The main reason we are a 7-5 team and not a 10-2 one at this time.

[Italian Bills]

Every aspect you bros have mentioned is correct. Bad rush defense, bad OL, very bad backs and running game, Daboll, Frazier… and some of you said McDermott too. 
We had great expectations at the beginning of the season.. media thought we were one of the SB favorite .. great offense with a MVP caliber QB, great receivers, great defense over all. 
Ok, we knew we were lacking at backs position.. but maybe not that bad.. and anyway we had Josh Allen, our MVP caliber QB. I always thought that in order to become a SB contender, everything start with the QB position and honestly i still think we have one of the top 5. Maybe top 3. 
 

But, but, but … to me, the main problem to this team is the lack of BALLS and GRITTY ATTITUDE. And i didn’t start thinking like that right after the MNF loss, i always had this feeling about this team. 
We could compete against every team… we have the talent to be a 10-2 team at this moment, a 9-3 at worst, but we are 7-5 because we lost some game because our softness.

 

And this is not something you can fix… or you have it, or you don’t, i mean the mental strength to play every game and every snap like if it was the last one, a snap that can win or lose a game. 
The best teams in every sports have always few players, leaders by example, that drag the rest of the team.. and this beside the talent. 
 

Of course many of you won’t agree with me, i totally respect that, but this is my personal point. 

[ALLEN1QB]

I agree 100% BTW why does Jerry Hughes not get any blame? Guy is making a ton of cash I never hear his name called for doing anything during the game.

[OnTheRocks]

I think it's the OL play.  Feliciano is a huge loss. He's that gritty leader you talk about that's been missing.  

And Daryl Williams - I don't have a snap count, but it seems like he's been in and out of the line up and inconsistent.  

Dawkins had some early games where he looked average at best.  

Morse is getting old.  Ford has been a guy that was expected to be a starter and has managed to play his way into being a backup.

Spencer Brown is a positive addition but he's still improving.

 

Spencer Brown by the way, for those of you that have been around for a long time, reminds me of Joe Devlin and Ken Jones.  

[goldenboy81]

I can't remember a Bills team that was mentally and physically tough.

Everytime they play a team like that,they get pushed around like chumps.

[Italian Bills]

Just now, ALLEN1QB said:

I agree 100% BTW why does Jerry Hughes not get any blame? Guy is making a ton of cash I never hear his name called for doing anything during the game.

Because, maybe, he’s just another “normal” reason, not the main one that i talked about.  

[Gordio]

You make a lot of good points.  I will state this though, the NFL is so competitive now.  Most games are decided by a bounce or two.  Even this NE game, yeah I get they rushed for 200 + yards but if any of 4 or 5 things go the other way we win that game.  

 

- the good 2 point conversion

- diggs dropping the td pass

- bass missing that 30 yard fg.  

- not getting the holding call on knox in the endzone at the end of the game

 

 

Last year it seemed like we won all the close games.  1st NE game, seatle, rams, even the colts and Baltimore playoff game.  This year it seems like we are losing all the close games - Titans, Jags, NE,.

 

 

It truly is a game of inches and the biggest reason our record isnt the same as last year is we are not winning the one possession games this year

[Italian Bills]

Just now, goldenboy81 said:

I can't remember a Bills team that was mentally and physically tough.

Everytime they play a team like that,they get pushed around like chumps.

I can not disagree at all. It’s something belonging to this Franchise, at this point. 

[KOKBILLS]

1 minute ago, ALLEN1QB said:

I agree 100% BTW why does Jerry Hughes not get any blame? Guy is making a ton of cash I never hear his name called for doing anything during the game.

 

The Hughes thing is the same as the O-Line thing...Same as Addison...Same as Vernon Butler...etc...

 

It's always best to be a year early than a year late. The Bills are suffering for their loyalty IMHO...

 

If you agree with the Bills thinking on the D-Line, then it's OK to Draft DE in Rounds 1 and 2, after Drafting DE with their 1st pick (2nd Rd) the year before, so the vet DE's get more rest(?)...Now...the Defense has been pretty good this year...But those resources could have been spent to help in other, more needy areas...Especially after you Draft the 2 kids...

[SCBills]

It all starts on the lines.  You look soft if your line play is soft.  

 

Doesn't matter how tough and determined the QB is, doesn't matter how much dog is in the WR's...none of that matters if you can't control the LOS.  

 

This coaching staff needs to accept that this probably won't change until the offseason.  We are built to pass, and defend the pass.  We struggle to run, and defend the run. 

 

Logical conclusion is to play to your strengths and not let the opponent or the weather dictate what we do.  We were reactive on Monday Night, and that's soft coaching.  Hopefully Allen's 4th Quarter makes it click for them that, no matter what, this is a passing team.  

 

Edited December 8, 2021 by SCBills

[Italian Bills]

1 minute ago, Gordio said:

You make a lot of good points.  I will state this though, the NFL is so competitive now.  Most games are decided by a bounce or two.  Even this NE game, yeah I get they rushed for 200 + yards but if any of 4 or 5 things go the other way we win that game.  

 

- the good 2 point conversion

- diggs dropping the td pass

- bass missing that 30 yard fg.  

- not getting the holding call on knox in the endzone at the end of the game

 

 

Last year it seemed like we won all the close games.  1st NE game, seatle, rams, even the colts and Baltimore playoff game.  This year it seems like we are losing all the close games - Titans, Jags, NE,.

 

 

It truly is a game of inches and the biggest reason our record isnt the same as last year is we are not winning the one possession games this year

Your point is good, so you are saying that the difference between last year and this one is bad luck on few plays during the games we lost ? It could be… but if you play HARD all the entire game, with the talent we have, you won’t be almost never in a luck-bad luck situation.

[NewEra]

I don’t equate making lots of mistakes with softness.  
 

Imo, that’s why we’re are where we are.  Making stupid mistakes.  Timely penalties.  Timely missed blocks.  Timely drops.  Timely 2 offensive lineman getting bulldozed in a millisecond on 4th and 1 while the QB slips.  Return man falls on his face while running untouched and gives give the ball away.  Timely punts blocked for a TD.   
 

I think we’ve been our worst enemy in most of our losses.  Steelers, Jags, pats and titans.  The colts game was on the coaches imo.  

On a greater scale- I feel the biggest issue is our offense.  More specifically, our lack of a run game.  It was our downfall last season.  It was discussed ad nauseam in the offseason.  Beane and mcdermott admitted that we needed to improve the run.  I order to fix it, they decided to bring back the same guys that couldn’t run block last year.  Spencer Brown (who most of us saw as a redshirt in 2021 until Williams turned out to be Bobby Hart clone after getting paid) and sign a Rb that would be inactive for over half the season.  
 

that’s MY rationale anyway.  

 

 

i don’t think we are losing because we’re soft.  

 

[Italian Bills]

5 minutes ago, SCBills said:

It all starts on the lines.  You look soft if your line play is soft.  

 

Doesn't matter how tough and determined the QB is, doesn't matter how much dog is in the WR's...none of that matters if you can't control the LOS.  

 

This coaching staff needs to accept that this probably won't change until the offseason.  We are built to pass, and defend the pass.  We struggle to run, and defend the run. 

 

Logical conclusion is to play to your strengths and not let the opponent or the weather dictate what we do.  We were reactive on Monday Night, and that's soft coaching.  Hopefully Allen's 4th Quarter makes it click for them that, no matter what, this is a passing team.  

 

Agree that the core of a team, DL and OL, can influence the success of a team, and correct too that if you have a mvp caliber qb you have to protect him at first and if if you get destroyed by heavy running teams, you have to focus on strengthen that weak part of the team. 

But in order to do that, you have to look for and add “killer type” players, before looking for talent, because on the lines you must have killer type players. 
 

 

[Hapless Bills Fan]

31 minutes ago, Italian Bills said:

Every aspect you bros have mentioned is correct. Bad rush defense, bad OL, very bad backs and running game, Daboll, Frazier… and some of you said McDermott too. 
We had great expectations at the beginning of the season.. media thought we were one of the SB favorite .. great offense with a MVP caliber QB, great receivers, great defense over all. 
Ok, we knew we were lacking at backs position.. but maybe not that bad.. and anyway we had Josh Allen, our MVP caliber QB. I always thought that in order to become a SB contender, everything start with the QB position and honestly i still think we have one of the top 5. Maybe top 3. 
 

But, but, but … to me, the main problem to this team is the lack of BALLS and GRITTY ATTITUDE. And i didn’t start thinking like that right after the MNF loss, i always had this feeling about this team. 
We could compete against every team… we have the talent to be a 10-2 team at this moment, a 9-3 at worst, but we are 7-5 because we lost some game because our softness.

 

And this is not something you can fix… or you have it, or you don’t, i mean the mental strength to play every game and every snap like if it was the last one, a snap that can win or lose a game. 
The best teams in every sports have always few players, leaders by example, that drag the rest of the team.. and this beside the talent. 
 

Of course many of you won’t agree with me, i totally respect that, but this is my personal point. 

 

Softness, Schmoftness.

 

IMO what's soft and squishy is this analysis.

 

We're not losing because we're "soft". 

 

We're losing because we shoot ourselves in the foot with stupid drive killing penalties and errors of execution - dropped passes and fumbles and sacks are the most visible errors of execution, but there are less-visible, similar errors of technique on defense.

[Italian Bills]

2 minutes ago, NewEra said:

I don’t equate making lots of mistakes with softness.  
 

Imo, that’s why we’re are where we are.  Making stupid mistakes.  Timely penalties.  Timely missed blocks.  Timely drops.  Timely 2 offensive lineman getting bulldozed in a millisecond on 4th and 1 while the QB slips.  Return man falls on his face while running untouched and gives give the ball away.  Timely punts blocked for a TD.   
 

I think we’ve been our worst enemy in most of our losses.  Steelers, Jags, pats and titans.  The colts game was on the coaches imo.  

On a greater scale- I feel the biggest issue is our offense.  More specifically, our lack of a run game.  It was our downfall last season.  It was discussed ad nauseam in the offseason.  Beane and mcdermott admitted that we needed to improve the run.  I order to fix it, they decided to bring back the same guys that couldn’t run block last year.  Spencer Brown (who most of us saw as a redshirt in 2021 until Williams turned out to be Bobby Hart clone after getting paid) and sign a Rb that would be inactive for over half the season.  
 

that’s MY rationale anyway.  

 

 

i don’t think we are losing because we’re soft.  

 

And I respect your opinion at all… agreeing with you about our embarrassing mistakes during many games we played, also in the ones we won. 

[Bleeding Bills Blue]

36 minutes ago, Italian Bills said:

Every aspect you bros have mentioned is correct. Bad rush defense, bad OL, very bad backs and running game, Daboll, Frazier… and some of you said McDermott too. 
We had great expectations at the beginning of the season.. media thought we were one of the SB favorite .. great offense with a MVP caliber QB, great receivers, great defense over all. 
Ok, we knew we were lacking at backs position.. but maybe not that bad.. and anyway we had Josh Allen, our MVP caliber QB. I always thought that in order to become a SB contender, everything start with the QB position and honestly i still think we have one of the top 5. Maybe top 3. 
 

But, but, but … to me, the main problem to this team is the lack of BALLS and GRITTY ATTITUDE. And i didn’t start thinking like that right after the MNF loss, i always had this feeling about this team. 
We could compete against every team… we have the talent to be a 10-2 team at this moment, a 9-3 at worst, but we are 7-5 because we lost some game because our softness.

 

And this is not something you can fix… or you have it, or you don’t, i mean the mental strength to play every game and every snap like if it was the last one, a snap that can win or lose a game. 
The best teams in every sports have always few players, leaders by example, that drag the rest of the team.. and this beside the talent. 
 

Of course many of you won’t agree with me, i totally respect that, but this is my personal point. 

 

I'd say 0-4 in 1 score games comes to mind.  Blocked punt week 1.  Titans sneak.  Some turnovers in the jags.  2 RZ attempts and 0 points against NE.  

 

NE on the other hand is 3-3 in 1 score games.  

 

2 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Softness, Schmoftness.

 

IMO what's soft and squishy is this analysis.

 

We're not losing because we're "soft". 

 

We're losing because we shoot ourselves in the foot with stupid drive killing penalties and errors of execution - dropped passes and fumbles and sacks are the most visible errors of execution, but there are less-visible, similar errors of technique on defense.

 

Yep - jags game comes down to a 40 something yard bass FG if daryl williams doesn't completely whiff on a block at the end of the game.  Pittsburgh game buffalo was giving up yards but not TDs for the most part, and that blocked punt (whoever missed assignment) basically cost them the game.  Dawkins whiffed on a block on that QB sneak and it cost them the game.  If Moss bounces his run outside i think he at least gets close to the end zone for a sneak - the outside containment guy had completely abandoned it.  

Edited December 8, 2021 by dneveu

[Hapless Bills Fan]

3 minutes ago, NewEra said:

I don’t equate making lots of mistakes with softness.  
 

Imo, that’s why we’re are where we are.  Making stupid mistakes.  Timely penalties.  Timely missed blocks.  Timely drops.  Timely 2 offensive lineman getting bulldozed in a millisecond on 4th and 1 while the QB slips.  Return man falls on his face while running untouched and gives give the ball away.  Timely punts blocked for a TD.   
 

I think we’ve been our worst enemy in most of our losses.  Steelers, Jags, pats and titans.  The colts game was on the coaches imo.  

On a greater scale- I feel the biggest issue is our offense.  More specifically, our lack of a run game.  It was our downfall last season.  It was discussed ad nauseam in the offseason.  Beane and mcdermott admitted that we needed to improve the run.  I order to fix it, they decided to bring back the same guys that couldn’t run block last year.  Spencer Brown (who most of us saw as a redshirt in 2021 until Williams turned out to be Bobby Hart clone after getting paid) and sign a Rb that would be inactive for over half the season.  
 

that’s MY rationale anyway. 

 

i don’t think we are losing because we’re soft. 

 

This.  Right on.

 

However, in Beane's defense, I think that the coaches and he sat down after the game and decided that most of the problems with the run game were fixable with the personnel we had, with the addition of a speed back (Breida) and the assumption that between Ford, Feliciano, Boettger, Lamp, Douglas, and Bates we'd come up with 2 servicable guards.

 

The problem with counting on Breida is that there just may be a reason he could never see the field in Miami and couldn't see the field the first part of this season - and I think we've just seen it - terrible terrible fundamental execution of a handoff, not getting his role in the play call correct whether it be blocking or executing a screen, etc.

[No_Matter_What]

It is amazing to me how quickly people forgot that this is basically the same team which was 15-4 last year against tougher schedule including two wins in playoffs against teams which are definitely not viewed as "soft".

 

Main reason why are we not 10-2 (or even 11-1) is that we don't execute in RZ. And that is on McD, Daboll, Josh, OL, RBs, TEs and WRs, and I think that all deserve some fair share of blame.

 

And again, that is also the main reason I think we can still turn season around - it can be fixed within season.

[Italian Bills]

2 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Softness, Schmoftness.

 

IMO what's soft and squishy is this analysis.

 

We're not losing because we're "soft". 

 

We're losing because we shoot ourselves in the foot with stupid drive killing penalties and errors of execution - dropped passes and fumbles and sacks are the most visible errors of execution, but there are less-visible, similar errors of technique on defense.

“IMO what's soft and squishy is this analysis.”  Thank you for this nice comment. I never pretended to have the holy truth, i just shared my personal opinion respecting, many times agreeing and not judging others.  Anyway i already said that stupid mistakes have been another great reason we lost many games, maybe it all start with lack of focus. 

4 minutes ago, No_Matter_What said:

It is amazing to me how quickly people forgot that this is basically the same team which was 15-4 last year against tougher schedule including two wins in playoffs against teams which are definitely not viewed as "soft".

 

Main reason why are we not 10-2 (or even 11-1) is that we don't execute in RZ. And that is on McD, Daboll, Josh, OL, RBs, TEs and WRs, and I think that all deserve some fair share of blame.

 

And again, that is also the main reason I think we can still turn season around - it can be fixed within season.

I hope i’m wrong and you right bro. 

[PromoTheRobot]

The big reason we lost to JAX and TEN was not winning to take 3 points when we had the chance. For sure the Jags game.

[JoPoy88]

58 minutes ago, Italian Bills said:

Every aspect you bros have mentioned is correct. Bad rush defense, bad OL, very bad backs and running game, Daboll, Frazier… and some of you said McDermott too. 
We had great expectations at the beginning of the season.. media thought we were one of the SB favorite .. great offense with a MVP caliber QB, great receivers, great defense over all. 
Ok, we knew we were lacking at backs position.. but maybe not that bad.. and anyway we had Josh Allen, our MVP caliber QB. I always thought that in order to become a SB contender, everything start with the QB position and honestly i still think we have one of the top 5. Maybe top 3. 
 

But, but, but … to me, the main problem to this team is the lack of BALLS and GRITTY ATTITUDE. And i didn’t start thinking like that right after the MNF loss, i always had this feeling about this team. 
We could compete against every team… we have the talent to be a 10-2 team at this moment, a 9-3 at worst, but we are 7-5 because we lost some game because our softness.

 

And this is not something you can fix… or you have it, or you don’t, i mean the mental strength to play every game and every snap like if it was the last one, a snap that can win or lose a game. 
The best teams in every sports have always few players, leaders by example, that drag the rest of the team.. and this beside the talent. 
 

Of course many of you won’t agree with me, i totally respect that, but this is my personal point. 

I guarantee you would never call any Bills player or coach soft or tell them they lack balls to their face.