E-Mail
Print
Here are the first two installments of the weekly series:
Upon Further Review- Bills OL & DL vs Chiefs
Upon Further Review- Bills RBs, TEs & LBs vs Chiefs
To the evaluations we go:
Quarterbacks
Ryan Fitzpatrick
Time on Field: 89.1% snaps played; 49 total
Stats: 10-of-19, 178 yards, 2 TD; 4 carries, 34 yards
Plus/Minus: +2 (8 positive, 6 negative)
Observations: In Ryan Fitzpatrick's second game of the season, the quarterback limited his mistakes which is exactly what the Bills will ask of him as the season goes along. On a run-first offense, Fitzpatrick served as a complimentary player to fend off the run defense in specific spots. He wasn't the reason the Bills won their game so soundly, and that's exactly what they needed out of him. His recognition on the touchdown pass to Stevie Johnson was spot on, allowing Johnson to hit the open field and rack up the yards after catch all the way to the end zone. His strongest throws of the game were both to Scott Chandler. The first, coming at the end of the first half to put the Bills up by three scores, hitting the tight end in a small window in between a pair of defenders. The second was the longest reception of Chandler's career, a play-action naked bootleg to the right where Fitzpatrick gunned it in on the run just past the outstretched arm of a Chiefs linebacker. That throw was far more difficult than the one Fitzpatrick missed in the first series of the game, which was a very similar play-call. Chandler roamed to the right side of the field as Fitzpatrick was on the naked bootleg and had yards of open field ahead of him. Fitzpatrick either didn't see him, or failed to pull the trigger on what would have been a likely 40-yard gain. The throw ended up being low and resulted in some jeers from the home crowd. Once again, Fitzpatrick struggled on throws to his left. He missed high on a Scott Chandler out route and also overthrew an open Donald Jones along the left sideline on a comeback route. Fitzpatrick really excelled though in capitalizing when the defense was getting a bit too comfortable in coverage, so he tucked the ball and ran for big yardage three separate times. He missed a couple of touchdown opportunities to Stevie Johnson. The wideout came free on a slant route after beating Brandon Flowers soundly about 12 yards out of the end zone. A throw in stride would have resulted in Johnson taking a hit from the safety but ultimately getting in for six. Instead, the throw was low and behind and resulted in an incompletion. Fitzpatrick almost got picked off on the other chance. The throw needed was one to Johnson's back shoulder, but instead it was a bit off target and nearly intercepted in the end zone. It wasn't a perfect afternoon for Fitzpatrick, but definitely an improvement from the first week.
Grade: B-
Season GPA: 1.94
Tyler Thigpen
Time on Field: 10.9% snaps played; 6 total
Stats: None
Plus/Minus: Even (0 positive, 0 negative)
Observations: He kneeled it once and handed the ball off five other times.
Grade: B-
Season GPA: 2.70 GPA
Defensive Backs
Jairus Byrd
Time on Field: 100% snaps played; 71 total
Stats: 7 tackles (4 solo), INT, PD
Plus/Minus: +3 (5 positive, 2 negative)
Observations: A much better effort for Jairus Byrd, following a game where he was caught in run support a few times. It happened once against Kansas City, but Byrd proved to be a lot more dependable against the Chiefs. He made a couple of nice open field tackles, and was also the key piece to keeping Matt Cassel out of the end zone on the quarterback scramble at the end of the first half. Byrd also chipped in the interception on the final play of the game.
Grade: B+
Season GPA: 2.84
Stephon Gilmore
Time on Field: 90.2% snaps played; 64 total
Stats: 7 tackles (all solo), 3 PD
Plus/Minus: +4 (9 positive, 5 negative)
Observations: A major bounce back effort for Stephon Gilmore in Week Two of his NFL career. He displayed the physicality that he boasted throughout much of training camp and preseason against the Chiefs, that was for some reason lost against the Jets. Gilmore was borderline too physical past the five-yard mark, getting flagged for a holding call once. By and large though, Gilmore was staying within the rules despite complaints from receivers. The rookie cornerback also made a few big tackles to show that side of his game as well. Gilmore had a chance at two interceptions: 1) When Dwayne Bowe fell down in the first quarter, the ball sailed just a bit too high over the rookie's reach. 2) A stop-and-go designed to get Gilmore to bite like he did in Week One, to which he didn't and was in position to make the play, thwarted only by a shoulder pull-back by the intended receiver Jonathan Baldwin. Most of the yardage he gave up was late in the game with the score out of reach for Kansas City, but you still like to see him finish out the game. This was certainly the type of game to build off going forward.
Grade: B+
Season GPA: 2.51
George Wilson
Time on Field: 76.1% snaps played; 54 total
Stats: 5 tackles (3 solo), PD
Plus/Minus: Even (2 positive, 2 negative)
Observations: Another solid, but unspectacular game for George Wilson. He stayed within himself for much of the contest outside of biting on a play-action pass once and the overall disarray shown on the Chiefs' first play of the game when no one covered Peyton Hillis. Wilson showed a good physicality throughout making tough tackles when needed.
Grade: B-
Season GPA: 2.7
Aaron Williams
Time on Field: 71.8% snaps played; 51 total
Stats: 3 tackles (all solo), PD
Plus/Minus: -5 (2 positive, 7 negative)
Observations: In the first week of the season, Aaron Williams wasn't picked on by the New York Jets. The Kansas City Chiefs attempted to go after the second-year player, and was successful in bunches. Both of Kansas City's touchdowns late in the game came against Williams who was in man-coverage. He tried to make a big play on the ball rather than going for the pass breakup on the first and it slipped by him for a touchdown. The second score was just a back shoulder throw that beat Williams clean. With Gilmore playing much more effectively in Week Two, teams may target the receiver lined up against Williams more and more as the season goes.
Grade: D
Season GPA: 1.79
Justin Rogers
Time on Field: 54.9% snaps played; 39 total
Stats: 1 tackle
Plus/Minus: +2 (3 positive, 1 negative)
Observations: Heading in to the game, Dexter McCluster was thought to be someone that could potentially be a breakout player for the Chiefs. Instead, the Bills made the move to put Justin Rogers as the nickel corner and the results were very favorable for Buffalo. Rogers showed fluid hips which are necessary to stick with most shifty, change of direction style of receivers that occupy the slot. Rogers did well at sticking with McCluster and providing run support as well. His lone negative play came when he whiffed on a tackle at the line of scrimmage.
Grade: B
Season GPA: 3.0
Terrence McGee
Time on Field: 35.2% snaps played; 25 total
Stats: 5 tackles (3 solo), PD
Plus/Minus: Even
Observations: The biggest weakness for Terrence McGee is that he let Dwayne Bowe get inside position for medium gains on two different occasions. He's not all the way back yet in coverage, but brings a lot to help efforts to stop the run. He does show flashes in coverage, breaking hard on a ball over the middle of the field. If it would have been thrown accurately, McGee likely would have broken that specific play up.
Grade: B-
Season GPA: 2.7
Da'Norris Searcy
Time on Field: 29.6% snaps played; 21 total
Stats: 4 tackles (3 solo)
Plus/Minus: +2 (3 positive, 1 negative)
Observations: In the limited time he had on the field, Da'Norris Searcy excelled yet again. He displayed good support when dropped back in to a Cover 2, and also was able to be effective in run support. He tackled Peyton Hillis by himself on a strong wrap-up, a task easier written and said than done. It would be interesting to see how he performs in a full game if Jairus Byrd cannot play.
Grade: B
Season GPA: 3.0
Leodis McKelvin
Time on Field: 2.8% snaps played; 2 total
Stats: None
Plus/Minus: Even (0 positive, 0 negative)
Observations: After flopping as the team's nickel corner in Week One, McKelvin had two snaps on defense only when the Bills were in prevent defense at the end of the game.
Grade: B-
Season GPA: 0.23
Wide Receivers
Donald Jones
Time on Field: 89.1% snaps played; 49 total
Stats: 1 reception, -1 yards
Targets: 3
Plus/Minus: +2 (3 positive, 1 negative)
Observations: Getting the most snaps on the field of any receiver thanks to the blowout, Donald Jones had a solid day despite the poor statistics. He did a nice job of feeling out the zone looks from the Chiefs and giving Fitzpatrick a nice window to get him the ball. The throw to him on his two incomplete targets were a by-product of a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage or just a poor throw from the quarterback. As stated before, the poor throw came on a comeback route along the left sideline where Jones had his man beat. The wideout missed his blocking assignment on the jet sweep out of the Wildcat formation early in the game -- which constituted his lone negative play. His only reception was dead in the water as soon as he caught it -- a screen play that didn't have the proper blocking set up in front of it.
Grade: B-
Season GPA: 3.02
Stevie Johnson
Time on Field: 87.3% snaps played; 48 total
Stats: 2 receptions, 56 yards, TD
Targets: 5
Plus/Minus: +4 (5 positive, 1 negative)
Observations: Low statistics were rampant for all the wide receivers, but Stevie Johnson got to looking more like the Stevie of last season than the one in the first week. With the groin injury put behind him for the time being, Johnson showed comfort in setting up his move on the cornerback with two-to-three other moves. It very well could have been a three-touchdown game for Johnson if the throws had been on target. Of course, he had the one on the blown coverage over the middle of the field (he can thank Chiefs safety Abram Elam for that). The other two were on a slant where he just left Brandon Flowers in the dust, and also on a play in the end zone that should have been a back shoulder throw closer to the front pylon. Johnson also had a nice block on the C.J. Spiller screen play that put the Bills in position for yet another touchdown. Johnson seemed a little slow getting out of his break on a comeback route along the left sideline, which was the only time the groin injury might have been apparent.
Grade: B+
Season GPA: 2.98
T.J. Graham
Time on Field: 47.3% snaps played; 26 total
Stats: 1 reception, 7 yards
Targets: 1
Plus/Minus: +2 (2 positive, 0 negative)
Observations: In the debut of rookie T.J. Graham, the Bills got the wideout a substantial amount of reps while limiting how many mistakes he could make. Since the team has the identity of a run-first club, Graham was sent on a fly route many times to take his defender along with him. The two plays for Graham that stuck out were his first reception of the season early on in the second half on a screen play. It was minor, but it got his feet wet. The other was less noticeable, with it coming on C.J. Spiller's second touchdown run to the left. Graham was sent in motion before the snap from the left to the right, with his defender Javier Arenas chasing him over there. The ball was snapped and Arenas was still a bit off balance after he saw the pitch to Spiller. Rather than letting him run free, Graham buried Arenas in to the ground, taking him out of the play completely. Registering a tally in the 'pancake' department couldn't have been the odds on favorite for the rookie. Nonetheless, he surprisingly did it.
Grade: B-
Season GPA: 2.7
Brad Smith
Time on Field: 18.2% snaps played; 10 total
Stats: 1 reception, 16 yards; 2 carries, 5 yards, fumble
Targets: 1
Plus/Minus: Even (2 positive, 2 negative)
Observations: Splitting time as both a wide receiver and as the Wildcat quarterback, Brad Smith made his best play filling the role of the former. Smith made a nice toe-tapping catch along the sideline early on in the game. The botched handoff to C.J. Spiller in the Wildcat is something that has to be worked on extensively. Those types of mistakes, while harmless in that game, cannot be afforded as the season progresses.
Grade: C+
Season GPA: 2.3
Ruvell Martin
Time on Field: 9.1% snaps played; 5 total
Stats: None
Targets: None
Plus/Minus: Even (0 positive, 0 negative)
Observations: Martin took most of his snaps late in the game as the Bills were trying to run out the clock.
Grade: B-
Season GPA: 2.41
- Those that did not appear in the game on offense or defense were not graded.
- For obvious reasons, this is a report that highlights my findings and opinions from the individual games.
- The GPA's attached at the bottom are an overall grade of how I felt that player performed, basing it all on the play-by-play film review done throughout the week. B- is considered average on my scale, not C.
- Plus/minus scores and GPAs will be tracked as the season 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.
Twitter: @JoeBuscaglia