Exhibition Season: Bills 20 Colts 7, Second half review

Bills-Colts Second Half

I’m back from vacation and my Olympics high has worn off.  The closing ceremonies are awful. 

Here is what I’m looking for out of this game:

1. JP Losman to remind me why I don’t hate him.  If I hate him by the end of tonight, I will begin to write about the fact that he should be cut.

2. The Bills defense to show me that they’re not paper tigers.

3. The meaning of life. 

4. To know if any young players are better than they seem

Colts Possession No. 5:

Quinn Gray in for Jared Lorenzen.  Gray is better than Lorenzen, why wasn’t he starting tonight?  Strange. 

[Report on Langston Walker: left forearm in for x-rays, per Schefter “its not a good one.”  This is bad news.  Demetrius Bell and Robert Felton are not starting tackles.]

Ok, so a three and out.  Maybe Gray isn’t any better.  Oh, and I was wrong—McKelvin is playing.

Still 17-zip Bills.

Buffalo Possession No. 5:

Shannon Sharpe teased a new QB, please be Hamdan! 

JP is hurt!?!  Are you kidding me? On a hand off, comma, to Xavier Omon, comma, Losman, comma, hurts his thumb! exclamation point.  OK.  [dumbfounded]

third and six, Hamdan sacked.  Patrick Estes was smoked off the line, never touched the rushing DE.  Lame.  Punt. 

17-0 Buffalohhhh.

Indy Poss No. 6:

At Buffalo 40.  Two quick nice passes by Gray, this is what I was thinking.  Is Deion Sanders seriously saying Jared Lorenzen had a disadvantage in his QB competition because Lorenzen had to play with Harrison and Wayne?

Jon Corto has a lot of heart.  I appreciate how hard he plays on the field.  He is what Coy Wire pretended he was. 

Ashton Youboty just increased his trade value again with that interception!  Way to go!  Dude is a headcase,  he had three players ready to tackle him, four teammates telling him to down it and he was seriously going to try to take it out of the end zone from eight yards deep.  Please go away. 

Buffalo Possession No. 6:

They need to stop fumbling.  Nice awareness of Demetrius Bell to get that fumble.  Third and nine, and Hamdan checks down to Steve Johnson for a four yard gain.  Is Tim Couch available?

Indy Possession No. 7:

Jeff Saturday hurt.  Ouch.  Someone goes deep on the Bills and shocker, George Wilson is out of position.  Perfect pass from Quinn Gray, 94 yard TD.  I hope the Colts cut Gray and keep Lorenzen so the Bills can pick Gray up.  17-7. 

Buffalo Possession No. 8:

Colts are fired up.  McKelvin just got nailed on the return.  This is funny, are the Bills just going to keep running all day? 

Oooh guess not, perfect touch pass by Hamdan, nicely split the double coverage, too bad Felton Huggins dropped it.  Another nice touch pass by Hamdan to soon to be cut TE Tim Massaquoi for a first down. 

End of the third quarter.  Still 17-7.

The Bills offense is getting predictable, which makes sense as it’s the exhibition season.  Still, I’m bored and so far, every time I’ve called someone out they have made a play, so this Bruce Hall character sucks.

Does Tony Dungy have a lisp?  Strange?

WHERE IS STEVE JOHNSON?  !?!  If they aren’t giving him a look or showcasing him in the games does this mean they are carrying five WR’s?  Oh, there he is, bad route running, ugh.  Drive stalled painfully.  I hate exhibition football fourth quarters. 

17-7…..Still.

Indianapolis Possession No. 8:

They’re still trying, nice pass for a first down.

Buffalo Possession No. 9:

Matt Baker in at QB now.  Run (Wright), Run (Wright), screen ( Hall for a first down), run (Wright), false start by Estes (bad day for him),  run (Wright), run (Hall), FG Lindell.

Interesting drive right there.  Marshall Faulk thinks they might be hiding Matt Baker (one can only hope), but it showed the Bills weakness.  They don’t have a power identity. 

Robert Royal was supposed to be a power blocker, but they tried to fit him into a round hole as a finesse tight end, and that is what he is now.  The o-line is built to block for a passing game and speed backs –Jackson and Lynch hit the corners so fast

Indy Possession No. 9:

Sixty-six yard return by Courtney Roby, he has had a nice little game and has some moves.  Also, terrible tackling by the Bills on that return, I count six Bills (four rookies) who missed tackles on the return.

Great play by McKelvin to not get deked on the double move, then Quinn Gray pulls a Losman and overthrows his WR and gets intercepted.  Maybe the Bills don’t want him. 

Bills Possession No. 10:

Short pass, draw (Wright—a big burst up the middle for a first down), counter run (Wright), run (Wright), qb run (Baker for first down), inside handoff (Wright), off left tackle (Wright), inside handoff (Wright). 

Punting time.  Oh this needs to end.  What happened to Hall?  Wright had a nice run, but mixing in Hall on third down would have been nice.

Indy Possession No. 10:

From Sterling Sharpe, “they like (TE) Jacob Tamme, he isn’t Dallas Clark, but he isn’t an inline blocker either!”  Um, so really, he isn’t good at anything?

Beautiful INT by Reggie Corner, who has locked up a spot on the roster.  Bye Bye Youboty.  I officially don’t want the Bills to snap up Quinn Gray.   I’ve decided JP is better than him. 

Bills possession No. 11:

Run to the warning.  Inside run.  Thank goodness they’re killing time.  Maybe they are hiding Matt Baker.  Fourth and six.  Go for it!  Yes, good job.  Terrible call though, chuck it to the end zone. 

Indy Possession No. 11:

Go deep!  Oh, alright, taking a knee.

Overall:

McKelvin is good.  I’m not worried about the offensive line, even if Walker and Peters are out.  Maybe they have the next great line coach in Sean Kugler.  The Bills are in trouble if JP ever has to play.  They should keep Matt Baker over Hamdan (I’m wishy washy on this). 

They need to establish a power identity or just scrap that idea all together and stop faking it. Despite what everyone wants to believe, bringing in Peters won’t help as much as everyone thinks. 

Patrick Estes earned a pink slip out of town.  Justin Jenkins is a sleeper and will make the roster.  Courtney Anderson should go. 

Colts will NOT win double digit games, and they’ll struggle to get to nine.