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Are the Bills a very good team??? This is where the issue is


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2 hours ago, Billsfan1972 said:

I think they are a very good team.  That is what I saw from the offense weeks 1-4.  I expected improvement on the D.

 

This is exactly why I (and others) post what I do, because I think this is the Bills year to go 11-5 (or 12-4).

 

But maybe I'm not right & this is an average team playing above their heads and the coaching staff doing a great job and maximizing their potential.  

 

Seems anytime people post expecting more, they are drowned out by 6-2 and that they've met or exceeded expectations.

 

BTW I'd much rather be right about them being a very good teram, then coaching being responsible for taking an again average to below average team to a better record then their personal befits. 

 

 

So in my pre-season predictions I am currently 8-0 and I had the Bills at 6-2, losing to Ten and KC. So W-L record they are right where I had them. But performance wise I have been a bit disappointed the past 4 weeks. I had them finishing 11-5 and given a chance for a do over I'd revise that down to 10-6. 

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5 minutes ago, RyanC883 said:

The Steelers look like the best team in the NFL right now.   Their defense is lights-out, great at all areas (Fitzpatrick at safety, Watt and Hawyard on DL/LB) and the offense can beat you running, passing, etc.  

 

Didn't the Ravens run all over the Steelers yesterday?    The stat line was something like 457 yards of offense against just 221 for Steelers.  Dobbins had 7.5 yards per carry and Edwards something like 5.5 with over 250 yards total on the ground for the Ravens.  So I probably wouldn't quite declare that as a lights out defense. The difference was turnovers.

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54 minutes ago, McGahee said:

I think it's a good team with an incredibly weak schedule that will allow our record to look like a great team and we'll be exposed in the playoffs by a great team.

 

You think the Bills have a very weak schedule? Hmm.

 

Ignore the Jets, yes they are trash. After them...

 

W over 4-3 Dolphins

W over 5-3 Rams

W over 4-3 Raiders

L to 5-2 Titans

L to 7-1 Chiefs

W over 2-5 Pats

 

That is 4-2 against teams who are a combined 27-17 for those keeping score at home.

 

From here we go...

 

6-1 Seahawks

5-2 Cardinals 

2-5 Chargers

4-4 49ers

7-0 Steelers

3-4 Broncos

2-5 Patriots

4-3 Dolphins

 

Those teams are currently a combined 33-24 for those keeping score at home.

 

If this is a weak schedule I hope we never play a strong one!

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Their record says they are, their point differential says they are not.  4-0 in their division and a 2.5 game lead on their nearest divisional opponent says they are.  Their rushing defense says they are  not.  I think the Hawks will be a good metric to judge this.  

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10 minutes ago, prissythecat said:

 

Didn't the Ravens run all over the Steelers yesterday?    The stat line was something like 457 yards of offense against just 221 for Steelers.  Dobbins had 7.5 yards per carry and Edwards something like 5.5 with over 250 yards total on the ground for the Ravens.  So I probably wouldn't quite declare that as a lights out defense. The difference was turnovers.

 

lights out defense.  #1 ranked in the league I believe.  they also excel at getting turnovers going back to the beginning of last year at least.  The Ravens I believe are the best running team in the NFL.  

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Thanks, Kidd.  You asked the right question.  

 

There are two distinct reactions to each game, and I think the two reactions are both relevant.   

 

One reaction is to whether the Bills put up a W or an L.   That's very important, it's what McDermott and all other coaches and players are focused on.   I didn't see any postgame, locker room video, but I am sure there was a lot of excitement in the locker room.  Wins are BIG, all the time.  Wins can't be overlooked.  Getting to 6-2 was very important for the season.   Critical, even.

 

The other reaction is a reaction to how the team played, what it looked like, what we learned.   Those reactions all relate to what we can expect from the team in the coming weeks.   That is why there's been a lot of negative reaction on this forum yesterday and today.   For some it's a reaction based simply on just barely eking out a win against a team that hasn't done much this season, and the inference that that means the Bills won't be able to beat the good teams coming up on their schedule.  For others, it's a reaction based on aspects of the team - how well the run game worked, how well the Bills defense played, etc.   

 

In my view, the best teams in the league should be viewing the Bills right now as a beatable good team.   By that I mean the Bills are always dangerous and shouldn't be taken lightly, but they have weaknesses that can be exploited to beat them.   The weaknesses focus primarily on the lines - the offensive line isn't dominating in the run and is only okay in pass protection, the defensive line can't stop the run effectively and can't generate serious pass rush without one two blitzers coming, too.   That makes the Bills suspect. 

 

However, McDermott's process is to build throughout the season, and his objective is to have no serious weaknesses as we get to December.   If McDermott and the coaches do well in the coming weeks, the Bills will put up a couple of wins that cause the league to sit up and take notice.   If they don't, or if the talent simply isn't good enough to play at the level the coaches demand, the Bills will fall back into the pack and be viewed as a team that flashed early and then faded.   

 

In other words, if you want to know if the Bills are a good team, ask me in a month.   If I had to guess where they'll be in a month, I'd guess not as good as we'd like.  I'll be happy with 2-2 in the next four games.   

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35 minutes ago, RyanC883 said:

 

lights out defense.  #1 ranked in the league I believe.  they also excel at getting turnovers going back to the beginning of last year at least.  The Ravens I believe are the best running team in the NFL.  

 

The Bucs are #1 in yards allowed while the Dolphins are #1 in points allowed.  Pittsburgh is #5 and #6 in those categories respectively.  If you have a truly elite defense, you aren't going to allow a  team to run like that. 

 

https://www.espn.com/nfl/stats/team/_/view/defense/table/passing/sort/netYardsPerGame/dir/asc

Edited by prissythecat
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Life in general is about continuous improvement.

 

I expect that the GM and HC live by this same mantra and that they've identified the need to win in 2020.

 

The game on Sunday should provide another, albeit not final, opportunity to showcase whether they are improving.  

 

 

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For me, the issue is with the OP thinking the issue is posters subjective ranking of this team.

 

Factually/objectively the team is 6-2.  It would be nice to see some threads revolving around the last time they were 6-2.  It would be interesting to me to hear the last time the Bills have had a 2+ lead for the division.  The last time the Bills had over a 3 game lead on the Pats*.  The odds of winning the division and the playoffs just skyrocketed- what are they now?

 

The Bills just won the biggest game of the season, possibly the year.  Odds on to make the playoffs, knocked the Pats out of the race.  Looking great for what many could consider a successful season.  Just won a huge game to have year over year improvement.  Looking like 3 out of the last 4 for the playoffs and will be the division winner.

 

This long time fan has been looking forward to the day to talk about these things, instead I must endure the "real issue" crowd.

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We are a very good team that  has lost a bit confidence on the offensive side, with key injuries,  and the D is riddled with injuries, and the new guys just aren’t up to speed, and we miss Star way more than people realize. 
 

On the topic of those bringing up our weaknesses, you knuckleheads don’t say anything without coming across as people you don’t invite to your house for a beer 🍻, mo really, you choose to say everything in absolute terms, and want to cut, fire or shoot whoever or whatever your talking about.  English is a language that allows nuance and specifics, most of you don’t even try to be any of those things, that’s why you get shouted down, temper you anger, choose your words, an  people might just want to have a conversation with you. 
 

that’s my take, 

 

Go Bills!!! 

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1 hour ago, RyanC883 said:

The Steelers look like the best team in the NFL right now.   Their defense is lights-out, great at all areas (Fitzpatrick at safety, Watt and Hawyard on DL/LB) and the offense can beat you running, passing, etc.  

 

These guys scare me and Tampa....don't laugh....TB12 is getting comfortable, the D is crazy good.  It looks like an easy win (I know I know) for Tampa tonite.

 

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23 minutes ago, Kwai San said:

 

These guys scare me and Tampa....don't laugh....TB12 is getting comfortable, the D is crazy good.  It looks like an easy win (I know I know) for Tampa tonite.

 

 

But the Giants are TB12's kryptonite..

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The Bills are a good team they just aren't a great team. The offense while banged up a bit is in my opinion good enough to hang with any team in the league especially if they can get healthy. 

 

The defense however is both banged up and missing a few pieces. They need a true one tech Dt, a corner opposite Tre, a prime time edge rusher, and better LB play. Even if this team makes a trade to help at the one tech and gets Edumonds and Milano healthy and playing better you still have 2 to 3 other key issues.

 

Seattle is a temperature check for this team. They got beat up by 2 contenders but then got fat on 2 bad divisional opponents. Let's see if Josh can put up points on a bad defense and if the defense can limit Wilson just enough

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I think this is a good team as appose to very good. Our coaching has helped us to a 6-2 record which is perhaps a little better than our play has warranted. The defense has some glaring weaknesses this year with Edmunds and White playing banged up and no beef on the Dline. The offense is improved but not to the degree where it can win games vs. good teams all by itself. 

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