Not Understanding Momentum...

[CosmicBills]

Forget JP. He played terrible in the first half -- was inaccurate and looked rattled. But that didn't cost the Bills the game. JP came back in the second half and still looked shaky, but showed his guts on some great runs and his ability to rally the team. JP did not cost the Bills the game.

 

Forget the refs. Yes, the pass JP threw for a completion that they called a sack was a blown call. Yes, the pass interference in the 4th quarter was also a blown call. But despite these calls, the Bills still had a chance to win. The refs did not cost the Bills the game.

 

Forget LT. He was his usual, Superman self. He torched the Bills in the first half yet was stymied in the last quarter and a half. The Bills Defense buttoned up and held him in check. The Defense created momentum, and siezed control of the game. LT did not cost the Bills the game.

 

Forget Gates. He was a terror across the middle, but he was realitively harmless in the second half until the final drive. He had a great day, bailed Rivers out a few times, but that was not the back breaker. Gates did not cost the Bills the game.

 

So what did? Momentum. And Coach Jauron's failure to understand how fickle it is.

 

Fourth quarter, driving, down by three to the best team in the league and your team has ticked off 14 unanswered points. 2nd and 10, a questionable call on the sidelines results in a big 3rd and 10 WITH momentum still on your side. What do you do?

 

Jauron called a time out. Gave his coaches plenty of time to look and see that the call was not going to be reversed. Then, they decide to challenge -- eating up the team's final time out. But see, that was not the worst offense. What was so bad about that decision was it nullified all the momentum the Offense had built. JP and the gang were sitting on the sidelines for 13 minutes gathering frost while the coaching staff squandered two time outs.

 

That decision squandered all the momentum the Bills had garnered up until that point and gave it right back to the Chargers. That is when LT killed the Bills. That is when Gates killed the Bills. That final drive. When momentum had been wrangled and won back to the Bolts' side.

 

Momentum is a fickle beast. When you have it, you have to use it as best you can. Wasting 13 minutes on the sidelines prior to arguably the biggest play of the game is foolish. A Yale man has to be smarter than that. A former NFL player (and a good one) should understand momentum much better than that. That decision to challenge a call you already KNEW would not be over turned cost not only the Bills the momentum -- but the game.

 

[D_House]

Absolutely agree. The time-out/challenge was the worst play of the game.

[John Adams]

The radio announcers said JP called the timeout. Blame Jauron for the challenge and JP for the ill-timed timeout.

[East Brady]

You are correct but its hard to get to upset when the team is this young and starting to play some pretty good football....... I will chalk it up to learning experience, and hope for the best effort each week the rest of the season, and look forward to what looks to be a very promising 2007......Play hard and don't quit we will win our share......

[CosmicBills]

You are correct but its hard to get to upset when the team is this young and starting to play some pretty good football....... I will chalk it up to learning experience, and hope for the best effort each week the rest of the season, and look forward to what looks to be a very promising 2007......Play hard and don't quit we will win our share......

855986[/snapback]

 

Not upset at the players. That wasn't their fault. But a tenured NFL coach with decades of experience in the booth and on the field should know better.

 

The coaching staff took all the air out of the team with those two time-outs. They iced (pun intended) themselves right out of the game.

[CosmicBills]

The radio announcers said JP called the timeout. Blame Jauron for the challenge and JP for the ill-timed timeout.

855962[/snapback]

 

The first time out doesn't matter. It was fine. Take a time out, make sure you have the right play for the biggest play of the game. Meanwhile, have the coaches in the booth look at the replay to see if it's worth a challenge.

 

It wasn't worth a challenge. So, why challenge after a timeout and suck all the momentum out of the team? That wasn't JP, that was on Jauron.

 

Also, if you think it's that close, then challenge first -- worst case scenario you lose the challenge and one time out.

[BuffOrange]

I'm sorry man but this momentum stuff is largely garbage, especially when you're home. The only time anyone brings it up is when the players fold under any adversity. Nobody ever brings it up on scoring drives in which they overcome numerous penalties, which has happened this yr more than you might think. If you watch a Patriots game or any other team that's good, you see blunders and the players overcome them. It's just incredibly naive to think that the outcome of the ensuing series would've been any different minus the challenge. If our defense is sitting on the sidelines thinking: "damn we lost the challenge - this time out will kills us". If that's the case we have mentally weak players.

 

Also, if you think it's that close, then challenge first -- worst case scenario you lose the challenge and one time out.

 

This part is obviously correct.

[Swift Sylvan]

I normally would say that there's always another chance to come back, but I agree with you. As soon as that play happened I just felt a complete shift as to how the game was going to turn out.

[Tasker]

I disagree. Momentum and emotion are big. That's part of the reason that the home field advantage exists...it isn't all about strange turf or uncomfortable hotel beds.

 

I do not fault JP at all for the timeout. But Dick should have made it moot by throwing the flag before that point (even though he would have lost), and if he didn't, he should have gotten enough info from the booth to not waste the second timeout challenging it, since it was clear what happened, and with time it was just a case of knowing what happened and what the rule is...very little to judge.

[CosmicBills]

I'm sorry man but this momentum stuff is largely garbage, especially when you're home.  The only time anyone brings it up is when the players fold under any adversity.  Nobody ever brings it up on scoring drives in which they overcome numerous penalties, which has happened this yr more than you might think.  If you watch a Patriots game or any other team that's good, you see blunders and the players overcome them.  It's just incredibly naive to think that the outcome of the ensuing series would've been any different minus the challenge.  If our defense is sitting on the sidelines thinking: "damn we lost the challenge - this time out will kills us".  If that's the case we have mentally weak players. 

This part is obviously correct.

856196[/snapback]

I don't know how any Bills fan can dispute the existance of momentum. Just look back to "The Comeback".

 

It's not a matter of being mentally weak. Momentum exists. I've seen it, felt it (anyone in the stands during the third quarter felt it). It's a real thing in sports. Happens all the time. March Maddness is built on that concept alone.

 

Momentum is especially important when you're the lesser team like the Bills were today. Sure, great teams can overcome another team's momentum and still win. But it's extremely hard. And today, the Chargers were reeling from the loss of momentum. They were teetering on the brink.

 

And if you don't want to believe in momentum (which I think is silly), just look at the realities of the situation. Regardless of the PI non call, the 3rd and 10 was THE biggest play of the game. Your players are loose and in the groove. How does putting them on ice for 13 minutes help? Think about teams that call time outs to ice a kicker before a huge kick. The coaching staff did that to themselves today. They put their team on the shelf for 13 minutes and then asked them to go back out and make a huge play.

 

Momentum or not, it was a terrible decision. And not just because of the loss of time outs.

[BuffOrange]

I don't know how any Bills fan can dispute the existance of momentum. Just look back to "The Comeback".

 

It's not a matter of being mentally weak. Momentum exists. I've seen it, felt it (anyone in the stands during the third quarter felt it). It's a real thing in sports. Happens all the time. March Maddness is built on that concept alone.

 

Momentum is especially important when you're the lesser team like the Bills were today. Sure, great teams can overcome another team's momentum and still win. But it's extremely hard. And today, the Chargers were reeling from the loss of momentum. They were teetering on the brink.

 

And if you don't want to believe in momentum (which I think is silly), just look at the realities of the situation. Regardless of the PI non call, the 3rd and 10 was THE biggest play of the game. Your players are loose and in the groove. How does putting them on ice for 13 minutes help? Think about teams that call time outs to ice a kicker before a huge kick. The coaching staff did that to themselves today. They put their team on the shelf for 13 minutes and then asked them to go back out and make a huge play.

 

Momentum or not, it was a terrible decision. And not just because of the loss of time outs.

856216[/snapback]

 

I guess I worded that poorly. I'm not disputing the existence of momentum (though I do think it's overrated in pro football). What I am disputing is the position that a failed challenge deflates a team. If anything it just pissed off the fans more, which isn't necessarily a bad thing when our defense takes the field. Whatever marginal damage the challenge had in terms of momentum is dwarfed by the impact of the loss of a time out. I just think you're looking for things to nitpick at because we lost.

[CosmicBills]

I guess I worded that poorly.  I'm not disputing the existence of momentum (though I do think it's overrated in pro football).  What I am disputing is the position that a failed challenge deflates a team.  If anything it just pissed off the fans more, which isn't necessarily a bad thing when our defense takes the field.  Whatever marginal impact the challenge had in terms of momentum is dwarfed by the loss of a time out.

856230[/snapback]

Oh...I see.

 

But no, that's not my point at all. It has nothing to do with challenging the call and winning it or losing it. It's the fact that Jauron STOPPED the game for 13 minutes. Time kills momentum. You lose it just as quick as you get it. And knowingly pulling your team off the field for 13 minutes when you could have done the same thing with a 3 min break is foolish.

 

That's what killed the momentum. The time on the sidelines. Not the failed challenge.

[East Brady]

Oh...I see.

 

But no, that's not my point at all. It has nothing to do with challenging the call and winning it or losing it. It's the fact that Jauron STOPPED the game for 13 minutes. Time kills momentum. You lose it just as quick as you get it. And knowingly pulling your team off the field for 13 minutes when you could have done the same thing with a 3 min break is foolish.

 

That's what killed the momentum. The time on the sidelines. Not the failed challenge.

856233[/snapback]

But the momentum was really killed when the refs failed to call interference on the next play..

Convert the 3rd down like your supposed to do and momentum is back on.....

 

Players stand around all the time for tv timeouts...its nothing new.....But I hear what your saying. We lost the game in the first half and dug to big of a hole to climb from .....

 

I like this team and the coaching, at this point of rebuilding a broken franchise, I just can't get that upset, They play real hard, and right now I can live with some mistakes in the heat of the battle.

[generaLee83]

I completely agree, Jauron really sucked today. His decisions lately have been risky but have turned out okay because the Bills have won.

 

How about at the end of the 2nd quarter the 3 consecutive off-tackle runs inside their own 5 yard line. I mean I understand if you want to play conservatively and not risk a turnover but at least change up the play calling a bit. He also failed to run time off the clock which resulted in a punt which resulted in 7 points for SD, this game was decided by 3.

 

Dick blew himself this game. He gets an F-