YoloinOhio Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 @Grantland33: NFL 2015 Season Predictions, Part 1: The Cellar Dwellers, by @billbarnwell http://t.co/lzINEWRCNn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrod's Tailor Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Barnwell said the same thing last year too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Opinions are like... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Opinions are like... Ding! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 Barnwell said the same thing last year tooi know we are a little obsessed on here and rag on the national writers who are uninformed about every little detail... But I found a lot of inaccuracies in the article. Mostly that they did little to improve the OL. Two new guards and all new coaches? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurker Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 @Grantland33: NFL 2015 Season Predictions, Part 1: The Cellar Dwellers, by @billbarnwell http://t.co/lzINEWRCNn Horrible analysis. Another guy who sat in his basement and wrote something without watching any camp or exhibition games.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cugalabanza Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Wow, the writing by this guy is embarrassingly bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tyrod's Tailor Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 i know we are a little obsessed on here and rag on the national writers who are uninformed about every little detail... But I found a lot of inaccuracies in the article. Mostly that they did little to improve the OL. Two new guards and all new coaches? I work in the media (don't cover sports) and generally people give reporters too hard a time on here. But this story is just really bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Last Guy on the Bench Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 (edited) He makes fair points about the QB situation, though I don't think Taylor playing at least reasonably well is that much of a lottery long-shot. But he makes no sense about the OL. Very lazy POV. The guards are way better. Wood is the same. Cordy had a down year - so using Barnwell's pseudo-statistical approach, he should see some reversion to form, especially given his off field struggles last year and the fact that he showed up in great shape this year and has played well in the pre-season. And Henderson was a rookie. He is likely to be at least somewhat better (most second-year players are), especially given his physical talent. I think this O-Line is going to sneak up on people and be one of the better ones in the NFL by season's end. That's the view through my rose-colored fan glasses, sure, but even an objective, "logical" observer - which Barnwell pretends to be - should conclude that the Bills' OLine is likely to improve significantly, barring injury. Edited September 7, 2015 by Last Guy on the Bench Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jester43 Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 i know we are a little obsessed on here and rag on the national writers who are uninformed about every little detail... But I found a lot of inaccuracies in the article. Mostly that they did little to improve the OL. Two new guards and all new coaches? Yes, two new guards: a journeyman and a rookie. Hopefully the coaches can coax more out of this crew, and I am not saying they can't, but it is a fair criticism. The Bills OL was horrible last year, and the suddenly-shaky kicker was a huge reason we eked out 9 wins. if Carpenter goes back to being the guy Miami cut we have a big problem. There is just no margin for error without at least a top-10 (or so) passer. And until proven otherwise, we don't have one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Yes, two new guards: a journeyman and a rookie. Hopefully the coaches can coax more out of this crew, and I am not saying they can't, but it is a fair criticism. The Bills OL was horrible last year, and the suddenly-shaky kicker was a huge reason we eked out 9 wins. if Carpenter goes back to being the guy Miami cut we have a big problem. There is just no margin for error without at least a top-10 (or so) passer. And until proven otherwise, we don't have one! Sounds like you have ingrained negative expectations based on the past seasons of futility. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Cubed Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Surprising that on that list the Buffalo Bills are the only team to have a winning record in 2014. A team like Tampa Bay, who's starting a rookie QB and has a suspect defense, isn't on the list. There are some teams that were bottom dwellers in 2014 who could end up being bottom dwellers again. The NY Giants, Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams and Chicago Bears were all pretty bad. What proof is there that they have improved? I think the Bills are an easy/lazy choice for the author as they have been bad previously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YoloinOhio Posted September 7, 2015 Author Share Posted September 7, 2015 (edited) Yes, two new guards: a journeyman and a rookie. Hopefully the coaches can coax more out of this crew, and I am not saying they can't, but it is a fair criticism. The Bills OL was horrible last year, and the suddenly-shaky kicker was a huge reason we eked out 9 wins. if Carpenter goes back to being the guy Miami cut we have a big problem. There is just no margin for error without at least a top-10 (or so) passer. And until proven otherwise, we don't have one! i disagree considering how legendarily bad the guards were from last year, and that the journeyman is a journeyman mainly due to personality issues and not play, and the rookie has looked really good. It's not like he's a low round pick. They were SO bad last year at G that they are likely to be much improved with who is starting this year. Oh and the coaching piece? Btw I didn't say they were inaccurate about the kicking situation. Edited September 7, 2015 by YoloinOhio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truth on hold Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 (edited) Agree he missed on the better oline due to upgrade at guard, however rest is pretty much spot on. The defense was already one of the best and lead the league in sacks. Can't expect much upside, if any, there. So its mostly rests how the offense does under him. And while the better oline play is a given IMO, the talent positions have many questions marks Edited September 7, 2015 by JTSP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan-4-Ever Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 come on guys stop bashing the inept media!!! /sarc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solomon Grundy Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 (edited) @Grantland33: NFL 2015 Season Predictions, Part 1: The Cellar Dwellers, by @billbarnwell http://t.co/lzINEWRCNnI bet this article was a reaction to the cutting of Matt Cassel!! You know the "experts" hate to be wrong!! Could be GREAT locker room fodder!! Edited September 7, 2015 by the skycap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Sounds like you have ingrained negative expectations based on the past seasons of futility. I thought the article was more on point than others here think, but also remember that he says that the best case scenario has them going 10-6. So he's not saying it's impossible for them to be good. Also bear in mind that you're not going to go broke if you make predictions on simply who the qb is. It's usually an accurate predictor, and Barnwell says as much at the beginning. I say 10-6, but I also think that our qbs are going to take us on a rocky ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Frankish Reich Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 (edited) Horrible analysis. Another guy who sat in his basement and wrote something without watching any camp or exhibition games.... To the contrary, Barnwell's analysis is usually spot on. Here's his 2014 summary - I'd say he hit the nail on the head as the Bills achieved their best-case scenario prediction, setting aside the Spiller comments ... Best-Case Scenario: Orton takes over for Manuel after learning the playbook and plays like a perfectly average starting quarterback, while Watkins and C.J. Spiller form a pair of devastating big-play specialists. Schwartz gets enough out of the pass rush for Buffalo to go 9-7 and produce its first winning season since 2004. Look, this team is interesting, this season is interesting and will definitely have me watching every game, and "interesting" is something kind of unusual in the Mularkey-Jauron-Gailey-Marrone era. And there's a real, legitimate theory -- call it a planet alignment theory -- in which almost everything works, at least to some degree, and we've got a contender. Barnwell's best case scenario for 2015: Best-Case Scenario: New offensive coordinator Greg Roman pieces together a competent offense out of a few luxury parts and Taylor, who exceeds expectations and resembles a poor man’s Colin Kaepernick. The defense is the best in football, and the Bills make it to the playoffs at 10-6. Edited September 7, 2015 by The Frankish Reich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acantha Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Yes, two new guards: a journeyman and a rookie. Hopefully the coaches can coax more out of this crew, and I am not saying they can't, but it is a fair criticism. The Bills OL was horrible last year, and the suddenly-shaky kicker was a huge reason we eked out 9 wins. if Carpenter goes back to being the guy Miami cut we have a big problem. There is just no margin for error without at least a top-10 (or so) passer. And until proven otherwise, we don't have one! I think that's just too simplistic of a look at the whole offense. That journeyman and rookie are both better than what was there before, meaning 40% of the line was upgraded. If we downgraded 2 positions on the line, people would be acting like the world was coming to an end. Also, while I know it's popular opinion (not saying it's yours) that rookies should basically be at full talent right out of the gate, I don't think people should discount the potential upgrade that Henderson could show being in his 2nd year. That goes double for Watkins. Yes, he was good last year, but he was still a rookie playing in a historically tough position for rookies. How much better will he be? How much does it help to have a guy like Harvin on the field? And an actual NFL level tight end?? We all know the QB situation is up in air, but that article puts just as much negative spin on everything as the biggest Bills homer's positive spin. I do agree that Carpenter has me scared. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Frankish Reich Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 But there's also the obvious truth of this comment: As the league zigs in one direction — treating first-round picks like precious manna and running backs like relatively replaceable assets — the Bills are zagging the other way with little evidence that they’re wise to do so. The GMs and coaches who zag when everyone else zigs sometimes turn out to be prophetic, ahead of their time. But most of the time they turn out to be fools. Time will tell. But don't blame the messenger -- there's a lot of carefully considered analysis here of the standard analytical wisdom variety. I hope he's wrong, but he's not an idiot ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts