FanPost

My Observations

This is one of the only times that I will get to watch the Bills play this year since I live in Pittsburgh so I took advantage of it and would like to pass a few observations that I made.

1st Team Offense:  They looked pretty solid against a stout defense of the Steelers.  Our O-Line was consistently picking up blitzes, stunts, and keeping Trent on his feet during the first half.  I loved seeing them gunning it down the field on the first play of their possession; I can already see the playbook being more exciting then it was last year.  Lynch ran hard with a lot of balance...I was very impressed (as I sported my Lynch jersey)!  Overall the offense looked good but it can always look better.

1st Team Defense:  They consistently shut down the running game of the Steelers.  I didn't like seeing Ellison in the starting line up again but you work with what you have since Crowell didn't play.  Watching his performance reminds of why he should never start again in the NFL...he's TERRIBLE!  Simpson and Whitner hooked up nicely for the INT conducting the ever so important tip drill.  Poz was everywhere!  The Pittsburgh announcers talked about him almost the whole game and during their pre-game coverage...they really think he's going to do great things this year!  Overall the defense did well and you can already see the impact that Stroud can have as the anchor of our D-Line.

I'm not going to go into the rest of the total offense/defense packages but I do want to point out a few players for good and bad reasons.

Youboty:  He looked really bad tonight...consistently getting beat by the receivers and it looked as if he was always a step behind.  That TD by Holmes was all on him...he wasn't even close to keeping up with him.  Holmes blew right past with and never looked back.  The good performance he had last week is totally wiped away by his awful outing this week and I think he's back on the chopping block of not making the 53 man roster.

Ellison:  I wish we could find a suitable back-up for him so he can finally be released.  His small statute and "speedy" nature is the exact reason our defense got run all over last year.  He doesn't come up and make plays he sits and waits for the RB's to come to him and then he'll tackle them.  He gets pushed around by lead blockers/lineman and is consistenly out of position on pass coverage.  If our LB's weren't so WEAK behind our starters I would like to see him go...along with DiGiorgio because they're like clones of one another!

Losman:  These first 2 games of the preseason are the exact reason why I can't wait to see him out of Buffalo...total inconsistency.  Last week he was on the money with his passes and his quick decisions helped the Bills offense move somewhat.  This week...nothing!  His throws were inaccurate, he held onto the ball too long, and he kept getting hit/sacked.  I'm going to be really happy when his contract is up and we can get a solid veteran QB!

Jackson:  He just keeps impressing me week in and week out!  He was running hard, breaking tackles, and gaining extra yardage.  I'm really glad to have such an explosive back-up to help spell Lynch.  Even the Pittsburgh announcers were raving about him!

Royal:  Now here's a guy who played like he was losing his starting job...oh wait he is or isn't he?  Tonight are the types of games that Royal is capable of having if he keeps his head in the game and stays focused on the tasked at hand while staying healthy as well.  I really hope he keeps this type of production going because he can be threat receiving and blocking!

McKelvin:  What can't I say about this man!  That kickoff return was amazing!  He made Earnster look like...well...a kicker trying to make a tackle!  It was quite hilarious though my Steeler fan cousin didn't enjoy it as much as I did!  Though his coverage/tackling skills leave much to be desired...I'm glad to see that we can at least use him on special teams while he gets more familiar with the NFL coverage schemes.  He's really something special and I'm excited to have him!

Overall I was quite impressed by the way our 1st and 2nd teams performed all around!  It's nice to see the Bills chalk one up in the win column...especially when it's one of those few times I actually get to watch them!

Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.