ColdBlueNorth

The way Nix spoke of a franchise QB was in my opinion very frank and open. Every position should be challenged and they have not had much of a challenge to Fitz's 1st string role since he took the reins from Trent Edwards. He spoke of bringing a rookie along slow, and what does Fitz expect? He has to be more consistent on the field, he has to be able to stretch the field better and become more accurate on all his throws. He manages the game well and I believe he has a grasp of what the offense is trying to do and what a defense is trying to do to prevent it, but it has been a long time since he has not only been consistent for consecutive games, but also driven down the field to clinch a win for the team. The last game Fitz played well - period. And when Fitz is not in turnover-machine mode, the offense has put up enough points so that most average defenses should be able to seal the deal. Rather than all those folks who want us to blow it all up, and repeat the cycle of rinse and repeat I think Nix has nailed it. The Bills need a QB to groom for the future (and he has had a pretty good track record picking those) and a replacement for Wanny that can at least elevate this defense to somewhere in the top 10. Those two things would go a long way towards that solid foundation he is looking to leave behind.

Nix made some really good moves in San Diego and knows how to build a roster. I am not sure if he has the same ability to evaluate coaching prowess. I still think Gailey is a passable OC, but as HC that went after Wanny (on purpose), he gets poor marks. There is nothing wrong with this team that a competent DC could not correct.

300 yards for me. I can already hear Chan telling the reporters that except for those 3 long runs of 80 yards apiece the defense held them to 60.

I for one have to admit that I only looked at the win/loss record of Wanny, not his supporting cast. Would go a long way to explain the uninspired play, and to answer another poster's question about professionals motivating themselves... it is human nature to need motivation and most studies show that money is not the biggest motivator for most adults in choosing a career. Although if someone is without it long enough it certainly becomes a bigger motivator. That being said, I would wager that the performance of most professional athletes actually tails off more after securing a lucrative contract. I don't have anything to support that other than my memory of just about every player that held out for big contracts. Professional athletes, more so than those who occasionally play for the love of a game, are probably in more dire need of coaches who can find new and unique ways to motivate them than most folks who are paid to do a job. Just like anyone else, pro athletes can go through the motions, say the right things, and collect a check. Heck, there are probably more than a few of us that do that at our own workplace. With the new CBA they don't even have to hang out together that much during the week with the severe restrictions on practice schedules. Leaders that can consistently inspire those they lead, and can instill in them a sense of unity&motivation towards a goal are rare. That is why I still believe that the talent level on NFL teams is relatively close, but how that talent is motivated and prepared (coaching) is the difference between a cellar-dweller defense and an upper-eschelon one. I don't want to just harp on Wanny not being on the sideline during games, but can someone name one successful defense coordinator who is not on the sideline during games? Defense is about attitude, and about pumping up your players and showing them that you are as emotionally vested and "into" the game as you want them to be....I have a hard time believing that those things can happen from the sterile confines of a sky booth.

Me too. Is he playing up to the hype? Not in the least, but the talent was there and if he really does have an injury that effects him shedding blockers then that could be playing a roll in how effective he has been. The fact that they kept playing him probably has more to do with the front office trying to save face and not look like they overpaid for a DE who immediately had injury issues. Can he turn the corner and get back to where he was? The jury is still out, but all of our defensive issues are not Mario-related he is only one faulty piece to an engine that needs some overhauling.

A friend of mine was yelled at by an Asian man who told him, "you are suck" and that was both funny and kind of made sense. So the best description or name I can think of for our defense is: WE ARE SUCK

True that. I have called out Fitz for crappy play, but yesterday he and the offense did enough to win, but the D did not show up to play. Why call out the one bright spot on yesterday's game. Not only was he moving the chains quite a bit, but he had to do so operating under center more than either he or Chan probably wanted. The reason they could not run out of their preferred shotgun was because Fitz was getting killed from the blind side when setup deep in the pocket as Hairston was too painfully slow to handle the outside speed rush. Maybe putting too much on a rookie, but all things point to that offensive line really missing Cordy Glenn.

I do not agree with minimizing Wade's impact. The Texan's were 30th in defensive ranking in 2010 with most of those missing parts. For rush defense with that incredibly strong front 7 they were middle of the road at 13th, but you have to consider that they were 13th when no one ever felt they had to run against them because they were dead last against the pass. Their weakness against the pass enhanced their rush defense numbers the same way our very weak rush defense has often (and incorrectly) inflated our pass defense rankings. Folks did not need to throw against us when they could rush for 300 yards. One year after Wade arrived they moved up to 4th against the rush and 3rd against the pass. Sure they drafted J. J. Watt from the Badgers and got some other missing pieces. We went out and nabbed Mario, and Anderson, to compliment a front that included a pro-bowler in Kyle Williams and a 3rd overall draft choice in Dareus, the front office then grabbed Gilmore in the first to suppliment a secondary that is rife with high round picks to what end? Scheme and coaching is the difference-maker in the NFL and those are not evident in Wanny's first year at the helm.

It's too bad because as a offensive coordinator I think Gailey is creative and would be fine, especially with a better QB at the helm, but I have a feeling he is an old-school guy who won't be willing to throw Wanny underneath the bus where he should be thrown for the product he has put on the field. Gailey has asked Fitz to protect the ball better and at times Fitz doesn't, he has gotten both running backs to be productive, he has gotten the most from a offensive line that has been riddled with injuries and practice squad fill-in's, he is a bit of a gambler and will take chances where he sometimes just needs to let it ride, but with the right QB those choices don't bite him as often. We just needed a real defensive coordinator and Wannestedt apparently is not the answer.

It is coaching when you are unable to put players in a position to succeed or coach up players so that you can see a noticeable improvement in performance from game to game. All these players at one time with the exception of a few walk-ons were top college selections and on most folks draft boards. Look at the Texans for Pete's sake, they were cellar-dwellers and in one year Wade Phillips took them from the bottom to the number 2 defense in the league. The parts were there, but they needed a coach that would put them in the best position possible for the talent they had to stop what opposing teams were doing. What do folks expect players to say, "our coaches aren't getting it done"? How would you like to be a player with the stigma of being a coach-killer on your resume, it just is not good business for players to point fingers at the coaches. And why does New England year after year using low draft picks and NFL cast-offs produce high quality teams - coaching plain and simple. Do what you can do best with the players you have, and make sure that everyone is accountable. We have had poor secondary coaching for that past decade yet we keep the same secondary coach year after year - why? Justin Rogers was wandering around yesterday looking like he had no clue who to cover if they had two receivers on one side and one ran underneith the other off the line of scrimmage - we ended up with two dbs covering the same receiver running the skinny post while the other ran an underneith out and had an easy reception at the sticks to convert one of many 3rd and longs. Wanny is not getting it done and needs to go. Some players are underperforming, but as a coach you need to know when to sit a guy and do what you need to do to help him get his head back into the game. I just see his hands-off, going through the motions, coaching approach rubbing off on a defensive unit that seems to be just going through the motions.

Rogers looks freaking lost in the secondary... wow

...and if Hairston is wondering why he did not win the LT spot from the rookie. Looked like both his feet were encased in cement. He is a lot slower than I remember.

This. and when we have Barnett and Scott in there both those guys are just around 220 lbs... take a look at the size of Houston's linebackers. We get run over for a reason whenever those little guys are in the lineup. They do alright when they stay clean, but if a team is able to pull linemen out to lead block like NE did then it's all over.

Yeah, he has been torched quite a bit this year. I remember when he was drafted that they felt that he was a bit bigger and could match up with some of the taller receivers. Buddy indicated that they would try him out at corner, but he certainly left the door open for Williams moving inside to slot and in nickle packages. He also felt that with his size he could eventually move to safety probably grooming the next in line as our veterans safeties start to get a little long in the tooth. It's a bit early to call the kid a bust, and even though I don't agree with all the moves Buddy has made, I don't think it is right saying that he felt 100% that Williams would be a lock-down corner. Just that the kid was a good all around athlete that could move from the outside in because of his decent size. Nix post draft refresher: http://www.buffalobills.com/media-center/videos/Buddy-Nix-on-2nd-Rd-Pick-Aaron-Williams/475aa86b-553e-4568-b4f6-ddd5df7b8ef1

Rest in peace Kent, my condolences to the Hull family and friends.

Wannestedt should watch video of Seattle till his eyes fall out of his head. If Buffalo has two more wide bodied defensive lineman, I like the idea of putting in a heavier front 3 and then rotating Mario and perhaps Kyle or Carrington on the edges. Kyle seems like a logical choice against a passing team, but he is a lighter d-tackle that can get pushed around with a double-team and we have seen the results of having lighter d-tackles backed by our "little guys". Ugly. Whatever the recipe is the the Seahawks are using, this Buffalo team needs to channel that against the Pats.

I feel that Johnny was a great change of pace back who runs low to the ground with more power than Choice. Choice is more versatile, but we have two versatile shifty backs in the backfield and choice seems to be a lesser copy of those two. I felt the same way about Joique Bell who tore up a preseason for us a few years ago, but was released. Aside from his unfortunate name, was a very good power runner with great vision and change of direction and has been more involved the past two weeks in Detroit's offense. Two kids that I thought were quality players and somewhat victims of coaching changes and the numbers game. It will be interesting to see how these two castoffs perform in their new settings.

Had the same thoughts about Stevie yesterday. Doesn't matter if it is Revis or Peterson, the guy cannot be covered one on one. Now if we could just get a QB that can get him the ball. Had the same Holy Sh** moment when I saw that Pears was the first player flying up the field and make the open field tackle after the int - that from on offensive lineman, the kid deserves some props. I thought Spiller had a better all around game than Jackson, but Jackson is older and I expect he is still playing hurt and needs to heal. And yes, I think Jackson rushed back because of pressure from having Spiller play so well when he was out. Yeah, a linebacker covering Fitzgerald? They caught Wanny again with his defensive pants down as I believe the Bills had their base defensive package in and they needed to have a nickle package to account for Arizona's extra receivers. Would have been a good time to call a time out if a coach was good at recognizing the mismatch and making on the fly adjustments. Have to think after the last 3 games that Wanny is not the kind of coach that can quickly adapt to game situations. He is probably a good game planner, as indicated by respectable first half performances, but when teams adjust their strategy after half time he has shown the tendency to go blank. With that handicap he needs to plan for an opponent, try to think of what they will do to counter his scheme and come up with a plan B to implement if they go that route. Fitzpatrick manages a game well, and knows where he needs to go with the ball, but simply cannot get it there. I have never seen a professional QB bounce as many balls off the turf as Fitz. Chan knows this, that is why they spent so much $$ on defense - the only way they win with Fitz is if the defense keeps them in the game and they run the ball. We have seen what Fitz can do, he is a good locker room guy and his ability to pick up offenses make him a viable backup in any organization, but he is too erratic to be a starter that can carry a team. I almost fear Fitz getting a hot hand (not saying I don't want us to win games), but if he does towards the end of the season would the front office pass up drafting a QB with an accurate arm? I am not as upset with the WC throw Brad made as some are, although the timing is a perfect example of Gailey getting cute with the play calling at the wrong time of a close game. The ball was where it needed to be, but the receiver was held on that play and as I mentioned in another posts, some idiot drew up the play in a way that had both receivers in the same area around the end zone which allowed Peterson to peal off his man and undercut the intended route. Did some of the lingerie referees get picked up after the strike? Wow, that was a horrible crew that had their "F" game on.

Although I believe Brad is a little used resource, I did not think that his pass out of the wild cat was as bad as folks say. The Arizona defender on Stevie was beaten badly and if he wasn't dragging on his jersey the last 5-10 yards I am not sure Stevie doesn't get there before Patrick. The officiating was scab-ref level yesterday, I mean the Arizona game definitely got the slow blinkers on Sunday. What I really question about that WC play is why on earth was it drawn up with two receivers ending up in the same area. That blunder allowed Patrick to peal off of the receiver he was defending and undercut the throw. Bad design or bad route run by one of the receivers.

I can. You rush four against a jumbo package with a TE the size of an offensive tackle you are begging to get run over. It is Wanny's job to adjust during a game, or at least plan for the 2-TE set that NE has been running most of the year. What the hell film was he watching? You go up against that with a 4 man front and they are going to get swallowed up every time. They have 7 blockers to your 4 rushers, how the heck are they supposed to get off their blocks when the other team can double the middle and end and still have guys free to block the smurfs at the next level. Dumb and dumber. NE was not being tricky when they went jumbo, they basically advertised we are going to run the ball. Should've countered the run with a 5-man front (not an extra linebacker, but someone like Kelsay/Carrington inside of Anderson) and doubled Gronk.

What he said Look what Wade did to a Houston defense. In 2010 they were ranked 30th, in 2011 they were ranked 2nd, and in 2012 they currently are ranked 2nd. As to "Stop" defensive rankings where you measure the amount of times a defense prevents a score vs. yards given up, the Texans are ranked #1. It's coaching folks and Wanny is failing as a DC. He has the personnel, the FO went out and bet the farm on pieces he said he needed, not to mention taking the lion's share of the high draft picks the last 2 years and what has he done with them? 52 freakin points - you cannot spin that any other way than a complete and utter defensive failure. If Wanny can't get the job done, it is time for him to go - I'd prefer they release him earlier so the team can get acclimated to a new DC.

I keep hearing everyone complain about Mario, but when a team comes out with a 2-Tight End set and you make no adjustments out of your base 4 front and nickle package you deserve to give up the most rushing yards in Bills' history. It is not the players, it is the scheme and failure to adjust to what the other team is doing. That was a craptastic job of defensive coaching and adjustment. This was like a chess match where one opponent never changes strategy to adjust to the next move. I don't understand why Wanny would not switch to a bigger front and sub some of our smurfs for linebackers. All the analyst said that NE cannot run the spread very well this year and still protect Brady so they have been going with their jumbo, mass protection scheme with 2 TE's. It is like our coaches were watching film from 2 years ago on how to beat NE and have not adjusted since. None of that excuses Fitzturnover for throwing all those picks. So far we have faced 2 of our AFC East opponents and we have been outscored by by a total of 44 points. And when Fitz has to throw to catch up he throws picks - lots of picks.

Yes, it is clearly a classic reverse jinx. Good catch JR, when one lookes close enough one can see the clear Parcel-lian pattern of talking up the Bills as Parcel's did before a certain Superbowl. Belecheat comes from the school of Parcel, and Bruschi has always kneeled at the feet of Belecheat. I will not be fooled and will start Brady in my fantasy league to cancel the reverse jinx - hah!

So according to that theory the Cardinals should be getting more "face time" than the Jests. I know it is a freaking popularity contest, doesn't mean I cannot B word about it. I mean, this is the right place to do that, lord knows the wife doesn't want to hear about it. You got me. I want the Bills to be relevant, I am an out-of-state Bills fan that cannot get enough news on my team - ever.

If Spiller hadn't been hurt, I don't even think a comment about the game would have made it to any of the National Sports News outlets. 2 Sites didn't even mention the match-up as part of their early morning run-up to kickoff and on the halftime show Deon actually apologized for having to provide updates for such an unimportant game. It seems that it does not matter how ugly Dallas or the Jests play - they are always given respect. "Oh look, a replay of Tebow running 2 yards from the Jet's wildcat - simply amazing" - Fail....epic. Other thoughts: Great win by our Bills team and it will be even better if we have Jackson back healthy for NE - we need to crush NE now while they are struggling to stay confident. Keeping two starting tailbacks looks like Chan-genius now. PS. As a backup tailback, I thought White ran better than Choice with less room, but they both ran with determination.