SB Nation - Mike Sims-Walker

Dolphins vs Jaguars: Three Key Matchups

Matty I — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 05:15:09 -0000

More photos » by Lynne Sladky - AP

From the "phrases I never thought I'd say" file: I love me some VD!

On Sunday the Dolphins play what is essentially their second consecutive playoff game when they travel to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars. In reality, every game from here on out is a playoff game for the Dolphins. One slip up and their playoff chances take a serious hit.

So with that said, let's talk about three critical matchups for Sunday's game:

Mike Sims-Walker/Torry Holt vs Vontae Davis/Sean Smith
Every single week it seems like I start off this post by highlighting our two rookie corners. So why stop now?

Truth be told, this is a very interesting matchup. Why? Because this will be an excellent measuring stick to see how far Vontae Davis and Sean Smith have come. They've had to go up against some of the game's best receivers over the past two months (Randy Moss, Wes Welker, Steve Smith, Marques Colston, etc...). But this week they get to face an up-and-coming star, Mike Sims-Walker, and an aging but crafty veteran, Torry Holt - which should make for some interesting moments.

Last week we saw Vontae Davis really play well. Yes, he was burnt on that early first quarter bomb from Tom Brady to Moss. But he showed how resilient he is by bouncing back and really defending Moss well from that point on. Davis shadowed Randy wherever he lined up - a first for the young corner - and he held Moss to just one more reception - for only eight yards - the rest of the game. And who could forget his huge interception in the endzone?

Meanwhile, Smith didn't have such a great day himself. He let Sam Aiken out-jump or out-wrestle a ball away from him, resulting in an 81 yard touchdown for the young receiver. He let Aiken get about five yards in front of him late in the game as well but lucked out when Brady just overthrew the open receiver. And then on that final Patriot possession, Aiken again narrowly missed a big reception when he beat Smith and got two hands on the ball only to not bring in the tough catch.

With that said, though, I'm still not worried about Smith. I'm every bit as confident in him as I was before the draft when I highlighted him as the number one guy on my wishlist. And I expect a bounce back performance on Sunday out of Smith - who has tweeted how excited he is for this game on Sunday.

It'll be very interesting to see how the coaching staff decides to match up our young corners. Which one gets the 6'2 Sins-Walker, who is quietly having a big season? And which one gets the 6'0 Holt, who remains a factor even at the age of 33?

Jaguars offensive line vs Dolphins front seven
One of the things I've been most impressed with this season has been the play of Jacksonville's two rookie tackles. That's right - they start rookies at both left and right tackle. Not too often you see that.

But from the games I've watched - which, truth be told, is not too many - Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton have been playing some good football. And that is part of the reason why the Jaguars have the 7th ranked rushing offense in the NFL. Of course, the biggest reason for that is the explosive Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew is having an outstanding season in his first year as the full-time back in Jacksonville. He's fourth in the NFL in rushing yards, leads the NFL in rushing touchdowns, and is averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Not too shabby.

The Dolphins, meanwhile, have been struggling of late against the run. Earlier this season, the Dolphins were one of the best in stopping the run. But thanks to many factors - injuries included - the Dolphins have fallen to 14th in the league against the run. And in their past 5 games, the Dolphins have allowed 127 yards per game on the ground and are surrendering 4.9 yards per carry. Not good.

However, two rookie bookend tackles does mean that the Jaguars are prone to surrendering sacks. The Jags have allowed 34 sacks this season - the 5th highest total in the league. Of course, the Dolphins didn't exactly do a great job of getting to Tom Brady last week. But Cameron Wake did make a play with under a minute left to force that errant throw by Brady that landed in Channing Crowder's arms. But outside of that play, Brady was pretty well protected.

What I'm hoping here is for Paul Pasqualoni to dial up some blitz packages designed to confuse these rookie tackles, keeping David Garrard uncomfortable all game long.

Dolphins wide receivers vs Jaguars cornerbacks
Last week the Dolphins went into that game against the Patriots with every intention of letting Chad Henne air it out. Against the NFL's 13th ranked pass defense (statistically speaking), Miami's receivers did an excellent job of giving Henne places to go with the football.

On Sunday, the Dolphins will face the NFL's 23rd ranked pass defense - a unit allowing 242 yards per game through the air and letting opponents complete over 65% of their passes. They will still be without their top corner - Rashean Mathis - meaning Tyron Brackenridge will get the start again opposite of Derek Cox. Neither of those two corners are very good. Cox is allowing 64% of the passes thrown his way to be completed while Brackenridge allows over 15 yards per reception.

Let's see if this group of receivers can again come up big in a big game and put some points on the board in Jacksonville.

Football Outsiders and the 49ers: Player Stats through Week 12

Florida Danny — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 15:00:23 -0000

Yesterday, I noted some pretty promising statistical improvements for the 49ers' OFF. Today, we'll see whether stats and rankings for the Niners' offensive players have also improved as one would expect; or perhaps the whole is greater than the sum of its parts? To this end, I'll be adding the same kind of change stats I've started presenting in my other posts this week. Again, it's the direction of change, not necessarily its magnitude, that's more important from my perspective.

This week, QBs need a total of at least 90 passes to qualify as having valid FO stats, RBs need at least 96 carries, WRs need at least 38 targets, and TEs need at least 18 targets. Therefore, the players I'll be breaking down this week are Alex Smith, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan, and Vernon Davis. I'll also, of course, be presenting FO stats for the OL, the defensive front 7 (DF7), and the secondary.

QUARTERBACKS

Here are Smith's stats through 208 passes this season (bold = ranked 8th or better [top 25% of starters]; italics = ranked 25th or worse [bottom 25% of starters]):

	This Week		Last Week		Change
Statistic	Value	Rk	Value	Rk	Value	Rk
DYAR per Pass	0.20	24	0.20	25	0.00	+1
YAR per Pass	0.50	23	0.12	25	+0.38	+2
EYds per Pass	5.31	25	5.23	25	+0.08	0
Yds per Pass	5.78	25	5.81	24	-0.03	-1
DVOA	-7.9%	24	-7.9%	25	0.0%	0
VOA	-3.2%	23	-9.2%	25	+6.0%	+2

As you can see, the only things that have showed any meaningful improvement are Smith's unadjusted stats, YAR/P and VOA. Not surprisingly, the 49ers' unadjusted OFF Pass VOA is what showed meaningful improvement among their team stats. Obviously, Smith threw every pass against the Jaguars, so this is kind of a "duh" finding. However, the important point is that Smith and the Niners had a productive passing attack against JAX, but more than just "productive" is what was expected against the 31st-ranked JAX pass DEF. Nevertheless, you have to crawl before you walk, so Smith and the Niners' pass OFF need to pass well against bad pass DEFs before he/they can start passing well against good DEFs.

After the jump, I'll present and discuss the rest of the stats ...

RUNNING BACKS

Here are Gore's stats through 128 carries so far this season (bold = ranked 8th or better; italics = ranked 25th or worse):

	This Week		Last Week		Change
Statistic	Value	Rk	Value	Rk	Value	Rk
DYAR per Run	0.48	20	0.58	17	-0.10	-3
YAR per Run	0.30	25	0.48	20	-0.18	-5
EYds per Run	4.20	22	4.38	22	-0.18	0
Yds per Run	5.03	5	5.46	3	-0.43	-2
DVOA	3.3%	19	6.2%	16	-2.9%	-3
VOA	-0.9%	24	3.6%	18	-4.5%	-6

Interesting, eh? Gore's stats - adjusted and unadjusted - got worse across the board, yet, the 49ers' Rush OFF VOA improved after the Jags game and their Rush OFF DVOA stayed essentially the same. What gives?

Well, there are two phenomena at play here. First, realize that play-by-play efficiency as a team is compared to the average of other NFL teams, whereas play-by-play efficiency as an individual is compared to the average of other players at that position. So, it seems as though the Niners' running game is getting better relative to the rest of the league, but Gore's running is getting worse relative to other RBs. Second - and this should be far more obvious - Gore's not the only player carrying the ball in the Niners' run OFF. As it specifically relates to the Jags game, remember that Delanie Walker had an 11-yard carry on 2nd & 2, and Alex Smith had a 10-yard scramble on 2nd & 7, both of which are considered highly efficient plays according to DVOA.

So, keep these two points in mind as we move forward in the post. They're going to reappear a few more times before we're done.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Here are Crabtree's stats through 44 targets so far this season (bold = ranked 16th or better; italics = ranked 49th or worse):

	This Week		Last Week		Change
Statistic	Value	Rk	Value	Rk	Value	Rk
DYAR per Target	-0.43	67	-0.22	60	-0.21	-7
YAR per Target	-0.02	61	0.03	58	-0.05	-3
EYds per Target	5.16	71	5.47	67	-0.31	-4
Yds per Target	7.86	36	8.11	33	-0.25	-3
DVOA	-18.9%	69	-15.7%	62	-3.2%	-7
VOA	-13.1%	62	-12.3%	58	-0.8%	-4

Like Gore, we see decline across the board when it comes to Crabtree. However, you'll notice that each of his adjusted stats declined more drastically than his unadjusted stats. So, his stats display similar opponent-dependent characteristics to that of Smith. Hope you're sensing a theme here. Regardless, though, I'll say the same thing I did last week: I'm not worried about Crabs, no matter what the stats say.

Here are Morgan's stats through 51 targets so far this season:

	This Week		Last Week		Change
Statistic	Value	Rk	Value	Rk	Value	Rk
DYAR per Target	-0.41	65	0.16	55	-0.57	-10
YAR per Target	0.10	57	0.42	50	-0.32	-7
EYds per Target	5.67	67	6.56	54	-0.89	-13
Yds per Target	6.82	55	7.09	51	-0.27	-4
DVOA	-18.0%	66	-10.5%	55	-7.5%	-11
VOA	-11.5%	58	-7.3%	50	-4.2%	-8

OK. This is a little bit more problematic for me because these are massive declines across the board. It almost defies belief that Morgan's EYds/T can drop that much from targets 44 to 51 on the season. I still say that Morgan will be fine in the long-run as a productive #2 WR once he learns his new position. However, what his stats show is that, contrary to how the saying goes, a rising tide does not necessarily lift all boats. Having only 2 successful plays in 8 targets, and only 1 reception go for more than 10 yards, against the 29th-ranked pass DEF against #2 WRs pretty much defines inefficiency.

TIGHT ENDS

Here are VD's stats through 92 targets (bold = ranked 8th or better; italics = ranked 25th or worse):

	This Week		Last Week		Change
Statistic	Value	Rk	Value	Rk	Value	Rk
DYAR per Target	1.18	18	1.08	17	+0.10	-1
YAR per Target	1.21	18	1.10	19	+0.11	+1
EYds per Target	7.80	19	7.53	21	+0.27	+2
Yds per Target	7.28	19	7.24	22	+0.04	+3
DVOA	11.8%	18	10.4%	18	1.4%	0
VOA	12.2%	18	10.6%	18	1.6%	0

If I could call Alex Smith "the #25 QB in the NFL" last week based on the consistency of his rankings, then I can dub VD "the #18 TE in the NFL." Of course, that's far more tongue-in-cheek than my Smith evaluation. We all know VD's much better than his stats show, and, after last week's post, we should all know that the reason these stats are what they are is because VD's tied for 2nd-most-targeted TE in the NFL. So bottom line is, don't freak out.

What is accurately reflected in the table is the fact that the Niners' overall pass OFF improvement has ridden the wave of VD (Aside: Sorry for all the nautical references today. I'm trying to give the STD references a week off.). It's clear that, based on his number of targets, the pass OFF goes as VD goes; based on his increasing EYards/T, VD goes as his new downfield-passing QB goes; and based on his DVOA, the Niners' level of efficiency in the passing game goes as throwing the ball downfield to VD goes.

Finally, as this is my last chance to really mention it, I'll just also quickly note that the Smith did a really good job of spreading the ball around against JAX. Specifically, among the 3 pass catchers I've detailed today, VD had 9 targets, Morgan had 8 targets, and Crabtree had 7 targets. For sure, this is a pleasant development. Having 3 legitimate options in the passing attack definitely beats having 1, which seemed to be the case just 8 weeks ago.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Here's the OL's directional run-blocking chart (bold = top 8; italics = bottom 8):

In my enthusiasm over Adjusted BS Rate, I totally forgot to mention the fact that the 49ers' OL is now ranked dead last in the league. Granted, their actual ALY only dropped 0.02 yards per carry, but it's still an ignominious achievement. Once again, though, it's interesting to see how, although the Niners' Rush OFF DVOA has gotten considerably better since Smith took over at QB, the OL deserves very little, if any, of the credit. This doesn't really fit well with my theory related to the run-blocking benefits of increased shotgun, so I'm pretty much stumped. All I can think of is that perhaps (a) more of the rush OFF's short gains are ending up as "successful plays" because of the down and distance, and/or (b) adjusting line yards for the caliber of an opponents' DF7 is different than adjusting Rush OFF DVOA for the caliber of an opponents' rush DEF overall. In other words, it's déjà vu all over again in this post.

With respect to directional ALY, not much has changed. The OL continues to improve in LE ALY, but that's still most likely due to a regression to the mean; and the same thing probably goes for RE ALY given they don't run the ball in that direction very much either. Otherwise, the glaring problem remains. Jimmy Raye loves to run the ball up the middle despite the fact that his OL absolutely sucks blocking in that direction.

DEFENSIVE FRONT SEVEN

Here's the DF7's directional run-stopping chart (bold = top 8; italics = bottom 8):

The big changes here occurred on runs up the middle and behind RT. Essentially, the DF7 got struck by a triple whammy of (a) having JAX run the ball fewer times in those directions than the 49ers were previously accustomed to, (b) having those runs go for more yardage than the 49ers were previously accustomed to allowing, and (c) having those yards allowed come via the directions in which the otherwise-top-tier JAX OL were least proficient. Add those 3 things up and you have a DF7 whose C/G ALY ranking dropped 6 spots (up 0.40 yards per carry), and whose RT ALY ranking dropped 3 spots (up 0.13 yards per carry). At least in this instance the changes in player stats matched the changes in team stats: remember, the Niners' Rush DEF DVOA got 1.4% worse after the JAX game.

DEFENSIVE BACKFIELD

Finally, here's the chart showing stats for the secondary against various intended receivers (bold = top 8; italics = bottom 8):

Pretty much everything is the same here, including the fact that starting Dre Bly didn't seem to adversely affect the Niners' pass DEF against opposing #1 WRs. Of course, defending Mike Sims-Walker is just a tad bit easier than defending Andre Johnson, Reggie Wayne, and Greg Jennings. There is one descent-sized change, though: DVOA against receiving RBs. Another week, another game full of screen passes that gouge the 49ers' pass DEF.

BOTTOM LINE

OK, so through 11 games, we can draw the following conclusions about several players on the 2009 49ers:

Alex Smith: Still better than Hill, though not as instrumental in the pass OFF's improvement as you might think.
Frank Gore: Making the 49ers' run OFF better, but not making his own stats better.
Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan: Give them time.
Vernon Davis: Instrumental in the pass OFF's improvement.
The OL: Now officially the worst in the league.
The DF7: Great when not encountering triple whammies.
The secondary: Still better without Nate Clements; not better with Dre Bly.

Later this morning: 49ers-Seahawks game matchup.

**DVOA, DYAR, EYds, and ALY statistics used to produce this article were obtained from Football Outsiders.

Game Preview Week 13: Houston Texans at Jacksonville Jaguars

Jonathan Loesche — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 20:01:50 -0000

Houston Texans(5-6)	Week #13	Jacksonville Jaguars (6-5)
	VS.

Date:	December 6th, 2009	Location:	Jacksonville, FL
Time:	4:15 PM EST	Stadium:	The Jack
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	Pick Em
Radio:	Click Here	Over/Under:	46.5
Weather:	High 50's with a slight chance of rain	Injury Report:	Click Here
SBN Coverage:	Battle Red Blog	Coverage Map	Click Here

Sorry for not getting this up earlier, and sorry for the lack of front page stuff in general over the last few days. Anyway, the Jaguars come back limping from San Francisco to take on a Houston team playing for it's season. It's no secret the Texans have been a disappointment this season. Expected to go to the playoffs and starting 5-3, the Texans have dropped three straight divisional games and virtually sunk their season.

The Jaguars are still in the thick of the playoff race, and despite all of the negativity surrounding the debacle in SF, would still be in the playoffs as a sixth seed if the playoffs started today. With games against the Colts and Patriots still to come, the Jaguars need to capitalize on all of their remaining games.

Jaguars Offense vs Texans Defense

First and foremost, the Jaguars offensive line has to rebound from easily it's worst showing in weeks. Eugene Monroe turned his season around with a solid performance against Mario Williams back in Week 3, and not having to deal with Super Mario would be great for David.

Former All-Pro CB Duanta Robinson has been woefully under performing for the Texans. Going up against Mike Sims-Walker and Torry Holt, I would expect the Jaguars to actively target Robinson's side as much as they can.

The Texans do feature one of the best up and coming players in the league with LB Brian Cushing. The last two weeks the Jaguars have struggled with linebackers keying in on Maurice Joens-Drew, and I would expect to see much of the same from Cushing.

Speaking of Maurice Jones-Drew, it would be nice to see him get back to his old self. He has been held to just 141 yards and 1 touchdown over the last two weeks. He still needs two touchdowns to break Fred Taylor's franchise record, and is still a manageable distance from setting the franchise's single season rushing record.

Texans Offense vs Jaguars Defense

I'm not going to really bother much with the Jags run defense and Texans run offense because we all expect to see Matt Schaub throw it 40+ times on Sunday.

It is very simple for the Jaguars defense, they don't have a pass rush and they lack Rashean Mathis, one of the only corners who could effectively cover Andre Johnson. Derrick Harvey has been showing some signs of life recently, but he needs to actually get to the quarterback occasionally.

The Jaguars are still sitting at 10 sacks and are running out of chances for setting the record for futility in that department. Good thing we still have Cleveland on our schedule.

Offensively, the Texans rank 3rd in the NFL in throwing the ball. Matt Schaub has finally been healthy for an entire year and it has shown. The Texans sport one of the best WRs in the NFL in Andre Johnson, and covering him is going to be the top priority for the Jaguars.

Expect to see alot of double or even triple coverage on Johnson to make up for the lack of pass rush on Schaub. The Jaguars do catch a break by not having to deal with All-Pro TE Owen Daniels, who would've perhaps been one weapon too many for the Jags to handle.

Player On The Hot Seat

The Jaguars Offensive Line

After a disasterous performance in San Francisco, the big boys up front need to get their heads screwed on straight and give David time to throw the ball. The Texans are going to put up points, and we'll need to as well.

Prediction

Jaguars 31
Texans 27

The Texans race out to a 17-3 lead before a series of events only the Texans can manage to pull off transpire. MJD scores his first TD, the Texans fumble the ensuing kick off, taken in one play later by MJD from 23 yards out. After some back and forth, Torry Holt finally gets his first TD as a Jaguar with 2:33 to play. Gary Kubiak decided to challenge, but the play is upheld. The lost time out costs the Texans as Andre Johnson catches the ball at the 8 yard line only to be tackled in bounds as the clock runs out.

Texans Five On Five: Week Thirteen

Jake — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:59:49 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Browse more photos »

The Houston Texans go to Jacksonville on Sunday to face the Jaguars. In Week 3, Chris Brown fumbled away a win on the goal line in Houston. Now the Texans will look for revenge. Here are the five matchups I feel are most important in order for that to happen.

1. Tyron Brackenridge vs. Andre Johnson - It's hard enough to contain Johnson with everyone healthy, much less when you're missing your best cover corner, Rashean Mathis. The Jags sport the 26th ranked pass defense this season, of which Mathis was one of the few highlights. Now Brackenridge, how has given up a total of 251 yards and a touchdown in the last two games since taking over the starting role, will try and stop Andre, who will likely play inspired because of the last couple of games.

2. John Busing vs. Maurice Jones-Drew - The Texans run defense has turned a corner since the last time they played the Jaguars, mostly due to improved play from the safety position. Busing hasn't contributed to that improvement though, and had not started since Week 3 until he was forced back into the lineup last week because of a season-ending injury to Eugene Wilson. The reason he lost his job? Poor support to the run. Busing will be dropped in coverage more than Bernard Pollard, but he will still be required to come up to help bring Jones-Drew down.

3. Dunta Robinson vs. Mike Sims-Walker - Anyone who has regularly watched the Texans this year knows that Robinson has been abused regularly. Opposing #1 wide receivers have tallied 50 receptions for 639 yards and 5 TDs, which is slightly deceiving considering it doesn't take into account the many pass interference infractions Dunta's committed. Sims-Walker can claim 6 receptions for 81 yards of that total. I honestly don't understand why teams don't throw Robinson's way more often.

4. Mario Williams vs. Eugene Monroe - This one is a little obvious but pivotal nonetheless. The Jaguars have given up the 6th most sacks and the 88 times that David Garrard has been hit is the most in the NFL. It's been established that Williams is hurting, but he simply needs to be able to beat a rookie in a must win situation, period.

5. Gary Kubiak vs. Wasted Season - To say the season has been disappointing is an understatement, but it's not over yet. The playoffs is almost certainly out of the picture, but the first winning season in franchise history is not. The Texans under Gary Kubiak are ~~11-4~~ 10-5 in the last 5 games of the season over ~~the last 5 years~~ the Kubiak Era. Gary might be coaching for his job though. It will be interesting to see how his coaching demeanor changes, if any, now that his back is against the wall.

49ers-Jaguars: Final Injury Report

Fooch — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:00:13 -0000

Not a whole lot of shockers in the final injury report, although we get confirmation that Michael Robinson will more than likely miss out on the game. Doubtful means 75% chance the player won't play. Safe to say no Robinson. So does that mean we'll get a bit more Josh Morgan in the return game? I've attached Coach Singletary's press conference from yesterday, but there's no mention of the return game.

For those wondering, Morgan does have some return experience back in college. His senior year he returned 16 kicks for 276 yards (long of 34). It's nothing spectacular, but better than nothing. We'll see how this plays out on Sunday.

49ers
Out
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)
OT Joe Staley (knee)

Doubtful
WR Isaac Bruce (ankle)
RB Michael Robinson (concussion)

Questionable
WR Arnaz Battle (ankle)
LB Takeo Spikes (hamstring)

Probable
G David Baas (ankle)
CB Tarell Brown (knee)
CB Marcus Hudson (back)
S Michael Lewis (quadricep)
S Reggie Smith (abdomen)
OT Adam Snyder (shoulder)
S Curtis Taylor (knee)
LB Patrick Willis (shoulder)

Jaguars
Out
CB Rashean Mathis (groin)

Probable
RB Maurice Jones-Drew (knee)
WR Mike Sims-Walker (knee)

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Post-Practice - November 27, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On the status of LB Takeo Spikes:

"It's going to be a game time [decision]. He tried to practice a little bit today. We didn't have him overexert himself, but he looked pretty good. We'll see come game time."

On who takes over the leadership role on defense when Spikes is not in the lineup:

"I think [LB] Patrick [Willis] is doing a much better job. I think that Takeo and Pat work really well together, and I think that when Takeo is not there, that Pat has to pick it up a bit. [LB] Matt Wilhelm is still trying to get used to doing it, but hopefully this week Takeo steps up and is ready to go. I'll keep my fingers crossed for that."

On whether having Takeo Spikes out against Green Bay constituted to the yardage gained by Packers RB Ryan Grant:

"I'm sure that it had something to do with it, a little bit. I wouldn't go there and say, ‘well, he wasn't there,' no, I wouldn't go there. Certainly, continuity is big and Takeo really helps Pat out a lot, he really does, so he's a great asset to us."

On the challenge of containing Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones-Drew:

"It's a big challenge because you've got a huge offensive line, and next thing you know, he just comes out of nowhere. He hides really well behind them, so we really have our work cut out for us this week. They are a power team and he's a powerful runner. He's an effective guy, so we definitely have our hands full this week."

On whether he recollects having problems tackling diminutive runners when he played in the NFL:

"I would say for me - I was kind of small too, so it wasn't a big problem for me. For the linebackers, it shouldn't be a big issue. For our guys, we don't have huge guys, I think that Pat and Takeo should be just fine. The defensive linemen have to bend a little bit more to find him."

On Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones-Drew performance in short-yardage situations:

"He's a good back aside from being a shorter guy. I would say that's the only difference - he's a shorter guy, not a smaller guy. He's really compact and he keeps his legs moving behind that pile, and I'll tell you what now, the offensive line does a great job of pulling him forward. So I think that we have to reevaluate that rule before the game, but the offensive line does a great job of pulling him right along with them so that helps too."

On whether a sneak play against Green Bay should have been raised as an issue with the league:

"It should have been. The whole sneak thing when guys are pulling you forward - it should be, but I guess they don't enforce it that much, but we'll have to look at that."

On any other personnel moves to be made prior to Sunday's contest against Jacksonville:

"No."

On talking to the referees pre-game concerning the sneak plays:

"It's not really a big thing, we just have to mention things that could possibly come up in a game. Things that you see on film, those are just little things that you communicate to the referees before the game so they can look at it prior [to the game]."

On whether sneak plays are done by hitting a runner forward or pulling him forward:

"There are time when it's kind of like rugby - he's in there and they're just pushing, shoving, pulling, and the whole nine yards. They do a good job of blocking, it's not like they're cheating.They're working and they're doing what they have to do. I think that it's going to be up to us to do everything that we can do to stop them, but they do a good job of blocking for him."

On whether he agrees with offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye's assessment of QB Alex Smith maturation and assertiveness:

"Oh yeah, I think that I've been saying the same thing. I haven't quite gotten to excellent yet, but I would say that only because I haven't used that word. But I think that Alex Smith is making really good progress. I think that we're all thankful that he's making the progress that he's making, so hopefully we just continue to go forward with that. If he can continue to get better from week to week, it helps us that much more trying to get where we need to go."

On what hasn't Alex Smith done in order to make progress:

"I would say, if I had to point to one thing, whenever you look at a quarterback, it's all about winning. I think that you could say that it's kind of like your team, ‘Whoa man, we're playing hard, we're doing this, we're doing that....did you win the game? No. Well, end of conversation.' So it's kind of like the same with the quarterback. We've had some good quarterbacks come through this league, but they didn't win, so we don't know a whole lot about them. So for Alex, I think that he just has to continue working, and also our team and everything else, and we just have to bring that thing together and win."

On his comments on Alex Smith being ‘meek' and how an NFL quarterback can be successful with that quality:

"It's kind of the whole thing with leadership. You hit that point, I just want to answer that question and make sure that I define him right. Are leaders born or are they made? I think both, but when I think about Alex Smith, when I was talking about meek, I should have used the word humble. He's a guy, he doesn't want to cause any problems. To me, he doesn't have the typical mentality of a quarterback, which is, ‘Hey, this is what I want.' He's not like that and that's thing that I like about him and I'm sure going forward, I'm see more and more assertiveness, I'm seeing more and more, ‘Coach I like this, I don't like that,' and those kinds of things so I think it's a tremendous asset for him to be a guy that is still willing to be molded, still willing to listen and it's not all of a sudden, he throws a couple of touchdowns and he's not all of a sudden the greatest quarterback in the world. He's still listening and I think that's great so going forward I think he's going to find his balance. We are on this side of it saying, ‘Come on, give us the information, let us know where you are, let us know what you are thinking,' and I think he has been on the other side saying, ‘I don't want to cause any problems, I don't want to make this about me, I want it to be about the team, I want it to be about the offense,' and I think that's been his mentality and that's been great and we are saying we love that, but come on, be the guy that says ‘this is what I want,' and we'll say, ‘Okay, we are going to go here, we're going to do that and this.' Now we are where we need to be in the communication area and I think we are getting there, I just think he needed permission to say, ‘That's okay for me to say, this is what I want, this is what I need.' The answer is absolutely yes. We need to know exactly what it is and he's doing that."

On that ‘jerk' quality in most quarterbacks:

"For lack of a another word, yes, I would say that, but there are some that I know that are, I would say are very clear and concise about what it is that they want and the great thing about Alex is I think he's such a bright guy that he can do a number of things and I think he's still finding out some of those things that he likes better than others because he hasn't played as long. To me, I think it's a tremendous advantage for him and us going forward, so he's not set in his ways and so I think that's a good thing."

On whether it's hard for the quarterback not to be the natural leader of the team given he is the only one talking in the huddle:

"The way that Alex Smith is thinking right now and all that I've seen, I think Alex Smith understands that at some point in time it has to be about his point of view, but from a team aspect."

On what kind of a challenge the Jaguars defense present for their offense on Sunday:

"I guess for me, when I look at their defense, you look at those big guys up front and they come off the ball, they do a good job and are big physical guys. Their DBs look like they are communicating well on the backend, I just think that we have to go out and just do what we do. I don't think that we have to try and think up anything else, just go out and execute the offense and hopefully, we can put it together early, hopefully we can execute early and find our niche, find our balance and just kind of move forward with that."

On whether he would like to see his cornerbacks play more aggressively this week:

"We have to. Last week, for whatever reason, there were times when we were way too far off and gave them a lot more cushion than we had talked about during the week. So, yes, definitely get up there and challenge them a lot more than we did last week."

Week 12 Game Preview: Jacksonville Jaguars @ San Francisco 49ers

Jonathan Loesche — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:29:05 -0000

San Francisco 49ers (4-6)	Week #12	Jacksonville Jaguars (6-4)
	VS.

Date:	November 29nd, 2009	Location:	San Francisco, CA
Time:	4:15 PM EST	Stadium:	Candlestick Park
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	49ers -3
Radio:	Click Here	Over/Under:	40.5
Weather:	Sunny, mid 50's	Injury Report:	Click Here
SBN Coverage:	Niners Nation	Coverage Map	Click Here

Well, this is it guys. Tim Tebow's final home game. Standing in his way is a dilapidated Seminole team that is a shell of the 90's powerhouse. Oh wait, there's another football game this weekend involving a team from Northeast Florida? Could've fooled me.

The Jaguars make their second trip out west this season to take on a fast sinking 49ers team. After starting the year 3-1, Mike Singletary's bunch has lost five of their last six. In addition, they can thank Jay Cutler for their 10-6 win over Chicago a few weeks ago.

The similiarities between Singletary and Jack Del Rio are striking on the surface. Both are ex-Pro Bowl linebackers who worked their way up the ranks before becoming head coaches. Both want their teams to run the ball, stop the run, and punch the other team in the mouth. And both have issues with getting the most out of their teams on a consistent basis.

Will the Jaguars get to 7-4 or will they have another bad west coast trip?

Jaguars Offense vs 49ers Defense

The 49ers rank 30th in the NFL against the pass, giving up 256 yards a game. Despite signing Nate Clements to the richest defensive contract in NFL history, the 49ers only have six interceptions this year off QBs not named Jay Cutler. The 49ers also rank 22nd in the NFL in sacks. Perhaps the most chilling stat for the 49ers is that their pass defense has gotten worse over that six game span. The team has given up 286 yards a game, including four 300 yard games.

Needless to say, statistically this should prove to be a good day for David Garrard and the Jaguars WR corp. Mike Sims-Walker has been favoring a hamstring injury, but practiced all week. However, I sat here last week and said Maurice Jones-Drew would get 200 yards and 4 TDs against the Bills run defense.

Where the 49ers defense excels is against the run. Led by All-World MLB Patrick Willis, the 49ers are 6th in the NFL against the run. In addition, they are tied for second for the lowest per carry average, 3.4 yards.

The offensive line will need to play much better than the siv they were against the Bills. The rock solid line that rose to the occassion against the Jets needs to make another appearence if the Jaguars want to win.

Maurice Jones-Drew needs just 74 yards to hit 1,000 and 2 touchdowns to set the franchise record for rushing TDs. I say he breaks 1,000 and ties the franchise record this week, before breaking it next week vs Houston.

Jaguars Defense vs 49ers Offense

The Alex Smith experiment returns for an encore performance against the Jaguars. Since replacing Shaun Hill in Week 7 of the regular season, Smith has put up respectable numbers in 2009. Smith boasts a 81.5 QB rating this year, a far cry from his career average of 66.5.

The 49ers passing offense flows through All-Pro Tight End Vernon Davis. Davis is easily the team's leading receiver with 51 receptions, 601 yards, and 8 touchdowns. The Jaguars have never done well against receiving tight ends (see Clark, Dallas) so it will be a challenge to keep Davis contained.

The most talked about player in the 1st round this fear was WR Michal Crabtree. Since Crabtree finally signed with the team he has put up ok numbers, but nothing mind blowing. All I can say is that I'm much happier seeing him on the opposing sideline this week.

Since the Jaguars have returned to the 4-3 defense, the returns have been excellent. Discouting the big play to Terrell Owens, the Jaguars limited the Bills to just 250 yards of offense last week. Derrick Harvey's continued growth is promising, though more sacks would certainly be welcomed.

Once again the Jaguars will be without Rashean Mathis. Tyron Brackenridge did a good job vs Owens despite what the numbers say, and if nothing else, at least we won't see Reggie Nelson at corner again.

Player On The Hot Seat

David Garrard, QB

The 49ers will likely sellout to stop Jones-Drew and that means David will need to be on his game on Sunday. Expect to see the Jaguars throw early and often to take advantage of the bad pass defense.

Prediction

Jaguars 24

49ers 13

-Jonathan Loesche

49ers-Jaguars: Thursday Injury Report

Fooch — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:57:39 -0000

Hope everybody is having a good Thanksgiving. We've got our Thanksgiving open thread if you want to chat about any of today's games. I wanted to get this posted before the food coma completely overwhelmed me. We've got the injury report here, followed by OC Jimmy Raye's post-practice press conference transcript.

We had some interesting comments from Jimmy Raye, including the fact that Isaac Bruce will not be active Sunday and Brandon Jones will be. Jones will be backing up Crabtree at the X position, but will also be the spot guy when Morgan comes off the field. Also, the third question addresses the shotgun statistics. I'm curious what people will have to say about that.

49ers
Out (Definitely Will Not Play)
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)
OT Joe Staley (knee)

Did not Participate in Practice
WR Arnaz Battle (ankle)
WR Isaac Bruce (ankle)
DT Aubrayo Franklin (not injury related)
S Michael Lewis (quadricep)
RB Michael Robinson (shoulder)
LB Takeo Spikes (hamstring)

Limited Participation in Practice
CB Marcus Hudson (back)

Full Participation in Practice
G David Baas (ankle)
CB Tarell Brown (knee)
S Reggie Smith (abdomen)
OT Adam Snyder (shoulder)
LB Patrick Willis (shoulder)
S Curtis Taylor (knee)

Jaguars
Out (Definitely Will Not Play)
CB Rashean Mathis (groin)

Full Participation in Practice
RB Maurice Jones-Drew (knee)
WR Mike Sims-Walker (knee)

OC Jimmy Raye's press conference transcript after the jump...

Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye
Post-Practice - November 26, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On which receivers play where with Isaac Bruce down:

"Basically, it gives Josh Morgan a transition when we go three-wide and that would bring Brandon Jones as the spot player. He would back up X. Jason Hill would be the back up Z. [Michael] Crabtree would stay at X. So, we would get the addition of Brandon Jones."

On who starts where:

"[Michael] Crabtree starts at X, [Josh] Morgan starts at Z. Jason Hill backs up Z. Brandon Jones backs up X. Then three wides, Josh transitions from Z to X and Jason Hill becomes the Z."

On why the statistics are better from the quarterback in the shotgun:

"I don't think that it is a coincidence. I know the time we did it, the score was 23-3. The quantity of the yards and quality of the yards has to be measured by the score and the time in the game. I don't think the formation per se had a whole lot to do with it. The fact that we were in a semi-rally mode because we were down by four scores had something to do with it. We converted third downs, which meant we got more plays. After the first drive in the game, we went three-and-out three straight times, and when we looked up, the score was 20-3, which totally changed the complexion of the game and the thought process and plan of the game. Then, the play prior to the two-minute warning, we could have kept them off the field on 3^rd-and-7 and we didn't convert. Then they went back and got another score to make it 23-3. So, there wasn't really any reason to be in ‘21' personnel and having the quarterback operating from under center. So, the score of the game and flavor of the game kind of dictated that. If you recall in that game, the first drive in that game, we were 3^rd and less than one in a position to score, and none of those plays were out of the gun. We missed and opted to kick the field goal to make the score 3-3. From that point on, offensively, it was downhill."

On whether the offense is in transition:

"I think this offense has been in transition since I've been here. You name a week that we haven't been in transition, from an injury standpoint, from a runner standpoint, a receiver standpoint, an offensive line standpoint. The thing we have been is in transition. I don't know what exactly your question is, in terms of this offense being in transition, but in terms of continuity and players, it's been a constant flow of transition."

On Alex's next step:

"I think Alex so far, his maturation in the 14 quarters, has been very good. I would anticipate going forward that as we improve in other areas of our play offensively, his growth will continue. He's become a little more assertive. You've got to remember that as he and the offense become more compatible and friendly, I think the less anxiety he'll have as he anticipates and knows the players he's playing with, and not thinking about the calls he makes, but he has internalized that. I am hopeful his growth and maturation will be something that will be very good."

On what he means by Alex being assertive and whether he tells him what he likes:

"I don't think that's a measure of assertion. He [Alex] plays and we coach. He has the opportunity to ‘red line' his wish list. The quarterbacks get a wish list at the beginning of every week. They get to list in priority the things they like and the things they don't like. They get to red line things they don't want or don't feel comfortable with, or they can suggest things they'd rather have. As I tell them and all of the players, it's democratic, but it's not 50-50 because they don't spend as much time looking at it or preparing as we do. So, their suggestions are all listened to, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll all be used. That's not just him, but that's all of the offensive players. His mannerisms and assertion, in terms of his leadership with the players he's in the huddle with, and his presence in the meeting room and film sessions, all of that has been a win-win. Alex is a very bright individual. As he gains confidence, the more his intelligence plays to his physical ability. I hope that is what we're witnessing. Only winning and time will tell that."

On the percentage of plays Alex red lines during the week:

"It varies. There are some things that are lengthy call-wise or protection-wise that may be a little queasy that when we worked them in practice, he didn't get the look that we had shown him or he anticipated or he didn't feel as good about dialing them in the game, as he does some other things. It's not a vast change. It's nothing like John Brodie, where he was going to run what he wanted to run and the hell with the plan because he called his own plays back then. It's enough to know and have a feel for what calms the anxiety in certain calls and where he feels most comfortable with things. We try not to have a whole lot of variance of new things so he doesn't have the anxiety of that."

On whether he can recognize body language from his viewpoint during the game:

"Sure. I'm learning him. I know this having coached long enough and called plays enough to know when you go 1-to-1 pass, you're an accident waiting to happen. So, if any play caller, even with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, you start dialing the pass repetitively, 1-to-1, something is going to happen. You have to try to sense the protection and sense the spacing in the passing game I'm speaking of. Whether he's getting hit because getting hit is more difficult for a quarterback than getting sacked. So, you have to gauge the protection, and if he's getting hit, you have gauge the coverage element and how much pressure you're getting by down and distance and how close you are to 1-and-1 and try to keep him out of a situation where something bad could happen, as far as turning the ball over. So, yeah, I can sense that."

On when things will click for Alex and the team waiting for the quarterback for everything to come together:

"I think if the team is waiting on the quarterback, then they have missed the boat. If they're waiting on the quarterback, then we're way off whack. The quarterback play has been very good, and at times, has even tilted towards being outstanding. So, if that is what the team is waiting on, the quarterback, then we're going down the wrong road. The team, as we're going forward in this drive and in this run to win the game this Sunday, the team needs to do the best that they can individually and the pieces will fit if we execute, and it won't be because of the quarterback."

On Alex Smith showing signs that he can be good player in the NFL:

"I think that he has demonstrated that. What you have to understand, if you go back and look at the development of some of the outstanding quarterbacks in this league, he's in his fourth or fifth year with a two-year hiatus where he didn't play at all. He's had four or five different systems, but he demonstrates in portions of games. You don't find many quarterbacks that throw three touchdown passes in second halves of games, be it behind or be it in the league. Once you do that, you do it. It has nothing to do with the score or the team or the opponent or if they're playing bend don't break or any of that. Once you do that, you do it and he has demonstrated on several occasions that he is capable of scoring points with the ball and that's the function of the position and throwing it. So, I would say that yeah, he's well on his way if his maturity and all of the other things that it takes to play the position - he's tough enough, he has escapabilty, he can ad-lib a play, he kept a play alive in the third quarter- got a first down with his feet and legs running the ball - so he has those things. It's his confidence that we're continuing to expand to let him be the best that he can be. Now, whether that will be good or in the upper echelon of the NFL, I don't know, but he certainly has a chance to be good enough."

On his observation of Smith's performance against Green Bay defense in the second half:

"Well, I think that they were trying not to give up the strike over the top ball, but became vulnerable to the deep ball with the style of secondary coverage that they were playing. Then they had to shift gears and try to pressure him and see if they could get the ball to come out quicker to negate [TE] Vernon Davis' speed and [WR Michael] Crabtree's verticalness up the field, so they tried to pressure him. When they tried to pressure him, he hit them. When they tried to defend, he hit them. So, then they got to a point where they mixed the pressure and mixed the coverage and he was still able to move the ball and I think that the last score that we went in on, there was 5:48 left in the game and they were in a different mode on their boundary - totally different, because they hadn't figured out a way to curtail what he was doing."

Web Rumblings: Buffalo Bills Links 11/24

MattRichWarren — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:13:00 -0000

CBS wouldn't replay this gruesome leg injury - Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
CBS wouldn't reshow it but if you want another look at Eric Wood's injury take a look. I am going to warn you it turned my stomach. His lower leg is destroyed right now.

Mike Sims-Walker spent yesterday celebrating Terrell Owens - Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
Did anybody else catch Mike Sims-Walker spelling "T.O." after his TD catch? I was wondering what the heck he was doing.

Two point attempt was impromptu – Inside The Bills
For those that may have been wondering if Buffalo’s two-point conversion attempt was planned after the Owens TD, it wasn’t.

The ultimate killer on Sunday – Inside The Bills
The Bills lost a tough game again in an 18-15 loss to Jacksonville, and what made it even tougher was the offense was more productive, but two touchdowns came off the board for the Bills on penalties.

Jones-Drew gives Bills ‘D’ credit – Inside The Bills
"Buffalo did a great job of loading the box and staying disciplined," said Jaguars running back Mauirce Jones-Drew. "We knew all week that they were a real disciplined team. I told you guys earlier in the week when your coach is fired; there are two ways you can go. They went the positive route. We fought hard, they fought hard."

QB for Miami still to be determined – Inside The Bills
Bills interim head coach Perry Fewell stuck to his statement last week that the starting quarterback would be a week to week decision on Monday.

NFL - Weekly Leaders Week 11
Terrell Owens led the league in receiving yards this week. When's the last time that happened?

Garrard: last TD play was well designed – Inside The Bills
David Garrard comments on the final touchdown that ultimately won the game for the Jaguars.

Bills notebook: Wood's injury a gruesome sight : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
"That young man was in pain," said Fewell, whose emotion was clearly on display as he spoke. "That was not a pretty sight to see. ... That's part of our game, but as a human being you never want to see that happen to another."

Buffalo Bills finally unleash T.O.'s talent | Democrat and Chronicle
No one played with more of a purpose than wide receiver Terrell Owens. He finally enjoyed his breakout game as a Bill with nine catches for 197 yards, including a team-record 98-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.

Buffalo Bills Replay: How do we assess Fewell's first game? | Democrat and Chronicle
Leo Roth and Sal Maiorana rewatch the Bills-Jaguars game and discuss high and low points.

Wood injury another awful blow to Bills - AFC East Blog - ESPN
Wood was focused on trying to block Jaguars defensive end Derrick Harvey from tackling Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Jaguars defensive tackle Montavious Stanley was charging from Fitzpatrick's left. Stanley tried to wrap up Fitzpatrick, but his momentum sent him crashing into the unsuspecting Wood.

Take 2: Fewell the Fire | wgrz.com
Adam Benigni's brother, Matt, played for Perry Fewell at West Point and Adam recalls Matt's memories of his former coach.

One on one with Safety George Wilson | WIVB.com
News 4 Sports Director John Murphy has a one-on-one interview with Bills Safety George Wilson.

Military ticket promotion underway | BuffaloBills.com
The Buffalo Bills announced that all military personnel are eligible to receive a $10 per ticket discount off of the $45 seats for the Indianapolis Colts game on January 3, 2010 at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

Owens ability finally on full display | BuffaloBills.com
Owens finally had the type of game the team and fan base envisioned when he signed a one-year contract in March.

New Coach, Same Result | Democrat and Chronicle | Three-Point Stance
Sal Maiorana wishes he could have gone to the Bruce Springsteen concert in stead of the Jaguars game. Then he gives his rundown on that game.

Shirt of the Decade | The Goose's Roost
twoeightnine got some pub over on TGR for his new franchise QB shirt. It's an awesome shirt BTW.

Dolphins vs Bills: Three Key Matchups - The Phinsider
The Dolphins will head up to Buffalo next weekend for a division battle with the Bills. What are some of the critical matchups? The Phinsider is on top of it already.

Chiefs Arrowhead Stadium Had a Lot of Terrible Towels In It - Arrowhead Pride
Arrowhead Stadium might not be a sell out for the Bills game next month.

Looking to 2010 - 13WHAM.com - Rochester News, Weather, and Sports
Here is what Mike Catalana wants to see for the rest of this "very forgettable season".

Team in Transition
Schottenheimer's name surfaces in Buffalo | ProFootballTalk.com
"If he were to return to the game, Schottenheimer surely would need control over the football operation. He didn't have it with the Chargers, and Marty repeatedly clashed with G.M. A.J. Smith."

NFL.com: Bills contact Cowher – Inside The Bills
"Cowher also apparently isn’t interested in a management/coach role. He wants to coach only."

Being in coaching pool is Fewell’s option – Inside The Bills
Interim head coach Perry Fewell was asked if he should be considered for the permanent head coaching job. As far as he understands it he has the option to throw his hat in that ring.

Sullivan: In weak NFL, playoffs never far away : Buffalo Bills : The Buffalo News
"Here's a fun fact: The Bills have lost five games this year in which they were tied or in the lead at some point in the fourth quarter." What could have been with a couple different bounces.

NFL Insiders: Mike Shanahan Unlikely to Coach in Buffalo | WGRZ.com
"I think he's going to look at the Bills quarterback situation and probably not be too impressed," said ESPN.com's Tim Graham. "And then there's also just the aspect of Mike Shanahan having his pick of any team in the NFL."

Bills coach search continues | WIVB.com
But sources tell News 4 Sports that as of Sunday, Mike Shanahan had not heard directly from the Bills and no meeting was scheduled.

ProFootballWeekly.com - Lowly Bills thinking big for 2010
PFW does a nice summary of the Bills' front office situation going forward.

Bills Tweets
Sal Maiorana
Perry Fewell said Bills RB Marshawn Lynch's shoulder is feeling better. My suggestion: Rest him - for rest of the season - and play Jackson

Sal Maiorana
Do you realize Bills could have as many as 3 practice squad talent level offensive linemen active against Miami Sunday? Unreal

Bob Glauber
Rex Ryan when asked if he's putting too much on his plate by adding offensive responsibilities: "There’s always a lot on my plate." [Ed. note: No kidding.....]

Eric Stangel
I'd love to see Schottenheimer coach the Bills if only to see Terrell Owens' head explode when it's run run run punt

Eric Stangel
Bills working quickly to land new HC. Reached out to Shanahan, Cowher, Schottenheimer. Even left voicemail for Weeb Ewbank

Jaguars 18, Bills 15: Week 11 Film Session

Brian Galliford — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:00:16 -0000

by Stephen Morton - AP

View full size photo »

The Buffalo Bills dropped an 18-15 decision yesterday to the Jacksonville Jaguars, once again squandering a fourth quarter lead in defeat. Perry Fewell's Bills had many of the same problems that Dick Jauron's Bills had - which isn't surprising, as it's kind of the same team - but there was at least one major difference that's worth mentioning in this week's film session.

We've got eight topics of discussion in this week's film review. Let's get this over with, eh?

On Ryan Fitzpatrick. One might argue that Fitzpatrick had his best game as a Bill yesterday, and statistically, that's true. Fitzpatrick averaged 9.6 yards per attempt, completed 18 of 31 passes, and in general was smart with the football. That's why he's starting over Trent Edwards, folks - rarely does Fitzpatrick make the wrong read. In fact, I only saw him make one poor read in Jacksonville, checking down to an out route to Josh Reed when he had Terrell Owens wide open deep. T.O. let him know he missed him, and the two moved on amicably and hooked up to have a really solid day.

Fitzpatrick's big problem is simple: he just doesn't throw a good ball. I charted all 31 of Fitzpatrick's throws, and while this is completely subjective, I judged 16 of those throws (51.6%) to be inaccurately placed, whether they were caught or not. Overthrows, passes too far ahead of or behind receivers - Fitzpatrick is all over the place. If Ralph Wilson is seriously considering spending $10 million on Buffalo's next head coach, he might consider spending a similar amount transplanting Fitzpatrick's brain into Edwards' body; that procedure might give us one of the best quarterbacks in the league. (Also acceptable for the transplant: J.P. Losman's body.)

On Terrell Owens. The guy's still got it. Forget about what the Mike Florios of the world continue to repeat about his supposedly "deteriorating skills," because that's garbage. Yes, Owens was toasting two incredibly inexperienced Jaguars cornerbacks on Sunday. Yes, you would hope that a player of T.O.'s pedigree would completely and utterly dominate names like Derek Cox and Tyrone Brackenridge. He did just that - his 9 catches, 197 yards and a 98-yard touchdown reception prove that he can still be a tremendous asset, even to a non-contending team. Owens probably won't be in Buffalo next season, but he's absolutely worth the risk for a team on the verge of contending in 2010.

Owens, by the way, was clearly the focal point of the passing attack this week; he was targeted 14 times, nine more than the next-highest Bills receiver, Reed.

On Andy Levitre. I thought he struggled mightily on Sunday, just as I thought he struggled in Tennessee. I also thought he looked better at left tackle than he did at left guard - his footwork was quick and concise on the edge, which really surprised me. He doesn't have the arm length or the wide base to consistently hold the edge - and let's remember that the Jaguars are one of the worst pass-rushing teams in the league, which helped Levitre's cause - but there aren't many rookie offensive linemen who can do what Levitre has done over the past two weeks. He has struggled, but he deserves a ton of credit for having the ability to play competently while flip-flopping between left tackle and left guard. At all costs, Buffalo needs to avoid this going forward, as it's going to be difficult for Levitre to develop his game over the next six weeks if he's playing different techniques every other down.

On Eric Wood. So much for using the rest of the season to develop our young offensive lineman; Wood's lower left leg injury - confirmed by the team after the game to be fractures to both his tibia and fibula - was one of the most gruesome injuries I've seen in quite some time. I don't blame Buffalo for playing Wood at right guard this season, but I've thought Wood was playing out of position all season. Now, it looks like he won't even finish his rookie season healthy. More on that this afternoon, but you've got to feel for this kid - he clearly loves playing football, and that's a tough way to go out. Get well soon, Eric.

On David Garrard and his stupid legs. Garrard is an incredibly average quarterback, and as such, the one thing you absolutely cannot let him do is hurt you with his legs. Buffalo was in this game because they did an outstanding job in run defense, limiting Maurice Jones-Drew to just 66 yards on 25 attempts. That forced the game back into Garrard's hands, but it was his legs that did damage to Buffalo. The stat line wasn't astounding - he ran for 16 yards on six attempts - but he picked up first downs twice with his legs on critical third downs, and he also added a two-point conversion on a quarterback draw. Buffalo only gave up seven first downs on the ground the entire game, but those two were pretty crucial.

On Kyle Williams. I mentioned the stellar performance of the run defense - that's the aforementioned clear difference between Jauron's Bills and Fewell's Bills that I mentioned - and Williams was the centerpiece of the effort. The guy was unblockable yesterday (on run downs, anyway). He finished with five tackles and was generally disruptive all day. He also put a big hit on Garrard while pass-rushing; Buffalo's pass rush was solid in the first half, though it waned in the second half as the Jaguars started to dominate in time of possession. Give Williams credit - his knee isn't 100%, but he was a dominant force on Sunday. Most might not consider him a starter going through a regime change, but you might consider it. He can really excel, particularly if he's not an every-down player.

On Aaron Maybin. I watched him closely, because let's just be frank - with the success of Washington rookie Brian Orakpo, patience with Maybin is (unfairly) wearing thin. I thought he looked really solid in the first half; he had an excellent bull rush on a stunt (which forced Garrard to step up into a blitz), and he looked quicker around the edge than I've seen him at any point this season. (It may have helped that he was lining up against rookie right tackle Eben Britton.) He even got a snap or two in which he rushed from a standing position, which Bills fans have been itching for all season; I thought he looked very uncomfortable doing this.

Then he disappeared in the second half, when he was far less effective and didn't really show up at all. This is pretty much what we've seen from Maybin all year - flashes of supreme athleticism and hustle while factoring into the rush peripherally, but stretches of blah play and a complete lack of a counter-move. Give him time, folks. Understand that inconsistency is entirely expected from a 21-year-old. Once the Bills (or, more accurately, the new regime of the Bills) figures out to use him, and he gets a little more comfortable in his own skin, he's going to be dynamite.

On Reggie Corner. Say what you want about him, but Drayton Florence might be the Bills' defensive MVP not named Jairus Byrd this season. He's tough, physical, and doesn't make many mistakes. So, naturally, with Terrence McGee sidelined for a second straight game as he recovers from knee surgery, Jacksonville went after Corner early and often. Corner was torched. He's a fast player who is willing to crack down against the run, but he's not a terribly quick corner, and he's got bad hips; it's pretty easy to turn him around, and it always gets him a half-step out of position. He got torched by Mike Sims-Walker on the deciding touchdown of the game, however, because of impeccable play design and a really sneaky rub route that impeded Corner's ability to keep up with MSW. Corner struggled, but he shouldn't be blamed completely for those decisive points.

If y'all noticed anything about particular players, units or situations, you are, of course, welcome to share those in the comments section.

Bills lose another late lead, drop Fewell's debut

Brian Galliford — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 21:13:37 -0000

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I'm not sure that the term "fourth quarter collapse" accurately describes this game - at least in the sense that the Bills didn't roll over and die like mortally wounded animals, as they did in their previous two games - but Perry Fewell's debut as interim head coach of the Buffalo Bills was marred by yet another lost lead in the fourth quarter. Mike Sims-Walker caught a short touchdown pass from David Garrard with less than a minute remaining, and Buffalo's last-gasp attempt fell short, giving the Jacksonville Jaguars an 18-15 win.

Fewell can at least be partially blamed for the loss. Buffalo was forced to settle for a field goal at the end of the first half after some terrible clock management took valuable time off the clock, preventing the Bills from taking a shot at a touchdown. Those lost points proved decisive in the loss. The Bills trailed 10-9 at halftime.

The defense came to play once again; the much-maligned run defense held Maurice Jones-Drew to just 66 rushing yards on 25 attempts, and the Bills held an opponent under 100 rushing yards for the first time since their Week 2 victory over Tampa Bay. But as has been the case all season, the defense couldn't get off the field in critical situations (and got little help from the offense yet again), allowing the Jaguars to hold the ball for well over 20 minutes in the second half.

Terrell Owens was a huge factor for the Bills, catching 9 passes for 197 yards, including a 98-yard touchdown reception on the Bills' first play of the second half. But completely lacking a running game (Buffalo ran for 53 yards), as well as some errant throws from quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and two untimely turnovers, sealed Buffalo's fate. The offense, despite gaining nearly 350 yards, let the defense down once again in the second half.

The Bills also had two touchdowns - a bomb to Lee Evans and a sweep by Fred Jackson - nullified by penalties. You're not going to win too often when you take points off the board three separate times; unfortunately, that's exactly what happened in Fewell's not-boring debut.

Buffalo lost guard Eric Wood to a devastating lower left leg injury on the day; expect the prognosis on him to be bad. Marshawn Lynch was also carted off the field with a shoulder injury.

The Bills is now 3-7 on the season. Their next game is a week from today against the 5-5 Miami Dolphins at Ralph Wilson Stadium.