BuffaloWings

What helped the play-action a lot was how they were running the ball well. When you do that, the defense has to play the run and can easily be faked out by a play-action. This is why they should have done more of it against Cleveland.

Brady was doing this long before Moss & Welker showed up...remember, he had Troy Brown, David Patten, & Deion Branch. Brown is now retired (I don't think he ever left NE*) and Patten & Branch haven't exactly lit things up in other places. I'm leaning towards the system right now. Yes, the QB still has to make the throws, but when the QB has plenty of time and the receivers are WIDE open all day long, it's not that hard for an NFL QB to play well in that system.

We all have our moments. That's exactly where I was going. They took an hour and showed all of the games, including the ones with "marginal" national interest. You touched on it, but they would also show the important, non-scoring plays (like a big 3rd/4th down conversion) that kept a drive alive. Berman & Jackson do a decent job on "The Blitz" during the Sunday night Sportscenter, but it's nothing like it used to be.

Huh?? My point was that I stopped watching it when they went overboard by adding Dan Patrick. I liked him & Olbermann in the past, but it's not the same anymore. I never liked the way NBC did the highlights and adding way too much attempts at entertainment to the show was the last straw for me. I can't believe I'm saying this, but E$PN is WAY better at highlights.

True, but you can't give the coaching a hard time about that one. The Bills were up by 30.....I repeat, 30 points....at that point.

This is one reason I stopped watching Football Night in America.

You neglected to mention that the starting QB in both of the above games got injured and didn't return to the game (Trent vs Jets in 2007, Holcomb vs KC in 2005). JP "lead the Bills back" by throwing his signature bomb to Evans both times. If that's the reason to start JP over Edwards, kiss the season goodbye right now.

Who's "cowler"?

I don't know if this is really the case, but it seems more like a young team that's been shell-shocked by the losing streak. If you look at the roster, the only guy with more than 8 years of NFL experience is Jason Whittle. Someone needs to step up and calm everyone down. The Bills aren't out of it and need to be reassured of that.

I really doubt the concussion is still affecting him. One would think that the trainers/doctors/coaches have been on him like a hawk to see if there are any lingering affects either during practice or the game. If Trent showed ANY indication of concussion-like symptoms, his arse would have been pulled off the field faster than you can say "kummelweck".

I think we'd all be ok with that.

Or a last-second, game-winning kick return.

I hate to say that I'd be done with them if they left WNY....but I would find it hard to root for the team formerly known as the Buffalo Bills.

What's the over/under on when Schobel actually practices? Seriously, I really want him back on the field.

Exactly....to explain to everyone that it can be done and the game wasn't over. Thanks for reminding me of that!

And that's supposed to mean......??? I'm sure Lindell would have loved to get closer to the goal posts, but I'm also sure he had every bit of confidence that he could nail a 47-yarder. Not like he hasn't done that before.

I think Trent does this already....that's not an issue. I would have been ok with sitting him for a few series just to calm him down, but I like the flip side better....keep him in the game so he gets right back in the saddle and works things out. Isn't this (partially) the tough love that some of us have been asking for? Basically, it's Jauron, Turk, & AVP saying "We have your back and so do your teammates. Go out there and lead the comeback." Besides, JP would have been the only guy to come in. Hamdan can't play unless Trent & JP are hurt...the 3rd QB (by rule) is an emergency QB.

I think you're confusing Cowher & Fisher with Mike Mularkey. I think the opposite is more likely...Cowher & Fisher would keep playing the QB because he clearly has the right talent to lead the team and the slump he's in would be worked out of him by coaching and the support of his teammates. Perhaps the slump would end quicker than 4 weeks, but it would end nevertheless. Mularkey would sit the young, ineffective QB because he wanted wins to save his job.

How about the "No punts" game in San Francisco? I believe it was September, 1992.

Or they make it (see Christie vs. Titans the last time we were in the playoffs) and we still manage to lose (or get hosed depending on your interpretation of home run throw-forward). Good catch...I forgot about that one for obvious reasons.

Somehow, this coaching staff gets afraid. When they start turning the ball over, the play-calling becomes ultra conservative and predictable. I don't know how much influence Jauron has over Turk, but this is becoming the Steve Fairchild offense all over again.

This is the key....they were running the ball well all night, but they did it out of different formations. When it was clear that a 3 TE, 1 FB and no WR formation, the Browns stacked the line. This has been one problem with the play-calling. Sure, the entire world knew they were going to probably run, but don't make it obvious to everyone. At least line up with a receiver wide and/or in the slot or use play-action or something. Heck, even throwing a check-down would have been fine (and I was as irritated as everyone else with those at the moment).

I didn't cry over that one, but I came closer & closer to doing so after each SB loss and gut-wrenching loss. Hopefully, you're right....our time will come. These losses get more excruciating because of the team's history. This is how Red Sox fans felt for years.

From what I remember, there were a number of times that receivers got the separation. I remember Evans being open on a couple of plays, one in the end zone while Trent was scrambling.

Two more: self control