My Meaningless Opinion

[R. Rich]

Well, I finally got to stay @ home and watch the Bills play after going to watch 'em in Week 1 and then going to a sports bar in South Jersey to see last week's game. So I guess this was my "home opener" of sorts.

 

First off, Ryan Fitzpatrick. He was certainly more effective than Trent Edwards, so that's a good thing. Problem is, he is still prone to costly mistakes, like the Patrick Chung INT. Still, he was even more accurate than I would've thought he'd be, particularly on throws to the inside and into coverage (the throw to Roscoe Parrish on third down was very nice). While I still feel Fitzpatrick is a backup and not much more, he did have a solid performance yesterday.

 

I thought the running backs performed very well today. They were given some good opportunities (O line props later) and made the most of 'em. Only a few things that didn't go so well: Fred Jackson wasn't able to get it going, and that's too bad. Considering how Marshawn Lynch has been running lately and the fact that C.J. Spiller is getting better by the day, that doesn't bode well for Jackson's long term outlook. Speaking of Spiller, he still needs work in blitz recognition, as he overshot the blitzing LB (up the middle). That'll hopefully come in time. After all, it's the toughest part of a RB's transition from college to pro. Also, Corey McIntire whiffed bad on a block that could've gone for a really big gain, but overall, he was pretty good. Props to Lynch for the tough runs (reminds me of his 4th and short conversion against Denver from his rookie year) and for finally showing some heart AND patience out there. It has made a difference.

 

What a nice game from the WRs! Parrish had a great outing. In addition to the aforementioned third down conversion, he had the long 30 yarder after shaking the DB and getting more yards. He ended up w/ 83 yards on the day, showing that he can perform if given the shot. Lee Evans also made a few nice grabs. I am usually very harsh on Lee for his poor route running and for failing to either fight for the ball in coverage or failing to break off routes to come back to the ball to help out his QB. I saw little of that vs the Pats. Steve Johnson had the nice grab for the TD, then took a stupid penalty for celebrating. The Bills usually give up big returns after getting the elusive score, so to see Johnson do that was frustrating. There was even a tight end sighting yesterday! Yep, Johnathan Stupar caught a few passes to get in the mix. Hey, it's a start. Maybe one day the Bills will have a guy @ that position that can be relied upon to open up the middle of the field while also help out as a blocker, but for now, we'll take what we can get.

 

A pretty good outing for the Bills' much maligned O line. Cornell Green and Demetrius Bell both had big penalties called on 'em (Green's holding call was more costly than Bell's false start though) but both had their moments in run blocking and (aside from Bell getting abused badly on one sack), weren't horrible in pass protection. I'm still not liking what I see from Geoff Hangartner in terms of lead blocks, but he and the other interior guys were more stout in pass protection than usual. There were some rough spots (Randy Starks nearly ran over Andy Levitre and just missed a sack on one play), but this was their best showing so far this year. Hopefully, they can build on their success in opening up the running game and continue to get better in pass protection.

 

As good as the O line was, that's how poor the D line was. [broken record time] Kyle Williams continues to give a great effort, but he is not suited to be the mammoth A gap clogger that a 3-4 defense badly needs.[/broken record time] Maybe put him @ DE and use Marcus Stroud as a situational player? I dunno. I know that Stroud was horrible out there yesterday. Dwan Edwards made some tackles, but really couldn't get into the backfield to do anything. Then again, none of the D linemen could. Maybe that's why a team that averages 85 rushing yards per game wound up w/ 203 of 'em against the Bills!! Yikes. Being that this is a 3-4, I don't expect a ton in terms of pass rush from the linemen, but it would be nice to see 'em get in and @ least rush the QB's throws from time to time. Tom Brady had entirely too much time to throw the ball. Williams did get the sack, but that was 'bout it in terms of pressure from the entire D line.

 

Continuing the theme of poor play: the linebackers. Chris Kelsay continues to show that he does not have the requisite skills (speed, change of direction, ability to stack and shed blockers) to be a really effective OLB in the 3-4. Like Williams, he's a good effort guy, but he just isn't getting it done on the field as an OLB. Then again, who is getting it done for the Bills? Certainly not Aaron Maybin. Speed 'round the edge is clearly his best trait, but he wasn't able to provide any pressure to Brady. Reggie Torbor fared only a bit better, getting in on a play for a loss. One. This position needs to provide the spark for a 3-4 front seven, and the Bills just aren't getting it from their current crop. Andra Davis did okay in the interior, but Keith Ellison had a rough go of it. The TEs abused him to the point where a safety had to be used to cover 'em. And when the Pats ran the ball to kill the clock, they went looking for Ellison, way too tiny to be an effective 3-4 inside 'backer. Akin Ayodele was decent and will probably see more playing time, but is as much a liability in pass coverage as the rest of 'em.

 

The vaunted Bills secondary? Not their shining moment. Now granted, this was the Tom Brady-led Patriots they faced, but man did they get worked over. Drayton Florence had perhaps his worst outing as a Bill. Whether inside on Aaron Hernandez or outside on Randy Moss, he was late to the play a lot. Terrence McGee and Leodis McKelvin fared better, but even they weren't great. McKelvin got beat on Brady's big pass play to Brandon Tate that helped set up their go ahead FG late in the first half (we'll get to that). It didn't get much better w/ the safeties. Jairus Byrd came up w/ a fumble recovery but wasn't his usual sharp self in the deep middle (way too late on the bomb to Moss). Bryan Scott was given the task of covering the TEs after Ellison was burned, and he wasn't up to the task either. Rob Gronkowski beat him easily for a TD. Donte Whitner had as much luck covering TEs as Scott did, but he did have a really nice hit. That's 'bout it. Sure he finished w/ a bunch of tackles, but considering the Pats' dominance on the ground (doesn't even sound right!) and Brady's virtuoso passing performance, what good was it?

 

Special teams did their job. The coverage units gave up 'bout 20 yards per kick return. Brian Moorman's only punt, a 33 yarder, was not returned. Parrish returned one punt for only 3 yards (got caught on the sideline w/ nowhere to go but out of bounds), but Spiller's 95 yard kick return was an exciting shot in the arm for the Bills (coming just after Brady drove the Pats down the field for a TD and 8 point lead). Rian Lindell missed on a 51 yarder, but was 3 for 3 inside of 40 yards. No big deal, huh? Yeah, tell that to Garrett Hartley.

 

Chan Gailey decided to incorporate all of his RBs, and it worked pretty well. Maybe a bit more to get the defense's front seven out of position, such as play action or counters? Defensively, the Bills were outgunned. Nothing worked. Chalk it up to a work in progress vs a QB who is playing very well and being extremely well protected (Williams' sack was only the 2nd time Brady has been sacked all season). Bruce DeHaven is doing a great job in his 2nd outing. Keep it up.

 

Okay, so it's 0-3 and the Jets are coming to town. Oh boy. It could be more of the same, as the Jets certainly can run, and Mark Sanchez is in a groove throwing the ball now. Better tighten up that defense, or it could get ugly. On the plus side, the Bills did score 30 points and they were able to get their running game going while also taking shots down the field in the passing game. Maybe they can pull off the upset and finally notch one in the win column. We'll see.

[rockpile]

Very nice (but meaningless) summary, Rich!

 

It was so intelligent, I had to dig to find it half way down page two!

 

If you want to get attention, you have to be much more insulting, AND when you say Fitz was effective, you cannot also point out his mistakes.

 

Just a thought, you Trent hating moron!

 

 

Well, I finally got to stay @ home and watch the Bills play after going to watch 'em in Week 1 and then going to a sports bar in South Jersey to see last week's game. So I guess this was my "home opener" of sorts.

 

First off, Ryan Fitzpatrick. He was certainly more effective than Trent Edwards, so that's a good thing. Problem is, he is still prone to costly mistakes, like the Patrick Chung INT. Still, he was even more accurate than I would've thought he'd be, particularly on throws to the inside and into coverage (the throw to Roscoe Parrish on third down was very nice). While I still feel Fitzpatrick is a backup and not much more, he did have a solid performance yesterday.

 

I thought the running backs performed very well today. They were given some good opportunities (O line props later) and made the most of 'em. Only a few things that didn't go so well: Fred Jackson wasn't able to get it going, and that's too bad. Considering how Marshawn Lynch has been running lately and the fact that C.J. Spiller is getting better by the day, that doesn't bode well for Jackson's long term outlook. Speaking of Spiller, he still needs work in blitz recognition, as he overshot the blitzing LB (up the middle). That'll hopefully come in time. After all, it's the toughest part of a RB's transition from college to pro. Also, Corey McIntire whiffed bad on a block that could've gone for a really big gain, but overall, he was pretty good. Props to Lynch for the tough runs (reminds me of his 4th and short conversion against Denver from his rookie year) and for finally showing some heart AND patience out there. It has made a difference.

 

What a nice game from the WRs! Parrish had a great outing. In addition to the aforementioned third down conversion, he had the long 30 yarder after shaking the DB and getting more yards. He ended up w/ 83 yards on the day, showing that he can perform if given the shot. Lee Evans also made a few nice grabs. I am usually very harsh on Lee for his poor route running and for failing to either fight for the ball in coverage or failing to break off routes to come back to the ball to help out his QB. I saw little of that vs the Pats. Steve Johnson had the nice grab for the TD, then took a stupid penalty for celebrating. The Bills usually give up big returns after getting the elusive score, so to see Johnson do that was frustrating. There was even a tight end sighting yesterday! Yep, Johnathan Stupar caught a few passes to get in the mix. Hey, it's a start. Maybe one day the Bills will have a guy @ that position that can be relied upon to open up the middle of the field while also help out as a blocker, but for now, we'll take what we can get.

 

A pretty good outing for the Bills' much maligned O line. Cornell Green and Demetrius Bell both had big penalties called on 'em (Green's holding call was more costly than Bell's false start though) but both had their moments in run blocking and (aside from Bell getting abused badly on one sack), weren't horrible in pass protection. I'm still not liking what I see from Geoff Hangartner in terms of lead blocks, but he and the other interior guys were more stout in pass protection than usual. There were some rough spots (Randy Starks nearly ran over Andy Levitre and just missed a sack on one play), but this was their best showing so far this year. Hopefully, they can build on their success in opening up the running game and continue to get better in pass protection.

 

As good as the O line was, that's how poor the D line was. [broken record time] Kyle Williams continues to give a great effort, but he is not suited to be the mammoth A gap clogger that a 3-4 defense badly needs.[/broken record time] Maybe put him @ DE and use Marcus Stroud as a situational player? I dunno. I know that Stroud was horrible out there yesterday. Dwan Edwards made some tackles, but really couldn't get into the backfield to do anything. Then again, none of the D linemen could. Maybe that's why a team that averages 85 rushing yards per game wound up w/ 203 of 'em against the Bills!! Yikes. Being that this is a 3-4, I don't expect a ton in terms of pass rush from the linemen, but it would be nice to see 'em get in and @ least rush the QB's throws from time to time. Tom Brady had entirely too much time to throw the ball. Williams did get the sack, but that was 'bout it in terms of pressure from the entire D line.

 

Continuing the theme of poor play: the linebackers. Chris Kelsay continues to show that he does not have the requisite skills (speed, change of direction, ability to stack and shed blockers) to be a really effective OLB in the 3-4. Like Williams, he's a good effort guy, but he just isn't getting it done on the field as an OLB. Then again, who is getting it done for the Bills? Certainly not Aaron Maybin. Speed 'round the edge is clearly his best trait, but he wasn't able to provide any pressure to Brady. Reggie Torbor fared only a bit better, getting in on a play for a loss. One. This position needs to provide the spark for a 3-4 front seven, and the Bills just aren't getting it from their current crop. Andra Davis did okay in the interior, but Keith Ellison had a rough go of it. The TEs abused him to the point where a safety had to be used to cover 'em. And when the Pats ran the ball to kill the clock, they went looking for Ellison, way too tiny to be an effective 3-4 inside 'backer. Akin Ayodele was decent and will probably see more playing time, but is as much a liability in pass coverage as the rest of 'em.

 

The vaunted Bills secondary? Not their shining moment. Now granted, this was the Tom Brady-led Patriots they faced, but man did they get worked over. Drayton Florence had perhaps his worst outing as a Bill. Whether inside on Aaron Hernandez or outside on Randy Moss, he was late to the play a lot. Terrence McGee and Leodis McKelvin fared better, but even they weren't great. McKelvin got beat on Brady's big pass play to Brandon Tate that helped set up their go ahead FG late in the first half (we'll get to that). It didn't get much better w/ the safeties. Jairus Byrd came up w/ a fumble recovery but wasn't his usual sharp self in the deep middle (way too late on the bomb to Moss). Bryan Scott was given the task of covering the TEs after Ellison was burned, and he wasn't up to the task either. Rob Gronkowski beat him easily for a TD. Donte Whitner had as much luck covering TEs as Scott did, but he did have a really nice hit. That's 'bout it. Sure he finished w/ a bunch of tackles, but considering the Pats' dominance on the ground (doesn't even sound right!) and Brady's virtuoso passing performance, what good was it?

 

Special teams did their job. The coverage units gave up 'bout 20 yards per kick return. Brian Moorman's only punt, a 33 yarder, was not returned. Parrish returned one punt for only 3 yards (got caught on the sideline w/ nowhere to go but out of bounds), but Spiller's 95 yard kick return was an exciting shot in the arm for the Bills (coming just after Brady drove the Pats down the field for a TD and 8 point lead). Rian Lindell missed on a 51 yarder, but was 3 for 3 inside of 40 yards. No big deal, huh? Yeah, tell that to Garrett Hartley.

 

Chan Gailey decided to incorporate all of his RBs, and it worked pretty well. Maybe a bit more to get the defense's front seven out of position, such as play action or counters? Defensively, the Bills were outgunned. Nothing worked. Chalk it up to a work in progress vs a QB who is playing very well and being extremely well protected (Williams' sack was only the 2nd time Brady has been sacked all season). Bruce DeHaven is doing a great job in his 2nd outing. Keep it up.

 

Okay, so it's 0-3 and the Jets are coming to town. Oh boy. It could be more of the same, as the Jets certainly can run, and Mark Sanchez is in a groove throwing the ball now. Better tighten up that defense, or it could get ugly. On the plus side, the Bills did score 30 points and they were able to get their running game going while also taking shots down the field in the passing game. Maybe they can pull off the upset and finally notch one in the win column. We'll see.

[JasoninMT]

It ain't meaningless... It's important to get it out there.

[Realist]

Always enjoy your weekly meaningless opinions, Rich!!

[Mark Long Beach]

Always enjoy your weekly meaningless opinions, Rich!!

 

 

Agreed. It's something that I look forward to each week.

[Spiderweb]

Very well stated R. Rich..................

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

Nice Post... Really worried about LB. I can see why there have been so many pick ups there (Davis, Tarbor, Ayodele)... Still not enough. This team is going to need to put 3 or 4 much better LB's on the field. Maybe Moats or Batten project as upgrades down the road, but they need to get a stud back there.

 

Interesting idea moving Williams to end and Troup to starting NT I guess?

 

I too am convinced the Pats draw up plays targeting Ellison, in the passing game for certain. Rewind to Last season and the last two touchdowns to win the MNF game were the same play. Watson deep over the middle with Ellison covering for 6.

Edited September 27, 2010 by over 20 years of fanhood