E-Mail
Print
Each week following the Bills' most recent contest, I'll be breaking down every single player and how they performed after extensive review of the game tape. Hopefully by the end of it all, we'll be able to point out both what went wrong and also what went right.
The way I've devised this is to use a plus/minus system. With many plays along the line of scrimmage being a neutral one and having no clear cut winner or loser, I keep track of how many times an individual player has either a positive or negative play. All of this will be tracked throughout the course of the year
Up first? The defensive and offensive linemen.
Defensive Line
Mario Williams
Time on Field: 90.5% snaps played; 57 at LDE
Stats: 1 tackle (solo)
Plus/Minus: -7 (5 positive plays, 12 negative plays)
Observations: The Bills biggest free agent acquisition was also the player that had the worst grade of any defensive lineman on the team. While Williams had a nice inside rip move before getting double teamed and also a solid speed rush at the end of the first half, by and large Williams just did not get the job done. His normal move was to try and go wide, which took him out of the play in stopping the run. There were also a few times where he was gobbled up on run plays in a one-on-one matchup against a tight end.
Grade: C- (1.67 GPA)
Kyle Williams
Time on Field: 74.6% snaps played; 33 at RDT, 14 at LDT
Stats: 3 tackles (2 solo)
Plus/Minus: +6 (9 positive plays, 3 negative plays)
Observations: Kyle Williams showed his quickness off the snap throughout the contest and really did a number to thwart not only the Wildcat looks, but the running game itself. He, without a shadow of a doubt, was the best player along the defensive line for the Bills against the Jets.
Grade: A- (3.67 GPA)
Marcell Dareus
Time on Field: 74.6% snaps played; 34 at LDT, 13 at RDT
Stats: 1 tackle (solo)
Plus/Minus: -2 (6 positive plays, 8 negative plays)
Observations: Following an impressive training camp and preseason, Dareus looked a bit slow coming off the snap. He was able to sit his weight down and plug some holes at times, but the natural explosiveness he showed through the first season of his career just wasn't on display. He was double-teamed a good portion of the game.
Grade: C+ (2.33 GPA)
Chris Kelsay
Time on Field: 58.7% snaps played; 31 at RDE, 6 at LDE
Stats: 2 tackles (both solo), 1 TFL
Plus/Minus: +3 (8 positive plays, 5 negative plays)
Observations: Many fans are quick to make Chris Kelsay the whipping boy of this defensive line, but from what I saw was more of the same from last season. Kelsay won't wow you with elite pass rushing skills, but he is very consistent against the run. His ability to set the edge for this team and to take up a key blocker for his teammates was on display. No sacks, but he wasn't the only one. I thought he had a solid game as a run defender.
Grade: B (3.0 GPA)
Mark Anderson
Time on Field: 50.8% snaps played; 32 at RDE
Stats: 0 tackles
Plus/Minus: Even (5 positive plays, 5 negative plays)
Observations: If there was going to be a player to get a sack for the Bills against the Jets, it would have been Mark Anderson. There were a couple of plays that Anderson put on a pair of unique moves on his assignment and was just a hair late getting to the quarterback. The rest of his day was plainly average.
Grade: B- (2.67 GPA)
Spencer Johnson
Time on Field: 27.0% snaps played; 17 at RDT
Stats: 3 tackles (1 solo)
Plus/Minus: -1 (3 positive plays, 4 negative plays)
Observations: I'm consistently impressed by Spencer Johnson's speed off the snap, but it's what he does -- or in this case didn't do -- once the play got started. There was one play in particular that he knifed through the line and got to the ball carrier. On a few different occasions he found himself gobbled up by a blocker.
Grade: B- (2.67 GPA)
Alex Carrington
Time on Field: 23.8% snaps played; 15 at LDT
Stats: 0 tackles
Plus/Minus: -3 (1 positive play, 4 negative plays)
Observations: I was a bit baffled when Alex Carrington made the team in the first place, and even more so when they decided to have him on the field as often as they did against the New York Jets. Carrington didn't show anything special for the Bills. He played the same game as he did when he was a 3-4 defensive end, working not to gain any ground nor lose any ground at the line of scrimmage. It's a bit of a different outlook for him now and he has to adjust.
Grade: C (2.0 GPA)
Offensive Line
Andy Levitre
Time on Field: 100% snaps played; 58 at LG
Plus/Minus: +5 (12 positive plays, 7 negative plays)
Observations: Andy Levitre, who is heading in to his contract year, was the best player along the offensive line for the Bills against the Jets. While he took a pair of penalties (false start and holding), Levitre's ability to not only get out in space on pulls, but to put on solid seal blocks for the run game really made him stand out. It's a great start to his season.
Grade: A- (3.67 GPA)
Eric Wood
Time on Field: 100% snaps played; 58 at C
Plus/Minus: +2 (7 positive plays, 5 negative plays)
Observations: It was a minor surprise to me that Eric Wood took every single snap for the Bills after spending the off-season rehabbing from a torn ACL. In his 2012 debut, one play for Wood really stuck out. It came on the Bills' best offensive play of the day -- the 56-yard touchdown by C.J. Spiller. Both Andy Levitre and Cordy Glenn sealed off their assignment, but it was Eric Wood that came over just as Spiller was about to get to the hole that occupied inside linebacker David Harris in time to spring the runner in to the open field. There were a couple of times Wood got off balance, but he showed his natural tenacity throughout.
Grade: B (3.0 GPA)
Kraig Urbik
Time on Field: 100% snaps played; 58 at RG
Plus/Minus: -1 (5 positive plays, 6 negative plays)
Observations: Kraig Urbik has done a solid but unspectacular job for the Bills since stepping in to the starting lineup for them last season. I liked his ability to find a player in space, but I would like to see him finish his blocks a bit more.
Grade: B- (2.67 GPA)
Cordy Glenn
Time on Field: 100% snaps played; 58 at LT
Plus/Minus: -2 (8 positive plays, 10 negative plays)
Observations: Overall it was a solid debut for the rookie left tackle. He got turned around on a couple occasions but he was able to deal with some speed rushes to keep Ryan Fitzpatrick upright. He was a key piece to the 56-yard touchdown run by C.J. Spiller. He needs to get a bit more effective on the goal line and to watch the holding penalties.
Grade: B- (2.67 GPA)
Erik Pears
Time on Field: 63.8% snaps played; 37 at RT
Plus/Minus: +1 (4 positive plays, 3 negative plays)
Observations: As Erik Pears continues to battle back from a groin injury, the Bills were careful to give him some rest throughout the game. Pears showed a bit of the nasty side to go and finish blocks when given the chance. It doesn't appear his movement is as fluid as it was last year, so he'll have to be worked in slowly like he has been due to the injury. It was a solid first step for Pears, however.
Grade: B (3.0 GPA)
Chris Hairston
Time on Field: 36.2% snaps played; 21 at RT
Plus/Minus: -1 (2 positive plays, 3 negative plays)
Observations: In limited action at right tackle, Chris Hairston did some nice things in the run game to help out the Bills efforts on that front. However, he lunged a bit at his man when he wasn't in close quarters. It wasn't anything that put him off-balance, but it can still be taken advantage of by a stronger player. He also took a false start penalty at the goal line.
Grade: C+ (2.33 GPA)
Chad Rinehart
Time on Field: 3.4% snaps played; 2 at TE (goal line)
Plus/Minus: Even
Observations: Only out there for two plays, Rinehart was mistakenly called for a false start penalty that backed up the Bills five yards. In his two plays, the Bills ran to the opposite side with Tashard Choice.
Grade: C (2.0 GPA)
All plus/minus statistics and grades will be recorder over the course of the year to grade out a player as the year goes along. An individual game's GPA will be weighted with how many snaps that player has on the field in the contest when figuring out a season long average.
As the week goes along, all the other position groups will be broken down as well.
Twitter: @JoeB_WGR