My Less Emotional Views 2 Days later

[patmoran2006]

--- I’m not real upset about the loss, it didn’t take me long to get over. Sure, it always sucks to lose to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Miami</st1:place></st1:City>, but the bottom line is not even the best teams in the this league don’t go on the road and have a couple of stinkers. The better teams learn their lessons and have less of them. Let’s hope we did some learning.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
--- I want to talk about Terrence McGee. A lot were upset, including myself that he was even on the field not 100% and that McKelvin wasn’t used. Well, I talked to a reporter who covers the Bills and he told me Jauron offered a valid explanation. McGee isn’t 100% and he’s not going to be 100%, probably for the remainder of the year. If he’s going to be active on this roster this season, he’s going to have to learn to play through the pain. By no means do I think Jauron sabotaged this game by leaving McGee out there, but its better to have him deal with it now than later in the season. Point being—He’s hurt, and he’s going to have to learn to play at less than 100%. An extra week of rest wasn’t going to make the injury totally healed. The word is its an injury that’s going to linger on him for the rest of the season.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
--- What is your definition of a MVP? Mine personally is a player that makes the team far better on the field than when he’s not on it. While he’s not the TOP choice, Josh Reed deserves consideration for Team MVP this year. Anyone who paid attention to the game saw how much he was missed when he went out. Reed has been inconsistent most of his career, but this year he’s really developed a rapport with Edwards. It was missed when he went out, which not coincidentally (IMO) is when Edwards and the offense in general started making more mistakes.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
--- Speaking of Edwards, he had his worst game of the year Sunday. But that’s not really an indictment. It’s that he was so good the other games. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I still think he played well enough for us to win. I only put the fumble (reaching into the pile). ON the interception he was hit because Whittle couldn’t hold his block. On the safety he was blindsided because Peters let Porter slide inside and Dockery through a feminine chip block his way. And on the fumble that was all Robert Royal (again). He had some poor throws, but overall I think he still played well enough for us to win, and I have lost zero confidence in him. I think he’s as good as advertised. Teams haven’t “caught on to him” as some are suggesting. We simply didn’t execute our offense.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
--- I don’t blame the lousy numbers rushing on Marshawn Lynch this year. But he doesn’t seem quite like the same back he was as a rookie. The touchdowns are still there and that’s huge, but he seems to be losing his concentration an awful lot more this year. From dropped passes (that dropped screen could’ve been a huge play) to more indecision on hitting the holes; Lynch doesn’t seem quite like he was a year ago. It probably doesn’t help when you EXPECT every running lane to be clogged up.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
n Nearing the half way point of the season, my most valuable player on this team (not counting Edwards) is Lee Evans. My least valuable player is Derrick Dockery. People lose their minds because Jason Peters is giving up sacks and wants to be paid like an elite lineman. Let’s not forget that Derrick Dockery ALREADY IS PAID AS AN ELITE LINEMEN (sorry, emotional comment).. This guy has been every bit as bad, if not worse.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
- I still see the Bills getting to at least 10 wins and making the playoffs. Not sure if 10 will be enough to win the division, but I think we hit the playoffs. My formula is that we win one of our next two (Jets, @NE), 2 of 3 after that (Clev, @KC, SF) and at least 2 of the last four (<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Miami</st1:place></st1:City>, @ Jets, @ Den, NE). If we do a game or two better, than you’re talking potential home-field bye. But let’s take it a week at a time.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
n I’m looking for bigger things from Poz and Donte Whitner the second half of the season. But ultimately, our season will come down to two key points.<o:p></o:p>
n 1- Can we start to run the ball better.<o:p></o:p>
n 2- Can we start to pressure the QB with our front four more often. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p> </o:p>
I think those two things are the most important factors to how our season ends up.<o:p></o:p>

[HHURRICANE]

<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
--- Speaking of Edwards, he had his worst game of the year Sunday. But that’s not really an indictment. It’s that he was so good the other games. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I still think he played well enough for us to win. I only put the fumble (reaching into the pile). ON the interception he was hit because Whittle couldn’t hold his block. On the safety he was blindsided because Peters let Porter slide inside and Dockery through a feminine chip block his way. And on the fumble that was all Robert Royal (again). He had some poor throws, but overall I think he still played well enough for us to win, and I have lost zero confidence in him. I think he’s as good as advertised. Teams haven’t “caught on to him” as some are suggesting. We simply didn’t execute our offense.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
--- I don’t blame the lousy numbers rushing on Marshawn Lynch this year. But he doesn’t seem quite like the same back he was as a rookie. The touchdowns are still there and that’s huge, but he seems to be losing his concentration an awful lot more this year. From dropped passes (that dropped screen could’ve been a huge play) to more indecision on hitting the holes; Lynch doesn’t seem quite like he was a year ago. It probably doesn’t help when you EXPECT every running lane to be clogged up.

Great, great post. You can tell who actually watches the games.

Pat you have been on a real roll this year.

[Saratoga Slim]

--- I’m not real upset about the loss, it didn’t take me long to get over. Sure, it always sucks to lose to <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /><st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Miami</st1:place></st1:City>, but the bottom line is not even the best teams in the this league don’t go on the road and have a couple of stinkers. The better teams learn their lessons and have less of them. Let’s hope we did some learning.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
--- I want to talk about Terrence McGee. A lot were upset, including myself that he was even on the field not 100% and that McKelvin wasn’t used. Well, I talked to a reporter who covers the Bills and he told me Jauron offered a valid explanation. McGee isn’t 100% and he’s not going to be 100%, probably for the remainder of the year. If he’s going to be active on this roster this season, he’s going to have to learn to play through the pain. By no means do I think Jauron sabotaged this game by leaving McGee out there, but its better to have him deal with it now than later in the season. Point being—He’s hurt, and he’s going to have to learn to play at less than 100%. An extra week of rest wasn’t going to make the injury totally healed. The word is its an injury that’s going to linger on him for the rest of the season.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
--- What is your definition of a MVP? Mine personally is a player that makes the team far better on the field than when he’s not on it. While he’s not the TOP choice, Josh Reed deserves consideration for Team MVP this year. Anyone who paid attention to the game saw how much he was missed when he went out. Reed has been inconsistent most of his career, but this year he’s really developed a rapport with Edwards. It was missed when he went out, which not coincidentally (IMO) is when Edwards and the offense in general started making more mistakes.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
--- Speaking of Edwards, he had his worst game of the year Sunday. But that’s not really an indictment. It’s that he was so good the other games. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I still think he played well enough for us to win. I only put the fumble (reaching into the pile). ON the interception he was hit because Whittle couldn’t hold his block. On the safety he was blindsided because Peters let Porter slide inside and Dockery through a feminine chip block his way. And on the fumble that was all Robert Royal (again). He had some poor throws, but overall I think he still played well enough for us to win, and I have lost zero confidence in him. I think he’s as good as advertised. Teams haven’t “caught on to him” as some are suggesting. We simply didn’t execute our offense.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
--- I don’t blame the lousy numbers rushing on Marshawn Lynch this year. But he doesn’t seem quite like the same back he was as a rookie. The touchdowns are still there and that’s huge, but he seems to be losing his concentration an awful lot more this year. From dropped passes (that dropped screen could’ve been a huge play) to more indecision on hitting the holes; Lynch doesn’t seem quite like he was a year ago. It probably doesn’t help when you EXPECT every running lane to be clogged up.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
n Nearing the half way point of the season, my most valuable player on this team (not counting Edwards) is Lee Evans. My least valuable player is Derrick Dockery. People lose their minds because Jason Peters is giving up sacks and wants to be paid like an elite lineman. Let’s not forget that Derrick Dockery ALREADY IS PAID AS AN ELITE LINEMEN (sorry, emotional comment).. This guy has been every bit as bad, if not worse.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
- I still see the Bills getting to at least 10 wins and making the playoffs. Not sure if 10 will be enough to win the division, but I think we hit the playoffs. My formula is that we win one of our next two (Jets, @NE), 2 of 3 after that (Clev, @KC, SF) and at least 2 of the last four (<st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Miami</st1:place></st1:City>, @ Jets, @ Den, NE). If we do a game or two better, than you’re talking potential home-field bye. But let’s take it a week at a time.<o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
n I’m looking for bigger things from Poz and Donte Whitner the second half of the season. But ultimately, our season will come down to two key points.<o:p></o:p>
n 1- Can we start to run the ball better.<o:p></o:p>
n 2- Can we start to pressure the QB with our front four more often. <o:p></o:p>
<o:p></o:p>
I think those two things are the most important factors to how our season ends up.<o:p></o:p>

I fully agree that improving our run game and pass rush are the keys.

If we can start running more consistently, we're going to convert more of our red zone opportunities and generally score more. Moreover, we'll take more time off the game clock, and thus scoring against us will likely shrink. That's going to take a lot of pressure off the defense. If we can run better, I think we'll be fine playing the level of defense we are now.

I'm disappointed in the pass rush--it started out so promising against Seattle & Jax. If we can improve the front four pass rush, we'll see more turnovers. We'll also see our secondary get dramatically better--both because the QB will have to get rid of the ball quicker as well as because we can drop more into coverage if the front four can get it done. We're already playing the run fairly well, and are 10th in scoring defense. If we can just find a way to get a little more pressure, the D will be pretty impressive.

[psubills62]

1. I'm not as upset about the loss anymore either. I think we mainly lost because a) Miami had a very good gameplan, and b) turnovers. Both are correctable.

2. If McGee isn't 100%, I wouldn't mind seeing him play, just not as much as he used to. Maybe substitute McKelvin in once in a while.

3. I agree that Josh Reed is very important to this offense. However, I don't think this is the only reason our offense started sputtering. They didn't adjust well enough to the Miami gameplan. Miami started dropping a ton of guys into coverage and we didn't have a guy who could get open (Reed). Although I don't think we could have depended on Reed the whole second half.

I think this week they'll work on countering a lot of guys in coverage (RB and QB draws, short underneath routes, etc.). Also, it's hard when a guy like Reed gets injured suddenly and has to leave. This week they'll be able to gameplan the offense knowing that he probably won't be available.

4. I think I put more on Edwards than you do. He held the ball too long on some of the plays. Again, I think it's because of how many guys Miami had in coverage. I doubt Edwards had ever seen that before, but now he and Turk will be prepared for it, imo.

5. I think the main reasons the numbers aren't great for Lynch is a) Jackson is taking away a decent number of carries, many more than Thomas did last year, b) they're passing more, c) the O-line isn't getting as much of a push. However, I was actually very impressed with how the O-line did against Miami's defense. Miami had a very good run defense coming into this game, and we gained 119 yards against them, and the backs both had over 4 yards per carry. I really think it's improving and I can't wait to see how they continue to do.

6. Evans has been amazing and I am extremely happy that they re-signed him.

7. As far as record goes, I think this team is better than they showed on Sunday. I think they can get to 11 or 12 wins. They should beat Cleveland, KC and SF. I expect them to lose one of the next two games, but I think they do have a decent chance at winning both. I do think 2 of the last 4 is reasonable.

[trapezeus]

spot on pat. i agree with everything there. maybe the season prediction i'm a little more optimistic. but i think the last two points of concern are absolutely correct.
That run game needs to get going, and the front 4 have to get the heat on the QB without blitz's. the secondary is hurt right now and needs the lb's back with them.

[THATHURMANATOR]

Great, great post. You can tell who actually watches the games.

Pat you have been on a real roll this year.
But he doesnt agree with the fact that Lynch is not a good player like you do. Which is it HH?

[TacklingDummy]

But he doesnt agree with the fact that Lynch is not a good player like you do. Which is it HH?

HH never said Lynch wasn't a good player.


McLevin isn't better than a less than 100% McGee? That's double troubling.

[patmoran2006]

Im still a big Lynch guy.. There just seems to be a little something missing this year mentally.

[Lexwhat]

--- What is your definition of a MVP? Mine personally is a player that makes the team far better on the field than when he’s not on it. While he’s not the TOP choice, Josh Reed deserves consideration for Team MVP this year. Anyone who paid attention to the game saw how much he was missed when he went out. Reed has been inconsistent most of his career, but this year he’s really developed a rapport with Edwards. It was missed when he went out, which not coincidentally (IMO) is when Edwards and the offense in general started making more mistakes.<o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p><o:p></o:p>

You make a good point about how our offense was worse without Josh Reed, but I don't think he deserves any consideration for Team MVP (IMO). For me, there's no question that Marcus Stroud is the single most important player on our team behind Trent Edwards.

He has transformed this defense, and I don't think I have to explain my reasoning. I'm sure everyone knows where my opinion comes from ...

[THATHURMANATOR]

HH never said Lynch wasn't a good player.


McLevin isn't better than a less than 100% McGee? That's double troubling.
Hmm Really read me back the title of the thread......

Draftboy has chronicled the Mckelvin situation perfectly. Re read his posts on that.

[DraftBoy]

Thurm if I could thank your post I would.

Leodis is pretty much playing up to my expectations so far.

[TacklingDummy]

Hmm Really read me back the title of the thread......

The one titled "Reality check...Lynch is not that great"? Just because someone is not great doesn;t mean they are not good..

Just because someone is not great doesn't mean they can't be good. Lynch is a good back, he's just not great. Maybe someday he will be. He's got the potential to be.




Draftboy has chronicled the Mckelvin situation perfectly. Re read his posts on that.
And dmosher12 said it perfectly also
so are first round picks not supposed to produce when they come out of college now? the 1st round defensive backs from last year:

Laron Landry - 5 passes defensed, 63 tackles
Darrelle Revis - 3 INT, 1 Fumble Recovery, 74 tackles, 17 passes defensed
Leon Hall - 5 INT, 1 FF, 55 tackles, 12 passes defensed
Michael Griffin - 3 INT, 7 passes defensed, 1 FF, 41 tackles
Aaron Ross - 3 INT, 1 TD, 9 passes defensed, 35 tackles, 1 super bowl ring
Reggie Nelson - 5 INT, 11 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, 58 tackles
Brendan Meriweather - 3 passes defensed, 1 FF, 18 tackles

Leodis McKelvin so far 08 - 1 FF, 1 Fumble recovery, 9 tackles

Now either we can't scout or the coaches have no idea what they are doing, because he is on pace for a Brendan Meriweather type year. Meriweather had Rodney Harrison starting in front of him though. McKelvin has had openings for him to step in and step up. Sorry, but it shouldn't be too much to ask of the 11th overall pick to come in and contribute alot more than he has.

[tat2dmike77]

Team still sucks

[TacklingDummy]

Leodis is pretty much playing up to my expectations so far.


Really? Maybe low expectations are something Bills fans have been getting use to.

[HHURRICANE]

Hmm Really read me back the title of the thread......

Draftboy has chronicled the Mckelvin situation perfectly. Re read his posts on that.

Thurm I never said he wasn't a good player. I said he wasn't a great player and he is slow to hit the hole.

Sorry if in your world "not great" means that someone sucks.

[Dozerdog]

Im still a big Lynch guy.. There just seems to be a little something missing this year mentally.

We need to put a drunk fat chick 20 yards down field and tell him "Go git'er"

[psubills62]

Just because someone is not great doesn't mean they can't be good. Lynch is a good back, he's just not great. Maybe someday he will be. He's got the potential to be.


Sorry, but it shouldn't be too much to ask of the 11th overall pick to come in and contribute alot more than he has.

If we had truly needed McKelvin to come in and start right away (like Hall, Revis, etc.), then I guarantee he'd have a lot higher numbers. Thankfully, we don't need him to play a whole lot. Maybe we will if the injuries and poor pass defense continues, but right now it's not a huge deal.

Besides, unless your corners are big in run support, you don't want high tackle numbers from them. That means they're getting passed on a lot, and the receivers are making the catches.

Revis was also one of the worst cornerbacks in the game last year as far as number of passes allowed and yards per catch against him. That's what rookie CB's will do - even if they're supposed to be a shut-down CB, it takes at least a year for them to get up to speed in the NFL.

[Oaf]

I rarely agree with your posts as much as I do with this one. Thanks for the info on McGee, I agreed Edwards played well enough to win, and I slightly disagree that Lynch is a different back from last year.