A Few Thoughts About The Game

[Doc]

I thought there was a real possibility of this. It had to be reviewed because it could have been a TD for the Raiders. If the Raider WR had joint possession at any time with Searcy while in the endzone, its a TD (as a tie goes to the offense). Based on how long the decision took to be made, it was obviously a VERY close call. Someone better tell Searcy (and probably all the DBs) F your personal interception stat, on a hail mary you spike that B word to the ground!

Not true. Refs will wait to see who has possession.

[Kelly the Dog]

Not true. Refs will wait to see who has possession.

Yes and no. On the field it may influence their call, but if both players hit the ground holding it together, the play is over, and they would give the ball to the WR, regardless of possession when one guy ripped it away from the other.

 

Regardless, the Refs made the right call. The Replay Officials immediately reviewed it and immediately ruled in the Bills favor. The after the game stuff was a mistake. They weren't reviewing it and couldn't overturn it.

 

FWIW, someone asked Nick Barnett if he told the rookie Searcy in the locker room to knock the ball down next time, and Barnett kind of laughed and said he didn't wait that long. He reamed him right on the field, something to the affect of, "if you ever do that again..." Ha.

[Doc]

Yes and no. On the field it may influence their call, but if both players hit the ground holding it together, the play is over, and they would give the ball to the WR, regardless of possession when one guy ripped it away from the other.

 

Regardless, the Refs made the right call. The Replay Officials immediately reviewed it and immediately ruled in the Bills favor. The after the game stuff was a mistake. They weren't reviewing it and couldn't overturn it.

 

FWIW, someone asked Nick Barnett if he told the rookie Searcy in the locker room to knock the ball down next time, and Barnett kind of laughed and said he didn't wait that long. He reamed him right on the field, something to the affect of, "if you ever do that again..." Ha.

That's what I meant and I should have clarified that, i.e. the "simultaneous catch" going go the offense. I meant to say they'll let the players struggle and see if one comes up with it, or they both have a hold of it.

[ganesh]

 

FWIW, someone asked Nick Barnett if he told the rookie Searcy in the locker room to knock the ball down next time, and Barnett kind of laughed and said he didn't wait that long. He reamed him right on the field, something to the affect of, "if you ever do that again..." Ha.

That is leadership.....You can never see a Poz or Kelsay ever doing that and getting the respect of the younger player...Barnett and Merriman are players we can definitely do with.

 

Great game..I am glad it is over and we came out on the top. Now on to the Patriots...that offense is firing on all cylinders and the Lawyer Ben Jarvis Ellis has given fits to this Bills defense in the last 3 games going over 100 yards...The Bills need some breaks in this game. Is this the game where Brad Smith replaces Parrish and plays a more dominant role.

 

BTW, Dave Nelson is the best clutch player this team has had since the days of Steve Tasker playing WR, even better than Josh Reed. Playing in a winning program with a winning QB makes a world of difference in his confidence and there seems to be a big chemistry between him and Fitz. Now is this OL up to the task of taking on Vince Wilfork, Haynesworth and Ellis. Belichek's defense has always confused us and never let us get in rhythm. Can this line block as well against the Pats.

[mabden]

 

FWIW, someone asked Nick Barnett if he told the rookie Searcy in the locker room to knock the ball down next time, and Barnett kind of laughed and said he didn't wait that long. He reamed him right on the field, something to the affect of, "if you ever do that again..." Ha.

 

That is leadership ON THE FIELD! It tremendously pissed me off,when I heard comments of what a great locker room leader such and such a player is/was during the Dick Juran years. I would scream to myself we don;t need locker room leaders, we need leaders ON THE FIELD. Good for Barnett and good for Nix for bringing Barnett to Buffalo.

[Kelly the Dog]

That is leadership.....You can never see a Poz or Kelsay ever doing that and getting the respect of the younger player...Barnett and Merriman are players we can definitely do with.

 

Great game..I am glad it is over and we came out on the top. Now on to the Patriots...that offense is firing on all cylinders and the Lawyer Ben Jarvis Ellis has given fits to this Bills defense in the last 3 games going over 100 yards...The Bills need some breaks in this game. Is this the game where Brad Smith replaces Parrish and plays a more dominant role.

 

BTW, Dave Nelson is the best clutch player this team has had since the days of Steve Tasker playing WR, even better than Josh Reed. Playing in a winning program with a winning QB makes a world of difference in his confidence and there seems to be a big chemistry between him and Fitz. Now is this OL up to the task of taking on Vince Wilfork, Haynesworth and Ellis. Belichek's defense has always confused us and never let us get in rhythm. Can this line block as well against the Pats.

It was interesting to hear Nelson explain what happened on that play they won the game with. He said the Bills never have a go to guy in their play call. Fitz just decides at the line based on the defensive line-up he sees. They had run the same play earlier and went to Scott Chandler, so Nelson thought that the Raiders would key on him. Plus Spiller was in the game (a ballsy call by Gailey) and Nelson knew the Raiders were going to worry about his speed to the outside. He felt like he knew the ball was going to come to him as they lined up because he expected Fitz to see what he did. It's exactly what happened, except two players went to Spiller and no one covered him.

 

Great, great call by Gailey, which worked to perfection. Anyone who doesn't think Spiller and his speed causes defenses to respect it is nuts.

[DrDawkinstein]

That is leadership ON THE FIELD! It tremendously pissed me off,when I heard comments of what a great locker room leader such and such a player is/was during the Dick Juran years. I would scream to myself we don;t need locker room leaders, we need leaders ON THE FIELD. Good for Barnett and good for Nix for bringing Barnett to Buffalo.

 

To be fair, many of us here reviewed the last play last night (its on bb.com), and when Searcy went up for the ball, there was a Raider WR right there with him. If he tries to bat it, and misses or doesnt hit it right, it ends up a clear TD. Plus, Jacksonville WON a game last year because a played batted a ball down right to their WR. Every situation is unique.

 

We won the game, so whatever Searcy did was the right decision. No harm, no foul.

 

Go Bills!

[stony]

Lots of love for Nelson's break-out game, but is there any question that Stevie's performance was one of the better injury-be-damned games in a long time? He was a beast. I think we have a #1 for a long time.

[Fan in Chicago]

Anyone who doesn't think Spiller and his speed causes defenses to respect it is nuts.

And here I was thinking only Evans was capable of doing that

[Magox]

Was anyone else impressed with Searcy's ups on that int?

[Orton's Arm]

Its stunning that McKelvin who has the physical skills just can't get the job done. Teams will continue to exploit the situation until he shows he can respond. He will likely be a nickle CB and that's a shame given where he was selected.

Just two games into the season, the Bills are already halfway toward equalling last season's win total. Their draft position in the 2012 draft is likely to be a lot worse than it was in 2011. It's easy to imagine them getting a first round pick in the teens or 20s.

 

Possibilities for their first round pick include the following:

 

1) CB. McGee and Florence aren't getting any younger. If you're right about McKelvin, then the Bills would need a long-term answer at #1 CB, with Aaron Williams as their #2 and McKelvin as their #3.

 

2) SS. George Wilson had a bad game against the Raiders. Unless he improves, the Bills will need to replace him. Maybe Searcy is seen as the long-term answer at starting SS. But if not, a SS in the first round is a real possibility.

 

3) OLB. If Merriman doesn't return to his old form, the Bills may decide they need an upgrade at OLB.

 

At this point it's hard to imagine the first round pick being used on offense. Fitz is playing better this year than he had last year. If there's an obvious franchise QB to be had, then sure, you take him. But the blue chip quarterbacks are likely to be long gone by the time the Bills pick.

 

Nor do I necessarily see the Bills taking a LT. The blue chip LT prospects are also likely to be gone by the time the Bills pick; and you don't want to waste a first round pick on a guy who isn't necessarily going to be a huge upgrade over Bell. It's also hard to imagine them using a first round pick on a RT, both because Pears is playing better than most of us (including me) had expected, and because a very capable Hairston is waiting in the wings. The interior of the Bills' OL consists of Levitre, Wood, and Urbik, so it's hard to imagine Nix deciding a first round pick is necessitated there.

 

The Bills have an infinite number of promising young WRs, so it's hard to imagine them using a first rounder on yet another WR. Chandler looks like a real TE, so there's no need for a first round pick there. I'm not even going to discuss the idea of using a first round pick on a RB!

 

At least after two weeks it looks like the first round pick is going to be used on defense. The defensive line is not the problem. As I see it, the three most likely uses for the Bills' 2012 first round pick are CB, SS, and OLB.

Edited September 19, 2011 by Edwards' Arm

[Meark]

The Raiders' RB's averaged 4 YPC. Not great WRT league-wide average, but great for the Bills, especially against a quality running team like the Raiders.

 

They held McFadden under 100 yards rushing and 3.8 yards per carry. This is quite an accomplishment if you ask me. Seems like they gave up on the run and started throwing more passed to McFadden to get him out of the backfield.

[reddogblitz]

Normally a DB should spike the ball in that situation. In this case, there was a pile of guys right where the ball was. If you're going to spike the ball in that situation, you have to be reasonably sure that some random hand isn't going to reach out and grab the ball on its way to the ground.

Like in the Jaguars/Texans game last year? I think it was voted one of the top plays of 2010. Garrard threw a Hail Mary up into the EZ. A defender batted it down, but a Jaguar just happened to be right there and caught it for a TD.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlvOUG8nuZ4

[RuntheDamnBall]

Its stunning that McKelvin who has the physical skills just can't get the job done. Teams will continue to exploit the situation until he shows he can respond. He will likely be a nickle CB and that's a shame given where he was selected.

Those saying McKelvin played pretty well were watching a different game than I was. No one says that McKelvin can't run with the top WRs, and if that was all there was to it, he'd be a top corner. He's a great athlete. But he puts himself in bad position frequently, does not look back at the QB or the ball, and has poor ball instincts (4 INTs in 3+ years is piss-poor for a top-draft-pick CB). His awareness hasn't gotten better, and he doesn't look in command of the game at a time when he should be looking like a veteran defender. To boot, emulating his guru Dick Jauron, he thinks he played pretty well yesterday despite his failures.

 

No doubt Moore and Campbell played lights-out. But they also picked on McKelvin all day, which says something to me.

[C.Biscuit97]

Giving props to both Bell and Spiller??? Must have be a helluva of a tailgate!

 

Lots of love for Nelson's break-out game, but is there any question that Stevie's performance was one of the better injury-be-damned games in a long time? He was a beast. I think we have a #1 for a long time.

 

 

SJ is always open. That's a great skill in a receiver that isn't brought up enough.

[Doc]

Giving props to both Bell and Spiller??? Must have be a helluva of a tailgate!

 

SJ is always open. That's a great skill in a receiver that isn't brought up enough.

Yep. He's proven he's the real deal. Give the man his money.

[Coach Tuesday]

Mods, any reason not to pin this thread every week? Lots of us really look forward to it.

[Kelly the Dog]

SJ is open by about a yard on 90% of the plays, and he's one of the best route runners I have ever seen. The TD pattern was flat out sick. He made eight catches yesterday and six of the eight he had a guy right on him. The other one he ran a great pattern on a slant and was open by a couple yards because he is so damn good at the first three stutter steps off the line. It's not as though he's wide open all day, that didn't happen at all. Most of his catches are low to the ground with a guy right on him he gobbles up or slants/hitches with guys right on him.

[Ozymandius]

To be fair, many of us here reviewed the last play last night (its on bb.com), and when Searcy went up for the ball, there was a Raider WR right there with him. If he tries to bat it, and misses or doesnt hit it right, it ends up a clear TD. Plus, Jacksonville WON a game last year because a played batted a ball down right to their WR. Every situation is unique.

 

We won the game, so whatever Searcy did was the right decision. No harm, no foul.

 

Are you serious? You don't think the coaches will be drilling into Searcy this week to bat the ball down the next time he defends a Hail Mary?

 

It was the wrong decision but a good outcome, this time.

[Kelly the Dog]

Are you serious? You don't think the coaches will be drilling into Searcy this week to bat the ball down the next time he defends a Hail Mary?

 

It was the wrong decision but a good outcome, this time.

I think I said it in another thread, but a reporter asked Nick Barnett if after the game in the locker room he told the rook to knock the ball down next time. Barnett laughed and said he yelled at him right there on the field, something to the affect of "If you ever do that again..."