Biggest Difference Between Bills and 09 Super Bowl Teams

[Tcali]

Proves the coaches aren't up to par.

hmmmm......yes our coaches arent up to par.... but 'that' doesnt prove our coaches arent up to par.

You can coach Kelsay and Schobel all you want--they still arent gonna put any pressure on the passer.And TE still wont be as tough or as clutch as Big Ben. And our LBs still wont be able to hold Harrisons jock strap.

[KD in CA]

The correct answer is:

 

All of the above...

[Thurman#1]

Difference makers.

 

An experienced QB.

 

Fewer holes.

 

Coaching

[The Dean]

hmmmm......yes our coaches arent up to par.... but 'that' doesnt prove our coaches arent up to par.

You can coach Kelsay and Schobel all you want--they still arent gonna put any pressure on the passer.And TE still wont be as tough or as clutch as Big Ben. And our LBs still wont be able to hold Harrisons jock strap.

 

 

Agreed. I think that DL is the one area where the Bills are really hurting...especially with Schobel out. LB is also an area that could use help...especially with Crowell out.

 

But, for the most part, the team is in decent shape, talent-wise, IMO.

 

Good DBs, Terrific RBs, OL has plenty of talent...need a Center, WRs are good enough (doesn't mean there can't be an upgrade), Qb unknown

 

The team definitely needs another DT, a DE and probably one LB on D (if Crowell doesn't return, and depth if he does). Two of those three would be fine, if the coaches grew some balls...if they don't, the additional talent won't matter.

 

The offense needs a center and a TE...and a coach that doesn't telegraph his plays with formations. You could add Peyton Manning to this team and they won't be a SB team with the current offensive philosophy.

 

Of course, no team, even the Steelers, can't use an upgrade at a position, or two. Talent wise, the Bills are close to the Cardinals, overall, IMO. They are a mile away from them, in coaching.

[stinky finger]

I fully expect them to be in the SB next year as well.

 

OOOOOOK.....

[Orton's Arm]

Difference makers.

 

An experienced QB.

 

Fewer holes.

 

Coaching

Very good point about difference makers. I'd place difference makers into three categories:

 

1) If one of your guys can be productive while using up two of theirs, he's a difference maker. Jerry Rice was quite capable of having a productive game while being double covered. Bruce Smith could put a lot of pressure on the QB even when being double teamed. Those guys were category 1 difference makers.

 

2) If one of your guys can cancel out a category 1 difference maker, he's a category 2 difference maker. You can have a Deion Sanders cover a Jerry Rice and be okay. You can have a Tony Boselli go one-on-one against Bruce Smith without it becoming a problem. These are category 2 difference makers

 

3) Players who play at the same level as the first two categories of players--who are a constant threat to take control of the game--but who don't play at one-on-one matchup positions. Players like Joe Montana and Barry Sanders were category 3 difference makers.

 

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any players--on offense or defense--who fit into any of the three categories of difference-makers. If we could get difference maker quality of play from just a few key positions, it would significantly lift the level of this team.

[KD in CA]

Very good point about difference makers. I'd place difference makers into three categories:

 

1) If one of your guys can be productive while using up two of theirs, he's a difference maker. Jerry Rice was quite capable of having a productive game while being double covered. Bruce Smith could put a lot of pressure on the QB even when being double teamed. Those guys were category 1 difference makers.

 

2) If one of your guys can cancel out a category 1 difference maker, he's a category 2 difference maker. You can have a Deion Sanders cover a Jerry Rice and be okay. You can have a Tony Boselli go one-on-one against Bruce Smith without it becoming a problem. These are category 2 difference makers

 

3) Players who play at the same level as the first two categories of players--who are a constant threat to take control of the game--but who don't play at one-on-one matchup positions. Players like Joe Montana and Barry Sanders were category 3 difference makers.

 

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any players--on offense or defense--who fit into any of the three categories of difference-makers. If we could get difference maker quality of play from just a few key positions, it would significantly lift the level of this team.

 

 

Very good post. Look at the guys who were huge last night; Big Ben, Holmes, Warner, Fitz, Harrison. The Bills don't have anyone even close to those guys.

[Beerball]

Until you give up your nickname I will have to refuse to participate in your pool. You have clearly partook in nickname infringement, a serious offense.

[thewildrabbit]

Very good post. Look at the guys who were huge last night; Big Ben, Holmes, Warner, Fitz, Harrison. The Bills don't have anyone even close to those guys.

The Bills could have a team filled with "Difference Makers" and Bill Belichick would still find a way to beat Buffalo, even if his entire starting first string was on IR

 

After watching the Bills lose to the 49ers, Jets and other teams near the end of last season I have no faith in the current coaching staff to win against even poorly coached teams, no matter who takes the field for the Bills.

[truth on hold]

Difference makers.

 

An experienced QB.

 

Fewer holes.

 

Coaching

pretty hard to spot a difference maker from a good player in the draft. heck going for difference maker can lead to a blowhard like shockey. of all the bills players i think only mckelvin has a chance to be a true difference maker

[billsfan714]

God anybody who thinks the Bills have a better secondary the the Steelers should stop watching football. I totally agree we need difference makers. We dont need any more solid citizen, works hard type that cant make plays. Donte Whitner couldnt hold Troy Polamalu's jock, and doesnt make plays. Josh Reed wouldnt even make the Steelers team, yet I hear people on this board say how good he is. When does he score TDs or lay someone out like Hines Ward. Edwards is adequate at best but is not a playmaker. He would make a nice Frank Reich not Jim Kelly. Roethlisburger keeps plays alive, Tom Brady moves and slides in the pocket and keeps plays alive, to make big plays. We dont have that. The picks we gave to Dallas for Losman could of got us Bob Sanders in the 2nd---a playmaker.

 

Personally, when I look at the schedule next year, Im honestly hoping the Bills implode. Dont get me wrong, Im a die hard Bills fan, that lives in PA and has to hear these gloating "stiller" fans daily. But I know sometimes you have to take a step back to go foward. Just like one of the few bad Steeler teams turned into the Roethlisburger pick in the next draft for Pittsburgh. What I want to happen if they implode, say 4-12 next year is that...1-Jauron is fired and 2-We get a crack at the blue chip QBs that will be coming out next year and 3-and this may be a pipe dream is that we get a real GM. One who can spot talent in the draft, who will hire top notch scouts, who will trade down before he trades up, one who can make a trade that improves the team. You know like Polian use to do. I honestly believe there are people on this board, armed with their knowledge of college football and a few draft mags that could do better that Modrak and the previous GMs. A number 1 for an aging and statuesque Bledsoe, numerous high wasted picks on JP Losman, Donte Whitner---whose production numbers resemble a 4th round pick. The same 4th round piece of crap TE drafted every other year. The money wasted on DEs who dont produce. I would go on, but when i loook at the Steelers I see just how far we are away, and its a long, long. long way. Same when I look at the Patriots, and these are 2 teams that you have to get through just to get to the bowl. What do the Steelers have to address in the draft---a few offensive lineman...big deal. They'll have Mendanhall coming back to help fast Willy, grooming Limus Sweed to replace Ward in a few years. Defense is loaded. Roethlisburger in his prime. God im depressed when i compare us to them.

[Alphadawg7]

QUARTERBACK!

 

Im sorry, but everyone on this board is delusional if they think either of these SB coaches gets our Bills team into the SB with our team we had this year and the way our QB's played the last half the season. I just dont understand the reluctance to aknowledge our problem with not enough talent on this team...

 

Our D played well enough to win, the offense just couldnt keep up...

 

You put Warner on our team and we have as good a team than AZ, and probably a better overall team as we would be much better balanced and have superior ST...You can not say the same thing if you put Tomlin or Whisenhunt in Buffalo with our exact same squad...only someones hatred for DJ would allow them to even claim such a thing...

 

Mike Tomlin makes lots of coaching blunders and is about as bad at clock management as DJ...the difference, the talent on his team is superior and they can overcome them. He is a young up and coming coach fortunate enough to coach such a talented team and may develop into a great coach, but right now, his coaching ability would not get Buffalo "as is" into the SB...he would need more talent...

 

Kurt Warner would make us a dramatically BETTER team instantly!

 

Bottom line...TALENTED PLAYERS CAN OVER COME BAD COACHING, HOWEVER, TALENTED COACHING CAN NOT OVER COME BAD PLAYERS. Dont take that as I mean "elite" talent at many positions is needed, but you can't go very far when your skill positions struggle so bad...

 

When you have marginal talent, you can only coach them so far. Otherwise coaches like Shannahan wouldnt be fired, they would always percivere regardless of talent...Look at Jimmy Johnson, legendary Dallas coach but was marginal at best in Miami...did he suddenly forget how to coach or was it that the team just wasnt good enough?

 

Quarterback has plagued this team since Kelly and NOTHING has changed even with Trent. Love Trent all you want, but he has not played at a level to lead this team to a SB yet...maybe one day he can be that guy, but he wasnt that guy last year and he wasnt this guy this year...so until he IS that guy, we WILL struggle no matter how much you want to defend him...

[Alphadawg7]

The Bills could have a team filled with "Difference Makers" and Bill Belichick would still find a way to beat Buffalo, even if his entire starting first string was on IR

 

After watching the Bills lose to the 49ers, Jets and other teams near the end of last season I have no faith in the current coaching staff to win against even poorly coached teams, no matter who takes the field for the Bills.

 

I love how you pick out losses that had our BACKUP QB in that everyone hates and then blame the coaching staff for the loss...Our loss to SF had nothing to do with coaching...we couldnt move the ball with our lame duck QB...

 

The amazing refusal to aknowledge our clear LACK of production at QB is astonishing...geezus...

[youngunz]

I choose other....because there was no ALL OF THE ABOVE

 

Coaching - Young aggressive coaches who understand how to adjust in and out of the game. Coaches willing to get in the face of their players and willing to fight for them.

 

Talent - We are settling and believing that the talent we have on our team is good. We have only two players on Offense who would start on those teams (Evans and Lynch). Possibly 0 on defense.

 

Physical Players - Product of head coach who is as passive and meek as anyone I have seen.

 

Quarterback - I was begging for Buffalo to trade with Houston on draft day. Houston was picking 10 and we were picking 13. The price of the trade had been set by the Manning and Rivers deal. Houston wanted Dante Robinson, and they would had gotten him after Pitt and NYJ picked. Evans was OUR GUY and then we trade back to get Losman.

 

This team is close to being in the playoffs,but a longs ways away from being a champion.

[truth on hold]

I choose other....because there was no ALL OF THE ABOVE

 

Coaching - Young aggressive coaches who understand how to adjust in and out of the game. Coaches willing to get in the face of their players and willing to fight for them.

 

Talent - We are settling and believing that the talent we have on our team is good. We have only two players on Offense who would start on those teams (Evans and Lynch). Possibly 0 on defense.

 

Physical Players - Product of head coach who is as passive and meek as anyone I have seen.

 

Quarterback - I was begging for Buffalo to trade with Houston on draft day. Houston was picking 10 and we were picking 13. The price of the trade had been set by the Manning and Rivers deal. Houston wanted Dante Robinson, and they would had gotten him after Pitt and NYJ picked. Evans was OUR GUY and then we trade back to get Losman.

 

This team is close to being in the playoffs,but a longs ways away from being a champion.

There's no "ALL OF THE ABOVE" because the poll's question is what's the single biggest difference ... it doesn't imply all of the answers aren't an issue. I guess in the rare instance someone rates them equally then you go for "all of the above", which was so remote it fits within the "Other" category

[auburnbillsbacker]

If Jim Kelly was our current QB, the bills would have qualified for the playoffs. The QB position is the most important position in team sports. Any current nfl coach with P. Manning or T. Brady as their qb would look good. This is why the bills need to draft a qb this April. I'm not saying the Edwards will not be good, I'm just not positive he will be good. At this point, if the bills are not sure Edwards will be a start, they need to take a qb.

[Bill from NYC]

The Bills have a much better defensive backfield (as a unit) than Zona...and maybe even Pittsburgh.

http://www.stadiumwall.com/index.php?showtopic=82157

 

So what?

[BuffaloWings]

QB ... No way does Trent win that game for us .. No way

Good Lord....did any of you watch any of the first 4 games this season?

 

Trent had a slump that he couldn't shake out of in the middle of the season...ok, fine. But he took the team on a game-winning drive against Oakland, brought the team back from behind against the Rams, and led a game-winning drive and threw a game-winning TD against Jacksonville. He has it, if you ask me. QB is not the problem right now.

 

Coaching is the biggest difference. Both plays that Whisenhunt challenged & won would have never been challenged by Jauron.

[Bill from NYC]

I honestly believe there are people on this board, armed with their knowledge of college football and a few draft mags that could do better that Modrak and the previous GMs. A number 1 for an aging and statuesque Bledsoe, numerous high wasted picks on JP Losman, Donte Whitner---whose production numbers resemble a 4th round pick. The same 4th round piece of crap TE drafted every other year. The money wasted on DEs who dont produce. I would go on, but when i loook at the Steelers I see just how far we are away, and its a long, long. long way. Same when I look at the Patriots, and these are 2 teams that you have to get through just to get to the bowl. What do the Steelers have to address in the draft---a few offensive lineman...big deal. They'll have Mendanhall coming back to help fast Willy, grooming Limus Sweed to replace Ward in a few years. Defense is loaded. Roethlisburger in his prime. God im depressed when i compare us to them.

 

It really is frustrating, isn't it?

 

Btw, you are right about posters on this board being able to do a better job than Dick Levy wrt the draft. I know a couple of them personally. But as sharp as those guys are, it begs the question, how could this be possible?

 

This team was constructed in the last 3 years by 2 misfits that nobody else wanted. One because he is at least 15 years too old (think about that for a second), the other just plain inept.

Their 3 drafts overall were horrible. Now, someone will inevitably post something to the efect that "McKelvin might be a star, etc." I believe this, but make the case that it just doesn't matter when the front 7 is small and weak and your 75 million dollar blockers are fat, slow and seemingly unmotivated. The one standout blocker? He has to fight to be paid as much as inferior players.

 

Your comment about the "4th round TE" was telling. These guys suck and they are interchangeable. I thought that Fine might have a chance until I saw him leap for a head high pass.

This team hasn't had a good TE since Pete Metz (yeah, Riemersma sucked too). They would still suck at LT if they didn't luck into Peters (they cut him once) as a UFA. When was the last time they had a good pair of DTs, let alone any kind of depth? Jauron doesn't care. In fact, he said he was "ecstatic" that McKelvin was still there at #11.

Idiocy like this is what he knows. That, and how to lose.

[tennesseeboy]

Coaching. We would have won three games at a minimum but for coaching brainfarts, and been in the playoffs. I don't think Edwards is in the same class as either Warner or BR, but then...who is? so talent would come next. We are on the high mediocre level for talent. No way we are as physical as either the Steelers or Cards.Wow...as a die hard bills fan trying to convince myself we are on the verge of the playoffs this poll is depressing!