Trent Dilfer on Trent Edwards:

[DarthICE]

No huddle with inexperienced O-line, DJ muzzles an already primitive offense, fires the OC 1 week before the season starts running a system which originated from a failing offense to begin with passed down through the ranks of unqualified and inexperienced. We had a glorified marketing director running the show and I could go on and on.

 

Give me a break

 

 

He had the most simplified Offense in the NFL and STILL couldn't perform. The guy can't handle pressure, can't read defenses, Won't throw with anticipation. He shouldn't have a shot at starting period.

 

we are going to waste several games I fear 'just to make sure' with this clown just like we did with Collins, RJ, JP etal.

[mattsox]

Bottom line is... we need to find out if this guy is an NFL QB that can command an offense and make it his own. But he has to have the pieces in place. We need to find him a TE and a 2nd and 3rd WR. And the line is a BIG ? esp LT. Sometimes QBs can overcome that. The bigger than life ones. But their ain't too many who can. All the good QBs have a good OL infront of them, and a complement of WRs and RBs and great offensive coordinators who can overcome the shortcomings of personel. Chan has a track record of making average QBs great. I hope that Trent is a great QB and Chan reignites confidence in him, in his system and builds one that works for Trent. We all want him to succeed. We all want the Bills to do well. It'd be great if turns the corner this year and don't have to worry about drafting a QB next year. But it's a big ? alot has to unfold before their anywhere near where we want them to be. Lots of offensive players need to step up. We need a LT to step up. We need a TE to step up. We need the WRs to step up. If he has a great supporting cast, I see us being a good offense. But the jury's out on alot of the supporting cast and Trent as well.

[Gugny]

From our friend, Tim Graham at ESPN.

 

http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/i...dwards-believer

 

"I think Trent was victimized by a lack of support and talent that was overestimated," Dilfer said. "The offensive line was pathetic. The offensive system was as poorly coached as any system in the NFL.

 

"He's the exact opposite of what Mark Sanchez has had in terms of a structure in place."

He's right on the money. Doesn't say anything about TE being great with another staff/plan. Just says the staff/plan TE has had thus far has been terrible. That's as true as true gets.

[thewildrabbit]

I might be wrong here so correct me if I am...If we are still struggling on the line by the season start, I think he will run a simliar offense as he did in KC, the Pistol I think it was called. I think its a three step drop with added protection from two backs. It should also protect him better from the left which is currently everyone's gripe at the moment.

 

And I know this isn't the answer to everything but if you have a strong consistent running threat, it opens up the passing game. and if you have two backs (spiller, jackson) that can make plays after the catch, a dump off is equally threatening.

Correct me if I'm wrong...

 

Chan Gailey was with the Chiefs for only the 08 season, he was at Georgia Tech from 02-07, and then wasn't he fired just before the 09 season started and just before jauron fired schonert?

 

The Chiefs went 2-14 with Chan Gailey as OC and Herman Edwards as HC

 

The QB's in 08

Tyler Thigpin had 11 GS 230 comp 420 attempts 54.8 comp % 18 TD and 12 INTs

Damon Huard had 3 GS 50 comp 81 attempts 61.7 comp % 2 TD's 4 INTs

Brodie Croyle had 2 GS 20 comp 29 attempts 69.0 comp % 0 TDs 0 INTs

 

The RB's in 08

Larry Johnson rushed for 193 Attempts 874 yds in 5TDs -12 GS

Jamaal Charles 57 attempts 357 0 TDs-2 GS

Kolby Smith 35 attepts 100 yds 1 TD-3 GS

 

Not a real glowing endorsement for a hire as a HC IMO. The Bills beat the Chiefs that year 54-31. In fact I think he got Herm Edwards fired,rofl

 

 

Just to add, I didn't dig into the Chiefs 08 season very deeply but my take is that they were always playing from behind and threw the ball more often to play catch up, kinda like they did against the Bills. Defenses tend to play prevent and lay back allowing more passes underneath when they get a lead. If that is truly the case then that might be the exact reason as to why Thigpin is now a 3rd stringer in Miami.

 

 

 

One poster here stated: Case in point: Thigpen looked like a Pro Bowler in KC when Gailey was there. ..really?

[RuntheDamnBall]

I think Dilfer is absolutely correct. When he first started playing for us, we all saw it: The efficiency, the accuracy, the control of the huddle. I recall after the SD victory teammates were so high on Trent they couldn't say enough good things about him. Then he got hit, and hit badly, and wasn't quite the same due likely to a combination of the hit, the OLine, the playcalling, and the coaching. Trent's regression, and our frustration with him the last 2 seasons, is due to his level of coaching over that period. We had a first time offensive coordinator the first year of his struggles, and HIS ASSISTANT running it the next.

Revisionist history. The SD game was after the concussion.

 

He may have been suffering lingering effects from the concussion, or facing increased anxiety after further hits. The fact that he came back (after the bye week) to have a strong game against SD is just part of what makes his horrid regression so confounding.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

When I read between the lines I read that Dilfer characterizes TE as a west coast offense QB. Quick read, quick release, very accurate, not a rocket arm. I have to believe it is possible to design and offense around a very accurate QB.

 

 

 

 

 

So it may be optimistic to think that if:

 

 

 

- The offensive coordinator will be working with the team from OTA's through the first game of the season

 

- The line will not have a key lineman shipped out of town weeks before season start

 

- The same cast of players on offense minus an 800 yard receiver and plus a RB who will be the fastest guy on the field some days, a plan to get another quick speedy player more involved from the slot, experience for two rooks and an additional journeymen.

 

- Spread offensive scheme more aligned with pre snap reads and quick releases as well as dictating defensive schemes and taking away blitz disguise options

 

- A coach that seems to know offense

 

- A GM that seems to know players

 

 

 

Then there is nothing wrong with optimism this time of year. We will have plenty of time to be disappointed if the season doesn't go so well. But it's hard to image a scenario where the team won't be better than last year.

[Orton's Arm]

How can the problems be corrected when the O line is still a big a question mark as it was last season, or even more so?

 

Show me the difference between dickhead jauron and chan gailey, both ignored the most important position on the O line in the draft and free agency at left tackle. Now this new butthead coach is trying something even more stupid then Jauron did, and that is to get a 7th rounder coming off a torn ACL to hold down the left tackle position. Wood is coming off a severe leg injury and is also a big question mark.

 

The only player to play all 16 games last season did so with a bad back, so wtf does anyone know if he can sustain another 16 game season with his back problems?

 

If you just look at the problems this team had last year with the offensive line and they have 3 players returning from injuries that they may or may not completely recover from. Then they have another scrub veteran they got from the Raiders, as if Langston Walker wasn't bad enough.

 

chan gailey might know how to run an offense better then jauron, but he sure doesn't have a clue how to build an O line if he is following the same road jauron took.

 

Now, explain to me how the QB's will get better playing for gailey when they won't have time to throw or adequate protections, just like last season

I agree with your implication that the offensive line of the 2010 Bills is likely to be a joke. I also agree that a good offensive line is a critical component to making the offense work.

 

But I feel your criticisms of Gailey and his approach to building this team are, at best, premature. The team Gailey inherited had holes at numerous positions. Even if he had stuck with the Tampa-2, he only had two relatively young, starting quality players in the front 7. (Kyle Williams and Poz.) Everyone else was either mediocre, close to retirement, close to age-related declines in play, or some combination of the three. That meant that over the next 2 - 3 years, the incoming GM would need to find five starting-caliber players for the front seven, even if they stuck with the Tampa-2.

 

So that's five starting-caliber holes on defense right there. Then there are the holes on the OL: most notably at LT, C, and RT. There's a hole at QB, a hole at #1 WR, and probably one or two other holes as well.

 

I'll grant that the Spiller pick was something of a luxury pick. On the other hand, most experts felt that he was a significantly better football player than the other guys available when we picked. Also, this team has no game-changers on offense, and few (other than Byrd) on defense. Spiller has the potential to be a game-changer. Their next two picks were used to address holes in the front seven; which was a very legitimate use for them! The 4th rounder was used on a guy who has some of the physical measurables you'd associated with a #1 WR; though whether Easley can turn into one is a very open question.

 

Add in some of the Bills' free agent signings of defensive players, and you can see solid progress towards making this team the way it should be. I was extremely disappointed that the Bills made little or no progress towards filling the holes in which I was most interested (QB and LT). But I respect the fact that they filled holes at other positions; and that they will have an opportunity in the 2011 draft to address the holes at QB and on the OL.

 

This is a multi-year rebuilding project. It will take a while for the Bills to recover from the disasters of the TD drafts and the Marv drafts. As long as the Bills make steady progress towards rebuilding, I will tend to be cautiously optimistic about the team's future.

[nodnarb]

Revisionist history. The SD game was after the concussion.

 

He may have been suffering lingering effects from the concussion, or facing increased anxiety after further hits. The fact that he came back (after the bye week) to have a strong game against SD is just part of what makes his horrid regression so confounding.

 

 

Not revisionist, just not a photographic memory. The bigger point is that he regressed over two years due to a failure of coaching. We had first time coaches (currently not performing the same duties for another team, which is testament to their inadequacy) running a personalized variation of Fairchild's variation of the Martz offense. It was patchwork over patchwork. Add to that terrible offensive strategy and absolutely ABSENT gameday adjustments, and you have a recipe for any young QB to regress.

[1billsfan]

Not revisionist, just not a photographic memory. The bigger point is that he regressed over two years due to a failure of coaching. We had first time coaches (currently not performing the same duties for another team, which is testament to their inadequacy) running a personalized variation of Fairchild's variation of the Martz offense. It was patchwork over patchwork. Add to that terrible offensive strategy and absolutely ABSENT gameday adjustments, and you have a recipe for any young QB to regress.

 

More like he regressed because, after his first year, NFL defensive coordinators quickly realized that they had zero to fear of Trent Edwards' arm. The good one's are able to overcome the adjustments the league throws at them. Trent has never recovered. It's time for the Trent Edwards' excuse train to pull into the station and for everyone to realize that both he and his head coach were putrid.

[RuntheDamnBall]

Not revisionist, just not a photographic memory. The bigger point is that he regressed over two years due to a failure of coaching. We had first time coaches (currently not performing the same duties for another team, which is testament to their inadequacy) running a personalized variation of Fairchild's variation of the Martz offense. It was patchwork over patchwork. Add to that terrible offensive strategy and absolutely ABSENT gameday adjustments, and you have a recipe for any young QB to regress.

You know, I agree... but why does that excuse wash for Edwards and not for Losman? Personally, I see them both having suffered the same fate. I think Edwards might have ended up being the better QB for this team, but I don't see Losman as having been a certifiable bust, esp. by virtue of his advancement in 2006. I think the coaching and strategy has been terrible and it pretty much sunk any chances for any QB over the past few seasons. It's clear no one knew what they were doing. Or, if they did, they had no perspective and limited understanding of context.

[Malazan]

Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer

Not a trace of doubt in my mind.

I'm in love, I'm a believer!

I couldn't leave her if I tried.

[CardinalScotts]

sure hope Gailey can fix him but I don't think he can......plus Dilfer never bags on anyone. Name me a crappy quarterback and I can list out problems they had besides the quarterback play.

 

It's like excuses for the pitcher that doesn't pitch up to expectations. They just keep coming-

He has to throw against the other teams #1.....the park is small....the catcher is inexperienced....they play bad d when he throws....he can't get any run support......seems to always pitch on cold days......umpire was squeezing him.....bull pen blows his leads.....elbow problem- shoulder problem--hamstring--back--thigh.....manager lost confidence in him.....he wants out...isn't a one he's a three.....most of his starts are on the road....most of his starts are at home....that division is tough...

 

what team loves their offensive line ?

[DC Tom]

You know, I agree... but why does that excuse wash for Edwards and not for Losman? Personally, I see them both having suffered the same fate. I think Edwards might have ended up being the better QB for this team, but I don't see Losman as having been a certifiable bust, esp. by virtue of his advancement in 2006. I think the coaching and strategy has been terrible and it pretty much sunk any chances for any QB over the past few seasons. It's clear no one knew what they were doing. Or, if they did, they had no perspective and limited understanding of context.

 

I felt Losman was a certifiable bust from about his second game. I also felt he was hung out to dry by pathetically poor coaching. The two opinions are NOT mutually exclusive, contrary to what seems to be popular belief.

 

As for Edwards...there should be NO doubt he's been hung out to dry by bad coaching decisions (he went all of last season without a QB coach, for Christ's sake, simply because the HC and OC got into a pissing match between preseason and the regular season. ) I don't know if Edwards is any better than mediocre, frankly...but I do know that if anyone knows anything about what it takes for mediocre QBs to succeed at a championship level, it's Trent frickin' Dilfer...

[Orton's Arm]

You know, I agree... but why does that excuse wash for Edwards and not for Losman? Personally, I see them both having suffered the same fate. I think Edwards might have ended up being the better QB for this team, but I don't see Losman as having been a certifiable bust, esp. by virtue of his advancement in 2006. I think the coaching and strategy has been terrible and it pretty much sunk any chances for any QB over the past few seasons. It's clear no one knew what they were doing. Or, if they did, they had no perspective and limited understanding of context.

Losman made some big plays in 2006. It seemed like once or twice a game there'd be a 40 yard long bomb to someone like Lee Evans. Plus there were other times when he'd roll out to his right, gun the ball down the sideline, and hit a TE or someone for a 15 - 20 yard gain and a first down. Add in a few more run-of-the-mill successful plays, and you had what on the surface appeared to be a QB who was progressing.

 

The problem is what Losman didn't do in 2006. The offense was considerably simplified to allow him to be successful in it. Even in that simplified offense, he didn't show the ability to make multiple reads. There was no touch on his shorter passes. At no point did he seem all that good at reading defenses, or at any other aspect of the mental side of the game.

 

Defenses learned that when you play Losman, you take away the long bomb to Lee Evans and dare him to beat you with his underneath game. Force him to try to kill you with a thousand small cuts. The intrinsic weaknesses of Losman's game were cruelly exposed in 2007; when defenses did exactly that.

 

Losman's weaknesses were evident all along. It was because of those weaknesses that the front office brought in first Nall, and later Edwards, in an effort to replace him. It was because of those weaknesses that Losman lost his starting spot to a rookie, and was later relegated to third string status. It was because of those weaknesses that he was relegated to the UFL for a while, and can now barely hold onto an NFL roster spot.

 

Losman has immense physical gifts. A very strong arm, and good foot speed to match. It's easy to fantasize about how good a QB he could be, if his brain ever caught up with his body. But it never has, and never will.

[1billsfan]

I felt Losman was a certifiable bust from about his second game. I also felt he was hung out to dry by pathetically poor coaching. The two opinions are NOT mutually exclusive, contrary to what seems to be popular belief.

 

As for Edwards...there should be NO doubt he's been hung out to dry by bad coaching decisions (he went all of last season without a QB coach, for Christ's sake, simply because the HC and OC got into a pissing match between preseason and the regular season. ) I don't know if Edwards is any better than mediocre, frankly...but I do know that if anyone knows anything about what it takes for mediocre QBs to succeed at a championship level, it's Trent frickin' Dilfer...

 

Boo hoo hooooo...

 

Try he left Buffalo for all of the 2009 offseason to go play golf for Christ sake. Try he complained about being cold and damp after a horrible loss to the Cleveland Browns. This guy is a freaking a loser, and I'm tired of the latest rehabilitation campaign of this wuss.

 

As for Dilfer, he owes his job to Ray Lewis and anybody who thinks he knows what he's talking about is crazy. He actually said that he'd take Colt McCoy or Jimmy Clausen over Sam Bradford. Moron doesn't even begin to cover Trent Dilfer's analysis skills.

 

Now there's always the chance that Dilfer could eventually get something right at his current job, but I'm betting that this poor little Trent Edwards crying jag is not one of them.

[DC Tom]

Boo hoo hooooo...

 

Try he left Buffalo for all of the 2009 offseason to go play golf for Christ sake. Try he complained about being cold and damp after a horrible loss to the Cleveland Browns. This guy is a freaking a loser, and I'm tired of the latest rehabilitation campaign of this wuss.

 

As for Dilfer, he owes his job to Ray Lewis and anybody who thinks he knows what he's talking about is crazy. He actually said that he'd take Colt McCoy or Jimmy Clausen over Sam Bradford. Moron doesn't even begin to cover Trent Dilfer's analysis skills.

 

Now there's always the chance that Dilfer could eventually get something right at his current job, but I'm betting that this poor little Trent Edwards crying jag is not one of them.

 

You're an idiot. My only response to you is the post I already made...but this time, you might try reading it.

 

Or not. I don't actually care much.

[Bill from NYC]

You're an idiot. My only response to you is the post I already made...but this time, you might try reading it.

 

Or not. I don't actually care much.

 

Tom, it isn't personal. He just cannot get over JP Losman. I have a post in this thread almost identical to yours and he didn't want to hear that either.

 

If there is no hint of anything to do with Losman (and I mean even very loosely connected), he actually makes sense when he posts. I honestly believe that he hates Trent for not sucking as much as JP.

[1billsfan]

You're an idiot. My only response to you is the post I already made...but this time, you might try reading it.

 

Or not. I don't actually care much.

 

I don't need to read it again. Make no mistake, I'll be like a pit bull when it comes to fans here making excuses for a guy who was more interested in improving his golf game than improving his skills at his chosen profession. Frankly, it was the "for Christ sake" after the excuse that sent me over the edge. Why feel the need to be so sympathetic to Trent? He doesn't give a crap about Buffalo, the Bills OR even his job for Christ sake!

 

By leaving Buffalo for the links, this loser acted like he had it all figured out. As if he were Peyton Manning or Tom Brady and not the first year starter who went down in flames in his last three games to end the 2008 season.

 

You may not be a Trent supporter or pom pom waver, but you did give the guy a "there, there...I feel your pain" pat on the back. Fans here on this board need to be giving him the major kick in the ass that he deserves.

[thewildrabbit]

I agree with your implication that the offensive line of the 2010 Bills is likely to be a joke. I also agree that a good offensive line is a critical component to making the offense work.

 

But I feel your criticisms of Gailey and his approach to building this team are, at best, premature. The team Gailey inherited had holes at numerous positions. Even if he had stuck with the Tampa-2, he only had two relatively young, starting quality players in the front 7. (Kyle Williams and Poz.) Everyone else was either mediocre, close to retirement, close to age-related declines in play, or some combination of the three. That meant that over the next 2 - 3 years, the incoming GM would need to find five starting-caliber players for the front seven, even if they stuck with the Tampa-2.

 

So that's five starting-caliber holes on defense right there. Then there are the holes on the OL: most notably at LT, C, and RT. There's a hole at QB, a hole at #1 WR, and probably one or two other holes as well.

 

I'll grant that the Spiller pick was something of a luxury pick. On the other hand, most experts felt that he was a significantly better football player than the other guys available when we picked. Also, this team has no game-changers on offense, and few (other than Byrd) on defense. Spiller has the potential to be a game-changer. Their next two picks were used to address holes in the front seven; which was a very legitimate use for them! The 4th rounder was used on a guy who has some of the physical measurables you'd associated with a #1 WR; though whether Easley can turn into one is a very open question.

 

Add in some of the Bills' free agent signings of defensive players, and you can see solid progress towards making this team the way it should be. I was extremely disappointed that the Bills made little or no progress towards filling the holes in which I was most interested (QB and LT). But I respect the fact that they filled holes at other positions; and that they will have an opportunity in the 2011 draft to address the holes at QB and on the OL.

 

This is a multi-year rebuilding project. It will take a while for the Bills to recover from the disasters of the TD drafts and the Marv drafts. As long as the Bills make steady progress towards rebuilding, I will tend to be cautiously optimistic about the team's future.

How in gods green earth do you figure this is a multi-year building project? How can you take it so casually that because this is a new head coach he automatically gets a multi year pass to rebuild. Every time the Bills hire a new head coach we fans have to endure the BS of constant rebuilding. Sorry but a decade of this rebuilding crap has worn me down.

 

Yea, dickhead jauron rebuilt for 4 years and look where it took the team, then he states that the team lacks talent...when he was the one responsable for obtaining the talent

 

This team was 3-5 players away from becoming a very good team, aside from the obvious upgrades needed at coaching positions. Even if you can't find those 3-5 players in the draft there is always free agency.

 

If you can't find 5 adaquate starters thru the draft and free agency then you don't deserve the job as head coach / GM of anything.

 

The Bills threw a 5th round pick at their most glaring need and drafted a "water-bug" RB instead. Last season dickhead jauron drafted a 3 year project DE and look where it got him.

[Gugny]

I don't need to read it again. Make no mistake, I'll be like a pit bull when it comes to fans here making excuses for a guy who was more interested in improving his golf game than improving his skills at his chosen profession. Frankly, it was the "for Christ sake" after the excuse that sent me over the edge. Why feel the need to be so sympathetic to Trent? He doesn't give a crap about Buffalo, the Bills OR even his job for Christ sake!

 

By leaving Buffalo for the links, this loser acted like he had it all figured out. As if he were Peyton Manning or Tom Brady and not the first year starter who went down in flames in his last three games to end the 2008 season.

 

You may not be a Trent supporter or pom pom waver, but you did give the guy a "there, there...I feel your pain" pat on the back. Fans here on this board need to be giving him the major kick in the ass that he deserves.

I believe it's for "Christ's" sake (the whole apostrophe/possession thing), and I sincerely doubt Trent tried to become a better golfer for the sake of Jesus Christ. I'm just sayin'.