Rapid Reaction - 10 Observations About Today's Game

[ChevyVanMiller]

Rapid Reaction - 10 Observations About Today's Game

10) Tyrod Taylor is for real. The new Bills QB showed great pocket presence and a strong arm and thoroughly out-played his Indianapolis counterpart, all-pro Andrew Luck.

Taylor finished 14/19 for 195 yds, 1 TD and a 123.8 QB rating. His TD pass to Percy Harvin traveled over 60 yards in the air and he dropped it on a dime - as beautiful of a throw as you're apt to see on an opening day weekend.

Maybe just as important, he took great care of the football and played a mistake-free game that never allowed Indy to make a true rally after he staked the Bills to a 24-0 lead.

Maybe the long wait for a true successor to Jim Kelly is finally over.

9) The 12th man did their job today and deserve 71,857 game balls as a result. The crowd was peaked even before kick-off as the cheers for the starting offense in general and Tyrod Taylor in particular were loud and boisterous.

On the 4th down play that the Colts ultimately scored their 1st TD on, the crowd was deafening. In all my years of going to games I've never heard that much noise from the 12th man - ever!

I also didn't observe any alcohol-infused altercations and never saw the yellow security coats rushing to any section of the stadium. Well done, Bills fans, well done.

8) It was a great relief to see Dan Carpenter nail (see what i did there?) all of his kicks today. Number 2 is a huge piece of the winning puzzle of this team and he was money today in tricky kicking elements.

Somebody tell Billy Cundiff he can check out of the Hamburg Red Roof Inn, Dan the Man is here to stay.

7) I'm still not over the release of Fred Jackson. but Karlos Williams helped ease the blow for a lot of Bills fans today. The rookie played like a seasoned pro as he led the team in rushing with 55 yds on just 6 carries for a 9.2 ypc.

His 26-yard TD scamper was a thing of beauty and Williams looks to be a great 1-2 punch with Shady McCoy. That upright running style is aesthetically pleasing and evokes memories of the great Eric Dickerson.

6) Speaking of running backs, Shady showed flashes today, but seemed to still be a bit hampered by the sore hammy that kept him out of the bulk of the preseason.

McCoy did have a beautiful TD run wiped out by penalty, however he seemed often unable to cut as hard as he usually does when he makes defenders look foolish on the field.

Hopefully, he'll be more fully-healed next week and run all over the *Pats defense.

5) Percy Harvin had no such lingering issues from his preseason injury. Harvin was a beast today and his TD catch was a picturesque reception that will make every Week 1 highlight reel.

Number 18 was the Bills leading receiver and also rushed once for 9 yards. Harvin is going to touch the ball a lot this season and defenses should be worried.

4) Still not sure what was up with having Matt Cassel take the first snap from center. It was almost like Rex was thumbing his nose at all of the media and online dissecting of the QB battle that dominated the preseason.

One downside of the chicanery is that it denied Tyrod Taylor his first win as a starting QB. Cassel goes down in the books as the starting QB while Taylor is officially credited as a back-up winner.

Let's rectify that next week, shall we?

3) What a great day for Ron Darby. I was really nervous before the game that Luck was going to ride him like a government mule.
The rookie played well and got his first career pick on a play where he perfectly high-pointed the ball.

If he can continue to play at such a high level the Bills are going to be a tough team to throw against.

2) The defensive line was stout against the run today.They limited the Colts to just 64 yards on 17 carries. 20 of those were on Luck scrambles, so the running backs were held under 50 yards in total.

Just wait until the $108 Million Dollar Man turns up next week. Things could get scary.

1) 14 years ago today my youngest son, Ryan, was born. Today we celebrated his birthday by cheering the Bills to victory together at the Ralph.

God is great and I am blessed.

Next week, Tom Brady and his soft balls come to town. Time to get the monkey off of our back and deal him a loss in a game that matters.

Today was special, next week we'll get a better idea if the whole season will be as well.

 

(PS - I decided to post after private messaging Bill from NYC and getting his blessing. He's a true gentleman. On home game days my post will be a bit late as I'm a season ticket holder. Thanks for everyone's awesome support on TSW).

Edited September 14, 2015 by ChevyVanMiller

[EmotionallyUnstable]

Nice write up. I think the whole Cassel, first play was nonsense. It really put me in a bad mood and made me question their confidence in TT and the offense. Fortunately, they stepped up for a big win but that horrendous excuse of a play still tastes sour

[papazoid]

cleanup those 11 penalties and lookout !

[ChevyVanMiller]

cleanup those 11 penalties and lookout !

Yeah, I meant to mention the penalties, too. Some were bad calls, but the O-line needs to stop holding. They wiped out some nice plays today.

[biggerdaddynj]

We handled one of the elite teams in the league with one of the top two or three QBs in the league without Dareus. I know we have lots of other pieces in place on the defensive side of the house, yada, yada, yada but that is pretty friggin' impressive (even for the most critical person out there--"it's a nice sign to see us hold the Colts and Andrew Luck in check without an important piece of the defensive line on the field").

 

As we all knew when he was named starter, we're gonna go as far as Tyrod can handle taking us. Today was a good start.

 

Let's enjoy it!

[Bleed Bills Blue]

Ok, so, we've handled Manning and Rogers and now Luck...who's next?

 

[reddogblitz]

I too thought the Ralph was the loudest I've ever heard on the 4th and goal play.

[Freddie's Dead]

Bleed Bills Blue, on 13 Sept 2015 - 10:51 PM, said:

 

Ok, so, we've handled Manning and Rogers and now Luck...who's next?

 

Brady is the monolith. Edited September 14, 2015 by Freddie's Dead

[BobbyC81]

Rapid Reaction - 10 Observations About Today's Game

 

 

3) What a great day for Ron Darby. I was really nervous before the game that Luck was going to ride him like a government mule.

The rookie played well and got his first career pick on a play where he perfectly high-pointed the ball.

 

If he can continue to play at such a high level the Bills are going to be a tough team to throw against.

.

Remember all of the pre and post-draft talk about his poor ball skills? The coaching staff seems to have a great job with him in improving that area.

[GunnerBill]

I loved how pumped the staff were for Darby. Rex moved like Tyrod as he raced onto the field to chest bump him!

 

I am not one of these fans who equates coach showing passion with being a good coach... you can be grim reaper like Belichick and win.... but to see the passion in that moment for a rookie who has had a lot of doubters based on pre-season was really nice.

[Bleed Bills Blue]

Brady is the monolith.

Heh, and those guys are our front four.

[ChevyVanMiller]

I loved how pumped the staff were for Darby. Rex moved like Tyrod as he raced onto the field to chest bump him!

 

I am not one of these fans who equates coach showing passion with being a good coach... you can be grim reaper like Belichick and win.... but to see the passion in that moment for a rookie who has had a lot of doubters based on pre-season was really nice.

Finally had a chance to watch Rex's presser. He was truly stoked for darby and seemed really shocked that the fans stood for the whole game.

 

Get used to it, Rex. We don't sit down for football games in Buffalo.