Wesdawg

It looks to me that they are finally playing like they know they should beat the team they're playing. Very encouraging.

So a player can have plenty of athletic ability, but if they don't immediately "fit in" with this program and by being professional and making a commitment to the team, they just become expendable?? I remember Dick Jauron carried this same philosophy as well, "As long as we all work hard and have a high character, that's all that matters." This statement can't be made in a place like Seattle where Pete Carroll and his staff haven't been afraid to bring in and develop younger players with off-the-field issues who still have a high talent ceiling. It's obviously paid dividends for them. Even Bill Belichick is known to take a few risks now and again on players with character issues. Winning coaches know how to coach talent, not get rid of anyone who immediately does not display a high work ethic. In Stevie's case, he certainly has made some bad plays this year and you can tell that he's frustrated. But the right coach can get him to play at a high level consistently. You really think Jim Harbaugh couldn't find away to make him successful in San Francisco? Stevie's talent is there. It's definitely a two-way street, but the coach has to take the responsibility if he can't get through to a player. Dumping whatever little talent you have just to send a message isn't going to make this team any better.

He had me at "dominating with the Bills and Thurman Thomas" I'm sold...

And boy is that a big "if"... Do you feel more confident about a 7-9 Bills team heading into 2014, or will it not make much of a difference either way? For me personally, if this team managed to win these last three games it would say a lot about what type of coach Marrone is and how capable he is of actually getting through to these younger players. If we finish 6-10 or 5-11, I'm honestly not going to have much of a reason to care about next season. But a 3-0 finish would be a dramatic turnaround for a team that hasn't had a winning record in December in almost a decade (or even ended the season on a multiple game winning streak in Lord knows how long for that matter).

There's no way the NFL is going to schedule us on Thanksgiving over Miami. Not unless we have some sort of dramatic turnaround in these last three games. We had the same 50/50 shot two years ago when we had to go to Dallas, and they still gave that game to Miami.

I don't think his elite ablility would translate to the Bills just that easily. Remember, this guy is as bad as it gets when he has no o-line protection. We aren't exactly exceptional in that department at the moment. He also is the type of player than be a major morale killer. There's no question he would be a major upgrade at the quarterback position when seeing how he's played this season in Chicago, but there's no telling if he'd be that successful with unproven coaches and with inferior talent around him in Buffalo.

I believe this to be true as well. I think their plan all along was to have Kolb start this season and have EJ sit out until he seemed fully capable of coming in and taking over.

I was a bit surprised by the fact that McKelvin wasn't taken out of the game after muffing the punt return, especially since he almost coughed up another one late in the game. There's no excuse for the guy to be making those mistakes. The coaches have to send a message that that cannot be tolerated. Then again, after the penalties kept piling up and have continued to be a problem all season, maybe the players think they can get away with those mistakes without any consequences. This does seem to be a roster that lacks major leadership and it can't be all put on a rookie QB's shoulders. There aren't enough leaders in that locker room who have taken responsibility for the ways things have gone outside of the usual comments, "We just have to get better." Leaders lead by example. In Indianapolis we saw guys like Reggie Wayne and Dwight Freeney take charge of that team during Andre Luck's rookie year. Who has taken charge of this team? It certainly hasn't been any of the veteran guys... Marrone did let the captains and players speak out in the locker room after the game which was a different move, but that doesn't always solve everything even though it can help clear the air. But this is a roster of players who have never known how to take charge and hold themselves accountable collectively and individually. McKelvin, Wood, Kyle Williams, SJ, Fred Jackson, etc.. They've spent their entire careers here and still haven't learned how to be accountable for the team's mistakes and for their own. The results have been the same year in and year out. We can't expect things to change until we bring in some guidance into this locker room. Otherwise we're doomed to see the same group of players and coaches respond the same way they've always responded to these problems... "We just have to be accountable. We need to be better..." Even though they clearly haven't learned how.

I'm definitely envious of the teams who found ways to pull off big wins at the end out in the elements today. It's hard to watch Ryan Tannehill and the Dolphins win on the road while the Bills simply fold.

I'm not going to write off EJ Manuel yet, even after today. But Marrone looked exteremely dejected out there today, and clearly this team had a lack of discipline (11+ penalties, 5 turnovers). This team is heading down a dangerous path right now with the way things are unraveling so quickly. Halfway through the season both Tampa Bay and Jacksonville were 0-8 and unanimously the worst two teams in fooball. Fast forward a few weeks and we're now tied with them both at 4-9, having lost five of our last six games. I expected a lot of growing pains this year, but I did not foresee the type of regression this team has shown this late in the year as they seemingly get healthier.

Aside from the RGIII tension, he's only made the playoffs once in four seasons and this year has been an absolute nightmare for them. Either way, I expect changes coming in Washington.

I'm a glass half-full type of fan so I have to go with Steve Christie's game-winning FG kick in overtime against the Oilers in 1993 that completed the greatest comeback of all-time. Don Beebe chasing down Leon Lett in Super Bowl XVII is a close second. Those two plays define this franchise as a team that never gives up, no matter what the score is. Someday this team will live up to that "resilient" moniker again.

Sounds like a wonderful trip to take! I've been a lifelong fan of the Bills but growing up in Hawaii meant being thousands of miles and an ocean away. My dream is to someday make it out to Buffalo and experience a home game in Orchard Park. I'm going to keep some of those places in mind when I do make it!

Pretty much agree 100% with this statement.

I care about how this team responds immediately following a very tough loss, and see if they can build upon some of the positives we've all seen during this season.