Hate to rain on peoples parade here

[Alaska Darin]

I hate when we win too. Nothing better than playing great and losing.

 

Ladies and germs, this is exactly the kind of game New England has been winning for 5 years.

[Beerball]

What's the point of message boards?  So you can say "Yay we won", "damn we lost"?  STFU

792323[/snapback]

Don't you think in retrospect that the STFU was a bit harsh? IMO that should be reserved for totally bullsh-- posts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Like yours.

[MattF2000]

looking at the pats's game without my bills glasses on, they were badly outplayed by the pats for the last 24 minutes of the game and deserved to lose, and the stats showed it. the pats killed the bills in the stats war.  they didn't outplay the jets, because the jets forced turnovers and made their drives count. the bills didn't do enough of that. re the vikes, it was a nice win, and as for miami, they appear to be a bad team (which i'm of course happy about). all of this is to say is that the bills so far are a middle of the pack team, which is better than what most people expected.

792300[/snapback]

 

 

Look at all the games without your bills glasses on. You say the bills were outplayed the last 24 minutes? Yes they were, but they also outplayed the Patriots for the first 36 minutes. Statistically you say the Pats killed the Bills in the stats war, well if stats determined the winner then I suppose we would have beat the Jets. The Vikings were a dropped ball away from everyone here saying the Bills collapsed at the end and were outplayed the last 15 minutes. I just don't think you can look at the games like that. Every team in the NFL is so close that there's going to be a few big plays that generally alter the game. Maybe I prefer to look at the positives such as no one would have ever envisioned us even being in the game in the 4th qtr @ New England, or that we were a couple botched blocks from beating the Jets. I suppose I'm just more optimistic but I do agree right now we're a middle of the pack team and yes we're better than most expected. Let's just hope the Bears have a serious let down this week.

[Heels20X6]

Who was it that said football is a game of inches? JP steps a few inches outside the goal line in week 1, and NE doesn't get the safety that ends up the winner.

If they get a few more inches on JP's bootleg, they keep the drive going, run the clock and win the game 17-6 and we don't have this discussion about lack of killer instinct.

 

If anything the Bills showed some instinct by throwing the ball on their 2nd to last possession to move the chains and get downfield.

 

They're young, they're winning, and they're improving. That's all I can ask of this team this year. Most "experts" pegged us at 0-4 to start the year.

[Movinon]

..but the Bills came within an eyelash of blowing a game they controlled again because of ZERO killer instinct / the inability to do anything offensively in the second half of the game,and the general lack of pass pressure/rush when it really counts. Johnson had all day to throw even when we knew he had to throw.

JP played  well--but he hasnt shown the ability tp put anyone away yet.

792271[/snapback]

I vote for tard of the week.

[R. Rich]

What's the point of message boards?  So you can say "Yay we won", "damn we lost"?

792323[/snapback]

 

Yes.

[ganesh]

I was not overly impressed with that. But I am happy!!!!

Go Bills, but please improve the killer instinct. this young team needs it.

792289[/snapback]

 

I think that is something on the coaches.....We had 3 straight passes on

that last drive before we punted.....Considering two of them were incompletes

and another was a sack, we could have taken off 90 seconds of the clock

just by running the ball...We needed one yard....why did we have to throw...

 

The OL needs to run the ball with an attitude when we are 3-1 adn 3-2....They have to have the mentality of the steelers line, where they say, we are going to run the ball here and see if you stop us.....

 

One thing I am glad with Fairchild is that he stuck to running the ball even when we were not successful....and then McGahee was able to rip off a few at the end....Mularkey would have abandoned the run long ago.....

[ganesh]

And this is all I wanted for this season. Oline looks better. Losman looks better. Not spectacular but slowly becoming more composed. More relaxed. Kind of subtle improvments that arent spectacular but important baby steps non the less.

792307[/snapback]

 

Yup....One step at a time....This is a team that is work-in-progress...They have long ways to go....But they have started with a hope and building on it...The building starts right from the HC to the 46th player on the field......Everyone needs to improve what they are doing.....

 

Jauron needs to make better decisions when we are on the opponent side of

the ball.

Fairchild needs to know better to milk the clock...On 2nd and 1 with 4 minutes to go, you got to run that ball. Needs to incorporate the TEs more in the offense to get some more outlet passes for Losman

The OL needs to challenge itself to get 1 or 2 yards to get a first down

Losman needs to be more poised during the 4th qtr of a game. A game is a full 60 minutes and you cannot let your guard off until that final whistle blows.

McGahee is McGahee. He is our best weapon as evidenced again yesterday.

 

The Defense needs to put more pressure on the QB. Two straight weeks we came away with zero sacks.

The LBs and DT have done a good job of stopping the run against two weak running teams...They will get tested again next week when they meet Thomas Jones.

The secondary has had no picks now in 2 games...They did a wonderful job for the first 50 minutes of the game, giving only 100+ yards passing to Johnson and then in the final 6 minutes, they gave up 165 yards passing.

 

The good thing is all this are correctable and I hope that is what Jauron puts emphasis on.

[Pyrite Gal]

..but the Bills came within an eyelash of blowing a game they controlled again because of ZERO killer instinct / the inability to do anything offensively in the second half of the game,and the general lack of pass pressure/rush when it really counts. Johnson had all day to throw even when we knew he had to throw.

JP played  well--but he hasnt shown the ability tp put anyone away yet.

792271[/snapback]

 

I think there is a reasonable distinction here between killer instinct (which I think Jauron and the OC/DCs have to some degree) and killer execution (which I do not think this young Blls team has yet).

 

In fact, there is a good argument to be made that this divergence is part of the problem in particular games so far this season and that our record MAY be better right now if Jauron actually reigned in the killer instinct a bit and was not trying petty continually to force his team to stand up and make plays they are not good enough to make (yet we hope).

 

An example of this was seen in the NE game. The Bills were up by 10 early in the fourth quarter or so and deep in NE territory. On 4th and 1 Jauron showed that killer instinct by going for the 1st and NE stopped us and then bouyed by the triumph while we were stunned we could not pick up a measly yard, they marched the length of the field to draw within 3, then kicked an FG to tie and then beat us on a safety as they were winning the field position battle.

 

I Jauron did not have a killer instinct he simply would have kicked an FG and we would be up by 13. Two scores would beat us, but IF we had gone the weenie route, our field position would likely have still been good, we would have burned some more game clock and we would have 3 more points.

 

As it was, I agreed with Jauron's effort to stick a fork in them as if we had picked up the measly yard, not only would we have burned even more clock, but we had a good chance to go up by 3 scores instead of 2 on the road. As it was, the young Bills team learned a hard lesson about what it takes to win and the difference between a recent past SB champ and us. The killer instinct was there, but the effective killer execution was not.

 

Yesterday's game also saw the coaches show killer instinct as they called two pass plays on one of the final Bills drives. Both passes were poorly executed and stopped the clock when they failed. The announcers note repetitively that MN was operating on borrowed time from the Bills because if we had run the ball twice more on that series, even if we were stopped short of the first, we likely would have forced them to take TOs out of desperation rather than managing the clock and their final 3 plays which all occured with under a miniute left on the clock may never have happened.

 

The good news here is that our problem of less than efficient execution canget better with more play. In fact, there is no doubt and plenty of evidence to indicate that more play has accompanied JP playing much better. This creating killer execution is tough to do but it is easier than if we had to give Jauron and Fairchild personality transplants to try to create killer instinct in the Bills coaches. They have it, but as that fool Gregg Williams was fond of saying, we simply did not execute.

 

I think that will come with more game expriece and success.

[smokinandjokin]

Well said Pyrite, I agree. I have been critical of the 'killer instinct,' but I loved the call in Foxboro on 4th down, and overall, I liked the play calling yesterday. The passes at the end of the 4th qtr I probably could've done without. The time to pass was when they were on the 5-yd line after Willis ran for 0 yards on 1st and 2nd down.

 

The frustrating part was that between 2nd and 3rd down, there was a quarter change, which meant the Bills had a lot of time to come up with a play they thought would work, and that JP would feel comfortable executing. Then they came out and ran Willis up the middle for 0 yards. Really seemed like they settled in that situation. JP back to pass opens up many options, including WR's, JP's legs, or a toss into the bleachers if everything's covered. Even a sack doesn't take them out of FG range. It was overly-conservative and would have been a HUGE deal on this board if they ended up losing.

[ACor58]

This thread sounds a lot like the fans in the movie Major League. As the movie progresses, they show the fans (Guys at the Diner, Construction Worker, Japanese Ground Crew) who start the season, "I've never heard of half these guys", "Who are these F**kin' guys?, They're Sh!tty, etc.) The Indians manage to win a few followed by, "You know, they aren't too bad" or "These guys ain't too F**kin' bad", and the Japanese guys saying "They're Still Sh!tty."

 

Probably not much point to my post, just thought that it was funny.

[Tcali]

There are Wins and Losses in the NFL and that is all. And today was a win. So shut up because its moronic to say "they won, but they almost didn't" cuz i remember a certain Super Bowl where the Giants won but they almost didn't.

792315[/snapback]

OK--I'll shut up.We won.rah rahsiss boom bahhh!!

[Reed83HOF]

As the team continues to progress throughout the season, this will hopefully become less of a topic...

 

The coaching staff is selecting safe plays; that may work occassionaly and at times are down right ugly, in an attempt to NOT give the game a way (A turnover and momentum change) with an errant throw, a poor block on a bootleg, etc; anything that could cause the team to take a step back and loose confidence in JP/ OL and set us back even further...they will take the 3....which is better than a TO and momentum change...of course the killer instinct isn't there...it is by design it isn't...JP needs to succeed and they won't call plays that will allow him to give the game away in red zone situations....his teammates will loose their confidence in him and we will have 2005 all over again....

 

They need JP and the OL to earn the respect of this team...they can't really afford JP not to succeed.....little by little they will open it up...this will be a very exciting and high scoring offense, but it'll take some time...as long as there is progress game to game they will open the red zone playcalling up abit more (which is talked about by the players in the post game press conferences)....its mostly to limit TO's and momentum changes....as long as the O puts up points whether it is 3 or 7; its points....the D can't complain the the O doesn't score (refer to the pre-2006 Ravens) and the game rests on the strongest part of our team to shut the door...

 

its actually very careful and well thought out coaching / planning (Juron or Marv), put JP in the position to make playes between the 20 yard lines, grow some respect and confidence, minimize the chance for failure in the redzone, come away with points...as the team grows...more confidence = better play calling and TDs over FGs...which will lead to putting teams away and a killer instinct

[tornado681]

..but the Bills came within an eyelash of blowing a game they controlled again because of ZERO killer instinct / the inability to do anything offensively in the second half of the game,and the general lack of pass pressure/rush when it really counts. Johnson had all day to throw even when we knew he had to throw.

JP played  well--but he hasnt shown the ability tp put anyone away yet.

792271[/snapback]

 

agreed

[ganesh]

its mostly to limit TO's and momentum changes....as long as the O puts up points whether it is 3 or 7; its points....the D can't complain the the O doesn't score (refer to the pre-2006 Ravens) and the game rests on the strongest part of our team to shut the door...

 

792988[/snapback]

 

Well said. Unlike last year, the defense and STs need to take on a bigger role to get the win than the offense. That is the only way a QB can become successful in this league. You throw the QB to the wolves, and he will falter.

 

While Brady and Big Ben made plays in their 1st year as starter, if you go back and look at some of those games, you will see that they were at best good managers of the game and the teams defense and ST won the games for them. I would expect Losman to be put in a similar situation.

 

Last years defense instead of making their end of the bargain kept bitching at the QBs play. Looks like this year definitely the scenario is different. Looks like Jauron will have nothing of that from the veterans.

[SilverNRed]

..but the Bills came within an eyelash of blowing a game they controlled again because of ZERO killer instinct / the inability to do anything offensively in the second half of the game,and the general lack of pass pressure/rush when it really counts. Johnson had all day to throw even when we knew he had to throw.

JP played  well--but he hasnt shown the ability tp put anyone away yet.

792271[/snapback]

Yeah, and the Giants were one eyelash away from blowing Super Bowl XXV. Somehow I don't think they care....

 

WHO CARES? The team is 2-2 playing five rookies on defense and relying offensively on young players like Losman, Parrish, McGahee, and Evans. And even when they lost, they had their chance to win those games. How can anyone not be happy with the Bills right now?

[Fan in San Diego]

I would like to see this team put someone away as well. Leaving teams hang around until the end is killing us and me.

 

Hopefully they will progress to the point to be more consistant and close out games strong on offense. Hopefully this Sunday !

[Reed83HOF]

While Brady and Big Ben made plays in their 1st year as starter, if you go back and look at some of those games, you will see that they were at best good managers of the game and the teams defense and ST won the games for them. I would expect Losman to be put in a similar situation

 

Marica had Tedy.....how could he not do well...ask any sportscaster...they'll tell you...That team is sooo cloose to passing the 'fins on my hatred list...Arghhh...

[Pyrite Gal]

Well said.  Unlike last year, the defense and STs need to take on a bigger role to get the win than the offense. That is the only way a QB can become successful in this league.  You throw the QB to the wolves,  and he will falter. 

 

While Brady and Big Ben made plays in their 1st year as starter, if you go back and look at some of those games, you will see that they were at best good managers of the game and the teams defense and ST won the games for them. I would expect Losman to be put in a similar situation. 

 

Last years defense instead of making their end of the bargain kept bitching at the QBs play. Looks like this year definitely the scenario is different. Looks like Jauron will have nothing of that from the veterans.

793009[/snapback]

 

 

I agree about the need to take a full team approach to actually being a winner in the NFL rather than falling for the promotional machine that attempts to deal with the fact that we Americans are so individualistic we have trouble accepting that it takes a whole team. We would much rather have one person served to us and we root for that individual br it Montana, Brady oe Elway as though the rest of the team was a mere supporting cast.

 

The MFL is great IMHO because it is such a team game. There is a reason why Elway as amazing as he was as a player failed to win it all until Terrell Davis got there and their D came around or why Peytom Manning who is by far the best QB in the NFL has never been to the SB unless he had a ticket.

 

The real challenge for Bills fan is that current whipping MM (known affectionately as Meathead) actually HC'ed this team to a winning record exactly because they operated as a team rather than as a bunch of individuals.

 

As sioon as they cut the hated Bledsoe and turned last season into a training camp for JP, we lost that edge and fell apart. It wasn't that Bledsoe was any ggod, its that he provided the team with a better (even if bad) chance to win than throwing JP into the job. We paid the price and thankfully MM resigned so we could get a fresh start.

[reddogblitz]

I would like to see this team put someone away as well. Leaving teams hang around until the end is killing us and me.

 

Hopefully they will progress to the point to be more consistant and close out games strong on offense. Hopefully this Sunday !

793021[/snapback]

 

I'm loving being in the game still in the late 4th Quarter. It sure beats the peejeebers out of what happened last year. I'm sure the Seahawks wish they were still in it in the 4th Quarter last night!