrassment like that. The game against the Squealers should go a long way toward seeing where they really stand. 2. One game, especially in the preseason, doesn't determine the forecast for an entire year. They can still put it together. There is plenty of time. Anyone saying 3-13 is way off base here. I don't know what their record will be but I definitely think another 7-9 season is the worst they'll do. 3. TE was schooled last night. Hopefully he learned a lot. Holding the ball against a great D with this O-line just isn't gonna cut it. Also his play calling is weak against a team like GB. They didn't do NH much this game but he still has the ability to change the call at the LOS. 4. Schonert needs to re-evaluate the way he attacks 3-4 defenses. The gameplan, IMO, was lackluster, even for a pre-season game. He has to look hard at his teams weakness' against 3-4 defenses and work around them. I don't think he's doing that well. He can't just look at how other teams have attacked another teams 3-4 defense because they'll have much different personnel. 5. I say shuffle the line right now. Give it two pre-season games of work. I would like to see; LT - D. Bell LG - E. Wood C - Hangartner RG - Butler RT - Walker I just don't think Levitre is ready for prime time yet. IMO, there is very little drop off from Walker to Bell. The best way for Bell to improve is to play. Put him out there. 6. The TO not being on the field argument is weak. Good teams can keep humming without a player. If the offense is so reliant on one player then they have too many problems. Once again this goes back to Schonert's game plans. 7. I don't know if it was the O-line's blocking schemes or just that they can't deal at all with a DL like GB's. If it's the latter then it's gonna be a long season. The inability to run the ball was horrifying when you consider Lynch and Jackson are two of the better RB's in the NFL. 8. It was one preseason game. Don't start crying about the entire season now. At least wait three games into the regular season before starting to gauge how the team will do this season. JMO Here's to great improvement over the next few games and in the regular season. they looked just like last year, except worse
Sisyphean Bills Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 Especially considering they still have an 80-man roster right now, no? At one of the practices I attended -- think it may have been the night Vick signed -- Bobby April took part of the session to run through seemingly everything in his playbook. Run the FG team out there as the clock ticks to 0:00, check. Fake FG, check. Lindell pooch-punting from FG formation, check. Mostly for show, but it made one aware that they were working on all the possibilities. On the other hand, the offense apparently spent the week practicing against "our defense" ... a defense that finished the 2008 season 20th or lower in: rushing yds allowed yds/carry passing yds/play interception rate sacks/pass att No wonder they looked confused last night. I dropped the Edwards quote into the replies of Tim's "Random thoughts from the game" post. He added this a couple of responses later: In other words, why should we prepare any differently? It's not like the Pats have won, let's see, 16 of the last 17 games, or that the Bills have failed to score more than one offensive TD against them in any one of those losses since the 2003 season opener ... Same old story. You know I'm shocked.
ColdBlueNorth Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 Careful... any attempt at humor or optimism will be dealt with by the usual sniping You have to admit, this board can get downright ugly after a bad showing by our team. One would think we would have tougher skins after all the years of I agree with everything you said with the exception that I would put Wood at Center, move Hangartner to RT, Butler back to RG, and would finish things out with Walker at LG and Bell at LT. Levitre looks like he needs some seasoning before being tossed on the coals. Peace.
ColdBlueNorth Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 I wouldn't say "never," but they didn't last week: http://blogs.buffalonews.com/billboard/200...ions-in-gb.html Again -- not to get into preseason gameplanning, but wouldn't it make sense to practice just a little every week against a set they'll see at least six times this season? Trent has had problems reading the coverages in that formation, as did Losman before him. Perhaps now we know part of the reason why? Trent made a similar comment last season, and then I read that same quote from him that you posted here after the dismal play against Green Bay's newly installed 3-4 and just about gagged. Could our coaches be so inept as to not practice against the defense that our offense will be facing when we play each of our AFC East rivals? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result - insanity
Lori Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 Trent made a similar comment last season, and then I read that same quote from him that you posted here after the dismal play against Green Bay's newly installed 3-4 and just about gagged. Could our coaches be so inept as to not practice against the defense that our offense will be facing when we play each of our AFC East rivals? Doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result - insanity Oh, I imagine they'll run some plays vs. the 3-4 in practice the weeks of those regular-season games ... but if that's the first time they see it, how proficient can they get in one week?
lacoy38 Posted August 24, 2009 Posted August 24, 2009 Some thoughts (JMO); 1. Almost nobody on the first team looked anywhere close to good. IMO, that's a good thing since it's still preseason. I'd much rather they get schooled during the pre-season than in the regular season. Good teams bounce back with a strong showing the week after an embarrassment like that. The game against the Squealers should go a long way toward seeing where they really stand. 2. One game, especially in the preseason, doesn't determine the forecast for an entire year. They can still put it together. There is plenty of time. Anyone saying 3-13 is way off base here. I don't know what their record will be but I definitely think another 7-9 season is the worst they'll do. 3. TE was schooled last night. Hopefully he learned a lot. Holding the ball against a great D with this O-line just isn't gonna cut it. Also his play calling is weak against a team like GB. They didn't do NH much this game but he still has the ability to change the call at the LOS. 4. Schonert needs to re-evaluate the way he attacks 3-4 defenses. The gameplan, IMO, was lackluster, even for a pre-season game. He has to look hard at his teams weakness' against 3-4 defenses and work around them. I don't think he's doing that well. He can't just look at how other teams have attacked another teams 3-4 defense because they'll have much different personnel. 5. I say shuffle the line right now. Give it two pre-season games of work. I would like to see; LT - D. Bell LG - E. Wood C - Hangartner RG - Butler RT - Walker I just don't think Levitre is ready for prime time yet. IMO, there is very little drop off from Walker to Bell. The best way for Bell to improve is to play. Put him out there. 6. The TO not being on the field argument is weak. Good teams can keep humming without a player. If the offense is so reliant on one player then they have too many problems. Once again this goes back to Schonert's game plans. 7. I don't know if it was the O-line's blocking schemes or just that they can't deal at all with a DL like GB's. If it's the latter then it's gonna be a long season. The inability to run the ball was horrifying when you consider Lynch and Jackson are two of the better RB's in the NFL. 8. It was one preseason game. Don't start crying about the entire season now. At least wait three games into the regular season before starting to gauge how the team will do this season. JMO Here's to great improvement over the next few games and in the regular season.
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