BigBuff423

I'm glad someone does, but I just can't get behind the support at this time. For months now I have blamed the play-calling as a major cause for Offensive ineptability and I remain steadfast in my conviction. That is not to say I believe Hackett is incapable of improvement, much like others on this Offense, but I do believe that a more veteran and seasoned leadership would have gotten more out of the Offense in general. I also think there would be fewer head-scratchers on game day. However, since it appears Hackett is the OC going into 2014, I sincerely hope he takes HIS game to another level next year and with the advent of a more NFL ready QB and another Off-season working out the kinks of his Offense, that the Offensive unit takes a significant stride toward efficiency and excellence.

Agreed! And thank you jboys for starting another positive thread...refreshing.

Assuming he continues to be the ST Coach, I just lost a lot of respect for Marrone. Come up with all the B.S. excuses you want, but when you preach accountability and then fail to act accordingly, your integrity takes a big hit. The lack of good to great players as some have posited as a possible reason for the ST's failure could account for some - I repeat SOME - of the lack of effectiveness, but to take a top 10 STs to a near bottom STs is abject failure on the part of the COACH!!! This, does not bode well for the Marrone supporters, of which I *was* one...now, it's put up or shut up when it comes to wins next year and in the meantime, my respect for you went out the back door....

Faith in Marrone begins with trust in his words to follow his actions. Step 1, fire Crossman and that credibility comes back. Step 2, demonstrate that the Offensive play-calling was subpar by outwardly indicating they will begin to work with Hackett on calling a better game and that the Defense's off-season program will be focused on stopping the run...and then do it. As for Manuel, big thing for him is to play all 16 games all the way through. You can NOT...can NOT, be a good to great QB in this league and continuously miss portions of, let alone entire, games. My major frustration with EJ right now is we just don't know what the BILLS have in him. Do I think the franchise should spend another high draft pick on a QB right now? No...I would be ok with a 4th rounder or later, but I would rather have another vet come in and compete with him, say Chad Henne who has played well at times, and let EJ outplay him during the OTAs, minicamp and training camp, with pre-season showing EJ is ready..and if not, then let Henne go ride the bull (or bison). Then, if next year EJ can't do it...pull the plug and draft your franchise QB...you'd hope - see EJ and repeat. As a follow up: Ravens fired Running Backs coach Wilbert Montgomery....if the Ravens can fire a coach who is responsible for that running game...can't Marrone do it for a ST Coach whose unit was miserable??

Crossman needs to go...period. I for one would like to see Hackett gone as well, but I know that's not going to happen. However, if in some way Crossman is retained, my respect for Marrone just sh*t the bed. I've been a Marrone supporter almost from the beginning and I'm willing to give him another year and hopefully a healthier roster, particularly EJ, to see if this team can make the playoffs. But if Crossman keeps coaching for the BILLS, count me on the side that doubts his accountablity speeches. Keeping someone accountable when it costs you nothing or very little is easy...keeping accountability intact when it requires a sacrifice is a test of integrity and strength of character. And as mentioned, you don't go from 9th to 30th without the coach playing a pretty big role. If it was just ten slots, you could argue players, et. al had something to do with it...but from top 10 to almost worst...yeah, coach is in play for that one.

No pun intended, but: pass. EJ may be the guy, he may not...I'm willing to gamble one more season on him to see if he is the guy. He needs to stay healthy and demonstrate his ability to play the QB position at a high level. If he can't do those things, then I'm moving on. Personally, after seeing him this year, I think 2015 will be a year the BILLS draft a QB in the first 3 rounds. I hope I'm wrong, and will be happy to admit it because that would mean EJ has been "The Man". But I think the BILLS need a pure pocket passer to truly succeed.

Lori is one that comes to mind immeidately. And I think in part due to the way in which she left. She was clear about her concerns, stern but overall respectful of the fact that she did not like the direction of the board or the personal attacks (if I remember correctly). Some people pleaded with her to stay, others nonchalantly waived her off, and some were glad to see her go. But those who were good-hearted fans and those who appreciate healthy discourse and discussion knew that such a Poster leaving this board would demote the general environment of discussion. All too often people are ridiculed with snarky remarks and juvenile statements regarding someone's manhood or level of fan loyalty. When this is a place to discuss....we can disagree, we can rage with our statistics and analytical insinght, we can laugh at ourselves and the team when stupidity reigns supreme...but in the end, we are people. With lives...jobs...families....bigger stresses, gains, losess, griefs, and triumphs than the BILLS will ever bring to our reality. So we come here...to be in a community of fellow sufferers...to commiserate, to rejoice, to be disappointed, to get excited about new things, to relive the last week's win / loss...but, instead, we find ways to be divided instead of united. We've become a mirror image of what this BILLS team has been thus far for the last 14 years. Chaos...self-absorbed in our own petty interests while watching the cycle of perpetual failure continue. If we want to see good people remain, and hopefully good people return one day, we must change the culture of this discussion...to appreciate and welcome our differences yet recognize our similarity that brings us to this place: to see the BILLS become a winning organization evidenced by a Super Bowl victory. In the meantime, let's be one...instead of many.

Whoops....my bad! Sorry Bro...I need to work on reading through the lines to interpret sarcasm...apologies, but thank you for responding with class.

And you know this how?? Because you're inside Marrone's head or in the film room with them? Or Ike called you to say that he disagreed with Marrone and Marrone couldn't handle his version of the truth?? You simply don't like Marrone as a coach...and that's fine, you're entitled to that as a fan. But making **** up as you go and making presumptions of personality are just juvenile. Marrone was clear that Ike's philosophy was different than his...based upon Woods being ejected, the WRs ranked near last in dropped passes, and that just to the casual fan / observer you can tell the WRs were frequently out of position, the WRs needed more work and / or better guidance. And as I stated in my original response, if that was the case with just one QB, any of them, you could argue its the QB play (and I'm NOT saying the QB play is ok or good, it needs to get better) but when those stats bear out over the course of the season and with all three different starting QBs, then it becomes apparent the WRs had much more to do with that and when you put it all together, it seems the coaching of the WRs has been an issue...more change is needed, but this was a pretty simple and direct answer to hopefully solving some of the Offensive woes

Throughout the season I often wondered or questioned the same thing. And I appreciate the time and effort you put into compiling this information and these stats. I would not be an advocate of simply "releasing" him though, as I think he could still be a valuable piece to the BILLS, but I would absolutely LOVE, LOVE for the BILLS to trade him for anything in the 2nd to 4th round Draft pick range. No one is going to give up a 1st, so that's just off the table, otherwise, if the BILLS traded Lynch for a 4th, I would be all right with a 4th, depending on the team and the pick.

Not to overstate the obvious, but did you *forget* the Miami game?? Hard to truly dissect that horrible game against NE, but the Defense against Miami - a team that was playing for their Playoff Life - was dominating, in nearly every aspect a Defense can dominate....just a thought

I believe Hilliard's departure has more to do with the lack of development on the part of the two rookie WRs, the lack of good blocking demonstrated over the course of the season by the WRs, the dropped passes which were pretty bad, and the general lack of connection with the playbook..because no matter the QB, to run a route as designed is simply following the scheme and when the QB(s) and the WR(s) seem like they're on different pages of the book, that means either the QB or the WR is to blame, and given that such a young group needs good coaching and direction, and that it wasn't just one QB but all three, I'm guessing Marrone and Hackett determined that the WRs were frequently out of position....not to mention the problems of catching passes and making their blocks. Agreed.

Kansas City and Seattle would be a fun game to watch...that said, I would also like Carolina and Denver. However, I think Denver is too good, especially with a first round bye and the NFC is Seattle is too good all around, especially with home field advantage. So my prediction would be Denver vs. Seattle with Seattle winning it via the great Defense and running game. Especially if the weather is a factor....

I would like something along these lines to keep it more about geography, to an extent: Buffalo, Indianapolis, Detroit, and Green Bay New England, Baltimore, Jets, and Redskins Pitt, Philadelphia, Cleveland, and Giants Chicago, Dallas, Kansas City, and Minnesota Denver, Cincinnati, Arizona, and St. Louis Miami, Jacksonville, Carolina, and New Orleans San Diego, San Fran, Seattle, and Oakland Tennessee, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, and

I like the message it sent...he didn't pick on a Rookie and yet Dareus isn't exactly what I would call a "Vet" yet, as to me a vet is someone with six or seven years in the league. I like that he took a guy who CAN perform at a high level and addressed it appropriately. He didn't scold him publicly, he didn't fine him in dollars that makes no sense, and he didn't berate him in front of players. He took a quiet, yet effective means to communicate that being a professional means showing up to meetings on time...like at any other job.

I'm sorry but in all due respect, that is just inane thinking...especially considering the BILLS will be playing the Pats at New England. This team needs to change....the culture....of losing!! A few draft picks in the 1st round is nowhere near the value of teaching the winning mentality to a young group of players and especially in a new coaching regime. There needs to be an understanding that every single game has value and it is difficult to teach that or hope that such comprehension is granted when it WILL matter...you instill this thinking NOW! And then when it is important, your team will draw on such winning character. This is an important game coming up...not for draft projections, but for the future.

No confusion on my part, you compared the two players and I made a statement about the silliness of such comparison. Megatron "more accomplished" might be the single greatest understatment made on this board in quite some time. Putting the two in the same discussion is ludicrous in my opinion. And no, it's not myopic to me - although to be clear, I never used the term clutch, you must be thinking of someone else - but I'm great with trading SJ (preferrably) or cutting him (if necessary) merely because he doesn't PRODUCE CONSISTENTLY!!! That's it, forget about the fumlbe with Atlanta and the dropped Pittsburgh pass, he just doesn't get it done week to week. Plus, SJ on the field means someone else isn't...and I think Goodwin is a good slot guy and a larger WR on the outside is a better compliment to Woods.

To answer your question regarding their "current plight", which I dare say due to it being football and that the BILLS are not even close to being the worst team in the NFL this year the term "plight" is outlandish and inappropriately used, Brandon I believe had little to do with the overall current state of affairs for football. The Toronto debacle, that has his fingerprints all over it...but I will give him an A for effort in trying to meet what apparently is becoming the NFL's mandate - to outsource home games to foreign countries - by moving ahead of the curve a bit and putting games in Toronto which are still driveable for BILLS fans as opposed to London, or God forbid - Madrid in the near future. It's obvious to me that Whaley's promotion, Doug's hiring, and the analytics part of what is occurring in Buffalo has Russ' fingerprints all over those things as well. I think Wilson and Levy set this franchise back a decade when Wilson let Donohoe go and when Levy (as much as I love the guy as a coach and gentleman) was brought out of retirement to lead the charge. To me, Nix did a solid job. And before you set me on fire, keep in mind the Carrington and Troup Draft was not essentially his, but instead belonged to a vacant GM seat. Keep in mind, as a GM he was hired in January and didn't have control over the scouts or the Pro Personnel Department until that promotion, and once the Draft was over, he basically cleaned house. He was dependent on men he fired just a month later to provide the scouting and statistical information they needed for the Draft that year. The following year, was all his and I think this last year was a collaborative effort between Nix and Whaley. And I think Fitz was to Gailey what Sanchez was to Rex. Nix wanted to bring in other QBs and Gailey said, "Nope, Fitz is my guy! You can bring in anyone you want...but they'll sit the pine!" So Nix didn't waste the time and let Gailey hitch his wagon to Fitz's horse. The difference in NY was Tannenbaum said, "F' you Rex! I'm brining in Tebow" and all Rex did was let Tebow drink hot chocolate and pray while Sanchez dug his own grave. Then the new GM came in and said, "Ok Rex. It's new QB or the unemployment line"...just guess, but it seems that way to me. Anyway, Brandon is starting to make his mark on the organization but for current "plight", I'd say that goes back farther and in ways Brandon didn't have any control over. The Whaley promotion and Marrone hire are firmly his...let's start there and see what happens.

If the OG position is addressed via FA, then I would be fine with Drafting a TE in Round 3 or 4. But there's a reason why those TEs are playing as a TE in college, because a WR requires a different skill-set than a TE, even in the NFL. That's why the converted basketball players such as Graham, Jordan, and Julius Thomas are all faring better than many others. Rarely does a 1st round TE have a pheonmenal career and even more rarely do they make an impact in their 1st year. Statistically, an NFL team is at a serious disadvantage drafting a TE in round 1 and to some extent round 2 (with Gronk being the only recent exception), than drafting a TE in rounds 3 or 4. Witten, Gates, Graham, Julius Thomas, Jordan - have all been drafted in the 3rd round or later and all of them take a year or two to truly develop because TE requires a different skill-set than WR. They're not just "big physical WR" type players. Yes, they catch a ton of balls and yes, they run routes, but their blocking assignments and utilization in the protection scheme are quite different. That's why convereted basketball players tend to fare better in the NFL, it's more about foot work, lateral movement, and quickness as opposed to straight line speed. WRs need to be fast, agile and nimble, with strong hands and an ability to make incredible jumps, all the while not so much blocking as deflecting their man to either the inside or outside. Just food for thought...

I see the joy in keeping the Pats out of the playoffs, but more important to me than the fate of OTHER teams, is how the BILLS will play its final two games against Divisional opponents when for nothing else, they're playing for pride and a foundation to build from. It means more to me see *how* the BILLS finish the season and if EJ and the Offense demonstrate real progress and how EJ plays in Buffalo and New England weather in December. So, while it would be a nice bonus if both things could happen, the Pats miss the playoffs and the BILLS win the final two games, it is not even close for me as to which is more important.

I agree the BILLS need a good, fast, pass catching TE...but NOT, NEVER, in the 1st round. Of those you mentioned, most came in the 3rd / 4th round and of others that have been serious busts, were drafted in the 1st. And the reason you pass on a TE when he may be the best player at his position is because when you forego the value chart, you miss other very talented players at their respective positions. For example, if there is a dead-on stud OLB in the 1st when the BILLS draft, you don't blink - you snatch him up. In round 2, if there's a tall, fast, great hands WR, you run to the podium, then in the 3rd, when there's a TE who has the tools to be a stud TE in the NFL you grab him. Look at two, Jordan and Julius Thomas, they were drafted in the same round two years ago - the 3rd. Gates and Witten were in the 3rd, Graham was in the 3rd, and the list goes on. But even when you get the best TE, it still takes a year or 2 to develop. OLB on the other hand can produce immediately and be a rare physical talent! See the Legend of Kiko, yes - i know he's a MLB, but still a LB. And even WRs take a year or two to truly make the leap to the NFL and make a serious impact on the game.

I agree...but I never called Marrone a tryant, I said I understand why people don't want a tyrant for a football coach...unless he gets results and one partial year is far too soon to determine one way or the other. I like Marrone, not crazy about Hackett, but like Marrone and what he's doing. I'm not a Marrone apologist per se, but I like what he's done the message he's sending to the team. I merely posed the devil's advocate argument to a previous poster (don't remember who, sorry) that said that Marrone should not be a "it's my way or the highway" type of coach and adjust to his players, and my counter argument to that is the NFL history books are full of NFL Head Coaches who've taken that same approach and done very well with winning and that whether Marrone should or should not be such a coach remains to be seen in his results, and one year to grade a coach based upon results is just too soon. All in all it comes down to this: before we crucify or anoint Marrone, let's see where this team stands at least after next season, at a minimum and maybe even after year 3, despite our anxious desire to see results now...you just can't hold a coach to immediate results when under normal circumstances a rebuild / re-boot takes more than one year. And IF you say KC, you definitely weren't paying attention to what KC was doing in years leading up to Andy Reid's hire...their cupboard was stocked full of talent This was my original statement....just for refreshing the recollection's sake This was my original statement....just for refreshing the recollection's sake

Ok, but let's be fair about this. I'm all for trading or dropping SJ - take that bias into account - but Megatron is a freak athlete and need we be reminded of the 300 yard receiving game earlier this year? Or the multiple times that Megatron has "carried" that offense and made a significant difference in the outcome of a game?? I know you're not comparing the two talent wise, but at the same time by making the sarcastic comment about how the Lions should "cut this bum also" due to drops much like SJ, that's myopic and lacking serious perspective. So, on the one hand you can't claim you're not comparing the two when in the other hand you just did...so, let's cut the silliness and realize there's no way on God's green earth SJ is ANYTHING like Megatron, in talent or production.

Dude, let's stop the train for a moment. And let me offer my heart-felt sympathy for the loss of a child. I cannot imagine your grief or sorrow and while gathering from what you wrote, a little time has passed, I can only begin to fathom that coping with the pain is more the issue than the pain losing it's sting. And while I know you didn't intend for it to take sad turn in the thread, unfortunately your unheralded comment goes a long way in reminding us - even amidst a Buffalo BILLS debate - what is truly important. The value of our loved ones and those we cherish. Thank you for sharing and sincerely, no matter the hardship or where it stems from, I hope you can find the joy in the people you still have in your life and the moments yet to be lived.

"Backed up with results"...after less than one year as HC?? And keeping talented guys regardless of their talent is also a recipe for disaster, IMO...look at the best and most successful teams. They play as TEAMS, not as talented individuals. So Marrone wants men who will play as a TEAM and not just a superstar or great player individually. Honestly, I understand you don't want to see good to great players come to Buffalo and then shuffled off to other teams and do really well for other teams only to see Buffalo struggle year-in-and-year-out, I get it...but at the same time, with all the parity in the NFL, do you really want to see a ship of unruly miscreants (can you say Cowboys?) who have no desire to play as a team but merely pout out of the stadium with time still left on the clock?? I for sure as hell do not! I would rather watch a group of guys who are still talented but play hard, work hard, study hard, and gel as one cohesive unit than a dozen Dez Bryants. The Giants had a great Defense and Eli was under seige the first year they won it all against the Pats, but they came together as a team and did the unthinkable: they beat an undefeated and more talented QB in Brady in the Super Bowl, and did it again a few years later. You're telling me the Ravens were the most talented team in football last year? Or that the year Green Bay won it all, they were the best Defense in the league?? No, they won and lost as a TEAM...there's games when the Offense overshadows a poor showing of a Defense and games when a stingy Defense helps a struggling Offense and games when field position and Special Teams are an important part of a win when the Offense can't get out of its own way or can't go the full 80 yards to score. So, yeah give me a Coach who values team and winning mentality as a TEAM over indivudally talented players, in the long-run, the team mentality will always win more games. Btw, it's not like the BILLS are going to forego getting talented players, see Lawson and Branch and Hughes as talented players who weren't the marquee names some people were looking for but are obviously key pieces in the BILLS limited success thus far. Also, despite the sarcasm in your statement about Lombardi, he didn't have nearly the amount of information exposure and media demands the coaches and teams have today. Let's put that in perspective as well.