Bills’ offense remains consistently inconsistent

By Anthony Bialy  |   Monday, August 27, 2007  |  Comments( 42 )

Buffalo Bills
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Is it good that the Bills were more dramatically uneven on offense against the Titans in the third game of the preseason? Their excessive fluctuation between super gains and long stretches of zero progress was nothing more than an exaggerated version of what went on in the first pair of tests. It's promising they're excelling intermittently, but we're at the point that using rustiness as an excuse for sloppiness the rest of the time doesn't hold up anymore.

The only negative about the greatest positive of the night for the offense is that each member of the line won't get credit for a touchdown pass. The first TD of the preseason by the starting offense was a thoroughly impressive performance by every Bill on the field, primarily in the way the blockers formed an impenetrable pocket that allowed J.P. Losman time to throw a ball farther than even Uncle Rico could. He sent it perfectly to Lee Evans, who deftly beat his man to make the catch on his way for six. As always, protection matters most, and when Losman gets time, he's lethal.

Evans averaged a superhuman 20 yards per catch Friday, pulling down five passes for exactly 100 yards; however, that gaudy average was solely thanks to the 64-yard touchdown strike. Other than that, he played against character, ending up with smaller gains per catch than the typical extensive distances for which he's renowned.

For example, the first offensive play of the game saw Evans catch a swing pass and fight off a defender for a short pickup of 7 yards. He also caught a ball on a well-run out route later in the series. If Evans is able to play slightly more physically and also demonstrate his proficiency at solid pattern running, he could be even better this season, adding more weapons to his holster than pure speed.

Viewers also saw Marshawn Lynch display his strength, at least on his initial carry, as he dragged some feckless would-be tacklers for a few extra yards. Most college footage shows him maneuvering away from defenders, and it has to be good for Buffalo's to see him also power his way through the perimeter if the need arises. Unfortunately, he only managed 9 yards total on nine rushes, so he's going to have to get in a comfortable groove quickly if he wants to show off more than an occasional snapshot of excellence.

Regrettably, also erratic for too many moments has been Losman, particularly in the way he has been iffy regarding accuracy. The interception he threw wasn't entirely his fault, as it looked as if he got bumped low by the pass rusher just enough to affect his delivery, but the important thing is that it led to the team's first turnover of the practice games regardless of the circumstances. He also almost gift wrapped another interception in the second as he carelessly heaved the ball while falling away from charging defenders.

Overthrows paired with deficient communication, as when receivers ran differing routes than what the quarterback expected as happened a few times, are tolerable in the first two preseason games, but they're worrisome by the third contest.

In fairness, Losman sent a nice ball to Peerless Price the down after the near-pick for an even nicer catch by the veteran. The quarterback also later almost had a rushing touchdown on a dashing third-and-goal scramble from the 11, nearly scoring after Vince Young nimbly sneaked it in on the Titans' previous drive.

It was almost like a hockey goaltending duel, where two players not directly facing each other attempt to outperform each other. Valiant dive aside, Losman didn't score, but he did scramble at the correct moment after searching long enough for an open receiver. He's had sharp moments like this, but he needs more of them, consecutively, as do his pals on offense, if they want to rise above the muck of patchy play that is making fans more progressively nervous by the preseason game.
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CommentsComments: 42  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
gjv		07:59 AM
08/27/2007
Let,s see? The Bills Offense does not appear to be able to sustain a drive. The Bills defense cannot stop the run or pass. With...
No.2
rich		07:59 AM
08/27/2007
losman better step up his game. everyone is sticking up for him and saying how much he's improving and learning the game and...
No.3
"the Skycap"		08:05 AM
08/27/2007
I couldn't have said it better Anthony. Losman has shown that his accuracy, particularly in the middle of the field, is less than...
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