Dan

Holy crap! I take a day to get some house work done and they cut our starting LT?!?! I'm tired and its late, so I don't have the inclination to read all 16 pages, but what gives??? Why not trade him? Is there anything of substance in here or is this 300 posts of people saying we're doomed?

kickoff on the way hear the hopeful fan cheer loud eight wins here we come

I was considering entering this, but I'm not sure it would be fair. Maybe if I donate my winnings to a charity?

What I think it will be: Run up the middle 1 yard gain. What I want it to be: Deep pass to Owens. I'd send a message and get their attention. First 3 plays would all be long balls to Owens or Lee. We'll probably punt, but the Pats* would almost have to respect the deep route the rest of the game. What's the alternative? Run up the middle, dump off on 2nd, run on 3rd, punt. We're still punting after 3 plays, but the first way you're giving the defense something to thing about for the rest of the game. The second way, you're confirming that they know exactly what we're going to do.

John... please.. put these guys on "Ignore". Your contributions and insight are far too valuable and greatly appreciated by a large portion of the membership here. I, for one, look forward to your comments and am extremely grateful to hear your insights. This has been a Bills' offseason full of surprise, drama and uncertainty. Your posts and articles (along with Tim's) have helped a great number of us sort through the chaff to find the reality. So, if your still reading the board, just ignore these guys and don't let a few bad apples spoil the bunch.

I've been wondering that as well. It seems you used to hear about several teams doing that, but not so much any more. I don't know if we just don't hear about it, or if teams just aren't doing it. It would seem to make sense with a young team just trying to get something going.

2 game checks (assuming he would be cut after week 3) or 0 game checks? hmmm... decisions, decisions.

Link?

Standing is hard in the NFL.

What's the question... will he get cut or will he make the roster? You can't vote yes, he gets cut; yes, he makes the roster.

AVP called all the players and asked how they liked Turk. Anyone that said anything positive is getting the axe today.

Considering the Pats'* secondary has been torched this preseason and being somewhat familiar with Turk's previous game plans, I'm guessing they had drawn up a 1 WR, 2 RB, 1 FB, 1 TE attack that would completely trick the Pats* by running between the tackles all day. We'd totally catch them by surprise. Imagine their surprise after they spent all week trying to figure out how to take TO out of the game and we didn't even play TO!

I've been saying it too. When I can sit on my couch a thousand miles away, half drunk and I can call the play presnap; you know opposing NFL defenses can do it. AVP has got to find a way to make the offense less predicatable. Adding a few things like slant passes, play action, and RB screens wouldn't hurt either.

IMO, Trent is still a young QB and still trying to grasp all the defenses, i.e. the game still moves pretty fast for him. All too often, he appears to go through all of his reads and then settle on the last one, the dump off, because he's running out of time. Occasionally, he goes back to the WR, but by then the DB is all over the route. It just seems that it takes him too long to assess the coverage on 3 receivers and his dumpoff. And with this line, time is one thing he doesn't have. Hence my suggestion. I would give him 2 reads per play. Of course, those reads could/would change depending on what the defense is doing. For example, if you have 2 outside WRs, 1 Slot, and 1 RB (dump off) on any given pass play, you throw it to one of the 2 WRs - whoever has single coverage. 1, 2, 3, throw. Of course, you can change that with a line call and make the Slot or the RB the first 2 reads. So, you don't always look to or throw to the same 1 or 2 guys. But, I think Trent has trouble trying to look at WR1, WR2, Slot, then RB, then throw. Not to mention, he doesn't have time. Maybe it's stupid. After all, I'm not nor never will be an offensive coordinator. I just know that this offense is highly predictable and lacks all sense of rhythm and identity. There are several ways, perhaps, to fix it. But, simplifying the formations and the assignments, I think, will make them less predictable while allowing the players to play more and think less.

Maybe Jauron did overrule him and make the bone headed call. But the argument was initiated by Turk, asking why he over ruled him.

Actually, it doesn't necessarily mean few plays. But fewer formations would be a great idea, IMO. Part of the Bills predictability is they have different formation and personnel packages for too many plays. You see the FB come in, its a run. You see Reed motion to the tackle, its a run. 3 and 2, shotgun, its a pass; and so. I think fewer formations and substitutions would actually help our offense quite a bit. I think a case could also be made that with a young QB, young TEs, young RBs, young OL; fewer plays could be beneficial as well. As I stated in the other thread, I think few plays that are run well could help this team finally build an identity and be better than a lot of plays run poorly. While we're on it... I'd simply Trent's reads as well. Give him 2 reads per pass. Drop make look at 1 look at 2 throw. Simple and fast. If both reads are covered, throw it away or take off running. Sometimes it seems to me he spends too much time trying to go through is reads and he doesn't have 5-6 seconds with this line to scan the field for the best option. He needs to drop back and just hit the 1st or 2nd option in 3 seconds.

So I'm running my post count up just for fun. Greeeeeat.

Find the End Zone. Maybe if they painted it red again, it'd be easier?

Really?

Crap! Serves me right for not reading past page 45.

While I agree with you, fundamentally. I think they'd probably be doing more harm than potential good in 2009 if they brought in a guy from the outside. There's little time to install a new system, new terminology, and all that goes with a new OC from the outside. They needed a change, but they need some semblance of continuity if they want to have a gameplan ready in a week and a half. Unfortunately, the bad part of firing someone so close to the season opener (or mid season) is you're left with few options to replace him.

Read my mind.

I've been saying this for years. Get a base offensive set of plays and players and run that the majority of the game. The offense has been highly predictable for years based on who was coming in and where they were motioning to. Not only that, but simplifying the offense will begin to give the team an identity; something they haven't had in forever. It remains to be seen whether or not AVP can/will do this, though. I do find it interesting that all the same criticisms that are being leveled against Turk are precisely the same criticisms that were leveled against Fairchild. Coincidence?

Schefter just reported it on SportsCenter. edit: Said he talked to a league source who told him, "this league has lost its soul". But players on the team have confirmed it and AVP will likely be named OC at the press conference today.

I agree with this sentiment. However, this offense hasn't even resembled a professional NFL offense for quite some time and, in particular, seemed to regress in the last month. 15 series over 4 games and 3 points. It really can't get much worse than that. I'm not sure what to make of this news, if it is indeed true. But, it's hard to see that it can do much more harm to the team. Actually, its just the first of what I suspect will be multiple firings this season.