smokinandjokin Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 The 4th down against New England to punch it in and go up 24-7 in the 3rd quarter. Didn't convert, faded in the 4th quarter. The possession after the blocked punt in Miami where a TD would've iced the game by making it 20-0. Settled for a FG for 16-0 and remained a two possession lead. Gave up late TD and had to defend a late conversion attempt. Red zone struggles and turnovers against the Jets allowed NY to escape with the win even after being thoroughly outplayed. The 3rd and goal failed bootleg sticks out as a big missed TD opportunity. Today the Bills again outplayed the Vikings, and yet there were some seriously tense moments at the end of the 4th. It reminded me a lot of the opener against Jax in '04. You never felt nervous about the game, but the Bills never put it away. Then late in the 4th, you find yourself thinking, "Is there a chance they could lose this game?" The conservative three run plays from the 5 was obvious they were a little too happy to settle for 3 points. I don't know what it is, but they don't seem to get that clincher TD midway through the 4th quater that would ice the victory. The defense never makes that important stop that would squash any hopes of a comeback. Do the Bills lack that killer instinct to put teams away? Or are they a young group who are trying to figure out how to win in a league where victories are never easy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Young and learning how to win. This team is doing a nice job executing the game plan for the most part and getting leads on teams. They're having some problems adjusting and finishing games, but that's nothing unusual. I remember the same type of problem back in 1987., especially with the offensive output in the red zone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slippery Pete Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Or are they a young group who are trying to figure out how to win in a league where victories are never easy? 792025[/snapback] I'd say more the latter, although everything you pointed out is true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finknottle Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Just learning. After last years numerous impotent offensive performances, it finally seems believable that we can actually drive and score. That is a HUGE change. I like that the coaching staff is *occasionally* going for the jugular, but not regularly. When we start putting people away - great. And until then, we are not blowing it by trying to be too cute too often. Give us a full season with a respectable offense to gain confidence and then you can start worring about our killer instinct. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
/dev/null Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 hard to learn an instinct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinandjokin Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 I thought the Jets showed impressive "ice the game" quality last week when they prevented the Bills from getting 7 when they snuffed out Losman's bootleg. They then went on a long, methodical drive and punched in a TD to go up 28-13. That emptied the stadium and won the game for them. Conversely, while the Bills' O needs to punch that in from the 1 yard line to make it 21-17, the D needs to man-up and get off the field quickly while it's still a one-possession game. Today was nerve-racking because the Bills were in control the whole way, not a worry in the world. And then, all of the sudden, the fans are pulling their hair out late in the 4th. I agree, they will get better and will hopefully finish teams when they have them wobbling on the ropes. Right now I'll take the wins any way they come. But I could do without the ulcer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zow2 Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 Definitely young and learning, but hey this is the NFL and there are comeback victories every week and close calls. Look at the games today and i bet there are several where one team was in control and the other made it a game or pulled it out late. The Bills are no different. Some weeks you hang on, some you don't. What i do know is the better teams always win the 2nd half. A quick start is not as important as a great finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 I thought the Jets showed impressive "ice the game" quality last week when they prevented the Bills from getting 7 when they snuffed out Losman's bootleg. They then went on a long, methodical drive and punched in a TD to go up 28-13. That emptied the stadium and won the game for them. Conversely, while the Bills' O needs to punch that in from the 1 yard line to make it 21-17, the D needs to man-up and get off the field quickly while it's still a one-possession game. Today was nerve-racking because the Bills were in control the whole way, not a worry in the world. And then, all of the sudden, the fans are pulling their hair out late in the 4th. I agree, they will get better and will hopefully finish teams when they have them wobbling on the ropes. Right now I'll take the wins any way they come. But I could do without the ulcer. 792077[/snapback] jets fans probably felt the same as you last week - the late td followed by the recovered onside kick put the bills right back in it. the bottom line: there's a ton of parity in the league, and once teams start using four downs as opposed to three (which always happens late in games when a team is down), they often march right down the field provided they don't turn the ball over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach Tuesday Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 They are young and they lack depth along the lines, which means that they tend to wear down as the game goes on. I see this becoming more and more of a problem as the season wears on, as injuries and college-conditioning levels take their course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PatPatPatSack Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 jets fans probably felt the same as you last week - the late td followed by the recovered onside kick put the bills right back in it. the bottom line: there's a ton of parity in the league, and once teams start using four downs as opposed to three (which always happens late in games when a team is down), they often march right down the field provided they don't turn the ball over. 792121[/snapback] Ding Ding Ding. This answer is the right one. Thank you all for coming and responding anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinandjokin Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 jets fans probably felt the same as you last week - the late td followed by the recovered onside kick put the bills right back in it. the bottom line: there's a ton of parity in the league, and once teams start using four downs as opposed to three (which always happens late in games when a team is down), they often march right down the field provided they don't turn the ball over. 792121[/snapback] They still took the ball with an 8-point lead and lumbered down the field for a 6-minute TD drive. HUGE drive, especially with the way the Bills had been able to move the ball between the 20's. Let's face it, that drive won the game. And when it came down to it, they stopped the Bills on downs. Today the clock ran out on the Vikes. I don't think any Jets fan last week felt like the Bills fans did this week. I agree there's a lot of parity in the league. That's why when the game is 20-17 halfway through the 4th quarter, that TD to go up 27-17 is so much bigger than the 23-17 lead. The good teams do it. I'm not saying the Bills won't ever do it, I'm just saying they have had plenty of chances to put teams away this year, and they haven't done it yet. 1st & goal from the 5 at the end of the 3rd/beginning of the 4th today was a perfect example. 1st down on the 18 in Miami after the punt block was another perfect example. You can effectively win the game right there. That's why I liked Jauron's 4th down call in Foxboro. They didn't convert, but that was a huge chance to put the clamps on the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted October 2, 2006 Share Posted October 2, 2006 They still took the ball with an 8-point lead and lumbered down the field for a 6-minute TD drive. HUGE drive, especially with the way the Bills had been able to move the ball between the 20's. Let's face it, that drive won the game. And when it came down to it, they stopped the Bills on downs. Today the clock ran out on the Vikes. I don't think any Jets fan last week felt like the Bills fans did this week. I agree there's a lot of parity in the league. That's why when the game is 20-17 halfway through the 4th quarter, that TD to go up 27-17 is so much bigger than the 23-17 lead. The good teams do it. I'm not saying the Bills won't ever do it, I'm just saying they have had plenty of chances to put teams away this year, and they haven't done it yet. 1st & goal from the 5 at the end of the 3rd/beginning of the 4th today was a perfect example. 1st down on the 18 in Miami after the punt block was another perfect example. You can effectively win the game right there. That's why I liked Jauron's 4th down call in Foxboro. They didn't convert, but that was a huge chance to put the clamps on the game. 792227[/snapback] i don't disagree with anything you say, although i'd add one thing: the bills aren't a good team--yet. they're proving to be ok (as opposed to bad), which is nice, but ok teams are never safe in the nfl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokinandjokin Posted October 2, 2006 Author Share Posted October 2, 2006 i don't disagree with anything you say, although i'd add one thing: the bills aren't a good team--yet. they're proving to be ok (as opposed to bad), which is nice, but ok teams are never safe in the nfl. 792230[/snapback] True that... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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