SITE MENU
Registered Members experience this forum ad and noise-free.
CLICK HERE to Register for a free account and login for a smoother ad-free experience. It's easy, and only takes a few moments.
I think we are going to have to agree to disagree for a couple of reasons. First, predictability is a defense killer. I think its great to have the Bills assume that Revis will follow Watkins around. I think we also disagree on the definition of what Revis was brought in to do at least in some degree. I think his primary function is to shut down a SIDE, not an individual.
Some comments on the comments:
1. My biggest fear right now is that this is an away game. Despite the results from last week, this offense is far from a finished product, and playing an away game in a loud stadium really limits much of what you'd like to do. For instance, when you can't hear the snap count, OLmen have to look into the ball before they take heir first step.
Its only a micro second, but one of the great advantages the OL has is having that micro second head start by knowing the count. You often lose that in a loud environment. So given our existing questions about the OL, I am concerned how they will do against what is currently a top 5 DL which will likely have Kyle Williams back for this game (a proven Pats killer).
If the OL is reasonably successful (ie 2 sacks/11 hurries) I will be MUCH more confident about the state of the OL going forward. This game has traditionally been the Bills "superbow". Given how well they have started out, that place will be ROCKING, just like KC.
2. Our road history hasn't been great in recent years. ALL 5 losses last season were on the road, and we are currently 1-2 this season. Its very hard to win in the NFL, its that much harder to do it one the road. This is going to be a very very VERY hard game.
3. Borgie made an insightful observation that worth repeating. Its concerning to note that a LOT of the strengths of the Miami team are what's good about the Bills. So watching how the Pats respond to a similar challenge is go a long way to determining how much this team has improved.
4. Sorry Bob, but me on the side of those who think it would be wiser to double Watkins, and have Revis simply take Woods out of the game. I'm not quite as high on Watkins as some.....just yet. He is having a great rookie year, and might be an elite WR down the road, but in week 5 of his rookie year.....he isn't.
That being said, there is no questioning his talent and the need to give him "special attention". That's why I think doubling him would be more effective at this stage. But I hope that on certain occasions, we see Revis matched up on this kid. I stated in my OP that changing up and disguising what we are doing will go a long way to keep the Bills off the board. Orton is a vet, but the fact is the Bills made him an offer he couldn't refuse to get him off the couch at the end of TC. I want him questioning his reads all game.
5. One advantage the Pats have in this game is that Orton is just slightly more mobile than Tom Brady. Our outside rushers do not have to take the same care in keeping him in the pocket, so i expect much more out of Jone and Ninko this game.
6. Play action against a guessing Spikes would seem like a no brainer, but it does pose protection issues. Brady has been hit or sacked on a number of occasions trying to run play action. Part of the problem is ALL play action passes require more time before release than a shot gun or standard drop back, Normally a QB will immediately have his eyes down field watching the coverage develop and what his receivers are doing. When running PA, the QB has his back to the LOS for the first few seconds and only gets to check downfield AFTER he turns. It is only THEN that he can scan the field for his reads.
Thus the protection has to be better than usual. IIRC on a lot of the poor PA results come when the defense clearly has ignored the run. That puts the OL at a terrible disadvantage, given they have fired out in order to sell the PA. So not only do they have to to protect longer, they lose their advantage of taking a step back to set their protection.
I am a huge believer in the play action pass, However not all the advantages go to the offense and we should be aware of it.
7. Devlin and Vareen should be key receivers in this game. Once again I'm pushing for more dump offs
8. Still looking for someone to show me a scheme to stop Peppers, Williams and Dareus and whomever else they throw out on the DL
9. It wasn't a good match up to put Hightower on Spiller last year. Putting Jamie Collins, while marginally better, isn't a good idea either. What I'd LIKE to see is having it "look" like Collins is on Spiller, but when the ball's snapped, have him end up with a DB on coverage. And yes, its possible to scheme this up.that way.
I think any defense will want the pats to throw outside and crowd the middle.
I guess there is more to it according to curran
Match ups and schemes. Tha's what makes football so cool. Its the ability to actually be the chess master and find perceived weaknesses and strengths at attack them. No other team game is affecedt more by coaching than football. Its why the games are so exciting because the most "talented" teams don't always win.
I agree that Darius is exactly the kind of DT that cost Wendell his starting job at Center. It got so bad that the Pats drafted his replacement and made it a priority to replace him.
