My Meaningless Opinion

[R. Rich]

First off, the tailgate was a tremendous success. Considering the 0-5 start to the season, I expected maybe 40 or so @ the most. Turned out we had 60 pay for the buffet in our private 2nd floor "party room" w/ another 30 or 40 who enjoyed the drink specials outside. Way to represent, Bills fans! A huge thanks goes out to the hard working staff @ Sliders, who did a great job of making Bills fans feel @ home. Considering we've done four of these tailgates there, and each has had near/over 100 people, we have an open invitation @ Sliders whenever the Bills show up. Nice.

 

It was also nice to see so many folks come in from out of town. Tony (Mr. Info) and his family (I'll get the photos to you shortly-PM me an email address or Facebook info or some other way to send 'em), Rande (mead), Helen (Mrs. mead), Matt (son of mead), TJ (friend of son of mead: looking forward to the home brew), Paul and his wife (friends of mead: Sunday was the wife's birthday!), Jay Rosen/Rubeo/Site Crasher, Pinto Kenny and crew, and Beerball (thanks for the drinks on Sunday; Psycho Ward 86 thanks you as well). It sure was great to see you all and all the other folks I had a chance to meet and chat w/. It really was a great time.

 

On to the game itself. Certainly was a lot closer than I and many others thought it would be, eh? Taking the Ravens to overtime? Gotta give the guys props for gutting out a tough performance. They showed us all that there is some fight in 'em and that they're not just mailing this season in. Good.

 

Ryan Fitzpatrick had a very solid effort! He still makes the boneheaded throws @ times (throwing to the deep middle when Ed Reed is in the vicinity is bad, so is throwing short when there's over/under coverage w/ Ray Lewis and Reed), and still has some accuracy issues (over/underthrowing guys who are open), but overall the guy showed the toughness to hang in there and make big throws and the intelligence to know when to tuck 'n run. Way to give us Bills fans some hope. The way he kept his head and drove the team down for the game tying FG was superb. Props to Fitz for having the first 300 yard passing game for a Bills QB in nearly 4 years (!), though it is sad that such a stat exists in the first place.

 

I like a lot of what I saw from Fred Jackson in the running game. He ran patient and fought for what he earned. One thing though: when you get the handoff deep in your own territory, make sure you take off as soon as you get the ball. When playing teams like the Ravens, know this: pursuit from the backside is going to come QUICKLY, as it did when Lewis dropped Jackson for a small loss on a play where Jackson didn't really accelerate from the snap. Outside of that, I thought he ran well and really helped the Bills control the clock and move the ball on one of the toughest defensive fronts to move the ball on. C.J. Spiller had one pretty nice gain, but again, was used sparingly (huh?) and didn't really establish anything on the ground.

 

What a day for the Bills' receivers, huh? Tremendous job. Lee Evans made plenty of big grabs in this one and did a good job of finding the open areas. He did drop one late that could've gone for a huge gain, but still did a great job. Roscoe Parrish has shown a lot of heart lately. He makes tough catches, even in traffic. The first Reed pick was a play that Fitzpatrick tried to force into Roscoe, but that one had much to do w/ a great play by Lewis and not anything Roscoe did wrong. The story of the day for these guys was.....Steve Johnson! Really?!! A 158 yard, one TD day for Steve Johnson??!! The one catch where he made a nice move and got free to gain more yards was outstanding. Again....that was Steve Johnson?! Not much out of the TEs again, outside of Shawn Nelson's catch and fumble (more on that later). Still, you gotta love what the Bills got from Evans, Parrish, and......Steve Johnson!!!!!

 

Props to the offensive line also! I was watching one guy in particular: Geoff Hangartner. Outside of the boneheaded penalty in overtime, he had a good showing. His pass blocking was strong, as there weren't many times where Fitzpatrick had a rush right up in his face to either force the quick throw or bring 'em down. As stout as I've seen Hangartner all season. Yeah yeah, I know, they didn't blitz often. Still, teams have been able to pressure Bills QBs w/ just a 3 to 4 man rush for years. Not on Sunday. Eric Wood wasn't all that special, but also didn't really hurt the team either. Cordaro Howard had a very good game, I thought. Much better than what we've seen @ the RT spot to date this season. I still saw a few plays where he got pushed back and allowed penetration, but overall he was MUCH better than what Cornell Green has been able to do. I also thought both Andy Levitre and Demetrius Bell had good outings. Bell looked stronger in the running game and also didn't get overwhelmed in pass protection. Levitre has, in my (meaningless) opinion, been the Bills' most consistent blocker this year. He looks good in pulling to lead on running plays to the outside, and his pass protection has come a long way from that horrid debut in the preseason game against the Titans in Canton last season.

 

The defensive line kept things under control for the most part. They were helped by a peculiar decision by the Ravens not to pound the ball w/ Ray Rice (or Willis McGahee, who really did damage in limited carries) more than they did (thanks), but these guys did show up. Spencer Johnson and Dwan Edwards were quick to get off blocks and chase after plays (props to Edwards on the sack). Torell Troup continues to show that he's got the raw materials to be a good one. The kid is country strong! More technique work will only help Troup get better. Marcus Stroud didn't do much to help, but also didn't do anything to hurt the Bills. Kyle Williams came up w/ a few tackles while playing on a bum ankle. Good job overall, fellas.

 

Another unimpressive showing by the linebackers. Paul Posluszny looked slow in coverage (again) and took some poor tackling angles (Rice abused 'em on one play). Outside of a sack and pass knockdown by Chris Kelsay, this unit didn't do that much on the day. Andra Davis and Reggie Torbor were nearly invisible. Arthur Moats got in and had a tackle assist. These guys still have major issues in coverage, as evidenced by FB La'Ron McClain's 35 yards on 2 catches (a 16 yarder and a 19 yarder) and Todd Heap's 56 yard, 2 TD day (though the safeties blew it w/ Heap also: more later). The run support still isn't that great also, but thanks to Ravens offensive coordinator Cam Cameron's love affiar w/ the pass, that didn't hurt the Bills that much on Sunday. Hey Cam, did ya know the Bills were ranked DEAD LAST in the league vs the run? Just wondering.

 

Not the best moment for the secondary either. Drayton Florence had his moments in coverage, but also got beat a couple times by Anquan Boldin and gave up a very costly pass interference penalty. Leodis McKelvin had Derrick Mason pretty much in check, 'til he gave up a 36 yarder late in the fourth quarter. Reggie Corner nearly pulled off a nice grab in the back of the end zone to squash a Ravens drive after a Bills turnover, but he was called out of bounds. The guys who really didn't help the cause for the secondary were safeties Jairus Byrd and Donte Whitner. Both were horrendous in run support. Byrd took a terrible angle on a running play where the Ravens were backed up inside the red zone, chasing the play to the inside and allowing McGahee to get outside for a big run. Hey Jairus, you're the free safety. If you get sucked inside, there's no defender playing deeper to bail the defense out. Stay home. Whitner got sucked inside on the flea flicker for a TD, but also dropped a sure INT (and maybe a pick 6) and was abused by Heap on a TD play. Byrd went for the pick on the first Heap TD instead of going for the knockdown, and it cost the Bills. Big. This was a rough outing for these guys.

 

As for special teams, man did Brian Moorman earn his keep yet again! That bomb that put the Ravens in poor field position (only to have Byrd screw up and allow McGahee to get the Ravens out of field position jail) was nice! And the FG that Rian Lindell hit to send the game into overtime was not only spot on and dead center, it was good by a mile. Great kick! Good thing the angry mob didn't get their way way back when and have the Bills jettison this guy for stud placekicker Mike Nugent. Hmm....Jon Corto returns to the lineup, and the Bills' coverage units shut the Ravens down to 22 yards on kicks and zero on punts? Nah, I know it ain't that simple. These guys have had games like this already this year, but it was nice to see it again. Then there was the Bills' kick returns...uh boy. Spiller did do a bit better w/ 25 yards per return, but also had the very costly fumble that allowed the Ravens to rally late in the first half. Yikes.

 

Coaching wise, it was a decent effort for Chan and the guys. They had that extra week to prepare and it appears that they worked to prepare instead of just going through the motions. They did a good job of attacking the very weak Ravens cornerbacks, the achilles heel of that defense. I would've liked to see both Jackson and Spiller carry the ball more, but what do I know? I also would've liked to see the defense come up w/ a way to contain McGahee and Rice, but that is something we've waited to see all year and probably won't see 'til the Bills add more talent to their front seven.

 

So, what did we learn from this one? Again, this is just my (meaningless) opinion, but I know what I didn't learn. I didn't learn any of the following:

 

a. The Bills are set @ QB and do not need to draft one of the top guys early if they're available

 

b. The Bills have gone over the hump schedule-wise and will win out over weaker competition the rest of the way

 

c. The Bills are only a few maneuvers and a couple players away from contention

 

 

As for the first one, hey I loved the game Fitzpatrick had Sunday. He showed heart, made some nice plays, and put the Bills in position to win. But, he also still throws ill advised passes into coverage and kills drives and still constantly over/underthrows wide open players. I think the guy is a very good backup QB to have, but I still believe that if the Bills want to go from a doormat to a competitive team, they need more from the QB position. I'm taking Fitz' game for what it was: a welcomed reminder of what good offense is like. Thanks for reminding us all, Fitz.

 

"B" is the one I kinda figured I'd see/hear after leaving M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday. "We almost beat a good team, so we're better than the other teams and blah blah blah.." I tend to look @ it from a different perspective. Everything was set up for the Bills to win: they played way over their heads while the Ravens played down to the Bills. Given that, the Bills still lost. So, I'm sorry, but I don't look @ teams like Detroit, Chicago, Kansas City, and Cincinnati as "wins in the bank". Maybe they will win one/some/all of those games, but I need to see it to believe it.

 

"C" All I need to do is watch the linebacker play to know that the Bills are @ least 3 quality linebackers away from being decent @ just that position. They also probably need a quality right tackle prospect (we'll see if Howard develops), a QB that can lead the franchise for years to come, and a difference maker in both the secondary (maybe Byrd if he gets coached up on run support and taking better angles while playing centerfield?) and the defensive line (I think it could be Troup w/ more playing time and coaching). That's seven players right there, and there may be even more than that.

 

I also wanted to address the officiating. I think it wasn't clear cut as to the forward progress of Nelson due to his own linemen coming from behind to push the pile. Now maybe once he left his feet, the ref should've blown the whistle. Maybe not. Again, I think an argument could be made either way, which means it isn't clear cut. Sucks, but that's how it goes, I 'spose. As for Corner's near INT, same thing. I could see arguments being made for him being in and for being out. I guess if I were officiating, I'd go w/ whatever the call on the field was for those. As for the other plays that were reviewed, I think they did a good job of making the right call. I know this won't endear me to fans who want to believe the fix is always in and that the Bills will continue to be screwed by the evil powers that be who don't like the Bills because......because.....well, they just don't like 'em, but that's just what I think.

 

So, it's 0-6. But, there's a lot to be positive 'bout. Maybe they will continue to build on that and the team will continue to progress. What's this? Bills fans may have some hope after all? We've come a long way from............Thursday.

[Matt in KC]

Great read. Thanks, Rich. I agree with almost everything you posted, but don't have time to comment right now (quick work break). I'm posting because this deserves to be bumped back to the top.

[Rubes]

Excellent read, thanks!

[Chandler#81]

Best peice yet on the game!

 

Thanks!

[mead107]

Good meaningless opinions.

No one gave the Bills a chance at this game. I think we are seeing Chan coaching the QB up like he has done in the past. I would be OK going for a stud D player before looking at the QBs in the draft. I do think that Fitzpatrick can serve as the QB and take us to the playoffs, How far is the Question. Who knows about Brown and how he will develop. I know a lot of people will say we cut him so he must not have had it. By cutting him they did get that good look at Trent which proved that he was not the one. I did not think that anyone would pick Brown up being a project and I think that was why the cut him.

 

Party was lots of fun.

[MattyT]

Until the Bills start winning, this is one of the few things I get to look forward to during the season. Thanks!

[34-78-83]

Thanks for the post Rich!

Excellent points.

[garbag3man]

I don't think that Fitz is the franchise QB, or our guy to get us to the promise land. That being said, this game (and his 11/4 TD/Pick ratio and 103 QB Rating) has me not opposed to looking later in the draft for a QB. I wouldn't be against spending 6 of our 8 picks on guys who are no less than 300 LB, and a Kellen Moore/Christian Ponder (I know I was making fun of FSU QB's earlier) type player.

 

Fact of the matter is, we aren't one offseason away from a playoff 2011, but if we address the defense and allow Fitz to be a game manager, and throw up a few games like this week, we could have a competitive 2011 and have a promising QB learning the game/system for a year.

[Bill from NYC]

Fantastic as usual.

[Mr Info]

Good insight as always. And a big TBD thank you (and PS 86) for putting together the party at Sliders . We had a great time!!!

[TPS]

It seems more and more clear that what the Bills will need with one of their first 2 picks is a playmaker at LB, not the pass-rush side, but Kelsey's position--someone who can cover the TE. Also, I think one of the more interesting developments over the course of the rest of the season will be to see if Moats or Coleman can do what the late Aaron Maybin couldn't, put heat on the QB?

[tennesseeboy]

very nice read..thanks.

[b stein 22]

Corner had his elbow in bounds. He caught that ball. Refs !@#$ed up that call.

[pkwwjd]

Corner had his elbow in bounds. He caught that ball. Refs !@#$ed up that call.

Don't forget the "Dead Patriot Laying Out of Bounds Thus Negating Recovery of Fumbles by Bills Rule" ... it goes for INTs as well. Boldin became an extension of the out of bounds line while touching Corner.