Coach Preaches Consistency

[Never NEVER Give-up]

I just casually glanced at the Bills' 2013 Schedule and after looking at each game and capsulizing what happened each week, I think I now see exactly what Coach Marrone has been saying - that the Bills need to become more consistent. Play-in, play-out, win some games in a row. I heard him on the radio this morning, he's not interested in revenge against Miami or winning to keep them out of the playoffs, he's interested in winning a second game in a row.

 

Take a look at the following, after I did this I concluded Coach Marrone is spot-on in his assessment of this team and what it needs to do to get better and over a 14-year hump.

 

New England Patriots Lost

Carolina Panthers Won

@ New York Jets Lost

Baltimore Ravens Won

@ Cleveland Browns Lost

Cincinnati Bengals Lost – should have Won

@ Miami Dolphins Won

@ New Orleans Saints Lost

Kansas City Chiefs Lost – should have Won

@ Pittsburgh Steelers Lost

New York Jets Won

Atlanta Falcons (Tor) Lost – should have Won

@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers Lost

@ Jacksonville Jaguars Won

Miami Dolphins Win, and we may be getting over the hump!

@ New England Patriots TBD

 

 

The Bills aren't bad, but horribly inconsistent! But for 3 games they should have won, they'd be 8-6 at this point - in the wild card driver's seat ahead of the Ravens & Dolphins. I'm not trying to say the if for a few plays we'd be better because we are what we are. I am saying that when reflecting on the majority of the season, the Bills have yet to find their way. Here's hoping the Coach gets them to get out of their own way and start playing with some consistency - and start winning regularly. There's 2 more weeks, no need to wait 'til next year to start winning! Go Bills!

[NoSaint]

3 games is about 20% of the season. thats not a casual throwaway number of games to change. we also squeezed out a couple we probably couldve lost.

[GunnerBill]

I'd add in New England and Cleveland to games I think we should have won, but equally Baltimore and Miami are games we could easily have lost. Most NFL teams are in 7/8 close games a year. The good teams come out of those at 5-3 minimum, normally 6-2... Buffalo needs to do that next year to make progress. It's largely a mental issue. Those stupid concentration mistakes such as the botched punt coverage against Cinci and the mental error Tuel made on the goal line against Kansas City... or the lack of concentration from Stevie against Atlanta.

[BADOLBILZ]

3 games is about 20% of the season. thats not a casual throwaway number of games to change. we also squeezed out a couple we probably couldve lost.

 

Like the last Miami game. That gets omitted from the list of dreadful road games but they played very poorly that day.

 

Bottom line: you are what your record says you are.

[Dorkington]

5-9 doesn't qualify a team as "bad"? In what world?

 

Every team has a couple games "they should have won"... well, other than the top couple teams, anyways.

[NoSaint]

I'd add in New England and Cleveland to games I think we should have won, but equally Baltimore and Miami are games we could easily have lost. Most NFL teams are in 7/8 close games a year. The good teams come out of those at 5-3 minimum, normally 6-2... Buffalo needs to do that next year to make progress. It's largely a mental issue. Those stupid concentration mistakes such as the botched punt coverage against Cinci and the mental error Tuel made on the goal line against Kansas City... or the lack of concentration from Stevie against Atlanta.

 

its also tough to hide your physical weaknesses when the game is on the line. not only does the other team up its intensity, but it also becomes harder to avoid making the more challenging plays when its crunch time - its now or never, and we rarely come up big with a physically dominating play.

 

ive often discussed this with fitz but hed play well enough to keep us in games but when he HAD to make tough throws at the end, instead of living to fight another day, he wasnt physically capable of hitting the tight windows on the outside. when you have to force it in and hit your receivers in tight coverages and they are going to get hammered, guys like stevie and chandler might not look as good as when you can pick your spot in the 2nd quarter simply because you are asking them to do more (though obviously the atlanta game was hardly a case of physically challenging plays, just using them as examples of good, not great players).

Edited December 20, 2013 by NoSaint

[Dan]

We've been consistent in many areas, actually. Just... consistently bad. We consistently have predictable play calls. We consistently allow TJ Graham to run around wide open even though he can't catch. We consistently give up 3rd and long. We consistently go 3 and out on offense, putting our tired defense back on the field late in the game. We consistently allow no name RBs to look like Pro Bowlers. We consistently make too many penalties. We consistently look unprepared for what the other guys are doing.

 

So, if you think about it, the Bills are pretty much doing what they've always done. They're the very definition of consistency.

[Rubes]

Talent, discipline, preparation, execution. The Bills seem to be doing better on the talent acquisition side, but it's up to these coaches to improve the consistency of the other three.

 

Some teams do it better than others. Those that do, end up winning those close games more than losing.

[Thurmal34]

I've heard him mention a few times now after a win him hoping to "get on a roll" and "winning a few in row". I get it, but i wish he wouldn't talk in those terms, and I'm afraid he's communicating that to the team.

 

Getting on a roll comes from taking it one week/game/half/quarter/drive/play at a time and chunking out the work. I'm hoping he's not losing focus on the small stuff that invariably takes care of the big stuff.

Edited December 20, 2013 by Thurmal34