Virgil

Anyone else think that all of the of changing reports about Spiller and Jackson are intentional so that the Pats don't know what to prepare for? It's not that uncommon. If they are, it's a smart idea. Even if Spiller can't take a hit, even having him on the field in fear of what he could do make the defense change their approach. Just a thought

....when we are 5-4 or better this season. If Fitz can do just enough to not lose some of these games over this next tough stretch, I think we will be able to hold it together for the rest of the season

You blitz because a good qb will pick you apart, regarless of the coverage if they have enough time. We made Sanchez look like a pro-bowler in week 1 and then looked good against two week teams. I'll eat crow if this defense continues to shut down the passing game against Brady, Schaub, and Smith. And personally, I'm not calling for an all out blitz, I'm asking for a 5th guy behind Mario or Kyle. That still gives you a safety deep

+1

first i'm seeing this. if that's true, then yes...that's crap

Oh yeah, I forgot about the 12th man call. Did that bother you. The back judge was standing there with him the whole time he was putting it back on. Didn't tell the other officials or anything. Maybe I'm wrong around how that is supposed to be handled, but I feel like Gilmore got hosed on that one

While not meant to be a blanket statement, I do agree. But I think that what is being referred to is true with most teams. And next week's game... If it's tough for us, then we are who we thought we were. A good team would put them away.

I drove 8 hours and made a weekend of it. Stayed until 3 minutes left when the Bills obviously stopped caring. Beyond that, I paid, I went. I'll leave whenever the hell I want. And when it comes to supporting the team, you've got to be kidding me. Most people on here have supported this team for the past 20 years and gotten nothing in return. My family has season tickets even after moving to another state.

Thank you but it's cool. The same way these are public forums for all doesn't apply to them. That, and because we beat the hapless chiefs, all is right with the world.

1 - Chan kept trying to go to the pass when the run was working. I feel like he's going the way of Martz and needs to prove a point 2 - Fitz wasn't even close. He had 3, 5 yard passes turn into over 100 yards. Take those out of the equation and what did he have. He was missing wide open people all day 3 - Wanny is running a very base D. The sacks were there if we just sent one more guy. When we did, Cassel just fell over in defeat. 4 - We are as good as our coaches and Fitz's bad choices. Unfortunately, that may be enough to tank us

Made the 7 hour drive home and had plenty of time to think about what I saw. Here is the one biggest take away, and the reason I am happy to have gone. WE HAVE A TALENTED TEAM. A lot of guys out there were consistently winning their match-ups and I saw plenty from this team to be inspired. However, I also saw enough glimpses from some areas that make me worry that we are going to waste it. Negatives ~ Fitz looked lost on his throws. I'm not sure what they showed on TV, but he had Chandler wide open at least twice and Stevie was getting visibly frustrated being missed. On the drives where we committed to the run, we moved the chains. When we tried to let Fitz sling it, we punted. There is a part of me that thinks Fitz is afraid of the defensive pressure that isn't coming. He got so used to having to throw it quick, that he doesn't know how to take his time. Either way, his throws were off, he was missing people, and he was jumpy in the pocket. (One side not, after watching the 49ers game, I really think that Alex Smith is exactly the qb we need. With our run game and D getting better, Alex would be a perfect game manager for us. We don't need a 300 yard passer. We need someone to manage the game, delivery a good play action, and let the team help him ~ Defensive pressure. I know this is going to sound strange considering we held them to 3 points through 3 quarters, but hear me out. We almost never sent more than the front 4. Also, I was surprised to see the amount of time Kelsay was in over Mario. But that's besides the point. When we sent our 4, the Chief's O-Line had more than they could handle. If we sent just ONE more guy, Cassel would have been running for himself. And on the few times we did, that's exactly what happened. Yes, these guys did good and did get pressure from time to time. But I'm starting to feel that these base formations and vanilla fronts I'm hearing about Wanny are true. I'm inspired by the talent we have, but we need to send at least one more guy. Let our DB's cover. They looked good too. ~ Chan play calling. Again, we were up 35-3, I get it. However, there were a few drives where Chan forgot what was working for him. The running game was on fire and the wildcat looked pretty good. Yet, there are those drives with three straight passes. I just don't get it. Is he trying to make Fitz happy? Is he trying to prove himself an offensive genius? Against another team, and like we saw last week against the Jets, I'm terrified that this is going to kill us ~ WR's looked bored. TJ was out there but who cared? Fitz looked bored. Would have loved to see what they would have done if the ball would have made it into their hands like Stevie. Positives - Everyone but Fitz. Spiller - WOW! I was almost upset the game was out of hand because I wanted him to keep getting the ball. How high is high for him O-Line - Just great job with the run and pass. Seriously, great job. Glenn is much bigger in person D-Line - Dominated the front 5. I feel like these guys are only going to get better. If we ever sent in a 5th, they'd have a direct path LB's - Moats had a definite presence amongst the players. Barnett just plays Overall, while the talent level was inspiring as I've seen in a long time. I'm afraid that our coaching and QB's will kill us. Honestly, if we had a Harbaugh as our coach, let alone a more conservative offensive coach and aggressive defensive coach, the sky would be the limit. You give me a top 10 coach, a Dilfer at QB, we are in the playoffs. However, those 3 misses put us at 8-8

Did you watch the game? That was the worst offensive line performance I've ever seen. No one would look good with less than two seconds to throw. And I have no opinion of Barkley as a player either

In reading all of the responses to my original question, I think I've found my owns semblance of an answer. Btw, when I said smart people, I was referring to those who claim to have either coached, played, or broke down tape. Not to cheat with the answer, but I think the final decision for me came from the 1-9 record. With that, the answer is BOTH of them. It's Chan's fault for not adjusting when it wasn't working and not looking for a back-up in case Fitz didn't pan out this week. But Chan isn't on the field. It's up to Fitz to decide on what decisions and throws to make. It's like the kid with candy on the table. He shouldn't be reaching for it, but he also needs to be saved from himself. The WR and O-Line topic are non-issues to me. The post earlier about the line having 3, top 2 round picks on it says a ton. Also, these guys proved enough at the beginning of last year. We aren't losing because of drops. We either can't get the ball to them or are too pass happy with short/intermediate routes. Also, our coaches are the ones making the choice not to bring in other WR's, keep 2 on the practice squad...just like they haven't thought about a back-up QB to challenge Fitz.

Took the wife to Gabriel's Gate. I like the atmosphere and actually liked the area it was in. Looked like a lot of other places to stop by at future games. Wings were great. One drawback, and this might be just me, but places that charge for drink refills are horrible. Seriously, that is the cheapest thing for them to serve and they are going to charge you for every soda? I've not returned to places for less

After looking these places up, I think we are going to try Gabriel's Gate. Reviews look good. Any thoughts about non-food activities? Also, I think we are going to try to swing by Hammer's Lot before the game. Is there a good time to swing by or, not to sound stupid, way that you all recognize each other?

Oh yeah, I remember the pics of that place. Looks like an Elks lounge or something. That would be an interesting idea

Do I even want to know what tempo is?

Thanks for the suggestions. Money isn't an issue if the wife is happy. We are staying at the Hilton near the airport. I'm not sure meeting some of the people on here would go :-). I'm still slowly bringing her into football and the Bills family. Just today I was at East view mall in Rochester and was happy that Victoria's Secret had Bills clothing. That's the best way I've found to get her a hoodie and pants

In town the night before the game. We've done the falls twice and the wait to get into the original wings joints usually is terrible. Oh yeah, she's also preggo so drinking isn't an option

Thank you. Got the Hilton at the airport for 160

anyone get anything that wasn't crappy like a microtel but not $200?

Wow, I have not looked at the record like that. Seriously, how many QB's or Coaches for that matter, keep their jobs with a 1-9 record? I'm not trying to turn this thread into something else. That's just a scary thought

I'm trying to figure out why this team is so crap on offense for the past 9 games. While I understand that NFL defenses are smart and they adjust to gameplans, I still feel like there is more to it than this. For Chan, I feel the general idea is to spread out the field, causing more single coverage match ups, spread the zones, call out defensive plays (blitz/zone/man), and allow the runningbacks to create plays in space. I also believe I've heard that there is a multiple check-down system. At least 2-3 reads per play. With that, Fitz obviously has to run what is called, but has the option to make audibles based upon what the D shows him. Fitz, being the "smart" guy he is, has reads and options. The entire playbook is open to him at this point, so I feel like the throws and choices within the play are on him. Lastly, in watching the games this past week, it seems like more and more teams are actually incorporating spread offensive plays into their gameplan. With that, while it's ultimately on Chan to put the best team out there, call the plays, and bench people underperforming, I feel like the issues on offense are ultimately on Fitz and that any other QB, while maybe the playbook wouldn't be as open and maybe wouldn't move the ball as good when clicking, wouldn't make the same decisions or throws. For last weeks game, yes the D sucked and it probably wouldn't have mattered, but I would have much rather had 3 and outs than those turnovers. I'm not a Fitz hater or Chan supporter. I'm just a fan who wants to win and understand what is wrong with the offense. I do believe that any defense with this many new starters will take a while to gel. So, for those of you who really know this stuff, where does the blame land on the field? Is Chan setting Fitz up for failure or is Fitz the problem and Chan needs to get on it?

32 and been watching the Bills as long as I can remember. Most painful memory was the 3rd Super Bowl loss when I just couldn't understand why they couldn't just win one. Other than that, all of the pain since then

Do I need to be a codebreaker to understand this?