IlluminatusUIUC
09-30-2013, 11:10 AM
This is the first game I've really gotten to sit down and watch through without distractions, and I picked a good one, clearly.
The good stuff:
This is the offensive scheme I hoped we'd see when we hired Marrone. Run heavy, with tight ends and fullbacks featured. While I like the read option as a concept, Manuel and Spiller both seem subpar at running it. Spiller seems to benefit a lot from taking deep handoffs and/or following a lead blocker because if he starts off sideways he seems to get indecisive. Jackson thrives at anything because he's amazing. Keep sipping from the fountain of youth. Good rebound game for our oline.
Dareus does finally seem to be rounding into form. With Alonso behind him we look strong up the middle for the first time in a long time.
Aaron Williams played a hell of a game and I nearly spit my beer out when he ran down Torrey Smith. I don't know if I've ever seen someone do that before.
Jim Leonhard brings some veteran stability which is sorely needed. Great signing.
Marrone slowed the game down when appropriate. I like that he is learning from his mistakes.
I'm gonna mention Alonso again. What a ball hawk.
The bad stuff:
I'm worried that this defensive performance is a mirage. What I saw playcalling-wise looked very similar to what we saw against the Jets - the difference being this time our DBs successfully knocked the ball away this week when they couldn't last week. One of the reasons Leonhard and Searcy were all over the place is because Pettine was playing them really shallow. If Williams failed to run down Smith on the long play I mentioned, we'd have coughed up the lead right then and there. Which brings me to my next point.
Baltimore called one of the worst games on offense ever. I mean, my god. I understand the Bills secondary was depleted and Rice was hurt, but are you seriously telling me they thought it was a good idea to call 30 straight passing plays in a game that was never more than 13 points apart? They have Pierce and Leach for a reason. People always say how easy it is on a defense when the opposing offense becomes one dimensional, and Baltimore did that to themselves for no reason. When Flacco threw a jump ball to a double-covered 5'8 halfback in the end zone I couldn't believe it. Good to see us taking advantage.
EJ nearly cost us that game with some woeful accuracy problems and just general lack of awareness. He seems to only be comfortable throwing crossing routes about 6-9 yards right in front of him. I was ok with him being a little scattershot as long as he wan't turning the ball over, but now he's turning the ball over.
There's one play Pettine needs to re-work. He really likes to go with a fake blitz on third and long where the LBs are all crowding the line and then drop back into zone. The problem is they don't drop into zone far enough and just wind up covering nothing 3-5 yards downfield, taking them out of the play. Either drop them to the sticks or blitz them, but it gives up too many conversions to be gambling for picks IMO. An incompletion on 3rd is a turnover anyway.
Overall, good game. Let's get some guys healthy because all of a sudden the Browns game looks dangerous.
The good stuff:
This is the offensive scheme I hoped we'd see when we hired Marrone. Run heavy, with tight ends and fullbacks featured. While I like the read option as a concept, Manuel and Spiller both seem subpar at running it. Spiller seems to benefit a lot from taking deep handoffs and/or following a lead blocker because if he starts off sideways he seems to get indecisive. Jackson thrives at anything because he's amazing. Keep sipping from the fountain of youth. Good rebound game for our oline.
Dareus does finally seem to be rounding into form. With Alonso behind him we look strong up the middle for the first time in a long time.
Aaron Williams played a hell of a game and I nearly spit my beer out when he ran down Torrey Smith. I don't know if I've ever seen someone do that before.
Jim Leonhard brings some veteran stability which is sorely needed. Great signing.
Marrone slowed the game down when appropriate. I like that he is learning from his mistakes.
I'm gonna mention Alonso again. What a ball hawk.
The bad stuff:
I'm worried that this defensive performance is a mirage. What I saw playcalling-wise looked very similar to what we saw against the Jets - the difference being this time our DBs successfully knocked the ball away this week when they couldn't last week. One of the reasons Leonhard and Searcy were all over the place is because Pettine was playing them really shallow. If Williams failed to run down Smith on the long play I mentioned, we'd have coughed up the lead right then and there. Which brings me to my next point.
Baltimore called one of the worst games on offense ever. I mean, my god. I understand the Bills secondary was depleted and Rice was hurt, but are you seriously telling me they thought it was a good idea to call 30 straight passing plays in a game that was never more than 13 points apart? They have Pierce and Leach for a reason. People always say how easy it is on a defense when the opposing offense becomes one dimensional, and Baltimore did that to themselves for no reason. When Flacco threw a jump ball to a double-covered 5'8 halfback in the end zone I couldn't believe it. Good to see us taking advantage.
EJ nearly cost us that game with some woeful accuracy problems and just general lack of awareness. He seems to only be comfortable throwing crossing routes about 6-9 yards right in front of him. I was ok with him being a little scattershot as long as he wan't turning the ball over, but now he's turning the ball over.
There's one play Pettine needs to re-work. He really likes to go with a fake blitz on third and long where the LBs are all crowding the line and then drop back into zone. The problem is they don't drop into zone far enough and just wind up covering nothing 3-5 yards downfield, taking them out of the play. Either drop them to the sticks or blitz them, but it gives up too many conversions to be gambling for picks IMO. An incompletion on 3rd is a turnover anyway.
Overall, good game. Let's get some guys healthy because all of a sudden the Browns game looks dangerous.