OpIv37's Post-Game Review

by Bryan Ault

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.

The last two games are proof.

The biggest reason for this loss was a lack of production on first down, which goes back to a total lack of a running game. The offense was constantly working from a hole on 2nd and 3rd down. In fact, predictability in the first down playcalling almost got Edwards killed again, in a very similar play to the one that resulted in his concussion in Arizona.

In a span of two weeks, this team has gone from 1st in the divsion to third (technically tied for second, but tiebreakers mean they're third in terms of playoff positioning). If Miami wins this afternoon, they're a mere ONE game behind the Bills in the standings, and NE will remain in first regardless of tonight's outcome. Next week's game in NE is an absolute MUST win for the Bills, or else they will be in a dogfight for a wild card spot.

The Good:
-Whitner played well (more on that later).

-Denney had a decent game filling in.

-Bryan Scott played well with the exception of the ST penalty.

-McKelvin showed flashes of ability in the return game.

-Greer is the best CB on this team.

-Derek Fine played well (which hopefully means less Robert Royal, although Royal also played well in the 4th quarter today).

-Stroud was disruptive in the middle.

The Bad:
-Edwards has become a turnover machine. He doesn't feel the pressure and he is no longer making good decisions with the ball.

-The OL was terrible at run blocking and the running game is absolutely pathetic

-The WR's were terrible. While Edwards was sacked several times, I put this mostly on Edwards himself and the WR's for not getting open. Evans was practically invisible and almost coughed up the ball at the end.

-Coaching. The team wasted 4 time-outs, counting Jauron's ill-advised challenge. I cannot believe he challenged that catch but did not challenge the 4th and 1 run by Jackson. The team was penalized twice for 12 men on the field.
The Jets adjusted and moved the ball late in the first half and the success continued in the second half. Since Jauron received his extension, he's reverted to all his bad habits from 06 and 07.

-Ko Simpson was awful

-The D for giving up an 8 minute 4th quarter drive that looked shockingly like last year. And this one can't even be blamed on the O because the one thing the O did right was win the TOP battle.

-Special teams has become nothing more than average. Even Moorman is struggling.

Op's Over-Analysis of the week: Donte Whitner.
I've been extremely critical of Whitner in the past, but he actually played well today. He was matched up in 1 on 1 coverage several times and was only challenged once (the TE dropped the ball). On the big screen play on the Jets' first drive, he came all the way across the field to make a touchdown saving tackle. And he made at least one stuff in the running game. Whitner really does fly to the ball and is very quick getting across the field. I'd stil like to see him make more plays on the ball, but overall he he has stepped it up.

General comments/looking forward:
-Last week, Pennington lit up Whitner on a block. This week, it was Simpson's turn as Favre cut him down on a reverse play.

-Note to Turk: the play-action pass only works when the other team actually believes you're going to run the ball. Please stop using it without establishing a run first.

-Poz struggled a little in the first half but stepped it up in the second half.

-Once again, the Bills showed a complete inability to exploit an opponent's weakness. They got one INT, 0 sacks and 0 fumbles against a team prone to all 3.

-The Bills were -3 in turnovers going in, which I believe puts them at -5 on the season. Initially, the problem was due more to the D not creating turnovers than to the O coughing the ball up, but now both are a problem.

-I wouldn't be surprised if this team goes 0-6 in the AFCE. The Fish and the Jets have already proven they can beat the Bills. NE is still tough and will be a huge challenge.

-Injuries are really hurting this team. Hopefully Whitner won't miss much time because both the secondary and the DL are already hurting, which is a brutal combination.
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