The prospect of facing the Dolphins is certainly not what it used to be. Mike Harrington’s column highlights the sentiment perfectly.
No snow and no talent certainly make the game tougher to watch. However, the Bills defense looked outstanding. Beginning in the second quarter they locked down the Dolphins offense, it did little aid for my fantasy team though.
But, Trent Edwards wasn’t good, neither were the tackles. The thought process was, if Edwards had time to throw he would be better. Of course, he didn’t get a whole lot of time on Sunday, but when he had time he was his same, conservative self. On numerous occasions Edwards made poor choices with the ball that led to stalled drives. Only on the Bills 80-yard scoring drive did he look like an NFL quarterback.
It seems obvious that Edwards isn’t the answer at quarterback. Of course, it seems that Cornell Green and Demetrius Bell aren’t the answers at tackle. If the season continues on this type of trajectory the Bills will be choosing in the top-five come April. If Jake Locker is the first pick for Buffalo then I hope to God a left tackle is our second-round selection.
On the bright side, the special teams were day and night from the preseason and the defense looked great. The pass rush needs to improve, but Aaron Maybin didn’t even look bad as he pressured Chad Henne on a few occasions. Perhaps the best part of Maybin’s game was that he was not a complete non-factor like he was last season.
Looking at the bright spots outside of the special teams and defense, David Nelson looked pretty solid, Roscoe Parrish appears like he will be a serious weapon for the offense and Fred Jackson (aside from his dropped pass) looked like 2009 was not just an aberration. C.J. Spiller wasn’t outstanding but if the passing game can open up the box, he will gash defenses for big yardage.
Right now it seems pass protection and the actual act of throwing the ball will be the biggest problems for the Bills in 2010. If Trent can matriculate the ball down the field, the Bills might actually sniff a .500 record.
Of course, not having a shot at Jake Locker might not be worth another 7-9 season.
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