Season observations, this team is good.

[#34fan]

NOT FRICKIN' GOOD ENOUGH...

 

To anyone who's been asleep the last 15 years, the New England Patriots are the STANDARD in this division... Match it, or surpass it... Anything else is just us fooling our damn selves.

[eball]

I liked the hire of Rex but I was wrong about him. I don't even think Rex was Rex and didn't run his own defense but that's another conversation.

 

Rex just isn't a good HC. It's an incredibly unique talent. And there are several ways to succeed. But you need to be a leader of men, not just their friend. NFL games are so often decided by 2-3 plays. This team was very close to being 11-5 and also very close to being 6-9. The difference is having a good HC, hiring good assistants, and having some luck. There is an argument to be made that because of the injuries this year we really couldn't have done much better. But Rex clearly failed at getting his team ready, and being fundamentally sound, and being disciplined.

 

I talked myself into liking the Rex hire, just like I always talk myself into believing decisions made by the Bills will work out. That's just the fan in me. But you are 100% correct in your assessment. Rex wasn't a "disaster" -- he just isn't a good HC. I think he lucked into having ALynn around to run the offense, which is responsible for the team having as good of a record as they do.

 

At the end of the day I hope we'll look back and breathe a sigh of relief the Bills didn't win a couple more games this year, sneak into the playoffs, and continue the Rex charade for two or three more seasons.

 

Thanks, OP, for an optimistic perspective.

[Superman00]

IMO this team just needs to go back to a simpler attack defense because there is talent especially in th DL. And all we need on offense is a QB. There's a lot of veteran talent on this team that's ready to win now.

 

I know I'm in the minority with this idea but I would offer up to our first round pick to Dallas for Romo and keep running the ball the way we do and use him like Trent Dilfer was used in Baltimore. If we get 3 years out of Romo it was worth it. A corner, safety or WR won't benefit us the same way a veteran QB would

[Big Turk]

Promo -Lmao I forgot that clip. In reality this team has plenty of talent they are going to finish 9-7, 8-8 and most likely 8-8. This team just needs a few breaks to be 11-5 and then some playoff experience etc... Is KC more talented? I don't think so but they are well coached.

Coaching makes a huge difference and so do literally 2-3 plays a game.

 

Raiders were 1-2 plays a game away from being 7-8. Chiefs 1-2 plays away from being 8-7, Chargers 1-2 plays away from being 10-5, Bills 1-2 plays away from being 10-5 or even 11-4, Dolphins 1-2 plays away from being 6-9...

 

Now sometimes it's a one-season thing where teams just constantly win those types of games like the Raiders and Dolphins did this year, sometimes it's due to good coaching like the Chiefs, sometimes teams win all those games one year and then fall back to the median losing most of them the next year(Carolina, and I'll bet Oakland has a little if that too next year). And then other teams seemingly lose those games most of the time over long stretches...the Bills, Browns, Chargers, etc...

 

So what is there to think about this...some of it is just luck. Some of it is belief and confidence in crunch time, some of it is lack of belief in crunch time and some of it is refereeing,extending key drives with questionable calls...

 

With all that goes into the mix and the amount of luck involved, plus some randomness it's amazing the Bills haven't simply caught fire and made the playoffs once in these 17 years...

Edited December 30, 2016 by matter2003

[Wayne Arnold]

Thank you. The Bills fanbase could use some more optimism. All this doom and gloom is pathetic and not even reality.

[Best Player Available]

Supposedly the team was built to win now around 2014. I believe the team has around 22 players hitting FA this year. Other huge contributors are getting old. Kyle and Wood being just two of them. Guys like Gilmore, and Robert Woods could be gone. Another coaching change and who knows what the D scheme will look like next year? A QB situation very much in flux. No kicker, possibly a newbie in the HC position. Although Lynn may be the safest candidate. A meddling GM, and a douchebag in Brandon.

 

Nothing short of a miracle will get this team however constructed in the playoffs next year. Then again Lynn is aware of the issues, and Sammy's comments were dead on. Somehow a culture change in a single offseason with positional holes everywhere this offseason. Will require Whaley to have a extremely good draft. Which doesn't happen often. Other than that their a good 8-8 team.

Edited December 30, 2016 by Best Player Available

[PolishDave]

Pretty much every year, the Bills miss the playoffs by a game or two that were decided by one play. The difference is the teams in the playoffs made those plays and the Bills didn't.

 

They are almost always "close". And that is because of the widespread parity in the league.

 

My logical brain tells me that yes we could fix the defense, bring back the same offense, and then go to the playoffs pretty easily.

 

But then I remind myself that the next season never really plays out like you thought. With the coaching changes happening we have absolutely no idea what offense or defense is going to show up next year or what they will look like. We don't even know who the QB is going to be. For all we know, next year the DEFENSE could be top 10 again and the offense could drop off a cliff.

 

Maybe finally they can put together a slightly above average version of both. But I'm not holding my breath.

[Chandler#81]

 

I like your optimism.

 

You have not been around here long enough to have it beaten out of you I see. Hold on to your optimism. I like it.

[BuffaloFan68]

2 things to throw out there real quick. 1) If the refs called a fair game against Miami - we most likely win that game. 2) Next years schedule is brutal so even 8-8 with that schedule would be an improvement.

Go Bills!!!!!

[DriveFor1Outta5]

I agree...We had 3 seasons of mediocrity (7-9) with Dick Jauron...Now two back to back 8-8 with Rex sandwiched by a bunch of 6-10/7-9 and 9-7....The only time they were bad was they picked Dareus and that hasn't really worked out.

 

But it is the important position you need to find stability. The same Steelers are in the playoffs because of Big Ben at the helm for the past 10-12 seasons.

Ok I'll change my example. Here are where some really good teams picked their QB's. Aaron Rodgers Round One Pick 24, Joe Flacco Round 1 Pick 18, Russell Wilson Round 3, Derek Carr Round 2 etc. So I don't think we should let this franchise off the hook because we are in "8-8 purgatory". There really isn't any truth to that statement. It's just an excuse. Edited December 30, 2016 by DriveFor1Outta5

[racecitybills]

Good post!

[ganesh]

IMO this team just needs to go back to a simpler attack defense because there is talent especially in th DL. And all we need on offense is a QB. There's a lot of veteran talent on this team that's ready to win now.

 

I know I'm in the minority with this idea but I would offer up to our first round pick to Dallas for Romo and keep running the ball the way we do and use him like Trent Dilfer was used in Baltimore. If we get 3 years out of Romo it was worth it. A corner, safety or WR won't benefit us the same way a veteran QB would

Romo would never come to Buffalo. I think Arizona may be a better option for him

[BillsVet]

Marketing never ends at OBD. Never.

[Dan]

I liked the hire of Rex but I was wrong about him. I don't even think Rex was Rex and didn't run his own defense but that's another conversation.

 

Rex just isn't a good HC. It's an incredibly unique talent. And there are several ways to succeed. But you need to be a leader of men, not just their friend. NFL games are so often decided by 2-3 plays. This team was very close to being 11-5 and also very close to being 6-9. The difference is having a good HC, hiring good assistants, and having some luck. There is an argument to be made that because of the injuries this year we really couldn't have done much better. But Rex clearly failed at getting his team ready, and being fundamentally sound, and being disciplined.

I never really liked the Rex hire. In fact, dropped the Sunday ticket this year because I knew this year would turn out like this. Rex is ok; he gives good press conference; but the vast majority of his HC career has been marked by inconsistent, under achieving, undisciplined teams. In the end, that,s what we had for the last 2 years and I'm glad to see him go.

 

On the the next. Let's just hope this time they get it right... A good HC.. Who hires 2 good coordinators.. Not one. And not someone who decides the team we have needs to be replaced on a 3 year plan! Other teams have turned it around in one year... Damnit so can the Bills.

[KellyToTasker]

Eh, I have 7 more games saved to the DVR. Maybe, I'll have 8 after Sunday. That'd be about 31 saved since 2013. It'll get me through the offseason.

[Formerly Allan in MD]

We'll see about EJ's development program.

 

Now if the OL could only figure out how to pass block on a rather consistent basis.

[iinii]

So, good is average and everyone gets a trophy and then we have a group hug?

[Lofton80]

Good teams can tackle. Buffalo cannot tackle. Next DC better revisit that concept. That has nothing to do with schemes, fronts, responsibilities.

Too many terrible tacklers or unwilling tacklers to call this team good.

[ThrowingFitz]

I understand a lot of people wanted to see this team be successful. I have been a bills fan since the late 80's and would love nothing more than to see us become the dominating presence we once were. After the Superbowl years this team was gutted and left for dead. Ownership did nothing to help this team become relevant through some of the worse football I have ever seen. The damage that was done through the first decade of this century was deep and an uphill battle to fix. This team is rising and will soon be on top again. All the original points I made are evidence of something being built for success. The next part is getting on board as a fan to support this team. Part of the winning culture at one bills drive comes from the fan base. I swear its like people are stuck in the past and cant see anything good on the horizon unless its a QB that passes for 400 yards 4 TD's and 0 int every game.

[CodeMonkey]

Obviously the team is fantastic. They have been this entire century so far. The Bills front office and ownership just hasn't wanted the rest of the NFL to feel bad so they intentionally kept themselves out of the playoffs, knowing the fans would understand. Pretty damn nice of us all if you ask me.