Why Does Everyone Love Pettine So Much?

[The Big Cat]

I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that Brees knew he had a free play on that INT. The facemask was obvious and blatant, and if you think it's going to get called, you force it into the end zone because you have nothing to lose. Consequently, I hardly think that the INT was "negated" by a penalty.

 

 

 

I've been hearing for a while how great this defense is. The fact of the matter is that they were SHREDDED yesterday. Sure, they stopped the Saints early, but it's a four-quarter game and for most of it they were being picked apart. They have yet to have a game in which they've given up fewer than 20 points.

 

Okay--well, I'm going with what happened. If you choose to counter with speculation, that's all you.

 

Shredded? By a first-ballot hall of famer coming off his bye week in a dome where he and his head coach haven't lost since the 2010 season. Yeah, our team sucks.

[Lt. Dan's Revenge]

I've been hearing for a while how great this defense is. The fact of the matter is that they were SHREDDED yesterday. Sure, they stopped the Saints early, but it's a four-quarter game and for most of it they were being picked apart. They have yet to have a game in which they've given up fewer than 20 points.

 

The fact of the matter is that the Saints shred pretty much everyone that they play at home. Great teams go in there and get smoked. Just how it is. The defense played very well for the first half of the game. The offense did not sustain enough drives in the second half to give them a fighting chance. You have to keep that offense off the field.

[dave mcbride]

Okay--well, I'm going with what happened. If you choose to counter with speculation, that's all you.

 

Shredded? By a first-ballot hall of famer coming off his bye week in a dome where he and his head coach haven't lost since the 2010 season. Yeah, our team sucks.

 

It is all me, but since I think I'm pretty much right, I'm OK with that. I mean, the facemask was blatant - he almost ripped his head off. That gets called EVERY time.

 

I didn't say the Bills sucked at all. I'm just growing a bit tired of the pollyanna-ism infecting this board. They lead the league in TD passes given up, and they give up a ton of points. There's a lot to like - the turnovers, the D-line play, and the sacks -- but until they reduce the TD passes allowed, I'm not going to call them a good D. Also, bear in mind that NO let up midway through the 4th. I suspect that they could have scored again if they pressed the case. Having said all of this, the defense is clearly better than last year's unit.

Edited October 28, 2013 by dave mcbride

[C.Biscuit97]

I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that Brees knew he had a free play on that INT. The facemask was obvious and blatant, and if you think it's going to get called, you force it into the end zone because you have nothing to lose. Consequently, I hardly think that the INT was "negated" by a penalty.

 

 

 

I've been hearing for a while how great this defense is. The fact of the matter is that they were SHREDDED yesterday. Sure, they stopped the Saints early, but it's a four-quarter game and for most of it they were being picked apart. They have yet to have a game in which they've given up fewer than 20 points.

 

There were a throws (2 on Robey I can remember) where only 2 others QBs in the world can make. Brees is really, really good. Our offense wasn't consistent enough to put together enough scoring drives and take time off the clock.

 

In the Ralph, Brees probably struggles a bit more. But in the Dome, he is almost unstoppable. His career numbers at home might rival the best QBs ever. Sometimes you have to just credit to other team. It's one thing when Geno shredded us (with a ton of injuries and Justin Rogers starting). It's another thing when a HOFer does.

[The Big Cat]

It is all me, but since I think I'm pretty much right, I'm OK with that. I mean, the facemask was blatant - he almost ripped his head off. That gets called EVERY time.

 

I didn't say the Bills sucked at all. I'm just growing a bit tired of the pollyanna-ism infecting this board. They lead the league in TD passes given up, and they give up a ton of points. There's a lot to like - the turnovers, the D-line play, and the sacks -- but until they reduce the TD passes allowed, I'm not going to call them a good D. They have improved over last year.

 

I hear ya. We're worst in the league at passing TD's allowed. Granted, on the flipside we're tops at rushing TD's allowed, but they two numbers sort of cancel each other out.

 

I think we're going to win this weekend, and like I said before, not until the 1v1 toss up on 3nd 20 wherein our UDRFA CB was on the losing end of a Brees hookup (he's not the first, he certainly won't be the last), did I think we weren't completetly outmatched.

[K-9]

It is all me, but since I think I'm pretty much right, I'm OK with that. I mean, the facemask was blatant - he almost ripped his head off. That gets called EVERY time.

 

I didn't say the Bills sucked at all. I'm just growing a bit tired of the pollyanna-ism infecting this board. They lead the league in TD passes given up, and they give up a ton of points. There's a lot to like - the turnovers, the D-line play, and the sacks -- but until they reduce the TD passes allowed, I'm not going to call them a good D. Also, bear in mind that NO let up midway through the 4th. I suspect that they could have scored again if they pressed the case. Having said all of this, the defense is clearly better than last year's unit.

 

I think this is a fair assessment.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

This team is young and improving, but they need a real QB and to keep growing on D. Thad is Ryan Fitzpatrick 2.

 

The bills need Gilmore to get back to late season form from last year, MD99 or some one inplace of him needs to start playing the run better and a little more talent at LB(moats/Bradham step up or aside) and Kiko is only going to get better.

 

Byrd plays SO deep he's help on the deep stuff but irrelevant on the majority of plays.

 

On offense, until they have a QB/wr tandem that can beat cover zero press man coverages, with heavy blitzes they will struggle, period.

[dave mcbride]

I hear ya. We're worst in the league at passing TD's allowed. Granted, on the flipside we're tops at rushing TD's allowed, but they two numbers sort of cancel each other out.

 

I think we're going to win this weekend, and like I said before, not until the 1v1 toss up on 3nd 20 wherein our UDRFA CB was on the losing end of a Brees hookup (he's not the first, he certainly won't be the last), did I think we weren't completetly outmatched.

 

I can see them beating the Chiefs if Lewis plays competently. Absolutely. I do think it'll be another agonizingly close game either way.

[K-9]

It is all me, but since I think I'm pretty much right, I'm OK with that. I mean, the facemask was blatant - he almost ripped his head off. That gets called EVERY time.

 

I didn't say the Bills sucked at all. I'm just growing a bit tired of the pollyanna-ism infecting this board. They lead the league in TD passes given up, and they give up a ton of points. There's a lot to like - the turnovers, the D-line play, and the sacks -- but until they reduce the TD passes allowed, I'm not going to call them a good D. Also, bear in mind that NO let up midway through the 4th. I suspect that they could have scored again if they pressed the case. Having said all of this, the defense is clearly better than last year's unit.

 

This is also a fair assessment. Brees was CLEARLY the difference in the game.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[thebandit27]

I can see them beating the Chiefs if Lewis plays competently. Absolutely. I do think it'll be another agonizingly close game either way.

 

Agreed...not holding my breath though...KC has a much better D than either Miami or New Orleans, both of whom made Lewis look lousy.

 

This is also a fair assessment. Brees was CLEARLY the difference in the game.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

HOF QBs usually are

[The Big Cat]

Agreed...not holding my breath though...KC has a much better D than either Miami or New Orleans, both of whom made Lewis look lousy.

 

 

 

HOF QBs usually are

 

The Chiefs' last four opponents have had LOUSY offenses, and the margin is starting to get more and more narrow, with sputtering Cleveland and Houston the latest to take them for a ride.

 

Do they start the season 9-0? I think not.

 

And the Chiefs defense is NOT that much better than New Orleans'...if at all.

[K-9]

Agreed...not holding my breath though...KC has a much better D than either Miami or New Orleans, both of whom made Lewis look lousy.

 

 

 

HOF QBs usually are

 

Yes, they usually are.

 

Conversely, struggling practice squad QBs can be the difference as well.

 

It's never pretty when you get both in the same game.

 

GO BILLS!!!

[peterpan]

1v1 toss up on 3nd 20 wherein our UDRFA CB was on the losing end of a Brees hookup (he's not the first, he certainly won't be the last), did I think we weren't completetly outmatched.

 

Robey has been a stud this year. He has been great. He is playing better than most 1st round CBs play as rookies.

 

But I don't know why/how he didnt easily defend or intercept that Brees pass. All he had to do was step up and go get the ball at its highest point !!!! He also missed an easy pick earlier, right after Freddies TD, that could have turned the game around for the bills (only down 11 at that point).

 

I think we found a real gamer in Robey.

[The Big Cat]

Robey has been a stud this year. He has been great. He is playing better than most 1st round CBs play as rookies.

 

But I don't know why/how he didnt easily defend or intercept that Brees pass. All he had to do was step up and go get the ball at its highest point !!!! He also missed an easy pick earlier, right after Freddies TD, that could have turned the game around for the bills (only down 11 at that point).

 

I think we found a real gamer in Robey.

 

Yeah, I don't know how how he didn't defend the last TD either, and yes, he should have had the pick, and the TD to Moore was inches (at most) from his finger tips.

 

If their game plan was to pick on him, he certainly didn't look as beat up as Rogers has...so that's a plus.

 

Otherwise--and you hate !@#$ing saying this, because we're forced to say the same thing about Thad--what do you expect?

 

Those are three plays right there that may be an elite CB makes, and the game is COMPLETELY different. Robey is an UDRFA...if he makes those plays, he's the national story.

 

So we're left with two scenarios: one where the UDRFA plays like he's meant to, one where he displays super human prowess. Can we really be sour that we didn't get the latter?

[thebandit27]

The Chiefs' last four opponents have had LOUSY offenses, and the margin is starting to get more and more narrow, with sputtering Cleveland and Houston the latest to take them for a ride.

 

Do they start the season 9-0? I think not.

 

And the Chiefs defense is NOT that much better than New Orleans'...if at all.

 

I realize that KC's field of opponents isn't stellar; that isn't their fault.

 

They've done what good teams do: beat the teams that they're supposed to beat.

 

As for comparing them to NO, they are definitely better. KC leads the NFL in sacks and are in the top 10 in the league in YPP allowed.

 

I do agree that they can be had, especially when we're at home. It's going to take a far, far better game from Lewis than he's had in either of the last 2 weeks.

 

Yes, they usually are.

 

Conversely, struggling practice squad QBs can be the difference as well.

 

It's never pretty when you get both in the same game.

 

GO BILLS!!!

 

Indeed...I don't expect Lewis to play the part of a starting QB; the team cannot expect to win with him playing like a practice squad QB.

[The Big Cat]

I realize that KC's field of opponents isn't stellar; that isn't their fault.

 

They've done what good teams do: beat the teams that they're supposed to beat.

 

As for comparing them to NO, they are definitely better. KC leads the NFL in sacks and are in the top 10 in the league in YPP allowed.

 

I do agree that they can be had, especially when we're at home. It's going to take a far, far better game from Lewis than he's had in either of the last 2 weeks.

 

 

 

Indeed...I don't expect Lewis to play the part of a starting QB; the team cannot expect to win with him playing like a practice squad QB.

 

Lewis was due for a handful of mistakes, he simply was. It's the damned law of averages. He's a third string PS quarterback...from Duke. Every down he went without making a mistake meant one was waiting on the horizon.

 

That said, I do think he got his ya-ya's out against New Orleans, and will be a much different player this week at home.

 

Granted, it was Duke, but he practically wrote the record books there, including most attempts without an interception--a stat I've glommed onto for hope these last few weeks!

[thebandit27]

Lewis was due for a handful of mistakes, he simply was. It's the damned law of averages. He's a third string PS quarterback...from Duke. Every down he went without making a mistake meant one was waiting on the horizon.

 

That said, I do think he got his ya-ya's out against New Orleans, and will be a much different player this week at home.

 

Granted, it was Duke, but he practically wrote the record books there, including most attempts without an interception--a stat I've glommed onto for hope these last few weeks!

 

^ All true.

 

I expect him to play better at home; we'll get clobbered if he doesn't.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

Our defense has been a little more fun to watch at times, but it isn't much better than it was last year. Discuss.

 

How is this even a question? They're like 4th in the leage for sacks, have given us a positive turnover ratio and are MUCH improved over last year's dreadful unit. That's why I like Pettine. He's given us a chance with our defense. They played their hearts out even though they were totally overmatched this week!

[Mango]

The key stat IMO is total plays. I am willing to bet our defense is in the top 5 of total plays faced. a lot of that is due to poor TOP and 3 and outs by the offense. If you face more plays, probably going to give up more yards.

 

In any event, the D is vastly improved. All you have to do us watch them play to know that.

 

number one in total plays. there is a reason Pettine is bald, and it's Marrone

[artmalibu]

At this point last year the Bills were beaten 2 or 3 time by 30 points.

 

Without a QB that can beat defenses you can only ask for so much.