KOKBILLS

First off there is no question Levitre is a good player...every Bills fan knows it and every Bills fan would have like to have seen Levitre come back at a fair price... But the problem was not letting Levitre go for outrageous OG money...The problem is, and will continue to be, not finding a viable replacement for him in Free Agency or in the Draft...

Could be...Levitre definitely made a difference on screens...And screens do not come without some risk...They have to be executed properly for sure...But when something is an integral part of your Offense your drilling that in practice constantly...Teams get better at it because they are practicing it day in and day out...At least that's what I imagine... I just don't see how any NFL offense in this day and age is going to be effective without utilizing the screen game from time to time...Screens are basically used to slow down pressure...In a game like yesterday's I think it's easy to assume that a couple well designed screens could have made a big difference...But what do I know...I certainly could be wrong about it...Maybe they simply feel the personnel is not a good fit...Though I think you have 2 of the better screen RB's in the NFL...

Exactly...There is no team in the NFL that can lose 4 of their top 5 DB's and expect that it won't have a major impact on a game at some point...

I'm much more inclined to agree with this take than any other...Sometimes you have to go with what you see more than anything...This Defense looks much better to me overall...But the injuries are taking their toll...You can't hide for long in the NFL...Especially when you're going up against an experienced OC who has had some success in this league...The fact is for most of the game yesterday the Bills were playing without 4 of their top 5 DB's...That simply cannot be ignored...IMHO it cost them the game...Especially because it seems as if Pettine was a bit stubborn on giving Rogers help over the top... And to the OP...It should also be noted that the Bills first 3 opponents last year included KC and Cleveland...Two woefully poor Offenses...And this team has allowed 6 fewer points than that one did through 3 games...

Personally I think this Offensive scheme and play calling has as much to do with Spiller's poor results than anything... But I do agree with the OP...In a way at least...I think more than the every-down thing with Spiller Chan realized there was a way to use Spiller, and a way NOT to use Spiller...Hackett is trying to use Spiller the way he would use any RB...That's why Freddie looks better in this Offense...Freddie is more of a conventional back who gets you the tough yards between the OT's...Spiller needs SPACE...But all too often the plays call for him to hit a clogged gap on the interior, and that is simply not CJ's game...Remember how little CJ saw the ball last year in short yardage after the goal-line fumble vs. NE?... If I was Hackett I would go back to the drawing board on how to utilize Spiller...Pick out his favorite running plays and screens from last year and start working that stuff in starting this week...One thing is 100% certain...The read option look that has CJ taking the ball and running into a mass of humanity between the OG's and OT's is failing miserably... Spiller is a different kind of RB...I still think there is no question he can carry the load...But not in the same way Adrian Peterson and other more conventional RB's do it...You have to be creative with the way you utilize CJ...Run a couple conventional running plays to keep the Defense honest...But mainly find ways to get him into space so he can do his thing... Lastly...It does not help that Defenses are clearly concentrating on stopping Spiller...And they should...We have a Rookie QB who is unproven...This is Hackett's main dilemma...It's the Bills Offense that has mostly been thrown off by what the Defenses are doing to stop them...They are not doing much to keep the Defenses honest through a creative or effective game-plan...This is the problem with most NFL Offenses when you have a Rookie QB...And until Hackett can come up with a few wrinkles, especially on 1st down, it's going to be more of the same...Look at how effective those two simple FB passes were vs. Carolina...That's the kind of play that keeps Defenses honest, and gives your Rookie QB confidence... Anyway...

We certainly did not last year...I remember hearing several times we were among the best screen-play teams in the league... I'm sure we do suck at them now though...Seeing as though they are completely removed from the playbook and I'm assuming they have not practiced them much... Just saying...

Really? I mean...Really? Not that I don't want to give the kid credit...He had a good game...He was also facing a Defense without 4 of their top 5 DB's for the majority of the game...He threw two nice deep passes that resulted in TD's vs a guy who can't cover...I saw JP Losman do the same thing more than once...Geno has a long, long, way to go...A long way...He had 2 INT's in this game that very well could have cost the Jets the victory if the Bills were capable of sustaining anything offensively... I've seen Geno play two full games now...I've seen EJ play three...I've yet to see much out of either that would lead me to believe they are going to be a Franchise QB's...I have seen enough to think they both have the potential to do so if they continue to improve and clean up the mistakes...We'll see in a couple years...

Great post...And proper perspective... It's not going to be all roses with EJ this year...We better get used to that fact...And unless the Bills can figure out how to run the ball MUCH better, and get the kid into better 3rd down situations, it's going to continue to be up and down for him this year...

This was the difference in the game IMO...No way we get beat for two deep TD's with Gilmore, McLovin, Brooks, and Byrd in there...No way...

That's what practice is for... We were one of the best screen teams in the NFL last year...You think Hackett and Marrone would have picked up on that fact...They better come up with something other than running into the middle of the line for no gain on 1st Down...Then doing the same on 2nd down...It's really pathetic... That being said I fully expected the Jets D to play well in this game...And I fully expected EJ to struggle a bit in his first NFL road game...What I did not expect was the Jets to hit two deep balls for TD's...That was the difference in the game IMHO...The Offense was terrible, but if we have Gilmore, McLovin, and Brooks out there at CB I think the Bills actually win this game...

Look...I know Pettine is going to run his system...But you HAVE to give that kid help...He's completely over-matched out there and we have no other options...I cannot understand how he's left out there with no Safety help over the top...Fool me once...You know? It could not possibly be more apparent that the Jets are looking to throw the ball deep... Anyway...The DB injuries have officially caught up to the Bills...Looks like it may have cost them this game...We'll see...I'm surprised Pettine has come out on the short end of this match-up vs. the Jets Offense and a Rookie QB...I don't think it says much about this Defense...I figured the Jets D would play well...But I'm surprised our D did not answer them more effectively...

Thank you Jets Defense!!! They messed around just enough to give us some confidence on Offense!!! Before that drive I was unsure the bills would ever score a TD again...Like ever...

This may be a new regime...But the way they have come out completely flat in this game after an emotional high last week is nothing but the same old Bills...Any Bills fan could have predicted this...Completely outplayed on both sides of the ball by a below average team on the road...This is nothing new... Maronne better figure out a way to tap into this teams resolve in the next 20 minutes...This game is erasing that euphoria in a big way...

Well...Great start...

Really? Van Miller over Biscuit? Really?

Thanks!!! Absolutely awesome!!!

Rogers was 1st team SEC as a Sophomore...He led the SEC in receptions and yards that year...He demonstrated serious talent in the toughest division in College football...He got booted from the Tennessee program due to his own dumb actions and had to play at a lower level...I'm certain there were reasons he did not dominate that year at Tech...My guess is the kid was reeling from the mistakes he made...Not too hard to imagine for a 21 year old... As far as his raw talent goes, I really don't think there is any question about it...With Da'Rick it's all going to come down to how he can handle the mental part of the game...He's not a Buffalo Bill because of Chris Hogan and Marcus Easley...I'm guessing both Easley and Hogan could be the Colts last WR on the roster as well...If Da'Rick had come to Buffalo a year earlier I really doubt he would have had a tough time making this team...It was a numbers game here plain and simple...I still wish they would have kept him over Hogan...I hope in the long run I end up being wrong though...

Mayock was pretty clear that he liked EJ's upside a lot going into the Draft...He had EJ the #2 QB WAY before anybody elevated him, and was pretty positive about the pick when the Bills shocked everyone and took him at #16... Now Kiper and McShay? That's another story...I think they both had EJ the #6 QB in their positional rankings...

Agreed... Outside of the DB's, and possibly a couple O-Line positions, I think the Panthers are a much more talented team than the Jets overall...The Jets will play tough at home...We have to break their will early on...If they get down, the boo's will come, and they will implode...

That's a good start for this bunch...

So true...Just makes no sense...The penalty of an automatic 1st down in that situation is ridiculous...If the yardage were to result in a 1st down so be it...But this automatic, on a change of possession play, is a stupid rule...

Gotta jump on the Jets early to keep the crowd out of it...Or better yet to turn them on the Jets...Get Geno to throw a couple picks in the 1st half and he'll see how friendly that home crowd is... All that being said I'm guessing this one will be a grind too...I think the Bills clearly have the better talent overall...But so did the Pats and the Bucs...We'll see...

Mario was an absolute beast yesterday...What a great game!!! And it's not like Newton is the easiest QB in the league to sack...That dude is slippery...

One thing I was thinking during the game yesterday...The way Newton was terribly inaccurate at times, you just HAVE to know as a Bills fan Byrd would have had a couple of those passes...He's always had a knack for being in the right place on a miss-thrown football....And there were plenty of those yesterday...