All three units were beat up in rout.
by Steve Saslow
Here are our position by position grades:
Quarterback:Brian Brohm made his NFL debut and struggled as you would expect. He basically threw mostly short passes to the outside and screen passes. He did try to go deep twice in the first half. He overthrew Owens on the first shot deep and underthrew him the second time and it was his first career interception. He threw another interception in the fourth quarter. He made a few good throws to his hot reads to beat a few Falcons blitzes. He finished with a QB rating of 43.2 as he completed 17 of 29 passes for 146 yards. Grade C-: He really had an incredible uphill battle because of the line and his inexperience.
Running Backs:Fred Jackson was called for a false start penalty on a third and 1 play late in the first half after a timeout. He also had a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. He finished with just 39 yards on 13 carries and two catches for 14 yards. Marshawn Lynch dropped a screen pass and gained just three yards on three carries and one catch. Corey McIntyre played a lot as the team looked to run the ball. He had one carry for two yards and four catches for 28 yards but did little as a lead blocker. Grade F: This unit needed to carry the team but they were a liability instead.
Receivers:Terrell Owens was so disinterested in this game. When Brohm underthrew a bomb to him he didn't even try to breakup the easy interception. He had four catches for 39 yards to go over the 1,000 career reception mark. Lee Evans had five catches for 43 yards to lead the team in both categories. James Hardy had his first catch of the season. Shawn Nelson and Jonathan Stupar both were shutout. Grade D: Not much for this unit against a young secondary.
Offensive Line:The line gave up two sacks but Brohm was hurried on almost every pass attempt. They opened up no holes for the running game as well. Jonathan Scott was injured again as he just can't stay healthy. He left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury and was replaced by Andre Ramsey. That is how badly things have gotten for the Bills. Ramsey was called for an illegal formation penalty. Kirk Chambers had a false start penalty and an illegal hands to the face penalty. Grade F: They are starting tackles that have no business playing college football.
Defensive Line:Aaron Schobel wants to retire? He's lost a step? He had three sacks and two forced fumbles early in the game. He was called for an offsides penalty on the first play of the second half. Chris Kelsay had just one tackle as he has disappeared in recent weeks. Marcus Stroud had two tackles and clogged the middle well. Spencer Johnson had three tackles. Kyle Williams was very quiet with one tackle Not much from Ryan Denney, Aaron Maybin, and John McCargo either. Grade C: Schobel keeps the grade at average.
Linebackers:Paul Posluszny had seven tackles. Chris Draft was called for a neutral zone infraction and had four tackles. Nic Harris had good coverage knocking one ball away and led the way with 12 tackles subbing for the injured Bryan Scott. Grade D: Really didn't do anything to stem the tide.
Secondary:Reggie Corner was beaten for both Falcons touchdowns. A TD bomb on the first offensive play by White who appeared to have pushed off. He was also beaten by Marty Booker for a touchdown. He did knock away a long third down pass to force a punt. Drayton Florence was beaten for an 18 yard gain on 3rd and 11. He did knock away one pass in the two minute drill late in the first half. He was then beaten for Atlanta's final touchdown. George Wilson had three tackles. Ashton Youboty was beaten for a third down completion on Atlanta's second series. He was called for illegal contact on the final first half drive. He was beaten by White for a 14 yard gain on 3rd and 12. Donte Whitner had eight solo tackles. Grade F: Gave up the big play every time.
Special Teams:Brian Moorman had an off day as two of his punts took bad bounces into the end zone for touchbacks. His line drive kick allowed a big return on the Falcons second touchdown drive. The 18 yard return would have went the distance if Chris Draft didn't make the saving tackle. Moorman averaged 48.6 yards on his seven punts but just a 35.1 net. Rian Lindell hit his lone field goal attempt from 42 yards out. Roscoe Parrish fair caught three punts and returned one for zero yards after a penalty. Fred Jackson averaged 18 yards on four kickoff returns. Drayton Florence was called for blocking a player out of bounds on a punt return that backed the Bills up late in the first half. Spencer Johnson blocked a field goal that resulted in a wild play that ended with a few laterals and George Wilson in the end zone but Reggie Corner was down before the last lateral. Ellis Lankster got called for a holding penalty that wiped out a long kickoff return by Jackson. The coverage units had a down day as they gave up 10.8 average on five punt returns and 41.5 yard average on four kickoff returns. Grade F: Contributed to the loss with poor play all around.
Coaching:Perry Fewell made a mistake punting late in the first half on a 4th and 3 from the Falcons 37. The result was a touchback and a 17 yard net. They should have went for it or at the very least try a 54 yard field goal. He didn't seem to have any answers defensively either. Matt Ryan audibled out of one play and found Booker wide open for a 22 yard gain. They picked up a blitz early in the third and Ryan connected with White for 33 yards. Alex Van Pelt kept things very simple for the young QB Brohm. Very little motion and a very short passing game mixed in with a lot of running the football. It wasn't successful but it was the only way to go. Bobby April's unit had a bad day all around. Grade F: This team finally quit.
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