stevewin Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 As a matter of fact...I WOULD like an affidavit. Notarized, too..or it dont mean sh--. Seriously, if you FIRST guessed that play, then kudos. But what youre asking for....to give up on going up MORE than a FG, in the 4th quarter, at home, against a third string offense, may do the OPPOSITE than what you are intending it to do. That is, show the DEFENSE you have no confidence in them! See...it can go both ways here. There really is no black and way RIGHT or WRONG way to handle that situation. But one thing is for sure....Lindell should have made that !@#$ING KICK!!!!!!! 192659[/snapback] My thinking is that the issue at that point was less about points and more about confidence. The Bills were a mess playing tight and without confidence and making mistakes until that drive. They were finally putting it together and I truly feel at 3rd and 1 the attitude by the coaches should have been "We have two plays to get one yard - we HAVE to be able to do that. We WILL do that". Everyone knows there is nothing that gets a team more fired up than a coach showing confidence in them pounding out short yardage. There are really two issues - the first is deciding how to approach 3rd and one - and I think they blew it and their attitude should have been punch them in the mouth, twice if we have to, to get one yard and physically take control of the game. The 4th was a bit of a different situation than if they had pounded first and wanted to just pound again if they hadn't made it (which I think at that point the offense has the definite advantage to not get stuffed again). I still would have liked to have seen them go for it on 4th. Even if they make the field goal I think it still was a let down to even attempt it, and would not have turned around the team's confidence and attitude like deciding to just physically take control of the game. The Bills needed enough momentum and confidence at that point to take control of the game and the FG just wasn't going to give them all they needed, given the situation, IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chalkie Gerzowski Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 When it was 3rd and one I told my wife "The need to just pound it up the middle - twice if they have to - and get the first down". When they got the penalty I said - "See - if they ran up the middle the worst that happens is it gets stuffed and you do it again". When it was 4th down before they kicked it I said "A field goal does nothing here - they needed to pound it in and take control of the game". I can get a signed affidavit from her if you want. The whole game for the Bills was a mess up until that drive. They finally had the momentum and the players even admitted after they were finally getting confident. IMO the coaches totally screwed that confidence and momentum - their attitude should have been 'Enough of this BS - we have two plays to make one yard and we will - we will not be denied and we will score a TD'. If they score that TD the Bills take control and the game is over. If they don't get the first at least they know the coaches have confidence in them to pound one friggin lousy yard and try to put the game away and they still have the Steelers pinned way back still with the lead. "Fraidy-cat" is a much more euphemistic term than I would use to describe the coaching at that situation. I guarantee MM regrets it now and it probably will affect his decision making in the future. 192642[/snapback] I said the same thing.....go for it.....1 point lead becomes a 4 point lead, big deal? Go for it, go up by 8 points and the momentum stays squarely with the Bills into the 4th quarter. And I had a bad feeling that Lindell would miss. If you're up by 6 or 7 and want to go for the field goal, that's understandable. Playing it safe gets this team nowhere. Whether Gregg Williams wants to punt at the 30 yard line or this team wussed out on 4th and 1. This is football, take off the kid gloves once in a while. Teams in the NFL never advance very far by playing it safe and not to lose nearly 100% of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San-O Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 When the game is on the line, the ONE player you don't want to give the ball to is our QB. Period. Bledsoe quotes as saying "this is my team". No it's not. You've had your chances, and plenty at that. Not one time did this guy make it happen that I can remember and can be counted on to fold just when you would expect. See 76.6 QB rating, about 35/36 down the list. Want more? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Excuse me, Im not fighting with you here. Im just responding to your post with MY point of view on the issue at hand. That IS still allowed here, right? Jeez. 192650[/snapback] Come on man, the 3d down call was horrible. Kicking on 4th was the right call but it shouldn't have had to come to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Come on man, the 3d down call was horrible. 192830[/snapback] No it wasn't. It was a very good play that the defense obviously wasn't expecting. Reed made the mistake of extending his arms instead of simply brushing the defender - which is virtually never called. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 No it wasn't. It was a very good play that the defense obviously wasn't expecting. Reed made the mistake of extending his arms instead of simply brushing the defender - which is virtually never called. 192842[/snapback] Given the suspect O-line, Bledsoe's accuracy issues and the tendency for the WRs to drop passes, I think giving the ball to Willis would have been the right call in that spot. I agree you can't go into a shell, but getting that first would have been big. Oh well.....there's always baseball season! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Given the suspect O-line, Bledsoe's accuracy issues and the tendency for the WRs to drop passes, I think giving the ball to Willis would have been the right call in that spot. I agree you can't go into a shell, but getting that first would have been big. Oh well.....there's always baseball season! 192862[/snapback] I miss hockey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
San-O Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 No it wasn't. It was a very good play that the defense obviously wasn't expecting. Reed made the mistake of extending his arms instead of simply brushing the defender - which is virtually never called. 192842[/snapback] Any time you can eliminate Bleadsoe AND Reed from the actual play, it's got to be a good thing. Reed shoudn't even be on the field. The guy had 16 catches this year. How many drops do you think h had. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 I miss hockey. 192865[/snapback] What's hockey? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 What's hockey? 192878[/snapback] It's a seriously pucked-up sport... I kill me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 I kill me... 192883[/snapback] If only that were true... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 If only that were true... 192884[/snapback] I'm mentally ill...give me about twenty years or so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark VI Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Sorry if this was posted but Tuesday Morning QB absolutely torches the Bills. It is a good read and doesn't single out any one player, but criticizes the entire team including coaches: TMQ Here's a sample of TMQ on NFL.com "Tis Better to Have Rushed and Lost Than Never to Have Rushed At All (Playoff-Bound Collapse Edition) Leading 17-16 at the end of the third quarter at home with Steelers' starters leaving to take comfortable seats, the seemingly playoff-bound Bills faced third-and-1 on the Pittsburgh 11, on a day when Willis McGahee averaged 4.4 yards per rush. Run up the middle? Instead pass, offensive interference against Buffalo. A third-down gain brings the ball back to the same point, but now it's fourth-and-1. Run up the middle? If you fail the opponent's third-string gentlemen are pinned deep in their own territory with the crowd roaring at experimental-scramjet decibels. Instead field-goal attempt, missed from 28. These two mincing fraidy-cat calls on third-and-1 and fourth-and-1 are promptly punished by the football gods with 10 lightning points for Pittsburgh. Now it's Steelers 26, Bills 17 early in the fourth quarter, with Pittsburgh practice-squad guys populating the field. Buffalo faces third-and-1 on the Steelers 48. Run up the middle? Instead attempted trick play, loss of yardage. On fourth-and-6 from midfield, Buffalo punts, even though the whole season is on the line and you're playing against third-stringers. Emboldened by this mincing fraidy-cat failure to seize the day, the Pittsburgh third-stringers staged their clock-killer drive, and the home team did not get the ball back until almost the two-minute warning. For everything else that went wrong for the Bills on Sunday, had Buffalo simply run up the middle on even one of three late-game short-yardage downs, the Bills would likely now be preparing for the playoffs. " 192500[/snapback] Easterbrook is a Buffalo native and is spot on in his comments. He is hurting like all of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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