To My Grave I Will Say Reason We Lost The Game Was .....

[truth on hold]

We had over 1 minute left, a time out and Browns kept using their 3 time outs to stop the clock too. Yet as soon as we got to Browns 30, the coaches acted as if the Bills were in position for a chip shot 20-something field goal. They ran 3 straight running plays up the middle which looked design to secure field position at that spot. This left Lindell in the unfortunate position of needing to make a 47-yarder, where the odds are a lot lower than something inside 40. Bills should have thrown some passes and mixed it up from the shotgun to try and get the ball just another 5 to 10 yards closer near the Browns 20. They had all of their plays open to them, including going over the middle as Browns were using time outs to stop the clock. Irionically they left Lindell with a 47-yarder, the same distance Norwood had to win game against Giants. But in the latter case Bills had no choice but to kick it from 47 as there was no time left. Very different situation here. A winning coach like Parcells or Bellicheck keeps working the ball down the field. It's not like Browns were putting any heat on Edwards anyway, and he would have thrown it away in the event he was under any kind of pressure. I was sick to my stomach when I saw Bills go into "secure" mode at Browns 30. I have thus far resisted temptation to blame the coaching staff for Bills free fall. But as of today they are officially "on the clock" in my book.

[TheKing]

That playcalling was weak when they got down there.

Who settles for a 47 yarder?

They really did get outcoached on that.

[truth on hold]

That playcalling was weak when they got down there.

Who settles for a 47 yarder?

They really did get outcoached on that.

I bet Lindell was saying the following to himself when he saw the Bills "plan": I can't believe how stupid our coaches are. Don't they know how much harder it is to kick from almost fifty yards. Browns are giving them every chance to make it 5 to 10 yards shorter. 20- degrees windchill and wind howling and these dip- think it's a chip shot. Just because the Cleveland kicker got lucky on a fifty seven yarder they suddenly think decades of kicking stats are meaningless. Stupid !

[Buftex]

I think the problem started the Bills second to last possession. When Edwards had the pass to Lynch, which he busted for a huge gain, he was tackled at the goal line. At that point, why on earth would the Bills burn a timeout? They had four chances to get the ball in the endzone. They could have run the clock down to the 2 minute warning, or, at the very least, make the Browns use one of theirs, instead of wasting (another) one of ours. This problem with the use of timeouts, under Jauron, keeps getting worse.

[TheChimp]

The guy never fails to enter into the conversation after these losses, as he always, always, plays a role in at least one or two boneheaded plays. When your coach's decisions have a direct, DIRECT, bearing on the end result of THIS many games......oh Hell, what's it matter? Alzheimer Ralph already locked the !@#$er in to another three years.

[jjbegoose]

I think the problem started the Bills second to last possession. When Edwards had the pass to Lynch, which he busted for a huge gain, he was tackled at the goal line. At that point, why on earth would the Bills burn a timeout? They had four chances to get the ball in the endzone. They could have run the clock down to the 2 minute warning, or, at the very least, make the Browns use one of theirs, instead of wasting (another) one of ours. This problem with the use of timeouts, under Jauron, keeps getting worse.

 

or maybe the decision to pass out of the shotgun on 3rd and 1 in the 1st quarter after edwards had already thrown 2 picks..... the coaches r pure garbage

[Golden Wheels]

or maybe the decision to pass out of the shotgun on 3rd and 1 in the 1st quarter after edwards had already thrown 2 picks..... the coaches r pure garbage

 

From the shotgun with an empty backfield....why not hold up a big sign that says "HELLO DEFENSE. WE ARE ATTEMPTING A PASS NOW."

[Dr. Fong]

From the shotgun with an empty backfield....why not hold up a big sign that says "HELLO DEFENSE. WE ARE ATTEMPTING A PASS NOW."

 

Right and then there's the stupid "Wildcat" formation announcing "Attention defense now we are going to run."

[zow2]

Running 3 straight into the Browns line was just dumb. I agree at the time that they needed to get to the Browns 25, but even moreso, they needed another 1st down b/c Cleveland was gonna have 40 secs to get another crack to beat us.

The whole scenario in the last 4 mins was just awful for Buffalo. Even on the last TD drive, i was posting in the gameday thread that i hope they don't score too quickly. It sounds stupid, but it was the reality. We scored too quickly and that put Buffalo in position to have to hit a long FG at the end.

 

I'm mad at playcalling (at the end) and mad at Edwards. I'm ok with Lindell but damn, he couldv'e bailed em out. He gets paid to make that kick and you get the sick feeling knowing that Phil Dawson would have made that same kick.

[KD in CA]

I think the problem started the Bills second to last possession. When Edwards had the pass to Lynch, which he busted for a huge gain, he was tackled at the goal line. At that point, why on earth would the Bills burn a timeout?

 

Because poorly coached teams have no idea what to do when the unexpected situation arises.

[Fezmid]

I think the problem started the Bills second to last possession. When Edwards had the pass to Lynch, which he busted for a huge gain, he was tackled at the goal line. At that point, why on earth would the Bills burn a timeout? They had four chances to get the ball in the endzone. They could have run the clock down to the 2 minute warning, or, at the very least, make the Browns use one of theirs, instead of wasting (another) one of ours. This problem with the use of timeouts, under Jauron, keeps getting worse.

They called timeout because the playclock was almost at 0. Would you rather have had the delay of game penalty and had 1st and goal at the 6?

 

The players milled around waiting to see if the refs would give the TD, and by the time they regrouped there wasn't enough playclock left.

[MartyBall4Buffalo]

I dont get it. Lindell has 48 consecutive field goals inside of 40 yards... THAT'S 48 CONSECUTIVE Field goals inside of 40 yards. Is it too much to ask to try to get into that range? I mean sh-- even if Edwards was too to throw down the field again. Throw a swing pass. The way Lynch and Jackson ate up that defense there was a good chance we could've gotten 5-10 yards closer maybe more. Just unreal

[truth on hold]

I dont get it. Lindell has 48 consecutive field goals inside of 40 yards... THAT'S 48 CONSECUTIVE Field goals inside of 40 yards. Is it too much to ask to try to get into that range? I mean sh-- even if Edwards was too to throw down the field again. Throw a swing pass. The way Lynch and Jackson ate up that defense there was a good chance we could've gotten 5-10 yards closer maybe more. Just unreal

yeah, my impression of lindell is that he's an excellent mid-range kicker, but slightly below average on FGs greater than 42 yards. a lot like norwood really (although lindell has a stronger leg, he's still no janikowski.) so the combination that would have given them the best chance of winning was trying some real plays to get another 5 to 10 yards downfield, and take the chance of getting lindell into his comfort zone. again, it's unfortunate the coaches elected to put him in the position of needing to make the 47 yarder to win it. i blame them, not him,for miss, because mental errors are a lot more controllable than execution.

[ajflutie]

They called timeout because the playclock was almost at 0. Would you rather have had the delay of game penalty and had 1st and goal at the 6?

 

The players milled around waiting to see if the refs would give the TD, and by the time they regrouped there wasn't enough playclock left.

 

That may be the situation and reason they had to call that timeout, but there is no way a team that is well coached and/or led by a "smart" QB, gets INTO that situation! Farve or Manning would have been at the line immediately, and the very next play would have been a TD, before the defense had a chance to regroup. Instead, we bumble and stumble around, look back to the sidelines, who, admittedly, are NOT exactly the best place to look, and end up burning a time out.

 

no, not what lost the game, just an example of the overall lack of good coaching and good on-field awareness (of the entire TEAM)

[Dante]

That playcalling was weak when they got down there.

Who settles for a 47 yarder?

They really did get outcoached on that.

Out coached by Romeo Crennel and a 3-6 team. At home. It just keeps getting worse the more I think about it. sigh

[300yrds]

I think the problem started the Bills second to last possession. When Edwards had the pass to Lynch, which he busted for a huge gain, he was tackled at the goal line. At that point, why on earth would the Bills burn a timeout? They had four chances to get the ball in the endzone. They could have run the clock down to the 2 minute warning, or, at the very least, make the Browns use one of theirs, instead of wasting (another) one of ours. This problem with the use of timeouts, under Jauron, keeps getting worse.

 

Why burn a TO they could have challenged, i thought he was in anyways. If I am wrong no harm no foul, same result.

 

Trent Edwards lost the game for us...the coaching staff judt twisted the knife a little bit.

[MartyBall4Buffalo]

yeah, my impression of lindell is that he's an excellent mid-range kicker, but slightly below average on FGs greater than 42 yards. a lot like norwood really (although lindell has a stronger leg, he's still no janikowski.) so the combination that would have given them the best chance of winning was trying some real plays to get another 5 to 10 yards downfield, and take the chance of getting lindell into his comfort zone. again, it's unfortunate the coaches elected to put him in the position of needing to make the 47 yarder to win it. i blame them, not him,for miss, because mental errors are a lot more controllable than execution.

 

Lindell has a good leg, and it's not a kick he hasn't made before. It was certinally long enough to make. Yeah though misses happen. Unless you're an opposing fg kicker needing to make a game winning kick against the bills.

[MarkyMannn]

We had over 1 minute left, a time out and Browns kept using their 3 time outs to stop the clock too. Yet as soon as we got to Browns 30, the coaches acted as if the Bills were in position for a chip shot 20-something field goal. They ran 3 straight running plays up the middle which looked design to secure field position at that spot. This left Lindell in the unfortunate position of needing to make a 47-yarder, where the odds are a lot lower than something inside 40. Bills should have thrown some passes and mixed it up from the shotgun to try and get the ball just another 5 to 10 yards closer near the Browns 20. They had all of their plays open to them, including going over the middle as Browns were using time outs to stop the clock. Irionically they left Lindell with a 47-yarder, the same distance Norwood had to win game against Giants. But in the latter case Bills had no choice but to kick it from 47 as there was no time left. Very different situation here. A winning coach like Parcells or Bellicheck keeps working the ball down the field. It's not like Browns were putting any heat on Edwards anyway, and he would have thrown it away in the event he was under any kind of pressure. I was sick to my stomach when I saw Bills go into "secure" mode at Browns 30. I have thus far resisted temptation to blame the coaching staff for Bills free fall. But as of today they are officially "on the clock" in my book.

 

Yep. For all the ways we played terrible in this game, it was ours at the end for the taking, and we come up with those 3 plays. INEXCUSABLE!!!

[THEPINBALL89]

BAD CALLS DICK< TURK? How can you run three times? thats playing like to lose. I hate you for this and I was up all night thinking about this. JIMBO must have had that sinking feeling in his gut watching these pathetic decisions. This coach is not fair to the fans, these players are fine, Ralph must see this? do you ralph?

 

Turk-One more thing we run a play in tiny mights called a "go route"

usually we never connect, However the defense moves back

[BuffaloBill]

I dont get it. Lindell has 48 consecutive field goals inside of 40 yards... THAT'S 48 CONSECUTIVE Field goals inside of 40 yards. Is it too much to ask to try to get into that range? I mean sh-- even if Edwards was too to throw down the field again. Throw a swing pass. The way Lynch and Jackson ate up that defense there was a good chance we could've gotten 5-10 yards closer maybe more. Just unreal

 

 

This says it all. the play calls at the end were "not to lose" vs. "play to win." Gutless and stupid. I can't believe the coaching staff. Yes Lindell gets paid to make tht kick but the odds were not favorable. Especially against the wind in the Ralph. I can not imagine anything worse than being a Bills fan right now. Once again we are the subject of ridicule. Trent showed he is average at best and can outright suck. Give him the first INT bc it was deflected but the other two were piss poor throws and he looked like a deer in headlights the rest of the game.

[wardigital]

The Bills ran the ball three times when they got to the Browns 34 yard line because they are afraid of what might happened if they put the ball in Trent Edwards hands right now.

 

That is not a winning strategy, but with the way he has been playing, you can at least give them to the benefit of the doubt.

 

But Jauron's Buffalo Bills are a fragile team for this reason: They are run entirely on the basis of fear.

 

Marshawn Lynch had a fantastic game last night. He was the only reason it was a game last night. But all season long, he has had trouble hitting the line hard and picking up slop yards. He gains yards only when he is capable of somehow doing it all by himself.

 

I would have liked to see Fred Jackson take a snap from the 34 yard line last night, instead of giving it to Lynch three times, because Jackson is the type of running back who picks up small chunks of yards in the scrums. But he fumbled, so Jauron operated completely out of a basis of fear, and kept him out of the game.

[Blue Chipper]

The Bills acted like the ball was on the 10 yeard line and it would be an automatic fieldgoal. Someone should have told Dick they were only to the 30 and against the wind!

[KD in CA]

Trent Edwards lost the game for us...the coaching staff judt twisted the knife a little bit.

 

Yes, Edwards lost the game. But the coaching staff had a chance to pull out a victory anyway and bail out their young QB and give him and the team a much needed confidence boost. I have a hell of a lot more sympathy for a young kid who's playing scared and trying to fight through it while 300 lb guys are trying to kill him, than I do for a supposedly experienced, veteran coach standing calmly on the sidelines whose only job is to put his players in a position to win the game. Jauron failed miserably.

[Bleed Bills Blue]

Bills should have thrown some passes and mixed it up from the shotgun to try and get the ball just another 5 to 10 yards closer near the Browns 20.

Agree 100%.

 

Especially head-scratching considering the nice pass to Royal was in big part why we got down in fg range to begin with.

[truth on hold]

Agree 100%.

 

Especially head-scratching considering the nice pass to Royal was in big part why we got down in fg range to begin with. :wallbash:

Bills played "Marty ball" after getting to Browns 33. The disaster slowly unfolding before our eyes

[Bmwolf21]

Right and then there's the stupid "Wildcat" formation announcing "Attention defense now we are going to run."

I still don't understand why we run this with Jackson alone in the backfield. Seems to me the reason that Miami and others are more succesful with it is they have a pair of RB's back there, creating a dual threat of "who is going to carry it," and not just running what amounts to a designed QB sweep.

[Dibs]

We had over 1 minute left, a time out and Browns kept using their 3 time outs to stop the clock too. Yet as soon as we got to Browns 30, the coaches acted as if the Bills were in position for a chip shot 20-something field goal. They ran 3 straight running plays up the middle which looked design to secure field position at that spot. This left Lindell in the unfortunate position of needing to make a 47-yarder, where the odds are a lot lower than something inside 40. Bills should have thrown some passes and mixed it up from the shotgun to try and get the ball just another 5 to 10 yards closer near the Browns 20. They had all of their plays open to them, including going over the middle as Browns were using time outs to stop the clock. Irionically they left Lindell with a 47-yarder, the same distance Norwood had to win game against Giants. But in the latter case Bills had no choice but to kick it from 47 as there was no time left. Very different situation here. A winning coach like Parcells or Bellicheck keeps working the ball down the field. It's not like Browns were putting any heat on Edwards anyway, and he would have thrown it away in the event he was under any kind of pressure. I was sick to my stomach when I saw Bills go into "secure" mode at Browns 30. I have thus far resisted temptation to blame the coaching staff for Bills free fall. But as of today they are officially "on the clock" in my book.

Though I totally agree.....absolutely.....that the play calling at the end of the game was abysmal & most likely cost us the game, the reality also is that if TE had played at a level anywhere near what he did earlier in the season then we would never have been in that position. We would most likely IMO have dominated CLE.

[truth on hold]

Though I totally agree.....absolutely.....that the play calling at the end of the game was abysmal & most likely cost us the game, the reality also is that if TE had played at a level anywhere near what he did earlier in the season then we would never have been in that position. We would most likely IMO have dominated CLE.

agree about TE, but that Ive seen plenty of QBs like Favre and Rothlesberger get off to bad starts but still find a way to get their team in a position to win at the end. TE had a much better 2nd half than 1st, as did the OLine. Clevelands D is poor and I really think if we did anything but telegraph 3 straight runs up the middle we pick up another 5-10 yards, and put the kick into Lindell's comfort zone. If TE was really all that bad then get him off the field, and either put in Losman or Hamden, or line up in the wildcat every time. But when a player is on the field he should be expected to make plays, which TE had been in the 2nd half.

[marauderswr80]

Browns were giving the Bills WR's 5-8 yard outs all game long. They Browns were too busy keeping things from getting down field. Poor play calling from a poor staff that has been put together by the Bills Brass.....

[truth on hold]

Browns were giving the Bills WR's 5-8 yard outs all game long. They Browns were too busy keeping things from getting down field. Poor play calling from a poor staff that has been put together by the Bills Brass.....

yeah I kind of feel for TE and especially Lindell for the how the poor coaching set them up to fail at the end. If Jauron & Co had any nads they'd come out and admit they made a strategic mistake in that last series.

[Erik]

This says it all. the play calls at the end were "not to lose" vs. "play to win." Gutless and stupid. I can't believe the coaching staff. Yes Lindell gets paid to make tht kick but the odds were not favorable. Especially against the wind in the Ralph. I can not imagine anything worse than being a Bills fan right now. Once again we are the subject of ridicule. Trent showed he is average at best and can outright suck. Give him the first INT bc it was deflected but the other two were piss poor throws and he looked like a deer in headlights the rest of the game.

 

Did we not run a bootleg to Schouman when we were setting up the FG against Jax on 2nd down earlier this season? Even if you gain five yards...you're looking at 42 rather than 47...it's hard to understand...

[Frez]

Why not get the 9 million dollar man LEE EVANS into the game somehow? Hell, give him some short passes or something so he could at least touch the ball and make a play or two?

 

Lee Evans...............9 million dollar decoy?

[Frez]

I'm sorry, but this team is a joke and is run by the Mickey Mouse club!

[Golden Wheels]

TMQ "Monday Night Football" Analysis:

 

Phil Dawson of Cleveland had just put the Browns ahead 29-27 with 1:44 remaining on a 56-yard field goal kicked with the gusting wind, and then Buffalo reached first-and-10 on the Cleveland 34 with 1:03 remaining and a timeout. Buffalo was facing into the wind -- the Budgies needed another 15 yards for a realistic field goal opportunity. But ultra-conservative coach Dick "Cheerio, Chaps" Jauron acted like the game was already won, running Marshawn Lynch straight ahead three times. To the surprise of no one except "Cheerio, Chaps," the 47-yard attempt into the wind failed, and Cleveland prevailed. Acting like they've already accomplished something has been the theme of the Bills' season. When the Bills started the season 5-1 and stood atop the AFC East, players, coaches, fans and management began to celebrate as though they'd already accomplished something. Management awarded "Cheerio, Chaps" a lucrative contract extension, even though his career record is 55-73 and it was unlikely Jauron would be recruited by other teams in the offseason. (That is, he received a retention bonus although no one else was bidding for his services.) Since reaching 5-1, the Bills have played four straight cover-your-eyes awful games, in all four cases using the kind of ultra-conservative strategy that makes sense when holding a big lead but is inexplicable when trailing. On its current course, Buffalo could end the season among the year's worst teams. But at least it has Jauron locked up for more losses in the future!

 

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...terbrook/081118

[AnthonyF]

Bills played "Marty ball" after getting to Browns 33. The disaster slowly unfolding before our eyes

 

"Marty Ball" is exactly what I thought. Even if he makes the kick there is 38 seconds left, which is too much against a team whose kicker just made a 56 yarder. There were so many options available. To think a coach would settle for a 47 yarder on an uncomfortable night, where they set up on the wrong hash mark with a kicker who was not overly accurate on his first two field goals defies explanation.

 

Heck even on Edwards lousy swing passes to Lynch they were gaining positive yards. The number of options available were staggering and they just did not care or were paralyzed with fear to do anything. Reminds me of 2006 when they rolled over vs. Indy, NE and others because they refused to let Losman throw the ball.... Pathetic

[BuffaloBud]

Can someone who was at the game tell me / us how much wind there was in the face of Lindell?

[drnykterstein]

We had over 1 minute left, a time out and Browns kept using their 3 time outs to stop the clock too. Yet as soon as we got to Browns 30, the coaches acted as if the Bills were in position for a chip shot 20-something field goal. They ran 3 straight running plays up the middle which looked design to secure field position at that spot. This left Lindell in the unfortunate position of needing to make a 47-yarder, where the odds are a lot lower than something inside 40. Bills should have thrown some passes and mixed it up from the shotgun to try and get the ball just another 5 to 10 yards closer near the Browns 20. They had all of their plays open to them, including going over the middle as Browns were using time outs to stop the clock. Irionically they left Lindell with a 47-yarder, the same distance Norwood had to win game against Giants. But in the latter case Bills had no choice but to kick it from 47 as there was no time left. Very different situation here. A winning coach like Parcells or Bellicheck keeps working the ball down the field. It's not like Browns were putting any heat on Edwards anyway, and he would have thrown it away in the event he was under any kind of pressure. I was sick to my stomach when I saw Bills go into "secure" mode at Browns 30. I have thus far resisted temptation to blame the coaching staff for Bills free fall. But as of today they are officially "on the clock" in my book.

 

I 100% agree with you.

[drnykterstein]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story...terbrook/081118

 

I wish Dick Jauron could be made to sit and read that paragraph 100 times and memorize it inside out. It is the most true thing anyone can say about the Bills right now.