Gray Beard

For all the abuse he gets, and I may get for saying this... Fitz > Orton The Good: Fitz got rid of the ball quickly. Fitz could find the open man. Fitz could scramble when he had to. Fitz made a bad offensive line look serviceable. The Bad: Fitz had a weak arm. Fitz threw too many interceptions. Fitz didn't always have the touch on the dump off passes. Compared to Orton, I think the good with Fitz outweighs the bad, and is part of the reason the offensive performance has dropped off since he left.

I vote for re-signing him, but not for big money. I don't know what RBs get these days, but I don't think he is worth top ten money for the Bills. I was looking at RB stats on nfl.com, and it was interesting. Spiller comes in at a very good average, but he also has more runs >20 yards and >40 yards than most RBs. To me, that implies that he must have more rushes for almost no yards, or maybe even negative yards, compared to most RBs. That is the problem, he doesn't realize that the play is breaking down, so just hit the line and try to get one or two yards. Instead he tries to bounce it outside, which statistically is not a good idea. He is getting better at just hitting the line and settling for one or two yards, but he still has that "dance and get tackled" situation too often. There was a story that when Shanahan was in Denver, he told Terrell Davis that he was only allowed one cut, then he had to square his shoulders and see what he could get. Of course, having Spiller plow into the line is a dumb tactic, but if that is the play that is called, then he has to accept that it is going to hurt and go for it.

there's this thing called a wheel route, where the running back circles wide around the end and is wide open. maybe next year. of course, that takes more than 1 second to develop, which means Orton has already either hit the ground or thrown the ball away.

As much as I think some big news could be announced, I believe nothing will happen. The plan will be to dumpster dive for QBs to bring into training camp, and take a few shots to bolster the O-line with FAs and draft picks.

MarQueis Gray has only been on the team for a few weeks, but I really like this guy. He has made a few plays, and could end up filling the need of a big receiver. I hope he makes the team again next year.

I could swear I've seen WRs do a kamikaze run into a DB, and then the DB is called for illegal contact. Is that a new tactic now?

They didn't choose a long snapper. How can that be? Although Sanborn misfired a week ago, so maybe that ruined his chance for glory this year.

I think your ranking makes sense, but it may be biased by the needs of the Bills. Would a fan of a team with a solid O-Line (if there are any) or a team whose QB can function without a solid O-Line, think that the O-Line is so important? With a Russell Wilson or Aaron Rodgers type of QB, would you rank the O-Line so highly? Receiver is kind of low on your list. That could also be debated.

There ends any comparison to EJ. People may say that EJ isn't a good QB, but nobody ever said he didn't take his job seriously. In fact, it seems that just the opposite is true.

Don't forget the intentional grounding call on Orton. Lee Smith getting head butted and no call. The ref calls are easy targets for grievances. Who was it this past weekend that was tackled by having his helmet grabbed from the bottom edge, and his helmet was ripped off, but there was no personal foul call? Is that really not a personal foul?

The Bills had this rookie quarterback who didn't slide and got hit in the knee. He ended up missing several games. What was his name again? Manuel? I think Manziel seems like a jerk and I don't know if he will ever turn out to be any good, but let's not forget that he is not the only one to make the rookie mistake of taking the hit rather than learning to slide.

I kind of wish he would retire. I think he is one of the greats, but he looks weak, old, and tired. Cincinnati did a great job of shifting multiple times during his chicken dance. He ended up calling plays right into the waiting arms of the defense. When he threw, there was nowhere near the zip on the ball that I was expecting to see. It was interesting, but kind of sad if you are a Peyton fan. That said, I think he will try to come back one more time. I think Denver will start looking hard for his replacement. Indianapolis had the "suck for Luck" season when they decided to part ways with him. Denver doesn't seem like the kind of organization that would start a season with no reasonable back-up plan in case their starting QB doesn't work out (cough cough). I will be keeping an eye on them to see if they make any moves that hint what their plan will be going forward.

My comment was a reference to Wannstedt and his "fit it up" approach to defense. No stunts, no disguises, just beat the guy in front of you. That kind of defense won't work. One of the biggest criticisms of the Bills offensive line was that they couldn't handle stunts. They would have had no problem with a Wannstedt defense. Last night the Bengals disguised their defense by shifting TWICE while Peyton did his chicken dance. They really messed with his head. My comment that these older guys don't necessarily understand some of the new approaches was really an attempt to say that Wannstedt came here with a lot of fan support, but it soon became apparent that his schemes were old-fashioned and ineffective. That is why I get nervous when people say Cowher, Holmgren, Polian, etc. Are they in touch with the modern NFL? I assume that they are more in touch than a casual fan such as myself, but the Wannstedt experience makes me nervous.

The game has changed significantly in the past few years. "Fit it up" won't work. Running backs are not the core of your offense. Parity makes it impossible to have all-stars at all positions. Schemes, personnel groupings, recognizing things at the line of scrimmage, etc. This is not your father's NFL. Some of the names kicked around as coaches and consultants have been away from the details for a few years, and may not understand today's game. So picking the guy who is going to help you pick the guy becomes a problem in itself.

At least they are doing SOMETHING. I wonder when I will come to this site and see a headline that the Bills have done something. I assume not before the end of the season.

Even if the Bills squeaked out a victory against the Raiders, it was apparent to me early in the game that there is no way that this team beats the Patriots. By losing to the Raiders, the Bills will move up in the draft! Maybe their first pick will be 50th pick instead of 56th pick! By ending the season with a train wreck, the fear that Hackett and Orton will be retained becomes slightly less. I still think Marrone gets another year (unless he does a Mularkey). I just hope they can keep Schwartz. Most of the key starting players are still under contract for next year, which bodes well. One or two linemen, a new OC, and an upgrade at QB,,, is that unreasonable for an offseason wish list? (I'd ask for a tight end as well, but that may seem greedy.)

He made a bad play and blames the entire loss on himself. No game is won or lost on one play by one player. It's a team game that lasts for sixty minutes. I don't think he is a freakish athlete like McKelvin, but he has been doing pretty well as a second stringer. I wish there was a chance for him to redeem himself before the season ends, but next week is likely to be an ugly game, and I my only hope for that game is that nobody gets hurt.

I like Spiller. He plays hard, seems to be an upbeat guy, and appears to be a good and supportive teammate. I didn't like the pick because it did not address a need, and even if he was BPA, the offense wasn't designed to use his skill set. I believe in another five years he will be regarded as one of the better backs in the league, but probably not in Buffalo. However, Buffalo coaches have never really embraced creating plays that use his quickness and shiftiness. Gailey did a pretty good job, but without a good set of blockers on screens, the success was limited. Marrone/Hackett seem to have no plans or desire to design plays for him. I feel that is an indictment of Marrone/Hackett for not knowing how or trying to effectively use the players they inherited. Not to mention any of the linemen who were good as screen blockers are gone and have been replaced with less talented ones.

The only wild scenario that I could postulate is that Peyton may have to pay his dues for a year or two before getting his next HC job, kind of like what might be the situation with Schwartz. He could conceivably come to Buffalo if he thinks the pieces are in place to make a run deep into the playoffs, thus building on his already impressive resume. I doubt this will happen, but I'm just throwing it out there.

I think some other team with an OC with a little imagination will be able to make Spiller into an effective weapon. I will be interested to see how that goes. I hope Buffalo doesn't decide to spend whatever it takes to keep him. He's not that special. I keep wondering if he would be better as a slot receiver than as a running back. I doubt I will ever find out.

Marrone and Hackett will throw the O-Line and Orton under the bus. The big question is whether or not Whaley and/or Pegula will give them one more chance. The QB issue will somehow be addressed. Some name with familiarity will get signed to bump up the hype. Draft picks will be used on the O-Line, and in addition some free agents will be signed. The positive feelings will be restored, and we will all wait in anxious anticipation of next season.

From the outside, here is the perception: Marrone turned Syracuse from a joke to respectable. Marrone turned Buffalo from a joke to respectable. Perception is reality. Michigan would be foolish not to have Marrone on their short list.

I also went to bed early in a good mood.I'm not a conspiracy theory person, but both of the games yesterday were won by the team that keeps the complicated playoff picture alive. That will make more people want to watch and see what happens.

My immediate thought. They will be fresh and ready to go against the Bills. This is not good news.

Whitehurst is seeing some of his first action of the year. Remember how good Orton looked in his first game or two? Let's see how Whitehurst looks after he gets dinged up, tired, and gun shy. (With only one more game this year, that may not happen, but you know what I mean.)