USA Today has us 8 - 8

[PS 56]

First realistic article I have read:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/bills/notes.htm

 

Good analysis with a reasonable outcome...

[Geno Smith's Arm]

First realistic article I have read:

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/bills/notes.htm

 

Good analysis with a reasonable outcome...

 

That's some nice work. It isn't just a collection of uniformed opinions that the guy has read from other sources. I don't think most of the media has any real idea what is going on with the Bills, because they have been so irrelevant for so long, and so they just kinda skim over them and concentrate on "contenders", and the big market teams. P!ss on'em.

Edited September 7, 2010 by ThrowIt

[notwoz]

What I find interesting is that although USA Today thinks the Bills will go 8-8, they still think the Bills will be 4th in the AFC East. I can buy the 8-8 prediction, but I have a hard time believing that 8-8 will be the bottom of the AFC East.

[sweatpantsjoe]

What I find interesting is that although USA Today thinks the Bills will go 8-8, they still think the Bills will be 4th in the AFC East. I can buy the 8-8 prediction, but I have a hard time believing that 8-8 will be the bottom of the AFC East.

 

It happened in 02 when the rest of the division finished 9-7.

[Meathead]

good analysis? what analysis?

 

i mean its not bad info but theres nothing in there that justifies predicting an even record

 

he says lots of the front seven are in new positions and that the defense is a work in progress. uh ya think?? so with a weak defense what it is it in the offense that will be above average enough to win the games the defense loses? do you really think the bills offense will be ten or eleven win quality unit, cuz thats how good they would have to be to make up for a five win quality defense

 

i see the offense making dramatic strides but even so i doubt they will be much better than average. and thats with the current starting oline. once one and/or two starters go out and our pathetic backups have to play the offense is going to struggle. even three good backs cant block for themselves and trent will be throwing spirals from a hospital bed

 

i would love for this team to make 8-8 i just dont see how its possible. the defense is going to gush rushing yardage like a lindsey lohan bartab and be an albatross all season. the offense will be much better but even above average aint gonna cut it. four wins

Edited September 7, 2010 by Meathead

[Like A Mofo]

Realistic because this team will be 8-8?

 

Wow, the preseason kool aid is really flowing around here.

[Guest dog14787]

good analysis? what analysis?

 

i mean its not bad info but theres nothing in there that justifies predicting an even record

 

he says lots of the front seven are in new positions and that the defense is a work in progress. uh ya think?? so with a weak defense what it is it in the offense that will be above average enough to win the games the defense loses? do you really think the bills offense will be ten or eleven win quality unit, cuz thats how good they would have to be to make up for a five win quality defense

 

i see the offense making dramatic strides but even so i doubt they will be much better than average. and thats with the current starting oline. once one and/or two starters go out and our pathetic backups have to play the offense is going to struggle. even three good backs cant block for themselves and trent will be throwing spirals from a hospital bed

 

i would love for this team to make 8-8 i just dont see how its possible. the defense is going to gush rushing yardage like a lindsey lohan bartab and be an albatross all season. the offense will be much better but even above average aint gonna cut it. four wins

 

 

The Buffalo Bills are bigger, tougher and stronger on both sides of the ball in comparison to last season in my opinion.

 

The Bills have one of the best secondary's in the NFL.

 

The Bills now have one of the best RB's/ scoring machines in the league with two more quality RB's to back him up.

 

The Buffalo Bills have a proven winner in HC Chan Gailey who is great with QB's, excellent playcaller and loves to run the football.

 

 

8-8 or better, my prediction is 9-7 or 10-6

 

 

I Billieve...

[BobChalmers]

What I find interesting is that although USA Today thinks the Bills will go 8-8, they still think the Bills will be 4th in the AFC East. I can buy the 8-8 prediction, but I have a hard time believing that 8-8 will be the bottom of the AFC East.

 

Agreed - particulary because I think the rest of the division is very overrated. I'm betting the Pat's win at 10-6. Bills 8-8, Jets and Dolphins at 6 wins or less and people screaming for the coaches' heads.

[Geno Smith's Arm]

good analysis? what analysis?

 

i mean its not bad info but theres nothing in there that justifies predicting an even record

 

he says lots of the front seven are in new positions and that the defense is a work in progress. uh ya think?? so with a weak defense what it is it in the offense that will be above average enough to win the games the defense loses? do you really think the bills offense will be ten or eleven win quality unit, cuz thats how good they would have to be to make up for a five win quality defense

 

i see the offense making dramatic strides but even so i doubt they will be much better than average. and thats with the current starting oline. once one and/or two starters go out and our pathetic backups have to play the offense is going to struggle. even three good backs cant block for themselves and trent will be throwing spirals from a hospital bed

 

i would love for this team to make 8-8 i just dont see how its possible. the defense is going to gush rushing yardage like a lindsey lohan bartab and be an albatross all season. the offense will be much better but even above average aint gonna cut it. four wins

 

I'm one of the biggest haters on the board, but I expect them to win at least 7 games. I think the defense will be better than one would expect from last years play. Why? Because they won't be on the field as much, AND most importantly, they might actually have something to play for. I think people underestimate how important this is. A defense has to feel that it has some kind of chance in order to play with enough emotion to put their bodies on the line. If they think "well the offense hasn't scored a touchdown in 3 weeks, we never come back from a deficit, we're not in the playoff hunt, and the coach is soft" you're not gonna have a good defense.

 

The defense will play much better if the offense improves as much as YOU predict.

[BobChalmers]

Realistic because this team will be 8-8?

 

Wow, the preseason kool aid is really flowing around here.

 

How about this is the first "national" article I've seen that actually has stats from the preseason, not to mention had the 2009 records right on display.

 

This preseason Bills 1's beat the 1's of the Colts, Bengals, and Lions, and Trent put up a 97.1 QB rating. (They were missing 3 of 5 OLinemen for the Skin's). This guy actually knew some of that before he started typing.

 

Preseason final scores mean little - but the play of the 1's vs. the 1's IS VERY INDICATIVE of the season to come. The fact that the great mass of national media nitwits hasn't watched any of it just reinforces the my notion that sports writers get paid for damned little real work.

[milehiLou]

i am obviously retarded but 10-6 is the only possible outcome

[Peace Frog]

I say 4-12.

[Malazan]

I say 4-12.

 

I say, "Aguamenti"

[Max Fischer]

I don't think 8-8 is "realistic." Optimistic yes, and possibly cathartic, but more likely apostic and emblematic of dyspeptic season.

[tennesseeboy]

very doable. I'm pulling for nine wins actually, and see us finishing second in the division with that.

[BoBills20]

Agreed - particulary because I think the rest of the division is very overrated. I'm betting the Pat's win at 10-6. Bills 8-8, Jets and Dolphins at 6 wins or less and people screaming for the coaches' heads.

There's no way the Jets will finish with 6 wins. The addition of Cromartie, Jason Taylor to the best defense in the NFL makes them only go up. I say Jets:11-5 Pats:11-5 Dolphins:8-8 Bills:5-11

[Another Point of View]

good analysis? what analysis?

 

i mean its not bad info but theres nothing in there that justifies predicting an even record

 

he says lots of the front seven are in new positions and that the defense is a work in progress. uh ya think?? so with a weak defense what it is it in the offense that will be above average enough to win the games the defense loses? do you really think the bills offense will be ten or eleven win quality unit, cuz thats how good they would have to be to make up for a five win quality defense

 

i see the offense making dramatic strides but even so i doubt they will be much better than average. and thats with the current starting oline. once one and/or two starters go out and our pathetic backups have to play the offense is going to struggle. even three good backs cant block for themselves and trent will be throwing spirals from a hospital bed

 

i would love for this team to make 8-8 i just dont see how its possible. the defense is going to gush rushing yardage like a lindsey lohan bartab and be an albatross all season. the offense will be much better but even above average aint gonna cut it. four wins

 

 

I think 8-8 is right on and its been my prediction for 4 weeks now.

 

I never build injuries into the record, I adjust when they happen

[CodeMonkey]

1) The Buffalo Bills are bigger, tougher and stronger on both sides of the ball in comparison to last season in my opinion.

 

2) The Bills have one of the best secondary's in the NFL.

 

3) The Bills now have one of the best RB's/ scoring machines in the league with two more quality RB's to back him up.

 

4) The Buffalo Bills have a proven winner in HC Chan Gailey who is great with QB's, excellent playcaller and loves to run the football.

 

1) The Bills largely have the same personnel on both sides of the ball this season.

 

2) This is very possible.

 

3) You say this with Spiller having exactly zero live carries in a NFL game that counts? Scoring machine, really? He certainly looks exciting to watch and could prove to be very good if he can manage to stay healthy (he is very small). We should probably wait until he has at least one real game under his belt before we declare him the next OJ don't you think?

 

4) Proven winner? He hasn't been a head coach in the NFL for a very long time. And when he was, he did have a winning record (with a team with talent) but not hall of fame material. Excellent playcaller? That is a matter of opinion, and you could be right. We will start to see shortly.

 

I don't mind people "billieving" at all, more power to you. It's revising history to make billieving easier I have trouble with.

[BobChalmers]

There's no way the Jets will finish with 6 wins. The addition of Cromartie, Jason Taylor to the best defense in the NFL makes them only go up. I say Jets:11-5 Pats:11-5 Dolphins:8-8 Bills:5-11

 

Do you understand how frikkin' old Taylor is?? He's already been let go by his original team TWO DIFFERENT TIMES (with an unimpressive stint in DC in between)!

 

1) The Bills largely have the same personnel on both sides of the ball this season.

 

2) This is very possible.

 

3) You say this with Spiller having exactly zero live carries in a NFL game that counts? Scoring machine, really? He certainly looks exciting to watch and could prove to be very good if he can manage to stay healthy (he is very small). We should probably wait until he has at least one real game under his belt before we declare him the next OJ don't you think?

 

4) Proven winner? He hasn't been a head coach in the NFL for a very long time. And when he was, he did have a winning record (with a team with talent) but not hall of fame material. Excellent playcaller? That is a matter of opinion, and you could be right. We will start to see shortly.

 

I don't mind people "billieving" at all, more power to you. It's revising history to make billieving easier I have trouble with.

 

Me too. So when you dismiss Chan Gailey's record in Dallas, I'm calling you on it.

 

Dallas before Gailey was HC: 6-10

Dallas when Gailey was HC: 10-6; 8-8

Dallas for the three years after he was fired: 5-11, 5-11, 5-11

 

So much for the "team with talent" that he didn't have a big part of leading to victory. This was not the SB-winning Cowboys - they were old and or retired. He was winning with the remnants.

 

As for the Bills having the same personnel - if they avoid a league-high 20 players on IR - including 3 of 5 O-linemen, your first statement will also be false.

 

I'm pretty sure we have a new starting RB this year too.

 

There's no way the Jets will finish with 6 wins. The addition of Cromartie, Jason Taylor to the best defense in the NFL makes them only go up. I say Jets:11-5 Pats:11-5 Dolphins:8-8 Bills:5-11

 

They have the worst starting and returning QB in the NFL based on rating. They were 7-7 before their final two opponents mailed it in to rest for the playoffs. Noone will be surprised by their defense this year, they lost their starting RB, and they are overconfidant as heck. 6-10, 7-9 tops.

 

If they dump Sanchez for Brunell early, I might give them 9-7 and a playoff shot, but I suspect they won't until it's too late.

Edited September 7, 2010 by BobChalmers

[Kelly the Dog]

It's the same article that is on The Sports Xchange, as well as on CBSsports.com -- I assume, but not sure, they farm out a local guy to write those articles for each team but I'm not sure. Trying to find out.