R. Rich Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 So, we're not officially done yet in terms of being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs? I dunno. If not, I guess we can say "it's only one game" and "we're still 6-7", huh? All is well. Yet another pathetic performance by the Bills' offense. Man, are they truly offensive! The O line didn't have a great game, but there were times when Losman had time to throw and nothing happened. Yeah, he held onto the ball too much (coulda hit Marshawn on the 3rd down play where Porter sacked him; was the main reason for the sacks on the Bills' final drive of the game), but he also didn't get a lot of help from his receivers. Due to the whole "receivers are open but nobody sees 'em" argument, I tried to focus on such situations. Here's a couple I noticed: 1. 4th and 2 play where Bills failed (surprise, surprise) to convert: Marshawn Lynch runs the fake and just stands there Lee Evans runs crossing route but does not get open Josh Reed was the only one who worked to get open to help out QB 2. 2nd and 10 play @ 11:13 of 3rd Quarter: 4 WRs, 2 (X receiver and TE) @ the top of screen run short routes and do nothing to get open; they stood in place while Losman looked for an open receiver; slot receiver on left side ran pattern (post) but did not get open; WR on bottom of screen did little to help Losman out-ran short route, did not adjust and ran to sideline as Losman was scrambling So, to sum it up, I guess we'd say the QB holds onto the ball far too long while the receivers could work harder to adjust and get open. It's not an either/or thing. Both things need correcting. Speaking of the QB, Losman has to do better recognizing things like how and when to throw the ball. Yeah, Evans got slowed up on the missed long bomb, but Losman still overthrew it. Unless Evans morphed into Usain Bolt, he had no chance of getting to that throw even if he didn't get slowed. Also, throwing a fade route to a smaller, undersized Evans? And throwing it INSIDE, where the D back has a shot @ coming up w/ a knockdown or, in this case, an INT??? These are errors I could see a rookie making (and not even some: see Flacco, Joe or Ryan, Matt), but he's been in the league long enough to know better. The defense tried hard to keep the Bills in the game. They were out on the field for a ridiculous amount of time yet still had guys going hard to try to make plays. Bryan Scott, Donte Whitner, Paul Posluszny, Ko Simpson, and Leodis McKelvin gave it their all and showed flashes w/ some nice open field tackling and great hustle effort. Still, it's the (lack of a consistent) pass rush that is holding back this unit. Sounds like a broken record? Tell me 'bout it. I get the awful feeling that this team has not progressed @ all since Jauron was hired. Yeah, yeah, they're young and all. So? Young players should be able to rely on coaching to better prepare them for the NFL. I don't know if that can be said of the Bills under Jauron. We see a ton of mistakes, poor judgment, poor clock management, poor use of challenges/timeouts, and lack of composure @ critical times in a game. Jauron's an experienced coach, which cannot be said of guys like Sparano and Mike Smith of Atlanta. Why is it that their guys don't seem to implode as often as ours? I think it's time for people to focus on the main problem: ownership. This team has had numerous coaches, numerous execs, and numerous players, but the same guy runs the show. The same kind of people get hired to make the same kind of mistakes. I'd love to see Ralph Wilson actually helping to formulate a plan to keep the Bills in Buffalo beyond his passing instead of just keeping the team and going through the motions over and over again. Then again, as much as I love the Bills, I wonder if there is any saving this franchise (as far as keeping them in Buffalo). I sure hope they can, but it's going to be very tough and nobody has stepped up to the plate just yet w/ an ironclad solution. Meanwhile, diehard and loyal fans of this team are the ones who are being screwed. We root for this team, we spend lots of money to go to games (some of us spend a whole lot just to travel to the games), and yet here we all are, watching another late season swoon and possibly another 7-9 season.....or worse. I really wish I had the answer, but I don't. 'Til someone gives us the answer, all we can do is hope things get better. I sure am tired of hoping all the time, but I guess we're stuck w/ this course of action 'til something better comes along. Good luck, Bills. I hope you figure it out and get things turned 'round. As tough as things are now, I will not quit you (dumb as I may be for not doing so). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 I think it's time for people to focus on the main problem: ownership. This team has had numerous coaches, numerous execs, and numerous players, but the same guy runs the show. The same kind of people get hired to make the same kind of mistakes. I'd love to see Ralph Wilson actually helping to formulate a plan to keep the Bills in Buffalo beyond his passing instead of just keeping the team and going through the motions over and over again. Then again, as much as I love the Bills, I wonder if there is any saving this franchise (as far as keeping them in Buffalo). I sure hope they can, but it's going to be very tough and nobody has stepped up to the plate just yet w/ an ironclad solution. Meanwhile, diehard and loyal fans of this team are the ones who are being screwed. We root for this team, we spend lots of money to go to games (some of us spend a whole lot just to travel to the games), and yet here we all are, watching another late season swoon and possibly another 7-9 season.....or worse. I really wish I had the answer, but I don't. 'Til someone gives us the answer, all we can do is hope things get better. I sure am tired of hoping all the time, but I guess we're stuck w/ this course of action 'til something better comes along. Good luck, Bills. I hope you figure it out and get things turned 'round. As tough as things are now, I will not quit you (dumb as I may be for not doing so). I totally agree with you here. I wonder if Kelly, Thurman etc. actually care as much as they say (they sound like us most of the time). If they can actually execute a plan to keep the Bills here, I will be forever in their debt. Maybe there really is a handshake deal between Ralph and Kelly+investors, they just don't discuss it publicly (as is their right). At this point, all of my hope is pinned on Kelly, Thurman etc....those guys couldn't let a guy down for a 5th time..right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haven Moses Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 The bomb to Evans that was way over his head..... Evans got tangled up with the DB. JP threw it to where he would have been. I don't blame JP for that one. I suppose that the main reason Ralph isn't in the HOF is that the rest of the league views him as inept. I've had the rose colored glasses on for a long time, hoping for things to turn around, but really we are a half step beond the obvious laughing stocks... Detroit and Cincinnati. Just enough to keep us off that radar screen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IDBillzFan Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 I haven't been one to jump on the "Jauron is an emotionless dolt" wagon as I'm not convinced additional emotion from the HC would help, but did you see Tomlinson as the clock was winding down yesterday? Watching that yesterday made me feel like a guy who's been married for 65-years, watching newlyweds making out in an elevator on TV while turning to see my 95-year-old wife knitting me another scarf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. Rich Posted December 8, 2008 Author Share Posted December 8, 2008 The bomb to Evans that was way over his head..... Evans got tangled up with the DB. JP threw it to where he would have been. I don't blame JP for that one. Not so... Yeah, Evans got slowed up on the missed long bomb, but Losman still overthrew it. Unless Evans morphed into Usain Bolt, he had no chance of getting to that throw even if he didn't get slowed. Even RICH Gannon made mention of the fact that while Evans did get slowed down, the pass wasn't even IN THE PICTURE when they showed the replay. It was badly overthrown. I suppose that the main reason Ralph isn't in the HOF is that the rest of the league views him as inept. I've had the rose colored glasses on for a long time, hoping for things to turn around, but really we are a half steps beond the obvious laughing stocks... Detroit and Cincinnati. Just enough to keep us off that radar screen. I'll stop short of suggesting some sort of evil master plan by Ralph ("Just get me the season ticket sales and to Hell w/ the rest. Mwah hahahaha!!!"). It's just very disappointing that it usually works out that way for us Bills fans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R. Rich Posted December 8, 2008 Author Share Posted December 8, 2008 I totally agree with you here. I wonder if Kelly, Thurman etc. actually care as much as they say (they sound like us most of the time). If they can actually execute a plan to keep the Bills here, I will be forever in their debt. Maybe there really is a handshake deal between Ralph and Kelly+investors, they just don't discuss it publicly (as is their right). At this point, all of my hope is pinned on Kelly, Thurman etc....those guys couldn't let a guy down for a 5th time..right? Again, it's all we can do, unfortunately: hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 I totally agree with you here. I wonder if Kelly, Thurman etc. actually care as much as they say (they sound like us most of the time). If they can actually execute a plan to keep the Bills here, I will be forever in their debt. Maybe there really is a handshake deal between Ralph and Kelly+investors, they just don't discuss it publicly (as is their right). At this point, all of my hope is pinned on Kelly, Thurman etc....those guys couldn't let a guy down for a 5th time..right? Kelly & crowd might have their heart in the right place, but they don't have several hundred million dollars, which is what is required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UConn James Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 I think it's time for people to focus on the main problem: ownership. This team has had numerous coaches, numerous execs, and numerous players, but the same guy runs the show. The same kind of people get hired to make the same kind of mistakes. I'd love to see Ralph Wilson actually helping to formulate a plan to keep the Bills in Buffalo beyond his passing instead of just keeping the team and going through the motions over and over again. Then again, as much as I love the Bills, I wonder if there is any saving this franchise (as far as keeping them in Buffalo). I sure hope they can, but it's going to be very tough and nobody has stepped up to the plate just yet w/ an ironclad solution. Meanwhile, diehard and loyal fans of this team are the ones who are being screwed. Ralph's role should be the macrocosm --- the main thing he should be doing is the above or thinking about a new stadium and representing the team at the league meetings/CBA, if he still gives a sh-- about his legacy in Buffalo. His concern should be high-level decisions, and barring that, he should be taking warm baths and eating more fiber. Instead, he regularly delves into the microcosm in ways that don't help the team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shamrock Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 It still amazes me how someone like Parrish who runs a 4.37s 40-yard dash, recorded a 36-inch can't get either open or a ball and a guy like Ricky Proehl (a very good reciever...) for example looks HoF. Can you still motion in the NFL? Hardy at 6'6" 200 can't get a ball- here's a guy who can run a 4.47 40 yard dash, 18 reps on the bench press at the NFL Combine, jump 37 inch vertical leap, blah, blah, blah but can't buy a reception. Just can't. Can you run a slant from the slot in the NFL? Is it these guys or is the coaches who can't sit down and come up with a game plane to get the balls to receivers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills_fan Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Kelly & crowd might have their heart in the right place, but they don't have several hundred million dollars, which is what is required. I think it depends who is in Kelly's crowd. Off the top of my head, Bob Rich and Jeremy Jacobs have that kind of coin and are Buffalo-based guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miyagi-Do Karate Posted December 8, 2008 Share Posted December 8, 2008 Even RICH Gannon made mention of the fact that while Evans did get slowed down, the pass wasn't even IN THE PICTURE when they showed the replay. It was badly overthrown. What was weird was that all of JP's long balls yesterday looked weird--like too much air under them. I think he was rusty-- for all his faults, JP usually can throw a decent bomb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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