I'm not upset about this season...

[devldog131]

I see all the negativity on this board about this season, but let's take a rational look at the status of this team vs. the Bills of 2010...

 

The Bills of 2010 had little talent in the starting lineup and no depth. The Bills of 2011 have talent and ability in the starting lineup, but lack depth.

 

This is in all reality the first year of the Nix/Gailey construction project as last year was a "let's see what we have and what we can do with it" season.

 

Logically, when rebuilding, the first priority is to get talented and capable starters on the field. Secondly, you build the depth to back those starters up.

 

Look at this season from the beginning. When healthy, with the Majority of the starting lineup in place, the Bills were a good, nearly dominant team. Then the injuries started...

 

Offense:

#1 LT(Bell) goes down

#2 LT(Hairston) goes down

#1 LG(Levitre) moves to LT, #2 LG(Rinehart) comes in.

#3 Receiver(Parrish) goes down(IR)

#2 Receiver(Jones) goes down, comes back weeks later, goes down again(IR)

#1 Center(Wood) goes down(IR), #1 LG moves from LT to center, sucks.

#1 RG(Urbik) moves to center, #2 LG moves to RG

#1 RB and league leader in rushing and yards from scrimmage(Jackson) goes down(IR)

 

 

Defense

#1 CB(McGee) goes down, comes back weeks later, goes down again(IR)

#1 WLB(Merriman) goes down(IR)

#1 SLB(Kelsay) goes down for several weeks

#1 NT(Williams) goes down

#3 CB(Williams) goes down, comes back weeks later, goes down again

#1 SS(Wilson) goes down(IR)

 

Let me know if there is anyone I have missed.

 

The Bills are basically in year two of their build, and have filled much of the starting lineup with quality NFL starters on both sides of the ball(the DC needs to go, but that is for another thread). Job#2 starts this offseason, backfilling the roster with quality depth players.

 

Had the Bills stayed healthy this season, we and the national media would be singing a completely different tune. Unfortunately, at this point in the renovation, we simply do not have the depth to carry on after sustaining the number of injuries(especially at key positions) we have suffered.

 

The Bills are a good team, and with the addition of decent backups and a new DC, they will be a team that is a serious contender to go on long post-season runs.

 

So, in closing, remember where we are in our rebuild and what our limitations are. I think many on the board saw those first few games(with our quality starters on the field) and started to believe we were one of the elite teams in the AFC, when in fact, we are not yet there(but not too terribly far away). This team is a far cry from the piles of excrement we have watched for so many years. We are almost there, just be happy with the improvement and keep looking to the future, to a time when the Bills will reclaim their rightful place atop the AFC East.

[billswi2000]

Good posting, but chronic and widespread injuries have been integral part of the Bills for recent years. I am not sure whether it will be different next year. We need a new DC and better training staff.

[Mr. WEO]

We didn't lose our "#3WR" if you mean Roscoe. He hasn't played in a year and we didn't win one game he played in.

 

Nelson is our #2 WR, not Jones, who's not very good anyway.

 

The Bills were in a free fall before FJ went out. They were going down before Woods was hurt also.

 

The NFL is a war of attrition. Every team has to deal with many injuries throughout the season. That's what the draft is for.

[I hate the Bills !]

BILLS SUCK Im done with them !!!!

[Tcali]

Injuries are the excuse of bad franchises. Our D was bad before the injuries. And our slide started before most of the injuries occurred.

[benderbender]

I'm annoyed that all the people who said this was 2008 all over again were right when we were 5-2. And what do they win? 3 extra hours of free time on sundays?

[timstep]

Injuries are a BS excuse. The 1990 NY Giants lost their starting QB at the end of the season, how'd that turn out for them?

[MattM]

I see all the negativity on this board about this season, but let's take a rational look at the status of this team vs. the Bills of 2010...

 

The Bills of 2010 had little talent in the starting lineup and no depth. The Bills of 2011 have talent and ability in the starting lineup, but lack depth.

 

This is in all reality the first year of the Nix/Gailey construction project as last year was a "let's see what we have and what we can do with it" season.

 

Logically, when rebuilding, the first priority is to get talented and capable starters on the field. Secondly, you build the depth to back those starters up.

 

Look at this season from the beginning. When healthy, with the Majority of the starting lineup in place, the Bills were a good, nearly dominant team. Then the injuries started...

 

Offense:

#1 LT(Bell) goes down

#2 LT(Hairston) goes down

#1 LG(Levitre) moves to LT, #2 LG(Rinehart) comes in.

#3 Receiver(Parrish) goes down(IR)

#2 Receiver(Jones) goes down, comes back weeks later, goes down again(IR)

#1 Center(Wood) goes down(IR), #1 LG moves from LT to center, sucks.

#1 RG(Urbik) moves to center, #2 LG moves to RG

#1 RB and league leader in rushing and yards from scrimmage(Jackson) goes down(IR)

 

 

Defense

#1 CB(McGee) goes down, comes back weeks later, goes down again(IR)

#1 WLB(Merriman) goes down(IR)

#1 SLB(Kelsay) goes down for several weeks

#1 NT(Williams) goes down

#3 CB(Williams) goes down, comes back weeks later, goes down again

#1 SS(Wilson) goes down(IR)

 

Let me know if there is anyone I have missed.

 

The Bills are basically in year two of their build, and have filled much of the starting lineup with quality NFL starters on both sides of the ball(the DC needs to go, but that is for another thread). Job#2 starts this offseason, backfilling the roster with quality depth players.

 

Had the Bills stayed healthy this season, we and the national media would be singing a completely different tune. Unfortunately, at this point in the renovation, we simply do not have the depth to carry on after sustaining the number of injuries(especially at key positions) we have suffered.

 

The Bills are a good team, and with the addition of decent backups and a new DC, they will be a team that is a serious contender to go on long post-season runs.

 

So, in closing, remember where we are in our rebuild and what our limitations are. I think many on the board saw those first few games(with our quality starters on the field) and started to believe we were one of the elite teams in the AFC, when in fact, we are not yet there(but not too terribly far away). This team is a far cry from the piles of excrement we have watched for so many years. We are almost there, just be happy with the improvement and keep looking to the future, to a time when the Bills will reclaim their rightful place atop the AFC East.

 

 

Job 2 will need to start with re-signing some of the current crop of starters, since we have (for us) a large number of FA's to re-sign (or not), including Bell, Urbik (RFA), Pears, Chandler and Johnson on O, the one unit that's been fairly decent this year. I'd bring all of them back (Hairston may be starting material on the right side next year, but Pears would be good for depth at least), but it's not my money. Once that's done, I say we still need a decent WR to pair with Stevie and at least 2 LB's and a DL-man for depth or to start. If they can do that, I'd agree that we'll be a much improved team next year.

 

I figured we'd be 6-10 or 7-9, outside at 8-8, this year, but like the rest of us am still disappointed after the way the season started with such promise....

[billsfan714]

Roscoe is a nothing burger I could care less about losing him.

[MDBills]

I keep hearing people make excuses for Buffalo being injured, with rebuttals that injuries are no excuse, RE: 2010 Packers. My question is this: Why does Buffalo always seem to be one of the leaders in the NFL in injuries, guys put on IR. I'm not talking out for a few weeks, I mean out for the season. My observation is, yeah, we have little depth on both sides of the ball, but damn! We seem to have guys go down all the time. Is this a coincidence? Is something wrong with our strength and conditioning coaches? Do we not know how to tackle? Fall right?

 

I watched Fitz today be off the mark a lot, with (I almost hate to say it) Brad Smith making a few nice plays to bail out what could have been a disastrous first half. Nelson caught a slant today with his ribs clearly exposed and (this time) he held on after a big pop. Spiller missed a cross when the ball was behind him. Fitz' lack of accuracy cannot help, but that doesn't explain injuries at every position.

 

Thoughts?

[QB Bills]

I see all the negativity on this board about this season, but let's take a rational look at the status of this team vs. the Bills of 2010...

 

The Bills of 2010 had little talent in the starting lineup and no depth. The Bills of 2011 have talent and ability in the starting lineup, but lack depth.

 

This is in all reality the first year of the Nix/Gailey construction project as last year was a "let's see what we have and what we can do with it" season.

 

Logically, when rebuilding, the first priority is to get talented and capable starters on the field. Secondly, you build the depth to back those starters up.

 

Look at this season from the beginning. When healthy, with the Majority of the starting lineup in place, the Bills were a good, nearly dominant team. Then the injuries started...

 

Offense:

#1 LT(Bell) goes down

#2 LT(Hairston) goes down

#1 LG(Levitre) moves to LT, #2 LG(Rinehart) comes in.

#3 Receiver(Parrish) goes down(IR)

#2 Receiver(Jones) goes down, comes back weeks later, goes down again(IR)

#1 Center(Wood) goes down(IR), #1 LG moves from LT to center, sucks.

#1 RG(Urbik) moves to center, #2 LG moves to RG

#1 RB and league leader in rushing and yards from scrimmage(Jackson) goes down(IR)

 

 

Defense

#1 CB(McGee) goes down, comes back weeks later, goes down again(IR)

#1 WLB(Merriman) goes down(IR)

#1 SLB(Kelsay) goes down for several weeks

#1 NT(Williams) goes down

#3 CB(Williams) goes down, comes back weeks later, goes down again

#1 SS(Wilson) goes down(IR)

 

Let me know if there is anyone I have missed.

 

The Bills are basically in year two of their build, and have filled much of the starting lineup with quality NFL starters on both sides of the ball(the DC needs to go, but that is for another thread). Job#2 starts this offseason, backfilling the roster with quality depth players.

 

Had the Bills stayed healthy this season, we and the national media would be singing a completely different tune. Unfortunately, at this point in the renovation, we simply do not have the depth to carry on after sustaining the number of injuries(especially at key positions) we have suffered.

 

The Bills are a good team, and with the addition of decent backups and a new DC, they will be a team that is a serious contender to go on long post-season runs.

 

So, in closing, remember where we are in our rebuild and what our limitations are. I think many on the board saw those first few games(with our quality starters on the field) and started to believe we were one of the elite teams in the AFC, when in fact, we are not yet there(but not too terribly far away). This team is a far cry from the piles of excrement we have watched for so many years. We are almost there, just be happy with the improvement and keep looking to the future, to a time when the Bills will reclaim their rightful place atop the AFC East.

actually, you do lack perspective

 

don't compare this team to last year's team or any of the other varying degrees of dog-turd-ish type seasons in the last decade plus...compare them to a competent nfl franchise, which is what the goal of this team should be

 

warning though, it may bring you to tears

[Gareson]

Why injuries?...so the Bill-ievers have a convenient excuse for the piss poor results of a lousy team.

[DrDawkinstein]

We didnt have as many injuries last year as we have had the previous years. I thought they got that fixed with the new staff.

 

It could also very well be that we are seeing the effects of the lockout. There are a LOT of injuries this year on a lot of teams. I hope we go back to being a healthy team after a full offseason next year.

 

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

 

Why injuries?...so the Bill-ievers have a convenient excuse for the piss poor results of a lousy team.

 

What's your problem, son?

Edited December 4, 2011 by DrDareustein

[Buffalo Barbarian]

I see all the negativity on this board about this season, but let's take a rational look at the status of this team vs. the Bills of 2010...

 

The Bills of 2010 had little talent in the starting lineup and no depth. The Bills of 2011 have talent and ability in the starting lineup, but lack depth.

 

This is in all reality the first year of the Nix/Gailey construction project as last year was a "let's see what we have and what we can do with it" season.

 

Logically, when rebuilding, the first priority is to get talented and capable starters on the field. Secondly, you build the depth to back those starters up.

 

Look at this season from the beginning. When healthy, with the Majority of the starting lineup in place, the Bills were a good, nearly dominant team. Then the injuries started...

 

Offense:

#1 LT(Bell) goes down

#2 LT(Hairston) goes down

#1 LG(Levitre) moves to LT, #2 LG(Rinehart) comes in.

#3 Receiver(Parrish) goes down(IR)

#2 Receiver(Jones) goes down, comes back weeks later, goes down again(IR)

#1 Center(Wood) goes down(IR), #1 LG moves from LT to center, sucks.

#1 RG(Urbik) moves to center, #2 LG moves to RG

#1 RB and league leader in rushing and yards from scrimmage(Jackson) goes down(IR)

 

 

Defense

#1 CB(McGee) goes down, comes back weeks later, goes down again(IR)

#1 WLB(Merriman) goes down(IR)

#1 SLB(Kelsay) goes down for several weeks

#1 NT(Williams) goes down

#3 CB(Williams) goes down, comes back weeks later, goes down again

#1 SS(Wilson) goes down(IR)

 

Let me know if there is anyone I have missed.

 

The Bills are basically in year two of their build, and have filled much of the starting lineup with quality NFL starters on both sides of the ball(the DC needs to go, but that is for another thread). Job#2 starts this offseason, backfilling the roster with quality depth players.

 

Had the Bills stayed healthy this season, we and the national media would be singing a completely different tune. Unfortunately, at this point in the renovation, we simply do not have the depth to carry on after sustaining the number of injuries(especially at key positions) we have suffered.

 

The Bills are a good team, and with the addition of decent backups and a new DC, they will be a team that is a serious contender to go on long post-season runs.

 

So, in closing, remember where we are in our rebuild and what our limitations are. I think many on the board saw those first few games(with our quality starters on the field) and started to believe we were one of the elite teams in the AFC, when in fact, we are not yet there(but not too terribly far away). This team is a far cry from the piles of excrement we have watched for so many years. We are almost there, just be happy with the improvement and keep looking to the future, to a time when the Bills will reclaim their rightful place atop the AFC East.

Couldn't have said it any better myself (Williams is on IR)

[GeorgeEdwardsTeeth]

actually, you do lack perspective

 

don't compare this team to last year's team or any of the other varying degrees of dog-turd-ish type seasons in the last decade plus...compare them to a competent nfl franchise, which is what the goal of this team should be

 

warning though, it may bring you to tears

 

 

Injuries are a factor -- for sure. But they are not the only reason. A lot of the injured players you noted would not have made a big impact if they were healthy. Shawn Merrimen was non-existent when he was playing. Donald Jones has a few nice catches but was no game changer. Chris Kelsay, as usual, was often very silent.

 

You can rely on injuries alone for the reason this team fell apart. Coaching and the overall low talent level collectively caught up to them

[devldog131]

Injuries are not an excuse. I do not disagree with that. Apparently some of you missed the point of this thread. The lack of depth is the issue. The reason we lack depth is the point at which we are in our construction project. The defense does not lack talent, it lacks competent coaching from the defensive coordinator position(which is why I said the DC needs to go. Not once did I claim that the injuries are the reason we are where. I stated from the beginning that we are not yet in a place where we can contend because we are only partially into the rebuilding project.

 

The Bills are vastly improved from just a season ago, but to think they had what it took to be a serious contender is delusional. Injuries do happen, and the elite teams are equipped to deal with them, the mediocre teams are not. The Bills are a mediocre team, but with another offseason to continue filling out the lower half of the roster, we will be in a much better position to absorb the personnel losses.

[Coach Tuesday]

I've always suspected it had to do with players playing out of position and with poor technique. No idea if that's empirically correct, though.

[benderbender]

Why injuries?...so the Bill-ievers have a convenient excuse for the piss poor results of a lousy team.

 

I think I found the team's louse

[DFITZ1]

I keep hearing people make excuses for Buffalo being injured, with rebuttals that injuries are no excuse, RE: 2010 Packers. My question is this: Why does Buffalo always seem to be one of the leaders in the NFL in injuries, guys put on IR. I'm not talking out for a few weeks, I mean out for the season. My observation is, yeah, we have little depth on both sides of the ball, but damn! We seem to have guys go down all the time. Is this a coincidence? Is something wrong with our strength and conditioning coaches? Do we not know how to tackle? Fall right?

 

I watched Fitz today be off the mark a lot, with (I almost hate to say it) Brad Smith making a few nice plays to bail out what could have been a disastrous first half. Nelson caught a slant today with his ribs clearly exposed and (this time) he held on after a big pop. Spiller missed a cross when the ball was behind him. Fitz' lack of accuracy cannot help, but that doesn't explain injuries at every position.

 

Thoughts?

 

Donahoe/G. Williams were dumb enough to let the best strength and conditioning coach in the NFL go, that is Rusty Jones. We had better conditioned athletes under him and several players swore by his methods (rather than swearing at him). Do you think Dareus would have a flabby gut with Jones around? If Dareus can do the conditioning and weight loss that Jones had Bruce Smith do, Dareus might become an impact player (rather than impacted).

Edited December 4, 2011 by DFITZ1

[BobChalmers]

Injuries are not an excuse. I do not disagree with that. Apparently some of you missed the point of this thread. The lack of depth is the issue. The reason we lack depth is the point at which we are in our construction project. The defense does not lack talent, it lacks competent coaching from the defensive coordinator position(which is why I said the DC needs to go. Not once did I claim that the injuries are the reason we are where. I stated from the beginning that we are not yet in a place where we can contend because we are only partially into the rebuilding project.

 

The Bills are vastly improved from just a season ago, but to think they had what it took to be a serious contender is delusional. Injuries do happen, and the elite teams are equipped to deal with them, the mediocre teams are not. The Bills are a mediocre team, but with another offseason to continue filling out the lower half of the roster, we will be in a much better position to absorb the personnel losses.

 

Still waiting on another thread for someone to name me the NFL franchise that is THREE-DEEP at OLT.

 

The losing streak began when they started moving Levitre around.

 

They've looked better since getting Hairston back - but then they were missing Freddy and Wood, and a lot of the defense.

Edited December 4, 2011 by BobChalmers

[mannc]

I've always suspected it had to do with players playing out of position and with poor technique. No idea if that's empirically correct, though.

I think it is the result of being physically outmatched on both sides of the line of scrimmage, week after week. They are a finess team that just gets the crap beaten out of them.

[tbonehawaii]

Two reasons. First, Donahoe/G. Williams were dumb enough to let the best strength and conditioning coach in the NFL go, that is Rusty Jones. We had better conditioned athletes under him and several players swore by his methods (rather than swearing at him). Do you think Dareus would have a flabby gut with Jones around? If Dareus can do the conditioning and weight loss that Jones had Bruce Smith do, Dareus might become an impact player (rather than impacted).

THAT RUSTY MOVE IN PARTICULAR I NEVER UNDERSTOOD. DURING THE SUPERBOWL YEARS THEY WERE ALWAYS RELATIVELY HEALTHY. WTF?

[NoSaint]

Pretty basic formula

 

1) playing from behind, the other team can get more physical (run the ball!)

2) we aren't saving guys spots in the 53 for January like a good team needs to

3) we were undersized

4) losing teams have bad players, bad players make mistakes, mistakes injure you

5) every team gets injuries

[Wilson's Ears]

another reason is that we like to sign the re-treads of the nfl and other leagues as well as the large number of undrafted free agents. durability issues are a reason why most of these guys fall through the draft and are frequently released by other teams.

[Dark Fan]

I keep hearing people make excuses for Buffalo being injured, with rebuttals that injuries are no excuse, RE: 2010 Packers. My question is this: Why does Buffalo always seem to be one of the leaders in the NFL in injuries, guys put on IR. I'm not talking out for a few weeks, I mean out for the season. My observation is, yeah, we have little depth on both sides of the ball, but damn! We seem to have guys go down all the time. Is this a coincidence? Is something wrong with our strength and conditioning coaches? Do we not know how to tackle? Fall right?

 

I watched Fitz today be off the mark a lot, with (I almost hate to say it) Brad Smith making a few nice plays to bail out what could have been a disastrous first half. Nelson caught a slant today with his ribs clearly exposed and (this time) he held on after a big pop. Spiller missed a cross when the ball was behind him. Fitz' lack of accuracy cannot help, but that doesn't explain injuries at every position.

 

Thoughts?

Injuries to top line players exposes little depth which directly results from a combo of poor front office drafting and a cheap owner.As far as why key players tend to get IR'd for the season, its a maddening trend that Im convinced it has to do with a perennial losing organization/culture, Im just not sure how exactly.

[8-8 Forever?]

I've always suspected it had to do with players playing out of position and with poor technique. No idea if that's empirically correct, though.

 

Not sure what we have right now. I hope the loss of Fred and Eric Wood and Easley and Parrish and Evans and Jones has made a difference. Not completely sure about Fitz.. whatever. the draft will be interesting. We still have 4 rookies starting on defense and that is scary.

[Wilson's Ears]

...and yes, every team has injuries, but the good teams are able to compensate for them with quality reserves. something we don't have because our starters would be reserves on other squads...!!!

[billsfreak]

I keep hearing people make excuses for Buffalo being injured, with rebuttals that injuries are no excuse, RE: 2010 Packers. My question is this: Why does Buffalo always seem to be one of the leaders in the NFL in injuries, guys put on IR. I'm not talking out for a few weeks, I mean out for the season. My observation is, yeah, we have little depth on both sides of the ball, but damn! We seem to have guys go down all the time. Is this a coincidence? Is something wrong with our strength and conditioning coaches? Do we not know how to tackle? Fall right?

 

I watched Fitz today be off the mark a lot, with (I almost hate to say it) Brad Smith making a few nice plays to bail out what could have been a disastrous first half. Nelson caught a slant today with his ribs clearly exposed and (this time) he held on after a big pop. Spiller missed a cross when the ball was behind him. Fitz' lack of accuracy cannot help, but that doesn't explain injuries at every position.

 

Thoughts?

We don't have any more injuries on average then any other team, it is just that our starters are borderline starters in alot of cases, and in the majority of cases our depth and backups are pathetic, it just highlights the injuries more. The Packers had more players on IR then anyone last year, but because they have a clue they had good depth to keep it rolling. Most teams don't throw millions at players like Merriman either, when everyone outside of his immediate family knew he wouldn't last more then 5 or 6 games.

Edited December 4, 2011 by billsfreak

[opfball91]

Donahoe/G. Williams were dumb enough to let the best strength and conditioning coach in the NFL go, that is Rusty Jones. We had better conditioned athletes under him and several players swore by his methods (rather than swearing at him). Do you think Dareus would have a flabby gut with Jones around? If Dareus can do the conditioning and weight loss that Jones had Bruce Smith do, Dareus might become an impact player (rather than impacted).

Dareus played a great game today, he was shedding blocks and making tackles parallel to the line of scrimmage. He's not a pass rusher, at least not yet, he's a defensive tackle and he's good.

[bbb]

Less talented football players get beat up by more talented football players. I think it's as simple as that.

[BobChalmers]

Injuries are a factor -- for sure. But they are not the only reason. A lot of the injured players you noted would not have made a big impact if they were healthy. Shawn Merrimen was non-existent when he was playing. Donald Jones has a few nice catches but was no game changer. Chris Kelsay, as usual, was often very silent.

 

You can rely on injuries alone for the reason this team fell apart. Coaching and the overall low talent level collectively caught up to them

 

Merriman actually was helping a lot. He was creating some pressure, even without getting sacks.

 

Their pass-rush has gotten even worse since he (and KW) have been out.

 

Hard to believe - because it wasn't great before - but they are record-setting bad now.

 

The last few games they haven't even gotten close to the opposing QB - it's actually bizzarre - far and away the worst I can ever remember seeing.

Edited December 5, 2011 by BobChalmers

[Buffalo Beeeews]

Good teams know how to overcome and compensate accordingly when injuries occur. PERIOD!

[BillsVet]

Still waiting on another thread for someone to name me the NFL franchise that is THREE-DEEP at OLT.

 

The losing streak began when they started moving Levitre around.

 

They've looked better since getting Hairston back - but then they were missing Freddy and Wood, and a lot of the defense.

 

I didn't know Buffalo was one deep at OLT. Bell is healthy, but does not play which tells me the coaching staff thinks little of him. Have you been to a game and looked at Chris Hairston up close? He's got one of the worst bodies I've ever seen on an OL. He has knock-knees and isn't anything I'd consider solid depth at this point. This is a guy who needs a lot of work, which is what scouts said when he was drafted.

 

The losing streak began when the Bills were figured out. It happened in Cincinnati, and since then they've proceeded to go 2-5. Press their receivers, force Fitz to throw outside the hash-marks, and it shuts them down. George Edwards runs the defense, so no problem there for opponents.

[DFITZ1]

Dareus played a great game today, he was shedding blocks and making tackles parallel to the line of scrimmage. He's not a pass rusher, at least not yet, he's a defensive tackle and he's good.

 

I bet if he turns that belly flab into muscle, he will be a great one, including a pass rusher. Bruce Smith went from good to HOF by conditioning to Rusty Jones's methods.

[TPS]

My two assumptions for predicting a 10-6 season were a healthy Merriman and a healthy Bell.

 

Of the two, I'd say the KEY issue for the Bills has been the absolute lack of pressure on the QB. This is the #1 priority next year.

[BADOLBILZ]

Injuries are the excuse of bad franchises. Our D was bad before the injuries. And our slide started before most of the injuries occurred.

 

This is the truth. They weren't going to keep winning with that defense. Even with Merriman and Williams they were getting rag-dolled for 450 yards per game. They did not have the LB play to keep up their turnover pace.

[GeorgeEdwardsTeeth]

Merriman actually was helping a lot. He was creating some pressure, even without getting sacks.

 

Their pass-rush has gotten even worse since he (and KW) have been out.

 

Hard to believe - because it wasn't great before - but they are record-setting bad now.

 

The last few games they haven't even gotten close to the opposing QB - it's actually bizzarre - far and away the worst I can ever remember seeing.

 

This is extremely debatable. I think it's easier in hindsight to say this, but the defense actually gave up more yards with him starting. I don't recall anyone saying that Merrimen was an important part of the defense when he was active. He was regarded as "the invisible man."

 

My two assumptions for predicting a 10-6 season were a healthy Merriman and a healthy Bell.

 

Of the two, I'd say the KEY issue for the Bills has been the absolute lack of pressure on the QB. This is the #1 priority next year.

 

When he was playing Merrimen has hardly any impact rushing the passer.

[BobChalmers]

Less talented football players get beat up by more talented football players. I think it's as simple as that.

 

 

Uh huh.

 

So that explains why Wood, Kyle Williams, and Fred Jackson were lost for the year? Yeah, "simple as that". Whatever.

 

 

There's an awful lot of complainers here who want to find new excuses to whine about the front office. If that's your entertainment, go for it, but can anyone bring some actual facts that line up with reality?

 

And yet more depth comments, but still no answer to my question about all the other teams and their 3rd string OLTs.

 

 

Btw - I was watching some of the Ravens today - guess what one of the main themes was:

 

They have been lucky this year to have very few injuries. Only 3. Guess maybe that's why they're 9-3, huh? Injuries are "no excuse" - except that they have a lot to do with who wins and loses in the NFL - and it's often just bad luck.

[IronyAbounds]

Crappy drafting leads to less depth. Remaining considerably under the salary cap leads to less depth. Bad DC leads to bad defense. Relying on a mediocre QB as your future leads to lack of improvement. Someone noted earlier that the Bills have a lot of FAs after the year end, some of whom may be resigned but others won't. The NFL is a continual rebuilding project and good organizations know how to deal with that. It not only shouldn't take 3 or 4 years to turn a team around, it almost can't because of free agency and injuries. It isn't like you can keep all your good players every year and only jettison the bad ones. Players leave, are hurt or otherwise don't pan out. The best organizations (NE, Pittsburgh, Baltimore) win consistently because they are always able to adapt to roster turnover. The middling organizations have ups and downs, but take advantage of the NFL's scheduling breaks and the draft to make the playoffs at least once every two or three years. The utter crap organizations, with the Bills perhaps being the poster child for that particular category, are ALWAYS in rebuilding mode and never are able to put together a quality team. They make stupid drafting errors (McCargo, Maybin and Spiller being prime examples), hire mediocre coaches that are rejects from other teams (Jauron and Gailey, come on down!) and for the most part make all decisions based on the perceived financial consequences - in other words, sucking on the tit of the NFL's socialist system, while ignoring the financial benefits of actually having a winning team. Add in an owner who has one foot out the door (or, if you are less tactful, one foot in the grave) and not willing to commit to a city, and the result is what you have with the current incarnation of the Bills. A team that never makes the playoffs.

[bbb]

Uh huh.

 

So that explains why Wood, Kyle Williams, and Fred Jackson were lost for the year? Yeah, "simple as that". Whatever.

 

 

There's an awful lot of complainers here who want to find new excuses to whine about the front office. If that's your entertainment, go for it, but can anyone bring some actual facts that line up with reality?

 

And yet more depth comments, but still no answer to my question about all the other teams and their 3rd string OLTs.

 

 

Btw - I was watching some of the Ravens today - guess what one of the main themes was:

 

They have been lucky this year to have very few injuries. Only 3. Guess maybe that's why they're 9-3, huh? Injuries are "no excuse" - except that they have a lot to do with who wins and loses in the NFL - and it's often just bad luck.

 

It is often bad luck, but not when it's year after year. My father said in 1980 - our first division championship of my fandom - that he can tell this is a good team, because good teams don't get injured as much as they injure the other team. That year we lost Jeff Nixon and got Bill Simpson out of retirement to take his place. And, that was it. One major loss.

 

You think it's a coincidence that a tough, physical team like the Ravens have had few injuries? That's just like when the Sabres lost all the defensemen in 07. Was it a coincidence that we were the speedy, finesse team?