Rantings...

[Coach55]

I have been following this message board for years and historically have stayed quiet since I am more interested in others' opinions than giving my own. After decades of being a die-hard Bills fan and watching the team repeatedly fail, I need to let some steam off about the current state of affairs. I know I am going to aggravate a lot of people and people are not going to agree with me, but here goes. I am not addressing the defense or the special teams (this is due to time, not from lack of concern, plus I don’t think they are the primary problems)

 

Some thoughts about the Bills (in no particular order and not complete) -

1. JP Losman - this guy should not be an NFL QB. Period. He can't make it to the 3rd man in his progressions. He is clearly indecisive. People say he is a good scrambler - yes he is quick, but the only reason he scrambles is when the line holds up for 4 seconds and he can't throw the ball. He is not a winner, he is overpaid and needs to be let go.

2. Dick Jauron - He is not a winner. He consistently makes poor decisions in team management, from the players that play to the plays that are called. Yes, he is a well-respected person with both the league and the team; however respect does not win football games. He is a coach who plays not to lose and doesn't play to win. Example - When its 4th and short, we should be jamming it down their throats every time (ok, I'm overgeneralizing). We have the biggest offensive line in football. Short yardage situations are an attitude. Whoever wants it more, gets it. We rarely get it, or even worse, we punt/kick the FG.

3. Turk - His play calling is atrocious. He should be building the offense to exploit the talents we have, not try to make us the 1988 Cincinnati Bengals. We should be putting the best 5 skill position players on the field for 90% of the downs and using specialists on the remaining 10%. Top five skill players (in order of talent): Evans, Jackson, Lynch, Parrish and Reed. With the talent they have, they should be throwing the ball 70% of the time on 1st down to set up 2nd and shorts - those are the plays where real damage can be done. Does not the team even practice Screen passes - never used properly, nor can they execute. Trim the playbook and let the players play.

4. Offensive Player Breakdown and how to use them

- Evans - Should be thrown to 6-8 times per game - primarily as a deep threat. Minimum 2-3 times per game they should stretch the field.

- Jackson - He is the best back on this team. He is faster to the hole and a way better receiver then Lynch. He should be styled similar to a Westbrook type, getting 10-15 carries and thrown to 5-7 times per game.

- Lynch - Great Attitude, workhorse - however too much of a dancer and hands are suspect. He should still be getting 8-12 carries per game and utilized as an outlet/hot receiver, but not high in the progressions.

- Parrish - Completely mismanaged player. They need to get him into open space - End arounds, Prison Break Screens, Quick Slants. If the get him the Ball w/in 5 yds of the LOS, he will make something happen. Further than that, he is too small and is overpowered by the bigger CBs. They need to get him the ball 8-10 times a game, ala Wes Welker.

- Reed - He's your possession guy - use him for buttonhooks, find holes in the zone. Should be #2 in the progressions on basically every pass. (Ask me this 2 years ago and I would have said cut him - he has come a long way)

- TEs - this team doesn't have a decent TE. They all suck. Royal can run patterns, but can't hold onto the ball. Shouman is serviceable. Given the talent level here, the offense should not have a TE in the game during their "normal" offense.

- Hardy - Either he is completely misutilized or he just isn't pro-caliber. The guy is 6'5"!!! Have him do a 10 yd flag pattern and throw the ball high. If he can be covered by 5'10" corner, he should just not be playing. Quickly looking like a bust.

- Steve Johnson - would like to see more of him. Has run sharp patterns and can create separation when given the opportunity. Should be #4 on the depth chart.

- FBs - Waste of roster spot.

5. Trent Edwards - he is the big Question Mark - The first 1/4 of the season, he looked phenomenal. Went through his progressions with ease and showed great confidence in executing the offense. He brings all of the intangibles to the table - leadership, pocket presence, work ethic etc. What I am unsure about is whether his poor play was a result of the hit in Arizona (I think it is, thus it would be temporary) or if he is just a shotty player (which I don't think this is the case). If he is not permanently ruined by that hit, he should be a solid QB, otherwise we need to look elsewhere. He could be the first winner we have at QB since Flutie.

6. Offensive line – Outside of the fact that we need a center, the line is decent. People repeatedly blame the line for the lack of a running game or when Losman gets sacked (once for every 6.4 dropbacks compared to 1/17.2 for Edwards). The fact of the matter is, the line has held up for the most part on pass blocking this year. The run blocking has been suspect, but when you telegraph the run because Turk has crappy play-calling you are going to get blamed. The talent level on this line rivals the lines of the early 90’s, however until someone learns to call plays, they will be blamed for shotty play.

7. Outlook for next year - Jauron gone, Turk gone. Make Bobby April head coach. Bring in an OC who will run a stripped down playbook 30-40 plays and concentrate on execution. They don't need to be fancy. If you are going to bring in a new coach and a new system, you need to be able to make it work in weeks not years.

 

I could rant longer, but I am out of time for now.