Positives to take away from the game

[Magox]

Another gut-wrenching loss, that one will hurt for a while, but we did much better than the vast majority of us and from the outside world thought we would ever do.

 

I thought there were some things to come away feeling good about.

 

*Our offensive line did a very good job, considering we have 3 rookies in there. Sure they made a few mistakes, Bell was beaten a few times, there were a few penalties and on the last drive they got beat pretty bad, but I saw a few things about them that I felt very encouraged with.

 

*The screen pass looked better than it has in a long time. I have to attribute that to three things, one the offensive line, we finally have some agile gaurds in there to go out and make some blocks on moving targets, Trent's delivery of the screen was on point and Freddy Jackson did a wonderful job in executing his runs.

 

*The interior line, specially Hangartner did a very good job in neutralizing Wilfork, I can't remember the last time that Wilfork was basically a non factor. Also, our run game was better than I thought it would be, if it wasn't for a few penalties we would of racked up some decent yardage.

 

*Trent Edwards didn't look nervous, he didn't seem to have confidence issues, which in my view is his biggest enemy. He made good reads, you could see that he was making his progressions and was throwing lots of strikes out there. He didn't force too many bad passes, with the exception of one in the second half, but for the most part he was making the right reads. He also displayed confidence in throwing the ball 20 yards down the field, and was hitting his targets. There were three drive killers on third downs in the first half, Freddy Jackson dropped one, Evans dropped one (all though he was popped pretty good) on a nice 20 yard strike and TO dropped one that should of been caught. On all those three plays it would of kept the drive going. I would of liked for Trent to have thrown the ball downfield, I realize that both the WR's were being double teamed but we still need to find a way to throw it deep a couple times. On the last drive, I would of liked to have seen Trent throw the ball away on the first sack and that was disappointing, but all in all I am very encouraged with how he played in his first game.

 

*Freddy Jackson looks like the real deal. We are very fortunate to have a 1-2 combo of Freddy and Marshawn and I think they will have a very good year this year.

 

*The run defense was shaky in the first quarter, but really came on strong afterwards. We made adjustments and looked tough up front.

 

*Schobel looks as if he will be an effective player. He certainly was in this game and that is encouraging.

[billsfreak]

Another gut-wrenching loss, that one will hurt for a while, but we did much better than the vast majority of us and from the outside world thought we would ever do.

 

I thought there were some things to come away feeling good about.

 

*Our offensive line did a very good job, considering we have 3 rookies in there. Sure they made a few mistakes, Bell was beaten a few times, there were a few penalties and on the last drive they got beat pretty bad, but I saw a few things about them that I felt very encouraged with.

 

*The screen pass looked better than it has in a long time. I have to attribute that to three things, one the offensive line, we finally have some agile gaurds in there to go out and make some blocks on moving targets, Trent's delivery of the screen was on point and Freddy Jackson did a wonderful job in executing his runs.

 

*The interior line, specially Hangartner did a very good job in neutralizing Wilfork, I can't remember the last time that Wilfork was basically a non factor. Also, our run game was better than I thought it would be, if it wasn't for a few penalties we would of racked up some decent yardage.

 

*Trent Edwards didn't look nervous, he didn't seem to have confidence issues, which in my view is his biggest enemy. He made good reads, you could see that he was making his progressions and was throwing lots of strikes out there. He didn't force too many bad passes, with the exception of one in the second half, but for the most part he was making the right reads. He also displayed confidence in throwing the ball 20 yards down the field, and was hitting his targets. There were three drive killers on third downs in the first half, Freddy Jackson dropped one, Evans dropped one (all though he was popped pretty good) on a nice 20 yard strike and TO dropped one that should of been caught. On all those three plays it would of kept the drive going. I would of liked for Trent to have thrown the ball downfield, I realize that both the WR's were being double teamed but we still need to find a way to throw it deep a couple times. On the last drive, I would of liked to have seen Trent throw the ball away on the first sack and that was disappointing, but all in all I am very encouraged with how he played in his first game.

 

*Freddy Jackson looks like the real deal. We are very fortunate to have a 1-2 combo of Freddy and Marshawn and I think they will have a very good year this year.

 

*The run defense was shaky in the first quarter, but really came on strong afterwards. We made adjustments and looked tough up front.

 

*Schobel looks as if he will be an effective player. He certainly was in this game and that is encouraging.

 

I thought there were quite a few positives, unfortuneatly it is hard to look at them right after a loss like that.

-I thought the young offensive line blocked pretty good all night considering what was expected of them, although their mutltiple penalties were huge in the loss, and nullified a few first downs.

-I thought Trent Edwards had one of the best games of his career. He was 15-25 with about 5 o 6 passes dropped by recievers that had the ball hit their hands.

-It looks like Schobel is back and healthy, he had a great game.

-Keith Ellison had one of his better games, but I still think he is a little undersized for LB.

-Fred Jackson had a huge game, in part because of the fact that Evans and Owens drew double coverage all night, leaving some room on short passes for him.

-Defense batted 100% on Pats 4th down and 2 Point conversions-0 for 4 combined.

The whole defensive front was pushing the Pats )-Line (3 of them Pro Bowlers) back almost the whole game.

-Overall the Bills played hard all night, but too many mistakes (penalties, dropped passes, fumbles) cost them another game they had in the bag. Please don't schedule us for anymore monday night games, that is 3 years in a row we lost one we shouldn't have.

[tennesseeboy]

On the other hand. The left tackle position is still a major problem, the middle linebacker injury can be very concerning, and our collapse in the final two minutes results in a loss. Did we play better than expected? yes. Have AVP, most of the offensive line, and the defense shown to be better than expected? Yes. However there is a name for what happens when you have fewer points than your opponent and the clock runs to zero. They call it losing.

[Magox]

However there is a name for what happens when you have fewer points than your opponent and the clock runs to zero. They call it losing.

umm, really?

[8-8 Forever?]

umm, really?

 

really. the NFL is an up or down, win or lose league. no coaches polls, no BCS. doesn't matter how you played. every week is different. there are no trends to be encouraged or discouraged by. you either win or lose. that's how your team is judged by everyone surrounding this league.

[Mickey]

Another gut-wrenching loss, that one will hurt for a while, but we did much better than the vast majority of us and from the outside world thought we would ever do.

 

I thought there were some things to come away feeling good about.

 

*Our offensive line did a very good job, considering we have 3 rookies in there. Sure they made a few mistakes, Bell was beaten a few times, there were a few penalties and on the last drive they got beat pretty bad, but I saw a few things about them that I felt very encouraged with.

 

*The screen pass looked better than it has in a long time. I have to attribute that to three things, one the offensive line, we finally have some agile gaurds in there to go out and make some blocks on moving targets, Trent's delivery of the screen was on point and Freddy Jackson did a wonderful job in executing his runs.

 

*The interior line, specially Hangartner did a very good job in neutralizing Wilfork, I can't remember the last time that Wilfork was basically a non factor. Also, our run game was better than I thought it would be, if it wasn't for a few penalties we would of racked up some decent yardage.

 

*Trent Edwards didn't look nervous, he didn't seem to have confidence issues, which in my view is his biggest enemy. He made good reads, you could see that he was making his progressions and was throwing lots of strikes out there. He didn't force too many bad passes, with the exception of one in the second half, but for the most part he was making the right reads. He also displayed confidence in throwing the ball 20 yards down the field, and was hitting his targets. There were three drive killers on third downs in the first half, Freddy Jackson dropped one, Evans dropped one (all though he was popped pretty good) on a nice 20 yard strike and TO dropped one that should of been caught. On all those three plays it would of kept the drive going. I would of liked for Trent to have thrown the ball downfield, I realize that both the WR's were being double teamed but we still need to find a way to throw it deep a couple times. On the last drive, I would of liked to have seen Trent throw the ball away on the first sack and that was disappointing, but all in all I am very encouraged with how he played in his first game.

 

*Freddy Jackson looks like the real deal. We are very fortunate to have a 1-2 combo of Freddy and Marshawn and I think they will have a very good year this year.

 

*The run defense was shaky in the first quarter, but really came on strong afterwards. We made adjustments and looked tough up front.

 

*Schobel looks as if he will be an effective player. He certainly was in this game and that is encouraging.

I would add to that the fact that Owens was drawing double coverage as was Lee and that was a major factor in the success of the screens. The Patriots clearly identified Owens and Evans as the primary offensive threats and put all they had into taking them away, figuring that our young line wouldn't be able to make them pay in the running game and that we didn't have a TE or RB who could do much damage underneath. They were pretty much right on the running game as we had very little sustained success though we certainly had some. They were also pretty much right on the TE's with a few exceptions here and there. They were wrong however on the screens and dump offs to Freddie.

 

Everyone seems disappointed in how Owens played but I think he had a much larger impact on that game than the stats would lead you to beleive. He did have a critical drop though that killed a drive.

[dollars 2 donuts]

*Freddy Jackson looks like the real deal. We are very fortunate to have a 1-2 combo of Freddy and Marshawn and I think they will have a very good year this year.

 

 

And I am glad the Bills respected him enough to essentially say, "we appreciate you and here's seven figures a year."

 

It was important to sign that guy and keep him happy.

[Magox]

really. the NFL is an up or down, win or lose league. no coaches polls, no BCS. doesn't matter how you played. every week is different. there are no trends to be encouraged or discouraged by. you either win or lose. that's how your team is judged by everyone surrounding this league.

There is thing called sarcasm

 

 

Good point Mickey, TO I believe played a big part in helping open up Freddy on some pass plays.

[Peter]

There is thing called sarcasm

 

 

Good point Mickey, TO I believe played a big part in helping open up Freddy on some pass plays.

 

Agreed.

[YellowLinesandArmadillos]

I would add to that the fact that Owens was drawing double coverage as was Lee and that was a major factor in the success of the screens. The Patriots clearly identified Owens and Evans as the primary offensive threats and put all they had into taking them away, figuring that our young line wouldn't be able to make them pay in the running game and that we didn't have a TE or RB who could do much damage underneath. They were pretty much right on the running game as we had very little sustained success though we certainly had some. They were also pretty much right on the TE's with a few exceptions here and there. They were wrong however on the screens and dump offs to Freddie.

 

Everyone seems disappointed in how Owens played but I think he had a much larger impact on that game than the stats would lead you to beleive. He did have a critical drop though that killed a drive.

 

Except of the LT Bell's penalities, probably because of a lack of practice, the O-line played well. His penalties for lining up wrong were drive killers and really took Buffalo out of rhythm. If not for them, the Bills could have survived McKelven's debacle.

[Lofton80]

I thought Ellison was excellant last night. I have been one of his detractors and I think he played his best game as a Bill.

I was encouraged by the rookies: Levitre, Wood, Maybin, Byrd, Buggs all saw time and had some flashes of good play.

Maybin needs to be used in unique packages. Lining him across from a tackle is not going to work.

 

 

Kyle Williams and Stroud were great against the run. Bills running a no huddle hurts these guys the most. They disappeared at the end.

 

Fred Jackson is a natural. Great vision, very elusive.

 

Cannot understand the strategy of emptying the backfield at the end and sending the whole group of receivers out in a pattern. It was asking a lot of the young line on an obvious pass situation on the final drive. We only needed 20 yards for a fg attempt. Why not leave a TE to help Bell there or leave a back to chip the end?

[Realist]

I would add to that the fact that Owens was drawing double coverage as was Lee and that was a major factor in the success of the screens. The Patriots clearly identified Owens and Evans as the primary offensive threats and put all they had into taking them away, figuring that our young line wouldn't be able to make them pay in the running game and that we didn't have a TE or RB who could do much damage underneath. They were pretty much right on the running game as we had very little sustained success though we certainly had some. They were also pretty much right on the TE's with a few exceptions here and there. They were wrong however on the screens and dump offs to Freddie.

 

Everyone seems disappointed in how Owens played but I think he had a much larger impact on that game than the stats would lead you to beleive. He did have a critical drop though that killed a drive.

That's exactly what Owens does for us, the opponent cannot key on the running game now because the Bills have two threats at WR now. If they do what the Pats* did yesterday it opens up the screens and short passing game. If they play up to the line and key on the RB's, and short passes, Evans and/or Owens beats them deep. This is just why the Bills need TO.

[Mickey]

That's exactly what Owens does for us, the opponent cannot key on the running game now because the Bills have two threats at WR now. If they do what the Pats* did yesterday it opens up the screens and short passing game. If they play up to the line and key on the RB's, and short passes, Evans and/or Owens beats them deep. This is just why the Bills need TO.

If I were coaching the opposing defenses, I wouldn't worry as much about the WR's. Trent has not shown the ability to make teams pay deep and those deeper routes put more pressure on our young line to hold out for a second or two longer. Giving Trent the short stuff is a dream situation for him, it is what he does best. He pretty consistently delivers the ball accurately enough for the receiver to play catch and run. If you back has to twist, turn, dive or jump to catch the screen, the defense gets an extra click or two to react. Screens depend on timing. I don't know why the Pats didn't take their chances downfield and instead, play us the way everyone else does. I guess I understimated just how much teams think Owens is capable of.

 

And I just have to say this....I love Freddie. Not in a gay way but every other way. If he plays like that for the next two weeks, we may have a "runningback" controversey.

[Magox]

If I were coaching the opposing defenses, I wouldn't worry as much about the WR's. Trent has not shown the ability to make teams pay deep and those deeper routes put more pressure on our young line to hold out for a second or two longer. Giving Trent the short stuff is a dream situation for him, it is what he does best. He pretty consistently delivers the ball accurately enough for the receiver to play catch and run. If you back has to twist, turn, dive or jump to catch the screen, the defense gets an extra click or two to react. Screens depend on timing. I don't know why the Pats didn't take their chances downfield and instead, play us the way everyone else does. I guess I understimated just how much teams think Owens is capable of.

 

And I just have to say this....I love Freddie. Not in a gay way but every other way. If he plays like that for the next two weeks, we may have a "runningback" controversey.

If I were opposing defenses, I would do the same thing, and make him throw it down field. I actually hope that it happens, I'm excited and curious to see if we can take advantage of those opportunities. We must be able to throw it down the field if we are going to have success through out the season.

[deep2evans]

Trent

Whole O-line minus 3-4 plays.

Freddy

Stroud

Schobel

Poz pre-injury

McGee

Nelson