Bills biggest potential FA addition - Marrone, Petine

[Mr. T]

For all you doom and gloomers who have already decided that the Bills are a lost cause I want to remind you that last year at this time most people here were talking possible playoffs. Optimism was sky high with the potential top 5 defense led by Mario, K. Williams, Darius, and Anderson. Yeah our secondary was young and questionable but with a dominant dline they would be asked to do less. Than along came Wanstadt who was clueless in how to put together a defensive gameplan to utilize the talent he had available and everything fell apart.

 

On offense the Bills had two of the best RB tandems in the league, a solid, to very good Oline who could open holes for Spiller and Jackson but than along comes Gailey who refuses to use them. Instead he trys to force Fitzpatrick into being Tom Brady and the offense becomes a mess.

 

People, as far as the players are concerned, as a whole, this same team that gave everyone hope last year, is still intact. The only player we have lost is Levitre, a guard, which is probably the easiest position on the field to replace. The rest of the players who are gone, Barnett, Morrison, Kelsey, Jones, Wilson, Merriman, "Fitzpatrick", were not producing much, if at all. Again, they can all be replaced, and all those positions upgraded by players still available in FA, or even players already on the roster.

 

The key to the Bills turning things around this year is the new coaching staff. Can or will Marrone and his young OC put together an effective offensive package which takes advantage of the strengths the Bills already have, Spiller, Johnson, an solid OL. Can or will Petine put together an aggressive, adjusting defensive package that takes advantage of the talent that is already in place.

 

If anything, last year proved, you can add a bunch of talented players to your team, but if the coaching staff is inferior, it simply does not matter. If Marrone and his staff prove to finally be top notch, it will reflect in how the players produce on the field. If they turn out to be like the past few coaching staffs it won't matter what players we add or lose this year, the Bills will continue to flounder.

 

Thats why I say the key FA additions this year are Marrone and his staff. Here's hoping they have the right stuff. Go Bills!!

Edited March 14, 2013 by Mr. T

[BuckeyeBill]

Excellent point... we could have brought in all the top flight free agents, but if the coaching staff is inept, then it is just a big waste of money. Here's hoping Marrone and Pettine have the knowledge and moxie to turn this team around. The talent is there, heck it was there last year and the year before. We just need good coaching. (And having a good QB couldn't hurt)

[mrags]

This thread makes entirely too much sense. Shame on you for making sense.

 

I still believe we're going to have a 8-8 season or under, I do agree with you assessments. With a solid performance from a QB and coaching staff, we could very well succeed. It's all unknown at this point. I'm along for the ride either way.

[Perk71]

I agree with you 100%

[ganesh]

This thread makes entirely too much sense. Shame on you for making sense.

 

I still believe we're going to have a 8-8 season or under, I do agree with you assessments. With a solid performance from a QB and coaching staff, we could very well succeed. It's all unknown at this point. I'm along for the ride either way.

 

If have a rookie QB directing us to a 8-8 record and with luck the balls bounces our way to another two wins, it will be a fantastic achieved and will go on to prove that whatever talent you have, it is up to the coaching staff to put it together.

[Bills Fan888]

This thread makes entirely too much sense. Shame on you for making sense.

 

I still believe we're going to have a 8-8 season or under, I do agree with you assessments. With a solid performance from a QB and coaching staff, we could very well succeed. It's all unknown at this point. I'm along for the ride either way.

I'm feelin an 8-8 season too. Players have to learn a new scheme and QB is still a question mark. I do feel that the next few years the Bills will finally resurface as competitors.

[ganesh]

I'm feelin an 8-8 season too. Players have to learn a new scheme and QB is still a question mark. I do feel that the next few years the Bills will finally resurface as competitors.

It is the season of Hope!

[RealityCheck]

They need some runners.

[Big C]

I think the talent on our roster is a little underrated. We could have easily turned out a 9-7 season with a handful of plays going our way (Fitz throwing that INT in the redzone at NE, Wilson dropping picks against Tenn and STL - and they are both gone now). We do need to fill out some positions again, but there is definitely talent. Hopefully this staff can harness it better, if only to give Byrd a reason to stay other than $$ (fingers crossed, but let's be glad he's still here for 2013).

[Buffalo Barbarian]

2-14 baby, Manziel watch (I do like the staff but you need something to work with)

[reddogblitz]

2-14 baby, Manziel watch (I do like the staff but you need something to work with)

If this new staff can't do better than 2-14 with what talent we have, they deserve to be fired.

 

What makes you think Manziel is coming out next year? He's only a freshman. He might, but then again, he might not. What then, 2-14 again?

[Mr. T]

2-14 baby, Manziel watch (I do like the staff but you need something to work with)

And what if Manziel has a noticeable drop off this year. He does show some signs of having a big head already and he may fall victim to his own self. Than what?

 

Goes back to coaching and the proper utilization of talent. Put Manziel, at his best, with last years coaching and they would have him running the wildcat. I'm putting my hope in Marrone and his staff, not in the hopes we are bad enough for Manziel. For all we know someone like Manziel sees he is likely to be drafted by the Bills and he decides to pull a Luck, and chooses to stay another year in college instead. Or worse, we stink so bad next year that we do draft Manziel and turns out to be another Todd Marinovich, ouch!

Edited March 14, 2013 by Mr. T

[Buffalo Barbarian]

And what if Manziel has a noticeable drop off this year. He does show some signs of having a big head already and he may fall victim to his own self. Than what?

 

 

 

AJ McCarron, Blake Bortles, Casey Pachall.

[Bufcomments]

For all you doom and gloomers who have already decided that the Bills are a lost cause I want to remind you that last year at this time most people here were talking possible playoffs. Optimism was sky high with the potential top 5 defense led by Mario, K. Williams, Darius, and Anderson. Yeah our secondary was young and questionable but with a dominant dline they would be asked to do less. Than along came Wanstadt who was clueless in how to put together a defensive gameplan to utilize the talent he had available and everything fell apart.

 

On offense the Bills had two of the best RB tandems in the league, a solid, to very good Oline who could open holes for Spiller and Jackson but than along comes Gailey who refuses to use them. Instead he trys to force Fitzpatrick into being Tom Brady and the offense becomes a mess.

 

People, as far as the players are concerned, as a whole, this same team that gave everyone hope last year, is still intact. The only player we have lost is Levitre, a guard, which is probably the easiest position on the field to replace. The rest of the players who are gone, Barnett, Morrison, Kelsey, Jones, Wilson, Merriman, "Fitzpatrick", were not producing much, if at all. Again, they can all be replaced, and all those positions upgraded by players still available in FA, or even players already on the roster.

 

The key to the Bills turning things around this year is the new coaching staff. Can or will Marrone and his young OC put together an effective offensive package which takes advantage of the strengths the Bills already have, Spiller, Johnson, an solid OL. Can or will Petine put together an aggressive, adjusting defensive package that takes advantage of the talent that is already in place.

 

If anything, last year proved, you can add a bunch of talented players to your team, but if the coaching staff is inferior, it simply does not matter. If Marrone and his staff prove to finally be top notch, it will reflect in how the players produce on the field. If they turn out to be like the past few coaching staffs it won't matter what players we add or lose this year, the Bills will continue to flounder.

 

Thats why I say the key FA additions this year are Marrone and his staff. Here's hoping they have the right stuff. Go Bills!!

you make good points. Maybe since are expectations are lower, maybe they will surprise us.

 

If you watch any of these Nassib youtube vids you can see what kind of things they will be doing on offense. It to me has some West Coast themes to it.

 

What I really want to see is what Petine does with The Dline with Mario, Dareus and Lawson, and Kyle. I guess a 4-4 base.

 

We shall see but I just cant get excitied about this team or this organization, they failed us so many times. It gets old.

[Dean Cain]

 

you make good points. Maybe since are expectations are lower, maybe they will surprise us.

 

If you watch any of these Nassib youtube vids you can see what kind of things they will be doing on offense. It to me has some West Coast themes to it.

 

What I really want to see is what Petine does with The Dline with Mario, Dareus and Lawson, and Kyle. I guess a 4-4 base.

 

We shall see but I just cant get excitied about this team or this organization, they failed us so many times. It gets old.

 

Don't expect a 4-4 base, 8 man fronts haven't worked since Ditka & Buddy Ryan were mowing down cigars watching episodes of Cheers.

 

As for our organizations ineptitude we are just a QB away.

[NewEra]

For all you doom and gloomers who have already decided that the Bills are a lost cause I want to remind you that last year at this time most people here were talking possible playoffs. Optimism was sky high with the potential top 5 defense led by Mario, K. Williams, Darius, and Anderson. Yeah our secondary was young and questionable but with a dominant dline they would be asked to do less. Than along came Wanstadt who was clueless in how to put together a defensive gameplan to utilize the talent he had available and everything fell apart.

 

On offense the Bills had two of the best RB tandems in the league, a solid, to very good Oline who could open holes for Spiller and Jackson but than along comes Gailey who refuses to use them. Instead he trys to force Fitzpatrick into being Tom Brady and the offense becomes a mess.

 

People, as far as the players are concerned, as a whole, this same team that gave everyone hope last year, is still intact. The only player we have lost is Levitre, a guard, which is probably the easiest position on the field to replace. The rest of the players who are gone, Barnett, Morrison, Kelsey, Jones, Wilson, Merriman, "Fitzpatrick", were not producing much, if at all. Again, they can all be replaced, and all those positions upgraded by players still available in FA, or even players already on the roster.

 

The key to the Bills turning things around this year is the new coaching staff. Can or will Marrone and his young OC put together an effective offensive package which takes advantage of the strengths the Bills already have, Spiller, Johnson, an solid OL. Can or will Petine put together an aggressive, adjusting defensive package that takes advantage of the talent that is already in place.

 

If anything, last year proved, you can add a bunch of talented players to your team, but if the coaching staff is inferior, it simply does not matter. If Marrone and his staff prove to finally be top notch, it will reflect in how the players produce on the field. If they turn out to be like the past few coaching staffs it won't matter what players we add or lose this year, the Bills will continue to flounder.

 

Thats why I say the key FA additions this year are Marrone and his staff. Here's hoping they have the right stuff. Go Bills!!

 

I agree completely. HC and DC are the 2nd and 3rd most important aspects of a team IMO. QB being number 1. GM and owner right up there with HC/DC. The subtraction of Stache paired with the addition of Pettine will make our defense, plus another couple Lbs a top 15 IMO. Time will tell. We won't make the playoffs til we get a good QB though. It'll be interesting to see what their game plan is. Sign Matt cassell?? Sounds good to me. Hello Teddy Bridgewater. Being that we lost Levitre, the best move might be to (while I hate it) draft Warmack, then a combination of LB, Wr, TE, DL, DB......no QB til late. Beyond the team then get a real QB. You can't suck blood from a stones. I see this draft as a dried up pond full of rocks. Don't take a QB because we need one. Take a QB because you think he can be very good. Geno/Barkley or wait til rd 4-6. If QB was our only hole, the story would be different. As of now, we have major holes all across the board.

 

That being said, while I'm not happy with the first couple days of free agency, I think there's a LOT of talent available still. The longer we wait, the lesser players we'll get, but there's going to be a lot of bargains out there due to the influx of talent. The question is, will the bargains sign in Buffalo?

Edited March 14, 2013 by NewEra

[eball]

Look at it this way. Despite an absolutely horrific defensive scheme the Bills were still about four plays away from being 10-6 rather than 6-10. Wannstedt was an abject failure as the DC.

 

The talent on defense is still there, and the guy coming in to coach them is young and innovative. For me, the question mark is the offense.

[HankBulloughMellencamp]

Great post, Mr. T. I find the pessimism on this board to be quite hilarious. There are a lot of ways the Bills need to get better in 2013, to be sure, and besides QB & defensive play, coaching is A-number one. From what I have Hal Garner-ed from all of the reports on Marrone, he is more John/Jim Harbaugh-ish than Gailey/Jauron-ish when it comes to competitiveness, enthusiasm, dealing with players/not putting up with nonsense. Time will tell, but Bill Polian has stated he was #1 on his radar as a potential NFL HC, and I will take him at his word.

 

And who could argue with jettisoning GWilson, TMcGee, NBarnett, DJones, DNelson, RFitzpatrick, and (indirectly) SMerriman and CKelsay? Who really wanted them to overpay for a LG, albeit a darn good one, to the tune of ~8m/yr? So their first real signing was to keep the best PR/KR man in the league by a mile, who is also the best athlete on the team & has improved as a CB, and to then sign a versatile LB who immediately becomes our best LB and can rush the passer like we hoped Merriman would? AOK by me.

[CSBill]

For all you doom and gloomers who have already decided that the Bills are a lost cause I want to remind you that last year at this time most people here were talking possible playoffs. Optimism was sky high with the potential top 5 defense led by Mario, K. Williams, Darius, and Anderson. Yeah our secondary was young and questionable but with a dominant dline they would be asked to do less. Than along came Wanstadt who was clueless in how to put together a defensive gameplan to utilize the talent he had available and everything fell apart.

 

On offense the Bills had two of the best RB tandems in the league, a solid, to very good Oline who could open holes for Spiller and Jackson but than along comes Gailey who refuses to use them. Instead he trys to force Fitzpatrick into being Tom Brady and the offense becomes a mess.

 

People, as far as the players are concerned, as a whole, this same team that gave everyone hope last year, is still intact. The only player we have lost is Levitre, a guard, which is probably the easiest position on the field to replace. The rest of the players who are gone, Barnett, Morrison, Kelsey, Jones, Wilson, Merriman, "Fitzpatrick", were not producing much, if at all. Again, they can all be replaced, and all those positions upgraded by players still available in FA, or even players already on the roster.

 

The key to the Bills turning things around this year is the new coaching staff. Can or will Marrone and his young OC put together an effective offensive package which takes advantage of the strengths the Bills already have, Spiller, Johnson, an solid OL. Can or will Petine put together an aggressive, adjusting defensive package that takes advantage of the talent that is already in place.

 

If anything, last year proved, you can add a bunch of talented players to your team, but if the coaching staff is inferior, it simply does not matter. If Marrone and his staff prove to finally be top notch, it will reflect in how the players produce on the field. If they turn out to be like the past few coaching staffs it won't matter what players we add or lose this year, the Bills will continue to flounder.

 

Thats why I say the key FA additions this year are Marrone and his staff. Here's hoping they have the right stuff. Go Bills!!

 

I totally agree, especially on the Defensive side .... it really can't get any worse, can it?

[Dr Doom]

Doooooooooooooomed!