This is a frustrating loss, no doubt. Playing at home against a young Buffalo team without its starting QB and we were coming off a bye ... it really stings. But, to be honest, 3-3 is where I expected to be at this point in the season, just with Atlanta and Buffalo flipped win/loss-wise. We are in contention for a wild card slot ... and that's about what I expected. No doubt that THIS loss stings, but our season is most certainly not imploding. We lost a close one to Baltimore that we should have won. We lost a close one to Buffalo that we should have won. But over the last season and a third, we tend to win those close games, so eventually we are going to lose some close ones. It's not the end of the world.
As for the OLine, I have been saying that for a long time. I was repeatedly saying all offseason that we needed to re-sign Jake Long and that Jonathan Martin simply wasn't ready. He stunk as a RT, and he's the worst in the league as a LT. Kid may become a quality starter ... but he's not there yet and doesn't look to have a chance to become that this year. He simply is too weak to play NFL OT right now. As for Clabo ... well I had some hope, but the guy was not successful in a zone scheme before. It was only after he moved to Mike Smith's Atlanta Falcons and their power scheme that he really looked good as a RT. Eric Winston WAS successful in a zone scheme, and is doing much better than Clabo this year as well. I'm still mystified at how we keep making the wrong moves personnel-wise along the offensive line.
We let a good pass protector and exceptional run blocker in Jake Long go ... mistake. We moved the unsuccessful RT Jonathan Martin to the ultra-competitive LT postion and he has failed miserably ... mistake. We took Clabo instead of an Eric Winston who fit the scheme and practically begged to be here ... mistake. We didn't trade for Branden Albert ... although I didn't see it at the time, in retrospect that was also a mistake. Instead, we drafted a guy who clearly cannot play OT, Dallas Thomas ... mistake. We didn't even get into the discussion for the ridiculously cheap trade for Eugene Monroe ... mistake. There's a lot of wrong moves at the critical OT positions. We have Pouncey who is a good C. We have Incognito who actually is a pretty good G. Next year I'm almost certain that we let our best OL go--Incognito--and try to force the poor Dallas Thomas into his spot to save cap space. Over the last few years, we've put a lot of resources into the OL, and all we have to show for it is Pouncey and Incognito ... who I think we jettison in the offseason. Not wise.
This game was bitter, but the season isn't lost. We will simply have to do it without an OL.
