mannc Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 10 minutes ago, Beast said: Because the Bills were the Chiefs. Except the Chiefs won the Super Bowl...
BillsFanSD Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 Definitely Bruce / pass rush. We're missing that badly right now. This team doesn't have a Thurman Thomas either, but nobody really does anymore -- this is just a different era of football in which the RB position isn't all that terribly important. The days of building an offense around guys like Thurman, Barry, Marshal Faulk, etc. are pretty much over. 1
mannc Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 2 minutes ago, BillsFanSD said: this is just a different era of football in which the RB position isn't all that terribly important. The days of building an offense around guys like Thurman, Barry, Marshal Faulk, etc. are pretty much over. Well, bad teams like the Giants still try to build around RBs...and at any rate, the 90s Bills Offense was built around Jim Kelly, not Thurman Thomas.
ALF Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 Would also be nice to have a backup QB like Frank Reich.
Big Turk Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 (edited) 8 hours ago, westside2 said: Off the top of my head, I would say pass rush and running back. I would be interested to see the Bills apply some sort of variation of the K-gun. I think we have the weapons to pull it off. Singletary is a stud. It's a passing league, he is not going to put up huge numbers. He will likely be between 15-20 touches a game. Last year he averaged about 22 touches(19.7 rushing, 2.4 receiving) a game, this year he is averaging a little over 16(12.3 rushing, 4 receiving) a game. His workload is down in that regard but he has turned into a very good pass blocker which he struggled with last year at times. His career average is 4.9 YPC and he makes defenders look silly one on one. How much better do you need him? Edited October 8, 2020 by matter2003 2
BillsPride12 Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 This team is a stud edge rusher away from being a legit Super Bowl contender in my opinion
H2o Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 8 hours ago, westside2 said: Off the top of my head, I would say pass rush and running back. I would be interested to see the Bills apply some sort of variation of the K-gun. I think we have the weapons to pull it off. This. There is no Bruce Smith. There is no Biscuit. There is no Thurman Thomas. 1
Nihilarian Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 Its not just one area that isn't quite as good as back then. Bills OC Ted Marchibroda taught Jim Kelly to call his own plays and basically had the offense run the 2-min drill all game as the "hurry up". Kelly was very astute running that 2- min drill so it worked very well. Ole Ted also had the Bills run an old Redskin scheme called the "counter trey" in which the O linemen would start one way and shift the other way. Thurman and his cutbacks which few teams could stop. Yes, Thurman Thomas was a huge part of those teams as most seasons the Bills ran more than they passed the ball. Thurman was around 70% of the offense and was Marshall Faulk before Marshall Faulk. 2000 yard all around player running and catching it. The offensive line was better back then with pro bowl Will Wolford at LT and Kent Hull at center an all pro and pro bowler, pro bowler Jim Ritcher at LG. Their problem was with depth. I don't think many teams in this era (besides the Cowboys, Colts) give much credit to how important a top offensive guard is to an offense. The Bills had a demon on special teams like no other team in the NFL had in 7 time pro bowler, MVP of the pro bowl, Steve Tasker. Opposing teams needed to put two players on him and he still got to the ball carrier. Why this man is not in the HoF is beyond me. Lastly, the defense. Bills GM Bill Polian built his defenses with speed on the ends with Bruce Smith and Biscuit. The Bills had two stellar pass rushers. This matters much in the same sense that you need more than one, two good WRs. The Bills this season now look like those 90's Bills with Andre Reed, Don Beebe and James Lofton with Beasley, Brown, Diggs. While the Bills had a good defense they found the best way to dominate other teams was to get a lead and unleash their hellish pass rush on poor opposing QB's. One game Bruce made Salisbury steaks out of Colts QB Sean Salisbury. Anyway, the weakness on the Bills defense was the interior defensive line and if they couldn't get a lead and the opponent ran the ball well, that defense had a much more difficult time stopping the run. Bottom line, better pass rush, better O line. Better commitment to running the ball with a power run game like the Titans have. Singletary might be enough as last season he had the very same yard per carry as Titans star RB Derrick Henry with a 5.1 yards per rushing attempt average. Having super stars at CB isn't that great an advantage if you can't stop the run. Tom Brady is now a Buc.
GunnerBill Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 6 hours ago, BullBuchanan said: If we had Jim Scwartz's defense, we'd be unstoppable. If Jim Schwartz had Jim Schwartz's defense Philly might not suck. 1
machine gun kelly Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 8 hours ago, thronethinker said: Bruce was part of the late 80s teams and no doubt he was a major contributor to the SB teams, but in the end the team didnt make the SB until it made substantial changes to the offense play. This was mostly Kelly, Thurman, and Reed. They changed the tempo of the game. We have that ability now with Josh and the receivers, but I am talking about a Thurman Thomas. Is Josh our Thurman Thomas? I would like to think so, but time will tell. It wasn’t just Thurmon, Kelly and Reed. They had Lofton (HOF) and Beebe who won a SB in Green Bay, and an excellent RB to compliment Thurmon in Kenny Davis as well as Jamie Meuller as a solid FB. We have Diggs, Brown, Beasley, but also Davis emerging, and I have faith Moss will compliment Motor soon enough. It’s only been four games. There is never going to be another Bruce, but we have a lot of talent on that defense. Tre is better than any CB we had back in those days. Defenses are winning a lot more from the back forward and forward to back like in the 90’s. The rules have changed, and the way the game has schemed has changed. We’re going to be fine and as much as I loved Marv and Polian, we have something special in McD, Beane, and yes, Daboll. The future’s so bright, we’ll need to get the shades out. Whenever we play the Titans, if we play the Titans will be fun. Our top flight secondary will shut down Tannehill’s passing offense, amd it will be the Henry show, but our D will keep everything in front of them. I can see Henry running for 130 yards, but Tannehill only getting maybe 145 yards in the air, and our offenses will be shock and awe against their defense. 1
BillsFanSD Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 42 minutes ago, mannc said: Bills Offense was built around Jim Kelly, not Thurman Thomas. Couldn't disagree more strongly with this. Kelly was great of course, but Thomas was really the engine of that offense. 1 1
jwhit34 Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 At this stage of their careers: QB: Kelly is better than Allen RB: Thomas is way better, #1 or #2 reason SB team is > present day OL: Brought up a little but the Super Bowl teams' OL was terrific, better than present day WR: Pretty even, Reed-Diggs is close, I'd take Lofton over Brown and Beasley over Beebe TE: Not close Super Bowl teams better DL: Bruce is the other #1 or #2 reason SB team is > present day LB: I'll take Talley/Bennett/Conlan over Milano and Edmunds DB: Today's DBs are better because of Tre and safeties Special Teams: Super Bowl teams better in kicking game and had guys like Tasker and Pike anchoring coverage, Roberts a better return guy though
Hebert19 Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 9 hours ago, thronethinker said: Looking back at the early 90s Bills it is obvious that the team had several Hall of Fame Members associated with it. In fact it is one of the highest number of HOF members associated with any one NFL team between 1990-1992 add in NFL history. The late 80s team was very complete but still lacked that edge before 1990 to get into the SB. The Bennet trade was a difference maker but not what got the team to the SB. In the end the difference was going to the no huddle and utilizing Thurman Thomas as a dual threat at RB or Receiver. You cannot argue this point, the Bills went from contenders to SB plus 4 when they optimized Thurman Thomas in the no huddle. Today I see a very promising team with Allen and the receivers. Our D should rebound. But what is our formulation to get over that hump like the late 80s teams? I like our chances out scoring other teams every week, but we lack that No Huddle or Thurman Thomas factor of the 90s teams. Diggs is a major piece and it shows, but I just feel we are are missing piece away from domination. Bruce Smith
BobbyC81 Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 6 hours ago, Wizard said: It was easier to keep a team together back in the early 90s. Free agency is the biggest difference from the 90s. Agree with other posters on DE, RB, LB, and just overall depth. Yes...these Bills are good, but it would take a hall of fame level DE, a solid right side of the OL, another solid linebacker, and a MVP-level running back before we can compare the two teams. A top level DE and Singletary averaging 1200+ yards is the next step/level. Let's keep building and win a playoff game first! I ‘d say, along with free agency, the salary cap prevents teams from keeping top players for a long team. You can’t sign everyone to big contracts.
Chicharito Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 10 hours ago, westside2 said: Off the top of my head, I would say pass rush and running back. I would be interested to see the Bills apply some sort of variation of the K-gun. I think we have the weapons to pull it off. K-gun was tailored around Keith mckeller a good pass catching TE. Pretty much automatic catches when thrown too. We don’t have that. 1
Beast Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 1 hour ago, mannc said: Except the Chiefs won the Super Bowl... Really?
eball Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 I think the flaw in this question is that there is no “formula” to being a SB competitor, aside from typically needing a top QB. To presume the Bills need to “re-create” the 90s squads is folly. The current team lacks only experience and a resume of coming out on top against good teams. The last two weeks have been huge in that regard, however. I mean, sure, who doesn’t want another Bruce or Thurman? 1
GunnerBill Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 1 minute ago, eball said: I think the flaw in this question is that there is no “formula” to being a SB competitor, aside from typically needing a top QB. To presume the Bills need to “re-create” the 90s squads is folly. The current team lacks only experience and a resume of coming out on top against good teams. The last two weeks have been huge in that regard, however. I mean, sure, who doesn’t want another Bruce or Thurman? Agree there is no precise formula. But I do think that real dominant Dline presence is the missing piece. If Ed can become that consistently (cos when he is playing well our whole D works better) or we can find a pass rusher off the edge of that ilk then we are gonna be extremely hard to stop.
SoCal Deek Posted October 8, 2020 Posted October 8, 2020 It’s definitely the defensive front seven and as so many have said, Bruce Smith. I’m really not sure how the current front office and coaching staff haven’t been able to recognize and/or address this glaring hole. It doesn’t seem like it should be that hard to get a guy who can put consistent pressure on the QB.
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