starrymessenger

Try and tell Aaron Rodgers that.

Correct. The reason there are rules of the game is largely to ensure that both teams receive equal treatment (as well as player safety). The officials are charged with enforcing those rules largely to validate the results of the action. This practice, and it extends to other items, such as sometimes telling wideouts to line up properly (and sometimes not) makes the outcome a discretion of the official- which is exactly what the outcome of games is not supposed to be. Let's assume that the Jets had previously been penalized for the same infraction and that the penalty had allowed the Pats to kick a field goal, with three or fewer points being the margin of victory. I'd love to have attended Rex's post game presser. If the overriding consideration in this case is player safety, then blow the whistle and kill the play when a defensive player lines up this way. It's not just the amateur officiating that sucks but the professional management of the officiating as well. NFL is really thick between the ears at times.

Lynch gets great holes to run through from the Seahawks O-line and it is one of the lightest in the league. I share your concerns regarding this coaching staffs ability to shore up the run blocking. If Marrone as a reputed O-line guru can't do that I begin to wonder if he can do anything.

True. Only reason they were any good on O was because they had the best O-line in football, not because of Schotts play calling. Except in the first half Monday night for some reason he's running neck and Neck with Hackett for the honour of least creative OC. He's got big receivers. Where were the quick 7-8 yard slants in the second half? Why not help out your child QB? And what has he done with T. Austin? Same as we do with CJ. Can't get him in space. Saw him twice run him off tackle, all 160 pounds of him lol.

He should be calling all of the plays.

I thought he said "it was a damn close near run thing" tho I think your quote better summarizes yesterday's events.

They have plenty of talent on defense. What it boils down to IMO is whether their o-line is as good as really it looked against the Bungles. If they can establish their run game like they did Sunday night we are in for a lot of trouble. Of course the matchup is entirely different with the Bills. We now have a good run D unlike Cinci. And hopefully we will have a better defensive game plan too. I expect the game to be a close run thing between the two contenders for the Division title. Lots of excitement.

If you have to wait for a Luck or Rodgers you may have to wait a long time, possibly forever, especially if you don't know how to evaluate QBs, thus making the whole process even more of a crapshoot than it already is. If he's good enuf to win that's good enuf. People used to say things like that about EJ ie he just needs to be a game manager etc... Bottom line however was that, game manager or not, he wasn't good enuf to win However, even if KO lights it up, the Bills obviously need to avoid the errors of the past. They need to draft a QB. Right now they don't even have a reliable backup on the roster if Orton goes down.

I suppose we will find out by now having the opportunity to see all of his games whether the likes of Evans, McGinest (and I might add Tom Jackson) are right about his tendency to be spotty is accurate or not. Based on what I've seen over the years I would agree he seems pretty much always to be the same guy. A lot of what these guys say sounds to me like conventional wisdom and received notions. We are I suspect legit as contenders for the AFC East crown with him under centre, which certainly we were not before he got the nod. They could have had Russell Wilson for a third. The Bills just don't know QBs. If Kyle Orton does well in Buffalo I'm inclined to think its because he was the only guy available, not because they know how to pick 'em.

Sounds like you are not familiar with Evan's obvious attachment to the Pats. Part of his presentation/introduction as an analyst often includes references to his being someone in the know about their organization, in particular how they go about their business based upon his acquaintance with it. He is frequently introduced in a NFLN segment as an ex Pat, just as McGinest is. Somehow nothing is said about his having played for other teams. Whether the connection is actually meaningful is irrelevant. By his comments it's apparent (at least to me) that he is partisan, favorably inclined to that team, and therefore it is not unreasonable to speculate that he is not so favorably inclined towards that team's competitors. Exactly the same thing can be said about McGinest, who BTW also played for the Browns, but is, you know, a Pat. I don't have a problem with their affection for their team. It's hardly unnatural.

And Heath Evans says he may have a good game or two and then revert back to the norm, which I assume means not good. Of course both these guys are Pats after all so maybe they are concerned that Orton will be a major equalizer in considering just who gets to win the Division. That's what I suspect actually.

I suspect he is in many ways the same guy he has always been. He just may be a player who has been undervalued however or who can greatly benefit from finding the right "gig". I would certainly not be at all surprised if his stint in Buffalo yielded results (especially wins) that exceed the expectations you might reasonably have from examining his career to date.

Warner had a bigger/better arm. If Orton is successful, meaning helps the team to the playoffs, it will be interesting to see how the Bills approach the position in the offseason. Do they see EJ as the next man up or do they need to keep drafting QBs. If they draft, how high will they prioritize the QB position? If they invest heavily in a youngster, what does that say about how they view EJ. Orton is better, and possibly much better than Fitz, JMO.

If he had a bigger arm and was more athletic he would be Aaron Rodgers. Having an arm that is only "good enough" and being relatively unathletic and without the ability to scramble for yards and extend plays using his legs probably explains his status as a good backup/marginal starter. He sure doesn't look like your prototypical franchise guy. No one is going to mistake him for Andrew Luck. Thing is though there are lots of guys who might look the part who can't play the position as well as he can. What he does have going for him though is his smarts and his poise. He looks to have excellent situational awareness and has absorbed the lessons of experience. Though hardly "mobile" he moves well in the pocket and can actually throw on the run if he gets the opportunity. He is very accurate and throws with enuf zip (or touch when called for) within 25 yards of the line of scrimmage. As far as his "fitting in" with this team he looks to be exactly what the doctor ordered. What this O most needs is an on field leader at the QB position. They are a bunch of youngsters in search of direction. Kyle Orton is a mature person can lead them IMO. In fact, he may very well give the whole team a big lift. I think he could find a lot of success in Buffalo and surprise some people. Time will tell. Some of the talking heads don't like him very much. Another reason for us to like him. He's an irreverent guy with a FU attitude. Those are some of the "intangibles" good quarterbacks have.

They will look like a playoff team next week.

Good point re our O-line matchup with Lions. I was thinking the same thing re pass pro, but not too sure about the run blocking.

Add Fred and CJ and if Orton does what it appears he can do our O production could explode. Lots of excitement on the way.

Agree. Woods is a very good slot/#2. Watkins has an option on greatness. Different order of magnitude.

He's very accurate with good zip on short/intermediate throws up to 25 yards from the LOS. Not afraid to throw over the middle. Bear in mind that for sure he had to be a little rusty coming off the bench like that so he could be even sharper as the starter. We could be seeing a lot of very exciting YAC this year. Should be very interesting. And yeah, I've heard a lot on the boards about the statue in the pocket. That's nonsense. He moves well enuf and can throw on the run.

No, not every fan. And if I watch/follow the Bills, it's certainly not because of Russ.

If true, not a winning strategy. The fallback position is a proven loser. But then of course Russ is a marketer, and some segment of the fan base need to be told what to think. They have never gotten the all important position right. Except maybe for Orten, in which case they lucked out.

It was a tough decision mostly on a human, not on a football basis. It had to be done. It nevertheless took courage and it was assuredly an unpleasant, though necessary, thing to do. And apparently there may well have been some disagreement on the matter as between Marrone and the FO. Getting Kolb so that EJ can learn was not the problem. Drafting him at all, certainly where they did, was the problem. If a vet was going to play in 2013 anyway the thing to do is wait until 2014 to get your guy. I don't know about you but I would rather have another one of the good young wideouts from last years draft, Teddy Bridgewater, and still have my 2015 first rounder than have EJ and Sammy and no first rounder. The Bills don't know QBs They just don't. Whaley gets a big FAIL on that issue.

Nope. As far as the whole EJ saga is concerned Whaley and probably Brandon (who presumably signed off on Sammy) look bad. They look very bad. And of course it's not just EJ. It's the whole QB disaster. Their ability to assess talent at this position has been 100% amateurish.

Good article. All true. All of what has happened certainly gives me some insight into who Doug Marrone is - and I like what I see. Now if he can just get that O-line to start gelling.

Maybe, but it is also true that most if not all good QBs have that FU attitude. Nobody is going to be challenging his authority on this young team. He just needs to get along with Fred. He's the boss and it's now up to him to prove he's the next Rich Gannon. Go Thoatbeard!