2003Contenders
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According to the Mooch, he wanted to see what Garcia looked like with the first team offense. It was not meant to spark any kind of controversy (which is moot now anyway). It was just that he wanted to give Garcia some snaps with the first team offense in a game-like situation -- just in case he had to be rushed into action during the regular season. Joey had a mild injury but would have played in a regular season game.
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Anxiously awaiting the real season next weekend, I decided to take the time today to analyze each play that Losman dropped back to pass...
First Drive
1. PI on Detroit. Nice pass by JP, as he hit Moulds in the chest, as he was being mauled by a defender.
2. Low shoestring catch by Moulds, but the ball was thrown in the only place where it wouldn't get picked off.
3. CLEARLY the Lions were off-sides. JP threw to Lee Evans into coverage; it is is probably a ball he doesn't throw if he doesn't believe he has a free play. Even so, in the future he should make sure a flag is thrown and not assume a penalty.
Second Drive
1. JP is sacked as Mike Williams is badly beaten. The sack came from the blindside, and hardly anything you can blame on the QB, as it wasn't as if he held onto the ball forever.
2. We've all heard about the first INT by now, so no sense in my rehashing. Clearly a poorly thrown ball. JP later said that he threw it into the wind without giving t enough mustard and it sailed on him.
Third Drive
1. Nicely thrown ball by JP that Evans dropped. The Bills were lucky that it wasn't called a fumble.
2. Nice screen pass to Williams
3. Beautiful bomb to Moulds would have been an easy 6 if not for PI.
4. After the non-TD because of a holding penalty, JP actually throws his worst ball of the night... at least it was his worst decision of the night, as he should have been picked off by Earl Holmes, trying to force the ball to Campbell. Replays show that Shelton was open for an easy 6. As it was, the team was lucky that it didn't go for 6 the other way.
5. Well thrown ball to Moulds, who is unable to shake the LB to get to the endzone.
Fourth Drive
1. In the shadows of the endzone, JP wisely throws the ball away. He had pretty good protection, but there was no one open.
2. Great pass by JP to Aiken on the skinny post! Not only was it pretty but gutsy coming from the endzone.
3. Nice, quick timing pass to Fast Freddy.
4. Sack... This one is on JP, as he held onto the ball too long a la Drew.
Fifth Drive
1. JP, surrounded by mostly backups, including entire OL, gets a bad snap from Espositio (no longer with the team), and takes the sack.
2. Another great post pattern to Aiken for 20 yards. That seems to be JP's favorite pattern.
3. On play action, JP completes a nice screen pass to Goldsbury. JP made it look so simple. A pity that Drew aways made that play look so difficult.
4. Second INT, clearly not JP's fault, as he hit Aiken in the hands.
Sixth Drive
1. Nice, easy pass to Reed.
2. Nice out to Reed for a 1st down.
3. Very nice completion to Haddad as JP was under pressure.
4. JP avoids pressure, gets the ball out to Fast Freddy who then dropped what seemed to be a difficult but catchable pass. No matter... Holding on the OL.
5. Underneath pass to Aiken.
6. Dropped pass by Reed hat hit him right in the chest.
7. Another great throw on the post, but this time Haddad can't hold on. It was well defended.
8. Nice scramble by JP that comes up just short.
In summary, JP was by no means perfect -- but he was not nearly as awful as I had heard by those who claimed to have actually watched the game on Friday night. I also liked how he bounced back after each INT. The first time, taking them all the way to ... well, we can't fault him for the negated TD or missed chip-shot FG. The second time, doing a nice job in the 2:00 drill.
Personally, I am more worried about stupid penalties, the defense showing up, and the line opening up holes for the running game than I am about JP. In fact, if these other factors take care of themselves, then I think our offense will be fine with JP.
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I agree with you, Mark VI. I expect that we will see many 4 and even 5 WR sets this year. It should serve to spread out the offense and take the pressure off the OL to protect against the blitz.
Like him or not, one thing that Losman has shown is the ability to get rid of the ball quickly. All he needs to do is hit on a few quick slants, and defenders will have to back off. That should open things up for the running game too.
Now, the question is: can Losman make the right reads and make the quickly? And can the WRs catch the ball? I think 4 quarters of Moulds and Evans may make a difference, know what I mean?
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The way I read it was that MM was going to leave them in there "as long as it takes." To me that means that if Losman and crew march down the field on the opening drive, look sharp and come away with a TD, then their night may be over. If they struggle, they'll stay in there until they do score.
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Peters could very well be a perfect example of how over-scouting sometimes gets in the way of teams making sound decisions in the draft. Remember that the draft is all about perceived value: not just the grade that the team has placed on a particular player.
For example, the Bills may have had Peters ranked ahead of some of the players that they wound up drafting in the late rounds -- but because they knew that those other players stood a good chance of being drafted elsewhere, they were inclined to invest a draft pick on such a player -- and wait until after the draft to take a stab at Peters.
The question remains, though: Why did Peters go undrafted? I think it was a combination of all of the following factors:
1. NFL teams were not sure what to do with him. He seemed too big (read slow) to play TE. And, while he was projected by many to play LT in the NFL, he had little or nor experience playing the position in school. Thus, he entered the league as a man without a position. Recall that the Bills didn't even know what to do with him -- and still haven't set on a specific role for him. Matt Jones looked to suffer that same fate -- until his eye popping combine workouts served to elevate his stock literally overnight.
2. Coming out of school, Peters was said to be quite raw. If you recall, last season when he was initially relegated to the practice squad, the word out of OBD was that he had plenty of potential, but was a long-term project. To a certain extent, the front office appears to still believe that, but his freakish abilities are so mouth-watering, that they had to find a way to make some use of them, even if just on Special Teams. This guy could turn into a 3-way player: special teams, spot duty at DE, and LT reserve.
3. We've made fun of the poor guy, even challenging his intellect because of his low test score. While it probably didn't play the deciding factor in his going undrafted -- SF's Julian Peterson scored even lower and he went in the 1st round -- it still likely played a role nonetheless. When taken together with the other factors -- it may have cemented his immediate fate. If teams felt that he was raw coming out of school -- and observed his low test score, they may have come to the conclusion that this guy, who would require A LOT of coaching, may not be the most coachable player in the world. Fortunately, our coaching staff felt secure enough to roll the dice -- and considering that he was an undrafted free agent, the risk was minimal.
Aside from Peters, let's not forget that both Jabri Greer and R Baker were both walk-ons as well. Greer, in particular, was thought by many to be a Day 1 draft pick.
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Interesting... And that only takes into account his passing stats -- not what he's been able to do with his legs.
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Another factor regarding running to the left is that is also the direction that the opponent's best pass rusher is coming from. It's not hard to imagine an occasional big run coming at the expense of an over-pursuing DE/OLB.
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Great recap there, Bart at ND!
The "Just Give it to them" stemmed from that bogus "catch" made by Patten. The refs were in disagreement about whether or not it had been a true catch -- and, if so, whether Patten had crossed the first down marker. When the refs couldn't decide, one of them told the other, "Just give it to them!"
The non-reception took place on the Bills' sideline, and several Bills players overheard the converstaion between the refs. Ralph was later fined by the league for citing the exchange. (It is still a mystery as to whether or not he ever paid the fine.) Also, this game (along with the infamous Jets/Seattle one) were the harbingers for the return of instant replay.
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I'd rather have Losman with a season of preparation and a full off-season of knowing that he will be THE man under his belt -- than a less talented Rodgers, who will be a true rookie heading into this season. To me, giving up a 2nd rounder last year to make that happen this year was a small price to pay. Note also, that if we hadn't taken JP last year, then we'd still have Bledsoe THIS year.
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There were three reasons why Smith was drafted so high (and why he proved to be a bust)...
1. Much like Erik Flowers, Akili Smith was a "fast riser". Heading into the 1998 season, Smith was projected to go undrafted -- or as a late round QB at best. Then he turned some heads in that last season, and became one of the fastest rising NFL prospects in history.
2. The Browns were never seriously interested in Smith -- but had talks with him leading up to the draft to add more leverage to their sincere talks with Tim Couch. Smith himself even realized this -- and made references to having felt "used" at the time. That helped to inflate his value in what was considered a QB-rich draft at the time.
3. From a pure, physical standpoint, Smith may have had the strongest arm of any QB in the draft. He looked awesome in a workout in shorts... Of course, the strongest arm in the world doesn't help you if you can't read a defense. Just think of Jim Drunkenmiller, who may have had the strongest arm of any QB ever drafted... but lacked the grey matter to get the job done.
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Personally, I think it is a very GOOD idea for management to get JP accustomed to dealing with the press. A few weeks ago, Sam Wyche said as much.
Even if he is everything we hope he turns out to be, there is little doubt that JP will run into his share of problems in his first season as a starter. When young QBs run into these kinds of problems, it is often their inability to withstand the never-ending questions from the media that leads to their demise. Ryan Leaf is the perfect example. In contrast, think back to how Peyton Manning handled himself in the midst of his trying rookie season.
Not only is JP getting valuable experience dealing with the media and fans in what is now a friendly atmosphere, but by making himself so available to the press, he is also building an enormous amount of good will. That should at least buy him a few extra games if/when he struggles and the Jerry Sullivans of the world are tempted to start calling for his head.
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But what happens if Roscoe winds up up with, say, number 82?
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I'd also say Miami. Their high-profile, rebuilt DL is fool's gold. Otherwise, I don't see much improvement from them. Also, take a close look at their schedule, especially their home games. They could finish with a WORSE record than they did in 2004.
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I wouldn't read too much into the 3-year deal, since salaries are not guranteed in the NFL. It just allows the team to only have to account for 1/3 of his signing bonus against the cap this year.
With that said, if Gates performs well in camp and contributes to Special Teams, he has a very good chance of making the team. We know how TD covets his draft picks.
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I was watching a Dodgers baseball game the other night, and the game was played in LA. The Dodgers have a wall with imprints of some of the franchise's most historic individuals, honoring them much in the same way that the Bills honor key figures with the Ring of Honor.
One interesting inclusion on that wall in LA is none other than Kirk Gibson. Gibson spent the vast majority of his career with the Tigers -- and only played a couple of mostly injury-riddled seasons for the Dodgers. So how is he deserving of such an honor for such a historic franchise? Well, everyone remembers that game winning homerun that Gibson hit off Eckersely with two outs in the 9th inning in the World Series, as he hobbled to the plate. That incident was one of the most memorable in Dodgers (and all of baseball) history.
I think we can view Reich in the same light. Even if you discount everything else he did, Reich will ALWAYS be remembered for his performance in the Comeback Game against Houston. It was a mythical, fairy tale performance that always brings tears to my eyes everytime I see a recast. (And unfortunately led me to believe that the Bills were a team of destiny that year heading into the Super Bowl.)
I'd say he's a worthy addition to the Wall of Fame.
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I think what everyone is saying is pretty much what we discovered ourselves last year. When everything else around him is up to snuff, he is capabale of being one of the better QBs in the league. Otherwise, he's actually NEVER been one of those -- like a Marino, Elway, or Kelly -- who could improvise and carry a team on his shoulders.
I have always thought that having those formative years behind the tough-loving Parcells, served to hinder him in later years by playing for coaches that never demanded as much from him. In playing for guys like Pete Carrol and Gregg Williams, Drew allowed himself to become lazy.
The real question is whether or not Parcells can turn that intensity back on -- or has Bledsoe's apathy even taken him beyond that point? For evidence, I look back at the 2002 season when he came to Buffalo with something to prove. (Can anyone ever forget that Minnesota game -- the intensity he showed?) For the first half of the season, he was even better than the Drew of old. Then he ran into a buzz saw in New England and never recovered.
I would expect him to get off to another hot start in Dallas, as he once again has something to prove. With no New England (or even Buffalo) to worry about, he won't have to deal with the demons of old either. So I don't expect a mid-season collapse either. (Of course, he will have to face Greggy's Redskins twice... but everyone knows that the Skins have had trouble beating the 'Boys in recent years.)
However, as any fantasy football geek out there knows, Bledsoe's MO (even during his prime years) was to fizzle out at the tail end of the season. All in all, I'd expect him to break the 3000 yard mark (which is at least something he hasn't done for the past two seasons).
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Actually, Burleson came on strong last year when Moss was injured.
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Uh, Travis is not a free agent, he is under contract to the Bills. Thus, the only way he leaves is if the Bills release him or trade him. In neither event do we receive a compensatory draft pick in the 2006 draft for him.
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If placed in the proper perspective, Reed's accomplishments are HOF worthy WITHOUT question.
1. When he retired, he was in the top 5 in many all time categories, including #2 in catches.
2. At one time, he and Kelly held the record for the most QB-to-WR hook-ups.
3. Despite the lack of success in the 4 Super Bowls, Reed was actually very effective in the Big Show. Until Rice surpassed him in 1995, Reed held the record for the most catches in Super Bowl history.
4. Contrary to the Monk comparison, Reed's numbers were NOT just a product of longevity. He actually put together some dominating performances, including the Comeback Game against Houston and the previosuly mentioned 15-catch game against Green Bay, which was a record at that time.
5. While I won't say that he was as good as Rice across the board, I will have to say that he may very well have had better hands. Think back to some of the great.highlight reel catches that Reed made during the course of his career -- and remember the conditions that he often found himself playing in.
If Reed doesn't make it in, it will be because of his attitude...
If Michael Irvin gets in and Andre doesn't, then I am through even worrying about the Pro Football Hall of Fame, because I will consider it a fraud with unqualified people making the decisions.
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True. And it is funny how the Chinese insisted on waiting to provide an affirmation about handing Lee over -- but refused to wait even a few hours to talk to CTU. At this point, Palmer should have told the Chinese that they will have our full cooperation -- tomorrow.
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I've actually had the opposite opinion of the Parrish pick. At the time the selecton was made, I was astonished to the point of being angry. But since then, I am coming more and more around to liking this pick -- and not just because of the positive PR that we all heard about RP in mini camp.
As has already been discussed, the liklihood of a mid-to-late 2nd rounder becoming anything more than an adequate starter in this league is not a slam-dunk. I actually WOULD be concerned if the team had taken a stab at a player that they hoped and prayed would come in to save the day.
That isn't the case here. Because we already have Moulds and Evans on the roster, who already occupy the starting positions. That is what MAKES this a good pick. No one is asking or even expecting RP to be a #1 WR. (If he elevates to that level it's gravy!) While it may be wishful thinking comparing this kid to Marvin Harrison, if he is another Brandon Stokely, how much better does that make Moulds and Evans? Also, imagine how it sparks our return game with McGee running back kicks and RP running back punts.
At first glance, this seemed like a risky, head-scratching pick. Now, upon further reflection, it is a very SAFE pick -- and one that is probably more likely to pan out than the ones made ahead of RP in the 2nd round. That is at least partly because the potential for reward far outweighs the risk. What's the worse than could happen? Roscoe doesn't pan out. Well, at the very least he can duke it out with Reed and Aiken then, right?
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Could be that he has a bit of Romanowski in him...
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Did TD acquire him because he has experience playing most positions along the line -- or did McNally see something that makes him think he can plug him in as a quality starter at LT?
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To be honest, it is VERY difficult for me to gauge exactly how good this team will be this year. After all, last year we were 9-7, but we were in EVERY game, except for the Sunday night New Englad debacle. From that standpoint, we were certainly not as bad as the 0-4 start.
On the flip side of the coin, our easy schedule down the stretch also probably inflates our late-season record. Meanwhile, the Week 17 home loss at the hands of Pittsburgh's scrubs made it abundantly clear that we were not in the same class as the elite teams in the conference.
Pity for us that the NFC sucked last year, while the AFC was loaded with many good teams, of which we just happened to be one of them.
Here are the questions that I think need to be answered...
1. Losman is off to a good start -- but what happens when he faces real defenders in a game situation? And just how durable is he? We saw him withstand a beating at Tulane -- but we also saw him break his leg on the slightest of contact last year.
2. Clearly the offense was our weak link last season. What wrinkles will Mularkey thrown in this year that we didn't see with the Bledsoe-scaled down playbook? What will the depth chart at WR look like? Will we have a healthy TE by training camp?
3. How will the LT position pan out? Is TD's lack of attention here because he trusts that McNally can work miracles? Has McNally sold him on a player currently on the team at the positon (Gandy, Peters)? Or, is it strictly a business decision on TD's part?
4. The real turning point last year was when Henry was benched in favor of Willis. With Willis the uncontested starter, can he ignite that spark from day one? Also, despite Willis' strong production, he still only managed 4.0 yards per carry, which is barely average by league standards. Will he be even better now with two full years removed from knee surgery? Can the OL open better holes for him? Is Mike Williams ready to become the elite RT he's being paid to be?
5. Can Lindell consitently make good on 40+ yard field goals?
6. Aside from Lindell, the Special Teams were a real strength last year. What impact will Roscoe Parrish have as the potentially new Punt Returner? And will the coverage unit continue to excel?
7. Last year the already top-ranked defense became more opportunistic in terms of turnovers -- and placed our odious offense in a position to succeed. Was the amazing turnaround from 2003 to 2004 (in turnovers) a by-product of Jerry Gray's more aggressive style of play? Or did the ball simply bounce our way more often?
8. What impact will losing Big Pat have? Will Anderson/Edwards be up to the challenge?
9. With a relatively (on paper at least) easy opening schedule, can we win some of those games that we are supposed to win to build momentum and gear up for the rougher portions of the schedule? After all, the Week 1 loss to Jacksonville (oneof those games we were "supposed to win") last season is what truly sealed our fate.
10. How much will the coaching staff improve? MM now has a year under his belt and will need to show that he can go head-to-head with the Belichicks and Cowhers of the league.
Sorry if already discussed
in The Stadium Wall Archives
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Considering the earlier QB sneak, a play action pass would likely have got us an easy 6 in that situation.