Jump to content

A few more reasons for optimism


folz

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 64
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

Here's the problem I see with the optimistic posts on this upcoming season:

1) All the optimists assume that Gailey & his coaching staff are head & shoulders better than Jauron & his staff AND can implement their completely new offensive, defensive & special teams systems in their 1st season. That is no slam dunk. While in the long run this may be true, putting in totally new systems take time. Even the great Joe Gibbs (1) went 0-5 when putting in a new system & he had a good enough team to win the Super Bowl a season later-in an era with no free agency to provide the quick fix. Remember, back in 2001 we were all saying the same thing in the switch from Wade Phillips to Gregg Williams and the team was 5 games worse from 2000 to 2001.

If you think the coaching staff was so bad last year, then why did most of them land on their feet with other jobs in the NFL? Obviously the other NFL teams don't have as bad an opinion of the previous staff as members of this board have. A coaching staff is a lot more than just a head coach, and the other NFL teams by hiring these guys are saying you are underrating them.

2)The O-line is not significantly better than the opening day o-line from last year. Green is not as good as Butler, he may be better than Butler's band of replacements but how much is questionable. Wood still has to return to 100% before we know if he will have to take 2 steps back before he takes a step forward. Hangartner is just a below average center, same as last year. Bell? who knows? last year he was nothing short of a disaster, no matter how rosy your glasses are. Are any of the other guys any better, once again, who knows? With a year under his belt, Levitre is assumed to be better.

3) The QB situation may actually be worse than last year, when Fitzpatrick seized the opportunity & took the reigns. That's because Fitzpatrick's main competition is 2 guys who have already experienced confidence meltdowns. Edwards could recover, but you guys seem to think Chan Gailey is a magician who can sprinkle dust on Edwards or Brohm & turn them from chicken scratch to chicken salad (thank you Mr. Felser for the phrase that I can get past the sensors). There is no evidence that Gailey can turn any of these losers into winners. The optimists point to Tyler Thigpen as proof of Gailey's magic, but all that season did was produce 2 wins for the Chiefs, which got Herm Edwards fired, Gailey himself fired by Haley before the start of the following season & Thigpen jettisoned to Miami shortly thereafter.

4) If you think the losses of Schobel on defense & Owens on offense are insignificant, you're in for a pretty good slap in the face when you see the 2010 Bills. Also, Josh Reed was a very underrated player, especially when the Bills needed a key block from the WR spot and John Wendling was one of, if not the best guy on special teams.

5) This is a Nix/Gailey tear down, rebuild season. Tell me when have you seen a team play well in a tear down, rebuild season without a significant, stressing significant, upgrade at QB?

 

I'm not one of these eternal pessimists like some people here, but I've seen enough teams in the same place the Bills are in & the most optimistic I can be is they can have a damn good team in 2-3 years, but year one of the latest new era is going to be like most 1st years of a rebuild-a real struggle. 5 of the 6 wins last year were the result of aberational bad play by the losing team (Carolina & Jets), playing two horrible teams, at least at the time we played them, both in that 1st year new coach transition year(Tampa Bay & Kansas City), and a team that pulled all the players needed to provide a real opposition after the 1st quarter (Indianapolis). Even if the Bills are improved, their win total with this year's schedule couldnosedive due to a tougher schedule. Realistically, Outside of 1 Miami game, Jacksonville, @ KC, Detroit, & Cleveland where are the wins coming from? That's 5 to start & KC, Detroit & Cleveland could be a lot better this year than last. I just can't find a lot of Ws this year. It's going to be a lot like 2001. The difference is, this staff is probably better than Gregg's & the future may end up very different, but unless you're totally blinded by your fandom, have your head burried in the sand, and are hoping for a miracle, the outlook for 2010 is pretty bleak.

 

You can still be an optimist, like I am for the long term future of this team, yet admit that this year is going to be rough in the W-L column.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's the problem I see with the optimistic posts on this upcoming season:

1) All the optimists assume that Gailey & his coaching staff are head & shoulders better than Jauron & his staff AND can implement their completely new offensive, defensive & special teams systems in their 1st season. That is no slam dunk. While in the long run this may be true, putting in totally new systems take time. Even the great Joe Gibbs (1) went 0-5 when putting in a new system & he had a good enough team to win the Super Bowl a season later-in an era with no free agency to provide the quick fix. Remember, back in 2001 we were all saying the same thing in the switch from Wade Phillips to Gregg Williams and the team was 5 games worse from 2000 to 2001.

If you think the coaching staff was so bad last year, then why did most of them land on their feet with other jobs in the NFL? Obviously the other NFL teams don't have as bad an opinion of the previous staff as members of this board have. A coaching staff is a lot more than just a head coach, and the other NFL teams by hiring these guys are saying you are underrating them.

2)The O-line is not significantly better than the opening day o-line from last year. Green is not as good as Butler, he may be better than Butler's band of replacements but how much is questionable. Wood still has to return to 100% before we know if he will have to take 2 steps back before he takes a step forward. Hangartner is just a below average center, same as last year. Bell? who knows? last year he was nothing short of a disaster, no matter how rosy your glasses are. Are any of the other guys any better, once again, who knows? With a year under his belt, Levitre is assumed to be better.

3) The QB situation may actually be worse than last year, when Fitzpatrick seized the opportunity & took the reigns. That's because Fitzpatrick's main competition is 2 guys who have already experienced confidence meltdowns. Edwards could recover, but you guys seem to think Chan Gailey is a magician who can sprinkle dust on Edwards or Brohm & turn them from chicken scratch to chicken salad (thank you Mr. Felser for the phrase that I can get past the sensors). There is no evidence that Gailey can turn any of these losers into winners. The optimists point to Tyler Thigpen as proof of Gailey's magic, but all that season did was produce 2 wins for the Chiefs, which got Herm Edwards fired, Gailey himself fired by Haley before the start of the following season & Thigpen jettisoned to Miami shortly thereafter.

4) If you think the losses of Schobel on defense & Owens on offense are insignificant, you're in for a pretty good slap in the face when you see the 2010 Bills. Also, Josh Reed was a very underrated player, especially when the Bills needed a key block from the WR spot and John Wendling was one of, if not the best guy on special teams.

5) This is a Nix/Gailey tear down, rebuild season. Tell me when have you seen a team play well in a tear down, rebuild season without a significant, stressing significant, upgrade at QB?

 

I'm not one of these eternal pessimists like some people here, but I've seen enough teams in the same place the Bills are in & the most optimistic I can be is they can have a damn good team in 2-3 years, but year one of the latest new era is going to be like most 1st years of a rebuild-a real struggle. 5 of the 6 wins last year were the result of aberational bad play by the losing team (Carolina & Jets), playing two horrible teams, at least at the time we played them, both in that 1st year new coach transition year(Tampa Bay & Kansas City), and a team that pulled all the players needed to provide a real opposition after the 1st quarter (Indianapolis). Even if the Bills are improved, their win total with this year's schedule couldnosedive due to a tougher schedule. Realistically, Outside of 1 Miami game, Jacksonville, @ KC, Detroit, & Cleveland where are the wins coming from? That's 5 to start & KC, Detroit & Cleveland could be a lot better this year than last. I just can't find a lot of Ws this year. It's going to be a lot like 2001. The difference is, this staff is probably better than Gregg's & the future may end up very different, but unless you're totally blinded by your fandom, have your head burried in the sand, and are hoping for a miracle, the outlook for 2010 is pretty bleak.

 

You can still be an optimist, like I am for the long term future of this team, yet admit that this year is going to be rough in the W-L column.

 

Albany, I have to say without a doubt that is the best post I have read. I agree with every single issue, comment, and statement you made. Your tone and manner was proper, professional, and appropriate. I will take notes and try to emulate your tone. Unfortunately, I am not so politically correct with my statements and I know this rubs people the wrong way.

 

I enjoyed reading your post and look forward to reading more. It is nice to hear a refreshing and realistic viewpoint. Very objective post.

 

Tired of listening to people believing the Bill's Front Office lies and their own lies too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well Rob I can tell your OK with an adequate line and I think your viewpoint is the best case assessment. Best case scenarios usually don't happen. You said it yourself "dummy" "the OL will not be good." Who cares if it's better than last year. Think before you speak. You sound really silly. I will help you "see the light."

 

You make little sense and your looking like a fool.....

 

And you sound like a petulant !@#$. Get off your high horse. you don't know more than the next guy, yet it seems like we should take your opinion as thruth.

 

Talking about OL and QBs it appears you you don't take into account the new system and OC we have. It could be possible that the gusy we have up-front be a hell of a lot better with better planning, teaching and playcalling.

 

I could take your view that all is going to the ****-hole but many people like to think that we finally have the right people in command.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just a few notes to keep the optimism flowing :rolleyes: ...

 

 

Gailey actually prepares a plan B and C (unlike Jauron and Co.), ready to overcome the worst case

scenario instead of only hoping for the best:

 

On K. Mitchell calling defensive plays:

“Those guys have been in the fire so to speak, so you would like for those guys to be able to handle it as much as possible,” said Gailey. “Those veteran guys will end up getting the majority of that kind of responsibility on our football team. That’s what you want. You want your veterans to be able to do that. And in this day in age you never know when injuries are going to hit. You’re trying to make sure that we have as many people that can handle that duty as possible.”

 

 

 

Coaches expect players to execute better (unlike, well, you know):

"...the 11-on-11 segment had some spotty execution. So much so that offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins pulled the entire offense in for a huddle."

 

 

 

A Coach with confidence?

“You better have confidence in this business,” he said. ”If you don’t have confidence in this business you’re going to lose in a hurry. We have confidence that our system will put guys in position to make plays. You’ve still got to go make them, but I think we’re going to have guys that have some talent. We’ve got to make sure that they get the opportunity to go be special on the field and that’s what we’re working on. You try to have confidence without being cocky.” Chan Gailey

 

 

 

And for all those who say we have no talent, how is our secondary looking? We may still have some big holes and

question marks at important positions, but I bet there are a lot of teams who envy our offensive and defensive

backfields (RBs, CBs, Ss). And I'm starting to get excited about our young WRs too.

 

 

 

Kyle Williams. I've never understood the fans who don't think he's good. From day one

that kid has been a player and that's all we've heard from both coaching staffs he's worked with, things

like "now that's a football player". 66 tackles last year. In the radio interview (link below) he talks a bit

about the switch and some of the things the D will do. I think he'll be just fine in the middle. It's hard not

to root for him, he just seems like a funny, down to Earth kind of guy:

 

http://rope.wgrf-fm.fimc.net/Norton_Interv...iams_062210.mp3

 

 

And Eric Wood is back, did you see Gailey light up in the interview talking about him.

 

 

Keep the hope alive...Go Bills!

:D It has been a long long time since this team has had a Head Coach who is both dedicated to winning and willing to put his own neck on the line (by calling the O plays this year). When you add a GM who is not swayed by the opinions of the pundits or fans who just want their popular picks or the cuts of other teams ... then you have someone who is intent on creating a winning franchise.

 

It's easy to whine about Maybe, McCargo, and one or two others but if you combine Gailey's winning approach (players will be ready mentally and physically) with the basic corps of players we have then there is room for optimism. Truthfully, in the NFL there is not a big difference between the top 25 teams and that is why so few teams return to the playoffs in concescutive years.

 

The Bills have a secondary that other teams would love to have both for its talent and its depth.

 

SAFETIES - Byrd and Wilson plus Scott and Whitner. Then in reserve we have Corto and Cary Harris.

 

DB's - McGee, McKelvin, Florence followed by Lankster, Corner, Youboty, and Sargeant plus a couple of rookies.

 

Our running backs can match up with anyone's Jackson, Spiller, and The Beast (I think we keep him now.).

 

Kicking game/special teams - Moorman and Lindell plus one of the better ST coaches in the league.

 

Receivers and TE's - Ok, this is open to criticism but due to Coach Dick's years here we won't know for sure what we have until game time but I think this is a strength area compared to other teams with Evans, Johnson, Hardy, Parrish, and Easely giving us a good group of young wide outs all with upsides ahead of them. If we use him and every indication is that Gailey plans to, Nelson can be a threat at TE to pick up some yards for us.

 

OG - Wood and Levitre have the talent and the attitude to be a force in the middle for years to come.

 

Obviously we are not strong at OT but all of us Monday Morning quarterbacks may be wrong about Bell and/or Meredith. This new coaching regime seems to have the same high expectations for Bell as the one did. Time will tell.

 

DL - Although it might not be the envy of the league, I feel pretty good about our DL. Kyle Williams is just a great player with a motor to match. Troupp and Williams should do a good job in the middle. Stroud has come back with less weight and an attitude (is it a contract year? haha), I really like Dwan Edwards and Carrington plus Spencer Johnson has had some good reports from the OTA's about pass break up's, etc.

 

ILB - I never have understood the POZ bashing because he has improved with each passing game. Very few players are stars as rookies or second year players. Andra David and Mitchell complete a decent middle with Moats and other rookies tossed in.

 

OLB - Ok, so Maybin is already getting fewer rep's (I had hoped that this would be a great position for him but oh well.). I know we are counting on Kelsay at the one end so there is a big question mark (And, I happen to be a Kelsay fan.). Coleman (I think he is going to be special), Ellis, Nic Harris and Ellison could make a mark on the outside.

 

QB - The Final great mystery ... Will it be TE who opened the season not that long ago with 5 victories and on defeats or will he succumb to all that Coach Dick taught him? Can Brohm be the QB with confidence and throwing abilities who wow'd the nation at Louisville? Does Fitz have the ability to really throw the ball on a regular basis more than 10 yards down field without the ball going way off course? And, Finally does Levi have it in him to come out as a rookie and be another late round draft pick in the Eastern division who becomes a winner? Gailey proved he could take a Thigpen and make him special ... hopefully he will do the same with one of our QB's.

 

So I am optimistic ... I can see our secondary doing some really great stuff with ball hawks like Byrd and Wilson back there. We can only be better against the run than we have been ... so that means we might get the ball back m to our offense quicker. The offense has a coach out to win .. a Jackson, Spiller and Lynch who can run with the best of them and by their running will open up the passing game to one degree or another. :wallbash:

 

GO BILLS! :w00t:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

And you sound like a petulant !@#$. Get off your high horse. you don't know more than the next guy, yet it seems like we should take your opinion as thruth.

 

Talking about OL and QBs it appears you you don't take into account the new system and OC we have. It could be possible that the gusy we have up-front be a hell of a lot better with better planning, teaching and playcalling.

 

I could take your view that all is going to the ****-hole but many people like to think that we finally have the right people in command.

 

I am not on any "high horse.' I just merely pointed out how misinformed and silly he sounded. My opinion is soley my opinion based on "reasonable" facts and observations. I have taken into account the changes and lack of changes the Bills have made. Perhaps, we will progress not regress.

 

I will refer you to ALBANY's previous post. He pretty much says it in a nutshell. Wish I could take credit for his post but I can't

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's the problem I see with the optimistic posts on this upcoming season:

1) All the optimists assume that Gailey & his coaching staff are head & shoulders better than Jauron & his staff AND can implement their completely new offensive, defensive & special teams systems in their 1st season. That is no slam dunk. While in the long run this may be true, putting in totally new systems take time. Even the great Joe Gibbs (1) went 0-5 when putting in a new system & he had a good enough team to win the Super Bowl a season later-in an era with no free agency to provide the quick fix. Remember, back in 2001 we were all saying the same thing in the switch from Wade Phillips to Gregg Williams and the team was 5 games worse from 2000 to 2001.

If you think the coaching staff was so bad last year, then why did most of them land on their feet with other jobs in the NFL? Obviously the other NFL teams don't have as bad an opinion of the previous staff as members of this board have. A coaching staff is a lot more than just a head coach, and the other NFL teams by hiring these guys are saying you are underrating them.

2)The O-line is not significantly better than the opening day o-line from last year. Green is not as good as Butler, he may be better than Butler's band of replacements but how much is questionable. Wood still has to return to 100% before we know if he will have to take 2 steps back before he takes a step forward. Hangartner is just a below average center, same as last year. Bell? who knows? last year he was nothing short of a disaster, no matter how rosy your glasses are. Are any of the other guys any better, once again, who knows? With a year under his belt, Levitre is assumed to be better.

3) The QB situation may actually be worse than last year, when Fitzpatrick seized the opportunity & took the reigns. That's because Fitzpatrick's main competition is 2 guys who have already experienced confidence meltdowns. Edwards could recover, but you guys seem to think Chan Gailey is a magician who can sprinkle dust on Edwards or Brohm & turn them from chicken scratch to chicken salad (thank you Mr. Felser for the phrase that I can get past the sensors). There is no evidence that Gailey can turn any of these losers into winners. The optimists point to Tyler Thigpen as proof of Gailey's magic, but all that season did was produce 2 wins for the Chiefs, which got Herm Edwards fired, Gailey himself fired by Haley before the start of the following season & Thigpen jettisoned to Miami shortly thereafter.

4) If you think the losses of Schobel on defense & Owens on offense are insignificant, you're in for a pretty good slap in the face when you see the 2010 Bills. Also, Josh Reed was a very underrated player, especially when the Bills needed a key block from the WR spot and John Wendling was one of, if not the best guy on special teams.

5) This is a Nix/Gailey tear down, rebuild season. Tell me when have you seen a team play well in a tear down, rebuild season without a significant, stressing significant, upgrade at QB?

 

I'm not one of these eternal pessimists like some people here, but I've seen enough teams in the same place the Bills are in & the most optimistic I can be is they can have a damn good team in 2-3 years, but year one of the latest new era is going to be like most 1st years of a rebuild-a real struggle. 5 of the 6 wins last year were the result of aberational bad play by the losing team (Carolina & Jets), playing two horrible teams, at least at the time we played them, both in that 1st year new coach transition year(Tampa Bay & Kansas City), and a team that pulled all the players needed to provide a real opposition after the 1st quarter (Indianapolis). Even if the Bills are improved, their win total with this year's schedule couldnosedive due to a tougher schedule. Realistically, Outside of 1 Miami game, Jacksonville, @ KC, Detroit, & Cleveland where are the wins coming from? That's 5 to start & KC, Detroit & Cleveland could be a lot better this year than last. I just can't find a lot of Ws this year. It's going to be a lot like 2001. The difference is, this staff is probably better than Gregg's & the future may end up very different, but unless you're totally blinded by your fandom, have your head burried in the sand, and are hoping for a miracle, the outlook for 2010 is pretty bleak.

 

You can still be an optimist, like I am for the long term future of this team, yet admit that this year is going to be rough in the W-L column.

1) I think it's safe to say that Gailey and co. will definitely be better than their predecessors. This will be evident the first time that Gailey doesn't punt from the opponent's 40-yard line on 4th and 2. Except for probably April. But Moorman will still be Moorman, Lindell will still be Lindell, and the Bills have some of the best returnmen in the game.

2) You seriously think the O-line isn't improved over the line that started last year? Really? For starters, Wood and Levitre won't be rookies and Hangartner won't have to cover for their mistakes. Second of all, I highly doubt the LT will be a 2nd year guy who was a project, didn't get any reps with the starters, who missed 2 weeks of pre-season/games, and who only got elevated to LT because they cut the starter just days before the season starts. Third, Butler only played in 2 games last year, needing to be replaced by a rookie and what otherwise would have been training camp fodder. If Green can cut down on the penalties and can stay healthy, he'll be a vast improvement over last year.

3) The QB situation won't be worse than last year. This isn't even debatable. In fact, it should be better since Gailey is an NFL caliber OC and won't be constrained by what Dick Jauron wants.

4) WR is a concern, I'll grant you. As for defense and pass rush, that situation also bears watching, but the 3-4 is more unpredictable WRT where the pressure will come from. And Wendling is injured. If he gets healthy, the Bills can sign him again. Or they can find someone to replace him.

5) The Bills have improved their record the first year in 3 of the past 4 coaching/regime changes. The only time they didn't was when they truly had wholesale changes, i.e. after the 2000 season when they needed to clear massive cap space.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i have high hopes talking rhesus monkeys will drive a winnebago made of swiss cheese out of my rear end

 

i have high hopes that lindsey lohan and britney spears will make me the hot salami in a slut sandwich

 

i have high hopes elvis and jim morrison will come to me in a ghostly visage with winning powerball numbers

 

four wins

 

You had the entire planet's female population to pick from, and Lindsay Lohan and Brittany Spears were the two you came up with? I guess that's why old Archie called you meathead.... :w00t:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks. But what don't you agree with?

 

Doc, I don't want to beat a dead horse . I know many are getting sick and tired of my rants. To keep it simple, I just don't think we have the players to win a lot of games. Hope I am wrong and your right. I think ALbany's post makes sense.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

mpl isnt even an entertaining troll.

 

How is this for entertainment. I am not here to entertain anyone you dumb as s!!!!!! I am here to post my opinions and listen to others. In fact, I have learned a vast amount of knowledge from many of the posters here. You don't happen to be one of them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't agree with everything Albany said, but I did like his last line.

 

You can still be an optimist, like I am for the long term future of this team, yet admit that this year is going to be rough in the W-L column.

 

Just saying your optimistic about the team doesn't mean you're a head case that doesn't see the teams

faults as well and expect them to go to the Superbowl or something.

 

I'm optimistic because I feel like a breath of fresh air has swept through this organization. I might have been

hopeful when G. Williams, Mularkey, and Jauron were hired, but I never felt like "these are the guys that are going to

turn this thing around" like I do with Nix and Gailey.

 

Do I think we will be a better team than last year? Hell Yes.

 

Will that show in the win column? Maybe not, but I know we aren't going to be 1-15 Johnny.

 

Am I still concerned about our OL, QB, and OLBs? Absolutely. We may not have the answer at these positions yet,

but the OL and QBs won't be worse than last year if for no other reason than experience and coaching. And no I'm

not just hoping for us to not be worse than last year and I would have been thrilled to have an all-pro QB and LT, but

that doesn't seem to be in the cards for this season, so we just have to root the guys we have on to achieve their full

potential until we can acquire the all-pros (they don't grow on trees). But they won't be worse than last year with all that went on.

 

Do I expect us to make the playoffs? Expect, No. But I'm not automatically ruling it out either and God knows

I'll be rooting for it till we're mathematically eliminated.

 

Am I looking for (and expecting) a more exciting team that at least shows promise of what they can become down the

road? You betcha.

 

It's just more fun (for me) to be optimistic and I feel like the team is finally giving me cause to...and this

time I don't think its just FO smoke and mirrors. I could be wrong, but how could it be wrong when it

feels so right.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I didn't agree with everything Albany said, but I did like his last line.

 

 

 

Just saying your optimistic about the team doesn't mean you're a head case that doesn't see the teams

faults as well and expect them to go to the Superbowl or something.

 

I'm optimistic because I feel like a breath of fresh air has swept through this organization. I might have been

hopeful when G. Williams, Mularkey, and Jauron were hired, but I never felt like "these are the guys that are going to

turn this thing around" like I do with Nix and Gailey.

 

Do I think we will be a better team than last year? Hell Yes.

 

Will that show in the win column? Maybe not, but I know we aren't going to be 1-15 Johnny.

 

Am I still concerned about our OL, QB, and OLBs? Absolutely. We may not have the answer at these positions yet,

but the OL and QBs won't be worse than last year if for no other reason than experience and coaching. And no I'm

not just hoping for us to not be worse than last year and I would have been thrilled to have an all-pro QB and LT, but

that doesn't seem to be in the cards for this season, so we just have to root the guys we have on to achieve their full

potential until we can acquire the all-pros (they don't grow on trees). But they won't be worse than last year with all that went on.

 

Do I expect us to make the playoffs? Expect, No. But I'm not automatically ruling it out either and God knows

I'll be rooting for it till we're mathematically eliminated.

 

Am I looking for (and expecting) a more exciting team that at least shows promise of what they can become down the

road? You betcha.

 

It's just more fun (for me) to be optimistic and I feel like the team is finally giving me cause to...and this

time I don't think its just FO smoke and mirrors. I could be wrong, but how could it be wrong when it

feels so right.

 

 

Hey Folz, can I have some of that "cool aid" your drinking?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...