There are a few words I could use to describe the Week 2 loss-excuse me, blowout-in Green Bay.
-Embarrassing
-Ridiculous
-Unbelievable
-Typical
-Horrendous
-Annoying
-Infuriating
-Forreal?!
Summing it up, the game was basically a hot ass mess. Not great.
Ya see, what had happened was (Will Smith in Fresh Prince voice), the combination of a struggling quarterback (he was actually beyond struggling, but I don't know a word for that) and a non-existent offensive line made for a 34-7 loss.
Yep, you read that score correctly. A lot of people probably don't think those numbers are particularly surprising because, ya know, "we're the Bills." But I AM surprised, because even though I expected a loss, I didn't expect what it took to get there.
If we're trying to look at the positives here, the Bills should really be commended for putting on a fantastic show of borderline amazing failure. I'm sure Packers fans were thoroughly enjoying their Sunday afternoon. You're welcome.
But to dissect what went wrong ... well actually, it's really not that complicated. Let me break it down for you.
Chan Gailey, in trying to be a good coach or make a statement, decided that he was going to let the three QB options duke it out for starting spot during training camp and preseason. That's fair, I suppose. I guess Trent Edwards seemed to prove that he could handle the job. However, apparently he couldn't and if people had listened to me babble on for months and months and months about how the Trent Edwards ship has sailed and it's time to move on, we might not have thrown away the first two games of the season and my Monday mornings might have been just a little more pleasant on so many levels. It's all good and diplomatic to give Edwards a chance, but once you see that that chance is not panning out, suck it up and do what it takes to win. This isn't football at the park, this is the NFL, and there are thousands of Bills fans out there ripping their hair (or hair plugs) out week after week, season after season. That's all the ranting I'll do on the matter, since Fitz has been named starter for Sunday at New England. I'm happy, but it's still too late.
The next issue was the offensive line, or lack thereof. I'm pretty sure Edwards wouldn't have been great even with some protection, but the fact that he had virtually zero didn't help the mess that ensued. Much of the inability to score actually boils down to an inept O-line, as our RBs can only do so much with what they're given to work with. I don't get it. How is it possible that our O-line is that bad? These guys must have some type of skills or they wouldn't be playing professional ball (well, you'd presume). Someone needs to help them get their ish together and soon. I've already laid out the basics of what their job description is, and have even been kind enough to remind them of the date, location and time they must show up. I'm only one woman, there's only so much I can do. I honestly don't know what the answer is here, besides learn how to block or get some veterans that already know how.
Obviously, without a QB who throws (or even has a chance to) our receiving game was weak. My poor Lee got no receptions and no yards. Stevie Johnson did a good job (lost ball is forgiven) and Roscoe looked better than he did last season. CJ Spiller returned some kickoffs and did a decent job.
The run game was alright. I was pleasantly surprised by Marshawn Lynch's performance. While it wasn't stellar by any stretch of the imagination (17 carries for 64 yards), he actually fought for yards and I saw a glimmer of the "beast mode" he used to display when he first became a Bill. I even took back some of my harsher criticism (via Twitter) about midway through the game. When given the chance, Freddy J also showed he's still a powerhouse, working great with Marshawn to blast down the field and give us our only touchdown of the game. A tip of the stiff arm to you, boys.
You wouldn't think our defense did much of anything by looking at the score, but they did a fine job. Things went downhill fast, courtesy of the offense losing the ball right at the beginning of the second half, which directly resulted in a GB touchdown. Cue a bunch of 3 and outs with another turnover and you have some more points for Green Bay and a very tired Buffalo defense. A defense cannot perform spectacularly if they're constantly being shuffled back on to the field.
Next week, the Bills head to Foxboro to face the New England Patriots. Not great, considering the Pats will be super pissed, fresh off their loss to the Jets. Translation: Sucks for us!
GO BILLS!!!