A Few Thoughts About The Game, in no particular order.....

[Bill from NYC]

1) As we all know, the kickoff team was disgraceful today. Absolutely sickening.

 

2) I think that I have been negligent wrt my praise of Fred Jackson this year. Look, he isn't a superstar, but he is a fighter. I have tons of respect for this man. And to his credit, Spiller continued to fight for yardage too, even with the season being over.

 

3) Dareus disappointed me today big time. The dumb offsides play was bad enough, but we needed him to help stop the run, and apparently he keeps screwing up.

 

4) We simply are not a good enough team to withstand drops like the one Chandler had at the end of the 1st Quarter. He played well after this, and I understand that the weather sucked. But he has formed a very disturbing pattern.

 

5) There is NO doubt in my mind that Lewis is a better QB than EJ RIGHT NOW. Seriously, if the Superbowl was tomorrow and the Bills were playing, which one would you want to start? I am not talking about floors, ceilings, missed time in camp, missed time due to injuries, etc. I am talking about NOW!!! This tells me that:

a) We will have a very interesting off season.

b) The entire situation isn't pretty.

That said, Lewis played well enough today to have beat NE on the road. The loss was not his fault.

 

6) I sent a letter to a man I know,

it said, "one for the money, two for the show."

I waited all summer for his reply,

He said, "three to get ready and four to fly!"

 

7) The TD pass to Graham was one of the finest plays by the Bills in 2013.

 

8) I had no issues with Marrone going for it on the 4th and 1 in the second quarter. It was the right move.

 

9) Pears of all people looked strong today. But the OL didn't have one of their better games in terms of pass protection.

 

10) I make no secret of the fact that I have not been terribly impressed by Marrone. That said, this team was fighting back the entire game, and he deserves credit for this. Bellichick smelled blood wrt our rushing defense without Dareus. It was a tough situation and the team could have laid down but they did not. Yes, Coach Marrone can be praised for this.

 

11) Is Thad a UFA now? If he is, it might cost more to keep him than Manuel is paid, or close to it. I hope that he stays in town and is given a shot to earn the job in camp, along with a high draft pick.

 

12) Listen, my sincere thanks to all of you for responding to, or just reading my rants. And yes, this fully includes those who get angry with some of my comments. I don't know when but some day we will be rewarded for our loyalty. I believe this. I won't give up. I can't.

 

13) Happy New Year my fellow Bills Fans to you and your loved ones!

 

14) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[C.Biscuit97]

Good thoughts & nice to see you actually give some credit to Spiller.

 

I thought Lewis played really well (Lewis > Brady ). But it's worth noting the team averages more points in EJ's starts.

 

I see Lewis very similar to David Garrad. Can be a very solid qb but his ceiling is limited. I think you know what you are going to get with Thad but EJ's highs and lows are bigger.

[Bronc24]

1) As we all know, the kickoff team was disgraceful today. Absolutely sickening.

 

2) I think that I have been negligent wrt my praise of Fred Jackson this year. Look, he isn't a superstar, but he is a fighter. I have tons of respect for this man. And to his credit, Spiller continued to fight for yardage too, even with the season being over.

 

3) Dareus disappointed me today big time. The dumb offsides play was bad enough, but we needed him to help stop the run, and apparently he keeps screwing up.

 

4) We simply are not a good enough team to withstand drops like the one Chandler had at the end of the 1st Quarter. He played well after this, and I understand that the weather sucked. But he has formed a very disturbing pattern.

 

5) There is NO doubt in my mind that Lewis is a better QB than EJ RIGHT NOW. Seriously, if the Superbowl was tomorrow and the Bills were playing, which one would you want to start? I am not talking about floors, ceilings, missed time in camp, missed time due to injuries, etc. I am talking about NOW!!! This tells me that:

a) We will have a very interesting off season.

b) The entire situation isn't pretty.

That said, Lewis played well enough today to have beat NE on the road. The loss was not his fault.

 

6) I sent a letter to a man I know,

it said, "one for the money, two for the show."

I waited all summer for his reply,

He said, "three to get ready and four to fly!"

 

7) The TD pass to Graham was one of the finest plays by the Bills in 2013.

 

8) I had no issues with Marrone going for it on the 4th and 1 in the second quarter. It was the right move.

 

9) Pears of all people looked strong today. But the OL didn't have one of their better games in terms of pass protection.

 

10) I make no secret of the fact that I have not been terribly impressed by Marrone. That said, this team was fighting back the entire game, and he deserves credit for this. Bellichick smelled blood wrt our rushing defense without Dareus. It was a tough situation and the team could have laid down but they did not. Yes, Coach Marrone can be praised for this.

 

11) Is Thad a UFA now? If he is, it might cost more to keep him than Manuel is paid, or close to it. I hope that he stays in town and is given a shot to earn the job in camp, along with a high draft pick.

 

12) Listen, my sincere thanks to all of you for responding to, or just reading my rants. And yes, this fully includes those who get angry with some of my comments. I don't know when but some day we will be rewarded for our loyalty. I believe this. I won't give up. I can't.

 

13) Happy New Year my fellow Bills Fans to you and your loved ones!

 

14) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

As per #4, I could not agree more. We have two or three drive killers a game and it absolutely kills us.

 

Thanks for your posts all year, Bill.

[zow2]

TJ jumped on his TD catch (wide open nice play Thad)...and TJ jumped on that wide open 4th down drop. I said it even before the analyst. Why the F-- is he jumping?? That shows me he is NOT a true NFL wide receiver. Good NFL receivers just don't do that on balls at the waist-mid-section. He's like the fast guys i played intramural football with. Just a terrible WR.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

I see Lewis very similar to David Garrad. Can be a very solid qb but his ceiling is limited. I think you know what you are going to get with Thad but EJ's highs and lows are bigger.

 

The Thad-Garrard comparison is the best one I have heard.

[Chandler#81]

Thanks, Bill. I enjoy these and am going to miss this.

[Max997]

The only reason I can think of why TJ jumps is bc he wants to catch the ball in his stomach instead of with his hands and bc of his height ends up jumping

 

My overall thoughts on the game are I wish there were more ppl like Fred on this team and although Thad isn't great he has a lot of heart and wants to win which is more then I can say for a lot of these guys

 

I read Darues say he needs to remember to set his alarm all season...are you kidding me?

Edited December 30, 2013 by Max997

[Dibs]

5) There is NO doubt in my mind that Lewis is a better QB than EJ RIGHT NOW. Seriously, if the Superbowl was tomorrow and the Bills were playing, which one would you want to start? I am not talking about floors, ceilings, missed time in camp, missed time due to injuries, etc. I am talking about NOW!!! This tells me that:

a) We will have a very interesting off season.

b) The entire situation isn't pretty.

That said, Lewis played well enough today to have beat NE on the road. The loss was not his fault.

 

I agree that Thad is the better QB right now......but I base that on consistency. If we were to face an important game, I would start EJ as his better games are better than Thad's(his poorer games being worse of course).

 

11) Is Thad a UFA now? If he is, it might cost more to keep him than Manuel is paid, or close to it. I hope that he stays in town and is given a shot to earn the job in camp, along with a high draft pick.

 

According to this: http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/thaddeus-lewis/

....Thad is under contract for next season(at a very cheap rate). This I think can only be seen as a good thing for the Bills.

 

 

Thanks for your random thoughts throughout the season.......very much appreciated.

[fansince88]

Ggreat hearing from you week to week Bill. Enjoy the off season. Hopefully next year it is moore upbeat. Free agency...HERE WE COME!!!

[Billshank Redemption]

thad is signed another year.

[Mr. WEO]

Good work Bill, as always.

 

Agree that Thad looks better now than EJ. Others will go on about how Lewis is "at his ceiling" (really? how is this known?) and that EJ is a "very smart guy" who just needs to work on the mechanics of being an NFL QB a little bit and he will be fine.

 

Dareus can't seem to figure out what he's employed to do. Got to follow team rules. Oh, and don't jump off sides on 4th and 1, rook.

 

Fred Jackson is the MVP of this offense--it isn't even close.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

1) As we all know, the kickoff team was disgraceful today. Absolutely sickening.

 

10) I make no secret of the fact that I have not been terribly impressed by Marrone. That said, this team was fighting back the entire game, and he deserves credit for this. Bellichick smelled blood wrt our rushing defense without Dareus. It was a tough situation and the team could have laid down but they did not. Yes, Coach Marrone can be praised for this.

 

11) Is Thad a UFA now? If he is, it might cost more to keep him than Manuel is paid, or close to it. I hope that he stays in town and is given a shot to earn the job in camp, along with a high draft pick.

 

11) No, Thad is signed through 2014. Any other teams want him, they have to call Whaley and make an offer. I agree - I really want the Bills to spend another high draft pick, if there is a QB they like. I think Manuel needs to have someone better than Lewis breathing down his neck. He may become something good, someday, but it needs to be clear to him he has to work his a** off for it, it isn't going to be vouchsafed to him.

 

10) I thought our O fought hard all game. I thought our D played soft and some players took plays off. I know Dareus was missed, but I wonder if him sitting impacted the rest of the starters mentally.

 

1) can not be disputed.

[boyst]

TJ jumped on his TD catch (wide open nice play Thad)...and TJ jumped on that wide open 4th down drop. I said it even before the analyst. Why the F-- is he jumping?? That shows me he is NOT a true NFL wide receiver. Good NFL receivers just don't do that on balls at the waist-mid-section. He's like the fast guys i played intramural football with. Just a terrible WR.

The bigger concern to me is who else did we have as an option on that route? Woods has not shown up when it mattered all season in those types of cases. We don't have a good enough TE and that is the exact type of play we need him on. Graham as a #4 is fine, he's open, not great. SJ13 is who that play should have gone to on THIS team, but he was out. We had no options on that play, it was a poorly called play given the personnel we had.

Edited December 30, 2013 by jboyst62

[John in Jax]

5) There is NO doubt in my mind that Lewis is a better QB than EJ RIGHT NOW. Seriously, if the Superbowl was tomorrow and the Bills were playing, which one would you want to start? I am not talking about floors, ceilings, missed time in camp, missed time due to injuries, etc. I am talking about NOW!!! This tells me that:

a) We will have a very interesting off season.

b) The entire situation isn't pretty.

That said, Lewis played well enough today to have beat NE on the road. The loss was not his fault.

 

In another thread, I agreed with the above, but having not seen ALL of the Bills games this year (didn't see EJ's effort vs Pitt, for one), I wasn't sure. Thanks for the validation.

[Coach Tuesday]

 

The bigger concern to me is who else did we have as an option on that route? Woods has not shown up when it mattered all season in those types of cases. We don't have a good enough TE and that is the exact type of play we need him on. Graham as a #4 is fine, he's open, not great. SJ13 is who that play should have gone to on THIS team, but he was out. We had no options on that play, it was a poorly called play given the personnel we had.

 

Poorly called! He wad WIDE OPEN for a touchdown. How can the play design be poor if it frees up an open WR for a score, and all he had to do is make an easy catch?

Edited December 30, 2013 by Coach Tuesday

[Hapless Bills Fan]

The only reason I can think of why TJ jumps is bc he wants to catch the ball in his stomach instead of with his hands and bc of his height ends up jumping

 

My overall thoughts on the game are I wish there were more ppl like Fred on this team and although Thad isn't great he has a lot of heart and wants to win which is more then I can say for a lot of these guys

 

I read Darues say he needs to remember to set his alarm all season...are you kidding me?

 

I think you are right that TJ feels he needs to catch the ball in his stomach instead of his hands.That is tantamount to saying he really isn't an NFL-quality wideout. There is a reason WR are taught and taught and taught again to catch the ball in their hands. He really needs to work on this if he wants to stay in the league.

 

FredEx delivers. If our whole team had his heart, we'd be going places instead of going home. The Bills really need a couple of power-run packages for 3rd and short, though. They should not be passing on 3rd and short in heavy rain.

 

If setting the alarm is Dareus problem, then the Bills coaches and personnel players have been failing him (and ultimately, the team) all season. Maybe he's depressed. Maybe he's self-medicating with booze or something. (He certainly looks like someone who eats and sleeps too much instead of a lean, mean, conditioned machine like BRUUUCE Smith or JJ Watt.) IMO he needs a comprehensive health and well being program. GIven the tremendous family losses he's suffered, it really wouldn't be a shock if there is long-term mental fallout.

[Miyagi-Do Karate]

Does it really matter if Thad is better than EJ at this point?

 

Neither guy has shown anything that would suggest they will be playoff-caliber QB's. EJ hasn't show consistent upward development, so we have no idea what we have in him. And what you saw from Thad today is about as good as it will ever get for him.

[boyst]

Poorly called! He wad WIDE OPEN for a touchdown. How can the play design be poor if it frees up an open WR for a score, and all he had to do is make an easy catch?

The down and distance dictated we should have been able to run the ball with the best running game in the league. The second call should have been anything else but that pass/route/player combination. TJ Graham is TJ Graham. It doesn't make sense to put him in that position where a good coaching staff would know he is not going to succeed.

 

I think everyone would agree on this entire board that TJ Graham would never make that catch because that's not the type of route he is familiar with nor doe he have the talent. That route would have been better for Goodwin or perhaps even Hogan. Graham was just the WR playing that position on that play - and I hold that it was a bad play call to put the money on the line with Graham.

[Beerball]

 

 

As per #4, I could not agree more. We have two or three drive killers a game and it absolutely kills us.

 

Thanks for your posts all year, Bill.

Drive killers on offense, drive extenders on defense.

[Coach Tuesday]

The down and distance dictated we should have been able to run the ball with the best running game in the league. The second call should have been anything else but that pass/route/player combination. TJ Graham is TJ Graham. It doesn't make sense to put him in that position where a good coaching staff would know he is not going to succeed.

 

I think everyone would agree on this entire board that TJ Graham would never make that catch because that's not the type of route he is familiar with nor doe he have the talent. That route would have been better for Goodwin or perhaps even Hogan. Graham was just the WR playing that position on that play - and I hold that it was a bad play call to put the money on the line with Graham.

 

I'm sorry - I am not going to crusade here and I don't mean to go after you. But I cannot believe that your position about TJ Graham has morphed from "he's a potentially great WR" to "it's the coaches' fault for putting him in positions where his failure will be on full display." The guy is a 3rd round pick (whom they traded up to secure, passing on you-know-who), and he's a starter. He's not starting caliber and he lacks football instincts. He's a bonehead and comes up small in big situations. He also celebrates wildly after every measly 7-yard curl. Do I blame or hate him? Absolutely not - but neither am I the one who was predicting his greatness. I blame the coaches and the FO for having him on the roster in the first place, instead of a guy like David Nelson who actually makes clutch plays every week and would be the perfect possession WR/comfort blanket for our train wreck QB situation.