thewildrabbit

While it seems that most fans want to blame the QB, EJ Manuel for the loss....Microsomething Some want to blame the Bills secondary and CB Justin "toast" Rodgers, I mean... "Rogers was targeted eight times and surrendered six receptions for an absurd 247 yards. That represents 74% of the Jets’ gross passing total." The Jets sacked EJ EIGHT times, and he was under continuous pressure all game. Unlike the previous two games in which it seemed like he had ample time to throw. The Patriots only blitzed EJ 6 out of 32 drop backs. Whats wrong with Spiller? CJ Spiller against the Jets, 10 attempts and 9 yards rushing...wow. An interesting observation, from PFF, "Buffalo Bills: Only 12.6% of E.J. Manuel’s drop-backs have been play action passes which is the second lowest rate in the league. However, when he does use play action passes his yards per attempt is 11.6 — the highest for a QB not named Manning." So, is it just bad bad Colin Brown at LG? ""Controlling the Line of Scrimmage The tone was set by the Jets’ defensive line as all three starters graded in the green, led by DT Damon Harrison (+4.3). His one assisted tackle tells nothing of the story as he was the one moving blockers rather than it being the other way around and he also forced a fumble that was negated by penalty. DE Muhammad Wilkerson broke out as a pass rusher (+3.8) with seven pressures (two sacks, one hit, four hurries) on his 56 rushes. Of course much of his damage was done against LG Colin Brown who is now grading at -23.7 through three games. Rounding out the trio is Sheldon Richardson (+1.1) who continued his strong play and posted his best pass rushing outing of his young career at +0.5. While the defensive line did their damage, LB David Harris was the star behind them. Don’t be fooled by the gaudy tackle numbers in recent years, Harris hasn’t performed as one of the league’s best, but he’s showed well to this point in 2013. He graded at +5.1 in the game as he got in on six stops and notched a sack and two hurries on just a handful of rushes. Perhaps most importantly, he hasn’t been displaced in the running game as he has in recent years and the impressive play of the defensive line has certainly gone a long way toward giving him clean reads against the run."" https://www.profootb...buf-nyj-week-3/ EJ, ""As with any rookie quarterback, there will be growing pains and E.J. Manuel certainly had his first-year issues on Sunday. He seems extra cautious to take care of the ball, which is certainly not a bad thing, but it perhaps takes away from his ability to make plays down the field. The Jets routinely challenged Manuel to throw deep, but he was only able to connect on 1-of-8 passes beyond 20 yards and he often led his WRs too far out of bounds. Perhaps that was his carefulness taking over, but the Bills’ simplified offense will be opened up at some point, and those are the plays that eventually need to be made."" I can recall in that first game against the Jets in 2010 in which Fitz was the leading rusher because he was literally running for his life every offensive play. "- Bills’ LT Cordy Glenn may have been jinxed into surrendering his first pressure of the season, but one lone hurry on 60 pass blocks isn’t shabby (+1.6 pass block)." Bottom Line is, the Bills have an answer on defense once Byrd, Gilmore, McKelvin are healthy again. The real question is, is that O line so bad because of one LG falling on his face? Can the Bills replace him for anyone better? Would the Bills be smart at this point to sign a FA tackle and slide him to LG before EJ turns into another Trent Edwards / JP Losman?

I don't

As good as Gailey was at getting a backup QB, and an offense to put up decent numbers every season. This supposed QB "guru" was an utter failure at finding and developing a young / rookie QB. Which was the most important thing the man could have done during his time in Buffalo. Gailey also had a nobody backup QB put up decent offensive numbers in KC while going 2-12. This same nobody QB ended up on the Bills roster and then couldn't run Gailey's offense with the bills. Then, Gailey was an absolute catastrophe at picking DC's and figuring out what defense to run. His defenses set both NFL, and franchise records for being bad. HC Doug Marrone, OC Nate Hackett, and QB EJ Manuel are all rookies to the NFL. I'd say give them more then 3 games before lighting the torches and gathering up the pitchforks.

Because this new OC can't figure out how to utilize the man the Bills should trade him Why not tho, they did the same thing with Lynch for a 4th... Can we trade Hackett instead?

Gotta be better then Colin Brown

The up tempo offense is working fine in the sense they are getting to the line quickly with few mistakes. However, once at the line they seem to have some problems. On offense they have nullified 61 yards of gains and stalled five drives with penalties. I see more of a problem with CJ Spiller not getting the YPC average he got last year. Last season 6.0, and this season 3.4. That 3.4 would be more like 2.54 by taking away one singular 46 yard run. 42 attempts for 107= 2.54 Should the Bills get that running game going with CJ Spiller getting his 6.0 YPC avg again, and a dearth of problems on offense would be solved.

CJ Spiller is averaging 3.6 YPC and it would be even lower if you took one single long 46 yard run away from him= about 2.48, which is unbelievably bad considering he averaged 6.0 last season. The Titans are playing Jake Locker at QB and a rookie Chance Warmack at RG so the team will see some growing pains. The Titans are currently 2-1 and should finish with a better record then the Buffalo Bills this season. It should be interesting to watch how both teams compare this year. Andy Levite is missed on that line no question about it. But I highly doubt his absence is the sole reason as to why the Bills have having so much trouble running CJ Spiller this season.

Its not just about EJ. The running game and more specifically CJ Spiller appears to be the bigger problem. The Bills were very successful at putting up some good offensive numbers the last three years because they ran a shotgun spread offense, and utilized a quick short passing scheme in which the ball was usually out withing 3 seconds. Defenses were forced to cover the entire field against the spread so it made it more difficult to stack the box to stop the run. So what did we all learn from Chan Gailey the last three years? That his offense does work, its just that he had the wrong QB, and he tying to magically transform a backup QB into another Tom Brady. Now, this year the Bills seem determined to keep a TE in to protect EJ, and are running traditional pro sets with EJ in shotgun. The few times they went shotgun-spread CJ Spiller had some decent success. The only reason I can think of as to why the Bills aren't utilizing the shotgun spread, 4 wide, single back offense more often is because EJ might not be able to read more then the primary target and get the ball out in three seconds or under like Fitz was able to do. The Bills need to go back to the shotgun spread offense full time, and give EJ the opportunity to show he can learn to run it.

They do have a good defense and with a speed threat at WR in Wallace they can make defenses play the entire field. They have a good shot at taking the division this year. JMO

Coulda had him in free agency...afaik the Bills FO / Buddy Nix never gave him a thought. Manning works so hard to perfect an offense that he makes everyone around him a better player.

Interesting take regarding Patriots RB Stevan Ridley "Ridley's struggles have largely been a result of his inability to run outside and behind the tackles. In his first three games, Ridley carried the ball 17 times behind either the left or right tackle for a grand total of 42 yards. If Ridley continues to struggle running outside of and behind the tackles, you can expect the low production to continue. Last season, when the Patriots' passing game was operating at a much higher level, Ridley had a greater degree of success running the ball up the middle because defensive linebackers on opposing teams had to hang back to cover any potential plays up the middle. Because Tom Brady and the young receiving corps has been unable to attain any kind of success in the air so far this year, defenses are able to collapse the middle of the line of scrimmage more frequently, making life for running backs like Ridley more difficult.": http://sports.yahoo....00344--nfl.html This same reasoning applies to the Buffalo Bills in terms of offense. Teams have focused on stopping Spiller by stacking the box and forcing EJ to beat them. Which he is having difficulty doing because the running game clearly isn't working with Spiller. Now, under Chan Gailey the Bills ran that shotgun spread offense and actually threw more then they ran, so when they ran Spiller in that offense he usually only needed to break one tackle and he was off to the races. The team had bunches of big gains at times because of that spread offense. It is more difficult to stack the box against a spread offense because it forces the defense to cover the entire field. However if they do still stack the box then short passes and screens should give the defense fits. I also think the Bills coaching staff is trying to keep the TE in most of the time to protect EJ, and also may be concerned with EJ being able to get the ball out in 3 seconds or under while making more then just a single read. There is a clear disconnect between Big Ben and Todd Haley. The plays Haley is calling aren't working because the Steelers lost all pro center Pouncey, and the middle of that line is collapsing every play. Even with Pouncy in there the Steelers (Big Ben) were having difficulty running Haleys offense. He does suck.

Yea they did. It seemed like every super bowl the the Bills played in the entire O line was suffering from injuries. Those were the days where they took a shot and went out and played. I can recall that AFC championship playoff game against Denver where TE Pete Metzelaars was forced to play tackle in the second half because the backups were all injured.

LG Andy Levitre wouldn't fix the Bills offensive woes all by himself. Would he be able to help that left side run pass / run block better then they currently are, sure thing. But the scheme, and play calling are dooming this offense more then one player can fix. The Bills need more then one upgrade on that O line IMO. They also need a decent pass catching TE that can run after the catch.

In the voice of Jim Mora, playoffs... playoffs!! Looking at the mounting injuries and lack of depth on this team....

As do I, as do I Looking at the the release of OG Chad Rinehart this off season, while knowing they weren't going to keep OG Andy Levitre reminds me of 2011 season and letting Geoff Hangartner go, and then center Eric Wood going on IR in week 9. The result of that single cut was devastating as the Bills had no worthy backup center after starting that year 5-2. The bean counters run this team, and until that changes nobody should expect different results.

The only O line injury I am certain of is that center Eric Wood has gone down with a knee injury every year for the last 3 years, and now he already wears a knee brace every game. The other Bills players would probably be smart to also wear them on both legs. It would make sense for the Bills players to wear braces like the Patriot players do. Not certain what the team policy is on this issue tho.

Take a loooooooong look at each of those teams offense, and think about what has recently changed since previous years. 49ers 1-2, Frank Gore 11 attempts, 82 yards and inexplicably the Niners stopped using him in the 2nd half. that's about 7.45 YPC avg. THEN, some opposing defenses have figured out how to stop the read option offense. Thus Kaepernick 15/27 for 150 yards passing no TD's, one INT. 7 attempts, 20 yards rushing. Bottom line the 49ers have forgotten what made them such a great team, great running game and stout defense. With not pounding the ball like they used to do and forcing the 3rd year QB to shoulder the game. Also, TE Vernon was mostly absent against the Seahawks and out for the Colts game. ------------------------------------- NY Giants 0-3 running game, or lack of... 16 rushes for 60 yards total. The Giants were crushed 38-0 by a team that was just beaten by the Buffalo Bills. However, Carolina ran for 46-194, 2 TD's on the Giants and owned SB winning QB Eli Manning. Some Bills fans question why a rookie QB isn't playing well with no run game to support him. ------------------------------------ Pittsburgh Steelers 0-3, The biggest change I can see with this team is the disconnect between the new OC Todd Haley and QB Ben Roethlisbeger.Bad offensive play calls, bad offensive game plan. Coaching, sometimes OC's do make a huge difference. Just look at the Bills lack of running by Spiller. Plus, Big Ben is getting killed up the middle because the Steelers lost their all pro center Pouncey. If ya can't control that A gap, big problems ensue. In summery, all three teams would be greatly helped with an improved running game. Whats really crazy is the 49ers still have a dominate O line & RB, and just refuse to utilize them over a read option QB.

In 2010 3 of 5 players missed games. Center Goff Hangartner played 12 games, RG Eric Wood, played in 14 games. RT Mansfield Wrotto played in 7 games. In 2011 only Levitre and Pears played in all 16 games. Center Eric Wood played in 9 games and the team went into the ceramic convenience once Wood went down. The team started out 5-2 that year.Colin Brown one GS and played in 11 games-Chad Rinehart 12 GS, played in 16 games- Chris Hairston 7 GS, played in 13 games. In 2012 LT Cordy Glenn 13 game starts, C Eric Wood 14 game starts, Kraig Urbik 13 game starts.Colin Brown 1 game, one GS, Chad Rinehart 7 games, 2 GS- Garrison Sanborn 16 games, 0 starts-Reggie Wells 1 game, 0 GS In summery the ONLY player to play in all 16 games for the Buffalo Bills the last 3 years is now a Tennessee Titan in Andy Levitre. Conversely, center Eric Wood has been hurt every year he has played for the Buffalo Bills. So the OP has a valid point about O line injuries. Then considering the best player on that line has gone down every year with a knee injury the last three years, his point is immensely important in my view. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/2012_roster.htm EDIT: for the pro-football-reference.com

Dick Jauron... who is probably still having nightmares about Brady to Randy Moss over and over every night. Even tho that situation could have been helped with a decent pass rush. Dickless idea of a pass rusher was Maybin. This team is paper thin at every position on the team, and that secondary should be fine once McKelvin, Byrd, Gilmore are healthy again. Whats more concerning to me is why Geno had so much time to throw vs why EJ had so little time to throw. Not to mention the lack of holes for Spiller. Also at this point I'm more concerned about the LG position and why they let Rinehart walk when they knew they weren't going to keep Levitre.

This is not surprising at all. I do believe that Minn QB, former KC QB, and former NE QB Matt Cassel stated the Patriots don't get as many concussions because they utilize a state of the art mouth piece.

a tale of two teams...http://www.rotoworld...s-2-1-jets-roll Bilal Powell totals 158 yds as 2-1 Jets roll Bilal Powell rushed 27 times for 149 yards and caught two passes for nine yards in the Jets' Week 3 win over Buffalo. Jets normally pass-happy playcaller Marty Mornhinweg showed a commitment to the run in this game despite the early-game hamstring injury to Chris Ivory. Powell's 29 touches are a single-game career high, and he's now in line to carry the mail in the Jets' backfield with Ivory out of commission. Although Powell's talent is limited, volume can obviously buoy rushing production, and he is used heavily in the passing game. The Jets play the Titans next. Santonio Holmes lights up Bills D for 5-154-1 Santonio Holmes caught five balls for 154 yards and a touchdown in the Jets' Week 3 win over Buffalo, 27-20. Holmes faced Bills backup CB Justin Rogers for most of the game -- so you can take this with a grain of salt in that respect -- but he looked dynamic and like the Santonio of old all day long, separating from defenders and making plays down the field. Holmes will inevitably be inconsistent in fantasy because he plays with a rookie quarterback in a shaky offense, but he'll be worth strong WR3 consideration during upcoming bye-week crunches. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Bills announced in the third quarter of Sunday's game that C.J. Spiller is done for the day with a knee injury. We didn't see the injury happen. We did see Spiller standing on the sideline with helmet in hand, and Fred Jackson gobbling up all of the Bills' running back snaps. Spiller had his knee wrapped and ice on the joint. Hopefully coach Doug Marrone will have an update after the game. Bottled up by a gang-tackling Jets defense, Spiller managed 10 carries for nine yards and one catch for one yard in Buffalo's Week 3 defeat. The Patriots stacked the box and were also able to contain Spiller. I look at this game and see more ineptitude in the Bills O line, play calls, coaching, rather then in CJ Spiller. The man was able to average over 6.0 YPC last season in Chan Gaileys offense, and is now around 1/2 that after taking away one single long 46 yard run If the running game is working properly, it has a huge effect on a rookie QB's ability to play well. Obviously Geno looked like he had ample time in the pocket to make any throw he wanted. Conversely, EJ didn't have that much time and yet he didn't throw any INT's. meanwhile Geno threw 2 INT's against a lousy Bills defense. The Bills made the right call on drafting EJ, now they just need to get healthy in the defensive secondary, upgrade the line, and play calls.

Just think, if the Bills didn't have so many injuries on D they might have won that game...despite the poor play by the offense. Not making excuses for this new OC because the offense did stink with him setting the game plan and calling plays. Hackett is playing him until the fans puke.. All the Bills OC needs to do is simply run the 4 wide, single back shotgun spread like Gailey ran the last 3 years. With a better receiver corps in Woods, Goodwin they should be able to run and pass better.

or excuse some of the rest of the players on that line... Wood, Glenn are the only two really solid players IMO, and with a poor LG it makes it difficult to run on that left side now 33 for 144 = 4.36 ypc avg. then take away the one long run of 46 yards and redo the math. 32 for 98 = 2.96 ypc avg. When this same player with mostly the same players around him averaged over 6 yards per carry last year.

Consider what the Bills coaches had to work with on D. Then think about a rookie going up against the #2 defense in the league.

He isn't the only one...