Ickybaluky
10-03-2004, 08:21 PM
I keep hearing people saying "Drew didn't play badly" and the such, and they may be right to a degree. I mean, the Bills OL doesn't do a great job protecting him at times, and he can't do it alone.
However, Drew's critical weakness keeps coming back to bite Buffalo in the ass. Every critical 3rd or 4th down the defense blitzes Drew to force him to make a quick decision. In that circumstance, more often than not, he can't get the job done. He either takes the sack, throws an incompletion or hits a pass short of the first down.
It happens too often. The fact is that with Drew at QB Buffalo is limited on 3rd down. He doesn't get rid of the ball quickly and hit his checkdowns, and he is so immobile he can't buy any time. He is a big target, and defenses are sending more guys than the Bills can block in every critical situation on 3rd down.
The Bills were 2-12 on 3rd down today. They were only 13-for39 (33%) coming into the game. In 2003 Buffalo was 67-for-212 (31.6%) on 3rd down, 28th in the NFL.
Teams have figured out that you play for 3rd down and then blitz to pressure Bledsoe, and the Bills can't resolve that.
The difference in today's game was two-fold:
1) The Pats were able to blitz Bledsoe effectively on 3rd down, and the Bills couldn't handle it.
2) The Bills kept blitzing Brady and he made them pay.
As for #2, it was a strategic mistake. Brady is excellent vs. the blitz. You may get some shots on him and force some negative plays, but Brady is going to make the defense pay more often.
IMO, the Bills came out with intensity and played tough against a Pats team that could have been had. The Pats were sloppy in the 1st half, but were able to put things together later in the game. The Bills however were sloppy throughout the game. They played well, but didn't make the little plays that would have given them victory. They didn't keep their poise, instead making the mistakes that cost them the game.
However, Drew's critical weakness keeps coming back to bite Buffalo in the ass. Every critical 3rd or 4th down the defense blitzes Drew to force him to make a quick decision. In that circumstance, more often than not, he can't get the job done. He either takes the sack, throws an incompletion or hits a pass short of the first down.
It happens too often. The fact is that with Drew at QB Buffalo is limited on 3rd down. He doesn't get rid of the ball quickly and hit his checkdowns, and he is so immobile he can't buy any time. He is a big target, and defenses are sending more guys than the Bills can block in every critical situation on 3rd down.
The Bills were 2-12 on 3rd down today. They were only 13-for39 (33%) coming into the game. In 2003 Buffalo was 67-for-212 (31.6%) on 3rd down, 28th in the NFL.
Teams have figured out that you play for 3rd down and then blitz to pressure Bledsoe, and the Bills can't resolve that.
The difference in today's game was two-fold:
1) The Pats were able to blitz Bledsoe effectively on 3rd down, and the Bills couldn't handle it.
2) The Bills kept blitzing Brady and he made them pay.
As for #2, it was a strategic mistake. Brady is excellent vs. the blitz. You may get some shots on him and force some negative plays, but Brady is going to make the defense pay more often.
IMO, the Bills came out with intensity and played tough against a Pats team that could have been had. The Pats were sloppy in the 1st half, but were able to put things together later in the game. The Bills however were sloppy throughout the game. They played well, but didn't make the little plays that would have given them victory. They didn't keep their poise, instead making the mistakes that cost them the game.