Now that I've calmed down a bit...

[maddenboy]

There's a very good reason why Kyle Orton has been a career journeyman Quarterback and why he was "retired" before Whaley contacted his agent.

 

Yes. That reason is known as Money. He wanted to get a chance to actually start, and start for a contender would be nice.

 

But most importantly, as was reported several places, he wanted to keep Jerruh's money. If he actually retired he would have had to pay back some signing bonus money. So instead of formally retiring, he just chose to stay away until traded or, better, released. Mission accomplished.

[PatsFanNH]

When Brady retires then we will have a chance at the division. Until then, lets try and find a decent QB and sneak into the wildcard next year....

 

any inside information on when Brady may retire?

 

I hope he finds a youth formula and never retires lol. That said I think 3 years left.

[maddenboy]

Every Bills fan has to ask, after these past two years is whether or not this team is ascending, treading water, or descending.

 

No No No. To me, this is the problem. We, as fans, dont demand excellence.

 

Two steps forward, two steps back. Rinse, repeat.

 

We should always always always be asking, "how close are we to winning the SuperBowl" and not "how are we compared to last year?"

[Casey D]

No No No. To me, this is the problem. We, as fans, dont demand excellence.

 

Two steps forward, two steps back. Rinse, repeat.

 

We should always always always be asking, "how close are we to winning the SuperBowl" and not "how are we compared to last year?"

I demand excellence!!! Do we win the SB next year now?

[Dan]

Also, I haven't actually seen the All 22 yet, but did Marrone / Hackett EVER even attempt to put an extra man on Khalil Mack? Henderson got beat HOW MANY TIMES?!

 

#Adjustments

Marrone and Hackett do not adjust their game plan. They have the winning game plan, they drew it up 2years ago. They just can't the right players to execute it! Seriously, I can't think of any in-game adjustments we've made. And at east 90% of our pays looks the exact same as they were in week one.

[thewildrabbit]

I was thinking the same thing yesterday, after we beat the Raiders and even if we played tough against the Pats, it would be hard to fire Marrone or Hackett. I was all ready to make that case that things were improving and that another year of tweaking the roster would be best.

 

But then the abyssmal Raider game happened.

 

There is absolutely no parallel world in existence in which its acceptable to allow 13 yards rushing to a 2 win team. It should be blatantly obvious that the offense has steadily regressed under this coaching staff. This was not a single bad game; this was the exclamation point on a downward spiral of offensive futility. There is not a single offensive metric that we've improved in 2years... not one.

 

The only solace from this loss is that hopefully it has pulled back the veil of imaginary progress and revealed what so many die hard fans of this team know to be true. Hopefully, the new ownership doesn't have to waste a year with a football consultant to figure out what needs to change.

 

This team is close, I still beleve that. Unfortunately, its missing the most important ingredient... a winning coaching staff. Yes, we need a true franchise QB as well. But, if anyone actually thinks the current coaching staff can properly develop a franchise QB, then they're either delusional or just not watching this current team's performance.

Excellent post.

 

Just don't forget that Russ Brandon is still a brilliant salesman and is pitching his heart out for continuity to the new owners. We Bills fans can only hope the new owners were taken aback as we were with the 13 rushing attempts for 13 yards against the 24th ranked run defense. Along with the 49 passes against the #7 defense against the pass. The Raiders aren't a very good football team, and yet the Bills offense played right into their defensive strengths. The defense had key injuries, and their OC was smart enough to exploit them.

 

So, some really huge questions remain. Were the Pegula's watching, and did they see what we all saw? Will they be winning to accept Brandon's pitch for another year with the same staff, or not?

[BillsVet]

Marrone and Hackett do not adjust their game plan. They have the winning game plan, they drew it up 2years ago. They just can't the right players to execute it! Seriously, I can't think of any in-game adjustments we've made. And at east 90% of our pays looks the exact same as they were in week one.

 

Reminds me of Dick Jauron more now than ever. The plan isn't flawed, the players didn't execute.

 

I expect a HC and coordinators to have a healthy ego. But not so much that they're unwilling to adapt to an opponent, even a 2-11 team playing for nothing but pride.

[Storm Front]

Good post. I'd rather miss the playoffs by losing to the Raiders than the Cheats.*

[Dan]

Excellent post.

 

Just don't forget that Russ Brandon is still a brilliant salesman and is pitching his heart out for continuity to the new owners. We Bills fans can only hope the new owners were taken aback as we were with the 13 rushing attempts for 13 yards against the 24th ranked run defense. Along with the 49 passes against the #7 defense against the pass. The Raiders aren't a very good football team, and yet the Bills offense played right into their defensive strengths. The defense had key injuries, and their OC was smart enough to exploit them.

 

So, some really huge questions remain. Were the Pegula's watching, and did they see what we all saw? Will they be winning to accept Brandon's pitch for another year with the same staff, or not?

And if this were the first time we saw this failed game plan, it might be excusable. But it isn't the first time they beat themselves, and there really is no excuse at this point.

 

I truly hope the Pegulas act fast. The problems on this team really are quite glaring.

 

Reminds me of Dick Jauron more now than ever. The plan isn't flawed, the players didn't execute.

 

I expect a HC and coordinators to have a healthy ego. But not so much that they're unwilling to adapt to an opponent, even a 2-11 team playing for nothing but pride.

So much of this current team reminds me of Jauron's days. I didn't want to believe it all season. I wanted to see progress. I tried really hard to beleive.

 

But yesterday's performance, against one of the worst teams in the league in a must win game, just made it completely apparent. We're not making progress at the most important aspects of the team or game.

[Charles Romes]

Ahh. This what if is very similar to the one in '12. What if TJ graham takes the proper turn and we beat NE on the road. Chan stays and maybe even Fitz. Wanny would have had to go and anyone would have vastly improved the D. We'd have a similar D in the top 10 and an O in the top 15. That spells in the playoffs and much better than where we are today.

[jester43]

As I stand back and take a look at the bigger picture of the 2014 Buffalo Bills season, and now that I've calmed down from the firestorm of pissed-off-ness after yesterday's egg that they laid in Oakland, I honestly think that what happened yesterday might have been the best thing that could have happened to this organization heading into 2015.

 

Sure, as fans, we're sick of the mediocrity. Sick of missing the playoffs. Sick of the ineptitude of the offense.

 

But look at it like this: What IF we had beat the Raiders yesterday? We would have been 9-6, and, even if we were to have done the unthinkable and won in New England this week, there was still a pretty good chance we weren't getting in.

 

Then what? Even with a win in Oakland and a loss in New England, we would've been 9-7. The first time we've had a winning record since '04.

 

Russ Brandon has already gone on record saying that Marrone has "changed the culture" in Buffalo.

 

Really? Lord knows what would have been said had we gone 10-6 and still missed the playoffs, which was likely what would've been the case anyway.

 

Marrone and Hackett would almost certainly be retained and we'd be "stuck with them".

 

Orton would've been offered an extension, I have no doubts about this whatsoever, btw.

 

Now, after yesterday's horrendous outing that's been almost a microcosm of the last 15 years of quarterbacking in Western New York, if nothing else, this team NEEEEEEEDS a quarterback!

 

This position has compromised what otherwise is a very talented football team for too long now.

 

We will not win this division nor seriously compete for a playoff spot until this is addressed.

 

Secondly, I believe that Marrone may be asked to let Hackett go. Nathaniel Hackett CANNOT be here next year. He just CAN'T! Given Marrone's unsettled relationship with the Bills' brass, I think we may see him pull a 'Mularkey' and resign.

 

I want nothing to do with Jay Cutler. I honestly have never got nor seen what people see in Cutler. Is he good for a 300 yard, 3 TD game every now and again? Sure!...but so is Geno Smith..

 

Personally, I'd love to see RGIII or Kaepernick here. RGIII needs some work, but I certainly dont think he ever really got a fair shot in Washington given his bad relationship with Jay Gruden and Shanny leaving him in that playoff game a few years back with that shattered knee, and nearly killing his career before it even really began.

 

So, would I love to beat the Patriots this week, in a stadium we've never won in against a team I despise more than anything on this planet? Sure.

 

But now that the playoff hopes are out the door officially and Ive cooled down a bit, Im more about the bigger picture here.

 

Marrone says we're "stuck with him".

 

Hey St. Doug, news flash: We now have an owner not named Ralph Wilson. A guy whose pockets are overflowing and I highly doubt he's gonna stand for mediocrity.

 

Not so fast my friend...

 

I can only assume the people who claim the Pegula's ARE NOT GONNA STAND FOR ALL THIS MEDIOCRITY! ( ) are not Sabre fans. They were just fine with it before until Mr. Terry "what-has-he-done-wrong" Pegula was a laughingstock throughout the NHL. He literally stood fast until there was no other option other than Darcy HAD to go. To his credit, he seems to have found someone capable of making the organization respectable again. But you can make a case that it never should have gotten that point.

 

The Pegulas are great people, but to me they still seem a little naive. I think Russ Brandon agrees, given that he has the balls to go out publicly politicking for Marrone and, by extension, himself. I couldn't see him doing that if he didn't think he had them in the palm of his hand.

 

I agree that yesterday's loss is a blessing in disguise. If the Bills would have snuck in the way the Sabres did in 2011, the Pegulas would have no doubt been impressed. It would have guaranteed the regime stayed intact, flawed as it is. If they HAD made it in, the Bills, as they are constructed, looked for all the world like a 6 seed that goes on to finish 5-11 the next year. If nothing else, we've been pretty lucky with injuries and that alone could have turned this into a 5 win team very easily. Did yesterday not prove that?

 

Marrone has his charms, and as much wasted fun as I've had playing the Marrone drinking game, the way that every single offensive player has REGRESSED on his watch says we need a new coaching staff, loud and clear.

 

(What...you don't know the Doug Marrone drinking game?! When the press conference starts, one of you has "you know" and the other has "obviously." Last one standing wins. Good times. )

 

But slick Russ is banking on them not realizing how bad it is. I only hope whoever they have coming in to advise them (if that story is even true) is not also not trying to win the Super Bowl usiing the 75 Steelers as a blue print.

[reddogblitz]

But, as i said in another thread, i think we are closer to a 4 win team than 10 win team. We got damn lucky in 5 wins this year...

 

1st grade math refresher: 8 is closer to 10 than 4 is. Even the best teams win squirely games. Did you see the Seahawks win over the Eagles last week? Roughing the passer for making a "heads up tackle" on 3rd down?

 

Does anyone think its better to back into the playoffs and get blown out, just to say we were there? (actually, maybe, after 15 yrs).

 

I do.

 

When Brady retires then we will have a chance at the division. Until then, lets try and find a decent QB and sneak into the wildcard next year....

 

BS to that. If the Bills could put together a better team we could beat them. Brady is not god. We could even win the division without beating the Patsies at all or just splitting with them. It's possible.

 

Reminds me of Dick Jauron more now than ever. The plan isn't flawed, the players didn't execute.

So much of this current team reminds me of Jauron's days. I didn't want to believe it all season. I wanted to see progress. I tried really hard to beleive.

 

Doug Ball = Dick Ball

[TheBrownBear]

i think we are closer to a 4 win team than 10 win team. We got damn lucky in 5 wins this year...

 

No. We are right where we should be at .500. What games did we get "damn lucky" in? I guess Detroit with the missed field goals. Other than that? Minnesota? We played an ugly game, overcame 4 turnovers and made it happen in the 4th quarter. The rest were solid wins. The only other game that really felt like luck played a major role was the KC game, where a couple of fluke fumbles cost us a game we controlled.

 

Also, we were never really blown out all year. That's not the sign of a 4 win team.