Dan

In my mind, the only decision that has been truly bad was hiring a completely unproven and inexerienced OC.

Bein' good's got nothin to do with it. #2 is all about is their a marquee player/storyline they can promote?

I competely agree. I really liked Fitz... still do. My guess, at the time, the team asked him to stay on as a backup and restructure his contract. And he declined both. I still contend that if you put Fitz on this team, with this defens, and we'd be in playoff contention. That DOES NOT mean I want to cut EJ for Fitz! It just means I think the team he was on while here was a lot weaker. But he (more specifically Chan) had the offense actually looking like a professional NFL offense. Hackett has us back in the remedial football 101 mode that we last saw in the Jauron days.

No. If your QB doesn't win the Soer Bowl every year, he needs to be cut. But why stop there? If ANY player has a bad game, they should be cut on Monday. Just call up all the good teams and trade for their best players. I do it all the time in famtasy football and it works like a charm! Championship every time!

That's what I was thinking when I posted my observation. Not meaning to say Geno is better or anything, but to say here's 2 QBs in the same division both with positives, both with flaws, each seemingly coached differently. It'll be interesting to see who ends up better as the seasons progress.

Pretty much sums it up.

Gotta be something like that because the defender completely ran through the guy.

Exactly. People get too up and too down and have completely unrealistic expectations. EJ is a young QB, he's going to have bad throws and even bad games. It happens. ALL QBs (and players do), but especially 2nd year guys. It doesn't mean he's a bust. It's just the way it is. Sammy will probably not set all the league's passing records this year either. I know its a shocker. But, that wouldn't mean he's a bust either. well played

true. Just to be clear, I'm not suggesting Geno is better or that I'd prefer him to EJ in any way. It was just an observation. Geno seems to be coached to be more of a gunslinger, some interceptions are ok. EJ is veing given just the opposite coaching. I do wish EJ would put more heat on his thows, it seems like the windows are so short in the NFL that the sonner that ball gets there, the better especially in the red zone. How was that last play not PI on the Bears? (I'm glad it wasn't!)

Watching this game... the primary differences I see between Geno and EJ are (1) Geno plays with more confidence and doesn't seem as afraid to take a hit and (2) he has more velocity on his throws. Granted, he's more reckless with the ball but the Jets always seem to be in the game despite his turnovers.

I hope you're right.

I'd feel much better about Marrone, if he would have hired a real OC. But, as it stands now, we're stuck with someone that's in over his head and allowing him to learn on the fly what it takes to be a good coach in the NFL while talented players sit wasted on the bench.

Precisely... EJ starts slow and when you add in his slow eyes, it obviously takes him a while to get warmed up. It's obvious we need a more experienced QB to hand the ball off with more accuracy.

And I'd like to add.... you can't expect to have Pro Bowl, HOF caliber players at every position.

And I agree with you. Play to your player's strengths. Have CJ and Fred on the field at the same time for every snap! Some times hand off to Fred to pound the line, sometimes dump it to CJ on the out side, sometimes run CJ across the formation and hand off, sometimes don't and pictch to Fred. Bottom line, have our play makers on the field, keep the defense guessing, don't ask your players to do things they're not best at.

Exactly. That play was completely predictable. If you and I saw it from our couches, don't you think the Chargers defense saw it coming? Perhaps that would explain why Pears is blown up 3 yds into the backfield and Spiller runs into a wall? Unless you have superior HOF athletes, you can't just line up, tell the defense what's coming, and still beat them - certainly not with any consistency. That is what our coaching staff doesn't seem to understand. Put another way... if you run across a crowded freeway and get hit by a bus, did you just not execute your street crossing properly? Or was it just a bad idea from the start?

I get what you're saying. But, you're neglecting the coaching factor. Good coaches game plan to take the other team's best players out of the game. Bad coaches just line their players up and expect them to beat the man in front of them. This isn't college ball. Every team has great players. All the rah rah in the world isn't going to win you much, you can't just out muscle your opponent. This coaching staff has a huge weapon in CJ Spiller and they're completely misusing him with these draw plays up the middle. CJ is playing well out there. He had at least one great run called back on a hold. He misses a lot of playing time, because the coaches keep taking him off the field. At some point, the coaching staff have to figure out a way to get him more involved in a game, but they've yet to do that other than on kick offs. IMO, it shows a fundamental lack of creativity and ingenuity on their part.

I see it as a mercy killing. That thread was bad from its conception.

That's pretty much our bread and butter play. It seems we start most every drive conceding 1st down, because we run a play that gets us 2yds or less on average. The real problem is they then decide, "no way someone can stop our bread and butter!" and run it again on 2nd down just to prove that point. Only to set up the 3rd and long pass play, that is like a coin flip at this point. Then we talk about players needing to execute, rather than coaches needing to realize what their players are good at executing. Want to see good offensive play calling... watch the Seahawks game from yesterday. It's the very definition of coaching to your players strengths and putting them in position to succeed.

Honestly, I'd settle for a baby step this season.... just win 8 games. The playoffs still seem like an eternity away when you look at our QB play and offensive scheme in comparison to other playoff contending teams. I'm not saying EJ can't get better, he can. I'm not saying Hackett can suddenly look competent, well maybe he can. But, right now... they're not.

Yes... that stupid first down run play with CJ is horrendous! Why can't they just rip it from the playbook? EJ had a bad game, but he was under a lot of pressure. To me, he looked like a young QB that was thinking and not playing. Sometimes, I swear I can almost see him processing everything he's being told to do. The defense, however, lost this game for us. They just couldn't get off the field on 3rd down.

where's the "I'm an idiot!" option?

Excellent point. Thanks for giving me something else to worry about! I'm sure the line is going to try and get after Rivers, let's just hope they don't forget about the screen. Otherwise, it could be a long day.

Week 3: San Diego Chargers at Buffalo Billions Sunday, September 21, 2014 at 1:00pm TV Network: CBS (TV Map) Announcers: Andrew Catalon, Steve Tasker, Steve Beuerlein DirecTV: 705 Bills Radio: On the call: John Murphy (play by play), Mark Kelso (analyst), Sal Capaccio (sideline) Flagship: Buffalo – WGR550 (550AM); Toronto - 590 The Fan; Rochester - WCMF (96.5) and WROC (950AM); Syracuse - WKRL (100.9/WKLL 94.9) Sirius/XM: 84 (Internet 803) ================================================================= Game Preview: With the league's longest active playoff drought hanging over them, the Buffalo Bills are far from content with their 2-0 start. The Bills enter Sunday seeking their longest win streak since last opening 3-0 in 2011 as they host the San Diego Chargers, who won't have Ryan Mathews available for the foreseeable future. The Chargers (1-1) head into Buffalo after holding off Seattle 30-21 last Sunday, beating the reigning Super Bowl champion despite Mathews being removed on a cart in the fourth quarter. San Diego announced Monday that he had a sprained right MCL but didn't disclose the degree of the injury or how long he would be out. Read more at ESPN game preview... --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chargers at Bills Video Preview Week 3 preview: Chargers at Bills NFL Week 3 viewer's guide NFL.com Game Center Team Stats: Bills Dolphins Total Yds/Game.... 337.5 333.5 Total Rush............. 153.0 76.5 Total Pass............. 184.5 257.0 Points/Game.......... 26.0 23.5 Time of Poss.......... 29.6 35.2 ---------------------------------------------- Yds/Gm Allowed... 358.5 345.5 Rush Yards........... 83.0 108.5 Pass Yards........... 275.5 237.0 Points Allowed........ 15.0 19.5 Source: NFL.com Injury Report: Buffalo Billions NAME POSITION INJURY WED. THU. FRI. GAME STATUS Charles, Stefan DT Hip LP LP LP Probable Johnson, Randell LB Knee DNP DNP DNP Out Meeks, Jonathan S Neck Out Out Out Out Rivers, Keith LB Groin LP LP LP Doubtful Smith, Lee TE Toe FP FP FP Probable Watkins, Sammy WR Ribs FP FP FP Probable Williams, Chris G Back - LP LP Probable Woods, Robert WR Ankle LP DNP LP Probable Source: BuffaloBills.com San Diego Chargers NAME POSITION INJURY WED. THU. FRI. GAME STATUS Addae, Jahleel S Hamstring LP LP FP Questionable Allen, Keenan WR Groin - LP LP Questionable Attaochu, Jerry OLB Hamstring DNP DNP DNP Questionable Davis, Chris CB Ankle FP FP FP Probable Flowers, Brandon CB Groin DNP FP FP Probable Freeney, Dwight OLB Non-injury related DNP FP FP Probable Gates, Antonio TE Hamstring DNP LP FP Probable Ingram, Melvin OLB Hamstring DNP DNP DNP Out Liuget, Corey DE Ankle FP FP FP Probable Mathews, Ryan RB Knee DNP DNP DNP Out Ohrnberger, Rich C-G Back LP DNP FP Probable Troutman, Johnnie G Back LP DNP FP Probable Source: Chargers.com Practice Status Game Status DNP = Did Not Participate in Practice Out = Player will not play LP = Limited Participation - Less than 100% of normal reps Doubtful = 25% chance a player will play FP = Full Participation - 100% of a player's normal repetitions Questionable = 50% chance a player will play Out = Player will not play Probable = 75% chance a player will play (-) = Not Listed = No practice status available (-) = Not Listed - No game status available The Odds: Line: Billions -2.5 Over/Under: 45.5 Source: The Linemakers Up to date lines... if you're in Vegas. My Thoughts on the Game: This game has me amped up. I’m not sure if it’s the 2-0 start, the good play from Manuel or the fact that they’re facing a tough opponent in the Chargers. But, I think we’ll find out a lot about our team this week. How will they fair after an emotional win last week? Can they maintain the intensity and fire on the field? Can they keep up with a high powered offense? Of course, I could be saying all that about the Chargers too. The Chargers are no doubt looking to build on the momentum from last week’s win. They’re gonna be fired up and ready to show the league that it wasn’t a fluke. But, they’re traveling across the country with several big injuries. The Billions need to bring more heat and shut them down early. It’s our time to lay claim to the league and show that Buffalo is for real. Here’s what I’m watching for this week: 1. Red Zone offense. It’s been talked about since last week. The players talked about it as a point of emphasis in practice. One TD per week just isn’t going to cut it, especially when you’re playing a team that can put up points like SD. I’m curious to see if they get more creative and less conservative near the goal line. And if they do, can they do it without making the costly turnovers? Will they finally look for Mike Williams down there? 2. Sammy Watkins. He’s got a target on his back this week. After last week’s coming out party, he’s the talk of all the pundits. I’m sure the Chargers noticed as well. This could be the first game in which an opponent is specifically game planning to shut him down. I’m really curious to see how he responds. 3. Antonio Gates. The guy is a beast! And seems to be showing little signs of slowing down. We’ve historically had a terrible time covering big TEs in the middle of the field. Who’s going to cover him? Can they keep him in check? 4. CJ Spiller on special teams. Will the Chargers kick to him? I’m guessing they’ll do all they can to keep him from touching the ball on kick offs. 5. Broncos at Seahawks. That came should be awesome with excellent story lines, great teams looking for their own validation. And after another huge win, it’s gonna be great to relax and watch another good game. Go Bills!!

Ya know... you and Yolo are making me a lazy interwebber! All I gotta do is hit the ol' F5 here a few times a day and I get every headline and story of note in the NFL. With all seriousness and gratitude.. you rock.