Bills Plan to improve the offense “The power of prayer"

[Rico]

 

Once again, the "holes" on D were self-inflicted by Ryan. And once again, there are players on this team, even after Mario left who logged 14.5 sacks in 2014, that logged 35 sacks otherwise. Ryan didn't even get half that total last season.

 

Everyone says Mario dogged it and didn't play hard, well OK. Couple that with the losses of Bradham and McKelvin, and really, that's a huge loss? Other teams suffer worse and won't nosedive without expending the entire meat of their draft on D. Why do we? I'll tell ya why, because Ryan's a moron and so is Whaley.

 

Seriously, I cannot believe that anyone, anyone, thought that we didn't need a WR, even if only for depth, given that we currently only have two with both having propensity for injuries.

 

This team's issues are almost always self-inflicted.

 

I won't even do more than mention the pervasive record of underachievement that Alabama ILBs and ACC DEs have in the NFL given where they're drafted. .

 

 

What do you think's going to happen this year?

 

What's the incentive for opponents not to double Sammy? Who's going to loosen things up for him? What, Hankerson? Goodwin? LMAO

 

What if Sammy goes down? Then what? What, we start Woods and Goodwin?

 

This team doesn't think things through and has absolutely no vision or any plan beyond what's in front of their noses.

 

Ryan acted like a kid in a candy shop this past weekend. He has his bag full of goodies, hopefully we can at least all agree that if his offense isn't ranked in the top-10 again then he needs to go, because clearly the Offense isn't going to rank in the top-10. And I don't think anyone's going to want to hear how this seasoned coach and defensive genius needs more time either.

 

 

LMAO

 

Good one.

 

Thinking? ... at OBD? What thinking? Seems like more emotional reactions to me. Manuel = emotional reaction. Watkins = emotional reaction. Ragland, likely just another Rolando McClain/Dant'a Hightower/Demeco Ryans instead of what the team is claiming was really a 1st round pick.

 

The last time OBD did some thinking and did something similar it was McCargo. How'd that work out for us.

 

 

I think that a lot of fans are smarter than Whaley, who's a buffoon and very lucky to even have a job as a GM, his last. As soon as Pegula pulls his head out of his hind crevice and sees that Whaley is in way over his head Whaley will go back to some director position for another team. He's made some of the dumbest and costliest moves that this franchise has ever seen.

Yep. 17 and counting, hope Pegs finally wakes up this winter.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

What to expect from players like Cujo and Cyril Richardson? Do you guys think they can still contribute or should they be considered lost causes at this point?

 

I think they're pretty much lost causes at this point, and that's one reason why they signed such a OL heavy UDFA class and are likely going to be using a fine-tooth comb on the league cuts.

[2020 Our Year For Sure]

The one thing I'm very confident about is that Doug Whaley knows "defensive football" talent when he sees it. While some fans here have alluded to the fact that those first two draft picks are run more stuffing players rather than the pure pass rusher they lost in Mario Williams. This could be so that Ryan will have the players at DE / LBer he needs to properly run his two-gap 3-4 scheme.

 

In my view, it wasn't just not being able to get the most out of that great talent on the defensive line. The entire defense had problems with play calls coming in late and late substitutions. Players in not being ready and set when the ball was snapped and there appeared to be communication issues almost all of last season. Not to mention the amount of penalties from the team on both sides of the ball.

 

The defense did start looking more cohesive towards the end of the season even with all the injuries, but that could have been the result of playing the Cowboys with a QB making his first NFL start and the NY Jets that Ryan was very passionate about beating. That said, Rex Ryan should have no excuses this year should his defense not perform like expected.

 

 

The offensive line has been seriously neglected over the past years and even with a great left side the line this past year they still had great difficulty in controlling the line of scrimmage and clock while maintaining drives. Being 31st means they were pretty bad at sustaining drives. Last year Greg Roman's offense with Tyrod at QB worked so well at times to get those big plays in the passing game while teams were trying to stop the run and that's what made the offense so good. The thing is, will that be sustainable this year with a more difficult schedule and now teams that have plenty of tape on the Bills offense?

 

In my view, it's just a darn shame the Bills stopped attempting to upgrade with better players at RG, RT after they lost out on Bulaga and Evans. It would have been a better season had Harvin been able to play more than six games. That right side being so weak is like attempting to fight with one arm tied behind your back. The receiving corps also needs to be upgraded with a solid #2 big, tall red zone target WR. Can't have it all though when the team is in cap hell.

Let's hope the defense does improve under Ryan this year.

I agree with most of this. You're preaching to the choir with regard to the need to get better on the offensive line, the need to sustain drives better, problems with Rex like penalties, late play calls, lack of discipline, poor game management. I've ranted about the mismanagement of the RT position last year after Bulaga turned them down.

 

This year, however, different story with money so tight. Jordan Mills was by their evaluation the best they could afford.

 

The only thing I'm taking up for, I believe, is this year's draft. I think if you look closely you'll find an impressive marriage of need and value that we could not have achieved by forcing the selection of weaker positions in this year's pool.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Aaron

[Hapless Bills Fan]

My biggest issue with this team is that they're building the roster to win, only circa 1995. Investing so much in defense the result of frequently changing schemes and building an offense to run is not how to win in 2016.

 

Memo to Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, and Kansas City Chiefs: investing in defense and building an offense to run is not how to win in today's NFL. Any winning you done this way, give it back, y'hear?

[Dr.Sack]

We'll see.

[Doc]

Once again, the "holes" on D were self-inflicted by Ryan. And once again, there are players on this team, even after Mario left who logged 14.5 sacks in 2014, that logged 35 sacks otherwise. Ryan didn't even get half that total last season.

 

Everyone says Mario dogged it and didn't play hard, well OK. Couple that with the losses of Bradham and McKelvin, and really, that's a huge loss? Other teams suffer worse and won't nosedive without expending the entire meat of their draft on D. Why do we? I'll tell ya why, because Ryan's a moron and so is Whaley.

 

Seriously, I cannot believe that anyone, anyone, thought that we didn't need a WR, even if only for depth, given that we currently only have two with both having propensity for injuries.

 

This team's issues are almost always self-inflicted.

 

I won't even do more than mention the pervasive record of underachievement that Alabama ILBs and ACC DEs have in the NFL given where they're drafted. .

 

What do you think's going to happen this year?

 

What's the incentive for opponents not to double Sammy? Who's going to loosen things up for him? What, Hankerson? Goodwin? LMAO

 

What if Sammy goes down? Then what? What, we start Woods and Goodwin?

 

This team doesn't think things through and has absolutely no vision or any plan beyond what's in front of their noses.

 

Ryan acted like a kid in a candy shop this past weekend. He has his bag full of goodies, hopefully we can at least all agree that if his offense isn't ranked in the top-10 again then he needs to go, because clearly the Offense isn't going to rank in the top-10. And I don't think anyone's going to want to hear how this seasoned coach and defensive genius needs more time either.

 

What was the incentive for teams not to double Sammy last year? The answer is "the guy who is still there: Robert Woods, who was playing with a groin injury last season but had surgery and is fine now." Hankerson at worst replaces Hogan. They weren't going to spend a high pick on WR, but spent a lower one on a guy with size, speed, hands, strength, and ability to track the ball. But he's unproven, like any rookie is.

 

And if most teams' #1 WR goes down, then what? Most teams don't have 1 WR the caliber of Sammy, much less 2.

 

And the offense was in far better shape than the defense last year, which I agree, was self-inflicted, although losing Kyle, Aaron, and Spikes didn't help. So the obvious thing was to shore it up in the draft.

[Sandy McFiddish]

I think the chess match between TT and defenses having a full year of film to study him will outweigh our right side.

[klos63]

I think the chess match between TT and defenses having a full year of film to study him will outweigh our right side.

What makes you think we won't alter our offense. Yes, studying film helps, but teams knew we ran the ball most of the time and still couldn't stop us. Just because you know a teams tendencies it doesn't always give you an advantage.

Edited May 2, 2016 by klos63

[Dragonborn10]

Miller was below average but not worthy of getting benched before the injury. I posted then that he should have been put on IR after he got hurt. Made no sense to have him play a quarter or so and then go back to the bench.

He should be much better this year.

Jury is still out on Henderson. If he comes back healthy he will probably win the job.

I would have rather they had drafted an OT than Jones or Williams. Maybe that is a sign Henderson is on the road to recovery.

[Chilly]

The Bills we're fifteenth in points per game allowed and twelfth in points per game scored.

 

This without Tyrod for a few games, Sammy being nicked up, Shady nicked up, Woods hurt, Harvin barely playing.

 

Thinking the offense can maintain or get better from the QB progressing and young players on the right side of the line stepping up isn't exactly a prayer, it's a natural progression of a football team.

 

Remember we didn't even know our starting quarterback throughout most of camp last year. This year, we're going to be designing and installing an offense for that QB the entire offseason.

 

That's not a prayer, that's a significant difference for this season than last.

 

If they can maintain offensive production of last year and improve the defense, they'll have a great shot at a playoff spot.

 

It's pretty doom and gloom around here sometimes but reality is this is an 8-8 football team that has the potential to get better on both sides of the ball. It's the first time in forever we've had coaching continuity with a legitimate starting quarterback and the ability for both sides of the ball to get better as a team.

 

I'm hopeful they will, but that fact alone makes this season different from the previous ones. They need to seize the opportunity and improve. That isn't relying on a prayer; it's deciding where you think the team can improve through competition already on the roster and where you need more guys.

[Buffalo_Stampede]

OL is a team within a team. Its funny you mention metric as the BIlls OL graded 9th on a popular metric site. Yes they also say the right side stunk, but here is the thing, OLs get help. If you have one side great, well you can game plan to help the right.

[simpleman]

OL is a team within a team. Its funny you mention metric as the BIlls OL graded 9th on a popular metric site. Yes they also say the right side stunk, but here is the thing, OLs get help. If you have one side great, well you can game plan to help the right.

As someone mentioned above. You basically have a great left side effectively playing with one arm tied behind their back trying to cover the crappy right side. Imagine what that grade could have been if that left side didn't have to cover the pit on the right side.

In the draft and FA management didn't do anything significant to help untie that hand and free up that left side to truly shine.The history of the Bills has shown over a decade and a half the results of dumpster diving, and exactly how well it works as a strategy to create a winning team. That same strategy is alive and well in management's efforts to staff the OL this year.

 

Memo to Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, and Kansas City Chiefs: investing in defense and building an offense to run is not how to win in today's NFL. Any winning you done this way, give it back, y'hear?

Part of building an offense to run means you have to fully invest in a quality OL to succeed. Ask the Broncos, the Seahawks,the Panthers and the Chiefs how important they think it is to have a quality Left & RIGHT side of the OL.

Edited May 2, 2016 by simpleman

[simpleman]

 

 

 

If you're really here to debate/discuss, then when someone actually pens a meaningful response, you really need to address it to avoid living in a falling credibility zone heading towards Troll City.

 

 

I'm not going to fall into a discussion non germane to sports, but following 12 lines of valid text with an unprovoked personal attack on me as a member of the grammar police immediately set off the warning lights of the personality type I was dealing with. There is a known interrelationship of the personality traits of an individual who enjoys the role of being a member of grammar police and trollism. I was considering responding to your valid opinions and offerings and why I disagreed, but after that needless personal attack I realized the personality type I was dealing with. Let us not waste the board's time, or our own in doomed further attempts at intelligent conversations.

Edited May 2, 2016 by simpleman

[GunnerBill]

As someone mentioned above. You basically have a great left side effectively playing with one arm tied behind their back trying to cover the crappy right side. Imagine what that grade could have been if that left side didn't have to cover the pit on the right side.

In the draft and FA management didn't do anything significant to help untie that hand and free up that left side to truly shine.The history of the Bills has shown over a decade and a half the results of dumpster diving, and exactly how well it works as a strategy to create a winning team. That same strategy is alive and well in management's efforts to staff the OL this year.

 

Part of building an offense to run means you have to fully invest in a quality OL to succeed. Ask the Broncos, the Seahawks,the Panthers and the Chiefs how important they think it is to have a quality Left & RIGHT side of the OL.

And yet the Panthers were slammed for their line in 2014, the Broncos line has taken plenty of heat and the Seahawks line was a hot mess last year - much worse than ours. Only KC have had a relatively consistent solid line in that period.

[simpleman]

Simpleman has had to defend his stance, all day. On this day of rest.

 

I, on the other hand, choose to keep my mouth shut. There is so much more in life than football drafts.

Ok Boater. I admit you are probably smarter on that account, LOL.

I do want to thank Nanker, who did actually spend his valuable time to provide me with valuable information on using the board software. Thank You!

[GunnerBill]

For me on the o-line it comes down to this - is the Bills line perfect? No far from it. However, those teams we keep mentioning are evidence that you can win in the NFL running the ball without a perfect line if you:

 

1. commit to the run and have good backs;

2. have a creative run game coordinator (we have the best in the business imo in Greg Roman);

3. play good defense to ensure you don't have to abandon the run early in games.

 

EDIT: would I have liked to see some competition added at tackle? Definitely, but the draft didnt fall that way.

Edited May 2, 2016 by GunnerBill

[klos63]

Thank you, I'm glad we see things the same.

We don't (are you going to delete this again?)

[Hapless Bills Fan]

I'm not going to fall into a discussion non germane to sports, but following 12 lines of valid text with an unprovoked personal attack on me as a member of the grammar police immediately set off the warning lights of the personality type I was dealing with. There is a known interrelationship of the personality traits of an individual who enjoys the role of being a member of grammar police and trollism. I was considering responding to your valid opinions and offerings and why I disagreed, but after that needless personal attack I realized the personality type I was dealing with. Let us not waste the board's time, or our own in doomed further attempts at intelligent conversations.

 

This is what I said: "Moreover, when one places something in quotes, it implies that it's something someone has said, around here, either someone from the Bills organization or news media, which is clearly from the OP's article not the case - shoddy."

 

If you consider that an "unprovoked personal attack on you", you 1) need to understand what a personal attack actually consists of (hint: if it addresses something you've written directly and politely, it isn't a personal attack 2) won't last very long around here (this is an experience-based observation - thin-skinned people who exaggerate typically don't)

 

As for the rest, I leave it to the rest of the posters here to evaluate what is and isn't trollism or an unprovoked personal attack (hint: taking what I wrote and turning it into an assessment of my personality, is, in fact, a personal attack)

 

I do agree that intelligent conversation between us is unlikely. G'day.

Edited May 2, 2016 by Hopeful

[DrDawkinstein]

It's hard to be bad enough to draft high to get a top QB.

 

That's what the GM tells us.

 

Guess it's more ground and pound with a heavy dose of defense. If only teams still made the playoffs this way.

 

 

They do

 

That is how Seattle won a super bowl

 

 

 

And Denver just last year.

 

 

 

 

And opponents adapt to what you're doing. It won't be as easy for Roman to do the same thing in 2016 that he did in 2015 because there's a full season on film that opposing teams have on Buffalo now. That offense was designed to be safe, and limit teams from keying in on TT. But what happens when defenses put 8 in the box to stop the run and dare TT to make throws?

 

My biggest issue with this team is that they're building the roster to win, only circa 1995. Investing so much in defense the result of frequently changing schemes and building an offense to run is not how to win in 2016.

 

Ha! Completely refuted in one thread so just run to another and post the same exact thing like the point might still be valid. Ironically, "Ground and Pound" would be a great name for your posting method.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

And yet the Panthers were slammed for their line in 2014, the Broncos line has taken plenty of heat and the Seahawks line was a hot mess last year - much worse than ours. Only KC have had a relatively consistent solid line in that period.

 

This. In 2014, the Panthers were starting 2 rookies at RG and LG, one an UDFA and one drafted in the 3rd round. The Panthers line improvement moves for 2015? They drafted a single OL - a guard in the 4th round. They signed a FA OT who was graded 74 out of 78 tackles and cut from the Titans one year into a 4 year contract. They scraped up a RT who'd been kicking around league practice squads.

 

I'm sure they had fans on a message board somewhere predicting gloom 'n doom, but, it worked. If it hadn't worked, I'm sure they would have had fans squealing about it.

 

Not understanding or agreeing with a team personnel department's plan or decisions does not mean they have no plan. They have a plan. It might work out, it might not work out, but it is a plan.