mjt328

Amazing how the Peterman crowd suddenly realized all of this teams problems cannot be pinned on the Quarterback alone. Yes the O-Line sucks. Yes the system sucks. Yes the defense sucks. It sucked when Tyrod was playing too. Benching the veteran starter with a 5-4 record was a stupid decision. Now they look even dumber going back to Tyrod with the rookie falling apart.

Usually we are midway through Season #2 before the new/fresh regime looks this clueless and lost.

When was the last time this defense forced a punt?

Rex Ryan's defense was the perfect example of "confusion" gone wrong. In trying to confuse the quarterback, his own players were often caught out of position and unsure of where to be at the snap. Jim Schwartz used a relatively simple defense. His D-Line was loaded with talent, so he just let them go straight up against blockers. More often than not, the Bills defenders won those matchups. The less talent you have, the more you need to rely on scheme to confuse your opponent.

I disagree with most of the posters here. I'm pretty sure Tyrod Taylor does have trade value around the league. Despite what some fans claim, there are actually a lot of great qualities about Taylor. He's easily the most mobile quarterback in the league, and a dangerous weapon that defenses must always account for. He almost never turns the ball over. He is a hard worker and great teammate. Many Bills fans only want to know "Is he a franchise quarterback?" If the answer is no, they are ready to move on to the next guy. And I can't blame them for that mentality. But the franchise QB pile in this league is very small. Teams looking for quality passers run out of options pretty quickly. That's why mediocre guys like Ryan Tannehill get massive extensions. That's why free agents who have done nothing like Mike Glennon get huge contracts. That's why teams will trade two drafts worth of picks for a strong prospect. That's why journeymen like Josh McCown and Ryan Fitzpatrick are never short of work. Taylor's cap hit in 2018 is relatively small (just over $8 million). Once the dust clears on free agency and the draft, I could see some teams getting desperate. Assuming the Bills land their guy, and assuming they like Nathan Peterman to step into the backup role next year... there may be a market for Taylor. I wouldn't anticipate it going higher than a Day 2 pick, but the idea that nobody could possibly want him is foolish.

It was obvious the Bills coaching staff/front office wasn't 100% sold on Tyrod Taylor back in the offseason, when they were considering letting him walk out the door. This is not something that has popped up suddenly after a few bad games. The problem is, Taylor still almost certainly gives us a better chance to win than Nathan Peterman. And until the Bills are knocked out of playoff contention, the goal is still winning. Not trying to develop a 5th Round rookie. Regardless of what Peterman may have done against preseason 3rd stringers, or in garbage time with a 40 point deficit... it's not going to be anything like that against a real/regular season defense. Look how great Mitch Trubisky and Deshone Kizer played in the preseason. Once Week 1 kicked off, they looked like lost rookies. Sure. Maybe Peterman will find immediate success when the real bullets start flying. But the odds are very much against him. Even if he turns into an eventual starter in the NFL, it will probably come with severe growing pains. Unbelievable as it seems, the Bills still have a very realistic chance at landing a playoff spot. Maybe that means nothing to everyone expecting a quick exit on Wild Card Weekend. But I'm a believer that 17 Years is mentally looming large over this franchise. From the owners, to the front office, to the coaches, to the players, to the fans, to the entire city. The pressure in that locker room to JUST make the 6th seed is tremendous. I think that landing a playoff berth in McDermott's first year (especially when everyone expected us to totally tank) may have better long-term benefits than most would give credit.

All the scenarios for making the playoffs seem to be falling into our lap. The problem is... the Bills still have to win at least 4 more games this season. There are still 4 games against teams with losing records. But at this point, I'm not sure the Bills stand a chance against any of them (and that includes the Colts).

I would like to think this news gives us an advantage. But after watching us the last 2 weeks, the Chargers could probably just run the ball up the middle every play and score a touchdown on pretty much every drive. Our D-Line is soft, our linebackers are slow, and everybody on defense forgot how to play tackle football. It also wouldn't surprise me to see a backup QB drop 30 points on us.

Trying to work the facts to fit an agenda. Yes, Tyrod Taylor was pathetic yesterday. There was no excuse for his play. Even when the Bills were trailing by multiple touchdowns, he was still throwing short of the markers on 3rd Down. I'm not personally a believer in benching him for Nathan Peterman, but after performances like yesterday, I may be getting there. With that said, the defense was equally horrific yesterday. It had nothing to do with the offense struggling. The Saints moved the ball every time they had it, from the opening snap on. If the defense is spent in the 4th quarter, it may be an excuse. But our defense had already let up 40+ points and almost 300 yards rushing by that point. Our D-Line was getting put on their @$$ on the first drive, and it never stopped. So quit with the bull excuse. Let's just cut the crap. If the O-Line has a bad game, just admit it. Don't try to come up with a reason why it should be blamed on the Quarterback. And vice-versa. If Tyrod plays like he did yesterday, don't make excuses. Just admit he sucked. Pretty much everyone on the team has been a flaming pile of turds the last 2 weeks. If everyone could just open their eyes, watch the game, and stop trying to fit everything to make their opinion "right" -- this board would much more intelligent to read.

Logically, the Bills are very much in the playoff race. Behold. Their competition for the #6 seed: - Browns with 9 losses. They are done. - Colts with 7 losses. They are pretty much done. - Broncos with 6 losses and would lose a tie-breaker with us. - Jets, Texans, Chargers with 6 losses. Unsure about tie-breaker. - Bengals with 6 losses, but would win tie-breaker. - Raiders with 5 losses, but would lose the tie-breaker. This leaves the Ravens (5 losses) and Dolphins (4 losses with game tonight against the Panthers) as our primary competition. Both of these teams suck pretty bad. The Dolphins schedule is just as tough as ours, and they play us twice. But of course, the Bills are the physical manifestation of a sports choke job. They have literally been the NFL's worst team for 2 weeks in a row. They other AFC teams are practically shoving a playoff appearance down our throats, and the Bills are vomiting it back on all of their fans. The look on Sean McDermott's face says it all. He just found out what being the coach of the Buffalo Bills means. He was on top of the world to start the season, thinking he was the cure for our pathetic franchise. Then his team forgot how to play tackle football. There are no answers Sean. It's all downhill from here.

For anyone talking about "garbage time"... Tyrod had plenty of garbage time himself. But he kept dumping the ball off short of the 1st down marker, and throwing the ball over receivers heads. I'm not looking to make a change now, but his game today was beyond pathetic.

I'm baffled how this defense could look so good for the first month of the season. It's not just Marcel Dareus being traded. It's not just EJ Gaines or Ramon Humber being hurt. It's not just being out-schemed by the opponents. This team had a strong pass rush early in the season. They haven't sniffed the quarterback in weeks. There is absolutely no pressure on the quarterback. Not from Jerry Hughes. Not from multiple Pro-Bowler Kyle Williams. They are getting no penetration. They aren't getting leverage. They aren't pushing the pocket. We might as well drop 11 into coverage, because I can't imagine it costing us much in pass rush. The rush defense has been abysmal. And again, it's not just missing Dareus. I was watching defensive linemen and linebackers get blown 5 yards off the ball. Giant holes everywhere. Our team went from excellent tackling, to suddenly missing everything. How can the SAME players who seemed to understand their assignments, making technically sound tackles -- suddenly turn into such a sloppy mess. It's like everyone on defense suddenly forgot how to play tackle football.

We may be a pretender... but the playoffs are still within our grasp.

It wouldn't surprise me at all. I could very much see them having a big win Sunday. The Bills are coming off their worst loss of the year. The Saints are probably due for a letdown. The Bills are at home in the cold, where they seem to be playing much better. The Saints are a dome team playing out in the cold. It looks like a good combination of circumstances. The real question is whether the Bills are ready for the "long haul" and can play at a high level for the next 8 games. If they want to make the playoffs, they need to match the results from their first half. They probably need to go 5-3. Against a much tougher schedule. The Bills played exactly one team with a winning schedule (Panthers) and lost that game. They have four games against teams with winning schedules (Patriots 2x, Chiefs, Saints) in the second half. They absolutely MUST beat at least one of those teams, and then run the table against everyone else. If the Bills go 4-4 or less, they will need to get wins against the right teams and hope for lots of help elsewhere.

I'm a big believer that "elite" defenses absolutely NEED to have a great D-Line. And right now, we just aren't getting enough production from our front 4. Maybe Washington has improved his game, but I'm still not seeing enough. This team's pass rushing has been pathetic, and the run defense has been overrated.

The problem with investing high $$ or draft picks into Wide Receivers before getting a quarterback, is that you don't know what kind of receivers you need to have on the team. Right now the Bills only have big/possession targets. Which is OK if you have an offense that doesn't press down the field much. But if you have a big-armed QB, you really want to get some speed on the outside. If we continue running an offense similar to this one (West Coast style), I'm OK with re-signing Matthews. I'm not one of those guys who believes much in adding a speed guy just for show/decoy purposes. Just get big and reliable targets who can keep the chains moving.

Looking at current records and remaining schedule, I think there will be quite a battle for the #6 spot. (Unfortunately, I see either the Jags or Titans easily nabbing the first wild card). The Bills have the best record at 5-3, but their schedule is brutal. The Dolphins have the next best at 4-4, but their schedule is equally brutal. Out of the mess of 5 loss teams (Jets, Ravens, Bengals, Texans, Raiders, Chargers, Broncos), it's the teams in the North with the easiest remaining games. Everybody else has some pretty tough upcoming games, and not much wiggle room. If the Dolphins beat the Bills twice (which is possible and exactly what they did last year), there is a really good chance they get that last spot.

Yes. The Bills are in a worse position than the other 5-3 teams. (I'm only paying attention to the AFC, because I'm concerned with our playoff positioning). Here is why: 1. The Bills are in the same division as the Patriots. So we are already drifting behind what is still one of the NFL's best teams. The Chiefs still have a 2 game lead in the West, and the Titans/Jaguars are tied for their division lead. 2. The Bills have a very tough schedule coming up. The other 5-3 teams have it pretty easy. 3. The Bills have a long history of strong starts in September/October, only to watch the wheels come off in the final months. Fans sadly aren't surprised to see us choke to the lowly Jets on a November 2 prime time game. 4. Almost everything about our strong start is starting to look like a fluke. The defense is getting progressively worse as the season presses on. None of the teams we beat now have a winning record. Our team looks hopeless without lucky bounces and tipped passes.

At this point, let's say our main competition is Jacksonville or Tennessee, and Miami. Everybody else has a losing record, and we have at least a 2 game lead on them for a wild card. Both Jacksonville and Tennessee have very easy schedules down the stretch. One will almost certainly win the south division, and with such easy schedules, it will be tough to beat out the other for one of those wild card spots. To me, this means our primary concern is Miami. And in the second half of the season, we have almost identical schedules. We play each other twice. We both play New England twice and Kansas City on the road. Miami gets Carolina and Denver. Buffalo gets New Orleans and San Diego. The Bills currently have a 1-game lead on the Dolphins. And they play them twice. The playoffs are completely in our grasp. If we are able to take care of business.

I always look at the playoff race as the countdown to 7 losses. Once you hit 7, you are pretty much done (in most years). At this point, the only team out is Cleveland (8 losses). Indianapolis has 6 losses, and basically needs to win out. New York, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Houston, Denver, Los Angeles and Oakland are all sitting at 5 losses. Which means anything more than 1 loss, and they are done too. This leaves a total of 7 teams currently in contention for 6 playoff spots. New England, Pittsburgh and Kansas City have 2 losses. Buffalo, Miami, Tennessee and Jacksonville have 3 losses.

The way I see it, if a quarterback reaches the full depth of his dropback and can immediately step into a throw, the O-Line has given him enough time. It's not about "how many seconds" he actually has. Because plays are designed around predetermined routes and a certain number of steps on a dropback. What is necessary for a 2-step drop and quick slant, is much different than a 4-5 step drop and timing route 15 yards downfield. And blocking assignments usually reflect this as well. The vast majority of pressure last night WAS NOT the fault of our quarterback.

Last night was (unfortunately) completely expected by most of us veteran Bills fans. Maybe it was going to happen against the Raiders. Maybe it wasn't going to hit until the Saints. But we knew it was coming. Every strong start Buffalo has managed over the last 15 years has eventually turned into this moment. Playoff hopes. National attention. Growing optimism and excitement among even the grouchiest fans. Then BAM. Total meltdown. It's not that we suffered a disappointing/close loss to a game inferior opponent. That happens to everyone. It's that virtually nobody on the roster seemed prepared to play a football game last night. It was a pathetic and embarrassing performance across the board. This game was the 2016 Week 7 tackling debacle (against Miami and Jay Ajayi), erasing our 11-point lead in the 4th Quarter and killing our 4-2 start. This game was the 2011 Week 9 @$$ kicking (by the Mark Sanchez led Jets), which spiraled into a 7-game losing streak after beginning the season 5-2. This game was the 2008 Week 8 self-destruction of Trent Edwards (against Miami), as we soon watched a 5-1 start become a 7-9 season. This game was the 2005 Week 17 unbelievable loss to Pittsburgh's backups, with the playoffs on the line. I wish I could dismiss last night's horrific performance as a "bad game." But I know better. This team has Brees next and Brady x2. It has the Chiefs in Kansas City, and a road game on the west coast against the Chargers. It has two more tough division games against the Dolphins. The only "easy" opponent on the schedule is against the Colts. And the Bills MUST finish with at least a 5-3 record in these games to have a prayer at making the playoffs.

In my 30+ years of watching football, that may have been the worst blocking I've ever witnessed. Every lineman on the Bills looked like they were doing the Moonwalk last night. Getting shoved back into the QB on every passing play. And on running plays, Shady would take the hand-off and immediately be surrounded by 3-4 Jets players. I'm used to seeing games like this from Jordan Mills and whatever bum is playing Right Guard for us. But it was especially alarming to see 350 pound Cordy Glenn getting his @$$ pushed into Tyrod Taylor's lap on every single snap. Short week or not, how does a quality NFL Left Tackle let himself get embarrassed like that? We aren't talking about "mental lapses" or too slow getting out of his stance. He was just getting physically dominated on every play (mostly by Kony Ealy, who he has 75 LBs on).

In my opinion, the Bills have had "playoff caliber" talent since probably around 2012. But they have been held back by poor coaching and constantly changing offensive/defensive schemes, which have failed to capitalize on that talent. It also doesn't help to have New England in your division, making it impossible for a decent/good team to have any chance other than a wild card. It's a little ironic, after letting a good chunk of that talent go (Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, Marcel Dareus, Zach Brown, Stephon Gilmore, Ronald Darby) -- that our team seems to be coming together and playing better. Are we getting better coaching? Are the players being utilized better this year? Were the guys we let go just overrated? Are we getting lucky so far this season, and it will eventually catch up? I guess nobody can answer those questions definitively after only 7 games. The Oakland win helped raise my confidence and optimism. But I still worry this season could fall apart quickly. I really can't blame Costello for feeling that way.

Jets allow 4.3 yards per carry. That ranks 23rd in the NFL. And Muhammed Wilkerson is questionable.