Mom and I had our pastor and his wife (Bills fans), and my grandma (the reason I'm a Skins fan) over for dinner and to watch the game tonight. Sorry I couldn't be with y'all, but we had a great time nonetheless. (My family, more so than my pastor had a good time...lol.)
Some quick thoughts on what I saw:
Trent Williams is a very strong 1-on-1 pass blocker. He made a few mistakes (a false start, and a hold, IIRC) but I watched him frequently, and he was VERY solid.
McNabb is what I expected. Good (not great) passer, still very mobile, and a leader. I was nervous after the first series, but he settled in and gave me what I wanted....reliable QB play.
Ryan Torain is the real deal. The kid has a great knack for making something out of nothing, and making the MOST out of a play when he has an opportunity. Keiland Williams is a pretty strong runner too, but I don't expect him to make the team. Hopefully he'll catch on elsewhere if not.
My "WTH" reaction when we signed Rex Grossman now appears utterly ridiculous. He showed good command of the offense, and VERY nice touch on a few mid to deep balls. If he ends up having to play, I have confidence in him at this point.
The defensive scheme was pretty bland, which is fine by me. We still got some good pressure, and it led to TURNOVERS. (If you're not familiar with that expression, "turnovers" means our defense taking the ball away from the offense via fumble or interception. LOL.) Turnover margin, +3. Nice.
Devin Thomas is here to play football. If tonight is any indication, he will play himself into the starting lineup by Week 1.
ALBERT HAYNESWORTH....did what was asked of him. He tied up defenders, got a good push up the middle, and made it possible for the LBs to make plays. He did all of this while slapping hands with his teammates and smiling. I was impressed. I'm not sold on him, but he deserves credit for what he did tonight. Kudos to the big man.
Our special teams are in good shape. Kickoffs were regularly in the end zone or to the goal line, Bidwell punted well, and....well....Brandon Banks is F-A-S-T.
Perry Riley may just make this team. As a 4th rounder on a team stacked with LBs, I wasn't sure, but the kid played very well tonight. He's quick, strong, and seems to have a nose for the ball. I hope this isn't bad news for HB Blades, who was uncharacteristically quiet.
For the Bills:
I don't know who the corner named "Corner" was, but he was getting smoked all over the field tonight. They may have been hanging him out there, just to see what he could do, but kid got flat out abused repeatedly.
If having two QBs is the same as having none, then having three must be less than that. I think they have three decent backups, and no real starter.
John McCargo still hasn't lived up to his draft position, IMO, but he played very well tonight on a team that had nothing going right for it.
All in all, I couldn't have asked for a better start to the preseason. Not just the dominance on the scoreboard, and all phases of the game, but emerging injury free. I'll be anxious to see how this team looks against top-flight competition like the Ravens and Jets. With all respect to my pastor, I think the Bills are in for another VERY long season.