Guys, this starting front-five is a disaster

[EastRochBillsfan]

I fought it for a while. but in the end, I HAD to open the thread and see who wrote it. And once sucked in, I had to read the rest of course. Curiousity got the best of me and I needed to see which doom and gloomer wrote this. I did think it was going to be someone else though, like billsfreak or billsvet, or the bill fron nyc. At least dollarcoin is gone and we didnt have to listen to his crap.

 

This gets very old by the way. Why anyone would lose sleep over the bills O-line is beyond me. Or lose sleep over anything the bills do or don't do I should say. Does it make you feel better to whine and worry? Even with our crappy line, I bet ya watch everygame this year. I really hope they play well so we don't have to hear you guys anymore.

 

[Automated Response]

 

We suck. The coaching staff sucks. The players suck. We have no hope of ever winning a championship. Oh woe is me.

 

Gets OLD, doesn't it?!

 

The OL is a question mark like the rest of the offense. Have no idea how good or how bad they are.

 

It's tough to spot any trends when all of us fans got a shot at playing OL last year due to all the injuries, plus you had 2-3 rookies starting on any given game day.

 

I can't stress enough that continuity and coaching matters. Trading your LT, canning your OC, adapting to the no-huddle, then throwing that away when it didn't work, protecting three different quarterbacks, all with different throwing progressions and ability to read the defense and routes, canning your HC mid-season, plus all the injuries...it makes Fred Jackson's achievements last year look like weekly miracles.

 

Last year was such an epic mess, and this team still won six games. I think that's a sign that the team has talent.

 

 

its too early to tell. I'm not optimistic about the way the present regime is proceeding but I'm willing to see what happens on the field next year. Nine wins and I'll be ready to join the band. To quote Gailey himself, Show me the baby.

Your obsession with NINE wins is ANNOYING. am I the only one who feels this way? If we ONLY win 8 games, will it not be possible that the Bills still did show improvement? But at least you're willing to see what happens. a step in the right direction.

[Green Lightning]

You couldn't post this in one of the other 43736272783 threads on the topic?

 

 

+1

 

I think we have six related threads on the board now. Same stuff on all of them. Gnashing of teeth, some sound thinking, flights of fancy that all is dandy and those pounding the death knell. It's all very dramatic......and completely out of our hands. I'm not fretting, just watching what the Budster does with much interest!

[Russ 'Em]

Read his posts. He isn't a moron. We are fans of a team that was destroyed by Levy/Jauron, literally destroyed. The OL is very bad and this isn't new. Levy/Jauron blew chance after chance to build it up, choosing instead to draft a slew of defensive backs, and trade a damn good left tackle in the process.

 

The Bills are going to continue to lose until they solve this issue. How much do you need to see to believe this?

 

 

Thats all I needed to see to disagree with your opinion.

[wonderbread]

SOUNDS LIKE YOU NEED TO JUST SWITCH TEAMS -- AS A FAN OF THE BILLS WE DON'T NEED OTHERS LIKE YOU THAT CALL YOUR SELF A FAN OF THIS TEAM AROUND !! HEY THE RAIDERS ARE IN NEED OF A FEW CRAPPY FANS WHY DON'T YOU JOIN THEM !!!

 

 

I see your sarcasm meter is malfunctioning.

[DrFishfinder]

Really, look at this roster and tell me you're not terrified.

I looked at the roster AND the so-called coaching staff AND the plague of injuries last year, so no......I'm not terrified. I think this team is going to hit some road bumps, some pretty big ones, too. But by the end of the season they'll be playing smarter, harder more disciplined football. Most importantly, I think they'll be winning most of the games they should win.

 

They probably won't crack the playoffs, but dammit.....the're gonna light a fire in the fans again.

 

I have spoken.

 

Pass the Tylenol

[oak tree 12]

I know it's been re-hashed again and again, but I still can't come to grips with it.

 

How on Earth is this offense going to do ANYTHING with the starting front-five looking like it is now?

 

Assume no trade for Gaither (it becomes less likely each day). Your starting front-five looks like this:

 

D. Bell (coming off of serious knee injury; wasn't strong enough or good enough before the injury)

Levitre (solid but young)

Hangartner (average-to-below-average last year, but at least he has some experience)

Wood (coming off of serious leg injury; may not be ready for season)

Green (old; sucks)

 

Backups are Meredith, Wang, Hennessy, Calloway.

 

Yikes.

 

I fail to see how this unit holds up for one game, let alone an entire season. Very little talent, almost no experience, and ZERO depth. Is this coaching staff setting itself up for disaster? I understand that Rome wasn't built in a day, but they've done almost NOTHING to address what was the weakest (and most important) link heading into the offseason.

 

I know the common refrain is that this team still ran the ball fairly well last year with the line in shambles, and that Gailey's playcalling and schemes will help make up the difference. Well, I'm calling B.S. on that argument. This team couldn't run a normal offense last year because it had no blockers. If I hear Gailey say during a post-game interview - even one freakin' time - that the offense wasn't able to be effective because the blocking wasn't holding up, then he will officially have lost me. There are no excuses. Either they have a plan, or they plan to fail.

 

Really, look at this roster and tell me you're not terrified.

 

LOL, and you know the gaither or barron trades are less likely as the days pass how?

 

you fail to see how they will hold up for one game,seriously?

 

you have got to be kidding me or you simply are that clueless thats the most ridiculous statement i have ever heard its actually quite commical and dramatic but its the furthest thing from reality what an absolutly ridiculous statement!

 

no expirance our interior 3 played together all last year and our new RT is a solid vet WTF are you talking about?

 

your clueless about our interior three . they are excellent and young. mayock has repeatedly gone on record as saying that the bills have the best young guards in the league and now they both have a year of playing together under their belts along with hangartner.

 

you seem to have issues with us being young to me thats a good thing. again our interior 3 played together all last year and should only get significantly better.

 

why is it when other teams young o/linemen play great and are young they are great. when it comes to the bills we suck and their are major concerns because of youth.

 

michael oher is in his second year and is going to be Baltimore's starting LT is that also a problem to you?

 

you dont like our RT,to bad, because i will take the opinion of nix and whaley over yours and the media's any day.

 

if we dont get gaither or barron then it will boil down to merridith or bell or wang again you know better than nix get real.

 

do you think nix,whaley and galiey just fell off the turnip truck or something and are not aware of the talent of our offensive line? do you really think you know better than they do and they are not aware of whats going on with our o/line i dont think so.

 

this is not breaking news you are reporting here the bills brass know about our line and i have all the faith in the world they have it under control!

[Gabe Northern]

D. Bell Horrible. Bad technique, weak.

Levitre Improved dramatically over the course of the season but still WAY overrated by this Board

Hangartner Profootballfocus' worst C. Don't know if that's true but do know he can't anchor or pass protect

Wood Like the kid, but a real front office would prepare like he ain't ever coming back

Green Sucks, but paid him so much that either he starts or gets cut, a la Langston Walker

 

But your overall assessment is right on.

[RealityCheck]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but a reasonable argument can be made that while the stats for our run game appear to be decent, we were behind early in most games allowing the defense to sit back and play zone. We were often seeing a base defense defending the pass with our run game as the big after thought. Once we would get within the 30, BANG! Run blitzes on the first 2 downs, often stopping us in the backfield on the handoff, and then the sack on the QB for 3rd down. It would run time off the clock for our opponents as they always seemed to be confidant in holding us to our BS field goals. Basically most of our success running the ball was when it was advantageous to the opponents' D to run the clock down just to stuff us at will when we got in field goal range.

[Sisyphean Bills]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but a reasonable argument can be made that while the stats for our run game appear to be decent, we were behind early in most games allowing the defense to sit back and play zone. We were often seeing a base defense defending the pass with our run game as the big after thought. Once we would get within the 30, BANG! Run blitzes on the first 2 downs, often stopping us in the backfield on the handoff, and then the sack on the QB for 3rd down. It would run time off the clock for our opponents as they always seemed to be confidant in holding us to our BS field goals. Basically most of our success running the ball was when it was advantageous to the opponents' D to run the clock down just to stuff us at will when we got in field goal range.

On the rosy side, those field goals kept the game close, meaning that the Bills woulda coulda won more!

[marsadale]

I know it's been re-hashed again and again, but I still can't come to grips with it.

 

How on Earth is this offense going to do ANYTHING with the starting front-five looking like it is now?

 

Assume no trade for Gaither (it becomes less likely each day). Your starting front-five looks like this:

 

D. Bell (coming off of serious knee injury; wasn't strong enough or good enough before the injury)

Levitre (solid but young)

Hangartner (average-to-below-average last year, but at least he has some experience)

Wood (coming off of serious leg injury; may not be ready for season)

Green (old; sucks)

 

Backups are Meredith, Wang, Hennessy, Calloway.

 

Yikes.

 

I fail to see how this unit holds up for one game, let alone an entire season. Very little talent, almost no experience, and ZERO depth. Is this coaching staff setting itself up for disaster? I understand that Rome wasn't built in a day, but they've done almost NOTHING to address what was the weakest (and most important) link heading into the offseason.

 

I know the common refrain is that this team still ran the ball fairly well last year with the line in shambles, and that Gailey's playcalling and schemes will help make up the difference. Well, I'm calling B.S. on that argument. This team couldn't run a normal offense last year because it had no blockers. If I hear Gailey say during a post-game interview - even one freakin' time - that the offense wasn't able to be effective because the blocking wasn't holding up, then he will officially have lost me. There are no excuses. Either they have a plan, or they plan to fail.

 

Really, look at this roster and tell me you're not terrified.

[/quote

"terrified" is strictly for pu55ies

[Gabe Northern]

On the rosy side, those field goals kept the game close, meaning that the Bills woulda coulda won more!

 

Exactly. Gotta love the false hope people on this board derive from Dick Jauron's ability to lose close.

[RealityCheck]

On the rosy side, those field goals kept the game close, meaning that the Bills woulda coulda won more!

Very true my friend. A few more successful passes in those particular situations would have been huge. Unfortunately we never did and it turned into the same old unhappy ending. I do think that this year will be different though.

[thewildrabbit]

They did the QB no favors last year. Total coaching failure: switching to the pseudopod no-huddle "system", dumbing it down, firing the OC, dumping the "system", going with a play-caller with no experience and an offensive staff of limited experience. Indeed, it looks to me like Schonert brow beat Jauron into changing the system to jump start the offense and the more Jauron slept on it, the less he liked it and the more uncomfortable he was with going away from his favored ultra-conservative approach. Jauron's blind spot, and what has sealed his legacy as a failure as a HC in the NFL, was his inability to hire an experienced NFL offensive coach and turn that part of the team over to him to run. As far as the team around the QB, they blew up the OL and went into the season with 6 positions out of 6 being manned by different people. Throw in TO and the fact that Bong Lynch got himself suspended and you had 8 out of 11 positions changed. Continuity comprised only of Edwards, Evans, and the Reed/McIntyre/whoever spot is simply not enough. Edwards showed he wasn't the sort of QB that is going to take command of the mess and forge a team through sheer force of will. Instead he sat on the end of the bench and offered quips like "I'm not a fan", I'm just punching the clock for my paycheck. One really wants to jump in a foxhole with a guy like that. Not.

Can you honestly blame the guy? He has suffered two concussions in two years, that first one was very serious. How many concussions should he endure before he retires like Troy Aikman- Steve Young and many other unheralded QB's were forced to do?

 

Is it after 5-6 concussions that most pro players retire? ... linemen, linebackers, QB's , RB's.

 

Brian Westbrook was a Thurman Thomas clone and an amazing player until he went back into the game too soon after suffering a concussion last year... and got another concussion, then the Eagle's simply cut the guy because now he is concussion prone. Talk about getting screwed over by your team...

 

 

The fact is that once you suffer a severe concussion it is easier to sustain another. Just from a mental health standpoint players should sit out the season after suffering a severe concussion and be very careful about returning to play immediately after suffering a mild one.

 

Edwards played college ball at Stanford, I'm fairly certain he knows the difference between a moron and a good coach. Last season he played for a staff of morons who didn't care if his career ended on the next play or not.

 

I'm rather happy Edwards didn't "take command of that mess through sheer will" and win more games, if he had Dickhead Jauron might still be the head coach.

------------------------------------------------------

Thought I'd add this tidbit about a coach of the Eagles bugging Jackson to return to start playing before he should

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/...ter-concussion/

 

I was like, 'Coach, I just got a concussion. This [is] my brain

[Sisyphean Bills]

Can you honestly blame the guy? He has suffered two concussions in two years, that first one was very serious. How many concussions should he endure before he retires like Troy Aikman- Steve Young and many other unheralded QB's were forced to do?

 

Is it after 5-6 concussions that most pro players retire? ... linemen, linebackers, QB's , RB's.

 

Brian Westbrook was a Thurman Thomas clone and an amazing player until he went back into the game too soon after suffering a concussion last year... and got another concussion, then the Eagle's simply cut the guy because now he is concussion prone. Talk about getting screwed over by your team...

 

 

The fact is that once you suffer a severe concussion it is easier to sustain another. Just from a mental health standpoint players should sit out the season after suffering a severe concussion and be very careful about returning to play immediately after suffering a mild one.

 

Edwards played college ball at Stanford, I'm fairly certain he knows the difference between a moron and a good coach. Last season he played for a staff of morons who didn't care if his career ended on the next play or not.

 

I'm rather happy Edwards didn't "take command of that mess through sheer will" and win more games, if he had Dickhead Jauron might still be the head coach.

I'm not sure why you are trying to conflate concussions with perseverance, determination, and drive to be great. Trent Edwards has from the day he arrived said things like "I'm just along for the ride". Unfortunately, in football you want a leader of men to lead the team on the field. Players don't usually play for the coach in the press box. They play because they are inspired by a guy like Jim Kelly or Peyton Manning and don't want to let him down. Anybody that thinks the Bills go to 4 straight Super Bowls without Jim Kelly is ignorant.

 

Nor am I sure why you would confuse me with a Dick Jauron apologist or fan. I'm thrilled Dick got the bobbitt treatment. He was a terrible HC and seemed to push all the buttons he could to get his ass fired.

[ChasBB]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but a reasonable argument can be made that while the stats for our run game appear to be decent, we were behind early in most games allowing the defense to sit back and play zone. We were often seeing a base defense defending the pass with our run game as the big after thought. Once we would get within the 30, BANG! Run blitzes on the first 2 downs, often stopping us in the backfield on the handoff, and then the sack on the QB for 3rd down. It would run time off the clock for our opponents as they always seemed to be confidant in holding us to our BS field goals. Basically most of our success running the ball was when it was advantageous to the opponents' D to run the clock down just to stuff us at will when we got in field goal range.

Excellent observation!

[Armchair GM]

I know it's been re-hashed again and again, but I still can't come to grips with it.

 

How on Earth is this offense going to do ANYTHING with the starting front-five looking like it is now?

 

Assume no trade for Gaither (it becomes less likely each day). Your starting front-five looks like this:

 

D. Bell (coming off of serious knee injury; wasn't strong enough or good enough before the injury)

Levitre (solid but young)

Hangartner (average-to-below-average last year, but at least he has some experience)

Wood (coming off of serious leg injury; may not be ready for season)

Green (old; sucks)

 

Backups are Meredith, Wang, Hennessy, Calloway.

 

Yikes.

 

I fail to see how this unit holds up for one game, let alone an entire season. Very little talent, almost no experience, and ZERO depth. Is this coaching staff setting itself up for disaster? I understand that Rome wasn't built in a day, but they've done almost NOTHING to address what was the weakest (and most important) link heading into the offseason.

 

I know the common refrain is that this team still ran the ball fairly well last year with the line in shambles, and that Gailey's playcalling and schemes will help make up the difference. Well, I'm calling B.S. on that argument. This team couldn't run a normal offense last year because it had no blockers. If I hear Gailey say during a post-game interview - even one freakin' time - that the offense wasn't able to be effective because the blocking wasn't holding up, then he will officially have lost me. There are no excuses. Either they have a plan, or they plan to fail.

 

Really, look at this roster and tell me you're not terrified.

 

Cheese banana's...shut ur friggn' gob...OK? Neither you, me, or anyone otside of OBD knows a damn thing about the "front " or anything else hat has to do with this team. Let's not condemn them b4 giving them an opportunity.

[thewildrabbit]

Just to add to my last post, wasn't it Bruce Smith to stated in the huddle to his fellow defensive players at a Tampa Bay game..."the next one who makes a tackle I will beat the **** outta them".

 

He wanted the Bills to fire Hank Bullough

 

 

http://forums.twobillsdrive.com/index.php?showtopic=36231

[thewildrabbit]

I'm not sure why you are trying to conflate concussions with perseverance, determination, and drive to be great. Trent Edwards has from the day he arrived said things like "I'm just along for the ride". Unfortunately, in football you want a leader of men to lead the team on the field. Players don't usually play for the coach in the press box. They play because they are inspired by a guy like Jim Kelly or Peyton Manning and don't want to let him down. Anybody that thinks the Bills go to 4 straight Super Bowls without Jim Kelly is ignorant.

 

Nor am I sure why you would confuse me with a Dick Jauron apologist or fan. I'm thrilled Dick got the bobbitt treatment. He was a terrible HC and seemed to push all the buttons he could to get his ass fired.

Your post makes no sense at all...

 

Why on earth should the guy play his heart out to get his ass kicked every game and possibly end his career for an idiot like Jauron, for what...another 7-9 season.

 

Oh wait, because you want to him to win and save the season? You can't have it both ways...

[Ramius]

You know, it is possible that some younger players such as Jamon Meredith actually improve. He's going into year 2, meaning he's had a full year of strength and conditioning, and will actually have a full Bills training camp.

 

Young players can actually in fact get better.

[BillsPhan]

I know it's been re-hashed again and again, but I still can't come to grips with it.

 

How on Earth is this offense going to do ANYTHING with the starting front-five looking like it is now?

 

Assume no trade for Gaither (it becomes less likely each day). Your starting front-five looks like this:

 

D. Bell (coming off of serious knee injury; wasn't strong enough or good enough before the injury)

Levitre (solid but young)

Hangartner (average-to-below-average last year, but at least he has some experience)

Wood (coming off of serious leg injury; may not be ready for season)

Green (old; sucks)

 

Backups are Meredith, Wang, Hennessy, Calloway.

 

Yikes.

 

I fail to see how this unit holds up for one game, let alone an entire season. Very little talent, almost no experience, and ZERO depth. Is this coaching staff setting itself up for disaster? I understand that Rome wasn't built in a day, but they've done almost NOTHING to address what was the weakest (and most important) link heading into the offseason.

 

I know the common refrain is that this team still ran the ball fairly well last year with the line in shambles, and that Gailey's playcalling and schemes will help make up the difference. Well, I'm calling B.S. on that argument. This team couldn't run a normal offense last year because it had no blockers. If I hear Gailey say during a post-game interview - even one freakin' time - that the offense wasn't able to be effective because the blocking wasn't holding up, then he will officially have lost me. There are no excuses. Either they have a plan, or they plan to fail.

 

Really, look at this roster and tell me you're not terrified.

 

Chan and his Georgia Tech / Chiefs "Chan-Gang" of assistants will "coach 'em up." Just like they will coach up the same 2 loser QB's from last year, and Brohm. Now I'm hoping they give Brohm a chance to rise up out of this QB muck, but on the other hand, Chan and Buddy did not bring him in, so who knows if their egos' will allow Brohm a fair chance?? Levi Brown may actually get more reps since he was drafted by our new guys.