Bills
BILLS DVR REWIND: Brees, Saints used early double move
This week’s Monday morning DVR session was preceded by a trip to DiCamillo’s for a half-dozen. Something about the experience had be enjoyable, right?
Here are notes collected after re-watching a gloomy game on a gloomy day.
• The Saints were only sending two receivers into the pattern on their first series, which was probably their best of the day. Drew Brees’ first throw to Marques Colston on a third down was absolutely perfect as Leodis McKelvin had good coverage, but when he jumped inside, Brees threw to the outside.
It had to be frustrating for McKelvin, who bumped Colston off the line, and settled in exactly where coaches would have wanted him to.
Knowing he was likely steaming, what did the Saints follow with?
A double move that McKelvin bit on wholeheartedly.
Like we said in Monday’s column, that’s what teams with good personnel are supposed to do. New Orleans dictates what the defense does.
Not vice versa.
• Slowing the game down and watching the line play makes you appreciate how well Spencer Johnson has played this season. He’s big, moves pretty well laterally, and has a better nose for the ball than John McCargo. That’s probably why the latter was inactive on Sunday.
• The seams that used to pop open on Bills kickoff returns simply aren’t there this season. It’s got nothing to do with who’s bringing the ball out of the end zone, there simply is nowhere to run. Have opposing coaches figured Bobby April’s schemes out? Or is it a lack of quality special teams personnel?
• Wonder how much the Bills might miss Brad Butler on the line? On the first play from scrimmage Buffalo tried to run left. New Orleans’ Charles Grant cut inside fill-in Jonathan Scott and slowed down Freddy Jackson in the backfield. Loss of one.
• Let’s give credit to our own Jonah Bronstein, who wrote after the Bills signed T.O. that Josh Reed would have a career year. At least through the first half, Reed reaped the reward of having Lee Evans and T.O. on the outside.
• Give Bryan Scott all the credit for the stuffing the fourth and two in the first quarter. He stood up an offensive lineman and allowed the rest of the defense to get in on Reggie Bush.
• Aaron Maybin has been a non-factor. Disappointing. In fact, the coaches don’t even leave Maybin in for third down situations any longer. On Sunday, he didn’t register a single tackle.
• It’s hard to knock Brian Moorman, since he threw the Bills’ only touchdown pass, but he put Ryan Denney in a bad spot with a poor throw. Jonathan Vilma sniffed out the fake early and sprinted toward Moorman, at which point he should have pulled up and properly threw the ball.
Instead, he flipped it while on the run, leading to a duck that Denney had to wait for. Give the big guy credit for keeping both feet in-bounds, too, as Moorman’s throw led him into the sideline.
Can’t fault Moorman’s results, though. His 158 passer rating sure looked OK.
• Hey, I’m no fashionista, but can somebody explain why Dick Jauron sported sunglasses on a cloudy Buffalo evening?
• Remember how effectively screens worked in the first two games?
• Ron Pitts brought up an interesting point on the broadcast about Marcus Stroud’s name being called a lot for downfield tackles. While we applaud his hustle, that begs a question — why isn’t he in the backfield?
Contact sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.
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