My Meaningless Opinion

[R. Rich]

Close, but not quite. Looks like this is becoming a theme for the 2010 Buffalo Bills. They showed heart, but once again could not come up w/ the win. This was another one of those "up for grabs" games that Chicago just grabbed. Keep workin', fellas. You're getting close.

 

Ryan Fitzpatrick? Well, he did look sharp on the late 2nd quarter TD drive (the TD throw to Roscoe Parrish was sweet), and he also made a great read on the long pass to Steve Johnson in the 3rd quarter. Unfortunately, he had more of those poorly under (pass to David Nelson in the 4th) and over (1st quarter pass to Lee Evans; 4th quarter pass to Parrish) throws that seem to be a weekly staple. He also had a reallly bad throw into 'bout 4 defenders late in the first quarter and the two awful INT throws in the 4th quarter. Neither of those passes should've been thrown, as the receivers were blanketed. I love the toughness (looking to throw a block...nice!) and the spirit, but he is just limited in certain areas. He has not improved on his accuracy and he still makes some just flat out awful decisions, which usually are turnovers. I still think he's a good backup, but the Bills should work to find a starter that can get them to a level where they can not only play w/ teams and make games close, but come out on the winning end more often than not.

 

Fred Jackson had a very rough outing. Some of it was directly attributed to his play (the dropped flare pass in the 3rd quarter; half a** rush attempt and fumble, also in 3rd quarter) and for some of it, the line played a part in it (run blocking was brutal for most of the game). The guy who really had a rough one was C.J. Spiller. He would end up w/ just 20 yards on 7 carries, but before you're quick to label Spiller as the goat (William), here's a few things to ponder:

 

1. In the 2nd quarter, TE David Martin whiffed on a block that allowed Spiller to get dropped for a 4 yard loss by Julius Peppers.

2. In the third quarter, Martin missed another block (on Brian Urlacher) and Spiller got dropped again.

3. In the fourth quarter, Spiller got 5 yards on a play that may have been a big gainer had he not been caught from behind by Bears DL Israel Idonije. The guy who "blocked" Idonije on that play? You guessed it: Martin.

4. Spiller gained 75% of his rushing total on one play, a 15 yard run off the right side w/ solid blocks by Andy Levitre and Corey McIntire. They ran this play in the 2nd quarter, and Urlacher ate it up (beat a block by Mansfield Wrotto). Note: they ran this play to the opposite side of Martin.

 

So, maybe Spiller isn't so horrible after all. I do know that his blocking sure was. Also, props to McIntire for a solid game of lead blocking and for getting the TD. Nice to see a team let the blocking back run one in after putting in the work to help get a team down there in the first place.

 

What a great game from Parrish and Steve Johnson! Roscoe made some excellent catches (the 2nd down catch in the first quarter and the TD catch were both really nice) and works to make grabs that guys much bigger than he is (James Hardy?) wouldn't. He's come a long way as a wideout. Johnson was very good @ finding the open spots on the field and that catch and run he had in the third quarter was outstanding. David Nelson had a nice third down conversion and would've had an even nicer catch in the fourth had Fitzpatrick delivered the ball to 'em. Lee Evans didn't have a very good game. He missed one late in the first half on the TD drive and only caught 3 for the game. Then again, Fitzpatrick badly missed a throw to Evans @ 'bout the halfway point in the quarter. As for the tight ends....not much. Props to Jonathan Stupar for a good lead block on McIntire's TD run, but Martin's woes (see RB breakdown above) were just too often and glaring.

 

The O line didn't let Fitzpatrick get killed, but they weren't stellar either. Geoff Hangartner was okay in pass protection, but had a few plays where he looked weak in run blocking. He also let Anthony Adams blow up a screen play in the beginning of the fourth quarter that may have gotten Jackson going. Cordaro Howard? Didn't see much good from 'em: a typical penalty to make a third down play longer, but he didn't really distinguish himself. Wrotto did a little more...just a little. He did get beat bad by Idonije on an incomplete pass play where Fitzpatrick got drilled. He also, as mentioned earlier, missed a block that would've helped to spring Spiller. Eric Wood? Yeah, I guess he was out there. Again, not much to report. Demetrius Bell? He took his lumps a few times, but he was going against some guy named Peppers (two plays in a row in the first quarter were especially tough), and I hear that guy is pretty good. No excuse for the penalty on the fourth down try though. I really thought Levitre had a nice outing. Watching that guy get out on blocks is impressive. He's almost Steeler-like in his ability to pull and lead down the line. Gotta get more stout in pass protection, but he's the best lineman the Bills have in run blocking in my (meaningless) opinion.

 

The D line had a so-so game. Kyle Williams put in some work, didn't he? Gotta love the effort. I didn't see much this time from Torell Troup in the 4 man packages. Same w/ Dwan Edwards who made one tackle and was nearly invisible. Spencer Johnson had a sack, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble in this one. Nice impact. He did get blown off the ball on Chester Taylor's TD run though. Once he was taken out, that play was over and Taylor walked in. Didn't see much from Marcus Stroud either. There was one play where he helped string it out to the sideline, but the play broke down once it got there (not his fault, was it LBs?).

 

There was some good stuff from the linebackers, but also some awful stuff. I liked the play in the beginning of the second quarter where Moats sniffed out the screen play and ran it down. Too bad his moment was crushed by a defensive holding call on Reggie Corner. Chris Kelsay still has problems containing plays. One led to a big scramble by Jay Cutler. When he charges down the line, the play goes 'round 'em. When he bursts upfield, the play goes inside of 'em. I dunno what it will take to fix it. He also needs better depth on his dropbacks. One in particular was the Cutler to Knox completion that went for 24 yards. Kelsay dropped back, but still gave too much of a cushion and Cutler was able to get the ball in to Knox. Paul Posluszny made a really nice tackle early on to stuff a third down play and finished w/ 10, but really wasn't a difference maker. Akin Ayodele's best play was probably the big hit he had covering a punt. That leaves the guy I tried to spotlight this week: Reggie Torbor. Sure, he made some tackles (6) and he had a great, diving pass breakup in the fourth quarter. That said, here's some of the things I saw that I didn't like:

1. He missed Matt Forte on a running play in the first quarter. Had 'em in the backfield, but let 'em spin away. So, the potential loss of 4 turned out to be a gain of 1.

2. He missed Chester Taylor in the backfield in a similar fashion, also in the first quarter.

3. This one ins't as bad. He made a tackle on Forte after a 6 yard gain, but watching the play, I just feel he could've arrived there earlier (he kinda hesitated after the throw) and w/ more urgency (go THROUGH the ballcarrier, don't just drag 'em down!!).

4. He got sucked in on a misdirection run in the third quarter instead of setting the edge and containing the play. Less than a minute later, he again could not contain a play to the outside and Forte bounced it his way, got to the edge, and ran for 22 yards.

 

He doesn't suck, as evidenced by the great pass breakup in the fourth and the fact that he continued to chase plays down all game. He just needs to be more aggressive and decisive.

 

Considering the lack of sacks in this game (really, no good pressure on Jay Cutler????), I think the defensive backs held their own for the most part. There were some bad points though. Leodis McKelvin did blow an open field tackle attempt on Taylor in the second and should've kept to the outside and let Donte Whitner take the inside on Earl Bennett's fourth quarter score. Drayton Florence did not miss a chance to make a big tackle, as he cut Devin Hester down on an end 'round for a small loss. Whitner had the big pass interference call in the fourth quarter and it sucked. But honestly, I could've seen that one called either way. Not gonna whine and complain 'bout that one. More damaging were the TWO missed chances for INTs by Bryan Scott: one in the second quarter and the other (and more damning) one in the fourth. Jairus Byrd made plenty of tackles, but I would've loved to see 'em get to the Bennett completion in the first quarter earlier (hesitated too much once Cutler dropped back).

 

Special teams? Not so special. Rian Lindell missed his first career PAT (it was blocked by...who else?....Idonije), Brian Moorman kept the Bears pinned inside the 20 but had less than 30 yards on average, and the return game was nonexistent. Props to the coverage unit for not allowing Hester to explode on 'em. I guess that's a huge plus for 'em. Otherwise, it was a fair effort overall.

 

Coaching wise, one of the problems I had w/ this was why they put no pressure on Cutler on the third down conversion late in the game? He was given 6.39 seconds to throw the ball!!! Unless you have Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson, Mel Blount, Michael Haynes, and Night Train Lane as your secondary, you're in trouble allowing ANY signal caller that much time to throw. Also, there was a series in the first quarter where the Bills ran that bubble screen to Parrish twice in a row. Really? And no LB to shadow the QB on the keeper in the second quarter? Cutler just ran wild and picked up the first down. To be fair, the coaches deserve props for a bold fourth down call late in the first half on the first TD drive.

 

And so we can adjust the counter to 8, as in 0-8 now. The halfway point, if you're so inclined to root for a perfect(ly sorry) record. Still, the team is able to move the ball and put up points, so that's improvement. They also play w/ heart. There are some things to remain positive 'bout. That said, we are still talking 'bout a winless team and a team that could go winless all year. This Detroit team the Bills are preparing to face is much like the Bills: they play hard and they can give teams a run for their money also. This will be an interesting game to see how they fare. They can win this one, but they have to find a way to come up on the right end of these situations they can't seem to overcome. Considering how hard each team plays and the fact that both teams have come up short so often this season, it would be fitting for the Bills to get their first win this week. I sure hope that's what happens.

[Bill from NYC]

Great stuff Rich!

 

Reading your comments, one would think that we need more productions from 1st round draft picks.

[aussiew]

Damn - do you watch the games with 4 sets of eyes? No potty or beer breaks?

 

Thanks Rich....

[infernus]

Good review, well written.

 

One thing I'd like to point out is that the first INT thrown by fitz I think it was a pass to S. Johnson which definitely should have been thrown. If it was a tad further downfield, it could have very well been a TD (and continued Johnson's streak for 6 games). In fact, I think it was in the presser.. you could tell Chan was crestfallen that play didn't pay off, because it sounded like that's exactly the play he was planning for that drive.

[eball]

Good review, well written.

 

One thing I'd like to point out is that the first INT thrown by fitz I think it was a pass to S. Johnson which definitely should have been thrown. If it was a tad further downfield, it could have very well been a TD (and continued Johnson's streak for 6 games). In fact, I think it was in the presser.. you could tell Chan was crestfallen that play didn't pay off, because it sounded like that's exactly the play he was planning for that drive.

Agreed. Johnson was four yards behind the DB and the safety was coming late. If Fitz puts a little air under that ball it's a huge play.

[Like A Mofo]

Always my favorite post for each gameweek...keep up the great recaps R.Rich!

[IDBillzFan]

If not for the weekly community updates from the Borough of Macungie (SA-LUTE!), your post-game threads represent the best of this board.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

Close, but not quite. Looks like this is becoming a theme for the 2010 Buffalo Bills. They showed heart, but once again could not come up w/ the win. This was another one of those "up for grabs" games that Chicago just grabbed. Keep workin', fellas. You're getting close.

 

Ryan Fitzpatrick? Well, he did look sharp on the late 2nd quarter TD drive (the TD throw to Roscoe Parrish was sweet), and he also made a great read on the long pass to Steve Johnson in the 3rd quarter. Unfortunately, he had more of those poorly under (pass to David Nelson in the 4th) and over (1st quarter pass to Lee Evans; 4th quarter pass to Parrish) throws that seem to be a weekly staple. He also had a reallly bad throw into 'bout 4 defenders late in the first quarter and the two awful INT throws in the 4th quarter. Neither of those passes should've been thrown, as the receivers were blanketed. I love the toughness (looking to throw a block...nice!) and the spirit, but he is just limited in certain areas. He has not improved on his accuracy and he still makes some just flat out awful decisions, which usually are turnovers. I still think he's a good backup, but the Bills should work to find a starter that can get them to a level where they can not only play w/ teams and make games close, but come out on the winning end more often than not.

 

Fred Jackson had a very rough outing. Some of it was directly attributed to his play (the dropped flare pass in the 3rd quarter; half a** rush attempt and fumble, also in 3rd quarter) and for some of it, the line played a part in it (run blocking was brutal for most of the game). The guy who really had a rough one was C.J. Spiller. He would end up w/ just 20 yards on 7 carries, but before you're quick to label Spiller as the goat (William), here's a few things to ponder:

 

1. In the 2nd quarter, TE David Martin whiffed on a block that allowed Spiller to get dropped for a 4 yard loss by Julius Peppers.

2. In the third quarter, Martin missed another block (on Brian Urlacher) and Spiller got dropped again.

3. In the fourth quarter, Spiller got 5 yards on a play that may have been a big gainer had he not been caught from behind by Bears DL Israel Idonije. The guy who "blocked" Idonije on that play? You guessed it: Martin.

4. Spiller gained 75% of his rushing total on one play, a 15 yard run off the right side w/ solid blocks by Andy Levitre and Corey McIntire. They ran this play in the 2nd quarter, and Urlacher ate it up (beat a block by Mansfield Wrotto). Note: they ran this play to the opposite side of Martin.

 

So, maybe Spiller isn't so horrible after all. I do know that his blocking sure was. Also, props to McIntire for a solid game of lead blocking and for getting the TD. Nice to see a team let the blocking back run one in after putting in the work to help get a team down there in the first place.

 

What a great game from Parrish and Steve Johnson! Roscoe made some excellent catches (the 2nd down catch in the first quarter and the TD catch were both really nice) and works to make grabs that guys much bigger than he is (James Hardy?) wouldn't. He's come a long way as a wideout. Johnson was very good @ finding the open spots on the field and that catch and run he had in the third quarter was outstanding. David Nelson had a nice third down conversion and would've had an even nicer catch in the fourth had Fitzpatrick delivered the ball to 'em. Lee Evans didn't have a very good game. He missed one late in the first half on the TD drive and only caught 3 for the game. Then again, Fitzpatrick badly missed a throw to Evans @ 'bout the halfway point in the quarter. As for the tight ends....not much. Props to Jonathan Stupar for a good lead block on McIntire's TD run, but Martin's woes (see RB breakdown above) were just too often and glaring.

 

The O line didn't let Fitzpatrick get killed, but they weren't stellar either. Geoff Hangartner was okay in pass protection, but had a few plays where he looked weak in run blocking. He also let Anthony Adams blow up a screen play in the beginning of the fourth quarter that may have gotten Jackson going. Cordaro Howard? Didn't see much good from 'em: a typical penalty to make a third down play longer, but he didn't really distinguish himself. Wrotto did a little more...just a little. He did get beat bad by Idonije on an incomplete pass play where Fitzpatrick got drilled. He also, as mentioned earlier, missed a block that would've helped to spring Spiller. Eric Wood? Yeah, I guess he was out there. Again, not much to report. Demetrius Bell? He took his lumps a few times, but he was going against some guy named Peppers (two plays in a row in the first quarter were especially tough), and I hear that guy is pretty good. No excuse for the penalty on the fourth down try though. I really thought Levitre had a nice outing. Watching that guy get out on blocks is impressive. He's almost Steeler-like in his ability to pull and lead down the line. Gotta get more stout in pass protection, but he's the best lineman the Bills have in run blocking in my (meaningless) opinion.

 

The D line had a so-so game. Kyle Williams put in some work, didn't he? Gotta love the effort. I didn't see much this time from Torell Troup in the 4 man packages. Same w/ Dwan Edwards who made one tackle and was nearly invisible. Spencer Johnson had a sack, forced a fumble, and recovered a fumble in this one. Nice impact. He did get blown off the ball on Chester Taylor's TD run though. Once he was taken out, that play was over and Taylor walked in. Didn't see much from Marcus Stroud either. There was one play where he helped string it out to the sideline, but the play broke down once it got there (not his fault, was it LBs?).

 

There was some good stuff from the linebackers, but also some awful stuff. I liked the play in the beginning of the second quarter where Moats sniffed out the screen play and ran it down. Too bad his moment was crushed by a defensive holding call on Reggie Corner. Chris Kelsay still has problems containing plays. One led to a big scramble by Jay Cutler. When he charges down the line, the play goes 'round 'em. When he bursts upfield, the play goes inside of 'em. I dunno what it will take to fix it. He also needs better depth on his dropbacks. One in particular was the Cutler to Knox completion that went for 24 yards. Kelsay dropped back, but still gave too much of a cushion and Cutler was able to get the ball in to Knox. Paul Posluszny made a really nice tackle early on to stuff a third down play and finished w/ 10, but really wasn't a difference maker. Akin Ayodele's best play was probably the big hit he had covering a punt. That leaves the guy I tried to spotlight this week: Reggie Torbor. Sure, he made some tackles (6) and he had a great, diving pass breakup in the fourth quarter. That said, here's some of the things I saw that I didn't like:

1. He missed Matt Forte on a running play in the first quarter. Had 'em in the backfield, but let 'em spin away. So, the potential loss of 4 turned out to be a gain of 1.

2. He missed Chester Taylor in the backfield in a similar fashion, also in the first quarter.

3. This one ins't as bad. He made a tackle on Forte after a 6 yard gain, but watching the play, I just feel he could've arrived there earlier (he kinda hesitated after the throw) and w/ more urgency (go THROUGH the ballcarrier, don't just drag 'em down!!).

4. He got sucked in on a misdirection run in the third quarter instead of setting the edge and containing the play. Less than a minute later, he again could not contain a play to the outside and Forte bounced it his way, got to the edge, and ran for 22 yards.

 

He doesn't suck, as evidenced by the great pass breakup in the fourth and the fact that he continued to chase plays down all game. He just needs to be more aggressive and decisive.

 

Considering the lack of sacks in this game (really, no good pressure on Jay Cutler????), I think the defensive backs held their own for the most part. There were some bad points though. Leodis McKelvin did blow an open field tackle attempt on Taylor in the second and should've kept to the outside and let Donte Whitner take the inside on Earl Bennett's fourth quarter score. Drayton Florence did not miss a chance to make a big tackle, as he cut Devin Hester down on an end 'round for a small loss. Whitner had the big pass interference call in the fourth quarter and it sucked. But honestly, I could've seen that one called either way. Not gonna whine and complain 'bout that one. More damaging were the TWO missed chances for INTs by Bryan Scott: one in the second quarter and the other (and more damning) one in the fourth. Jairus Byrd made plenty of tackles, but I would've loved to see 'em get to the Bennett completion in the first quarter earlier (hesitated too much once Cutler dropped back).

 

Special teams? Not so special. Rian Lindell missed his first career PAT (it was blocked by...who else?....Idonije), Brian Moorman kept the Bears pinned inside the 20 but had less than 30 yards on average, and the return game was nonexistent. Props to the coverage unit for not allowing Hester to explode on 'em. I guess that's a huge plus for 'em. Otherwise, it was a fair effort overall.

 

Coaching wise, one of the problems I had w/ this was why they put no pressure on Cutler on the third down conversion late in the game? He was given 6.39 seconds to throw the ball!!! Unless you have Deion Sanders, Rod Woodson, Mel Blount, Michael Haynes, and Night Train Lane as your secondary, you're in trouble allowing ANY signal caller that much time to throw. Also, there was a series in the first quarter where the Bills ran that bubble screen to Parrish twice in a row. Really? And no LB to shadow the QB on the keeper in the second quarter? Cutler just ran wild and picked up the first down. To be fair, the coaches deserve props for a bold fourth down call late in the first half on the first TD drive.

 

And so we can adjust the counter to 8, as in 0-8 now. The halfway point, if you're so inclined to root for a perfect(ly sorry) record. Still, the team is able to move the ball and put up points, so that's improvement. They also play w/ heart. There are some things to remain positive 'bout. That said, we are still talking 'bout a winless team and a team that could go winless all year. This Detroit team the Bills are preparing to face is much like the Bills: they play hard and they can give teams a run for their money also. This will be an interesting game to see how they fare. They can win this one, but they have to find a way to come up on the right end of these situations they can't seem to overcome. Considering how hard each team plays and the fact that both teams have come up short so often this season, it would be fitting for the Bills to get their first win this week. I sure hope that's what happens.

 

Better than anything I read in the media. Great post. thanks!

[cåblelady]

[Sammyboy]

Great post. Probably one of the best I've read in a long time.

[cantankerous]

Has Moorman pinned anyone deep this year? All I can remember is shank, shank, shank.

[todd]

Great writeup as usual.

[IDBillzFan]

Great writeup as usual.

Well, he's no Tim Graham, but he'll do.