Martifal
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Posts posted by Martifal
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I see all of this excitement and optimism but I just can't join in. And for the most part, I agree with most of the ESPN commentators when they talk about this change. I think we made a poor decision based upon our situation and are essentially throwing away any progress we made last year.
When I think about how the season ended and where we were at in terms of progression:
- Best record in over a decade
- Best defense in over a decade
- Year two of consistency
- Declining Offense with no answer at QB
Based off of that, what did we improve?
- We brought in a defensive minded coach who runs a completely different scheme. A coach that ran a defense that made Kyle Orton look like Aaron Rodgers. I mean, we shredded them TWICE. A defense that was terrible against the run. Also, in making this change, we are going back to playing people out of position and reducing players like Hughes to situational pass rushers
- This is speculation, but I'm also afraid that we are going to have to waste FA money and draft picks to bring in people to fit this scheme.
- Offensively, we brought in an offensive coordinator who had Kaep regress under his watch. And sorry, but Kaep is better than EJ. They were terrible in the passing game with legit receivers and a Pro-Bowl TE. I get that they played elite defenses, but this is the NFL and no one is a cake walk. He produces a running game, but is based upon an offensive line that probably won't be able to be reproduced here with our talent for a little while.
End of the day, while personnel is a big factor, scheme and coaching is too. When the season ended, would you have wanted the San Fran offense and the Jets defense to replace our team? I would say no 10 times out of 10.
I get it. Fresh start, new players to them. But these are big leaps of faith that we can have the running game being promised and that the final 3 years of Rex's coaching career were the anomaly compared to his first 3 years as a head coach.
Again, I want to be optimistic but we basically gutted our strength and reinforced our weakness.
Sorry to rain on your negative outlook, but Rex just left a front office that was horrible at aquiring talent, an owner of a major market franchise that had the third most unspent cap dollars in the league behind Jacksonville and Cleveland, an owner that ran the best defensive player in the league at the time Revis out of town because he is so cheap, but Rex still took that team and the Patriots to the last play twice this season. You want to win the division you gotta beat the Patriots and with a better front office and a supportive owner Rex plays them as tough as any coach in the league. So you have a problem with Roman, I would love to see how Marrone's offense would do in the NFC west over the last three years he would be lucky to score a TD against a division opponent out there. That division is brutal three straight nfc championship games one Super Bowl appearance with a strong running game and that's not an upgrade over what we have witnessed the last two years. Rex and Harbough were lame duck coaches this season and everyone knew it, the Pegulas are trying to put a staff together that can compete with the Patriots and I think they're on the right track. For the past 40 years I've watched Ralph shop for coaches in the bargain bin then the Pegulas come right out of the gate and hire a name coach that would have certainly got another job somewhere before this hiring cycle was over, giving us first shot at any available assistants. Also Rex is a players coach we no longer have to pay a kings ransome for a top of the line free agent ( Mario ) players want to play for Rex. Even Sully likes this hire and he hasn't liked anything this organisation has done for fifteen years with good reason, this team has been hard to watch for a long time, I'm guzzling the Kool Aid way to go Terry and Kim Pegula.
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Except that's not what the Bills were going to do. They were not going OL in round one and not picking Carr in Rd 2. It's really simple.
Look at the post a few above yours for the three alternatives.
1 - Watkins
or
2 - Ebron + mid 1st pick this year (Bills would have been at least two games worse this year w/o Watkins)
In that scenario, I still take Watkins.
I agree all we hear about is Becham the Bills didn't seem to have any interest in Becham going into the draft, probably would have taken Ebron. Looking back over the 2014 season you could make the case that St Doug made a point of not using players that Whaley provided him Bryce Brown, Mike Williams, both could have been used to improve this offense as bad as the Bills were in the red zone they couldn't even try getting the ball to Mike Williams in scoring position, he was a proven commodity in Tampa scored 20 plus TDs, when he did play Bryce Brown looked a lot better than CJ did. Sammy Watkins was supposed to be a playmaker this year, yet it never appeared the Bills were trying to design ways to get the Ball into his hands. After it came out that Marrone was against the trade and there was some animosity between him and Doug Whaley you could legitimately make the case that Doug Marrone purposely under utilized those players, if thats true then good riddance Marrone because that was a petty bush league move. Look at highlight film of Mike Williams and tell me we couldn't have used him in the red zone this year might have been the difference in making the playoffs. With all of the 1st round picks this team has whiffed on over the years I have no problem spending 2 1st rounders on Sammy were going to love having him here for a long time, could end up being the best reciever in club history by time he is done here.
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This is awful. Changing back to 3-4 which means Schwartz is gone. Kyle Williams on JMS recently said that the D was simpler this year and the players seemed to prefer it and play better. I see the D taking a step back now and Ryan has a track record of putrid offenses, including never once developing a QB. This shows that Pegula is more interested in getting the Bills national attention instead of building a winner....
I don't agree as bad as the jets were this year they took Brady and Belichick to the last play of both of their games, you want to win the East you gotta beat the Patriots and Rex gives you your best chance of doing that, with the Bills defensive line I bet Brady wasn't happy to hear that this morning.
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Sucks for him, how would you like your job depending on Peyton playing well in the playoffs.
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I said essentially the same thing this morning in one of the "why is this taking so long" threads...the Bills are getting free advice from every candidate about how to fix that offense.
What they need 14 people to tell them they need two guards and a quarterback....
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In retrospect it kind of does appear coach Marrone made a point of under using the players Doug Whaley aquired for him in the off season. I could never understand why with our struggles in the red zone Mike Williams a proven red zone target was never given a chance to perform in that capacity. Bryce Brown looked very good in the preseason and seemed to make plays when given the opportunity in the regular season, was also used very sparingly at best. Not to mention there were several games where Sammy Watkins was rarely targeted, he was supposed to be our best offensive player and they did very little to get the ball into his hands some games. Now that it comes out Marrone coached the entire season knowing he could or was going to walk and that he had a problem Doug Whaley it does appear he made a point of not using the play makers Whaley provided in the off season. Bryce Brown and Mike Williams throughout the season couldn't seem to understand why they weren't given much of a chance. Now that it's coming out that Marrone is a little thin skinned and has a bit of an ego it's not entirely out of the question that he purposely refused to use players Whaley traded draft picks to obtain. I sincerely hope that the teams that are in a rush to interview him for a head coaching position are taking a closer look at how he used some of the talent he was provided this past season.
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The really sad part about all that is that the Pats really aren't that good anymore. Brady and the offense, really only when Gronk is in, carry that entire team. Their D is only ranked that high because they get to play four games, formerly 6 games, against some of the inept offenses in the entire league every season. Their an average D at best and one that other offenses fairly easily take apart.
Games with them, at least during the regular season, are track meets. In the playoffs they don't have the D to compete to win another SB. Their RB has traditionally been one of the worst in the AFCE too. The last time that they had a RB that was capable of perennially putting up 1,000+ yards was Dillon 9 seasons ago.
If the Pats were in most other divisions they'd be a 9-7 to 11-5 team every season.
10 weeks ago I would have agreed with you, but they had a juggernaut of a schedule this year and went thru it like nothing...
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I think they should take their time and get the right guy, I think back when Ralph hired Gregg Williams we were coming off a season where we had the #2 defense in the league, Gregg had the #1 defense with the Titans and proceeded to dismantle our defense to retool it to fit his system which began the 15 year playoff drought. IMHO it's vitally important we hire a coach that is comfortable tweaking the current roster, if they hire a coach that's married to a system, his system better damn well be compatible with our roster. The Bills are as close as they have been in a long time, whoever they hire had better not have the word retool in his vocabulary.....
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Friend of mine from Mass. sent me this link which briefly gives their take on Bill Polian. http://www.patspulpit.com/2014/12/31/7476521/the-afc-east-is-a-disaster-and-the-patriots-will-benefit
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I agree everyone calling for Ortons head and an upgrade at the QB position take a look at how Brady plays when he is pressured, fix the Oline and give the guy a chance. By the way who is this QB sitting around waiting for the Bills to call thats an upgrade over Orton.64% completion percentage. About 3000 yards through 11 games for a team he wasn't in camp for. No guard play. No running game.
I don't care if the Bills upgrade at QB but Orton is not the problem with the offense.
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I never expected the Pegulas to come in and clean house in their first year of ownership they bought a team that they have supported and followed as fans, there is no denying this is the best this organization has looked in several years. I can't remember where I seen it but somewhere I read that Marrone was unhappy with the offensive lineman he had going into the season, but Whaley was and thought he had provided him with enough. It's no secret that the center of the Oline play severely hampered the offense this year, I have little doubt that Whaley will have fixed the guard situation in 2015. I would be surprised if he doesn't bring in an established Oline coach in the near future it's pretty obvious established offensive lineman here Wood and Glenns play has slipped under the current coaching staff. We can only hope they have learned you can't play tackles at the guard position.
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I agree Ralph was the big reason behind the current 15 season absence from the playoffs, there seems to be a cyclical nature to the NFL where every team pretty much rebuilds for a playoff run every 7 or 8 years. In 2006 when we should have been shaping into some kind of a playoff contender Ralph hired Levy as GM, we had Steve Fairchild as our Offensive coordinator with Jauron as the coach. Other than Perry Fewell in retrospect looks like a staff designed to fail, in fact, I believe it was, in 2006 Ralph was in full blown small market teams can't be competitive in the NFL mode trying to get profit sharing from the large market teams. I don't believe Ralph had any interest in putting a winning team on the field as long as he was fighting for that money, which has now resulted into a league leading 15 year absence from the playoffs. 15 years is to long to go without putting something positive together and I believe it's why even the hardiest of long term Bills fans feel a sense of detachment that we would have never anticipated coming out of the early 90s Super Bowl era Bills organization.I enjoy this banter more than the game last Sunday. I have to say that I am only hopeful because we have new ownership that has been pretty quiet. If Mr Wilson was still aboard, I am not sure how I would feel. I wrote that it was justice that the end of the RCW era would end in a loss to the hapless spawn of Al Davis, but there it is. I am obviously at the amusement stage of it all, because investing emotionally in this mess is too much.
I used to go to games. This year I went to the Dolphins only because we finally have a new owner. They confiscated signs that said anything Pegula and I guess I get that. But that era couldn't end fast enough. I am too competitive myself to understand owning a team to make money but not win. To me he was a modern PT Barnum with the Owens signing as proof. I thank Ralph for keeping the team in WNY, but not for management of his "product", which by action the Bills were to him.
I feel like its a new day!
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I was in Wilson NC talking to my brother in Florida, he said alright we got this one, I replied there's still 16 seconds and we both fell into a silence. This team has been tearing our hearts out for a lot longer then the last 15 years, in silence we watched as the kickoff unfolded, forward lateral I shouted into the phone this has to come back, once again we sat in silence waiting for the call with a deeply sickened feeling in my stomach as certain as I was that this should come back, I also knew in my heart it wouldn't, it's the Bills we lose in the most heart wrenching of ways.....
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I'll watch you never know with Whaley, he likes to deal, I wouldn't be surprised if he made some kind of a move during the first round, in fact, the more I think about it the more I expect it. It would be a savy PR move to make some kind of a move to excite the fan base during the 1st round give them something to talk about other than the trade.
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Hmmm my biggest grievance, the league commissioner would like to see parity in the NFL, but at the same time has instituted rules that favor the passing game. Unfortunately for the large majority of teams there are only a handful of elite quarterbacks in the league at any given time. It doesn't feel a hell of a lot like parity in the AFC east where Tom Brady has dominated the division for the past 14 years. If you truly wanted parity in the league rules would favor a strong defense and running game and we wouldn't see the same teams fortunate enough to have gotten an elite quarterback dominating the league year after year. Did anybody else notice early on in the Packers game that the flags weren't flying against our secondary like they had been all year, and we actually beat one of the elite quarterbacks. I have little doubt in my mind that was a direct result of the officials fist bump the previous week in Denver. It's hard enough to beat one of the elite quarterbacks without rules that favor the passing game let alone beat one when they and the wide recievers are being coddled in the NFL.
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I think the defense played a big role but the crown of the field at RWS is a difficult adjustment something only found in Buffalo, I believe it contributed to the struggles of Arron Rodgers this past Sunday IMHO.I agree. I think that his brother's lack of success in the NFL hurt Carr's draft stock. Not only are they brothers, but they both played at the same college (Fresno State) and for 3 of Derek's 5 years at Fresno State, played in the same system for the same coach as his brother. A poster above also astutely points out that the other previous highly drafted QB from Fresno State, Trent Dilfer, while doing well at ESPN and the holder of a Super Bowl ring, did not perform at the level of his high draft status. In watching the pre-draft coverage, I thought that Carr was the best of this year's rookie class and was hoping there was a way he might end up a Bill. If the Raiders can turn things around, I think he'll be a good one. They have a "franchise" player on both sides of the ball - Mack on defense and Carr on offense. Despite their bright future, I believe that the Bills' D will be too much for a rookie QB and the Bills will win the game on Sunday. I was in Denver and saw the impressive performance of the defense there, and watched every snap of the Green Bay game on TV and saw how they stifled Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers talked about having a bad game and his timing being off, but a big reason for this was his desire to get rid of the ball early to avoid the Buffalo pass rush. The crowd noise also didn't help, although I think the fear of the pass rush was the bigger factor.
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Smarter being the key word some how I had never seen Leodis speak until this season, I was shocked at how stupid he looked. I honestly couldn't believe the Bills went through the interview process with this guy and pulled the trigger in the first round on him, just my oppinion.probably. Mclovin has more speed and natural athleticism, but Graham is smarter, savvier.
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I was unaware took a big 0 after grabbing him up in Fantasy!!!
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Very hard to look at that still photo and believe Becham reeled that one in!! Then he does it within 5 minutes of them showing highlights of him making one handed grabs in warmups, I love Sammy, but I have to admit having Becham and the first and fourth back in hindsight I would do without hesitation..... -
This team has been done in by a coaching staff that once again has this team on it's annual march to mediocrity! Look around the league several teams have beat up and injured O-lines but still get it done, were relatively healthy and lousy, Marrone was an offensive lineman and marches out a crap o-line every week. Why go out and get Mike Williams a legitimate red zone threat and not even dress him some games when we can't score in the red zone. The Patriots looked very beatable at the beginning of the season, but they are well coached and improve on a weekly basis. In Buffalo as usual as the season progresses the team regresses Ralph Wilsons inability to attract and hire a frontline head football coach will forever be the mark he left on this team. When has this franchise ever had a football coach that could go into the locker room at the half and make some adjustments that worked. Whenever Ralph did get lucky and find himself with a decent coach or GM he got rid of them Polian, Knox, Phillips. Polian handed Levy an all star team they won despite of him, granted he told great war stories, but was beaten with the same game plan in 4 straight Super Bowls. On paper this current team has far to much talent to play as poorly as they have, so we lost the home field this week big deal Marrone has only had this team ready for one home game this season, they play better on the road. I've watched this organization mostly field an inferior product for 40 years, I can only hope the Pegulas change the atmosphere and hire a good head football coach before the current talent pool is dispatched to represent other NFL cities in the Playoffs and Pro Bowls in the years to come!!!!
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No doubt certainly kills the was he worth it debate, but on the other hand I seriously doubt anybody would trade the franchise QBs were talking about for a receiver.The amazing thing about this thread is the names that we are debating. Think about what that says for Sammy?
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Luck and Rogers are no brainers, but I would take Brady next with his current contract you could still maintain our current roster shore up the O line in the off season and legitimately compete for a Super Bowl championship for the next three or four years. There is no one player on this roster I wouldn't trade for a Lombardi trophy and with the current roster and a couple of half way decent guards Brady could still get you a couple championships.
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+1Wilson doesn't belong in the group he is being put in. Time will show this.
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Nice, Can't top that one!"...and she still refused to take her socks off"
Rex was one of the best at slowing down NE* (stats)
in The Stadium Wall Archives
Posted
The one game they did lose to the Packers Belichick put in an I'm not showing you anything game plan anticipating a probable SB match up at the time. After the game Belichick uncharacteristically stayed on the field talking to players with a big smile on his for several minutes according to a friend of mine from the Boston area knowing he had shown them nothing on the road and almost won.
Tell me about it 9 years ago I was out in Maui playing golf for a couple weeks and went to dinner at a former Boston disc jockeys house Charles Lauquidara he was the morning guy on WBCN and was a big deal in the Boston area at the time when I had lived there in the mid 80s. He was showing me and my buddies how he had his house set up for football parties, and telling us all about all the Pats fans getting together at his house on game days. I remember thinking to myself at the time the Patriots best days were behind them their defense was getting old and their decline was inevitable. It feels like a lifetime ago and here we are getting ready to watch them play in yet another AFC championship game. On the bright side QBs do hit a wall in their late thirties and as we seen with Peyton Manning this season their abilities can suddenly and very rapidly decline, so Tom Brady should follow suit in the very near future. Right? RIGHT?!