Doug Flutie Band Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 The truth is: Early expectations were too high. Taylor is new. McCoy and Williams are new. Harvin and Clay are new. Ryan and Roman and Thurman are new. Things are going in a good direction. There's a good core of players on this team, and some good young talent. They just aren't ready to be a playoff level team yet. They will look great some weeks, and leave you scratching your head other weeks. Everyone wanted them to be a top AFC contender right out of the gate, and those expectations were unrealistic. It takes time for all these new pieces to come together and gel. They will be OK in the long run. The upcoming schedule is favorable. If they can stay at .500 through the growing pains they will be in good shape for a late WC run, and even if it doesn't happen this year they are building something better than what they've had for the last decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HardyBoy Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Ah yes. I remember reading this in 2002. Oh wait I mean 2007. No 2010. Ah !@#$. This is different...there is a clear plan and it is being executed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddogblitz Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 (edited) Hogwash. We went 9-7 last year and have 3 pro bowlers on the D Line. We're not losing because the guys haven't figured how to play together, We're losing because we make bone headed mistakes and come out "flat" (Jerry Hughes' word) against a team perceived to be worse than us. Guys are getting out muscled for the ball and fumbling instead of going down or out of bounds. Our players have been smoking their own tweets. It starts at the top and Rex needs to somehow humble the team and reign them in. Edited October 5, 2015 by reddogblitz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsBackersChicago Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 (edited) The truth is: Early expectations were too high. Taylor is new. McCoy and Williams are new. Harvin and Clay are new. Ryan and Roman and Thurman are new. Things are going in a good direction. There's a good core of players on this team, and some good young talent. They just aren't ready to be a playoff level team yet. They will look great some weeks, and leave you scratching your head other weeks. Everyone wanted them to be a top AFC contender right out of the gate, and those expectations were unrealistic. It takes time for all these new pieces to come together and gel. They will be OK in the long run. The upcoming schedule is favorable. If they can stay at .500 through the growing pains they will be in good shape for a late WC run, and even if it doesn't happen this year they are building something better than what they've had for the last decade. Agree with your premise, disagree with your conclusion. I think that this is a new team that needs to find its way, but that by the end of the season, they will definitely be playoff caliber (and hopefully in playoff contention). There is a ton of talent, they just need to learn to gel. Hell McCoy wasn't even around in the preseason and now he's out. Roman's gotta learn how to call plays for this team, not ones he's worked for in the past. Rex needs to know what attitude gives he and his team the best chance to win, regardless of bravado. I don't see all of that taking a full season. The reason I feel this is different, is that when we were clicking (albeit against bad teams), the plays we were executing we on a different level. They were intricate and powerful. And the plays I saw our players make were ones made by stars. Not the ryan fitzpatrick or doug flute scrappy type of plays, but real prime time NFL premium plays, and all types, short and long distance runs, and short, mid and long range passes. They have it all. They just need to learn how to click so that every thing is second nature, and they need to learn how to take on the winner's mentality. Ok, fine that may take a full season, but I think we can get to the playoffs before everything is in perfect place. Cause when it is... SUPERBOWL, BABY!! Edited October 5, 2015 by BillsBackersChicago Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HardyBoy Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Agree with your premise, disagree with your conclusion. I think that this is a new team that needs to find its way, but that by the end of the season, they will definitely be playoff caliber (and hopefully in playoff contention). There is a ton of talent, they just need to learn to gel. Hell McCoy wasn't even around in the preseason and now he's out. Roman's gotta learn how to call plays for this team, not ones he's worked for in the past. Rex needs to know what attitude gives he and his team the best chance to win, regardless of bravado. I don't see all of that taking a full season. The reason I feel this is different, is that when we were clicking (albeit against bad teams), the plays we were executing we on a different level. They were intricate and powerful. And the plays I saw our players make were ones made by stars. Not the ryan fitzpatrick or doug flute scrappy type of plays, but real prime time NFL premium plays, and all types, short and long distance runs, and short, mid and long range passes. They have it all. They just need to learn how to click so that every thing is second nature, and they need to learn how to take on the winner's mentality. Ok, fine that may take a full season, but I think we can get to the playoffs before everything is in perfect place. Cause when it is... SUPERBOWL, BABY!! Exactly, the goal should not be to just make the playoffs and lose in the first game (being down in South Florida, that is/was pretty much the hope for the Dolphins). This team is too talented for that. The goal is a deep playoff run, and they cannot achieve that without going through growing pains and overcoming adversity. So much better this happens now than late in the season when it's too late to make adjustments and the opponents can duplicate what they see on film as working. Plenty of time to adjust and make counters, and plan for the counters to the counters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 The loss of Watkins, Shady, Miller, and then Glenn were too much to overcome offensively. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LA Grant Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 I think all fans understand this and accept this. Even the most optimistic kool-aid fan accepted these limitations going in. What's frustrating is the sloppiness, especially the stupid penalties. Glenn, Hughes, Wood, Bradham — these guys have all taken too many penalties this year and they all should know better at this point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John from Riverside Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 I think this team is going to be playing strong even with the tough schedule at the end of the season.........we just need to weather the injury storm and pull out these games that we SHOULD win Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah John Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 It's the defense that has me worried. Generally the Bills are quite good at rush defense, but against the pass we're getting killed. This is the case with very few injuries on defense, except for McKelvin and A. Williams. I've been wondering for a few weeks now whether the defense is better this year than last. The conclusion for me, so far, is that it's not as good this year. Sacks are way down, passing yardage and more to the point the ease of beating us through the air is way up. I think Darby is doing well and the coverage generally seems to be fine initially, but rushing the passer has become a weakness and the QBs are getting too much time. Eli was not throwing just quick, short routes. There were several plays that took longer to develop, and he was not usually hurried. What has me really upset is that Ryan has the Bills blitzing so seldom. The other teams don't seem to be worried about the threat because we don't do it enough. If Ryan can't make defensive adjustments as the game moves along, he needs to let his defensive coordinator coordinate the defense, instead of being Ryan's puppy. I wonder what Jim Schwartz is doing these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canadian Bills Fan Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 The loss of Watkins, Shady, Miller, and then Glenn were too much to overcome offensively. Agreed. Just having Watkins on the field takes away from any other double coverage we really missed him CBF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Agreed. Just having Watkins on the field takes away from any other double coverage we really missed him CBF Yup. And all the bluster about Karlos hid the fact that Shady is still the most talented RB on the team and a great player who makes defenses account for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsVet Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Ah yes. I remember reading this in 2002. Oh wait I mean 2007. No 2010. Ah !@#$. To quote Dick Jauron: "It's hard to win in the NFL." The OP left out rookie owners who are learning the ropes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwight in philly Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 (edited) i am not ready to make any rash judgements, but i must admit that on more than one occasion during the past 3 games, i did make mention while watching the game with friends how i thought schwartz's D seemed more aggressive, and just plain . better. not ready to jump off the rex bandwagon, but JMHO Edited October 5, 2015 by dwight in philly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nucci Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 The truth is: Early expectations were too high. Taylor is new. McCoy and Williams are new. Harvin and Clay are new. Ryan and Roman and Thurman are new. Things are going in a good direction. There's a good core of players on this team, and some good young talent. They just aren't ready to be a playoff level team yet. They will look great some weeks, and leave you scratching your head other weeks. Everyone wanted them to be a top AFC contender right out of the gate, and those expectations were unrealistic. It takes time for all these new pieces to come together and gel. They will be OK in the long run. The upcoming schedule is favorable. If they can stay at .500 through the growing pains they will be in good shape for a late WC run, and even if it doesn't happen this year they are building something better than what they've had for the last decade. Williams is the only rookie. The rest have been around the league for a while. Poor excuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chandler#81 Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Hogwash. We went 9-7 last year and have 3 pro bowlers on the D Line. We're not losing because the guys haven't figured how to play together, We're losing because we make bone headed mistakes and come out "flat" (Jerry Hughes' word) against a team perceived to be worse than us. Guys are getting out muscled for the ball and fumbling instead of going down or out of bounds. Our players have been smoking their own tweets. It starts at the top and Rex needs to somehow humble the team and reign them in. The OP isn't hogwash and it appears you're still in post-game rage. This tells me you discounted that the Giants have had double-digit 4th quarter leads in every game and they're begining to find ways to survive them. We're not there yet. It's evident by players yelling at each other for missed assignments and I'll offer as a case in point that through our 4 games, it's either a blowout easy win or we're smashed so hard we can't overcome. We haven't been in a close game dog fight yet. How we'll react to that will determine our ultimate success. Again, if not this year, very soon. IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 This is different...there is a clear plan and it is being executed. It's not different until proven. So right now, it's the same old story Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillsFan-4-Ever Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 The truth is: Early expectations were too high. This is about all that was needed to be said. Too much hype for a developing team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billsfan_34 Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 The OP isn't hogwash and it appears you're still in post-game rage. This tells me you discounted that the Giants have had double-digit 4th quarter leads in every game and they're begining to find ways to survive them. We're not there yet. It's evident by players yelling at each other for missed assignments and I'll offer as a case in point that through our 4 games, it's either a blowout easy win or we're smashed so hard we can't overcome. We haven't been in a close game dog fight yet. How we'll react to that will determine our ultimate success. Again, if not this year, very soon. IMO. Every year its "very soon". Fans are growing tired of the circus year in and year out and its been going on a long time (15 going on 16 years). The roster wasnt a complete overhaul and there is too much talent for this bafoonery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reddogblitz Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 (edited) The loss of Watkins, Shady, Miller, and then Glenn were too much to overcome offensively.Sorry, but this is a lame excuse. Every team has injuries. Football is a game of attrition. You gotta win with who suits up. Good terms do it all the time. I remember a playoff game once where the Oilers won without Earl Campbell who was pretty much their whole team. Speaking of he Oilers, I remember another playoff game where a team beat them without their starting HOF QB. And another team that won the SB without their starting HOF QB. The Giants were playing without Cruz. This is the bigs. No excuses offered,none accepted. Just win. Edited October 5, 2015 by reddogblitz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozymandius Posted October 5, 2015 Share Posted October 5, 2015 Not making the playoffs with this team would be a horrible failure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts