A Few Thoughts About The Game

[BuffaloBud]

I'm not going to counter your pessimism party overall, because it was a depressing day. We are not an elite team yet, and we got our asses handed to us today. It is not as bad as it seems right now, just like it wasn't as amazing as it seemed at 4-0. This is a team on the upswing that will still take some lumps. Not a fun two weeks at all, but we are 5-4 one game out of first, and ready to go play Miami next week and try to get to 6-4 and stay in the hunt.

 

Party is not over yet. Let's go squish the fish, and then see what happens. I am 100% focused on making the playoffs somehow right now, but can see a lot of positives in 8-8 or 9-7 if we get there. Stepping stone from drafting #3 to winning a SB.

 

I'm with you there on both points.

[Bill from NYC]

I agree with most of what you said, especially that Dareus playcall. This team got gashed on the lines today, showing they don't yet have the depth to overcome the loss of Kyle Williams and the two left tackles. Troupe was bad, same with the oline (not blaming it on one guy, but without our normal tackles the scheme looked way off. Levitre had issues recognizing who to block).

 

Who knows if KW will ever come back 100%? Did Paup? Did Takeo?

The defense needs pass rush desperately. When we had Bruce and Bryce, they required so much attention that Phil Hansen was making huge plays. This could perhaps work for a guy like Carrington.

 

The Bills should look for Courtney Upshaw in April. If he was on the team today he would be our best pass rusher.

[boyst]

Who knows if KW will ever come back 100%? Did Paup? Did Takeo?

The defense needs pass rush desperately. When we had Bruce and Bryce, they required so much attention that Phil Hansen was making huge plays. This could perhaps work for a guy like Carrington.

 

The Bills should look for Courtney Upshaw in April. If he was on the team today he would be our best pass rusher.

What makes KW recovery so questionable? I haven't read everything on the injury but Shirley i missed something?

[Erik]

Bill...I know that you were hard on Erik Pears earlier in the season but you haven't mentioned him lately. I've thought his play's been solid...any further thoughts on Pears?

[Koufax]

Let me simplify your extended analysis. The Bills are over-matched when competing with good teams.

 

Except for the Patriots, and the first place Raiders, and the first place Giants and the Bengals. Four games against first place teams and we were in all four until the last play, winning two. Add two ugly losses, and two ugly wins, and beating the Eagles in a normal football game.

 

The Bills are playing badly right now, Like New England did dropping their last two, or the Jets did when they lost three in a row. They are not as good as we thought at 4-0, and they are not as bad as you might think now. But we are tied for second place, and control our own destiny for the division with seven games left (not that I expect us to go 12-4, but 12-4 wins us the division no matter what). If we beat Miami (not a gimme) we move to controlling our own fate six weeks from the end and get our Jets rematch. A very disappointing 2 weeks, and we are not a top team in this league, but a lot of exciting football ahead of us.

 

Step back from the ledge, let today's ugly loss hurt for a while if you want, and then let's get ready to take on the Fish with a lot to play for.

[Bill from NYC]

Bill...I know that you were hard on Erik Pears earlier in the season but you haven't mentioned him lately. I've thought his play's been solid...any further thoughts on Pears?

 

Pears looks OK from what I can see. He is big enough, and I view him as a pure RT. In other words, I don't think he is agile enough ala Jennings/Peters to ever man the left side. That's fine with me btw. When the weather changes, passing will be less of an option.

We have to see what we have in Hairston, and make a decision on Bell. Either way, Pears is a player to keep in the roster imo.

 

What makes KW recovery so questionable? I haven't read everything on the injury but Shirley i missed something?

 

I am not a doctor but as a Bills fan, I get spooked when I read the word "achilles." We lost 2 absolutely great LBs (Paup and Spikes) to that word.

[reddogblitz]

The "party" is no where near over.

 

I didn't like the Spiller pick at the time because we had 2 good RBs already. It is pretty crazy though that he can't run the ball from the backfield. I see other teams with rookie speedsters that are doing a lot better like Taiwan Jones for example. And that bomb today was ugly. I'm still pulling for the kid, but I have my doubts.

 

The D is the problem with this team. Our offense didn't do that well today either, but a little help from the D could have gone a long ways.

 

I've said it many times and I'll say it again, Donald Jones is a spare, not a NFL starting caliber WR. We saw from him today what we've seen all year. he makes some decent catches, but when it comes to a tough one where he has to pull it in or fight for it, he doesn't get it. But at this point, he's probably all we got.

 

I hope Fred's funblitis goes away. Great day running the ball for Fred though.

 

Fitz was decent. He had a lot of drops. That first pick was a tip drill pick after bouncing off of I think it was DJ's hands. SJ needs to be more consistent catching the football. Those other 2 picks were garbage time desperation picks. I'm not real worried about that. He did miss a wide open DJ though. that was disappointing. but he did hit SJ for a bomb that he didn't catch but we got PI. The bomb to Spiller was dope, but dropped.

 

Looks to me that we need to go back to trying to outscore the other team. Trying to hold the ball and keep the D off the field etc is nice, but it's not working very well.

 

I really really really wish we could fire "Coach" Edwards ASAP if not sooner.

[truth on hold]

Pears looks OK from what I can see. He is big enough, and I view him as a pure RT. In other words, I don't think he is agile enough ala Jennings/Peters to ever man the left side. That's fine with me btw. When the weather changes, passing will be less of an option.

We have to see what we have in Hairston, and make a decision on Bell. Either way, Pears is a player to keep in the roster imo.

 

 

 

I am not a doctor but as a Bills fan, I get spooked when I read the word "achilles." We lost 2 absolutely great LBs (Paup and Spikes) to that word.

I thought KW was a foot that if left unaddressed could aggravate the achilles. I don't think it's achilles yet. I agree that achilles is an ominous sounding word, ended Lawrence Taylor's and Lavar Arrington's careers too. But those were direct tears, not what Kyle has. btw when I heard Merriman had achilles issues last year I would have dropped him like a hot potatoe

[Bart]

I don't understand the emotions that people have about Spiller. He rarely gets on the field, and he is never given a chance to stay in the game long enough to get into any sort of rhythm. I was not a fan of the pick, and I still am not, but I hesitate to call him a bust since he hardly ever plays. Is there something that Chan knows that explains why he doesn't let Spiller play? Fumbles? Bad blocking? Doesn't learn the plays? To easy to tackle? If the Bills trade him, I bet he will turn out to be a good player for whoever gets him. He is expensive and fast. Fred is far superior between the tackles, but why not give Spiller a few sets of downs to see what he can do and give Fred a rest? At this point, maybe it's time for a few experiments to see what some of these other players can do.

 

 

Spiller is a bust! Its time to admit it and move on. The reason that he does not get on the field is because he can't do anything when he is on the filed.

[rockpile]

The thing that surprises me the most is that people are surprised that the Bills are just an average team.

 

They are not bad or great, they are average. Last year they were bad.

 

I hope they start being fun to watch again soon.

[JohnC]

Except for the Patriots, and the first place Raiders, and the first place Giants and the Bengals. Four games against first place teams and we were in all four until the last play, winning two. Add two ugly losses, and two ugly wins, and beating the Eagles in a normal football game.

 

The Bills are playing badly right now, Like New England did dropping their last two, or the Jets did when they lost three in a row. They are not as good as we thought at 4-0, and they are not as bad as you might think now. But we are tied for second place, and control our own destiny for the division with seven games left (not that I expect us to go 12-4, but 12-4 wins us the division no matter what). If we beat Miami (not a gimme) we move to controlling our own fate six weeks from the end and get our Jets rematch. A very disappointing 2 weeks, and we are not a top team in this league, but a lot of exciting football ahead of us.

 

Step back from the ledge, let today's ugly loss hurt for a while if you want, and then let's get ready to take on the Fish with a lot to play for.

 

I'm not on the ledge. What I see is a team that is sinking to a level that is not close to being at a level of a playoff contending team. This team has few playmakers on its roster on both sides of the ball. That is not going to change this year. The Bills have little depth in a sport that injuries play a major factor for most teams. As the season grinds on that lack of replacement players will become even more problematic, especially on the OL.

 

Yes, we did beat the Pats at home. Do you honestly think we will beat them when we play them on their field? The Jets toyed with us at the Ralph. Do you think we are going to beat a playoff desperate team at their facility?

 

The flaws that this team currently has are not going to be rectified as the season advances, they will get worse. The lack of a pass rush can't be manufactured, no matter how creative a coaching staff is if the team lacks the talent to exert pressure.

 

You can make the claim that statistically the Bills can control their own destiny and be a playoff team. If you believe that mathematical fantasy then I salute your optimism. But in my view this team is still years away from having a roster capable of being a serious team. I would love to be wrong. But from what I have recently seen I don't think I am.

[Bufcomments]

OK ill say it Spiller sucks. No other way to look at it. Fitz hit him right in the hands but Spiller tripped up with no D around him. Chan and Buddy looking bad on that pick when they had greater needs. Fail.

 

Fitz had little protection. Chan has to adjust his game planning because teams have caught on to what we do. ( damn Rex Ryan). We will find out if he is a great OC in the coming weeks.

 

I see why we drafted A. Williams. CB's are not great but a pass rush would help.

[chris heff]

"4) Will just ONE supporter of the Spiller selection come forward and tell me that he is a bust. Yes, a 100%, total, complete bust. It's OK to admit it. Look, I thought that Rob Johnson was going to be a great quarterback. Just step up if you will. Or, defend him some more."

 

I was roasted for saying in the pre-season that Spiller was fast approaching the Maybin bust line. But you all we right, Spiller is now well below it, at least Maybin is getting on the field and giving some production in NY.

 

 

Unless Spiller can rush the passer or cover someone or coach, I fail to see what he has to do with anything. This game was over before it started, when you are down 21 in the blink of an eye, your offensive game plan is gone.

 

Three hundred yards in the first half! Are you kidding? No personnel can be that bad. It is bad defensive coaching. If you don't think coaching is important loof at the 49ers, basically the same team, yet not the same team. Did they make some big personnel moves in the off season?

 

If you didn't think this D coaching staff is clueless, all you had to see is Dareus dropping into coverage. Are you kidding me?

[dave mcbride]

Pears looks OK from what I can see. He is big enough, and I view him as a pure RT. In other words, I don't think he is agile enough ala Jennings/Peters to ever man the left side. That's fine with me btw. When the weather changes, passing will be less of an option.

We have to see what we have in Hairston, and make a decision on Bell. Either way, Pears is a player to keep in the roster imo.

 

 

 

I am not a doctor but as a Bills fan, I get spooked when I read the word "achilles." We lost 2 absolutely great LBs (Paup and Spikes) to that word.

I did some reading on bone spurs, and what he has shouldn't affect his achilles at all. All a bone spur is is extra growth on the bone, and since it's an expansion of the bone it begins to press on the things around it. If it's on the heel, it presses on the achilles tendon. What needs to be done apparently is a "shaving" operation in which the spur is whittled away. In any event, his achilles should be fine. Merriman had a partial tear in his achilles, and he elected to forego surgery. Bad move, because he had to have surgery in the end anyway.

Edited November 14, 2011 by dave mcbride

[apuszczalowski]

Agreed...this garbage about Spiller not getting touches is a joke...Chan basically hand-picked the Kid...If he showed enough to deserve them he would get all the touches he needs to shine...But he comes up short FAR too often...He can't break a tackle to save his life, and you would hope a #8 overall Pick would not stumble and drop a deep pass right in his hands when he does get the chance to make a big play...I mean...After watching Spiller look like he had 2 left feet and no hands on that play how can anyone question why he does not get more touches? More often than not he looks over-matched out there...They Drafted him at #8 overall to be the newer, better version of Darren Sproles, but he's no where close to that good...I thought Dez Bryant lacked maturity to be a great NFL WR...But I don't get paid to make those decisions either...Think the Bills would rather have Bryant now?

 

11 Draft Picks on Defense in two years and not a single one is a stand-out Defender...Dareus included...Though I do think the big-fella could be great in time...I mean...How is it even possible that a Team can Draft so poorly year, after year, after year?...Heck they don't even deserve credit for the Dareus Pick...that was a no-brainer...Or at least it seemed to be...I know AJ Green is having something to say about that...This is the most bizarre string of poor Drafting...It may even be historic it's so bad...Jeez...

How many times have you ever seen a RB going deep to catch a pass?

[RuntheDamnBall]

Bill, can't disagree with most of what you've said here.

 

 I support Spiller because his success is necessary for the Bills, but he sure is looking like a bust. Making good on crucial opportunities like that bomb yesterday is crucial for him, and he is just not doing it.  I feel for the guy because fans are going to start turning on him, which will only make matters worse.  There is still a shred of hope that he begins to turn it around, and as a fan I'm holding onto that while acknowledging the sad truth of the present.

 

The defense is ashambles and George Edwards is an unmitigated disaster. I would fire him today and see if Wannstedt can get more out of this very patchwork ensemble.  That said, it is not his fault that upgrades are needed at rush OLB, CB, and probably another DE.

 

That said, this team is without three Plan A personnel in Kyle Williams, chris Kelsay, and Shawne Merriman. They are also down Aaron Williams, who sadly is already better than at least one of the top three CBs with only three or so games under his belt. The bottom line is that they need real depth to compete in the AFC East.

 

Mckelvin is a grade A talent with a ten cent head and the awareness level of a goldfish.

 

I love David Nelson and would give serious thought to cloning him instead of wasting time with draft picks.

 

Donald jones sucks. He sucks. Period. He should not be a starting receiver in this league and he would be a capable #4. He was given every shot to make plays yesterday and failed 90% of the time. Anyone who does not wish Lee evans were here at #2 is kidding themselves at best.  Look past the current injury and ask yourself if even his lows of 600 yards production wouldn't be an upgrade. The bean counters need to stop raping this team, and they need to stop pointing to the good fortune of a pickup like Nelson as the rule and not the exception.

 

One time Jones did shine was in his part in the lone misdirection play I saw yesterday. It was a success. I like chan, and he is the best HC this team has had in ages, but he needs to realize we lack the personnel to just dictate our will and run base plays no matter what the defense does. Especially with injuries on the OL, some deception is warranted. It works. I hope he will take notice.

 

I need to see more adjustment based on what the defense is doing. Brady led a !@#$ing master class on this last night. They go big, you go with the slant or the screen, or to your TE. They go nickel, run it down their throats. Adjust.  Fitz can do this, but we probably lack the WR corps to pull this off. Trusting the TEs more would help, but I am guessing they are being forced to help out the tackles right now.

 

This leads me to a point that I know is near and dear to you, Bill.  Chris Hairston may be a nice pick but he needs to get his ass back on the field. Levitre is out there playing at 75%, out of position, while our two top tackle options seem to be (surprise) soft and injury prone. As we've seen all along, talent that can't stay on the field is as good as no talent at all. We still need NFL depth at this position. And we need to get mean and tough. That includes playing through pain. It's clear levitre and wood will do this, but we need more from the others.

 

This team will be tested without Wood, but if it can't hang points on Miami and force them to punt once in awhile, it doesn't deserve a .500 record, let alone a playoff berth.

 

This is a time of relative crisis, and I hope they will step up and face it.  I don't think it will start with the (necessary) removal of George Edwards, but somehow they need to get back some confidence heading back into new York in two weeks.

 

Go Bills!

[KOKBILLS]

How many times have you ever seen a RB going deep to catch a pass?

 

Seriously? That's the best you can do?

[thewildrabbit]

Romo is way better than Fitz by the way......Your fan goggles are on a lil strong.....Terrible day by the Bills....Stevie Johnson Catch a ball maybe? Geeezus that was bad.......NO execution Spiller and Jones with bad drops could have made game a little better.....Terrible

I disagree, Romo is average on a decent team with a decent O line. The difference in the teams is the Boys rebuilt that line to give Romo more time, plus the fact that the Bills have no pass rush. The Cowboys however have a decent pass rush and didn't give Fitz time to throw very often.

 

Fitz is better then Romo at getting the ball out quicker and finding that open receiver in under 3 seconds, the problem arises when Fitz needs more then 3 seconds to complete a pass and the line simply can't give it to him.

 

Levitre is a good LG, and a below average LT when he faces DeMarcus Ware. Now Wood is going to miss the Dolphins game and perhaps more games

[Coach Tuesday]

This leads me to a point that I know is near and dear to you, Bill.  Chris Hairston may be a nice pick but he needs to get his ass back on the field. Levitre is out there playing at 75%, out of position, while our two top tackle options seem to be (surprise) soft and injury prone. As we've seen all along, talent that can't stay on the field is as good as no talent at all. We still need NFL depth at this position. And we need to get mean and tough. That includes playing through pain. It's clear levitre and wood will do this, but we need more from the others.

 

I pretty much agree with everything in your post, esp. this. Either these two fellas are soft (Bill was spot-on when he called Bell "a poor man's Jonas Jennings), or the team is overly cautious in pushing players back from injury. These two clowns need to get out of the trainer's room and onto the field where their teammates need them.

[nbash]

Regarding Spiiler and touches, it's weird because I loathed Aaron Maybin, he could never get snaps here, and now Rex Ryan has found a way to utilize him on a team that already knew how to get to the quarterback. Spiller is getting a milder version of the same treatment, are we missing something here again? Regardless, with Wood out next week along with the left tackle situation, this could get fugly.