Thoughts on Bills Big Win
Wow. That’s how I can sum up such a great game by the Buffalo Bills in this one. It was an all-around team effort. The special teams play was amazing. The defense played very well too and the offense stepped up when needed. In this article I will break down all of it, give out the game ball, top plays, and even cover some of the other top stories in the NFL and of course will give my opinions on all of those too. First though I will start with the Bills vs. Seahawks game, with my thoughts on everything.
THINGS THAT WERE GREAT
- Special Teams: How could I write an article on the Bills and not talk about their special teams. Terrence McGee, on his only return of the game, went 27 yards to set up the Bills in good field position. Roscoe Parrish had the highlight reel return, 63 yards for a touchdown. He was great all day setting a Bills record for return yards. Parrish had 120 yards on 6 returns. That’s good for a 20.0 average! Rian Lindell went 2 for 3 on field goal attempts. On his only missed attempt, it was blocked which was the only downside to an incredible game from the special teams. Also, not only did punter/holder Brain Moorman throw for a 19 yard TD, he also averaged over 40 yards a punt, with 9 of them in this one. His great kicks pinned the Seahawks deep in their territory, which made it difficult for them to sustain drives. 46.6 yards a punt is amazing! That stat in this game will be overlooked due to the other great plays.
- Defense: So they couldn’t get a shutout but man did this group look great. The linebackers stepped up and Keith Ellison played a very good game (couldn’t even tell Angelo Crowell was gone which is incredible). The D-line was great and the coverage by the secondary was also very good. Just got beat on one TD play (should have been another one if the Seahawks could catch) and even that one was played decent by Jabari Greer. Newcomers played GREAT!
- NEWCOMERS: Welcome to the squad Marcus Stroud and Kawika Mitchell. Stroud was a force all day and made his home in the Seahawks backfield. The big tackle also let the linebackers run free. Mitchell was great, and looked like he was everywhere on the field. He recorded a great sack on a two player A gap blitz. Even though he was on the team last year, I still consider Paul Poz a newcomer also. He also looked good. Even with Crowell out for the year, the Bills LB core looked solid.
- Kirk Chambers: Jason who? For a guy who never started a game at RT (and only one at LT) in his entire career he looked great. Kept one of the best DEs in the game off of Edwards. Really placed very well, especially because the Bills left him 1-on-1 most of the game. Will provide great depth with Peters back in the mix.
- Running game: In total the Bills rushed 29 times for 106 yards and a TD. Pretty good numbers for a good squad with Marshawn Lynch and Fred Jackson.
- 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Quarter Edwards: Trent Edwards struggled coming in to the game but shook off the rust to finish with a good performance. 19 for 30, 215 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTS. That will get the job done on most weeks.
- Kyle Williams: 1.5 sacks and stopped the run all game. Enough said.
THINGS THAT NEED WORK
- Kick Coverage: Bills coverage teams did not look well at all. Averaged 26.5 yards on kickoffs and 18 yards on punts. Needs to improve. Really the only bad note for a great game.
GAMEBALL
- Coaching Staff: Sorry Mitchell, Stroud and Parrish but the Bills coaching staff was on fire this game. Of course Bobby Aprils special teams played well and he was behind the fake FG for a TD call. New Bills coordinator Turk Schonert opened up the offense. Didn’t get into trick plays but got the ball to his playmakers. The O wasn’t predictable and went to step on the ‘Hawks throat with the Trent play action TD pass, something that wouldn’t have happened a year ago. Defensive Coordinator Perry Fewell also did his job excellent. He sent blitz all day that bottled up Seattle’s running game and also his secondary was great. Hats off to all of the coaches involved in this one.
GRADING THE BILLS
- Running Game: B
Lynch stepped up when needed including TD run in 1st quarter.
- Passing Game: B+
Not off the chart numbers but good enough to win the game. Edwards managed the game well and did not turn the ball over. Also made some good check offs.
- Run D: A
Stroud, Kyle Williams and the rest of the line stood out while holding the Seahawks to 85 yards on the ground.
- Pass D: A
Pass rush was very good and secondary played well. Got beat on just one play and also McGee was able to finally get his hand on the football in the 4th quarter with an INT to seal the game.
- Special Teams: A+
Two special team TDs, and good punting. Hey even the bad kick coverage can’t bring this grade down.
- Coaching: A+
Not only do they get the game ball but an A+ too. Wow if only the Bills coaching staff cared about this blog…
TOP PLAYS
- Like the top plays for the Bills were even hard to pick. Very easy to decide these two. The Fake Field Goal for the TD (Moorman to Denney for 19 yards) and the Parrish return.
NO HUDDLE OFFENSE
This is the first time I am writing this so my no huddle offense is a quick rundown of the top stories of the week, and my thoughts on them.
- Tom Brady placed on IR. He torn his ACL and as a Bills fan I am happy (does that make me wrong in the head or something). Now the Pats are without their leader and best player. I think anyone that they bring in will not come anywhere close. Knock on wood but I think the Bills will have a good chance to take a run at the AFC East crown.
- Vince Young also is hurt. Out for 2-4 weeks. Titans still win their game and lets be honest, Young wasn’t very good anyways.
- Brett Favre wins his first game as a Jet. Also makes a Brett Favre throw. Just threw the ball up in the air and the Jets came down with the TD.
- Aaron Rodgers also wins his first game with the Packers as a starting QB. Take that Brett! Like the comparisons between the two continue.
- AFC GIANTS STRUGGLE: Chargers lost to Carolina, Colts lost to Bears. The AFC Giants struggled this week with only the Steelers picking up a win.
- NFC GIANTS DO FINE: The defending Superbowl champs win their first game and the Cowboys take care of business against the Browns.
Can’t wait for Week 2 to begin already! Let’s go BUFFALO! Enjoy some Monday Night Football.
Hello Bills fans. What a way to start the season. At first glance at the schedule, I said to myself that playing against Seattle would be a tough first game. Seattle has been a playoff team since Holmgren became coach and has a real good offense. The way the first quarter started, I thought this might be one of those 13-10 games or something close to that. I had left for Buffalo on Saturday morning right before the storm hit here on Long Island. My flight was canceled and we had to call the airline to get on an earlier flight. Once I arrived, I was at peace right away. I love going up to Buffalo. Its such a great place to visit and everyone is nice to talk to. I reached the parking lot across from the stadium around 10:30. There were very few spots available. The place was packed. You could feel the energy from the fans tailgating that this would be our day. The Bills really played well on all three phases of the game. The offense started flat but I feel that was due to the rain. Once Marshawn ran it in, the place was loud. The defense is so quick with guys like Aaron Schobel, Kawika Mitchell, Paul Posluszny, and Terrence McGee. Marcus Stroud could not be blocked by anyone on Seattle’s o-line. Roscoe Parrish is one of the most exciting players to watch in the league. I saw the whole punt return unfold and got to see him run into the endzone I was sitting near. Trent Edwards settled in nicely and had some impressive throws that were hauled in by Lee Evans. Robert Royal’s td was awesome as well. Brian Moorman’s td pass to Ryan Denney got everyone up on their feet. Great call by coach Bobby April. He is the best special teams coach in the league. As always it was a great trip but its even better when the Bills win. Can’t wait till November 17 for the Monday night game against Cleveland. I will be in attendance and hopefully leave as happy as I did this time. Go Bills. 
