Mikie2times Posted February 16, 2007 Posted February 16, 2007 Looking at this team last year and the massive amount of young starters you would think we would be heading toward a playoff run. Many started to think this until they saw we most likely lose Nate and London. I don't disagree that these would be big losses, but I still think we have enough factors going for us to be considered a legitimate playoff contender. What eventually propelled the Colts to the Super Bowl was not flawless play by Peyton. The difference for them was an unbelievable defensive transformation from the regular season to the playoffs. The Colts didn't suddenly morph into a great defensive team, and Bob Sanders didn't turn them from horrible to phenomenal. The reason was they ran at least double the amount of plays the other offense ran. This allowed the speed based cover 2 to play faster then they ever have for Tony Dungy. I point this out because we will most likely lose two key defenders, but our offense will return just about every starter including a young progressing QB. If DJ stays true to his words we also figure to upgrade the offensive line. If the offense controls the ball more it allows us to play much faster then we played last season. It will also allow us to get more penetration in the backfield. Remember the cover 2 is not designed to limit teams from gaining 100 yards, it's designed to force penetration and create a loss on one of the running downs in a series. By doing this you effectively keep the team from running again because they need to make up the additional yardage threw the air (the cover 2's strength). Other reasons include the youth we have on defense, McCargo/Yobouty's return, and system continuity. We started more rookies then any team in football last year and the progression they should make will help counteract the potential losses. 1st year starters generally don't do well but ours did, and many could elevate their play next season far past what we ever expected. We then have two high draft choices returning at positions many feel are critical needs. We have no idea what these guys may bring to the table, and if it's anything positive it will upgrade this team tremendously. Finally another year in these systems especially with the youth involved should also improve our overall play. The bottom line is if your cups half empty you’ll only see the negative. Despite any losses we might have this team still has a ton going for them in a positive direction. We really need to let the wounds heal and start believing again.
Captain Hindsight Posted February 16, 2007 Posted February 16, 2007 I totally agree, the other thing to remember is this team played hard every game, we were never out of it regurdless of who we played (san diego, Colts) I'm expecting playoffs and nothing else Go Bills!
DrDawkinstein Posted February 16, 2007 Posted February 16, 2007 I totally agree, the other thing to remember is this team played hard every game, we were never out of it regurdless of who we played (san diego, Colts) I'm expecting playoffs and nothing elseGo Bills! *(Bears, @Patriots) but every team has bad games and i agree, we're close to something good
Captain Hindsight Posted February 16, 2007 Posted February 16, 2007 Ya i nkow i was trying to look at the positive
bills_fan Posted February 16, 2007 Posted February 16, 2007 Playoffs next year. In 08, after signing UFA Pat Williams to address our one glaring hole at DT, we'll have a 2-3 year window to win it all.
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