My Meaningless Opinion

[R. Rich]

Hey, nobody said it was easy being a fan of the Buffalo Bills, did they?

 

 

Things sure seem to be getting rough here. Fan apathy is on the rise as morale is on the decline. I see plenty of threads blasting Bills management, coaching, players, and, of course, ownership. Many folks seem to be like me; just numb to it all. It's tough for me to even get irate 'bout this. Seen it all far too many times. You think you're past it, but then more of the same rears its ugly head. The true "vicious cycle".

 

What helps me deal w/ it is that, @ least for me, the Bills have become secondary to the experience. Whether it's going to games and seeing good friends (see ya this weekend, William) or just getting to spend a Sunday @ home w/ some good brews (yesterday was an Un-Earthly sorta day) and good food. Or even going to a sports bar, as I did for the Week 2 debacle (@ least I met a few decent fans....in South Jersey, no less!!), the event is first and the game second. Kinda sucks, but that's what has happened.

 

Now, on to yesterday...

 

Ryan Fitzpatrick showed he can run for his life farily well. Good; he needed to. The pass protection wasn't the greatest we've seen (we'll get to that in a few). Still, a few times in the game, he showed some flashes of good stuff. Problem was, the receivers wasted opportunities w/ dropped passes and poor communication (we'll certainly get to this later). Then again, I don't think Fitzpatrick is much better than a quality backup anyway, so...

 

The RBs? Outside of a nice special teams hit from Corey McIntire, what else was there? Not very involved in the game plan (???), that's for sure. Next...

 

Ah yes, the receivers. Lee Evans was nearly shut out (for all intents and purposes, he was) and just 'bout all of 'em looked pitiful. David Nelson's big third down conversion was nice, but again, there wasn't much to like from this group. Rough outing, to be sure. One thing I did notice was that there were times when all of the wideouts appeared to have quit out there. Guys letting defenders get inside position to jump routes and knock down passes, guys not fighting for the ball...stuff like that. Think of how Braylon Edwards fought so hard to keep Leodis McKelvin from coming up w/ a pick. It would be nice to see the Bills wideouts fight like that. Instead, they appeared....soft. Sure would be nice to have @ least a couple receivers willing to lay a guy out like Hines Ward. That kinda mentality (tough, but not dirty to where it costs the team in personal fouls) is badly needed.

 

On to the offensieve line. Cornell Green and Demetrius Bell had all sorts of problems holding up the edge, and the interior guys were not much better. Andy Levitre whiffed BAD on a play that nearly got Fitzpatrick murdered. Eric Wood looked lost and confused out there. Both looked nothing, and I do mean nothing, like the purported bada** maulers they were said to be coming out of college. In fact, they looked pretty much like any of a number of average (and below) guards the Bills have had in recent years. And either these guys need to go back to basics to understand line calls, or Geoff Hangartner just didn't have a clue how to put the guys in the best position to protect the QB. Either way, it was some atrocious pass protection and subpar run blocking. Yuck.

 

 

How 'bout that defensive line, huh? Ugh. Dwan Edwards and Kyle Williams play hard, but they really don't get the kind of push that is either going to hurry QBs' throws enough nor force RBs to bounce outside to the pursuit (haha!!). Welcome to the starting lineup, Spencer Johnson. While he was no world beater, he did appear to be a slight upgrade from Marcus Stroud. As for the new guys that we've all been begging to see more of, Alex Carrington and Torell Troup? Very little. Hard to tell from the limited action, but Carrington looked slow and un-athletic while Troup did not appear to do well trying to anchor the middle. Hopefully these things will be corrected w/ more opportunities. Hopefully.

 

On to the unit I feel was the absoulute worst on Sunday: the linebackers. Awful, just awful. Reggie Torbor was probably the best LB on the field for the Bills, and he was just so-so. Akin Ayodele and Paul Posluszny had a bunch of tackles, but let's be real here, they were making tackles in the SECONDARY! I'm not impressed. Chris Kelsay continues to show that he is a DE in OLB's clothing and didn't even showcase some of his finer points, like stopping the run. He was embarrASSed on a pitch play to the left that once again caught him off guard. Funny how that happens. We got to see a bit of Arthur Moats, and it wasn't too shabby, but since he really couldn't provide pressure on Jets QB Mark Sanchez, it was another case of too little, too late. So through four games, this unit has shown that it isn't stout in the middle to stop the inside running game, cannot contain (Kelsay) to stop the outside plays, and perhaps most importantly, cannot provide quality consistent coverage against the TEs and RBs. To put it short, the LBs are the Achille's heel of the Bills. For a team that is running a LB-dominated scheme like the 3-4, that's not good.

 

Now onto the best unit on the field yesterday: the DBs. Hold on there, that ain't sayin' much. These guys had a rough outing, though most of it was due to the...ahem...play of the seven guys in front of 'em. Drayton Florence and McKelvin got roughed up a bit (Florence looked real slow trying to cover LaDainian Tomlinson while McKelvin bit big time on an out and up by Edwards that went for a score), but also made do as best as a team w/ zero pass rush could. Both guys broke up passes (props to McKelvin for a great third down stop of Edwards) as did Reggie Corner (too litte, too late though). The safeties (Bryan Scott especially) will have visions of Dustin Keller in their nightmares for a while, as they could do nothing to stop 'em. Oh yeah, and Donte Whitner, being one of the "best tackling safeties in the league" as Dan Dierdorf said (?), was juked badly by Tomlinson. Maybe more tackling and less tweeting? Jairus Byrd again looked a bit late getting to the action and even a bit hesitant 'bout run support @ times. If he's going to emerge as the star of this unit, he's got to work harder and play better than that.

 

Special teams were okay. The coverage units played fairly well, Brian Moorman was solid but not spectacular (would love to see the Bills pin the opponents back inside the 10 some time soon). I thought Roscoe Parrish was good w/ his punt returns and C.J. Spiller had a really nice return before Donald Jones' penalty screwed it up. Chris Ellis (no, not Sean Ellis, Greg Gumbel!) made a huge gaffe by trying to recover the kickoff and losing it back to the Jets. Thankfully, they missed the FG, but as it turned out, they really didn't need it.

 

As for the coaching? Hey, what's the deal w/ not working the RBs in? When you consider how much they showcased 'em in prior weeks, it really was a head scratcher. Also, why not try to run more power plays? Maybe get Bell, Stupar, and McIntire out in front of one of the backs to try to break open the outside? Maybe a counter? It also appears that if the Bills are going to continue to utilize the dreaded wildcat formation, that maybe they could have a bit more variety out of it so that opponents can actually be caught off guard. If Chan Gailey's staff is really that much different than Dick Jauron's staff, now is the time to show it.

 

And so, it's 0-4. I see some folks cheering for it, wanting the 0-16 finish. Why? I really don't know what that would accomplish. Thing is, the Bills could be heading in that direction. It's still a bit early, but there aren't many encouraging signs. Jacksonville? Even if they can't settle on a QB and look bipolar @ times, they still play extremely hard, much harder than the Bills have in four games. Detroit? They've given Philly, Green Bay, and Chicago very tough games. Looks like Jim Schwartz has his team gutting it out. Cleveland? They're a mess, but they also play hard, going @ it w/ division foes Cincinnati and Baltimore and coming out w/ a split in those games. So even though they could end up beating those teams, I don't believe any of those games would be close to easy to win. Are the Buffalo Bills "the worst team in football"? I sure hope not, but I just don't know. Regardless, I will hope for the best and cheer for them. I just won't die if they continue to lose. Good luck the rest of the way. Go Bills!

[tennesseeboy]

When they benched Wood I said, "Okay..thank goodness we kept Incognito as insurance." Then I realized...we didn't keep Incognito for insurance. Note to Chan and Buddy..the freaking lines are the worst problem on this team ...get on it.

[DrFishfinder]

I'd say that Chan should start cutting crappy players every single game, except I have a funny feeling (not funny HA, HA) that just about every player would look forward to it. Some players might even play crappier, although that's hard to fathom for some of them.

 

The biggest problem the Bills face is not the offense. The coaching staff knows full well what they have to work with on offense and what they are reasonably capable of producing. The biggest problem is defense. With the defense giving up clock eating drive after clock eating drive and TD after TD (GB-34, NE-38, NY-38), the offense is simply not capable of winning a shoot out or coming from behind. The offense is always in a hole at some point and just doesn't have the firepower to put enough points on the board to win. Kudos to the Bills for putting up 30 against NE, but I don't know how many times the Bills are going to crack 30 points again this year.

 

We all knew the run D was horrible from last year, but the pass defense has just fallen off the cliff in chains, with essentially the same personnel. Unless the defense steps it up in brobdingnagian proportions, the Bills are going to have a difficult time climbing out of the cellar. I did not agree with the pundits who had the Bills rated so low at the beginning of the year, but they just may have been right.

[dave mcbride]

I'd say that Chan should start cutting crappy players every single game, except I have a funny feeling (not funny HA, HA) that just about every player would look forward to it. Some players might even play crappier, although that's hard to fathom for some of them.

 

The biggest problem the Bills face is not the offense. The coaching staff knows full well what they have to work with on offense and what they are reasonably capable of producing. The biggest problem is defense. With the defense giving up clock eating drive after clock eating drive and TD after TD (GB-34, NE-38, NY-38), the offense is simply not capable of winning a shoot out or coming from behind. The offense is always in a hole at some point and just doesn't have the firepower to put enough points on the board to win. Kudos to the Bills for putting up 30 against NE, but I don't know how many times the Bills are going to crack 30 points again this year.

 

We all knew the run D was horrible from last year, but the pass defense has just fallen off the cliff in chains, with essentially the same personnel. Unless the defense steps it up in brobdingnagian proportions, the Bills are going to have a difficult time climbing out of the cellar. I did not agree with the pundits who had the Bills rated so low at the beginning of the year, but they just may have been right.

I think the offense is the bigger problem, but really, we're splitting hairs. The offense is 27th in points and 32nd in yards; the defense is 32nd in points and 28th in yards. Subtract Spiller's kickoff return from the offensive point total, and the offensive point ranking inches further down the chart.

[DrFishfinder]

I think the offense is the bigger problem, but really, we're splitting hairs. The offense is 27th in points and 32nd in yards; the defense is 32nd in points and 28th in yards. Subtract Spiller's kickoff return from the offensive point total, and the offensive point ranking inches further down the chart.

The offense can put points on the board. Not many, granted, but points nonetheless. The defense hasn't been able to keep an opponent to under 34 points in 3 games. The team has the "possibility" to win a game, but not under those circumstances. The offense is definitely a problem, but the utter collapse of the defense in all aspects is um.... indefensible.

[dave mcbride]

The offense can put points on the board. Not many, granted, but points nonetheless. The defense hasn't been able to keep an opponent to under 34 points in 3 games. The team has the "possibility" to win a game, but not under those circumstances. The offense is definitely a problem, but the utter collapse of the defense in all aspects is um.... indefensible.

 

The offense has only scored over 14 points once, and that was 23 against NE. Also, the NE defense looks pretty lousy. Like I said, though, it's six of one, half dozen of the other. I want them to improve the offense first because they'll be more entertaining to watch.

[DUFF]

I'd say that Chan should start cutting crappy players every single game, except I have a funny feeling (not funny HA, HA) that just about every player would look forward to it. Some players might even play crappier, although that's hard to fathom for some of them.

 

The biggest problem the Bills face is not the offense. The coaching staff knows full well what they have to work with on offense and what they are reasonably capable of producing. The biggest problem is defense. With the defense giving up clock eating drive after clock eating drive and TD after TD (GB-34, NE-38, NY-38), the offense is simply not capable of winning a shoot out or coming from behind. The offense is always in a hole at some point and just doesn't have the firepower to put enough points on the board to win . Kudos to the Bills for putting up 30 against NE, but I don't know how many times the Bills are going to crack 30 points again this year.

 

We all knew the run D was horrible from last year, but the pass defense has just fallen off the cliff in chains, with essentially the same personnel. Unless the defense steps it up in brobdingnagian proportions, the Bills are going to have a difficult time climbing out of the cellar. I did not agree with the pundits who had the Bills rated so low at the beginning of the year, but they just may have been right.

 

 

agree and i this is the reason we continue to abandon our running game

[Bill from NYC]

agree and i this is the reason we continue to abandon our running game

 

Great post as usual. I am going to try to make a comeback with my "thoughts" next week.

 

I was very excited by Nelson, and it is hard to get excited by any Bills player. There is NO freaking reason not to start him next week, unless we are afraid of hurting the feelings of Stevie "stone hands" Johnson.

 

You were too kind to Kelsay. He was so pathetic that I had to guard against depression. Tight ends were kicking his ass and turning him around. He is literally worthless at linebacker, and he was a below average defensive end. I cannot blame Schobel for calling it quits.

 

The beginning of your post was spot on. I cannot wait to see you and the gang. We should make this gathering a "misery party." I am positive that at the end of the day, I will have had another great time at RWS. This is because of the company I keep.

 

I already warned Badolbilz that I have 2011 draft questions, and I will have some for you so do your homework lol!

 

GO BILLS IS RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Edited October 4, 2010 by Bill from NYC

[Philo]

I was very excited by Nelson, and it is hard to get excited by any Bills player. There is NO freaking reason not to start him next week, unless we are afraid of hurting the feelings of Stevie "stone hands" Johnson.

 

I was excited by Nelson's contribution as well this week. Last week, not so good. If he keeps improving and learning from his mistakes he might prove to be a decent WR. All in all though, I don't think Stevie Johnson was too bad. I mean at least he is finding the endzone while Lee is no where to be found this year.

[Beerball]

R.R.--that was a pathetic performance to be sure. Front to back, top to bottom. Team should be ashamed, but I don't know that they have enough 'want to' to be ashamed.

 

Like you said, I'm numb...still, looking forward to seeing you in a couple weeks for the Baltimore Massacre.

[NavarreFL_Bills_Fan]

On to the unit I feel was the absoulute worst on Sunday: the linebackers. Awful, just awful. Reggie Torbor was probably the best LB on the field for the Bills, and he was just so-so. Akin Ayodele and Paul Posluszny had a bunch of tackles, but let's be real here, they were making tackles in the SECONDARY! I'm not impressed. Chris Kelsay continues to show that he is a DE in OLB's clothing and didn't even showcase some of his finer points, like stopping the run. He was embarrASSed on a pitch play to the left that once again caught him off guard. Funny how that happens. We got to see a bit of Arthur Moats, and it wasn't too shabby, but since he really couldn't provide pressure on Jets QB Mark Sanchez, it was another case of too little, too late. So through four games, this unit has shown that it isn't stout in the middle to stop the inside running game, cannot contain (Kelsay) to stop the outside plays, and perhaps most importantly, cannot provide quality consistent coverage against the TEs and RBs. To put it short, the LBs are the Achille's heel of the Bills. For a team that is running a LB-dominated scheme like the 3-4, that's not good.

 

 

Rewind a couple of years, and you will remember people complaining about London Fletcher making tackles down field and how we needed an attacking LB like Poz....Our LBs will only look as good as the horses they have up front eating up blocks. I like Kyle Williams, but we need a hoss like Haloti Ngata to eat up more than 1 blocker.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

I'd say that Chan should start cutting crappy players every single game, except I have a funny feeling (not funny HA, HA) that just about every player would look forward to it. Some players might even play crappier, although that's hard to fathom for some of them.

 

The biggest problem the Bills face is not the offense. The coaching staff knows full well what they have to work with on offense and what they are reasonably capable of producing. The biggest problem is defense. With the defense giving up clock eating drive after clock eating drive and TD after TD (GB-34, NE-38, NY-38), the offense is simply not capable of winning a shoot out or coming from behind. The offense is always in a hole at some point and just doesn't have the firepower to put enough points on the board to win. Kudos to the Bills for putting up 30 against NE, but I don't know how many times the Bills are going to crack 30 points again this year.

 

We all knew the run D was horrible from last year, but the pass defense has just fallen off the cliff in chains, with essentially the same personnel. Unless the defense steps it up in brobdingnagian proportions, the Bills are going to have a difficult time climbing out of the cellar. I did not agree with the pundits who had the Bills rated so low at the beginning of the year, but they just may have been right.

 

+1 what you said. In fact I was so foolish as to think perhaps Davis, Edwards, Torbor etc represented improvements on D

[flopagamo]

And so, it's 0-4. I see some folks cheering for it, wanting the 0-16 finish. Why? I really don't know what that would accomplish. Thing is, the Bills could be heading in that direction. It's still a bit early, but there aren't many encouraging signs. Jacksonville? Even if they can't settle on a QB and look bipolar @ times, they still play extremely hard, much harder than the Bills have in four games. Detroit? They've given Philly, Green Bay, and Chicago very tough games. Looks like Jim Schwartz has his team gutting it out. Cleveland? They're a mess, but they also play hard, going @ it w/ division foes Cincinnati and Baltimore and coming out w/ a split in those games. So even though they could end up beating those teams, I don't believe any of those games would be close to easy to win. Are the Buffalo Bills "the worst team in football"? I sure hope not, but I just don't know. Regardless, I will hope for the best and cheer for them. I just won't die if they continue to lose. Good luck the rest of the way. Go Bills!

Great post!

 

Both Detroit and Cleveland have made meaningful investments in their O lines and D lines, which means they're on better footing that the Bills right now.

[Cornerville]

R.Rich, another stellar post as always...and you are right, its about the good times shared with other 1st..Bills 2nd I agree

[TheChimp]

What I wanna know is, is it really harder to type "a + t" than "Shift + 2"? I ask you.

[cåblelady]

The beginning of your post was spot on. I cannot wait to see you and the gang. We should make this gathering a "misery party." I am positive that at the end of the day, I will have had another great time at RWS. This is because of the company I keep.

'Twill be the hi-lite of my season!