Bills 2010 Film Review: Week 5 Vs. Jacksonville (First Half)

I know I told y'all that the results of last week's poll would determine which 2010 Buffalo Bills game I'd be re-watching first. A Week 11 win over the Cincinnati Bengals dominated that vote, but I'm going to turn the other cheek and put that game off for a while, sticking to a more logical agenda that I formulated over the weekend.

The idea behind my re-watching the Bills from last season, to me, was to get a more finely-tuned read on current personnel. I figured I'd have an easier time accomplishing that chronologically, rather than hopping around last year's schedule based on poll results. But I also wanted to discount games in which the team was still trying to figure out what it was, so I'm starting this series in Week 5, and it'll end in Week 16. That gives us a full 11 games to look at.

In Week 5, the Bills hosted the Jacksonville Jaguars. The game was tied at 13 at halftime. After the jump, I've included all of my notes from that half. Questions are welcome, and I'll be fleshing out one of the points in a more detailed post in about 90 minutes.

Week 5, first half: Bills, Jaguars tied at 13 - NOTES

• Eric Wood misses a stunting Aaron Kampman on the first drive - sack allowed, drive killed.
• Ryan Fitzpatrick checks out of a run on the Lee Evans touchdown. Jags linebackers don't drop as Bills' O-Line run blocks. Evans torches David Jones. Roscoe Parrish, Jonathan Stupar also beat their men.
• Paul Posluszny sucked into the action, loses contain on a lengthy reverse run by Mike Thomas. (Bills operating out of heavy 4-3 alignment.)
• Torell Troup tipped the pass that Andra Davis intercepted.
• Kraig Urbik not a great mover while pulling. Can get there, but has below-average foot speed.
• Heavy 40 front: 98-96-95-99 on the line, 51-54-90 at linebacker.
• Fitzpatrick sails a pass well over Parrish's head. Parrish wide open on the play. Fitzpatrick's feet were out of whack, threw with all arm.
• Next play: against a three-man rush, Parrish finds a soft spot in the zone, Fitzpatrick rips a throw into the hole a touch high, and Parrish goes up to get it, making a highlight-reel catch.
• Fred Jackson excels at creating space beyond the line of scrimmage. Outstanding wiggle. Sets defenders up masterfully.
• Andy Levitre is quite effective pulling, but Wood is better. 70 more natural in space.
• Levitre is not consistently strong at the point of attack, especially in short yardage situations. Have seen him bent backwards on bull rushes twice to this point.
• Demetrius Bell holding penalty (a good call) kills a third-and-goal from inside the one-yard line opportunity. Stevie Johnson (who did not start) lines up offside on the next play, negating a Jags penalty.
• Kampman cleanly beats Bell on the edge. A blatant hold on Bell is not called, and Kampman hits Fitzpatrick anyway.
• David Garrard play-fake sucks Chris Kelsay into the wash, allowing Zach Miller to slip across the formation for an absurdly easy completion. Posluszny had no shot to cover him.
• Spencer Johnson nabs a big TFL on a stunt with Kyle Williams. Williams draws the defender, Johnson explodes through open gap, takes down Maurice Jones-Drew.
• Troup spends an awful lot of time bent in half. Could be a strength issue. Could also be a weird three-point stance.
• Reggie Corner blitzes from the slot to sack Garrard. Gets home because Jones-Drew picks up the wrong blitzer.
• C.J. Spiller catches kickoffs awkwardly on occasion.
• Fitzpatrick underthrows an open Evans on a fly route. Didn't set his feet properly. A catchable ball that the defender breaks up at the last minute.
• Bell late to pick up a stunt, forces Fitzpatrick to spin out of the pocket to his blind side.
• Williams displays exemplary two-gap technique, stacking a single blocker, then efficiently shedding to make a stop on MJD at the line of scrimmage.
• Reggie Torbor, Dwan Edwards sucked into the wash on a lengthy reverse by, again, Mike Thomas. Play-fakes, misdirection and reverses are absolutely killing the Bills.
• Jairus Byrd puts a big goal-line lick on MJD, preventing what could have been a walk-in score on a throw from Garrard.
• Kelsay easily beaten by Marcedes Lewis on a one-yard (play-action) TD pass from Garrard.
• Wood can't get out quickly enough on a screen play to Fred Jackson, who is swallowed up for a massive loss. End of half.