My Meaningless Opinion

[R. Rich]

What an ugly game! It took me this long to recover from it. Nah, not really.

 

Fitzpatrick showed yet again that while he's a guy who shows the willingness to throw the ball down the field, he's not necessarily a very accurate thrower. On top of showing how inaccurate he is, he also did not take care of the football, fumbling twice (one overturned w/ replay) and throwing a wounded duck of a pass late that was picked off. Yeah, the Bills still need help @ the QB position. Sad part is, I could see 'em look to address that issue w/ their first round pick instead of using that pick to address other glaring needs......like a LB w/ enough size to stop the run, or O linemen who can blow people off the ball and also give the QB a pocket to throw from.

 

Marshawn Lynch was solid in the first half, then went MIA for some reason. I know Fred Jackson does a better job in terms of blitz recognition, but Lynch was actually getting it done on the ground for a change. Jackson had trouble getting it going all day. Maybe the Bills should've rode the hot hand and let Lynch carry the ball more. Corey McIntire led the way on Lynch's 15 yard TD run w/ a nice block, but wasn't much of a factor in terms of blocking or receiving after that. Very disappointing game from these guys.

 

The receivers? Well, Terrell Owens wanted center stage vs Jets corner Darrelle Revis, and he got it. Boy, did he get it! Let's see: in 9 opportunities, Owens had 3 catches for 31 yards. Lee Evans had more than that on his first (and only) reception (38 yards)! For the game, Revis had 3 tackles, broke up 5 passes, and had an INT. I think he got the better of this pivotal matchup. Just barely. Jackson had 3 catches for 21 yards and Johnathan Stupar and Lynch joined Evans w/ one catch while Josh Reed and Shawn Nelson did even less. Yuck.

 

Pass protection? Fitzpatrick ran for his life often and got taken down 3 times in this game. Another putrid performance from the offensieve line. The Ironic Moment of the Night was when the NFL Network's Matt Millen made reference to the good job that C Geoff Hangartner was doing this year. And after making that statement, Hangartner seemed determined to show Millen just how wrong he is. On one screen play, it was Hangartner who went out to lead block, yet ended up being the one driven back by the defender. On another play, he was beaten for a sack. Basically, he was awful. Jermon Meredith also got abused on a sack. This unit is woefully inadequate. The one shining moment the line had was Andy Levitre's pull on Lynch's TD run to seal it off and allow Lynch to go in. Nice play, but that was 'bout it for these guys.

 

Speaking of Millen, he also made reference to Aaron Schobel's pre-game comments on "staying home" (keeping contain on the outside instead of blindly going down the line to make the play). Schobel said that, "he was more worried 'bout the dive plays," and that the outside run should be, "somebody else's responsibility". In theory, you may be right. Of course, when a defensive coordinator decides to put his LBs inside to shoot the gaps instead of keeping 'em outside to contain and/or rush the passer, then that unfortunately leaves YOU to be the containment person, Schobel. Once again, you proved to be a sucker for counter plays and got sucked in, allowing the Jets to get to the outside on a big running play by Brad Smith. Schobel did have a sack later in the game and, for the most part, did a good job after getting beat on the counter. As for Chris Kelsay, he did come up w/ a sack, but also showed that he's not much of a factor in the running game. Same for Ryan Denney, who whiffed on a potential sack. Aaron Maybin had another nice play, a tackle for no gain. The kid has athleticism and should be used a lot more. The interior guys had their share of moments. Kyle Williams had a pair of sacks and was able to disrupt things in the backfield. Spencer Johnson also did a decent job of pressuring the QB and nearly came up w/ a sack (Schobel got their a bit quicker). But, the run defense was once again atrocious. Now, who wants to extoll the virtues of Marcus Stroud for the Pro Bowl? Again, I saw him get single blocked often and he was no factor in stopping the run. None. Williams and Johnson were no more stout than Stroud, which is probably why the Jets had their way w/ the Bills in terms of rushing yards.

 

Did any LB distinguish himself? Paul Posluszny had a sack and caused the fumble, sure. But, where was he when Thomas Jones, Shonn Greene, or Tony Freaking RICHardson (!!!) were running wild? These guys show no toughness @ the point of attack. I'll give 'em credit for having the ability to fly to the ball, but what good is it when as soon as you get there, you get blocked and allow a runner to get to the next level, where it's them vs a safety or corner? Bryan Scott (unit high 6 tackles), a converted safety, definitely has the heart of a lion (and not just a Nittany Lion, either). I just wish he had the strength and power of one.

 

There seem to be some serious issues in regard to the Bills' secondary and playing zone coverage. Too many times this year, I've seen Reggie Corner pass a receiver to the deep guy in a zone, only to have said deep guy either ridiculously far out of position or not even there @ all. Donte Whitner made some nice plays, like the pass breakup he had on a 3rd down the Jets had in the red zone. But, he also got beat a few times, mostly on out routes, including a 3rd and long play. Once the receiver made the cut and headed toward the sideline, Whitner was done. Drayton Florence continues to be reliable in terms of man coverage. He just doesn't come up w/ the big turnovers. The guy I like is George Wilson. It seems like he's good for a solid play, either a tackle for a loss or a pass breakup or something else, more often than not. I'd like to see more development from Wilson, maybe to the point where he's a major contributor to the defense and they're coming up w/ turnovers and big plays. It was good to see Terrence McGee get some work, but he is still quite rusty, obviously. Let's hope he rounds into form quickly. The Bills' secondary badly needs it.

 

The coaching staff was in need of a tune-up. Why not let Lynch do more, especially when he showed some life out there? Why continue to try to force the ball to Owens when Revis had him locked up like Bernie Madoff? This appeared to be another game that got away from the Bills. Unfortunately, there's a bunch of those kind. After the high that was the impressive win over Miami, the team again sunk to the depths. Time for Perry Fewell to rally his troops for a tough stretch run, starting w/ a trip to Arrowhead next week. Yeah, KC has all sorts of issues, but this team showed they still have heart when they beat Pittsburgh @ home and should not be overlooked. Anyway, how the heck does a 4-8 team overlook anyone?

[justnzane]

What an ugly game! It took me this long to recover from it. Nah, not really.

 

Fitzpatrick showed yet again that while he's a guy who shows the willingness to throw the ball down the field, he's not necessarily a very accurate thrower. On top of showing how inaccurate he is, he also did not take care of the football, fumbling twice (one overturned w/ replay) and throwing a wounded duck of a pass late that was picked off. Yeah, the Bills still need help @ the QB position. Sad part is, I could see 'em look to address that issue w/ their first round pick instead of using that pick to address other glaring needs......like a LB w/ enough size to stop the run, or O linemen who can blow people off the ball and also give the QB a pocket to throw from.

 

Marshawn Lynch was solid in the first half, then went MIA for some reason. I know Fred Jackson does a better job in terms of blitz recognition, but Lynch was actually getting it done on the ground for a change. Jackson had trouble getting it going all day. Maybe the Bills should've rode the hot hand and let Lynch carry the ball more. Corey McIntire led the way on Lynch's 15 yard TD run w/ a nice block, but wasn't much of a factor in terms of blocking or receiving after that. Very disappointing game from these guys.

 

The receivers? Well, Terrell Owens wanted center stage vs Jets corner Darrelle Revis, and he got it. Boy, did he get it! Let's see: in 9 opportunities, Owens had 3 catches for 31 yards. Lee Evans had more than that on his first (and only) reception (38 yards)! For the game, Revis had 3 tackles, broke up 5 passes, and had an INT. I think he got the better of this pivotal matchup. Just barely. Jackson had 3 catches for 21 yards and Johnathan Stupar and Lynch joined Evans w/ one catch while Josh Reed and Shawn Nelson did even less. Yuck.

 

Pass protection? Fitzpatrick ran for his life often and got taken down 3 times in this game. Another putrid performance from the offensieve line. The Ironic Moment of the Night was when the NFL Network's Matt Millen made reference to the good job that C Geoff Hangartner was doing this year. And after making that statement, Hangartner seemed determined to show Millen just how wrong he is. On one screen play, it was Hangartner who went out to lead block, yet ended up being the one driven back by the defender. On another play, he was beaten for a sack. Basically, he was awful. Jermon Meredith also got abused on a sack. This unit is woefully inadequate. The one shining moment the line had was Andy Levitre's pull on Lynch's TD run to seal it off and allow Lynch to go in. Nice play, but that was 'bout it for these guys.

 

Speaking of Millen, he also made reference to Aaron Schobel's pre-game comments on "staying home" (keeping contain on the outside instead of blindly going down the line to make the play). Schobel said that, "he was more worried 'bout the dive plays," and that the outside run should be, "somebody else's responsibility". In theory, you may be right. Of course, when a defensive coordinator decides to put his LBs inside to shoot the gaps instead of keeping 'em outside to contain and/or rush the passer, then that unfortunately leaves YOU to be the containment person, Schobel. Once again, you proved to be a sucker for counter plays and got sucked in, allowing the Jets to get to the outside on a big running play by Brad Smith. Schobel did have a sack later in the game and, for the most part, did a good job after getting beat on the counter. As for Chris Kelsay, he did come up w/ a sack, but also showed that he's not much of a factor in the running game. Same for Ryan Denney, who whiffed on a potential sack. Aaron Maybin had another nice play, a tackle for no gain. The kid has athleticism and should be used a lot more. The interior guys had their share of moments. Kyle Williams had a pair of sacks and was able to disrupt things in the backfield. Spencer Johnson also did a decent job of pressuring the QB and nearly came up w/ a sack (Schobel got their a bit quicker). But, the run defense was once again atrocious. Now, who wants to extoll the virtues of Marcus Stroud for the Pro Bowl? Again, I saw him get single blocked often and he was no factor in stopping the run. None. Williams and Johnson were no more stout than Stroud, which is probably why the Jets had their way w/ the Bills in terms of rushing yards.

 

Did any LB distinguish himself? Paul Posluszny had a sack and caused the fumble, sure. But, where was he when Thomas Jones, Shonn Greene, or Tony Freaking RICHardson (!!!) were running wild? These guys show no toughness @ the point of attack. I'll give 'em credit for having the ability to fly to the ball, but what good is it when as soon as you get there, you get blocked and allow a runner to get to the next level, where it's them vs a safety or corner? Bryan Scott (unit high 6 tackles), a converted safety, definitely has the heart of a lion (and not just a Nittany Lion, either). I just wish he had the strength and power of one.

 

There seem to be some serious issues in regard to the Bills' secondary and playing zone coverage. Too many times this year, I've seen Reggie Corner pass a receiver to the deep guy in a zone, only to have said deep guy either ridiculously far out of position or not even there @ all. Donte Whitner made some nice plays, like the pass breakup he had on a 3rd down the Jets had in the red zone. But, he also got beat a few times, mostly on out routes, including a 3rd and long play. Once the receiver made the cut and headed toward the sideline, Whitner was done. Drayton Florence continues to be reliable in terms of man coverage. He just doesn't come up w/ the big turnovers. The guy I like is George Wilson. It seems like he's good for a solid play, either a tackle for a loss or a pass breakup or something else, more often than not. I'd like to see more development from Wilson, maybe to the point where he's a major contributor to the defense and they're coming up w/ turnovers and big plays. It was good to see Terrence McGee get some work, but he is still quite rusty, obviously. Let's hope he rounds into form quickly. The Bills' secondary badly needs it.

 

The coaching staff was in need of a tune-up. Why not let Lynch do more, especially when he showed some life out there? Why continue to try to force the ball to Owens when Revis had him locked up like Bernie Madoff? This appeared to be another game that got away from the Bills. Unfortunately, there's a bunch of those kind. After the high that was the impressive win over Miami, the team again sunk to the depths. Time for Perry Fewell to rally his troops for a tough stretch run, starting w/ a trip to Arrowhead next week. Yeah, KC has all sorts of issues, but this team showed they still have heart when they beat Pittsburgh @ home and should not be overlooked. Anyway, how the heck does a 4-8 team overlook anyone?

Rich, I now have a mancrush. Thank you

[aussiew]

Very nice Rich. Thank you.

[stuckincincy]

The guy I like is George Wilson. It seems like he's good for a solid play, either a tackle for a loss or a pass breakup or something else, more often than not. I'd like to see more development from Wilson, maybe to the point where he's a major contributor to the defense and they're coming up w/ turnovers and big plays.

 

"Watching" games on CBS' "Game Tracker", he piles up the tackles and assists.

 

Assuming offenses aren't singling him out, it seems to me that he's a player with an ability to sniff out where the action will be. I'm reminded of ex-B'gal S Madieu Williams. I don't know how he's doing with MIN, but I'll assume with their record he's still around the ball on most plays.

[LABills08]

When complaining about Poz, no one notes that the guy performed at his highest level in college as an outside linebacker.

[bills44]

Excellent recap. Thank you.

[respk]

What we know after the last 3 games is

1.) Perry Fewell is not the answer as HC. The team played 2 games better but that was to be expected when the HC is changed in season. They have reverted to their ways.

2.) The Bills lack of talent is just as great as it was before. There are not more than a handful of players that should be kept as starters going forward, especially if they are not rookies. There are several players that may make good backups but the starter material is very thin.

3.) Fitzpatrick is not the long term answer at QB. He's better than TE as he will take a chance but he doesn't do the routine stuff well enough and can't do the take a chance stuff enough of the time.

4.) We need a football guy as GM to hire the HC, personnel people and blow this team up and start over.

 

Nothing has changed since Jauron was canned.

[stuckincincy]

What we know after the last 3 games is

1.) Perry Fewell is not the answer as HC. The team played 2 games better but that was to be expected when the HC is changed in season.

 

"2 games better" seems a plus.

 

Getting thrown in on a moment's notice, be it NFL football or any other business, is dicey.

 

Let's see what happens in the next 4 games.

[cåblelady]

Let's see what happens in the next 4 games.

Do we have to watch? I'm skeered.

[vincec]

The interior guys had their share of moments. Kyle Williams had a pair of sacks and was able to disrupt things in the backfield. Spencer Johnson also did a decent job of pressuring the QB and nearly came up w/ a sack (Schobel got their a bit quicker). But, the run defense was once again atrocious. Now, who wants to extoll the virtues of Marcus Stroud for the Pro Bowl? Again, I saw him get single blocked often and he was no factor in stopping the run. None. Williams and Johnson were no more stout than Stroud, which is probably why the Jets had their way w/ the Bills in terms of rushing yards.

 

The interior guys are busy trying to get penetration on every play, runs included. That can leave big holes for the LBs to fill, especially against zone blocking schemes. On one play, I saw Kyle Williams get 3 yards into the backfield only to have the RB cut right up into the hole he vacated and go for 10 yds. The other linemen and LBs need to fill those gaps but haven't been able to do so. At least his ability to get upfield has helped him pressure the QB and make a few plays in the backfield. That's better than Stroud or Johnson have been able to do.