billsgpr88

A lot of responses here have objected to my problem with the predictability with the playcalling. When I said I know they are gonna run it, this was at times when the run proved to be ineffective in the drive. I don't think Hackett considers the circumstances of the drive/game enough. Here's a quote for you, and I'm paraphrasing here: when asked about his implementation of the hurry up strategy: If we ever slow the offense down, it is because coach marrone made the decision. I want to go fast all of the time Apologies for not having the source on hand, but I remember that he said something to the effect of this (some of you may have read the same interview, I found it on TBD). My question: isn't that too simplistic? I mean that, to me, was clearly the biggest reason they lost the game against the pats. And I've said it before but this was just inexcusable to me so I will say it again: RUNNING ON FIRST AND 13, THEN ON SECOND AND 11 IN OVERTIME FROM INSIDE THE FIVE. I like all the inside info that all you guys have posted, and it has definitely made me regret the generalizing tone of the OP. But am I the only one that lost my ish at the end of that Bengals game?

Yeah, for your own sake don't watch anything about bills' games on the national networks. They don't know anything about the team (especially the ex players) and just talk about the other team the entire time. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a game preview where they hardly mention the bills, they gotta go on a serious win streak before they get national attention

Trust me, there were a lot more instances than just two but these were the most obvious ones that popped in to my mind. And they were two very crucial moments in the game, and it was clear that the play calling was poor. Honestly, I watched that Bengals game with a bunch of friends and they were all dumbstruck by the running plays on the 3 yard line (most of them weren't bills fans). I mean, is it just me or does running the ball twice on 1st and 13, then on 2nd and 11 just insane? I knew we lost the game then and there. And btw, there's a difference between 'sample' and 'example'. If you want a sample to evaluate, watch the entire jets game again

These. Two perfect examples of situational incompetence: Running the hurry up in the 4th quarter against the pats, punting to them twice when we had the lead and running as little time off the clock as possible, 1st and 13 on our own three in OT and running on 1st AND 2nd down when the next score wins (against Bengals). This alone should have been disconcerting to every bills fan watching

I'm not talking about tricking the defense, I'm talking about sustaining longer drives and utilizing the wr talent we have. If a D knows the run is coming, clearly they can stack the box and limit the ability to get anything more than 4 or 5 yards at best. We are still succeeding despite this because freddy is one of the smartest running backs I've ever seen, but imho it's asking too much to rely on this to bring you all the way down the field. We've seen stevie, chandler, and woods bail us out on third and longs several times this year; if it works when the D knows we're going to pass and we can still do it, isn't that a sign of what the passing game is capable of? And the very few times they've gone deep they have been successful. BTW, just because you have a different opinion from mine, it doesn't mean that either one of us is an idiot, so try showing some respect. People are generally pretty cool on this forum, you don't have to be a sarcastic turd in the swimming pool that is TSW

Scott Chandler seems to be a pretty solid receiver to me. And despite what you've mentioned, do you geniunely like what you have seen when it comes to play caling?

Throughout various threads I have noticed that a lot of you share my opinion in regards to nate hackett: he is often terrible and terribly predictable. I've lost count of the number of times I absolutely KNEW they were going to run the ball (The jets game being the worst example). Constantly doing this on first downs, and often consecutively on the second downs, gets them to 3rd and long which is always a challenge for the offense, as the D knows a pass is coming. Compound this with the hurry up offense, which in my opinion is giving them very little if any advantage, and the D is back on the field before they can find a seat on the bench. Now, I've read the same defense for Hackett all over the place: "Well the bills are scoring 20+ in all the games with a backup qb and injured running backs!" While this is true, to me those facts don't reflect the play calling as much as it does the team's effort, confidence, and resilience, which I would attribute to Marrone, the ultimate leader of the team. I think they could be putting even more points on the board if they stretched the field more often (why else do we have two track star wideouts?) and pass more on first down just keep the defense honest. The defense is doing a hell of a job considering what they got on the field, but how much better would they be if the offense increased their time of possesion (T.O.P. -17m vs Bengals, -6m vs Browns, -8.5m vs Jets). Granted, the offensive play calling looked a little better last Sunday and it seemed like a sluggish o line and inconsistent passing was the biggest cause of the somewhat anemic offense. But make no mistake: when I can constantly predict the calls from my couch, play calling is a legitimate concern

Don't mean to exhaust the topic, but with the Broncos in need of DBs (Bailey reinjured his foot yesterday) and the pass defense being their glaring weakness (last in the NFL), the Bills could possibly get a second , or even first rounder. Any thoughts?

This is similar to my reaction to the post. Our linebackers (and playcalling against the rush) have been weak since the days of fletcher and takeo, even pozlusny wasnt very dominant. And even the better ones like mitchell and barnett were smaller LBs, not prototypical run stuffers. And the tackling has been an issue for years, which seems to have greatly improved this year (with the exception of last week). Granted, the interior d line didnt look great last week but the majority of the damage done were on end arounds and screen passes, where our DBs were completely dominated by downfield blockers. This D can improve, but Kyle Williams is hardly the root of the problem

Gotta get after Hoyer and rattle his cage. Gotta say, besides the jets game the pass rush has been stellar (flacco was hit on a couple of those picks, and Brady got his fair share on opening day). Hopefully we can get chandler involved (don't know why EJ doesn't go to him more, not athletic but big target and great hands), and I'd like to see TJ go deep at least once. Not sure what to expect, but the browns are THE bandwagon team this week, I don't think I remember so many people Jump on so quickly. Ef em I say, Freddie's gonna knock their rush D ranking down a couple of pegs tonite. GO BILLS GO BILLS GO BILLS GO BILLS!!!!!!!!

Totally agree with OP. BTW, great username, favorite version of Hood myself would be Pershing Hall 10.21.95..... But I digress

Revis' response: "I don't understand why [laughing] he didn't study me?" Revis said. "[Laughing more] Because I will be on the opposite side. But I don't know what their gameplan or their preparation is. And personally I don't know what Geno's preparation is but I would hope if you're playing against another opponent you should [laughing once more] study everybody on the opposing team. "I'm studying him. [still laughing] Just to let him know, I'm studying him."

Don't want to be presumptuous, but I think this guy's gonna be in for a rude awakening On watching tape of Darrelle Revis: "I mean, I don't think it's necessary," Smith said. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't. You pretty much get the idea of what kind of player he is based on his reputation."

Been reading the other posts and it seems as though most believe Byrd's faking the PF. However, just saw an ESPN preview where Mike Rodak says he doesn't expect Byrd to play. Does anyone have info saying otherwise?

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Butler's been released, so it's between rogers, robey, brooks, and possibly williams if we get desperate and need him to move back. Who's the best (or least awful) choice and why? My guess is as good as yours...

This is what I'm talking about; you don't think this attitude haunts the franchise and lingers in the minds of the players and coaches? OT1960, I know the bills have a depressing history of underachieving and last second collapses but the anticipation of its perpetuation is toxic. I don't give a ish, I BILLIEVE that come next sunday, the bills got a chance. If Brady's gets knocked around a bit, he'll lose his rhythm and the rest of the pats O will follow. That being said, we NEED another corner before the season starts

So the recent injuries have the bills faithful shaking their heads at the premature yet seemingly inevitable collapse at any chances of being respectable this year. I have to say despite the key injuries and glimpses of potential weaknesses in the washington game, I still feel like the bills have a GOOD chance of beating the pats come opening day, especially if EJ can play, for the following reasons. 1.) CJ IS THE MAN. Once he gets past the first level, he's as dangerous as anyone in the league and he's gonna get the ball more than he ever has. Marrone and Hackett both have a history of running the ball and the pats rush D was 27th in the league last year. 2.) EJ has looked like a leader on and off the field. Gone are the days of Bills qb looking at the ground, shrugging their shoulders during postgame interviews (Fitz was the biggest culprit of this), I honestly feel we have someone who hates to lose and will do whatever he can to win the whole game. I swear between Fitz and Edwards, it looked they would only realize in the fourth quarter that it was their job to score points. 3.) Wannsted is gone. I, like almost everyone else, was pumped last year in the preseason. A single interview with Dave Wannsted deflated nearly any hopes I had for the season before it even started. He had a lazy, complacent demeanor, and next to nothing to say about what he had planned for the D. The last thing you want from the leader of defense. On the other hand, Pettine seems really, relentlessly competitive (not to mention a real philosophy on defense and a playbook that isn't 20 years old). A big factor in my mind 4.) Pats lost their SEVEN best wideouts. I think everyone knows this, but it can't be stressed enough. They had two pro bowl caliber TE's and the best slot receiver in the game. Say what you want about Ammendola, he has never been close to Welker's level in his career as of yet. 5.) The bills had the pats at the ralph last year. If it wasn't for a monumental 2nd half collapse, that game was ours to win. I always think that divisional games are always totally different than all others because the teams are so familiar with each other, but the pats won't fully have that advantage because of the brand new playbooks, coaches, and several new players. As bad as it was losing EJ, Kolb, and Gilmore in quick succession, I think the bills do have a decent chance on opening day. I don't know about the season as a whole, but I'm tired of reading about how brady is gonna tear them to shreads. And I'm tired of hearing about next year's draft prospects every time the bill's hit a bump in the road. Mark my words, it will NOT be a blowout. GO BILLS

No I definitely want feedback but neither player has proven themself at either position so we can't say it's an open and shut case. Williams looked passive against the redskins and I'd like to see brooks in a position to do what he does best: hit

I don't think there is any real evidence that supports either of those statements

Since our secondary is a mess right now... ron brooks to strong safety? I'm not big on the x's and o's, so I'm sure some of you can give me a hundred reasons why this is a bad idea but hear me out. Mckelvin covering the top wide out is a nightmare to me, he has no chance. As much of an optimist I try to be, a guy who's been in the league for six years has had more than enough time to show you what he brings to the table and unfortunately that isn't much as far as mckelvin goes. This means aaron williams (in my mind) HAS to return to corner, leaving the SS slot open (he didn't look that comfortable there last week anyways). With Searcy looking terrible in the preseason and all other possibilities being completely unproven, why not plug in arguably the biggest hitter in the secondary to the position in the secondary where that matters the most? Brooks hasn't impressed with his coverage skills, but I think that forced fumble against the colts showed you something we haven't seen from a bills db (and rarely from ANY bills player) since antoine winfield: a BIG A$$ hit. The kind that gets the crowd going, and makes the wideouts tentative. Of course he's undersized, not familiar with the position and wasn't even projected as a potential safety in the draft, but the secondary's in dire straits and something's got to give. I'm tired of seeing every offensive player that plays against the bills fall forward after a hit, or even worse pick up a few yards after contact. I'm sure my ignorance of the game is showing now, but the secondary is desperate and in need of an attitude change imho.... I dunno, just an idea And for the love of God get Bryan Scott off the field... He covers receivers like guns and roses do knockin' on heaven's door

oh jeez, now mckelvin is our #1 corner. based on what I saw against washington, that is some terrible news

This just in, longest active bill no longer on the roster http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/rian-lindell-buffalo-kicker-since-2003-cut-favor-131348573.html