OpIv37's Late Postgame Notes and Semi-Bold Prediction

[OpIv37]

- I am convinced that Lee Evans is the real deal. I have to admit that I had doubts about his ability to be a #1, but not after this preseason.

- I'm impressed with Losman's development and my confidence in him is growing

-Craig Nall has no pocket presence. He just doesn't sense the pressure.

-Chris Villarial SUCKS. I'm not sold on Preston, but he can't be much worse.

-Kyle Williams is still looking good.

-On Cleveland's first touchdown, Liam Ezekiel and Coy Wire were both on the field at the same time. I'm hoping that this was only a preseason evaluation for them and that our coaches don't actually think that's a good goal line package.

-Spikes looked good in his return.

-Mistakes will be this team's Achilles' heel. Penalties, turnovers, missed tackles and drops (I counted 5 just by Aiken and Shelton). There is absolutely no excuse for this.

-Punt coverage looks good, but punt/KO returns and kickoff coverage look surprisingly average. This has me concerned because I just assumed our ST would be solid again this year- now I'm not so sure.

And as promised, a semi bold prediction:

The offense will finish no worse than 20th, possibly in the top half of the league (barring significant injuries, of course).
The defense will finish no BETTER than 20th, possibly 25th or worse.

I like the way the O is coming together. There were several times when the O was a wall in pass blocking. McGahee is running downhill, and I already commented on Losman and Evans. Run blocking can be improved but seems to be getting better with every game. My one real concern is someone stepping up as the #2 WR. Both Price and Reed have shown flashes, but have been inconsistent. The coaching staff doesn't seem to have any desire to make Parrish a #2, Aiken has the dropsies, and Davis has been non-existent.

On D, I must admit the pass rush is better than I thought it would be. But there are CONSTANT soft spots in the zone, and we were playing Charlie friggin Frye. Better QB's would have eaten us alive. In addition, there were far too many plays where the DL was going backwards on running plays. This D needs another year before it's ready for the big time.

[Kerr]

Good review, op. :up:

[LtBillsFan66]

I think the D will be much better in the regular season.

[OpIv37]

One thing I forgot about Losman- he still impressed me, but he needs to work on the fumbles.

[OpIv37]

I think the D will be much better in the regular season.

just out of curiosity, why do you think that?

[Mitchy moo]

just out of curiosity, why do you think that?

I think our coaches are trying out different combo's and plays. Marv could care less about the pre-season and they are playing.

[Dr. Lecter]

The defense will improve. New players, new coaches and a new system will take some time.

[OpIv37]

I think our coaches are trying out different combo's and plays. Marv could care less about the pre-season and they are playing.

well, don't you think they should try new things in practice and use preseason games to, I don't know, maybe fine tune the plays they will be using in ACTUAL games? Just a thought.

[OpIv37]

The defense will improve. New players, new coaches and a new system will take some time.

that's precisely my point- they're not close to ready yet, and with the tough early season schedule, they're going to dig themselves in quite a hole.

[bflojohn]

This team needs a consistent pass rush. If the Bills could snag a player next year in the draft like Shawne Merriman, the "D" would become simply awesome! This year, the DT's need to add pressure up the gut, and help Denney, Kelsay, and Schobel. I'm kinda hoping that the players we need at DT are already on this team.... they just need a season under their belts!

[Throne Logic]

There is no game planning going on, folks. No one is scouting out the pre-season opponents and devising ways to beat them. No one is studying their tendancies so that the coaches can call the appropriate plays to counter.

Why do people continue to put so much stock in what happens during preseason games? Individual efforts are what we should be evaluating. Offensive timing could be looked at, but only if all the likely starters are in there. Often, coaches mix in a bubble player to see how he does with the talent in there around him. And again, no game-time adjustments are being made.

The purpose of these games is to evaluate the players. Coy Wire will be lucky to make this team, let alone be in on the first team goaline defense.

I think our D will be quite good if they can generate anything resembling a pass rush. From what I've seen and been reading, we very well may be able to do that this season.

[YardRat]

I think the defense will show improvement quicker than the offense.

Both squads are going to have it tough the first few games.

[shelby]

i hate to say it, but i have to agree that Wire will probably get the boot. i hope Villarial does as well.
Great breakdown Op, but i think our D will be in the top 15 if not the top 10. We really are that good.

[Historian]

The Historian has a bold prediction too:

The first half of our season we may only win two games.

The second half they're going to put it all together and go on a tear, winning 6 out of 8.

Next off season we will be "The team to watch"

[Mitchy moo]

There is no game planning going on, folks. No one is scouting out the pre-season opponents and devising ways to beat them. No one is studying their tendancies so that the coaches can call the appropriate plays to counter.

Why do people continue to put so much stock in what happens during preseason games? Individual efforts are what we should be evaluating. Offensive timing could be looked at, but only if all the likely starters are in there. Often, coaches mix in a bubble player to see how he does with the talent in there around him. And again, no game-time adjustments are being made.

The purpose of these games is to evaluate the players. Coy Wire will be lucky to make this team, let alone be in on the first team goaline defense.

I think our D will be quite good if they can generate anything resembling a pass rush. From what I've seen and been reading, we very well may be able to do that this season.

That's what is was trying to say, you just wrote it better. Nice post.

[OpIv37]

There is no game planning going on, folks. No one is scouting out the pre-season opponents and devising ways to beat them. No one is studying their tendancies so that the coaches can call the appropriate plays to counter.

Why do people continue to put so much stock in what happens during preseason games?

When I criticized the DL and the offense during preseason last year, a lot of people said the same thing... and we all know how that turned out.

The fact is that we're not doing those things to the same degree as we do in real games, but neither are our opponents. Offenses have been finding lots of soft spots in our zones- just imagine how they'll be doing once they start game-planning for us.