mjt328

I have no problem with the Bills drafting/signing more WR weapons, and down the line, maybe Stevie will no longer be needed. But at this point, our depth at WR is not good enough to cut any talented players. The coaching staff needs to work with Stevie on focusing during games. Not just give up on him.

Yep. Most ST coaches get their say on kicker, punter, long snapper, returner... The coverage units are leftover backups. All we need out of special teams is to not give up a big return. That requires guys staying in their lanes and not missing tackles. We don't need "weapons."

Best post. I'm so sick of dumping talented players and creating holes with no replacement prepared. This guy wants too much money. This guy isn't a "team player." This guy has made several Pro Bowls, but he's really overrated. Blah, blah, blah. But what do I know. Maybe 1000 yard receivers who can toast Darrelle Revis really do grow on trees. Maybe we would be better off tossing Kyle Williams for a 350 LB tub of lard. Maybe it's better to have extra cap room instead of a Top 5 safety who has the audacity to demand fair market value. Who really wants one of the league's top young defensive tackles? The guy is LATE to meetings!

Motivation is one of the key aspects of being an NFL head coach. It's Doug Marrone's job to keep a pulse on the locker room, and figure out how to get his players to go hard every Sunday. Some players need a heavy-handed smack from the coaching staff. Others need something more subtle. Take the wrong approach, and it's likely to backfire. It's clear that discipline was necessary with Marcel Dareus. But benching him against a hated division opponent (and basically leaving the rest of his teammates hanging out to dry) was obviously the wrong move. Proof? The rest of the defense responded with its WORST performance of the season in run defense, letting up 267 yards on the ground to the likes of LeGarrette Blount and Stevan Ridley. Earlier in the year, Marrone and staff cut 3rd string running back Tashard Choice. To the general public, this was a small-time move that probably meant nothing. But for the team, Choice was a highly respected veteran in the locker room. The Bills running backs (Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller) responded to his release by both wearing #20 during the week in practice - as a tribute to their departed teammate. Buffalo then went out on Sunday and got their worst rushing performance of the season, and got crushed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After 16 games, Marrone has not figured out how to push the players. If anything, his move on Sunday was a step in the wrong direction.

Based on talent alone, the Bills need one thing to become a playoff team. Consistent play at the quarterback position. That may be fixed by EJ gaining experience. It may not. Unfortunately, I think the root problem with this team is much harder to fix. The Bills are mentally FRAGILE. I have never in my life witnessed a franchise that could be so consistent at blowing games with mental mistakes. Dropped passes. Fumbles. Interceptions. Penalties. Missed Tackles. Blown Assignments. Special Teams Breakdowns. If Tony Romo were a team instead of a player, he would be the Buffalo Bills. Unfocused. Undisciplined. Always expecting to make a mistake to lose the game... then finding a way to succeed at that very thing. They are the complete opposite of a team like the Patriots, which can get amazing performances out of bums like LeGarrette Blount and Julian Edelman. A team that can be down 3 touchdowns at almost any point, and never flinch. Always expecting to win.

I'm going to have a really hard time getting excited this offseason. The Bills played the same team Week 1 and Week 17. Was there improvement? Absolutely not.

Outside of Tom Brady (who is playing terrible again today), the talent gap between the Bills and Patriots is marginal. With Gronk and Wilfork injured, I would probably give the Bills an edge. The difference is, New England gets spectacular performances from waiver wire fodder like Legarrette Blount and Pro Bowl quality seasons from bums like Julian Edelman. They pull out games in the 4th quarter, while we blow them with turnovers, penalties, missed tackles, etc. We aren't close to ANYTHING until someone can figure out how to stop these ridiculous mental breakdowns that kill us every single season.

This team is ridiculous. Dropped passes. Penalties. Missed tackles. Blown assignments. What good is a top draft pick, or big free agent pickup going to do for this team? You can't draft or sign focus or mental toughness.

Brady and the New England has looked like garbage quite a bit of the season.

Offense gets us back in the game. Special Teams puts us right back in the hole. Patriots are already in field goal range.

Spiller's first instinct is to break the big play. His second is to get out of bounds and avoid contact at all costs. His third is to come out of the game and take a break.

Belichik just likes the attention. Low-risk trick plays when his team has a comfortable lead. Then watch the announcers kiss his butt for 10 minutes.

I know watching this run defense is REALLY depressing... but WOW, our offense really sucks.

The Patriots are a criminally overrated team. If I could trust our team to play decent on the road, I would fully expect them to walk away from New England with a win.

This week, I would agree. The whole front 7 looks like garbage. However, the recurring problem with our run defense Weeks 1-17 has been discipline.

If the problem was our DLine getting manhandled every week, I would be screaming for a big NT as well. But the real problem is that our defensive players are undisciplined and unfocused... Overrunning plays, hitting the wrong gaps, missing tackles, etc.

Why does this team look sloppy and unfocused for almost every road game?

Undisciplined Play. Bad Tackling.

This is one of the reasons I can't excited about this team's future. The Buffalo Bills just don't have the mental makeup to compete. They put together an excellent game at home against Miami - at times even looking dominant. Then they go on the road, and all I see is undisciplined play - missed tackles, defenders going to the wrong gaps, dropped passes, fumbles, etc.

Missed tackle by Jerry Hughes.

Missed tackle at the point of attack by Lawson.

Absolutely no way the refs are going to let us win this. The NFL wants Manning vs. Brady in the AFC Championship.

Excellent article, and unfortunately very depressing. EJ has a long way to go.

Identifying the problem is only part of it. The harder part is FINDING someone better. It was obvious that Fitz and Gailey needed to be replaced. We were headed nowhere with them. Unfortunately, I haven't seen anything to suggest Marrone is a better coach than his predecessor. And the trio of Manuel, Lewis and Tuel haven't done much better than Fitz. Many would argue they have collectively played worse. Quarterback is still our biggest issue. Hopefully with Manuel only being a rookie, we haven't seen the best of his game. I think it's obvious that Mike Pettine and Kiko Alonso have helped tremendously on defense. We are still struggling at stopping the run, true. But nowhere remotely close to as terrible as 2012. And in almost every other category, we've skyrocketed towards the top of the NFL - mostly notably #1 in sacks.

The Pats are overrated. I expect the game to be close, regardless of who is playing QB for us. Wouldn't be surprised if we win. My biggest worry is the officials. If the Pats are playing for a bye, this one has "ref screw job" written all over it. The NFL is salivating over another Brady-Manning AFC championship game.