Brownfan80
In the Starting Line-Up
- Joined
- Sep 13, 2004
- Messages
- 3,305
- Reaction score
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I, as some of you might know, have not yet found a good place to watch football. I got some suggestions from a few guys here, but nothing concrete materialized by noon on Sunday so I got ready and went over to a local sportsbar called Charlie's. It's kind of a dive, but they have cheap beer and the food is good and not too expensive.
I arrived right around 1 o'clock to find that the Pats-Bills game was not recieving. I watched some other game dejectedly while I waited for them to figure out the problem with the Pats game. I saw the ticker at the bottom scroll the 7-0 score and my jaw dropped. The game had just started and already we were behind a TD? I thought to myself 'How has this happened??'
Soon after, they got the game going and I saw the same thing that you all saw. A horrid passing game and a run defense that was allowing the Bills to basically take what they wanted. The first half ended and all I could picture was Deion Branch sitting at home, rubbing his fingers together in the universal sign for 'show me the money'. I was very upset at halftime.
I felt as though it was 2005 all over again. We hadn't been stopping the run, Brady was getting beat to hell, the running game looked good, but not much else did. I was officially in a funk (aided by the two pitchers I was quickly pounding through).
The second half started and the Bills were driving. My funk was stewing into all out negativity. My fiance (http://www.myspace.com/nichelob) was getting ill at how the bad vibes were just oozing out of me. Every completion and run on that opening Bills drive had me grunting in disgust. 2005 is all I saw in every play.
And then a great third down stop brings up 4th and 1. I said aloud 'Of course they'll go for it! And why not? We've been giving them whatever they've wanted all game! They can get a yard and they know it!"
My fiance told me to stop being negative. She told me that we were going to come back, she could feel it. I said that I couldn't. But then came the play. 4th and 1, Mcgahee up the gut, it looked close, but NO! Stopped short! And even a good spot couldn't get them to the first down marker.
The next drive played out, with the running game doing most of the work down the field, Caldwell showed up a bit, as did a HUGE pass to Watson. And then that INCREDIBLE catch by Faulk in the endzone on third down. My negativity abated.
On the next Buffalo drive a three and out. My negativity and feelings of 2005ness waned even further. A defensive stop! And then our next drive. Another LONG run dominated drive. A fourth down conversion with Tom Brady DIVING up the middle to ensure the yardage. And then our new kicker blasts in the tying score.
From there it was all defense and running game, and the winning safety. We all saw the ending.
So today, after letting it settle, I come away with this:
The first half looked like one of those rotten 2005 games where we simply couldn't do anything right. The run defense was like a broken dam, the offense was one dimensional and didn't score points.
But UNLIKE 2005, this 2006 team came out in the second half, made adjustments and CAME BACK to win the game! We ran the ball outstandingly well (both Dillon and Maroney) which is something we simply never did in 2005. And the defense, after looking 2005y in the first half, came back to play GREAT football in the second half. The running lanes that had been wide open were suddenly shut. The pressure that was too late in the first half and in 2005 was suddenly all in Losman's face.
This 2006 team showed me yesterday that unlike last year being down doesn't mean being OUT. The defense doesn't have to play badly for 60 minutes if they've played badly for 30, they can turn it around.
The WR situation will get better once Gabriel gets more into the system and healthy, and Jackson WILL help once he gets on the field. If Deion gets back, I'm sure things will get better right away. If he doesn't, then the WRs that we have will get better with time as well. Caldwell, Gabriel, and Jackson will all eventually get some chemistry with Brady and even Childress (if he stays on the active roster) will get a better relationship with our QB. Only good things can come from this.
As dead as the first half looked, this team showed signs of life in the second half that the 2005 team never mustered in bad games. This is a different team. This team stepped up and showed us something.
Bring on the Jets.
I arrived right around 1 o'clock to find that the Pats-Bills game was not recieving. I watched some other game dejectedly while I waited for them to figure out the problem with the Pats game. I saw the ticker at the bottom scroll the 7-0 score and my jaw dropped. The game had just started and already we were behind a TD? I thought to myself 'How has this happened??'
Soon after, they got the game going and I saw the same thing that you all saw. A horrid passing game and a run defense that was allowing the Bills to basically take what they wanted. The first half ended and all I could picture was Deion Branch sitting at home, rubbing his fingers together in the universal sign for 'show me the money'. I was very upset at halftime.
I felt as though it was 2005 all over again. We hadn't been stopping the run, Brady was getting beat to hell, the running game looked good, but not much else did. I was officially in a funk (aided by the two pitchers I was quickly pounding through).
The second half started and the Bills were driving. My funk was stewing into all out negativity. My fiance (http://www.myspace.com/nichelob) was getting ill at how the bad vibes were just oozing out of me. Every completion and run on that opening Bills drive had me grunting in disgust. 2005 is all I saw in every play.
And then a great third down stop brings up 4th and 1. I said aloud 'Of course they'll go for it! And why not? We've been giving them whatever they've wanted all game! They can get a yard and they know it!"
My fiance told me to stop being negative. She told me that we were going to come back, she could feel it. I said that I couldn't. But then came the play. 4th and 1, Mcgahee up the gut, it looked close, but NO! Stopped short! And even a good spot couldn't get them to the first down marker.
The next drive played out, with the running game doing most of the work down the field, Caldwell showed up a bit, as did a HUGE pass to Watson. And then that INCREDIBLE catch by Faulk in the endzone on third down. My negativity abated.
On the next Buffalo drive a three and out. My negativity and feelings of 2005ness waned even further. A defensive stop! And then our next drive. Another LONG run dominated drive. A fourth down conversion with Tom Brady DIVING up the middle to ensure the yardage. And then our new kicker blasts in the tying score.
From there it was all defense and running game, and the winning safety. We all saw the ending.
So today, after letting it settle, I come away with this:
The first half looked like one of those rotten 2005 games where we simply couldn't do anything right. The run defense was like a broken dam, the offense was one dimensional and didn't score points.
But UNLIKE 2005, this 2006 team came out in the second half, made adjustments and CAME BACK to win the game! We ran the ball outstandingly well (both Dillon and Maroney) which is something we simply never did in 2005. And the defense, after looking 2005y in the first half, came back to play GREAT football in the second half. The running lanes that had been wide open were suddenly shut. The pressure that was too late in the first half and in 2005 was suddenly all in Losman's face.
This 2006 team showed me yesterday that unlike last year being down doesn't mean being OUT. The defense doesn't have to play badly for 60 minutes if they've played badly for 30, they can turn it around.
The WR situation will get better once Gabriel gets more into the system and healthy, and Jackson WILL help once he gets on the field. If Deion gets back, I'm sure things will get better right away. If he doesn't, then the WRs that we have will get better with time as well. Caldwell, Gabriel, and Jackson will all eventually get some chemistry with Brady and even Childress (if he stays on the active roster) will get a better relationship with our QB. Only good things can come from this.
As dead as the first half looked, this team showed signs of life in the second half that the 2005 team never mustered in bad games. This is a different team. This team stepped up and showed us something.
Bring on the Jets.