Virgil Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 It's interesting to me to think about the perceptive ups and downs of the offseason. If you told me at the end of last season that our options at starting QB the following season would be Peterman and Josh Allen, while losing Woods and Incognito without gaining a real replacement, I probably would have thrown up. Now that the season is starting, I'm not sure how I feel about our chances. I do know this; teams don't show anything in the preseason. I remember when Spurrier was lighting teams up in preseason only to get crushed in the regular season and we have countless recent Super Bowl winners who go 0-4 in the preseason. Teams practice rotations and fundamentals, not strategy nor playbook schemes. With that being said, I'm feelings cautiously optimistic going into the season, but fully prepared for a letdown. Overall, here's what I'm thinking: Peterman should start, but he's on a short leash. He was clearly the best QB and made the offensive line look good with his quick release on short reads. However, he looked good in the preseason last year because teams weren't blitzing him. That changed against the Chargers and we all know how that went. If Peterman has learned from that and can keep getting the ball out quick, then I think it's good for Allen to watch. Once the season is over mathematically, it's Allen's turn as he is our future. Our offensive line scares the crap out of me and that hasn't changed. Our biggest weapon is Shady and I expect teams to stack the box until we provide a passing game. We all know what we saw in the preseason and I'm hoping that was because we were trying out new things, but getting pushed back off the line like we did was a joke and I don't see that changing. This, plus the Chargers game, has me the most worried. Wide receiver is not a concern for me as much anymore. If I learned one thing this preseason, it's that Benjamin is more than capable of being a #1. After that, we have decent enough guys that can spread the field and be serviceable enough. Zay is the wild card, but the other guys seem serviceable enough. Defense is where I'm the most concerned as I saw more of the same from last year. While I'm excited to see Edmunds grow as a rookie, he showed a lot of hesitation and will take some time. We didn't see our new front 4 together, but I'm hoping we get our money's worth with Murphy and Star. Our pass rush and run stop last year was weak at best in certain games. What's a bigger concern is how we cover the middle of the field. We gave up a quite a few plays as we did last season. I know we employ a bend but don't break, but with how we drafted and spent or FA money, I'd hope to see some better pressure and negative plays. Overall, I think we will be competitive, but I worry about us against strong teams. It really comes down to our offensive scheme to compensate for our lack of talent and if our FA defensive players can make an impact. Right now, I have us at 7-9. I still think we are the 2nd best team in our division and we are disciplined enough with McDermott to win those close games that we normally shoot ourselves in the foot with. Thoughts? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RPbillsfan Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 4 minutes ago, Virgil said: It's interesting to me to think about the perceptive ups and downs of the offseason. If you told me at the end of last season that our options at starting QB the following season would be Peterman and Josh Allen, while losing Woods and Incognito without gaining a real replacement, I probably would have thrown up. Now that the season is starting, I'm not sure how I feel about our chances. I do know this; teams don't show anything in the preseason. I remember when Spurrier was lighting teams up in preseason only to get crushed in the regular season and we have countless recent Super Bowl winners who go 0-4 in the preseason. Teams practice rotations and fundamentals, not strategy nor playbook schemes. With that being said, I'm feelings cautiously optimistic going into the season, but fully prepared for a letdown. Overall, here's what I'm thinking: Peterman should start, but he's on a short leash. He was clearly the best QB and made the offensive line look good with his quick release on short reads. However, he looked good in the preseason last year because teams weren't blitzing him. That changed against the Chargers and we all know how that went. If Peterman has learned from that and can keep getting the ball out quick, then I think it's good for Allen to watch. Once the season is over mathematically, it's Allen's turn as he is our future. Our offensive line scares the crap out of me and that hasn't changed. Our biggest weapon is Shady and I expect teams to stack the box until we provide a passing game. We all know what we saw in the preseason and I'm hoping that was because we were trying out new things, but getting pushed back off the line like we did was a joke and I don't see that changing. This, plus the Chargers game, has me the most worried. Wide receiver is not a concern for me as much anymore. If I learned one thing this preseason, it's that Benjamin is more than capable of being a #1. After that, we have decent enough guys that can spread the field and be serviceable enough. Zay is the wild card, but the other guys seem serviceable enough. Defense is where I'm the most concerned as I saw more of the same from last year. While I'm excited to see Edmunds grow as a rookie, he showed a lot of hesitation and will take some time. We didn't see our new front 4 together, but I'm hoping we get our money's worth with Murphy and Star. Our pass rush and run stop last year was weak at best in certain games. What's a bigger concern is how we cover the middle of the field. We gave up a quite a few plays as we did last season. I know we employ a bend but don't break, but with how we drafted and spent or FA money, I'd hope to see some better pressure and negative plays. Overall, I think we will be competitive, but I worry about us against strong teams. It really comes down to our offensive scheme to compensate for our lack of talent and if our FA defensive players can make an impact. Right now, I have us at 7-9. I still think we are the 2nd best team in our division and we are disciplined enough with McDermott to win those close games that we normally shoot ourselves in the foot with. Thoughts? I think Peterman will do reasonably well if he is game planned to his strengths and if the offensive line can open holes for the running game. However it's my beliefs weakness across the interior will doom this team to a 5 to 6 win season. LB is a major area of concern for me as Edmunds, although talented is also young and tends to misread plays and I still don't know if we can generate a pass rush. We will have superb special teams and great coaching but the 1st 8 games are tough with maybe 3 wins at best, 2 is more probable. 2nd half of the schedule is more manageable with 4 wins. So, honestly I see 6-10 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jamie Nails Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 I’m as pessimistic about this season as I have been for years. Building year; lots of lumps and bumps. Probably 6-10 at best 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rc2catch Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 I don’t have high hopes. I expect the entire season rests on McCoy’s shoulders. Our only shot of any kind of real success is running the ball effectively and controlling the clock. Keeping the defense fresh as possible and in attack mode. As one of both of the quarterbacks progresses and gets better. Truly a bipolar season coming in my opinion. We can be as good as 11-5 with a healthy roster and the above mentioned formula. Or as bad as 3-13 with injuries and not following that formula above. I can’t believe this coach/roster is just gonna sh*t the bed and give up and be the worst team in the league. But I can see and agree for those who see this as maybe a losing season Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjd1001 Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 (edited) I think the team will be pretty bad, but I'm O.K. with it (its what I expected). I think Peterman is probably a better QB than a lot of people think, but he won't look that good on this offense. I think the team could be pretty bad (3-13 or 4-12 wouldn't surprise me) but if things fall into place, I could also see as good of a record as 8-8. If I had to pick a record, I'd say 5-11. I see ZERO chance of having any kind of winning record though. With so many changes over the past year or so..I have no idea exactly what to expect. But even if they are bad, at least the beginning of the season will hold my interest because it will be only way I can see just what they are. Edited September 2, 2018 by mjd1001 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1st Ammendment NoMas Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 (edited) The lack of being able to execute basic fundamental football in the pre-season is worrisome. The O-Line will have to be maulers run blocking and we will need a 3 headed monster of Shady, Ivory and Murphy wearing teams down. If we can establish this with a mix of screens, quick passes over the middle and the occasional deep ball to keep teams honest then putting up 20 points per game is not out of the question, though I think we will avg. 17 Defense is where we need to dominate to win. From what I've seen we are soft in the middle and have no pass rush. If we can run enough blitzes without getting picked apart and can win the turnover battle, then there's a chance to hold teams under 20. Field position and special teams will have to be rock solid. With a few big plays and solid kicking, it may win us a game or 2. This is the difference between a 5-6 win team and a 8-9 win team. I don't see us going higher or lower with the early tough road schedule and talent-lacking roster. Prediction 7-9 Edited September 2, 2018 by BillsRdue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boatdrinks Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 It was nice to break the drought last year, because with this teardown/ rebuild we may have been flirting with twenty. This years team is in a sort of football purgatory ( no just QB purgatory lol . It’s a roster without a lot of high end talent. The offense is going to be among the worst in the league and the running game will take a big step back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott7975 Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 I am feeling kind of meh right now. I think this season is going to be like what people expected last season. 5 to 6 wins. I don't have a lot of faith in Peterman. I have zero faith in our oline. Our receivers are pretty mediocre across the board. My saving hope was the defense which looks to be worse than last season too =(. Hope I am wrong about all of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 6-10 sounds about right to me as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 (edited) I hope they are at least fun to watch and put up a good fight, but they don't seem to have a whole lot of talent, depth, or experience - on offense in particular. Losing Wood and Incognito unexpectedly is a lot to overcome. I'm sure Josh Allen will have a chance at some point; I'd be pumped just to see him improve noticeably and maybe break a few big plays that show off the talent, even if they're losing by 20. Peterman could turn out to be good, too, which would be a nice bonus. Not anticipating a lot of victories, not on the scoreboard at least. What will be will be, Go Bills. Edited September 2, 2018 by skibum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay_Fixit Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 13-3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Linen Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 I think we go 8-6 with 2 games being cancelled because of weather and won't get made up. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBillyG Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 I gotta be honest, I'm seeing 9-7. In the NFL it's important not only who you play, but when you play them. The rough first half of the year, more on the road than home looks insurmountable. But, if we hit a couple teams at the right time...who knows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wppete Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aussie Joe Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 I think there is reason to be optimistic about Allen after the preseason... He mightn’t be the Week 1 starter ( although he might be), but should have the job by Week 5 or 6 at the latest... If he can show something than the team record to me will be of secondary importance.. ( they aren’t making the playoffs anyway with that OL).. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4th&long Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Another rebuilding year. Again. 4 win team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanfan Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Somewhere from 6-8 wins. Worried about the interior of the O line, but I'm not sure they're done tweaking there. The D will be OK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McNubbins Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 9-7, but missing the playoffs this year sadly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAJBobby Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 I want to see what the next 6-8 moves are. This isnt the 53 going into week one 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltonWaddams Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 In recent years, my fantasy team has had names like Use the Schwartz, Billievin in Rex and In Tyrod We Trust. This year, it's Buffa-low Expectations. Nuff said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bills Fan of St Augustine Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Honestly, a little bit sick. Both sides of the line are awful when the ball is being thrown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Virgil Posted September 2, 2018 Author Share Posted September 2, 2018 18 minutes ago, White Linen said: I think we go 8-6 with 2 games being cancelled because of weather and won't get made up. I don't know why this mad me laugh so hard 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eanyills Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 (edited) I think this is a 3-13 to 6-10 type team. Peterman is not a serviceable NFL starting QB and will struggle against teams gameplanning for him. If/when Allen sees the field, it’s going to be the trials and tribulations of a rookie QB with a learning curve. Either way, QB play is going to be rough this season. The line is a major concern and I don’t think teams are going to respect the deep ball if Peterman starts (or really, I don’t think they’ll respect the deep ball with any QB until this WR core shows otherwise) so we’ll see a lot of stacked boxes against McCoy. Defense across the board worries me. Pass rush, secondary. I think there’s some serious overall regression coming from a unit that already had a weakness in the middle. Tre’davious is great, though. I have no worries about him. It’s a transition year for the Bills. I honestly don’t think McBeane expected to make the playoffs last season and that raised expectations. They’ve always had a plan and a timeline to get their system and their guys in place and this is the second year of that. We’re a year away from truly seeing what this team is supposed to be but after last season’s playoff tease, it’s going to sting a little. Edited September 2, 2018 by eanyills 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenorthremembers Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 I was a bit more optimistic in the Spring. But I expected a lot more from the linebackers, cornerbacks and defensive line throughout camp and the preseason. Not feeling real good about the talent on the roster and would not be surprised in the least if they are picking top 3 in April. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly the Dog Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 We suck at QB, WR, C, OG, OT, and LB until we don't suck. 6-10 unless Allen is pretty good early. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadingpain Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 6 wins is this team's ceiling. It could be lower and maybe even a lot lower. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPS Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 I think peterman will do a good job running the offense, and I think the TE group will be the strength of the passing game. The O-line will be more critical to its success though. On D, I’m most worried about depth at CB. I think the starting D will be fine, but an injury or two will make a big difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ganesh Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 45 minutes ago, Rc2catch said: I don’t have high hopes. I expect the entire season rests on McCoy’s shoulders. Our only shot of any kind of real success is running the ball effectively and controlling the clock. Keeping the defense fresh as possible and in attack mode. As one of both of the quarterbacks progresses and gets better. Truly a bipolar season coming in my opinion. We can be as good as 11-5 with a healthy roster and the above mentioned formula. Or as bad as 3-13 with injuries and not following that formula above. I can’t believe this coach/roster is just gonna sh*t the bed and give up and be the worst team in the league. But I can see and agree for those who see this as maybe a losing season Teams will stop the Bills Run game and dare the QB's to throw. We will be in a ton of 3rd and Longs...With our OL, I don't think the QBs will have a chance to complete them. We desperately need OL help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drf1835 Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Wonderful. Even a 0-16 season would be more exciting compared to the dull, dragged out, training camp and Preseason. If they lose lots during regular season we get entertained as we can complain. If we win lots, we puff out our chests and see mcdermott clapping alot. If we are 8-8, we will be like everyone else in the nfl. We can have a parity party. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 (edited) I'm pessimistic until they prove me wrong on the field. I think we have our QB of the future in Allen, but I think he needs to sit due to the OL. The OL looks pretty trash right now. We have no pass rush on defense. None. Davis looks like an obvious downgrade from Gaines. Shady is another year older. The WR group is beyond suspect. Peterman won't be able to throw passes outside of the hashes. Our schedule looks absolutely brutal right now. If the ball bounces to the opposite way it did last season then we could be a 3 or 4 win team. Then again, with some good fortune, we could win 9 or 10 games again. We will need the offense to sustain some drives, even if we don't score every time, to give the defense a breather. The more the defense is on the field the worse this team will look. I don't expect much this year, but I hope to see growth from the young guys like Harrison Phillips, Tremaine Edmunds, Taron Johnson, Teller if he gets in there, and at some point Josh Allen. Edited September 2, 2018 by H2o 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Needle Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 I think we take some bad beatings this year. I like some of our young players and have some hope for Allen. My biggest concern is not this year's record but the way we might get demoralized. I really think it could be that bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Apprehensively Optimistic. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snamsnoops Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 10 minutes ago, drf1835 said: Wonderful. Even a 0-16 season would be more exciting compared to the dull, dragged out, training camp and Preseason. If they lose lots during regular season we get entertained as we can complain. If we win lots, we puff out our chests and see mcdermott clapping alot. If we are 8-8, we will be like everyone else in the nfl. We can have a parity party. I am pretty sure this will happen regardless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peace Frog Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 (edited) I feel like I've just won first place in a chicken sushi eating contest. Edited September 2, 2018 by Peace Frog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mead107 Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Feeling like 19-0 Baby 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr.Sack Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 Josh Allen 2018 NFL MVP. Sounds good huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanbillsfan2206 Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 We’re a better team on paper than last year. 9-7 or 10-6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
26CornerBlitz Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 (edited) 2 minutes ago, Seanbillsfan2206 said: We’re a better team on paper than last year. 9-7 or 10-6 Not the case IMO. QB is green as grass, OL is far worse, and WR is a huge ? LB is suspect as is CB opposite White and where is the pass rush coming from? Edited September 2, 2018 by 26CornerBlitz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BullBuchanan Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 This roster looks awful, top to bottom. We've got a ton of players on our 53 that I expect would have been on cut lists if this were another team. The part I'm having a tough time with is that most of the players here aren't very young. Most of them have already peaked, or appear unlikely to break out. Usually I talk myself into scenarios like, oh well if this guy can take a little step up and we get a breakout year from one of x.y,z we'll be in good shape. The only guys I see as potential breakout candidates on this roster would be Peterman, Zay Jones, Murphy, and Edmunds, based pretty much on them having extremely limited experience. That's not a great situation to be in. Before pre-season I may have said Milano and Logan Thomas, but not feeling particularly high on either at the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seanbillsfan2206 Posted September 2, 2018 Share Posted September 2, 2018 2 minutes ago, 26CornerBlitz said: Not the case IMO. QB is green as grass, OL is far worse, and WR is a huge ? LB is suspect as is CB opposite White. WR an LB were question marks last year as well and I believe we have improved there. D line has also improved on paper. QB is a wash. OL is worse that is correct 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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