Billsfan1972

Almost forgot this classic thread....... Really amazed people fell for that soundbite/headline.......

Top 10 in rushing. Unfortunately no passing game or interest in passing .

Again to me there is no doubt this is the result of bad coaching and OC planning. Same in 2015 & 2016.

Actually the Bills never had good field position, and as said Carolina converted too many 3rd downs. Defense played very well, but again forced no turnovers nor were the Bills playing on a short field.

How about the defense didn't stop Carolina from having 38+minutes time of possession. The defense did not get key thrid down stops in many instances too (unless 3rd & 15). They stopped them on short yardage 2X's all game..... So yes they allowed no TD's, sacked Newton 6X's, but allowed too many 3rd down conversions and lost the field position game......

I stupidly figured the Bills staff was not incompetent, saw the films the last 2 years that Watkins was often open, didn't get nearly enough touches and that he & TT were building building chemistry and that having an Offense near the bottom of the NFL is not a winning strategy....... Again stoopid me........

He is way way way way better then what we have. Heck if Matthews was their #2 receiver then the Bills are better on Offense. To have one of the offenses in the NFL year after year after year and be excited for 250 yards in the air is pathetic. Watkins easily could have been extended but this management team doesn't like the idea of a star WR......

Welcome to on-field play means nothing. The idea of having an exciting offense is passe. Oh and 2017 means nothing, because only the draft is important.......

No not TT...... Laugh at the ineptitude of the OC and the bland play calling, little movement, no adjustments and the closest thing to changing a play at the LOS is calling a timeout. Oh and no weapons @ WR.......

I was tongue in cheek about Shady. After finally getting the ball 8 minutes into the game, it was obvious the play the Bills had called (and went for no yards). So again chicken or egg....... Is it TT's inability or no receivers and an OC's who refuse to be creative in their offensive schemes?

I don't need to live & breath the Bills 3 hours every Saturday. The 90's I'd listen to hours of Pre & Post game and call WGR and voice my concerns. Yesterday watched Carolina's first drive, turned on the PVR and did other things. Fast forwarded the game and saw that the defense looked good (and Carolina helped them). Still the Bills defense allowed too many third down conversions and 38 minutes of possession. Yes the sacks were nice, but allowed a lot of sustained drives too. And yes 0 TD's, all positives. TT didn't have a chance and this is the exact same offense I've seen for years. 25 passes again shows the team justr doesn't want to pass the ball or be creative on O. MCCoy had 9 yards rushing so I will blame him for the loss. The OC's are pathetic in their schemes and play calling and pretty much everyone knows what is coming. Had one WR and traded him and can see it will be an anchor the entire season as defenses have no respect for the bills receivers.

And regardless how good TT is, I'll still wonder how much better he'd be with Watkins. The Bills traded their #1 or 2 best offensive player and nothing will excuse that....... Can hardly wait if Watkins has a big season these draft fools complaining "he cost us draft picks", "we can't afford him" or "he's screwed up the salary cap".....

Laughable.... Yes I want TT unleashed too, but they traded their best asset and have shown minimal support for TT. Watkins was the perfect receiver for TT and he's gone. Expect more of the same defensive (offense) with 2-3 good drives a game and a lot of lousy low yardage games.

Philly had a much more proficient pass attack, which helped Matthews #'s. Pretty simple imo. And Watkins is 100% this year.

Just listened to Bill Simmons say Watkins was wide open everytime the Bills played the Pats, but understood the trade as they could not sign him (and injury concerns, however forgetting that they could have extended him). BTW if OBJ doesn't play this weekend will he be deemed injury prone?

I will watch but no where near as intently and not fervently cheering as I am turned off by the smugness and their apparent disdain laissez-faire attitude to 2017. Why should I care when they don't. Looking forward to that first punt on 3rd down.

Philadelphia's passing offense yards 6th 2014 12th 2015 24th 2016 Buffalo's passing offense yards 18th 2014 28th 2015 30th 2016 I'd say Matthews had a lot more opportunities then Sammy to be involved. Maybe he just wasn't open as often.

Well the Experts have them rated low and it's been since 1999 that they've made the playoffs and we have a a coaching staff & GM who have made moves only looking to the draft and not winning in 2017, and I should be thrilled? Show me a team that has been successful with that mindset?

And Watkins would have been a stud in this offense......... But again how does anyone know if this staff is better? Find me an Expert who has the Bills in the top half of the league. Sorry I want to see wins, not drafting position and prospects in the 2018 & 19 drafts.

Well the O looked great in the pre-season huh? I didn't like the how the offense was handled the past two years specifically the passing game. Please stop calling Matthews more productive then Watkins as there isn't a single GM who'd take him. I disliked the defense too. As for better coaching and GM, they haven't played a single game and wasn't the coach hired by the previous regime?

And where for the better? Sorry the Watkins trade still is a fresh wound. When the best player is traded during training camp for future "hope" you've undermined the 2017 team.

Okay start disparaging The Ringer and their forecast, but seems pretty bang on. 31. Buffalo Bills2016 record: 7-9 2016 DVOA finish: 10th on offense; 27th on defense Best-case scenario: A rough year might be in Buffalo’s best interest if it gives new general manager Brandon Beane a chance to find the quarterback he wants moving forward. Nearly every move the Bills have made this offseason has served to undercut what Tyrod Taylor brings to the table. Wide receiver Sammy Watkins and his deep-ball prowess were a perfect complement to Taylor, who excels when pushing the ball downfield. With Watkins’s August tradeto the Rams, Taylor’s go-to receiver is gone, leaving him with a stable of pass catchers who act best as short and intermediate targets. Combine that with new coordinator Rick Dennison’s offense, which should keep Taylor under center for a majority of the time, and Buffalo has created a confluence of circumstances that set Taylor up to fail. This is all one year after former coordinator Anthony Lynn (now the Chargers head coach) built an offense that lined Taylor up in the shotgun, gashed opponents on the ground with LeSean McCoy, and finished the season 10th in DVOA. The Bills can move on from Taylor before the start of the next league year with a limited dead money hit, and if their choices this summer are any indication, they intend to do so. If the franchise is going to search for a quarterback once again, it might as well do it from the top of the draft. Worst-case scenario: Beane has made it clear that he has a plan. Buffalo has started stockpiling the draft capital to facilitate an on-the-fly rebuild, shipping Watkins to L.A. in a package for a 2018 second-round pick and moving cornerback Ronald Darby to the Eagles in a deal structured around a 2018 third-rounder. Like we’ve seen in Cleveland since the Sashi Brown-led brain trust took over in 2016, that approach requires conviction and patience. It also means that the Bills are in similar situation as the Jets; things can only go so badly in 2017. Stat of note: 80. That’s the percentage of Buffalo’s offensive plays that started out of shotgun or pistol formations last season, the third-highest rate in the league, per Football Outsiders. The Dennison-coordinated Broncos finished last year at 43 percent for second lowest in the NFL. Breakout player: Wide receiver Zay Jones. The NCAA’s all-time leader in receptions (399) is a dream for receiver nerds. The East Carolina product has excellent hands and superb body control and understands the nuances of the position. And with Watkins traded and Anquan Boldin now retired, the rookie is going to see a lot of work.

How is it moot? Saying draft grades are fine, but not necessarily the reults or developing the players. And now the Bills have another regime claiming it will be different and asking fans to wait for their draft picks to develop in what "4-5" years?

And it comes back to what I said. Bad coaching & development and a couple of bad contracts. And the result we gave up on Watkins, traded Darby and didn't even give Ragland a chance. But keep getting excited about draft day and pray for 3-13.......

Hopkins 8.8 Targets/game 4.95 catches, 14.2 avg & 70 yards/gm and yes healthy..... Watkins 7.4 Targets/gm, 4.13 catches, 16.1 avg & 66.5 yards/gm Yes they are light years apart........