Fan in Chicago

You may be done with him but the players, on the other hand, are paid to do a job. First the WRs were dogging it and showing bad body language with EJ at QB. Now, they are going to pout against the coaches (not saying this is true as it is pure speculation). But whatever the case, the players are in no business to choose a QB or coaches. I really don't care how they feel inside. They are paid to be the best they can be on every snap. Thats what they have to do. No ifs, ands or buts.

"The team that beat the Bills in the first of their four straight Super Bowl losses may be willing to make a deal."

I am one of those that believe that several penalties yesterday were momentum breakers and possibly, game changers. As for the subjective part, much of the post-game analysis is subjective. While much can be gathered from stats as they accumulate over the season, we all know that measurables alone are inadequate in telling the entire story for any single game.

Loads of sarcasm in that statement. Perhaps Whaley shares your opinion.

I would respond yes if I had other concrete examples for that thought. Can you help me here ?

Was my first thought as well. In general, I would like a player in return who can help the team now. Such as a Guard or coverage LB.

I totally agree with this. Given the situation (Pettine leaving for a HC job), Schwartz was the best available choice with a proven resume. With sophomore HC and OC, the team could ill afford another inexperienced coordinator. On balance, I am not entirely displeased with what I have seen so far (I still have to sort out yesterday's disaster). However, I will add that the script repeats year after year - the O just cannot pull its own weight and puts the D on the ... ahem... defensive. If the O kept the game close or take the lead early in the game, it allows the D to be a tad more agressive and creative. Given that the O is inconsistent and so often do a poor job, the D has to play conservatively.

- I normally just mildly complain about officiating but yesterday I was ready to throw by coffee mug into the screen. Not only were the calls bad, but their timing was impeccable if you are the Pats* . Every time the Bills seem to gather momentum, out came a flag. I am not saying the outcome of the game would have changed for sure but momentum means a lot in football. Also, strategy on both sides of the ball changes depending on the score and flow of the game. Who knows how things would have turned out if the Bills had scored in the 2nd or 3rd quarter. Brady doesn't need help in dissecting the Bills secondary. All I ask is to let the Bills have a level playing field. - The above calls and turnovers are what killed us IMHO. We can point to the D, justifiably for their second half performance. However, the turnovers just made the outcome inevitable.

I disagree but okay

Second intentional grounding by my count, not called

Not IG?

We hardly knew ye

A couple of reasons IMHO. First - EJ was skittish and did not process things fast+did not set his feet enough to take advantage of the WR talent. SD and Houston did not respect the passing game for very good reason. Secondly, the OL is new, fresh and mostly terrible in run blocking. The inside runs were tough to come by. I am not sure if this is the case where the OL has to 'gel' or if the talent at Guard negates the goodness at Center and Tackle or if the coaching itself is not good. Orton's information processing and better passing may help the OL by making opposing D's respect the passing game. At this point, I am not sure where we will land but once Orton has played a few games and the opposing D's have had a chance to counter-attack him, we will have a much better idea how the rest of the season will go on offense. This Sunday is interesting not only for the (temporary) AFCE crown but to see how the O and D play against Belichick who always has his way with the Bills.

Thanx. I used to visit PPP a few years back and realized that there are several very aggressive posters on there. I read up on several topics. I know enough to be knowledgeable but not enough to debate. After several weeks of lurking, I was unsure if I would ever be able to engage in a conversation which wouldn't involve disparaging dialog from either side of the proverbial political fence. Stopped coming there and now, I very occasionally peek in but generally stay away due to this reason.

PPP? No thanx. Chef's alright. As long as I dont rib him on food and drink.

I hope you are prepared for the brickbats coming your way from posters on this board.

IMHO, we haven't seen enough of Orton in this offense to make a judgement one way or the other. This week is a huge test for the Orton-led O and even for the D. Beating the Pats* this weekend will be worth lot more than 1 game in the Win column.

Or the PC after their shellacking at the hands of the Chiefs. All I remember him saying for all questions is "we will be preparing for the Bengals". Quite the charming coach.

... we endure a week long media commentary about how TB* had an uncharacteristically bad day and how the officials made some bad calls against the Pats*. Oh and also several posts here to temper our enthusiasm and not get too happy.

At this point, I am willing to eschew the 'franchise QB' quest in the desire to make the playoffs and win at least one game. Lets get the team oriented around a winning attitude and in parallel, keep up the search for the ethereal franchise QB.

I am on board with your skepticism but mine is a bit more guarded and has a tad more hope. To your point, I think 5 games may not tell us the full answer but should start trending towards that answer . With the question in my mind being - can Orton take this loaded roster to the playoffs and win a game there ? heck, this weekend should be a good measuring stick with Belichick and his scheming D. If Orton leads this team through the expected creative D he will face, there should be a lot more optimism going forward. And even though he did not light up the score board in Detroit, he was rusty,did not have a lot of time with the Bills and was facing the #1 D on the road.

If we are using past players, I would get Schobel the Brady-killer

http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/forum/1-the-stadium-wall/

Can the Bills cover Gronk ? Can they make Brady uncomfortable enough to affect his timing ? And can the OL stave off Wilfork, Ninkovich ? Answers to those questions and coaching schemes will determine the winner. On paper, the Bills have a vastly superior roster except for a couple of obvious exceptions.

I was just following the age old tradition of this board to advocate signing any player who gets released. In this case, it seems particularly appropriate for the intel considering the timing of his release. I was not serious at all. Especially considering how Thompkins had become a pariah for the last couple of weeks.