Good perspective on how good we were last year

[PBF81]

3 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

NOWHERE in your post does it talk about going nine and eight and winning the Super Bowl

 

You’re not all over the place and your argument your argument is just awful through and through

 

Then you need to look at what I'm responding to before responding to me.  

 

You've typically responded to my responses to others, when my responses were in that context.  

 

It's easy to "overlap" here, I fully understand.  

 

 

[Nephilim17]

We were a top-5 team last year but unless we're fully healthy — with Von, Hyde and Poyer — winning a championship is going to be very tough. Top 5 beats where we were for almost two decades but it ain't good enough without good health and good luck.

 

Maybe new talent this year, and good health, will change that.

[Aussie Joe]

Just now, Nephilim17 said:

We were a top-5 team last year but unless we're fully healthy — with Von, Hyde and Poyer — winning a championship is going to be very tough. Top 5 beats where we were for almost two decades but it ain't good enough without good health and good luck.

 

Maybe new talent this year, and good health, will change that.

We had a really unfortunate year with injuries … so yes this was a factor .

And we certainly didn’t have much luck… 

 

I think we need to include better coaching … some flexibility around D Scheme… a bit more patience on O to take what’s on offer rather than bombs away…

 

I think both of these will happen next year … 

 

 

 

[Dr. Who]

1 minute ago, Aussie Joe said:

We had a really unfortunate year with injuries … so yes this was a factor .

And we certainly didn’t have much luck… 

 

I think we need to include better coaching … some flexibility around D Scheme… a bit more patience on O to take what’s on offer rather than bombs away…

 

I think both of these will happen next year … 

 

 

 

I think Beane needs to find some players that can contribute year one in the draft and McDermott has to show more willingness to let them learn on the job. Virtual redshirt years for rookies isn't going to cut it when your franchise qb is no longer on his rookie deal. I believe Beane needs to spend more early resources on offense. I'm not convinced at all that just showing Saffold the door and bringing in two younger, modestly competent replacements is sufficient to fix the bottom third oline. I do think some scheme tweaks on D could make more difference than folks generally suppose. Regardless, this take is in the plausible optimistic category and I certainly hope it proves true.

[Mikie2times]

I don’t think most on here ever thought we weren’t a very good team. We just want a Super Bowl and are concerned at how the season has ended the last few years and if we can get over the hump with the systems we have in place, the coaches, and certain areas of the roster. I really don’t think most on here care anymore about regular season wins (I agree they should, as I think breaking thru in the playoffs is best served by getting there a lot, it just hasn’t happened yet)

[Jay_Fixit]

12 hours ago, phypon said:

When do we get our participation trophies?  Asking for a friend...

You won’t get one since you’re just an alleged fan. The actual team might be in consideration though.

 

But you. No. Since you’re not on the team. Or any team. Whatsoever.

[Dopey]

15 hours ago, PBF81 said:

 

It was a helluva Regular season.

 

The postseason was the antithesis of the regular season however.  

 

Barely beating a Wild Card team at home in huge energy prior to getting smoked by the Bengals behind a scrub OL is low end.  

 

 

 

Just as going 13-3 or 9-8 and getting smoked in the playoffs is the same ultimate result, ... If we're going to apply the same standard there.  

 

Just sayin' 

 

 

With all due respect, watching 5 more losses isn’t the same. Letting a playoff loss ruin a great season is up to you. I love watching winning football. Over the past few years we’ve had one of the best records. I know,I know playoff losses. Not for nothing, but we’re 4-3 in the playoffs the last three seasons. We were a coin toss away from beating KC in the playoffs. I enjoyed every playoff win AND the loss to KC was such a great game to watch. The season is over, enjoy your family, friends and hobbies. I am. Looking forward to another fun season. 
GO BILLS!!

[CSBill]

18 hours ago, Limeaid said:

 

He reminds me of a instructor in college who for a "weed out" class for Computer Science he said there will be one grade (90+ students).

I did get the A and he was furious when he found out that the A did not go to a computer science major.  He told me I should not be in that class.

 

Following semester I was in second class and when he saw me in class said I should take a different class and I told him I tried but there were no slots available since "computer science majors" were avoiding his classes filling up other sessions.  New grading rules stated that A's would go to computer science majors only since they needed this class to be majors.  I gave new grading rules to CS dean and stated according to University rules classes are supposed to be equally graded to all students.  He was forced to change it with warning he would be watching him.

 

As I tell my students, “all grading is a subjective process, so be nice to me!” 🤪

[Eastport bills]

21 hours ago, BillsFan619 said:

“Even with Josh Allen throwing more INTs than he should’ve, even though they didn’t have the running game they should’ve, even though they lost Von Miller to injury, they still went THIRTEEN and THREE!”

 

This doesn’t even include all the other significant injuries we had on top of all the adversity that we faced and dealt with. All this and still 13-3.
 

Click on the link to watch the video. It’s only over a minute long. It’s good. Here’s to 2023. Go Bills!

 

https://www.espn.com/video/clip/_/id/36091817

 

While it still ended in a way none of us wanted it to, I wonder if it came down to running out of gas or having a bad day than the Bengals being SOO much better of a team. While we were watching the game, my wife even said that she didn’t recognize the team that was out there, and before that game, we lost THREE games by a total of EIGHT points! Heck, we even beat KC (the SB Champs) in their house last year.

 

@Success - supports your point of how some let one game define who we were

 

@Aussie Joe and @Dukestreetking, the link is now working. Thanks for the heads up!

The team was clearly compromised by the incredible challenges and injuries. That doesn’t explain the obvious weaknesses that were exposed in that playoff game against Cinn.. The O-line was manhandled by their defensive front making Josh’s life miserable. The defensive front was ineffective both in pressuring  Burrow and stopping the run. They almost looked undersized. The secondary looked  a step slow and confused at times. The play calling by Dorsey was representative of a first year OC that was predictable and went for the big play rather than taking what the defense gave you. As much as the personnel changes will be needed to improve both units, Dorsey must evolve this year or get replaced. Sean, must be more proactive in putting his imprint on the team. Last season he deferred to Frazier and admitted that the defense was not physical or aggressive enough and the offense had no effective running attack, went away from Diggs and tried to force the home run ball to receivers who couldn’t separate. We have a great, young QB but last season’s team and coaching staff was not ready to win it all.

[Thurman#1]

19 hours ago, PBF81 said:

 

I'll write happily accept going 9-8, squeaking into the playoffs as the 7th seed, them tearing it up to win a championship.  

 

Obviously the point of the regular season is to make the playoffs, and once in the playoffs, to advance therein.  

 

For anyone talking as if simply posting a good season is fine, I'd  absolutely love to hear them go tell the players that in a "motivational" speech before the season opener.  

 

 

 

 

Yeah, we get it.

 

Thing is, that means that 31 teams every year sucked. Which simply isn't true. Having a good season is terrific. A ton better than having a bad season. Not as good as winning a championship, but still a very good thing.

 

There are plenty of ways to have a really good season without winning a championship. The team that wins the championship had a better season, but anyone who thinks the Eagles had a terrible year last year just hasn't a clue. Same with us. To do so well with a player dying on the field, with a mass shooting in the city, with two man-killing blizzards, with the only time in NFL history that a team had 3 away games in a row in a total of 12 games, and all the rest, was a great accomplishment. 

 

Agreed it would have been much better if we'd won a Lombardi, but 31 teams didn't.

 

[Thurman#1]

2 hours ago, Eastport bills said:

The team was clearly compromised by the incredible challenges and injuries. That doesn’t explain the obvious weaknesses that were exposed in that playoff game against Cinn.. The O-line was manhandled by their defensive front making Josh’s life miserable. The defensive front was ineffective both in pressuring  Burrow and stopping the run. They almost looked undersized. The secondary looked  a step slow and confused at times. The play calling by Dorsey was representative of a first year OC that was predictable and went for the big play rather than taking what the defense gave you. As much as the personnel changes will be needed to improve both units, Dorsey must evolve this year or get replaced. Sean, must be more proactive in putting his imprint on the team. Last season he deferred to Frazier and admitted that the defense was not physical or aggressive enough and the offense had no effective running attack, went away from Diggs and tried to force the home run ball to receivers who couldn’t separate. We have a great, young QB but last season’s team and coaching staff was not ready to win it all.

 

 

They looked plenty ready to win it all in most of the games last year, but particularly before Von Miller's injury.

 

But the Cincinnati game was very clearly an absolutely terrible game. The players simply played badly. And it wasn't because they were bad players, they played awful in that game. Someone else in this thread said I believe that his wife said they didn't look like the Bills. Yeah. 1000%. I was thinking the same thing and so was about half the country. And the players themselves made it very clear in the post-game interviews that they felt the same.

 

"“There was no real energy, juice, no momentum.” said linebacker Matt Milano. Milano also said they played "flat."

 

Those weren't all weaknesses being exposed. That was a team playing far below what they were capable of. Maybe the coaches too, but certainly the players. They had a terrible day. 

 

That doesn't mean that everything's OK now that we've established that and no changes need to be made or thought to be put into it. They do need to work on how to improve, as does every team. But they had a really bad game.

Edited April 8, 2023 by Thurman#1

[Sammy Watkins' Rib]

The conference is too heavy with the Bills, Chiefs and Bengals. I still think we match up just fine with the Chiefs. Bengals is another story obviously. We sure looked like we were on our way to being 0-2 against them this past season.

 

other problem is the conference and division especially is getting tougher. That is obvious since the Bills went 2-2 against the Jets and Dolphins and with all three games against the Dolphins being nail biters.

 

The Bills are still a really good team. Top three in the conference. But teams 4-6 in the conference are now nipping at our heals whereas before their was more separation.

[PBF81]

4 hours ago, Dopey said:

With all due respect, watching 5 more losses isn’t the same. Letting a playoff loss ruin a great season is up to you. I love watching winning football. Over the past few years we’ve had one of the best records. I know,I know playoff losses. Not for nothing, but we’re 4-3 in the playoffs the last three seasons. We were a coin toss away from beating KC in the playoffs. I enjoyed every playoff win AND the loss to KC was such a great game to watch. The season is over, enjoy your family, friends and hobbies. I am. Looking forward to another fun season. 
GO BILLS!!

 

So you'd rather go 13-3, scrape by a wild-card team, and lose embarrassingly to a sound playoff caliber team, but "being a coin toss away" otherwise, than to ... 

 

go 9-8, secure a Wild Card, then win four straight to win a championship.  

 

Well, OK, as I see it there's distinct difference there, but as I keep saying, everyone has different standards for what their expectations as fans are.  I'd take the championship hands down every time, even if it meant getting the 7th seed year after year barely eking out over .500 while continuing to win championships, or as stated above, even just one.  

 

GO BILLS!!!  

 

I'm hoping for a Super Bowl win & championship this season just as I was last season and will every season.  Once in the playoffs, the regular season record doesn't matter a hill of beans or a cup of ranch dressing otherwise.  

 

 

[Figster]

14 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

Nah. By that measure the Super Bowl Bills were awful through most of those four years. And they weren't. They weren't quite the best, damn it, but they were excellent.

 

Doesn't make sense to judge by one game. It just doesn't.

If you asked me If the Buffalo Bills played as well as they are capable of playing vs Cinci /playoffs, my answer is absolutely not. Josh Allen had a bad day which is not normal for him in big games. 

 

Ultimately though regardless of the circumstances someone needs to take responsibility for the poor play so I'll start at the top with Bills HC McD. Both Dorsey and Frazier were also out coached. Dorsey as a 1st year OC in the league has a reasonable excuse. Frazier, not so much and hes gone now. 

 

 

[Dopey]

9 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

 

So you'd rather go 13-3, scrape by a wild-card team, and lose embarrassingly to a sound playoff caliber team, but "being a coin toss away" otherwise, than to ... 

 

go 9-8, secure a Wild Card, then win four straight to win a championship.  

 

Well, OK, as I see it there's distinct difference there, but as I keep saying, everyone has different standards for what their expectations as fans are.  I'd take the championship hands down every time, even if it meant getting the 7th seed year after year barely eking out over .500 while continuing to win championships, or as stated above, even just one.  

 

GO BILLS!!!  

 

I'm hoping for a Super Bowl win & championship this season just as I was last season and will every season.  Once in the playoffs, the regular season record doesn't matter a hill of beans or a cup of ranch dressing otherwise.  

 

 

If you could guarantee a championship , sure, I’d take that. But you can’t, so give me division titles and a chance to win it. I think the team that lost the coin toss to KC  would have scored a td and won that game, and the SB. Again SBs aren’t guaranteed or that team would have won it all. I guess I’m saying that I’m enjoying the journey. Our window is definitely still open. 

[PBF81]

3 minutes ago, Dopey said:

If you could guarantee a championship , sure, I’d take that. But you can’t, so give me division titles and a chance to win it. I think the team that lost the coin toss to KC  would have scored a td and won that game, and the SB. Again SBs aren’t guaranteed or that team would have won it all. I guess I’m saying that I’m enjoying the journey. Our window is definitely still open. 

 

You're overstepping my entire point.  

 

 

[90sBills]

10 minutes ago, PBF81 said:

 

You're overstepping my entire point.  

 

 

The most homers of fans would acknowledge this team has failed in the playoffs regardless of the reasons why. Some are just saying that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a great reason because of it. I mean 13-3 is still more enjoyable than 9-7 is it not? Even if both ends with divisional losses. 

[PBF81]

42 minutes ago, 90sBills said:

The most homers of fans would acknowledge this team has failed in the playoffs regardless of the reasons why. Some are just saying that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy a great reason because of it. I mean 13-3 is still more enjoyable than 9-7 is it not? Even if both ends with divisional losses. 

 

Again, to me it depends upon the circumstances.  If we have the easiest schedule in the league and dust most teams, hit the playoffs and get dusted, then I don't derive as much enjoyment from it.  

 

I've always been the type to claim that I prefer doing well and winning the division in a tough division, not like the Pats did it for 20 years putting a proverbial asterisk next to their overall record.  

 

I like good, effective, and competent play.  If that means a loss to a playoff team, I'm good with that.  To me, if you can't win your division if it's tough, then you don't deserve to.  If you can't make the playoffs except by beating a soft schedule, similar to what we had last year, or even going 13-3 largely against non-playoff competition, but then stink the joint up in the playoffs, like we did barely beating Skylar Thompson and then losing to the Chiefs, then it doesn't do much for me. 

 

I'll put it another way, if someone "had a crystal ball" and told me ahead of time that we would go 14-3 on the merits of a soft schedule, win the division against three non-playoff (or simply eke-in wild-card teams), then lose in the D-round or even WC round, then yes, it would dampen my enjoyment of the season and I would as eagerly see to it to watch all the games.  If I had something better to do on Sundays I'd do that when it was convenient.  

 

But if some with the same crystal ball told me that the season would be a struggle, that we'd have a relatively or even one of the toughest schedules, go 10-7 or 9-8, get a Wild Card, then win four playoff games and win the championship, you can bet that I'd catch every game that I could and would even try to get to one or two games, home or away.  I'd be far more jacked under that scenario.  

 

Make sense?  

 

And BTW, you cannot possibly convince me that most people aren't numbed from how the season finished and that it hasn't dampened their expectations and hopes for this year.  I think feeds into this discussion as well.  

 

 

 

Edited April 8, 2023 by PBF81

[BananaB]

On 4/7/2023 at 1:52 PM, Figster said:

 Ok, I'll bite. The Bills were out coached on both sides of the football vs Cinci/playoffs. Josh Allen played his worst game of the season. The Bills couldn't even get the right cleats on their feet in a home playoff game.  All when it mattered the most.

 

Is that better for you?

It does seem like every time we play in these games we are the team slipping. Looked that way earlier in the season when we played Miami. Looked that way when the Colts thrashed us the year before. 

[Eastport bills]

2 hours ago, Thurman#1 said:

 

 

They looked plenty ready to win it all in most of the games last year, but particularly before Von Miller's injury.

 

But the Cincinnati game was very clearly an absolutely terrible game. The players simply played badly. And it wasn't because they were bad players, they played awful in that game. Someone else in this thread said I believe that his wife said they didn't look like the Bills. Yeah. 1000%. I was thinking the same thing and so was about half the country. And the players themselves made it very clear in the post-game interviews that they felt the same.

 

Those weren't weaknesses being exposed, That was a team playing far below what they were capable of.

You might have a legitimate point if we didn’t see the problems referenced in the previous games vs Cinn, NE, and Miami twice.Why won’t you acknowledge that there were glaring weaknesses in our defense, allowing a 3rd string QB to have a chance to end our season with a good drive with their last possession. Did you think that our running attack with Josh being our best runner was sustainable? Did you think Dorsey’s big play offensive strategy was appropriate the way Cinn. defended us?  How about our secondary that was giving up yardage and touchdowns at an alarming pace. It’s easy to try to explain away deficiencies by saying it was an aberration, but the brain trust knows the team from last year wasn’t good enough to go all the way. Now I believe the additions in FA will help but Edmunds must be replaced and let’s see how Miller comes back and when.