We won but I don't feel as good as I did last week when we beat the Jets. We should have won, we should have beaten them easily and instead we fought hard for the victory. I am proud of the team for hanging in there and winning. They are showing they want to win and that is good. I am not proud of the coaching in this game. We looked like we struggled most of the game and I still don't know how we won it.
The Bills came out just as confused as we expected them based on their week. Fitzpatrick started out throwing bad passes to receivers who weren't looking. The Bills first drive was everything we wanted, a wounded animal limping around on the field. Sean Considine intercepted the pass by doing just what he does best, standing in just the right spot. The opening drive of the Bills ended with us on their 28 yard line. Can you say run Maurice run? That is exactly what we did, right to the 12 yard line. So what genius play did we call next? The stupid wide receiver screen that goes nowhere every time. It is a risky worthless play that lost 3 yards. With second and 13, the run option was taken away and the Bills came after David. David ran like he didn't know what to do and we ended with a Josh Scobee field goal.
Why didn't the offensive line show up this week? They didn't run block and they didn't pass block. David looked like a pathetic rookie today for most of the game. Sorry, back to the game.
The Bills tried to move the ball and couldn't until a roughing the passer call moved it for them. At that point in the game, Mel Tucker decided not to rush Fitzpatrick and not to cover Terrell Owens. Terrell Owens caught 48 yards of passes in that drive and the Bills tied the game at 3-3. Just in case you say "well Terrell Owens is a top level receiver", he wasn't. He is slow out of the breaks and doesn't look like anything at all anymore. He could have been shut down easily if we had someone to do it. We kept screaming "Put Cox on him", but why do that?
The next series David was intercepted. The score board showed the ball bouncing on the ground and the defender picking it up off the bounce. THROW THE FLAG JACK we yelled, THROW THE FLAG!!!!! Nope. No challenge. Maybe he saw it closer than the zoom lens on the jumbotron. I don't know. 6-3 Bills.
The next series Mike Simms Walker and Marcedes Lewisgot into a "I can do better than you" battle as they both caught 24 yard passes. That moved the ball to the Bills 4 yard line when Paul Pusluszney pulled the filthiest play I ever saw. That piece of slime who should be and will be fined $25,000 for his actions grabbed Maurice by the face mask and twisted his head around full 360 and never let go as he dragged him to the ground by the mask. I wanted to run out of the stands and go after him myself, but figured the Jaguars would deal with it. Maurice scored and I was glad, up 10-6.
At this point the Bills found their footing and began to play football. Again, no rush on Fitzpatrick. No blitz. No pressure. It was as if we figured we would win and didn't show up to play. It was so lazy and so uninspired I didn't know what was happening. Field goal at the half 10-9 Jags.
Our opening sequence from the start of the second half showed Maurice going nowhere and David running for his life. It was the left side of the line, Monroe, Manuwai and Meester who let us down today. Pressure came hard against David. Finally Podlesh punted his one very good punt. Buffalo pinned at the two yard line. Come on defense, get him and make us proud. Nope. No pass rush, no blitz, no pressure. Fitzpatrick stood patiently as Terrell Owens ran past Tyron Brackenridgefor a 98 yard touchdown, Tyron Brackenridge is all of 5 foot 5 and Terrell Owens is all of 7 foot nine. At least that is how it looked. Two point conversion no good, 15-10 Bills.
The Bills had 350 yards of offense with Terrell Owens having 200 yards of it. He was so open and so not covered all day he could have had more. When one guy is generating almost 60% of your problems, maybe you should cover him? Nope. When a quarterback is starting his first game behind a really bad offensive line maybe you should pressure him? Nope.
The Jaguars had 325 yards of offense against one of the worst defenses. When you combine the Terrell Owens show with no real offense for the Jaguars you get COACHING ERRORS!!!!! AHHHHH it was so frustrating watching this game. Thank God for Marcedes Lewis and Mike Simms Walker. They showed up to play today. Even my idol. Torry Holt dropped balls today.
How did we win? Simple, with six minutes left in the game, we played Jaguar football. Short pass to MSW, Passes to Torry Holt, run by Maurice, touchdown to MSW. Oh, and a 53 yard pass for a Bills touchdown to Lee Evans was called back. In other words, we were one penalty away from losing. One flag by a referee saved this game for us. Against the Buffalo Bills, we needed flag help. God did we miss Rashean and Durant. Gene, the offensive line is not done being rebuilt yet. Better save a few draft picks for guards next year.
I am mad about this game. We won, but I am mad about this game. We came out uninspired with no game plan on offense or defense. A team without a coach and a quarterback whipped our butts today except they didn't get the win. Like I said, I am proud of our players for fighting. I am disappointed in our coaches. Write one nice article about them and it goes to their head. Same old Jaguars. Get on a winning streak and they relax. They better get their pads on this week, San Fransisco is no cake walk.
We are 6-4 now with some very interesting games ahead. If we win 3 of them, it will be a wonderful season. If we win two of them, it will be a good season. But please play hard, please play inspired. Lose if you must, but don't play like today ever again. It was not good football on either side of the ball.
- Terry O'Brien