My Meaningless Opinion

[R. Rich]

Okay, so the Bills had the kinda game this week that I thought they'd have against the Stillers: a rough one. Man, was that tough to watch. Even tougher to watch again. Hey, I'm a glutton for punishment.

 

For starters, Ryan Fitzpatrick. Not a great performance, to be sure, but he did make a few nice throws later on after a dreadful start. But, as I mention every week, there were those three things he did yet again:

 

1. Overthrown pass (to Lee Evans w/ 'bout 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter; could've gone for a score w/ a little more touch)

 

2. Underthrown pass (missed Donald Jones on a 2nd down play 'bout 2 minutes into the 1st quarter)

 

3. Pass that never should've left his hand (his 2nd quarter pass to Antoine Winfield for a 42 yard INT return)

 

Another game, another appearance from the Terrible Trio. Every game. But, as I said, he did make some very nice throws later on. He had a nice one 'round the 6 minute mark of the 3rd quarter where he shook off a potential sack from Brian Robison and hit David Nelson for a 12 yard gain on 3rd and 7. He also hit Evans for a couple nice big gains in the early 4th quarter. I think that's what's so crazy 'bout Fitzpatrick. It isn't that he's an inaccurate passer (absolutely BEAUTIFUL throw to Steve Johnson w/ 'bout 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter!!); he just can't seem to put it all together and develop any consistency. Good backup to have, though.

 

 

 

The one thing I was impressed w/ (can't say there was a whole lot to be impressed w/ from this one) was the blocking by Fred Jackson. I mistakenly blamed the Bills for leaving Demetrius Bell out there on the island w/ Jared Allen, one of the league's most ferocious pass rushers. But, once I took another look @ the game, here's a few gems I saw from Fred:

 

1. Jackson chipped on Allen to allow Fitzpatrick to hit Nelson on the aforementioned 3rd and 7 conversion.

 

2. Jackson made a very impressive block on C.J. Spiller's 4 yard run @ the 4 minute mark of the 3rd quarter.

 

3. Jackson made another nice kickout block on Allen which helped to spring Spiller for 11 yards early in the 4th quarter.

 

There was also a nice chip block by Quinton Ganther, but it just so happened to be on Fitzpatrick's INT throw to Winfield. Jackson didn't have nearly as much success running w/ the ball as he did in blocking, finishing up w/ just 42 yards on the ground. Corey McIntire had a nice chip block (as did Spiller) on Evans' 26 yard catch in the 4th quarter, but also had the costly fumble after being hit in the 3rd quarter. Props to Spiller for having a couple nice running plays, but unfortunately, they were too few to be of consequence.

 

 

 

The receivers did make some big catches late, but the game was already out of hand then. And, unlike in games w/ Baltimore and Cincinnati, the Vikings had no intention of allowing the Bills to creep back into the game w/ poor decisions and lack of composure. Evans finished w/ 75 yards, but was virtually nonexistent in the first half. Nelson continues to find ways to get open when the Bills need 'em to, like on 3rd downs. Jones did make a catch, but also was underthrown on an early throw and also got caught for a loss on an end 'round play just prior to the underthrown pass when David Martin (here comes a shocker) badly missed a block. He tried to block Chad Greenway, who blew the play up, instead of going after safety Husain Abdullah and letting Kraig Urbik take Greenway. Ah well. Just more evidence that the Bills need a major upgrade @ the TE position.

 

 

 

When giving this game another look, I took the advice of my good friend William and watched closely the play of Demetrius Bell. Yeah, the kid had one brutal outing, giving up a sack and a pair of forced fumbles, not to mention other pressures that forced bad throws. But, he also had his moments, such as:

 

1. A nice block on a 6 yard gain by Jackson in the first quarter

 

2. A solid down block on Kevin Williams (put the All Pro DT on his butt!) on a 3 yard Jackson run on the next play

 

3. A good block in pass protection on the next play, a 3rd and 1 that was converted by a pass to Steve Johnson

 

For a guy who gets knocked for being too weak, he really had some nice blocks in the running game. Unfortunately, he got abused by Allen in pass protection often. Strange; I wouldn't expect a guy like Allen to have that kinda success. Go figure. Andy Levitre also had some nice run blocks. The Bills seem to love that power play to the right side, and I see why. When they pull Levitre and then have a TE (even Martin) follow behind to seal block, they seem to have good results. It worked well on a play where Spiller broke free for 20 yards in the 3rd quarter. So, of course, they tried it again on the next play, this time to the left side. Not so good there, as Levitre missed the block and it only went for 3 yards. Injuries kicked this unit in the tail, but man did they have some awful outings from Mansfield Wrotto and Urbik. Wrotto had the false start that turned a 3rd and 3 play in the 3rd quarter to a 3rd and 8 (and, eventually, out), plus he struggled to stop Robison all game. He missed a few blocks (missed Greenway on a QB draw in the 2nd quarter, missed Robison twice on plays where Fitzpatrick got hit: the Nelson 12 yard catch and an incomplete pass) and looked a step slow throughout this game. Urbik had issues w/ the snap, resulting in a near fumble that Fitzpatrick jumped on to retain possession. Levitre also had issues w/ the snap, and the Bills lost a fumble @ the 1 'cause of it.

 

 

 

This is one of the few times this year where Kyle Williams wasn't much of a factor. He got blocked well by the Minnesota O line (got totally blown off the ball late in the 2nd quarter by center John Sullivan) and when he did get past their line, he couldn't finish the play (missed a tackle on Adrian Peterson on a play that went for 13 yards in the 2nd quarter). He did run a nice twist move w/ George Wilson where he went to the outside behind Arthur Moats, Wilson went inside and they forced Brett Favre to roll to his right and eventually get hit by Moats and throw the INT. Spencer Johnson also struggled to fight off blocks (got driven off the ball late in the 1st quarter by Bryant McKinnie on a 6 yard run by Peterson and was double teamed and driven 3 yards off the ball by Sullivan and guard Chris DeGeare on a 3rd quarter run by Peterson that went for 6 yards and a first down). Marcus Stroud didn't fare much better, picking up an offsides penalty in the 1st quarter on a play where Leodis McKelvin got beat deep (imagine that) by Sidney Rice. Stroud also got handled @ the point of attack by Phil Loadholt on a 2nd quarter play where Tarvaris Jackson scrambled and picked up 13 yards. Perhaps his worst showing was on Peterson's 43 yard TD run early in the 4th quarter. Stroud was knocked off the ball, setting a chain of events into motion (we'll get to that) that put everyone out of position to catch AD. Not a game to write home 'bout for these guys.

 

 

 

In addition to spotlighting Bell's play, I also took care to watch the play of Paul Posluszny. I came up w/ more notes on his play than any other Bills player. It wasn't all bleak though. It was Posluszny who helped redirect Favre into the Moats hit that forced the INT and put Favre out of the game. He also got excellent pressure on the sack @ the 10:30 mark in the 1st quarter (props to Moats for helping to finish that play off w/ a nice hit). He also had a really nice hit on Peterson on a 1st and goal play to stop it cold and made a couple terrific tackles on Toby Gerhart: one in the late 1st quarter on a 2nd and 3 run where he hit 'em and dropped 'em like a stone and one in the late 2nd quarter pass on 3rd and 8 that was stopped for a 2 yard loss. These are the kinds of plays I wish we saw more from him. Unfortunately, I saw plenty of bad stuff too:

 

1. He left the middle of the field uncovered on a scramble by Jackson for 9 yards

 

2. He went to help out Drayton Florence on a pass play early in the 2nd quarter, but was burned by Visanthe Shiancoe for a 15 yard gain in the process

 

3. He lost Greg Camarillo on a 2nd quarter crossing route that went for a 20 yard gain

 

4. He took a horrible pursuit angle in the 3rd quarter on a 6 yard run by Peterson (same play where Spencer Johnson was driven 3 yards off the ball)

 

5. He was too late to get to Jim Kleinsasser on a 3rd and 6 play in the 4th quarter that went for 7 yards and a first down

 

I still see too many coverage issues w/ Posluszny, he still struggles to get off blocks (the majority of my notes were concerning this issue), and the pursuit angles still need work. Believe me, I root harder for this guy to make it in the LB corps than anyone, as he is living my dream: played LB for my favorite college team and was drafted by and starts as LB for my favorite pro team! That said, I call 'em as I see 'em, and while Posluszny may be in on a lot of tackles, there aren't nearly as many "splash plays" as I'd like to see. Okay, there were other LBs out there, and I did check 'em out as well. Chris Kelsay had a pair of nice plays vs the run in the early 1st quarter: he held the edge very well on the Favre INT and he also shut down a run by Peterson after just a 2 yard gain. He had a great stack 'n shed play in the 2nd quarter where he just threw Loadholt to the side and tackled Peterson after another 2 yard gain and he did a great job of pressuring Jackson on the INT to Whitner in the 3rd quarter. But, he also had times where he rushed too deep and allowed the QB to escape (on Jackson's 9 yard scramble) and also struggled to get off blocks @ times (like on Peterson's 43 yard TD in the 4th quarter, where Shiancoe kicked 'em out nicely). Akin Ayodele must know Peterson's shoe size well, as he probably still has cleat marks on his forehead from being run over TWICE in the 2nd quarter on TD runs by AD. He also lost Kleinsasser on a 12 yard underneath route in the 2nd quarter. He did finish w/ 10 tackles though. Moats made the big pressure on Favre, which resulted in Florence's first INT. He also did well in pressuring from McKinnie's side, something I did not expect. The more I see Moats in there, the more I like what he can become.

 

 

 

The secondary did okay. Florence came up w/ a pair of early picks, including the one where he read Jackson perfectly, jumped the route, and took of for the Bills' first TD. McKelvin did have a nice diving INT of his own, but boy did he take it on the chin in this one. He allowed Sidney Rice to snatch an INT right from 'em AND score in the process. Then, not settling for that, he fumbled the ensuing kick return right back to the Vikings to allow 'em to get a stranglehold on the game. He would add an ill timed pass interference call for added measure. He's certainly played better. On Rice's TD snatch from McKelvin, the Bills could've used a more decisive move to get to the play by Donte Whitner. Whitner also picked up a personal foul for hitting Jackson as he went into a slide after a nice scramble for 13 yards. Don't know if I'd call that, as it was right as Jackson began the slide and not seconds later. Ah well. Whitner also was robbed on Peterson's 4th quarter TD run, as Bernard Berrian clearly held Whitner as he tried to get to the outside to stop AD from breaking it long. Whitner also had a nice open field tackle of Gerhart on a 3rd down play that went for 4 yards. Bryan Scott took a horrible angle on the very next play and allowed Gerhart to run free for 13 yards and a first down. Jairus Byrd had a quiet game. I noticed one tackle in run support, but not much else.

 

 

 

The special teams had some nice moments. Brian Moorman did well on his punts, especially one in the 2nd quarter where Naaman Roosevelt made a nice tackle and another in the 3rd quarter where Moats had a really nice hit to bring the ballcarrier down. But, they also had some awful moments in kick coverage (including the opening kickoff) and Rian Lindell was a nonfactor due to the Bills offense's lack of....everything.

 

 

 

As for coaching, well we know the team made a ton of mistakes and penalties. That's certainly on Chan Gailey and his staff. As for strategy, they had some good ideas and moved the ball some, but the turnovers (5 of 'em) crushed 'em. There was a play that I took some issue w/: why, in the 2nd quarter, did the offense bring Spiller in motion to the left side, but then waited 3 seconds after the motion to snap the ball? If the motion was done to alter the defensive scheme, they had plenty of time to adjust to it. The play ended up being a screen pass to Spiller and, whadda ya know, it was snuffed out for a 3 yard loss by E.J. Henderson. Who woulda thunk it?

 

 

 

And so, the Bills had the kinda "exposed as a team that still has a way to go" type game I thought they'd have against Pittsburgh. They just had it a week later. This was just an awful performance, and w/ a team that still has issues in various areas, I guess you could expect to have a game or two like this one. Sucks, but it's time to move on to the next one. Cleveland has played some very good football this year, but they've also played some pretty atrocious games as well. Depending on their mindset on game day, the Bills could win in a rout or struggle to keep it close. What they need to do is just come out strong for these last few weeks and @ least make the statement that they will not quit. We kinda figure that, as we've seen this team take numerous good teams to overtime (only to lose, but I digress). They have it in 'em to play hard and give everyone a good game. Now, it's time to erase this putrid peformance from the memory banks and start anew w/ a win over the Cleve Brownies.

[DreReed83]

I dont think you wrote enough.

[billsfreak]

Okay, so the Bills had the kinda game this week that I thought they'd have against the Stillers: a rough one. Man, was that tough to watch. Even tougher to watch again. Hey, I'm a glutton for punishment.

 

For starters, Ryan Fitzpatrick. Not a great performance, to be sure, but he did make a few nice throws later on after a dreadful start. But, as I mention every week, there were those three things he did yet again:

 

1. Overthrown pass (to Lee Evans w/ 'bout 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter; could've gone for a score w/ a little more touch)

 

2. Underthrown pass (missed Donald Jones on a 2nd down play 'bout 2 minutes into the 1st quarter)

 

3. Pass that never should've left his hand (his 2nd quarter pass to Antoine Winfield for a 42 yard INT return)

 

Another game, another appearance from the Terrible Trio. Every game. But, as I said, he did make some very nice throws later on. He had a nice one 'round the 6 minute mark of the 3rd quarter where he shook off a potential sack from Brian Robison and hit David Nelson for a 12 yard gain on 3rd and 7. He also hit Evans for a couple nice big gains in the early 4th quarter. I think that's what's so crazy 'bout Fitzpatrick. It isn't that he's an inaccurate passer (absolutely BEAUTIFUL throw to Steve Johnson w/ 'bout 5 minutes left in the 4th quarter!!); he just can't seem to put it all together and develop any consistency. Good backup to have, though.

 

 

 

The one thing I was impressed w/ (can't say there was a whole lot to be impressed w/ from this one) was the blocking by Fred Jackson. I mistakenly blamed the Bills for leaving Demetrius Bell out there on the island w/ Jared Allen, one of the league's most ferocious pass rushers. But, once I took another look @ the game, here's a few gems I saw from Fred:

 

1. Jackson chipped on Allen to allow Fitzpatrick to hit Nelson on the aforementioned 3rd and 7 conversion.

 

2. Jackson made a very impressive block on C.J. Spiller's 4 yard run @ the 4 minute mark of the 3rd quarter.

 

3. Jackson made another nice kickout block on Allen which helped to spring Spiller for 11 yards early in the 4th quarter.

 

There was also a nice chip block by Quinton Ganther, but it just so happened to be on Fitzpatrick's INT throw to Winfield. Jackson didn't have nearly as much success running w/ the ball as he did in blocking, finishing up w/ just 42 yards on the ground. Corey McIntire had a nice chip block (as did Spiller) on Evans' 26 yard catch in the 4th quarter, but also had the costly fumble after being hit in the 3rd quarter. Props to Spiller for having a couple nice running plays, but unfortunately, they were too few to be of consequence.

 

 

 

The receivers did make some big catches late, but the game was already out of hand then. And, unlike in games w/ Baltimore and Cincinnati, the Vikings had no intention of allowing the Bills to creep back into the game w/ poor decisions and lack of composure. Evans finished w/ 75 yards, but was virtually nonexistent in the first half. Nelson continues to find ways to get open when the Bills need 'em to, like on 3rd downs. Jones did make a catch, but also was underthrown on an early throw and also got caught for a loss on an end 'round play just prior to the underthrown pass when David Martin (here comes a shocker) badly missed a block. He tried to block Chad Greenway, who blew the play up, instead of going after safety Husain Abdullah and letting Kraig Urbik take Greenway. Ah well. Just more evidence that the Bills need a major upgrade @ the TE position.

 

 

 

When giving this game another look, I took the advice of my good friend William and watched closely the play of Demetrius Bell. Yeah, the kid had one brutal outing, giving up a sack and a pair of forced fumbles, not to mention other pressures that forced bad throws. But, he also had his moments, such as:

 

1. A nice block on a 6 yard gain by Jackson in the first quarter

 

2. A solid down block on Kevin Williams (put the All Pro DT on his butt!) on a 3 yard Jackson run on the next play

 

3. A good block in pass protection on the next play, a 3rd and 1 that was converted by a pass to Steve Johnson

 

For a guy who gets knocked for being too weak, he really had some nice blocks in the running game. Unfortunately, he got abused by Allen in pass protection often. Strange; I wouldn't expect a guy like Allen to have that kinda success. Go figure. Andy Levitre also had some nice run blocks. The Bills seem to love that power play to the right side, and I see why. When they pull Levitre and then have a TE (even Martin) follow behind to seal block, they seem to have good results. It worked well on a play where Spiller broke free for 20 yards in the 3rd quarter. So, of course, they tried it again on the next play, this time to the left side. Not so good there, as Levitre missed the block and it only went for 3 yards. Injuries kicked this unit in the tail, but man did they have some awful outings from Mansfield Wrotto and Urbik. Wrotto had the false start that turned a 3rd and 3 play in the 3rd quarter to a 3rd and 8 (and, eventually, out), plus he struggled to stop Robison all game. He missed a few blocks (missed Greenway on a QB draw in the 2nd quarter, missed Robison twice on plays where Fitzpatrick got hit: the Nelson 12 yard catch and an incomplete pass) and looked a step slow throughout this game. Urbik had issues w/ the snap, resulting in a near fumble that Fitzpatrick jumped on to retain possession. Levitre also had issues w/ the snap, and the Bills lost a fumble @ the 1 'cause of it.

 

 

 

This is one of the few times this year where Kyle Williams wasn't much of a factor. He got blocked well by the Minnesota O line (got totally blown off the ball late in the 2nd quarter by center John Sullivan) and when he did get past their line, he couldn't finish the play (missed a tackle on Adrian Peterson on a play that went for 13 yards in the 2nd quarter). He did run a nice twist move w/ George Wilson where he went to the outside behind Arthur Moats, Wilson went inside and they forced Brett Favre to roll to his right and eventually get hit by Moats and throw the INT. Spencer Johnson also struggled to fight off blocks (got driven off the ball late in the 1st quarter by Bryant McKinnie on a 6 yard run by Peterson and was double teamed and driven 3 yards off the ball by Sullivan and guard Chris DeGeare on a 3rd quarter run by Peterson that went for 6 yards and a first down). Marcus Stroud didn't fare much better, picking up an offsides penalty in the 1st quarter on a play where Leodis McKelvin got beat deep (imagine that) by Sidney Rice. Stroud also got handled @ the point of attack by Phil Loadholt on a 2nd quarter play where Tarvaris Jackson scrambled and picked up 13 yards. Perhaps his worst showing was on Peterson's 43 yard TD run early in the 4th quarter. Stroud was knocked off the ball, setting a chain of events into motion (we'll get to that) that put everyone out of position to catch AD. Not a game to write home 'bout for these guys.

 

 

 

In addition to spotlighting Bell's play, I also took care to watch the play of Paul Posluszny. I came up w/ more notes on his play than any other Bills player. It wasn't all bleak though. It was Posluszny who helped redirect Favre into the Moats hit that forced the INT and put Favre out of the game. He also got excellent pressure on the sack @ the 10:30 mark in the 1st quarter (props to Moats for helping to finish that play off w/ a nice hit). He also had a really nice hit on Peterson on a 1st and goal play to stop it cold and made a couple terrific tackles on Toby Gerhart: one in the late 1st quarter on a 2nd and 3 run where he hit 'em and dropped 'em like a stone and one in the late 2nd quarter pass on 3rd and 8 that was stopped for a 2 yard loss. These are the kinds of plays I wish we saw more from him. Unfortunately, I saw plenty of bad stuff too:

 

1. He left the middle of the field uncovered on a scramble by Jackson for 9 yards

 

2. He went to help out Drayton Florence on a pass play early in the 2nd quarter, but was burned by Visanthe Shiancoe for a 15 yard gain in the process

 

3. He lost Greg Camarillo on a 2nd quarter crossing route that went for a 20 yard gain

 

4. He took a horrible pursuit angle in the 3rd quarter on a 6 yard run by Peterson (same play where Spencer Johnson was driven 3 yards off the ball)

 

5. He was too late to get to Jim Kleinsasser on a 3rd and 6 play in the 4th quarter that went for 7 yards and a first down

 

I still see too many coverage issues w/ Posluszny, he still struggles to get off blocks (the majority of my notes were concerning this issue), and the pursuit angles still need work. Believe me, I root harder for this guy to make it in the LB corps than anyone, as he is living my dream: played LB for my favorite college team and was drafted by and starts as LB for my favorite pro team! That said, I call 'em as I see 'em, and while Posluszny may be in on a lot of tackles, there aren't nearly as many "splash plays" as I'd like to see. Okay, there were other LBs out there, and I did check 'em out as well. Chris Kelsay had a pair of nice plays vs the run in the early 1st quarter: he held the edge very well on the Favre INT and he also shut down a run by Peterson after just a 2 yard gain. He had a great stack 'n shed play in the 2nd quarter where he just threw Loadholt to the side and tackled Peterson after another 2 yard gain and he did a great job of pressuring Jackson on the INT to Whitner in the 3rd quarter. But, he also had times where he rushed too deep and allowed the QB to escape (on Jackson's 9 yard scramble) and also struggled to get off blocks @ times (like on Peterson's 43 yard TD in the 4th quarter, where Shiancoe kicked 'em out nicely). Akin Ayodele must know Peterson's shoe size well, as he probably still has cleat marks on his forehead from being run over TWICE in the 2nd quarter on TD runs by AD. He also lost Kleinsasser on a 12 yard underneath route in the 2nd quarter. He did finish w/ 10 tackles though. Moats made the big pressure on Favre, which resulted in Florence's first INT. He also did well in pressuring from McKinnie's side, something I did not expect. The more I see Moats in there, the more I like what he can become.

 

 

 

The secondary did okay. Florence came up w/ a pair of early picks, including the one where he read Jackson perfectly, jumped the route, and took of for the Bills' first TD. McKelvin did have a nice diving INT of his own, but boy did he take it on the chin in this one. He allowed Sidney Rice to snatch an INT right from 'em AND score in the process. Then, not settling for that, he fumbled the ensuing kick return right back to the Vikings to allow 'em to get a stranglehold on the game. He would add an ill timed pass interference call for added measure. He's certainly played better. On Rice's TD snatch from McKelvin, the Bills could've used a more decisive move to get to the play by Donte Whitner. Whitner also picked up a personal foul for hitting Jackson as he went into a slide after a nice scramble for 13 yards. Don't know if I'd call that, as it was right as Jackson began the slide and not seconds later. Ah well. Whitner also was robbed on Peterson's 4th quarter TD run, as Bernard Berrian clearly held Whitner as he tried to get to the outside to stop AD from breaking it long. Whitner also had a nice open field tackle of Gerhart on a 3rd down play that went for 4 yards. Bryan Scott took a horrible angle on the very next play and allowed Gerhart to run free for 13 yards and a first down. Jairus Byrd had a quiet game. I noticed one tackle in run support, but not much else.

 

 

 

The special teams had some nice moments. Brian Moorman did well on his punts, especially one in the 2nd quarter where Naaman Roosevelt made a nice tackle and another in the 3rd quarter where Moats had a really nice hit to bring the ballcarrier down. But, they also had some awful moments in kick coverage (including the opening kickoff) and Rian Lindell was a nonfactor due to the Bills offense's lack of....everything.

 

 

 

As for coaching, well we know the team made a ton of mistakes and penalties. That's certainly on Chan Gailey and his staff. As for strategy, they had some good ideas and moved the ball some, but the turnovers (5 of 'em) crushed 'em. There was a play that I took some issue w/: why, in the 2nd quarter, did the offense bring Spiller in motion to the left side, but then waited 3 seconds after the motion to snap the ball? If the motion was done to alter the defensive scheme, they had plenty of time to adjust to it. The play ended up being a screen pass to Spiller and, whadda ya know, it was snuffed out for a 3 yard loss by E.J. Henderson. Who woulda thunk it?

 

 

 

And so, the Bills had the kinda "exposed as a team that still has a way to go" type game I thought they'd have against Pittsburgh. They just had it a week later. This was just an awful performance, and w/ a team that still has issues in various areas, I guess you could expect to have a game or two like this one. Sucks, but it's time to move on to the next one. Cleveland has played some very good football this year, but they've also played some pretty atrocious games as well. Depending on their mindset on game day, the Bills could win in a rout or struggle to keep it close. What they need to do is just come out strong for these last few weeks and @ least make the statement that they will not quit. We kinda figure that, as we've seen this team take numerous good teams to overtime (only to lose, but I digress). They have it in 'em to play hard and give everyone a good game. Now, it's time to erase this putrid peformance from the memory banks and start anew w/ a win over the Cleve Brownies.

I quit reading novels when I graduated high school. Oh wait, I didn't read any then either.

[The Big Cat]

Ha! John Sullivan. Lost track of that guy after ND. He's the little brother of one my fraternity brothers. Sounds like he's legit after all.

[bowery4]

Again a nice write up. I thought a lot of the pressure against Fitz last week was just our line being over-powered and pushed back a lot. It is not always about if the QB gets hit with the ball, it is often the rushing something or feeling pressure that causes mistakes.

 

I agree Jackson is a great blocker, I hope we see him and CJ in the backfield a lot more. I have been hoping and saying I want to see it since pre-season. I really wonder at times why Chan won't use a little wildcat too (with the both of them and Fitz, I see it being a good idea). It seems like creating bad match ups and some misdirection would surly work with both in there.

 

I think that Fitz does better than a lot of his peers in the league and get a bit tired of you saying he should be a back up. Other wise, I always enjoy your "opinions"

[Mark Long Beach]

Good Lord, what do we have here 5th graders? It's fine if you can't read 4 consecutive sentences without losing interest but do you really need to be proud of it?

 

This is an analysis of our football team and a good one at that. If all you want to do is B word and whine stay in those threads.

 

 

Thanks R. Rich, I always look forward to your insights on the game. Especially this one, I'm not sure how you were able to stomach that one as we were pretty brutal in just about every facet of that game.

[bizell]

awesome read. i appreciate how in-depth this analysis was.

[frogger]

When it comes to Bell, I believe he is our LT. He hasn't played horrible, one game against one the very best in the game is not a good example of his play. Richmond Webb as good as he was, was abused by Bruce smith on a couple of occasions...Allens no smith....but, still. Bell had little to no offseason, a full off-season will make a huge difference. Buffalo is a right tackle and a TE from having a top ten oline.

[The Senator]

I dont think you wrote enough.

I think you wrote too much - about 6 words too much.

 

I quit reading novels when I graduated high school. Oh wait, I didn't read any then either.

So you're illiterate - I wouldn't be posting that on line.

 

 

 

GREAT STUFF, R², as always - but why do we have to wait all week for ' your meaningless opinion ' this season?

 

(You used to opine right after the final gun, next day at the latest!)

Edited December 10, 2010 by The Senator

[DreReed83]

Good Lord, what do we have here 5th graders? It's fine if you can't read 4 consecutive sentences without losing interest but do you really need to be proud of it?

 

This is an analysis of our football team and a good one at that. If all you want to do is B word and whine stay in those threads.

 

 

Thanks R. Rich, I always look forward to your insights on the game. Especially this one, I'm not sure how you were able to stomach that one as we were pretty brutal in just about every facet of that game.

 

 

*Good lord, do we have 5th graders in here? That would be grammatically correct. Corrected by a "5th grader." Just helping you out a little bit.

[The Big Cat]

*Good lord, do we have 5th graders in here? That would be grammatically correct. Corrected by a "5th grader." Just helping you out a little bit.

 

Actually, it would be best to write it as was, just re-punctuated:

 

Good lord, what do we have here? Fifth graders?

[The Senator]

Actually, it would be best to write it as was, just re-punctuated:

 

Good lord, what do we have here? Fifth graders?

Everyone here is so helpful - what we have here is a sort of TSW Benevolent Society

[steampunk]

R. Rich, you have a great eye. I like that you noticed George Wilson's role on the infamous Moats/Favre play. Wilson disrupted the pjesus out of the oline on that. He came on-field late and sprinted to the line, alongside Kyle, just as the O got set. There was one extra protector; Shiancoe stayed home to block. At the snap, McKinnie began riding Moats along the edge. In a blown assignment, BOTH the center and Hutchinson's replacement at guard bit down hard on skinny lil George Wilson. Now without a hat over him, Kyle delayed and then ran wide into the outside lane behind Moats. Shanks halfheartedly chipped Moats and then politely waved Kyle through. McKinnie seemed to ease up on Moats once he saw Kyle in tow. Moats used nice balance and handplay to stay alive during his arc with McKinnie. Maybin doesn't have those yet.

[Gugny]

I dont think you wrote enough.

I think it's pretty cool how he provides such an in-depth analysis. I look forward to them. Thanks RR!

[The Big Cat]

I think you wrote too much - about 6 words too much.

 

 

So you're illiterate - I wouldn't be posting that on line.

 

 

 

GREAT STUFF, R², as always - but why do we have to wait all week for ' your meaningless opinion ' this season?

 

(You used to opine right after the final gun, next day at the latest!)

 

I thought the same thing, Senator Blutarsky. Love reading these, but by Friday (5 days later) I'm in full-on Browns mode. And after an ass-whipping like the Bills took last week, I'd rather not have to think about last week...ever...again.

 

RR, you do great work!

[Chandler#81]

Strong analysis RR! Thank you. I look forward to re-reading these in the off-season to see what we do about some of the issues your skilled eye has uncovered.

 

Keep it up!

[Mark Long Beach]

Actually, it would be best to write it as was, just re-punctuated:

 

Good lord, what do we have here? Fifth graders?

 

This was my intent. I have this (not necessarily grammatically correct) habit of writing sentences as though they were spoken. I find that readers will often "hear" the sentence as though someone had spoken it. In this case, I prefered to run the two sentences together as someone would if they were bellowing it into the room to chastise misbehaving children.

[Fixxxer]

I would like to point out that Namaan Roosevelt made a great stop on STs but not a great tackle. He dangerously led with his head instead of his shoulder. He needs to learn the proper technique for his own sake, hopefully the coaches were aware of that.

[Cornerville]

Tremendous analysis as always R!!! :thumbsup: Where else will you get in depth breakdowns like this?

 

I really was interested in what you wrote about Poz as we are in the same boat: Both like Penn State and was really fired up when we drafted a LB from our favorite team, but you are dead on, we have to put down the kool-aid and call it like we see it. He is pretty poor in coverage for sure.

[The Big Cat]

This was my intent. I have this (not necessarily grammatically correct) habit of writing sentences as though they were spoken. I find that readers will often "hear" the sentence as though someone had spoken it. In this case, I prefered to run the two sentences together as someone would if they were bellowing it into the room to chastise misbehaving children.

 

I think EVERYONE "heard" your sentence the way you intended, I certainly did.

 

I was just digging at the boner who pulled ye olde grammar check.

[marauderswr80]

I thought I've read around here that POZ and whitner are having career years? From your assesment on POZ I would think he's a 3rd stringer! I 100% agree with all you wrote...nice read! Keep up the solid work!

[rockpile]

Nice, read! It must have been hard to dig into this game for analysis when it hurt the eyes just to watch it!

 

I think you were a little hard on Poz. Not that I think he is perfect, but being surrounded by inconsistent performance from his teammates, I think he tries too hard to be everywhere.

 

Just my two cents, brother!