Gray Beard

Best post on this thread. If Orton had tried to go for it, he would have been decapitated by the two guys who were closing in on him.He never should have been put in that position. The lack of faith in the run game by somebody (Orton? Hackett?) doesn't make sense.

buy a lottery ticket

See EJ forcing the ball to SJ13 last year. I think EJ actually played better when SJ13 was injured. I agree, take what the defense gives you. I think it makes Orton look better for not forcing the ball to the anointed #1. In another thread, somebody said ability is no good without availability. The "Sammy is injured" stuff makes me scared that it could be something that dogs him in the future. Time will tell.

I felt that he showed passion, motivation and seriousness about winning. Many other quarterbacks would have just sulked. Don't get me wrong, I would like to see Williams and Williams converge on his face during a game, but I can't deny his fire and passion.

Orton is just too immobile. Hackett is too cute. This was a poor run defense. I would have had Boobie run the ball on every first down and probably most second downs as well. Cordy Glenn got up gingerly a few times that I saw. He isn't 100%. Fred is great at following blockers. He isn't a pure power back. Why did they use him that way? Saw a few creative screens. Good to see it. Terrible third down statistics. Won't beat a real team with this offense, no matter how good the defense is. Woods got a PI penalty on one of those plays when the DB collides with the WR as he makes his cut. I don't really like those calls, but it was about time the Bills got one. There were a lot of penalties, which is to be expected with this ref crew, but at least they seemed to be spread evenly. No way that was an incomplete pass. He was bringing it towards his body. A gun slinging QB is fun to watch, but I wouldn't bet my season on one. No spy on a running QB? Schwartz should know better than that.

I may be the only one, but I thought Gragg was starting to show up a little more on game day. He caught a couple passes in that Jets game. I was starting to think that maybe he would start to become a reliable and useful offensive weapon. I hope this injury doesn't derail that process, if it is indeed happening.

I always thought EJ would turn out to be like Dalton. Big but not terribly mobile, strong arm but not that accurate. Wins more than loses, but not a good fantasy pick.

I truly object to the idea of looking past the Browns game. This will be a huge game for the Bills, and if they win then they will be taken seriously in December for the first time in years. That will be a good thing for a week or so all by itself. However, for all we know the Bills will lose, three or four key players will get injured, and the season will be virtually over. Also, for all we know, the Chiefs could decimate the Broncos this Sunday, and then the game will be completely different. Don't look past the next game.

I agree with this post. Next year Hackett will be an OC with two years of experience. Who will be available that will be a guaranteed improvement? Without a disruptive transition period? His play-calling is getting better. The Bills have tried (weakly) to upgrade the O-Line with drafts and free-agents, but it is still a problem. They will probably keep trying. I am not a Hackett fan, but the calls for "get a better OC" and "get a franchise QB" and "improve the O-Line" etc. are not realistic unless somebody can name the people who fit that description and are available.

I have been asking this question for years. The salary cap is for players. We know that coaches are paid a ton of money. What about assistants, and assistants to the assistants? I have heard that in recent years the Bills have been spending a little more in this area. I hope that the new owner realizes that this is a huge opportunity to improve the team's readiness on game day. I also am intrigued by the statements in the MMQB article that the extra time studying game film helped. I wish some of the guys who have played on other teams could comment on the amount of film study done by the Patriots, for example, compared to the Bills. Maybe other teams give their players more homework. Or maybe they have more guys to babysit the players and make sure they study the film. Or maybe they have more guys devoted to breaking down the film so the players know exactly what to study,

Link?Not that I doubt it, I'm just curious about the poll to which you are referring.

I was just thinking "this guy should post more often." Then I looked at your post count. You have 7,560 posts. I guess I should pay more attention.

hockey should have died when we destroyed the french... best line ever

AW is one of my favorite players. Marrone is too conservative. But... At the end of the KC game, the Bills had one last chance if the defense could stop KC. A completed pass to Kelce, and the game was over.

Orton's lack of mobility is a problem. Even Peyton and Brady can sense the rush and move around in the pocket, and they are NOT known for their mobility. Orton just throws the ball away or takes the sack. That is a huge problem. I would like to see if EJ can learn to use his strength and mobility to get himself out of trouble in the pocket. His throwing accuracy, however, is another problem altogether.

Maybe Marrone will follow in Mularkey's footsteps and resign when he is forced to fire his friend.

Drafting a franchise QB is easier said than done, especially without a first round pick. However, this week the backups for Philly, Arizona, St. Louis, Houston, and probably others seem like they are better than anyone the Bills have foisted on the fanbase in the past 20 years. At this point I think if the Bills tank and only win one or two more games, the new owners will be more likely to make significant changes, which may be a good thing.

For calling plays, how much is on the coach and how much is on the QB? When a long throw to a well covered receiver running along the sideline is the third down drive killer, was that play called from the sideline, or did the QB think he could make that work? (it very rarely works). When there are twice as many pass plays as runs (or vice-versa) , was that because of the QB changing plays at the line, or was it called that way? When it is check down after check down, was that the intention, or is that the best that the QB thinks he can get? When running into the line or slowly developing draw plays are called over and over, is that the coach or the QB who doesn't realize what is going on? I tend to think that Hackett draws up some nice plays, but they aren't getting executed. Is that because of fundamental QB limitations, or O-Line limitations, or is it because the guy designing the plays isn't necessarily the best guy for calling plays? I think on this forum, half the people will say it is the QB limitations, and half will say it is the OC limitations. I wonder what the real story is.

^ Excellent Post ^ Right before Spiller was drafted, I kept telling all my co-workers that if the Bills draft somebody who weighs less than 300 lbs, they will have drafted the wrong guy. I like Spiller, but he doesn't weigh more than 300 lbs.

The Dolphins were having a great time with the short passing game. Then the BIlls lost one of their starting CBs. The Dolphins realized it and became unstoppable. For some reason the Bills couldn't (or wouldn't) take advantage of the Dolphins second string CBs. The O-Line was playing pretty well, and with an extra RB or TE for blocking help, Orton would have had plenty of time for the short passing game.

"You can't handle the truth"

Maybe a win against Oakland. All other games seem like long shots. Even the Jets may be tough now that Vick has had a chance to read the playbook.

I'm looking forward to our press conference announcing that I will coach the Bills next year!

Didn't AVP break Marino's passing records at Pitt? I don't think accuracy was necessarily his issue. Maybe at this point the pro game has slowed down for him so he can make the progression through his reads quicker and find the open man more often.