SB Nation User Blog: Ron From NM

Ron's Line Notes from Rams game, '08 Season

Ron From NM — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 03:19:34 -0000

Here are my offensive line notes from the Bills' win over the Rams. It may be hard to believe but this is even longer than the post I did for the Raiders game...

Drive 1

Pass 1: 49 yards to Evans
Run 1: 20 yards by Lynch (negated by holding call) left B gap
- Peters was flagged for holding. While Brian thought it was a crappy call, Peters was, in fact, holding. He had his right hand in the DE’s jersey arm hole. He used his hold to keep the DE from turning and chasing down Lynch. While it didn’t appear that the DE was going to be able to catch Lynch without the hold, a hold it was and it killed the play.
- Dock put 95 down.
- Fowler pulled and stuffed/locked up 1 filling LB (Schouman took out the other) which helped spring Lynch for the run.
- Butler kept the DT turned away from the play.
- Walker pulled and did no particular good.
Pass 2: 6 yards to Lynch
Pass 3: Overthrow to Hardy (Edwards had him for a first down but simply missed)
- Lynch gave a pretty weak effort at chipping Peters’ guy.
Pass 4: 9 yards to Lynch
- At first blush I thought that Peters had killed the drive based on his holding penalty. However, on closer review Edwards gets the blame as he could have had the first down with an accurate pass to Hardy. The drive ended in a field goal.

Drive 1: 0 blitzes, 0 stacks

Drive 2

Run 2: 1 yard by Lynch - stacked box - left b gap
- Peters locked up Long.
- Dock pushed a LB at the second level.
- Fowler was pushed 2 yards into the backfield and into the run lane. His DT stuffed the play.
- Walker tried to pull but was too slow to keep the LB out of the play.
Pass 5: Incomplete to Evans - blitz (5)
- Fowler was pushed back into Edwards. Edwards couldn’t step into his throw and that kept him from getting the ball cleanly to Evans for a first down.
Pass 6: Incomplete to Hardy
- Hardy just couldn’t make the adjustment to it.
- At first blush I thought Edwards and/or Hardy were at fault for killing the drive based on the botched pass to Hardy. When I saw what happened on the throw to Evans, however, it became clear that Fowler was responsible. Had Edwards been able to step into the throw Evans would have had a shot at a first down before the Hardy pass.

Drive 2: 1 blitz, 1 stack

Drive 3

Run 3: 2 yards by Lynch - A gap
- Peters pulled to lead the play but didn’t block anyone.
- Butler cut (Successfully!) a LB at the second level
Pass 7: Incomplete to Evans
- This was a crap non-call. The DB pinned Evans’ right arm to his body.
Pass 8: 9 yards to Reed
- Walker got help on the play.
Run 4: 7 yards by Lynch - stacked box - right B gap
- Peters pulled and buried a LB trying to fill in the hole.
- Fowler got a one yard drive.
- Butler helped Fowler (which explains the drive…) and then locked up a LB.
- Walker started out blocking 94 well but didn’t sustain it and 94 was in on the tackle.
Run 5: 3 yards by Lynch - stacked box - left C gap
- Peters hit a LB in the second level but didn’t sustain the block and the LB almost got a TFL. Peters did come back and pick off a pursuing DE.
- Dock tried to hold the point of attack but was driven back and effectively closed the hole.
- Butler pulled and blocked no one.
Pass 9: Incomplete to Hardy - blitz (6)
- Hardy just dropped it.
Pass 10: Sack for -8 yards
- Peters was beaten cleanly. For his part, Lynch didn’t get over in time to help.
Pass 11: Incomplete to Hardy in the end zone
- Hardy lost a battle to a smaller DB.
- My initial temptation (Noticing a pattern here?) was to pin the stalled drive on Peters and the sack he allowed. However, Hardy had a shot at the reception in the end zone and didn’t come through. The Bills got a field goal.

Drive 3: 1 blitz, 2 stacks

Drive 4

Pass 12: 3 yards to Lynch
Run 6: 3 yards by Lynch - stacked box - left B gap
- Fowler fell down without blocking anyone. His LB was in on the tackle.
- Butler was driven back 3 yards and almost right into Lynch.
Pass 13: Sack for -6 yards - blitz (5)
- Walker simply ignored a blitzing DB. He pitched into Butler’s guy and let the DB zip right by him.
- Walker killed the drive which, for the first time in the game, was right in line with what I thought when watching the game in real time.

Drive 4: 1 blitz, 1 stack

Drive 5

Run 7: 4 yards by Lynch (great cutback) - right C gap
- Peters missed his block on 98 and it was almost a tackle for loss.
- Fowler hit a LB at the second level.
- Butler put down the DT at the end of the play.
- Walker went down the line but never really blocked anyone.
Pass 14: 6 yards to Lynch
- Peters tried to cut the DE and missed. To his credit (?) he did pop up quickly and look impressively agile.
Run 8: Lynch lost 4 yards - A gap (This followed a Peters offsides and a wasted time out)
- The line didn’t cause this loss. The box wasn’t stacked but the Rams dialed up a corner blitz. Jenkins didn’t even try to cut off the DB.
Pass 15: 19 yards to Reed
- Walker got help on the play.
Run 9: Jackson went nowhere - left C gap (Peters hurt on play)
- Peters pulled to lead the run wide. He tried to cut a DB and did at least get a piece of him.
- Fowler tried to pull but was stuck in traffic.
- Butler sort of cut a DT.
- Walker took out a LB at the second level.
Pass 16: Sack for -7 yards - blitz (5)
- Chambers was in but it was Walker who was beaten badly on the play.
Pass 17: Incomplete to Royal (well short of first down yardage)
- Chambers got help on the play.
- Fowler blew his block. That kept the QB from stepping up and got Edwards whacked.
- Even if Royal had gotten the ball he wouldn’t have picked up the first down. The drive was killed on the second down sack given up by Walker. That’s two for Walker.

Drive 5: 1 blitz, 1 stack

Drive 6

Run 10: Edwards fell down and tried to run - A gap
- The line did fine, the QB, well, not so much…
Pass 18: INT - miscommunication between Edwards and Evans
- Both Peters and Walker were helped on the play.
- Edwards and Evans share responsibility for killing the drive. Unless one of them steps up and says it was his fault I’m dividing the blame on them.

Drive 6: 0 blitz, 0 stack

Drive 7

Pass 19: 8 yards to Royal - juggled repeatedly…
- Peters did a really interesting dive block. It wasn’t a cut so much as a full fledged launch at the DE.
Pass 20: Incomplete to Royal - blitz (5) - the pass hit a LB instead of Royal
- Peters did a terrific job of adjusting to a blitz. He was going to block the DE but peeled off and blocked a DB coming through the B gap. That decision gave Edwards the time to get rid of the ball.
Run 11: 27 yards by Lynch: left B gap (negated by Fowler trip)
- Peters locked up a LB until Lynch was well past.
- Dock put a DE on the ground.
- Fowler tried to cut a LB and missed. It happened right in front of the ref. I thought it was a ticky-tacky call. Fowler didn’t whip his leg out, as is typical in a tripping call. Instead as he bounced off the ground his legs came up a little more than the rest of him. Was he trying to trip? Maybe. But it wasn’t worthy of a flag. A pat on the head for maybe doing something without seeming to do it, if he hadn’t been flagged, would have been more appropriate.
Pass 21: Sack - blitz (5)
- Fowler let 96 blow right past him and get the sack.
- Fowler killed the drive, not so much by the tripping penalty but due to the ugly sack he surrendered.

Drive 7: 2 blitz, 0 stack

HALFTIME

Drive 8

Run 12: 6 yards by Lynch - stacked box - A gap
- Peters let the DE go upfield and kept him there.
- Dock removed a LB from the hole.
- Fowler was taken down the line by the DT who almost made the tackle for a loss.
- Butler went to the second level and picked off a LB.
- Walker didn’t really block anyone.
- Schouman had a great block on a hole filling LB.
Run 13: 10 yards by Jackson - left B gap
- Peters did a great job of keeping Long 5 yards from the RB at all times.
- Dock hit a LB at the second level and sealed off the run lane.
- Fowler was taken for a ride by the DT but kept him out of the play.
- Butler jumped inside of Carriker and kept him 5 yards away from the RB.
- Walker pulled and very amusingly tossed a DB 5 yards.
- Evans had a nice block on another DB.
Pass 22: 3 yards to Jackson
Pass 23: Scramble for 11 yards - blitz (5)
- Edwards really didn’t have to scramble. Either all of his WRs were blanketed or Edwards just saw an opportunity to pick up a quick first down.
Run 14: 1 yard by Jackson - left C gap
- Long stunted inside. Peters shoved him into the line and sealed.
- Dock hit a LB at the second level.
- Fowler was pushed back 2 yards into the run lane.
- Walker pulled and hit a LB at the point of attack but the LB still was in on the tackle.
Pass 24: 8 yards to Reed - blitz (8!!!)
- This play was nothing but dumb luck. The Rams sent 8 and one of them had a clean shot on Edwards. The ball was tipped and quacked into Reed’s general vicinity, where he adroitly plucked it out of the air.
Run 15: 6 yards by Lynch - stacked box - right C gap
- Peters cut the DE.
- Fowler pulled and hit the LB at the 2nd level.
- Butler wrestled the DT to the ground.
- Whittle really sprang Lynch for the 6 yards by sealing the edge from his FB position.
Run 16: 9 yards by Lynch - left C gap
- Peters drove the DE 3 yards
- Fowler pulled and missed a cut (sigh) on a LB.
- Dock jumped inside of the DT and kept him 5 yards from the play.
- Walker pulled and led the run. The LB Fowler failed to cut jumped over him and then bounced off of Walker’s right shoulder. I’m not convinced that Walker was even aware that anything had touched him. Maybe a vague mosquito sort of sense or something…
Run 17: 22 yards by Jackson for TD - stacked box - A gap
- Peters turned around a LB downfield which let Jackson run by.
- Dock cut the DT giving Jackson a run lane.
- Fowler hit a LB at the second level.
- Butler let 90 beat him into the backfield but he simply ran past Jackson
Run 18: 2 yards by Jackson for 2 point conversion - stacked box - A gap
- Peters took Long 3 yards into the end zone.
- Fowler pulled and put a LB down.
- The play was wiped out by an illegal formation. Royal was covering the tackle and a WR was also on the line on the same side.
- No one killed the drive.

Drive 8: 2 blitz, 4 stack

Drive 9

Run 19: 2 yards by Lynch - A gap
- Fowler was pushed back 3 yards and into the run lane. His DT tackled Lynch and Fowler.
- Butler pulled and took a LB out of the play.
- Walker tried to cut 94 and whiffed.
Pass 25: 11 yards to Reed
Run 20: 1 yard by Jackson - right B gap
- Dock let the DT get inside of him and he made the tackle.
- Butler drove a DT 4 yards off the line.
Pass 26: No gain to Jackson - blitz (5)
Pass 27: Incomplete - blitz (6)
- Walker let his guy get to Edwards, and that hit forced the incompletion.
- Walker killed the drive.

Drive 9: 2 blitz, 0 stack

Drive 10

Pass 28: 21 yards to Schouman - blitz (5)
- It really was a pretty play. They faked a run to the left (convincing and just shoddy enough run blocking to make the LBs flow to Lynch) and Edwards rolled out and hit Schouman.
Pass 29: 6 yards to Jackson - blitz (5)
Run 21 - No gain by Lynch - left B gap
- Peters shut down Long.
- Dock helped Fowler instead of blocking 95, who stormed down the line and made the tackle for no gain.
Run 22: 11 yards by Lynch - right B gap
- Butler sealed the cutback lane.
- Walker got inside of the DE and formed the other wall of the run lane.
Pass 30: 39 yards to Evans for a TD - blitz (5)
- Walker got help on the play.
- The ball went 40+ yards in the air and hit Evans in stride.
Pass 31: 2 yards to Evans for 2 point conversion
- Edwards wanted to go to Hardy but he was covered and right next to the sideline. He instead came off of Hardy and hit Evans in the back of the end zone.
- No one killed the drive.

Drive 10: 3 blitz, 0 stack

Drive 11

Run 23: 11 yard by Lynch - stacked box - right C gap
- Butler chipped Fowler’s guy and then took out a LB.
Run 24: SNAFU for -5 yards - stacked box - A gap
- Lynch ran into Edwards (or the other way around). By the time they had gotten things sorted out they were underneath a pile of blue jerseys.
Run 25: 9 yards by Jackson - left C gap
- Peters cut a filling LB.
- Dock sealed the edge to let Jackson get around the end.
- Butler got inside of the DT and kept him 5 yards from the RB.
- Walker pulled and never got in front of Jackson.
Run 26: 3 yards by Lynch - right B gap
- Dock made a pathetic attempt to cut 97. His guy got to Lynch and made the tackle. Lynch had a lot of green in front of him and would have certainly gotten the first down.
- Butler walled off the DT and put him on the ground.
- Chambers was in for a play and didn’t drool on himself.
- Dock killed the drive, which netted a field goal, by missing the cut on 97.

Drive 11: 0 blitz, 2 stack

Drive 12

Run 27: Lynch lost 3 yards - stacked box - A gap
- Dock and Fowler took the DT 3 yards off the line but it just didn’t matter.
Run 28: Lynch went for no gain - stacked box - C gap
- Peters missed his block at the second level.
- Dock fell down, literally, and blocked no one.
- Fowler missed a LB at the second level.
- Walker pulled and went wide and missed a block on a DB… who sent Lynch away from the line of scrimmage.
Run 29: 3 yards by Jackson - stacked box - B gap
- Dock sealed Long inside and made a run lane.
- Fowler took a LB out of the run lane.
- Walker pulled and got nowhere near to being in front of the play.
- The drive was killed by Jauron. He was content to run 3 times and take time off the clock.

Drive 12: 0 blitz, 3 stack (surprise...)

Drive 13

3 straight kneel downs. Game over.

I was expecting to see the Rams ramp up the pressure and they didn’t disappoint. They blitzed on 13 of 31 pass plays (once sending 8), or 41.9% of the time. The Rams stacked the box on 13 of 29 runs, or 44.8% of the time. While watching the game on Sunday I thought the Rams were pressuring the Bills more than they actually were. It turned out that the Bills offensive linemen kept taking turns screwing up. Runs 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 14, 16, 19, 20, 21, 26, 28 (48.4% of run plays) each had a letdown by at least one lineman. Pass plays were less erratic, with screw ups on passes 5, 10, 13, 16, 17, 21, and 27 (22.6% of pass plays). Against a good team, that kind of wild inconsistency won’t fly. For the young season, Edwards has been blitzed 32 of 139 (23%) of pass plays. The Bills have faced 8 in the box on 46 of 113 (40.7%) of run plays. Defenses just aren’t respecting Buffalo’s willingness to go deep. Perhaps Evans’ increasing yardage and touchdown totals will convince them to stop playing a safety in the box…

The Bills ran 5 times through the left C gap for 22 yards (4.4 ypa), 7 times through the left B gap for 64 yards (9.1 ypa), 9 times through the A gap for 22 yards (2.4 ypa), 4 times for 22 yards through the right B gap (5.5 ypa) and 4 times for 21 yards (5.3 ypa) through the right C gap. True, 27 yards were negated by penalties in the left B gap. That would drop it down to 5 runs for 37 yards (7.4 ypa), which is still impressive. In the first quarter of the season, the Bills have run 18 times for 101 yards (5.6 ypa) in the left C gap, 23 times for 115 yards (5.0 ypa) in the left B gap, 40 times (!) for 121 yards (3.0 ypa) in the A gap, 14 times for 53 yards (3.8 ypa) in the right B gap and 18 times for 66 yards (3.7 ypa) in the right C gap. Buffalo has been committed this year to running in the A gap, even though the numbers show that the team has a hard time doing it effectively. (I blame Fowler.) It’s also easy to see why the Bills like to run left - 5 yards per attempt! Think about that for a minute. The Bills have had amazing success running left with a converted right tackle, a back up swing tackle and a left tackle who took 8 months off.

Peters had 6 good run plays, 18 decent ones, 4 bad ones and 1 killed play. He had 1 good pass play, 27 decent ones, 1 bad one and no killed pass plays. He gave up 1 sack. For the first quarter of the season Peters has had 17 good run plays, 46 decent ones, 12 bad ones and 3 killed run plays. That comes out to 76.3% on run plays, down from 76.9% from last season. He’s had 3 good pass plays, 85 decent ones, 8 bad ones and 5 killed plays. He grades out at 73.6% on pass plays. He’s given up 4 sacks this season and has dropped from 74.5% on pass plays. Peters is statistically down across the board.

Dock had 5 good run plays, 18 decent ones, 5 bad ones and 1 killed play. He had 31 decent pass plays, no good or bad ones and no killed plays. For this quarter of the season, Dock has had 20 good run plays, 85 decent ones, 7 bad ones and 1 killed play. That grades out as 77.3%, up from 76.8% last season. He has had 2 good pass plays, 135 decent ones, 2 bad ones and 1 killed play. That comes out at a flat 75%, slightly above the 74.5% from last season. He has yet to give up a sack this season. Dock has been the model of consistency.

Fowler had 2 good run plays, 18 decent ones, 8 bad ones and 1 killed play. He had no good pass plays, 27 decent ones, 4 bad ones and 2 killed plays, one of which was a sack. For the first quarter of the season, he has 12 good run plays, 69 decent ones, 31 bad ones and 5 killed plays. This grades out as an appalling 71.6%, down from 72.5% last season. He has had no good pass plays, 128 decent ones, 11 bad ones and 4 killed plays. He has given up 1 sack this season. I’ve been on the "Dump Fowler Bandwagon" for quite some time and I’m clearing more room. Anyone else want to pile on board?

Butler had 8 good run plays, 17 decent ones, 3 bad ones and 1 killed play. He had no good or bad pass plays, 31 decent ones and no killed plays. For the first quarter of the season, he has had 29 good run plays, 69 decent ones, 12 bad ones and 3 killed plays. That comes out to 78.1%, up a tad from the 77.9% he posted on run plays last season. He has 5 good pass plays, 129 decent ones, 4 bad ones, and 1 killed play. That comes out to 75.2%, up a bit from the 74.7% last year. He’s given up 1 sack. I thought Butler was the best lineman the Bills had last season and he still is.

Walker had 4 good run plays, 19 decent ones, 4 bad ones and no killed plays. He had no good pass plays, 28 decent ones, 3 bad ones, 3 killed plays and gave up 2 sacks. For the first quarter of the year, Walker has 10 good run plays, 91 decent ones, 10 bad ones and 1 killed play. That comes out to an even 75%, down a bit from 75.8% from last season. He’s had 1 good pass play, 126 decent ones, 11 bad ones, and 3 killed plays. That comes out to 73.6%, down from 74.3% last season. Given that he’s played both tackle positions that’s not half bad. Giving up 2 sacks in a game? That’s more than half bad.

So, what can we expect from the Cardinals? More pressure. Blitzing Edwards 41.9% of the time didn’t do the job for St. Louis, so my guess is that the Cardinals see how things go if they blitz 55%-60% of the time. The Raiders and Rams contained the Bills’ run game when they stacked the box between 45%-50% of the time so look for the Cardinals to do the same. Let’s hope that Edwards and Evans can make them pay early and often. That’s the only way that the Bills can force the Cardinals defense to play honestly.

Poll

How much heat will the Cardinals bring on Sunday?

Interesting side action during Rams game

Ron From NM — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 22:57:45 -0000

Chris Brown at buffalobills.com is reporting (that Peter King reported) that Rams head coach Scott Linehan will get the boot if the Rams lose to the Bills on Sunday. From the soundbites that have been dribbling out of St Louis over the past week, it sounds like Linehan has lost the team. Could the team decide to dump Linehan by way of a shoddy (moreso than usual) performance?

Poll

Will the Rams lay down in order to get their coach fired?

Notes from the line--Raiders....this is really long

Ron From NM — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 04:07:56 -0000

I was able to keep up with the comments on the in-game thread for much of the first half (at which point it started dragged and slowed down my stat feed from nfl.com) and there appeared to be much discussion about the offensive line. More to the point, the comments were along the line of, “The line sucks today!” I wasn’t on the thread later in the game but I’m guessing that the line was viewed more favorably as the game went along. I noticed some things which might explain what happened. The bits about the linemen below reflect good or bad things they did on plays.

Drive 1

Run 1 (Lynch) went for 3 yards through the right C gap. Dock did a great job on 93 and drove him 4 yards. Butler did a great job on 61, turning him completely out of the play.

Pass 1 was an incomplete to Lynch. You can argue that he dropped it, that Edwards threw it too hard or both. Either way, Butler let 93 hit Edwards and made him hurry the throw.

Pass 2 was a sack. Edwards had 3 seconds to get rid of the ball but seemingly nowhere to go. Peters didn’t stick with his block and his guy made the sack. Walker was bull rushed back to Edwards.

Peters and Walker combined to kill the play and the drive with poor pass blocking.

Blitzes: 0

Stacked box: 0

Drive 2

Run 2 (Lynch) went for 1 yard. Fowler put a DT down (Yes, really.) and Butler drove a DT 3 yards. It was an A gap run and the Raiders had 8 in the box.

Run 3 (Lynch) went for 9 yards. It was a left B gap run. Dock drove a LB 5 yards. Fowler was shoved 3 yards into the backfield and Butler tried to cut a guy and missed.

Run 4 (Lynch) went for 8 yards through the left C gap. The Raiders had 8 in the box. All of the linemen were decent on the play. Barnes, on the other hand, hit 57 but he still made the tackle

Run 5 (Lynch) went for 2 yards through the right C gap. All of the linemen were decent on the play. It looked uncomfortably like last year’s blocking scheme, the one which tried to compensate for Fowler’s lack of push.

Pass 3 went to Royal for 5 yards. All of the linemen were decent on the play. The Raiders blitzed 7.

Pass 4 went to Jackson for 1 yard. All of the linemen were decent on the play. The Raiders blitzed 6.

Pass 5 was overthrown to Parrish. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Edwards killed the drive with his inaccurate pass.

Blitzes 2

Stacked box: 2

Drive 3

Run 6 (Lynch) went for no gain through the A gap. Butler was pushed back by 90, who was in on the tackle. Walker tried to block 93 but never could get a handle on him and 93 was in on the tackle as well. The Raiders had 8 in the box.

Pass 6 was an INC to Royal, specifically a drop. All of the linemen were decent on the play. The Raiders blitzed 7.

Pass 7 was a 1 yard sack. The Raiders blitzed 5. All of the linemen were decent on the play. Comments on the boards at the time were along the lines of Walker standing around letting Edwards get smacked. Well, if you go back and watch the play you’ll see that Walker instantly engages 56 with Butler. Lynch missed (badly) the blitz pick up on the DB.

Lynch killed the drive by letting the DB cream Edwards.

Blitzes: 2

Stacked box: 1

Drive 4

Pass 8 was the desperation flip to Barnes that went for 26 yards. The Raiders blitzed 5. Fowler was beaten badly on the play, which forced Edwards to move up and into a crunching hit. Barnes chipped Walker’s guy on the way out into the flat.

Pass 9 was dropped by Lynch. The Raiders blitzed 5. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Run 7 (Lynch) went for -1 yards in the right C gap. Fowler was shoved back 4 yards into Lynch.

Pass 10 was thrown away while Edwards ran for his life. Peters put in a pathetic effort. Lynch helped Walker put 56 down.

The drive was killed by Peters’ failure to even slow down the DE.

Blitzes: 2

Stacked box: 0

Drive 5 (after Russell fumble)

Pass 11 went to Barnes for 9 yards, who fumbled when he was tackled. In a rare positive bounce for the Bills the ball went out of bounds. On the plus side Barnes did a nice hurdle. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Run 8 (Lynch) went for no gain in the left C gap. He could have had the first down if he had taken the plunge into the line instead of dancing. The Raiders put 8 in the box. Fowler tried to block a LB but really only pushed him into Lynch.

Run 9 (Lynch) went 14 yards for a TD through the left C gap. Peters pulled wide and wiped out 2 LBs.

No one killed the drive.

Blitzes 0

Stacked box 2

Drive 6

Run 10 (Jackson) went for 10 yards through the left C gap. The Raiders had 8 in the box. All of the linemen were decent on the play. Barnes hit a LB, who got around him but never caught up with the play.

Run 11 (Jackson) went for 5 yards through the A gap. The Raiders had 8 in the box and, just for good measure, were offsides. Peters put 57 down. Barnes hit 53 and moved him out of the way!

Run 12 (Jackson) went for no gain through the right B gap. Butler tried to cut a DT and missed. Fowler was shoved aside by 61.

Pass 12 went to Royal for 5 yards. Dock allowed 61 to hit Edwards as soon as he let go of the ball.

Run 13 (Lynch) went for 1 yard through the right B gap. Peters didn’t block anyone. He went to the 2nd level and missed a LB who got in on the tackle. Fowler turned 61 out of the hole. Butler drove 93 3 yards off the ball.

Pass 13 was overthrown to Reed and went 45 yards in the air. The Raiders blitzed 7. Barnes picked up 1 of them and Jackson took another out. Butler put a blitzing DB down.

Pass 14 was overthrown to Evans, who had slipped and was held. All of the linemen were decent on the play. Jackson chipped Peters’ guy.

Pass 15 was a sack, strip, and lost fumble. Peters was beaten like a rented mule by 58 who got the sack and strip. Walker was beaten on an inside move by 56.

Peters killed the drive

Blitzes: 1

Stacked box: 2

Drive 7

Pass 16 went to Reed for 7 yards. Peters was out and Chambers was in for him. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Run 14 (Lynch) went for 1 yard through the left C gap. Fowler locked up a LB and took him 8 yards upfield.

Pass 17 was incomplete to Evans. Chambers was still in. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Pass 18 was a 4th down shovel pass to Lynch and went for 5 yards. Chambers chipped 61 and locked up 58. Walker ignored 56 who should have had a tackle for loss. (There was no one else to pick up 56 so Walker should have blocked him.)

Pass 19 went to Evans for 7 yards who then fumbled. Walker was thrown to the ground like a rag doll by a LB.

Evans killed the drive.

Blitzes: 0

Stacked box: 0

Drive 8 (right after the half)

Pass 20 went to Evans for 34 yards. Peters was back in the game. Butler didn’t let the DT elevate.

Run 15 (Lynch) went for 4 yards through the left B gap. Peters got no push and the LB he was blocking got in on the tackle. The Raiders had 8 in the box. Schouman gamely hit a LB who paused briefly and then kept right on going.

Run 16 (Jackson) went for 6 yards. Jackson lined up as the QB. Fowler got a 2 yard push and Butler put a DT down.

Pass 21 was INC to Schouman. Peters pushed a LB upfield but let him hit Edwards. Walker let 93 get past him and hurry the throw.

Run 17 (Jackson) went for 7 yards through the right C gap. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Run 18 (Lynch) went for no gain through the right C gap. The Raiders had 8 in the box. Peters had a great cut on 98. Butler turned 61 every which way but loose. Walker blocked 90 and then went upfield to hit a LB. Lynch had a lane to the left thanks to the Peters block but went right and didn’t get the first down.

Lynch killed the drive, which netted a missed field goal attempt.

Blitzes: 0

Stacked box: 2

Drive 9 (began at the 6” line)

Run 19 (Lynch) went for no gain through the right C gap. Fowler damn near caused a safety when he was driven 2 yards into the backfield. The Raiders had 8 in the box.

Pass 22 went to Evans, who coughed it up again. You can try to say he was down but an impartial observer would probably say he never had possession. The Raiders blitzed 5. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Evans killed the drive with his fumble.

Blitzes: 1

Stacked box: 1

Drive 10

Run 20 (Lynch) went for 12 yards on a pitch through the right C gap. The Raiders had 8 in the box. Fowler tried to cut a LB and missed. Walker pulled way to the outside and took out a LB at the point of attack.

Run 21 (Lynch) went for 2 yards through the A gap. All of the linemen were decent on the play. Lynch had a lane to the right on the outside.

Pass 23 was a throw away. Walker let 56 beat him to the inside and force the throw away.

Pass 24 went to Evans for 38 yards. Evans pushed off and didn’t need to. Peters was knocked down by a LB who almost got a sack.

Pass 25 went to Lynch for 3 yards. Chambers was in for Walker. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Evans killed the drive with his stupid and completely unnecessary penalty.

Blitzes: 0

Stacked box: 0

Drive 11 (the one we like to think about)

Pass 26 turned into a 5 yard scramble. Before Edwards took off, Butler kept a DT from elevating.

Run 22 (Lynch) went for no gain through the left B gap. Peters drove a DE out of the rushing lane while Dock sealed the other side. Butler pulled and took out a LB in the hole. 3 good blocks and a killed play? Blame Schouman. His poor block let his guy make the tackle.

Pass 27 went to Lynch for 6 yards. Lynched chipped Peters’ guy on his way out of the backfield. Dock stoned his guy. Butler took his guy 5 yards past the QB. Walker’s guy almost had a sack.

Pass 28 went to Royal for 5 yards. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Pass 29 went to Lynch for 16 yards. All of the linemen were decent on the play. Schouman chipped Walker’s guy.

Run 23 (Jackson) went for 3 yards through the right B gap. The Raiders had 8 in the box.

Pass 30 was INC to Jackson and was tipped, which negated a pass interference call. All of the linemen were decent on the play. I found it irritating that the refs gave the Raiders’ coaches 2 extra minutes to decide whether to challenge it or not.

Pass 31 went to Reed for 7 yards. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Pass 32 went to Evans for 16 yards. Dock was holding.

Pass 33 was INC to Schouman. Edwards threw it too hard and Schouman couldn’t handle it. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Pass 34 went to Royal for 18 yards. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Pass 35 went to Parrish for 11 yards. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Pass 36 was INC to Evans. It was a miscommunication. The Raiders blitzed 7. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Pass 37 went to Reed for 18 yards. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Run 24 (Lynch) went for 4 yards through the A gap. The Raiders had 8 in the box. Fowler tried to cut a LB but missed and the LB was in on the tackle. Butler sealed 90 away from the play.

Pass 38 went to Reed for 7 yards and set up the Bills at the 3. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Run 25 (Lynch) went 3 yards through the A gap for a TD. The Raiders had 8 in the box. Peters took the DE 4 yards into the end zone. Butler pulled and led the way into the end zone. Walker tried to cut a DE and missed.

No one killed the awesome 17 play drive, not even Dock and his holding penalty.

Blitzes: 1

Stacked box: 3

Drive 12

Pass 39 was a badly thrown INC to Parrish. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Pass 40 was a scramble that went for 3 yards. The Raiders blitzed 5. All of the linemen were decent on the play. Lynch had a nice blitz pick up.

Pass 41 went to Reed for 22 yards. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Pass 42 was INC to Hardy. He dropped it. That’s no way to earn more playing time. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Pass 43 went to Evans for 13 yards. Fowler let the DT hit Edwards after he threw the ball.

Pass 44 went to Evans for 16 yards. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Pass 45 went to Parrish for 14 yards and a TD. The Raiders blitzed 5. 90 blew past Fowler and creamed Edwards. Lynch whiffed on a blitz pick up which let 53 also hit Edwards.

No one killed the drive.

Blitzes: 2

Stacked box: 0

Drive 13

Pass 46 went to Reed for 16 yards. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Pass 47 went to Parrish for 11 yards. All of the linemen were decent on the play.

Run 26 (Lynch) went for 7 yards through the A gap. Butler sealed the DT away from the play. Fowler was driven back so far that the DT actually went past the play.

Run 27 (Lynch) went for 8 yards through the left B gap. Dock got enough of 93 to keep him out of the play. Fowler got enough of a LB to keep him out of the play.

Run 28 (Lynch) went for 5 yards through the left B gap. Butler pulled and crushed a LB in the hole. Peters locked up 98 who got in on the tackle but only after 5 yards.

Run 29 (Lynch) went for no gain through the A gap. The Raiders had 8 in the box. Butler drove the DT before smacking the LB. Fowler killed the play when the DT threw him aside and made the tackle.

The end of the game (and winning field goal) killed the drive.

Blitzes: 0

Stacked box: 1

If you weren’t keeping track, Peters killed 2.5 drives, Walker 0.5, Edwards 1, Lynch 2, Evans 3 and the end of the game killed another. The other 3 ended in TDs. Peters had 7 good run plays, 19 decent ones, 2 bad ones, and no killed plays. He had no good pass plays, 39 decent ones, 5 bad ones and 3 killed pass plays. Dock had 4 good run plays, 24 decent ones, 1 bad ones, and no killed plays. He had 1 good pass play, 44 decent ones, 2 bad ones and 1 killed pass play. Fowler had 5 good run plays, 15 decent ones, 9 bad ones, and 2 killed plays. He had no good pass plays, 44 decent ones, 3 bad ones and no killed pass plays. Butler had 10 good run plays, 16 decent ones, 3 bad ones, and no killed plays. He had 5 good pass plays, 42 decent ones, 1 bad one and no killed pass plays. Walker had 3 good run plays, 23 decent ones, 3 bad ones, and 1 killed play. He had 1 good pass play, 38 decent ones, 7 bad ones and 2 killed pass plays. Chambers had no good run plays, 1 decent one, no bad ones and no killed run plays. He had 1 good pass play, 4 decent ones, no bad ones and no killed pass plays.

Buffalo had 5 left C gap runs for 33 yards (6.6 ypa), 5 left B gap runs for 26 yards (5.2 ypa), 9 A gap runs for 28 yards (3.1 ypa), 3 right B gap runs for 4 yards (1.3 ypa), and 7 right C gap runs for 23 yards (3.3 ypa).

Barnes isn't a very good blocker but Schouman isn't very impressive either. Buffalo needs to get better play from the FB/HB position.

Overall, Buffalo faced blitzes on 11 of 47 (23.4%) pass plays and stacked boxes on 15 of 29 (51.7%) runs On the Bills’ 3 TD drives the Raiders blitzed a total of 3 times and stacked the box 5 times on those 27 plays. By way of comparison, on the Bills’ first 28 plays (drives 1 through 6), the Raiders blitzed a total of 7 times and stacked the box 7 times. Teams are going to notice that the Bills (and their gun cleaning fans) were frustrated when the Raiders pressured the offense 50% of plays (14 of the first 28 plays). Opposing teams will also notice that Edwards went on a tear when the offense was pressured only 29.6% (8 total on those 27 plays) of the time. Look for the Rams to sell out at the line of scrimmage something north of 50% of the time next week. Edwards may torch them but, hey, when you’re playing for the top draft choice why not go out in a blaze of glory?

Normally I wouldn't have time to do all of this on a Sunday anyway but I'll do it when I can as these observations might bear on the discussions during the week. In any case, I doubt I format my notes like this again. It takes forever to type and I’m a lazy, lazy man.

Poll

How will the Rams play the Bills?

Notes from the line

Ron From NM — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 14:32:37 -0000

With Jacksonville’s top 2 receivers and entire interior line on the bench the defense got to play against a depleted Jags offense (#29). The Bills’ offense, on the other hand, got to face one of the better defenses (#13 at the moment but likely to rise) in the league. Here are my observations.

Welcome back, Jason Peters. Now that that’s been said, the guy really hurt his team by his prolonged and futile absence. His inability to stay on the field the entire game led to a bizarre game of musical tackles. He had 4 good run plays (2, 6, 7, 20), 9 decent ones, 6 bad run plays (9, 12, 13, 18, 22, 26) and killed 2 (18, 22). Peters had 2 good pass plays (1, 8), 19 decent ones, 2 bad ones (16, 17) and 1 killed play (17). Highlights include crushing a LB (run 6) and driving a DE 5 yards off the ball (run 7) as well as tossing a DE 4 yards like a rag doll (pass 1) and flattening a DE who was trying to elevate into a passing lane (pass 8). Lowlights include being beaten like a drum down the line by the DE who made a tackle for loss or no gain (runs 18, 22) and, most notably, letting the DE fly past him to sack and strip Edwards of the ball (pass 17). While it may have been the sort of performance we should expect from a guy who hasn’t played a down since December that rationalization doesn’t excuse it. Let’s hope Peters gets back in the swing of things quickly.

Dockery, on the other hand, had a great game. He had no bad plays. At all. He had 8 good run plays (1, 6, 7, 10, 13, 15, 20, 26) and 19 decent ones. He had 1 good pass play (15) and 28 decent ones. He graded out at 80.9% on run plays! I think that’s the highest grade I’ve ever seen for a Buffalo lineman. I think that’s terrific for a hot, hot day in Florida. Add to it that he spent much of the day across from Henderson and it’s hard not to be impressed. Highlights include putting Henderson down (runs 1, 10, 26), and obliterating LBs (runs 7, 15), shoving a LB 5 yards (pass 15) on a screen. If Dock puts together a few more games like this he won’t have to buy a ticket to the Pro Bowl this year.

Fowler really surprised me for the first drive of the game. I was giddily thinking that I was going to have to write a lot of nice things about him. And then the he played the rest of the game in typical Fowleresque fashion. He ended the game with 3 good run plays (2, 4, 6—all on the first drive), 15 decent ones, 9 bad run plays (5, 7, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22) and no killed plays. He had no good pass plays, 26 decent ones, 3 bade ones (6, 7, 13) and 1 killed play (13). Highlights include wrestling Henderson to the ground (run 2), taking a LB out of the hole (run 4) and turning the DT out of the hole (run 6—TD). Lowlights include a miserable 5 play stretch of run plays (stood up by LBs, DTs and his guy often in on tackle) and blowing a block (pass 13) which forced a quick and inaccurate throw….leading to a punt.

Butler had an amazingly uneven game. His performance leveled out later in the game but most of his early run plays were either really bad or really good. It was a disappointing showing from one of the Bills’ most consistent players. He finished the game with 7 good run plays (1, 4, 6, 10, 11, 16, 26), 12 decent ones, 6 bad run plays (2, 5, 7, 8, 14, 25) and 2 killed plays (5, 7). He had no good pass plays, 25 decent ones, 2 killed pass plays (7, 21), and 1 killed play (7). Highlights include turning #92 in a circle when #92 clearly didn’t want to go in a circle (run 1), driving a DT 4 yards off the ball (run 4), putting a DT down (run 10) and putting a DE down (run 16). Lowlights include completely whiffing on a cut attempt on a DE (run 2), holding while simultaneously blowing the block (run 5), being driven to the ground by the DT (run 7), giving up a sack (pass 7) and letting the QB take a vicious shot (pass 21).

Walker had a steady and, considering he was asked to flop back and forth from RT to LT throughout the game whenever Peters needed a rest, commendable game. He had 3 good run plays (3, 4, 18), 23 decent ones, 1 bad run play (2) and no killed plays. He had no good pass plays, 29 decent ones, and no bad pass plays. Highlights include engulfing a LB (run 3), turning a DE around and driving him 5 yards upfield (run 3), and taking a hapless LB 8 yards upfield (run 18). Lowlights were limited to being bounced by 2 yards by the DE while Walker tried to head down the line (run 2). Peters owes Walker a Coke.

Chambers got to spend some time on the field (14 snaps) because Peters needed repeated breaks and he didn’t embarrass himself. He had 1 good run play (17), 6 decent ones, 1 bad one (14) and no killed plays. He was decent for each of his 6 pass plays. His highlight (run 17) was to chip the DE and then take out a LB at the 2nd level while his lowlight (run 14) was a whiff on a cut attempt. Chambers faced some stiff competition and responded reasonably well, even very well if you consider that he’s a backup.

Butler went out of the game for part of a series so Preston got 3 snaps (runs 23, 24 and pass 25). He did decently on each of them.

I instituted a Barnes Watch largely because I’ve been thoroughly unimpressed by the FB. On run 2 he didn’t block anyone, run 4 he tried to cut #93 and missed completely, and run 5 he tried to cut a DB and whiffed again. On run 13 he finally hit a DE before again blocking no one on runs 15 and 18. He hit a DE away from the play on run 20 and hit a LB on runs 22, 25 and 26. On run 25 Barnes was holding but wasn’t flagged…which would have put Buffalo out of FG range. If you’re keeping score Barnes was 5 for 10 on actually making contact with Jaguars’ players on run plays. That’s just pathetic. Where’s Viti?

The Bills ran 4 times to the left C gap at 5.5 ypa, 4 times to the left B gap at 0.75 ypa, 11 times to the A gap for 3.8 ypa, 5 times to the right B gap for 3.8 ypa and 3 times to the right C gap for -0.33 ypa. I know that some people don’t like that Jauron keeps hammering the ball on the ground when it’s obviously not working very well but I, for one, appreciate that he sticks to it. The Bills never wore the Jags defense down but the 75 yards rushing were enough to keep them from going into their nickel.

I also know that many people are really excited at how well Edwards has done. Well, something to consider is that—for the second consecutive week—he was blitzed only 12.5% of pass plays. Granted, the Jags’ front 4 was capable of generating pressure without help from LBs or DBs but Edwards still had plenty of time to make decisions. One of his sacks, for example, was 3.5 seconds after the snap. Also, for the second week in a row the Bills’ run game wasn’t facing a stacked box. The Jags had 8 or more defenders in the box on only 8 of 27 (29.6%) of run plays, 4 of which were at the end of the game.

So, what can we expect from the Raiders? First, I anticipate that they will blitz Edwards. Sitting back in coverage hasn’t worked for the Seahawks or Jaguars. Plus, the Raiders have one of the best CBs in the league along with Deangelo Hall. I think they’ll blitz LBs while the CBs sit on short routes hoping for a panic induced INT. Going right along with that, unless Edwards airs it out early and often I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Raiders keep 8 in the box much more regularly on run plays. Buffalo has played better than the Raiders to this point in the season and has a more talented roster. However, the Raiders can cause Buffalo all sorts of problems if they employ a creative defensive scheme.

Poll

2nd Barnes Poll. What are your thoughts 2 games in?

Runs going wide and the wishbone

Ron From NM — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:30:39 -0000

This started out as a reply to a question killascript asked ("Any thoughts on how are line might do with pitch-outs or sweeps to the outside? That is something I haven’t seen much from our team. And, while you may have included this elsewhere, what is your take on the “wishbone” formation and its effects on the line?") on Wednesday. I didn't have time earlier to give him an answer so here goes:

The Bills sent 8 of 28 (28%) runs against Seattle outside of the tackles. The team averaged 6.0 off left tackle and 5.7 off right tackle. Add that to the fairly pedestrian 3.1 average in the A gaps and it's fairly easy to see where the Bills are more effective. Look for Buffalo to continue to run wide, though I don't recall seeing any pitch outs so far this season. The percentage of C-gap runs will likely increase to at least 33%, though I hope that Turk won't abandon A-gap runs. Even with Fowler's limitations the Bills have simply got to be able to run it up the gut.

The Bills used the wishbone formation three times in the Seattle game. Run 9 (Jackson-6 yards), run 10 (Jackson-3 yards) and run 20 (Lynch-no gain) all had Barnes (left) and Schouman (right) in the backfield. I think the Bills would have averaged better than 3.0 on the wishbone plays if Barnes and Schouman were better blockers. On run 20, for example, Schouman collided with a gap filling LB. It was a great sounding pop...but the LB kept on going and made the tackle. Previously (not on a wishbone play) Barnes attempted to cut (Cut? WTF? He's a FB not a WR!) a LB and missed. I haven't spent enough time watching him but he just doesn't seem like the sort of hard nosed, smash mouth FB we were all hoping for when Buffalo resurrected the position.

Poll

What are your impressions of Barnes so far?

Seahawks Observations

Ron From NM — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 00:03:41 -0000

I’ve got to say that I really liked Boselli as the color guy during the game. He calls attention to linemen and has a generally upbeat attitude. Unlike Tony Kornholio, he was focusing on what Seattle could do to show improvement instead of repeatedly bleating that the game was over. Anyway, on to the linemen.

Walker did better than I thought he would, particularly as he was helped on exactly one pass play. Oddly enough, it was a play where he was slow to get up… He had 26 decent runs, 2 bad ones (3, 17) and no killed runs. He had 31 decent pass plays, 1 bad one and no killed pass plays. He didn’t kill any drives. The faster guys gave him a little trouble but nowhere near as much as I would have thought.

Dock had a good game. He had 3 good run plays (1, 4, 14), 24 decent ones and 1 bad (8) play and no killed run plays. He was very solid in pass protection and was decent on all 32 passes. (The Moorman pass didn’t count.) I’m not sure why but he pulled more often than he has in the past.

Fowler had a Fowleresque game. He had 2 good run plays (15, 21), 21 decent ones, 5 bad ones (2, 5, 8, 17, 20) and killed two runs (2, 17). He was okay in pass protection with 31 decent pass plays, 1 bad one (33) and 1 killed play (33). Had Fowler picked up the blitzing LB instead of just reaching out to grab him Edwards would have had another second or two to find a guy beyond the line of scrimmage. As it was Edwards was forced to hit Parrish for a short gain. Fowler’s 6 combined bad plays are almost as many as the bad plays for every other lineman combined—7. Some have defended Fowler by arguing that centers regularly have trouble with 3-4 DTs. Well, Fowler once again couldn’t handle 4-3 DTs.

Butler had a good game as well. He had 4 good runs (3, 7, 14, 16), 24 decent ones, no bad runs and no killed run plays. He had 31 decent pass plays, 1 bad one (22) and no killed plays.

Chambers had a terrific game for a guy from whom almost nothing was expected. He had 27 decent run plays, 1 bad one (3), and no killed run plays. He had 31 decent pass plays, 1 bad pass play (2) and 1 killed pass play (2). Leaving Kearny for Lynch was just a really bad decision. Overall, though, he filled in better than is expected from a back up tackle.

I saw confirmation of something that I saw flashes of in the pre-season—the return of A-gap runs. Of the 28 runs, 4 went to the left C-gap (6.0 ypa), 7 to the left B-gap (3.1 ypa), 11 to the A-gap (3.1 ypa), 2 to the right B-gap (4.0 ypa) and 4 to the right C-gap (5.7 ypa). Some of the runs were cutbacks that were meant to go elsewhere but many actually appeared to be designed to go up the middle. Yes, if you take out the 19 yard TD run the ypa for the A-gap runs is a little less than 1.0 but the team was at least trying. That couldn’t be said last season so I’m guessing that it’s Turk’s influence on the offense.

The Seahawks, for whatever reason, blitzed only 4 times (12.5%) and had 8 or more in the box on 10 run plays (35.7%). I’m not sure why they exerted so little pressure on a 2nd year QB and a reshuffled offensive line. For our part, what happened to Hardy? He seems like the perfect guy to have on the field at the end of the game when you’re trying to kill the clock.

Edwards killed 4 drives, coaching killed 3, Fowler killed 2, half/end of game killed 2, Evans killed 1, Parrish killed 1, and 3 drives ended in TDs.

Suspensions being handed down

Ron From NM — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:52:57 -0000

With Lynch having dodged the suspension bullet we will soon know whether Parrish is equally fortunate. The commish is handing out suspensions for misdeeds committed this summer and it has left me wondering.

Hagan was suspended. Did that play a role in his release at the start of the preseason? If so, how would Buffalo have known? Does the league let teams know officially or is there an underchannel that lets teams know that it might be a good time to let so-and-so walk?

Also, we had talked about Pettigout earlier in teh offseason. Well, he's suspended, too.

Rank Speculation

Ron From NM — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 03:43:11 -0000

The first of the cuts will take place early next week, Tuesday I believe. Like every other team the Bills will have to release 5 guys. Normally, teams cut guys that have no real shot at making the final roster. However, sometimes teams cut a guy who at least theoretically might be able to make the final roster somewhere else. I am speculating that Dick Jauron is the sort of coach who would let a player go early (instead of cutting him on the eve of the season) in order to give that guy a chance to catch on somewhere else. Anthony Thomas, to whom Jauron had shown a degree of loyalty, would have been an ideal candidate had the team not parted ways with him early in the offseason. With Thomas gone, I'm curious if everyone (anyone? Buhler? Buhler?) has any guesses as to who the hpothetical 'guy' might be. Here are my candidates:

Courtney Anderson: not too likely given the injury to Schouman

Ashton Youboty: he's had an uneven preseason though he's shown some flashes

Will James: like Youboty he's had some good and bad moments

Duke Preston: Levy called him out and he responded by being benched

Dwayne Wright: has Omon made Butterfingers expendable?

I'm sure you've noticed that the list doesn't include the likes of Jefferson, Nau or Fitzpatrick. What would be the point? We all know they're getting cut. I'm just wondering if we'll have any eyebrow rasing cuts on Tuesday...

Poll

Who, if anyone, might be a surprise cut on Tuesday?

Notes From The Line--Steelers

Ron From NM — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 17:34:13 -0000

It looks like I'm not going to have time to go through the games to analyze the line until Friday afternoons or Saturdays this season. Last season I was typically able to do it on Sundays and sometimes even have the write up done by the end of the day. It would be better to have it done on Sunday (or Monday at the latest) as that allows info about the line to be added to everyone's take on the game as a whole but I now work on Sunday nights. Enough whining. I'll talk about the Bills' DTs first because it's much shorter than the offensive line bit.

Stroud and Williams were on the field for runs 1, 2, 5 and 6. Williams drew a single lineman each time while Stroud was doubled on all but the 2nd run. Stroud made them pay. He shed his block and ran down Willie Parker (!) from behind for a short gain. While the Steelers clearly didn't game plan for the Bills they knew Stroud well enough to double him on runs 75% of the time. When doubled, by the way, Stroud *can* be moved. In fact on the first running play he was moved all the way back to where the Bills huddle was going to be on the next play. It took the guard and center (Hartwick, not Mahan who graded very well against Buffalo last year and played with the 2nd unit....man, a trade would be great) to do it allowing other defenders to fill and stop the play for no gain. When Stroud is in the game, watch him at the snap. If two guys engage him it's a run. If one guy engages him it's most likely a pass. Williams will be one of the main beneficiaries in terms of seeing his tackle numbers go up. Run 6 was a good example. Williams held his ground in the run lane, shed the guard and stopped Parker for a 1 yard gain.

Williams and Stroud were in on passes 1 through 8. Williams was doubled on passes 5 and 6 while Stoud was never doubled. Passes 4 and 7 were screens so you wouldn't expect any of the linemen to be doubled. On passes 1, 2, 3 and 8 the Steelers apparently (rightly) believed that Williams isn't *that* much of a pass rushing threat.

There were some real oddities on the offensive line. I'll note them as I go. People who have read my ramblings for some time will no doubt recall my utter disdain for the abandonment of the A-gap on run plays. It's almost exclusively due to the subpar play the team has at center. (Mahan was playing 2nd string....trade! Trade now!) The Bills attempted to compensate for the weakness at center by employing a blocking scheme that resembled an 'L'. For a run to the right the LT, LG and C more or less stood their ground, though sometimes the LG pulled. The RG and RT attempted to crash down the line towards their left. So, the LT, LG and C formed the bottom of an (inverted in this case) 'L' while the RG and RT formed the side. A tight end, WR, back and/or pulling LG would then form a parallel line to the 'L' in order to create a rushing lane. If it sounds needlessly complicated (particularly on short yardage plays) it is. It would be far more straightforward (offensive line pun!) to plunge into the A-gap and get the needed yard. The good news is that I didn't see that particular blocking pattern employed once against the Steelers. It's looking more like a traditional reliance on the winning of individual battles. Naturally, the blocking scheme will take into account particularly disruptive players, like Wilfork, so we'll see Fowler get plenty of help from Dock and/or Butler.

There's more good news, at least of a sort. The Bills are willing to attempt some A-gap runs. No, they're not working very well (2.5 yard average against Pitts' first stringers) but Turk isn't completely abdicating the gap either. By the gap, the Bills averaged 5.0 in the left C-gap, 5.0 in the left B-gap, 2.5 in the A-gap, 11.5 in the right B-gap (much of it on the strength of a single 16 yard run--3.5 with that run averaged out), and 6.6 in the right C-gap. Take a second to marvel at that. Buffalo ran the ball at will through 4 gaps against the 3rd rated rush defense (1st overall) in the NFL last season. Even taking the left B-gap at 3.5 yards per carry that's still enough to move the chains.

Walker had an up and down night with run blocking. He had two good runs, 1 and 7, and two bad runs, 2 and 3. He did decently on 5 runs. On runs 2 and 3 he was beaten on the first step. The LB ran right past the RB on run 2 and chased the play from behind on run 3. On run 1 Walker drove the DE 5 yards down the line away from the play and on run 7 he tossed a LB out of the run lane. That first step almost cost the Bills dearly on pass 7. The DE blew right past him and sacked Edwards, almost causing a fumble on the 2 yard line. Walker was helped only once, and then he really didn't need it. It looks like Turk has a degree of confidence in his ability to adjust to speed rushers. I'm not as convinced.

Dock, the subject of much discussion the past couple of days, had a really good day on run plays. He had good plays on runs 1, 3, 7 and 8 weighed against zero bad plays. In each of those plays he took on LBs either in space or removed them from the hole. He was solid, but not spectacular, on all 13 of the pass plays he was in the game.

Fowler, well, is Fowler. He had a good play (run 4) where he went to the 2nd level and *drove* a soon-to-be-humiliated-in-a-film-session LB out of the hole. He also had a bad run play (run 1) where he didn't do anyone much good, particularly Butler who really needed a hand on the play. His 6 pass plays were all decent. Fowler, for whatever reason, left the game after the first series and was replaced by--wait for it--Duke Preston. Ugh.

After the first run play, in which he was driven into the backfield and discarded like a recently murdered Juarez whore, Butler turned in an okay performance. He had a couple of good run plays (4 and 5) in which he turned and--to a limited extent--drove the DT out of the hole without assistance. He did fine on his 13 pass plays, but nothing special.

Chambers may not be the drag on the run game that many of us thought he would be. He had 1 bad run play (and he was in for 18 of them) where he never really blocked anyone. He watched Butler get his flying lesson and then milled around in the 2nd level without ever hitting anyone. (I'm still not sure how Lynch got 7 yards running right on that play.) Chambers balanced that with the 6th run play where he chipped a DE and then put a LB on the ground. He was helped on 2 pass plays out of the 20 he was in the game. While the team would be better off with Peters (if for no other reason that Walker's move to LT means he'll have to deal with speed rushers), if they miss the playoffs it won't be because Chambers is dreadful. He's a very average lineman but the fact that the team ran most effectively to the gaps surrounding him (right B and C) speaks well for him.

Using Chambers as a pivot of sorts I'll go RG-C-LG-LT with the 2nd unit. I only tracked their play through the first drive of the 2nd half, when there weren't any starters out on the field.

Whittle came into the game and did what he does. He didn't have any good or bad plays in either the run or pass facets. He did an okay job across the board, exactly what you'd expect from a back up.

Preston came into the game earlier than I expected. He replaced Fowler after the first series and did better than I thought he would in the run game. Of course, better than I thought was merely average. He, like Whittle, had no good or bad run plays. If you want to break down the A-gap runs between Fowler and Preston, Fowler had 1 for 1 yard (1.0) while Preston had 3 for 9 yards (3.0). I don't know that it means much as Preston's defenders were increasingly second string guys. Preston had back to back bad pass plays. On one he and McCaskill wiped each other out, blocking no one in the process--unless you count the pile people had to run around. On the next Preston missed a block and Losman was sacked right at 2 seconds after the snap. I'm actually hoping that the team put him in early to verify a decision they've made to cut him.

Gaddis came in for a series, gave way to McCaskill for the next, and was then in until I stopped analyzing the line. I'm not sure if the coaches wanted to see McCaskill against the dwindling number of starters the Steelers had on the field or if Gaddis needed to come out for a series for some kind of equipment issue. Gaddis had one bad play (where he tried to pull and simply plowed into the back of his own linemen instead of continuing on until he could hit someone wearing white--Steeler, spectator or official, I'm not a picky man) and a good one in which he chipped a DE and then took out a LB at the 2nd level--which allowed Wright to get 10 more yards on the run. McCaskill was in for 3 runs and was just kind of there. McCaskill and Preston took one another out on a pass play but other than that neither back up LG stood out for good or ill.

Bell had a pretty solid outing for a rookie. He didn't have any bad or good plays (run or pass). Granted, he was facing 2nd teamers but he only looked kind of lost once. In his defense, so did most everyone else--on both teams--on that play. It was kind of like everyone except the back and a couple of LBs thought they were going to a TV break.

I saw Hardy make a good block on a run play and then completely whiff on another. Barnes seems to fall down almost as often as he crashes into a defender. Lynch missed one blitz pick up but followed it up the next play with a good blitz pick up. Losman took two sacks, one which was on Preston and the other was completely on Losman--at 4+ seconds the ball has to be gone. I suspect Bad JP was holding out for a long pass pattern.

Poll

In light of Chambers' decent performance against a first rate defense, how worried are you about him imperiling Buffalo's playoff chances?

Starting Offensive Linemen...plus an observation about Stroud/Williams

Ron From NM — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:33:19 -0000

Running Plays

Run 1--Fowler gave Dock's guy a shove and then went to the second level where he missed Fletcher, who got in on the tackle. Chambers let the DE move upfield and basically made him run a circle to chase Lynch. Evans sustained his block longer than he had last season. Barnes stopped a LB in the hole letting Lynch run by, though not cleanly. The defense had 8 in the box.

Run 2--Fowler didn't get any push. He did, however, keep his guy locked up until the end of the play. Barnes didn't get a good block on the DE. Hardy locked up a DB and pushed him downfield a couple of yards but had a fist full of jersey that wasn't called. The defense had 8 in the box.

Run 3-Fowler again whiffed on Fletcher in space. Butler tried to cut his guy. He didn't get it done but did put the guy offbalance enough to keep him from getting in on the play. Chambers pulled and bellyflopped on a LB who seemed to be on his way down already. Walker did an okay job of sealing. Evans again held his block longer than he had last season.

Run 4--Walker completely missed Taylor. Taylor went too far upfield all on his own to get in on the play. Good thing it wasn't a pass play... Dock pulled to lead play. Barnes took on a LB and Hardy had a half hearted block. Schouman helped Chambers seal the edge and then tried to help out at the next level. The defense had 8 in the box.

Overall, none of the linemen covered themselves with glory. Walker had the one bad play (Taylor's turnstile) and Fowler had 2. Chambers wasn't an embarrassment, which isn't the same thing as being good. Barnes had some nice blocks and it was good to see Evans give more than a middle school fight type shove on run plays. Hardy needs to work on his blocking technique (Bills can't overcome holding penalties) and consistency. Maybe Edwards didn't have the freedom to check out of plays as Buffalo kept running in spite of the box being loaded. (I think the 8 man fronts were a direct result of the short yardage passing game the Bills seem to be intent on operating.)

Pass 1--Dock and Walker had good communication on a stunt pick up. Neither Walker nor Chambers were helped by TEs or RBs. The Skins blitzed.

Pass 2--decent blocking all the way around. Neither Walker nor Chambers were helped by TEs or RBs.

Pass 3--Chambers screwed the pooch. It's a good thing it was a quick timing pattern because two guys blew right past him (one on each side) and Chambers blocked neither. Neither Walker nor Chambers were helped by TEs or RBs. The Skins blitzed--7 total.

Pass 4--decent blocking all the way around. Neither Walker nor Chambers were helped by TEs or RBs. The Skins blitzed--6 total.

Pass 5--decent block all the way around. Neither Walker nor Chambers were helped by TEs or RBs. Chambers had the DE on an island so Edwards had throwing lanes to either side.

Overall, the first unit did an okay job of pass protection. They caught some breaks which could have made them look bad. First, Walker's non-block on Taylor would have been disasterous had it been a pass play. (Yes, I'd hope he'd block differently if it were called as a pass.) The other was when Chambers took a play off on the Hardy/Edwards miscommunication throw.

On defense I noticed that Stroud and Williams started. The Skins doubled Stroud on every run play of the first drive and doubled Williams on every pass play on the first drive. Apparently the Skins aren't worried at all about Stroud's pass rushing abilities but know they need two guys if they're going to move him off the ball. I found it interesting that the Skins chose to double Williams on each of those first 3 pass plays instead of helping the tackles deal with the DEs. Still, if offenses routinely do that it will be easy for the LBs to key run vs pass--two guys hitting Stroud at the snap means run. Once Stroud left the game the Skins started sending the run play double teams at Williams. When Williams left the game they doubled McCargo.

I read somewhere yesterday that Stroud was done after the first series. Not so. The Bills goal line formation was Johnson, Ellis, Williams, Williams, McCargo, Stroud, Mitchell, Poz, Ellison, Scott and (I think) Wilson. The Skins didn't gain an inch the first crack that had at the goal line.