The offense couldn't move the ball and the defense tired in awful loss.
by Steve Saslow
Here are our position by position grades:
Quarterback:J.P. Losman was absolutely awful in this one. He finished the game with just 113 yards on 12 of 19. 74 of them on the final drive. Kelly Holcomb relieved him for a series and went three and out. Grade F-: It won't be so easy for Losman.
Running Backs:Willis McGahee could do nothing with the ball as he gained just 34 yards on 13 carries and caught one pass for negative yardage. Shaud Williams caught three balls in garbage time. Daimon Shelton didn't touch the ball and didn't open up any holes either. Grade F-: Worst game of McGahee's short career.
Receivers:Eric Moulds only caught one pass for eight yards, that's how bad it was. He was open a few times but Losman was off target on his throws. Josh Reed was the only one catching anything, as he grabbed six balls for 71 yards. Lee Evans and Mark Campbell were non existent, combining for three short catches. Grade D: Reed keeps this unit from failing.
Offensive Line:Mike Williams was hurt and replaced by Greg Jerman, there seemed to be little drop off. The line did give Losman some time to throw as he was only sacked twice. They didn't do a good enough job picking up the blitz or opening up holes for the running game. Grade D: Didn't get the push they needed.
Defensive Line:Aaron Schobel was non existent as he didn't get any pressure on Brian Griese. He was in on three tackles. Sam Adams isn't built for the Florida heat, he wilted as there were huge holes in the middle of the Bills defense. Ron Edwards struggled as well with three tackles. The Bills used Tim Anderson and Justin Bannan late in the game to give the starters some rest. Bannan had one nice tackle for a loss. Anderson had two tackles. Chris Kelsay was in on five tackles but didn't get any pressure on Griese either. Grade F-: The worst game by this unit in recent memory.
Linebackers:Takeo Spikes had a quiet 10 tackle game. Many of his tackles happened downfield, he wasn't as dominant as he usually is. London Fletcher got hurt in the first half and did not return. The team missed him as the gaping holes in the middle started about the time he left. Angelo Crowell replaced him and struggled despite getting six tackles. Jeff Posey was also very quiet. Grade F: Shockingly poor performance for this unit.
Secondary:Troy Vincent read one Griese pass well and would have picked it off if it wasn't overthrown. He had five tackles. Nate Clements had some jarring hits and seven tackles. Terrence McGee was active with 10 tackles. Lawyer Milloy was also very busy as he was in on 10 tackles and had a sack. Grade B: Kept the Bills from getting totally blown out.
Special Teams:Brian Moorman averaged 43.6 yards on seven punts but didn't put any inside the 20 and put two in the end zone. Rian Lindell remains perfect on the season as he hit his lone field goal attempt a 40 yarder. Nate Clements averaged 6.7 yards on three returns but Terrence McGee fared much better. He averaged 35 yards on three kickoff returns, including a 43 yarder that setup the Bills only points. Grade B: The best unit on the field.
Coaching:Mike Mularkey's decision to bench Losman was a right one but why put him back in? He did it to show that there is no controversy but he also sent a message to his young QB that no job is safe. The decision to rotate defensive linemen in the game was too little, too late. That needed to be done earlier to stop the Bills from wilting in the heat. Grade F: Team wasn't ready to play.
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