Sporting News has Bills in Reverse

[Kelly the Dog]

Reminds me of a couple of years ago when the Bills traded Peerless Price and let Riemersma and Centers go.

 

  A lot of analysts said the Bills would struggle offensively without those guys.  More specifically Price.  The usual clowns were here with they're "we're DOOMED" sarcasm and the "haven't they heard of Josh Reed?" gripes.  Those analysts were right.

 

As much as people are wallowing in the demise of Peerless with Atlanta,  not having his production overcame all of the defensive additions as the Bills actually managed to sign Sam Adams, Takeo Spikes, Jeff Posey and Lawyer Milloy and got WORSE in the win column AND the entertainment column.

 

  It's OK to be optimistic, but realistically, the Bills lost a lot more proven talent than they've gained this past offseason, and they weren't a serious contender to begin with.  We'd all like to believe that TD is building a winner, but it's clearly a 2 steps forward, 1 step back(and vice-versa) type of project as he searches for, hopefully, the right balance without overspending to build a short-term, counterfeit contender like the late 1990's Bills were.  I occasionally rip his moves, but I prefer this model, which is more simialar to the approach of the top teams in the league(Philly/Pitt/NE) than the more recent Titans folly.

355296[/snapback]

While most of that is true, to me, even if we kept Peerless, or replaced his speed with different speed, if Moulds goes down the same way he, we wouldn't have been much better than we were that year. TD went out and did his job and built a power offense, or at least not a wide open offense with the addition of Gash over Centers, Campbell over JR and Shaw over Peerless. Killdrive, in turn, used the same free style offense without the players to do it. He and GW let the team down IMO more than TD. Moulds hurt killed them in all phases of their offense. The argument against that, it could be said, that one player should not be that important to a good team, and that may well be true.

[AKC]

Pat was looking for the big bucks as this is his last contract and his first

two contracts were reasonably smaller....The bills were looking to manage

their cap....Those two intentions conflicted and we had to part ways...period.

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I didn't say the value proposition doesn't support allowing Pat to move on, but at the same time the loss of his skills immediately hurts our run stopping ability and unless Tim Anderson turns out to be a phenom we will be nowhere near as good against the run this season. In the NFL today, and this holds especially true in our division, two solid run stoppers and a pass rushing DT with help to spell them is the MINIMUM to have a superior defense. Right now there's no way anyone can make that supposition about us- we have only 1 solid run stopper, a passing down only player in Edwards and a complete unknown with no credible help behind those three. If you want to see how a real quality NFL defense is built look at the strength at DT on the NE roster. They have far more real talent at the DT spot and they play a freaking 3-4!

[Albany,n.y.]

Bledsoe & Warner are on the cover. Instead of them standing up they should have put them in a bathtub like you'd do with 4 year old twins & titled the picture

"The two most washed up QBs in the NFL"

[jad1]

Again, your assesment of the Titans is just wrong. Their 8-8 seasons were rebuilding years, not underachieving years. They were aquiring players during that time period. Take a look at their drafts; they were building a strong team.

 

And they didn't have guys on the "backside" of their careers in 2000. Kearse was a rookie that year. They were a young team back then.

 

There was no move to dismantle the team years immediately years following the SB, in fact, they overpayed FA Kevin Carter. The salary cap issues are more recent and hit the team full force starting last year, 4 years after the SB appearance.

 

McNair is talking retirement because of injuries, not because of the state of the team.

 

The salary cap has caught with them recently, but it has been 4 years since they made the SB.

 

Your accusation that Donahoe is slow to admit his mistakes is without merit. The drafting of Evans is proof that he addressed the mistake from the year before, as quickly as was possible. His drafting of Losman in the first round of 2004, after Bledsoe's bad season in 2003 is also evidence that he addressed a problem area as quickly as was possible.

 

Your accuasation that Donahoe brings in "tired" veterens is ridiculous. In your opinion, who's a tired veteren on the roster? Spikes? Fletcher? Milloy? Adams? The facts don't support you here.

 

You criticize Donahoe for relying on "unproven" players, but applaud Pittsburgh, forgetting that they started an "unproven" rookie QB last season.

 

And somehow my belief that the Bills offense will be built on the running game makes me detached? I think the right side combo of Gandy and Anderson will be better run blockers than Jennings and Tucker/Smith. Maybe you don't.

 

And the whole single coverage idea is that when teams load the box, the Bills will have the opportunity to make the one or two big plays down the field per game that you mention. Can Losman read the play and make the throw? If he can, the Bills will be OK.

 

And get over the Steelers loss last year. It was one game. In 1987 the Bills needed to beat the Pats at home to make the playoffs. Even though they had a good team, they lost. The next year they went 12-4.

 

I just don't see Gandy, or whoever the LT turns out to be, as standing on an island out there. The coaching staff will fit him into the system, and put the game into the playmakers on the offense. And I think the playmakers that are there, are pretty good.

 

 

 

I never said the Titans were "counterfeit contenders".  I was talking about how they attempted to squeeze every last drop out of a tired team at the expense of their cap, when they had a decent nucleus to build upon in guys like McNair and Kearse.   People forget that the Titans were a long-time .500 type ball club and underachiever before they made their Super Bowl run.  They had a lot of guys on the backside of their careers when they lost to the Ravens in the playoffs in 2000.  That was their crossroads and they made the decision to annihilate their cap and they ended up making two playoff appearances sandwiched by 2 losing seasons.  Kearse is gone.  McNair is talking retirement at a time when he should be just entering his prime because he lacks playmakers or offensive lineman.  Jeff Fisher may be out after this season.  Meanwhile, Pittsburgh, a team with a simialar approach to the game, but lesser playmakers, takes a step back once in a while and bounds right back to greater success without having to re-build.  I'd call Pittsburgh's an organizational approach, rather than a player driven approach.

 

And I never said Donahoe wasn't trying to build a Super Bowl team.  I think he is, but I also think he isn't slow to admit his mistakes(by action, not word) and tries to avoid large-scale long term mistakes like the Titans made.  That said, drafting Lee Evans and Roscoe Parrish after-the-fact doesn't change the past or make up for it, or whatever you are implying.  Donahoe did not adequately stock that 2003 team, offensively.  It's easy to draw parallels to that mistake this year, as he once again is relying on a cast tired veterans, underachievers and completely unproven players to fill voids left by two proven producers.  Is Mike Gandy this years Bobby Shaw?  Who knows, but history says there is a good chance he is.

 

I characterize the rest of your post as late-offseason oversimplification brought about by detatchmen from real football.  How soon we forget how fragile team success is, especially for teams unaccustomed to it.  If football were as simple as hitting open receivers or if Lee Evans, Mike Gandy, Bennie Anderson and Willis McGahee could have their way with opposing defenses at will, then there would be no reason to play the season.  On paper, it would be in the bag.  Games aren't played on paper.  How can we forget that after the inexplicable defeat to Pittsburgh in the finale last year.  Fact of the matter is, most games turn on a couple of plays and everyone is trying to hit open receivers, run the ball, stop the run and pressure the passer.

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[Fla Bills Fan]

Reminds me of a couple of years ago when the Bills traded Peerless Price and let Riemersma and Centers go.

 

  A lot of analysts said the Bills would struggle offensively without those guys.  More specifically Price.  The usual clowns were here with they're "we're DOOMED" sarcasm and the "haven't they heard of Josh Reed?" gripes.  Those analysts were right.

 

As much as people are wallowing in the demise of Peerless with Atlanta,  not having his production overcame all of the defensive additions as the Bills actually managed to sign Sam Adams, Takeo Spikes, Jeff Posey and Lawyer Milloy and got WORSE in the win column AND the entertainment column.

 

  It's OK to be optimistic, but realistically, the Bills lost a lot more proven talent than they've gained this past offseason, and they weren't a serious contender to begin with.  We'd all like to believe that TD is building a winner, but it's clearly a 2 steps forward, 1 step back(and vice-versa) type of project as he searches for, hopefully, the right balance without overspending to build a short-term, counterfeit contender like the late 1990's Bills were.  I occasionally rip his moves, but I prefer this model, which is more simialar to the approach of the top teams in the league(Philly/Pitt/NE) than the more recent Titans folly.

355296[/snapback]

The main thing that hurt the Bills a couple years ago was not losing those players, it was Moulds getting hurt. He was not healthy all year.

[BADOLBILZ]

The main thing that hurt  the Bills a couple years ago was not losing those players, it was Moulds getting hurt. He was not healthy all year.

355685[/snapback]

 

The facts don't support this argument. Moulds didn't get hurt until the very end of the Cinci game in 2003, and by that time the offense had clearly established itself as being in the crapper. They had just come off of an 8 quarter TD drought and didn't play well in the win vs. Cinci.. Moulds was getting his catches, but he wasn't finding room to roam as teams realized they could control the Bills by shutting down Moulds(without Price).

 

The talk of the town was the abysmal offense and Josh Reeds terrible play. Moulds was back in 2004, and thru 6 games the Bills had a whopping 77 points. I realize there are several factors involved, but I think most people recognize that the resurgence was mostly due to McGahee and Evans. I know a lot of people here HATE Price with a passion, but the fact is the guy made a ton of big plays in 2002, and that was sorely missed.

[BADOLBILZ]

Again, your assesment of the Titans is just wrong.  Their 8-8 seasons were rebuilding years, not underachieving years.  They were aquiring players during that time period. Take a look at their drafts; they were building a strong team.

 

And they didn't have guys on the "backside" of their careers in 2000.  Kearse was a rookie that year.  They were a young team back then. 

 

There was no move to dismantle the team years immediately years following the SB, in fact, they overpayed FA Kevin Carter.  The salary cap issues are more recent and hit the team full force starting last year, 4 years after the SB appearance.

 

McNair is talking retirement because of injuries, not because of the state of the team.

 

The salary cap has caught with them recently, but it has been 4 years since they made the SB. 

 

Your accusation that Donahoe is slow to admit his mistakes is without merit.  The drafting of Evans is proof that he addressed the mistake from the year before, as quickly as was possible.  His drafting of Losman in the first round of 2004, after Bledsoe's bad season in 2003 is also evidence that he addressed a problem area as quickly as was possible.

 

Your accuasation that Donahoe brings in "tired" veterens is ridiculous.  In your opinion, who's a tired veteren on the roster?  Spikes? Fletcher? Milloy? Adams? The facts don't support you here.

 

You criticize Donahoe for relying on "unproven" players, but applaud Pittsburgh, forgetting that they started an "unproven" rookie QB last season.

 

And somehow my belief that the Bills offense will be built on the running game makes me detached?  I think the right side combo of Gandy and Anderson will be better run blockers than Jennings and Tucker/Smith.  Maybe you don't.

 

And the whole single coverage idea is that when teams load the box, the Bills will have the opportunity to make the one or two big plays down the field per game that you mention.  Can Losman read the play and make the throw?  If he can, the Bills will be OK.

 

And get over the Steelers loss last year.  It was one game.  In 1987 the Bills needed to beat the Pats at home to make the playoffs.  Even though they had a good team, they lost.  The next year they went 12-4.

 

I just don't see Gandy, or whoever the LT turns out to be, as standing on an island out there.  The coaching staff will fit him into the system, and put the game into the playmakers on the offense.  And I think the playmakers that are there, are pretty good.

355577[/snapback]

 

Apparently, you don't remember the Titans.

 

7-9, 8-8, 8-8, 8-8

 

Those were their records in the 4 years preceding 1999.

 

Seemed like every year they were somebody's "breakout" team, but it never happened. That's not rebuilding, that's treading water. The Titans of 1999-2000 era were a veteran team.

 

Even though they had a lot of guys like Blaine Bishop, Marcus Robertson, Yancey Thigpen, Carl Pickens, Bruce Matthews, Frank Wychek, Kenny Holmes, Eddie Robinson and Michael Barrow who were circling the drain, the key player who was wearing down was Eddie George. At the end of the 2000 season, Eddie George had almost 1800 career carries already. He was coming off an improved performance over 1999, but had never been a good ypc back and just put up 400 carries. When a guy who isn't a 4.0 ypc career average runner starts getting that kind of mileage, it's time to start shopping for a new back.

 

It was time to rebuild around the long term guys like McNair and Kearse, two of the most dynamic players in the league. Their patchwork approach got McNair beat up much the way the Bills patchwork efforts with the offensive line got Kelly killed his last three seasons.

 

As for the rest of your post, I said Donahoe DID admit his mistakes, but thru actions, not words. Drafting Evans was an admission that the offense lacked the dimension it had with Price. Drafting Parrish was an admission that Josh Reed is a bust. Drafting Losman was an admission that the Drew Bledsoe trade wasn't working out(he has since admitted that Losman would have played early last year if he hadn't been hurt).

 

And I'm not criticizing Donahoe for bringing in tired veterans or going with unproven players. Just making the point that you can't expect analysts to be impressed with replacing two positions(LT and DT) with a tired veteran(Mike Gandy, released by Chicago during last season) an underachiever(Ron Edwards) and unproven players(Jason Peters and Tim Anderson). What exactly do you disagree with there? We like the young guys, we think they have talent, but they are what they are at this point in time, and if they go out and prove themselves to be players THEN the analysts will take note. But don't be mistaken that every team doesn't have a list of players like the Bills do that they think are going to burst on the scene, because they do.

 

And YES, I do think you are over simplifying what the Bills have to do. Gandy and Anderson are on the LEFT side of the line(not the right), the blind side of Losman. A lot of Ravens fans claim Anderson is a turnstyle in pass protection and a penalty flag magnet. They were glad to see him go. Gandy is a backup guard penciled in as the starter at left tackle. Losman may have just a bit more to do than wait for the open receiver and play pitch and catch.

 

Look, your reading comprehension leaves a lot to be desired, but the crux of what I have been saying is this: I am optimistic that things will somehow work out for the Bills this year, but on paper, you can't blame detractors because the Bills are not exactly having a banner offseason in terms of personnel(no first rounder, lost two very good starters and replaced a veteran QB, abeit a bad one, with a guy with almost no experience).

 

Don't get bunched about it, like so many Bills fans have for the past 40 years only to come to find out that the pundits were right in not picking the Bills as the odds on favorite to win the Super Bowl that year.

[BADOLBILZ]

While most of that is true, to me, even if we kept Peerless, or replaced his speed with different speed, if Moulds goes down the same way he, we wouldn't have been much better than we were that year. TD went out and did his job and built a power offense, or at least not a wide open offense with the addition of Gash over Centers, Campbell over JR and Shaw over Peerless. Killdrive, in turn, used the same free style offense without the players to do it. He and GW let the team down IMO more than TD. Moulds hurt killed them in all phases of their offense. The argument against that, it could be said, that one player should not be that important to a good team, and that may well be true.

355501[/snapback]

 

The Bills had a productive big-play attack in 2002, but the rest of the offense was lacking. They didn't have a good offensive line and their QB had already proven himself incapable of operating NE's ball control offense. The offense's best player, Eric Moulds, wasn't even a good fit for ball control because he is prone to drops. That bunch of players could not sustain long drives, and by late season, teams were aware of that and actively trying to make the Bills drive the length of the field. The Bills offense was much less productive at that point, but still capable of scoring in a hurry. Taking Price out of the mix only made them totally impotent. I still can't figure out what Donahoe was thinking trying to run a power O with Gilbride at OC, Bledsoe at QB and an undersized halfback. By taking away the deep threat he invited defenses into the box which hurt the running game and put Bledsoe in his least favorite spot, pressured up the middle.

[Fla Bills Fan]

The facts don't support this argument.  Moulds didn't get hurt until the very end of the Cinci game in 2003, and by that time the offense had clearly established itself as being in the crapper.  They had just come off of an 8 quarter TD drought and didn't play well in the win vs. Cinci..  Moulds was getting his catches, but he wasn't finding room to roam as teams realized they could control the Bills by shutting down Moulds(without Price). 

 

The talk of the town was the abysmal offense and Josh Reeds terrible play.  Moulds was back in 2004, and thru 6 games the Bills had a whopping 77 points.  I realize there are several factors involved, but I think most people recognize that the resurgence was mostly due to McGahee and Evans.  I know a lot of people here HATE Price with a passion, but the fact is the guy made a ton of big plays in 2002, and that was sorely missed.

355729[/snapback]

Moulds pulled his groin early on, and even though he played he could not run like the EMO we know. That is the main reason for the decline in the O (not the only one for sure). I still maintain his injury was a bigger factor than the loss off PP & others for the Bills collapse.

[Nanker]

I'm less worried by who's the starting DT and LT than I am by who's the starting QB.

 

And we'll know pretty friggin quickly about how our new QB is wrapped - too tightly, too losely, or just right. Right now, I'm betting on he's wrapped just right.

 

Tim Anderson's just got to decide the question if he's a man of NFL caliber or not. It's his decision and it's his lot to prove. Same goes for the LT - whoever that is. Last year (ok, it's not the last time you're going to hear my rant) - TD brought in 13 Offensive Tackles to training camp! We broke camp with JJ as our LT and shungotts for much of the rest of the line - specifically the Guards. Phew Whee! OG was the weakest spot of a not-very-strong position IMHO. TD brought in NO Guards. (that's a period, folks.)

 

I've had my difference with TD - as my snail trail of dribblings here on The Wall will attest, but I do think he's at last awakened to the blunt realization that the OL is fundamental to the success of the Big O. That, and having a QB that is mobile.

 

Go Bills! Oh, and "Go Big O!"

[Kelly the Dog]

What we lost in JJ and Phat pat that we cannot replace could easily be made up by having Willis here and healthy the whole year instead of half, Milloy here for the first four games we lost (anyone notice the difference immediately upon his return?), Vincent here the entire year instead of half, McGee having nearly a full year as starter at CB under his belt, Evans in the starting line-up the entire year instead of half, the OL having a full year of McNally under their belts instead of just learning, plus MM and TC not making as many rookie mistakes or learning things on the fly.

 

Yes, not counting Losman, without JJ and Phat Pat we are still likely a better team right off the bat in 0905 as we were in 0904, perhaps significantly better.

[BADOLBILZ]

Moulds pulled his groin early on,  and even though he played he could not run like the EMO we know. That is the main reason for the decline in the O (not the only one for sure). I still maintain his injury was a bigger factor than the loss off PP & others for the Bills collapse.

355784[/snapback]

 

Moulds didn't appear slowed until he got the injury in overtime of that Cinci game. Up to that point, he was on pace for a 1400 yard receiving season and was still running around with that spastic abandon after the catch. I was there, he was getting a ton of balls thrown his way and working hard for every yard. People will believe what they want to, but when Moulds got hurt they were on a three game offensive slide that carried throughout the season. Having Moulds healthy certainly would have helped, but implying that that was the point where it went south is just not how it went down.

[Kelly the Dog]

Moulds didn't appear slowed until he got the injury in overtime of that Cinci game.  Up to that point, he was on pace for a 1400 yard receiving season and was still running around with that spastic abandon after the catch.  I was there, he was getting a ton of balls thrown his way and working hard for every yard.  People will believe what they want to, but when Moulds got hurt they were on a three game offensive slide that carried throughout the season.  Having Moulds healthy certainly would have helped, but implying that that was the point where it went south is just not how it went down.

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So you're just going to ignore the first two games when the offense was fine, if not very efficient, annihilating the Patriots and then scoring 38 points on the road against the Jags with Bledsoe throwing for 300 yards and Travis scoring three times? Then the disaster against the Dolphins on the road with Killdrive calling the halfback option pass, followed by the game against the Eagles where Travis didn't even play and the defense was getting killed. Against the Bengals they were horrible for three quarters, then scored twice when they had to and won it in overtime. To me, that is just erratic. They played very well for half of the time. They couldn't run well at all but for more than half of the time Moulds was in there we scored at a terrific pace, as high as the previous year. When he went out, we tanked completely, and there were no patriots blowouts or Jax blowouts or long drives when we needed them.

[BADOLBILZ]

So you're just going to ignore the first two games when the offense was fine, if not very efficient, annihilating the Patriots and then scoring 38 points on the road against the Jags with Bledsoe throwing for 300 yards and Travis scoring three times?

355799[/snapback]

 

Yeah, because the rest of that season they were brutal. I'm not re-writing history. After Bobby Shaw caught that long TD against Jacksonville, the big play was gone from the Bills offense.

 

Yeah, Bledsoe threw for 300 yards. For the last time. Henry had 3 TD's, and about 12 yards rushing on the day. NE and Jacksonville let Bledsoe drop back and throw the ball downfield. From there on, teams wised up and made the Bills orchestrate long drives with quick throws if they wanted to score. Which of course was made easier by the lack of a big play threat like Price to back defenders off.

 

The Bledsoe Bills couldn't operate a ball control offense. Too sloppy. If it wasn't Bledsoe getting hit immediately following the snap or throwing a bad ball, or Reed dropping pass after pass, it was Shaw dropping the two point conversion vs. Tennessee because he tried to show the ref he caught the ball before he had it. Moulds had his share of drops in those first 5 "healthy" games as well, including two drive killers against Miami. In fact that particular game reflected everything that had changed with the Bills offense losing Price. The previous year, the Bills had trashed the Dolphins twice and threw the ball at will vs. the same Fish.

[Ralonzo]

The main thing that sticks in my craw about this offseason was, the opportunity was right there to trade up a few slots in round 2 for Khalif Barnes, who the entire world knew wasn't going to last past JAX. I haven't been that pissed during a draft since the Sabres drafted Barrett Heisten and passed on Martin Havlat (not to mention Nick Boynton).

[BuffOrange]

So you're just going to ignore the first two games when the offense was fine, if not very efficient, annihilating the Patriots and then scoring 38 points on the road against the Jags with Bledsoe throwing for 300 yards and Travis scoring three times? Then the disaster against the Dolphins on the road with Killdrive calling the halfback option pass, followed by the game against the Eagles where Travis didn't even play and the defense was getting killed. Against the Bengals they were horrible for three quarters, then scored twice when they had to and won it in overtime. To me, that is just erratic. They played very well for half of the time. They couldn't run well at all but for more than half of the time Moulds was in there we scored at a terrific pace, as high as the previous year. When he went out, we tanked completely, and there were no patriots blowouts or Jax blowouts or long drives when we needed them.

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The Miami Sunday night game was easily one of the worst offensive performances I've ever seen. To blame it on one playcall is absurd. The only reason they even had the ball near the goaline was because of a fumble recovery.

Travis did not play the Philly game, but their defense was also missing 3/4 of their starting secondary, and our passing game was still non-existent. The defense certainly didn't play their best, but not horrible either considering the refs gave the Eagles about 10 points that day.

As Bado pointed out, the running game was crap even in the blowouts vs. NE & Jax.

[Kelly the Dog]

The Miami Sunday night game was easily one of the worst offensive performances I've ever seen.  To blame it on one playcall is absurd.  The only reason they even had the ball near the goaline was because of a fumble recovery. 

Travis did not play the Philly game, but their defense was also missing 3/4 of their starting secondary, and our passing game was still non-existent.  The defense certainly didn't play their best, but not horrible either considering the refs gave the Eagles about 10 points that day. 

As Bado pointed out, the running game was crap even in the blowouts vs. NE & Jax.

355870[/snapback]

I'm not saying or suggesting that we were an offensive juggernaut. But we had an offense before Moulds went down, which is the point. We had been struggling, we had Bledsoe, we had Killdrive, we had a lousy line, we had a myriad of problems on offense. But we had played well in two full games, scored 75+ points, then got killed on the road against a tough miami defense (i wasn't blaming it at all on that one play) and then played the pissed off overdue Eagles (who went on a tear then) without Travis, our only RB. We won against Cinci with a late Td and an overtime TD if I recall. We weren't terrible. And Travis ended up with 1300 yards that season. The reason we didnt rack up yards on the ground against the Jags especially and against the Pats, too, was we didnt have to as we threw at will and scored almost every time we had the ball. Yards were tough on the ground but we just didnt run or force it because we didnt have to. You cannot just say we could not run because we proved over the course of the season that we could run, even without being able to pass.

[BADOLBILZ]

I'm not saying or suggesting that we were an offensive juggernaut. But we had an offense before Moulds went down, which is the point. We had been struggling, we had Bledsoe, we had Killdrive, we had a lousy line, we had a myriad of problems on offense. But we had played well in two full games, scored 75+ points, then got killed on the road against a tough miami defense (i wasn't blaming it at all on that one play) and then played the pissed off overdue Eagles (who went on a tear then) without Travis, our only RB. We won against Cinci with a late Td and an overtime TD if I recall. We weren't terrible. And Travis ended up with 1300 yards that season. The reason we didnt rack up yards on the ground against the Jags especially and against the Pats, too, was we didnt have to as we threw at will and scored almost every time we had the ball. Yards were tough on the ground but we just didnt run or force it because we didnt have to. You cannot just say we could not run because we proved over the course of the season that we could run, even without being able to pass.

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I guess we disagree. I don't think going 3 straight games without a TD until the 4th quarter was anything less than awful. The big play was gone, and replaced by dropped passes and penalty killing drives. Those had been problems in the past, but big plays had provided points. And yes, Travis Henry ended up with quite a few rushing yards on the year. Again, the missing element was big plays in the passing game

[Kelly the Dog]

I guess we disagree.  I don't think going 3 straight games without a TD until the 4th quarter was anything less than awful.  The big play was gone, and replaced by dropped passes and penalty killing drives.  Those had been problems in the past, but big plays had provided points.  And yes, Travis Henry ended up with quite a few rushing yards on the year.  Again, the missing element was big plays in the passing game

355920[/snapback]

We're not that far off. We WERE terrible for that stretch. In fact, I remember being at that Philly game and telling my buddy that may have been one of the most frustrating games to watch EVER, in total, as a Bills fan. Where we differ is that I considered that period to be more of a terrible slump than something we would carry throughout the entire last 14 games of the season. Of course, I didn't foresee Killdrive completely unwilling to think, and Moulds getting hurt. You may be right, but to me, Moulds being in and #1 WR made Bobby Shaw and Josh Reed adequate as #2 and #3 even though Moulds drops more than his share for a star. But without Moulds, Reed and Shaw as #1 and #2 is the worst in the league by a considerable margin, which they proved.