The game is on!!!!!!!!!

[X-Era]

So the main thing moving forward that we have to think about is above the play by play execution of JP and McGahee and the OL. Its above the D and ST and forcing turnovers.

Its an overall adjustment to what the Bills are doing by opposing teams. I have this feeling that the Texans were caught a bit off guard. Thats probably an understatement. The Texans probably stacked the box expecting a healthy dose of McGahee. Yet the Bills came out throwing. In this case the pass opened up the running game. Is that a bad game plan moving forward? It seems backwards right? Well I just dont know. I suppose it would work week to week but it stands to reason that we will have a more boom or bust 1st half with a greater chance for big costly mistakes or big plays.

Now, I can promise you that the AFC East teams to notice and even scouted what the Bills did on Sunday. Can it be sustained? will this O scheme last? Im not so sure. Every year this happens, usually its us who suffer through a slump or slow start because our planning didnt or doesnt work. This year the reverse seems to be true. So, lets assume for a minute that the Bills plan to mix and match game schemes each week based on the opponent. Logically, that could mean that we can take nothing forward from the Texans game going into the next game. And we may see an entirely different result against TB if the scheme is completely different.

Its a bit of a catch 22. If we continue using what worked against the Texans, we can expect our success to get harder and harder as teams figure out how to beat it. If you change it up each week, you run the risk of going outside of what your team is best suited at executing which could be very bad with a young QB. What do we do?

Id love nothing more than to stump the Patsies and beat the snot out of them with something they havent seen before. But what if our young QB hasnt practiced it enough and makes mistakes? Mistakes against the Pats could very likely cost us the game.

I think the first real test is the ATL game. Im anxious to see how we do against them. I think we beat TB who didnt do very well against the run.

[jmb1099]

Re: The game is on!!!!!!!!!

You raise some very interesting points. When scouting the Texans game opposing teams will realize that they cannot cheat up or back too much because guess what? The kid can throw the ball and they already know what Willis is capable of. So do I think the gameplan employed in the Texans game will work all the time? No. Did it send a message to every other team we will play...yes and that is what is important.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Re: The game is on!!!!!!!!!

Anyone who tells you that they weren't surprised that the Bills came out passing as much and as effectively as they did early in the Texans game is a liar. While some of us thought that the Bills would take a couple of shots down the field early, no one in their right mind would have predicted that the Bills would have thrown as often as they did on their first couple of drives. That not only caught the Texans off-guard, but I think every analyst and NFL coach who had to believe that the Bills would try to protect JP Losman in his first game.

But, now everyone in the NFL has seen that the Bills aren't afraid to let JP throw the ball early and often and that has to impact their thinking when they make up their game-plans. It will be interesting to see how Tampa Bay comes out this coming Sunday.

I do not expect the Bills to continue to pass early to open up the run--especially on the road. It was something that the Bills had to show the rest of the NFL that they were willing to do and able to do effectively--now those teams have to game-plan for it, whether the Bills do it again or not. I would expect the Bills to change things up from week-to-week, ultimately tending to go with the running game a bit more than the pass early in games. I think that Coach Mularkey knows that the Bills' offense isn't good enough yet to effectively impose a given style on its opponents every week regardless and that there is a part of him that really likes to see if he can out-wit the opposition (hence all of the trick plays that he has run throughout his career). I think that he stil intends for this to be a power-running offense, but that he will try to change things up to match the conditions and what he thinks the opposition is thinking and its greatest strengths are. I also think that a lot will depend on how well JP Losman is able to produce when the Bills do pass to set up the run--if he can do that effectively on a relatively consistent basis, that will make it easier for Mularkey to match wits with opposing coaches.

[Mitchy moo]

Re: The game is on!!!!!!!!!

It's all about adjusting and we have alot of versatility now. If they stack the box we'll torch them with the pass. If they back up, here comes Willis. It's great too see them as a threat on either side of the ball. I used to cringe when the defense had to come out but now I see it as another opportunity to score for us.

Atlanta and Philly looked real tired at the end of the game. The bills looked like they could play another half, which says alot about their conditioning and work ethic. We're going to do real well this year.