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It's the coaching, stupid


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I can't believe what I saw today. The team comes out and executes with some pretty efficient play-calling and a run-based strategy. Yes, Losman has to scramble his way out of some jams, but he does it.

 

Then:

 

- The offense abandons the run almost completely. I counted 18 rushing plays, 16 for Willis. Completely unacceptable. I am fast losing faith in the offensive playcalling. If Mularkey is in charge of it, he's doing a shite job of it. If it's Clements, Mularkey needs to do what Jim Fassell did a couple years ago and take control of the play calls.

 

- The defense refuses to back down from a strategy of flushing Aaron Brooks out of the pocket. Rarely did they put a spy on him. Our front four is simply not fast nor strong enough to muscle through a line or keep up with a rushing quarterback. Bonehead penalties on critical 3rd down situations, laying down on 3rd and long? What happened to forcing turnovers, what happened to the D that would "win the game for us"? This is NOT by any stretch of the imagination an elite defense. In some stretches I'd even go as far as to say that it isn't NFL caliber.

 

- Mularkey continues his search for the easy gimmick solution by inserting Holcomb when Losman is not the main problem. The interception was not good, and Losman did not look great. I did think he displayed again in moments that he can run an efficient game and make some things happen. However, when he has receivers dropping balls, it can't help his confidence. I thought he threw the ball with some zip today and generally was on target more than he was off. I definitely didn't feel he was struggling enough to put in Holcomb for a "spark," as he was in the TB game. This is going to cause problems, moreso because Holcomb is NOT the guy who is going to take us to the promised land. We already know this. Let Losman be the rookie he is out there and get an education that will lead him to success. It ain't gonna happen if the coaches are playing head games with him.

 

The big problem, and it has been a recurring one, has been the playcalling and game strategy. This is on the coaches. The guys look unprepared, they're not playing focused ball, and they don't look like they have a direction. We don't look like we're preparing for other teams' strengths and weaknesses, and we don't play to our own strengths.

 

I don't think the wheels are falling off yet, but I'm going to say again that Mularkey needs to find his way, and he needs to do it now.

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The big problem, and it has been a recurring one, has been the playcalling and game strategy.  This is on the coaches.  The guys look unprepared, they're not playing focused ball, and they don't look like they have a direction.  We don't look like we're preparing for other teams' strengths and weaknesses, and we don't play to our own strengths.

 

I don't think the wheels are falling off yet, but I'm going to say again that Mularkey needs to find his way, and he needs to do it now.

461731[/snapback]

 

Amen. :devil:

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I can't believe what I saw today.  The team comes out and executes with some pretty efficient play-calling and a run-based strategy.  Yes, Losman has to scramble his way out of some jams, but he does it.

 

Then:

 

- The offense abandons the run almost completely.  I counted 18 rushing plays, 16 for Willis.  Completely unacceptable.  I am fast losing faith in the offensive playcalling.  If Mularkey is in charge of it, he's doing a shite job of it.  If it's Clements, Mularkey needs to do what Jim Fassell did a couple years ago and take control of the play calls.

 

- The defense refuses to back down from a strategy of flushing Aaron Brooks out of the pocket.  Rarely did they put a spy on him.  Our front four is simply not fast nor strong enough to muscle through a line or keep up with a rushing quarterback.  Bonehead penalties on critical 3rd down situations, laying down on 3rd and long?  What happened to forcing turnovers, what happened to the D that would "win the game for us"?  This is NOT by any stretch of the imagination an elite defense.  In some stretches I'd even go as far as to say that it isn't NFL caliber.

 

- Mularkey continues his search for the easy gimmick solution by inserting Holcomb when Losman is not the main problem.  The interception was not good, and Losman did not look great. I did think he displayed again in moments that he can run an efficient game and make some things happen.  However, when he has receivers dropping balls, it can't help his confidence.  I thought he threw the ball with some zip today and generally was on target more than he was off.  I definitely didn't feel he was struggling enough to put in Holcomb for a "spark," as he was in the TB game.  This is going to cause problems, moreso because Holcomb is NOT the guy who is going to take us to the promised land.  We already know this.  Let Losman be the rookie he is out there and get an education that will lead him to success.  It ain't gonna happen if the coaches are playing head games with him.

 

The big problem, and it has been a recurring one, has been the playcalling and game strategy.  This is on the coaches.  The guys look unprepared, they're not playing focused ball, and they don't look like they have a direction.  We don't look like we're preparing for other teams' strengths and weaknesses, and we don't play to our own strengths.

 

I don't think the wheels are falling off yet, but I'm going to say again that Mularkey needs to find his way, and he needs to do it now.

461731[/snapback]

 

I agree. The 3rd down completions they were letting NO have was pathetic. Yes, JP was still throwing high on some of his passes, but they were catchable. If this play calling is the best we can expect from Clements, then MM or SW should take over.

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I agree.  The 3rd down completions they were letting NO have was pathetic.  Yes, JP was still throwing high on some of his passes, but they were catchable.  If this play calling is the best we can expect from Clements, then MM or SW should take over.

462147[/snapback]

 

Hey, pipe down, you! Don't you know it's all Losman's fault?

:devil:

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Good post. Jeff Burris moaned in the pre-game show about the Bills lack of identity... I.e. this is a running team that thinks it wants to pass the ball.

 

Classic yesterday was that first series. Nice tight playcalling, running the ball and passing when necessary. Then after that we tried to be way too cute with the passing. When will the coaches realise that we DON'T have to work JP into the game this early in the season? Willis can run well - just run the damn ball and take baby steps with the passign game.

 

Holcomb should NOT start. JP needs to stay there, stay handning off to WM then some to SW then some to DS. Then when it is 3rd and 2, or similar he can dunk one to Josh Reed for the first...

 

Bah I promised myself I wouldn't post too much here today - it's all too fresh and sour... <_< Time to realise this team isn't good enough.

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I can't believe what I saw today.  The team comes out and executes with some pretty efficient play-calling and a run-based strategy.  Yes, Losman has to scramble his way out of some jams, but he does it.

 

Then:

 

- The offense abandons the run almost completely.  I counted 18 rushing plays, 16 for Willis.  Completely unacceptable.  I am fast losing faith in the offensive playcalling.  If Mularkey is in charge of it, he's doing a shite job of it.  If it's Clements, Mularkey needs to do what Jim Fassell did a couple years ago and take control of the play calls.

 

- The defense refuses to back down from a strategy of flushing Aaron Brooks out of the pocket.  Rarely did they put a spy on him.  Our front four is simply not fast nor strong enough to muscle through a line or keep up with a rushing quarterback.  Bonehead penalties on critical 3rd down situations, laying down on 3rd and long?  What happened to forcing turnovers, what happened to the D that would "win the game for us"?  This is NOT by any stretch of the imagination an elite defense.  In some stretches I'd even go as far as to say that it isn't NFL caliber.

 

- Mularkey continues his search for the easy gimmick solution by inserting Holcomb when Losman is not the main problem.  The interception was not good, and Losman did not look great. I did think he displayed again in moments that he can run an efficient game and make some things happen.  However, when he has receivers dropping balls, it can't help his confidence.  I thought he threw the ball with some zip today and generally was on target more than he was off.  I definitely didn't feel he was struggling enough to put in Holcomb for a "spark," as he was in the TB game.  This is going to cause problems, moreso because Holcomb is NOT the guy who is going to take us to the promised land.  We already know this.  Let Losman be the rookie he is out there and get an education that will lead him to success.  It ain't gonna happen if the coaches are playing head games with him.

 

The big problem, and it has been a recurring one, has been the playcalling and game strategy.  This is on the coaches.  The guys look unprepared, they're not playing focused ball, and they don't look like they have a direction.  We don't look like we're preparing for other teams' strengths and weaknesses, and we don't play to our own strengths.

 

I don't think the wheels are falling off yet, but I'm going to say again that Mularkey needs to find his way, and he needs to do it now.

461731[/snapback]

excelent post! I couldn't agree more! I was screaming at the TV "RUN THE F%#@IN' BALL" from the begining of the second series through the end of the game. I can handle a loss, but for Christ's sake be competitave!!!

 

Jeff

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Nice post. I don't understand the playcalling either. It seems like we never quite have the starting D or O on the field. Fourth quarter, 3rd and 5, and the pass goes to Jonathan Smith? Where's Lee, Eric, Josh and Sam that the fifth WR is on the field for a crucial play like that?

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My thought exactly, RTDB.

 

To quote The Who, "Meet the new boss -- same as the old boss."

 

MM and TC elect to hand the ball off to McGahee just 16 times. But McGahee still manages to get 84 yards (a 5.3 average) with a touchdown.

 

MM = GW and TC = Killdrive, but JPL does NOT = RJ.

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Look acroos the field: We shut Mccallister down for 3 1/2 quarters where he averaged less than 3 yards a carry. They stick with the running game and he gains 65 yards on the last drive. My biggest ache is that this coaching staff doesn't seem to know what it is doing. They never run the ball on consecutive plays. Every game it seems as if they try to go deep on every other play; mostly to Eric. There are no short or intermediate throws whatsoever. It is either a deep ball or a dump off pass. The TE is an afterthought. It feels like I'm watching a Madden football game where it seeems as if someone is just calling plays with no rhyme or reason!

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Look acroos the field: We shut Mccallister down for 3 1/2 quarters where he averaged less than 3 yards a carry. They stick with the running game and he gains 65 yards on the last drive. My biggest ache is that this coaching staff doesn't seem to know what it is doing. They never run the ball on consecutive plays. Every game it seems as if they try to go deep on every other play; mostly to Eric. There are no short or intermediate throws whatsoever. It is either a deep ball or a dump off pass. The TE is an afterthought. It feels like I'm watching a Madden football game where it seeems as if someone is just calling plays with no rhyme or reason!

462630[/snapback]

You're 100 percent correct. The Saints used the game plan that we used last year in the second half of the season -- the game plan that took the Bills on the win streak. But, for some craziness, the Bills decided to abandon the run.

 

I am feel so sure that if McGahee had been given the ball 15 more times in the second half, he'd have 150 yards and very likely a win.

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