Category: Pre-Season

Categories
Current Bills Pre-Season

Buffalo Bills: The Real Deal

OK folks, before you think I’ve gone off the deep end, I am completely aware that the three “games” we have seen our Bills play in this fledgling 2008 season have all been pre-season games. I realize that not only do we not see the best players and play books that our team has, we also see more (or less) of the same from the opponent. It’s really very hard to make any sort of judgments about a team from pre-season.

But I don’t believe that’s what I am doing.

I believe I have said for quite a while now that between the massive pruning that Jauron and Co. have done since the start of their tenure with the Bills, to the great – and key – additions they have made through mainly drafts, and a few very good free agent signings…

This really could be the Bills year!

The pre-season contests we have seen have simply confirmed what I have been seeing through flashes in recent years, reading in various articles and on-site reports, and seen through OTAs and training camp. (Save, of course, the lackluster Washington game where the Bills did not look like they got the memo that it was a live game.)

Tonight the Bills disposed of the Indianapolis Colts (first game in their brand new stadium) fairly easily, posting a 20-7 victory. The end result is almost meaningless in pre-season contests, but the way they got there is not.

Consider that the Bills were 10 of 18 on third down conversion. TEN of EIGHTEEN. First, they got eighteen chances to convert on third downs, that’s rather impressive for a notoriously anemic Bills offense. But then, they converted on ten of them! And some were long conversions! The Bills kept drives alive (especially the first team guys, who really included several second team guys – including the QB) and they finished drives, scoring points on drives of 13 and 18 plays in the first half.

Also, this Bills defense is not only talented, but aggressive. The first play of the game for the Colts ended in a big sack by multiple Bills defenders. And they kept coming. That forced several turnovers from a usually sure-handed Colts offense.

On offense, defense, and special teams … this Bills team has so many pieces in place. They will be a challenge for any team who plays them this year.

Add to the great plays by the players the refreshingly innovative play calling, and this team really stands a chance to have a much better than average year – perhaps culminating in long-awaited return to the playoffs.

Again, it’s just pre-season. And things are not all sunshine and lollipops for the Bills. Langston Walker left the game in the second quarter with an injury to his left forearm. X-Rays at half-time were negative, but more will be known on that injury in the days to come. That left the Bills with 7th round draft pick, Demetrius Bell to occupy arguably the most important position on the offensive line. Not good.

Starting QB Trent Edwards could have benefitted greatly from playing in this game with the starting unit for an entire half. The third game of the pre-season is often looked on as the “dress rehearsal” for the regular season, but Edwards’ thigh injury was not healed enough for the Bills to take the chance of having him play on it.

But all that did was allow the backups to shine.

Turk Schonert’s offense definitely utilizes the strengths of these players much more effectively. The offense spread the field more, opening great running lanes for Lynch and Jackson. Josh Reed looked like a star, making many grabs in the opening quarter. Even J.P. Losman looked more than competent under center. Xavier Omon had a decent showing as well.

One thing that stands out on this Bills team is that there is a decent amount of depth. Some is still a bit raw, but there are definitely second and third-stringers who will be making a contribution to the success of the team this season. Definitely.

Jason who?

There is one more pre-season contest to play. That will determine the last several slots on the 53-man roster. Should really be interesting to see who makes the cut this year.

Whoever they will be, the 53 men who will represent the Bills this year will have the best chance of making the playoffs -and doing well in the playoffs – that a Buffalo team has had in a very, very long time.

Categories
Coaching Staff Games Players Pre-Season

Could This Be Jauron’s Second Winning Season?

Dave sent around an email to his BBR cohorts this past weekend upon returning from his vacation, and catching the Bills game on “tape” delay. To my genuine surprise, it was super positive! He even said if Peters comes back that the Bills are a playoff team!

Could it have simply been due to a great vacation, making the world look a bit rosier? Or could the Bills really be such a good team that even The Drake can see the upside?

I’m going with the latter!

I was (along with every Bills fan I’ve heard or read) quite impressed with the first team offense and defense. We mixed up the play calls, even opening with several passes that stretched the defense and opened up the running game. We had long sustained drives (even a 90 yarder!) that included converting third downs, and scoring red-zone TDs. We even had TEs catching TDs!

And the defense certainly held their own against a talented Pittsburgh offense. Their first score was really against our second-string guys. The first teamers got an INT, and held them to a punt, and were pitching a shut out!

Do I need to mention Leodis McKelvin? This guy looked fantastic before he returned that kickoff 95 yards for his first (unofficial) NFL TD!

Right now, exclamation points abound for hopeful, excited Bills fans. Our team could really be good this year!

One major positive aside from the great play of the starters is the quality depth that the Bills have assembled. Think about guys like Keith Ellison and John DiGiorgio, George Wilson, Ashton Youboty, Will James and even Leodis McKelvin. Our D-line includes rotation guys like (right now) John McCargo, Spencer Johson and Ryan Denney. And on offense, Dwayne Wright and Xavier Omon are pretty decent third and fourth string RBs!

Dick Jauron, Head Coach Buffalo BillsThe biggest question for this team is perhaps its head coach. I personally think Dick Jauron has done a fantastic job turning around this team in turmoil. Now it is a team with great potential. Moving Schonert to Offensive Coordinator looks like it may be a huge help, as well. The issue is not his personnel moves, it’s his record. He has only had ONE winning season. Ever.

Let’s hope (based on the team on paper, and what we saw from the starting units last week) that this is the year he gets his second winning season!

Categories
Games Pre-Season

Buffalo Bills Offense… Boring?

Well the first pre-season game has come and gone, and does it perhaps tell you something when this BIG Bills Fan actually fell asleep at the end of a 3-point contest? Well, no, it probably doesn’t. It’s just been a long week. But honestly last night I did think of and use the word “boring” a couple times, as did a reluctant Steve Tasker who was calling the game.

Bills fans may have had expectations set a bit too high for this young offense, in the first game of the pre-season, against a team who had already gotten a pre-season game under their belt, but I did not expect boring.

We all know the outcome of the game is meaningless, and that coaches certainly do not come out with their best players nor their best playbooks, but might we have gone a bit too far when the first word that came to mind for this avid Bills supporter is “BORING”?

I believe I have made my point. But, let’s look at some of the good things that happened before we rehash all that was “boring” (and worse) last night.

The Good

Leodis McKelvin
Hooooey! This guy is going to be exciting to watch! He looked a little silly on a couple defensive plays (overcommitting, out of position, etc) but on the return game, he looked right in his element. He brought one punt return back nearly all the way, except for a hustling big guy tripping him up. We already have McGee and Parrish… McKelvin is going to make our return game just that much more dangerous. (And potentially productive on the score board!) Now Roscoe is just going to change his name to McParrish…

Roscoe Parrish
Speaking of Roscoe… did anybody notice that he was way more noticeable as a receiver than a return guy last night? He was making many catches, and big catches, and looking like much more than a “4th” wide receiver! That is definitely one position where the Bills are not lacking. Good on ya, McParrish!

James Hardy
And, speaking of the receiver corps… for the rookie, it was the best of times… it was the worst of times. Hardy went from miscommunications with Edwards (on a 3rd down play near the goal line), to a bad drop on a pass from Losman, to catching a TD on the fade route – which everyone anticipates he will continue to do in the regular season – to bring the Bills within two points of tying the game. He looked great on that play, and coach Jauron had very good things to say about Hardy and his ability and his work ethic in a half-time interview… I can’t wait to see what he can do for this team in the regular season, rookie mistakes and all.

POZ!
Paul Posluszny was back, and overall (though he didn’t play much) looked like the tackling machine that he was through week three last season. He was in on most plays, and often made the tackle (ended with 3 solo tackles, including one for a loss). Poz was bowled over by Redskins RB Clinton Portis on a 4th and Goal play, but he got his hat in there on the guy… just couldn’t stop the momentum that time. Nice to see Poz back at it!

Ashton Youboty
Really, I can’t believe I am writing that. Youboty has been mostly inconspicuous over his first two seasons here with the Bills, though much more was expected of him. Last night (although only pre-season) he showed that “much more”. He was in on many plays, including an interception, which he lateraled to his DB buddy, Reggie Corner, who took it a bit farther up the field. Youboty got plenty of playing time, and was making (noticeable) plays all over the field. That gets another “Good on ya!” from BBR-Greg!

JP Losman!
In pre-season, almost inevitably the back-up and often the third string guys can look much better than the starters. Most people credit that to the level of their competition (they are facing third stringers from the other team) but there is something to it. Edwards definitely looked better than Losman overall in the pre-season last year, and it carried over to the regular season. Well, the opposite was true last night as JP played the second quarter and a bit into the third (I believe…) and he had brought the Bills back to tie the game on the nice TD pass to James Hardy, as well as the two-point conversion pass to Justin Jenkins. Don’t read too much into it, though. Perhaps the most telling play was when JP stood in the pocket and took a sack… showing a bit of the indecision we have come to know from Losman.

In Losman’s defense, that two-point conversion was beautifully designed for him with a bit of a roll out to it. JP is wishing he had Schonert and Hardy a year or two ago…

And Now, The Bad

The Offense
Really, the starting offense looked the worst, but it was everyone. They were very sloppy, making many mental errors (false starts, bad formations, etc.) They did not look like they knew what they were doing at times, with all of the pre-snap motion seeming to confuse the offense as much as the defense. Obviously Trent Edwards going 1-5 for 18 yards is pretty … abysmal. It was a very nice completion, but you gotta get more than that from your starting QB, and your starting offense. This will HAVE to be improved by Thursday, when the Bills play Pittsburgh in Toronto. I would expect to see the starters out there for much longer than you did in this first game.

The Defensive Play Calling
The Redskins rookie coach and his staff seemed to have our number. They ran a draw play (or some version of it) that helped rack up 155 yards on the ground. The Bills really could not stop it. Their over-aggressive play calls wound up having several Bills trapped back up field while that left plenty of blockers to pick off our LBs and DBs, leaving a clear path for the RB to gain 10 yards or so. Not a good plan, and moreover, not good adjusting to the plan. Must improve this.

Jason Peters
Can someone tell me where Jason Peters is? Has anyone talked to him? Does he know he is not only hurting his own stock with the Bills, but he is hurting his chances of playing with a decent team… so long as he joins them. The O-line was hurting without Peters in there. Guys playing positions they don’t usually play, and not playing them that well. Peters needs to report to camp or I think the Bills should just sit on his contract. Keep him out of the league for three years. This is not the best way to negotiate, Mr. Peters.

No Foot
OK, so this is minor.. but, with time running down, No Foot had a chance to tie the game and he missed… badly. What’s up with that? All kickers have to do in the pre-season is kick. And sit there. I guess he has done too much of the latter. Get out there and loosen up that leg, Lindell! You rock… but… that’s your one miss for the year. 😉

Overall

A very unimpressive debut for the Bills. Thankfully they can put that one to bed very quickly as they play in a few short days up in Toronto, Canada. The first of the eight games to be played there over the next five years. Will be watching to see if the offense has tightened things up, and if the defense can adjust to whatever game plan the Steelers bring to town.

Loving that Bills football is back!
Go Bills!

Categories
Games Pre-Season Training Camp

Three Days Away

Buffalo Bills 2008 Training Camp

We are merely a few days away from the opening of the 2008 (pre)season for the Buffalo Bills. It’s fair to say, I think, that the first pre-season game marks the first real test of the newly formed team. We’ve seen them in practice, in mini camps, in the OTAs, now in training camp.

But Saturday, we see them in live, game action.

Saturday night the Bills will face the Washington Redskins who were one of the two combatants in the official pre-season kickoff, the annual Hall of Fame game. Honestly, this was a very good game. The Bills will face not only the Redskins this pre-season, but the other team from last Sunday’s matchup, the Indianapolis Colts. Both teams look like they will be a good test for the Bills, a sort of gauge for how the team has progressed, personnel-wise and coaching/system-wise.

I’m excited! I know it’s only pre-season, and really doesn’t matter much at all (usually) but I am hoping that with so many questions going into 2008, that the Bills really use these four games to see what they’ve got and get ready for what could be such a great year for the team.

The big story surrounding the Bills of course is still Jason Peters lingering hold out. How long will it last? Will he really hold out until they pay him more than the other linemen on the team? That would mean some pretty serious fines, and doesn’t really work that much in his favor. Is he so sure they will break? Do the Bills think Peters will? I’ve said before, I really feel he should report to training camp and then the Bills will take care of him. Perhaps he knows something I do not.

Other news from St. John Fisher… seems the injury bug continues to bite. Thankfully, aside from rookie Alvin Bowen (a promising special teamer) the injuries – and subsequent absence from practice – have been mostly minor. The coaches are erring on the side of caution, especially with veteran players. James Hardy has been bothered by a hamstring injury and they have sat him for much of the first week and a half of training camp, only giving him light duty. He will likely see action on Saturday though.

Hardy is one player I will be watching Saturday, as well as the offensive line playing minus Jason Peters. Langston Walker has been seeing most of the action at left tackle in Peters’ absence. Kirk Chambers moved to Walkers’ spot at right tackle. Rookie Demetrius Bell has also been seeing some second team action at left tackle. Will be interesting to see what the Bills will try to do, especially since they face Washington on Saturday, with newly-acquired DE Jason Taylor, a premier pass rusher.

It will also be interesting to see if the offense will incorporate more throws to the RBs out of the backfield, or even lined up wide (saw that formation at training camp). Both Lynch and Fred Jackson can certainly be excellent offensive weapons in the aerial attack. I’m sure Schonert won’t reveal his full arsenal in the pre-season (especially the first game) but it will be interesting to see how much different the Fairchild-less offense looks.

Other players to watch? Ko Simpson has been a tad hobbled… will he be back to form at free safety? Leodis McKelvin… how much action will he get? Bills running backs Dwayne Wright and Xavier Omon will likely see a lot of action in the second half, will be interesting to see how they do against a good Washington defense. Marcus Stroud and the rest of the D-line should see at least first-quarter action. Washington will be a good test for them as their RB position looked very talented, and deep.

Can’t wait to see some live, game action! 7pm on Saturday night! Football is almost here!

Go Bills!

Categories
Players Pre-Season Training Camp

Jason Peters: Greg’s Take

Jason Peters holds out of the Buffalo Bills 2008 training campThere’s a disturbance in the force at Bills training camp this mid summer’s eve. And it’s no minor one. This disturbance could get downright ugly.

As Dave pointed out earlier the disturbance is emanating from our left tackle, Jason Peters.

Perhaps you could have guessed this, but I have a slightly different opinion on this than Dave. Not entirely. I completely agree with his points (except, not sure where he’s going with the “Sabres…” one, perhaps just that they lose all their best players?) But I do not agree with who it seems he thinks is to blame.

See, I believe the Bills. From everything they have said, they have had no contact at all with Peters since the end of the 2007 season. What? What kind of negotiating tactic is that? How is that being a team player? Should there be some participation here? I could be wrong (I’m sure I have not seen everything that has been published on this) but I don’t think I have ever seen where Peters’ agent, or Peters himself have ever even asked for a contract extension!

If Jason Peters would like to be paid more money, I’m all for it. I think allowing the fewest sacks in the league last year, and the fewest for any Bills team in a decade, speaks for itself. Peters was selected by his peers to represent the AFC in the Pro Bowl. He’s definitely a great player, a great story, and from what I hear, a great man.

But is this his best strategy?

Peters has three years left on a very lucrative contract. He’s making millions a year, and there’s no reason to believe that the Bills won’t restructure that to lock him up long term. Look what they have been doing. They signed Schobel and Kelsay to long term extensions last year. They are working on Lee Evans right now (although his contract is closer to its end) and they restructured Moorman, Lindell, Kyle Williams, and others. The Bills are very willing to reward players who show promise, and a commitment to the organization.

I do not believe Peters is serving his own best interest by not reporting to training camp.

Some have speculated that the hold out has something to do with the injury he suffered late last season, and a slow recovery from the subsequent surgery. Not sure if that’s the case. It does seem like Peters just wants to be paid more. Traditionally the left tackle is the highest paid position, but the Bills shelled out mega dollars last season for LG Derrick Dockery and RT Langston Walker. Both of whom are integral pieces of the offensive line, and both of whom dwarf Peters’ salary.

So he has a reason to be disgruntled. But he has no reason to believe the Bills will not extend the same offers (pro-active offers) that they have to several other players over the last several years.

My advice to Jason is to dump whoever the guy is who is advising him to hold out of training camp. It’s a blemish on him, and as Dave said, a distraction to the team in an otherwise very promising pre-season. There could be very good things for Buffalo this year, but Peters’ strangely silent quest for more money (or so we presume) will not help that at all.

It can only hurt.

Categories
Pre-Season Training Camp

Training Camp is Open! (And I was there!)

The day started very early for me. Up at 6:30 to get some stuff done before leaving at 8:00am, and all for a very good reason..

The first day of Buffalo Bills Training Camp!!!

I brought my two boys with me, and we headed for the parking lot of Pittsford/Mendon High School where we would catch the shuttle bus to St. John Fisher College … and see the Bills!

All went as planned (aside from getting slightly lost on the way to the shuttling spot) and we had a beautiful day to take in the return of Buffalo Bills football. Seriously, it was so great to see all the familiar faces out on the field (it feels like you’re right there on the field with them at training camp) and it was great to see the new guys, too.

Just great to see NFL football.

A few thoughts from the first day before I hit the hay…

Offense
I can’t say enough how excited I am about James Hardy. I think this kid is going to be great for us – and even this year. He’s a quite a bit taller than his cohorts, and he runs good rounds, and from interviews I’ve seen, he’s definitely got the right attitude. Great pick up by the Bills.

Edwards looks poised and confident as always. JP has a loose cannon. First toss in the 7 on 7s was a huge bomb down the field (broken up nicely by Ashton Youboty.) I was a little disappointed with how Trent checked down nearly every time though… even in 7 on 7 drill with no pads.

I was impressed with the pace, though. They were running at a somewhat “hurry-up” pace. I do think Schonert is going to take this offense into a higher gear.

Defense
It was fantastic to see Marcus Stroud wearing Bills blue. And not only that, he was definitely a vocal leader of the DL unit. He seemed to be instructing our young guys, and they were listening. I did also notice that John McCargo was with the starting unit, next to Stroud, but found out later that’s because Kyle Williams was excused for the birth of a baby (he and his wife just had a baby) Williams will resume the starting role when he returns (though I think McCargo will challenge for that spot in camp.)

Will James intercepted JP Losman’s first 11 on 11 drill pass. Then Alvin Bowen tipped his second pass. And as I said earlier, Youboty made a great play on JP’s deep pass. JP may not have looked so hot (even bumped into Roscoe Parrish on a reverse handoff!!) but the new guys on defense did!

The atmosphere
Fans were excited to be there. There were just a couple thousand probably, but all who were there were ooo-ing and aah-ing with each play or missed play. Very into it. And, when the four preassigned players came to the autograph tent following practice, the crowd waiting to see them erupted in loud cheering! Too funny! We sure do love our Bills!

There was a new attraction at the kids interactive zone. It was a field goal kicking game. Seemed to be attracting more “big boys” than little boys. 🙂 My boys tried it of course, along with all the other fun interactive activities. Bills training camp is definitely a fun event all around – not just football.

Night Practices start next week. We’ll be in attendance next Thursday night. Can’t wait!

I took some photos today, will be posting them to our Facebook Page sometime this weekend.

For all the latest from training camp, definitely visit Chris Brown’s blog and the Multimedia page at BuffaloBills.com. They do a great job of covering everything!

Bills football is here!!!

Categories
Current Bills Playoffs Pre-Season

Are The Bills Setting Their Sights Too Low?

We are under a week from the start of training camp, and there is a buzz around Bills land. It is the typical late-July buzz, but this year the din seems to be a bit louder. Players are excited, coaches are excited, and fans are excited. Even some of the media is starting to catch on, calling this Bills team a possible “Sleeper” in the 2008 season.

And for good reason, as I have mentioned before in parts 1 and 2 of my pre-pre-season preview of the 2008 Bills.

But something has been bothering me almost every time I hear any player talk about this upcoming season. Sure there is great optimism, and there are many good reasons to believe (returning players, new players, system is established, good talent level on this team, good depth) … but what are they believing in?

“I want to be the best I can be and I want to take this team to the playoffs and I want to win some football games,” said QB Trent Edwards.

Did you see it? What is it that Trent (and seemingly every other Buffalo Bill) wants from this season?

To make the playoffs.

Granted, when a franchise has not attained that level in nine seasons, that seems a respectable goal. But is it enough? Is it like in karate (I don’t really know what I’m saying here) where you try to break a board, you have to envision your hand going through the board, not to the board. If the Bills dream of only the playoffs, might they only get that far… and miss the chance to advance in the post season?

To me, it seems they are not thinking far enough ahead. I have heard the popular sports adage, “Cross one river at a time.” We often heard it coming from the mouth of our beloved Marv Levy. And I do understand that thinking also. But really, is it enough to only want to make the playoffs? Don’t we want to at least win a playoff game? Shouldn’t we be thinking we have as much right to that Lombardi Trophy as the other 31 teams? Maybe more??

As we enter training camp, I’d like to see the Bills language change slightly. It may be only a word, but I think it might be important. Once we see the players start thinking they really can win, they really are good… perhaps they will start to talk like they believe that too, and maybe that will bring about a change not only in language and thinking, but on the football field as well.

Categories
Bills Fans Current Bills Pre-Season Training Camp Videos

Pre-Season Videos

Hey folks. Have a couple Bills videos for you here. Well, they are really slideshows. I uploaded them to YouTube (why not use their bandwidth instead of ours!) and have posted them here. One is from the Bills/Falcons pre-season game, the other is a selection of photos from our visits to Training Camp at SJFC in Rochester. Fun times had by all.

Enjoy!

Bills Training Camp 2007

Falcons @ Bills – Aug 17, 2007

Categories
Current Bills Games Pre-Season

This Is Why I Don’t Like Pre-Season

Fred Jackson in Action

OK. I would first like to rescind some of the certainty with which I previously stated that pre-season and training camp are worthless. Having heard some remarks from the very coach I was quoting in support of a shorter (or non-existent?) pre-season, as well as some of his players, I know that there certainly is a place for training camp, and even pre-season games. (I still contend that a tad more contact in camp might be beneficial, but, that’s not my point here.)

Nonetheless, might I point to the first three games of the pre-season as reasons why pre-season is COMPLETELY meaningless?

The Bills played rather poorly – sloppy was the word I chose – in their pre-season opener, and yet, pulled out the victory. They held the Saints to only 10 points. One week later, they had improved some, making several big plays, only to lose in the end by the reverse score from the previous week – 13-10. And then tonight they racked up 399 yards of offense, making some fantastic big plays, and lose 28-17.

Obviously, the outcome is not directly related to the level of play in pre-season. 🙂

And although we have seen our Bills in three “games” so far this year, I still maintain that we do not know that much about how this team will do until we see them play a game that matters. If they look like this in the regular season, we’re in trouble! But I don’t think they will. They players do not seem very worried at all. Nor do the coaches. I think it’s because they know that pre-season is not where you gauge what a team will do. You can gauge players… but not a team.

And yet… I watch the games. I even go to the games. What can I say? I’m a BIG Bills fan!!! 🙂

There were some bright spots tonight, but let me quickly highlight the things that do concern me a tad – even though I am trying hard to remember that pre-season is NOT a good indicator of what the regular season will bring…

  • Penalties and Turnovers
    Two things you do NOT want to see a lot of, and we had our share tonight. As the BTN announcers were quick (and frequent) to point out, several of the calls were pretty picky. Really, they were just bad calls. And even some non-calls. Still, 7 penalties for 60 yards… that’ll hurt. And it would have been more, but the Titans refused several calls due to a better situation resulting from their good play against our D.

    One penalty even brought back a fantastic Roscoe Parrish punt return for TD. That was bad timing.

    Turnovers were a bit of a problem, too. Should have been much worse. I counted three passes that Titan DBs dropped. Definitely should have been INTs. As it was there were two turnovers, could have been five. Ouch. The defense didn’t get any this week. Minus two is not where you want to be in this column.

  • JP Losman
    The reason JP is here is just that he’s scaring me a bit with how crazy erratic he is here this pre-season. He throws 3 horrible passes for every 2 good passes. Just super inconsistent. But man, when he’s good… he’s good. His pass to Evans was right on – from about 60 yards. He was hitting some great passes to Price tonight, too. But when he hit one long pass to Price, he didn’t seem to care that much about getting down the field to set up for the next play.

    I’m hoping it’s just that his head is not in the game in pre-season. Again, I must say, it’s just pre-season. You can’t judge a player or a team based on what you see in pre-season. You just can’t. And yet… I do not much like his inconsistency…

  • Defense, Where Art Thou?
    Bend but don’t break, yes. But tonight we broke. Four times. And there was plenty of bending, too. We were the recipients of two missed FG gifts. But really, that didn’t matter. The run defense would make 1 or 2 great plays at the line, and then they would let the back rip off a 15-20 yard carry. The pass rush was pretty ineffective against Young for sure, sort of the same against Collins. The defensive backs had some trouble covering. And, I know Young is hard to bring down, but the tackling looked pretty sloppy.

    You’ve got to wrap up. Got to.

    Can someone please remind me that pre-season is not really a good indicator of what we’ll see in the regular season? Please?? 🙂

Despite an 11-point loss, and an overall sloppy game with poor tackling, turnovers, and penalties… there were some really great things, too! Check these out:

  • Evans, Price, and Parrish
    Three of our best WRs had some great numbers tonight. Peerless Price looked great. He hasn’t, so that was nice to see. Made some great catches – including one on the sideline, and that long one down the middle that I mentioned earlier. Price ended with 78 yards receiving, Evans with 100 yards and a 64-yard TD. Parrish ended with 26 yards on 2 catches. Combined, the three had 204 yards receiving in the first half! Not bad for half a day’s work!

    I really think Roscoe is going to be fun to watch this year. It will be fun to see how they work him into the offense a bit more.

  • Fred Jackson
    What can you say about this guy? Is he for real? On the fourth quarter drive that ended with his rushing TD, he amassed well over 50 yards rushing and receiving. He ended with 31 yards rushing and 80 yards receiving. Nice work, Fred! I’m still trying to figure out if he just looks good because he is playing against inexperienced players who will soon be cut from the opposition’s rosters. I really don’t know yet. To me he looks great. He’s big and powerful, always moving forward, yet he has some great moves that help him avoid tackles. He has incredible balance – never gets knocked down the first time. I don’t see how the Bills cut this guy, but I’m not really sure what role he plays on the team, either. Will be interesting to see how they use him (or not?) this year.
  • Aaron Schobel in the Endzone
    First of all, it was cool enough that Schobel was in pass coverage. But add to that the smart, athletic play he made to save a TD (at least on that play) was definitely worth mention. On a great play fake, the Titans had a receiver wide open in the endzone. Young floated the ball to him, which he caught in his hands. The TE failed to account for Aaron’s speed and cleverness though. Schobel seeing the ball hit the receiver’s hands instantly swatted at the ball, knocking it loose… knocking away a TD!! Great play!

As I keep saying… it’s just pre-season. If the Bills looked fantastic, I would hope I would still temper my excitement with that phrase. Because I think it’s true. We’re not seeing the real Bills yet. The players remain confident in any interviews I hear/see…/give. 🙂 But that is admittedly hard to do, when we look pretty bad.

I will continue to reserve final judgment until we see 60 minutes of football against the visiting Denver Broncos. If we don’t see a well-oiled machine scoring lots of points, and a defense that doesn’t look completely inept that day, then we may be in trouble.

But we’re not yet. Just about two more weeks until we get to find out what we really have. Can’t wait!

Categories
Bills Fans Games Pre-Season Videos

The Wave @ The Ralph


This video was taken at The Ralph last Friday… the smallish pre-season crowd got the Wave going in the second half, and so I decided to record it. 🙂