ATBNG Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 I think that you guys are all overreacting here. 0-3 is not the end of the season! Most of the New England scuttlebutt has been that the Bills played like a talented team with a self destructive streak and some integration issues (especially on offense). I actually thought that Bledsoe was decent back there yesterday. The TD to Moulds was a prime example of Drew at his best – step, flick and throw a ball perfectly downfield. I also thought he looked pretty good at the end of the game making the correct quick read when the Pats were blitzing heavily every down – certainly a world ahead of where he was in the last game of 2003 where he essentially redefined the meaning of sluggish. The thing I would work on most with this offense is plays on third and fourth down. Obviously the 4th down sack/fumble/TD was a disaster on pretty much every level. Beyond that, the Bills never seemed to have a confidence in how they were going to convert short yardage – lots of quick difficult throws downfield that belies their lack of faith in their protection. The coaches need to make a breakthrough with the players. Everybody from MM to DB to TH to SW to TM to the line to the wideouts is to blame. Agree on that, and commit to fixing it. The Jets looked very average against Miami. The Bills in losing played a lot better than the Jets did in winning. There is no reason why they can’t go to Giants’ stadium and beat them – the Jets along with Atlanta are the two teams in the NFL who have benefited most from a soft early schedule. Edwards can have his moments coaching. The Bills need an all out effort to turn the tide, and they need it this week. If Buffalo wins this week, they can make a huge move in the chase for the wild card. The AFC East has a pretty soft schedule this year with the AFC Central and NFC West, and is very likely to yield two playoff teams (especially if Miami remains this atrocious). Beat the Jets this week while holding serve at home later this season, and now you’re only one loss behind them (and they’ve played Miami once and not yet played New England). The scenarios get much rougher with a loss, but the Jets simply aren’t that good. As far as all the “panic” moves that are being debated, it just simply isn’t the time. You build your team in the offseason. You’re not going to find an impact tight end, quarterback or safety on the waiver wire or on your practice squad. The Bills need to have faith that if they can eliminate their propensity for mental errors, they can compete with anyone in the league in terms of talent. Stick it out – you may be rewarded. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 I think that you guys are all overreacting here. 0-3 is not the end of the season! Most of the New England scuttlebutt has been that the Bills played like a talented team with a self destructive streak and some integration issues (especially on offense). Did they happen to mention Dillon's fumble that was blown (literally) by the refs as contributing to their "self destructive streak?" How about Given's fumble before the half (not the one that Fletcher returned, because that wasn't a completed pass)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 Well, one of the things I did notice in that game is that, in the first half, Bledsoe actually did have decent protection and TIME to throw the ball. That's why we got to see the big pass plays. I'm not sure what happened in the second half (injuries and adjustments are my guess), but it was an entirely different story. As for the Bledsoe "looking pretty good at the end of the game making the correct quick read when the Pats were blitzing heavily every down"...funny but I had the exact opposite reaction. The Pats blitzed Rodney harrison the exact same way down after down and it still took us a few tries before we could actually see it and react appropriately...and we still didn't get a first down. I really think that the problem isn't that Bledsoe is susceptible to the blitz, it's this entire offense that is susceptible to the blitz. Blitzing can kill a defense if the offense can recognize it, react to it, and take advantage of the openings it leaves. This offense simply cannot recognize, react to, or take advantage of any blitzing defense. It requires a well-prepared group of guys that are all on the same page. Right now we are neither well prepared nor on the same page, which is why a team like New England wins in crunch time, while we just get crunched. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 Kinda' the way I saw it, ATBNG. In 2 weeks Buffalo could be 2-1 in the division and right in the thick of things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATBNG Posted October 4, 2004 Author Share Posted October 4, 2004 Did they happen to mention Dillon's fumble that was blown (literally) by the refs as contributing to their "self destructive streak?" How about Given's fumble before the half (not the one that Fletcher returned, because that wasn't a completed pass)? 56637[/snapback] I think those calls are a separate issue MBD. I don't think you're incorrect on thinking those two were sketchy, and I'd actually add to the bad break for Buffalo pile the Fletcher RTP penalty on Brady where the hit looked pretty clean to me. But these are situations which neither team can really control - they're in the hands of the zebras. The playcall/execution on the 4th down sack/fumble/return and the offsides penalty would be the two main examples of plays where the Bills had their fates in their own hands and came up short execution-wise. You would agree, no? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATBNG Posted October 4, 2004 Author Share Posted October 4, 2004 As for the Bledsoe "looking pretty good at the end of the game making the correct quick read when the Pats were blitzing heavily every down"...funny but I had the exact opposite reaction. The Pats blitzed Rodney harrison the exact same way down after down and it still took us a few tries before we could actually see it and react appropriately...and we still didn't get a first down. I really think that the problem isn't that Bledsoe is susceptible to the blitz, it's this entire offense that is susceptible to the blitz. 56652[/snapback] I think that last sentence is really well stated Rubes. I may admittedly fall victim to keeping my eye on Drew (due to his ex-Pat status) and Moulds (who is my favorite player on the Bills) above all else when watching the Bills on O. When they started bringing six in the fourth quarter (including Harrison), Moulds broke off his route and Drew hit him quickly for two or three decent gains. Drew and Eric may have been the only ones with that type of synergy (in EM's case, talent?) though, and once the Pats threw a second guy over near EM, they may not have had a viable second option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rubes Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 When they started bringing six in the fourth quarter (including Harrison), Moulds broke off his route and Drew hit him quickly for two or three decent gains. Drew and Eric may have been the only ones with that type of synergy (in EM's case, talent?) though, and once the Pats threw a second guy over near EM, they may not have had a viable second option. 56674[/snapback] True, but you may have noticed that the Pats brought the exact same blitz time and time again, play after play in that fourth quarter, and it still took us a couple of tries before we realized it was just going to keep coming, and then the passes to Moulds started appearing. And yet, we still couldn't get a first down out of it. I really think this team, from the center and the offensive line, to the running backs, to the wide receivers, to the QB, still just cannot recognize, react to, and take advantage of the blitz. We blitzed the Pats the entire game. We got a little pressure on Brady in the first half, but in the end he and the Pats just made us pay for it. They know how to recognize blitzes, pick them up, and respond by hitting the open man. They are extremely well prepared. We, on the other hand, continue to lack the ability to do this, and the result is that we end up looking like fools on 4th down and the game on the line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill from NYC Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 A little more good news? Mike Williams played well until the last quarter. There, I said it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 I think those calls are a separate issue MBD. I don't think you're incorrect on thinking those two were sketchy, and I'd actually add to the bad break for Buffalo pile the Fletcher RTP penalty on Brady where the hit looked pretty clean to me. But these are situations which neither team can really control - they're in the hands of the zebras. The playcall/execution on the 4th down sack/fumble/return and the offsides penalty would be the two main examples of plays where the Bills had their fates in their own hands and came up short execution-wise. You would agree, no? 56662[/snapback] I don't disagree that the Bills played a major part in their own "self destruction" in all of the past 3 games/losses. However just because they played poorly does NOT mean they deserved to also be screwed by the refs. As I've been saying, you don't always win pretty, but to me, winning with the help of officiating, is definitely winning ugly. The sad part is that most Pats fans actually don't seem to care that officiating has played a big part in their SB victories. That says a lot about them, and my initial reply to you was more facetious, because I highly doubt anyone talked about those plays in the NE area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaska Darin Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 We blitzed the Pats the entire game. We got a little pressure on Brady in the first half, but in the end he and the Pats just made us pay for it. They know how to recognize blitzes, pick them up, and respond by hitting the open man. They are extremely well prepared. We, on the other hand, continue to lack the ability to do this, and the result is that we end up looking like fools on 4th down and the game on the line. 56697[/snapback] And amazingly enough, not one holding penalty the entire time. Yet our holding penalty is on a short yardage first down run by our fullback late in the third quarter of a tie game. Curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadBuffaloDisease Posted October 4, 2004 Share Posted October 4, 2004 And amazingly enough, not one holding penalty the entire time. Yet our holding penalty is on a short yardage first down run by our fullback late in the third quarter of a tie game. Curious. 56715[/snapback] Add that to the quick whistle on Dillon's fumble (I've seen the Pats stand-up RB's only to strip them, but when the same thing is about to happen to Dillon...), and it makes you wonder. BTW, kudos to CBS for having the balls to show Travis' TD from the Raiders game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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