-I don’t usually title my articles because I suck at coming up with titles, but if I had to title this one, I’d call it “WTF just happened?”
-First and foremost, the much-maligned offensive line. They got the job done. Both Bell and Pears had a couple of head-slap moments, but there were a lot more moments when there was a gaping hole for the RB or when they gave Fitzpatrick enough time to make a sandwich back there before he had to throw the ball. I can’t explain it, but if they keep playing like that, no explanation necessary.
-Apparently, Chan Gailey read the rule book and discovered that tight ends aren’t the sixth offensive lineman, and they ARE allowed to catch the ball. What a game by Chandler, and props to the coaching staff for utilizing him and catching the Chiefs off guard.
-None of the WR’s established themselves as the true #1, but they all had their moments.
-Excellent game by Fitz. He looked like a real NFL QB. If nothing else, his composure is top-notch. He’s always calm and never panics.
-Fred Jackson is the real deal. His patience and vision is as good as any RB in the league, and I loved the way he consistently got extra yards after first contact.
-I only have two minor complaints about the offense. The first is Spiller. It annoys me that our 30 year old UDFA RB is outplaying the #9 overall pick from last year, and he still sucks at blocking on an epic level. That being said, even he showed some promise with the TD run.
-The other minor complaint I have is Brad Smith. First, the first 3 times he touched the ball (well, 2, because one was called back by penalty, but it would have been the same), he just ran straight forward. When they finally let him throw, he threw to the smallest guy on the team who was double-covered. I think he has potential, but he has to make better decisions and the coaches have to utilize him better.
-On D, Chris Kelsay had a decent game.
-George Wilson missed a tackle early in the game then played great after that.
-Marcel Dareus wasn’t dominant but he did make his presence felt. Kelsay should buy him dinner because he’s the one who forced Cassel to step up on Kelsay’s sack.
-Where was Merriman?
-Barnett was OK but he reminds me too much of Poz in terms of speed to the outside.
-All the DB’s had their moments. Aaron Williams is desperate for a pick-6 and almost had a huge one on KC’s only touchdown. He just needs to stop forcing it and wait for his chance.
-Florence was particularly good.
-Donte Whitner wasn’t missed at all.
-S/T wasn’t dominant like the Bobby April days, but they had their moments as well. Moorman booms punts. And I’ve said this before, but Rian Lindell has won me over. I used to hate the guy but now I have a lot of confidence in him.
The only concerns I have:
1. The Chiefs look awful and I suspect they will prove to be a lot worse than most people predicted. But, all we can do is beat the teams on our schedule and we did it in spectacular fashion today.
2. The lopsided score took Jamaal Charles and the run game out of the picture. Early in the game, Charles had a ridiculous YPC average. I have to wonder how this run D will hold up against a team that pounds the rock for a full 60 minutes.
Overall, I’m just shocked. Everything went right. I haven’t enjoyed a Bills game like that in ages. When was the last time we pulled the QB in garbage time because we were so far AHEAD?
In 2008 when we started the season hot, I saw a lot of flaws in the team, and I wasn’t satisfied even after the wins because I knew it would come back to bite us eventually. Today wasn’t like that at all. With the exception of the fact that the run D wasn’t really tested, the team was just solid through and through against a team that was very good last season.
I don’t want to get too excited because there have been too many times when this team has shown promise before heading into an epic collapse. So far, though, everything is looking great. If this team can sustain this level of play over the course of the season, they’ll win a lot of games. And I’ll look like an idiot for all the stuff I said this off-season, but that’s a small price to pay for Buffalo wins.
