Edwards shakes off pre-season doubts, starts strong
by Brian Galliford on Sep 15, 2009 1:01 PM EDT
in Buffalo Bills News
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PrintTrent Edwards is on the hot seat. He's sitting there next to head coach Dick Jauron, who has been on the hot seat pretty much since he began coaching the Buffalo Bills. Edwards - 12-11 as a starter entering the 2009 season, with plenty of up-and-down performances to define hi as a player - suffered through a miserable pre-season, which culminated with a 46.9 quarterback rating, his offensive coordinator getting fired, and his left tackle was released. I don't think I've ever heard the term "crisis of confidence" thrown around more in my life than I did in the three weeks leading up to the Bills' season opener.
If Edwards' performance on Monday Night Football - even in defeat - is a crisis of confidence, well, pass me the crisis, please. Coming off of that horrendous pre-season, Edwards completed 15 of 25 passes for 212 yards, with two touchdown throws, zero interceptions and a quarterback rating of 114.1. He was sacked four times.
Edwards was not perfect in New England as he and the Bills fell 25-24 to the Patriots. That much is clear. What's also clear, however, is that the young quarterback much of this fan base was so quick to dump on can really play the game of football. There is work to do - and Edwards is the first to admit that - but his 2009 season is off to a great start.
Multi-TD performance number four
Much of the criticism surrounding Edwards in his first two seasons - aside from the obvious "Captain Checkdown" moniker - has been his inability, and by extension his offense's inability, to put the ball in the end zone. Case in point: Edwards' performance last night was only the fourth multi-TD game of his young career.
12/9/07 (vs Miami): 11/23, 165 yards, 4 TD, 0 INT
12/23/07 (vs NY Giants): 9/26, 161 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
11/23/08 (at Kansas City): 24/32, 273 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
9/14/09 (at New England): 15/25, 212 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
That's pretty unbelievable. It also shows he's making progress, because this was arguably his most productive NFL game ever, and it came in a situation that was by far his most hostile: in New England, against the Patriots, with a new offense and coordinator, and with very little confidence in him from the fan base.
He looked completely in control of the no-huddle offense for much of the contest. He looked decisive. He made plays and put points on the board. That's a far cry from his pre-season performance, and it's about as strong a start for our quarterback as anyone could have reasonably expected.
Don't underestimate the importance of Alex Van Pelt
Edwards got a lot of help from his new offensive coordinator, Alex Van Pelt. Calling plays in his first NFL game on just ten days' worth of preparations, Van Pelt found soft spots in New England's defense and repeatedly hit them where it hurt. The game plan could have been more aggressive, but who's to say it wouldn't have been if the Bills had been able to hang onto the football for longer than 22 minutes?
Van Pelt put Edwards in advantageous situations. Edwards knew where he was going with the football for most of the game (with the minor exception of the final drive, where things looked out of sync), he was asked to make quick reads, and he wasn't tasked with putting the team on his shoulders. He did what Van Pelt asked him to do, and the performance was remarkable given what we saw in the pre-season and what was expected of the pair. Again, it wasn't perfect, but there is a great deal of promise with these two.
Making plays in stress situations
One area where Edwards needs to grow more than any other is in making plays when the designed play breaks down, or when he's under pressure. He did an OK job of that last night. He bought time on some misdirection plays, such as his TD toss to TE Shawn Nelson, and he picked up two big first downs with his legs. He did, however, make one bad decision and tried to force a throw into Roscoe Parrish that was nearly intercepted. He looked accurate on the move, and more importantly, he looked instinctual - that's what we need out of Edwards.
Unfortunately, Edwards might have to rely on this particular skill set for a while. Buffalo's extremely young offensive line had its moments last night, but they also had serious breakdowns, particularly at the end of the game. Edwards was sacked four times; two of those came on the team's last-ditch effort with under a minute remaining. LT Demetrius Bell in particular has a long way to go, and is by far the most up-and-down of the starting unit.
I don't want to get too ahead of myself here. In no way am I saying anything about Trent Edwards other than the fact that his performance last night was extremely encouraging. For him, it's all about continuing to get comfortable with his system, getting some more tosses towards Terrell Owens and Lee Evans, and perhaps most importantly of all, staying healthy. If we get that Trent Edwards in the next 15 weeks, this team will have a strong chance to win a lot of football games. That goes away if Trent can't build off of his strong start and stay healthy.
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First
I was impressed with Edwards. I think he does well this year, as long as he doesn’t get any knocks to the head.
Don't Worry he won't
The O-line Will hold up they did a nice job last night expect on the last drive
GO BUFFALO
yep
he showed confidence and didn’t seem rattled at all. He took what they gave him, and said in his post-game presser that the looks NE gave are exactly what the Bills practiced against. i think the preparation was phenomenal. If Jauron and van Pelt can continue to prepare him well, and he can be smart with audibles at the line, this team has lots of potential on offense. Still regardless he has to get the ball to Evans/T.O. more. Just has to. There were plenty of times were NE’s DB’s were playing 10 yards off. You got hit them with the short timing routes that Moss and Brady were connecting on all night. That timing with his WR’s is a work in progress but the progress must come fast. I see the next 3 games as critical to this season. starting 1-3 is not allowable. Thus 2 out of the next 3 IMO are must wins
MARVelous - "I went from America's team to North America's Team" Terrell Owens
thanks
for the continued posts attempting to repair the shattered psyche of most of western new york today
Haha, I’m not attempting to repair anyone’s psyche. Just calling it like I see it. :)
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"You miss 100% of the shots you don't take. --Wayne Grezky" --Michael Scott
by Brian Galliford on Sep 15, 2009 1:32 PM EDT up reply actions
AVP
I have to say I am so impressed with AVP. I think everyone I was with noted that we didnt run every first down or throw screens at the wrong time. AVP definitely seems (at least after 1 game) to know what to do. I do have to say I was disappointed in special teams… not necessarily the fumble at the end but as a whole in general. The D line seemed to be getting some pretty good push and rushing brady. I would like to see us score more on offense though… i mean if it wasnt for schobels td we wouldnt have been in that game…
Trent Edwards is on the hot seat. He’s sitting there next to head coach Dick Jauron, who has been on the hot seat pretty much since he began coaching the Buffalo Bills.
I’d say they share a hot loveseat, not separate chairs!
Edwards looked more confident and in command than he ever has. That’s definitely encouraging.
AVP called a very good game. He put his players in position to make plays and win, something the previous bozos never dreamed of. He took advantage of Freddie’s receiving skills and our OL’s athleticism on the screens, great move. He ran tosses for the same reason. What I want to see more of now is taking chances downfield. I know the OL needs to get better to allow that to happen, but we have to take advantage of the WR’s we have now. I want to see more crossing routes with TO, and it’d be nice if Evans could ever do that. We’ve got speed there, let’s use it on simpler plays like that. I’d also like to see some more rollouts. That can really help Bell if we roll right away from him, and say, bring TO on a drag route.
It was an encouraging performance, but with room for a lot of improvement. The QB and OC are finally on the same page, and that can’t be ignored. Now we just have to start scoring more and making more big plays. TB sure seems ripe for that….
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
And Brian says my comments have disterbing imagery
they share a hot loveseat
EEEEEEEEUUUUUUUUWWWWWW…..That’s not right!
Poor ball security leads to very painful outcomes
No kidding. :-)
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Sep 17, 2009 9:32 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed K, and I think we will after Trent and AVP see the tape and they have their huddle up about the game
We need the WRs to step up though, dropped balls hurt us, and that isn’t Trent’s fault. Bell needs to get his head right and cut down on the mistakes.
Trent and AVP did a GREAT job this game and I hope it keeps up.
As my mother once said, common sense isn't as common as it should be, I'm looking at you Fewell, common sense says to play UP on the line against the slant.
What about Gruden?
Many thought that Gruden was lobbying for Jauron’s job when/if he gets fired. And his comments were quite favorable for Mr Edwards, one might even call it a man crush… I’m just saying that they are both on hot seats, yes but depending on the circumstances they might be tied by different faiths.
Your ability to control the LOS is directly linked to your ability to win football games!
FEED the BEAST!
Edwards and O-line, Defence
First off Trent Edwards had a great game last night even if he didn’t find T.O. and Evans most of the time they was Doubled most of the game so why force it that was great this he didn’t do i think. Second with Trent don’t for get the Great Passess that came back because Bell was not on the line (Reed Cought) they would of been key first downs. Now On the O-line They did great last night even with the 4 sacks. The Pats could of had more sacks but the line held them in there. Finally The Defence did a great job Holding Moss and Welker to short gains Sure Moss had 10 catches for 110 yrds on little passes. Welker did not have that many Catches Not sure if had 2 catches.
GO BUFFALO
BTW, I was surprised, too. That stat was WAY higher than I would've thought
Blogger at SBNation's Patriots blog, Pats Pulpit
Still Short Passes
Do you think We did a good job holding them off Meaning Moss and Welker only to short gains and really could not tell cuz they was just dump down passes
GO BUFFALO
Yes
I think the Bills’ D worked hard to hold down production for Moss and Welker. Moss was running routes that turned him into the middle which says to me Buffalo probably took away the long, downfield routes. Zero TD’s for both, btw.
Blogger at SBNation's Patriots blog, Pats Pulpit
just goes to prove
that the best QB’s take what the defenses gives them. Everyone gets on Trent for not throwing downfield, well neither did Brady. If they are going to play 2 safeties deep, then you gotta use the quick, underneath and middle passing game. The routes that Moss ran on 6-8 yd outs and 8-15 yard ins are the kind of routes T.O. and Lee should be able to exploit with their fear of speed deep. There’s a lot to learn from that Pats offense
MARVelous - "I went from America's team to North America's Team" Terrell Owens
I think
you also have to tie in the fact that New England’s game plan was derived on the premise of a “slow death.” Instead of looking for deep bombs, NE ran a lot of plays for five yard hitches and screens to keep the Buffalo defense on the field for most of the game and hope to get three-and-outs against the no-huddle. I’m also convinced, with the Tampa 2, that we give every team the five-yard pass and rely on pursuit. So, yes, Brady took what we gave him.
In a weird way, the N.E. game plan kept us in the game after a few good 4th down stops (props). Unfortunately, it led to the last two drives, where Brady made money throws and our defense was visibly wounded and tired.
The deep ball killed the Patriots in 2007
It got the offense off the field quickly, and gave more time to the defense. There were several signs during that season that the defense was just worn out. I hope this year’s offense in more ball/clock control. Keep the defense fresh to get the ball back.
BTW, Buffalo played an excellent game and I’m starting to hate Fred Jackson.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Sep 15, 2009 5:42 PM EDT up reply actions
Now if Freddy can just channel Faulk on 3rd dows we got your asses next time!
As my mother once said, common sense isn't as common as it should be, I'm looking at you Fewell, common sense says to play UP on the line against the slant.
Even if he doesn't
It will be a knock down, drag out, rock and roll party in the streets.
You guys’ll have Lynch back, and that damned Fred Jackson, and a few surprises to get TO and Evans involved, and home field advantage.
I’m hoping when people say the East is a Beast they’re talking about the AFC East, not the NFC.
This dance is far from over.
The more you know, the more you know that you don't know.
by SlotMachinePlayer on Sep 16, 2009 12:20 PM EDT up reply actions
don’t think joe montana threw too many deep posts, either.
by LeClaireBill on Sep 15, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions
Your right
Joe didn’t throw that many down feild mostly 15-20 yrds and lower. "Do you think the bills will beable to play like this all year i say yes what about you guys
GO BUFFALO
Marv
this is why I think the AVP needs to look at how NE gets Moss and Welker involved in the game. The long pass was negated, but they found ways to make tons of space for them to run. There’s no reason Owens can’t play the ball the same way Moss does.
Twitter: helping to make anti-social people anti-socially social.
by TheAfghanTwilight on Sep 15, 2009 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions
True
That is true but you have you remember we was not doubleing moss and welker the whole game we was playing man and zone and the Double on T.O did give the other guys a chance to shine in the spot light a little and make plays for the bills.
GO BUFFALO
My worry isn't about the offense ..
The talent is there and it was clear they can move the ball and put up points. They just need to correct the mistakes Brian had highlighted in the previous article. There’ll be growing pains but I at least see a positive direction with them.
Defense needs help though … 10 of 16 on 3rd down? 40 minutes TOP? Getting burned on the same play for the TD at the end of the game? Why has LB not been a priority? They looked awful …
The 3rd down numbers
I think that’s just the way it goes with the Tampa 2. The way we play this defense is going to lead to a lot of 3rd and 5’s. The good thing about this is that if we get pressure or if the QB makes a bad throw or a WR drops it, the drive is over. Essentially you’re asking the offense to be perfect on 3rd down time and time again because they can’t make any big plays. Unfortunately, New England is an offense that can be perfect time and time again on 3rd down.
That’s the way it goes.
Jonathan Stupar won the Heisman…while playing in the NFL!
good point
as i understand it, that is precisely the goal of this style of defense. would have to look up the stats, but you’re correct – in 2007 w/brady – NE had an obscene # of scoring drives that went 75-80 yards. very few teams can do that.
by LeClaireBill on Sep 15, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree
Your first point is a good one. I’m not saying he should’ve thrown the ball into the endzone on that play. I’m saying he hasn’t done it yet. It is not a criticism of his play last night, it’s merely an observation: we haven’t seen him be able to do it consistently, whereas guys like Manning and Brady seem to on every drive.
On the last drive point, that is exactly what I’m saying. It doesn’t matter if someone is open, you can’t take a sack there. It’s time to trust that T.O. can go up and make a play on a ball in tight coverage. Who cares if it gets picked off?
Jonathan Stupar won the Heisman…while playing in the NFL!
i have no idea how this post got here. it's for way further down in the post.
Jonathan Stupar won the Heisman…while playing in the NFL!
It would be interesting to find out how many of those plays were called by AVP and how many were audibles by TE? Either way they played better than I think all of us expected.
This is where we should give Edwards more credit...
the audibles were incredible last night. The one replay where Jaws was explaining that every formation we ran kept looking similar, but ended up different (I think it was a Jackson draw for a big gain…) that’s all Edwards at the line of scrimmage. That’s giving Edwards the best chance to succeed.
Only two things worried me:
1. Yes he threw two td’s but neither time did he throw the ball into the endzone. He relied on Nelson and Jackson making really good plays after the catch for the scores. TD’s are TD’s, but the distinction should be made I think.
2. He has to throw the ball on the last drive. Taking those sacks scared me. He looked like an indecisive Losman clone the way he did towards the end of last season. I understand if nobody was open, but part of having TO and Lee Evans is that you’re going to have to leave it up to them to make a play at some point.
These two things are nitpicky. Obviously overall he played a good game, but the "indecisive"and “tentative” stuff still lingers for me.
Jonathan Stupar won the Heisman…while playing in the NFL!
ahh it's easy to get on the guy for not throwing the ball on that last drive,
but in that situation, if he throws the ball away in the pocket, he gets flagged for intentional grounding and the game is over. If he just tosses at somebody, he’s throwing at the back of jerseys and the only people looking straight at the ball are Pats defenders. Add in the factor that he had no time and it’s a lot of hindsight is 20/20.
You can’t fault trent for not throwing it into the endzone when the play calls weren’t there for him to do so. That screen pass was a brilliant call and so was the throw to Nelson in the flat. Secondly, it’s hard to judge the last drive because you couldn’t see downfield. Maybe no one was open
"Potential just means you haven’t done sh## yet"
clarifying.
Your first point is a good one. I’m not saying he should’ve thrown the ball into the endzone on that play. I’m saying he hasn’t done it yet. It is not a criticism of his play last night, it’s merely an observation: we haven’t seen him be able to do it consistently, whereas guys like Manning and Brady seem to on every drive.
On the last drive point, that is exactly what I’m saying. It doesn’t matter if someone is open, you can’t take a sack there. It’s time to trust that T.O. can go up and make a play on a ball in tight coverage. Who cares if it gets picked off?
Jonathan Stupar won the Heisman…while playing in the NFL!
I guess I see your point
granted with the timeout situation, I really don’t like the idea of throwing up jumpballs near the sideline and hoping Owens can catch it and then get out of bounds. That just doesn’t seem like an efficient play.
I see what you’re saying… it’s the only option we have at that point. The problem is that it’s unreasonable to blame Edwards for not processing that in, say, two seconds and have our wide receivers be on the same page. Again, it’s all hindsight. In that situation, i’d give credit to the N.E. defense for not being like our defense in the last five minutes – they went after the quarterback.
That’s a tough decision to make. Here’s his options: Throw it up and get it picked, and everyone is here bashing him for throwing a pick at the end of the game. Throw an incompletion and he was lucky it didn’t get picked cause he threw into coverage. Get lucky like Kyle Orton, beat the pats at home and make sportscenter. Or try and wait til someone actually gets open. I dunno tough call for me.
"Potential just means you haven’t done sh## yet"
There were alot of good performances last night
I give kudos to the whole team last night. You can certainly start with Edwards and AVP, but I think the list is long of those who deserve some praise. room for many more articles this week.
If we are talking solely about Edwards
I say he impressed me all around and i’m still drinking the “this is his third year” kool-aid. But… at some point, I have to wonder..
Which would I want more:
1) Edwards throws for 200 yards, 2 touchdowns, a bunch of dinks and audibles… but throws no interceptions to award him a quarterback rating of over 100.
OR
2) Edwards throws for 300 + yards, 2 touchdowns, a lot of missed deep strikes, maybe a few pass interference calls and a possible long bomb to Evans or Owens that flips the momentum of a game… but throws 2 or 3 picks to give him a quarterback rating of just under 90.
The sad part is that I think I wanted the first option last year, and now I really want the second option this year…
I like the idea of trying it downfield, but you have to pick your chances. There were a few last night, but the drives where I thought we should have tried a shot downfield, we drove down and scored. So what can you do? Tough call there. I like that he took what the defense gave him, but it would’ve been nice to take a shot or two I agree.
"Potential just means you haven’t done sh## yet"
The thing is: we don’t even know if Edwards can throw it 50 yards in a competitive setting. It needs to be tested at some point.
Twitter: helping to make anti-social people anti-socially social.
by TheAfghanTwilight on Sep 15, 2009 3:52 PM EDT up reply actions
why?
why does edwards need to prove he can throw 50 yds “in a competitive setting?” jamarcus russell can throw 50 yds – that has been proven. so could kyle boller. so could akili smith. so could jeff george. so could ryan leaf. so could drew bledsoe. on and on.
terry bradshaw, namath, favre and john elway could. other than that, the history of super bowl winning qb’s in certainly not littered with cannon arms. troy aikman’s arm was average. len dawson. johnny unitas, bart starr, joe montana, etc.
lets please let edwards be edwards and see where it gets us instead of trying to make him be something he isn’t, and play make believe that is what it takes to win. sigh.
by LeClaireBill on Sep 15, 2009 5:04 PM EDT up reply actions
AVP
I loved the play calling last night, yes I wish he went deep at least once or twice, but the screen passes where very effective, he got the TE’s involved, and remember Owens and Lee each had a big drop.
I give AVP and Trent a solid B+ grade last night. I liked how he gave Trent some leway to audible and call some plays @ the line.
shotgun
I’ll be watching the game again shortly, but at first blush, i think we even ran out of the shotgun, and passed from under center. gasp!
Yep, and even added a play-action pass from under center! (shocking, I know). I jumped out of my chair when they did that.
Wouldn't it be ironic if this team imploded and it had nothing to do with TO?
by thefourwinds on Sep 15, 2009 5:59 PM EDT up reply actions
We did do both. I commented on that in the game thread.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Sep 17, 2009 9:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Accepting failure
The Bills as well as we the fans should not have to sift through the refuse pile of a loss to find bits of edible optimism. This is unacceptable. The Bills should not accept this latest loss and the fans should be up in arms about it. For the third time in as many years The Bills snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on national television. The Bills and their fans have to stop thinking like losers. Enough! That was an awful loss and I do not care about a few tiny rays of hope. I want victories and a winning attitude, if they had that there is no way they would have lost last night. Do not let them off easy just because they didn’t get blown out, that is how a losing team and fan base thinks.
by Pietro Sirianni on Sep 15, 2009 2:45 PM EDT reply actions
Apparently, you missed the two posts immediately preceding this one.
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by Brian Galliford on Sep 15, 2009 2:46 PM EDT up reply actions
we can’t ask for a “do-over,” so i’m afraid we have to accept it. not a tasty morsel, but does have nutritional value.
by LeClaireBill on Sep 15, 2009 3:05 PM EDT up reply actions
We get to play them again so that’s kind of like a do-over, right?
by NolaBillsFan on Sep 15, 2009 3:31 PM EDT up reply actions
I agree with pietro. Everyone has been lulled into mediocrity. We can’t have another year of almosts and should-have, could-have’s. We have the talent to win. Some of the new guys like Maybin, Mitchell (kind of new), Wood, and TO all have a winners mentality. They don’t come up with excuses.
Leodis should get his ass handed to him in practice this week. AVP did a good job, but he needs to find his WR’s. We’re not paying these guys multi-millions to run around on the field and make blocks for out running backs.
And dammit Jauron, LEARN FROM HISTORY! We fumbled away victory to the Cowboys on a late fumble. Tell your guy to HOLD THAT BALL AS IF HIS LIFE IS ON THE LINE.
The talent is there, the direction is not.
this is just silly
so lets say jauron goes over to leo and tells him to hold the ball as you suggest.
does that make brandon merriwether and pierre woods weaker? the pats executed great technique stripping that ball.
it is highly unfortunate that he fumbled. had he not, and run it all the way, you’d be wiping your crotch with glee. its the chance you take. sometimes it doesn’t work out.
you’re absolutely correct. no one wants another year of almosts, ifs buts, candy and nuts. there isn’t a soul on this blog that didn’t want the bills to win – and they were indeed painfully close. but frankly, all this doom and gloom we suck fire jauron and all the other losers talk after one game gets quite tedious.
yikes.
by LeClaireBill on Sep 15, 2009 5:21 PM EDT up reply actions
Merriweather and Woods wouldn’t have had a shot at the ball if McKelvin covered up the ball with 2 hands and hit the turf. This is what any decent coach should have emphasized.
And, it’s not a “one game” reaction that is causing the “fire Jauron” chants. This is deja vu all over again of games squandered due to poor planning, lack of agression, and an inability to adjust during a game.
i would respectfully counter that allowing one of the best returners in the league to shoot for a quality run back that might truly ice the game is quite “aggressive.”
taking a touchback and running into the line 3 plays and hoping your pro bowl punter launches a 75 yard bomb would be more aligned with the passive, play not to lose mantra that jauron is typically beat up about.
by LeClaireBill on Sep 16, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions
You’re assuming Jauron didn’t. I have no way of knowing and neither do you.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Sep 17, 2009 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions
good technique, but also bad judgment by the player to decide to run it out, or even fight for an extra yard. this falls on the coaching staff—special teams and head coach. make sure players understand when to make certain decisions at given junctures of a game. in this case, clearly with us leading, he should have stayed in the end zone.
if leo had run it back to the pats 30, and the bills kicked a field goal to truly ice the game – would you still say he should have stayed in the endzone?
by LeClaireBill on Sep 16, 2009 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions
it’s all good. leodis is already one of my favorite players on the team. the guy should be a pro bowler in a season or so. he’ll make many plays this season, starting this sunday. also, i am a bit scared about having starting cb’s return any type of kicks. i rather err on the side of caution, and not have them perform those duties. let them play defense only. parrish is still on the team, and he’s really good at returning kicks as well.
Ugh... I'll bite
The fumble was unacceptable. The dropped passes were unacceptable. The illegal procedure penalties were unacceptable. The loss, altogether, was… believe it or not… actually a little acceptable in my eyes. … We all are frustrated by the loss. No doubt we are.
But, if you’re saying a loss, is a loss, like last year a loss was a loss, then, well, I don’t know what team you were watching second half of last year.
We begged for this team to be different this year. We literally begged for Jauron’s head in order to do so.
Last night, at least in one game, the offense GAVE (on a long beautiful drive nonetheless) the defense a double-digit lead late in the fourth quarter. The no-huddle, and even Jaws admitted this on-air, ACTUALLY WORKED. The defense, prone to long runs last season, actually stopped the Patriots on fourth downs twice. Sure, there were two bad clutch drives by Brady, but give the guy credit (he’s Brady for a reason people) and notice that the Patriots killed us in time of possession. I’d make an argument that the d got tired when Brady started to come on.
Lastly, isn’t it weird that the Bills lost a game because of special teams?!?!?!?!?!
We are literally arguing over whether or not McKelvin should have gone down, so our offense could have had the ball despite New England having three timeouts. There was a weird confidence there I haven’t had in this offense since week 6 last season.
The script is not the same this season. The loss stings, and we might end up 7-9 again. But that doesn’t mean it’s already set in stone. Thank God.
NO
No more excuses! That is exactly what I am talking about. Do not accept this loss on any front or from any point of view. It’s time to win, just win. Excuses are the elixir of losers. I’m sick of it.
by Pietro Sirianni on Sep 15, 2009 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions
This is something only the team can and should affect.
Twitter: helping to make anti-social people anti-socially social.
by TheAfghanTwilight on Sep 15, 2009 4:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Not true
Believe it or not the fan base has an impact on the team. Your comments and attitude reaches the players and how you spend your money, or don’t spend your money on the team reaches ownership. Demand a winner through your writings, your voices, and your wallet. It does have an impact. We may only be fans but we are not without power.
by Pietro Sirianni on Sep 15, 2009 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed, stop whining and offer an actual suggestion that can make a difference Pietro
Beyond the usual “throw it deep to TO and Evans” and “Run it more” or the defense “needs to make a stop” because thats all I keep hearing.
As my mother once said, common sense isn't as common as it should be, I'm looking at you Fewell, common sense says to play UP on the line against the slant.
Feel free to go start your own Buffalo Grumblings site. :-)
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Sep 17, 2009 9:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I want the record to show.....
that I never doubted Trent for a second….
love you Trent <3
"In every adversity there lies the seed of an equivalent advantage. In every defeat is a lesson showing you how to win the victory next time." (Robert Collier)
by norcaliangelsfan on Sep 15, 2009 3:38 PM EDT reply actions
just remember
it’s a long season and peoples’ emotions are all over the map right now.
I’m inclinded to dub the MNF Bills as The Bufalo Manic-Depressives.
Twitter: helping to make anti-social people anti-socially social.
by TheAfghanTwilight on Sep 15, 2009 3:57 PM EDT up reply actions
You and your Stanford crush…
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
by MattRichWarren on Sep 17, 2009 9:41 PM EDT up reply actions
The game plan could have been more aggressive, but who’s to say it wouldn’t have been if the Bills had been able to hang onto the football for longer than 22 minutes?
And actually, I say it would have felt as aggressive as it was if the WRs had held onto the ball and there hadn’t been so many penalties. Many of those drops and penalties came on Trent’s most aggressive attempts.
Wouldn't it be ironic if this team imploded and it had nothing to do with TO?
jauron and edwards
gotta keep edwards even if jauron goes the kid has talent and to start all over at the qb position sets you back years
Does anyone still have a copy of the game?
I erased mime and I wanted to check back to both sacks at the end of the game, did they line-up Schouman next to Bell? I realize that Bell committed the error but it’s to be expected that a rookie will commit some errors. I want to know if the coaches even thought about providing some extra protection at the end, just to be on the safe side.
So if someone could check and let me know, I’d appreciate it.
Your ability to control the LOS is directly linked to your ability to win football games!
FEED the BEAST!
Let’s just say that I thought AVP did a great job. As I said in the game thread, I am only buying Pillsbury from now on. And I did tonight when I went to Tops. Got some pumpkin and apple bread mix. Both in the blue Pillsbury box.
Playing Realistic Optimist at Buffalo Rumblings since 2008. Ignoring the grumblings on Rumblings.
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