SB Nation User Blog: Ron From NM

Losman signs with Oakland

Ron From NM — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:31:11 -0000

In a move that says much, much more about JaMarcus Russell than anything else, Pro Football Talk reports that the Raiders have signed quarterback J.P. Losman to a one-year contract. I'm guessing that this really means that Losman has signed a three-game contract. Instead of having to worry about Losman lead the Colts' scrubs against the Bills in Week 17, we can sit back and watch the battle royale between Russell and Losman... to lead the Raiders into the ground. Well, Al Davis got the sort of big-armed QB he already had. I wonder if Losman can throw 66 yards from his knees...

Conflicting Interests: Bills beat Pats, or draft position?

Ron From NM — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:07:13 -0000

The New England Patriots are heading to Ralph Wilson Stadium this coming Sunday. This is a Pats team the Buffalo Bills haven't beaten since, well, a couple of New England cast-offs (Drew Bledsoe, Lawyer Milloy) were leading the charge. People have already been complaining about Buffalo hurting draft position by not losing (can you honestly call that a win?) in Kansas City.

Here are the teams currently ahead of Buffalo on draft day:

1-win teams: Tampa Bay, St Louis
2-win teams: Cleveland, Detroit
3-win teams: Kansas City
4-win teams: Oakland, Washington

Those are the likely top seven picks, in some order. Someone with more time on their hands can figure out whether Oakland or Washington would pick first but, really, who cares at this point? Here's where things get more interesting:

5-win teams: Buffalo, Chicago, Carolina, Seattle, San Francisco

It's a good bet that Buffalo would be picking near the end of that list, just because, well, its Buffalo. Didn't Buffalo wind up picking after San Fran two years in a row? Assuming the worst--always a safe bet with the Bills--Buffalo would currently be picking 12th. Sure, you can look it up and figure out where the Bills really fall in that 5 team glut of suckiness but, again, what's the point? Besides, Buffalo may add a win before all is said and done. Here are the current teams just behind Buffalo in the draft, which is another way of saying they're ahead of Buffalo in the win column:

6-win teams: Pittsburgh, Tennessee, Houston, Atlanta

Should Buffalo come by another non-loss before the end of the season the Bills could be picking as late as #16. Think about that for a second. The league is so lopsided this season that a 6 win team could wind up picking in the middle of the first round.

That brings us to the Patriots game. Winning that game could, in theory, drop Buffalo from around pick #8 to possibly all the way down to No. 16. That's a huge swing.

But it's the Patriots. Buffalo could put a stake in the heart of Bill Belichick's playoff dreams and remove Brady's best excuse for not changing loaded diapers in January.

Poll

Search your heart. Which would you rather see this Sunday?

"Tell your god to ready for blood."

Ron From NM — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 23:24:08 -0000

I'm a fan of the Deadwood series on HBO and that line came to mind when I conntected a couple of dots from recent stories.

PFT has been reporting on how the Colts and Saints have radically different viewpoints when it comes to the quest for perfection. Basically, the Saints badly want to go 16-0 en route to winning the Super Bowl. The Colts, on the other hand, seemingly couldn't care less. Indy, according to Bill Polian, is only worried about locking up home field advantage through the playoffs--at which point starters will watch most of the remaining games from the sidelines.

Mike Florio then hurled this nugget into cyberspace:

J.P. Losman recently worked out for the Colts, and he'd be a good candidate to take the reins of the offense once Manning is given a couple of games off, at more than $820,000 per week.

I don't agree with Florio's analysis. With the Colts' offensive line and receivers Losman could be a halfway decent clipboard holder. However, Manning's greatest strength is his ability to read defenses--which also happens to be one of Losman's greatest weaknesses. From a system standpoint it doesn't look like an ideal fit....but then the Colts don't have a lot of QB options (for replacing Sorgi) who have been playing quasi-meaningful football the past several months. Manning is one of the most durable QBs in league history so Losman would only figure to see action in, what are for the Colts, meaningless games.

One of those meaningless games will take place in Buffalo on January 3rd. Losman, if signed by the Colts, would get to lead the scrubs against the Bills. Not only would Losman have the prospect of a Super Bowl ring ahead of him (only as a clipboard holder, to be sure) but also--perhaps almost as satisfying--the opportunity to dismantle the team that he no doubt feels screwed him.

The defense had better be out for blood should this come to pass.

Notes from the Bills' O-Line: Week 8 vs Texans

Ron From NM — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 18:01:00 -0000

More photos » by David Duprey - AP

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Well, it took a while coming, but the Buffalo Bills ran into a team that refused to sink into mediocrity for an entire game. The Houston Texans shot themselves in the foot for the entirety of the first half, but during halftime, someone in their locker room said something to the effect of, "Hey, we're better than this." Sadly, a corresponding comment in Buffalo's locker room went something more like, "Keep on keeping on."

While it is small consolation, the Bills' offensive line actually improved in one key area: killed plays. While the line has been averaging 7.8 killed plays per game, that number dropped to 5 against Houston. Every lineman but one killed a play. You'll no doubt be surprised to learn that the lone exception was one Kirk Chambers.

I knew that Mario Williams had a quiet day, but I was stunned to see that he didn't even show up on the stat sheet. Yeah, weird. I'm guessing that Williams was slipping in a pool of his own drool as he salivated at the thought of going up against Buffalo's below-average tackles. Super Mario did have an impact, even if it didn't make for a line on the stat sheet, it just wasn't as much as could have been foreseen.

Drive 1
Pass 1: Josh Reed 4 yards
Demetrius Bell sealed 91 inside where Andy Levitre was waiting for him. Geoff Hangartner and Eric Wood doubled 95. Marshawn Lynch chipped Willams for Jamon Meredith, though it didn't look like Meredith really needed the help. Derek Fine let 94 move to the inside and kept him from getting back to the outside to chase Ryan Fitzpatrick on the rollout. By the way, I was absolutely delighted to see that Buffalo finally caught on to the fact that everyone else had caught on to the naked bootleg to the right/none-yard pass to the TE. The Texans seemed genuinely surprised when Fitzpatrick rolled to his left and threw the ball to a WR instead. Way to (finally) adjust!

Run 1: Lynch 8 yards through the right C gap
94 knocked Bell backwards and knifed inside to chase the play. He almost had a tackle for loss (TFL). Levitre went to the second level but had no one to block. Hangartner and Wood doubled 91. Hangartner blocked him down the line while Wood peeled and tried in vain to pick up 56 in the second level. Meredith tapped 59 in the second level but didn't lock him up. Fine let Williams rush upfield and kept him out of the play.

Run 2: Lynch 8 yards through the left C gap
Bell pushed 91 inside to seal the edge. Levitre helped with 91 then hit 59 in the second level. He then, possibly against explicit directions to the contrary since no one else did for most of the day, sustained his block until Lynch was past him. Hangartner and Wood doubled 95. While Hangartner moved him to the right, Wood peeled and hit 56. Meredith let Williams go upfield and then stoned him when he tried to chase the play. Fine jumped inside of 94 and rode him around on a circle away from the play.

Run 3: Lynch -1 yard through the right C gap
Bell chucked Williams then hit 59 in the second level but didn't sustain his block. Levitre stood up 91 and then got a two-yard push on him. Hangartner and Wood doubled 95 and drove him three yards to the left. Meredith ignored 94 to go hit 31. 94 killed the play by sending Lynch deeper than he should have had to go. However, Lynch avoided 94 and could have easily picked up the 2 yards needed for a first down by simply plunging straight ahead. Instead, he danced as he tried to spring it for a bigger gain. He's got to understand that getting the first down gives Buffalo three more chances to pick up a big play. In theory. Stop laughing! It could happen. Well, you can't rule it out at any rate... Meanwhile, Fine got under Williams' right shoulder and kept him on the edge of the LOS.

Pass 2: INC bad pass to Reed against a blitz
Bell pushed 99 past Fitzpatrick. Levitre and Hangartner doubled and stuffed 94. 91 spun inside of Wood and got into the pocket. Wood stuck with him and pushed him past Fitzpatrick. Williams got around the corner and hit the QB after the ball was away. Lynch picked up 59 who came in late, but only because Lynch had stayed in to block.

Blitzes: 1
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: Lynch's decision to dance instead of crash forward for easily attainable yardage

Drive 2
Pass 3: Terrell Owens 3 yards
Williams got around Bell and got a hand on Fitzpatrick after the throw. Levitre and Hangartner kept 95 on the line of scrimmage (LOS). Wood and Meredith doubled 94 and Lynch picked up 91 when he stunted. Meredith was hurt on the play, bringing Chambers in for the balance of the game. Yes, Buffalo has been snake bit at the tackle position...

Run 4: Lynch no gain through the right C gap
Bell kept Williams on the edge of the LOS. Levitre chucked 95 and was then too slow to catch 56 at the second level. (56 is Brian Cushing, by the way, and he's really fast.) Hangartner helped 95 go to the left and thus out of the play. Wood rode 91 down the line and to the ground. Chambers didn't really block anyone. He tried to help Wood with 91, but Wood was already taking him away from Chambers. Had Chambers instead shot into the second level, he could have picked up 59, which would have gotten Lynch a yard or two. Fine rode 94 to the inside to set the edge.

Pass 4: Steve Johnson 5 yards (on third and 7)
Bell beat Williams to the corner. Williams shoved Bell further upfield to get inside of the pocket, but too late. Levitre and Hangartner doubled 94 initially. Hangartner kept his head moving and saw that Wood needed to release 95, so Hangartner left Levitre and picked up 95. Wood had to release 95 to keep 99 from cutting inside of Chambers. It was an example of excellent communication by the offensive line. Meanwhile, Johnson had to come back from beyond the sticks to catch the misplaced pass by Fitzpatrick. Had Fitzpatrick put the ball where it needed to be (instead of two yards short of the line to gain), Johnson would likely have had first down yardage.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: Fitzpatrick's bad pass

Drive 3
Run 5: Fred Jackson 3 yards through the right C gap
Bell let Williams go upfield and kept inside of him until the play was over. Levitre went to the second level and hit 59, but didn't sustain his block. Hangartner got a little push on 92, but 92 swam past his right shoulder to get inside and chase the play. Wood chucked 91 and then popped Cushing, but didn't sustain his block. Cushing slowed Jackson down. Chambers drove 91 inside and down. Fine pushed 29 all over the field. Jonathan Stupar had a slow motion cut attempt on 94. 94 never went down, but it really slowed him down.

Run 6: Jackson 4 yards through the left B gap
Bell hit 54 and pushed him inside. He didn't sustain his block and 54 was in on the tackle. Levitre hit 54, but didn't sustain that block either. Hangartner jumped to the left of 92 and kept him from chasing the play. Wood pushed 91 to the right, then went upfield and abused 26 deep in the secondary. Chambers doubled 94 with Fine and kept him on the edge of the LOS.

Pass 5: Sack -8 yards against a 5 man blitz
Williams blew past Bell which forced Fitzpatrick to step up and into Cushing. Levitre kept 94 from working his way inside. 94 spun and got free, but too late to make a difference. Hangartner tossed a blitzing 59 to the ground. Wood and Chambers doubled 94. Fine and Stupar doubled 98. Had Bell made his block, Fitzpatrick could have drifted to his right, as there was good protection to that side. Cushing would have had to slow to turn the corner and Fitzpatrick would have had time to get his pass off. Possibly the most galling thing about the play is that the Bills had 7 blockers and still gave up the sack.

Blitzes: 1
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: Bell's non-block on Williams.

Drive 4
Run 7: Owens 29 yard reverse for TD through the left C gap
Bell went to the second level and missed the cut on 54, but got enough of him to slow him down. 54 was about 2 steps too late to push Owens out of bounds. Levitre pushed 95 to the right. Hangartner let 95 penetrate to the right and chase the fake. Wood submarined 91 and put him down. Chambers turned 94 away from Owens and kept him there. Fine had no one to block, and Stupar tapped 56. Evans sprang the play when he came back to pick up the defensive back, sealing him off from Owens' run lane.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: N/A

Drive 5
Pass 6: Fine 9 yards
Everyone blocked like it was a run to the right. Fitzpatrick again rolled out to the left, which again caught the defense off guard.

Run 8: Jackson 3 yards through the left C gap
Bell pushed 91 to the inside to set the edge. Levitre went to the second level and stuck to Cushing, who still managed to get in on the tackle. Hangartner stood up 95. Wood helped with 95 and then popped 59, but he didn't sustain his block, instead moving on to hit 54. Chambers turned Williams upfield and kept him from chasing the play. Fine locked up 29 and wrestled him around the secondary. Stupar had a beautiful cut on 94 to open the run lane.

Pass 7: INC against a 5 man blitz
Bell handed 94 to Levitre to pick up a blitzing Cushing. Unfortunately, Levitre was helping Hangartner with 91 and never even looked at 94. 94 decked Fitzpatrick while he was throwing, leading to the INC. Wood stuffed 95 and Chambers stopped Williams at the corner. This was not a display of effective communication. Levitre should have kept his head moving.

Run 9: Jackson 3 yards through the A gap
Bell and Levitre doubled 91. Hangartner and Wood took 95 three yards off the line. Wood then picked up Cushing and battled him in the second level. Chembers got inside 94 and kept him on the edge of the LOS. Stupar hit 59 in the hole, kind of like an effective fullback. (I wish Buffalo had one of those.) Fine stuffed Williams on the edge of the LOS.

Pass 8: Reed 15 yards against a 6 man blitz
Bell stuffed 98. Levitre, Hangartner and Wood easily handled a pair of defensive linemen. Chambers effortlessly beat Williams to the corner. Fine stopped 59 and Jackson picked up a delayed blitz by Cushing.

Run 10: Jackson 4 yards through the left C gap in Wildcat formation
Bell went to the second level and hit Cushing but didn't sustain his block. Levitre kept under 95's left shoulder to slow him down. Hangartner went to the second level and didn't hit anyone, never mind that 59 was right in front of him. Wood got a three-yard drive on 92. Chambers tapped 54 but didn't sustain his block. Fine blocked 93 at the edge of the LOS and slowed him down enough to open the run lane.

Run 11: Jackson 1 yard through the left C gap in Wildcat formation
Bell drove 95 inside to set the edge. Levitre helped with 95 but then wasn't fast enough to catch anyone in the second level. Hangartner worked 92 down the line to the right. Wood turned 54 away from the play in the second level. Chambers kept Williams on the edge of the LOS. Fine didn't really block 93 on the edge of the LOS and then also didn't really block a LB in the second level.

Pass 9: Sack -2 yards against a 6 man blitz
Bell fought Williams to the corner. When Fitzpatrick stepped up in the pocket, Williams shed the block and got in on the tackle. Levitre stopped 94, but 94 was in on the tackle when Fitzpatrick tried to scramble. Hangartner let 59 shoot right past him and then curiously set up to pick up any blitzer. Wood did an okay job on 91. 98 went to the corner and easily beat Chambers back to the inside with a spin move. Jackson did a pretty good job picking up 59, all things considered, though 59 did cause Fitzpatrick to pull the ball down and try to scramble.

Blitzes: 3
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: Hangartner's non-block on 59 on third and 5

Drive 6
Pass 10: Lynch -2 yard screen
Bell let 98 push him upfield then jumped outside to seal him away from the screen. Levitre semi-shielded 91 but didn't keep him from disrupting the play. Hangartner ran outside and pushed Cushing past the play. Wood couldn't get inside or under 91, even with Levitre slowing him down. Chambers got inside Williams and kept him sealed away from the play.

Run 12: Lynch 5 yards through the left C gap
Bell went to the second level and tried to keep Cushing away from the run lane. Levitre turned 94 and drove him three yards down the line. Hangartner chucked 91 and hit Cushing in the second level as well. Wood got inside of 91 and kept him away from the play. Chambers stopped 98 on the edge of the LOS. Fine crossed the formation to hit Williams, who still got in on the tackle.

Pass 11: Reed 9 yards
Bell stopped Williams. Levitre helped Hangartner with 94 and then, by staying aware of what was going on around him, helped Bell with Williams. Wood took 91 on an arc away from the QB and stuck with him after 91 tried to throw him off. Chambers kept 98 down after he slipped while trying to turn the corner.

Run 13: Lynch 14 yards through the A gap
Bell went to the second level and hit Cushing, turned him around, and then put him down. Levitre dropped back and blocked Williams like he was in pass protection. He then went to the second level but couldn't find anyone to hit. Hangartner turned 94 to the left to set one wall of the run lane, while Wood turned 91 to the right to set the other wall. Chambers had no one to block and wandered into the second level. Fine pushed 98 upfield and around the corner. The hole was so big that Lynch had plenty of room to juke 59. The hole was so enormous because the Bills caught the Texans in a blitz.

Pass 12: INC tipped pass against a 6 man blitz
Bell stuffed 98. Levitre was crushed by 94, who barely broke stride. Hangartner picked up a blitzing 59 and turned him out to open the throwing lane. Wood picked up 91, but let him get a hand up to tip the pass. Chambers neutralized Williams. Jackson stopped Cushing.

Pass 13: Evans 5 yards
Bell and Levitre doubled 94. Hangartner stopped 91. Wood had no one to block and kept looking from 91 to 90 to pitch in if he was needed. Chambers pushed Williams well past the corner.

Pass 14: INC to Owens in end zone against a 6 man blitz
This certainly appeared to be a called run play to the right, and everyone blocked like it was. Had Fitzpatrick handed the ball off to Lynch, it looked like he had a clear path to the pylon for a TD. Instead, Fitzpatrick threw the ball on a sight read. Unfortunately, he threw the ball two beats too late. If he'd thrown it on time, Owens would have had a TD pass in his (stone) hands.

Blitzes: 1
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: Fitzpatrick's poorly timed throw to Owens

Drive 7
Run 14: Lynch 3 yards through the left B gap against an 8 man front
Bell turned 93 out, but he slid back inside to chase the play and get in on the tackle. Levitre drove 91 three yards to open the hole. Hangartner chipped 91 and went to the second level where he tapped 54. 95 went down the line with Wood and was in on the tackle. Wood just couldn't cut him off. Chambers hit 31 at the second level. Fine hit Cushing and kept himout of the play. Stupar crossed the formation to hit Williams.

Pass 15: INC long pass to Owens
Bell did a good job not letting Williams get upfield. Hangartner and Levitre doubled 93. Wood did a good job taking 91 past Fitzpatrick and Jackson helped Chambers with 94.

Pass 16: Lynch 5 yards
Bell beat Williams to the corner and reacted well to his attempt to move back to the inside. Levitre and Hangartner doubled 94. When 91 twisted, Levitre picked him up. Wood helped Hangartner with 94 when 91 twisted away from him. Jackson chipped 98 on the way out to the flat for Chambers. Lynch didn't run his pattern past the sticks. He was tackled immediately and two yards short of the first down.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 1
Drive Killer: Lynch's decision not to run his pattern to the sticks

Drive 8
Run 15: Lynch 4 yards through the left B gap
Bell fell on 29, who was just trying to absorb a blocker. Levitre pulled and cut Cushing in space. Hangartner pulled and inadvertently shielded 91 from the play. Wood hit 95 but lost him in the wash, while Chambers had no one to block. Stupar missed a cut on Cushing and Fine jumped inside of 94 to keep him from chasing the play.

Pass 17: Scramble 3 yards against a 5 man blitz - Lynch called for holding
Bell handled Williams. Levitre danced with 54 who never sold out on the blitz - possibly waiting to cover Lynch if he left the backfield. Hangartner and Wood doubled 95, but Wood kept his head turned towards 91 in case Chambers needed help. Chambers didn't need the help. The holding call was pure BS. 59 blitzed and plowed into Lynch. His momentum caused both players to go down in a heap.

Pass 18: Owens 10 yards
Lynch was assigned to help Chambers, but it really wasn't needed. Levitre gave ground to a bull rush by 95, but 95 lost his balance and fell forward. Hangartner was ready to help with 91 or pick up a blitzer. Wood took 91 upfield and Chambers stuffed 94.

Pass 19: INC Lynch drop against a 6 man blitz
Bell almost put Williams down. Levitre pushed 94 inside and got out for the screen. He then pushed 54 past Lynch. Hangartner was ready to block downfield. Wood let 91 go upfield but stuck with him in order to block him if he chased the play. 98 wound up tripping, so Chambers kept him down. It was the perfect play call, and if Lynch hadn't dropped it, he had all kinds of room in front of him. There were only 5 defenders downfield and Lynch had a couple of linemen in front of him.

Blitzes: 2
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: Lynch's drop

Drive 9
Run 16: Jackson 4 yards through the right C gap
Bell locked up 94 on the end of the LOS. Levitre tried to turn 91 away from the play. He didn't succeed, but he kept under his pads and slowed him down considerably. Hangartner pushed 91 and wasn't fast enough to catch the linebackerss. Wood pushed 92 to the inside and away from the play. Chambers missed a block on 54 in the second level. Fine didn't get much of a block on Cushing. Stupar crossed the formation and cut Williams.

Run 17: Jackson 4 yards through the left C gap
Bell sealed 94 inside with Levitre's help. 91 shot inside of Hangartner and should have had a TFL. Wood hit 54 in the second level. 54 threw off his block, but Wood circled back and nailed 54 again. Chambers hit 92 but couldn't stay with him due to the wash. Stupar kept after Cushing and kept him out of the play. Fine hit 59 and stopped him in his tracks.

Run 18: Jackson no gain through the right C gap
Bell tried to cut 54 in the second level and wasn't fast enough. He did slow him down. Levitre cut 94 immediately. Hangartner went to the second level and rode 59 down. Wood got wiped out while blocking 91 by the Hangartner/59 pileup. 91 went down as well, but got up to get in on the tackle. Chambers pulled to lead the play and pushed Cushing out of the way. Fine was chopped down in the wash. Stupar killed the play by being driven 4 yards upfield by 98. That sent Jackson way too deep to get back to the line, and let the secondary react and make the tackle for no gain.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: Stupar

Drive 10
Run 19: Lynch 5 yards through the left C gap
Bell and Levitre pushed 91 three yards to the right and into the wash. Hangartner held his ground against 98. Wood chipped 98 and went to the second level, but had no one to block. Chambers kept Williams on the edge of the line. Perhaps he was just frustrated, but Williams didn't really seem particularly motivated on the play.

Pass 20: INT
94 got past his block, fell, got up and hit Fitzpatrick below the knees. Levitre tried to help with 94, but was shielded from him by Bell. Hangartner kept 91 on an arc away from Fitzpatrick. Wood and Chambers doubled 98, while Wood stayed alert for any blitzers. Jackson and Lynch picked up a stunting 98. T.O. broke off his pattern, so there was no one deep except Texans. However, the drive was actually killed by the refs. There's no excuse in the world for the refs not throwing a roughing the passer flag on the Texans. It was the exact same hit that put Brady out for the year in 2008 and is supposed to be a point of emphasis with officials. Funny how that doesn't seem to apply to Buffalo's quarterbacks.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: ref's non-call of a blatant roughing the passer penalty

Drive 11
Pass 21: Owens 14 yards
Bell pushed 98 past the corner. Levitre stuffed 94. Hangartner and Wood doubled 91, while Hangartner kept looking for blitzers. Chambers beat Williams to the corner.

Pass 22: Owens 8 yards
Bell pushed 98 to the inside to Levitre and picked up a twisting 94 from him. Hangartner and Wood doubled 91. Chambers stuffed 90 at the corner.

Pass 23: Lynch 3 yards
Bell stopped Williams. Williams worked back to the inside and Bell wouldn't have been in position to stop him if the QB had held the ball. Levitre pushed 91 upfield and away from Fitzpatrick. Hangartner had no one to block. Neither did Wood, so he helped Chambers with 94.

Pass 24: Owens 4 yards
Bell and Levitre pushed Williams past the corner. Hangartner had no one to block. Wood handed 91 to Chambers in order to pick up a twisting 94.

Pass 25: Evans 24 yards
Bell and Levitre doubled 94 while Hangartner and Wood tag teamed 91. Chambers took Williams all the way around the corner.

Pass 26: INT off tipped pass
Bell hit 56 and pushed him downfield, where he was in perfect position to tip the pass and make the INT. Levitre had no one to block. Hangartner was driven back to Fitzpatrick by 93's bull rush. Wood picked up a stunting 95 and Chambers easily handled Williams. Fitzpatrick didn't keep track of Cushing and threw the ball without realizing he was in the throwing lane.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: Fitzpatrick's INT

On the third drive of the second half, the crowd really hated the third consecutive running played that was called (Run 18), but I didn't. Buffalo was trying to impose its will on Houston, and the previous 9 non-Wildcat runs had gained at least 3 yards. Buffalo was running the ball reasonably well, and a run on third and 2 against a 7 man front was a high percentage play. It just so happened that Stupar didn't do his job. The only way you can pin that one on Dick Jauron or Alex Van Pelt) would be to blame them for not doing a better job of coaching Stupar during the week... but even that rings hollow as Stupar, by and large, had a pretty good day blocking on run plays.

You can blame Jauron for the fake punt following the Stupar debacle. After all, the Bills were only down by 7. However, the Bills' offense had done nothing (again), and it seemed pretty clear that the defense had been worn down to a nub (again). In this case, blaming Jauron for his preparation during the week seems more reasonable. After all, it's not like the offensive woes are a new phenomenon.

Is anyone else wondering if Buffalo - in ‘win now' mode during the off season - erred by picking Aaron Maybin instead of a guy like Cushing? Cushing looked terrific and super fast. Yeah, I know. If Buffalo had picked him he'd be on IR due to the defensive injury curse that seems to hang over the Bills. Still, the guy has been productive, while Maybin has yet to contribute.

People might point to Buffalo's low rushing output, but consider that Buffalo averaged 5.4 yards per attempt against the Texans. Throw out Owens' reverse, and it's still a respectable 4.1-yard average. 30 runs would have put the Bills on pace for about 150 yards. Unfortunately, the miscues (bad passes, drops, missed blocks) meant that the Bills didn't have those extra 10 downs. I was both surprised and disappointed to see Buffalo essentially abandon running between the tackles for the game. Yes, the way to attack a 4-3 is on the edge, but that doesn't make it alright to abdicate the middle.

Left C	Left B	A	Right B	Right C
9-64	3-11	2-17	0-0	5-10
7.1	3.7	8.5	0.0	2.0

After a disastrous outing in Miami, Chambers bounced back to have a very average game. He did a good job containing Williams (as did Bell), sometimes with assistance and sometimes on his own. This was the Chambers of previous years, the one who was good enough to fill in for starters. Let's hope he's back to stay instead of just visiting, since it seems likely that Buffalo will be calling on him again soon.

Don't get too excited about the high run grade for Levitre or the low run grade for Hangartner. In each case, the small number of run plays magnifies the good/bad plays. Levitre had 4 good run plays against no bad ones, while Hangartner had 3 bad run plays against zero good ones. When I do the mid-season grades write up, you'll see that Levitre isn't that good and Hangartner isn't that bad when viewed over time. (Also, Meredith had only 3 run plays and 3 pass plays and had 1 bad play in each category.)

Player	Run Grade	Pass Grade
Demetrius Bell	75.0	73.5
Andy Levitre	79.2	72.7
Geoff Hangartner	71.8	74.2
Eric Wood	76.1	72.7
Kirk Chambers	75.0	74.1
Jamon Meredith	68.3	68.3

Notes from the Bills' O-Line: Week 7 at Carolina

Ron From NM — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:53:43 -0000

More photos » by Nell Redmond - AP

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Like the announcers (Steve Tasker is one of my favorite color guys even if he does butcher names on occasion), I spent most of the game absolutely certain that the Carolina Panthers would run all over the Buffalo Bills in the fourth quarter. The time of possession at times favored the Panthers 3-1, and there were times in the games where the Panthers had four times the yardage of Buffalo.

It all spelled doom, but then a funny thing happened: Ryan Fitzpatrick made a pair of clutch throws, including an astounding rocket pass to Evans for a touchdown. Like many of you, I thought Fitzpatrick would lead the team to a 2-5 record, and, like many of you, I suspected the offensive line wouldn't exactly help matters. It turns out that I was only half right: Fitzpatrick was just barely good enough to win, while the line continued to kill plays with frightening regularity.

Before diving into the heavy stuff (which is all after the jump), here's a brief reminder: based purely on grades and ease of mind, Jonathan Scott is absolutely the best man for the right tackle job at this juncture. A review of Jamon Meredith's second performance is after the jump, along with everything Week 7-related that you need to know about Demetrius Bell, Andy Levitre, Geoff Hangartner and Eric Wood.

Drive 1
For reasons that are unclear, the Bills game didn't start up on DirecTV until the end of the first series. Other guys who have DirecTV on Rumblings seemed to be getting the feed, but I do live in the sticks. I gave everyone a mark of decent for Run 1 (Marshawn Lynch, 1 yard), Pass 1 (Terrell Owens drop of a 20ish yard gain), and Pass 2 (Fitzpatrick scramble for 5 yards), as it would be peevish to penalize guys without the facts.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive killer: T.O.'s drop

Drive 2
Pass 3: Incomplete to Lee Evans
Derek Fine pushed 96 inside and Bell kept him there. 92 pushed Levitre back, cut inside of him and hit Fitzpatrick as he threw - causing the wounded duck. Hangartner stopped 75, while Wood and Meredith doubled Julius Peppers.

Run 2: Lynch 8 yards through the right B gap
Bell took 96 on a wide circle upfield. Levitre hit 52 at the second level and didn't sustain his block. He did keep him out of the play. Hangartner got no real push on 75, but 75 couldn't chase the play because of a pile up created by Wood and Meredith. They had blown 92 off the line and to the inside and into 75. Peppers got off of Fine's block to get in on the tackle.

Pass 4: Incomplete
Bell stopped 96. Levitre kept 92 away from Fitzpatrick, though 92 spun late and did get around him. Hangartner waited for a blitzer and then helped Wood stuff 95. Meredith beat 90 to the corner and reacted quickly when Peppers tried to jump back to the inside.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive killer: Fitzpatrick's pass to no one

Drive 3
Run 3: Lynch no gain through the left B gap
Bell went to the second level and pushed 30 to the outside to open a run lane. Unfortunately, 92 got inside of Levitre's block to make the tackle and kill the play. Oh, and it looked like Levitre was holding. Hangartner blocked 75 down the line and tripped over some random feet. Wood went to the second level but there was no one to block. Peppers sliced inside of Meredith's block to almost get a tackle for loss (TFL). Fine did an okay job on 96.

Run 4: Lynch 7 yard TD through the left C gap
Bell forced 96 inside to seal the edge and drove him 4 yards. Levitre and Hangartner had an initial double team on 75. Levitre kept driving 75 inside and Hangartner picked up a filling 59. Wood drove 92 3 yards down the line and back one more. Meredith popped Peppers hard enough to rock him back on his heels. Fine helped Meredith with Peppers. I'm not sure what happened to the Panthers defense on the play. It looked like they sold out on a run to the right so no one was home when Lynch took it off left tackle.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive killed by: N/A

Drive 4
Pass 5: Josh Reed drop
The entire line blocked like it was a run to the right and the quick pass went out to the left. It looked like Fitzpatrick was supposed to hand off but threw it out to Reed when he saw that the coverage was playing off. It was a nice theory...

Pass 6: Incomplete to T.O. (underthrown) against a blitz
Bell took 59 around the corner. Levitre stopped 96. Hangartner and Wood doubled 93. 92 spun away from Meredith and decked Fitzpatrick. Fine picked up 95. Had Fitzpatrick gotten the ball away on time, it was a likely completion, as T.O. had beaten his man. Instead, Fitzpatrick waited a beat too long and got whacked for it.

Pass 7: Evans 6 yards
91 spun inside away from Bell's block to hit Fitzpatrick. Levitre and Hangartner doubled 96. Wood got in 95's way. Peppers got under Meredith's shoulder at the corner and got a hit on Fitzpatrick.

Blitzes: 1
Stacked box: 0
Drive killed by: Fitzpatrick's underthrown ball to T.O.

Drive 5
Run 5: Fred Jackson -2 yards for a safety through the right B gap
96 shot inside of Bell and got in on the tackle. 75 got the safety when he knocked Levitre back and then lurched down the line to hit Jackson. Wood and Hangartner doubled 93. Wood drove 93 3 yards down the line after Hangartner left to pick up Jon Beason. Meredith locked up a linebacker at the second level. Fine was pushed back into the Jackson/75/96 pile by 95. I'm not sure why the handoff took as long as it did. It wasn't a draw and you'd figure the offense would want the ball out of the paint as quickly as possible...

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive killed by: Levitre's pathetic attempt to block 75

Drive 6
Run 6: Lynch -1 yard through the A gap
Bell danced around 33. Levitre and Hangartner had an initial double team on 75. Levitre got under 75's shoulder and drove him 2 yards. Hangartner tried to peel and pick up 52, but was too slow. Beason got the TFL. Wood pancaked 92, exactly how he had flattened a guy last week though this time he wasn't pelted with a yellow hanky. Meredith and Fine doubled Peppers and kept him out of the play.

Run 7: Lynch no gain through the A gap
Bell kept 96 on the edge of the line of scrimmage (LOS). Levitre took 92 on an arc well upfield. Hangartner got no push at all and Lynch ran right to him and the waiting arms of the defensive tackle. Wood never locked up 90, whose effectively unblocked presence forced Lynch to take it back inside. Meredith went to the second level and whiffed on 59. Fine stumbled and was too late to catch Beason.

Pass 8: T.O. 18 yards
Bell pushed 91 past Fitz after losing the race to the corner. Levitre and Hangartner doubled 94. Wood stopped 96 and Meredith stuffed Peppers with help from Jackson. It was a nice reception, the kind T.O. was brought in to make and all too often seems to drop.

Pass 9: Sack -9 yards
Bell and Levitre let 59 and 96 rush while they got out of the screen. The problem was that they didn't even try to slow them down, even a little. 96 got the sack. Hangartner turned 75 away from the screen. Wood and Meredith doubled 92. Fitzpatrick seems to hold onto the ball a beat too long again, though it's questionable whether he could have gotten it past 96.

Pass 10: Reed 6 yards
Bell and Levitre kept 96 and 75 on the LOS. Hangartner and Wood doubled 92 and put him down. Meredith got help with Peppers and even then Peppers almost got past the block.

Pass 11: Incomplete to Jonathan Stupar
Bell beat 91 to the corner. Levitre and Hangartner doubled 95. Levitre left 95 to pick up 91 when he tried to get inside of Bell. Wood had no one to block. Meredith pushed Peppers around the corner and past Fitzpatrick, who threw the ball behind Stupar. Had the pass been on target, Stupar would have had a first down. If Stupar had dropped it then he would have killed the play, but as it happened the fault was Fitzpatrick's.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive killed by: Fitzpatrick's inaccurate pass to Stupar
Halftime

Drive 7
Pass 12: Fitzpatrick scramble 4 yards
Bell danced with 96. Levitre and Hangartner doubled 75. Wood and Meredith doubled 96. When 75 tried to twist away from Hangartner and Levitre, Wood picked him up. Fine did a great job blocking Peppers.

Run 8: Lynch 8 yards through the left B gap
Bell hit 52 at the second level and drove him 5 yards, but he was still in on the tackle. Levitre turned 75 inside to open the run lane. Hangartner helped with 75 and then picked up a linebacker. Wood got good push on 92. Meredith sealed 53 inside of the pile. Fine was rolled up on while ably blocking Peppers and left the game with an injury. Talk about being snake bit at a position!

Pass 13: T.O. drop
Bell really didn't need help from Lynch to stop 92. Levitre and Hangartner doubled 75. Wood and Meredith doubled Peppers. T.O. had first down yardage.

Pass 14: Incomplete long pass to T.O. against a 6 man blitz
Bell was driven back by 92. Levitre pushed the DT down the line and into the pile. Hangartner picked up a blitzing Beason. Wood stopped 95 and threw him onto the pile. Meredith took 59 to the corner. Stupar had a non-block on 96 who hit Fitzpatrick, possibly contributing to the bad bass.

Pass 15: Fitzpatrick scramble for no gain
Bell picked up 91 after he got past Stupar. Levitre stopped 95. When the DT lost his balance and fell Hangartner flopped down on him and laid there. Wood picked up Peppers when he got past Meredith to save the sack. Meredith's poor block on Peppers caused the scramble.

Blitzes: 1
Stacked box: 0
Drive killed by: T.O.'s drop of a pass for first down yardage.

Drive 8
Run 9: Lynch 4 yards through the A gap
Bell went to the second level and tapped 59. Levitre got under 75's shoulder but he was still in on the tackle. Hangartner shoved 92 and then hit Beason at the second level but he was still in on the tackle. Wood kept 96 locked up as they turned in circles. Meredith kept 95 on the edge of the LOS.

Run 10: Jackson 1 yard through the A gap
Bell kept 96 on the edge of the LOS and semi-cut him at the end of the play. 92 got inside of Levitre to make the tackle. Hangartner got a small piece of 59 at the second level. Wood got no push on 75 at all. Meredith hit a linebacker at the second level but he spun away.

Pass 16: Incomplete
Bell stopped 92. Levitre waited for a blitzer and Hangartner stuffed 96. Wood had no one to block. He could have given Meredith a hand as 95 blew past him to hit Fitzpatrick. Jackson and Lynch tag teamed Peppers. It looked like a miscommunication between Fitzpatrick and Evans.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive killed by: Fitzpatrick and Evans miscommunication

Drive 9
Run 11: Lynch 5 yards through the left B gap
Bell turned 59 and kept him there, creating the run lane. Levitre had a 3 yard drive on 96. Hangartner blocked 75 down the line and shielded him from the play. Wood got inside of 92 and kept him out of the play. Meredith cut off 53's backside pursuit. Fine was back in the game and jumped inside of 90 then kept him on the edge of the LOS.

Pass 17: T.O. 4 yards against 5 man blitz
Bell and Levitre doubled 96 while Wood and Hangartner doubled 75. Meredith pushed 92 inside and away from the throwing lane.

Run 12: QB sneak 1 yard through the A gap
The line got a general 1 yard push, which is pretty impressive just considering how rotund 75 is.

Run 13: Lynch 2 yards through the A gap
Bell went to the second level and pushed one linebacker into another, causing one to trip. Levitre backed up like he was blocking for a pass. Hangartner stood up 75. Wood turned 93 out to open the run lane but didn't sustain his block. Meredith let 90 go upfield and kept him there. Fine blocked 20 then took a gratuitous shot at 30's knees.

Pass 18: Fitzpatrick scramble for 2 yards
Everyone blocked like it was a run to the left. Meanwhile, 59 was all over Fitzpatrick as he wasn't fooled by the bootleg in the least - just like no one else has been fooled by the bootleg for the past three games. Fitzpatrick's receiver, Corey McIntyre, was blanketed so Fitzpatrick tucked it and ran. AVP NEEDS TO RIP THIS PLAY OUT OF THE PLAYBOOK!

Pass 19: Incomplete overthrow to Evans
91 zipped past Bell to hit Fitzpatrick while he was throwing, leading to the high pass. Levitre and Hangartner doubled 92. Wood and Meredith doubled 95. Lynch and Fine doubled Peppers. Had Bell made his block the Bills had a shot at a first down. Instead we were treated to a graphic which showed that Buffalo had more punts than first downs in the game.

Blitzes: 1
Stacked box: 0
Drive killed by: Bell's non-block on 91

Drive 10
Pass 20: Incomplete (thrown away)
Bell took 96 around the corner. Levitre and Hangartner doubled 85. Wood kept 92 near the LOS. 95 eventually got inside of Meredith but Fitzpatrick had already decided to throw the ball away.

Pass 21: Evans 14 yards against a 6 man blitz
Bell pushed 92 inside and then picked up a blitzing Beason. Levitre stopped 75. Hangartner helped Wood with Peppers until 92, shoved inside by Bell, tried to stunt through the middle. Hangartner then stopped 92. Meredith took 59 to the corner.

Pass 22: Evans 3 yards
The pass was gone so fast there wasn't time for anyone to get out of their stance. It appeared to be another of those quick hitters thrown when a DB was playing well off the LOS.

Pass 23: T.O. 6 yards against a 5 man blitz
Bell stuffed 59 at the corner. Levitre let 96 blow right past him to deck Fitzpatrick. Hangartner stopped 93. Wood did an okay job on 92's bull rush. Meredith picked up a blitzing LB. Jackson, in the backfield to pick up blitzers completely missed 96 after he ran past Levitre.

Run 14: Jackson no gain through the right B gap against an 8 man front
Bell shoved a couple of guys but never really engaged. Levitre turned 92 out and circled him away from the play. Hangartner and Wood doubled 93. Hangartner was too slow to pick up a filling Beason while Wood pushed 93 into the end zone. Meredith cut 90.

Pass 24: Evans 3 yard TD
It looked like another sight adjustment by Fitzpatrick. The ball was gone almost as soon as he had it in his hands so everyone barely had time to get out of their stance. It was, quite simply, an amazing pass by Fitzpatrick. He rocketed it between two defenders, each of whom was turned towards the ball

Blitzes: 2
Stacked box: 1
Drive killed by: no one

Drive 11
Pass 25: Evans 50 yards against an 8 man blitz
Bell stuffed 92's spin move. Levitre put 75 down when he tried to spin. Hangartner picked up a blitzing LB. Wood stuffed Peppers and Meredith took a LB around the corner. McIntyre and Jackson each picked up a blitzing LB. The Panthers sold out on the blitz and got burned badly.

Run 15: Lynch 1 yard through the A gap
Bell got under 92's shoulder. When 92 tried to spin Bell got on his back and stayed there, which isn't blocking in the back since Bell didn't start the block that way. Levitre and Hangartner doubled 75 and drove him 4 yards. Peppers knifed inside of Wood and almost had a TFL. Meredith got away with a hold on 59. Fine did an okay job on 96.

Run 16: Lynch -3 yards through the left B gap
Bell pulled wide and cut 59 in space. Levitre kept under 96's right shoulder. Hangartner went to the second level and slowed 53. Wood got under 75's shoulder and kept him turned. Meredith cut 92. McIntyre helped Levitre instead of picking up a filling Beason. Had McIntyre gotten Beason the run would have been for no gain at the worst. The negative play pretty much doomed the drive.

Pass 26: Lynch 6 yards
Bell beat 91 to the corner. Levitre and Hangartner doubled 95 while Wood and Meredith doubled 90.

Blitzes: 1
Stacked box: 0
Drive killed by: McIntyre's non-block on Beason

Drive 12
Run 17: Jackson 1 yard through the left B gap
Bell kept 96 turned out of the run lane. Levitre tried to turn 92 inside and couldn't. It looked like he held when 92 got around him. Hangartner stood up 75. Wood chucked 75 then hit 43 at the second level. Meredith turned Peppers out and kept him there. Fine hit a guy in the secondary. Lynch acted like a lead blocker. Unfortunately, he specifically emulated Darien Barnes so he didn't actually hit anyone.

Run 18: Jackson 2 yards through the left C gap
Bell and Levitre drove 92 inside and away from the run lane. Bell kept on 92 and Levitre caught 59 in the wash. Hangartner stood up 75 and moved laterally to the right. Wood kept popping Beason but never locked him up. Meredith kept Peppers on the edge of the LOS.

Run 19: T.O. 1 yard reverse through the right C gap
Bell blocked like it was a pass. Levitre turned 96 away from the play. Hangartner turned 92 away from the play and let him go into the backfield after T.O. was past. Wood turned Peppers inside and away from the play. Meredith pushed Peppers and then hit 59. Lynch whiffed on 91 in the backfield. 91 sent the play deeper than it should have gone and cost Owens first down yardage.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive killed by: Lynch's non-block on 91.

Drive 13
Run 20: Lynch for -1 yard through the right C gap against an 8 man front
Bell missed a cut on Peppers. Levitre and Hangartner each missed cutting 75. Wood turned 93 inside and away from the play. Meredith went to the second level but didn't really block anyone. Fine took a DB 10 yards downfield and Stupar blocked a DB in the secondary.

Run 21: Lynch 4 yards through the left C gap against an 8 man front
Bell went to the second level but not fast enough to lock up a linebacker. He did slow one down a bit. Levitre jumped inside 93 and shielded him from the play. Hangartner blocked 75 down the line and was eventually tripped up. Wood cut 92 and Meredith had no one to block. Fine kept Peppers from turning to chase the play. Stupar locked up 26 at the second level.

Pass 27: Reed 8 yards against a 5 man blitz
Bell, Levitre and Hangartner easily handled Peppers and 93. Wood was pushed back to Fitzpatrick by 92 but stopped him. Meredith beat 95 to the corner. This was a clutch throw and catch by a pair of much-maligned Bills. It really was the backbreaker.

Run 22: Lynch 4 yards through the left C gap
Bell buried 95 when Lynch cut back. Levitre got 02 turned and drove him into the pile. Hangartner picked up Beason in the wash. Wood got great drive on 93, pushing him all the way to the sideline. Meredith turned 26 into the pile to seal the edge. Fine wrestled Peppers to the ground at the edge of the LOS.

Run 23: Lynch no gain through the A gap against an 8 man front
96 got inside of Bell. Levitre helped with 75 and then got a pice of Beason at the second level. Hangartner got no push on 75 while Wood moved 92 back 2 yards. Meredith kept 90 on the edge of the LOS. Fine crossed the formation to pop 59 hard enough to put him off balance.

Run 24: Lynch 1 yard through the A gap against an 8 man front
Bell went to the second level and popped 26. Levitre turned 92 out and Hangartner turned 75 to the left to open the hole. Wood pitched into 75 as well and Meredith missed the cut on 90. Fine gave 91 a minor shoulder and then went to the second level. Meanwhile 91 chased the play down from behind.

Blitzes: 1
Stacked box: 4
Drive killed by: play calling

Drive 14
3 kneel downs

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive killed by: end of game

A couple of people on the game thread were unhappy with the play calling at the end of the game. The last drive was clearly managed to kill the clock. I give Dick Jauron credit for milking as much time off as possible and setting up a high percentage field goal. It put the Bills up by 11 with just under 2 minutes to go. Meanwhile, the Panthers had burned all of their time outs. I understand the apprehension of Buffalo fans given the Bills' penchant for improbably blowing wins in the last two minutes, but Jauron played the odds and it worked out. Now if the Panthers had blocked the field goal, tied the game and won it in overtime, then Jauron would be lambasted for his conservative play calling at the end of the game. But that didn't happen. So there.

For the second straight week, the Bills have field position to thank for the win. Even with the drive that started at the Buffalo 4 factored into the mix, the average starting field position was the Buffalo 38. Three of the four scoring drives began in Panthers' territory. (The other was the 50 yard pass to Evans.) The defense - primarily Jairus Byrd - did a tremendous job of setting up the offense in prime field position. While the offense can't seem to move the ball more than about 30 yards, the defense, and to a lesser degree the special teams unit, made sure the offense didn't have to.

The Panthers didn't bring any sort of pressure against the Bills' offense. They loaded the box on 4 of 24 runs and blitzed on 6 of 27 pass plays. If you trudged through my play by play, however, you see that they generated hits on Fitzpatrick with just their front four. They were also able to limit the run game with as few as 6 guys in the box. Yikes. Look for Houston to employ a similar overall defensive strategy. After all, the Texans aren't saddled with Jake Delhomme.

Also, look for the Texans to get a turnover when Buffalo inevitably trots out that god-awful bootleg none-yard pass to the TE play. They've got some defenders who are fast enough to hit Fitzpatrick before he can even turn around to see that his TE is thoroughly covered.

The run yards were few and far between in the Panthers game. As you can see, the Bills really didn't have stellar YPA anywhere along the line and some places were downright abysmal. Keep in mind that the Panthers weren't loading the box until the end of the game. A quick glance at the linemen grades helps explain the ugly run numbers.

Gap	Att-Yds	YPA
Left C	3 - 13	4.3
Left B	6 - 19	3.2
A	10 - 10	1.0
Right B	2 - -2	-1.0
Right C	3 - 4	1.3

No one on the line covered himself with glory in Carolina. Levitre and Hangartner were well below their season averages. To make matters worse, the Bills' linemen killed 5 run plays and 3 pass plays. Those 8 plays (Buffalo averages 7.8 killed plays by linemen per game) - 5 run, 3 pass - amounted to just under 16 percent of the offensive snaps. The killed plays included the safety, which really could have been a momentum changer if the Panthers had a real QB. While the penalties abated - hopefully for good - the killed plays haven't. For the year, the Bills' linemen have 19 killed run plays and 36 killed pass plays. The line can't continue to kill an average of 8 plays per game via mistakes and penalties. Well, actually, it can, I guess, though Buffalo won't win many more games if it continues.

Player	Run Grade	Pass Grade
Demetrius Bell	75.0	73.5
Andy Levitre	72.5	73.5
Geoff Hangartner	72.5	75.0
Eric Wood	75.8	75.0
Jamon Meredith	73.3	72.0

Meredith Vs Scott

Ron From NM — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:58:37 -0000

Here are Meredith's grades for the past two games with his overall grade as well:

...................Run...............................Pass

Jets............73.5.............................72.94871795

Panthers...73.33333333............72.03703704

Overall......73.4375.......................72.57575758

Here are Scott's grades for his four (more like 3 and 2/3 since he came in for Butler in the Bucs contest) games (MIami's was at LT) with his overall grade:

...................Run...............................Pass

Bucs...........77.35294118............74.13043478

Saints........73................................73.0952381

Dolphins....75...............................70.75757576

Browns......72.33333333............75

Total...........74.4285714..............72.93103448

As you can see, Meredith and Scott are each below average in the run game. Scott is a full percentage point closer to average than Meredith but they're both on the wrong side of 75. In the pass game they grade out fairly evenly. However, if you throw out the Dolphins game--in which Scott was simply terrible but also terribly miscast as a left tackle--Scott averages about 74ish while Meredith is in the mid 72 range.

Further, Scott killed 1 run play in his almost four games, including his misadventure at left tackle in Miami. He killed 6 pass plays and has given up 3.5 sacks. Take the Miami game out of the equation to keep it an apples-to-apples comparison and Scott has killed 2 pass plays and given up 1.5 sacks. Meredith has killed no run plays (though a few missed tackles saved his bacon), 1 pass play and given up no sacks.

While it shakes out in the overall grades it’s worth it to take a look at the number of good and bad plays each has had in limited action.

Meredith

Good run …6

Bad run ….11

Good pass ..0

Bad pass ….8

Scott (without Miami game)

Good run …7

Bad run ….10

Good pass ..1

Bad pass ….6

To break it down even further you can look at what you’d expect to see per game if the averages hold. (The averages, in theory, shouldn’t hold as players gain experience and benefit from more coaching. They should improve.)

Meredith

Good run …2

Bad run ….5.5

Good pass ..0

Bad pass ….4

Scott (without Miami game)

Good run …2

Bad run ….2.9

Good pass ..0.3

Bad pass ….1.7

As you can see, there is a moderate advantage to having Scott in the lineup based on the good play/bad play averages. The wrench in the works is that Scott has tended to screw up more badly than Meredith when he has made mistakes. With the limited samples available it's tough to say that Buffalo should give Scott the nod over Meredith. I don't know that we can say that neither will work out in the long run. However, it would behoove the Bills to pick one of them and ride him through this season to see if he can develop into at least a backup caliber RT.

Shawn Nelson is out

Ron From NM — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 22:25:51 -0000

PFT is reporting that Shawn Nelson will miss the Panthers game with the flu. Damn. Fitzy was going to have enough trouble this week as it was. Losing Nelson hurts, not only in the pass game but on running plays, too. Stupar came in for a couple of plays to start overtime in New Jersey and did not impress. Now Stupar will be on the field for at least 1/3 of the offensive snaps, if not 1/2 of them.

Notes from the Bills' O-Line: Week 6 at NY Jets

Ron From NM — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:33:35 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

Browse more photos »

The Buffalo Bills' 16-13 overtime victory over the New York Jets seemed to take forever while it was being played. It ran just under 4 hours due in part to the overtime, but even then it just kind of dragged. If you felt the same, well, imagine the unadulterated joy of spending almost six hours going back through the game frame by frame. Ugh.

If I wasn't already ill, I think I would be now.

It took as long as it did to go through the game because there was more to watch for than usual. More importantly, there were several questions that the Bills tried to answer. Would the Bills finally face a defense that stacked the box to stop the run and short passes? How would the new right tackle perform in his first start? Would the Bills employ max-protect schemes? Would the guards do a better job of sustaining their blocks? Was that Corey McIntyre I saw actually blocking people?

Answers, along with the usual analysis and play-by-play breakdowns, after the jump.

Drive 1
Pass 1: Marshawn Lynch 8 yards
Demetrius Bell stuffed 92. Andy Levitre and Geoff Hangartner ("Hang" from this point forward) doubled Kris Jenkins. 91 drove Eric Wood back 3 yards but was stopped short of Trent Edwards. Shawn Nelson hung around waiting to help Jamon Meredith, but he wasn't needed. Meredith lost 99 as he stunted.

Run 1: Lynch 3 yards through the A gap
Bell got no drive on 92 and couldn't turn him out. Levitre doubled Jenkins with Hang. When Hang left to hit 52, Levitre got a 3 yard push on Jenkins. Wood took 91 3 yards then shielded him with his back before cutting him. Meredith tried to help with 91 but 91 had moved away from him. Meanwhile, Meredith ignored 99 who came down the line and made the tackle. Nelson kept 97 out of play and Derek Fine hand fought with 57.

Pass 2: Lee Evans 12 yards
Bell got under 92's pads when he tried to twist inside. Levitre kept Jenkins pretty much on the line of scrimmage (LOS). Hang and Wood doubled 91 and Meredith kept 99 on the edge of the LOS.

Run 2: Lynch 12 yards through right C gap
Bell got no push on 92. Levitre and Hang had an initial double team on Jenkins. When Hang peeled to get a piece of 52, Jenkins threw Levitre's right shoulder over and got inside of him. Levitre recovered and got under Jenkins' right shoulder to keep him out of the play. Wood turned 91 outside and sustained his block. Meredith kept 99 turned outside, though he did eventually get around and chase the play to be in on the tackle. Nelson dogged 97 until he fell then looked for someone else to hit. Fine popped 57 but didn't sustain his block.

Pass 3: Evans 7 yards against a blitz
Bell and Fine doubled 92, keeping him on the LOS. Levitre stopped Jenkins. Hang picked up 91 and Wood stopped 99. Meredith easily beat 97 to the corner.

Run 3: Fred Jackson 5 yards through the A gap against an 8 man front
92 shot inside of Bell, who got away with a hold. Levitre had Jenkins alone and got a 1 yard push, though he shed the block to make the tackle. Hang helped Wood with 91 before sliding off to pick up 52. Wood got into 91 and wouldn't let him turn to chase the play. Meredith put 99 down. Fine let 97 take himself out of the play with an upfield rush. Nelson did an okay job on 57 at the edge of the LOS.

Run 4: Jackson 6 yards through the left B gap
Bell helped with Jenkins until he fell over. Levitre pushed past Jenkins to lock up 52. Hang tried to turn 91 but couldn't. 91 shed the block to make the tackle. Wood pulled and blew 57 five yards out of the hold. Meredith helped 92 go upfield and out of the play. Fine did a good job keeping 99 on the edge of the LOS. Nelson kept 97 on a circular arc around the play.

Run 5: Lynch 1 yard through the left B gap against an 8-man front
Bell cut 50. Levitre stopped Jenkins from cutting inside of him and drove him 3 yards down the line. Hang chucked 91 then didn't sustain a block on 52 who made the tackle. Had Hang made that block only 36 and 25 were between Lynch and the goal line. At the least Lynch would have had a first down. Wood stood up 91. 91 was in on the tackle but only because Lynch had to redirect due to Hang's whiff on 52. Meredith turned 92 out and wouldn't let him get back inside. Nelson stoned 57 on the LOS. Fine withstood a great pop from 97 and kept him out of the play.

Run 6: Lynch 1 yard through the right B gap against an 8 man front - Wood flagged for hold
Bell locked up 50 and kept him on the LOS. Jenkins swam insid of Levitre's block to get in on the tackle. Hang helped with Jenkins then popped a filling 52. Wood got great drive on 91 and put him down without holding. His left hand was on 91's shoulder which is what a ref would point to. In any event, the Bills got away with a hold they did commit and nailed for one they didn't. Meredith ignored 92 and tried (and failed) to help with 92 - again ignoring a defensive lineman who made the tackle.

Pass 4: Terrell Owens 5 yard screen against a blitz (after Nelson false start)
Bell gave 50 a push inside and went out to block. Levitre didn't sell the screen at all so 50 got on his hip and was there to make the tackle. Hang blocked Jenkins. Wood was driven back by 58 and 99 got inside of Meredith to get after Edwards.

Blitzes: 2
Stacked box: 3
Drive killer: Hangartner - the Bills got a FG

Drive 2
Pass 5: Nelson 2 yards (defense holding penalty on Owens)
Meredith got help from Fine with 93, which he didn't seem to need. Levitre and Hang doubled Jenkins. 92 popped Wood repeatedly back to Edwards. Meredith took 99 on a wide loop around the corner. Nelson waited for someone to blitz and wandered out into a pattern when no one did.

Run 7: Jackson no gain through the left C gap
Bell pulled wide and got a piece of 97 who Nelson was already blocking fairly well. Levitre didn't get the cut on Jenkins but slowed him down so much he might as well have. Hang pulled wide and bounced 93 then hit him again which sent him sprawling. Wood jumped inside of 99 and cut him. Meredith pulled but was too slow to catch anyone.

Pass 6: Owens incomplete against 5 man blitz (defense holding)
Bell didn't turn his head to see 36 blitzing. He instead helped Levitre, who was doing just fine with 93. Jenkins pushed Hang almost back to Edwards and got an assist from Wood. Meredith was popped hard enough by 99 to fall over if it weren't for a pile up that kept him upright. Fine picked up 99 when Meredith went down. Jackson did a poor job of picking up 33 who was doing a poor job of blitzing.

Run 8: Jackson -1 yard through right C gap
Bell tried to pull but couldn't get around the wash fast enough. Levitre cut 93 in slow motion. Hang and Wood doubled Jenkins and kept him well away from the play. Meredith pulled wide and missed cutting 52. Fine got outside of 92 and battled through the whistle. Nelson stuck with 97 fairly well but he got around Nelson and in on the tackle. TO killed the play with a pathetic non-block on 24.

Pass 7: Nelson 9 yards against a 5 man blitz
Bell beat 93 to the corner. Levitre took 91 around in an arc. Hang picked up a blitzing 57. Wood stuffed 52 on a delayed blitz and showed good awareness. Meredith danced with 92 on the edge of the LOS.

Pass 8: Sack -5 yards against a 7 man blitz
Bell and Levitre doubled 99. 93 got under Hang's left shoulder for the sack. Wood piled up 91 in the middle of the line. Meredith pushed 92 into the pileup Wood and 91 had created. Jackson popped 57 when he elevated. 97 got inside of Fine to get in on the tackle. Edwards was hurt on the play. The refs inexplicably failed to throw a flag for what was a blatant personal foul.

Blitzes: 3
Stacked box: 0
Drive killed by: Hangartner allowing the sack and the refs for not flagging the defense on the hit

Drive 3
Run 9: Lynch 2 yards through the A gap
Bell turned 99 out and kept him there. Levitre turned 70 out but 70 shed his block and got in on the tackle. Hang and Wood doubled 77. Hang threw Jenkins down when he tried to circle around. Wood was too late to get more than a minor brush on 52 after leaving Jenkins. Meredith turned 79 away from the LOS and kept him out of the play. Fine hand fought with 57 and Nelson kept 97 on the edge of the LOS.

Pass 9: Incomplete one hop to Evans (Ryan Fitzpatrick's first pass of the season)
Bell beat 70 to the corner. Levitre and Hang doubled 70. Wood and Meredith doubled Jenkins and Fine hand fought with 99.

Pass: 10 Owens drop (would have been first down)
Bell pushed 93 inside. Levitre waited for a blitzer and hang picked up 99. Wood and Meredith doubled 92.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: TO's drop

Drive 4
Pass 11: Incomplete overthrown and Owens double covered
Nelson help Bell with 93. Levitre and Hang doubled Jenkins. Wood stuffed 92. Fine and Meredith doubled 99.

Run 10: Lynch 9 yards through the A gap
Bell turned 93 out and put him down. Levitre chucked Jenkins and then shielded 52 away from the play. Hang turned Jenkins away from the run lane and then fell down. Wood jumped inside of 92 and left him for Meredith to handle. Wood was going to block 57 but 57 ran himself out of the play so Wood went back and gave Meredith a hand. McIntyre got enough of 99 to make him trip on the pile. Nelson did an okay job on 97 at the periphery of the play.

Run 11: Lynch -2 yards through the A gap
Bell went to the second level and hit 57. Levitre let Jenkins get inside of him for the tackle for loss (TFL), which killed the play and the drive. Hang hit 52 but didn't sustain the block. Wood did an okay job on 91. Meredith belted 92 out of the play and down the line. Fine picked up 97 and Nelson cleaned up 92.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: Levitre

Drive 5
Run 12: Jackson 5 yards through the right C gap (Hang flagged for holding)
Bell stood up 79 on the edge of the LOS. Levitre picked up 52 at the second level and held him when 52 swam past him. Hang held 91 when he got around him. Wood and Meredith doubled 70 and blew him off the LOS. Fine got inside 99 and stayed there. Nelson blocked 97 6 yards down the field.

Pass 12: Nelson 25 yards
Bell and Levitre doubled 79. Hang was walked back to Fitz by 91. Wood stoned 70 and Meredith took 99 around the corner. It was simply an amazing catch by Nelson on what wasn't a terribly good pass.

Pass 13: Scramble for 7 yards
Everyone blocked like it was a run to the left. Fitzpatrick was going to throw to Fine but the defense was all over him. Buffalo really, really needs to retire this play.

Run 13: Jackson 2 yards through the A gap against an 8 man front
Bell got no real push on 79. Levitre went to the second level to lock up 52. Hang got a little push on 91, who was in on the tackle. Wood drove 70 3 yards and stayed inside of him. Meredith kept 99 on the edge of the LOS. Fine was destroyed on the play by 57. Nelson did an okay job on 97.

Run 14: QB sneak for 2 yards through the right C gap against an 8 man front (defense 12 men)
There was a general two yard push along the line. Fitzpatrick caught the defense with 13 men on the field. It was a heads up play.

Run 15: Jackson 4 yards through the A gap
Bell went to the second level and whiffed on a cut on 57. Levitre kept inside of Jenkins and wrestled him down after a 2 yard drive. Hang went to the second level and stuck to 52. Wood bulldogged 93 to the ground and Meredith almost tossed 50 down. 50 regained his balance but too late to impact the play. Fine tapped 97 and Nelson went Jim Leonhard hunting way downfield.

Pass 14: Incomplete against 5 man blitz
Bell might have been beaten by 97 if it was a slower to develop play. Levitre stopped 93. Hang and Wood doubled 91 and Meredith stopped 99's bull rush. Evans was open for a first down but the pass was simply terrible.

Pass 15: Incomplete against a 5 man blitz
50 shot right around Bell, who starting grabbing his shoulder and turning around in circles almost from the start of the play. Levitre looked for blitzers. Hang and Wood doubled 99. Meredith never turned his head to the right, where 3 blitzers were coming from. Jackson picked up 36 and Fine took care of 52. 25 got a free hit on Fitzpatrick.

Blitzes: 2
Stacked box: 1
Drive Killer: Fitzpatrick

Drive 6
Pass 16: Owens 10 yards against a 6 man blitz
Bell pushed 79 inside to the pile. Levitre and Hang doubled 70, who still got a good push. Wood did an okay job on 92 and Meredith beat 97 to the corner. Nelson stopped a rush by 57. TO went out of bounds and the ref stops the clock with 2:16 left in the half. About 10 seconds after that the clock starts to wind again and reaches 2 minutes. First, the refs are idiots. There's no excuse for them to have let the clock wind. Second, where were Jauron and AVP? They should have been on the field getting those 16 seconds put back on the clock.

Pass 17: Incomplete against a 5 man blitz
Bell beat a DB to the corner. Levitre and Hang doubled 50. Wood and Hang blocked 99 but he split their double team to hit Fitzpatrick while throwing. Fitzpatrick couldn't step into the throw so it was low, which probably saved an INT.

Pass 18: Owens INC against 5 man blitz
Bell took 57 from 67 and stopped him. Levitre picked up a blitzer after handing off 57. Hang picked up a blitzing 97 and stayed aware. Wood took 99 on an arc and then cut him. Meredith abused 36. Jackson picked up 33 and Lynch had no one to block.

Pass 19: Screen to Owens for -2 yards
Bell was too slow to get ahead of the screen. Levitre didn't sell 50 on the screen but did cut him. Hang whiffed on a block on 21. Wood blocked 99 and Meredith loped along after the screen. Josh Reed's crappy block killed the play. Had Reed and Hang made their blocks TO likely had first down yardage and possibly more.

Blitzes: 3
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: Hangartner and Reed

Drive 7
Run 16: Lynch 1 yard through the right C gap
Bell slanted inside of 93 and turned him out, a very athletic move. Levitre chucked 93 then went to the second level and got inside 57, walling him off from the play. Hang was driven back 2 yards by 91 which disrupted the play. Wood whiffed on 52 at the second level, who was in on the tackle. Meredith got no drive on 92 but did sustain his block. Nelson crossed the formation to cut the legs out from under 99. Fine did a poor job on 97, who circled around to get in on the tackle.

Pass 20: Fine 5 yards
Bell stopped 93. Levitre and Hang doubled 91. Wood stuffed 92 and Meredith beat 99 to the corner.

Pass 21: Owens drop against 5 man blitz
Bell had no one to block when 97 dropped into coverage. Levitre took 50 from Hang, who had picked him up from Wood. Wood and Hang then picked up a stunting 99. Meredith tried to follow 99 on his stunt instead of staying home. Lynch picked up a DB and Jackson picked up 52.

Blitzes: 1
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: TO's drop

Drive 8
Pass 22: Scramble for 2 yards
Bell and Nelson doubled 92, though Nelson really wasn't terribly effective. Levitre and Hang doubled 91 and didn't let him off the LOS. Wood let 70 get under his right shoulder and almost a sack. He caused the scramble. Fine and Meredith doubled 50, who got nowhere near Fitzpatrick.

Run 17: Jackson 7 yards through the left C gap
Bell turned 93 inside to open the run lane. Levitre checked 91 then popped 52-but didn't sustain his block which let 52 get in on the tackle. Hang stood up 91. Wood went to the second level and got under 57's pads and pushed him 4 yards. Meredith rode 70 down when he tried to slant inside. Fine kept 50 out of the play. Nelson kept inside of 97 but 97 shed his block and was in on the tackle.

Run 18: QB sneak 1 yard through the A gap against an 8 man front
The line got a general 1 yard push. McIntyre got a piece of 50. It didn't help with the play but it did keep 50 from jumping on the pile.

Run 19: Owens 9 yards through the left C gap against an 8 man front
Bell went to the second level and tried to seal 57 inside but missed the block. Levitre turned 93 inside then kept dogging him until he was down. Hang checked 91 then jumped inside of 52 at the second level. Wood turned 91 and then cut him when he tried to chase the play. Meredith hit 70 for Fine and then was too slow to get to the second level. Fine kept 70 outside of the right hashmark. Nelson crossed the formation to pop 92 and open the run lane.

Run 20: Jackson 9 yards through the right B gap against an 8 man front
Bell got inside of 93 and cut him. Levitre couldn't get inside of 91 but slowed him down just enough. Hang went to the second level and fell down after tripping over 91's feet. Wood turned 92 inside and upfield to open the run lane. Meredith pulled wide and scared Leonhard into dropping all on his own. Nelson got inside of 50 and drove him to the sideline. Fine helped with 50 and got a piece of 57.

Run 21: Lynch 9 yards through the right C gap
93 got inside him but too late. Levitre chucked 91 and then got a piece of 52 at the second level. Hang stood up 91 at the center of the line until both of them were taken out by Scott and 99. Wood went to the second level and got enough of 57 to make him lose his balance. Fine hand fought with 97 and Nelson knocked 50 into the pile sealing the edge.

Pass 25: Incomplete overthrow to Evans
The entire line blocked like it was a run.

Run 22: Lynch -1 yard through the left C gap against an 8 man front
Bell and Levitre forced 93 down but clogged up the left side of the line. Hang stood up 91 and Wood stopped 92. Meredith cut 97. Fine took 57 inside and Nelson missed a cut on 99. McIntyre went right and blocked Leonhard. Lynch ran left but he had a hole to the right which would have resulted in a first down.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 4
Drive Killer: Lynch choosing the wrong hole - the Bills got a FG

Drive 9
Pass 24: Incomplete to Evans
Nelson slammed into 93 as Bell blocked him, toppling 93. Levitre stopped 91. Wood and Hang doubled 92. Meredith took 99 well around the corner. The one hop pass, by the way, was exactly the sort of throw that used to infuriate Bills fans when Losman was the QB.

Run 23: Lynch 1 yard through the left B gap
Bell wouldn't let 93 to turn to make the tackle as Lynch went through the hole. Levitre and Hang doubled 91 and turned him inside to open the run lane. Wood got under 57's pads and kept him turned so he couldn't chase the play. Meredith let 92 get inside of him and 92 went down the line to make the tackle.

Pass 25: INT against 7 man blitz (defense illegal contact)
Bell stopped 57. Levitre picked up 52 but he got to Fitzpatrick's feet, leading to the bad throw and negated pick. Hang let 50 blow right past him, which almost resulted in a sack. Wood picked up 33. Meredith popped 99 and then picked up 36 when 99 dropped into coverage. Lynch picked up 97 and Jackson crossed the formation to pick up 25.

Pass 26: McIntyre 18 yards
The line blocked like it was a run, the same play that the Bills have been beating to death with TEs. Maybe it was the fact that it wasn't to the TE confused the defense because they weren't all over McIntyre.

Run 24: Lynch 3 yards through the left B gap against an 8 man front
Bell took 70 wide and past the run lane. Wood picked up a filling 52 and turned him in circles. Hang blocked 91 down the LOS, who still got in on the tackle. Wood missed a cut on 57 at the second level. 92 got inside of Meredith and rolled down the LOS to get in on the tackle. McIntyre had a half assed block on 50, who was in on the tackle. Fine had a semi-block on 97 away from the play.

Pass 27: Incomplete to Lynch
Bell beat 50 to the corner but 50 got inside of him to chase the QB. Levitre and Hang doubled 91. Wood did a good job on 70 initially but 70 got off his block to chase Fitzpatrick. Meredith beat 99 to the corner but let 99 cut inside of him to chase the QB. The pass was high and Lynch only got his fingertips on it.

Pass 28: Evans 37 yard TD against a 5 man blitz
Bell beat 57 to the corner. Levitre picked up 36 and Hang got 50. Wood hit 50 and then stopped 97. Meredith had no one to block. It was good to see some other secondary taking bad angles for a change, by the way.

Blitzes: 2
Stacked box: 1
Drive Killer: no one

Drive 10
Pass 29: Lynch screen 2 yards
Bell took 99 to the corner. Levitre did a bad job of selling the screen and 93 stuck with him and almost got a TFL. Hang chucked 70 and then got out to lead the screen but wasn't fast enough to get 25. Wood turned 70 out but the screen was so slow to develop that 70 was able to cross the field and get in on the tackle. Meredith let 79 get inside of him to chase the screen from behind to get in on the tackle. Man, Buffalo needs to work on screens.

Run 25: Lynch 3 yards through the left B gap against an 8 man front
Bell went to the second level and locked onto 57. Levitre turned 93 inside but he spun away from the block and made the tackle. Hang chucked 70 but wasn't fast enough to pick up a filling 52. Wood kept under 70's pads and drove him around and down into the pile. Meredith turned 70 out and kept under his pads when he turned back in. Fine did an okay job on 97. McIntyre stopped 99 on the edge of the LOS.

Pass 30: Reed 10 yards
Bell and Meredith had no one to block. Levitre, Hang and Wood easily handled 50 and 99. Lynch picked up 33 and Jackson picked up 97.

Run 26: Lynch 3 yards through the left B gap
Bell turned 93 away from the run lane. Levitre went to the second level and wrestled 52 down. Hang was pushed back 2 yards by 91 who then disengaged and made the tackle. Wood went to the second level and kept 57 busy. Meredith couldn't get inside 92, who was in on the tackle. McIntyre did a good job on 99 away from the play. Fine did an okay job on 97.

Run 27: Lynch 7 yards through right C gap
Bell got inside of 93 and cut him. Levitre cut 91, which was possibly a chop block as Hang was engaged with 91 as well. The flag may not have been thrown because 91 was holding Hang. Wood pulled and popped 52 hard enough to bounce him back 2 yards and then picked up 57. Meredith pulled and doubled 99 with McIntyre. Fine kept 92 well behind the play.

Pass 31: Incomplete to McIntyre
Everyone blocked like a run to the left. Yes, it's the same bootleg none-yard pass the Bills seem determined to use at least once per quarter. It was a bad pass and McIntyre fell down trying to reach it. Had he gotten the ball cleanly McIntyre would have gotten 8-10 yards.

Pass 32: McIntyre -1 yard
Bell stopped 93 and Levitre stopped 70. Hang and Wood doubled 92 and Meredith beat 50 to the corner. Have I mentioned how much I hate the none-yard patterns Buffalo's outlet receivers routinely run?

Pass 33: Scramble for 2 yards against a 5 man blitz
Bell had no one to block when 97 dropped into coverage. Levitre passed 99 inside to Jackson then hit 50. Hang and Wood doubled 92. Meredith made 21 go so far to get around the corner that he was completely out of the play.

Blitzes: 1
Stacked box: 1
Drive Killer: Fitzpatrick's bad pass to McIntyre

Drive 11
Run 28: Jackson no gain through left C gap
Bell and Levitre doubled 93. 91 spun Hang down and got in on the tackle. Wood helped with 91 but couldn't get to anyone at the second level. Meredith kept 92 on the edge of the LOS. McIntyre had a poor block and Fine kept 97 out of the play.

Pass 34: Evans 12 yards
Bell and Levitre doubled 93. Hang picked up 57 and Wood blocked 91. Meredith and Fine picked up 92.

Run 29: Jackson 8 yards through the left C gap
Bell turned 93 inside to open the run lane and then buried him in the pile. Levitre picked up a filling 57. Hang stood up 91 until both were wiped out by Bell and 93. Wood helped with 91 and couldn't catch anyone in the second level. Meredith pushed 92 onto the pile.

Run 30: Jackson 1 yard through the right B gap against an 8 man front
93 got inside of Bellt o chase the play and get in on the tackle. Levitre missed a cut on 91 but slowed him down enough to keep him out of the play. Hang missed a cut on 52. Wood turned 92 to the inside and opened the run lane. Meredith kept 97 turned out to open the other wall of the run lane. McIntyre fell on 36 causing a pile up. Fine had a sad attempt at a block on 57, using the side of his helmet.

Run 31: QB sneak 1 yard through the A gap against an 8 man front
The line got a general 2 yard push. By the way, isn't it nice to see that the Bills can now run QB sneaks through the A gap?

Run 32: Jackson -1 yard through the A gap against an 8 man front
Bell cut 93. Levitre tried to shield 91 from the play but 91 cut inside to get in on the TFL. Hang went to the second level and missed 52, who was in on the TFL. Wood got no push on 92, who got in on the TFL after he shed Wood's block. Meredith pushed 99 to the sideline. McIntyre missed a block on 36 and seemed to hold him as well. Fine got enough of 57 to keep him out of the play.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 3
Drive Killer: end of regulation

Drive 12 (OT)
Pass 35: Scramble for no gain
Bell took 99 to the corner and kept him there. The rest of the line easily handled 93 and 91. Jonathan Stupar and McIntyre doubled 92, who still almost got a sack. I've got no idea why the Bills started OT with a TE who hadn't gotten a snap all day.

Run 33: Lynch 2 yards through the right C gap
Bell got inside of 93 and under his pads. Levitre helped with 93 then picked up 99 who had gotten away from McIntyre. Hang kept 91 turned once Wood had popped him. Wood then picked up 92 when he got away from Meredith. Stupar did an okay job on 97 on the edge of the LOS.

Pass 36: Incomplete to Evans against 5 man blitz
Bell stopped 52 and Levitre stuffed 50. Hang and Wood doubled 99 and Meredith picked up 36. It was another one hopper to a receiver. If Fitzpatrick's playing in Carolina he'd better put a little more on some of his passes.

Blitzes: 1
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: Fitzpatrick

Drive 13
Run 34: Jackson 2 yards through left C gap
Bell went to the second level and missed a block on 52. Levitre let 91 shed his block to make the tackle. Hang did an okay job on 57. 92 got off of Wood's block but was too late. Meredith kept 99 on the edge of the LOS. Stupar did a fair job on 97. McIntyre had a good block on 93 at the point of attack.

Pass 37: INT
Bell beat 99 to the corner. Levitre and Hang doubled 93. Wood stopped 91 and Meredith took 92 around the corner. It was just a horrible, horrible decision by Fitzpatrick.

Blitzes: 0
Stacked box: 0
Drive Killer: Fitzpatrick

Drive 14
Run 35: Lynch 1 yard through right C gap
Bell stood up 93. Levitre and Hang doubled 91 and buried him on the pile. Wood got enough of 57 at the second level to disrupt his balance. Meredith got underneath 99's pads and drove him inside creating the pile. Stupar kept 97 on the deg of the LOS. McIntyre hit 57 and put him down after Wood had him wobbling.

Run 36: Jackson 5 yards through the A gap
Bell kept 93 on the edge of the line until the play was over. Levitre drove 52 4 yards. Hang stood up 70. Wood shoved 57 5 yards despite 57’s illegal hands to the face that went uncalled. Meredith did an okay initial job on 99 but he shed to get in on the tackle.

Run 37: Jackson 6 yards through the A gap
Bell turned 99 out and away from the play. Levitre hit 57 and got enough of a push to keep him off the RB until he had a first down. Hang pushed 50 to the left and out to open the run lane. Wood chucked 70 then pushed 42 well upfield with Meredith. Lynch cut 97 which made the play - it would have been a TFL otherwise.

Run 38: Lynch 2 yards through the right B gap
Bell pulled but was too slow to catch anyone. Levitre missed a cut on 93 but slowed him down considerably. Hang hopped back and then dropped on top of 91 when 91 stumbled forward. Wood pulled and drove 52 out of the hole. Meredith pulled and turned 97 out of the run lane. Fine wasn’t fast enough to be effective while Stupar did a good job on 92.

Pass 38: Scramble 6 yards
Everyone blocked like it was a run to the right. The TE was hopelessly covered so Fitzpatrick ran the ball instead. Grrrrrr. I really hate this play. Yes, it went for 6 yards but it’s generally a loser.

Pass 39: Evans 29 yards against a 6 man blitz (replay overruled)
Bell stopped 97. Levitre was pushed back by 70. Hang and Wood doubled 91. Meredith tried to cut 92 and missed. Fine took 99 around the corner and Lynch finished off 92. It was an aggressive call. Give Alex Van Pelt and Dick Jauron credit.

Run 39: Lynch 3 yards through the right C gap
Bell pushed 70 inside to open the run lane. Levitre planted 57 when he tried to cut inside. Hang turned 91 to the right and kept under his pads. Wood helped with 91 and then hit 52 but didn’t sustain his block. Meredith locked up 91 on the edge of the LOS. McIntyre turned 99 out to open the run lane. Fine hand fought with 97 on the edge of the LOS.

Run 40: Lynch 1 yard through the right C gap against an 8 man front
Bell went to the 2nd level and tapped 57. Levitre let 91 get inside him but kept under his pads to keep him from turning. Hang chucked 70 and missed 52 at the second level. 70 got around Wood’s outside shoulder to chase the run. Meredith kept under 92’s right shoulder to let Lynch past. McIntyre hit 99 and slowed him down enough to keep him out of the play. Fine turned 97 out and kept him out of the play.

Blitzes: 1
Stacked box: 1
Drive Killer: play calling

Let’s give Jauron and AVP credit for the long pass at the end of the game. If Evans hadn’t had that little shift/bobble the Bills would have been set up well inside easy field goal range. Something else to consider is that the Bills' offense ran an actual four minute offense to close out the game. While we naturally don’t care for Jauron’s play-not-to-lose outlook, the offense did use every second of the last four minutes of the game. It was an improvement over the Cleveland game last year in which the Browns would have had a minute (and some time outs) to drive for a winning score even if Lindell had hit the long field goal.

This was the first game that McIntyre had played a significant number of snaps. He looked quite a bit better than last year. I found it interesting that he wasn’t used as a lead blocker. Instead, he was asked to cut off backside pursuit by a defensive lineman. That allowed the line to slant away from that defensive lineman.

Last week Buffalo got the ball inside the 20 more times than I care to count. In New Jersey the worst starting position was the Buffalo 12. The average starting field position was the Buffalo 33.5. That certainly helps in a game in which the offense is doing little to improve on field position. The Jets were constantly faced with long fields while Buffalo only needed about 35 yards to get into scoring range.

This was the first game in which Buffalo faced a defense that loaded the box. The Jets had 8 or more defenders in the box on 15 of 40 (37.5%) runs. Buffalo was still able to run the ball with a degree of success. This is important because the Bills figure to see more defenses stack the box, particularly with Fitzpatrick at QB.

Meredith didn’t do terribly. I was surprised to see that the Bills gave Bell more help (5 plays) than Meredith (3). He flashed real potential but wasn’t exactly a paragon of consistency. If the question is whether to start Scott or Meredith next week the answer would appear to be, uh, sure. Seriously, if the Bills think Meredith has greater potential it’s not as if he’s got less experience than Scott.

The Bills didn’t give Meredith (or Bell) great amounts of help but it was clear that the Bills were waiting for a tsunami of blitzes from the Jets. I kept track of how many extra guys hung back to pick up blitzers. I didn’t even count guys who looked around and went out on a none-yard pattern. The Bills kept 1 guy back 10 times, 2 guys back 16 times and 3 guys back 1 time. In other words, on 27 of 39 (69%) of pass plays. Yikes! That’s a lot of guys not threatening the defense. However, it did keep Buffalo’s quarterbacks upright for the majority of the game.

Gap	Att	Yds	YPA
Left C	8	28	3.5
Left B	6	17	2.8
A	12	35	2.9
Right B	4	13	3.3
Right C	10	39	3.9

Player	Run	Pass
Demetrius Bell	75.5	74.0
Andy Levitre	76.0	74.5
Geoff Hangartner	73.0	73.5
Eric Wood	79.0	73.0
Jamon Meredith	73.5	73.0

Notes from the Bills' O-Line: Weeks 1-5

Ron From NM — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 21:42:05 -0000

I've been pressed for time the past couple of weeks - and having my computer die on me didn't help matters - and thus this is our first breakdown of the Buffalo Bills' offensive line in quite some time. I did break down the Bills' loss to Miami and half of the loss to Cleveland. No, it wasn't that I couldn't stomach reviewing the rest of the game (after years of eating my own cooking, I have a stomach of steel!), but rather I wasn't smart enough to hit the record button at the start of the second half. D'oh!

Rather than do my usual spiel, I'll review how the linemen have done through what is essentially 4.5 games' worth of film. Also, I'll spend some time talking about the loss to Cleveland in particular.

The Browns game was one in which pretty much everyone - not just linemen--took turns screwing the pooch. Six offensive linemen drew penalties, never mind that there are only five offensive line positions. (Thanks, Kirk Chambers!) At least one lineman screwed up on runs 1, 2, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 14. I only had 15 run plays to review, so on more than half of the running plays I saw, some lineman was doing something badly. It was only marginally better on pass plays, with screw-ups on passes 1, 5, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, and 17... of the 18 pass plays in the first half, or just under half. Ugh. Would you be surprised to learn that only Jonathan Scott made it through the first half without a bad pass play? I sure was!

8 of 15 run plays in the first half were C gap runs, either left or right. The Bills only tested the A gap on three occasions - for 8 yards. Yeah, I know, it's not good, but it was nice to see Geoff Hangartner hang with Cleveland's mammoth nose tackle, Shaun Rogers. Along with the two runs each to the right B and left B gaps it was enough to keep the defense honest.

The Bills gave the tackles more help in the first half on passing downs. Demetrius Bell had help on passes 2 and 18, the help on 18 coming immediately after he had been cleanly beaten for a field goal attempt-killing sack. Scott was helped on plays 6, 10, and 17. While it's good that the Bills recognize the need to give the tackles some help, keeping three guys back to block while sending out only two receivers (pass 3) just isn't the answer either. Kind of hard for Trent Edwards to go downfield in that situation.

And then there were the penalties. Yes, they're young guys. So what? Even young guys can learn to move on the snap count. In their own stadium. With crickets in the background... only replaced by loud boos when the linemen kept making stupid penalties. There's just no excuse for the entire line to be so poorly disciplined.

Through 4.5 games, the Bills had 49 offensive drives, of which only six were successful - meaning they ended with touchdowns. The other 43 drives were killed as follows:

Trent Edwards: 10.5 killed drives
Demetrius Bell: 4.5
Terrell Owens: 4
Kirk Chambers: 3.5
Eric Wood: 3
Fred Jackson: 3
Halftime/End of game: 3
Geoff Hangartner: 2.5
Jonathan Scott: 2.5
Lee Evans: 2
Andy Levitre: 1
Seth McKinney: 1
Derek Fine: 1
Coaching decisions: 1
Josh Reed: 0.5

Leaving out coaching and halftime/end of game situations, here's how drives were killed by positional groups:

Offensive Line: 18
Quarterbacks: 10.5
Skill positions: 10.5

The line is really killing the team. Those five positions have killed almost as many drives as the guys who actually are responsible for handling the ball. I think we kind of knew this would happen, given the rookie guards and a fairly young guy playing center in the NFL for the first time. What's made it atrocious has been the play at the tackles. Unsurprisingly, the offensive line numbers seem to track right along with the line killing numbers.

Demetrius Bell
6 killed plays, 2 sacks allowed
Opponent	Run Grade	Pass Grade
@ NE	78.2	71.1
TB	75.6	73.2
NO	77.1	72.6
@ MIA	N/A	N/A
CLE	75.0	73.9
Overall	76.4	72.6
Andy Levitre
5 killed plays, 0 sacks allowed
Opponent	Run Grade	Pass Grade
@ NE	82.4	73.2
TB	77.4	73.3
NO	78.0	74.5
@ MIA	75.0	75.0
CLE	76.3	72.8
Overall	77.9	73.9
Geoff Hangartner
8 killed plays, 2 sacks allowed
Opponent	Run Grade	Pass Grade
@ NE	75.0	73.2
TB	74.4	72.1
NO	73.0	74.0
@ MIA	73.9	73.8
CLE	76.3	71.7
Overall	74.4	73.1
Eric Wood
6 killed plays, 2 sacks allowed
Opponent	Run Grade	Pass Grade
@ NE	73.9	73.8
TB	77.9	74.4
NO	80.0	73.1
@ MIA	73.7	73.8
CLE	73.7	71.7
Overall	76.4	73.5
Jonathan Scott
7 killed plays, 3.5 sacks allowed
Opponent	Run Grade	Pass Grade
@ NE	N/A	N/A
TB	75.6	73.2
NO	73.0	73.1
@ MIA	75.0	70.8
CLE	72.3	75.0
Overall	74.4	72.9

I've said before that it's very hard to even get to 75 on pass plays in my grading system. Simply stopping a guy from reaching the QB isn't going to count as a good play, but rather as a decent one. Thus, the bad plays tend to effectively carry more weight, since there are few good plays (generally screens, though things like tossing a defensive lineman down and laying on them counts as good as well) to offset them. With that said, Bell and Scott are below the 73% mark - Scott mainly due to a terrible day playing left tackle in Miami, and Bell largely thanks to a dreadful day in Foxboro. Levitre, Hangartner and Wood all had letdowns against the Browns, which many of you likely noticed as Edwards was having to scramble away from even three-man rushes. Overall, however, their pass protection is decent.

Melvin Fowler and Duke Preston were abysmal in the run game, each in the 70% range. Hangartner has consistently been in the mid-70s. Amazingly, his two best games have come against some of the biggest and toughest DTs in the league. You've got to love a guy who rises to a challenge. Scott has been better than expected in the run game, coming in just behind Hangartner. Bell has been encouraging and currently has the second-highest run grade of the linemen. Levitre and Wood are both above 75%, which speaks well of their future potential.

On the subject of potential, I mentioned before that some of the coaching staff had Levitre as rated higher than Wood. So far Levitre has shown them to be astute judges of talent, at least in this specific case. He's currently got the highest grades for both run and pass plays.

As the chart below shows, the Bills have been running the ball around the ends and straight up the middle. Don't pay too much attention to the 6.5-yard average in the left B gap, as almost all of it came on one run by Jackson against the Bucs. Take out that one play, and it's more like a yard per attempt. Clearly, Buffalo has run the ball most effectively around the ends, but that doesn't mean the team should give up on pounding it up the middle. Something to remember is that Marshawn Lynch's running style is better suited to running up the middle than is Fred Jackson's.

Gap	Att	Yds	Avg
Left C	27	113	4.2
Left B	11	72	6.5
A	30	96	3.2
Right B	11	42	3.8
Right C	27	139	5.1

I don't track how many plays linemen pull, but I can tell you that Buffalo has had some good success with those plays this year. They certainly help account for some of the yardage being picked up on the outside. Something else that has really helped on outside runs has been the play of Shawn Nelson. He doesn't have great stats, but he's getting better and better at blocking. It also really helps that the tackles have killed just two run plays between them.

Through 4.5 games, Edwards has faced blitzes (I define those as five or more rushers) 54 times. He has picked up 363 yards (6.7 yards per blitz), 14 (25.9%) first downs and 3 touchdowns against those blitzes. He'd be doing quite a bit better were it not for an appalling 9 drops, 6 bad passes, and 1 batted ball. Think about that for a second: add the 15 mistakes the Bills have made against the blitz and the first down percentage goes to something like 54% and the yards per blitz would be around 13-15. The Bills have to stop shooting themselves in the foot soon - there can't be much left to hit anyway.

On the topic of hitting oneself in the head with a hammer because it feels so good when one stops, it's well past time for the Bills to put away the rollout pass to the tight end. Defenses aren't falling for it at all. Even when the pass is completed, it is for no gain. Which brings me to another sunny point: Buffalo needs to stop sending receivers on none-yard patterns. Why can't the TE at least go 3 or 5 yards downfield and be tackled immediately there instead of at the line of scrimmage? To my mind, that's a Turk Schonert issue.

It turns out that I had a little more time than I thought I would so here's the first half breakdown for the Browns game. (I'm adding this after Brian did a terrific job cleaning up my drivel so I hope it doesn't cause problems....)

Drive 1

Run 1 Lynch 11 yards through the right C gap

Bell got a ½ yard push on 98. Levitre chucked 98 and then kept 52 out of the play. Hang and Wood doubled Rogers (92) initially. Hang peeled off to hit 58. As soon as he did so Rogers spun away from Wood and almost had a tackle for loss (TFL). Scott got a 2 yard drive on 90 and wouldn’t let him turn. Fine kept 96 shielded from the play.

Bell drew a false start flag, setting up 1^st and 15.

Run 2 Jackson 2 yards through the left C gap

Bell got a 2 yard push on 98 but allowed him to shed the block and make the tackle. Levitre went to the 2^nd level and took 52 on a wide loop away from the play. Hang managed a lateral push on 92 one on one—something Preston/Fowler never could manage—and kept him out of the play by sustaining his block through the whistle. Wood went to the 2^nd level and got a piece of 50 but didn’t lock him up. Scott didn’t get any drive on 90 but kept him busy. Fine did an okay job on 96 while Nelson kept 95 out of the play.

Pass 1 sack -1 yards

Bell, Levitre and Hang kept 92 and 95 well away from Edwards. Wood helped with 92 and didn’t keep his head on a swivel—which allowed a LB to run through the right B gap. While Wood didn’t cover himself with glory, Jackson’s whiff on the blitz pick up was a play killer. It should have been about an 8 yard loss but Edwards evaded the tackle and almost got back to the line of scrimmage (LOS). Scott was doing an okay job on 90 but when Edwards ran forward in the pocket 90 was able to get in on the tackle.

Pass 2 Jackson 9 yards

The line easily handled the 3 man rush, particularly since Bell had tight end help.

Blitzes: 0

Stacked box: 0

Drive killed by: Bell’s stupid penalty and Jackson’s inept blitz pick up

Drive 2

Run 3 Jackson 2 yards through the right C gap

Scott pulled to lead the play and buried a LB into the pile. Levitre turned out to keep 98 from chasing the play. Hang turned 92 away from the play but didn’t sustain his block. 92 chased down Jackson from behind, which should give you an idea of how slowly the play developed. Wood gave 92 a little push and then wasn’t fast enough to catch 52 at the 2^nd level. Scott got no push on 90 at all, which is what slowed everything down. Nelson sustained his block on 95.

Pass 3 Owens 18 yards against a 5 man blitz

Bell did an okay job on 98. Levitre and Hang stuffed 92 while Wood and Scott stopped 90. Fine and Jackson doubled a blitzer and Nelson handled 95 on his own. It was a 2 WR pattern, which says a lot about how AVP views the offensive line.

Pass 4 Nelson incomplete

The entire offensive line blocked to the left as if it were a run while Edwards bootlegged to his right. The only problem was that defenses have seen this play far too many times to be fooled by it. 90 sat on the edge of the line and just watched Edwards—when he kept the ball 90 went after him, knowing that Nelson was going to be well covered. While Jauron has talked about running a few plays the offense executes well over and over the downside is that defenses look for those plays. Even if Nelson had made the reception it would have gone for no gain. Hey, AVP! Retire this friggin play!

Run 4 Jackson 2 yards through the right C gap

Bell pulled to the middle and whiffed on his block on 50—who made the tackle. Hang turned out and kept 98 out of the play, getting a 3 yard drive in the process. Hang got under Rogers’ pads and drove him two yards. Wood hit 52 in the 2^nd level after chucking 92. Scott again got no drive on 90, who shed his block and was in on the tackle. Nelson again sustained his block on 95 while Fine missed a cut block on 96.

Pass 5 Owens 6 yards against a 5 man blitz

Bell took 95 around the corner. Levitre picked up a blitzing LB. Hang was bull rushed by Rogers, who got inside of his block to hit Edwards. Wood did okay at first but then 99 got past his outside shoulder to hit Edwards. Scott danced with 90.

Blitzes: 2

Stacked box: 0

Drive killed by: play calling—the wasted down (rollout none-yard pattern to the TE) would have been better spent on a 2 yard plunge into the line….which would have extended the drive

Drive 3

Run 5 Lynch 4 yards through the right B gap

Bell got a 3 yard push on 90. Levitre kept 50 out of the play. Hang and Wood got a 3 yard push on 71, though it was mainly Hang that got him moving backwards. Scott got a 3 yard drive on 90.

Pass 6 Owens 7 yards (rollout)

Bell and Levitre blocked like it was going to be a screen to the left. Hang kept 71 turned away from the rollout and Wood stuffed 69. Scott got help from Nelson, which he needed. 95 got outside of Scott’s shoulder and was in position to chase Edwards on his rollout when Nelson popped him.

Run 6 Lynch 4 yards through the left C gap

Bell and Fine sent 98 4 yards in reverse like he was on roller skates. Levitre and Hang doubled 71 and got some push. Wood stood up 69 but didn’t get much push. Scott danced with 95 away from the play. Nelson did an okay job on 96 but 96 shed his block and was in on the tackle.

Run 7 Lynch 4 yards through the A gap

Bell got a 2 yard push on 98. Levitre shoved 71 then took 52 on a five yard tour of the second level. Hang drove 71 back 4 yards. Wood went to the 2^nd level and popped a LB but didn’t sustain his block. Scott didn’t get much push on 69, who got inside of him and in on the tackle. Fine stopped 96 and Nelson crossed the formation to keep 95 out of the play.

3^rd and 2, the line is taking it to the Browns defense and Levitre has a false start. Way to kill momentum, Andy.

Pass 7 INC to Reed against a 5 man blitz

Bell laid on 95 after he slipped. Levitre stuffed a bull rush and wouldn’t let him elevate. Hang stopped 92. Wood picked up a blitzer and kept his arms down. 99 almost got around Scott but Scott got under his pads and pushed him past Edwards. It wasn’t a great pass—it should have been a little farther ahead of Reed.

Pass 8 Nelson INC

Bell stopped 99. Levitre, Hang and Wood stopped two defenders as they tried to twist. Scott stopped 93 at the corner. It looked like a bad pass but in reality Nelson stumbled as he made his break. Maybe it wouldn’t have been completed anyway but I don’t know that you can pin this one on Edwards.

Blitzes: 1

Stacked box: 0

Drive killed by: Levitre’s stupid penalty—with two downs and two yards to go (before the penalty) you’ve got to believe Lynch would have gotten that first down.

Drive 4 (starting at the 1 yard line)

Run 8 QB sneak for 2 yards against an 8 man front through the A gap

The line generated a 2 yard push pretty much across the board. All things considered it was a pretty good effort given where the Bills began the possession.

Run 9 Jackson for 2 yards through the A gap against an 8 man front (Jackson??? WTF??? Where was Lynch?)

Bell got a 2 yard push on 98. Levitre chucked 71 then hit 52 at the 2^nd level. Hang got a 2 yard push on 71. Wood hit a filling 50 but (again) didn’t sustain his block. Scott allowed 69 to shed his block to the inside and make the tackle.

Pass 9 Nelson -1 yard

Bell and Levitre doubled 98. Hang stayed home and picked up a rushing 52. Wood stopped Rogers and Scott kept 69 on the LOS. Edwards never turned his head to the left, where he had Evans open for first down yardage. I’m guessing he was trying to get the ball to Owens and just hoping that he wasn’t committed from the get-go to throw a none-yard pass to Nelson.

Blitzes: 0

Stacked box: 2

Drive killed by: Edwards locking in on the right side of the field

Drive 5

Pass 10 INC—almost a sack

Bell had no one to block. 98 got inside of Levitre and almost got the sack. 98 had Edwards’ legs wrapped up, which led to the terrible pass and killed the play. Hang stuffed a rushing 52. Rogers walked Wood back to Edwards and got an arm on the QB. Scott had help stuffing 98.

Run 10 Lynch 12 yards through the right C gap

98 got inside of Bell but too late to catch the play. Levitre went to the 2^nd level but couldn’t catch 52. Rogers cut inside of Hang and almost had a TFL. Wood popped 50 hard enough at the 2^nd level to keep him out of the play but (again) didn’t sustain (grrrrrrr). Scott got a 2 yard push on 98, who lost his balance and fell. Nelson turned 96 in multiple circles and really made the play.

Run 11 Lynch 2 yards through the left B gap

Bell pulled wide and helped Nelson with 96. Nelson didn’t look like he needed the help and Bell could have picked up one of the filling defenders instead. Levitre engaged in a slow motion cut on Rogers. Hang pulled and took out a filling 50. Wood got inside of 69 and was doing an okay job of blocking him….until Wood was taken out by Scott who was trying to help with 69. 69 then chased the play.

Pass 11 well overthrown INC—Edwards hit while throwing

Bell and Levitre doubled 98. Rogers pushed Hang back into Edwards, disrupting the throw. Wood split his attention between 92 and 69. He probably should have committed to helping with Rogers but he was also ensuring that no one blew threw his gap. Scott stopped 69.

Pass 12 scramble for 21 yards

Bell beat 95 to the corner. Levitre pitched into 95 when he tried to get inside of Bell. 92 got inside of Hang and caused the scramble. 69 bull rushed Wood into Jackson’s legs, taking both Wood and 69 out. Scott stopped a rushing LB at the corner.

Run 12 Lynch 2 yards through the left B gap against an 8 man front

Bell got a 2 yard push on 95. Levitre drove 69 1 yard but then 69 shed his block and was in on the tackle. Hang didn’t get much push on 71, who shed his block to get in on the tackle. Wood and Scott doubled a defensive lineman. Wood peeled and went to the 2^nd level but by then there was no one to block.

Run 13 Owens reverse for 6 yards through the right B gap

Bell, Levitre and Hang blocked like it was a run to the left. Wood fired into the 2^nd level and blocked 52 away from the run lane but (yet again) didn’t sustain. Scott sustained his block on 99 and kept him on the LOS. Stupar had no one to block when TO cut the run back to the inside.

Pass 13 INC—pass interference on the defense

The line provided a clean pocket and the defender clearly hit Reed a full second before the ball arrived. I wasn’t at all surprised to see one of the flag happy refs not throw his flag despite the blatant penalty on the Browns. The ref in question had turned and was clearly watching the play so there’s just no excuse for him not to have thrown his flag. Happily, another ref did.

Run 14 Lynch 2 yards through the right C gap

Scott had no one to block. 98 got inside of Levitre (again!) and made the tackle. Hang went to the 2^nd level and popped 52, right next to Wood who popped 50. Scott got a 2 yard pop on 69. Fine kept 96 on the edge of the LOS. After the play 96 threw Fine down which somehow failed to draw a flag. Hmmmm. Who blocked Shaun Rogers? Stupar. Yes, Stupar. Rogers couldn’t believe it either, which probably explains why it worked.

Pass 14 Lynch 9 yards

Bell stuffed 98. Levitre was pushed back to Edwards by Rogers. Hang gave a little bit of assistance to Levitre. Wood and Scott tag teamed 69. A rushing LB never made it near Edwards even though no one blocked him—he just couldn’t navigate the sea of large bodies in time.

With momentum and the ball at the Cleveland 17 Scott has a false start.

Run 15 Lynch -3 yards through the left C gap against an 8 man front

Bell got outside of 98 to set the edge. Levitre went to the 2^nd level and eventually blocked 71. Hang blocked 71 down the line but 71 eventually broke off and went to the 2^nd level to meet Levitre. Wood got a piece of 99 and Scott had no one to block. Nelson, who had done a good job run blocking, was beaten by 53 who made the TFL and killed the play.

Pass 16 Screen to Lynch for 3 yards

Bell sustained his block on 98. Levitre missed his block on 95 and Hang stuck with 71. Wood got too far upfield too quickly. The same ref who wouldn’t throw a flag on pass interference on Reed earlier in the drive watched Wood the whole time with his hand on his flag. It’s like he couldn’t wait to throw it and did—the moment Wood took a step past 5 yards downfield. Scott kept 99 away from the play.

Pass 17 sack for -8 yards against a 6 man blitz

Bell was beaten cleanly by 95’s pure speed for the sack. Levitre took 52 on a wide arc. Hang stuffed 92’s spin move. Wood picked up 93. Scott and Fine stopped 69 and Lynch stuffed a blitzing 23. If Scott hadn’t been beaten like a trailer park wench on a Friday night there was an excellent chance for the Bills to set themselves up inside the 10. The sack instead took the team out of field goal range leading to….

Pass 18 INC—jump ball in the end zone

Bell was belatedly given help from Nelson and stopped 95. Levitre and Hang doubled Rogers. Wood and Scott stopped 69.

Blitzes: 1

Stacked box: 2

Drive killed by: Bell’s sack

And that’s all I’ve got due to being too inept to hit ‘record’ at the start of the 2^nd half. At first blush Wood did seem to do a better job of sustaining his blocks in the second half and Levitre wasn’t as susceptible to inside moves. The penalty flags, of course, continued to rain down on the Bills.

Time to clean house

Ron From NM — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:44:05 -0000

Siimply put, why wait?

The Bills were abysmal on offense, committing one stupid penalty after another. I had the nfl.com site up as the game went on and it was amazing to see the drive charts. For every couple of lines in blue (offensive plays) there was a yellow line marching the team backwards. The penalties were systemic and that utter lack of discipline falls on the coaching staff.

The offensive line had 6 guys draw flags, never mind that there are only 5 offensive line positions. The line repeatedly allowed the Browns to generate immediate pressure on Edwards, even against 3 man rushes! What's the rationale for keeping Kugler around? The fault also lies with AVP, a man who has done nothing to dispell the notion that he is in way over his head.

The special teams unit has been nothing short of dreadful. The Bills started 2 possessions inside their own 1 and another possession on the 4 yard line. I'm not going to assume that Buffalo would have won the game if not for Parrish's fumble but the team absolutely did lose the game because of it. Well, that and the fact that the Bills had stupidly burned two timeouts early in the second half. One of those wasted time outs is directly the fault of Bobby April. Who else could be blamed for the special teams unit not getting on the field at the end of the 3rd quarter to cover a punt? Instead of assuming that the Browns were going to wait until the 4th quarter to punt it was April's job to get the punt coverage unit on the field. Throw in the constant stream of penalties and it's clear that April has lost his touch. Do you seriously think the unit will be any worse without April?

Dick Jauron has overseen this slow motion train wreck and taken no steps to turn things around. Yes, there have been plenty of injuries. Chambers is the 3rd RT and Buggs the 3rd MLB. Good coaches acquire and coach depth players who can do a halfway decent job filling in when starters are inevitably injured. Jauron hasn't done that. Jauron will also not be leading the team to a winning season, much less the playoffs, so what's the point in keeping him around?

It's time for Wilson to pick up the phone and line up one of the coaches who will be pounced on by large market teams at the end of the season.