OpIv37's Post-Game Review

[shelby]

I've been saying it all season. Playing poorly in the first half, then making up for it in the second, will beat teams like the Raiders and Rams, but it won't work against AFCE teams or any of the better teams on the Bills' schedule.
Sound familiar? It should- that's how I started my review last week and it could have been how I started it the previous week after the Dolphins game.
Once again, this team failed to show up in New England. Calling the offense "anemic" would be too kind. Edwards has become extremely mediocre. The oversized, highly-paid OL is ineffectual. The D got shredded by some unknown, undrafted free agent named Benjarvus Green-Ellis-Johnson-White-Smith-Thompson-Black-Jones-Drew (or something like that). And, of course, Jauron and his staff were once again outcoached by Bill Bellicheck.
The Good:
-McGee did well against Moss (and for the first time all season, a Bills DB jarred a ball loose with a hard hit).
-Schouman showed flashes again.
-Special Teams FINALLY showed up. McKelvin had a few big returns (including an 80+ yarder to set up the Bills' only TD), NE was consistently pinned around their 10 yard line on punts, and the NFL's leading return man- Hobbs- was held in check
-Reggie Corner did well at nickel.
-Lynch's stats suck, but he gets no help from the OL. The man earns every yard he gets by doing it the hard way.


more... (http://www.billszone.com/mtlog/archives/2008/11/10/opiv37s_postgame_review.php)

[trapezeus]

spot on, Bryan. Spot on. This crap is getting old. it really is testing my patience. We are seemingly so far away from mediocrity it's sickening.

And it seems good that brady may miss next year, because we got owned by his back up. i wonder how much worse than 56-10 this game would have been against a healthy pats team.

[mybills]

undrafted free agent named Benjarvus Green-Ellis-Johnson-White-Smith-Thompson-Black-Jones-Drew (or something like that).

:rofl:

I saw the Bills D stop him a lot. He was only getting a yard or two for part of the game, but it adds up. :ill:

[Historian]

Parrish was busting his onions out there too...trying to make something happen.

[OpIv37]

Parrish was busting his onions out there too...trying to make something happen.

yeah Parrish partially filled in the gap for Reed- I forgot to mention that.

I also forgot to mention high draft picks that aren't performing with the high priced vets: McCargo, McKelvin, Losman come immediately to mind.

[Saratoga Slim]

good review. I actually didn't have a huge problem with the defense's performance. They're not dominant to be sure, but at some point the team has to start winning games when our defense gives up less than 20 points.

I put our current problems almost entirely on the offensive line. Or coaching. Or whatever is causing our run game to be non-existent. Any running game that we have is 100% the result of our two very good, hardworking running backs. I haven't seen even a reasonable hole in like three weeks.

[Pride]

Imagine how good our D would have been if we had scored 2 touchdowns earlier in the game! An average offense can make an average D look pretty good!

Ask the Ravens!

[OpIv37]

good review. I actually didn't have a huge problem with the defense's performance. They're not dominant to be sure, but at some point the team has to start winning games when our defense gives up less than 20 points.

I put our current problems almost entirely on the offensive line. Or coaching. Or whatever is causing our run game to be non-existent. Any running game that we have is 100% the result of our two very good, hardworking running backs. I haven't seen even a reasonable hole in like three weeks.

It's amazing.

I watch the Bills on offense, and every time it looks like the RB is just plowing into a mass of humanity by the time he hits the LOS. Whenever Lynch or Jackson get yards, it's because they keep driving their legs to push the pile 3 or 4 yards. Anything beyond that is pretty much out of the question.

When I watch almost any other team, at some point they open a hole and the RB gets 5 yards before having to drive through a defender or make a play (not necessarily on every running play, but on enough of them to make a difference). I really can't recall the last time I saw the Bills open any sort of hole in the run game. It's a very stark and obvious contrast.

[tat2dmike77]

Imagine how good our team would be if we had a coach that had pair of balls and used them. Instead we get raisin nuts jaruon who just stands on the sideline looking like a bafoon.

[billogic99]

yeah Parrish partially filled in the gap for Reed- I forgot to mention that.

I also forgot to mention high draft picks that aren't performing with the high priced vets: McCargo, McKelvin, Losman come immediately to mind.

So 9 weeks into the season, where would you rank the Bills "talent wise" in our division. Keep in mind injuries count cause everyone has them.

[Oaf]

Coaching was the biggest difference in that game. I wasn't fully convinced before, but this one pushed me over the line. Our coaching sucks and has been inferior to other coaches this year.

[OpIv37]

So 9 weeks into the season, where would you rank the Bills "talent wise" in our division. Keep in mind injuries count cause everyone has them.

Right now, last. I never thought I'd have to say this during this season, but even the Dolphins are playing at a superior level up to this point.

[billogic99]

Right now, last. I never thought I'd have to say this during this season, but even the Dolphins are playing at a superior level up to this point.

So where is it we all thought the Bills were good and maybe possibly a division contender. It can't simply be injuries, there's more wrong right now than simply injuries. Could we simply have overrated the talent level??

[dplus47]

Right now, last. I never thought I'd have to say this during this season, but even the Dolphins are playing at a superior level up to this point.

i know people say that too much emphasis is put on the QB position, but as a phins fan, i can tell you that this team would be in bad, bad shape without chad pennington. he has led crappy teams to the playoffs in the past (think '06 jets), and he just might do it again this year. the guy really is underrated.

of course, joey porter is playing out of his mind, which creates the pass rush presence that every team needs, which in turn helps the secondary.

that said, i still think pennington is the guy making it all go.

[billogic99]

i know people say that too much emphasis is put on the QB position, but as a phins fan, i can tell you that this team would be in bad, bad shape without chad pennington. he has led crappy teams to the playoffs in the past (think '06 jets), and he just might do it again this year. the guy really is underrated.

of course, joey porter is playing out of his mind, which creates the pass rush presence that every team needs, which in turn helps the secondary.

that said, i still think pennington is the guy making it all go.

Didn't noodle arm have two pick 6's the last two weeks? Wasn't it the Dolphins D that came up with a stop in the final seconds of the Seattle win? Chad's played well, but he only has what 8 TD's this year? Hardly worthy of mention.

[dplus47]

So where is it we all thought the Bills were good and maybe possibly a division contender. It can't simply be injuries, there's more wrong right now than simply injuries. Could we simply have overrated the talent level??

i know you asked Op and not me, but i don't really think the scheduling gods did the bills any favors with the lack of early season division games. the intensity level is ratcheted way up for a game between any 2 division rivals, and it's just played on a different level from most other games. the bills started 4-0 on out-of-division opponents, then it appeared that they weren't ready when the division games started.

i think the bills would have been better off playing somebody in the division early, because it would have shown all their players that this division will be a dogfight. sure, a coach can say "this division is going to be tough," but experience says it better. and the bills were able to just coast into week 6 in first place, thinking they could beat anybody. that probably didn't help the players or the coaches (or the fans) in determining just who this team is, IMO.

the key to this whole thing, of course, is the letters "IMO."

[dplus47]

Didn't noodle arm have two pick 6's the last two weeks? Wasn't it the Dolphins D that came up with a stop in the final seconds of the Seattle win? Chad's played well, but he only has what 8 TD's this year? Hardly worthy of mention.

pennington had a pick 6 against baltimore (several weeks ago) and a pick 6 against seattle. even including those picks, the phins don't turn the ball over often, and that's why they have done better than expected. they're not running the ball well out of their base offense, but they're winning. look at the denver game: they had a huge, time-killing drive for a TD at the end of the game, and they did it passing the ball.

pennington pretty much just picks the right guy and throws it to him. it's boring, i know, but he's making that team work, no matter what you see on the stat sheet. he's accurate and efficient. and even with a crappy game against seattle, he has a rating in the 90's.

8 TD's may not be much, but ronnie brown is scoring rushing TD's and you get points for those, too. just sayin'.

[yordad]

I heard Trent was suing Dockery for non-support.

Nice article Op.

[dplus47]

i think the interior offensive line of the bills is pretty bad and needs improvement ASAP. unlike many bills fans, i think you're set at T. i think the bills could also use a DE who is a consistent threat to get to the passer. you probably miss schobel more than you thought you would at this point. and you clearly miss reed.

i don't know what to think of jauron. sometimes i think he's really good and sometimes i think he's really bad. i don't expect the bills to be 0-6 in the division like many are saying here. i think they're going through a rough stretch, and clearly edwards is going through a rough stretch, but young teams and young QB's go through this. you're still in the hunt, as much as i wish you werent!

[yordad]

So where is it we all thought the Bills were good and maybe possibly a division contender. It can't simply be injuries, there's more wrong right now than simply injuries. Could we simply have overrated the talent level??Personally, I think I overrated the coaching level.

[OpIv37]

So where is it we all thought the Bills were good and maybe possibly a division contender. It can't simply be injuries, there's more wrong right now than simply injuries. Could we simply have overrated the talent level??

That's what I've been saying since the draft, but no one wanted to hear it (not necessarily that we were worse than the Dolphins, but that we didn't have the talent to get a playoff spot or make any serious run).