MadBuffaloDisease Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 After seeing what the Patriots did to the NFL MVP and his offense, which everyone would agree is MUCH better than the Bills', does that loss in New Wangland prior to the 6-game losing streak look so bad now? And what about if the Steelers whoop up on the Pats next weekend, will that put the week 17 game into perspective as well? Seems to me watching the Pats that Brady wouldn't win a game without his defense and ST's setting the team up nicely. Without WR's getting open, catching the ball, and holding onto the ball. Without the O-line giving him some time or at least some semblance of a pocket. Without play-calling that makes sense or at least is innovative. I don't know, maybe that's just me. But what I DO know is that the Bills need to get better personnel because it's not like JP will be able to make guys catch the ball any better, or the O-line block any better. Hell just look at Vick. He took a LOT more sacks than Bledsoe, but his rushing abilities also allowed him to gain yardage on his own. Can JP do that? Doubtful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 So was Bledsoe REALLY the problem? 208028[/snapback] Guess we'll find out after March 1st. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c-biscut Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Agreed. Only hope to is to get BB to retire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 And what about if the Steelers whoop up on the Pats next weekend 208028[/snapback] Absolutely, positively NOT happening unless Big Ben is benched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey D Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 After seeing what the Patriots did to the NFL MVP and his offense, which everyone would agree is MUCH better than the Bills', does that loss in New Wangland prior to the 6-game losing streak look so bad now? And what about if the Steelers whoop up on the Pats next weekend, will that put the week 17 game into perspective as well? Seems to me watching the Pats that Brady wouldn't win a game without his defense and ST's setting the team up nicely. Without WR's getting open, catching the ball, and holding onto the ball. Without the O-line giving him some time or at least some semblance of a pocket. Without play-calling that makes sense or at least is innovative. I don't know, maybe that's just me. But what I DO know is that the Bills need to get better personnel because it's not like JP will be able to make guys catch the ball any better, or the O-line block any better. Hell just look at Vick. He took a LOT more sacks than Bledsoe, but his rushing abilities also allowed him to gain yardage on his own. Can JP do that? Doubtful. 208028[/snapback] Excellent post. People here think JP will surely be better than Manning next year and that will carry us to victory. It is a team game, and although Indy is flashy, at the end of the day they are not that good a TEAM...CD Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 People here think JP will surely be better than Manning next year Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted January 17, 2005 Author Share Posted January 17, 2005 Guess we'll find out after March 1st. I really hope Drew takes a paycut. I am NOT comfortable going into next season with Losman, a journeyman vet, and some nobody as the QB's. Who knows, maybe today's game will make TD rethink his position (or maybe make Drew rethink it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fake-Fat Sunny Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Bledsoe was cleatrly one of the problems which stopped the Bills from winning it all or even making the playoffs, but is not the problem. In fact, in trying to make this team better, he is not even the first problem I would look at as we saw when we beat bad teams, second tier teams and even a few playoff teams in laughers during the streak. I think folks have been attracted by marketing to give too much credit to the QB for wins in what is really the ultimate team game in US sports and too much blame for losses. I think this team can win even with Bledsoe if we play like a TEAM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted January 17, 2005 Author Share Posted January 17, 2005 Excellent post. People here think JP will surely be better than Manning next year and that will carry us to victory. It is a team game, and although Indy is flashy, at the end of the day they are not that good a TEAM...CD Sorry but I made this thread before I got your explanation in your thread, which was saying the same thing. Somebody snipe me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Days Lois & Clark Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Drew Bledsoe had the #2 ranked defense in yardage. The #1 ranked defense in turnovers. What many consider the #1 special teams unit in the nfl. 1 receiver who was an alternate to the probowl. Another reciver who broke a rookie record for TD catches. An offensive line who is coached by one of the best OL coaches in the nfl. A running back who many are already considering a to 5 back in the league. How good does Bledsoe have to be to get 9 wins? Personally I think Shane Matthews could have done just as good or better & cost the team far less against the cap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 the #1 problem with the bills is the same as it's been for about 10 years...the offensive line is not good enough...some years have been better than others, but we're not where we need to be. we improved this year, and that's encouraging, but we're not there yet. i think most of us agree that bledsoe does not react quickly enough to pressure to just put this team on his back(like favre dose with his sh------- team, for example). but if we are going to play him, we need a better line. one that can line up 4th and 1 on any defense in the league and get the first down 90% of the time. one that can give him time to do what he is best at...which is throwing the deep ball. if this line can get better...that is to say good enough to hide drew's weaknesses...we could be having a lot of fun here next year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted January 17, 2005 Author Share Posted January 17, 2005 Drew Bledsoe had the #2 ranked defense in yardage. The #1 ranked defense in turnovers. What many consider the #1 special teams unit in the nfl. 1 receiver who was an alternate to the probowl. Another reciver who broke a rookie record for TD catches. An offensive line who is coached by one of the best OL coaches in the nfl. A running back who many are already considering a to 5 back in the league. How good does Bledsoe have to be to get 9 wins? Again, where was that 2nd ranked defense when the 3rd string offense of the Steelers was driving for the go-ahead FG after Lindell missed the FG? How about later with the 9-minute all-run drive? What about the ST's that played poorly in that game, and frankly went down the crapper once they started getting all the good press? And the Bills' running game, as already pointed out, lost or gained none or little yardage on 5 first downs, putting the team in 2nd and long, while receivers were again dropping balls. Oh and didn't Mike Pucillo get into the game? And that's just the last game of the season. The game today revealed that the Pats can make ANYONE look bad, while the early part of the season didn't have Willis or Evans making near the contributions they did later-on. Personally I think Shane Matthews could have done just as good or better & cost the team far less against the cap He would have cost less against the cap, but he wouldn't have been nearly as successful. There's a reason why Shane Matthews was an at-best journeyman QB. And it's true that the most popular guy on any football team is the backup QB, because everyone KNOWS he can do a better job than the starter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Typical TBD Guy Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 People here think JP will surely be better than Manning next year and that will carry us to victory. 208040[/snapback] Only a very small minority of idiots here think that. As for the rest of us Drew Bashers, we acknowledge the fact that JP Losman could just as easily be a bust as he could be a star. Also, we understand that there are still other problems on the team that need to be addressed besides Drew (most notably K, LG, maybe C, third WR option, and TE). However, let's not kid ourselves. Drew was a BIG reason why our offense stunk. And you don't pay a QB with stats as bad as Drew (from November 2002-now) $6 million plus a year. For all that we ask of Drew in our run-first offense, he should be making $2 million a year tops. Luckily, according to ESPN today, TD understands this. Finally, I wish the Bledsoe Apologists will stop saying how you can't cut a QB that leads your team to 9-7. We had the #2 D (#1 in turnovers), #1 special teams, Willis McGahee for a RB, Moulds and Evans as receiving outlets, and yet we still couldn't beat 1 quality opponent outside the Jets home game (no, the Rams, Hawks, and Bengals are NOT quality). Some of the blame for that HAS to go to the QB position. Would JP do better? I'm not sure. But I'm willing to find out. Drew has been given plenty of chances to prove his worth, but his stats and overall play showed that he's not worth stevestojan anymore. And when a player underperforms for over a full season, regardless of the position he plays, you normally make a change. The QB position should be no exception. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted January 17, 2005 Author Share Posted January 17, 2005 the #1 problem with the bills is the same as it's been for about 10 years...the offensive line is not good enough...some years have been better than others, but we're not where we need to be. we improved theis year, and that's encouraging, but we're not there yet. i think most of us agree thaty bledsoe does not react quickly enough to put this team on his back, but if we are going to play him, we need a better line. one that can line up 4th and 1 on any defense in the league and get the first down 90% of the time. one that can give him time to do what he is best at...which is throwing the deep ball. if this line can get better...that is to say good enough to hide drew's weaknesses...we could be having a lot of fun here next year. Regardless of who is the QB, the Bills need a better O-line period. The running game isn't where it needs to be, and Willis is making most of the yards himself (just as Henry did). The loss of the TE's hurt badly as well, but that was bad luck more than anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Regardless of who is the QB, the Bills need a better O-line period. The running game isn't where it needs to be, and Willis is making most of the yards himself (just as Henry did). The loss of the TE's hurt badly as well, but that was bad luck more than anything else. 208079[/snapback] i agree with that. i feared that losing those 2 tight ends would kill us and i think it turned out to be true. also, i agree with your other post. the defense is good...but not good enough. the steelers game was a cold bucket of water wasn't it? if you are going to WIN THE SUPER BOWL (and after 35 years of rooting for this team i will never be satisfied with anything less), we should never ever ever ever allow a 9 minute drive with the game (much less the season ) on the line. i think that tells you all you need to know about our defense...all the glowing stats notwithstanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 the #1 problem with the bills is the same as it's been for about 10 years...the offensive line is not good enough...some years have been better than others, but we're not where we need to be. we improved this year, and that's encouraging, but we're not there yet. i think most of us agree that bledsoe does not react quickly enough to pressure to just put this team on his back(like favre dose with his sh------- team, for example). but if we are going to play him, we need a better line. one that can line up 4th and 1 on any defense in the league and get the first down 90% of the time. one that can give him time to do what he is best at...which is throwing the deep ball. if this line can get better...that is to say good enough to hide drew's weaknesses...we could be having a lot of fun here next year. 208074[/snapback] The saddest - by far - part of your post was "10 years". A full friggin' decade without a reliable offensive line. I'm getting nauseous thinking about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nodnarb Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 yes, enough questions about bledsoe. we already know the answer because the answer is written all over his career stats. Go look at his most vital stats from this season, completion %, TD-INT ratio, and rating. It wasn't good enough this season. Now compare it to his career average. The difference is statistically insignificant. He's an average quarterback who has hit the wall and he's still riding out the fumes of being the blue chip pedigree that is the first overall pick in any draft. He's done, and if he's the bills starter next year, don't expect much. Cuz the bills won't go far. That being said, I really like the guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffOrange Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 Since the Patriots are in our division, and since we have to beat them if we ever want to go anywhere - then no - I don't take comfort in the Patriots beating other teams. I doubt the Redskins or Cowboys had that loser's mentality when they were playing in the toughest division. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted January 17, 2005 Share Posted January 17, 2005 The saddest - by far - part of your post was "10 years". A full friggin' decade without a reliable offensive line. I'm getting nauseous thinking about it. 208090[/snapback] it's actually more than that if you consider that kelly's career was ended early by the beating he took his final season...the concussion vs. jacksonville was merely the exclamation point at the end of a long sad sentence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted January 17, 2005 Author Share Posted January 17, 2005 Since the Patriots are in our division, and since we have to beat them if we ever want to go anywhere - then no - I don't take comfort in the Patriots beating other teams. I doubt the Redskins or Cowboys had that loser's mentality when they were playing in the toughest division. No one said to take comfort, just to put things in perspective. If Brady had to face Belichick, he'd look like a 6th round draft pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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