A Few Thoughts About The Game

[The Big Cat]

Even you have turned -

 

You mean on Royal?

[Sisyphean Bills]

Apparently, you didn't see our opponent today. The Dolphins have significantly less talent than the Bills. They beat the Bills all day with a lineup full of rookies and leftovers from their dreadful team of last season. Their coaches get production because they demand it. As they said on the telecast, at first Joey Porter didn't like the idea that he was playing for his job everyday........but now his career has been revived and they've gone from 1-15 to 8-5. Who'd have thought coaching could bring out the best in players? Or create synergy? So, yeah, in some part dropping passes on 3rd and 9 IS the coaches fault. Or running routes short. Any number of failed plays fall back on the coaching, especially this late in the season.

 

And yes, we have long been up in arms about the coaching. And with good cause. Ralph's cheapness with regard to hiring management is very old news. That said, Jauron didn't even deserve the job, let alone a big paycheck. This job should be given to a winner and they should be paid commensurate to other winners in the league.

Long snapping the ball off his butt cheeks was just a classic example of fine coaching and preparation.

[ganesh]

did anyone else notice Pennington drag Pozluzny 5 yards?

 

 

should have traded up for Willis.

 

I am sure Patrick Willis is setting the Bay on fire and leading the 49ers to post-season wins.

[apuszczalowski]

I disagree Cat. Here in Miami, they can't sell out playoff games, in Jax they have to buy up tix to get games televised. As Bills fans sit in their freezing ass cold chair in the middle of Dec. at a sold out game for a team that they LOVE. Our "Team" looks like they just don't care. Being a Bills fan is not as easy but we love them. The team/coaches have no heart. Don't you think that the fans deserve a team with as much heart as they have?

Jax has always had this problem ever since they entered the league

 

And those December Bills games like against the Titans 2 years ago? or The Dolphins games for the last couple years where they have had to also have local buisnesses buy up tickets to sell out the games?

[Bufcomments]

The Bills fans has supported the team as well as any in the league.

We had the best GM in the league in Bill Polian but Ralph let him go......see Indy

We had a second chance at letting Marv Levy be the head coach ..we let that pass

This team would be a playoff team if Levy was coaching...I truly believe that. forget his age

But Ralph is just happy with seeing the stadium full on Sundays.

If he was truly interested in a winning team he should let Jauron go and hire Bill Cowher at all costs

Because he owes it to us the Fans to put the best out there because we fans have put our best into One bills Drive

Period.

[GaryPinC]

Well,

 

Some of my thoughts and I didn't even see the game. Because of last week, I think that Takeo Spikes truly loved playing for the Bills. Sure, most of these guys will always do the lip service and speak positively about their former team, but Takeo must have meant it because he did more. After the game he did the Buffalo Bills a huge favor and discussed how SF's defensive coordinator could tell what the Bills were going to run in any situation but also WHY they were doing that so that the defense could predict the Bills' playcall in any situation. SOUNDS LIKE DJ AND CO DID NOTHING TO CHANGE THE SITUATION. UTTERLY UNFORGIVEABLE.

 

The Bills are simply a team in which the players (at least on offense) have lost faith in their system. Somewhere between predictability and spineless coaching they lost it. All the mistakes on the field today point to a bottom line: too many players are not focused and playing hungry. They're going through the motions. I live in Cleveland and see the same things from the Browns. I don't necessarily blame the talent level, I realize these guys are professionals and they should perform regardless but they're also human beings. I blame the coaches. Coaching changes all around.

 

The thing that sucks about Ralph Wilson was that a few years ago he finally realized after all his meddling and tight control of the team he needed to turn it over to a good GM and let him bring in a championship. Unfortunately he took a look at the Steelers and decided that Donahoe was that man. And after that failed he went back to his old ways, even more so in that he refused to bring in a full blown GM.

 

Now, how do you fix this situation without pissing off Brandon (having to give up some power)? Brandon's done a lot of good for this franchise, I don't think trying to be a GM is part of it.

 

Ralph, you need to hire a good GM, but most importantly you need to radically change how you decide who's a good GM. Ditto with the coach.

[BillsVet]

Now, how do you fix this situation without pissing off Brandon (having to give up some power)? Brandon's done a lot of good for this franchise, I don't think trying to be a GM is part of it.

 

Ralph, you need to hire a good GM, but most importantly you need to radically change how you decide who's a good GM. Ditto with the coach.

 

Ralph should give his position as president to Brandon. In accepting this, RB must hire a new GM who has complete control in football operations. The GM can hire the new coach, and will be responsible for getting this team back to respectability. Do away with the COO position, and let Brandon have a hand in marketing this team. He won't have any say in how the team is assembled, either in UFA or the draft.

 

RB can market like a SOB, but it won't matter after three inept years. They need to find someone who knows football right now.

[Shamrock]

6) Kelsay is probably one of the top 5 worst starting players in the NFL. I'm not kidding. And this guy is a captain? He gets juked out by someone tripping for god sakes. What a joke. The only way he possibly gets a good jump on the ball is if he perfectly times the snap counts. And you know what that results in? At least 1 or 2 neutral zone infractions per game.

 

He gets upfield ok, but can he do anymore than lock one-one with the Tackle, then square up the hips to the tackle and try pushing him back to the QB.

Watch Joey Porter's sack against Peters and see him gets his hips outside of Peters and beat then beat him outside- switch step style. Watch Kelsay fire upfield, lean in, lock up, square up and get pushed around the play...

Does Kelsay have an inside technique- perhaps if he didn't always have the outside rush he'd do better with a hard inside play. But is there more, is there an outside technique for that matter... or another trick... something (in all seriousness).

Is it him or line coaching?

I've seen Denney do some strange rush techniques from time to time as well.

For that matter, why was a 6'7" Denney covering Brown out of the flat?

[TheChimp]

1) I'm sorry, but when a defender jumps offsides, said defender is not supposed to get his ass kicked on the play. I mean, wtf? Congrats to Kelsay for breaking new ground in terms of getting beat up.

 

2) You guys know how I feel about small, weak teams selecting first round defensive backs, but McKelvin is rapidly gaining my favor. Put me on record as saying that I like him in coverage, and that he has actual superstar potential on kick returns. He could turn into one of the best ever, and I don't toss this kind of compliment around lightly.

 

3) In the spirit of "the truth is the truth," Jason Peters had a rough outing.

 

4) I look forward to seeing Trent return to the lineup. Am I being too critical in posting this? Please let me know.

 

5) Help me please.....is somebody telling Denney to run away from most rushing attempts, or would he just rather not get involved. This time, I am not being a wiseass. I honestly don't know, but it is a serious problem. One would think that the coaches would get involved. Nah.......never mind.

 

6) OK, I am pissed. They put Whitner up close in the 3rd quarter. He responded with great plays on 2nd and 3rd down, forcing a punt. The next defensive set? You guessed it.....he was a mile back, watching from afar as the dolphins gained yardage and chewed up the clock. I know that he makes #8 money, but he is a competitor, and he must be angry as well.

 

7) Every Buffalo Bills Fan should be proud of Josh Reed.

 

8) On the opening kickoff, there was a fracas after the tackle. Was it George Wilson who pushed the Bills player away to avoid the penalty? Wilson also helped Parrish up when he was smothered by 5 guys on a return. Yeah.....I saw his penalty, but I like Wilson. The Bills could use a few more guys who seem to care.

 

9) JP looked very good on the play before the critical interception. He was looking right, and crossed up the defense when her ran left for a nice gain.

 

10) Another wonderful challenge by Dumbo Jauron. Hey.....who needs a timeout when you are down 10, with 2:49 to go in the 3rd quarter. My wife said to me, "what is the problem with that coach,?" and Millie doesn't really qualify as an obsessed fan, you know.....like us. My point is that casual observers can readily see that Jauron is a terrible coach. He is a flat out disaster, and this team is shot.

 

11) My post would have been better, but my excuse for this poor performance is that I have to take my daughter back to Philly in a few minutes.

 

12) Hang in there my friends. A win was what we needed, but maybe an earlier pick will help us. Maybe they will fire Jauron. Maybe we will win another game for the holidays. I don't know, but we are the best fans of any team in any sport. This I do know!

 

13) GO BILLS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love your posts.

[bananathumb]

did anyone else notice Pennington drag Pozluzny 5 yards?

 

 

should have traded up for Willis.

 

 

 

so true and so obvious at the time way to go marv

[KnightRider]

So Marshawn dropping the ball on 3 and 9 is Jauron's fault?

 

May be they should have run on first and goal. But it's the COACH'S fault that Losman threw it RIGHT to the defender?

 

C'mon, people! If you're so hung up on the importance of the coach, then you should be at arms over the fact that the PLAYERS make 2-3 times as much money as Jauron!

 

At this point, yes. The guy can run and block most of the time, but he can't catch.

 

WRT what the coach is being paid, you point out the obvious. Jauron, if he were a good coach, would be paid on par with the average player.

 

Ralph is the one constant in this organization over the last ten (should I put 50?) years. It's time for him to sell.

[Bill from NYC]

You are correct that Buffalo is fortunate to have a team of its own. But, I think the fan support over the years, demonstrates they deserve that fortune.

 

Ralph is responsible for getting, and keeping the team, in Buffalo. I seriously doubt there are many owners who would have kept the team here, over these years, and not taken the money offered from other markets. But, in keeping it here, he has not managed to put a quality product on the field.

 

The thing is, if you are going to compete from Buffalo, you have to be smarter than the average team, as you are less able to throw money at your mistakes. That just hasn't been the case, lately.

 

Thank you for a perfect post!

 

The bold sentence is true in more than 1 way. Because WNY is cold and blue collar, it is going to be harder to attract marquis free agents. This makes the draft THE most important vehicle for building a good team. In April, the Bills have way less room for mistakes than say the Cowboys.

Now, look at the Bills. I think that we all know that the hardest players to find are a QB, LT and pass rushing DE. The Bills have Edwards, Peters and Schobel. Not the best trio but better than a lot of teams.

Peters and Schobel were already here, and Jauron got lucky with Edwards as a late 3rd round pick.

 

Frick (Levy) and Frack (Jauron) came to town in 06. In summary, they gave 74 million dollars to 2 fat people (Walker and Dockery), and devoted their best resources to defensive backs. This team has no center, no guard who is anything special, 1 defensive end and 1 defensive tackle. Every other player at these positions is either second rate, or perhaps an acceptable backup, yet it was all about the secondary. There can be no justification for this idiocy.

 

Jauron was a noted serial loser before he got here. Nobody wanted him. By the mid nineties, Marv was washed up as a coach. He and George Halas were the 2 oldest coaches ever, and this was back in 1997. By then, his coaching method was to curse and scream incoherently on the sidelines. One thing Ralph got right was when he fired Levy and of course, nobody else wanted him either.

Ralph is ultimately to blame for hiring these 2 football misfits, but we the fans pay the price. Fortunately, Levy is gone. Now, it is up to Ralph to get rid of what I think is the 2nd worst coach (he is probably a little better than Herm Edwards) in football. Ralph gets 9 mil plus a year from Toronto? He should give 6 of it to Marty, and the wins would soon follow. Hell, I would much rather have Wade and a real GM than Jauron, who is a franchise killer.

 

Next year, get ready for Coach Levy. Marv is probably making calls as we speak, and the senility and futility will continue.

[KOKBILLS]

For that matter, why was a 6'7" Denney covering Brown out of the flat?

 

And for that matter how is it that Teams find Denny or Kelsay in Coverage most of the time when The Bills Zone Blitz? Could it be they are tipping something off?

[Wagon Circler]

did anyone else notice Pennington drag Pozluzny 5 yards?

 

 

should have traded up for Willis.

Like pretty much everyone else, I loved the guy and thought he would be a big difference maker this year. He hasn't been. A real dirth of big plays/hits.

[Sisyphean Bills]

And for that matter how is it that Teams find Denny or Kelsay in Coverage most of the time when The Bills Zone Blitz? Could it be they are tipping something off?

No we have great coaching and we mimic the schemes and plays we see others perform.

[John Adams]

Next year, get ready for Coach Levy. Marv is probably making calls as we speak, and the senility and futility will continue.

 

If only that was just a joke. A pox on you.

[Fan in Chicago]

Royal dropped one too....but drops happen every game. Our problems run too deep...and our red zone offense is the first place to start. I thought after the past couple weeks 'throwing' within the 5 yard line instead of running Marshawn (and turning it over, or settling for a FG), might have been reversed...but 1st and goal from the 3 or 5 or whatever today, and we throw again? ML has knack for the end zone...and he has knack for getting the tough yards...drives me crazy.

When a team has a good passing game, a couple of drops over the course of the game can be made up. For the Bills, whose passing game is pathetic, every catchable ball needs to be caught.

[Bill from NYC]

If only that was just a joke. A pox on you.

 

The handwriting is on the wall my friend.

 

Ralph will view this as something that will stir up fan interest, and he might be right. Levy will draft more defensive backs, work for 1/2 price because no other team would hire him, and Ralph will sell tickets and make his cash.

 

Speaking of tickets, I will buy mine next year as well. I have only gone to one game per season (15 consecutive years), but it costs me at least 700 dollars for my trip, and I think closer to 800. I had Millie talked into letting me go to a playoff game at 5-1, and she was even contemplating coming with me.

If I lived in WNY, I would buy season tickets no doubt.

SDS said years ago that he is more of a "fan of Bills Fans than of the Bills themselves." I never forgot this, and I agree 100%. If people like R.Rich, Badolbilz and Lori were charging me money to have a few beers with me and talk football, I would gladly pay to listen to hang with them and learn yet more about football. Everybody at every tailgate is always cool, and the fans are a bunch of rowdy, very funny fanatics.

 

No, I am not as depressed as I used to get after these pathetic losses (although with Jauron we are always teetering at the edge of depression). The only day my "Bills anger" gets really out of control now is on draft day.

[Beerball]

The handwriting is on the wall my friend.

you know what's good about yesterday? The Bills played soooooooooo badly that Peters isn't taking a beating today.

 

wish the same could be said for yesterday