So apparently EVERYONE was wrong...

[eball]

Let me begin by admitting yesterday was one of the most difficult days I can remember as a Bills fan. Worse than the day after the Super Bowl losses, because even in that disappointment I knew the team was good and they had achieved a great deal.

 

Yesterday was so depressing because that performance was absolutely the last thing I expected. I could have accepted a close loss, or even an ugly game by both teams. What disappointed me the most was how sloppy the Bills were, and conversely, how fine-tuned the Jets were. I don't know who is to blame. Was the moment just too big for them at this early stage? The Jets have players who have "been there" and Buffalo doesn't. The Jets had a chip on their shoulders about being labeled a "circus" throughout the offseason, while the Bills had become media darlings. The bottom line is the Bills haven't earned a damn thing, and the Jets were probably (and rightfully) sick and tired of hearing about it.

 

In any event, I'm now over it and have changed my focus to watching how the Bills will handle this adversity. I have not changed my opinion about the talent level on this team -- it's better than it has been in more than 10 years. Everybody who predicted the Bills to take the "next step" wasn't wrong -- Gailey IS a good coach, and so is Wanny. They're not perfect, but they're also not dolts. There is a lot of talent on both lines -- the building blocks to being a good team. There are special skill players in CJ and Stevie (and FredEx when he returns). I don't need to be reminded of the weaknesses or that there isn't a "franchise" QB on the roster -- I'm well aware so save your breath. There is enough talent here to contend, however.

 

The next two weeks are huge. A home opener against a similarly wounded opponent, and a road game against a rookie QB. Respond well and produce two Ws, and we can then measure their progress against the Pats* on 9/30.

 

I'll say it again -- it wasn't just the optimists who predicted the Bills will challenge for the playoffs this year. Everyone wasn't wrong.

 

Go Bills.

Edited September 11, 2012 by eball

[beerme1]

I'm deeply dissapointed in the coaching staff. We dont dress Grahm but we do Dickerson and Smith but dont play them?

This team was obviously not ready to play and that is on the coaching staff. The D was pathetic in playing so far off the line that Sanchez never had to worry about what was going on. Kind of took a page out of our playbook actually. And again that is on the coaching staff. I'm really down on Chan as much or more than Fitz after this game.

 

Spiller was great and Cordy Glenn was great in his first showing. Too bad for Glenn that the rest of this game overshadowed an A+ grade for him.

[jahnyc]

Even with an improved defensive line, I think we all undersestimated potential problems associated with having a rookie CB, a second year CB, and a second year middle linebacker as starters at key positions on defense. Combine this with an average QB and a depleted WR corp, and you have the ingredients for some significant difficulties, particularly early in the season.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

I truly belive everything that was glaringly bad can be fixed. Gilmore played his first game ever, fitz's and WR timing was clearly off and we know it can be on and McKelvin can be benched.

 

4 turnovers, the three picks and the fumble, meant the d was pressed into action early and often. If the offense scored after the Scott pick instead of turning it right back over the rest of the game would have gone differently.

[BringBackFergy]

I agree eBall. I was cautiously optimistic and never expected the drubbing we received from the Jets. Perhaps that's why it was so frustrating to watch...year after year it seems Rex Ryan has our number and all of us wished nothing more than to beat the Jets (even by one point). It's always a long week for us fans after a loss...but in this case it is an extra long week. The team almost played as if they weren't concerned or involved...they played a detached game looking only to survive rather than attacking the Jets at the outset. It was uninspired football. This team has a tremendous amount of talent...it takes a coach and assistants to unleash that talent and provide an emotional catalyst to bring performance to the next level. The Bills team we saw on Sunday is not the team we have. They are better than that performance but they need to combine emotion and pride with their talent....with emotion and pride comes hard hitting football which was absent from Sunday's game. The Niners, the Ravens, the Patriots and the Jets played emotional, hard hitting football. If that is from coaching or from veteran leadership, we need to hope the Bills will be there in a similar way starting this Sunday.

[Buftex]

I was never sold on the Bills necessarilly being a shoe-in for the playoffs, or even challanging the Pats for the division. While I thought they had a chance of winnig against the Jets this past Sunday, I wouldn't have bet on it. Just as the Bills had a lot of positive media hype, the Jets have had a lot of negative media attention, I don't think the Jets are a great team, but they have been through more of this kind of thing than the Bills in recent years...

 

What I never fathomed was the Bills getting hammered as badly as they did on Sunday...I could have accepted a 24-17 kind of loss, or even a 35-28 loss...

 

Like you, I am not going to let one piss-poor showing taint my expecetations for the season. My expecataions are likely not as high as many: I just want this team to finish strong, competitive, and at least sniffing the playoffs in December. Whether they make it or not is irrelevant, this year, to me. I just want to feel like this team is making solid progress, and not regressing. I didn't expect the defense to come out and dominate from week one..it would have been nice, but that kind of thing doesn't happen most of the time. It is a gradual thing, where you see them getting better each week...I still have high hopes that the defense improves as the season goes on, and starts pulling out games for us along the way.

 

After Sundays performance, I think there are legit concerns about Fitzpatrick. As ineffective as the defense was, Fitz put them behind the 8-ball the whole game. It is much easier to execute, offensively, when you are operating with a 21 point lead. Also, as great as our off-season was, it appears, to me, the Bills kind of botched up their handling of the WR position. It was a perceived weakness all last season (or was it the QB?)...they made a noble attempt to sign Meachem, but stopped there. Not dressing a healthy TJ Graham on Sunday doesn't really say much (at least not much good) about the situation. If the Bills don't think Graham was ready (as Chan Gailey said) to take the field on week one, how is it going to play out in week 2. I know, coaches know more than us, but I thought Graham looked pretty comfortable out there in pre-season. Sure, he will make mistakes, but, as Chan said, in regards to not benching Fitz on Sunday "he isn't going to learn anything standing on the sidelines"...doesn't it go the same way for Graham (a rookie, not a 7 year vet)? If he was worried about TJ making some big errors to hurt the teams chances, Fitz has that covered. A work in progress this team is..

[Maury Ballstein]

Rex clearly is much better at his job than Chan

 

Wannstedt needs to go back to Pitt, not sure how his DB's can look so lost

 

I am with you EBALL i predicted domination and a good year, Fitz does not belong in this league, all the NFL podcasts laugh at him and his "cracked ribs"

 

My prediction went from 11-5 to 7-9 quickly.

[Billsrhody]

I'm not sure you can say everyone was wrong. A handful of people were down on Fitz and cautioned that the defense had yet to prove anything on the field. Not everyone was predicting playoffs and some people even saw the bills losing to the jets in week 1.

[rpmfla]

I grew up in Upstate NY and have been a Bills fan all my life. I now live in Tampa but remain a Bills fan. I did not buy into the hype that the Bills would suddenly be relevant and make the playoffs after such a long stretch of mediocrity. Most teams in professional sports do not change drastically from one season to the next. There are exceptions but the norm is that teams evolve, devolve, and generally improve over time. The Bills have been mediocre for a very long time, and have not had much of a tragectory up or down. One regime fails to be replaced by another regime, and so on.

 

I know I don't sound like much of a fan, but I have followed and rooted for the Bills going way back to OJ and Joe Ferguson. I am the type of fan who can enjoy watching their team as long as they compete as hard as they can...whether they win or not. Those 70's teams were a lot of fun to watch even though they were not perenial playoff contenders. Being a Bills fan requires a certain level of masochism, but we tend to stick with the teams we grew up with so I'll remain a Bills fan through the tough times and hopefully they provide enough positives to maintain hope.

 

A blow out loss on opening day to a division rival is a bad way to start what was predicted by experts as the first Bills playoff team in a long time. Of course, a true Bills fan shrugs off this pain like a duck shrugs off water. We are so used to disappointment that this type of performance is not shocking. Our favorite team has repeatedly found new ways to kick us in the gut...it shouldn't matter what the so-called football experts say about the Bills making the playoffs. If the Bills win the Superbowl in my lifetime...great...but as a fan for almost 40 years, I have come to accept that I am a fan of a cursed franchise.

Edited September 11, 2012 by rpmfla

[HeHateMe]

I never understood the 10-6, 11-5 predictions this summer, they lost 8 of 9 games to close last season. They added a few players on defense and changed their D coordinator... does that account for a 4-5 game swing in number of wins? Their defense is bad and they have a really below average QB.

[Buftex]

I truly belive everything that was glaringly bad can be fixed. Gilmore played his first game ever, fitz's and WR timing was clearly off and we know it can be on and McKelvin can be benched.

 

4 turnovers, the three picks and the fumble, meant the d was pressed into action early and often. If the offense scored after the Scott pick instead of turning it right back over the rest of the game would have gone differently.

 

Overall I agree with you...but not to beat a dead horse, but I don't agree the timing was really off...it is an accuracy issue with Fitz. You could see, before he got injured, Nelson looked as though he was getting really frustrated with Fitz knuckle balls and grounders...he was getting open. Fitz is streaky, as we have seen. It is very possible he can pull it together for some games, but this sort of lackluster Fitz can show up at any time. IMO, he just didn't look ready to play on Sunday. Maybe he should have played more in pre-season...he had good protection most of the time, but just didn't perform. His mechanics looked as bad as ever. I really like Fitz as a guy, but I am real worried about him as a QB...

[SlamnSam]

There are those Bills fans I love. Optimism is already creeping in on a Tuesday after a butt whooping by the Jest. I am sure you all are marking the last home game of the year on the calendar.

Let's Go Buffalo!!!

 

There are those Bills fans I love. Optimism is already creeping in on a Tuesday after a butt whooping by the Jest. I am sure you all are marking the last home game of the year on the calendar.

 

Let's Go Buffalo!!!

[Since 1972]

Let me begin by admitting yesterday was one of the most difficult days I can remember as a Bills fan. Worse than the day after the Super Bowl losses, because even in that disappointment I knew the team was good and they had achieved a great deal.

 

Yesterday was so depressing because that performance was absolutely the last thing I expected. I could have accepted a close loss, or even an ugly game by both teams. What disappointed me the most was how sloppy the Bills were, and conversely, how fine-tuned the Jets were. I don't know who is to blame. Was the moment just too big for them at this early stage? The Jets have players who have "been there" and Buffalo doesn't. The Jets had a chip on their shoulders about being labeled a "circus" throughout the offseason, while the Bills had become media darlings. The bottom line is the Bills haven't earned a damn thing, and the Jets were probably (and rightfully) sick and tired of hearing about it.

 

In any event, I'm now over it and have changed my focus to watching how the Bills will handle this adversity. I have not changed my opinion about the talent level on this team -- it's better than it has been in more than 10 years. Everybody who predicted the Bills to take the "next step" wasn't wrong -- Gailey IS a good coach, and so is Wanny. They're not perfect, but they're also not dolts. There is a lot of talent on both lines -- the building blocks to being a good team. There are special skill players in CJ and Stevie (and FredEx when he returns). I don't need to be reminded of the weaknesses or that there isn't a "franchise" QB on the roster -- I'm well aware so save your breath. There is enough talent here to contend, however.

 

The next two weeks are huge. A home opener against a similarly wounded opponent, and a road game against a rookie QB. Respond well and produce two Ws, and we can then measure their progress against the Pats* on 9/30.

 

I'll say it again -- it wasn't just the optimists who predicted the Bills will challenge for the playoffs this year. Everyone wasn't wrong.

 

Go Bills.

So the "BIlls haters" predicted the Bills would be in tne Playoffs? Pretty generous for haters.

 

 

Rex clearly is much better at his job than Chan

 

Wannstedt needs to go back to Pitt, not sure how his DB's can look so lost

 

I am with you EBALL i predicted domination and a good year, Fitz does not belong in this league, all the NFL podcasts laugh at him and his "cracked ribs"

 

My prediction went from 11-5 to 7-9 quickly.

Improvement over 6-10 so Fitz remains at the helm,right?