Have you been reading the articles on the home

[jad1]

I said against QUALITY competition. The 3-11 Dolphins, by most standards, are not QUALITY competition.

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Tell that to the Patriots.

[Bill from NYC]

Tell that to the Patriots.

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You are wasting your time. If we beat the steelers, it will be because they didn't "need the game" to many here.

Drew gets attacked for losing to the superbowl champs, and not beating teams that he did not play.

[Oneida Lake]

San Diego Fan,

 

So Bledsoe caused McGahee's injury.

 

This is why the JP lovers/Drew haters have no credibility.

 

Can we appreciate the fact that we have a legitimate shot at the playoffs and Bledsoe is one of the reasons why?

 

Of course not. Had we put in JP at 0-4 we'd be 10-4 now. Right?

Bledsoe is 32 and plays solid quarterback and will be the starter next year. Losman has been in 3 NFL games and put simply and kindly, looks lost and perhaps a little raw.

[Mickey]

Sam Wyche calls the Bengals game our worst game offensively.

 

Sal Moriana says the Bengals stacked the box with 8 to stop the run, daring Bledsoe beat them with his arm and he couldn't.

 

I might add that Bledsoe's inability to throw a decent short pass caused Willis to awkwardly reach for the ball that caused his injury. You could blame Bledsoe for this IMHO.

 

I'm a little worried about these articles because I believe they are telling us the truth.

 

If we make the playoffs, they are going to stack the line again forcing Bledsoe to make the throws. Can he get done? I hope so, but probably not.

 

I hope MM has a real and fair open contest at QB during next year's pre-season. Dont just hand it off to Bledsoe without being challenged openly.

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I think it is a little more complicated than that. They were putting a ton of guys in the box, especially on first down and in response, we ran the ball anyway. Drew can't beat that kind of defense if you don't let him throw against it, can he?

 

Lets take a look at the drives in the Bengals game:

 

First Drive:

 

We threw on first and completed it for 5 yards. Then we ran for two and threw incomplete on 3rd and 3 against a pass defense. Drew did not fail to beat a defense over committed to the run on this series.

 

Second Drive:

 

We ran into the teeth of a an 8 man front and lost 2 yards. We ran again on 2nd and 12 and got only 4 yards. That set up a 3rd and 8. Drew threw complete to Evans but he fumbled. Again, this was not a series where Drew failed to pass with success against a run defense.

 

Third Drive:

 

Drew completes a 60 yard flea flicker that involved a fake run to Willis with a pitch back to Drew. Here is an example of Drew burning a defense that was heavily weighted to stop the run. He ends up throwing a TD pass to Evans so I assume there are no complaints here.

 

Fourth Drive:

 

We run on first for a yard. On second and 9, Drew hits Moulds for a first down. Again, they didn't have him throw against that first down run defense. We run again on first and lose 3 yards. Two first downs, two runs. Neufeld drops a pass and then Drew misses Moulds who was covered anyway and we were flagged for an illegal shift. Drive over. The 3 yard loss and the drop billsfanone that drive and neither were problems you can blame on Drew. Further, Drew was not given an opportunity to throw on first against that stacked defense.

 

Fifth Drive:

 

This is after the Kitna fumbel, we are up 21-10 and have a first and ten at their 28. Drew throws it away while he evades the rush, no one open so he safely whizzes the ball out of bounds (the very thing so many have pointed out he doesn't do enough of). We run for 14 on 2nd down. First and ten at the 14, Drew runs a QB draw for 8 to the 6. We then lose 7 yards on the swing pass and fumble to Willis. That was not Willis' nor Drew's finest play for sure. Drew comes back and hits Moulds for 7, they are offsides and we take the penalty setting up 3rd and 2 from the 6. We run Williams for no gain and kick the FG. You can fault Drew for throwing a catchable but awkward pass to Willis. However, he didn't fail to produce because of his inability to beat a defense stacked to stop the run. He simply threw it away while avoiding a sack when no one was open. Pretty smart thing to do considering we are up by 11 and already in FG range.

 

Sixth Drive:

 

There are only 59 seconds left in the half and we just took over at the Bengal 29 after Kelsay's pick. We are up 24-10. Once again we ran on first down, gaining only 2 yards and using 26 of our 59 seconds. We throw incomplete on second but Drew hits Moulds for 11 down to the 16 and then uses the first down to spike the ball and stop the clock at 12 seconds. An incompletion to Moulds leads to another Lindell FG. We are now up 27-10 at the half.

 

That is Drew's entire first half and I think it is clear that the reason he didn't burn them for stacking against the run on first down is because we went ahead and ran on first down most of the time anyway. Facing 2nd and 13, Drew then was trying to throw against a defense that had switched back into a standard pass defense. I think the real concern is that for a power running team, we are not able to run the ball against a defense committed to stop the run. Anyone can run against a dime defense.

 

Seventh Drive:

 

True to from, we run on first down again and this time lose 4 yards. Two incomplete passes followed and they came against pass defenses since we needed long yardage.

 

Eighth Drive:

 

We finally throw on first and Drew completes it for 6. We get a frist down and pass again but Drew gets sacked. They saw it coming. We lose big yardage. Drew gets most of it back on a completion to Reed but it isn't enough and we punt.

 

Ninth Drive:

 

Incompletion to Moulds. We started the drive on our 17 and are winning so we don't do anything stupid. It was a pass but a short one and Moulds was covered. We run for a yard and another incompletion follows against a pass defense. Probably Drew's worst series.

 

Tenth Drive:

 

We go 55 yards on 9 plays and kick a FG after being stopped at the 2. Of the four first down plays against a run defense, we ran 3 times for 3, -2 and 5 (Bledsoe keeper). We threw once, complete for 10 yards to Moulds. Drew also had completed one for 16 yards to Evans and got an interference call on a pass to Reed for 18. Drew accounted for 49 of the 55 yards on the drive. I assume no one has any complaints about his performance on this drive.

 

Eleventh Drive:

 

This one goes for 12 plays, 52 yards and a FG when we stall on the Bengal 15. In the drive, Of the four first downs on the drive, we run on three of them for 7, 2 and 5 yards. The one first down throw was a sack. It would have been nice if he threw it away but that has nothing to do with failing to burn a defense stacked to stop the run. ON the drive, Drew completes passes of 10, 11, 10 and 14 for a total of 45 yards which isn't bad considering it was only a 52 yard drive. I see no real problems with his performance on this drive at all.

 

Twelfth Drive:

 

We run every play.

 

 

 

Bottom line, we ran against that run defense most of the time, that is why Drew didn't burn it, he wasn't given a chance to. The poor performance running the ball on frist down led to second and long and third and long situations. On those plays, the Bengals did not overload against the run.

 

With all due respect, I don't think it is at all fair to say that Drew was unable to capitalize against a run oriented defense. Depite the defense, we stubbornly ran anyway. Given the ultimate results, I have no complaints and frankly, I think when you look at the play by play, Drew had a better game than we are giving him credit for. You can't ingnore the extaordinary events the were going on in the first half with the turnovers and all. Those events (Evans' fumble, blocked kick and Spikes INT) all worked to deprive Drew and the offense of possessions and you can't run stats up sitting on the bench.

[Bill from NYC]

Sorry Mickey. When Wyche made those comments, he was ONLY referring to Drew. Everything that went wrong was his fault alone, and he deserves NO credit for any good play, including the bomb to Evans.

What are you thinking?

[ganesh]

Of course not.  Had we put in JP at 0-4 we'd be 10-4 now. Right?

Bledsoe is 32 and plays solid quarterback and will be the starter next year.  Losman has been in 3 NFL games and put simply and kindly, looks lost and perhaps a little raw.

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I think that is unfair to JP. The guy was thrown to the wolves against the

Pats when he least expected it...Give him a weeks practice and evaluate

what he does. But I agree, there is no need to do that when we have DB.

 

Also in the game against the bengals, our receivers dropped passes that

were hit between the numbers......Reed, Neufield and Moulds dropped

quite a few passes.

[Typical TBD Guy]

You are wasting your time. If we beat the steelers, it will be because they didn't "need the game" to many here.

Drew gets attacked for losing to the superbowl champs, and not beating teams that he did not play. 

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I stand by all the comments I've made in this thread.

[Typical TBD Guy]

Sorry Mickey. When Wyche made those comments, he was ONLY referring to Drew. Everything that went wrong was his fault alone, and he deserves NO credit for any good play, including the bomb to Evans.

What are you thinking? 

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Just like everything was Henry's fault in the first 4 games of the year?

[Bill from NYC]

Just like everything was Henry's fault in the first 4 games of the year?

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Everything? Not at all but a lion's share, no?

[Mickey]

Aside from the 60 yard bomb that lead to the TD pass that tied the game, he couldn't get the ball deep.  Of course the Bills didn't try to get the ball deep again, but why should Sal let that get in the way of his brilliant point.

 

Maybe he thinks that with Losman in there, Mularkey is going to start throwing deep when the Bills have a two TD lead?  I doubt it.

 

Is it wrong for me to expect a sports writer to understand the current offensive philosophy the Bills are playing under?

 

If the Bills are up by 14, and the defense is stacking the box, Mularkey's going to play into the teeth of the defense to grind the clock, end of story.

 

That's going to lead to poor completion stats for Bledsoe because he's throwing into short coverages, and a low YPC for McGahee, because he's running into overloaded fronts.

 

I'd have more respect for a writer who figures out what the offense is actually trying to accomplish than for a writer who continues his season long agenda to bash Bledsoe.

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Excellent points. I would only add that what does concern me is that we were unable, not for lack of trying, to run the ball against a defense committed to stop the run. The surest sign of a real power running team is one that can move the ball even against that type of defense. That doesn't mean they have to put together four or five 7 minute drives of 60 or more yards but it does mean that they produce a few first downs before they punt. I think this problem is more indicative of what still is the real problem on this team, an offensive line that is average at best.

[Mickey]

Sorry Mickey. When Wyche made those comments, he was ONLY referring to Drew. Everything that went wrong was his fault alone, and he deserves NO credit for any good play, including the bomb to Evans.

What are you thinking? 

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I've gott stop putting vodka in my morning cocoa

[Kelly the Dog]

Nice, Mick. Faxsuk.

 

At least it's good that we can complain when we are putting up 35 a game and blowing teams away. This ain't gonna last but it's fun now, and should continue this week.

[BRH]

When I watch Brady or Favre, I notice great accuracy in their passes.

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Did you watch them this past week?

[BillsNYC]

I remember this game where a team was up by 30+ points in the third quarter and instead of controling the clock by running it out and having their qb throw simple risk-free passes, they kept airing it out.

 

That team ended up losing the game.

[Casey D]

I think it is a little more complicated than that.  They were putting a ton of guys in the box, especially on first down and in response, we ran the ball anyway.  Drew can't beat that kind of defense if you don't let him throw against it, can he?

 

Lets take a look at the drives in the Bengals game:

 

First Drive:

 

We threw on first and completed it for 5 yards.  Then we ran for two and threw incomplete on 3rd and 3 against a pass defense.  Drew did not fail to beat a defense over committed to the run on this series.

 

Second Drive:

 

We ran into the teeth of a an 8 man front and lost 2 yards.  We ran again on 2nd and 12 and got only 4 yards.  That set up a 3rd and 8.  Drew threw complete to Evans but he fumbled.  Again, this was not a series where Drew failed to pass with success against a run defense.

 

Third Drive:

 

Drew completes a 60 yard flea flicker that involved a fake run to Willis with a pitch back to Drew.  Here is an example of Drew burning a defense that was heavily weighted to stop the run.  He ends up throwing a TD pass to Evans so I assume there are no complaints here.

 

Fourth Drive:

 

We run on first for a yard.  On second and 9, Drew hits Moulds for a first down.  Again, they didn't have him throw against that first down run defense.  We run again on first and lose 3 yards.  Two first downs, two runs.  Neufeld drops a pass and then Drew misses Moulds who was covered anyway and we were flagged for an illegal shift.  Drive over.  The 3 yard loss and the drop billsfanone that drive and neither were problems you can blame on Drew.  Further, Drew was not given an opportunity to throw on first against that stacked defense.

 

Fifth Drive:

 

This is after the Kitna fumbel, we are up 21-10 and have a first and ten at their 28.  Drew throws it away while he evades the rush, no one open so he safely whizzes the ball out of bounds (the very thing so many have pointed out he doesn't do enough of).  We run for 14 on 2nd down.  First and ten at the 14, Drew runs a QB draw for 8 to the 6.  We then lose 7 yards on the swing pass and fumble to Willis.  That was not Willis' nor Drew's finest play for sure.  Drew comes back and hits Moulds for 7, they are offsides and we take the penalty setting up 3rd and 2 from the 6.  We run Williams for no gain and kick the FG.  You can fault Drew for throwing a catchable but awkward pass to Willis.  However, he didn't fail to produce because of his inability to beat a defense stacked to stop the run.  He simply threw it away while avoiding a sack when no one was open.  Pretty smart thing to do considering we are up by 11 and already in FG range. 

 

Sixth Drive:

 

There are only 59 seconds left in the half and we just took over at the Bengal 29 after Kelsay's pick.  We are up 24-10.  Once again we ran on first down, gaining only 2 yards and using 26 of our 59 seconds.  We throw incomplete on second but Drew hits Moulds for 11 down to the 16 and then uses the first down to spike the ball and stop the clock at 12 seconds.  An incompletion to Moulds leads to another Lindell FG.  We are now up 27-10 at the half.

 

That is Drew's entire first half and I think it is clear that the reason he didn't burn them for stacking against the run on first down is because we went ahead and ran on first down most of the time anyway.  Facing 2nd and 13, Drew then was trying to throw against a defense that had switched back into a standard pass defense.  I think the real concern is that for a power running team, we are not able to run the ball against a defense committed to stop the run.  Anyone can run against a dime defense. 

 

Seventh Drive:

 

True to from, we run on first down again and this time lose 4 yards.  Two incomplete passes followed and they came against pass defenses since we needed long yardage.

 

Eighth Drive:

 

We finally throw on first and Drew completes it for 6.  We get a frist down and pass again but Drew gets sacked.  They saw it coming.  We lose big yardage.  Drew gets most of it back on a completion to Reed but it isn't enough and we punt.

 

Ninth Drive:

 

Incompletion to Moulds.  We started the drive on our 17 and are winning so we don't do anything stupid.  It was a pass but a short one and Moulds was covered.  We run for a yard and another incompletion follows against a pass defense.  Probably Drew's worst series.

 

Tenth Drive:

 

We go 55 yards on 9 plays and kick a FG after being stopped at the 2.  Of the four first down plays against a run defense, we ran 3 times for 3, -2 and 5 (Bledsoe keeper).  We threw once, complete for 10 yards to Moulds.  Drew also had completed one for 16 yards to Evans and got an interference call on a pass to Reed for 18.  Drew accounted for 49 of the 55 yards on the drive.  I assume no one has any complaints about his performance on this drive.

 

Eleventh Drive:

 

This one goes for 12 plays, 52 yards and a FG when we stall on the Bengal 15.  In the drive, Of the four first downs on the drive, we run on three of them for 7, 2 and 5 yards.  The one first down throw was a sack.  It would have been nice if he threw it away but that has nothing to do with failing to burn a defense stacked to stop the run.  ON the drive, Drew completes passes of 10, 11, 10 and 14 for a total of 45 yards which isn't bad considering it was only a 52 yard drive.  I see no real problems with his performance on this drive at all.

 

Twelfth Drive: 

 

We run every play.

Bottom line, we ran against that run defense most of the time, that is why Drew didn't burn it, he wasn't given a chance to.  The poor performance running the ball on frist down led to second and long and third and long situations.  On those plays, the Bengals did not overload against the run.

 

With all due respect, I don't think it is at all fair to say that Drew was unable to capitalize against a run oriented defense.  Depite the defense, we stubbornly ran anyway.  Given the ultimate results, I have no complaints and frankly, I think when you look at the play by play, Drew had a better game than we are giving him credit for.  You can't ingnore the extaordinary events the were going on in the first half with the turnovers and all.  Those events (Evans' fumble, blocked kick and Spikes INT) all worked to deprive Drew and the offense of possessions and you can't run stats up sitting on the bench.

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Good post...CD

[Casey D]

Excellent points.  I would only add that what does concern me is that we were unable, not for lack of trying, to run the ball against a defense committed to stop the run.  The surest sign of a real power running team is one that can move the ball even against that type of defense.  That doesn't mean they have to put together four or five 7 minute drives of 60 or more yards but it does mean that they produce a few first downs before they punt.  I think this problem is more indicative of what still is the real problem on this team, an offensive line that is average at best.

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Absolutely, the O-line is much better, but that does not mean it is good. The interior of the line in particular is inconsistent, which is better than before--consistently bad. But the interior line is not strong enough to beat an 8 man front with any consistency.

[JCBoston]

I said against QUALITY competition. The 3-11 Dolphins, by most standards, are not QUALITY competition.

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I can't believe I'm going to say this, but the Dolphins aren't all that bad on defense, especially at home.

 

They gave the Worlds Greatest Quarterback and his Genius head-coach a lot of headaches on Monday night. They put a lot of pressure on the NE offense and caused The Team That Doesn't Make Mistakes to make some pretty ugly ones.

 

The Fish have lots of problems, but defensively, they're a quality unit.

[bills_fan]

I remember this game where a team was up by 30+ points in the third quarter and instead of controling the clock by running it out and having their qb throw simple risk-free passes, they kept airing it out.

 

That team ended up losing the game.

 

I vaguely recall some game like that. A playoff game maybe??? Involving some guy named Reich??? Help me out here.

[bills_fan]

And BTW - Mickey...

 

Great post. I completely agree. Which is why I think we really need to upgrade the LG position. For now, Tucker is adequate, but in the offseason, I think a true mauler will make a big difference in the running game. Maybe that guy from Green Bay??

[OGTEleven]

Sharp thinking has no place at TSW. The Sacred Cow must never be critisized, not even by a Coach who developed Ken Anderson, Joe Montana, Boomer Esiason and more. 

 

Bledsoe should be the QB at present, while we continue to win. No question. Still, I'm NOT blind to his long list of shortcomings as a QB. He has made some solid throws over the last few weeks, against average to bad teams who were very beatable. He has also dropped his arm down to the point where he is sidearming most balls and making multiple throws behind the receiver. In closer games, against actual quality opponents, that will kill us. Wyche must be beside himself, watching DB's mechanics, which are inconsistent and poor. He has every right to be concerned, since he knows that will eventually come back to beat us.

 

  Winning on the road in the Playoffs,against higher quality opponenets, is a whole different animal. How much longer can the Defense and Special teams make numerous big plays to win us the game ? A good opposing Defense, at home, sticks 8 in the box and stops the running game. So it's up to Bledsoe to get those LB's and Safties off the line of scrimmage by beating them. A bit of mobility comes

into play more than ever. So does making quicker reads, showing some touch on the short passes and locating a secondary receiver.  He has yet to show he can beat it in 2 + YEARS !

 

Be it early on or later, I see Losman taking over as our starter in 2005. He wasn't drafted and paid well to ride the bench for 2 + years. Bledsoe will eventually cost us some wins in close games and the change will happen.

 

I do NOT hate DB but can clearly see his entire game and what he has to offer as a starting QB. Blinders off.

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Did I write that or just think it? I couldn't tell if I was reading or typing.