Dr. K Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 I watched the Detroit game again on game rewind, and it hit me, in connection with the Baltimore, KC, and Bears games, that barring a rash of further injuries, the Bills could be on the verge of a breakout in the second half of the season. Three things make me think this: 1) Despite his misfires, the team is getting good QB play from Fitzpatrick. His decisiveness and knowledge of the offense, ability to make quick throws and stand up to pressure, make this offense much better than it would be under another QB. The reason the receivers and the o-line are looking so much better is a combination of the game plans, the play calling, and Fitz's not-perfect-but-pretty-damn-good ability to execute it. [incidental note: I noticed that one of the "flyer" throws he made, when the ball got away from him and he overthrew Reed on what would have been a touchdown in the first quarter, happened on the very next play after (as we learned after the game) his throwing hand got stepped on by a Detroit D-lineman. ] 2) They were just a couple of plays from scoring at least 30 points in this game. The failed fourth-and-one in the first quarter on the Detroit eleven, the missed Lindell FG, a couple of just-barely overthrows on deep balls, the recalled punt return for TD. We're talking an additional 13-20 points. Now I realize that a lot of games would turn around if only a couple of plays went differently, but it seems to me this team is close to turning these plays around. I expect Fitz to hit more of those throws, Jackson to make more of those short yardage situations, Lindell to make most of those field goals. 3) The defense, though still making tons of mistakes, is looking much better than it did in the first 5 or 6 games. They have a ridiculously low number of turnovers this season, given how many they caused last. The big problem is the lack of a pass rush, but I think some of the blitz variations are getting them closer (though they still could use some better players in the front seven). I think the players are understanding their assignments better. Even with the pathetic pass rush, they ought to have intercepted more balls than they have so far, and this is another area where, once they start coming up with some (as they might have on that play late in the first half where three Bills had a shot at a sure interception but they all collided and the ball was dropped) they will get more. Even an average number of turnovers will put the offense in better scoring position, and this offense is enough better that I think they will take advantage of it. Maybe this is naive, but I think the Bills are going to have a breakout game sometime soon, and that once they realize they can do these things, the effect could snowball. I don't know which of these games coming up is going to be the one, but I fully expect the avalanche to happen. I hope that it's not a one-time thing, but the foundation of the better team these Bills will become. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Hindsight Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 I wouldnt be surprised if we won half our remaining games. Not at all. I really feel like we can compete with any team and we are only getting better We will Beat NE at home... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peteski Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 WHO IS THIS REED YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
b stein 22 Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 WHO IS THIS REED YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT? Evans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pilsner Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 (edited) I'm as optimistic about our growing O as you are Dr. K. Our D even though lacking talent on the front 7 is starting to progress. It's nice to see them get more comfortable out there but they still have a long way to go. Things are starting to look a little bit up. We definitely have an exciting team to watch. Stein, awesome avatar Those are two happy buffaloes. Edited November 17, 2010 by Pilsner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan89 Posted November 17, 2010 Share Posted November 17, 2010 I wouldnt be surprised if we won half our remaining games. Not at all. I really feel like we can compete with any team and we are only getting better We will Beat NE at home... The D is still very susceptible to getting lit up and the offense plays better when its down usually two things that lead me to thinking that this team isn't going to get 3-4 wins out of the next 7. I think we will finish with another 1-2 wins we have some winable games (Bengals, Browns, Vikings, Fins) and even the harder games (Jets, Steelers, and Pats*) don't seem impossible either. All in all I think splitting the more winnable 4 games and playing very competitively against the other 3 harder opponents and maybe stealing one is a good way to look at the rest of the season. So yeah we still finish somewhere between 3-13 and 4-12 but I think with a very good finish to the season and a continuing improvement (the first 4 games it looked like we were an 0-16 team, the next 4 we were bad but very competitive against pretty good teams and you knew the team would scratch out a win down the line, to hopefully now a team that can play at least some D and put up a decent amount of points and look competent and capable of winning a game here or there). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. K Posted November 17, 2010 Author Share Posted November 17, 2010 WHO IS THIS REED YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT? Sorry, I frequently think "Andre Reed" when I mean Evans because they wear the same number. Not that Evans is as good as Reed was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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