FightinIrishBills Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 I'm not trying to be facetious here, but I'm genuinely curious about the perceived strengths/weaknesses of our division foes amongst Bills fans. Some are obvious (of course the Patriots are head and shoulders above us in the passing game, and the Jets have the league's best overall defense). However, there are other things I'm not so sold on. For instance, I believe that the Bills rushing game this year is equal to if not better than any of our AFC East rivals. While everyone (at least that I know) bemoans the Bills WRs, is Miami that much better? There's a significant drop-off after Brandon Marshall (although I do think that Davone Bess has potential). Long story short, I don't think that the Bills are so bad as to automatically disqualify them from competing in the division; in fact, I think that there are a lot of things that we have going for us that our opponents don't (see New England's defense, for instance). What are some of your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sabre Bill Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 Why phrase it in the negative? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreezeMafia Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 Up to when Buddy Nix was hired, the other three teams had one thing in common that the Bills didn't- "A Foundation". When John Butler left for San Diego, he took from the organization with him a sense of a fundamental base. Tom Donahoe tried to carry on the foundation, and out of respect to TD, the foundation was getting built. However, the Bills were victimized by close losses every year that kept them out of the playoffs. In my humble opinion, Marv Levy missed the mark on building a foundation for the organization and that mistake set the Bills back at least three years. Marv's draft's were average at best and the majority of his Free Agent contracts he pushed hard for hurt the salary cap. Buddy Nix's two draft's have begun to restock and retool the organization and he has also rid the organization of the absurd veteran contracts Levy had a big hand in. I saw in the paper recently the Bills were one of the cheapest franchises contract wise. That is a good thing because when free agency hits in 2012 (I believe there is no football next year), Nix will have the credibility to look Free Agents in the eye and say the Bills are going to be good, here is why, join us if you want. And it is because of the foundation he is building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 "A Foundation". This. Plus, ISFA 'other AFC Eat teams (being) better, it's perception. Other AFC East teams = 6 Lombardi's Bills= 0 Lombardi's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 I'm not trying to be facetious here, but I'm genuinely curious about the perceived strengths/weaknesses of our division foes amongst Bills fans. Some are obvious (of course the Patriots are head and shoulders above us in the passing game, and the Jets have the league's best overall defense). One thing that they all have that we don't (yet) is what I might call, a culture of winning. What is that? Dunno exactly. Extra focus and consistent execution? The habit to keep giving it one's all, even if the team is down, because one trusts that one's coaches have a plan that gives a chance to come back if the team executes? Trust that one's teammates will keep giving it all? Habits of hard work and then harder work? Competitive fire? "Just give me the d*** ball!" I dunno what it is exactly. I just know I didn't see it from the Bills last year and I was worried about it the first preseason game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreezeMafia Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 Yes I agree Perception is reality and I was adding that when I walked away from my PC. Totally agree. Perception is reality in everything we do. When the perception of a franchise is bad, that is a tough perception to turn around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfreak Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 Replying to In what ways are the other AFC East teams better than the Bills? 1. Quarterback (NE by a mile, Miami & NYJ slightly) 2. Receivers (All of them by a big margin) 3. Offensive Line (see #2) 4. Defensive Line (see #2) 5. Line Backers (may be close) 6. Coaching (see #2) 7. Front Office (see #2) 8. Ownership (see #2) Could probably go on. Not trying to be negative, as I am as big a Bills fan as anyone else on this board, but just answering your question. Now if you ask how other teams in the AFC East aren't as good or better than the Bills I would respond: 1. Running Backs (best in the division, with Thomas Jones gone from NYJ, much better than them and NE, close with Miami-although I would take our depth when healthy) 2. Defensive Backfield (as good as anyone else, maybe the best depth in the division) 3. Kickers (best punter & place kicker in the division) 4. Best fans in the division as well as the entire NFL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CardinalScotts Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 This. Plus, ISFA 'other AFC Eat teams (being) better, it's perception. Other AFC East teams = 6 Lombardi's Bills= 0 Lombardi's Okay this is stupid - going back 40 years for the Jets and Dolphins to find their trophy, means nothing today nor to the current players. The big advantage they all held was coaching and GM, some better players in places but bigger problem was our players in the wrong places. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rico Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 Replying to In what ways are the other AFC East teams better than the Bills? 1. Quarterback (NE by a mile, Miami & NYJ slightly) 2. Receivers (All of them by a big margin) 3. Offensive Line (see #2) 4. Defensive Line (see #2) 5. Line Backers (may be close) 6. Coaching (see #2) 7. Front Office (see #2) 8. Ownership (see #2) Could probably go on. Not trying to be negative, as I am as big a Bills fan as anyone else on this board, but just answering your question. Now if you ask how other teams in the AFC East aren't as good or better than the Bills I would respond: 1. Running Backs (best in the division, with Thomas Jones gone from NYJ, much better than them and NE, close with Miami-although I would take our depth when healthy) 2. Defensive Backfield (as good as anyone else, maybe the best depth in the division) 3. Kickers (best punter & place kicker in the division) 4. Best fans in the division as well as the entire NFL. Maybe... I'll wait till at least after the 1st game or so to see how they look. Except for ownership, that's obviously worst in the division by far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob in STL Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 I'm not trying to be facetious here, but I'm genuinely curious about the perceived strengths/weaknesses of our division foes amongst Bills fans. Some are obvious (of course the Patriots are head and shoulders above us in the passing game, and the Jets have the league's best overall defense). However, there are other things I'm not so sold on. For instance, I believe that the Bills rushing game this year is equal to if not better than any of our AFC East rivals. While everyone (at least that I know) bemoans the Bills WRs, is Miami that much better? There's a significant drop-off after Brandon Marshall (although I do think that Davone Bess has potential). Long story short, I don't think that the Bills are so bad as to automatically disqualify them from competing in the division; in fact, I think that there are a lot of things that we have going for us that our opponents don't (see New England's defense, for instance). What are some of your thoughts? The Bills will be competitive, however, they have been painfully lacking on both OL amd DL, especially against our own division. Example: 1. We have been playing 3-4 teams in our division for nearly a decade and we have done very little to draft or acquire a top center. 2. It seems that we have drafted less OL and DL players in the first three rounds than our division foes. I did not check stats but it seems like it. Especially on the OL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QB Bills Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 (edited) One thing this team could really use is some more a-hole type players. Not the off the field type, but just some mean, ornery bastards. The Bills are too nice. Edited September 2, 2010 by QB Bills Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buffaloaggie Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 Replying to In what ways are the other AFC East teams better than the Bills? 1. Quarterback (NE by a mile, Miami & NYJ slightly) 2. Receivers (All of them by a big margin) 3. Offensive Line (see #2) 4. Defensive Line (see #2) 5. Line Backers (may be close) 6. Coaching (see #2) 7. Front Office (see #2) 8. Ownership (see #2) Could probably go on. Not trying to be negative, as I am as big a Bills fan as anyone else on this board, but just answering your question. Now if you ask how other teams in the AFC East aren't as good or better than the Bills I would respond: 1. Running Backs (best in the division, with Thomas Jones gone from NYJ, much better than them and NE, close with Miami-although I would take our depth when healthy) 2. Defensive Backfield (as good as anyone else, maybe the best depth in the division) 3. Kickers (best punter & place kicker in the division) 4. Best fans in the division as well as the entire NFL. I can't say that our WRs are that far behind the other teams. New England yes, but the Jets? Who is their "go to guy"? Edwards? Cotchery? Holmes? I'd take Evans over them. The Bills problem is, and continues to be Trent Edwards. Welker was nothing before teaming up with Brady. If Edwards can continue his preseason performance, we may see some big scores and performances from Evans, Parrish and Jackson. We all know Trent is one hit away from putting on the Captain Checkdown suit. I just hope he will throw downfield as he appears to be doing more of in the preseason. Dolphins have Brandon Marshall, a ticking time bomb. I agree with the rest of your assessments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddog69 Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 Replying to In what ways are the other AFC East teams better than the Bills? 1. Quarterback (NE by a mile, Miami & NYJ slightly) 2. Receivers (All of them by a big margin) 3. Offensive Line (see #2) 4. Defensive Line (see #2) 5. Line Backers (may be close) 6. Coaching (see #2) 7. Front Office (see #2) 8. Ownership (see #2) Could probably go on. Not trying to be negative, as I am as big a Bills fan as anyone else on this board, but just answering your question. Now if you ask how other teams in the AFC East aren't as good or better than the Bills I would respond: 1. Running Backs (best in the division, with Thomas Jones gone from NYJ, much better than them and NE, close with Miami-although I would take our depth when healthy) 2. Defensive Backfield (as good as anyone else, maybe the best depth in the division) 3. Kickers (best punter & place kicker in the division) 4. Best fans in the division as well as the entire NFL. This seems pretty accurate to me except the LB part. Our LBs pretty much suck. I think all 3 of the other teams are much better in this area than the Bills are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 I can't say that our WRs are that far behind the other teams. New England yes, but the Jets? Who is their "go to guy"? Edwards? Cotchery? Holmes? I'd take Evans over them. I stopped reading after this. Evans is a strong #2 receiver in the NFL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FightinIrishBills Posted September 2, 2010 Author Share Posted September 2, 2010 Why phrase it in the negative? Consider it a question geared towards those with negative opinions of the current squad. I wouldn't say that everyone in the division has better receivers by a "large margin", excepting the Patriots. I believe the Bills D-line, as is, is better than everyone else's, excepting the Jets. Coaching is TBD, as well as determining the effectiveness of a functioning, healthy O-line. I didn't mean this to be a long-view "Why are the Bills bad as an organization?" type question. Rather, going into this year, what are the key weaknesses and strengths that the Bills have relevant to the rest of the division (in your opinions)? I honestly don't think that the Bills are that far behind in the division, and it annoys me to no end to hear that we don't even belong in the same division (quite literally) with the Jets, Pats, and Dolphins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cornerville Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 Replying to In what ways are the other AFC East teams better than the Bills? 1. Quarterback (NE by a mile, Miami & NYJ slightly) 2. Receivers (All of them by a big margin) 3. Offensive Line (see #2) 4. Defensive Line (see #2) 5. Line Backers (may be close) 6. Coaching (see #2) 7. Front Office (see #2) 8. Ownership (see #2) Could probably go on. Not trying to be negative, as I am as big a Bills fan as anyone else on this board, but just answering your question. Now if you ask how other teams in the AFC East aren't as good or better than the Bills I would respond: 1. Running Backs (best in the division, with Thomas Jones gone from NYJ, much better than them and NE, close with Miami-although I would take our depth when healthy) 2. Defensive Backfield (as good as anyone else, maybe the best depth in the division) 3. Kickers (best punter & place kicker in the division) 4. Best fans in the division as well as the entire NFL. Rex Ryan WAY better then Chan Gailey? That one is way off IMO...but most of the other points have validity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfreak Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 I can't say that our WRs are that far behind the other teams. New England yes, but the Jets? Who is their "go to guy"? Edwards? Cotchery? Holmes? I'd take Evans over them. The Bills problem is, and continues to be Trent Edwards. Welker was nothing before teaming up with Brady. If Edwards can continue his preseason performance, we may see some big scores and performances from Evans, Parrish and Jackson. We all know Trent is one hit away from putting on the Captain Checkdown suit. I just hope he will throw downfield as he appears to be doing more of in the preseason. Dolphins have Brandon Marshall, a ticking time bomb. I agree with the rest of your assessments. I might on a good day take Evans over the Jets receivers (not many days that good), but looking at the whole roster of receivers, it isn't close. Our number two receiver has a couple NFL catches, their's is a former Superbowl MVP. I would venture to say, all three of the Jets you listed are as good as Evans (or close to it, you will never know because he hasn't had squat for QBs during his career here), and they are all way better than anything we have after Evans. Rex Ryan WAY better then Chan Gailey? That one is way off IMO...but most of the other points have validity. I didn't say "Head Coaching" I just said "Coaching." How many of the coaches on the Bills staff can you honestly say you have even ever heard of before other than Gailey and a Special Teams coach who was fired from here because he coached the biggest blunder in Bills history? Compare the entire staffs, the Jets are much better, mainly because the majority of the Bills staff has no NFL credentials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bills1960 Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 I'd say the only part of our team that's probably better than the other teams are our secondary and run game. Other than that, we're behind, some areas more than other. Although i don't think Miami is much better than we are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorkington Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 The only offense that I'd say is easily better than the Bills is the Patriots. The only Defense I'd say is the Jets. I think the Jets and Dolphins have problems and are no guarantee to be spectacular. I think the Patriots still have it and are probably going to witn the division, barring any setbacks with their star players. I'm not convinced by Sanchez or LT in NY, so their offense is not really going to frighten me. The Dolphins seem average all the way around, kind of like the Bills to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblehead Posted September 2, 2010 Share Posted September 2, 2010 One thing this team could really use is some more a-hole type players. Not the off the field type, but just some mean, ornery bastards. The Bills are too nice. I think Buffalo is actually getting there, slowly. Wood has it. I saw Bell stick up for someone last week, Stroud can do it. Yes, I remember a Pats game on Sunday night a few years ago where Buffalo all but layed a red carpet out for NE, that made me throw up a bit. But I think this is slowly changing from what I have seen so far this pre-season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts