Dan

Why do other coaches "luck into" good players, while Bills' coaches get stuck with untalented players? Perhaps its time to accept that the Bills have been hiring bad coaches for quite some time, and at this point in the season, appear to have repeated that mistake. Over the years, there's an ever increasing pile of bad Bills players that leave and contribute to other team's success. There's also an ever increasing pile of unknown draft picks producing and contributing to other team's success, while the Bills continue to draft bad players. Marrone is showing to be a marginal HC, at best. And his hiring of Hackett is proving to be a huge mistake. It sucks, I know, but I fail to see how anyone can think Marrone and company have this team heading in any direction other than... same old Bills at this point. Dumb the "run, run, pass" offense down? Really?

I've been saying this for quite a while now. The only way I can explain the wildly inconsitent calls made in most every game, calls that extend drives or end them, is the league wants it that way. The storylines and manufactured hype is pretty well predictable with the calls. Rarely do the refs give scores. The teams still have to take advantage of the situation the refs put them in, but the refs give teams like the pats every chance and then some to make those plays.

Week 14: Buffalo Bills at Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, December 8, 2013 at 1:00pm TV Network: CBS (TV Map) Announcers: Spero Dedes and Steve Beuerlein DirecTV: 711 Bills Radio: On the call: John Murphy (play by play), Mark Kelso (analyst), Joe Buscaglia (sideline) Flagship: Buffalo WGR550 (550AM); Toronto - Sportsnet 590 The Fan; Rochester - WCMF (96.5) and WROC (950AM); Syracuse - WTKW (99.5/WTKV 105.5) Sirius: 128 ================================================================= Game Preview: Key turnovers last week saw the Buffalo Bills' slim playoff hopes all but evaporate. Untimely giveaways also cost the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a shot at a four-game winning streak. Both will look to take better care of the ball in Sunday's meeting in Tampa Bay. The Bills (4-8), who are 1-4 on the road, coughed up the ball on their final two possessions of Sunday's 34-31 overtime loss to Atlanta in Toronto, all but guaranteeing their NFL-worst 14th straight season without a postseason appearance. Buffalo is tied with Tampa Bay -- and Houston -- for the league's most losses via blown leads with seven. Read more at ESPN game preview... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scouting Report: Week 14 (from Buffalo Bills.com Chris Brown) NFL.com Video Preview Buccaneers Insider - A look at this week's matchup. NFL.com Game Center Team Stats: Bills Bucs Total Yds/Game.... 337.2 295.2 Total Rush............. 139.2 106.2 Total Pass............. 198.1 189.1 Points/Game.......... 22.2 18.1 Time of Poss.......... 27.9 30.8 ---------------------------------------------- Yds/Gm Allowed... 354.1 352.8 Rush Yards........... 121.5 106.8 Pass Yards........... 232.6 246.0 Points Allowed........ 25.6 23.8 Source: NFL.com Injury Report: Buffalo Bills NAME POSITION INJURY WED. THU. FRI. GAME STATUS Chandler, Scott TE Not injury related - DNP - - Goodwin, Marquise WR Calf - LP FP Probable Williams, Kyle DL Achilles DNP FP FP Probable Source: BuffaloBills.com Tampa Bay Buccaneers NAME POSITION INJURY WED. THU. FRI. GAME STATUS Gibson, Gary DT Calf - LP LP Questionable Jackson, Vincent WR Hamstring DNP LP LP Questionable Joseph, Davin G Knee DNP FP FP Probable Nicks, Carl G Foot DNP DNP DNP Out Owusu, Chris WR Hamstring - - LP Questionable Revis, Darrelle CB Chest/Shoulder FP FP FP Probable Spence, Akeem DT Wrist FP FP FP Probable Source: Buccaneers.com Practice Status Game Status DNP = Did Not Participate in Practice Out = Player will not play LP = Limited Participation - Less than 100% of normal reps Doubtful = 25% chance a player will play FP = Full Participation - 100% of a player's normal repetitions Questionable = 50% chance a player will play Out = Player will not play Probable = 75% chance a player will play (-) = Not Listed = No practice status available (-) = Not Listed - No game status available The Odds: Line: Buccaneers -2.5 Over/Under: 42.5 Source: The Linemakers Up to date lines... if you're in Vegas. My Take on the Matchup: Well it took a little longer than some expected, perhaps. But, the Bills are all but eliminated from playoff contention... again. They're also doing their best to ensure a 9th consecutive losing record. And so here we go into the game against the vaunted Bucs. By all accounts, the Bills should be the better team. The Bills should get the win. The Bills should be able to gain some positive momentum to end the season. However, this is the Buffalo Bills; they rarely do what they should. Hence, I'll be surprised if we win. Yet, as its coded into my DNA, I'll be watching the game. Here's my list of things to watch for: 1. EJ. Yes, this season really does come down to the development of EJ. He still has quite a bit of learning to do. Let's hope he continues to do well and progress as a QB this week. 2. Marrone. Will he ever learn how to manage the clock at the end of the half? I've all but lost hope on this one. Although the offense, looks good at times; it grinds to a halt far too often. Will Hackett still have lapses in his situational game awareness? I'm guessing he will. 3. Can the defensive backfield prevent a rookie QB from looking like a future HOFer? If we can get some decent coverage on 3rd and long, just maybe we could get a road win. 4. Detroit at Philly. That has the makings of a decent game; as does Indy at Cincy. Chances are quite good that from time to time, I'll be flipping over to one of those games before half time to keep me awake. 5. The crowd. It'll be nice to see the Bills play in front of a live crowd again. I'm fairly certain last week's Toronto game was played in front of a few thousand cardboard cut outs. Go Bills!!

If you want to cheer for a Super Bowl winning team, as other have said, just continue cheering for the Bills in whatever new town/country they moved to. EVERYONE on this board knows all to well, that with our luck the London Bills would win the Super Bowl within 3 yrs of the move.

Not a chance. The NFL is nearly unwatchable as it is now with all the rule changes and subjective, biased refereeing each week. Take the Bills out of Buffalo and what's the point of caring about it any more?

As I said in the Pregame thread, the key to the game was the defensive line getting pressure while keeping the Flacons rungame in check. Ryan and the run game exceeded their season averages. When you're offense scores 31 points, youre defense HAS to be able to tet you a win. Despite all the consternation with Stevie, Chandler, EJ, and so forth, the bottom line is they did their job today, the defense didn't.

Marrone, literally, just gave away a possession. Just incredibly bad.

Are the Jets officially crashing and burning now?

Thanks for catching that! I just corrected the link.

Week 13: Atlanta Falcons at Buffalo Bills Sunday, December 1, 2013 at 4:05pm in Toronto TV Network: Fox (TV Map) Announcers: Dick Stockton and Rhonde Barber DirecTV: 711 Bills Radio: On the call: John Murphy (play by play), Mark Kelso (analyst), Joe Buscaglia (sideline) Flagship: Buffalo – WGR550 (550AM); Toronto - Sportsnet 590 The Fan; Rochester - WCMF (96.5) and WROC (950AM); Syracuse - WTKW (99.5/WTKV 105.5) Sirius: 92 ================================================================= Game Preview: The Falcons (2-9) went 13-3 and hosted the NFC championship game in 2012, but they'll finish this season under .500 for the first time since going 4-12 in 2007, leading them to take Ryan with the third overall pick. The Bills (4-7) ended a three-game losing streak and are anticipating receivers Stevie Johnson (groin) and Robert Woods (ankle) back after resting during the bye. "I was very happy with the players coming back and their enthusiasm running around," coach Doug Marrone said. "We're at full strength. We don't expect anybody not to be available to us, which is a good sign." Read more at ESPN game preview... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Scouting Report: Week 13 (from Buffalo Bills.com Chris Brown) NFL.com Video Preview Coach Mike Smith details his three keys to a Falcons victory. NFL.com Game Center Team Stats: Bills Falcons Total Yds/Game.... 331.1 348.2 Total Rush............. 134.1 74.7 Total Pass............. 197.0 273.5 Points/Game.......... 21.5 20.6 Time of Poss.......... 28.2 29.3 ---------------------------------------------- Yds/Gm Allowed... 347.8 381.2 Rush Yards........... 118.8 130.0 Pass Yards........... 229.0 251.2 Points Allowed........ 24.8 28.1 Source: NFL.com Injury Report: Buffalo Bills NAME POSITION INJURY WED. THU. FRI. GAME STATUS Johnson, Stevie WR Groin FP FP FP Probable Robey, Nickell DB Ankle FP FP FP Probable Williams, Kyle DL Back -- -- DNP Questionable Woods, Robert WR Ankle FP FP FP Probable Source: BuffaloBills.com Atlanta Falcons NAME POSITION INJURY WED. THU. FRI. GAME STATUS Dent, Akeem LB Ankle LP LP LP Questionable Gonzalez, Tony TE Toe LP LP LP Questionable Goodman, Malliciah DE Calf LP LP LP Questionable Motta, Zeke S Hand LP LP LP Questionable Trufant, Desmond CB Thigh LP FP FP Probable Weatherspoon, Sean LB Shoulder/Knee LP FP LP Questionable Source: AtlantaFalcons.com Practice Status Game Status DNP = Did Not Participate in Practice Out = Player will not play LP = Limited Participation - Less than 100% of normal reps Doubtful = 25% chance a player will play FP = Full Participation - 100% of a player's normal repetitions Questionable = 50% chance a player will play Out = Player will not play Probable = 75% chance a player will play (-) = Not Listed = No practice status available (-) = Not Listed - No game status available The Odds: Line: Bills -3.5 Over/Under: 46 Source: The Linemakers Up to date lines... if you're in Vegas. My Take on the Matchup: We finally get football back. What's more... we get the healthiest team we've seen since week 1. Seriously, when was the last time we went into week 13 with no major injuries (save Kyle's back)? It'll be interesting to see how they all play. By the stats and the record, Atlanta should be an easy win. But we all know there are no easy wins in the NFL. And with a QB like Matt Ryan, Atlanta is a dangerous team. So, for me, the key to the game will be our defensive line. They need to pressure Ryan so he doesn't get back on track with a 300+ yard game, while holding their run game in check. If we do that, I finally feel confident our offense will do enough to get the win. What I'll be watching: 1. The defensive line and backfield. Hopefully, they keep the Falcon passing game in check. 2. Kiko. Let's hope the bye week gave him enough rest to avoid the rookie wall and he can help shout down any run game on his way to a DROY nomination. 3. EJ Manuel. Yeah, he had a solid game 2 weeks ago but can he continue playing well? I'd like to see an efficient, smart game from the rookie 2 weeks in a row. 4. CJ Spiller. It'd be nice to see him play like the Spiller of 2012 for at least one game. If not now, against this defense, then when? 5. The Toronto crowd. Will they ever show any enthusiam in supporting the Bills? Hopefully, this feels more like a Bills home game than an exhibition match. Go Bills!!

Do you have a link to that? I'm curious to see more of the numbers. How many of those games ended in OT because of kick return for a TD, or a long play for a TD... essentially plays that would end the game for the winner of the coin flip now. Personally, I liked the sudden death OT. It added drama and intensity, the same way a single game wins the Championship. But, fine, if that's not fair. However, the new way still has inherent biases. I say, do a basketball type OT.. maybe 8min periods? 10min? With no TV timeouts!! 5 seems too short, but a full quarter seems too long.

If the Bills could run the table and finish 9-7, playoffs or not, who would consider this a bad season? I wouldn't. Let's not forget, in our quest for the playoffs, that it's been 9 years since we even had a winning season. So, just getting to 8-8 would be something this team hasn't done in nearly a decade!

I'm not arguing at all about #4. I've been wrong in the past, and with any luch at all... I'll be wrong in the future. I really loved Bryce! We did a house rental for the week, nearby, which was surprisingly affordable, and hiked in Bryce, Zion, and the North Rim. They have trails suited for kids, all the way to serious hiker. So, something to please everyone. But, Bryce was amazing. Even non nature lovers will be blown away by it. Just an amazing part of the world.

Week 12: Bye Week at Buffalo Bills Sunday, November 24, 2013 at 1:00pm TV Network: Pick your game (TV Map) Announcers: Various mouths DirecTV: 703 (Red Zone) Bills Radio: It's the bye week, don't listen to bad sports radio. Sirius: 19 ================================================================= Week 12 Preview: Week 12 in the NFL. The last bye week of the season. The final set of games before Thanksgiving, and the official start of the home stretch. X-Factor: As for the Jets playoff chances, if they lose on Sunday, they’ll still be in the running. Basically, the entire conference still is. But if they somehow beat the Ravens, then New York will be in a great position to steal the final AFC playoff spot. Continue Reading the Alphabet Preview... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Beginning of the Great Bills Teams Jill of the Week: Dana 20 Pictures that prove you have a dirty mind. (For full poem text and history... Sir Andrew Barton.) Current NFL Standings: AFC EAST Team W L T Pct NFC EAST Team W L T Pct New England 7 3 0 .700 Philadelphia 6 5 0 .545 New York 5 5 0 .500 Dallas 5 5 0 .500 Miami 5 5 0 .500 New York 4 6 0 .400 Buffalo 4 7 0 .364 Washington 3 7 0 .300 AFC WEST Team W L T Pct NFC WEST Team W L T Pct Denver 9 1 0 .900 Seattle 10 1 0 .909 Kansas City 9 1 0 .900 San Francisco 6 4 0 .600 Oakland 4 6 0 .400 Arizona 6 4 0 .600 San Diego 4 6 0 .400 St. Louis 4 6 0 .400 AFC NORTH Team W L T Pct NFC NORTH Team W L T Pct Cincinnati 7 4 0 .636 Detroit 6 4 0 .600 Pittsburgh 4 6 0 .400 Chicago 6 4 0 .600 Baltimore 4 6 0 .400 Green Bay 5 5 0 .500 Cleveland 4 6 0 .400 Minnesota 2 8 0 .200 AFC SOUTH Team W L T Pct NFC SOUTH Team W L T Pct Indianapolis 7 3 0 .700 New Orleans 9 2 0 .818 Tennessee 4 6 0 .400 Carolina 7 3 0 .700 Houston 2 8 0 .200 Tampa Bay 2 8 0 .200 Jacksonville 1 9 0 .100 Atlanta 2 9 0 .182 Source: The Score Somewhere Awesome to Visit: Bryce Canyon is a wondrous display of colorful rock pinnacles and spires (known as hoodoos) among a series of natural amphitheaters. The views from the rims of the amphitheaters are breath taking – exhibits of the work of millions of years of wind and water, which broke down the limestone of the Claron formation to transform it into hoodoos of every hue, size and shape. I went to Bryce, and a few of the surrounding National Parks, this summer for vacation and it was simply amazing. I highly recommend it for everyone. The Pro Bowl: It's time to vote for the best players, regardless of conference. The NFL's top two vote-getters on offense and defense become team captains for Deion Sanders' team and Jerry Rice's team. In a fantasy draft style setting, the captains pick from the voted all-stars to form the teams. And when the stars are realigned, it's teammate versus teammate in the new Pro Bowl: Unconferenced. So with a little extra time this weekend, make sure you Vote for the Pro Bowl. Get one perspective on who should go, here. WalterFootball.com My Take on the Day: Well, here we are... riding the magic of a 1 game win streak into the bye week. Its a wondrous thing we call the Bills. For as much as we get our hearts ripped out week after week, year after year, it hurts most when other teams get to play football and our guys are sitting at home. If for no other reason, the bye week sucks. Still, it's a good time to rest and reflect. Hence, that's what I'll be doing, maybe watching a little football - at the very least sneaking in a few scores. But, mostly, I'll spend the day trying to enjoy the Exploratorium, a passing autumn day, the sights and sounds of a busy city street and those with me. All the while, keeping in mind that the Bills are a young team; hoping they can build off last week's win. The Bills are in a decent spot. Not for a playoff run. My delusional days are long since past. But, for a young, growing team they appear to have a solid foundation. Can Marrone turn this ship around and make us credible? You bet he can. Will EJ continue learning, gaining confidence and become the franchise QB we haven't seen since 1996? I certainly don't know why he can't! Will Kiko break rookie records on his way to becoming DORY? In a word... you damn right. These are the thoughts that will keep me entertained this bye week. And in the meantime, may the Dolphins, Jets, and Patriots lose... heck every AFC team loses this week, in my perfect world. So, happy bye week fellow Bills' fans. I look forward to the Falcons, but for a day, let's enjoy the defeat of every AFC team while we get to enjoy a day that's productive, restful, and hopefully enjoyable. Go Bills!!

That was a "trivia" question during the Thursday night game. Me and my buddy guessed Kelly and Marino. That was the answer, they stated later in the broadcast.

This pretty well sums up my opinion. If guys like this, Irvin and Sapp, get in... Reed should easily be in. He's not in the HOF today for one reason only. He retired and dropped off the radar; no announcing gigs, no analyst gigs, no real public ass kissing of the voters.

Very interesting little read! I think we can take away several tidbits: 1. When EJ was checking down in every game... that was him, not the play design. Some of us wondered why the game plan seemed to change so much, as though Hackett was protecting EJ. Turns out, the game plan was probably the same. EJ just didn't "trust what he was seeing" so he checked down. 2. As BuffaloBill said, the coaches seem to be coaching him up good. It's nice to hear that they look at other great QBs and try to emulate them. 3. A Cash said, the mark of a good QB is trusting your receivers and throwing to where they should be, not where they are. But, if you do that, you're going to have interceptions. It happens. Not only does EJ have to shake it off, but so do fans. Just as good QBs need good WRs that can adjust and get the ball, good WRs need a good QB that will trust them throw the ball. 4. EJ is learning to be an NFL QB. Its going to take some time. He's gonna have to watch a lot more film, have a lot more coaching, gain more experience, and make more mistakes. Let's hope he continue doing all that and we see the progression from rookie, to good QB, to great one; but remember it's going to take time and there's gonna bad games along the way.

I think most fans are critical of announcers because they're always bashing Bills players during a game. But, honestly, for the last decade plus the Bills players have been sucking it up on Sundays. They've deserved all the negative comments they've gotten from all the announcers and pundits! I've found most announcers, Tasker included, to be quite praising of the Bills... when they deserved it or do something good. But, how much good can you say when the Bills are routinely fielding a team that's borderline NFL quality?

excellent!

Same here. Most any other player is tossed committing a 2nd personal foul, especially a grab the face mask pull a player around type foul, after committing his first one. Not only was he not tossed out, he wasn't even penalized.

This about all sums it up for me. IMO, the defender clearly made contact and impeded the receiver's abilty to catch the ball. That's pass interfence. However, the league has literally given the Patriots wins with a multitude of other BS calls and non calls, so any Pat fan needs to just take his lumps and sit down. You can't get all the calls, all the time. Stop the whining. For me, it points to the larger issue of what the NFL has become. Nearly unwatchable. The refs take over almost ever game, every week and make wildly inconsistent calls. Its beyond absurd. 2 plays earlier the refs called PI on the Panthers and it was way less contact than the final play. Then they literally give them 2 more seconds to ensure they can hit the hitch to make the final play possible. In the Denver/KC game the defender gets a personal foul because he's TALKING to the WR after a pass breakup. Last night, Talib crabs Smith's face mask, pulling him, while talking... no flag. Then there's the other Pat lineman that HEADBUTS a Panther player while scuffing after a play... no flag. So, did the refs make a bad call on that last play? Yeah. But, it's really no different than they call every other game, every week... piss poor and with zero consistency. I'm just glad to see the Pats finally getting the same great officiating we've all been getting for quite a while.

All the while the Refs ignore crap that gets called against every other team... like a head butt after the paly is over.

Firstly, I don't assume anything about any poster, good or bad. I allow their posts posts to do the talking. I'm not making any assumptions about your knowledge or experience, as I'm sure you're not making any about mine. I simply made a comment regarding one of your posts in which you refuted another post that cited quantifiable information with nothing more than dismissal. Quite honestly, its not worth continuing, but fine you disagree with it because you've watched alot of film on Wood. But, without watching tha same footage of all 32 centers every week, I just find it hard to definitively call him one of the top 5 in the league based on how he plays alone and not comparing it to all other centers in the league.

Actually, I did read your response. And it didn't mention any competing analysis other than, it doesn't rank one of my favorite players where I think he belongs, ergo it sucks. Had you provided some insight to support your opinion, I'm sure I would have thought differently. And, no, I don't have time to watch game film on all 32 centers in the league and rank their individual performance in relation to one another (note I said individual not team, as you cited). I watch the Bills games, fairly closely. So, yes, I think he's a pretty damn good center. Top 5? I'm not in a position to say; hence, I defer to someone that watches all 32 centers equally, like PFF. Furthermore, I agree, all grading systems are and can be flawed. And fully support and often do question their validity. However, I usually base it on more than I how I feel after watching a game or 3. That's all my point was. If you question PFF's grading, then provide myself and others reading the board with something more substantial. I welcome that! (I'll qualify this with: if you presented all sorts of factual good info 2 days ago in a separate thread, excellent. But, I'm not sure what that thread or discussion was about, based on this one.)

Excellent response. Someone takes time to watch each player specifically, league wide, grades them all out but because it doesn't agree with what you just know to be right, well then throw it all out. Brilliant.