dave mcbride Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 FWIW, I was pretty impressed by the Titans' D. Casey is playing at a pro bowl level and dominated yesterday, the corners look pretty good, and Derrick Morgan and Orakpo can get after it in the pass rush. That's not a bad defense that we faced. The o-line was overmatched most of the game. The one thing the Bills had was the running QB wildcard, and they played it at the right times. Plus Taylor is just a sensational runner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KOKBILLS Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 The offseason was great and we got pumped by all the moves but this team is the same as it always has been; average. We either have a great defense or a great offense and until we get them both we are going nowhere as todays victory proved that we could barely beat a marginal team. until we get a QB that can pass better than he can run and greatly improve the offensive line we are going nowhere. Well... I think Tasker hit the nail on the head during the broadcast yesterday...This team was built around the Defense and some really, really good skill position players to help the young QB's...The problem is the #1 and #2 skill position players are injured and the result is not good...Not good at all...Having Sammy and Shady on the field completely and totally changes what a Defense can do vs the Bills...For all intents and purposes the Bills are not really running their Offense with those two out...They got super lucky drafting a talent like Karlos Williams where they did...And as Shady's back-up he actually added to the potential of this Offense...But when he went down things got really bad... So anyway...The Bills are out there now with a first year starter at QB, an average O-Line, while missing their top 2 skill position players and three of their top seven or so... It's a lot to ask of TT...And the result is what it is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HT02 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 The offseason was great and we got pumped by all the moves but this team is the same as it always has been; average. We either have a great defense or a great offense and until we get them both we are going nowhere as todays victory proved that we could barely beat a marginal team. until we get a QB that can pass better than he can run and greatly improve the offensive line we are going nowhere. I agree with you; I just hope the team doesn't quit trying to find a real franchise QB if we finish between 8-10 wins this year. Taylor might be enough to get them to the play-offs but I can't imagine him ever being good enough to compete with the top QB's in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nanker Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 To be fair, BB has had a much more varied list of desired QBs over the years. Colin Kaepernick John Skelton Tyler Wilson Tyler Bray Blake Bortles Johnny Football Well, there's a whole lotta something in that list. Not quite sure what, but it's something. FWIW, I was pretty impressed by the Titans' D. Casey is playing at a pro bowl level and dominated yesterday, the corners look pretty good, and Derrick Morgan and Orakpo can get after it in the pass rush. That's not a bad defense that we faced. The o-line was overmatched most of the game. The one thing the Bills had was the running QB wildcard, and they played it at the right times. Plus Taylor is just a sensational runner. He certainly is, and thank heaven for that and him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanC883 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 How many other teams can win a game when the following occur: (1) QB starting his 5th game; (2) top two RB's injured/out in a run-first offense; (3) top WR out; (4) facing a team coming off a bye week at their stadium. The game yesterday was ugly, but a win is a win. We should be underdogs against Cincy...they appear to be one of the best teams in the NFL. We can still win if K. Williams returns and has success running the ball. I like the Gillmore v. AJ Green matchup. Saying we will be average might be a stretch. TT will improve through the year, esp. when the running game is back, Watkins returns, and if the O-line can block better. I think we finish 11-5 w/ the 6th seed in the wildcard. Well... I think Tasker hit the nail on the head during the broadcast yesterday...This team was built around the Defense and some really, really good skill position players to help the young QB's...The problem is the #1 and #2 skill position players are injured and the result is not good...Not good at all...Having Sammy and Shady on the field completely and totally changes what a Defense can do vs the Bills...For all intents and purposes the Bills are not really running their Offense with those two out...They got super lucky drafting a talent like Karlos Williams where they did...And as Shady's back-up he actually added to the potential of this Offense...But when he went down things got really bad... So anyway...The Bills are out there now with a first year starter at QB, an average O-Line, while missing their top 2 skill position players and three of their top seven or so... It's a lot to ask of TT...And the result is what it is... exactly. We came away with a win against a very good D that has great players and is very well coached! Rawls lit up the Bengals D. If we can control the clock and keep the ball away from Dalton, and get to him with our D, we have a chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bisonbrigade Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 You are wrong, right now Buffalo and the Jets would be wild card teams. Baltimore, Miami and Kansas City are 1-4, Pittsburgh has no QB and Cleveland is Cleveland. So who exactly is going challenge Buffalo and the Jets for a wild card spot??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Billieve Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I think if someone told me the bills would be 3-2 after 5 games and were without Watkins and McCoy for pretty much 3 games, I would sign up for that Sure. I don't think anyone is really upset about our record. I think its more about the fact that yet again the Bills have made fans billieve in the offseason, despite our better (historical) judgement. So we were riding high on our expectations and are being given plenty of reasons to doubt, which is obviously too much to take. I think there's more than a few Koolaid hang overs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Casey D Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 While the D hasn't looked as good as advertised, I agree with NG. We're 3-2 and it's just too early to judge. It's certainly too early to give up. If the playoffs started this upcoming weekend, we'd be in as a wildcard. The sky isn't falling. No NFL team is truly horrible. So it's really a binary thing. We won. We get to celebrate. Titan fans get to mourn. Life in the Bills Mafia is good today. Exactly. And let's not overlook the likelihood for improvement. We have all new coaches and schemes, and a QB that has started 4-5 games. It takes time to get this all down. Next year you'll see quotes about "how much farther along we are now with the system than a year ago-- night and day." So while the team that played yesterday does not look like a contender, if they can hang in and get to the bye at 4-3, given the weak state of the AFC and likely improvement as players get more comfortable, a playoff spot seems plausible, and maybe likely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFunPolice Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 With the exception of Cincinnati and New England,* who I'm convinced is just always going to win 14+ games regardless of age, personnel, or anything else, the AFC is not that impressive. Denver has a great D but as much as I love Manning he just looks done. Every time I see him play (which has been every week so far) I dream of the day when Brady actually looks old. Manning is 39, Brady is 38. When Manning was 37 he had the best season of his career, and started off last season at age 38 looking great as well. Then he fell right off a cliff in the last 1/3 of last season and has looked horrible since. We can only hope something similar happens to Brady. It happened to Favre as well. The old man had one of his best seasons when he was 38/39 then looked awful his last year until he was finally injured. So there is hope that Brady will start to fade some day. Manning literally went from his record setting SB season form to looking like he was 60 in 2 months. In any event, who are the Wild Cards? Pittsburgh San Diego Buffalo Jets I think that's your group. The Bills are surviving right now. There are a TON of key injuries on this team and the OL coach has been out with the suspension. What you want to do is ride this out, get people comfortable with the scheme, get Shady back 100%, get Watkins back 100%, get your OL coach back, and make a nice run later in the season with a young QB who has more experience and confidence. It wasn't pretty but it's a W. KC lost to the Bears, Ravens lost to CLE, and Broncos beat the Raiders. All good for the Bills Wild Card hopes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pine Barrens Mafia Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I'm convinced Brady will play till he's 50, and look good the whole damned time. He doesn't take a ton of hits, and why not? We obviously haven't been punished enough. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheFunPolice Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 (edited) I'm convinced Brady will play till he's 50, and look good the whole damned time. He doesn't take a ton of hits, and why not? We obviously haven't been punished enough. I know, right? Manning doesn't take a lot of hits either though and he looked as good as ever this time last season. Then it's like the clock struck midnight or something. It often happens that way for older players. They look great then their play takes a nosedive. I mentioned Favre. He still had the same arm strength at 41 that he had at 30. So it wasn't that he couldn't make the throws. But his body just couldn't take the abuse and heal up on time anymore. As the season goes on those dings and bumps and bruises add up on an older body and it affects play. Dallas hit Brady a lot yesterday. 5 sacks in the 1st half. Didn't matter in the end, but hopefully other teams can copy what they did and start getting hits on him. To be clear: I don't want Brady injured. I want him out there looking like Manning does now. Old, slow, timid. I want to hear non-stop speculation that Brady is done. I want Boston sports radio and New England* fans to be saying "thanks for all the memories but it's time to hang it up... you're hurting your legacy and the team" We WILL see this. Probably not this year though. Best of all, New England has their bye already. May the fatigue and nagging injuries pile up for them. Edited October 12, 2015 by TheFunPolice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Voice of Truth Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 I agree with the sentiment of this post. I already have concern over Rex's coaching ability. We all love him as the PR guy but I'm even beginning to wonder about his defense. Schwartz had the right scheme for these players and what he did made sense. I can't help but see a lot of incompetence and lack of just common sense out of some of the defensive decisions. I mean, this is just one example but I've been seeing things like this every game all over the place. The Titans and Mariota like to get rid of the ball quickly. We know this going in. How was it that Mariota's first read on a lot of plays was wide open with room to run. This is EXACTLY what you should be taking away every play. It's just frustrating as a fan and has me concerned about Rex long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West End Stench Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 The Titans and Mariota like to get rid of the ball quickly. Actually, according to PFF, Mariota had the slowest release time of all NFL QBs going into week 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDH Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Where do people get the impression that good teams blow out, or even beat, every bad team on their schedule? Last year the Pats lost to the Phins and the Chiefs (the latter in a blowout) early in the year. They barely beat the Jets twice. Seattle lost to those same Chiefs as well as the Rams. They barely beat the Panthers and only scored 13 points in doing so. Both ended up in the Super Bowl. If Super Bowl bound teams find ways to lose to inferior teams and find ways to beat those same types of teams on days they struggled why do people think the Bills have to blow every one of them out of the water to be "contenders." Who knows if the Bills will end up in the playoffs but struggling on the road, early in the year and still pulling out a victory doesn't tell me they won't. Those are the types of games teams need to win to make the playoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne Cubed Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Where do people get the impression that good teams blow out, or even beat, every bad team on their schedule? Last year the Pats lost to the Phins and the Chiefs (the latter in a blowout) early in the year. They barely beat the Jets twice. Seattle lost to those same Chiefs as well as the Rams. They barely beat the Panthers and only scored 13 points in doing so. Both ended up in the Super Bowl. If Super Bowl bound teams find ways to lose to inferior teams and find ways to beat those same types of teams on days they struggled why do people think the Bills have to blow every one of them out of the water to be "contenders." Who knows if the Bills will end up in the playoffs but struggling on the road, early in the year and still pulling out a victory doesn't tell me they won't. Those are the types of games teams need to win to make the playoffs. Well said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave mcbride Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 Where do people get the impression that good teams blow out, or even beat, every bad team on their schedule? Last year the Pats lost to the Phins and the Chiefs (the latter in a blowout) early in the year. They barely beat the Jets twice. Seattle lost to those same Chiefs as well as the Rams. They barely beat the Panthers and only scored 13 points in doing so. Both ended up in the Super Bowl. If Super Bowl bound teams find ways to lose to inferior teams and find ways to beat those same types of teams on days they struggled why do people think the Bills have to blow every one of them out of the water to be "contenders." Who knows if the Bills will end up in the playoffs but struggling on the road, early in the year and still pulling out a victory doesn't tell me they won't. Those are the types of games teams need to win to make the playoffs. Plus the Titans really aren't that bad. They have a very talented defense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBob2232 Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 In any event, who are the Wild Cards? Pittsburgh San Diego Buffalo Jets I think that's your group. The Bills are surviving right now. There are a TON of key injuries on this team and the OL coach has been out with the suspension. What you want to do is ride this out, get people comfortable with the scheme, get Shady back 100%, get Watkins back 100%, get your OL coach back, and make a nice run later in the season with a young QB who has more experience and confidence. It wasn't pretty but it's a W. KC lost to the Bears, Ravens lost to CLE, and Broncos beat the Raiders. All good for the Bills Wild Card hopes. I think I would throw Oakland in there as well, but Miami (1-3), Baltimore (1-4) and KC (1-4) were all supposed to be contenders, but are really hurting. Things are shaping up our way, despite our performance. We should beat Jags, Dolfins, Texans and Redskins. If we split with the Jets, and pick up one of Cowboys/Eagles/Chiefs, we wind up at 9-7, and probably make the playoffs. I am writing off the Pats and Bengals...but a win over either would be HUGE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 People seem to forget the elite defense last year was embarrassed by the Patriots the first time we played them and looked very pedestrian against the Chargers early in the year. They also did not have three dominating performances out of the first five games. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utah John Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 (edited) If you divide the league into quintiles (five equally sized groups, so 6 teams in each group plus one here or there), I think the Bills are solidly in the second quintile. There are six teams with much better records. The Broncos I don't believe in, they're winning ugly, but I think the Giants are better than their record. The top quintile gets into the playoffs, and the competition for WCs is in the second. Each division in the AFC has a top dog, and only the East has real contenders other than the lead team. Right now the best looking non-leaders in the AFC are the Bills and Jets. Both could make it. The Bills have that status without Shady, Sammie, and Karlos. And Kromer. Can they crack the top quintile when they get those guys back? Let's see what happens if the top teams start getting key injuries too. I've been considering their defense. Where are the sacks? Are they giving up too many yards per game? Statistically, Rex took a dominant Schwartz defense and made it average. Well, sacks are down but the opposing QBs are adjusting their games and if the Bills catch on to that like they've started doing, their pass defense will become much more effective. No sense playing for deep routes when the other team will be running quick outs and slants all the time. Gilmore's interception at the end of the Titans game came about just as much from Dareus forcing an early throw without stepping into the throw, as from Gilmore making a great play (both are true, no offense to Gilmore). The Titans were averaging something like 30 points a game. The Bills D held that good offense under control while the offense struggled for the first three quarters. I'm leaning now toward the view that what counts with a D isn't sacks, it's overall performance, and the Bills' D looks pretty darned good. Edited October 12, 2015 by Utah John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills Fan of St Augustine Posted October 12, 2015 Share Posted October 12, 2015 OL needs to get better or it won't matter who runs behind them. I think they will as they play more together. They were all over matched Sunday except for RI. Where would we be without him? Oh, and it still wasn't a chop block! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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