papazoid Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 actually, i think Kyle Williams is the key.....if he gets back to 100%....then our defense will be much improved. i have every confidence that fitz will be healthy and play like he did before the cracked ribs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike in Syracuse Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 As with most teams, the QB gets more praise than he deserves and shoulders more blame than deserved. I have absolutely NO problem with Fitz being a game manager. If Fitz can keep the chains moving by throwing 9 yards passes I don't care if he ever throws a 60 yard pass. If your QB needs to throw for 300 yards every game to win then you probably have a really ****ty defense. There are only a few QB's in the NFL capable of doing that. The Ravens won a SB with Dilfer at QB and he was the quintessential game manager. All Billick asked him to do was NOT make mistakes. That's the key area where Fitz needs to improve, he's got to throw less picks. On the other side of the coin, the Bills defense was absolutely dreadful last year. They couldn't stop the run and they couldn't put any pressure on the QB. Buddy said at the end of the season "we made average QB's look like Dan Marino. The mantra for the Bills this year should be "ONE LESS PICK, ONE MORE STOP". If Fitz throws one less pick and the Bills defense manages to give up one less TD in five games last year they go from a dismal 6-10 finish to an 11-5 season with a playoff appearance. The numbers from last year are clear on what the Bills need to do to make the playoffs. "One less pick, one more stop" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hapless Bills Fan Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 Chan has to rein Fitz in. Interesting choice of words. What facts support them as appropriate, rather than the other way around (eg, Fitz is following Chan's instructions)? He can't give Fitz the playbook because he can't make all of the throws accurately. A more balanced attack will make Fitz a better QB. I'd also like to see Fitz use his legs a bit more this year. The first sentence may be true - there are certainly throws I've seen elite QB such as Romo and Brees and Rodgers and the Mannings and Brady make, that I've said to myself "wow, Fitz could never pull that one off". I think it's on Chan though, Chan is making the play calls, not Fitz. I certainly believe wholeheartedly in the truth of the 2nd sentence. I think Fitz' fatal flaw is that he's a gamer, and will try to "do it all" himself to get the win. I think the more he sees that he can trust the D to get the stop and give them the ball back, and the more he sees he can rely on Fredex and CJ to get the yards, the less he'll press and the fewer mistakes he'll make. As far as "use his legs a bit more", I'm sure one so astute is well aware of all the careful analysis showing that actually, running QB are far less efficient and effective for the team than QB who use their legs to extend the play and make the pass. Not to mention the risk of injury when we aren't exactly rosy at the backup situation. Part of Fitz growth as a QB has been to pass more and be slower to take off and run, and this is a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 Chan has to rein Fitz in. He can't give Fitz the playbook because he can't make all of the throws accurately. A more balanced attack will make Fitz a better QB. I'd also like to see Fitz use his legs a bit more this year. Man I hope Fitz doesn't use his legs at all this season. Nothing will sink the Bills this season faster than pigpen getting in and playing because Fitz got hurt running the ball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orton's Arm Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 Nine of the last ten Super Bowls were won by teams with franchise QBs. If you don't have a franchise QB, odds are that someone with a franchise QB will eliminate you at some point during the postseason. During the first portion of the season, Fitz looked better than he actually was. 1) He faced a lot of chopped liver defenses. As an example, New England's defense finished the year by allowing the most or second-most passing yards in NFL history. 2) Defenses hadn't yet adapted to Chan's quick strike offense. The Bengals game was a good illustration of what happens when defenses make sensible adaptations. That game occurred before the cracked ribs, and before the offensive line had been depleted by injuries. All this being said, the Bills seem to have done a very good job of improving the talent level around Fitz. If Fitz himself takes a significant step up in his quality of play, this team could go places. But the level of play he displayed prior to his rib injury is not good enough. He needs to do better. Maybe some of that can come through developing better and more consistent mechanics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CodeMonkey Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 (edited) All this being said, the Bills seem to have done a very good job of improving the talent level around Fitz. If Fitz himself takes a significant step up in his quality of play, this team could go places. But the level of play he displayed prior to his rib injury is not good enough. He needs to do better. Maybe some of that can come through developing better and more consistent mechanics. Talent level - They have improved the defense. But haven't changed/improved the talent level of the offense much, have they? Mechanics - This is Fitz's 7th year in the league, and going into this season with a new (to him) QB coach. Do you really expect work to be done on Fitz's mechanics now? I agree he could use it, but I suspect that ship has sailed. Edited April 30, 2012 by CodeMonkey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BRAWNDO Posted April 30, 2012 Share Posted April 30, 2012 FWIW, the Bills addressed their weakest area which was the defense this off season. The offense played well enough to start 5-2 despite a defense that could not stop anyone last year. I think with a much improved defense that can get some three and outs a wild card berth is in reach. If the offense comes up short that is next off season's priority. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3putt Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Next years draft class will have as many as 6 potential first rounders. Barkley T Wilson, Logan Thomas et al. Our Franchise QB will be on board next year at this time. This year, Play like the Pre Cutler Bears, Stifling D, Defensive and Special Teams Scoring. It can be done for a season or two. But even they saw the light and went and got a guy to throw the rock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orton's Arm Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 Talent level - They have improved the defense. But haven't changed/improved the talent level of the offense much, have they? Mechanics - This is Fitz's 7th year in the league, and going into this season with a new (to him) QB coach. Do you really expect work to be done on Fitz's mechanics now? I agree he could use it, but I suspect that ship has sailed. I think you and I see things in a very similar light. If there's one point of difference, it's that I might be a bit more optimistic about the talent which was just added to the offense. I think that Glenn has the potential to be a Pro Bowl LT, and Graham could be the next Peerless Price (2002 version) or John Taylor. That being said, I agree that Fitz's mechanics or accuracy are very unlikely to improve at this late a stage in his career. I can't dismiss the possibility completely, and for the Bills' sake and Fitz's I hope I'm being overly pessimistic. But right now, at least on paper, a franchise QB is the one thing this team needs to become a Super Bowl contender. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Williams+Williams+Williams Posted May 1, 2012 Share Posted May 1, 2012 A valid point, SWNY. Very valid. To me, it's "Do or Die" for Chan more than Fitz. Chan has some weapons on O besides Fitz and SJ - FredEx, Spiller, Brad Smith for the Wildcat. He's got the innovator of the Wildcat stashed here as QB coach. It's really on Chan to prove he deserves his rep as an offensive innovator who adapts his scheme to the players he's got. He really didn't show that to me last year. If he keeps up with calling game plans as though Fitz is Rodgers or Brees, and FJ/CJ are not top backs in the NFL, we will NOT succeed - I like Fitz, I think he's capable of winning, and I know he's no Rodgers or Brees. No excuses this year. The Bills have finally fielded an nfl caliber team. I love Marv, but he and Jauron put the Bills in a hole talent wise. Gailey has the tools now so I hope he can put it together. I have a different type of confidence in the team coming into 2012. They have the talent to compete with the best. Fitz is no Aaron Rogers, but he doesn't need to be with the backfield he has. The argument could be made that CJ and Freddie are one of the best if not the best combo in the league. Freddy alone was on MVP pace. The secondary is deep, the d line has the talent to be one of the best, a nd the o line is deep. Maybe one or two receivers step up besides Stevie, and one of the rookie lbs has a great year. This can be a competitive team with good coaching and team chemistry. Gailey and the Stache should be licking their chops. No excuses this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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