Rubes

Bills: 5 questions with defensive coordinator Dave Wannstedt An excerpt: I really have no idea what any of that means.

Oh I don't doubt that. I could definitely tell that Spiller wasn't his usual explosive self, and Freddie seemed a step slower than usual. Nevertheless, I still believe the offensive line was overmatched in this one, even before those guys went down. There were no running lanes, and Fitz was definitely feeling the pressure.

And that, in a nutshell, is what went down on Sunday.

I'm not convinced, John. We had trouble running the ball all day, and we had trouble with pass protection as well. I think the offensive line was performing below par all day, as well as the defensive line. In my opinion, it was a matter of time before a team like the Pats* got their act together, reduced the errors, and figured out how to take advantage of us on both sides of the ball.

You're right. It worked out so well when we hired up-and-coming Gregggg Williams, then up-and-coming Mike Mularkey...

Well, that and the fact that they're pissed that he went to a division rival and proceeded to "appear" to be a force, effectively embarrassing their favorite team for letting a stud go and reinforcing the idea that we just don't know how to develop players. So we just want to make sure the record shows he's actually not a stud, he's still a goddamned bust, and hooray that the Jets have had the same problems getting him on the field. Something like that.

Sure does get tiresome, doesn't it?

Well, at least they still have us higher than the Jets, despite the beat down four weeks ago.

Sure, let's say it. We might as well say it, 'cause there's no way it'll actually happen.

Here are some numbers for you: The Buffalo Bills have the #27 ranked defense in the league in terms of yards, allowing more than 400 yards per game. The Buffalo Bills have the #28 ranked defense in the league in terms of rushing yards, allowing 137 rushing yards per game. The Buffalo Bills have the #30 ranked defense in the league in terms of points allowed, allowing nearly 33 points per game. Is the problem the offense? It's a problem, yes, but not the biggest problem.

We lost that game because we had absolutely no answer for the Pats* offense. Simple as that.

I actually think you're closer than most in this thread. I've been pretty happy with the defense the past two games, but I'm still concerned that they have weaknesses that can be exploited by the better offenses, such as the Pats*. I do think the defense has been excellent against the run, which has been a sight for sore eyes. I do like how they've shored up against the run. Against the pass, we seem to live and die by the front four -- if they get some pressure, it usually works out well, but if they don't -- we seem to be very prone to being picked apart. Some of that I attribute to time -- these guys need more games together to get a better feel for each other and to really start getting in a groove. Barring injury, I think they're going to improve as the season wears on. But they still seem to disappear for stretches at a time, and in those instances it seems like teams can move the ball quite easily on long scoring drives. I'm not the kind to expect perfection on every drive in every game. There will be periods of let down. But to truly become dominating, they have to be more consistent. The potential is there. In the meantime, if the front four don't put heavy pressure on Brady on every drive, it's going to be a long day.

Unless we meet in the Super Bowl, it will be a few years before we see him again. Wonder if he'll still be around?

Awesome. I will always think of him as Blutarsky from now on. Mr. 0.0.

Good point. I remember commenting on how so many home teams this season have decided to wear their whites instead of their darks. I wonder why that is.

Man, if Freddy is back playing Sunday and CJ is out only 1-2 weeks, that would be remarkable. I'd love to have Freddy back for this game -- though at the same time, CJ was really coming into his own. He owned that game against the Browns -- he couldn't be stopped, and that made the offense click like I haven't seen in a long time. I think Chan was like a kid in a candy store calling plays in the Browns game while CJ was in there.

Just remember that there are many degrees of ACL injury, from small/minor tears to really severe or complete tears. They all hurt, but you're able to walk easier with small tears than, say, a complete tear.

I just want the record to show that I made no public predictions about CJ's injury. That said, I was 100% convinced it was either a broken collarbone or separated shoulder. Seriously, given how much pain he was in, the immediate call for help from the bench by Lee Smith, the way they immobilized his arm...sure looked like it had to be one of those two to me.

One other thing that I'm noticing about the replacement refs is that they seem to absolutely suck at figuring out where to place the ball after a play is over. They seem to have a margin of error of +/- 1 yard, at least. I've always been impressed with the regular refs at their ability to spot the ball at the right place, but with these replacements, it almost seems random.

I am seriously laughing my ass off at this right now.

I'm not going to say that Fitz is better than Cutler, but when you consider that Cutler is 0-3 in his last three trips to Lambeau with 2 TDs and 10 INTs, they sure do look like they share some similarities. It was Cutler's 9th game with a less-than-50 QB rating since arriving in Chicago. Cutler is getting eviscerated by the Chicago media, with phrases like "pouty quarterback", "questionable leader", and "a disaster" when playing in night games. Fitz may not have Cutler's physical skills, but I'm not completely convinced he's the better quarterback overall.

Seriously, I think we all suspect there is more to the story. Any hints, or are you just going to leave us with that cliffhanger?

I think you nailed it.

How in the world did we not win that game?

I can hardly believe we finally made it to the end (or the beginning, as it were). Thanks for keeping us company.