End of 1st Half Gaffe, Take 2

[Kaz]

Last week vs. NE it was C.J.'s fumble before the half that robbed us of a potential 14-point lead against a bully that was undoubtedly starting to question itself.

 

Yesterday afternoon, the calamity was more man-made, if you will.

 

I know a good chunk of this community is divided on what path Gailey should have followed after the Bills recovered the fumble late in the 1st half. But, I think it's very disingenuous for Chan to have created a strawman argument in his post-game presser, essentially saying he would've gotten grief from the press had he bled the clock and gone into the dressing room down 10-3.

 

Okay, seriously. Is there anybody that is a semi-conscious, Bills-supporting member of the human race that would have sneered at a worst-case 7-point deficit at the half against a Super Bowl favorite on the road? Especially with this team's recent level of play (poor QB performance, leaky defense, turnover-itis). Plus, scoreboard be damned, we were getting out-gained like a mama-jama and were lucky to be trailing by only a TD.

 

Instead, Gailey puts his blinders on and 'unleashes' our epic offense. Instead of having an uplifting message to deliver at the break ("They're gashing us left and right, we've played sloppy football on both sides, BUT we're right in this thing. We're gonna get the opening kickoff of the half and tie this sunavagun up and have some fun!" or something), it was more of the same sense of impending doom, I'm sure. Damage control.

 

And, in the other locker room, you don't think the Niners would've been utterly frustrated having missed their chance to really bury us? If I were Harbaugh and my team was running circles around the Bills on the stat sheet, yet I'm up by just one score, I would've been pulling my eyelashes out.

 

Instead, bad strategy by Gailey gifts momentum and, essentially, the game to SF.

 

Playing it safe and running out the clock in that situation isn't "giving up" or "playing soft." It's called knowing the odds and knowing the situation. We didn't recover the ball at midfield, and we weren't in a groove on offense.

 

To me, the risks far outweighed the rewards. And, even though Chan didn't fumble the football, he allowed the situation to occur. Being a good coaches is putting your players in the right situations. Chan does not excel at this.

 

Anyways... That's my story, and I'm sticking to it.

[TC in St. Louis]

I was astonished that they didn't take a knee. I was at a Bills Backers bar in St. Louis, and I muttered, "Take a knee." Thinking they would go to the locker room, try to make adjustments, and take the second half kickoff. Then Chan called a pass. Incomplete. I was thinking, WTF???? So Spiller runs one up the middle for a few, and I think, "There we go, kill the clock!!" and I headed for the restroom. When I came out, San Fran was lining up for an extra point. I asked, "What happened?" Chandler fumbled, and on the next play the scored.

 

Check please. I'm done watching these idiots.

[bobobonators]

i actually didn't have a problem not taking a knee...there was still some decent time on the clock and 3 time outs. the defense giving up the long TD on a SINGLE play right after the turnover is what pissed me off.

[cage]

i actually didn't have a problem not taking a knee...there was still some decent time on the clock and 3 time outs. the defense giving up the long TD on a SINGLE play right after the turnover is what pissed me off.

 

I agree, I would have been upset if they took a knee. They should have been trying for at least a FG. The pass to Chandler was good and I don't think I've ever seen him fumble. I can be upset about a lot of things yesterday, but that one's not on my list. I think running Spiller up the gut last week with the bad shoulder was a much greater strategic blunder.

 

Also agree with your assertion on the D's response to the turnover... appalling!

Edited October 8, 2012 by cage

[NoSaint]

i dont mind taking a shot but chandler MUST know that ball security is number 1 there. Being that deep, an extra 5 yard means nothing. just hold the ball and if you go down early because of it - so be it.

 

if your going to take the shot the players need to know the situation.

[PromoTheRobot]

I was 100% in favor of trying to get a FG. 3 time outs and 47 seconds? Only a Dick(less)-Jauron-try-not-to-lose team takes the knee there. Who expected our most reliable receiver to cough up the ball?

 

PTR

[Hazed and Amuzed]

Just to add to this, can anyone explain why on the kick to McKelvin right after the score, he would take a knee in the endzone? Especially on a line drive kick when he was obviously hot? Why do they play so timid at times and so reckless at others?

Edited October 8, 2012 by Hazed and Amuzed

[jumbalaya]

I have no problem with them moving the ball at the end of the half. 3 points or more would have been a big lift. I have two problems with what went on after the fumble.

 

1. Scott Chandler's face and body language said it all. On the sidelines he looked beaten, completely done. Good players, players with heart, are yelling, encouraging the defense get the ball back and pick him up. Scott was looking for the bus to pick him up. He knew he lost the game on that play and he and the rest of the players simply quit.

 

2. Our defensive coverage is so poor I can't even describe the scheme. It is sure not man to man. If it is a zone, it's a type of zone that is played like -- Don't get close to the receiver, give him three, four, five yards, wait and watch the ball get to the receiver's hands and then try to close and make the tackle.

[Over 29 years of fanhood]

I was 100% in favor of trying to get a FG. 3 time outs and 47 seconds? Only a Dick(less)-Jauron-try-not-to-lose team takes the knee there. Who expected our most reliable receiver to cough up the ball?

 

PTR

 

I might agree in a video game. Let me ask the same question differently, who would have expected the best linebacker in football to force a turnover?

 

On the road vs a great d and you come out in a 5 wide set. The 5 wide set is horrible. The linebackers play pass all the way.

 

If you don't take a knee there, why take it 10 second later after they score and you are down by two touchdowns in roughly the same field position?

 

When you have a team with confidence issues you can't will them to success. Is a more deliberate process.

[K-9]

With three timeouts in hand, Gailey did the right thing. Don't see how anyone can question that. It was a nice play, too. It's unfortunate that Chandler fumbled but you can't put that on Gailey.

 

How about the blown coverage by Gilmore and Byrd on the next play?

 

GO BILLS!!!

[TC in St. Louis]

Many of you don't recall a game vs. the Jets a few years ago when Jim Kelly threw a pick with about 30 seconds left in the half, and the Jets converted that to a field goal. When you're getting the ball back to start the second half, why would you even take a chance at a turnover?

 

I'm glad that a lot of you disagree. It's a free country.

 

I would not have done it. I would have run out the clock and come back fresh. They hadn't moved the ball well, and there was only time for 5 or 6 plays, even with the timeouts. I don't think it would be gutless to not try. I think it is just a way to regroup. If they got the turnover closer to midfield, even the 30, I would say allright, let's try. But weren't they at the 12? Many things can happen, most of them bad.

[NoSaint]

Many of you don't recall a game vs. the Jets a few years ago when Jim Kelly threw a pick with about 30 seconds left in the half, and the Jets converted that to a field goal. When you're getting the ball back to start the second half, why would you even take a chance at a turnover?

 

I'm glad that a lot of you disagree. It's a free country.

 

I would not have done it. I would have run out the clock and come back fresh. They hadn't moved the ball well, and there was only time for 5 or 6 plays, even with the timeouts. I don't think it would be gutless to not try. I think it is just a way to regroup. If they got the turnover closer to midfield, even the 30, I would say allright, let's try. But weren't they at the 12? Many things can happen, most of them bad.

 

honestly, either play call was fine by me but it seemed like a "whatever you do, dont turn it over trying to create a play" situation. if they blow a coverage, take advantage of it - if not go into the locker room as is. if that means better off kneeling (given our knack for giving the ball away at awful times) than i wouldnt have complained either.

[first_and_ten]

It wouldn't have mattered if the Bills had taken a knee and ran out the clock. Only the final score of a blowout would have changed a bit. The Niners would have come out in the second half and kicked the Bills butts either way. The Bills would have quit when the first bad thing happened to them. Bad things happen in games. Good teams play through it and overcome it. Bad teams like Buffalo quit. To be fair to bad teams, not all bad teams quit either. This bad Buffalo team seems to have a roster of quitters waiting for a reason to sulk.

[SectionC3]

I could have lived with the knee, but I can hardly blame Gailey for trying to win the game. If we can't trust the TE to hold the ball against the type of rake that knocked it loose, we shouldn't throw him the ball.

 

What annoys me isn't even the knee on the ensuing kickoff, but the knee that we took immediately thereafter with (I believe) three timeouts. It's not like time and field position were that much different from the play on which we fumbled, and I don't get the inconsistency in approach at that point in the game. The "worst" had already happened in terms of the turnover, so why not let the "NFL" quarterback use his three timeouts to try to get three points back?

Edited October 8, 2012 by BuffaloPowerEye