clayboy54 Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 This is a fine assessment. The big issue imo, is that the OL has not come together. I believe that each position has been suspect on that line. I know that Cordy Glenn and Eric Wood are not lousy players, but they are playing like they are. The others are looking downright bad at times. I suspect the blocking schemes are at fault and that is the direct responsibility of the OL coach, and in-turn Hackett's responsibility. Why this is is beyond me. I do think that blame needs to be placed at Marrone's feet and he alone must remedy that situation. If it were not for the OL play, we would not be having this debate. The rest of this team is doing fine.
John from Riverside Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 Anybody can overreact to the loss yesterday. The real story is we played extremely well. We dominated the game. A couple freakish plays screwed us. That's the truth. The coaches had a great game plan and made good decisions in terms of managing the game. Despite it not panning out, they did all the right things. The players were motivated and played well. Sometimes you just get screwed and that's what happened yesterday. For the first time in a long time we have a good team. Yesterday and this year has reminded me of the Wade Phillips era. We're a team that can move the ball and stop others from moving the ball. The loss yesterday was only devastating because of how much we dominated the game. It was abundantly clear we were the better team yesterday. The Chiefs are a physical playoff team and we manhandled them. Our defense is dominant. The front four wreaks havoc every week and seems to only be getting better. Our linebacking core has turned into a strength as well. Spikes has been better than advertised. Preston Brown (rookie) is coming into his own. Nigel Bradham is a beast. And we don't even have Kiko in there. Our secondary is solid at worst. The offense is productive enough to win. Kyle Orton has certainly been an upgrade. Is he Peyton or Brady? Of course not. Has he been solid, hitting NFL throws with a decent level of consitency? Yes. Our skill positions on offense are very good. They just need a QB who can get the ball in their hands with room to make plays. Orton can do this. At times he looks very good even. Of course he does have some misses. Any QB who is not super elite has these. He is solid. He's a calm leader. He has good demeanor and pretty good ability as a player. Watkins is clearly a beast. I do think injuries have hampered him a bit from fully blossoming. Woods is a very good player. Chandler is a huge target, decent run blocker. Hogan could be the solid route runner who is always in the right place that QBs depend on. Jackson and Spiller are a good duo, but I think Brown and Dixon can carry the load just fine too. So, we're deep at running back. And the biggest thing is I think our GM and Coach could be pretty good. Whaley made a high number of moves this offseason. Many of them have panned out. I'm pleased with the Watson move at this point. I hope your right because now we are going to need to beat a couple of teams we normally would have no business beating in order to make the playoffs
BillsVet Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 Buffalo is averaging less than 20 points per game since beating Miami in week 2. And that includes the Geno Smith/Mike Vick turnover-fest in the Meadowlands 2 weeks ago. That'd be okay if the defense was elite AND this was before the passing game opened up. But even good defenses yield points and teams aren't winning the length of a season with strong defense and mediocre offense. That very offense has become anemic and I don't see it changing. With lesser talent and/or coaching, mediocre teams' true colors come out in the second half of the season. Doug Marrone has become the latest in a long line of offensively-challenged HC's.
Deranged Rhino Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 Sorry, I'm not buying it. This team has lost three of four games at home, including two blowouts, and appears to be headed for 7-9. Although we lament games like yesterday that were there for the taking, this team could just as easily be 3-6. I can't help comparing this team to Cleveland, which after hiring a quality head coach, appears to be headed for the playoffs and is about to add the best WR in football to its roster. Oh, and they have two number 1 picks next spring. Well of course you're not buying it because you're changing the question. You asked what was different between this year's team and last year's team. It was answered, and then you changed the subject to something else. Makes it tough to have an honest conversation with you.
John from Riverside Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 Well of course you're not buying it because you're changing the question. You asked what was different between this year's team and last year's team. It was answered, and then you changed the subject to something else. Makes it tough to have an honest conversation with you. mannc has honest conversations?
Manther Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 Anybody can overreact to the loss yesterday. The real story is we played extremely well. We dominated the game. A couple freakish plays screwed us. That's the truth. The coaches had a great game plan and made good decisions in terms of managing the game. Despite it not panning out, they did all the right things. The players were motivated and played well. Sometimes you just get screwed and that's what happened yesterday. For the first time in a long time we have a good team. Yesterday and this year has reminded me of the Wade Phillips era. We're a team that can move the ball and stop others from moving the ball. The loss yesterday was only devastating because of how much we dominated the game. It was abundantly clear we were the better team yesterday. The Chiefs are a physical playoff team and we manhandled them. Our defense is dominant. The front four wreaks havoc every week and seems to only be getting better. Our linebacking core has turned into a strength as well. Spikes has been better than advertised. Preston Brown (rookie) is coming into his own. Nigel Bradham is a beast. And we don't even have Kiko in there. Our secondary is solid at worst. The offense is productive enough to win. Kyle Orton has certainly been an upgrade. Is he Peyton or Brady? Of course not. Has he been solid, hitting NFL throws with a decent level of consitency? Yes. Our skill positions on offense are very good. They just need a QB who can get the ball in their hands with room to make plays. Orton can do this. At times he looks very good even. Of course he does have some misses. Any QB who is not super elite has these. He is solid. He's a calm leader. He has good demeanor and pretty good ability as a player. Watkins is clearly a beast. I do think injuries have hampered him a bit from fully blossoming. Woods is a very good player. Chandler is a huge target, decent run blocker. Hogan could be the solid route runner who is always in the right place that QBs depend on. Jackson and Spiller are a good duo, but I think Brown and Dixon can carry the load just fine too. So, we're deep at running back. And the biggest thing is I think our GM and Coach could be pretty good. Whaley made a high number of moves this offseason. Many of them have panned out. I'm pleased with the Watson move at this point. I agree with everything except Marrone is a good coach however I think he and the staff had a good game yesterday.
Deranged Rhino Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 mannc has honest conversations? There are a few newer posters who I haven't had that many conversations with and don't know their history. I guess I'm learning.
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 They had their "luck" in DET with three missed FGs and at home vs. MIN with the 4th and 20 completion to Chandler. Only the Bills would use up all their luck in meaningless NFC games, to blow the must-win AFC ones.
Storm Front Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 Bills gonna be Bills, find a way to lose.
Boatdrinks Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 While we have some talented players, we continue to come up short in the critical moments against equal. Or even somewhat better competition. In a way, yesterday showcased everything the Bills are this season. Namely a very good defensive team that is offensively challenged, with a propensity to fumble. We have basically no clue how to reach pay dirt from the red zone. All of these traits came to light yesterday, so we shouldn't be surprised. The second half of the season, when good teams start to make a playoff push, will simply reveal theses issues in sharper focus. To borrow a phrase, they are " who we thought they were" Our lack of a franchise QB and our not ready for the big time Offensive coordinator cost us the game yesterday. All teams make errors in games, the Bills just aren't good enough to overcome them. They have a maddening propensity for ensuring their mistakes give the maximum advantage possible to the opponent. They specialize in self inflicted wounds. When the Bills take the ball away, they usually come away with a field goal or no points at all. When they turn it over, they usually yield a TD or a damaging FG as time expires in the first half. These characteristics are not the hallmark of a good team , rather they are what separates the playoff wheat from the chaff. This is why, until they find a way to minimize their own mistakes and pounce on the opponents', our Bills will find themselves underdogs in most games. The national perspective sees what we would rather not. We hope instead, that the Bills are turning it around. That the playoffs are really just around the corner. If they find a way to beat Miami, who knows? Hopefully they can keep the season alive for December, but a playoff caliber team finds a way to win that game when they are inside the opponents 20 with 3 minutes to get a TD. That's where this one was truly lost, the fumbles are just a convenient excuse.
26CornerBlitz Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 Only the Bills would use up all their luck in meaningless NFC games, to blow the must-win AFC ones. The luck yesterday was a perfect bounce to Chandler in EZ after Bryce Brown's fumble. Unfortunately, his hands went to sleep on him.
PaattMaann Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 While we have some talented players, we continue to come up short in the critical moments against equal. Or even somewhat better competition. In a way, yesterday showcased everything the Bills are this season. Namely a very good defensive team that is offensively challenged, with a propensity to fumble. We have basically no clue how to reach pay dirt from the red zone. All of these traits came to light yesterday, so we shouldn't be surprised. The second half of the season, when good teams start to make a playoff push, will simply reveal theses issues in sharper focus. To borrow a phrase, they are " who we thought they were" Our lack of a franchise QB and our not ready for the big time Offensive coordinator cost us the game yesterday. All teams make errors in games, the Bills just aren't good enough to overcome them. They have a maddening propensity for ensuring their mistakes give the maximum advantage possible to the opponent. They specialize in self inflicted wounds. When the Bills take the ball away, they usually come away with a field goal or no points at all. When they turn it over, they usually yield a TD or a damaging FG as time expires in the first half. These characteristics are not the hallmark of a good team , rather they are what separates the playoff wheat from the chaff. This is why, until they find a way to minimize their own mistakes and pounce on the opponents', our Bills will find themselves underdogs in most games. The national perspective sees what we would rather not. We hope instead, that the Bills are turning it around. That the playoffs are really just around the corner. If they find a way to beat Miami, who knows? Hopefully they can keep the season alive for December, but a playoff caliber team finds a way to win that game when they are inside the opponents 20 with 3 minutes to get a TD. That's where this one was truly lost, the fumbles are just a convenient excuse. or we might turn out to be one of those "good teams who start to make a playoff push"....guess we will find out in the next three weeks which we truly are....hard to think were not in the "good team" bunch considering how we just dominated a supposedly good Chief team, only to choke it away with fumbles and poor execution....
bobobonators Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 This team is really close to being a 10 win team. We need to be smarter and limit mistakes. We need to learn how to put teams away and finish.
Deranged Rhino Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 The luck yesterday was a perfect bounce to Chandler in EZ after Bryce Brown's fumble. Unfortunately, his hands went to sleep on him. A summation of Chandler's career in Buffalo to date.
Maddog69 Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 I disagree with the OP's assessment of this game. We did not dominate this game. We scored 13 points. That's not going to win many games. The Defense played a very good game. The made a couple mistakes which allowed KC to win the game. That being said, holding any NFL team to 17 points is solid especially with the turnover deep in our end by McKelvin. Lets not exaggerate though. This is a mediocre team. We have a good defense and a middling offense. Orton missed several throws, we had some questionable playcalling and a huge fumble by Brown. All in all, we played OK. Certainly not well enough to win. And certainly not good enough to compete with any of the better teams in the NFL on a regular basis.
Deranged Rhino Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 I disagree with the OP's assessment of this game. We did not dominate this game. We scored 13 points. That's not going to win many games. The Defense played a very good game. The made a couple mistakes which allowed KC to win the game. That being said, holding any NFL team to 17 points is solid especially with the turnover deep in our end by McKelvin. Lets not exaggerate though. This is a mediocre team. We have a good defense and a middling offense. Orton missed several throws, we had some questionable playcalling and a huge fumble by Brown. All in all, we played OK. Certainly not well enough to win. And certainly not good enough to compete with any of the better teams in the NFL on a regular basis. Completely disagree with this. The Bills manhandled the Chiefs who are a very good NFL team. You might be right the Bills are ultimately a middle of the road NFL team when all is said and done, but even that would be a monumental improvement from the recent past where the Bills were terrible but sometimes punched above their weight. Now this team's floor is middling with a much higher ceiling.
BillsVet Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 This team is really close to being a 10 win team. We need to be smarter and limit mistakes. We need to learn how to put teams away and finish. You could have said this in 2002, 2006, 2008, 2011, and this season. Doesn't matter how much talent you've got if the coaches can't use it effectively.
Deranged Rhino Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 You could have said this in 2002, 2006, 2008, 2011, and this season. Doesn't matter how much talent you've got if the coaches can't use it effectively. No you couldn't have said it in those years (maaaaaybe you could in '02). You couldn't have said it and been taken seriously at least. The difference in talent level and depth on the roster is clear -- if you watch the games objectively. Coaching still might be a problem, I won't argue there. But talent wise this is a much improved team.
Dorkington Posted November 10, 2014 Posted November 10, 2014 5-4 is not "good" it's barely above average. We make too many dumb mistakes to be considered "good".
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