AFew Thoughts About The Game, in no particular order.....

[DC Bills Backer]

Marrone is terrible. He was average at a mediocre school and Russ got everyone excited about changing the culture. It will be fun to see after we lose the next 3 games what Russ will sell to us fans to get excited for next year. Marrone is way over his head and has no business being an NFL coach, id love for them to fire him but with that said I can't see any worthwhile coach coming to work for Ralph and Russ at this point. Once they are gone maybe things change if the team is still in Buffalo.

[Gray Beard]

As talented as Stevie Johnson is has attitude is a cancer on a team that has a fragile psyche. Shrugging off his tipped pass that turned into an INT as being early in the game. After last week, you would think he would finally get it. He has not. I admire that he worked his way into be a good WR but his time in Buffalo is about over. He has worn out his welcome and EJ needs better WRs. This was one of the worst offensive performances by the Bills in years and that is saying a lot. Marrone has his work cut out for him.

What I don't like is that EJ seems to force his passes to SJ. It sometimes takes a few seconds for the juke moves to allow SJ to get open.

I wonder... If EJ is waiting for the right moment to throw to SJ, then is he ignoring his other receivers?

I am still hung up on the fact that EJ's best game in the past month was the game when SJ wasn't playing. Did that give him a different attitude which caused him to look to other guys to throw to?

[Campy]

Marrone is terrible. He was average at a mediocre school and Russ got everyone excited about changing the culture. It will be fun to see after we lose the next 3 games what Russ will sell to us fans to get excited for next year. Marrone is way over his head and has no business being an NFL coach, id love for them to fire him but with that said I can't see any worthwhile coach coming to work for Ralph and Russ at this point. Once they are gone maybe things change if the team is still in Buffalo.

 

He might be. Or he might not be. Aren't 13 games in a little too premature to know for sure?

 

5-11.

 

That was Bellichik's record his first year in New England. Is Marrone the next Belichick? We'd never find out if some of you had your way.

[Agent 91]

 

 

The last QB I can remember not playing from the start was Carson Palmer in 2003, and yes most expected Manuel to start even with Kolb signed.

 

EJ rarely puts a pass where the receiver can make the catch and run. He also seems to make a lot of throws to stationary targets, though some of this could be little Nate's offense. And then there was the pass to Woods which got the guy slammed hard.

 

After he woke up. Who was he looking at in disgust. Levonte David running or EJ Manuel who almost got him killed.

[Agent 91]

This is the most disturbing thing about the last two weeks--realizing that the Bills hired another Jauron/Mularkey/Gailey-quality HC. I have no idea whether the Bills could have hired Chip Kelly if they wanted to, but it would have been totally out of character to hire an innovator with fresh ideas about how to win football games.

 

I had that feeling the second Goodell called EJ's name.

 

We all knew it was coming before the draft. Otherwise such an extensive search would not have been conducted on such an inferior qb class. They just wanted to show that they would. Not because they should.

[BADOLBILZ]

Thanks for one of your better posts. I wish there was a way to dispute it but I can't find one.

 

I am NOT ready to declare that EJ is a bust but in a sense, it doesn't matter if he is. They got the extra pick for him, and there is always next year and the year after that.

Additionally, position players are easier to get these days as UFAs. How many players will a team such as the Ravens have to cut in order to pay Flacco 21 million dollars? Same applies to the Packers, etc.

 

Rookie qbs, even if their last name is Luck, cost 50 cents. There is absolutely NO reason not to grab one. In fact, I think that the Bills should draft one even if their opinion of EJ is higher than mine.

 

At this point I am thinking the team needs to do some filing in free agency..... if there is a bargain starting CB again....like there were last year....do not pass on him. But particularly at traditionally lower pay positions like ILB and OG they should be shopping....... and then simply take the best QB in the first round and get value in round 2.

 

The team has excelled at getting value in round 2 the past two seasons. Kyle Van Noy is the kind of swiss army knife playmaking LB that could go inside and out in Pettine's defense and I think he might be available. Mosley may even test poorly and slip. Then there is the possibility of getting a top OT or TE prospect at that spot in round two as well. It's not make or break.......but a 360-370 pound NT wouldn't hurt. Supply of useful NT's exceeds current demand so I would expect to see some available cheap in FA or later in the draft.

 

On a side note, I think they want to part ways with Urbik. That is their own fault. Urbik and Pears can get you a stalemate but this new offense is asking their OL to do something they can't do, which is to push premium DL athletes off the ball.

 

Losing your best offensive lineman and then moving the emphasis of your offense to line play was somewhat shortsighted, IMO. From what I see the individual ability of the 4 returning lineman hasn't diminished. In fact, Glenn has improved while the rest are pretty much the same.

 

I hope Unga turns into a serviceable guard because if they wouldn't pay Levitre I don't see how they could justify drafting a guard in the first two rounds.

[Coach Tuesday]

Losing your best offensive lineman and then moving the emphasis of your offense to line play was somewhat shortsighted, IMO. From what I see the individual ability of the 4 returning lineman hasn't diminished. In fact, Glenn has improved while the rest are pretty much the same.

 

This is how I sum up the Buffalo Bills' 2013 Strategic (Failed) Plan.

 

Add to that asking a rookie QB to play behind said line.

 

As always, their planning is atrocious. It's why they are one of the worst franchises in pro sports.

[Garranimal]

Marrone's post game presser was very painful. Chan was more articulate. Marrone must have said "ya know" 500 times in 5 minutes. I can see players tuning him out. He comes across as a lightweight.

Marrone was hired because he was cheap and the moving costs were low. Otherwise, if you are going to go after an unknown college commodity, you would go after someone like Chris Petersen (last year) or Gus Malzahn (this year).....guys who have pioneered something at the college level.

 

If you are a sucky NFL franchise, you hire someone like Marrone or Schiano who had average success in a terrible conference.....the AAC....are you kidding me?

[thebandit27]

Marrone was hired because he was cheap and the moving costs were low. Otherwise, if you are going to go after an unknown college commodity, you would go after someone like Chris Petersen (last year) or Gus Malzahn (this year).....guys who have pioneered something at the college level.

 

If you are a sucky NFL franchise, you hire someone like Marrone or Schiano who had average success in a terrible conference.....the AAC....are you kidding me?

 

Kind of like how the Bears went and got a CFL coach with no NFL experience? Garbage I tell you!

[BuffaloWings]

Id say trade or sign Cutler but if we cant get him why not just take Josh McCown he is lighting it up in Chicago!!!

 

Sure...just like Rob Johnson. Wait...

 

He might be. Or he might not be. Aren't 13 games in a little too premature to know for sure?

 

5-11.

 

That was Bellichik's record his first year in New England. Is Marrone the next Belichick? We'd never find out if some of you had your way.

 

If the organization was worth their salt, they'd give Marrone 3 years to figure it out. Unless he's doing something illegal, immoral, unethical, or just being a plain pr*ck to everyone in the locker room, he's not going anywhere. Some of you forget that he has NFL coaching experience. He's not just a guy from a mediocre school in a mediocre conference. He's been around the NFL a little bit. Give the man a chance to figure it out...please.

[BADOLBILZ]

Kind of like how the Bears went and got a CFL coach with no NFL experience? Garbage I tell you!

 

The Bills aren't in the same category as the Chicago Bears franchise. The Bears aren't the Patriots but Lovie Smith took them.......you know....to Championship games and a SB in recent history.

 

Let me sum up why the Bills are 4-9.

 

They needed a culture change as badly....if not worse than a QB. They hired an unproven HC when they needed someone the team would trust in.

 

And rather than doing everything they could to stock the team to the max and allow the new HC to start off on the right foot.......they decided they were going to play business as usual and see how that went.

 

There was no sense of urgency from the personnel department. They hung Marrone out to dry.

Edited December 10, 2013 by BADOLBEELZ

[billsfan714]

Kind of like how the Bears went and got a CFL coach with no NFL experience? Garbage I tell you!

 

Marc Trestman, even though prior to this season has been coaching in the CFL a few years, has seen more and done more in the NFL than Nate, son of Paul, Hackett has ever done. But then again Nate had a great game plan for Stoneybrook.

[thebandit27]

Marc Trestman, even though prior to this season has been coaching in the CFL a few years, has seen more and done more in the NFL than Nate, son of Paul, Hackett has ever done. But then again Nate had a great game plan for Stoneybrook.

 

You're comparing hiring a guy that was an offensive coordinator a decade ago, who since has mired in obscurity in the CFL, as an NFL head coach, to hiring an offensive coordinator that knows the system that your new head coach likes to run?

 

You may want to re-read the post I responded to; it questioned the legitimacy of hiring a college head coach. I simply compared it to hiring a CFL head coach...he also had zero head coaching experience in the NFL.

 

Marrone, like Trestman, was an offensive coordinator in the NFL. Both guys toiled under offensive gurus in Sean Payton and John Gruden, and could otherwise be called figurehead OCs in the NFL.

 

Both guys cut their teeth as head coaches at a level below the NFL, and neither had proven anything prior to arriving as an NFL head coach.

 

It's a very logical comparison if you look at it.

 

If you want to pick bones about Hackett, that's fine; I just don't see how it compares to hiring Trestman as HC.

[tennesseeboy]

Really? Give up on a coach and staff after one year? C'mon...who knows if Marrone is going to be the guy, but this is a bit short-sighted. You probably would have fired Bill Belichick when he didn't win the Superbowl with Bledsoe.

Actually I think you are right and he will deserve a failing grade with fewer than 6 wins and the expectation next year should be a playoff team or a winning season. Then will be the time to get rid of him. Unless of course we want to take the Dick Jauron/Chan Gailey route and wallow in incompetence for a few more years.

[Sisyphean Bills]

Actually I think you are right and he will deserve a failing grade with fewer than 6 wins and the expectation next year should be a playoff team or a winning season. Then will be the time to get rid of him. Unless of course we want to take the Dick Jauron/Chan Gailey route and wallow in incompetence for a few more years.

 

The risk there is that they might rip off a winning streak of 2 or 3 games and have to extend the incompetence with a shiny new contract.

[dave mcbride]

You're comparing hiring a guy that was an offensive coordinator a decade ago, who since has mired in obscurity in the CFL, as an NFL head coach, to hiring an offensive coordinator that knows the system that your new head coach likes to run?

 

You may want to re-read the post I responded to; it questioned the legitimacy of hiring a college head coach. I simply compared it to hiring a CFL head coach...he also had zero head coaching experience in the NFL.

 

Marrone, like Trestman, was an offensive coordinator in the NFL. Both guys toiled under offensive gurus in Sean Payton and John Gruden, and could otherwise be called figurehead OCs in the NFL.

 

Both guys cut their teeth as head coaches at a level below the NFL, and neither had proven anything prior to arriving as an NFL head coach.

 

It's a very logical comparison if you look at it.

 

If you want to pick bones about Hackett, that's fine; I just don't see how it compares to hiring Trestman as HC.

 

Trestman was the OC for San Fran in 1995 and 1996. They finished first and third in the NFL in offense in those two seasons. He also was the OC for Cleveland in 1989. The Browns made the AFC championship game that season. He was also the OC for the 1998 Cardinals, who made the playoffs for the first time in forever and won their first playoff game, largely because of the offense. The 2002 Raiders offense he OC'd led the league, and Gruden was gone by then. In fact, Payton hired Trestman as a consultant in 2007. So no, he is not a figurehead OC.

Edited December 10, 2013 by dave mcbride

[thebandit27]

Trestman was the OC for San Fran in 1995 and 1996. They finished first and third in the NFL in offense in those two seasons. He also was the OC for Cleveland in 1989. The Browns made the AFC championship game that season. He was also the OC for the 1998 Cardinals, who made the playoffs for the first time in forever and won their first playoff game, largely because of the offense. The 2002 Raiders offense he OC'd led the league, and Gruden was gone by then. In fact, Payton hired Trestman as a consultant in 2007. So no, he is not a figurehead OC.

 

I realize he spent quite a bit of time in the NFL...I don't think, however, that acting as the OC under Bill Walsh qualifies him as not being a figurehead...and Oakland was absolutely still running Gruden's offense in 2002 (even if he did move on to Tampa Bay in that season). It's no coincidence that the team's offense plummeted to 25th in the NFL in 2003, two years removed from Gruden's presence.

 

The '89 Browns were smack dab in the middle of the NFL in offense, but had a top 5 defense, which is why they made the AFC Championship game.

 

The '98 Cardinals were his best work, coaxing a top 10 offense out of Jake Plummer & Co. Unfortunately, it didn't last, as they dropped to 30th in 1999 and 29th in 2000 under Trestman.

 

I don't want to get to far off topic, as the point here isn't to denigrate Trestman...far from it, in fact. The point is that a good coach can toil in relative obscurity for some time and still be a good coach.

[dave mcbride]

I realize he spent quite a bit of time in the NFL...I don't think, however, that acting as the OC under Bill Walsh qualifies him as not being a figurehead...and Oakland was absolutely still running Gruden's offense in 2002 (even if he did move on to Tampa Bay in that season). It's no coincidence that the team's offense plummeted to 25th in the NFL in 2003, two years removed from Gruden's presence.

 

The '89 Browns were smack dab in the middle of the NFL in offense, but had a top 5 defense, which is why they made the AFC Championship game.

 

The '98 Cardinals were his best work, coaxing a top 10 offense out of Jake Plummer & Co. Unfortunately, it didn't last, as they dropped to 30th in 1999 and 29th in 2000 under Trestman.

 

I don't want to get to far off topic, as the point here isn't to denigrate Trestman...far from it, in fact. The point is that a good coach can toil in relative obscurity for some time and still be a good coach.

 

Bill Walsh wasn't the coach of SF in 1995-96. Walsh retired after the 1988 season.

Edited December 10, 2013 by dave mcbride

[BADOLBILZ]

You're comparing hiring a guy that was an offensive coordinator a decade ago, who since has mired in obscurity in the CFL, as an NFL head coach, to hiring an offensive coordinator that knows the system that your new head coach likes to run?

 

You may want to re-read the post I responded to; it questioned the legitimacy of hiring a college head coach. I simply compared it to hiring a CFL head coach...he also had zero head coaching experience in the NFL.

 

Marrone, like Trestman, was an offensive coordinator in the NFL. Both guys toiled under offensive gurus in Sean Payton and John Gruden, and could otherwise be called figurehead OCs in the NFL.

 

Both guys cut their teeth as head coaches at a level below the NFL, and neither had proven anything prior to arriving as an NFL head coach.

 

It's a very logical comparison if you look at it.

 

If you want to pick bones about Hackett, that's fine; I just don't see how it compares to hiring Trestman as HC.

 

It doesn't really matter how Marrone differs from other first time NFL head coaches.

 

The Bills offered very little margin for error for a first time HC. The only job even close to as tough for a rookie HC was Cleveland. The Bills organization was oblivious to this......but now they are seeing it for themselves.

 

There is such a stench of losing around this franchise that it was going to take either an exceptional new HC and a concerted effort by the personnel department OR a proven winning HC to stem the tide of losing.

 

We can make all the excuses we want about the likes of Bill Cowher or Jon Gruden not wanting to come to Buffalo but it wasn't time to hire another Mike Mularkey and let him indulge the idea of running a power offense with a finesse offensive line......but also run it up-tempo so that the defense would get a maximum number of snaps as well.

 

Like I have said, I give the guy something of a pass because I blame Doug Whaley and Buddy Nix more for not significantly improving the veteran talent on the team......that aspect is actually WORSE than last year......but Marrone hasn't coached what he was given well either. All-around fail to this point.

Edited December 10, 2013 by BADOLBEELZ

[Steve in Carolina]

And yet a simple and obvious quick-fix is there if the front office has the guts to do it. The price tag would be about $20M per year though. Jay Cutler, anyone?

$20M for 1/2 a season. He's always hurt.