mjt328
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Posts posted by mjt328
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Before I get started just wanted to say I've been reading these boards for awhile and I'm very happy to have found a place to discuss the Bills with fellow fans. I am in my mid 20s and have been following drafts closely since 1998. My conclusions about all the qbs drafted since 1998 lead me to believe that many of you are approaching this topic all wrong. Would a franchise QB slove a lot of our problems? You bet. But you've been asking the wrong question all along when defining a franchise QB. For bills fans the question should be how many QBS in the NFL today could come into Buffalo without any other on field changes and win football games. I count 6 since 1998. That's right only 6. Both Mannings, Rodgers, Brady, Big Ben and Brees. And two of those guys weren't even first rounders. So 4 first rounders in 13 years. Sure some of you may place a few more names in but not very many. What the bills need to do is increase talent across the board. After all take a look at the number of teams with iffy qbs in this years playoff hunt. Sanchez, Flacco, Smith, Tebow, Hasselbeck, Dalton. These guys are all asked to do little more than manage a ballgame, something Fitz would be more than capable of given good talent around him. Teams win games, that's how Hasselback and Grossman and Delhomme have made recent Super Bowls. And Guys like Cassel, Garrad, Jeff Garcia and Jake Plummef and Todf Collins have all been playoff qbs going back 5 or 6 years. No drafted QB will succeed in Buffalo as it is currently constructed. Fitz is good enough to win games if given adequate talent. Lets do that and then worry about a QB. Thanks for reading my first post happy to be on board
I don't think anyone believes that drafting a QB will immediately solve all of our problems.
OF COURSE, there will have to be a very good team constructed around that person to become a legitimate playoff/Super Bowl contender.
Even the best quarterbacks of all time needed help: Peyton Manning, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, etc., etc.
But here are the facts.
YOU NEED A GOOD OR GREAT QUARTERBACK TO WIN CONSISTENTLY IN THE NFL.
Take a look at the Super Bowl winning quarterbacks through history:
Bart Starr (2), Joe Namath, Len Dawson, Johnny Unitas, Roger Staubach (2), Bob Griese (2), Terry Bradshaw (4), Ken Stabler, Jim Plunkett (2), Joe Montana (4), Joe Thiesmann, Jim McMahon, Phil Simms, Doug Williams, Jeff Hostetler, Mark Rypien, Troy Aikman (3), Steve Young, Brett Favre, John Elway (2), Kurt Warner, Trent Dilfer, Tom Brady (3), Brad Johnson, Ben Roethlisberger (2), Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Drew Brees, Aaron Rodgers
Through 45 Super Bowls, a whopping 23 of them (51 percent) have been won by a current Hall of Fame quarterback. When you throw in future Hall of Famers like Favre, Warner, Brady and Manning, that number jumps to 29 (64 percent). And when you consider that Roethlisberger, Brees and Rodgers are definite possibilities, that number goes up to 33 (73 percent).
So how about the other 12 Super Bowls that were not won by Hall of Famers?
For starters, Plunkett is the ONLY guy on the list that won it more than once. And people have been arguing for years that Plunkett and Stabler both belong in the Hall of Fame. Even if they don't deserve that great honor, both were very good quarterbacks for their era. So were Thiesmann and Simms (both were two time Pro Bowlers during their careers). And Eli Manning is one of today's top quarterbacks.
In my estimation, that only leaves SIX quarterbacks in 45 years that have won a Super Bowl without being one of the league's best passers.
Three of them (McMahon, Dilfer and B.Johnson) did not just have GOOD defenses supporting them. They had arguably the BEST DEFENSES OF ALL TIME carrying them (1984 Bears, 2000 Ravens, 2002 Bucs).
Doug Williams and Rypien both played for Joe Gibbs-led Redskins, which were stacked at every position - especially offensive line and defense.
Hostetler (as we all painfully remember) was actually the backup quarterback to Simms - so the Giants technically didn't ride him through their whole Super Bowl season.
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A lot depends on whether we lose out. We might not have to trade up.
If we finish the season 5-11, I expect us to draft around #5-7. If we finish 6-10 or 7-9, we are probably looking at #15-20.
After the Colts take Luck, we could have a legitimate shot at Matt Barkely, RGIII or even Landry Jones.
The Vikings and Rams will draft before us, but will not be taking a quarterback. Neither will Philadelphia, Tampa Bay or Carolina. And I still have my doubts about Jacksonville going for a first round quarterback two years in a row.
That means we are competing with Miami (4-9), Cleveland (4-9), Washington (4-9) and Kansas City (5-8) over the three remaining QBs.
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This is what makes me mad when fans comment about Steve Johnson (or Lee Evans for that matter).
What makes a receiver a #1 or a #2?
Some receivers are fast. Some are big and tall. Some are good route runners. Some are small and shifty.
Why do we try to determine a receiver's worth based on some arbitrary number that doesn't mean anything?
Why can't we just recognize that a player has talent - and if we let that talent leave without replacing him with someone better - we are getting WORSE as a team.
A lot of Bills fans determined that Lee Evans wasn't a #1 receiver, because he was one dimensional as a deep threat. Never mind that he was one of the best deep threats in the game. Evans was the same kind of receiver as someone like Mike Wallace, Desean Jackson or Greg Jennings. He wasn't the kind of guy that put up 1,000 yards and 10 touchdowns every season. But he still had value by stretching defenses and opening up passing lanes underneath.
And... as it turns out, our offense has really missed having a deep threat on the field.
Now, for Steve Johnson. We all know that he's not in the talent level of someone like Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald.
But he is one of the best route runners in the game, and has been the only receiver in the NFL this year to get the best of Darrelle Revis (who we happen to play twice a year).
Johnson is only in his second year as a starter and there is every reason to believe that he will get better (especially if the Bills can add a more accurate QB).
If we let him go, that leaves us four options:
1) Replace him with someone currently on the roster like David Nelson or Naaman Roosevelt. This would make our offense significantly worse.
2) Replace him with a top free agent receiver like Dwayne Bowe, Vincent Jackson or Marques Colston. These guys will probably cost more than Johnson, so why not just keep Stevie?
3) Replace him with a lower free agent receiver like Robert Meachem or Pierre Garcon. This also would make our offense significantly worse.
4) Replace him with a draft pick. A rookie (even someone like Justin Blackmon) would probably take 2-3 years to develop, assuming he doesn't completely bust. That is just in time for them to hit free agency too and keep the endless cycle turning.
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I don't see him as much of an upgrade.
Our number one priority should be upgrading the quarterback position. That will make all the receivers better.
Second, we need to re-sign Steve Johnson.
Third, we should go after an elite option on the other side. Possibly someone like Dwayne Bowe in free agency (assuming KC lets him go).
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I figured that Steve Johnson was gone after the Jets fiasco.
After that game, Buffalo's front office guys had all their excuses lined up on why he wasn't worth a big contract. He drops passes. He doesn't have his head in the game. Etc, etc....
I'm fully expecting the Bills to publicly announce after the season that they "tried" to give Johnson a fair offer, then let him test free agency - where he will promptly sign with someone else. Smart fans will realize that we just let one of the league's top 15-20 receivers walk. There will also be morons who will support the Bills every move, saying idiotic crap like "he's not a #1 receiver" and "he doesn't have high character."
Our starting receivers next year will then be David Nelson and Donald Jones.
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Dareus is the only one who looks like he could be special.
The rest of these guys look average/mediocre.
Which unfortunately, does make it our best draft class in about 10 years.
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Ralph must go in order for this team to become viable. If its in Buffalo so be it, if not then so be it. I would rather have them leave for greener pastures then be made to look like an idiot for caring for this sub-par excuse for an NFL franchise. I am over blaming the players. This fish rots from the head down. An owner who refuses to spend the necessary funds to compete with other franchises. We have no real gm, no real coaches, and no real attempt to get free agents necessary to be competitive. We are the laughing stock of the NFL and given my choice between that and no team- I will take no team.
I urge the worriers who think this team is going to leave to pull our a map and look. Where exactly is this team going to go- LA- nope, Toronto- nope, San Antonio _do you think Dallas and Houston would agree to that?
Western New York has supported this team well beyond what they deserve. If they think they could find a more loyal fan base somewhere else- go for it.
Ralph- please do the right thing, I would rather see you leave on your own as a statesman and pioneer than wait for you to pass, so a judge could oversee the sale of your baby.
Exactly.
I've always been a big person on "SUPPORTING" the team no matter what.
Lately, I've come to realize that I'm supporting nothing more than the name BUFFALO BILLS.
> Am I supporting the ownership? They could care less about the fans and people of Buffalo. Their concern is the bottom line, not fielding a winner. Ralph Wilson has been laughing all the way to the bank for 50 years and we continue to show up a the stadium for his pathetic product.
> Am I supporting the NFL? They don't care about the fans and hate that a team is still in Buffalo. Most of these billionaire owners would approve a move in 2 seconds flat if it meant adding more money to their pockets.
> Am I supporting the players? Again, these players are all about the money too. They don't care about the Buffalo community. When free agency hits, most of these guys promise to be on the first bus out of town (unless of course we pay them a massive contract).
Every year I buy NFL Sunday Ticket to watch the Bills games. I buy merchandise and occasionally fly to Buffalo to see a home game.
So basically, all this SUPPORT is going to people that are taking advantage of me for my money.
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When he sells the team, the team is probably gone. No sane business guy pays $800m for a business and tries to make a return on this investment in WNY. So choose your poison. These Bills or no Bills. Even if they sell to someone who keeps the team here, no top FAs or coaches want to be in f ing buffalo, ny , with its high taxes , crap weather and dull nightlife (unless you are a college kid). So take it for what it is and be glad you have it. I think Gailey is the answer because he can work with just about any kind of talent.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've finally come to that point. If we can't put together a front office committed to winning, I would rather the team just move and get it over with.
I've been watching this team for over 30 years. I'm tired of holding out the slim hope that someday we win a Super Bowl, knowing in the back of my mind that it will never happen.
I'm tired of watching other "small market" teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers dominate year in and year out, while our front office makes excuses for not aggressively assembling a winner.
I'm tired of worrying whether the team will move, knowing that most of the NFL hates Buffalo (including Wilson), coaches don't want to come here, free agents don't want to sign here and our own players don't want to stay.
I'm tired of the reaction I get every time someone finds out I'm a Bills fan (I've lived in Philadelphia and St. Louis most of my life).
I'm tired of getting absolutely NO enjoyment out of my Sunday afternoon. Even early in the season, I couldn't completely enjoy it...because I knew the collapse was coming.
I'm tired of the bad draft picks, the ridiculous ways this team finds to lose games, the terrible coaching decisions, etc.
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We should not have to waste a draft pick on a wr when there should be a couple of star wrs in free agency. The only problem is Nix would never sign one of those wrs so blackmon it is.
What star wide receivers will be free agents?
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It's hard to say, since we don't know which coaches will be fired when the season is over.
Jeff Fisher is still on the unemployment line. He is a great defensive coach, but would probably be looking for a head coaching job first - and I would expect someone to give it to him.
Jack Del Rio was recently fired by Jacksonville. He was a crappy head coach, but a lot of guys are better when they only have to focus on one side of the ball. He was pretty successful as a coordinator for the Panthers, and the Jags have always had a pretty good defense.
Assuming Steve Spagnulo is fired as head coach of the St. Louis Rams (not a stretch), he could be the hottest name on the list of potential defensive coordinators. He spent several years as an assistant to Jim Johnson in Philadelphia, before taking over as the DC for the New York Giants. During those times, his teams had some of the NFL's strongest defenses.
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He presided over some bad drafts. He wasted first round picks. He wasn't as bad as the Russ Brandon / Marv Levy drafts, but he set us behind by years and that killed us. He was more agressive with FA, though, and we could use just a bit of that.
I think Nix will have things turned around eventually, however I think people have unrealistic expectations on how fast you can actually turn stuff around, especially after the McKelvin, McCargo, Whitner, Maybin drafts. You just can't recover from that in two years.
I don't think people have unrealistic expectations. The problem is that after almost 2 years, they are seeing NO progress in the team.
People keep saying things like "he's building the team the right way" by focusing on the draft and basically ignoring free agency.
The "right way" is bringing in talent that can help us win.
Who has Nix added to make us a better team? The best players on our team were already here when he arrived (Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson, Steve Johnson, Wood, Levitre, Kyle Williams, George Wilson, Jairus Byrd). The players he drafted are making absolutely no impact. Most can't get on the field for an injury-prone team that finished 4-12 last year and is 5-7 this year.
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Great question.
I've often looked back over the last 15 years and thought the same thing.
Donahoe was VERY AGRESSIVE.
I think he made a lot of great decisions, but when his big moves didn't work out - it really set back the franchise.
>> The Drew Bledsoe trade should have been a great move. TD cannot be blamed for it not working out. Unfortunately, when Bledsoe started to regress, it took down the whole team. It also gave our rivals in New England a jump on us in the division.
>> The offensive line was a huge problem during his tenure here. Part of that was Bledsoe holding the ball. Another part was that TD picks like OT Mike Williams didn't work out. Again, how could he know that a 350 lb+ Top 5 lineman would bust?
>> TD built a great defense through free agency (Spikes, Fletcher, Adams, Vincent, Milloy) and through the draft (Clements, Schobel, Crowell). For some reason though, this defense could NEVER get off the field on third down.
>> He had two chances and never got it right on hiring the right head coach. Again, Greg Williams was one of the top prospects when TD nabbed him. He just didn't work out.
Donahoe's decisions got worse the longer he was here too, which built up the ammunition to finally get rid of him.
- Drafting Willis McGahee when there were bigger needs everywhere
- Hiring a no-name like Mike Mularky
- Letting Winfield and Pat Williams walk in free agency
- Drafting JP Losman
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I usually record the game, then re-watch it and pay special attention to the things I missed during live action (line play for one).
With that said, I think Marcel Dareus has played fairly well throughout the season.
Early in the season, when we had Kyle Williams playing next to him, there was a very strong push coming from up the middle and most of it was coming from Dareus. Since KW went out, Dareus is getting the majority of double teams and it's clear that he's overwhelmed. Not surprising for a rookie.
The problem is, the rest of the Bills defense is too weak to take advantage of strong play by the tackles. There were many times that I saw Dareus blow his blocker into the backfield, only to watch the running back take an outside angle and find Shawn Merriman or Alex Carrington shoved too far inside to make a play.
We need better linebackers.
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To be honest, he really doesn't impress me either.
I'm no NFL scout, but I like to think that I can spot talent when I see it.
Last year, I really liked Dareus, Fairly and Von Miller, and thought all would be good picks for us.
I don't think Upshaw looks to be in the same ballpark as any of those guys.
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It could be close.
The Colts have all but locked up the #1 pick. They are taking Andrew Luck or trading the pick to someone who will.
That leaves Matt Barkley, Landry Jones and possibly Robert Griffin (although I've heard a lot of talk of him going back to school another year).
Teams with worse/same records than us that won't be taking a quarterback:
Minnesota, 2-10: Just drafted Christian Ponder in the first last year
St. Louis, 2-10: Just drafted Sam Bradford two years ago
Jacksonville, 3-8: Just drafted Blaine Gabbert last year.
Carolina, 4-8: Cam Newton
San Diego, 4-7: Philip Rivers
Philadelphia, 4-8: Michael Vick
Tampa Bay, 4-8: Josh Freeman
Arizona, 5-7: Kevin Kolb
Teams with worse/same records that could take a QB:
Miami, 4-8
Cleveland, 4-8
Washington, 4-8
Kansas City, 5-7
Seattle, 5-7
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Only one of the seven players you listed had any other NFL coaches: Fitz.
Are you serious?
Fitzpatrick played for two other teams (St. Louis and Cincinnati) and this is his third coach on the Buffalo Bills (Dick Jauron and Perry Fewell being the others), not to mention several offensive coordinators during those periods.
This is Chandler's fourth NFL team.
Jackson, Wood, Levitre, Bell and Johnson have all been Bills for their NFL careers. But like I said, that was under three different coaches and several coordinators.
Fitzpatrick's best year: 2010 or 2011
Jackson: 2011
Johnson: 2010
Wood, Levitre and Bell: 2011
Chandler: 2011
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Look at it this way.
EVERY SINGLE offensive player on the Bills has played better and had more production in the last 2 years under Chan Gailey, than under any other offensive coordinator or head coach in their entire career.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, Fred Jackson, Steve Johnson, Scott Chandler, Eric Wood, Andy Levitre, Demetrius Bell, etc.. Every single one.
Also consider that most of the players on offense were either drafted in the 7th round or undrafted free agents. And at times this year, the offense has looked explosive and dominant.
This tells me that Gailey is getting the ABSOLUTE MOST out of his players on offense.
However... It is also painfully clear that Gailey knows NOTHING about the defensive side of the ball (other than how to attack it).
The defense under Gailey/George Edwards has been one of the worst Buffalo has ever put on the football field. They can't rush the passer. They can't stop the run. They can't cover recivers. They let up tons of points and tons of yards. And that is despite getting the majority of help from the draft and free agency.
Over the last 2 years, Kyle Williams has become a star, but he was already heading in that direction. Meanwhile, guys like Paul Posluszny, Jairus Byrd and Marcus Stroud have seen their production get worse. Promising rookies have failed to develop.
It's becoming very clear that Gailey simply needs a TOP DEFENSIVE MIND to handle the other side of the ball. Plenty of successful teams are run that way.
Mike McCarthy has Dom Capers. Sean Payton has Greg Williams. Jason Garrett has Rob Ryan. Gary Kubiak now has Wade Phillips (a move that has greatly improved the Texans by the way).
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The way the AFC is shaping up, a 5-0 finish might not be enough to make the playoffs.
And if we aren't going to make the playoffs (AGAIN), then why not hope for a higher draft pick?
We are 3 games behind New England for the division lead. If we win out, the Patriots would still have to lose three more games for us to take the division - including another one against us in Foxboro. New England's remaining schedule is one of the easiest in the NFL (Indianapois, Washington, Denver, Miami, Buffalo). The chances of the Patriots losing the AFC East are slim and none.
Which means that we have to focus on getting a wildcard. Also not good odds...
Pittsburgh and Baltimore are both 8-3. Cincinnati is 7-4 and holds the tiebreaker over us. That means all three teams are 3 games ahead of us, with only 5 remaining.
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This is what the rest of the NFL sees with us and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
Not being a Miami homer, I laugh at the idea that the Dolphins would pass an the opportunity this offseason to add a top rookie quarterback (if not Luck, they could have a shot at Barkley, Jones, Griffin, etc). Instead, they might decide to stick with a flawed veteran backup that happens to be on a hot streak right now.
We have been waiting since Jim Kelly retired for a decent replacement.
They have been waiting since Dan Marino retired.
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I like Matt Barkley, Landry Jones and Robert Griffin a lot. If any of them are available, you have to pull the trigger. We can't keep passing on this kind of potential at the quarterback position, even with the big contract we just handed Fitz.
This team could also use a massive upgrade at offensive tackle, even though our group has performed a lot better than I expected. Chris Hairston can move to right tackle. Bell and Pears can be depth. The top tackles available are Matt Kalil and Jonathan Martin.
The Bills also need an elite talent across the field from Steve Johnson, especially somebody that can stretch the field. You can't get better than Justin Blackmon. He's the total package. A lot of people also like Alshon Jeffery, but he's more of a big red zone target instead of a deep threat.
Unfortunately, the 2012 draft class is more loaded on the offensive side of the ball (the opposite of last year).
The Bills REALLY need somebody to upgrade the pass rush. They obviously need help at cornerback.
A lot of what the Bills do here might depend on whether they fire George Edwards (which they need to do) and revert back to the 4-3 defense (which they also need to do).
If they stick with the 3-4, they really need some outside linebackers with speed.
If they go back to the 4-3...which better fits the personnel...they would probably look more for a defensive end.
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Bills fans always get upset that Ralph is willing to accept losing.
But they have NO problem throwing their support behind mediocre quarterbacks...crossing their fingers that we can get by with average talent at the MOST IMPORTANT POSITION in the league.
Sure, I believe we can make the playoffs someday with Fitz as quarterback. But it's going to require drafting several more talented offensive linemen and some elite threats at wide reciever (I'm talking Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson caliber). We would also need to field a Top 10 defense that could regularly hold the top teams under 15-20 points.
If we managed to draft an elite quarterback, our fortunes would change immediately.
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Just my opinion but you couldn't be more wrong. If Aaron Rodgers were in Buffalo with our line and our WR core that has been depleted due to a trade and injuries he would look pretty average. Better than what we have...eh sure but he is the run away MVP of the league with the talent he has around him for crying out loud. Why do people constantly due that in these forums. "If player X on pace to have the best season ever in the NFL was on our team we would be a lot better." Comparing good serviceable talent to hall of famers or record setters is idiotic and unfair. There aren't too many of those guys lying around at the discount store where we shop for talent.
Everyone bashed the crap out of Lee Evans and said we would be fine. Stevie Johnson the fan choice is our #1 and we are left with a whole slew of #4 worthy WRs. Our offensive line as I bitched and moaned about for years is proven to be WAY worse now than when we had Peters and Walker and our best offensive lineman Eric Wood is out for the year. We can't even snap the god damn ball to the QB properly so he has a chance to survey the field before the dogs are on him in under 3 seconds.
Our O-line and WRs are pathetic. You get what you pay for which in our case isn't much.
Don't even get me started on the defense!!!!!
You honestly believe that Ryan Fitzpatrick is almost as good as Aaron Rodgers?????!!!!!!?????
Wow...
Sometimes I wonder if Bills fans have never seen a football game outside of the 16 played each year by Buffalo.
Fitzpatrick is around the "average to above average range" when it comes to starting NFL quarterbacks.
Don't get me wrong, there are lots of things to like about Fitzpatrick. But the truth is, he is EXTREMELY inaccurate on throws over about 8-10 yards. That limits his effectiveness to slants, curls and screen passes. And it is exactly the reason that teams have managed to shutdown our offensive production. Watch any Green Bay game and tell me if Rodgers has trouble throwing downfield. Give Fitzpatrick Greg Jennings, Jordy Nelson and Jermichael Finley... and he would still have accuracy problems downfield.
When it comes to the offensive line, Green Bay isn't known for having the best protection in the world either. But Rodgers is great at rolling out of the pocket, avoiding pressure and still picking apart a defense. Yes, Fitzpatrick also has lots of mobility in the pocket. But it's clear that he struggles finding open receivers when he can't make the quick 1-2 second throws. Watch what happens when Fitz gets pressured. That is when he throws picks and terrible passes into coverage.
Fitz isn't even in the same ballpark as Rodgers.
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We are one game behind Baltimore and one behind the Bengals for the wild card, Tied with the Titans, and with everybody else with 5 losses already. None of our schedule is easy, but there are no impossible games on our schedule either. We still control our own destiny in the division, but I don't expect that is very likely and I think New England finishes strong.
The Ravens have two games against the Bengals, one against the 49ers, and one in San Diego, so that is not a very favorable schedule, but they also have two gimmes against the Browns and one against the Colts. Still with how bad their offense has been, they have some more losses coming. I don't see them going 3-4 and finishing 9-7, so we would be shooting for a 10-6 tie breaker with them most likely.
The Bengals have the tie breaker, so we would root for them to finish 9-7 which means a 3-4 finish. With two games against the Ravens, one in Pittsburgh, and one against the Texans, that seems like it could happen with a young team playing above expectations.
The Titans are tied with us and have a relatively normal schedule. If we beat them they won't finish ahead of us. If we lose to them we won't get to 10-6, so I don't see them as a threat.
Denver is behind us and not likely to go 5-1 with New England, Chicago, and San Diego on their schedule, so while they are fun to watch, I don't think they make it to 10-6 (but it could happen).
The Jets have a pretty easy schedule, and like the Titans it will be a must win for us, and if they beat us we will have a hard time getting to 10-6 and they will have a shot. If we beat them they could still win out and finish 10-6, and it could be a tie breaker, but having to go 5-1 is a tall order in the NFL for a team that is 5-5 with Mark Sanchez.
If the Chargers get to 10-6 it will mean the west and Oakland doesn't, so they aren't going to get a wild card.
KC has New England, Pitt, and the Packers, so no way they can go 6-1 to finish at 10-6.
So realistically the Bengals have a shot, the Ravens look likely, and I don't see anybody else likely to get to 10-6. If the Bills can find a way to stay on track for 10-6, I think they have a very good shot of making the playoffs. 9-7 is pretty unlikely but possible. I don't think we are a 10-6 team, and I don't think it is likely, but with two games against the Dolphins, home against the decent Broncos and Titans, and a potential rest week game for bye-bound Patriots, I think could be in good shape if we can beat the Dolphins and Jets. If we can't beat the Dolphins this week we have no shot, that is clear, but if we do, I think our season turns on the Jets game. I don't like our chances too much after our last matchup, and with them having a long week, but if we do get to 7-4 I like our playoff chances, and i think it is fairly likely we go in to NY in 10 days with a chance to make that happen.
So right now we should probably just try to beat the Fish, and make our playoff chances look pretty decent with six weeks to go (with Ravens/Bengals facing off this weekend). If we play like the last two weeks that won't happen, but I Billieve we will rebound on Sunday with a good game and a W.
Go Bills!
I agree.
9-7 isn't going to cut it. We need to finish at least 10-6.
That means finishing 5-2 against: Miami, Jets, Tennessee, San Diego, Miami, Denver and New England
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The problem is not running the ball.
The problem is that we can't complete a downfield pass to save our lives.
This offense is DESIGNED for Fitzpatrick to make quick decisions on short routes. We haven't been FORCED into it by the blitz.
What has changed is that teams are jamming our receivers and crowding the line of scrimmage - taking away the run, short slants and screens.
The way to combat this is to make some big passes downfield and force the defense to back up. Chan and Fitz KNOW this already, and it's clear by the playcalling that they are trying to make more big pass plays. Unfortunately:
1. Our receivers can't beat 1-on-1 coverage downfield
2. Fitzpatrick is inaccurate on long throws
3. Our offensive line can't hold the pass rush long enough for deep throws to develop
To all of the people who think we need to draft a Franchise QB
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
No team is going to win the championship completely on the back of one player. There is no doubt about that.
And there is no doubt in my mind that even if the Bills draft a future Hall of Fame quarterback, they still need massive upgrades all over the team to become a legitimate contender.
But history has proven time and time again, that championship teams demand greatness at the quarterback position. What does it tell you when 3 out of every 4 Super Bowl winning quarterbacks is in the NFL Hall of Fame (or will be someday)? It tells me that when it comes to quarterback - good usually isn't good enough.
At a position that demands GREATNESS...the Bills settle for mediocrity.
We can keep building the team everywhere else - adding linemen and receivers and defensive backs and linebackers - which is great...
But until we get a GREAT player under center, the odds of us ever building a championship team are very very slim. Anyone that says otherwise is paying attention to the very few exceptions (Trent Dilfer, Mark Rypien) rather than the overwhleming majority of the time.