Bob in STL

I agree with all of you that think we should have did more on the off season to improve the OL. We made a few attempts at other lineman but nothing that panned out. It was not like there was a great crop of free agents either (other than Hutch). So, I think that Jauron is doing the right thing. He was two weeks to work on the new line and two weeks to work on JP's brain and his mechanics. My analysis: Peters at LT - He is our best linemen so lets put in in the most critical position and see if he can cut it. I can't imagine him having any more problems than Gandy did. Gandy at LG - This was his postion in college. This guy must be a decent athelete to play guard in college and then play LT in the pros (Cleveland used him there too). He clearly has problems with speed rushers but that won't be an issue at guard. He could very well be a solid LG. Lets give him a chance. Fowler at C - He is what we have. Better than Teague but not a dominant lineman. Villarial at RG - The are sticking with the veteran and they need to because they are playing a rookie at RT. I am not a fan of Villy but we need a veteran here. Pennington at RT - Has great size and the frame to pack on more weight. Has long arms ... great for pass blocking. All we need is for him to be solid. I like the idea of giving him a shot. I hope we are surprised by this group but I am not counting on it.

Were tearing the line because what we have is not working and it is time to play the younger guys like Pennington and Merz. Losman has had problems and many of them are caused by shell shock. Why wasn't the OL addressed in the offseason?! Great question. It should have been. Reyes really is only marginally better than Anderson. Reyes is nothing more than a backup. We had a shot at Neal and didn't close the deal. Fowler really is an upgrade over Teague. Very athletic. Put a couple of studs next to him and he will shine.

I don't really know what the good news is. I have been following this team since 1964-65, back when I was just a kid. In that time we have had more bad years than good years, more bad coaches than good coaches, more bad QBs than ones. I am used to being a Bills fan. I am not sure what to think of JP. Our OL is just so bad that it is hard to judge him. He certainly is playing like a rookie, showing flashes of good talent but making more mistakes each week. I wonder about his leadership, his ability to complete drives and make plays when needed. We need to play him for the rest of the season just see what we have. We are not a playoff team so why sweat it. Play Preston and Merz and the rest of the kids. I think the defense is further along than the offense. An impact type of DT would make a huge difference. So maybe we are a few lineman away from a competitive team? Hard to say. It is going to take at least three years to judge Levy and Jauron. We need to be patient. Afer all, we are Bills fans.

Great idea, lets sell the owner!

He comes highly recommended by Ethel.

All you do is whine. He was under contant preasure and the WR is responsible for getting past the first down marker you dumb A$$. Losman made plays on all of our scoring drives.

All you do is whine. He was under contant preasure and the WR is responsible for getting past the first down marker you dumb A$$. Losman made plays on all of our scoring drives.

McGee did not cost us the game. He did not play a good game but let's face it we had no pass rush for most of the game and Ko Simpson was very, very late with deep coverage support. Williams just might be the best WR in the league right now and his size creates a mismatch for most corners.

You have never heard of Clutch McCargo?

Yes - I think we can and should win some of those battles in the trenches. Especially if we isolate the play to an area of strength. Ever hear of a two tight-ends set and a man in motion? The Bears defense is excellent, they are fast but they are not overly big. Our defense is being built in that image. No reason to believe that we cannot move the line for a freak'in yard.

They never try the mano-a-mano stuff. They failed on the first 3rd and inches and gave up on it (although the penalty put them in a punting situation on 4th down). Good teams have and use trick plays because first and foremost they are very good at executing the basics. That is what helps the trick plays to work, an element of surprise. Buffalo is not surprising anyone. It's like the opponent knows we will not battle in short yardage situations All I am saying is lets execute McGahee over our massive RT, when playing in a short yardage set. Practice it and run it until we see results. Use the FB and TE set effectively. I have never seen a team so inept in short yardage and its been like that for years. Some of it is talent and some of it is the mindset. Have we even tried a QB sneak? We should be able to execute 3rd and 1 yard about 60% of the time. The trick play thing is getting so predictable.

If its 4th and 1 and you decide to put in the short yardage team and go for it thats one thing. When it became 4th and 6th it was time to punt. Period! I am tired of what "would of have worked". Lets stop hurting ourselves with poorly executed tricks. We are not good enough to overcome the momentum swing that we give the opponent. We try a trick play every game. I think that our opponents are planning for it.

I have to agree. He has to be accountable, in part, for the inability to gain the tough yards in the short yardage situation. He adds little as a reciever and his mistakes are becoming more frequent.

please stop the Mularkey? You know, that call on our first possesion, the 4th and 6? Yes, if it works you look real smart for about 3 minutes, but it didn't work. In fact, none of your fourth down gambles have worked. Check the stats and you will see we are bottom feeders on 3rd and 4th down conversions. Perhaps we can work harder on the basic dive play for one yard? Execute that simple play flawlessly and the trick plays will open up. I know you are smarter than me so think about it. It seems like every game we have a moment like this. Thanks and keep up the good work.

.... do you base this on years of college football scouting experience?

Well heck, why didn't your Dad call Marv and tell him about it?

So they opened holes later in the game against a prevent. YippEE! The OL was completely outmatched. On the first drive, the OL once again failed to move the line on a 3rd and 1. That lead to the ill fated 4 and 1 "punt fumble" by Moorman. We showed no ability to run the ball early in the game when we needed to. We fell behind and had to pass. Game over at that point.

WOW ... you are harsh. I am no TO fan but you need to be careful.

Good one!

My father would have disagreed. B- looked better on the card, every time.

The only thing worse than the old and jaded is the young and jaded.

So true. This board has many extremist and you hit it exaclty right. A. I think that TD overall did a poor job. His record and coaching selection speak for itself. I don't buy into the Wilson "tied his hands" theory, TD ran the show. That said, TD was exciting and made some high risk/ high potential moves (Bledsoe, McGahee, Milloy, Losman). He brought some good players to town, and some bad ones. B. That whole "everyones against us" Buffalo mentality is just crazy. I visit the city 3 times a year on average. The inferiority complex seems to be growing and that is a big part of the problem there. It is a great little town with lots to offer. Too much emphasis is placed on the success and failures of the sports teams. For every Sportscaster that bashes them there is another on their band wagon. Mort hates the Bills but loves TD ... that makes no sense. We all know that Berman is a Bills fan and he is overt about. Then there is Russert. But that kind off partisanship is is ok, right? C. Levy - I admit guilt to the this one. I am a fan of his. He inspires me and I think he can succeed as a GM.

Well done post. I give the RBs a B instead of B+. So far it is all McGahee (and he has been good), with just a flash of A-Train in the NE game. We are getting zilch from the FB postion. I would change the overall grade to C+ but we are splitting hairs at this point.

Did you ever see this guys posts on the Sabres board? He will argue about the time of day.

You save me from posting this. The DT's did a good job keeping blockers off of the LB's. McCargo and Williams are only goling to get better.