Deranged Rhino Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 That doesn't get old. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billykaykay Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 My obvservations 1) EJ is progressing, the YPA is healthy and he makes very few errors for such a young player. He needs to develop more confidence down in the redzone, he needs to realize that we can't let points on the field if we want to be considered a serious contender. 2) another player that I see making unspectacular but positive plays is Manny Lawson. Him, Searcy and Graham are similar, they're not the greatest athletes but they get things done. 3) Bradham has arrived, he doesn't look lost and he hits hard, he's the Aaron Williams of the LBs, they're both growing into solid players. 4) For such a young guy, Hackett doesn't flinch, doesn't overreact doesn't panic. You see experienced coordinators, accomplished ones, putting the blinders on and completely hurt their teams in the process. You may dislike his play calling but I think there is some virtue in what he does while developing a young QB. 5) Can you imagine what the team will look like when Marrone gets the locker room back? Regarding # 4, there are only a few NFL cities where the fans approve of the play calling. Bill NYC, Excellent summarization of the game. I won't respond to all your excellent points but will just respond to a few. Marrone and the staff are using Spiller as he should be used. The kickoff run back for a TD and the long run in the second half were both critical plays in this game. Playmakers are very difficult to acquire. When you have an opportunity to get that type of impact player you should seize the opportunity and then put that player in a position to succeed. Watkins is another scintillating player who was well worth the high cost to acquire. As you noted although he was the focal point of the passing game he was still open all day long. One of his attributes that has amazed me is his strong hands. As well as he played it is obvious that he is impaired with the lingering painful rib injury. I suspect that he won't be fully healed this year. He is a tough dude! As you noted Graham was a tremendous signing. At this very early point in the season he is the most dependable CB. He is a smart and mature player. Bill, I'm imploring you not to prejudge Gilmore. I feel very strongly that he is going to be an upper tier CB. He is not fully healthy and he is still rusty. Be patient with him and you will be richly rewarded with a high caliber CB who will regularly be assigned the best receiver on the offense. Go against your instincts and trust me on this one. I will not lead you astray! Prior to the season Marrone was asked on WGR who he felt was the most improved player. Without any hesitation he said it was Bradham. It's apparent that not only has he improved but he has taken a quantum leap forward this season. Mario Williams is a force and Kyle Williams is an interior dynamo. There isn't a defensive lineman in the league who knows how to utilize leverage like KW. He is a leader on this team not by the way he speaks up but by the way he plays. Accolades should be directed toward Hackett for the way he is handling EJ. Hackett is running a very simple low risk offense for EJ. Most of his passes (especially the short roll out passes) are safe passes and not multiple read plays. Without a doubt as the season advances the OC will be adding to the offense and giving EJ more downfield passes. Because our defense has so far played well there is little pressure on EJ to force plays in order to catch up. Manuel is showing a lot of maturity by not forcing the issue and being impatient. Not asking him to do too much and having him play cautiously is the right approach to take with him. At this point EJ is playing adequately enough. If he steadily gets better then I will be more than satisfied. In my view he is not the type of qb who is going to make the quantum leap forward. Steady progression is what I am now seeing and what I hope to continue to see. It's very early in the season but so far Whaley has made some nice moves. Making the trade up for Waktins, acquiring Graham, Dixon, the drafting of the risky Henderson were smart moves this year. Last year's trade of Sheppard for Hughes and the acquisition of Lawson were also positive transactions. Whaley is very invested in the development of EJ. So far his coaching staff is handling him in a very smart and judicious manner that will give him the best chance to succeed. No one is prejudging Gilmore. The body of evidence so far indicates that he is a good CB. The jury is still out however on whether he can play up to his lofty draft position. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gray Beard Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 Woods didn't so much make a tackle as he damn near ended a life with that hit. Woods leveled that guy, I have to find a gif of it. I was surprised too, but with the WRs (and roster) as deep as it is, I guess they can do that. Special Teams as a whole is deeper and better because the roster is better and deeper. To Mr. Whaley. The Woods hit on Video...http://www.syracuse.com/buffalo-bills/index.ssf/2014/09/robert_woods_big_hit_part_of_b.html#incart_river_sports Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deranged Rhino Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 The Woods hit on Video... http://www.syracuse....rt_river_sports Thank you!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smapdi Posted September 16, 2014 Share Posted September 16, 2014 Nice write up. I was at the game and getting to watch a hurt Sammy Watkins just routinely get open was a thing of beauty. I loved the move when they made it & his performance Sunday reaffirmed that. He is truly a special talent. Players like him at WR are very hard to find, let alone having the opportunity to acquire one. 8 rec / 118 yards / 1TD in his 2nd pro game with bad ribs was outstanding. He gives us that much needed stud in the WR corp. Teams will really now have to focus om him and Woods/Williams + the running game will really benefit. Seantrel Henderson has been a revelation. What a steal in the 7th. Holding Wake to just 0.5 tackles and no QB hits is amazing. EJ Manuel has really taken some big steps forward. He is doing exactly what this team needs him to do at this juncture. He was super raw coming out so I figured we would see some big improvement this season & he Def has. I will eat some crow on Hackett. He really hit the tape in the off season and switched things up. I thought he was the weakest link by far but his play calling has surprised me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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