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CBS Studio Analysts praise Bills, Fans, McDermott


Fadingpain

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This coverage scares me though... it's deja vu from 2011...

 

The media was ready to prop up the Bills as one of the best teams in the league, we were ranked in the top 3 in ESPN & NFL Power Rankings, Ryan Fitzpatrick was doing the media press tour appearing on talk shows every day, and we were on a roll going 5-2 up to that point. We had people claiming we had turned the corner, having beaten the Patriots at home already, and with Gailey being anointed as some genius coach. We smacked the Redskins around in Toronto, putting up a dominant defensive performance (with 9 or 10 sacks!) similar to what we did to the Raiders today.

 

Then we won a whopping 1 game from that point on...We lost 7 straight games and finished the season 6-10.

 

So even though there's a lot to be happy about, I know better than to be drawn in at this point. We also started 5-1 in 2008 and finished the year 7-9... Trent Edwards was getting tons of praise & also going on the media tour, while the national sports press hyped him up as the only successful QB of his draft class. They spoke too soon.

Sure theres some similarity especially regarding turnover diff, and some timely defensive tds early on... what I dont think will happen is see Tyrod throw like 20 picks in the last 9 games or start allowing like 150 yards rushing per game.

 

What I see is a defense that tackles well and thrives on making plays both small and big. We would struggle with depth on offense, especially at rb and wr... I think the season is more likely derailed by injury than by it being a fluke.

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This is about the time the Bills' season normally starts to crumble. Thursday night will be a good test to see if it's the Same Old Bills or something new.

 

I'm not convinced just yet.

 

I said before the season this is a 5 win team, I'm not wrong yet :)

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This is about the time the Bills' season normally starts to crumble. Thursday night will be a good test to see if it's the Same Old Bills or something new.

 

I'm not convinced just yet.

 

I said before the season this is a 5 win team, I'm not wrong yet :)

Yup. I always curb my enthusiasm with a hot Bills start based on experience.

 

2008 started 5-2. Finished 2-7.

2011 started 5-2. Finished 1-8.

2016 started 4-2. Finished 3-7

 

However, the parody in the AFC this year is more pronounced than most other years. There's a ton of mediocre teams. Even the Chiefs and the Patriots are vulnerable. There's also a palpable cohesion on this team that seems to be playing with a chip on their shoulders. The defense has been outstanding considering their was a scheme change and the entire secondary players are completely different than last year. Their ability to create turnovers is looking less and less like a fluke with each passing week. The offense made the necessary adjustments during the bye week to get their running game going and I hope Taylor is starting to develop some chemistry with his receivers.

 

Now. Shady could get hurt. The defense may stop creating those turnovers and our lack of speed at the WR spot may come back to haunt us, but I'm more optimistic in making the playoffs this year than previous years.

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I too get nervous thinking about the Bills' recently historical fast starts.

 

But - correct me if I'm wrong - it seems to me that those teams started quickly while primarily relying on offense. And none of those offenses was loaded with particularly special players. I love Fitz and Freddie as much as the next guy, but they ain't exactly in the HOF discussion. Never mind Trent Edwards.

 

I think in general that good offense is less stable/reproducible than good defense - unless you have several superstars (QB, WR, OT, and either TE or RB or more WR etc.). So it doesn't surprise me to see a team flash on offense for a while and then fall off the cliff.

 

Good team defense on the other hand can be pretty consistent due to player cohesion, smart play, intelligent coaching, and guts. Doesn't hurt to have a defensive superstar or two, of course, but I think good team defense is more reliable than good team offense. So I think the 2017 Bills are likely to be a little more consistent over the rest of the season. Doesn't mean they will go 5-2 over the next seven, but I have a hard time imagining them completely imploding now.

 

The reliance on turnovers is worrisome, though, as others have pointed out. Yes, they are causing many of the turnovers with their technique and gang tackling, and yes, on the other side, Tyrod has proven to be consistently safe with the football. So it's not a total fluke. Nonetheless, their current margin is too wide to be sustainable over the long term. Hopefully the D and the O will keep improving (still a new system for them) so as the turnover differential comes back to earth they will still be able to win.

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My concern is when Tyrod gets banged up. While I am sure Peterson is good prospect he is not ready to start and the alternates (Joe Webb & Logan Thomas) could do an option play or two but certainly cannot carry the team and Tyrod is certainly carrying the team although the defense and STs are factors. The offense is being tailored to his skill set and I do not think the Bills can retune it with limitations of NFLPA unless the players on their own do what they did in Stripes - practice on their own.

I have the same concerns, but mine are about Shady as well.
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ESPN's website is lagging in the RESPECT

 

I still have to go more than half way down the page to get to any Bills news.

 

Ah, respect comes in the form of website articles and clickbait, yes, this is what's wrong with society.

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I'm starting to billeve. If they take care of business in NY I'll really be thinking this team is for real.

 

This team feels different. I'm optimistic but there's some tough challenges ahead.

 

If we compete with the pats im on board. If we can win one against the pats, I'm all in.

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Yup. I always curb my enthusiasm with a hot Bills start based on experience.

 

2008 started 5-2. Finished 2-7.

2011 started 5-2. Finished 1-8.

2016 started 4-2. Finished 3-7

 

 

I started to realize yesterday after the Raiders first touchdown, that I am now adjusting to the new Buffalo Bills. I was not as stressed and negative as I was in previous years, believing this team would make the necessary adjustments. I was also more comfortable as the game progressed and we were protecting the lead. It takes time but the years of falling short are starting to wear off.

 

Embrace the process.

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Yup. I always curb my enthusiasm with a hot Bills start based on experience.

 

2008 started 5-2. Finished 2-7.

2011 started 5-2. Finished 1-8.

2016 started 4-2. Finished 3-7

 

However, the parody in the AFC this year is more pronounced than most other years. There's a ton of mediocre teams. Even the Chiefs and the Patriots are vulnerable. There's also a palpable cohesion on this team that seems to be playing with a chip on their shoulders. The defense has been outstanding considering their was a scheme change and the entire secondary players are completely different than last year. Their ability to create turnovers is looking less and less like a fluke with each passing week. The offense made the necessary adjustments during the bye week to get their running game going and I hope Taylor is starting to develop some chemistry with his receivers.

 

Now. Shady could get hurt. The defense may stop creating those turnovers and our lack of speed at the WR spot may come back to haunt us, but I'm more optimistic in making the playoffs this year than previous years.

 

This team has the same type of chemistry on it as the Sabres did coming out of he lockout where nobody expected them to take off like they did...

 

We underestimate how much coaching and chemistry play in winning...this team is far greater than the sum of its parts...

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I too get nervous thinking about the Bills' recently historical fast starts.

 

But - correct me if I'm wrong - it seems to me that those teams started quickly while primarily relying on offense. And none of those offenses was loaded with particularly special players. I love Fitz and Freddie as much as the next guy, but they ain't exactly in the HOF discussion. Never mind Trent Edwards.

 

I think in general that good offense is less stable/reproducible than good defense - unless you have several superstars (QB, WR, OT, and either TE or RB or more WR etc.). So it doesn't surprise me to see a team flash on offense for a while and then fall off the cliff.

 

Good team defense on the other hand can be pretty consistent due to player cohesion, smart play, intelligent coaching, and guts. Doesn't hurt to have a defensive superstar or two, of course, but I think good team defense is more reliable than good team offense. So I think the 2017 Bills are likely to be a little more consistent over the rest of the season. Doesn't mean they will go 5-2 over the next seven, but I have a hard time imagining them completely imploding now.

 

The reliance on turnovers is worrisome, though, as others have pointed out. Yes, they are causing many of the turnovers with their technique and gang tackling, and yes, on the other side, Tyrod has proven to be consistently safe with the football. So it's not a total fluke. Nonetheless, their current margin is too wide to be sustainable over the long term. Hopefully the D and the O will keep improving (still a new system for them) so as the turnover differential comes back to earth they will still be able to win.

 

Take away the turnovers from yesterday's game and you're left with (obviously) a much closer game, but I don't think it's fair to say they won because of the turnovers. For the style of play of this team this year, if the D continues to keep points down, if they keep teams out of the endzone, they can be in virtually every game. Based on what I've seen to this point, even if the turnovers slow down they will continue to be competitive.

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