The light at the end of the tunnel keeps getting dimmer ...

[SoCal Pat]

... with each and every successive season of not making the playoffs.

 

Instead of being optimistic over making it one more round in the playoffs or winning the division, I'm reduced to hoping we get to .500.

 

This team appears to have so many holes in it, but the one true joy of the NFL is that rebuilding is only one draft away, one ill-thought waiver decision (See: Jets, New York; Pennington, Chad) and 1-2 dumb-luck games from turning things around. If the Bills were a college team (refrain from joking here about how they play like one), we couldn't be optimistic until 2011. But the Fins showed us that it can be an overnight transition. I suppose we should be thankful to them for showing us that.

 

Dick Jauron absolutely has to be fired. That he's earned the "respect" of the players despite doing little of consequence is damning -- a point that seems to be lost on every mutton-minded national media member when discussing Jauron's ability as a coach. Outside of Dick Vermiel and maybe ... maybe ... Tony Dungy, I can't think of one head coach who won a Super Bowl who wasn't a ruthless bastard. And you're telling us that because the players like him, he should stay? Whatever ...

 

Anyone who wants Trent Edwards gone either believes the next Brady, Favre or Manning grows on trees, or isn't mentally equipped to talk about football. Are you that brain dead to remember what life was like with Losman, Holcomb or Johnson? C'mon now ... QB play isn't the primary reason this team finished 7-9.

 

I'm in favor of replacing our entire LB corps, but a healthy Schobel would help. Even then it's still a unit that can't be ranked in the top 25 in the league. Without Schobel's presence, I'm inclined to give the entire unit some forgiveness. Didn't the slide coincide with Schobel's absence anyway?

 

Offense is much less problematic. Find a No. 2 WR, a TE and an offensive coordinator with a clue -- or keep Schonert if it really is Jauron that's responsible for all the mind-numbing, craptacular displays of play calling and clock management. It took everything in me to keep myself from going ballistic in front of my son when, with the wind and facing 3rd-and-9, we run Xavier Omon up the middle to set up a 46-yard field goal attept. What the hell was Jauron doing during pregame warmups? Does he not notice that a FG from that distance was an impossibility? Did he not learn from Cleveland?

 

If Jauron is not fired, I will take great pleasure in seeing the nonrenewals in season tickets rise into the low five figures. If that doesn't bother Ralph Wilson, then he can go jump off a bridge and die already so the team can move and I can free up Sunday afternoons for something far less exasperating.

[TheChimp]

Good read.

[WellDressed]

... with each and every successive season of not making the playoffs.

 

Instead of being optimistic over making it one more round in the playoffs or winning the division, I'm reduced to hoping we get to .500.

 

This team appears to have so many holes in it, but the one true joy of the NFL is that rebuilding is only one draft away, one ill-thought waiver decision (See: Jets, New York; Pennington, Chad) and 1-2 dumb-luck games from turning things around. If the Bills were a college team (refrain from joking here about how they play like one), we couldn't be optimistic until 2011. But the Fins showed us that it can be an overnight transition. I suppose we should be thankful to them for showing us that.

 

I'm in favor of replacing our entire LB corps, but a healthy Schobel would help. Even then it's still a unit that can't be ranked in the top 25 in the league. Without Schobel's presence, I'm inclined to give the entire unit some forgiveness. Didn't the slide coincide with Schobel's absence anyway?

 

 

What is getting rid of 59 & 51 going to accomplish??

 

Stupid idea.

[Lofton80]

They are not getting rid of the LB corp. I could see Ellison getting replaced as he gets dragged 4 yards after contact a lot.

Poz seems too far away from the line and gets caught up in traffic a lot. I wonder if he belongs on the outside.

[TheChimp]

I wonder if he belongs on the outside.

You mean like, parking lot attendant? I agree.

[apuszczalowski]

Anyone who wants Trent Edwards gone either believes the next Brady, Favre or Manning grows on trees, or isn't mentally equipped to talk about football. Are you that brain dead to remember what life was like with Losman, Holcomb or Johnson? C'mon now ... QB play isn't the primary reason this team finished 7-9.

I am not in favor of kicking trent to the curb just yet, but I do question if he is going to amount to something more then just a slightly better Kelly Holcomb. They are very similar QB's, they like to dink and dunk and don't usually put alot of points on the board. The offence was a major reason why the bills did not make the playoffs. They only bright side on the offence was the running game late in the year. 4th quarter combacks against teams you should have blown out don't make a QB great

 

I'm in favor of replacing our entire LB corps, but a healthy Schobel would help. Even then it's still a unit that can't be ranked in the top 25 in the league. Without Schobel's presence, I'm inclined to give the entire unit some forgiveness. Didn't the slide coincide with Schobel's absence anyway?

FWIW, According to NFL.com, Buffalo's defence was ranked 14th in game day stats - http://www.nfl.com/stats/categorystats?tab...;seasonType=REG

 

Offense is much less problematic. Find a No. 2 WR, a TE and an offensive coordinator with a clue -- or keep Schonert if it really is Jauron that's responsible for all the mind-numbing, craptacular displays of play calling and clock management. It took everything in me to keep myself from going ballistic in front of my son when, with the wind and facing 3rd-and-9, we run Xavier Omon up the middle to set up a 46-yard field goal attept. What the hell was Jauron doing during pregame warmups? Does he not notice that a FG from that distance was an impossibility? Did he not learn from Cleveland?

 

If Jauron is not fired, I will take great pleasure in seeing the nonrenewals in season tickets rise into the low five figures. If that doesn't bother Ralph Wilson, then he can go jump off a bridge and die already so the team can move and I can free up Sunday afternoons for something far less exasperating.

Coaching and offence are where the focus needs to be on this offseason, or else there really won't be much of a change next season.

[KD in CA]

It took everything in me to keep myself from going ballistic in front of my son when, with the wind and facing 3rd-and-9, we run Xavier Omon up the middle to set up a 46-yard field goal attept. What the hell was Jauron doing during pregame warmups? Does he not notice that a FG from that distance was an impossibility? Did he not learn from Cleveland?

 

I'm glad someone mentioned this play. It was overshadowed by the disaster at the end of the half, but was just as stupid a decision by Jauron. With absolutely nothing to lose, playing for a 46 yard FG in swirling 40 mph winds.

 

Pathetic.

[H2o]

"And it comes to be that the soothing light at the end of your tunnel is just a freight train heading your way."

 

James Hetfield

 

[cale]

I think Don Banks sums it up nicely today:

 

"Somehow I can't imagine a Bill Belichick-coached team ever mindlessly allowing the clock to wind to triple zeroes while some Patriots players engage in a skirmish that keeps New England from even trying a just-before-halftime field goal attempt in a 3-0 game.

 

But that's what Dick Jauron's Bills did on Sunday. And it was all too indicative of the disarray that has ruled in Buffalo in the season's second half."

[apuszczalowski]

I think Don Banks sums it up nicely today:

 

"Somehow I can't imagine a Bill Belichick-coached team ever mindlessly allowing the clock to wind to triple zeroes while some Patriots players engage in a skirmish that keeps New England from even trying a just-before-halftime field goal attempt in a 3-0 game.

 

But that's what Dick Jauron's Bills did on Sunday. And it was all too indicative of the disarray that has ruled in Buffalo in the season's second half."

I don't blame that all 100% on the caoching staff. Preston being dumb enough to be coaxed into a fight with the pats players, instead of getting off the field or into position as soon as the play was over has to take a big chunk of the blame too. They had the time to try one more play if time wasn't wasted by Preston. The coaching staffs blame falls on trying to run the ball up the middle with no time outs left and under a minute left.

 

It was definitly NE's plan to coax the Bills into wasting the time that was left on the clock so they couldn't make another play, and the refs said that they only continued the clock with the fight because Preston was continuing it.

[KD in CA]

I think Don Banks sums it up nicely today:

 

"Somehow I can't imagine a Bill Belichick-coached team ever mindlessly allowing the clock to wind to triple zeroes while some Patriots players engage in a skirmish that keeps New England from even trying a just-before-halftime field goal attempt in a 3-0 game.

 

But that's what Dick Jauron's Bills did on Sunday. And it was all too indicative of the disarray that has ruled in Buffalo in the season's second half."

 

I still don't understand what the C being in a scrum has to do with having the FG unit on the field. Was the rest of team in position to snap the ball and kick? Sure didn't look that way to me.