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It was apparent in the scrimmage that our O caters to the strengths of our players, and doesn't try to force a system down the throats of players who don't fit it. It reminded me of how much can be done now that we have a mobile QB with an arm. This is why I think JP will succeed fairly quickly.
------------------------- Now my thoughts on the scrimmage...
Some things that were highlighted during the scrimmage that will be featured parts of our offense this year:
McGahee will pound the ball a lot. And why not? He's clearly the best player on the field. That burst out of the hole for the 10-yard touchdown on Sat Night was amazing. He looked quicker than last year, and that's after packing on 10 lbs of muscle. And what a stiff arm on the run around the right side. Embarrassing.
Losman will be broken in slowly with short passes to boost his confidence, but it looked to me that the coaches have a lot of confidence in him. I remember seeing him for a few plays last year and he looked like a deer in headlights, but on Saturday, he confidently delivered the ball, took control of the huddle, etc. Losman also would have escaped a couple of those plays that were called sacks. I expect growing pains, but JP is smarter than a lot of people think. He can't be dumber than Bledsoe. Oh, and without interference on that first series (which was flagrant, but wasn't called, BTW), JP would have thrown a beatiful TD pass or at least a long-gainer.
I thought the O-line held up fairly well. They were actually better in pass blocking than run-blocking, which I didn't expect. And like I said, JP would have escaped a couple of those sacks. The run-blocking was disappointing to me though - particularly the run-blocking at the goal line. They weren't allowing GB players in the backfield for the most part, but they also weren't creating any holes whatsoever. Hopefully a few games will be all they need to become a more cohesive run-blocking line.
LITTLE Parrish will be HUGE on 3rd down.
I look forward to reverses this year, and I think we'll see them a lot where Lee Evans and Parrish cross in the backfield. The defenders will have no idea which speedster will get the ball, and both are capable of taking a reverse the distance.
It also looks like Campbell will have a big year. JP frequently looked to dump it off to big #84.
Sam Adams is gonna be a beast again this year. Every year he looks bigger than I remembered, but his play never seems to suffer. I have no doubt that even without Corey Simon, we'll be fine on the line. Imagine him alongside Simon.
McGee - wow. Player of the game. Great opening kickoff which could have gone the distance, and a huge stick on Najeh Davenport which knocked the big back from the game. Injured ankle? Puhlease. It would have just been too embarrassing to be knocked from the game by a big hit from a guy half your size.
On the pass Eric Moulds caught, I liked what I saw. In the past, he would leave his feet on most catches, which allowed him to be tackled without many YAC. But Losman hit him in the numbers, he stayed on his feet, and immediately turned it upfield for some good YAC. Good coaching.
Whether it's in Buffalo or elsewhere, Nate Clements will be the top-paid corner in the game next year.
Did I mention I LOVE watching our Defense? Sadly, Jerry Grey will be a head coach next year. And I was one of those wanting him gone when Gregg was fired. I'm glad to say I was wrong in this instance. It's amazing what good players will do for a coach.
------------------------- Now my thoughts on the scrimmage...
Some things that were highlighted during the scrimmage that will be featured parts of our offense this year:
McGahee will pound the ball a lot. And why not? He's clearly the best player on the field. That burst out of the hole for the 10-yard touchdown on Sat Night was amazing. He looked quicker than last year, and that's after packing on 10 lbs of muscle. And what a stiff arm on the run around the right side. Embarrassing.
Losman will be broken in slowly with short passes to boost his confidence, but it looked to me that the coaches have a lot of confidence in him. I remember seeing him for a few plays last year and he looked like a deer in headlights, but on Saturday, he confidently delivered the ball, took control of the huddle, etc. Losman also would have escaped a couple of those plays that were called sacks. I expect growing pains, but JP is smarter than a lot of people think. He can't be dumber than Bledsoe. Oh, and without interference on that first series (which was flagrant, but wasn't called, BTW), JP would have thrown a beatiful TD pass or at least a long-gainer.
I thought the O-line held up fairly well. They were actually better in pass blocking than run-blocking, which I didn't expect. And like I said, JP would have escaped a couple of those sacks. The run-blocking was disappointing to me though - particularly the run-blocking at the goal line. They weren't allowing GB players in the backfield for the most part, but they also weren't creating any holes whatsoever. Hopefully a few games will be all they need to become a more cohesive run-blocking line.
LITTLE Parrish will be HUGE on 3rd down.
I look forward to reverses this year, and I think we'll see them a lot where Lee Evans and Parrish cross in the backfield. The defenders will have no idea which speedster will get the ball, and both are capable of taking a reverse the distance.
It also looks like Campbell will have a big year. JP frequently looked to dump it off to big #84.
Sam Adams is gonna be a beast again this year. Every year he looks bigger than I remembered, but his play never seems to suffer. I have no doubt that even without Corey Simon, we'll be fine on the line. Imagine him alongside Simon.
McGee - wow. Player of the game. Great opening kickoff which could have gone the distance, and a huge stick on Najeh Davenport which knocked the big back from the game. Injured ankle? Puhlease. It would have just been too embarrassing to be knocked from the game by a big hit from a guy half your size.
On the pass Eric Moulds caught, I liked what I saw. In the past, he would leave his feet on most catches, which allowed him to be tackled without many YAC. But Losman hit him in the numbers, he stayed on his feet, and immediately turned it upfield for some good YAC. Good coaching.
Whether it's in Buffalo or elsewhere, Nate Clements will be the top-paid corner in the game next year.
Did I mention I LOVE watching our Defense? Sadly, Jerry Grey will be a head coach next year. And I was one of those wanting him gone when Gregg was fired. I'm glad to say I was wrong in this instance. It's amazing what good players will do for a coach.
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