thewildrabbit

We fans gotta remember what was available to Buddy Nix in terms of coaches. I think at first Nix had Marty Schottenhiemer in mind as his HC and the owner stated he didn't feel "comfortable" with Marty. Then Bill Cowher turned him down, as did Mike Shanahan. Many NFL assistant coaches like Jets OC Brian Schottenheimer / Ron Rivera SD OC even turned him down for an interview. I think Nix was getting pretty desperate when he hired Gailey. It still remains to be seen what Gailey does in the next 7 games, should the team fall on its face ...then I think Nix might make a change. if Nix was able to get 100 Million out of RW, he should have used that money to lure Bill Cowher to the Bills sideline. Its too darn bad that Buddy can't get RW to change his mind on Marty S. He was the one guy with the proper experience that actually wanted the Bills HCing job "BADLY"

I couldn't agree more with the idea of Cutler throwing the ball away rather then taking a sack. He must have been very frustrated in trying to get the ball down field in 2-3 seconds with nobody open! Meanwhile trying to pull an Aaron Rodgers holding onto the ball until someone gets open. No excuses tho, he should have thrown it away! In regards to Fitz, his story is also very frustrating to me as a fan because I still see some potential. Because unlike Cutler, Fitz usually can get the ball to the open receiver in the 2-3 seconds. The problem I see is Gailey is too darn pass happy with a non elite QB. Fitz should be handing off and managing the game instead of being forced to try to single handedly win it. Not to mention Fitz's surround cast is still not even close to Tom Brady 3-4 elite receivers. Drew Brees 3 elite receivers et al. Plus,Gailey doesn't build a strong running game forcing the opposing defense to crowd the line and then throw over them like the old Buffalo Bills did with Kelly. To Gailey the running game is an afterthought and only uses it to occasionally mix things up. The last half of the season last year the Bills RB would be tearing it up and Gailey would stop running it to constantly pass. Chan Gailey has this singular mindset to make his QB work the ball down field despite what the opposing defense is doing. He just doesn't have a backup plan or refuses to make adjustments to what the defense is doing. Some fans here nicknamed him megamind, they need to add a "less" to that nickname.

Blah blah blah...blubity blubity blah. wow, talk about over the top. Lets try one point at a time The Falcons already had a top 10 WR in Roddy White, They had a decent defense and and a good QB and running game, and were in the playoffs the last few years! Yet they traded the farm for Julio Jones. They gave up 5 draft picks to move up to get him. Now why do suppose they did that?

There is a whole lot more to a win / loss then just one player! Take for example the 100 million dollar DE that had just one tackle! Fitz wasn't the only player that looked lost and pathetic at the start of the game on Sunday, and he did play better in the 2nd half against the Jets. Unlike Cutler who looked like crap the entire game! Where was the supposed best D line in the NFL with super Mario, all pro Kyle Williams, #3 overall pick Marcel Darius, FA DE Mark Anderson? However, unlike Fitz the Bills defense didn't play better in the 2nd half, they looked pathetic the entire game. Even the special teams gave up a TD on a punt. The Jets #2 pick WR Stephen Hill caught 2 TD passes while the Bills #3 pick WR TJ Graham was inactive....because Gailey stated he wasn't ready. Yea Fitz sucked! but look whats actually happening on the field, Gailey has a journeyman QB who was a backup his entire career out on the field throwing the ball around like he is Tom Brady. Constant 4-5 WR sets with only one decent WR. Fitz is not an elite QB, he is not Tom Brady and he doesn't have the receiver corps or the line Brady has. Nobody on the Buffalo Bills looked ready to play last week. The entire Bills team looked inept and confused. (save Spiller) Whereas big mouth Rex had his team ready to play. Blame the coaches for that loss, and last years 9 of 10. Why hasn't Gailey / Nix drafted a replacement, they have had 3 years!

see the above response to Billsrhody. None of those bolded teams in the playoffs have even made it to the SB, and Atlanta just added Julio Jones last year. Its the reason why SF was one game away from the SB and brought in and signed WR Randy Moss AND WR Mario Manningham this off season. Its the reason why the Ravens have been in the playoffs year after year but recently traded for Anquan Bolden and Lee Evans only to find they already had a good young WR on the team in Torrey Smith. * I'm somewhat leery of pointing this out, (because I don't want Belicheat to remember what won him SB's)but the Patriots won the SB with a great running game, and defense along with Brady spreading the ball out to several receivers. They have gotten away from the running game the last few years and tried to rely on only Brady throwing. So you basically shot down your own "its all about the QB theory" SB MVP's, WR Dion Branch- WR Hines Ward- WR Santono Holmes. Its not just about the QB's, they also need a good team around them. What I stated was the Lions have the best WR in the NFL in Megatron. The Lions problem is they lack the RB, 2nd top WR and defense to get to the SB.

Once the Bills traded away Lee Evans they lost their deep speed threat that was capable of pulling some coverage away from Stevie, and stretched the opposing secondary. Now they don't have that threat and teams didn't need to fear the deep ball at all. My take is other teams realize they really only need to double cover Stevie Johnson because no other Bills receiver is a threat. So all those 4-5 WR sets Gailey runs while trying to fool the opposing defense is only putting 4 non play makers on the field. Those 4 usually don't get separation, don't get open and are only decoys for the guy who is really going to get the ball most of the time. The spread offense helps the running game by spreading the field, and spreads out the DB's so they can't stack the box. You don't need 4-5 WRs tho, you can run it with 3. JMO but Chan should stop with all the 4-5 sets and just stay with 3, then run the ball a whole lot more out of that spread. The less Fitz throws the better chances the Bills have in winning

That last bolded part of your statement is complete hogwash The Falcons paid dearly in the draft to trade up and obtain Julio Jones, even tho they already had a top 10 WR in Roddy White and its just starting to pay off big time. Not only do the have Jones but they have future HoFer Tony Gonzalaz at TE, #8 overall WR Roddy White. They just might make the SB with that potent passing game. Also notice Michael Turner is not their dominate player anymore. Detroit has megatron who was THE best WR in the NFL last year, 96 rec, 1681 yards. plus TE Tony Scheffler, and TE Brandon Pettigrew, WR, Nate Burlson The Lions problem is they lack the RB, 2nd top WR and defense to get to the SB The Ravens traded to get Anquan Boldin and Lee Evans, even tho they have had a dominate run game, and defense for years. Now they have WR Torrey Smith with a potent passing game now. They might actually get to the SB Houston has WR Andre Johnson,usually a top 10 WR who was injured most of last year, plus TE Owen Daniels . The Texans made it to the playoffs with a dominate running game and great defense with Foster #5 and Ben Tate at #19. not to mention the #2 defense. The Texans need another top WR to reach the SB. San Fran signed Randy Moss AND Mario Manningham this off season to go along with their dominate defense and run game. The Buffalo Bills would go a long way by looking at those teams you highlighted and try and copy how they win, because you are correct that they don't have a franchise QB yet. A great defense and running game are only part of the puzzle. the teams that actually get to the SB and win it have more then one top receiver. You know, the teams on your list you didn't highlight that have recently won the SB

Take into consideration the Bears vs Bills defense. Fitz was almost always trying to play catchup because Gailey would go pass happy as soon as the Bills lost the lead. The Bears run the ball more with Forte Earl Bennett and play great defense. They have had better tight ends as Greg Olsen was his outlet as was RB Earl Bennett. But yea, you could make the case the Bears didn't have a top 20 WR, AND their O line was actually worse then the Bills. Plus they ran the Mike Martz scheme, its a wonder Cutler is still alive

Yea, Cutlers arm is way better. But I would think that Cutler wouldn't last long behind the Bills line if he can't get that ball out in 2-3 seconds

I don't claim to be smart, but it doesn't take a genius to see what current problems plague the Bills offense. First off, top teams have more then one top WR. the Bills have one player ranked #19 in yards last year. The next best was David Nelson ranked # 60. To put it in proper perspective the NE Patriots had one of the worst defenses last season but their offense was so potent it didn't matter.The Patriots had Wes Welker who had 122 receptions(next best was Roddy White at 100 receptions) TE Rob Gronkowski at 90 receptions and ranked #6 in yards. TE Aaron Hernandez 79 receptions ranked #31 in yards. WR Dion Branch #57 in yards. Thats 122-90-76 for the Patriots. Stevie Johnson only had 76 So while the Bills had one guy ranked 19th in yards & 18th in receptions the Patriots had 2 guys better then SJ and 4 players better then the Bills 2nd best WR. So yea, as one poster put it Chan Gailey is pass happy with a journeyman QB who should be just trying to manage a game rather then try to out throw Tom Brady in 4-5 WR sets. Plus, Gailey has only one good WR while constantly running 4-5 WR sets. Gailey passes to setup the run, which he should be doing the opposite because his best offensive weapon is Fred Jackson. The Bills with Jim Kelly back in the day used the same spread offense only they ran to setup the pass. Most years the Bills were a very balanced offensive attack and actually ran the ball more then they threw it. The Bills passing scheme is also very limited due to Fitz's O line and protections. Fitz mostly only throws 3 step drop pass plays because Chan Gailey has setup a quick / short passing scheme to keep pressure off Fitz. Plus Fitz has had an uncanny ability to find the open receiver and get him the ball in under 3 seconds, usually around 2 seconds. Then you need to take into consideration that the Bills have one of the worst defense's in the NFL, the Bills were always playing from behind the last half of last season, and Fitz almost always was trying to play catchup while throwing into nickel, and dime defensive coverages. Basically throwing into the teeth of the defense all game long. It put the QB in untenable situations game after game. Just my 2 cents

After reading many posts in this thread there is some things that most of you just don't get. Fitz's receivers besides SJ are crap, and have been crap! There is basically nobody after Stevie Johnson and he drops a ton of balls every year, plus SJ is currently not 100% healthy. The Jets DB's knew what passes Fitz was going to throw and they ran the routes better then the bills receivers. The very best DB in the game was covering SJ,and it showed Sunday. The Bills receivers were covered like a blanket and conversely the Jets receivers were wide open most of the game. Big mouth Rex and his staff outcoached the Bills coaches big time, Bills players looked very unprepared in almost every aspect. The Bears just had the wrong game plan against the Packers, and their O line blocking schemes stink. The biggest difference between the Bears and the Bills is that the Bears defense has been much much better then anything the Bills have fielded for years. Both teams have poor O lines, both teams have sub par receiver corps with one top WR. By comparing Fitz to Cutler I'd take Fitz simply because in the past he has been able to do more with less. Fitz gets the ball out to the open receiver in usually 2-3 seconds which neutralizes the pass rush against him. Plus Fitz can read a defense and set his protections better. Cutler has had better teams and coaches around him his entire NFL career is why he has accomplished more so far.

Thats exactly right! I think it was more of a bad game plan and poor protection then Cutlers faults. I highly doubt Brees, Brady or Rodgers could have done any better behind that line and with Clay Matthews rushing.

So, the coaches blame the teams lack of coverage skills and being unprepared on not being aggressive enough. What a crock! NVM the fact that Nix / Gailey have spent the majority of the last 3 drafts on the defense 2010, #2 DT Troup, #3 DE Carrington,2011, #1 (#3 overall) DT Marcell Darius, #2 DB Aaron Williams, #3 LB Kelvin Sheppard, #4 DB Da,Norris Searcy. 2012 #1 (#10 overall) DB Stephen Gilmore. Not to mention 100 million for DE Mario Williams and more money for DE Mark Anderson. I think its a pure and simple case of the coaches sucking more then the players. They were unprepared and looked lost compared to the Jets players.

I want the Bills to win... but, honestly I don't have any idea what team is going to show up. Will it be the one that domated the Chiefs at arrowhead last year or the one that played the Jets last weekend. I'm thinking the Bills will miss Fred Jackson and Nelson their possession slot WR. Will the Bills defense make Matt Cassel look like a pro bowler, like they did for Sanchez? The Chiefs scored 24 points on Atlanta in their 40-24 spanking at arrowhead. 31-24 Chiefs

What gets me is in 09 before Nix hired Chan Gailey the Bills wanted to interview Marty's son for the Bills HCing job, who was the Jets OC at that time. Brian Schottenheimer refused the interview and stated he was staying with the Jets The Bills could have hired Marty as HC, and then I would expect Marty would in turn have hired his son away from the Jets to run the Bills offense. To me Marty S has a wealth of experience turning bad teams into winners, his son could have been hired at almost the start and learned right from his father. The biggest problem with Chan Gailey is that he didn't hire good experienced NFL coaches for his assistants. AFAIK Gailey is still setting up the offensive game plans and still calls all his own plays like he has done the past 2 years. George Edwards was clearly a huge mistake at DC even tho he had some past experience in the NFL. A lot of assistants Gailey hired with from the college ranks going back to his days as HC of GT. I'm starting to wonder if Dave Wannstedt was a smart move for DC as the defense didn't look any better then the defenses that Edwards fielded. Considering all those early draft picks on that defense I would think they would have played so much better then they did. Not to mention the 100 million spent on a premier pass rusher.

If by cursed you mean that the Bills have an owner that has only been interested in his bottom line, then yea, Bills fans are cursed. That 100 million dollar DE sold a heck of a lot of season tickets, didn't he. Next year the plan is to draft a QB, who will fill the stadium again. NVM the fact that It all comes down to coaching, and the Bills refuse to spend the money on a top coach. Or even when a coach with a proven history of winning wants the Job the owner says he doesn't feel "comfortable" with him. To us fans the bottom line is winning! To the owner of the Buffalo Bills, it has a totally different meaning

Here here It wasn't just that the Bills players looked unprepared and inept on both sides of the ball. It came down to the Jets DB's were so well coached and ready to play they knew exactly where Fitz was going to throw and what routes SJ would run. Jets DB Antonio Cromartie looked like he was the one running the proper route. The Jets were disciplined and prepared and the Bills players weren't. For the Bills pass rush, the Jets OC copied Gailey and had Sanchez throwing short quick passes to nullify any rush. So it came down to the Bills DB's who had a difficult time covering any of the Jets receivers. The Jets #2 pick WR Stephen Hill caught 2 TD passes while the Bills #3 pick WR TJ Graham was inactive. Why you ask? Because Gailey stated he wasn't ready, and made a reference to Spiller not being ready in 2010. The Bills did lose their best offensive player for 4-6 weeks. They also lost the slot receiver for the year, you know him as the guy who got the first downs.As usual the optimistic Bills fans will forget Sundays game against the Jets and start looking at the Chiefs game with hope that springs eternal. I look at the Chiefs and and think if they play like they did against the Jets ...it will be a loss! I hope Wanny shuts you up too

The Bills haven't even tried save for JP Losman and Trent Edwards. Its probably a good thing considering the coaching at OBD. Jauron would have ruined them also. Now after watching Gailey call all those 4-5 WR sets with one decent WR I'm glad the bills didn't draft a rookie the last 3 years. RW openly stated during the 2010 season the Bills would draft a QB in 2011, he deferred to Nix / Gailey and let them do what they wanted. They chose Fitz Bills = garbage yards against soft coverages with the game already in hand by the Jets Jets=took the lead and never looked back, they manhandled the bills when it counted Another reason stats can be meaningless

Reality check, the Bills lost their best offensive weapon for 3-4 weeks and lost their starting slot WR for the year (a guy who could get first downs) So now they start that #3 draft pick that wasn't ready last week. After reading many posts and what some sports writers had to say about Fitz and the Bills offense. Not only was the team not prepared to play an NFL regular season game in any aspect, They were dramatically out coached by big mouth Rex. The Jets fielded a defense that blanketed the Bills WR's and conversely the Bills fielded a defense that couldn't cover anyone. Who knows what to expect from the Bills next week, more of the same? This team reminds me of the 2010 team that went 0-8

Naa, Glenn looks like the real deal at LT so far. Was Gilmore that much better and more needed the a #2 WR? Was Michael Floyd graded that much worse? Anyway, the Bills took Glenn, and 2 picks later the Jets got Hill in a trade with the Seahawks. Why is it so difficult for the Bills to make trades or find a decent rookie QB?

I'm starting to think 0, let the Bills draft Barkely or whatever QB looks to be the best. Hire some good coaches after the season.

"By the last third of last year, defensive coordinators had figured out that Fitzpatrick never looks over the center of the field -- all his passes go sideways or up the sideline. Since opponents figured this out, he's been throwing picks. His sideways pick-six to Antonio Cromartie on Sunday at Jersey/B was so predictable, Cromartie appeared to be the one running the pattern. After the game, Cromartie said the Jets were expecting Fitzpatrick to throw sideways" Teams have already figured out Fitz's tendencies, and stopped Gailey's quick /short passing scheme. So the Bills coaches just keep doing what they have been doing... What does it say when opposing DB's have figured out Gaileys scheme and most of the Bills QB's can't grasp it.

There is no backup plan, or they would have used it Sunday when they were getting manhandled by the Jets. The Bills defense made Mark Sanchez look like an all pro, superstar QB. Did the Bills even use the WC at all? Seems like it might have been a better option after the first QTR. This regime is clueless, no rookie QB in 3 drafts, and even when they knew they needed a top #2 WR they wait until the 3rd round and reach for a 4th-5th rounder. It tells so much that the Jets Stephen Hill caught 2 TD passes and the Bills TJ Graham was inactive because he wasn't ready.

because nobody else wanted it? except shotty, who RW wasn't "comfortable" with

On another note.... "By the last third of last year, defensive coordinators had figured out that Fitzpatrick never looks over the center of the field --all his passes go sideways or up the sideline. Since opponents figured this out, he's been throwing picks. His sideways pick-six to Antonio Cromartie on Sunday at Jersey/B was so predictable, Cromartie appeared to be the one running the pattern. After the game, Cromartie said the Jets were expecting Fitzpatrick to throw sideways." If opposing defensive coordinators have figured this out, then why haven't the Bills coaches changed things up? http://espn.go.com/espn/playbook/story/_/id/8363360/is-green-bay-sync-san-francisco-next-nfl-powerhouse btw, its Antonio Cromartie