My Meaningless Opinion

[R. Rich]

Sorry to again be MIA last week, but someone (not mentioning any names Psycho Ward 86) accidentally erased the game on me last week, and I didn't want to do a write-up w/out having the chance to once again review the game and pick up the finer points. I will say that I did like a lot of the throws that Ryan Fitzpatrick made in that game, even though he didn't throw for a bunch of yards. He showed some nice touch on his passes and really put the ball in some tight spots where only the receiver had a shot @ it. Good job. But...

 

 

Man, did Fitzpatrick struggle in this one! Five turnovers is just awful, no excuses. He also had some throws where he was just not in sync w/ his receiver: he was late on an out route to Naaman Roosevelt @ the 5:47 mark of the first quarter on a play where Pats corner Darius Butler was able to recover and knock the ball down. He also was just a bit off on an attempt @ the 11:05 mark of the first quarter and later on a third and 5 pass @ the 10:18 mark of the first quarter where he "justmissed" hooking up w/ Steve Johnson for a TD. The throws that were intercepted were all awful throws that appeared to be intended for the NE defenders and the fumbles were a classic case of someone trying to do too much and, instead, costing his team a valuable possession by turning it over. There were a few bright spots though. His big 41 yard completion to CJ Spiller @ the 3:40 mark of the first quarter was a nice throw and a beautiful catch by Spiller. He also threw a nice underneath pass to Roosevelt to pick up a first down @ the 10:57 mark of the second quarter. I thought he also threw nice passes that were dropped: one by Fred Jackson (who appeared to hear footsteps and didn't concentrate on catching the ball) @ the 5:51 mark of the first quarter and a failed fourth down attempt @ the 7:32 mark of the second quarter where Johnson couldn't hold on to the ball after a big hit from Jarod Mayo (imagine that; a linebacker making big hits and forcing incomplete passes). Still, there were far more negatives in this game than positives for Fitzpatrick. I like the guy's heart and all; I just think he's limited in potential. But, as others have mentioned, I believe he can keep things going 'til the Bills find their franchise QB to lead 'em back to being contenders. The Bills are certainly not in as bad a shape as they had been in terms of the QB position. They just need an upgrade to get over the hump.

 

Fred Jackson had a wonderful start to the game. The running on that opening drive was sweet. It started out w/ a nice 27 yard gain (good block by Chad Rinehart on that one) and featured a few tough runs to keep the chains moving and to keep the Pats' offense off the field. Things were looking pretty solid......'til the Bills failed to come up w/ the third down conversion that would've given 'em a 7-0 lead instead of the 3-0 lead they ended up w/. From that point on, the Bills found fewer holes on the inside to exploit. Belichick moved Kyle Love from the nose to end and put Vince Wilfork in @ the nose to anchor the middle and to shut down rush lanes....and it worked. Smart move, but would you expect anything else? Jackson's drop of the pass @ the 5:51 mark of the first quarter (seems like he's good for one of those a game; usually on a flare pattern) stymied a drive. Jackson did benefit from Chan Gailey's decision to stick w/ the running game, as the Bills continued to mix in running plays in the attempt to keep the Pats off balance so that they wouldn't just tee off on Fitzpatrick. The more the game got away from 'em, though, the tougher that became. Jackson did end up w/ 81 yards on the ground, but more than half of 'em came on the initial drive. Spiller added another 30 yards on 5 carries, but had a couple of awful fumbles that shut down drives. I did like the way he was able to bounce a play to the outside after Andy Levitre couldn't hold his block and the play broke down @ the point of attack (14:24 mark of first quarter), turning a potential no gain or loss play into a 7 yard gain. His 41 yard catch, mentioned earlier, was sweet as well. Outside of that, there wasn't much out of the RBs. Corey McIntire is usually a reliable lead blocker, but was really off in this one. On Fitzpatrick's first fumble @ the 2:01 mark of the first quarter, it was McIntire who whiffed on his lead block, and then, after Fitzpatrick fumbled, he failed to come up w/ the ball (was the closest Bill to the ball and just barely missed recovering it).

 

Outside of Roosevelt's breakthrough game of 4 catches and 74 yards (nice route running on his third down conversion catch @ the 10:57 mark of the first quarter!), not much to talk 'bout w/ the receivers. Johnson had a couple nice grabs but also came up short on the big third down play early and did drop the fourth down conversion pass after a big hit by Mayo. David Nelson sustained an injury after another big hit by Mayo. Donald Jones finished w/ 54 yards on his 5 catches. Didn't see much in terms of blocking or receiving out of the tight ends. Shocking, huh?

 

The offensive line could've done more to open up holes in the running game. Yeah, yeah, Belichick and the Pats made adjustments after the first drive to shore up their interior. Guess that whole adjustment thingy is a one way street, huh? (More later) Levitre lost his block on Spiller's 7 yard gain early in the first quarter and really didn't have the kinda impact that I've seen plenty of times this year from 'em. No impressive pulls to lead on power runs to the outside and no mauling drive blocks other than a sweet double team w/ Eric Wood to open up the middle for another 7 yard run for Spiller @ the 12:32 mark of the first quarter. Levitre did pick up a false start penalty. One of these days, the Bills' O line will stop killing drives w/ penalties. Not sure when, but some day. Speaking of Wood, he did miss a block on Mayo that would've cleared the way for Jackson to get a big gain (3:13 mark of the second quarter) on what turned out to be a gain of only 2 yards. I mention this 'cause these are the type of plays that work for big gains when done to the Bills' defense (more later). Overall, Wood seems to be regressing the more I see him @ center. He started out like a beast, but the performances appear to be getting progressively worse since then. This was a bad one, as Wilfork and Love were able to collapse the pocket from the middle often. Rinehart did make a beautiful down block on Jackson's 27 yard run where he just caved the play inside and created quite a hole. I thought the tackles both did okay in pass protection. Nothing special; just okay. Mansfield Wrotto did commit a holding penalty that wiped out a Favre-ish shovel pass by Fitzpatrick to Jackson that went for 17 yards.

 

The defensieve line was beaten. Often. Then again, the entire front seven struggled mightily in this one. There was a stretch play the Pats ran to the right side (9:18 mark of first quarter) where Marcus Stroud was not able to come off his block to prevent BenJarvus Green-Ellis from getting to the outside. On that same play, Rob Gronkowski just mauled Chris Kelsay to set the edge. Kyle Williams had a few plays where he did what he's good @ doing: shooting the gap and getting to the backfield. Unfortunately, he shot it too deep of the action (1:21 mark of first quarter) and the ball carrier went right past 'em. He had another time (1:31 of second quarter) where he shot through again and got past the line, but could not hold his position and was blocked down on a third and 3 play that the Pats successfully converted. Williams also was blasted off the ball on Danny Woodhead's 7 yard run late in the third quarter (2:00 mark). Spencer Johnson spent most of the game being either neutralized @ the point of attack or being driven off the ball and away from the play. He did finish w/ 5 tackles, but really didn't have any impact plays.

 

A woeful performance by the linebackers. Remember this phrase: couldn't shed (get off) their blocks. It is, alas, a phrase that you can use far too often to describe the Buffalo Bills' linebacking corps. Paul Posluszny was constantly blocked (usually by tackle Todd Light, who got to the second level way too easily) and when he wasn't, he and the other LBs took some poor pursuit angles and either overshot the play, or wound up running into another blocker. I did find it amusing @ the 7:29 mark in the first quarter when Kevin Harlan, doing the play by play for CBS, said that Posluszny was in on a tackle on a second and 7 play. Well, actually, Posluszny got engulfed by Pats guard Logan Mankins on that play. Oops. Akin Ayodele had a ton of tackles (17), but was also guilty of taking some really poor pursuit angles, including on the play where Posluszny was (wasn't) in on the tackle according to Harlan. Ayodele also took a bad angle on the play prior to that one (8:00 mark) and on a third and 3 that the Pats converted @ the 1:31 mark of the second quarter. Chris Kelsay did get the sack (yeah, I too got a laugh out of Solomon Weelcots' ASSertion that Kelsay was one of the better pass rushers in the league), but also had problems setting the edge on plays and playing contain (9:18 mark of first quarter; Gronkowski crushed 'em) and also had issues shedding blocks in pursuit (Matt Light neutralized 'em on a 2nd and 7 play @ the 8:00 mark of the first quarter; got taken out by Gronkowski on Danny Woodhead's 29 yard TD run @ the 3:52 mark of the first quarter). Arthur Moats was also guilty of taking a bad pursuit angle on the play @ the 1:31 mark of the second quarter and allowed the cutback that went for a first down. He provided some pressure from the outside, but not enough to force any bad throws from Tom Brady or to get the pick (Ha! Join the club). And this was just the run defense. Should we go on to the awful pass coverage? Gronkowski owned whoever the Bills put on 'em, and Posluszny got beat for a TD by the slowest receiving threat the Pats have in Alge Crumpler. Suffice to say it was a terrible display of pass coverage as well.

 

The secondary? Well, they were busy in run support as safeties Jairus Byrd (8 tackles) and Donte Whitner (12) had to come up to stop the ball carriers as the front seven couldn't stop 'em many times. Whitner also had a nice breakup of a pass intended for Gronkowski (6:41 mark of the first quarter), but also got beat on the near perfect pass from Brady that was caught by Gronkowski for a first down @ the 13:38 mark of the second quarter. Drayton Florence picked up a defensive holding penalty that kept a Pats drive alive, but he also was in on three pass breakups, including one near the goal line @ the 0:43 mark of the second quarter (two plays before Crumpler's TD catch). Leodis McKelvin also had a pass breakup, but he really needs to stop celebrating each and every stop he makes. Just act like you've been there. Or, is that the problem???

 

As for special teams, Brian Moorman's two punts were nothing special. No big booming kicks and none to realy pin the Pats deep in their own end. Rian Lindell was called on to hit the 26 yarder when the initial drive stalled (I think not picking up the TD was a huge deal, as their momentum was basically stopped right there) and that was it. The coverage units didn't allow things to get too crazy, but none of the kicks were let alone by the elements (wind) anyway, so there wasn't much for the return men for either team to do. Roosevelt had 31 yards on his two returns and Spiller got 84 on 5 returns. Kinda bland day for these guys.

 

Coaching wise, I have to say that this is where I was most disappointed. Not that Gailey is some sort of wunderkind coach, but @ least he has more diversity than Dick Jauron, so I thought that as long as they didn't give the game away w/ stupid mistakes, they would be in it 'til the end. Well, maybe not. Sure, the Bills (Fiztpatrick, Spiller) racked up the turnovers, but the playcalling was still not much better than what we've seen in the Jauron years. The question still remains: why do the Bills not find ways to take advantage of having Spiller and Jackson on the field @ the same time? Jackson as the primary, w/ Spiller split wide, or in motion to confuse the defensive scheme? When Spiller goes in, Jackson goes out, and vice versa. I don't understand. I mean, the Saints found ways to utilize both Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush, and all it did was force teams to re-think how they were gonna defend 'em. Imagine that. Maybe the Bills will figure that part out. We'll see. All I know is that even w/ Gailey @ the helm, the Buffalo Bills were horribly outcoached by the Patriots. Again.

 

Okay, so it's on to the season finale. A win over the Jets would kinda help matters as the Bills go off into another postseason sunset. It would give 'em their second division win of the year and spoil any chance they have of making the playoffs. Of course, the Jets will be very focused and determined to win this game for just that reason, and the fact that they are every bit as reeling this season as they were rolling @ the end of last season. [EDIT: Dammit! They're in, regardless of what happens on Sunday. Ah well...] But, the Bills have a decent shot. Mark Sanchez is still inconsistent. The Jets' running game isn't nearly as dominant as toward the end of last season. And it's their defense, in particular the opposite corner (Antonio Cromartie) that is giving this team trouble. There are things the Bills can exploit. I will hope that the coaching staff brings their A game this week.....and don't leave it in the locker room this time.

 

Last, but not least, I would like to wish all my TBD friends and family a very happy holiday season. I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and hope nothing but good things for you in the new year. See ya in 2011!

[Beerball]

Happy Holidays to you and 'The Eraser'. Hope Santa was good to you.

[Peace]

Good review as always but...Jets are not playing for anything this week. They are in the playoffs and a win sends them to Indy, a loss to KC.

[Bill from NYC]

Good review as always but...Jets are not playing for anything this week. They are in the playoffs and a win sends them to Indy, a loss to KC.

 

Wow, I didn't realise this! Also, a win by the Bills will save Mr. Wilson approx. 10 million dollars in terms of signing bonus and the salary of our first round draft choice.

 

Again, I am NOT saying there is a conspiracy! I am NOT saying that the Jets will tank! Does everybody get this???

 

What I am saying is Bills 34 - Jets 13.

[SageAgainstTheMachine]

Good review as always but...Jets are not playing for anything this week. They are in the playoffs and a win sends them to Indy, a loss to KC.

 

Aside from the Manning factor, KC looks a LOT better than Indy this season.

[Bill from NYC]

Aside from the Manning factor, KC looks a LOT better than Indy this season.

 

And aside from the fact that she was the most beautiful woman in the history of the earth, Raquel Welch was ugly.

[yungmack]

Excellent post. That game left me depressed. I didn't necessarily expect the Bills to win it, but I surely didn't expect to see that sort of regression in Fitz. That was very worrisome to me at least. And I didn't particularly like Gailey's play calling, in particular giving up on the running game.

[RJ (not THAT RJ)]

And aside from the fact that she was the most beautiful woman in the history of the earth, Raquel Welch was ugly.

 

 

Bill, your understanding of pulchritude is even more spot-on than your understanding of football

 

My own meaningless opinion is that I want to see the Bills play well, whoever plays, just to get a sense of who is likely to stay and who is likely to go. If they win, that would be nice; if they lose, it's not the end of the world. I see the better draft position as a consolation prize, not something one should aspire towards. There will be plenty of good players (and of course, plenty of horrible smurfy reaches) available no matter where the Bills draft.

 

All we as fans, and especially Bills fans can do is remember the timeless statement of Edmond Dantes: "All human wisdom is summed up in two words - wait and hope."

 

That is, however, just me.

 

New Year's blessings to one and all!

[Glory Bound]

And aside from the fact that she was the most beautiful woman in the history of the earth, Raquel Welch was ugly.

Obviously, you've never met my wife.