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

[Oberyn]

 

As I said, I'm not anywhere close to anointing EJ anything. My point was in regard to Lewis. I don't see anything that makes him a better QB than EJ.

 

I can only assume that anyone who says Thad is better than EJ is simply a troll who loves to drum up responses to their posts (and the view count of this thread certainly supports that it works!). Thad was quite simply awful yesterday against NE. Probably less than 10% of his throws are on target, with them often being horribly behind the receiver or too high/low even though he is staring down the receiver. I don't think he has made a throw into a tight window on the year, and yet people celebrate his deep throws to wide open receivers like it is the best thing of all time (here's a hint, any high school qb can make that throw too). I would be interested to see what people view as Thad's good game; last week against Miami with an average yards per attempt of 7.7 and yards per rush of 1.6 to go along with a pick and no TDs and going 1 for 4 in red zone opportunites?

 

Thad is a fine backup QB, but this talk that he is better than EJ right now or ever in is life is ludacris. I can tell you that this offseason, the BIlls will be cutting Tuel and bringing in an older backup to serve in the mentor roll to EJ (or they will just keep Kolb around who they thought was going to fullfill that role this yr). So the depth chart next yr will be EJ/Kolb or another Vet/Thad.

[RuntheDamnBall]

I can only assume that anyone who says Thad is better than EJ is simply a troll who loves to drum up responses to their posts (and the view count of this thread certainly supports that it works!). Thad was quite simply awful yesterday against NE. Probably less than 10% of his throws are on target, with them often being horribly behind the receiver or too high/low even though he is staring down the receiver. I don't think he has made a throw into a tight window on the year, and yet people celebrate his deep throws to wide open receivers like it is the best thing of all time (here's a hint, any high school qb can make that throw too). I would be interested to see what people view as Thad's good game; last week against Miami with an average yards per attempt of 7.7 and yards per rush of 1.6 to go along with a pick and no TDs and going 1 for 4 in red zone opportunites?

 

Thad is a fine backup QB, but this talk that he is better than EJ right now or ever in is life is ludacris. I can tell you that this offseason, the BIlls will be cutting Tuel and bringing in an older backup to serve in the mentor roll to EJ (or they will just keep Kolb around who they thought was going to fullfill that role this yr). So the depth chart next yr will be EJ/Kolb or another Vet/Thad.

Ludacris wouldn't "roll out" right into his pursuers, though.

[All_Pro_Bills]

I can only assume that anyone who says Thad is better than EJ is simply a troll who loves to drum up responses to their posts (and the view count of this thread certainly supports that it works!). Thad was quite simply awful yesterday against NE. Probably less than 10% of his throws are on target, with them often being horribly behind the receiver or too high/low even though he is staring down the receiver. I don't think he has made a throw into a tight window on the year, and yet people celebrate his deep throws to wide open receivers like it is the best thing of all time (here's a hint, any high school qb can make that throw too). I would be interested to see what people view as Thad's good game; last week against Miami with an average yards per attempt of 7.7 and yards per rush of 1.6 to go along with a pick and no TDs and going 1 for 4 in red zone opportunites?

 

Thad is a fine backup QB, but this talk that he is better than EJ right now or ever in is life is ludacris. I can tell you that this offseason, the BIlls will be cutting Tuel and bringing in an older backup to serve in the mentor roll to EJ (or they will just keep Kolb around who they thought was going to fullfill that role this yr). So the depth chart next yr will be EJ/Kolb or another Vet/Thad.

 

I'm not clear how you can say TL was 'awful' yesterday. His stat line was a respectable 16 for 29 for 247 yards and 1 TD with 4 sacks. While he missed on a few passes he was also victim of a couple drops, notably Grahams 4th down drop that hit him in the numbers. The typical kind of bonehead play or two the Bills throw in that blows any chance to win games against good teams.

 

And given the conditions Brady was less than exceptional yesterday too. The Bills did not lose the game as a result of Thad Lewis' performance. Regardless, I do tend to agree with Bill in NYC's assessment that if you had to pick EJ or TL to play a game right now all things equal you'd have to pick Lewis. Its a matter of observed performance over potential.

 

A big part of this season was about finding out if Manuel was going to be 'the guy'. Given time missed that is inconclusive. The Bills simply cannot afford to go into next season assuming Manuel is going to be the uncontested starter. Frankly I didn't see enough good things out of him to determine if he has the 'it' factor to be a franchise type QB and if he can't shake the injury bug durability issues are going to creep into the conversation.

 

What concerns me most with EJ is that he was advertised as having a strong arm but I did not see much throwing into tight coverage, zipping the ball, putting some hard, tight, fast throws on the target. He seemed tentative, to be aiming the ball, and floating the ball. Minimally, the Bills need to bring in another veteran to do more than mentor EJ. They need somebody that can push him and if needed be a competent starter to point a lot more points on the board next season. We can't waste what is expected to be an improved and possiblly elite defense with a few additions stacked with veteran players and another year of Fred Jackson and Spiller with on-the-job training of an unproven QB. The Bills need to win in 2014, nothing less is going to be considered success.

Edited December 30, 2013 by All_Pro_Bills

[Protocal69]

funny thought after reading this post. Asking everyone -

 

When we picture that play who are the guys we would say "yeah, he'd drop that?". It was your football player comment that got me thing.

 

Jackson, Sj13 and maybe Chandler make that catch

 

I can't see Spiller making it, nor Lee Smith.

 

Not sure Woods could have, I think Goodwin could have if he wasn't running full speed.

 

Yeah just like to 2 passes F. Jackson dropped yesterday. I get sick of all this Spiller bashing. Dude is a baller who gutted it out

all year on a high ankle sprain who lead his team in rushing. I like Fred Jackson just like every else but people on these sites

act like he cant do any wrong. Like I stated on another fourm site Cj Spiller is a victim of his own success.

 

Before yesterday where CJ ran for over a 100 yards:

 

They have split the carries almost equally:

Spiller: Att: 182 yards: 822 avg: 4.5 rec: 28 yards: 157

Jackson: Att: 193 yards: 836 avg: 4.3 rec 44 yards: 334

 

When Fred runs for 3 yards its " oh what a great hard run"

When CJ runs for 3 yards its "oh he didnt hit the hole hard enough"

 

They even almost make the same amount of money:

CJ makes about 5 mil per year

Fred makes 4.35 mil per year

 

CJ spiller is 26 years old

Fred is 32 years old

 

IF Fred was always this good he wouldnt have taken him all those years for him to make it in the league in the first place

 

Enjoy them both while they are here and stop all of the negative comparisons

[RuntheDamnBall]

Yeah just like to 2 passes F. Jackson dropped yesterday. I get sick of all this Spiller bashing. Dude is a baller who gutted it out

all year on a high ankle sprain who lead his team in rushing. I like Fred Jackson just like every else but people on these sites

act like he cant do any wrong. Like I stated on another fourm site Cj Spiller is a victim of his own success.

 

Before yesterday where CJ ran for over a 100 yards:

 

They have split the carries almost equally:

Spiller: Att: 182 yards: 822 avg: 4.5 rec: 28 yards: 157

Jackson: Att: 193 yards: 836 avg: 4.3 rec 44 yards: 334

 

When Fred runs for 3 yards its " oh what a great hard run"

When CJ runs for 3 yards its "oh he didnt hit the hole hard enough"

 

They even almost make the same amount of money:

CJ makes about 5 mil per year

Fred makes 4.35 mil per year

 

CJ spiller is 26 years old

Fred is 32 years old

 

IF Fred was always this good he wouldnt have taken him all those years for him to make it in the league in the first place

 

Enjoy them both while they are here and stop all of the negative comparisons

Some very empty statistical analysis there, and definitely some mis-representation of Jackson. It took him all those years because he was at a D3 school where the NFL does not often go to pluck talent. He is where he is, as a product of hard work and despite the fact that the team has tried to draft improvements over him. Now, I am a Lynch fan, but there were extenuating circumstances there.

 

That CJ's average is only .2 ahead of FJ's when he is capable of the video game runs tells you something else. That's a lot of, not even 3 yard gains, but tackles for losses, stuffs at the line, and gains of maybe one or two. The guy could be truly special, but he wasn't, this year. Whether that's a product of a really rough injury for a RB -- I'll give him the BOD. But I do think people are fair in their assessments when they look at FJ, see him make all of his blocks and never give up on a play, and when they see CJ protecting himself.

 

You can't blame either one of them, but I do know which one I'd pick first for my team. New England has built a reputation picking up guys like Fred Jackson. You can ride a guy like CJ Spiller to the playoffs if your blocking is strong, your QB play is adequate, and if the guy stays healthy. That's a lot of "ifs."

Edited December 30, 2013 by RuntheDamnBall

[Coach Tuesday]

Some very empty statistical analysis there, and definitely some mis-representation of Jackson. It took him all those years because he was at a D3 school where the NFL does not often go to pluck talent. He is where he is, as a product of hard work and despite the fact that the team has tried to draft improvements over him. Now, I am a Lynch fan, but there were extenuating circumstances there.

 

That CJ's average is only .2 ahead of FJ's when he is capable of the video game runs tells you something else. That's a lot of, not even 3 yard gains, but tackles for losses, stuffs at the line, and gains of maybe one or two. The guy could be truly special, but he wasn't, this year. Whether that's a product of a really rough injury for a RB -- I'll give him the BOD. But I do think people are fair in their assessments when they look at FJ, see him make all of his blocks and never give up on a play, and when they see CJ protecting himself.

 

You can't blame either one of them, but I do know which one I'd pick first for my team. New England has built a reputation picking up guys like Fred Jackson. You can ride a guy like CJ Spiller to the playoffs if your blocking is strong, your QB play is adequate, and if the guy stays healthy. That's a lot of "ifs."

 

I don't know, why overthink it? They're both unique talents. They were both wasted talents because the idiots at OBD went into the season with no guards. That is how you miss the playoffs 14 years in a row. Keep both of them, obtain two guards, you'll be amazed what will happen.

[RuntheDamnBall]

I don't know, why overthink it? They're both unique talents. They were both wasted talents because the idiots at OBD went into the season with no guards. That is how you miss the playoffs 14 years in a row. Keep both of them, obtain two guards, you'll be amazed what will happen.

Yet the all-22 frequently tells you there were holes that CJ missed.

 

I'd love improved guard play, no doubt. We probably need a new starter at LG and a swing interior OL to be safe.

 

Success is shared, as is failure. It's a game with a lot of little moving parts.

[Oberyn]

Yet the all-22 frequently tells you there were holes that CJ missed.

 

I'd love improved guard play, no doubt. We probably need a new starter at LG and a swing interior OL to be safe.

 

Success is shared, as is failure. It's a game with a lot of little moving parts.

 

It's just so funny to me that people can believe that guard play is the reason for missing playoffs. If you want to see how much influence guards really have, just take a gander at the Tennessee Titans record/stats this year. They drafted a guard with a top 15 pick and paid our own Andy Levitre tackle money, and what did it get them? The same record and CJ2K basically stayed at the same level as he was before.

 

Now letting an all-pro tackle walk because he rightly wanted the money that he was worth is a different story. If we do it again with Byrd that will be something that can be pointed to as to the type of behavior that leads to missing the playoffs 14 str yrs...

[BADOLBILZ]

It's just so funny to me that people can believe that guard play is the reason for missing playoffs. If you want to see how much influence guards really have, just take a gander at the Tennessee Titans record/stats this year. They drafted a guard with a top 15 pick and paid our own Andy Levitre tackle money, and what did it get them? The same record and CJ2K basically stayed at the same level as he was before.

 

Now letting an all-pro tackle walk because he rightly wanted the money that he was worth is a different story. If we do it again with Byrd that will be something that can be pointed to as to the type of behavior that leads to missing the playoffs 14 str yrs...

 

Early in the season the Bills were playing as well as any of the teams that ultimately competed for the wildcard........and during that time the guard play was a key factor in some early season defeats that changed the course of their season.

 

After the Chiefs loss it's really hard to narrow down just one area the same way it was early in the season because at that point the team in general began giving variable effort.

 

This team has one of the better starting lineups in the AFC........the best in the AFC East. They don't really NEED anything but vastly improved QB play.

Edited December 30, 2013 by BADOLBEELZ

[thewildrabbit]

I always look forward to your "a few thoughts" post every week.

 

I wasn't very optimistic about this years team before this season started as I stated almost all off season. I think that the some of you that know me, then you also know why I was so pessimistic about this years team.

 

Stating that, I still couldn't help but be disappointed in this years team, as I feel they could have finished with a winning season, and be in the playoffs with some different moves in the off season and regular season. I see 4-5 games that could have been won this year had things been different.

 

Chan Gailey a supposed QB guru that never worked with Fitz on his technique or mechanics. Marrone an O line guru that started the season with Colin Brown, Sam Young. A questionable OC, did we see an innovator or just someone that calls a lot of the same running plays over and over? A really bad ST coach, and will this be another George Edwards / Wannstedt type of deal?

 

Anyway, I now have so much more faith in new GM Doug Whaley in some of the players he drafted and brought in, then in any of the people in charge of the past regimes the past decade. Its a good feeling to think that it no longer matters what pick the Bills have. Its knowing that they might finally make the correct choices again this next draft, and in free agency to make this team better.

 

 

Happy new year to you and yours Bill, as well to all the other Bills fans.

[dave mcbride]

I can only assume that anyone who says Thad is better than EJ is simply a troll who loves to drum up responses to their posts (and the view count of this thread certainly supports that it works!). Thad was quite simply awful yesterday against NE. Probably less than 10% of his throws are on target, with them often being horribly behind the receiver or too high/low even though he is staring down the receiver. I don't think he has made a throw into a tight window on the year, and yet people celebrate his deep throws to wide open receivers like it is the best thing of all time (here's a hint, any high school qb can make that throw too). I would be interested to see what people view as Thad's good game; last week against Miami with an average yards per attempt of 7.7 and yards per rush of 1.6 to go along with a pick and no TDs and going 1 for 4 in red zone opportunites?

 

Thad is a fine backup QB, but this talk that he is better than EJ right now or ever in is life is ludacris. I can tell you that this offseason, the BIlls will be cutting Tuel and bringing in an older backup to serve in the mentor roll to EJ (or they will just keep Kolb around who they thought was going to fullfill that role this yr). So the depth chart next yr will be EJ/Kolb or another Vet/Thad.

 

There were four drops of well thrown, accurate balls. If they had been caught, he would have been 20-29. I don't blame the receivers that much because of the awful conditions (the Pat's receivers dropped a ton of well thrown balls too, including the one that ended up being an INT for Lawson), but Lewis (and Brady, for that matter) did all they could do. As it stands, Lewis still had a 95.0 rating yesterday in terrible conditions. He's a perfectly fine as a #2, as you indicate above.

[thewildrabbit]

I don't know, why overthink it? They're both unique talents. They were both wasted talents because the idiots at OBD went into the season with no guards. That is how you miss the playoffs 14 years in a row. Keep both of them, obtain two guards, you'll be amazed what will happen.

 

Top players don't have 180 spins during a season from game to game. Both Pears and Urbik had games were they played good, and then others where they stunk it up badly. They are both decent fill ins for a team to get by with, not for a team that wants to win a playoff game on the road.

 

OTOH Cordy Glenn is a star LT and should have been named to the pro bowl this year IMHO. I still maintain Wood, Glenn are the only two of the five I'd keep as starters for next year.

[Protocal69]

Some very empty statistical analysis there, and definitely some mis-representation of Jackson. It took him all those years because he was at a D3 school where the NFL does not often go to pluck talent. He is where he is, as a product of hard work and despite the fact that the team has tried to draft improvements over him. Now, I am a Lynch fan, but there were extenuating circumstances there.

 

That CJ's average is only .2 ahead of FJ's when he is capable of the video game runs tells you something else. That's a lot of, not even 3 yard gains, but tackles for losses, stuffs at the line, and gains of maybe one or two. The guy could be truly special, but he wasn't, this year. Whether that's a product of a really rough injury for a RB -- I'll give him the BOD. But I do think people are fair in their assessments when they look at FJ, see him make all of his blocks and never give up on a play, and when they see CJ protecting himself.

 

You can't blame either one of them, but I do know which one I'd pick first for my team. New England has built a reputation picking up guys like Fred Jackson. You can ride a guy like CJ Spiller to the playoffs if your blocking is strong, your QB play is adequate, and if the guy stays healthy.

That's a lot of "ifs."

 

With CJ Spiller you are going to sometime live with a couple of negative runs in exchange for some explosive runs.

With the season now over CJ has run for more yards than Fred Jackson. That is a fact. Cj was hurt the majority of year but gutted out. He could have easily sat. So how is he protecting himself Also how is it CJ fault that the blocking is not strong and the QB play was better.

 

Fred Jackson is the more physical back between the 2 and when you have 8 men the box of course he will look better

No one is questioning Fred place on the team but for most people if CJ is not running for 10 yards everytime he touches the ball they have a problem with him "reading the hole" Plus lets not pretend Fred Jackson never runs for 1, 2 or 0 yards. He does as well

Like I stated when he does people can live with it. If I was CJ especially with the unappreciative fan base I would run to get the hell of here.

 

Last but not least in the NFL if you have talent the NFL will find you anywhere even bagging grocery like Kurt Warner so dont give me that "because he went to Coe college bullcrap. Why did he go to Coe College right out of college as opposed to D1 school.

I'll give my answer. Because it took time for him to lean his craft just like CJ but unlike Fred CJ talent took him right to a D1 program where he had some of the most electricfying plays in college while he was there and a top 10 pick in the NFL.

[dave mcbride]

With CJ Spiller you are going to sometime live with a couple of negative runs in exchange for some explosive runs.

With the season now over CJ has run for more yards than Fred Jackson. That is a fact. Cj was hurt the majority of year but gutted out. He could have easily sat. So how is he protecting himself Also how is it CJ fault that the blocking is not strong and the QB play was better.

 

Fred Jackson is the more physical back between the 2 and when you have 8 men the box of course he will look better

No one is questioning Fred place on the team but for most people if CJ is not running for 10 yards everytime he touches the ball they have a problem with him "reading the hole" Plus lets not pretend Fred Jackson never runs for 1, 2 or 0 yards. He does as well

Like I stated when he does people can live with it. If I was CJ especially with the unappreciative fan base I would run to get the hell of here.

 

Last but not least in the NFL if you have talent the NFL will find you anywhere even bagging grocery like Kurt Warner so dont give me that "because he went to Coe college bullcrap. Why did he go to Coe College right out of college as opposed to D1 school.

I'll give my answer. Because it took time for him to lean his craft just like CJ but unlike Fred CJ talent took him right to a D1 program where he had some of the most electricfying plays in college while he was there and a top 10 pick in the NFL.

In today's pass-driven NFL, I think combined rushing and receiving stats is the only way to look at a RB. Jackson had 1283 yards from scrimmage, and Spiller had 1112. Jackson was definitely the better receiver this season. Jackson had ten TDs to Spiller's two, and Spiller had four fumbles to Jackson's three.

Edited December 30, 2013 by dave mcbride

[EDinRTP]

Thanks for your insightful comments during the season. Always looked forward to your recaps and subsequent opinions. Disappointing season...thought we had enough on both sides of the ball to make the playoffs, but were outcoached in too many games.

[BADOLBILZ]

In today's pass-driven NFL, I think combined rushing and receiving stats is the only way to look at a RB. Jackson had 1283 yards from scrimmage, and Spiller had 1112. Jackson was definitely the better receiver this season. Jackson had ten TDs to Spiller's two, and Spiller had four fumbles to Jackson's three.

 

And as you pointed out recently, Jackson produced a ridiculously higher amount of first downs on almost the same amount of carries.

 

Spiller had moments and those big runs are nice but Jackson was the better player by a considerable amount.

[Realist]

Hate to break it to half you guys, but apparently Marrone has informed EJ that he will start in 2014.

[thebandit27]

Hate to break it to half you guys, but apparently Marrone has informed EJ that he will start in 2014.

 

Cool by me...let him prepare throughout the off-season as though he's going to be the starting QB. How could that be bad?

 

That doesn't mean they won't bring in another QB.

[SactoBillFan]

Have a great, happy and healthy New Year Bill and everyone else. Disappointing year but looking forward to the spring. Spring always brings new life. Cheers.

[Gray Beard]

Hate to break it to half you guys, but apparently Marrone has informed EJ that he will start in 2014.

Is he 110% sure of that?