Edwards, Losman,receivers or the coaches

[thewildrabbit]

Some of you think that all teams are equal and its the players that determine whether a team wins or loses a game! That is not the case, It takes good coaching to win also.

 

Its not just the players executing a play or not executing the play called,its about teamwork,continuity and game plan.

 

It is also about being able to have faith in your receivers that when a certain play is called and a receiver is supposed to be at a certain point on the field and for whatever reason he doesn't get to that spot or he is covered,the QB starts the check down process in which he looks for another receiver.This process takes time,which the Bills QB's didn't have most of the game.Its why Edwards went to his running backs and dump off passes so often.

 

This past season the Bills offensive coordinator tried to force Edwards and Losman into a high powered 'throw every play' type of an offense and both he and it failed miserably,so most of you out there blame the QB's.

 

You guys want to continue to blame the QB because its what you see on the field,you see that the pass went incomplete so you automatically blame the QB. Never mind the fact that the opposing team might double or triple teaming the Bills only decent receiving threat. Never mind the fact that when a team runs the shotgun formation 85% of the time its saying to the opposing team we are going to pass,try and stop us.Most of the time opposing teams did stop the Bills passing game and the Bills OC just kept calling shotgun plays and trying to throw. Its my take that the lions share of the Bills offensive problems this past year where due to the play calling and not just the QB and receivers.

I'm not the only one who thinks this way either, per PFW

 

Bills' offense ought to take Dolphins' lead,by Matt Sohn

This much is clear: (1) Serious schematic changes need to made to the Bills’ offense. (2) Offensive coordinator Turk Schonert is sticking around after having flopped in his first season in the post. But the high-octane passing attack that Schonert, a former quarterback and QB coach, aims to implement might not be the most appropriate course of action. In looking at the Bills’ offensive personnel — most of which remains static heading into ’09 — the similarities to the Dolphins’ personnel, which operated a ball-control system that worked so effectively, are striking. Like Miami, Buffalo is led by a cerebral quarterback whose arm strength is questionable; both have a pair of tough, multifaceted running backs; and both have just one deep-speed wideout. The way we hear it, taking a page from their rivals to the south, who employ liberal use of the “Wildcat” and creative pass patterns underneath — would go a long way in stymieing the team’s offensive demise.

http://www.profootballweekly.com/PFW/The+W...+It/default.htm

[BobChalmers]

Some of you think that all teams are equal and its the players that determine whether a team wins or loses a game! That is not the case, It takes good coaching to win also.

 

Its not just the players executing a play or not executing the play called,its about teamwork,continuity and game plan.

 

Is this in dispute?

 

It is also about being able to have faith in your receivers that when a certain play is called and a receiver is supposed to be at a certain point on the field and for whatever reason he doesn't get to that spot or he is covered,the QB starts the check down process in which he looks for another receiver.This process takes time,which the Bills QB's didn't have most of the game.Its why Edwards went to his running backs and dump off passes so often.

 

I'm with you 100% there. Our interior O-Line play wasn't nearly good enough, which is why Fowler was benched mid-season for a guy who isn't really good enough either. When, on top of that, they lost Butler at RG for a few weeks, they went winless, as I recall.

 

Lack of "faith in" ALL THE OFFENSIVE PLAYERS has been a consistent issue for Jauron in his on-field dscision making since he's been in Buffalo. Except his benched QB - Losman - who he weirdly had too much faith in one fateful day in New Jersey.

 

This past season the Bills offensive coordinator tried to force Edwards and Losman into a high powered 'throw every play' type of an offense and both he and it failed miserably,so most of you out there blame the QB's.

 

Now you've lost me. They tried to mix it up. There were times later in the season when they needed to run more than they did. Most of the time the balance was actually pretty good.

 

You guys want to continue to blame the QB because its what you see on the field,you see that the pass went incomplete so you automatically blame the QB. Never mind the fact that the opposing team might double or triple teaming the Bills only decent receiving threat. Never mind the fact that when a team runs the shotgun formation 85% of the time its saying to the opposing team we are going to pass,try and stop us. Most of the time opposing teams did stop the Bills passing game and the Bills OC just kept calling shotgun plays and trying to throw.

 

Shotgun is one thing you have to do when you can't pass block with your interior line and you have 3rd and more than 5 to go. It gives the QB a chance to not get killed.

 

I do hate when teams in 3rd and less than 5 run an empty backfield shotgun and tell the other team not to fear the run at all. Honestly, though, I felt I saw Schonert do a lot less of that then our previous several OC's from Fairchild to Mularkey as HC, to Gilbride.

 

Sure - a lot of Edwards' check-downs are because the deep guys (typically Evans) were all well-covered. This actually makes your article below from PFW a lot less credible. That guy's jumping on the "Edwards has a weak arm" bandwagon out of ignorance - not seeing himself how often he has to check-down to find someone open.

 

Edwards set a Bills record for completion % and did it in just his first season as the Bills' starter. When he had someone to throw it to deep, he had no trouble getting the ball there. Edwards is fine.

 

Its my take that the lions share of the Bills offensive problems this past year where due to the play calling and not just the QB and receivers.

 

What exactly is the defintion of "lion's share" this season? 0/16 ???

 

I think the coaching portion of the problem was more than zero - but the bigger problem was lack of talent at C, which was aggravated up to a disaster by the injury to Butler - right when they were in the midst of their AFC East run through 3 different 3-4 defenses with nose tackles they couldn't block.

 

 

I'm not the only one who thinks this way either, per PFW

 

Please don't be too impressed by the occasional sports writer. You'd be amazed how uninformed most of these guys are.

 

Bills' offense ought to take Dolphins' lead,by Matt Sohn

...The way we hear it, taking a page from their rivals to the south, who employ liberal use of the “Wildcat” and creative pass patterns underneath — would go a long way in stymieing the team’s offensive demise.

 

Copying someone else's gimmick from the previous season, especially one that was more and more "solved" as the year went on (both the Ravens and even the Bills defenses destroyed the Wildcat) has got to be one of the dumbest ideas possible - I now know to dismiss anything written by Matt Sohn.

 

If the Bills significantly upgrade at Center and get more depth at Guard, they will have the most feared running game in the league next year. Since I believe they will do both of those thnigs this season, I am optimistic about 2009, despite a tough schedule and a so-so coaching staff.

[tennesseeboy]

Everything is Losman's fault. Everything is always Losman's fault.

[Thurman#1]

High-powered throw every play offense? Hunh? To say this is what they were trying to do, you would need a little ... I don't know ... evidence?

 

What you are doing is kind of funny. You're saying that other people on this board are trying to blame one particular thing for our, um, badness. Whereas you have the correct perspective which is to ... blame one particular thing!!!! Nice move!

 

What is most likely to be wrong is a mixture of many things. The play-calling indeed needs improvement. But if we had had the Arizona Cardinals offensive personnel running it, it would have looked a lot better. And probably Schonert could have changed things to try his best to work towards their strengths. I don't know exactly what would have happened, but I know we would have been much better.

 

The fault is Trent's!! Oh, and our OL's. And our lack of a #2 reciever. And of course our inability to bring in a very effective TE. And Schonert's play-calling. And our youth. And the fact that our defense couldn't stop teams for running the ball down our throats late in the game several times when we were within striking distance. And so on. Bobby April and the special teams are just about the only folks you can't put much blame on.

 

And when we get a better recieving corps, it will have a positive impact on Trent. And our play-calling will be able to change and become more varied and efficient. And when we get a dominating center to prevent teams from blowing up the center of our line, it will also have a positive effect. And when Trent improves with experience, that wil help our recievers. Yadda yadda yadda.

 

The best way to look at most of these things is as a system. The whole system needs improvement. And as the system improves, it allows it's parts to work better. And as we bring in a new part or two, the system will work better. The important point is that each area improves, even just 10 or 20%, the system improves. And there's a tipping point. If we get three or four areas improving at once, all of a sudden the system looks brilliant.

 

This team is young and needs more talent. It's all a process.

[Thurman#1]

Everything is Losman's fault. Everything is always Losman's fault.

 

 

 

Yes, yes, my precious. It'ssssssssssssssssssssssss the Losssssssssssman'sssssssss fault, yesssss my precious.

[2003Contenders]

All of the above.

 

The thing that I've noticed is that you just don't see our WRs getting much separation. That has been the case for years now. I tend to agree that the play calling and designed routes certainly need to improve. However, the receivers all need to do a better job of running the proper routes and making the necessary adjustments. Meanwhile, Trent needs to do a better job anticipating his throws and throwing the ball BEFORE the receiver comes out of his break. He needs to have greater confidence that his receivers will be where they need to be; the receivers need to instill that confidence by ALWAYS running the route the right way.

[IDBillzFan]

Everything is Losman's fault. Everything is always Losman's fault.

Exactly. Why, it's a little known fact that if Losman was not on the sidelines against Cleveland, Lindell makes that kick. If anyone but Losman played against Arizona, the Cardinals would have only scored 16 points -- not 41 -- and we would have been 6-1. I know because Donte Whitner told me so, and if you can't take the word of a professional football player, than you don't know jack.

[Magox]

When my brother and I were watching the Bills Jets game earlier this year and when Losman fumbled the ball away, I wasn't upset with Losman. I was telling my bro, He is what he is. Which is not a good quarterback. He has never had good awareness and for the coach to have put him in that position, I blamed the coach %99. Losman is just not a good quarterback, let's face it, and he most likely never will be. So to blame him is futile, it won't make a bit of difference other than just being able to vent towards someone.

 

The recievers are not bad, there is no doubt that Reed proved to be a critical member of this offense and we need another guy that can provide his sort of reliability as well. Hopefully we will address it this year either via the draft or through free agency.

 

My guess is that next year our offense will improve again for the third straight year.

[thewildrabbit]

What both my post and the article in PFW are saying is that the Bills need to stop the constant shotgun formations and use play action more often.

 

The Bills OC Turk Schonert seemed to think he had Drew Brees as his QB and not 2 young QB's who both need big help from the running game.

 

Now don't tell me that the Bills didn't try and throw every chance they got because in fact, they did! Go back and watch that 49er game in which Marshawn Lynch had 136 yards on the ground by the third quarter. Then in the 4th quarter when they needed to run the ball,all they did was have JP Losman throw.Marshawn touched the ball ONCE! They were only down by 7 points at home. Instead of using the running backs the OC forces the back up QB to try and win the game,simply moronic!

 

So everyone blames JP for that fumble in the Jets game, I don't. I blame the idiot who called the pass play. On second down and three the OC calls for a rollout pass play when Marshawn had just gotten a first down by running it into a 9 man box.

That roll out pass play had to be the worst play call ever in the history of the Buffalo Bills.

 

Sorry but there is no way in hell that anyone on this board can convince me that the coaching staff isn't to blame for this past 7-9 season.Between Jauron and Schonert I'd have to say those two morons lost at least 5 games for the Bills.

Even Fairchild and his weird no fullback style would have done better with the improvements to the o-line and the emergence of Fred Jackson.

[tennesseeboy]

Exactly. Why, it's a little known fact that if Losman was not on the sidelines against Cleveland, Lindell makes that kick. If anyone but Losman played against Arizona, the Cardinals would have only scored 16 points -- not 41 -- and we would have been 6-1. I know because Donte Whitner told me so, and if you can't take the word of a professional football player, than you don't know jack.

You forget that Losman that Losman was instrumental in EVERY loss we have had. He was also on the sidelines in the Arizona game resulting in the Edwards injury. He was on the sidelines in the New England game resulting in our loss in the last game of the seaon. That's three games that were Losman's fault. Wait a minute..the jets game...four!!! We would have won the division and probably the superbowl except for Losman. I'm not sure that Losman wasn't to blame for a lot of the losses the year before he was drafted as well, as Donohoe and others were concentrating on getting him instead of playing football. Come to think of it I had the flu last week...probably Losman's fault.

[Alphadawg7]

If you look at our decline from a 5-1 start, there are 2 fundamental truths that can not be ignored.

 

1. Key injuries reduced the effectiveness of our interior lines on both sides of the ball and also our Defensive unit as a whole. Say what you want about Schobel, but when he went down our LB's and Stroud lost some of their effectiveness. They were able to double and triple team Stroud without the threat of Schobel making our interior line less effective, which also makes the job harder on our LB's. Also, with the lost of Greer and Youboty, our secondary was also less effective as they were significantly contributing to the overall play of our defense. On the O-Line, injuries also were affecting the units overall effecitiveness (not that they were great anyway) which became an even bigger problem.

 

Bottom line on that is that we did not have the depth to overcome such injuries (we need a real GM to fix this).

 

2. Our QB play (BOTH TRENT AND JP, NOT JUST JP)!!! This was a huge problem post Trent Concussion. One, JP struggled to find any groove or Rhythm out there and failed to establish himself when filling in for Trent. Two, and this is probably the most important aspect, Trent seriously regressed and what is worse, became a shell of himself and could not play through it. He became gun shy, became indecisive, held the ball too long, too sacks he shouldnt have taken, began to turn the ball over, and most importantly couldnt find his recievers and relied on his checkdown to passes at or near the line of scrimmage.

 

Trents play was no where near as good as people like to think during the 5-1 start, however, all the issues that plagued him the last half of the season either were not present or not nearly as bad during that stretch. Even in those 4th quarter comebacks, they were against terrible teams and only became effective (especially in Rams and Raider games) when they stopped bringing pressure on him in the 4th quarter. So far, Trent has shown no ability to adapt and make quick enough reads when the pressure is coming and really only excelled when he had time to throw. The difference was, in the last half of the season, he had become so shaken and gun shy that even when he had all day to throw he just couldn't get the ball out of his hands and into the WR's.

 

And I dont want to hear how our WR's didnt get open because it was shown countless times that we had guys often wide open, but because Trent was not progressing his reads he failed to see them or if he did see them he saw them too late.

 

These were the 2 biggest, notice I said biggest and not "only", reasons for our season decline. Yes, there were other factors, but these two were the biggest factors.