Six Teams in the AFC make the playoffs, the Bills do not have top 6 ta

[uticaclub]

Hilton, Reggie wayne, Hakeem Nicks, Cody Fleener, Dwayne Allen

[PlayoffsPlease]

After reading the OP's analysis, it leaves one to wonder how we're 3-3 and managed to beat the bears, lions, and dolphins - teams which im sure the OP would argue are worlds better in the talent department. Players with brandon marshall, cutler, stafford, calvin johnson and reggie bush and wallace. All that talent we seem to lack. Sigh.

 

At least save the gloom for when we're 3-12 going into week 17 if thats how you really feel.

 

I didn't say the Bills are the worst team in the league. I said they are not in the top 6 in the AFC. I specifically called the Dolphins a "crap team" , so you don't have to imagine my opinion of them. In terms of sheer talent and coaching, the Bears are better than the Bills on offense, and similar on defense. At this point, have to chalk up that win to the "any given Sunday". The point the original post is trying to make, is that their isn't a silver bullet solution to making this team a championship contender. It has multiple problems throughout the lineup, and a weak coaching staff, and an "interim QB" solution at best. Its top players, fred jackson, Kyle Williams and Mario Williams have hit or passed their peaks, based on age. The only young player playing right now that is unequivocally well above average at his position is Marcell Dareus,

[Gordio]

The Bills have been drafting poorly for 15 or so years and they have to over pay to get anyone with talent to come to Buffalo. Changing coaches and schemes every three years doesn't help either.

 

Very true. I am starting to get the feeling though that noone at One Bills Drive really like marrone. I think he is on an island by himself. I am not quite sure the players are buying into what he is trying to sell them. Some of his decisions on game day are baffling. Like keeping Hughes & Williams on the bench on that final drive. You can't defend something like that. He is supposed to be an oline expert, the oline has regressed from last year. I don't know, I too hate the thought of bringing a new coach in but it may have to be done. I honestly think if Marrone does not make the playoffs he is done.

[bobobonators]

 

 

I didn't say the Bills are the worst team in the league. I said they are not in the top 6 in the AFC. I specifically called the Dolphins a "crap team" , so you don't have to imagine my opinion of them. In terms of sheer talent and coaching, the Bears are better than the Bills on offense, and similar on defense. At this point, have to chalk up that win to the "any given Sunday". The point the original post is trying to make, is that their isn't a silver bullet solution to making this team a championship contender. It has multiple problems throughout the lineup, and a weak coaching staff, and an "interim QB" solution at best. Its top players, fred jackson, Kyle Williams and Mario Williams have hit or passed their peaks, based on age. The only young player playing right now that is unequivocally well above average at his position is Marcell Dareus,

 

Enlighten me. How in the world would you know what a top 6 team is six games into the season?

 

There are teams every year that dont make the playoffs that may be better than some teams that do. There are about 3 very good teams in each conference and then a whole bunch of teams that are more or less the same in that any one of them could lose to e/o any given sunday. And then there are a handful of "crap" teams as you say (the same crap team that beat the patriots and came within 5 seconds of beating the packers). I believe we're in that middle group and as important as who you play every week is when you play a team. There are a myriad of factors at play, especially when youre not even half way through the season.

 

 

[xsoldier54]

Call me crazy, but I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with the OP. I see us going into the break at 5-3. That would mean we have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs. 9-7 has done it before and that would mean we would only have to go 4-4 in the second half of the season. That should be doable and we may even be able to go 5-3 again in the second half. That would make us 10-6 and that definitely gets us in. Way to early for this prediciton. If we fail to win the next two against very beatable teams, then maybe I would have to agree that we won't make it, but until then, I'm still counting on us being in.

[1billsfan]

Very true. I am starting to get the feeling though that noone at One Bills Drive really like marrone. I think he is on an island by himself. I am not quite sure the players are buying into what he is trying to sell them. Some of his decisions on game day are baffling. Like keeping Hughes & Williams on the bench on that final drive. You can't defend something like that. He is supposed to be an oline expert, the oline has regressed from last year. I don't know, I too hate the thought of bringing a new coach in but it may have to be done. I honestly think if Marrone does not make the playoffs he is done.

 

In the same week that Marrone blew it against the Pats, it was reported that the new owner will be bringing in a real name NFL consultant. That Pats loss made him a lame duck IMO because I doubt the players trust him any more. It's tough enough trying to beat an NFL team, but to have your head coach making decisions like using Watkins as a decoy? Makes you wonder if he's drawing a paycheck form the Pats too.

 

This reminds me of the Dick Jauron years. I think the Bills lose to the Vikings and Jets the next two weeks and it becomes clear Marrone's gone because the team has quit on him.

[BillsFan-4-Ever]

welcome to the club

[bobobonators]

welcome to the club

 

haha. I like that.

 

My cup is half full right now.

[Kirby Jackson]

This is a troll post and topic. With that being said the Bills have top 6 talent in the AFC along with (Denver, SD, Indy, NE and Cincy). They do not however have top 6 coaching it appears.

[Homey D. Clown]

Six Teams in the AFC make the playoffs, the Bills do not have top 6 talent and the do not have top 6 coaching,

 

The have the advantage of two crappy conference foes, but barring a Patriots collapse the playoff berths are unlikely.

 

Bills fans look like idiots for continuing to post how talented the roster is. These Bills and no one else in the NFL will be playing the 2008 Bills this year. It is completing meaningless too talk about how much the roster is "improved". The majority of other NFL teams have better players. Its not complicated.

 

For example in the delusions world of Bills fans we grabbed a "top end WR" for a 6th round draft pick. The reality is he isn't a good enough football player to make the Bills 46 man roster every week. He is a marginal WR3/4 on most teams. This is why he went for a 6th round draft pick. The Bills probably couldn't get that for him now.

 

Example 2. Robert Woods 74 players have more yards receiving this year than Woods. including 11 players who are second year players or rookies. Players from his draft class playing better than woods this year include Keenan Allen and Markus Wheaton. No one is projecting super bowl for the Steelers because of the uber talented Markus Wheaton. Woods is a decent player. One of the top 74 receivers in the league, but its not like we stole him, using a second round pick. We are getting at best average production from that position.

 

Example 3. Sammy Watkins - fine player. No actual evidence that he is going to have more impact on the league than Kelvin Benjamin or Brandin Cooks or Odell Beckham or Marqis Lee. Definitely not out producing his draft position.

 

All in all, this not a highly talented group of receivers. About average for the NFL at best.

 

Oline is truly horrible. Eric Woods and Cordy Glenn are mid-tier among NFL teams. EVeryone else is below average.

 

Spiller is just not the talent we imagine him to be. Jackson is great "for his age" together there are probably 10-12 running back tandems in the league who are more talented. San Diego wouldn't trade UB's Branden Oliver even up for either one of them, and he is third on their depth chart.

 

Same analysis holds on the defensive side of the Ball. Kyle, Mario and Marcell are the only three above average players for their position on defense.

 

All in all, what you are watching each week is average talent led by a below average QB and coached by below average coaches. This is NOT an extremely talented team being held back by coaching or QB play. /rant

 

Thanks for the detailed summary Jerry Sullivan...

[JohnC]

This is a troll post and topic. With that being said the Bills have top 6 talent in the AFC along with (Denver, SD, Indy, NE and Cincy). They do not however have top 6 coaching it appears.

 

You can have overall top six talent yet still not be a top six AFC playoff team. The problem with the Bills roster is that its OL is performing so poorly that it is sabotaging the high end talents of its skilled players. Orton, Watkins, Woods and Spiller's talents are being squandered to a lagre extend because the OL is being overwhelmed.

 

The Bills lost a superb DC when Pettine left for Cleveland. An even bigger loss was not keeping OL coach D'Allessandris when Marrone took over as a HC. Not only was he a good coach but he was good at assessing line talent. He is sorely missed and he is a big asset to his new team, the Chargers.

 

In the aggregate the Bils do have talent that allows for a respectable ranking. But the negative issues, primarily OL, drown out the high end pool of talent on the team.

[BringBackFergy]

CJ Spiller is VERY talented. He is just not a great player.

CJ is dynamic when in space and no defenders are near him.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

Well, you focus on WR. I may be having a brain fart but I do not know of any units in the league that are significantly better then our unit.

 

And, no one here imagines Spiller to be more talented, well, then anything. He is a limited offensive production and glorified special teamer.

 

Let's not confuse potential with results.

 

Clearly Better:

Packers

Broncos

Bears

Texans

Falcons

Niners

Zona

Norleans

Bengals

 

Maybe close:

Giants

Hawks

Ravens

Steelers

Vikes

KC

 

 

 

[rfk]

Six Teams in the AFC make the playoffs, the Bills do not have top 6 talent and the do not have top 6 coaching,

 

The have the advantage of two crappy conference foes, but barring a Patriots collapse the playoff berths are unlikely.

 

Bills fans look like idiots for continuing to post how talented the roster is. These Bills and no one else in the NFL will be playing the 2008 Bills this year. It is completing meaningless too talk about how much the roster is "improved". The majority of other NFL teams have better players. Its not complicated.

 

For example in the delusions world of Bills fans we grabbed a "top end WR" for a 6th round draft pick. The reality is he isn't a good enough football player to make the Bills 46 man roster every week. He is a marginal WR3/4 on most teams. This is why he went for a 6th round draft pick. The Bills probably couldn't get that for him now.

 

Example 2. Robert Woods 74 players have more yards receiving this year than Woods. including 11 players who are second year players or rookies. Players from his draft class playing better than woods this year include Keenan Allen and Markus Wheaton. No one is projecting super bowl for the Steelers because of the uber talented Markus Wheaton. Woods is a decent player. One of the top 74 receivers in the league, but its not like we stole him, using a second round pick. We are getting at best average production from that position.

 

Example 3. Sammy Watkins - fine player. No actual evidence that he is going to have more impact on the league than Kelvin Benjamin or Brandin Cooks or Odell Beckham or Marqis Lee. Definitely not out producing his draft position.

 

All in all, this not a highly talented group of receivers. About average for the NFL at best.

 

Oline is truly horrible. Eric Woods and Cordy Glenn are mid-tier among NFL teams. EVeryone else is below average.

 

Spiller is just not the talent we imagine him to be. Jackson is great "for his age" together there are probably 10-12 running back tandems in the league who are more talented. San Diego wouldn't trade UB's Branden Oliver even up for either one of them, and he is third on their depth chart.

 

Same analysis holds on the defensive side of the Ball. Kyle, Mario and Marcell are the only three above average players for their position on defense.

 

All in all, what you are watching each week is average talent led by a below average QB and coached by below average coaches. This is NOT an extremely talented team being held back by coaching or QB play. /rant

 

There are soooo many more variables..schedule, injuries, coaching, cosmic chance, whether i pick my left nostril or right on field goal tries...player talent is about half the game

[YoloinOhio]

Six Teams in the AFC make the playoffs, the Bills do not have top 6 talent and the do not have top 6 coaching,

 

The have the advantage of two crappy conference foes, but barring a Patriots collapse the playoff berths are unlikely.

 

Bills fans look like idiots for continuing to post how talented the roster is. These Bills and no one else in the NFL will be playing the 2008 Bills this year. It is completing meaningless too talk about how much the roster is "improved". The majority of other NFL teams have better players. Its not complicated.

 

For example in the delusions world of Bills fans we grabbed a "top end WR" for a 6th round draft pick. The reality is he isn't a good enough football player to make the Bills 46 man roster every week. He is a marginal WR3/4 on most teams. This is why he went for a 6th round draft pick. The Bills probably couldn't get that for him now.

 

Example 2. Robert Woods 74 players have more yards receiving this year than Woods. including 11 players who are second year players or rookies. Players from his draft class playing better than woods this year include Keenan Allen and Markus Wheaton. No one is projecting super bowl for the Steelers because of the uber talented Markus Wheaton. Woods is a decent player. One of the top 74 receivers in the league, but its not like we stole him, using a second round pick. We are getting at best average production from that position.

 

Example 3. Sammy Watkins - fine player. No actual evidence that he is going to have more impact on the league than Kelvin Benjamin or Brandin Cooks or Odell Beckham or Marqis Lee. Definitely not out producing his draft position.

 

All in all, this not a highly talented group of receivers. About average for the NFL at best.

 

Oline is truly horrible. Eric Woods and Cordy Glenn are mid-tier among NFL teams. EVeryone else is below average.

 

Spiller is just not the talent we imagine him to be. Jackson is great "for his age" together there are probably 10-12 running back tandems in the league who are more talented. San Diego wouldn't trade UB's Branden Oliver even up for either one of them, and he is third on their depth chart.

 

Same analysis holds on the defensive side of the Ball. Kyle, Mario and Marcell are the only three above average players for their position on defense.

 

All in all, what you are watching each week is average talent led by a below average QB and coached by below average coaches. This is NOT an extremely talented team being held back by coaching or QB play. /rant

Thanks! This is like going up to someone who just got hit by a car and spitting on his face.

[Boatdrinks]

 

 

I didn't say the Bills are the worst team in the league. I said they are not in the top 6 in the AFC. I specifically called the Dolphins a "crap team" , so you don't have to imagine my opinion of them. In terms of sheer talent and coaching, the Bears are better than the Bills on offense, and similar on defense. At this point, have to chalk up that win to the "any given Sunday". The point the original post is trying to make, is that their isn't a silver bullet solution to making this team a championship contender. It has multiple problems throughout the lineup, and a weak coaching staff, and an "interim QB" solution at best. Its top players, fred jackson, Kyle Williams and Mario Williams have hit or passed their peaks, based on age. The only young player playing right now that is unequivocally well above average at his position is Marcell Dareus,

 

 

May be true, but the top 6 teams in terms of talent are not always the 6 playoff teams. There are no perfect teams out there. The closest is maybe Seattle right now, and even they have 2 losses already. The current NFL system strongly reduces the chances of a perfect team... You have to catch lightning in a bottle. That said, the QB is the silver bullet you describe. The one thing that can mask imperfections and make up for weaknesses that every team has. A good coach is usually required as well. These happen to be the Bills greatest area of need for 15 years, hence no playoffs. The six playoff teams are usually the ones with the better QB' s. it's really that simple. It may be a franchise guy or just a guy having a career year, but it's the one thing the teams in the playoffs have in common. Doubt it? Just look at the draft.. Who goes first? Great QBs, great LTs to protect them and great pass rushers to sack them. Kind of points to what matters most in the game. You can spend forever trying to build a perfect team, or just get a QB and some guys to protect him. Until the Bills have a guy, the ridiculous playoff drought will continue.

[Orton's Arm]

You can have overall top six talent yet still not be a top six AFC playoff team. The problem with the Bills roster is that its OL is performing so poorly that it is sabotaging the high end talents of its skilled players. Orton, Watkins, Woods and Spiller's talents are being squandered to a lagre extend because the OL is being overwhelmed.

 

The Bills lost a superb DC when Pettine left for Cleveland. An even bigger loss was not keeping OL coach D'Allessandris when Marrone took over as a HC. Not only was he a good coach but he was good at assessing line talent. He is sorely missed and he is a big asset to his new team, the Chargers.

 

In the aggregate the Bils do have talent that allows for a respectable ranking. But the negative issues, primarily OL, drown out the high end pool of talent on the team.

 

Good post, and I agree. A vague hint of credibility on the offensive line would transform the Bills' offense.

 

> The Bills lost a superb DC when Pettine left for Cleveland.

 

For a while, it seemed as though Schwartz might be at least as good as Pettine. I loved how the Bills' defense played against Detroit. But for Buffalo, the road to the playoffs goes through New England. The two Patriots games are the most important games of the year. We can afford losses in other games. We can't afford to keep playing second fiddle to New England. Until we have a defense that can stand up to that Patriots team, the defense should be considered a work in progress. If some component of the defense isn't capable of holding its own against the Patriots, it should be replaced by a component that can. If that means replacing Schwartz, so be it.

[JohnC]

 

 

Good post, and I agree. A vague hint of credibility on the offensive line would transform the Bills' offense.

 

> The Bills lost a superb DC when Pettine left for Cleveland.

 

For a while, it seemed as though Schwartz might be at least as good as Pettine. I loved how the Bills' defense played against Detroit. But for Buffalo, the road to the playoffs goes through New England. The two Patriots games are the most important games of the year. We can afford losses in other games. We can't afford to keep playing second fiddle to New England. Until we have a defense that can stand up to that Patriots team, the defense should be considered a work in progress. If some component of the defense isn't capable of holding its own against the Patriots, it should be replaced by a component that can. If that means replacing Schwartz, so be it.

 

Replacing a coach is easy. Fixing the player deficiencies is the challenge. Tom Brady is one of the best qbs in the history of the game. He looked across the line of scrimmage and saw Duke Williams in the defensive backfield covering his talented TE. Where do you think he went with the ball?

 

Very often the critical issue isn't the strengths of your team as much as it is the weaknesses of your team. The problem with our weaknesses is that they are less than mediocre and can easily be exploited. I don't want to be unfair but Duke Williams demonstrated that not only should he not be on the field but he didn't deserve to be on an NFL roster. In boxing if you keep your left hand down you will continue to be punched in the left side of your face!

[Section242]

Comparing Watkins to the guy in his draft class is premature. Their also is no evidence that Clowney will have a bigger impact than Corbin Bryant.

 

I think the Chargers would trade Oliver for Spiller or Jackson in a heartbeat. Running backs have no value in the league. The WR aren't producing and the QB for the first 4 games of the season has been benched. The offensive line is terrible and the running backs aren't producing.

 

Keenan Allen had a pretty good year last season and has a guy who would finish 1st or 2nd in MVP voting if the season ended today.

 

On offense I think the Bills are one of the 5 worst coached teams. They have enough talent to make the playoffs.

[ny33]

Comparing Watkins to the guy in his draft class is premature. Their also is no evidence that Clowney will have a bigger impact than Corbin Bryant.

 

I think the Chargers would trade Oliver for Spiller or Jackson in a heartbeat. Running backs have no value in the league. The WR aren't producing and the QB for the first 4 games of the season has been benched. The offensive line is terrible and the running backs aren't producing.

 

Keenan Allen had a pretty good year last season and has a guy who would finish 1st or 2nd in MVP voting if the season ended today.

 

On offense I think the Bills are one of the 5 worst coached teams. They have enough talent to make the playoffs.

 

Why would San Diego trade a young, fresh, player who is playing better than any Bills' RB for Jackson or Spiller? Jackson is 33. Spiller hasn't played well and is a free agent in 2015.

 

There is no correlation between your first and second sentences. All three players are running backs. Even though running backs have diminished value, it is absurd to claim that a team would trade a good, cheap player with several years on his contract for a free agent whose play has declined or a 33-year old RB.