Maybe the Bills are not So Bad After All

[Casey D]

Well at least you managed to make me laugh. i wouldn't exactly classify any of those teams that you mentioned as good teams. Look you obviously think that the Bills are a good football team and good for you. Actually I don't disagree if you have actually read my posts. What I'm saying is that the HC and OC are holding them back and you just can't seem to accept that. "negative Nancy'? Really? You're killing me. Never said that. I don't believe that they have "overwhelming talent". I do believe that they have enough talent to win if they weren't being poorly coached. Sorry if you don't agree, but it's just my opinion. If you have a different one, then great. Yours is worth as much as mine. I just don't happen to agree with you and I don't really mind if you don't agree with me.

You suggested that the Bills should have 8 wins, only coaching was preventing that outcome. The Pats and Cardinals are the only teams with 8 or more wins, so you are saying the talent on the Bills makes them a top 3 team in the NFL but for coaching. You are right, I do not agree. And I never said the Bills were a good team, I have argued that they may not be as bad as many here think. I want to see the last six games to decide the coaches fate, I have not seen enough evidence to make me as sure as you. Partly because our views of the talent on this team are quite different, particularly on the offensive side of the ball. Edited November 18, 2014 by Casey D

[voodoo poonani]

Cardinals are 9-1 with three different starting QBs, how did that happen?

[Casey D]

Cardinals are 9-1 with three different starting QBs, how did that happen?

Apparently you can win without a franchise or great QB?

[A Dog Named Kelso]

Apparently you can win without a franchise or great QB?

Yes if you do not make silly coaching decisions ... that has been why the Bills have failed to get even a winning record but once in 14 years.

[section122]

Well at least you managed to make me laugh. i wouldn't exactly classify any of those teams that you mentioned as good teams. Look you obviously think that the Bills are a good football team and good for you. Actually I don't disagree if you have actually read my posts. What I'm saying is that the HC and OC are holding them back and you just can't seem to accept that. "negative Nancy'? Really? You're killing me. Never said that. I don't believe that they have "overwhelming talent". I do believe that they have enough talent to win if they weren't being poorly coached. Sorry if you don't agree, but it's just my opinion. If you have a different one, then great. Yours is worth as much as mine. I just don't happen to agree with you and I don't really mind if you don't agree with me.

 

You wouldn't classify the Broncos, Saints, Browns, or Steelers as good teams? Each of these teams have an embarrassing loss on their record this season, something the Bills don't.

 

Your post is ridiculous. They have enough talent to win if they weren't being poorly coached? They are 5-5 right now and have been winning. As I mentioned earlier they have not lost a single game that "they should have won" and all of their losses are against teams with winning records. I don't think the Bills are as good talent wise as you and others think so you have my point backwards. I think they are a middle of the road team talent wise. Their o-line is bad, they are playing a 3rd and 4th string rb, and a journeyman qb. 5-5 sounds pretty darn good with that group. You seem to think that they have gobs of talent and terrible coaches. I don't agree with that. Can I call myself a realist now?

 

Yes if you do not make silly coaching decisions ... that has been why the Bills have failed to get even a winning record but once in 14 years.

 

I think a startling lack of talent EVERYWHERE has much more to do with that feat than anything else. How many players in the last 14 years that played for the Bills went on to star elsewhere?

 

Pat Williams

Antoine Winfield

Jabari Greer

Jason Peters

Marshawn Lynch

Willis McGahee

 

There may be a couple more but that is a very small number and when spread out over 14 years tells you that the Bills have been bad talent wise on the field (which is no secret)

[A Dog Named Kelso]

You wouldn't classify the Broncos, Saints, Browns, or Steelers as good teams? Each of these teams have an embarrassing loss on their record this season, something the Bills don't.

 

Your post is ridiculous. They have enough talent to win if they weren't being poorly coached? They are 5-5 right now and have been winning. As I mentioned earlier they have not lost a single game that "they should have won" and all of their losses are against teams with winning records. I don't think the Bills are as good talent wise as you and others think so you have my point backwards. I think they are a middle of the road team talent wise. Their o-line is bad, they are playing a 3rd and 4th string rb, and a journeyman qb. 5-5 sounds pretty darn good with that group. You seem to think that they have gobs of talent and terrible coaches. I don't agree with that. Can I call myself a realist now?

 

 

 

I think a startling lack of talent EVERYWHERE has much more to do with that feat than anything else. How many players in the last 14 years that played for the Bills went on to star elsewhere?

 

Pat Williams

Antoine Winfield

Jabari Greer

Jason Peters

Marshawn Lynch

Willis McGahee

 

There may be a couple more but that is a very small number and when spread out over 14 years tells you that the Bills have been bad talent wise on the field (which is no secret)

This may have more to do with not making the playoffs, but there are certainly at least a season or two; especially during the Jauron days, that 2 games could have been won but for poor coaching decisions. Thus allowing the Bills to have a winning record.

[section122]

This may have more to do with not making the playoffs, but there are certainly at least a season or two; especially during the Jauron days, that 2 games could have been won but for poor coaching decisions. Thus allowing the Bills to have a winning record.

Yeah I have told this story many times but I was listening to the radio in the shower when it came across that they had hired Jauron. I felt sick and hung my head knowing that they were going to be terrible for at least 3 more years. I felt like a rape victim in that shower. I couldn't wash the filth of being a Bills fan off of me lol.

[RevWarRifleman]

Do not confuse "head hanging" with brutal realism.

 

It is brutal realism which makes the greats great and which makes mediocrity intolerable.

 

Your "head hanging" is my "willing acceptance of failure" which makes me sick.

Well, you must have a weak stomach. My staying positive is far from an "acceptance" of failure. The Bills are who they are. Their areas of poor play is just par-and-parcel of the whole 2014 package.

[Don Beebe]

I am disappointed about our last two losses, but the OP's comments have some merit. The Bills are not a great team. We can all agree on that. The Bills are not a bad team. Some of us can agree on that, some of us perhaps not. Are they a good team? I don't know, but probably not. Are they an average team? Yes. They have a very good defense, a poor offense and OK special teams. That adds up to average, middle of the pack, 8-8, etc. And guess what? We are 5-5 right now. We SHOULD beat the Jests at home, Cleveland at home and Oakland on the road, and lose to Denver, Green Bay and New England. Where does that leave us? 8-8, average, middle of the pack. That said, the "any given Sunday" theme applies and perhaps we lose one of the games we are supposed to win and win one of the games we are supposed to lose. Where does that leave us? 8-8. Could we be better than this with better coaching (maybe) or better QB play (definitely), but in the immortal words of Dennis Green - "We are who we thought we were!"

Good post! This is pretty much what I think, I also would put a lot of our offensive problems on the o-line. They seem to be getting worse instead of better.

[thewildrabbit]

I am disappointed about our last two losses, but the OP's comments have some merit. The Bills are not a great team. We can all agree on that. The Bills are not a bad team. Some of us can agree on that, some of us perhaps not. Are they a good team? I don't know, but probably not. Are they an average team? Yes. They have a very good defense, a poor offense and OK special teams. That adds up to average, middle of the pack, 8-8, etc. And guess what? We are 5-5 right now. We SHOULD beat the Jests at home, Cleveland at home and Oakland on the road, and lose to Denver, Green Bay and New England. Where does that leave us? 8-8, average, middle of the pack. That said, the "any given Sunday" theme applies and perhaps we lose one of the games we are supposed to win and win one of the games we are supposed to lose. Where does that leave us? 8-8. Could we be better than this with better coaching (maybe) or better QB play (definitely), but in the immortal words of Dennis Green - "We are who we thought we were!"

They are a great team on defense. They have / had some terrific offensive weapons. That's the good news.

 

The bad news is they have an ineffectual offensive coaching staff, and are fielding one of the worst, if not the worst offensive line in the league. The result of this is that the Bills are dead last in scoring TD's in the red zone, and the coaches don't utilize the run game enough particularly when its working well. Its like the current Bills OC morphed into Chan Gailey who only wants to pass all game. Gailey was at least smart enough to recognize his teams weakness, and ran a lot out of a shotgun spread set that was an actual spread out line. Plus, Gailey realized his O line was very weak in opening holes, and pass blocking so he went with a short quick passing game that didn't rely on his blockers holding their blocks for more then 2-3 seconds.

 

Hackett runs more of a 3-4 WR pro set sometimes considered a spread set, but his formations have is players closer to the ball then Gailey's spread set. Then, Hackett likes to keep that TE in to block to protect his QB. You could say that Hackett is more about protecting the QB, and being conservative on offense then he is about building a dominate run game or all out passing game.

 

Now you would think that because the Bills are currently fielding massive, behemoth O linemen that they would be better in run / pass blocking. But its like the Bills O linemen have never seen a blocking sled or don't actually practice in pads against their own D line. The Bills O line has serious issues at both OG positions, and its killing the entire lines performance.

 

Although last years Bills offense was very effectual in gaining yards on the ground it was mostly due to leading the league in attempts, and the ability of Spiller / Jackson to make something out of nothing. This years offense isn't even trying to run the ball very often even when they are doing so very well despite Spiller on IR, and Jackson injured. An example of this was against the Chiefs the Bills were doing very well averaging 5.0 YPC with the run, and only rushed 22 times vs 48 passes. The Chiefs had the #1 pass defense in the NFL, and the Dolphins had the #2 pass defense. So naturally this Bills OC has the team pass 48 times against the Chiefs, and passing 39 times against Miami, only 19 rushes attempts.

 

The Bills O line is still bad, and neither the GM nor the coaches want to address it by trying different players at RG other then the one they have already played at that position. After that Miami game on Thursday night both announcers Phill Simms, and Deion Sanders went on to comment that the Bills QB wasn't at fault, as it was the bad offensive coaching that lost that game. Even if you don't care to listen to me, at least listen to ex NFL players who know, and have played the pro game.

 

Its doubtful the Bills win any more games this year simply because they struggle in scoring more then 17 points on offense alone. Unless the defense can give them more turnovers or score with those turnovers they will continue to be a bad scoring team on offense. Which really sucks considering how good that defense is and that they finally have a decent veteran QB, but don't know how best to use him.

 

Now for the really great news! The Bills have new owners who should make changes with the offensive coaching staff for next year, or maybe even this year should the Bills lose the next two at home against the Jets & Cleveland.

[Casey D]

On to Cleveland!