Clippers of Nfl Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 elaborate on the etc... and to address your points: how do you feel the run defense has improved? we were 28th in total run defense last year--how did we improve that? by bringing in spikes? he anchored a run defense in new england that finished (wait for it) 30th! where is the improvement? a new coordinator? ok, maybe. infusion of talent on the oline? that may be the case, but was oline play REALLY the problem last year? we had the second most potent rushing offense in the league, leading me to believe that the problems on offense came down to our qb. ej has a full offseason under his belt... but my friend, that is a zero sum game. so does geno smith (jets were better than us last year.) tannehil has another year under his belt as well. brady is still brady. and all of those gains can be mitigated by the losses of: stevie byrd kiko there is absolutely no reason to think this team should/can/will be improved from their 6-10 mark last season. i hope they are. more than anyone, i hope they are. but they wont be, i promise. any writer that picks the bills to finish any better than 4th is crazy. Damn, why would you make such a horrible promise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Real Buffalo Joe Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Personally, if I was Doug Marrone, I would get a copy of every single article I can find that counts the Bills out, and hang it up in the locker room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QCity Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 speaking of which, have any national sportswriters/broadcasters predicted them to be this year's "surprise team" yet? that article/proclamation always marks the official beginning of football season for me. Here ya go: Teams That Could Shock Us by Winning the 2015 Super Bowl We really need to make one big thread for all these theads. We can call it "The OMG I can't believe they didn't pick us to win the division" thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clippers of Nfl Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 Personally, if I was Doug Marrone, I would get a copy of every single article I can find that counts the Bills out, and hang it up in the locker room. How big is the locker room? Here ya go: Teams That Could Shock Us by Winning the 2015 Super Bowl We really need to make one big thread for all these theads. We can call it "The OMG I can't believe they didn't pick us to win the division" thread. Ha ha. I touched that point. "Going in the wrong direction" seemed to harsh and incorrect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 See that is where we are effing up. Putting major league baseball players to stop the run game. Jk. You sound kind of high on the team Big cat. What do you think our record will look like? But really. Step outside of our la la kingdom for a bit. I think our floor is 6-10 and our ceiling is 12-4. Here are the six games I'm certain we'll win: Dolphins Dolphins Jets Browns Raiders Vikings Here are six more games I think we can win: Bears Jets Texans Lions Pats* Chiefs Then the four games for which I'm feeling doubtful: Pats* Packers Chargers Broncos Now how can you tell me you can't find more than 6 wins on that list? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Not really Yolo. If we were headed in the right direction, like a team on the upside, or a team finally turning the corner, wouldnt they mention that? then it wouldn't be a surprise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clippers of Nfl Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 I think our floor is 6-10 and our ceiling is 12-4. Here are the six games I'm certain we'll win: Dolphins Dolphins Jets Browns Raiders Vikings Here are six more games I think we can win: Bears Jets Texans Lions Pats* Chiefs Then the four games for which I'm feeling doubtful: Pats* Packers Chargers Broncos Ok. I cant wait till this weekend. Game 3 (our 4th) will show us the truth wether we want to admit it or not....Tampa bay has a nice dl too. Gerald Mccoy is a monster and will challenge our oline big time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 (edited) In all honesty: What area of the team do you feel is significantly improved from last year, which will result in the Buffalo Bills winning more than 6 games? run D, WR, ST, RB, QB, coaching, CB Edited August 21, 2014 by YoloinOhio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thewildrabbit Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 The ONE thing this coaching staff can do to help win games is to start utilizing the run game more effectively. The ground and pound mentality that the Bills had in the Chiefs game last season is whats needed for this season, in all 16 games. The problem was it didn't always work against every team last year. Lets hope that the new players on that line change things. If you are going to a run heavy offense there really is no need to run the "hurry up", or "no huddle". Which last year did nothing but cause the offense to hurry up and punt the ball away. A solid ground game will allow EJ to manage the game, and not allow him to be forced to carry the game on his shoulders. I will also keep them from being be in 3rd and long every series. it will also help in short yardage situations, and at the goal line. A strong run game will also keep the opposing offense off the field, and keep your own defense on the bench and fresh. Last season the Bills were one of the very worst teams in three and out percentage, 29th in 3rd down efficiency. They had the #2 rushing offense in total yards, and was the #1 rushing in attempts. But that was all for naught because they couldn't sustain a drive with either the passing or run game. The lack of a strong run game kept putting the QB in 3rd and long. It also kept the Bills defense on the field, and caused them to be worn out by the 4th quarter. I think this entire season hinges on if the Bills OC, Nate Hackett can build a proper dominate running attack. He had the talent last year and didn't utilize it properly. Will he get it done this year? If the bills run the ball like they should, I see 9-7. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metzelaars_lives Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 (edited) elaborate on the etc... and to address your points: how do you feel the run defense has improved? we were 28th in total run defense last year--how did we improve that? by bringing in spikes? he anchored a run defense in new england that finished (wait for it) 30th! where is the improvement? a new coordinator? ok, maybe. infusion of talent on the oline? that may be the case, but was oline play REALLY the problem last year? we had the second most potent rushing offense in the league, leading me to believe that the problems on offense came down to our qb. ej has a full offseason under his belt... but my friend, that is a zero sum game. so does geno smith (jets were better than us last year.) tannehil has another year under his belt as well. brady is still brady. and all of those gains can be mitigated by the losses of: stevie byrd kiko there is absolutely no reason to think this team should/can/will be improved from their 6-10 mark last season. i hope they are. more than anyone, i hope they are. but they wont be, i promise. any writer that picks the bills to finish any better than 4th is crazy. I understand that you are playing devil's advocate here but really look at the Dolphins roster and tell me that's a better football team than the Bills. The only area they may be better than the Bills is at- admittedly the most important position- QB. I don't think it's crazy to pick the Bills ahead of the Dolphins, in fact I think you'll see most prognosticators picking the Bills ahead of the Dolphins. And as far as losing Stevie, come on man, that's where you lost all your credibility. Stevie Johnson would not be a top 3 WR on this team right now. In fact, he might've gotten cut outright. Mike Williams is a huge upgrade over Stevie, not to mention Woods in his second year is going to make a huge jump. Stevie Johnson himself just said so in an interview. Edited August 21, 2014 by metzelaars_lives Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juice_32 Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 elaborate on the etc... and to address your points: how do you feel the run defense has improved? we were 28th in total run defense last year--how did we improve that? by bringing in spikes? he anchored a run defense in new england that finished (wait for it) 30th! where is the improvement? a new coordinator? ok, maybe. infusion of talent on the oline? that may be the case, but was oline play REALLY the problem last year? we had the second most potent rushing offense in the league, leading me to believe that the problems on offense came down to our qb. ej has a full offseason under his belt... but my friend, that is a zero sum game. so does geno smith (jets were better than us last year.) tannehil has another year under his belt as well. brady is still brady. and all of those gains can be mitigated by the losses of: stevie byrd kiko there is absolutely no reason to think this team should/can/will be improved from their 6-10 mark last season. i hope they are. more than anyone, i hope they are. but they wont be, i promise. any writer that picks the bills to finish any better than 4th is crazy. maybe watching the Bills this year is a zero sum game? if you are brave enough to make promises in August let me ask you this...are you even going to watch the games this year? why not just catch up on work around the house? you take your stance and ill take mine. thanks for confirming 2 of my points for me. i actually feel better about the Bills chances than i did 10 minutes ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhitewalkerInPhilly Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 i think a lot of it is that a lot of the things said about buffalo can be said about the jets and miami. the jets have a solid d, a power running game and a promising 2nd year qb making strides. the dolphins started red hot, and still had a shot at the playoffs even with their horrible o-line situation. the patriots sent brady out with scrubs and he still kicked ass. the only thing i can weigh in with is that i think the bills had better young talent to develop off last year, made some very nice aquisitions in fa that seem to have adressed problems, and seem to have two stud rookie starters on offense, as well as backups who are likely to see some significant contribution. In all honesty: What area of the team do you feel is significantly improved from last year, which will result in the Buffalo Bills winning more than 6 games? qb play, wide receiver, cornerback depth, possibly o-line play if the last shuffle works and what looks like a possibly devestating run defense...oh, wait, you werent looking for an actual answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 i think a lot of it is that a lot of the things said about buffalo can be said about the jets and miami. the jets have a solid d, a power running game and a promising 2nd year qb making strides. the dolphins started red hot, and still had a shot at the playoffs even with their horrible o-line situation. the patriots sent brady out with scrubs and he still kicked ass. the only thing i can weigh in with is that i think the bills had better young talent to develop off last year, made some very nice aquisitions in fa that seem to have adressed problems, and seem to have two stud rookie starters on offense, as well as backups who are likely to see some significant contribution. qb play, wide receiver, cornerback depth, possibly o-line play if the last shuffle works and what looks like a possibly devestating run defense...oh, wait, you werent looking for an actual answer. right. I realized that after I answered as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirtbag Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Personally, if I was Doug Marrone, I would get a copy of every single article I can find that counts the Bills out, and hang it up in the locker room. you're going to need a bigger locker room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
papazoid Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I think we will finish 3rd in AFC East our record will be 5-11 with two wins coming against Miami who finishes last. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocky Landing Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 As far as the national media is concerned (and, for that matter, local media as well), just about every single story concerning the Bills is peppered with some variation of the phrase, "...it all hinges on EJ Manuel..." Often, a Bills article will open with that sentiment. Sometimes, it is in the title. And, so far this preseason, EJ has not shown much to be hopeful about. Chris Wesseling, of NFL.com, took a big, steamy crap on EJ's head today. I know of no other team for which the entire season has been so utterly condemned to defeat, entirely on the failure of its quarterback-- after two weeks of preseason. The Bills will absolutely suck... until they don't. Which, who knows? Might be this Saturday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Do I think they are going to the SB? No. Do I think they can make the playoffs? Of course. At this point anyone can. There is always at least a couple surprise teams. I won't be surprised but I think the folks who don't follow the team closely will be. I see no reason why they can't make the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Big Cat Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I think we will finish 3rd in AFC East our record will be 5-11 with two wins coming against Miami who finishes last. So, you either think we'll get swept by the Jets, or lose to Cleveland, Minnesota or Oakland. And you also think it's impossible for us to beat the Bears, the Chiefs, the Lions AND the Texans? I honestly can't figure how you don't see six wins in the following: Jets Jets Dolphins Dolphins Vikings Browns Raiders Bears Chiefs Lions Texans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreezeMafia Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 My gut tells me that the division as a whole will be much improved and when its all said and done, one of the top divisions in football this year. That may play into why nfl.com is projecting to finish 4th Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hullhawk Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 am I the only one who feels that Ej has gotten better in every preseason game? and that he's gotten consistently better in practice? How can he say that EJ hasn't improved?? REally? does he even bother to watch the games? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts