Tolstoy Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 You know, when you think about it, it is hard to figure out why this team doesn't have a better record. The Bills have 1. excellent special teams (that should be worth a couple of wins a year alone!) 2. a very good defense (and defense wins ballgames!) 3. some real talent on offense, especially at RB and WR 4. good coaching (I happen to think we have good minds behind the offense) So, what the hell is the problem with this team? Ok, I know what many of you will say--its Bledsoe. Sure, maybe when Losman comes in, he will make a huge difference. But to be fair, Bledsoe hasn't played horribly every game. He has had a couple of bad outings, a couple of good ones, and then a lot of mediocre ones. Given all the other positives with this team, they should have a better record by now. Still, a team is as good as its record, and the Bills' record says they are a bad team. One of the worst in the league. Go figure. I will go back to scratching my head. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffalOhio Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Inconsistent Offensive Line play. Mostly crappy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Days Lois & Clark Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Too many penalties, especially at the wrong times. Way Too many dropped balls. An Offensive line that isn't sustaining their blocks long enough A QB who doesn't read the defenses quick enough & holds onto the ball to long A QB who fumbles too much. Injuries to a starting safety and a CB A defense who has problems closing games when the game is on the line A defense who still does not get enough pressure on the QB or create enough turnovers A Coach doesn't challange a potential TD Some players not playing all out on plays Poor officiating MENTAL MISTAKES MENTAL MISTAKES MENTAL MISTAKES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 You're asking the million-dollar question in this thread Tolstoy! You and DCSabres make valid observations IMO, but I think this team is better than their record is right now. A dumb and untimely penalty here, a bad call there, and sprinkle in a few letdowns and breakdowns, and a very good team is 2-5. I'm not booking tix for the SuperBowl, but I think they'll turn it around as we go. With all 3 phases of the game contributing to the win, I think this game was a major confident boost to the entire team. And when a team with as many pure athletes as the Bills have gain some confidence, suddenly the "playing small" can go away, and they're on their way to being the team we all hoped they would be. They may not win next week (although I think they will), they may not win the following week, but I believe that this game was a turning point for the players and validation for the coaches' schemes. I think this was the game we'll refer to next year as the one that epitomizes Mularkey's brand of football. I'm excited to see how good this team can get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bone Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Bills look good against weak teams, and against the better teams they look bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thailog80 Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Bills look good against weak teams, and against the better teams they look bad. 94296[/snapback] They played pretty close with the World Champs until the middle of the fourth quarter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Bills look good against weak teams, and against the better teams they look bad. 94296[/snapback] Ooooh... Thanks for that insightful analysis. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRC Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 You're asking the million-dollar question in this thread Tolstoy! You and DCSabres make valid observations IMO, but I think this team is better than their record is right now. A dumb and untimely penalty here, a bad call there, and sprinkle in a few letdowns and breakdowns, and a very good team is 2-5. I'm not booking tix for the SuperBowl, but I think they'll turn it around as we go. With all 3 phases of the game contributing to the win, I think this game was a major confident boost to the entire team. And when a team with as many pure athletes as the Bills have gain some confidence, suddenly the "playing small" can go away, and they're on their way to being the team we all hoped they would be. They may not win next week (although I think they will), they may not win the following week, but I believe that this game was a turning point for the players and validation for the coaches' schemes. I think this was the game we'll refer to next year as the one that epitomizes Mularkey's brand of football. I'm excited to see how good this team can get. 94286[/snapback] I agree that this game was a confidence booster, but they still have not shown me that they have what it takes. It was fortunate that they played a team like AZ, and the problems were masked, but they still showed me signs of the Bills teams that played in the previous weeks. Let's see if they can build on this game as they head into the Jets and NE games coming up. Good showings against both of those teams will prove a lot to me. The OL needs to show me that they can be consistent from week to week. Drew needs to prove that he can make good decisions, and not panic (I saw him panic a few times yesterday). The team also needs to show that they can be more disciplined, and reduce penalties. I need to see these things over the next two weeks before I can say that they have turned a corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BackInDaDay Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 A solid, effective O-line is the heart of our ball-control gameplan. If MM has to swap them out with D players to get the surge necessary in short yardage situations there's a major problem up front. Granted, O linemen have other skills that D linemen don't, but when it comes down to 'power' football, driving the man in front of you downfield, our guys are lacking. I'd like to hear McNally's take on his line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beerball Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Brain farts, poor O-line play, key injuries...in that order for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Risin Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 They played pretty close with the World Champs until the middle of the fourth quarter. 94300[/snapback] Yep, until they needed their QB to make a play... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobblehead Posted November 1, 2004 Share Posted November 1, 2004 Good point, Buffalo was ranked anywhere from #30 to #32 nationally, and yet they blow a team out by 31 (24 due to a garbage time TD). Yeah, it was Arizona, but something doesn't add up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts