LAMP - Anyone else still overall pessimistic about this season/Super Bowl chances?

[Figster]

27 minutes ago, Sweats said:

I truly believe that Beane is of the mindset that no matter the piss poor quality of players that they surround JA with, that JA can elevate their play.......i truly believe that Beane believes this and this is why he keeps bargain bin shopping for WR's, thinking that JA will make the WR's good.

 

And, until the FO shows a commitment to actually taking quality WR's seriously, i can't honestly take this team too seriously anymore.

 First pick in the draft last season showed some commitment to the position IMO. It looked like Coleman might be taking the next step through preseason. It's just not panning out. Not yet anyway. 

 

Something that should cheer everyone up including you OP. 

 

James Cook is running scary good behind a Bills monster Oline.

 

Just in time for Halloween... 

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

1 hour ago, ngbills said:

 

 

Brady and Diggs were only together for 7 games and two playoff games. Diggs did get at least 10 targets in 3 of those 9 games. The others were not too far off from the recent trend with Diggs. So I dont know if its a Brady/Diggs thing or just a Brady thing. The passing scheme with Brady just seems awful. My naive take without seeing the playbook and video footage is that so much is predicated off being an extension of the run, using blockers in the passing game with the quick screens. The downfield routes all seem to be hooks or just guys going to spaces. Not a lot of cross action, not picks and minimal downfield patterns. It reminds me of a college playbook built for a QB with limited ability. Just get the ball out quick to "playmakers". If we had Chase or Jefferson would it still just be quick WR screen and let them run? Or would Brady incorporate some downfield stuff? Who knows. But its becoming way too predicable. 

Sample size is really to small to claim Brady doesn’t know what to do with a number 1 receiver. The bottom line is he’s never had one. Like everything else in the world the poor passing offense is because of a multitude of things. Josh playing poorly, Brady not drawing up more creative plays, WRs being garbage. It’s all of these things together 

[QCity]

1 hour ago, Buffalo716 said:

 

People don't realize how different January and February football is compared to September and October football

 

I guarantee you they do. This team has been regular season warriors in Sept/Oct (best record last 5 years?) but continually falls flat in January. We've all seen it.  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they won but beating the corpse of Andy Dalton doesn't move the needle for me. And that's what the OP is talking about. Fans are starting to realize that beating the crap out of garbage teams in October and running up their stats doesn't translate to playoff success. We don't get to play the Jets in January.

[FireChans]

3 hours ago, corta765 said:

Unfortunately this is the dark truth especially with the offense that has forever bothered a lot of people and no WR addition over true quality. Expecting the offense to be at that peak which meant record low turnovers, sacks, & penalties is statistically impossible.

 

I had hoped that the defense with all the investment would be able to carry its weight more and that would swing the difference. With injuries this year you will probably not see the full vision and the defense was not good the first 6 weeks. I will say yesterday they looked really good with a lot of those additions playing granted it was against Dalton.

 

At this point I am hoping they can add a good WR so the offenses potential is higher and the defense molds into a unit that can create pressure at the line without giving up a ton of big plays. IF that happens it could be a different year. But your premise is spot on and why so many including myself were frustrated with how the offense was constructued.

In the NFL, if you aren’t getting better, you are getting worse. And we got worse on offense, in large part because we refused to try to get better.

[CincyBillsFan]

5 hours ago, Virgil said:

Ugh, while I hate a LAMP post, I've been struggling with my disconnect from the Bills season so far and more so am curious to see if anyone else is feeling the same way.  Many people know me on here as a poster for over 20 years, season ticket holder of both the old and new stadium, and definitely capable of allowing this "game" to affect me on an emotional level that isn't super healthy.

Going into this season, my expectations were #1 seed and Super Bowl or bust.  Last season, I genuinely believed we were going to the Super Bowl and were going to beat the Chiefs in the AFC Championship game.  I had visions of a Super Bowl parade, which is something I never dared allow myself to think about.  With this season, between our easy schedule, easy division, offseason focus on the defense, and expectation that our offense would continue to find dominant success, it felt like our time.  Now, 5-2 later with a half-game deficit to the surging Patriots and peaking Chiefs coming in this week, I find myself just waiting for the 5 seed and a division round exit from the playoffs.  In prior years, I would have chalked this all up to BBFS, which would have been washed away with our beating of the Panthers in such dominating fashion.  Yet here I am the next day, writing this, because I still just can't shake the feeling that we've peaked and Josh won't bring one home.  Yes, Josh probably has another ten years in him at least, and that assumption is a ridiculous one to make.  But here I am.

 

When I try to pinpoint where all of this is coming from, as much as I hate to say it, I think it's stemming from the rising Patriots.  I never expected the AFC East to always be terrible, nor did I want to be handed anything.  Seeing the Pats and Maye grow as a team and building a potential winning culture is reminding me of what we've had over the past five years and how quickly things can change.  While it was just us vs the Chiefs for a while, now we have the Chiefs getting their offense of 3 years ago back, a genuine challenger in the the Pats who already beat us at home and equally have an easy schedule, plus the rise of other teams.  All of that together just makes me feel like we really missed our opportunity these past five years to seize our window.  

 

There's also the human element in that sometimes we forget that Josh, McD, Pegula, and everyone else are just people that are capable of crashing out.  Think about job hunting.  It would only be natural to get defeated after going through numerous interviews, putting your best game face on with a great resume, only to get passed over time and time again.  Josh has had the Super Bowl right in front of him multiple times, only to come up short.  At what point, does he start to doubt himself or those around him?  Would you blame him?  I'm not saying that's what is happening this season, but something is clearly off with Josh.  I get having a bad game or making a bad throw, but I used to count on one hand how many errand throws Josh would make in a game.  This season, I need more hands.  I'm not going to play the game of guessing why, because I can't possibly know.  Things just feel different. 

 

With McD, I'm incredibly torn.  Like most coaches, I think McD struggles to find the right amount of influence to put out there.  I think McD has a very specific vision for how he wants both sides of the ball to operate, and knows he is more than capable to run the defense.  But as McD has said, he also knows that he needs to trust his coaches and focus on other things as a Head Coach.  Like a parent, you have to know when to let your kid fail and skin their knee.  However, as this is a job, he needs to also know the threshold that could cost him his job.  All I know is, this is his team, he has the support of the Pegulas, and this is the bed we've made.

 

Yes, I'm rambling a bit and don't have the answers.  All I know is, I didn't enjoy the win yesterday as I should have.  I don't have the any real optimism about this team anymore.  I wish it wasn't the case, but it's just how I feel.  I'm still not going to miss a game.  I'm still going to wear by gear.  But even with the Chiefs game this week, I feel like it's a lose lose.  If we win, it keeps us up with the Pats and gives us the tie breaker for the one seed, but we've seen what beating the Chiefs in the regular season gets us.   If we lose, which I think we will, then I feel like the one seed and division are gone.  

 

Anyways, sorry to crap in anyone's cereal and I'm sure some will take the opportunity to flame away.  But if I we get one LAMP a season, I'm cashing mine in now.

Like you I had unrealistically high expectations.  In any given season we should not be falling for the hype that places our team in the Super Bowl with the number one seed.  The realistic expectation this season was that the Bills would win their division and win a playoff game or two.

 

I'm actually more connected now then I was at the start of the season.  The Bills future is now an undiscovered country and I'm curious as to which way the season will go. 

[Nihilarian]

7 minutes ago, QCity said:

 

I guarantee you they do. This team has been regular season warriors in Sept/Oct (best record last 5 years?) but continually falls flat in January. We've all seen it.  Don't get me wrong, I'm glad they won but beating the corpse of Andy Dalton doesn't move the needle for me. And that's what the OP is talking about. Fans are starting to realize that beating the crap out of garbage teams in October and running up their stats doesn't translate to playoff success. We don't get to play the Jets in January.

I don't agree that this team falls flat in January, with the last two being three-point losses, along with other worldly occurrences as an NFL player having an actual heart attack on the field and almost expiring.  To me, it's more of simply the worst streaks of bad luck I think I've seen of any team over the last five seasons, on the defensive side of the ball. Now, this season, we have seen this bad luck with injuries to the defense continue, especially to the secondary and some rookies. 

 

In the most recent game, we saw what a near full-strength defense can look like against a team with a winning record. 7 sacks, 244 yards of offense vs 410 yards. I say NEAR full strength because the team was lacking their starting linebackers and some players in the secondary. Then lost their star DT for perhaps the season. 

 

I can only hope that the defense isn't FUBAR this season in January...along with the hope that Joe Brady fixes the pass offense. 

[quincy]

The only AFC team with a proven pedigree are the Chiefs, next in line are the Bills and then it is the Bengals and the Ravens who are both lagging way behind this year. 

 

KC going to 7 straight AFC championship games is incredibly painful for the rest pf the AFC. Only 4 teams this decade having reached the AFCCG. 

 

I want the Bills to face someone else in the AFCCG this year so that someone else can represent the AFC this year and I 100% want it to be the Buffalo Bills. 

 

Whether we are the the Number 1 seed, the AFC East Champions or a Wild Card it doesn't matter to me, obviously who wouldn't want to be the #1  seed but that isn't the only route to the Super Bowl. 

 

Are the two new "upstart" teams for real? Indianapolis and NE.

 

Can LAC and Denver keep the AFC West out the hands of KC? 

 

Only the true franchise quarterbacks have made it to the AFCCG this decade, (Mahomes, Allen, Burrow and Jackson). 

 

We can moan about a lot of things but we still have a legitimate shot this year. Go Bills!   

 

  

[hondo in seattle]

I didn't come into the season with high expectations.  Looking at the roster, I was unimpressed.  In the preseason, I predicted another playoff appearance but not one in Santa Clara.  

 

Never once during the Beane era did I believe we had the best roster in the AFC.  A SB would require McD and the team to overperform versus roster reality.  This season was no different to me.  While yesterday's performance was encouraging, it still isn't.  

[Buffalo Boy]

4 hours ago, Virgil said:

 

Do you believe Brady knows how to utilize a #1 receiver?  I personally do not.

My son was there yesterday and said the same thing basically. “Brady can’t coach up an NFL level passing attack. “

He told me he hope Penn state signs him. He also joined me in tapping out on this whole regime…. Coaching and GM. 

 

[QCity]

40 minutes ago, Nihilarian said:

In the most recent game, we saw what a near full-strength defense can look like against a team with a winning record.

 

Winning record? lol I've give you credit, it's really hard to prop up a team like the Panthers. But no, we saw what our defense looks like against a bad football team starting their washed-up backup QB.

[DuckyBoys]

To move the needle they need to beat some decent teams.  Beat KC , TB,  the Eagles the NE rematch might fool me into believing .   Maybe beat a team with a decent QB  We  struggled containing Spencer Rattler few weeks ago  Josh looks like he's been lobotomized this year .  WR core has me yearning for John Brown and Beasley.  

[Ga boy]

37 minutes ago, quincy said:

The only AFC team with a proven pedigree are the Chiefs, next in line are the Bills and then it is the Bengals and the Ravens who are both lagging way behind this year. 

 

KC going to 7 straight AFC championship games is incredibly painful for the rest pf the AFC. Only 4 teams this decade having reached the AFCCG. 

 

I want the Bills to face someone else in the AFCCG this year so that someone else can represent the AFC this year and I 100% want it to be the Buffalo Bills. 

 

Whether we are the the Number 1 seed, the AFC East Champions or a Wild Card it doesn't matter to me, obviously who wouldn't want to be the #1  seed but that isn't the only route to the Super Bowl. 

 

Are the two new "upstart" teams for real? Indianapolis and NE.

 

Can LAC and Denver keep the AFC West out the hands of KC? 

 

Only the true franchise quarterbacks have made it to the AFCCG this decade, (Mahomes, Allen, Burrow and Jackson). 

 

We can moan about a lot of things but we still have a legitimate shot this year. Go Bills!   

 

  

Are we a better team than last year?  I’d say so, especially the one we saw yesterday.  Most of us would say we would’ve given Philly a better game than KC last year.  I like our chances if we get the passing game going.  If we do, none of the up and coming teams scare me.

[Shortchaz]

This defense needs to build off Sunday. Need a few things to go our way as far as players developing/injuries and we could become something special. This was the first game I saw something from the defense that looked like what I hoped they might become in the preseason. 
 

love the power rushing offense, just want the defense to be a legit scary force come playoffs. 

[Buffalo Boy]

3 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

Tom Brady the greatest quarterback of all time literally said the bills are still winning the super bowl 

 

He knows more about football than everyone on this board... If Tom Brady says bills still at the top I believe Tom Brady 

 

People don't realize how different January and February football is compared to September and October football

I can definitely think of a guy who doesn’t realize January football isn’t the same as regular season…..February….. I can’t say.

[BuffaloBillsGospel2014]

I've felt for awhile (13 seconds) that McDermott wasn't a good enough HC to win us a SB and since then has done nothing to change my mind. I used to have faith in GM Brandon Beane but his drafts have been mediocre, to not give Allen more weapons is infuriating and now you can tell Allen can't find anyone open and he's suffering because of our coaching staff's inabilty to draft or acquire talent year in and year out seems to be more of the same. Both McDermott and beane have been riding the coattails of Allen and now they better do something to fix this passing game because it's 1 thing playing the Panthers with Andy Dalton at QB and another with a future hall of famer in Patrick Mahomes imo.

[Nihilarian]

14 minutes ago, QCity said:

 

Winning record? lol I've give you credit, it's really hard to prop up a team like the Panthers. But no, we saw what our defense looks like against a bad football team starting their washed-up backup QB.

They were 4-3 and now 4-4, and a decent team with a pretty darn good defense against the pass. The Panthers did elect to have the corpse of Andy Dalton as a backup QB, and Buffalo did take advantage of that situation.

 

A real test comes this week against Mahomes, who is surging right now after a few slow games. Still, they are 4-3 with the same record as a bad team, Carolina only with a star at QB. We will see. 

[FireChans]

21 minutes ago, Ga boy said:

Are we a better team than last year?  I’d say so, especially the one we saw yesterday.  Most of us would say we would’ve given Philly a better game than KC last year.  I like our chances if we get the passing game going.  If we do, none of the up and coming teams scare me.

What does “getting the passing game going” mean to you?

[Psautcsk]

NFL Odds

NFL Championship Game winner

2/9, 6:00 PM

Kansas City Chiefs+475

Detroit Lions+600

Buffalo Bills+700

Green Bay Packers+750

Philadelphia Eagles+1000

Indianapolis Colts+1100

Los Angeles Rams+1100

Denver Broncos+1800

Baltimore Ravens+2000

Los Angeles Chargers+2500

[TBBills Fan]

I always believe.  It's just what we do as Bills Fans

[DCofNC]

A couple weeks ago, I was thinking this could legitimately be an undefeated season, then the defense completely collapsed and I now question if they even make the playoffs.  I expect a full on @$$ whoopin from KC.  The defense certainly can’t do anything to stop KC and the offense isn’t that good without either Cook or Allen just shouldering the whole load.  Cook has actually been the key to the offense this year, more than Allen.  With nobody on the team that scares you as a pass catcher, the only hope is a big running day. 
 

I see another 4-5 losses coming and possibly missing the playoffs.  The team looks defeated/disinterested, whatever it may be.  I think they know they don’t have the horses and McD is not going to get it done when it matters.  Sadly, in my opinion, the window has closed and it’s not going to reopen with this regime.