Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills Links, 8/18
by MattRichWarren on Aug 18, 2010 8:45 AM EDT
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Practice Notes - Day 15 - BuffaloBills.com
"There was a noticeable dialing back in the practice setting Tuesday as the Bills made final preparations for their Thursday night preseason tilt with the Indianapolis Colts in Toronto. Team drills ran at about half to three-quarter speed as the players were in helmets, shells and shorts."
Chan says put short passes on him – Inside The Bills
"No, I’d rather him make the right read. And I have to give him enough opportunities. If he checks it down, it’s not him, it’s me. If he throws it under four yards every time, we’re not doing the right things to get people open down the field," said Gailey. "So I want him to make the right reads and go to the right place. And if we’re not getting people open, then we either have to get different people or we have to create better schemes to get those guys open."
No preseason TDs for Bills starters since '08 - AFC East Blog - ESPN
"Twenty possessions and counting. That's how many preseason possessions the Buffalo Bills' starters have gone without a touchdown."
Sports, Ink - Blogs - The Buffalo News
On August 18, 1986, Jim Kelly arrived in Buffalo.
Bills Roundup: Another WR Injured; Wood Optimistic (2:51) - BuffaloBills.com
"The Bills lost another wide receiver in practice on Tuesday; the team prepares for the Colts, and Eric Wood is optimistic about his chances to play."
Eric Wood on Possibly Playing Thursday (1:17) - BuffaloBills.com
"The Bills right guard talks about his chances for playing in his first game since breaking his leg last season."
Chan Gailey Tuesday Update (3:39) - BuffaloBills.com
"The Bills head coach talks about the injury to David Nelson, the opportunity ahead for Brian Brohm, and the offensive line getting to play in a game together."
Byrd has "complication" – Inside The Bills
"Gailey would only confirm that it is a physical problem, and did not say whether it would affect Byrd’s playing status for Thursday night’s preseason game."
Nelson out for rest of preseason – Inside The Bills
"They’re taking him in for evaluation," said Gailey. "It doesn’t look good, but I don’t think its long term. The question is whether he’ll be able to get back for the first of the season."
Stupar makes his move in tight race - The Buffalo News
"Stup is a very solid, consistent football player," Bills coach Chan Gailey said Tuesday. "He can't go in there and knock people off the ball. He can't run down the field and run a 4.5 (in the 40-yard dash). But he's a good route-runner. He's an intelligent player. He fights every snap. He's more than an adequate blocker. He's done a good job so far. He's been one of the pleasant surprises of camp."
The BillBoard: A daily dose from Bills training camp - The Buffalo News
The Bills offense worked against a 4-3 defense in practice, Paul Posluszny worked with the first team, and Brian Brohm will get second team reps tomorrow night.
David Nelson hurt as list of injured Buffalo Bills receivers grows | Democrat and Chronicle
"He accidentally stepped on the back of my foot and his foot got caught inside the heel of my cleat. And as I was going, he stopped and my body didn't. My momentum kept going and my foot just twisted the wrong way. It's just unfortunate it happened. It wasn't his fault. It wasn't my fault. It's just something that happens in football."
Brohm Enters QB Game Rotation Thursday | Democrat and Chronicle
"Trent Edwards remains the front-runner in the Buffalo Bills' quarterback competition, and there's still no telling who the top contender for the job might be. The picture should become clearer at Toronto on Thursday, when Brian Brohm makes his preseason debut against Indianapolis."
Byrd Absent, Down Goes Nelson - WGR 550 SportsRadio
Joe Buscaglia updates the injuries, both good and bad.
BULLDOG: Come On Brohm, Please - WGR 550 SportsRadio
"Arguing for Trent or Fitz at this point is like trying to explain to someone why The Bachelor is better that The Bachelorette. Awful is awful and I no longer really feel the need to discern one from the other. That's where long-shot Brohm comes in."
Bills O line ready for Colts | WIVB.com
"As the Bills wrapped up their Tuesday afternoon practice, it was looking more likely that RG Eric Wood, LT Demetrius Bell, and RT Cornell Green would return to action in the Colts game. Wood is still recovering from a broken leg suffered last November, Bell is recovering from offseason knee surgery, and Green suffered a minor sprain last week in training camp."
Brohm gets next chance in Bills' QB competition - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
John Wawrow updates the Buffalo Bills quarterback race.
Weekly Watercooler: Questions About Bills Offense | BuffaloSportsNow.com
"The Bills offense is obviously one of the hot button topics surrounding the team right now. So what's the outlook? Sydney Hunte and Mike Schieber break it down in this week's Watercooler."
Demetrius Bell's Path | Bleacher Report
Jess Matthew Beltran chronicles Demetrius Bell's path to the NFL.
Chan Gailey Fighting Uphill Battle to Change Bills' Fortunes -- NFL FanHouse
"The Bills are in transition once again and transitions often take time. Clusters of talent were evident all over the field in their Tuesday training camp practice at St. John Fisher College. But the cohesion, the confidence, the maturity, well, those are not microwave NFL traits."
NFL: Football Outsiders says Lee Evans, Michael Crabtree and Mike Wallace are fantasy sleepers - ESPN
"Bill Barnwell of Football Outsiders discusses the YAC-plus metric and what it can mean for you as a fantasy owner. Among the nuggets: perceived top guys like Miles Austin and Darren Sproles actually might be of less value than one assumes."
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Nobody can throw it laying on their back or running around for their life back there. So our protection has to get better."
from the same article.
Trent needs protection – he’s not a guy that can feel pressure – if he had better protection I think you’d see that translate to more downfield throws. Last game was certainly not a good measuring stick as to how the O “hopefully” looks like because of 3 of our guys being down.
I should change my sig – but – more patience is required!
I'm not sure we have the tools or the talent....
by J2 on Aug 18, 2010 9:13 AM EDT up reply actions
It sounds like Gailey knows what they need most in the 2011 draft.
This is also noteworthy to me:
And if we’re not getting people open, then we either have to get different people…
WGR 550 today curiously asked what QB has morphed into a good player with a new coach, after previously stinking with the old one? Rich Gannon was mentioned. He was 35 when his fortunes turned for the better.
"Give back some of that money you ain't [expletive] earned!" - Eric Wood
Song recommendation of the week: Kool & The Gang - Summer Madness
by TheAfghanTwilight on Aug 18, 2010 9:25 AM EDT up reply actions
The most obvious recent example is...
…Drew Brees after his trade from San Diego to New Orleans.
"I could have conquered Europe, all of it, but I had women in my life." - King Henry II of England
But he had a very good year in San Diego before he signed with the Saints.
You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on Aug 18, 2010 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions
this is just as likely calling out WR group though as well
that the people who aren’t getting open need to be replaced. problem is, they are practically all “replacements” and we really don’t know what they are yet.
Optimism is free. Too bad so many are "too good" for free stuff. If you have some, donate your optimism here. They may not accept it, but someday, if they need it, they can swallow their pride and appreciate it.
Fitz had the exact same protection as Trent last year. He didn’t feel the need to check down like Trent.
by quantumuprising on Aug 18, 2010 10:38 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes he did. You realize Edwards’ Yards Per Attempt was actually HIGHER than Fitzpatrick’s in 2009, right? Edwards took just as many shots down field as Fitzpatrick did; common misconception.
by Brian Galliford on Aug 18, 2010 10:59 AM EDT up reply actions
I think if you take a further look at the stats, they don’t undermine what Q is suggesting.
Edwards had a higher completion rate, but lower average per completion.
I think that does not undermine the impression of a lot of people that Fitz took shots down field more than Edwards. Fitz’s accuracy is a different story.
by oompaloompa on Aug 18, 2010 11:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah but Fitz had a lot more incompletions. Yards per attempt is the better statistic because it’s for, ya know, good and successful plays, not just good plays.
You can't have CHANGE without CHAN.
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by MattRichWarren on Aug 18, 2010 11:32 AM EDT up reply actions
Right – YPA is probably more an indication of efficiency – but not necessarily.
To elaborate a little…
Maybe player A throws a lot of incompletions (ie. lower completion percentage) but every completion he make is an 80 yd. pass.
Maybe player B makes a high percentage of throws, lets say for argument, 90%, but they are all for 7 yards.
These two guys could end up with the same YPA in the range of 6 YPA. Maybe someone who did better in math could come up with a proof for that.
The issue here is who checks down more, who takes shots down field more? That’s why I commented that Fitz’s accuracy is another issue.
I don’t think the usual stat lines for QBs will tell you who the bolder QB is. You have to look into those more detailed stats of location of attempts that if the are out there, I’m not taking the time to look for right now.
Fitz’s higher Yards per Completion does not categorically suggest that Fitz takes more shots down field, but he’s making more yards per attempt, and when you factor in his completion percentage, there is a distinct possibility he is throwing deeper, ie. not checking down.
Just pointing out that YPA does not really tell us who checks down and who does not.
I just noticed Pistol posted basically the same thing much more succinctly.
by oompaloompa on Aug 18, 2010 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions
In any event, both these guys have YPAs in the range of 6. Woe is us.
by oompaloompa on Aug 18, 2010 12:01 PM EDT up reply actions
based on what statistics? i wouldn’t consider it a “common misconception,” considering its been pretty difficult so far to find any reliable statistics on. Some sites adjust theirs, others do avg yards without saying attempt vs completion, etc. NFL.com doesn’t event have trent edwards on their 2009 page.
by quantumuprising on Aug 18, 2010 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions
most places, as i’m finding, define yards per attempt as total passing yards in the game divided by number of attempts. Therefore, lower completion percentage = lower yards per attempt = fitz vs. trent. In fact then, it has very little to do with the length of each individual passing attempt. Perhaps you have the common misconception?
other descriptive statistics, via profootballreference.com, if we want to talk oline vs. qb:
Yards per catch: trent 10.6, fitz 11.2.
Net yards gained per pass attempt (including sack losses; also a factor of fitz’s poor accuracy): trent 5.0, fitz 5.2
sack % (times going to pass vs. number of times sacked): trent 11.2, fitz 8.5.
so, in fact, despite having the same line, and absolutely terrible accuracy, fitz fares much better behind that line than trent, and actually probably takes a lot more shots downfield. I’m having tons of trouble actually finding any reliable statistic of yards per pass attempt that isn’t a function of at least one other variable.
sorry, i’m a scientist, never cite statistics without sourcing them if you don’t want an argument.
by quantumuprising on Aug 18, 2010 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Yards per pass attempt is defined as you defined it – total yards defined by passes attempted. I didn’t feel the need to cite it, because these stats can be found at pretty much any stats source (SB Nation, Yahoo, ESPN, PFR, etc.)
And as you’re a scientist, you’ll understand why I have difficulty accepting this conclusion:
fitz fares much better behind that line than trent, and actually probably takes a lot more shots downfield.
by Brian Galliford on Aug 18, 2010 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions
then you killed your own argument. total yards divided by passes attempted says almost NOTHING about how long each pass attempt is or how many long passes (i.e. greater than ten or twenty yards) are attempted.
You realize Edwards’ Yards Per Attempt was actually HIGHER than Fitzpatrick’s in 2009, right?
and
Edwards took just as many shots down field as Fitzpatrick did; common misconception.
are not really related at all.
Lets look at it this way. Each qb throws 10 passes in a game. Fitz throws all 10 50 yards. He completes 1. Fitz’s yards per attempt is 5. Edwards throws all 10 5 yards. He completes all 10 of them. Trent’s yards per attempt is 5.
Fitz attempted 44 more passes than trent last year and only completed 17 more. edwards only beat trent in your yards per attempt stay by .1 (6.4 vs 6.3). Are you still so sure you want to say that fitz didn’t take a lot more shots downfield? Because, based on the actual numbers, there are only two conclusions: either fitz took a lot more shots downfield, or for some reasons, the receivers gained a lot more yards after catch when fitz was throwing than when edwards was.
by quantumuprising on Aug 18, 2010 2:13 PM EDT up reply actions
(Without jumping into the stat argument,) wasn’t it obvious by just watching the games last season?
Bring on the 2010 NFL season! Go Bills!
thats what i tried to say before the stat argument.
by quantumuprising on Aug 18, 2010 2:58 PM EDT up reply actions
beating a dead horse man
don’t try to use logic or statistics, or base your opinions on actual evidence. Fan favorites rule the roost here. God forbid you say something positive about Marshawn Lynch in terms of game play. That might offend our new messiah, the almight Fred. Never mind the fact that his amazing statistics of a year ago include a whopping 2 rushing TDs. In 16 games, and (i didn’t look up, because i don’t want to know) how many carries.
Optimism is free. Too bad so many are "too good" for free stuff. If you have some, donate your optimism here. They may not accept it, but someday, if they need it, they can swallow their pride and appreciate it.
My apologies for the ambiguity; I didn’t mean to correlate the two statements you highlighted in blue. What I get for rushing.
In answer to Undee – I watched each game twice, and I honestly did not notice a discernible difference between Edwards’ decisions to throw down field and Fitzpatrick’s. The few times Fitzpatrick threw a pass downfield that I thought Edwards might not have, the end result was usually poor.
The only reason I brought up Y/A in the first place was because “check down” and “taking shots” always seems to signify “inefficient” and “efficient” in these arguments, but both quarterbacks were equally terrible last year. Every time I read “Fitz takes shots that Edwards didn’t,” not only do I think “not as many as you might think,” I also think “why does that matter so much? They both suck.”
I hope that clarifies.
by Brian Galliford on Aug 18, 2010 6:53 PM EDT up reply actions
“They both suck.”
Brian,
Rarely are we treated to your unmitigated opinion. :D
Once again, a testament to your fairness and restraint.
by oompaloompa on Aug 18, 2010 11:48 PM EDT up reply actions
Hey there's a game tomorrow........
woo
Chan Gailey's #1 Fan!
by norcaliangelsfan on Aug 18, 2010 1:40 PM EDT reply actions
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