AFC Playbook on NFLN, extensive Bills coverage

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

My favorite football show that doesn't feature Chris Berman had quite a bit of Bills coverage this week, both good and bad. For those who haven't seen it, Sterling Sharpe hosts a panel alongside Joe Theisman, Brian Baldinger and this year Matt Millen. They do a good job of delving into the X's and O's for all 16 teams (there is a seperate show for the NFC) and it's obvious there is a significant amount of work put into it throughout the week by everyone involved.

 

The Bad

 

Matt Millen highlighted Leodis McKelvin and said Buffalo's secondary needs to do a better job of making a play on the ball in the air. They showed three plays where D. Moore of the Raiders beat McKelvin down the field. The first I think was in the 1st quarter, Leo had good coverage but failed to make a play, the second Moore had McKelvin beat cleanly and had no chance for a play (though Millen didn't seem to notice), and the third was the Raiders' final touchdown (which many posters are putting more on Wilson).

 

Think it was Sterling said the Patriots* will attack your weaknesses, and for the Bills defense its the linebackers. He said Shawne Merriman used to be a premier pass rusher in the league, but the "legs aren't there." They showed one play where Merriman is trying to rush outside and called Merriman's legs "dead," saying "they actually stop moving here at a certain point," and for a moment, they did. As they rolled the play, however, I observed Merriman continuing to fight and eventually rounding the corner, but too far downfield, a la Schobel/Kelsay many a time. My personal thought is that we all know what we saw in the preseason; the man still has athleticism. The arm, though, is concerning, and he may never be healthy enough this year to prove he's still got it. Seemed like they disagree and don't believe he's capable of a very high level of play anymore.

 

Continuing the LB theme, believe it was Theisman highlighted a swing pass to McFadden that went for a touchdown in which Andre Davis and Chris Kelsay both went to the tight end in the middle/seam, leaving DMC all alone in the flat. I'd think it was Kelsay's fault as he's the one lined up outside. Theisman commented that you can't make these errors against New England*. Think it was Sterling that said our LBers are "old" and lack the speed to make up for these kinds of mistakes.

 

When they did the Raiders/Jets matchup one of them (believe it was Theisman again) talked about how Rex Ryan 'makes a living' stopping people from running the ball, and the Raiders won't get the same looks against the Jets that they did against Buffalo, complete with tape of a bunch of successful McFadden runs, many of which he got the edge on us.

 

The Good

 

They all had only good things to say about Fitzpatrick. Love the way he reads the defense, gets the ball out of his hands quickly. Theisman commented he loves the way Gailey has put the offense together and that Fitzpatrick is the perfect match. Somebody talked about how most of it is underneath stuff and he's been good at finding the right guy and has almost always been accurate with the ball. Freddie got some love as well. They showed The Rifle's mic'd up segment, complete with a pregame visit from Jim Kelly on the field. Jim wished Fitz good luck, have a great game, and hugged him. Fitz was low key and almost mumbled when he said, "Thanks Jim, good to see ya."

 

Went to Sterling and Theisman alone on a different set and Sterling said this Bills team is starting to remind him a lot of the Buffalo Bills '91 team "that went to their second SuperBowl." Theisman commented, "I remember them." They showed a Kelly touchdown pass followed by a Fitz touchdown pass, a Thurman touchdown run followed by that 40-yard TD run Freddy had to make it 21-10 where he put that nasty juke on the safety. Sterling said Fitzpatrick has 7 TD passes through two games, and Kelly had 8. Freddy started off this year with two 100-yard games, and "guess what," Thurman started off the year with two 100-yard games as well. "For this reason, I'm picking the Bills." [everyone else took NE*] Sharpe went on to say the Bills aren't just a surprise team, he believes they're ready to be "one of the best teams we talk about every week." Said Buffalo is "poised to break out." Hope I'm getting those quotes right, if not its very close.

 

They also talked at some point about how New England* has been playing a lot of man coverage, highlighted Vincent Jackson's performance last week and said Buffalo will attack down the field and in the seams looking for this "trail or man coverage."

 

I probably left some stuff out, it was a few hours ago that I watched. Perhaps someone else who saw can dot the I's and cross the T's, and correct me if need be. If you get the chance I highly recommend checking this week's episode out, tons of interesting Bills coverage and a chance to learn something about every other AFC team. I'm reasonably sure you'll find it more informative than most of the other football coverage you'll find on television.

 

Let's hope Sterling Sharpe is the smartest guy in that room, huh?

Edited September 23, 2011 by Big Bad Boone

[eball]

I like the fact that Sterling is so high on the Bills despite his criticism of the LB play. At least to me, that gives his opinion more weight because he's not simply saying everything is great.

 

I'm hoping Morrison gets healthy fast, and also that Shep is starting to pick up the defense. I'd like to see his youth and speed in the game. Davis is old and slow, but more often than not he's in the correct position.

 

I also believe the Bills have played possum with Merriman during the first two weeks, having him set the edge rather than try to get upfield.

[CSBill]

Great job, thanks for sharing your observations . . . lets hope Sharpe is on point with this.

 

And I think he's right about the linebackers.

 

I believe the Bills have made a philosophical decision to go with the older veterans versus some of the inexperienced, but more athletic younger guys. Hopefully those guys will come along and we can mix in that speed and athleticism as the season progresses--and this weekend might be the time to get serious about it.

[HARCO186]

Great post. I tried to see it but missed so far.I have always liked Sterling, but it just amazes me how Buffalo wins two games and is now on track of being a contender. Last year the Bills were laughed at often and by everyone. PLEASE SHOW AN EXPERT WHO LAST YEAR SAID FITZ WAS WORTH ANYTHING???? I'm just saying because even in the draft the Bills were often laughed at, and how many said Buffalo would win more than 5-6 games???? Now we have the AMISH- RIFLE and he is showing his stuff, and people are now saying this? The 91 Bills???? That's an insult to those guys, and not fair. Granted Fitz paid his dues along with most on the team. The chemistry is set and it's showing. Chan has everyone on the same page and even Merriman most likely told to set the edge instead of getting upfield as Oak was a running team. The pats will have their hands full. I hope the Bills do go to the playoffs and show these guys what' up. You heard it first in other posts though. Buffalo 31 pats 28. Special teams pull through big time and "Lights Out" show's up and the Defense has at least 3 sacks.....

[bananathumb]

My favorite football show that doesn't feature Chris Berman had quite a bit of Bills coverage this week, both good and bad. For those who haven't seen it, Sterling Sharpe hosts a panel alongside Joe Theisman, Brian Baldinger and this year Matt Millen. They do a good job of delving into the X's and O's for all 16 teams (there is a seperate show for the NFC) and it's obvious there is a significant amount of work put into it throughout the week by everyone involved.

 

The Bad

 

Matt Millen highlighted Leodis McKelvin and said Buffalo's secondary needs to do a better job of making a play on the ball in the air. They showed three plays where D. Moore of the Raiders beat McKelvin down the field. The first I think was in the 1st quarter, Leo had good coverage but failed to make a play, the second Moore had McKelvin beat cleanly and had no chance for a play (though Millen didn't seem to notice), and the third was the Raiders' final touchdown (which many posters are putting more on Wilson).

 

Think it was Sterling said the Patriots* will attack your weaknesses, and for the Bills defense its the linebackers. He said Shawne Merriman used to be a premier pass rusher in the league, but the "legs aren't there." They showed one play where Merriman is trying to rush outside and called Merriman's legs "dead," saying "they actually stop moving here at a certain point," and for a moment, they did. As they rolled the play, however, I observed Merriman continuing to fight and eventually rounding the corner, but too far downfield, a la Schobel/Kelsay many a time. My personal thought is that we all know what we saw in the preseason; the man still has athleticism. The arm, though, is concerning, and he may never be healthy enough this year to prove he's still got it. Seemed like they disagree and don't believe he's capable of a very high level of play anymore.

 

Continuing the LB theme, believe it was Theisman highlighted a swing pass to McFadden that went for a touchdown in which Andre Davis and Chris Kelsay both went to the tight end in the middle/seam, leaving DMC all alone in the flat. I'd think it was Kelsay's fault as he's the one lined up outside. Theisman commented that you can't make these errors against New England*. Think it was Sterling that said our LBers are "old" and lack the speed to make up for these kinds of mistakes.

 

When they did the Raiders/Jets matchup one of them (believe it was Theisman again) talked about how Rex Ryan 'makes a living' stopping people from running the ball, and the Raiders won't get the same looks against the Jets that they did against Buffalo, complete with tape of a bunch of successful McFadden runs, many of which he got the edge on us.

 

The Good

 

They all had only good things to say about Fitzpatrick. Love the way he reads the defense, gets the ball out of his hands quickly. Theisman commented he loves the way Gailey has put the offense together and that Fitzpatrick is the perfect match. Somebody talked about how most of it is underneath stuff and he's been good at finding the right guy and has almost always been accurate with the ball. Freddie got some love as well. They showed The Rifle's mic'd up segment, complete with a pregame visit from Jim Kelly on the field. Jim wished Fitz good luck, have a great game, and hugged him. Fitz was low key and almost mumbled when he said, "Thanks Jim, good to see ya."

 

Went to Sterling and Theisman alone on a different set and Sterling said this Bills team is starting to remind him a lot of the Buffalo Bills '91 team "that went to their second SuperBowl." Theisman commented, "I remember them." They showed a Kelly touchdown pass followed by a Fitz touchdown pass, a Thurman touchdown run followed by that 40-yard TD run Freddy had to make it 21-10 where he put that nasty juke on the safety. Sterling said Fitzpatrick has 7 TD passes through two games, and Kelly had 8. Freddy started off this year with two 100-yard games, and "guess what," Thurman started off the year with two 100-yard games as well. "For this reason, I'm picking the Bills." [everyone else took NE*] Sharpe went on to say the Bills aren't just a surprise team, he believes they're ready to be "one of the best teams we talk about every week." Said Buffalo is "poised to break out." Hope I'm getting those quotes right, if not its very close.

 

They also talked at some point about how New England* has been playing a lot of man coverage, highlighted Vincent Jackson's performance last week and said Buffalo will attack down the field and in the seams looking for this "trail or man coverage."

 

I probably left some stuff out, it was a few hours ago that I watched. Perhaps someone else who saw can dot the I's and cross the T's, and correct me if need be. If you get the chance I highly recommend checking this week's episode out, tons of interesting Bills coverage and a chance to learn something about every other AFC team. I'm reasonably sure you'll find it more informative than most of the other football coverage you'll find on television.

 

Let's hope Sterling Sharpe is the smartest guy in that room, huh?

 

 

Really appreciate the summary. Too many guys just give us the link. Thanks

[eball]

Really appreciate the summary. Too many guys just give us the link. Thanks

And too many posters quote a long summary in their response for no reason.

[tombstone56]

ITS GOOD TO GET A SEMI EVEN HANDED REVEIW even if it only a few blowhards but sterling is right our lbs have been almost a non factor which isnt helping the dbs look any better , but there is a silver lining at the end of the tunnel,,

the 2012 draft will have the deepest group of lbs in twenty years,,coples,luechey,burfect,brown upshaw,hightower, the majority are ilbs big ilbs!! not many outside but like coples who project to olb from de there will surely be more,,,hope maybe another kerrigan is out there.. at the time we picked williams in the second ,i wanted brooks reed , but seeing our dbs so far i think the need is higher at db than lb

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

1) Thanks for the summary!

 

2) On the mcfadden TD play I had read that andre davis was picked. Did they say anything about that, or did the film confirm that?

 

3) Yeah, the LB's are old, but people forget that we have a stable of super promising young guys waiting in the wings (batten, moats, white, shep). Wouldn't be surprised to see one or more of these guys on the field soon.

[Cotton Fitzsimmons]

YE OLE saw this piece as well, and it was great to see how Sterling was really digging our offense. It seemed like their overall analysis was similar to those of here on this board in that we're concerned about stopping the Pats*, but are confident we'll put up points. At least all of the talking heads aren't just assuming we'll get "housed" every week at this point.

[PromoTheRobot]

The thing about DB play is there is almost nothing you can do to defend against a perfectly thrown ball. And the longer you give a good QB the more likely that perfect throw it's coming.

 

Hence a big reason the DBs are looking bad is our lack of pass rush. Not sure what we can do vs NE that we didn't do vs Oakland but lets hope we can exploit that backup center. It's time for Williams and Dareus to give 'em hell.

 

PTR

[BILLS_ROC]

Great write-up. Impressive level of detail and thoroughness having watched the show a few hours before you wrote this up. Good job! Thank you.

[McD]

Without the benefit of seeing how the rest of this season plays out, I feel Sterling is right on the money about our LB's. We still need an impact player there as well as better play from our DB's. I said last year that I think our O was fine, that FItz was fine, but the D needed to be shored up immensely! Well, my thoughts are still the same... we need to continue to bolster the D through FA and the draft. I know we need some OL help, and that should be addressed as well, but keep on stocking the shelves with better D players.

 

I hope we get a good chance to see Shep, Williams, and White this season... we need to know what they can do game in and game out.

[billsfan in n.h]

its 1991 all over again, 31-0 GO BILLS

[MiamiGeorge]

http://www.nfl.com/videos/buffalo-bills/09000d5d822799bf/Tools-for-victory-Bills-offensive-barrage

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

2) On the mcfadden TD play I had read that andre davis was picked. Did they say anything about that, or did the film confirm that?

Ah maybe this is what happened. We were in a 3-4 alignment if I recall, with Kelsay the OLB on that side and Davis the ILB. The tight end is lined up on this side and is either going up the seam, or doing one of those 4-5 yard hitch routes. Davis takes a couple of steps in Kelsay's direction and makes contact with the tight end-- Kelsay breaks inside toward the tight end as well. My assumption was that Davis was chucking the tight end and that Kelsay's responsibility was the flat, and that he didn't realize McFadden was running a route and so broke inside to help out. The reality may have been that it was man-to-man coverage and that Kelsay had the TE and Davis had McFadden, and Davis was trying to get outside and got picked as you say. I wish I hadn't deleted the show off my DVR. This explanation does make more sense though.

Edited September 23, 2011 by Big Bad Boone

[hmsmystic]

It is gratifying to hear Bills talk on the football shows and not merely mentions in passing and discussion of us as potential road kill for the upcoming week's matchup. Even here on the West Coast the Bills are getting good "grass roots" publicity, and the folks who have been teasing me for being a fan are calling with kudos.

 

Let's hope this keeps up!

[truth on hold]

Thanks for the review. But it's very inconsistent to conclude a 3 - 4 defense will be one of the best teams every week when their weak unit is linebackers.

[o.p. native]

Great post. Thanks!

[C.Biscuit97]

The "experts'" picks are meaningless but Sharpe is one of the best in the business, so it makes me a little happy.