My Game Thoughts/Summary

[patmoran2006]

Not going to recap the game in any way since you can and probably have read a report from somewhere by now.

The Good:

Scoreboard: Holy **** that's solid.

* John McCargo- I'd be lying if I said he wasn't very impressive. That's the ****ing McCargo this team needs.

* Paul Posluszny- I'm sold. Let's leave it at that.

* Donte Whitner- He's looking like he's going to take that next step.

* COy Wire- LOL, I can't believe Im saying that. IN terms of STOPPING THE PASS our LB depth with DiGorgio isn't as bad as I thought.. Again, that's against the PASS.

* Marshawn Lynch- Forget the stats and numbers. YES, he has some **** to learn. But that was his first real action, and his first run showed the kind of guy he's going to be. I REALLY, REALLY think this kid is goign to be special and if anyone wrote something bad about him based on last night, they are wrong.

THE BAD
* THe offensive line: Two games running, I have seen absolutely NOTHING from this OL that looks good. Not one player on the unit, not even Peters, has looked good. If there is a god, please never let Preston play center again. Fowler BETTER come back healthy and have a good year. This unit could be in very big trouble if they dont get their **** together. Next week, I'd play them the whole entire ****ing game. I cant believe Im saying this, but Walker was probably the best linemen last night; and that's NOT a compliment.

* JP Losman- Said it last week and he's shown me NOTHING to ease my fears. It's becoming alarming how shaky he's looking.. Wind my ass, he's used to it by now in Buffalo.

* Peerless Price- I said he was going to be a surprise cut over a month ago. At the time, it seemed far fetched. Now? Not so much. The problem is SOMEONE has to step up from this unit to force him out. Parrish is looking good but they guys behind him haven't done anything to step up, though Morgan looks like he may be that guy.

* Run defense- more than 5 yards per carry against a third stringer through the first half. It's NOT good enough.

Trent Edwards- Didnt we trade Holcomb already? (Seriously, he'll get better Im sure but he looks very Holcomb-like to me right now)-- Actually, he shouldn't be in the "bad" category because he didnt play bad.


CONCLUSION:
Our DL is ****ed with Denney gone. Schobel better have the year of his life. SHame about Hargrove he's clearly our best looking right now. IT was encouraging to see McCargo play well. Is Tripplett even on this roster anymore?

Offensively, Jesus we look BAD. Losman right NOW doe NOT look like a QB who's ready to build on last year. I feel sorry for Evans once the season starts. Our OL, **** the money we spent---looks like ****. Trust me on this one though, Marshawn Lynch is the REAL DEAL, do not worry about him.

Lynch and Poz are going to be impact players. I think I was wrong about Poz. But he'll have to be amazing for this defense to not suck.

[Yasgur's Farm]

Good post... I'm looking forward to improvement as the season begins.

[Earthquake Enyart]

Well, I'm glad you're sold on Poz. Now I can sleep at night.

[Scumbag College]

Thanks Pat, I agree with most everything. My additional thoughts are:

1. I'm frightened about the DE situation now. Before the season most everyone thought the DTs would be the weak link on the defense, however McCargo's play last night was encouraging. However, I think Hargrove mad the team last night with his play and the fact that Denney might be gone for awhile. The Bills cannot afford to cut him now and will have to just suck it up the first four weeks with (gulp) Powell and Ah You the #3 and #4 DEs.

2. Coy Wire! I've been bashing him for the last couple of years for his play at safety, but maybe he should have been an LB from the start. I think the Bills are going to utilize him in some nickel and dime situations. I like Poz's play, however Wire really looks good in pass coverage and maybe Poz will get subbed out this year when teams go 3 and 4 wide.

3. Whitner, Poz, Lynch are going to be fine. I don't see any of them, barring injury, will be compared to fat Mike Williams as a bust a couple of years down the road.

4. Trent Edwards- I think he played well and didn't make any mistakes. Looked mobile at times and was fairly accurate. Honestly, I don't see him playing during the regular season unless in the fourth quarter of a blowout, but I think he'll be good for the team in the long run.

5. The OL needs to get set as far as who starts where. I know Fowler is hurt, but I don't want it to be October and still have the coaching staff tinkering with who's going to start at Center and RG. I hope that this gets set in the next week or two, and in turn it helps their play.

6. I agree that Peerless needs to show something soon, or I have no problem with him hitting the road and having Reed and Parrish platooning at the #2 receiver.

7. Run D is bad, it doesn't help that the Bills are starting out with four teams that run the ball well and will be short Denney and Hargrove.

All in all, I think the jury is still out on the offense and defense. On offense, will the Bills finally get set on the line as to who's going to start at what position? Will JP put it together? Will the #2 WR please stand up? Is there a TE on this roster that will catch more than 20 balls this year? There's only a few weeks to settle these issues before it counts.

The defense is going to struggle against the run at times. Hopefully, guys like McGee, Schoebel, and the athletic LBs can make enough big plays and generate some turnovers to off set the obvious weaknesses against the run. Also, whomever is going to start at CB opposite McGee is going to get picked on, just hopefully they can limit the big plays and make some big plays of their own.

[TedMock]

Not going to recap the game in any way since you can and probably have read a report from somewhere by now.

The Good:

Scoreboard: Holy **** that's solid.

* John McCargo- I'd be lying if I said he wasn't very impressive. That's the ****ing McCargo this team needs.

* Paul Posluszny- I'm sold. Let's leave it at that.

* Donte Whitner- He's looking like he's going to take that next step.

* COy Wire- LOL, I can't believe Im saying that. IN terms of STOPPING THE PASS our LB depth with DiGorgio isn't as bad as I thought.. Again, that's against the PASS.

* Marshawn Lynch- Forget the stats and numbers. YES, he has some **** to learn. But that was his first real action, and his first run showed the kind of guy he's going to be. I REALLY, REALLY think this kid is goign to be special and if anyone wrote something bad about him based on last night, they are wrong.

THE BAD
* THe offensive line: Two games running, I have seen absolutely NOTHING from this OL that looks good. Not one player on the unit, not even Peters, has looked good. If there is a god, please never let Preston play center again. Fowler BETTER come back healthy and have a good year. This unit could be in very big trouble if they dont get their **** together. Next week, I'd play them the whole entire ****ing game. I cant believe Im saying this, but Walker was probably the best linemen last night; and that's NOT a compliment.

* JP Losman- Said it last week and he's shown me NOTHING to ease my fears. It's becoming alarming how shaky he's looking.. Wind my ass, he's used to it by now in Buffalo.

* Peerless Price- I said he was going to be a surprise cut over a month ago. At the time, it seemed far fetched. Now? Not so much. The problem is SOMEONE has to step up from this unit to force him out. Parrish is looking good but they guys behind him haven't done anything to step up, though Morgan looks like he may be that guy.

* Run defense- more than 5 yards per carry against a third stringer through the first half. It's NOT good enough.

Trent Edwards- Didnt we trade Holcomb already? (Seriously, he'll get better Im sure but he looks very Holcomb-like to me right now)-- Actually, he shouldn't be in the "bad" category because he didnt play bad.


CONCLUSION:
Our DL is ****ed with Denney gone. Schobel better have the year of his life. SHame about Hargrove he's clearly our best looking right now. IT was encouraging to see McCargo play well. Is Tripplett even on this roster anymore?

Offensively, Jesus we look BAD. Losman right NOW doe NOT look like a QB who's ready to build on last year. I feel sorry for Evans once the season starts. Our OL, **** the money we spent---looks like ****. Trust me on this one though, Marshawn Lynch is the REAL DEAL, do not worry about him.

Lynch and Poz are going to be impact players. I think I was wrong about Poz. But he'll have to be amazing for this defense to not suck.

I just watched the first half on NFL Network's re-play. 3rd quarter just started, so I have no comment on Edwards yet.

Defensively, we looked terrible on the first drive, but tightened up pretty well after that. McCargo was HORRIBLE on the opening drive, but played very well after that. Overall, Poz, Whitner, and Wire were the best players on the defense. McCargo looked solid, as did Jabari Greer and dumbarse Hargrove.

Offensively, we just looked "off." The plays were there and available, but the execution wasn't. Such a cliche', I know, but it was never more true.

The o-line actually gave Losman decent time, but he seemed to take off right away on a couple of plays. Maybe by design? Maybe happy feet? I don't know. Losman certainly looked off on his passes too.

Although the overall blocking was decent I have two primary issues: 1. Peters is getting penalties 2 weeks in a row and that needs to stop and 2. Preston struggled big-time in positioning and in execution. I'll give him that this is the first time he's played center in a few years, so maybe he was rusty, but he gets no more passes after that. As much as it's going to kill some people to read this, Walker buried his man on a couple of occasions.

I'd say there is a noticeable benefit when Lynch is playing over A-train. I like Thomas, but Lynch is certainly more explosive. He came close a couple of times. The line looked much better with Lynch finding the hole than it did with A-train running straight ahead. I have to give Price credit for blocking downfield. He did a fine job at that, but he's a WR first and he needs to step up as a better #2.

I'm in the middle of the 3rd quarter now. So far, Hargrove and Greer continue to play well, and Jackson is having another solid game so far. Edwards threw a TD pass to Parrish in double coverage. It was actually a very weak pass and Parrish made a great play. I'll have more opinion after the rest of the game.

[DraftBoy]

I just watched the first half on NFL Network's re-play. 3rd quarter just started, so I have no comment on Edwards yet.

Defensively, we looked terrible on the first drive, but tightened up pretty well after that. McCargo was HORRIBLE on the opening drive, but played very well after that. Overall, Poz, Whitner, and Wire were the best players on the defense. McCargo looked solid, as did Jabari Greer and dumbarse Hargrove.

Offensively, we just looked "off." The plays were there and available, but the execution wasn't. Such a cliche', I know, but it was never more true.

The o-line actually gave Losman decent time, but he seemed to take off right away on a couple of plays. Maybe by design? Maybe happy feet? I don't know. Losman certainly looked off on his passes too.

Although the overall blocking was decent I have two primary issues: 1. Peters is getting penalties 2 weeks in a row and that needs to stop and 2. Preston struggled big-time in positioning and in execution. I'll give him that this is the first time he's played center in a few years, so maybe he was rusty, but he gets no more passes after that. As much as it's going to kill some people to read this, Walker buried his man on a couple of occasions.

I'd say there is a noticeable benefit when Lynch is playing over A-train. I like Thomas, but Lynch is certainly more explosive. He came close a couple of times. The line looked much better with Lynch finding the hole than it did with A-train running straight ahead. I have to give Price credit for blocking downfield. He did a fine job at that, but he's a WR first and he needs to step up as a better #2.

I'm in the middle of the 3rd quarter now. So far, Hargrove and Greer continue to play well, and Jackson is having another solid game so far. Edwards threw a TD pass to Parrish in double coverage. It was actually a very weak pass and Parrish made a great play. I'll have more opinion after the rest of the game.

Im pretty sure McCargo didnt play on the 1st drive, he wasnt starting, Tripplett and Williams started I believe. I saw Kyle Williams get man handled a few times though.

[ublinkwescore]

Thanks Pat, I agree with most everything. My additional thoughts are:

1. I'm frightened about the DE situation now. Before the season most everyone thought the DTs would be the weak link on the defense, however McCargo's play last night was encouraging. However, I think Hargrove mad the team last night with his play and the fact that Denney might be gone for awhile. The Bills cannot afford to cut him now and will have to just suck it up the first four weeks with (gulp) Powell and Ah You the #3 and #4 DEs.

2. Coy Wire! I've been bashing him for the last couple of years for his play at safety, but maybe he should have been an LB from the start. I think the Bills are going to utilize him in some nickel and dime situations. I like Poz's play, however Wire really looks good in pass coverage and maybe Poz will get subbed out this year when teams go 3 and 4 wide.
3. Whitner, Poz, Lynch are going to be fine. I don't see any of them, barring injury, will be compared to fat Mike Williams as a bust a couple of years down the road.

4. Trent Edwards- I think he played well and didn't make any mistakes. Looked mobile at times and was fairly accurate. Honestly, I don't see him playing during the regular season unless in the fourth quarter of a blowout, but I think he'll be good for the team in the long run.

5. The OL needs to get set as far as who starts where. I know Fowler is hurt, but I don't want it to be October and still have the coaching staff tinkering with who's going to start at Center and RG. I hope that this gets set in the next week or two, and in turn it helps their play.

6. I agree that Peerless needs to show something soon, or I have no problem with him hitting the road and having Reed and Parrish platooning at the #2 receiver.

7. Run D is bad, it doesn't help that the Bills are starting out with four teams that run the ball well and will be short Denney and Hargrove.

All in all, I think the jury is still out on the offense and defense. On offense, will the Bills finally get set on the line as to who's going to start at what position? Will JP put it together? Will the #2 WR please stand up? Is there a TE on this roster that will catch more than 20 balls this year? There's only a few weeks to settle these issues before it counts.

The defense is going to struggle against the run at times. Hopefully, guys like McGee, Schoebel, and the athletic LBs can make enough big plays and generate some turnovers to off set the obvious weaknesses against the run. Also, whomever is going to start at CB opposite McGee is going to get picked on, just hopefully they can limit the big plays and make some big plays of their own.

Yeah, leave it to TD to draft a guy who played LB in college, and move him to safety.

I'm glad TD is gone - don't get me wrong, he did some good things for this team (Lee Evans, JP, Jason Peters), but the bad far outweighed the good, and he would have never got this team to perform like Levy will.

[TedMock]

Im pretty sure McCargo didnt play on the 1st drive, he wasnt starting, Tripplett and Williams started I believe. I saw Kyle Williams get man handled a few times though.

You're right. Williams did start and got manhandled, but McCargo rotated in to. He also got manhandled on that drive. He played very well after that though. Williams was a non-factor the entire game. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not necessarily good either.

[DraftBoy]

You're right. Williams did start and got manhandled, but McCargo rotated in to. He also got manhandled on that drive. He played very well after that though. Williams was a non-factor the entire game. Not necessarily a bad thing, but not necessarily good either.

Ok I watched the game live and dont have the luxury (damn you unemployment) of a DVR to re-watch it unfortunately. Im not sure McCargo was 100% healthy but he sure looked good from that second drive on.

[camelcowboy]

Did greer start at corner guys?

[DraftBoy]

Did greer start at corner guys?


No Webster and Mcgee, Greer played extremely well again though. Was step for step with Roddy White on a deep ball and never got torched once.

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

I would have to say it is WAAYYY to early to put a rookie QB in any bad category.

[HHURRICANE]

Ok I watched the game live and dont have the luxury (damn you unemployment) of a DVR to re-watch it unfortunately. Im not sure McCargo was 100% healthy but he sure looked good from that second drive on.

How are you unemployed in Atlanta?

[camelcowboy]

No Webster and Mcgee, Greer played extremely well again though. Was step for step with Roddy White on a deep ball and never got torched once.
Webster still suck because imo greer should start the next game.

[hammerbillsfan]

The Good:

Scoreboard: Holy **** that's solid.

:up:

[DraftBoy]

How are you unemployed in Atlanta?


Too picky, but hopefully that ends this week

[Luisito23]

Saw some highlights on Epeen and we didn't look that bad, and Price is garbage....







GO BILLS!!!!!!!

[seanbillsfan]

i was at the game, where was everyone? the place wasnt even half full! I know its preseason but come on, if we want the bills to stay we need fill the Ralph up every game.

[raphael120]

i was at the game, where was everyone? the place wasnt even half full! I know its preseason but come on, if we want the bills to stay we need fill the Ralph up every game.

Did you WATCH the game while you were there? I wouldve been pissed to waste my Friday night watching our first string offense going up against the falcons second team defense and STILL unable to get things done.

IN FACT, we went 2 three and outs for a total of 2 yards in the final 2 possessions where half of our starters, (Including JP) were still in the game.

[HHURRICANE]

Too picky, but hopefully that ends this week

Cool. I wasn't calling you out I just thought I could help unless you are a nuclear chemist or something.

[DraftBoy]

Cool. I wasn't calling you out I just thought I could help unless you are a nuclear chemist or something.


Unless you work in Government...

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

i was at the game, where was everyone? the place wasnt even half full! I know its preseason but come on, if we want the bills to stay we need fill the Ralph up every game.


I was in section 203.

[Oaf]

About Edwards, I found myself verbally telling him to throw the ball more than 8 yards in the air. He did in one, single time, and it was a completion to Donovan Morgan. He still telegraphs his passes, and still waits and waits and waits and is either sacked or throws the dumpoff 4 yards away.