mjt328

When is Hackett going to realize that EJ SUCKS at the read option? It's a gimmick play that NFL defenses figured out before Week 1! Quit running it!!!!

When is Hackett going to realize that EJ SUCKS at the read option? It's a gimmick play that NFL defenses figured out before Week 1! Quit running it!!!!

But what happens when the players seem incapable of "executing" the game plan? Should the coaches remain stubborn and keep running the same plan over and over and over, then blaming a lack of execution? Or should they adjust to something that has a better chance of success? Bottom line. The Bills offense is having trouble sustaining drives. They have a rookie quarterback who is having lots of trouble with his reads. Maybe they need to slow down, just to help Manuel get his feet under him.

This is a nice article, but I don't agree with the conclusion. I agree that EJ needs to make a better read on the defense, and know when to pull the ball and run himself. I agree that we are missing blocks. And I agree that CJ is tentative in hitting the cuts. However, that doesn't clear Hackett of blame. - If the defense is loading the box and keying so heavily on Spiller, (again) why are we not doing play action? - If our players are struggling to run the read-option, why does he insist on calling it over and over and over? - If the interior of our line (namely Colin Brown) is getting blown up, why are we constantly running delayed handoffs directly behind him? It's easy to blame execution. After all, if every player on offense "executes" the play perfectly as it's drawn up on a chalkboard, then we will be successful every time. But unless you are the most talented team in the NFL, that isn't reality. A coach/coordinator HAS to adjust to what the defense is throwing at him, and he HAS to work with the strengths and weaknesses of his own players.

I'm saying there is plenty of blame to go around... and Hackett is certainly included. I think it's silly for people to argue whether we lost because of Hackett, EJ, Justin Rogers, the OL, Mario Williams, etc. They all sucked horribly and they are all hurting the team.

Why do we fight over WHO to blame? It's silly. The truth is, almost everyone sucked on Sunday. They all contributed to the loss. Yes, the offensive line was terrible on Sunday and got dominated by the Jets front 7. Yes, Spiller is missing running lanes and is back to dancing in the backfield like his rookie season. Yes, EJ was inaccurate, indecisive and completely confused. Yes, the receivers struggled getting separation and failed to get open. That doesn't justify Hackett's predictable playcalling, or his failure to make adjustments. As a fan, it's easier to point the finger at ONE player or ONE coach... and assume he is dragging everyone else down. The painful reality is that we've got a lot of bad on this team, and we aren't nearly as close as some people think.

Sure, it's just wishful thinking. People are frustrated because whenever we take a step up somewhere (hiring Pettine at DC, drafting Alonso), we take a step back somewhere else (Hackett at OC, losing Levitre to free agency). We've been spinning our wheels for 13 years, and it sucks.

I don't understand why so many people are determined to "assign" blame every game... "It wasn't EJ's fault, it was Justin Rogers letting up big passes!" Listen...both players sucked bad on Sunday and contributed HEAVILY towards one of the worst performances I've ever seen out of this team. With that said, Hackett has been absolutely terrible his first 3 games. - He's predictable. So far, it appears that the Bills offense only has about 5-10 plays in the book, and every one is telegraphed to the defense by the formation and personnel. - He fails to take advantage of our player's strengths, particularly CJ Spiller (supposedly the cornerstone of our offense). Spiller needs space to make plays. As others stated, where are the screens? Where are the designed outside runs? How about spreading out the defense? Spiller is never going to have success running between the tackles in a bunched formation. - He fails to hide our team's biggest weakness, particularly left guard. We have a massive hole on our line, yet a high percentage of runs are directly behind Colin Brown. - He fails to adjust to what the opposition is throwing at him. If the defense is selling out to stop the run, try some play-action. If they are bringing heavy pressure, try some screen plays. If they are loading the box and blitzing up the middle, have the receivers run slants. Execution is up to the players, but the coaches should be giving them the best chance to succeed. Hackett's play calling looks like a deer in the headlights. He's this year's version of Dave Wannstedt. Just running the same formations and plays over and over, and acting confused when it doesn't work.

I live in St. Louis, but grew up a die-hard Bills fan. I've been to numerous Rams games, along with close trips to Kansas City and Indianapolis. Never seen a problem at any of them. Two years ago, I made my first trip to Ralph Wilson stadium to see my first Bills home game. It was an absolute embarrassment. Drunken idiots everywhere. At least 2 or 3 fights in my general vicinity. It completely changed my opinion about our "great" fan base.

It's criminal (and downright ignorant) that Super Bowl wins are weighed so heavily in Hall of Fame voting. Reed played in 234 regular season games and 21 post season games at an all-time great level. Yet all the voters care about is the W/L outcome of Super Bowls 25, 26, 27 and 28. If Norwood made that kick, Reed would already be in. If Reed isn't HOF quality, somebody needs to yank the busts for guys like Michael Irvin, Art Monk and Lynn Swann out of Canton. And until he makes it, guys like Marvin Harrison and Isaac Bruce shouldn't even get consideration.

Really? And how did the Patriots score their points? Their only touchdowns came after gift fumbles from Spiller and Goodwin, deep in Bills territory. Without help from "sloppy play", New England offense only scored NINE points all game. And I'm not even counting the lopsided, back-breaking penalties.

This is how I see the AFC East's Top 5 starting receivers in terms of overall talent: Vets: Stevie Johnson > Mike Wallace > Danny Amendola > Santonio Holmes > Brian Hartline The advantage the Dolphins have is that other teams are relying heavy on young/rookie wide receivers. They have a solid vet in Brian Hartline. However, these young players don't need to be very good to bypass Hartline. Here is how I would rank the Top 5 young receivers in our division: Robert Woods > Da'Rick Rogers > Aaron Dobson > Stephen Hill > TJ Graham

So... Stevie loses his starting job to 3 rookie receivers, yet still manages to have a career year and make the Pro Bowl. And... Even with our #4 receiver putting up 1,000+ yards receiving (what does that say for the other 3 guys), we still manage to run the ball enough for CJ Spiller to lead the NFL in rushing AND his backup to win the Comeback Player of the Year.

I know right after the draft, every prospect looks like a future Pro Bowler. But before we start talking playoffs or comparing ourselves to the Steelers - Nix has to start actually HITTING on his picks. In case anyone forgot, our 2010 was a complete disaster. Spiller is the only starter from that entire group. Carrington has been a good backup. But that's it. And 2011 is right on its heels... Despite the glowing reviews on that class, we've had very disappointing results so far. Dareus followed a good rookie season with a very disappointing sophomore campaign. Aaron Williams was so bad, he's switching positions. Kelvin Sheppard got traded for another team's major bust. Chris Hairston is buried on the depth chart.

Post-draft is always a time of very high optimism. But realistically, we all know this team will not succeed until it gets a high level of play from the QB position. Drafting EJ Manuel was (hopefully) a big step in the right direction. But even if he is destined for a great NFL career, it could take some time for him to get there. Most likely, we will start the season with Kevin Kolb and get the same level of play as we did with Fitzpatrick. There is a good chance that Manuel will break the starting lineup before the season is over - which will likely mean some growing pains.

"Track Star" is a buzz word that has been used for years to describe guys that are drafted because of their speed. It's ironic that Goodwin is actually a track star. I'm not necessarily a stat guy, but I do put weight on production. If a receiver isn't catching the ball consistently in college, why do you expect him to become a stud in the pros? There were probably 5-6 receivers available at that spot who put up more production in a single season than Goodwin had in his entire career. I'll admit, I have only seen limited footage on him. Maybe 4 full games from his senior season. In that limited footage I saw a guy who had trouble running routes and couldn't locate the ball in the air when changing directions. His best plays (big surprise) were actually running plays and a deep throw where he blew past the cornerback. Like I said. If this was 2010, I would probably be more willing to give Nix the benefit of the doubt. But I've been watching picks like this for 3 seasons now, and none of our GM's ridiculous reaches have panned out. He hasn't been able to nab a starter later than the 4th round (Bradham).

Why is Nix so terrified about losing draft picks? He wastes everything we get after the 3rd-4th round. This guy was slated to go as an UDFA. Last year, our 5th round pick was CUT before the season.

Only time will tell. Nix has been horrible at drafting over the last 3 seasons, especially in the mid/late rounds. It's absolutely VITAL for teams to find solid starters in Rounds 3-4, and solid depth after that. He hasn't done that so far as the Bills GM, so it's hard for a lot of us to trust his eye for talent - especially when he steers so far away from expert opinion and what seems like the common sense approach. In my opinion, Kiko Alonso has the potential to be a decent starter and would have been a nice addition as our 3rd round pick. But over Arthur Brown? On the surface, this looks like a stupid move. The same with Marquise Goodwin, who is basically a track star with no receiving ability. Most likely, this guy will eventually settle in as our #4 or #5 receiver - assuming he develops some hands and route running skills. Is he a terrible player to take a chance on? Not necessarily. But in the 3rd round, we need to be targeting STARTERS, not sleepers and projects. Most of us thought TJ Graham was a reach last year... but we were told the Bills front office knew what it was doing. One year in, Graham doesn't look like anything special.

Wife: "Are you excited about the draft?" Me: "Yeah. I'm just hoping the Bills don't do something stupid." Wife: "But you know they will. They always do." Me: "But. uh... (silence)"

Agreed. I think everyone would agree the "ideal" situation is to move down, and still get the guy we want. But you've got Jacksonville, Oakland, Arizona, Philadelphia and New York - and quite possibly Kansas City and Cleveland - all thinking the exact same thing. Every QB-needy team is targeting their guy in the early 2nd. It's quite possible that one or more will panic and trade back into the first. Unfortunately, we are probably in the worst position of them all. Our first pick is too high to waste on a 2nd round talent (at least according to most experts). But our second pick comes after all of the teams listed above.

I agree 150%. Bust. Bust. Bust. I've watched a lot of Mingo. He does manage to make 2 or 3 great plays every game. The rest of the time, he is COMPLETELY stonewalled. If he doesn't manage to blow past the blocker with his speed - he's done. He cannot disengage from blocks and he's a complete non-factor in the run.

Ha... That was the first question that came to my mind too.

By the time we are competitive, Spiller will be asking to be paid like one of the top backs in the NFL. Then after a year or two, he will be a 7-8 year vet and on the downside of his career. On the flipside, if we had drafted Jimmy Clausen, the team might have been bad enough to be in the position for Luck or RG3 in 2012. Just something to think about.

That's exactly my point. You can't compare the impact a QB has on the game to a guard. If we draft a QB and hit a homerun, we are back in the playoffs. We draft Warmack and hit a homerun, our team is slightly better than last season with Levitre.

Best player available should always be balanced with positional importance, supply & demand and team needs. Last year, most rankings had Matt Kalil, Trent Richardson and David DeCastro listed as the best overall players in the draft. But the Colts and Redskins would have been nuts to pass on Luck or RG3.