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Outside of nightmarishly bad strategy, there is another significant problem that isn't on Nix whatsoever, but Gailey. I get that coaches don't want to create panic when things are going bad by losing control by screaming at players, the refs, other coaches. However, no emotion whatsoever tows a fine line between appearing calm and controlled and appearing aloof. The whole team has the look and feel of being lobotomized. You've got the DC up in the press box, detached from things going on down in the field. Gailey shows zero emotion, good or bad. Players aren't angry they get dismantled game after game. It's just another routine day at the office for everybody who's paid to be a Buffalo Bill.

It's got to be about the coaching, and as a fan I've had it. I really thought it was Edwards last year, but it's dawned on me that it's Gailey and his entire way of doing things. This team has good talent, enough of it that it doesn't get blown out of games. And we've gotten blown out of a lot of games during Gailey's tenure. The other miserable thing is that even the casual observer of the Bills sees no leadership. The sideline looks like a bunch of guys there because they are paid to be there. No hunger. No enthusiasm.

The Bills will probably win this game because they don't need it and they tend to show up after a big loss and Alex Smith isn't Tom Brady. The team has the talent. What's most frustrating and unpredictable is figuring out what Chan and Dave are going to do from game to game.

I'll play along and disagree. You want someone to blame. It's us, the emotionally addicted fans. We still bought the tickets, jerseys, tv packages and show up for the games. No matter how bad the product we still place reltaively unhealthy importance on the team in our lives. I thought about that today as I was surrounded by all my Bills "stuff" I've got in my office. We haven't been to the playoffs in over a decade. Yet, we're. all. still. here. In our normal lives we make an effort to distnce ourselves from lousy products, but not with football. We all seem hopelessly magnetized, spending money it takes all of us a long time to make on a fleeting, underperforming product. The thing is...turning it off, not watching, not commenting, divorcing the team completely...just seems so painful, doesn't it?

I'd say: Chan, Dave, it's time to get over ourselves. Your game plans aren't fantastic enough nor are your players that good enough that you don't ever have to make in-game or halftime adjustments. Adjustment wins and loses games.

My keys: 1. Watch 2nd half of NE vs. Buffalo game. 2. Don't do any of that. 3. Use that gigantic offensive line and McIntyre and commit to the run.

I watched it. Much like my other sports teams (Pirates, Spurs), I watch a game, they lose. It's only when I don't pay any attention whatsoever, do they win.

Unless the season really crash lands, it'll be Gailey. Whether we as fans like it or not, the team has shown incremental improvement. Four wins the first year, six the second year. And we're at 2-2 this year regardless of how ugly the losses have been. We are far from the apocalypse at this point. FWIW, I don't think Ralph has been calling the shots for the franchise since the end of last season.

I hope somebody does that video analysis again. I don't think our ends (Anderson and Williams) were blitzing the quarterback much. The malfunctioning defense is not on the players. It's on the strategy. If you brought Williams and Anderson in to rush the quarterback, let them do that. Blitz with abandon. It's not just the Bills that tend to leash their pass rushers. The Giants did it last night and the Ravens did it against the Pats. They have their most formidable pass rushers doing contain on the edges.

The better coaches in the league make adjustments. That was the problem with Gailey and the Bills last year. Brilliant execution of the installed game plan in the first half of games. However, post-half once the oppossing team had tape and adjusted, it went down hill quite fast. I don't want coaches to get fired at 2-2 but as a matter of course, they have to to tweak game plans at halftime. What is killing the BIlls is predictability.

To this untrained fan's eye, Mario Williams did not appear to blitz the quarterback much. He seemed to be on a contain, to hold the edge. He certainly isn't bull-rushing like he did in Houston. I dont think MW is being told to go after the quarterback. This game was like Back to the Future for me. Gailey infatuated with the pass, stale, predictable defense. I would have thought that if you spent that amount of money on a player because he gets after quarterback, why not let him relentlessy do so?

The sun sets on an empire eventually. Nothing precludes it from happening this year. A good team, yes. The great, unbeatable Collosus that once was? No. The Bills confused the Brady last year without a pass rush and spotting the team 21 points. This year, they have a pass rush.

I'm happy with how it's worked out for both teams.

I agree with JR 100%. Less is more with Leodis.

You could be a Cardinals fan. Talk about being on a fan island out there in Glendale. You're 3-0 not becuase you have an obscenly scary defense but it's because of the mistakes of the team you played. They get no credit for beating the Patriots and demolishing the Eagles. I bet 3/4 of the media couldn't name 5 starters on the Arizona D. On the Bills, I hope they stay away from the hype machine for a while. Last year, it seemed the team labored under expectations starting with that Giants game.

If Orlando Brown got suspended by the league for touching Jeff Triplette, BB shoudl be suspended for running after and grabbing the ref because he lost control losing a game (and not getting a bag of ball bearings thrown at his face). The NFL needs to reign in the coaches and this would appear to be an appropriate time to that. I know the replacement officials are less than adequate but the instituion of the game rules and those that enforce them must be respected.

That was a pretty awesome original post. Thanks for that research. You convinced me. I also see in those pictures that the corners aren't a 1/2 mile off the receiver at the snap. Another positive.

If I remember correctly FJ was on fire in that early stretch last year. His running took pressure off Fitz to make plays in the passing game. I hold Gailey responsible for Fitzpatrick's play against the Jets because of all the exceptionally predictable passing play calls on the first game of the season in the loud stadium of the oppossing team. There was no reason to have him throwing the ball that much that early in the game. If NFL defenses have all adjusted to defending the aerial attack it makes sense more than ever to bludgeon them with a running game until someone forces you to pass.

It's a good squad. However what you have seen in the two games so far is the line being used appropriately. The offensive line unit was built for the run, and now we're actually doing some running. (Forrest implied.)

Chan Gailey preferring the run is news to me based on watching the last two seasons. I was pleasantly surprised at A) the commitment to the run yesterday and B) Gailey switching things up a bit and not being so predictable.

The Cardinals watched the NYG/NE Super Bowl games for the blueprint. Persistent pressure and aggressive corners. The Cardinals had four sacks and Brady had rare times where he could sit in the pocket and take the shots we're accustomed to seeing. The Patriots offensive line is neither experienced nor talented enough anymore to fully insulate Tom Brady. The Patriots playcalling, especially on offense was also very bizarre in this game.

We all wrote that article last year.

I agree with TMQ on Fitzpatrick. Oppossing defenses had us figured out last year once there was gametape. Cincy was the first. It's been downhill from that point. Teams have intelligence units that look for tendancies and patterns. If fans can spot them you know those folks did some time ago. The key to any success this year will be keeping defenses guessing and that's not happening at all.

That goddamn cushion killed us last year and is killing us this year. I have no idea why we keep slogging away at ideas that clearly don't work. If it didn't work the 76th time you've tried it... That loss is on the coaches more than the players. I know the players get paid to perform but that cushion is another example in a long list of examples of really horrible coaching decisons. You're telling me that if the average fan saw it being exploited, experienced NFL coaches could not?

For Mario, one tackle after playing 91% of the game snaps. Ouch. I'm curious as to why Mark Anderson only played 50% of the snaps. Isn't he allegedly our second best pass rusher?