Bills-Raiders Recap

As the kids would say: OMG. After an abysmal first half, the Bills collected themselves and managed to pull out an exciting 38-35 win against the visiting Oakland Raiders. It was in no way a pretty victory. The pass defense in particular acquitted itself poorly, giving up 323 yards to a very average Jason Campbell. The Bills did however, take a helluva beating in the first half but scrapped back outscoring the Raiders 35-14 after halftime.

Freddie Jackson had another huge game with 117 yards and 2 TDs only 15 carries. Even better, the much maligned CJ Spiller ran for 63 yards on just four carries. That's 15 and change per folks. As a whole, the Bills averaged a whopping 8.7 (you read that correctly) yards per carry.

This week's re-cap may skimp a little on details, as your faithful narrator was stuck watching a Directv feed that, well, just wouldn't feed.

Thoughts:

-Great second half adjustments on the offensive side of the ball. Partially it was just a matter of getting the ball into the offense's hands, but credit where credit is due. Gailey went to a quick passing game in the 2nd half and his quarterback responded with 162 yards and 3 TDs after halftime. Its been a while since the Bills had a coach that could make quality adjustments at halftime. Enjoy it folks.

-Kudos for the second straight week to our beleaguered offensive line. Oakland the second best in NFL in sacks last year, and they got nary a one against Buffalo. That makes one sack surrendered in two games for the Bills, against some very good pass rushing teams. It may not last, but for now, its pretty sweet.

-On the other side of the ledger, the Bills pass rush is a genuine concern. The Bills have a single sack in two games, that lone sack belonging to Spencer Johnson. For most of today's game Jason Campbell had enough time in the pocket to chainsaw an ice sculpture. Thus far the regular season version of Shawne Merriman has been less than impressive in the pass rush department (not mention some issues with setting the edge in the run game). If things keep on like this, might Coach Gailey think about moving Arthur Moats back to the outside?

-Speaking of poor pass defense, Leodis McKelvin had just an awful game. He was repeatedly beaten by Raiders 5th round rookie Denarius Moore (Moore ended the game with 5 catches for 146 yards and a TD). Both George Wilson and Drayton Florence were also inconsistent, if better than McKelvin. At this point, I'm only truly comfortable with Jairus Byrd, who had another solid, sure-tackling game.

-When's the last time you felt this good about a Bills Tight End? Not only did Chandler catch another touchdown pass, but he threw a couple of keys blocks to spring Freddie for big yardage. Chandler now has three TDs in two games, which ties him for second most TDs in a single season by a Bills TE during the decade (tied with Jay Riemersma and Robert Royal). The immortal Mark Campbell is currently in the lead after hauling in five touchdowns in 2004.

-In case you were wondering: Ryan Fitzpatrick has 7 TDs in two games.

Next week is the New England Patriots. Tom Brady has thrown for 940 yards in two games. We just gave up 323 to Jason Campbell. This could be painful to watch.

Get a Load of This

Puck Moving Defense is Questionable in Weekend Play

About 10 minutes into Saturday night's 6-3 stinker, right about the time that Tyler Myers put one past the outstretched leg of Ryan Miller and into the back of his own net, you got the feeling that this one was going to get ugly.

It didn't get much better when shortly after, Myers blew a tire behind his own net and turned the puck over. Brandon Dubinsky put that one away to make it two-nothing.

The Rangers 5th goal came when the tall sophmore and his center Derek Roy got caught chasing the play behind the net and left the slot open.

The blame for the lone goal scored by the Ottawa Senators in Buffalo's 2-1 win on Friday was also on the defense. Jordan Leopold was overpowered by Ottawa tough guy Chris Neil at center ice. The puck was turned over, and quickly converted into a score to send the Senators into the dressing room with a tie and some momentum, after getting smoked most of the 1st and 2nd period.

The defense is supposed to be one of the strengths of this team. Last season, the Sabres were 4th in the league in goals allowed per game. While Miller played a big part (after all, your goalie is your last defense man), the blue liners were also responsible. It was one area on the team that got addressed in free agency this summer as Leopold and Morrisonn were brought in to replace the departing Toni Lydman and Henrik Tallinder.

Lindy Ruff is going to have to talk to his defense and get them to pull it together. There needs to be better communication. There needs to be smart and accurate outlet passes. No more of this trickster action skating the puck all over your own zone to find some room.

We'll see what happens on Monday night when the Sabres play the heavyweight champions of the world, the Chicago Blackhawks. Were this weekend's miscues just part of a bad dream, or are they part of the reality of the next 80 games?