win1soon Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 If you were told on opening day that the Bills would have 5 wins with 3 games to play how many of you would have been ok with that? I realize this franchise is disfunctional, and that Mr. Wilson has a lot to do with this over the years. I keep hearing all this talk about how could the team start out so well and fall apart within a few weeks? In my opinion you can not disregard how devasting the injuries have been this year, yes every team has them and SOME can overcome them, but if you take Mike Wallace, Mike Pouncey, Aarron Smith put them all on IR, and have Troy miss 3 games with injuries, do you seriously think that the Steelers would be 10-3, granted the drop off would not cripple that team as it has the Bills, but they would be on the fringe of getting a wild card. Look at the Dolphins this past week, they lose there backup QB and Jake Long, and they could not function! The Dolphins had been one of the healthiest teams this year and they had been beating down teams (Bills, Raiders Skins) who have been decimated with injuries, they play a team getting healthier and get a beat down. The Bills early season play was not a fluke, first of all all of their starter were available and they hit the ground running, once the injuries started they did not have enough talent to step up. The difference between playoff good and mediocrity in the NFL is very small. Coincidentally Fitz's drop off began right around the time Fred Jackson's injury happened; we all know Fitz is not a Ben or Brady who makes others better, but if you put talent around him he can get the job done..look what he did with free agents and late round picks. Now to get to NE,GB,NO,Pitt level that is another story, but to be a playoff team and in the mix with the 9, 10 win teams they just need depth. Maybe I am just too optimistic but I would have taken the 5 win scenario at the beginning of the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corey g Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Depth is a massive issue but this team is actually ahead of schedule if healthly. Fans can be reactionary, we absolutely must fix the D though, but things aren't as bleak as some would have you believe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Homey D. Clown Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 If not for 2 improbable comeback games this year, the team is actually worse than it was last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Before the season started, MANY of us (including myself) had the Bills at 6-10 this season. I had added that IF we stay healthy and get some lucky bounces we could end up at 8-8 and I'd be ecstatic. Yes we started hot and got some lucky breaks, but then injuries took their toll and the true depth of this roster was exposed. I like how our rookies have played when thrown into the fire. This season went just about how I figured. I think we're just on the brink of turning the corner. One more draft/offseason and the AFC East is ours for the taking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 If you were told on opening day that the Bills would have 5 wins with 3 games to play how many of you would have been ok with that? I realize this franchise is disfunctional, and that Mr. Wilson has a lot to do with this over the years. I keep hearing all this talk about how could the team start out so well and fall apart within a few weeks? In my opinion you can not disregard how devasting the injuries have been this year, yes every team has them and SOME can overcome them, but if you take Mike Wallace, Mike Pouncey, Aarron Smith put them all on IR, and have Troy miss 3 games with injuries, do you seriously think that the Steelers would be 10-3, granted the drop off would not cripple that team as it has the Bills, but they would be on the fringe of getting a wild card. Look at the Dolphins this past week, they lose there backup QB and Jake Long, and they could not function! The Dolphins had been one of the healthiest teams this year and they had been beating down teams (Bills, Raiders Skins) who have been decimated with injuries, they play a team getting healthier and get a beat down. The Bills early season play was not a fluke, first of all all of their starter were available and they hit the ground running, once the injuries started they did not have enough talent to step up. The difference between playoff good and mediocrity in the NFL is very small. Coincidentally Fitz's drop off began right around the time Fred Jackson's injury happened; we all know Fitz is not a Ben or Brady who makes others better, but if you put talent around him he can get the job done..look what he did with free agents and late round picks. Now to get to NE,GB,NO,Pitt level that is another story, but to be a playoff team and in the mix with the 9, 10 win teams they just need depth. Maybe I am just too optimistic but I would have taken the 5 win scenario at the beginning of the year. If you were told on opening day the Bills would start out 5-2 with one of the top offenses in the league but would have 5 wins with 3 games left, how many would be ok with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xsoldier54 Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Before the season started, MANY of us (including myself) had the Bills at 6-10 this season. I had added that IF we stay healthy and get some lucky bounces we could end up at 8-8 and I'd be ecstatic. Yes we started hot and got some lucky breaks, but then injuries took their toll and the true depth of this roster was exposed. I like how our rookies have played when thrown into the fire. This season went just about how I figured. I think we're just on the brink of turning the corner. One more draft/offseason and the AFC East is ours for the taking. Afraid I can't agree. The losses have as much to do with this coaching staff's inability to adapt as they do to injuries. Chan just keeps trying the same stuff with his game planning and play calling and the league is on to him. He has not adjusted and the offense has suffered. A coach needs to game plan according to the personnel that he actually has on the field, not the ones that used to be there. And defensively they have no clue. Coaching makes a huge difference. Yes, injuries have taken their toll, but I believe this team has players that could have stepped up if utilized properly. A huge fail for the coaching staff this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 (edited) Afraid I can't agree. The losses have as much to do with this coaching staff's inability to adapt as they do to injuries. Chan just keeps trying the same stuff with his game planning and play calling and the league is on to him. He has not adjusted and the offense has suffered. A coach needs to game plan according to the personnel that he actually has on the field, not the ones that used to be there. And defensively they have no clue. Coaching makes a huge difference. Yes, injuries have taken their toll, but I believe this team has players that could have stepped up if utilized properly. A huge fail for the coaching staff this year. Oh, I in no way meant that injuries were the only problem. Both coaching and player execution have much to do with it as well. But I would argue that losing Williams, Wood, and Jackson alone had a much more adverse effect on the team than anything else. You lose your Big Guys in the Middle on both sides of the ball, and your MVP candidate, and it's going to be a long year. Complete ineptitude by the DC doesnt help either. My point was, did you think this was a 10-6 team going into the season? Or was it closer to 6-10? Edited December 16, 2011 by DrDareustein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apuszczalowski Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 If not for 2 improbable comeback games this year, the team is actually worse than it was last year. And with a couple of catches by Stevie Johnson, they would be better then last year and possible still clinging to playoff hopes...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VirginiaMike Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 This goes back to my earlier post of performance against expectations. The Bills, record wise, are about where I expected. They did not get to this record the way I expected (never dreamed of a 5-2 record). It was the old bait and switch and unless you paid attention to the way we got to 5-2 you could easily have over rated this team and dreamed of playoffs and championships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 5 wins is a 25% improvement over 4 wins. What % did your employer grow by this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
I hate the Bills ! Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 I'm figuring the Bills for 6-10 which is 2 games better than last year, so if they increase their wins by 2 every year then in 3 more more years we will be a playoff team ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just in Atlanta Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 If not for 2 improbable comeback games this year, the team is actually worse than it was last year. And we lost 2 games by three points each, and could have beaten the Jets the second time around. You can cherry pick good and bad. As a fan, you should be happy that this team could have mounted those two improbable comebacks. The old Bills would have folded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cookiemonster Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 If you were told on opening day that the Bills would have 5 wins with 3 games to play how many of you would have been ok with that? I realize this franchise is disfunctional, and that Mr. Wilson has a lot to do with this over the years. I keep hearing all this talk about how could the team start out so well and fall apart within a few weeks? In my opinion you can not disregard how devasting the injuries have been this year, yes every team has them and SOME can overcome them, but if you take Mike Wallace, Mike Pouncey, Aarron Smith put them all on IR, and have Troy miss 3 games with injuries, do you seriously think that the Steelers would be 10-3, granted the drop off would not cripple that team as it has the Bills, but they would be on the fringe of getting a wild card. Look at the Dolphins this past week, they lose there backup QB and Jake Long, and they could not function! The Dolphins had been one of the healthiest teams this year and they had been beating down teams (Bills, Raiders Skins) who have been decimated with injuries, they play a team getting healthier and get a beat down. The Bills early season play was not a fluke, first of all all of their starter were available and they hit the ground running, once the injuries started they did not have enough talent to step up. The difference between playoff good and mediocrity in the NFL is very small. Coincidentally Fitz's drop off began right around the time Fred Jackson's injury happened; we all know Fitz is not a Ben or Brady who makes others better, but if you put talent around him he can get the job done..look what he did with free agents and late round picks. Now to get to NE,GB,NO,Pitt level that is another story, but to be a playoff team and in the mix with the 9, 10 win teams they just need depth. Maybe I am just too optimistic but I would have taken the 5 win scenario at the beginning of the year. I was goint to start my own post on the injury thing, but this topic is close enough. I couldn't agree with you more, as a matter of fact when you look back over the last 5 years or so, man, this tem has really had some bad luck. Oh suure, we have had some big draft whiffs, but I thinking that it was less about drafting bad, and more about just being plain unlucky. Without the benefit of research, just from my memory bank: Troy Vincent broken leg, right at the start of that season Ko Simpson had some sort of broken bone that kept him out for a while early in his career with us. Poszlusny two broken forearms, misses one whole season and parts of another Marcus Easly heart McGee and his many injuries over the last 5 years or so Troup's bad back Kyle Williams Foot Carringtom has missed significant time over the last few years Marshawn Lynch suspension and a couple of injuries Dwan Edwards missed a significant part of last year Lindell Parrish (forget about him) Spencer Johnson has missed some time for various ailments Kelsay earlier this year, maybe some last year the Schoebel injury Evans and the other wideouts on occasion Eric Wood mises the better part of two seasons, Hairston & Bell Moorman I believe may have missed a few also, possibly after that disatorous fake punt attempt last year. Yobouty and Mckelvin have missed significant time over the last three years I think Lawyer Malloy had a broken arm as well a few years back. Merriman These were pretty much all young ready to contribute players that have set their careers, and The Buffalo Bills back a few years. Hopefully we will encounter a stretch of good luck over the next few years and all of the experience that the back-ups got will become very valuable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tennesseeboy Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 you measure by winning and losing. we have gone downhill since Dick Jauron and he was a lousy coach. We have drafted some 20 players and had opportunities in free agency to get better. We didn't. Nine wins would have been an appropriate expectation on a rebuilding timetable starting with Jauron's departure. We aren't going to get that. Now if we win out, beating the Dolphins and Patriots in our division, and beating the Tebow led Broncos, that would be a very good ending and I'd make an exception to the nine win requirement and give chan and Buddy one more year. If not..I'd fire both of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cash Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Absolutely would not have been okay with it, though that's slightly better than my preseason expectations. (I predicted 4-12 on the year, and preseason me would assume the Bills would lose the last 3 games.) I don't think the Bills should blow it up yet, but that doesn't mean that we should be satisfied with the crap season they're currently having. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San-O Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 Afraid I can't agree. The losses have as much to do with this coaching staff's inability to adapt as they do to injuries. Chan just keeps trying the same stuff with his game planning and play calling and the league is on to him. He has not adjusted and the offense has suffered. A coach needs to game plan according to the personnel that he actually has on the field, not the ones that used to be there. And defensively they have no clue. Coaching makes a huge difference. Yes, injuries have taken their toll, but I believe this team has players that could have stepped up if utilized properly. A huge fail for the coaching staff this year. Chan seems to not be able to adjust. Does not bode well going forward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted December 16, 2011 Share Posted December 16, 2011 you measure by winning and losing. we have gone downhill since Dick Jauron and he was a lousy coach. We have drafted some 20 players and had opportunities in free agency to get better. We didn't. Nine wins would have been an appropriate expectation on a rebuilding timetable starting with Jauron's departure. We aren't going to get that. Now if we win out, beating the Dolphins and Patriots in our division, and beating the Tebow led Broncos, that would be a very good ending and I'd make an exception to the nine win requirement and give chan and Buddy one more year. If not..I'd fire both of them. Shhhh, you will rile up the homers intent on defending someone who can't beat the moron Dick Jauron's record of 7-9. Although I'll bet many think the Bills will finish 8-8 and not 5-11. You might also wake up Buddy Nix who is napping, or else he might look on the waiver wire and bring in some help like he did last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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