Buffalo Bills 2013

[Robviously]

This.

 

You can't give a team like the Patriots that many free yards.

 

I like that the Bills didn't "slow it down" in the fourth quarter. This is a team looking to define their identity offensively.

Slowing it down wasn't going to do anything. The Pats only needed a field goal. If Brady got the ball back with anything more than 1 minute and all his timeouts, that's more than enough time for him to do what he needs to do.

 

We needed first downs and I'm glad that's what they went for there.

[dudacek]

I like the fact they are trying to implement an identity.

Key development was the way the Pats shut down Spiller.

Key play was actually the Johnson drop on third down.

But the reason they lost — like it usually is — was penalties and turnovers.

[JJFIVEOH]

Who carries post game player interviews?

[wjag]

I agree he should have slowed it down and I still think you're over the top negative about his coaching as a whole with the "cheap coach" stuff.

 

I stand by that cheap coach comment. He was clearly the bargain bin selection.

[TrueBlueGED]

I stand by that cheap coach comment. He was clearly the bargain bin selection.

 

He was. And I still vehemently disagree that the "cheapness" manifested itself today.

[tom webster]

 

 

I stand by that cheap coach comment. He was clearly the bargain bin selection.

 

That is so wrong. He was top candidate of San Diego and Cleveland after Chip Kelly signed and at least one NFL Executive not with Buffalo thinks he will have best career of all new NFL coaches. No one knows for sure how he will turn out, but he is not here because he was the cheapest.

 

I like the fact they are trying to implement an identity.

Key development was the way the Pats shut down Spiller.

Key play was actually the Johnson drop on third down.

But the reason they lost — like it usually is — was penalties and turnovers.

 

The drop was huge. How many critical drops has he had in his career

Edited September 8, 2013 by tom webster

[wjag]

That is so wrong. He was top candidate of San Diego and Cleveland after Chip Kelly signed and at least one NFL Executive not with Buffalo thinks he will have best career of all new NFL coaches. No one knows for sure how he will turn out, but he is not here because he was the cheapest.

 

 

 

The drop was huge. How many critical drops has he had in his career

 

All I can say to that, is we shall see.

 

And Stevie Johnson rarely earns his paycheck and WR1 status. He had one beautiful catch and then one egregious drop with the game on the line.

[darksabre]

 

 

I stand by that cheap coach comment. He was clearly the bargain bin selection.

 

Or maybe they just really liked him?

[wjag]

Or maybe they just really liked him?

 

LOL.. That prospect scares me even more.

 

So this is what I did enjoy today:

Woods TD catch

Johnson TD catch

NE fumble on goal line

Play of the secondary overall. NE caught balls but they weren't easy catches.

Manual's poise

 

So this is what I did not enjoy today

DL didn't do enough to pressure.

Johnson dropping a 3rd down pass to keep drive and hope alive

Buffalo got beat by Amendola and Edelman

Run defense looks like same old same old

4th Quarter Coaching

Edited September 8, 2013 by wjag

[tom webster]

 

 

LOL.. That prospect scares me even more.

 

So this is what I did enjoy today:

Woods TD catch

Johnson TD catch

NE fumble on goal line

Play of the secondary overall. NE caught balls but they weren't easy catches.

Manual's poise

 

So this is what I did not enjoy today

DL didn't do enough to pressure.

Johnson dropping a 3rd down pass to keep drive and hope alive

Buffalo got beat by Amendola and Edelman

Run defense looks like same old same old

4th Quarter Coaching

 

See, in the end we agree on all but the last point. If Stevie makes that catch or somebody steps up and stops their slot guys, no one is talking about time management, which as someone else already mentioned, is butchered by every one, even the hoodie.

[drnkirishone]

The only thing i liked was how EJ played the game. I have no idea what his stat line reads but my armchair scouting saw him make a lot of different throws and he seemed poised and in command. My only negative on him is it looked like after the first quarter the NE D ignored him on the read options and it caused a few negative yard rushes i think he could have broke a few long runs if he kept it once or twice

[TrueBlueGED]

The only thing i liked was how EJ played the game. I have no idea what his stat line reads but my armchair scouting saw him make a lot of different throws and he seemed poised and in command. My only negative on him is it looked like after the first quarter the NE D ignored him on the read options and it caused a few negative yard rushes i think he could have broke a few long runs if he kept it once or twice

 

I noticed the same thing, but it made me wonder if they were actually read options or just designed runs. Didn't listen to postgame at all, does anyone know if this was brought up?

[nfreeman]

Beautiful day at the Ralph today. That game was there to be taken but yet again the Bills lost it in a way that a loser team loses games.

 

I'll say it again: losing begets losing. If it's not a penalty negating a critical 3rd down conversion, it's a terrible fumble or a dropped pass or a kick returner bobbling it and then running it out to the 11-yard line. It wasn't just Stevie's drop -- it was at least a dozen bad plays like it over the course of the game that aggregated to a loss -- while a team that knows how to win made enough plays to win. Was the outcome ever really in doubt?

 

I did like EJ though -- which is good, because it

Is going to take a Kelly-like leader to muscle this team out of the loser quicksand it has been living in for a dozen years.

 

And did Mario make a single GD play today?

[SwampD]

I thought coaching definitely played a part in the lost today. I actually thought the Bills had more talent on the field than the Patriots and I haven't been able to say that in a long time. I'm hoping that it was just a rookie coach in his first game jitters.

 

Ej looks like a real NFL QB. I love it.

SJ needs to shut his mouth and catch the ball.

I'm not saying it's why we lost, but it really is amazing how often the Pats are aided by the refs on third down, on both sides of the ball.

Jarius Byrd can go screw.

[Andrew Amerk]

Once Vereen broke that run at the end, they would've been better off just letting him score and getting the ball back with a minute left. Tackling him there allowed the Pats to kill the rest of the clock.

 

Poor coaching in the final 5 minutes. As much as I enjoy the new hurry up offense, it wasnt necessary in the end of the game, especially with a rookie QB at the helm. Slow it down there. Let your D catch a breath.

[darksabre]

Once Vereen broke that run at the end, they would've been better off just letting him score and getting the ball back with a minute left. Tackling him there allowed the Pats to kill the rest of the clock.

 

Poor coaching in the final 5 minutes. As much as I enjoy the new hurry up offense, it wasnt necessary in the end of the game, especially with a rookie QB at the helm. Slow it down there. Let your D catch a breath.

 

I'm hoping that Marrone is smart enough to learn the NFL and not be a one trick pony with the no huddle college style offense. I guess just start with what you know and build on it. The players will have to grow with him.

[Andrew Amerk]

 

 

I'm hoping that Marrone is smart enough to learn the NFL and not be a one trick pony with the no huddle college style offense. I guess just start with what you know and build on it. The players will have to grow with him.

 

I mean...I am glad that he had a game plan...and wanted to stick to it...but, you still have to be able to adjust that plan on the fly.

 

Overall, the Bills players were the more talented team today, but the Bills coaching lost this one.

[darksabre]

 

 

I mean...I am glad that he had a game plan...and wanted to stick to it...but, you still have to be able to adjust that plan on the fly.

 

Overall, the Bills players were the more talented team today, but the Bills coaching lost this one.

 

Penalties lost it, inexperienced coaching was a minor inconvenience. I'm just glad Marrone didn't come off as a wuss like every Bills coach since Wade Phillips.

[JujuFish]

Should fans of a football team that lost four straight Super Bowls ever use the word "choking" in a derogatory manor against another team or player? Especially when that player has a Super Bowl ring? Seems a bit foolish.

 

Good Luck to the Buffalo Bills today. A win maybe a little too much to ask for. I am hoping to see a good game plan, good coaching decisions/time management and the elimination of the killer penalties at the worst possible times. This would give me hope that we are entering a "new era" in Bills history and not just a different chapter in the same old book.

Ah, so you were the one to jinx them. :P

 

What a weak argument. So a team's players not getting it done now precludes fans from pointing out another team/player didn't get it done? Awful.

Perhaps we can file this one under the 'takes one to know one' argument.

[Wyldnwoody44]

All I saw was the bills with 5:50 to go in the game, up one point..... Proceed to go 3 and out in less than 40 seconds with our savior stevie dropping a simple 3rd and 2 pass.

 

That dropped killed us, but the hurry up did need to be slowed a tad there

 

Then Brady and wes Welker 2.0 shredded up our secondary that was playing decent up to that point. and we got no pressure on Brady when it mattered at the end.

 

A lot to like, no one thought we'd be in this and leading in the 4th and only losing by 2,but you could tell it was a young team on the field today from the coaching down. Hopefully they learn from this and get stronger from a pretty heartbreaking loss

[TrueBlueGED]

I love how everyone's favorite whipping boys (Stevie, coaching) are getting ripped, yet the darling (Spiller) has yet to be mentioned for his touchless fumble inside the Bills 20 which gifted Brady and co. a TD.

 

And people wonder why I like stats ;)

[That Aud Smell]

BS.. He might have won that game if he just slowed it down a little in the 4th. He gave Brady to many chances with too much time.

 

while the truth may lie somewhere toward the middle of this dispute, if we are having two camps on opposite sides of the spectrum then i am lining up with the "screw it, i'm glad marrone stuck to his guns and continued to attack and have the team play as though the game needed to be won, not 'not lost'".

 

as others have noted, i have a much bigger problem with stevie's stone-handed drop on 3rd and short than i do with marrone's keeping the pedal to the metal.

 

that said, yeah - maybe he could've paced it so that the D would get more of a breather. that said, the whole strategy of the up-tempo game is to keep the other team's D winded. if you start getting up to the line and giving them 15 seconds to catch their breath, you start to undermine your strategy.

 

i'm still not sure the up-tempo thing will carry the day for us. we'll see.

 

And did Mario make a single GD play today?

 

well, he did draw that critical holding call on 3rd and long that forced the Pats to punt.

 

 

oh, wait.

[...]

I'm glad they didn't go into Alamo Mode. I think if they had, and still lost, then people would be complaining they were the same old Bills who lacked the nuts to "go after it".

 

Not being a football follower, I thought the glaring error was all of the stupid penalties. Stupid penalties, as we know from hockey, are a result of being undisciplined. With a young team, and a rookie NFL coach, I'm not sure what you can expect for the first game. They hung in there but the lack of experience, I think, is what did them in. It was certainly a good game, though, and I didn't sense it was all lost until the last three minutes or so - which is pretty good for a typical Bills game.

Edited September 9, 2013 by sizzlemeister

[That Aud Smell]

i also feel obliged to tip my hat to that doosh-bag brady. he had 1 NFL caliber receiver who was playing without a functioning groin and he still found a way to win. if he hangs 11 or 12 wins with this roster (and/or wins a playoff game), i will be very, very impressed.

[darksabre]

I'm glad they didn't go into Alamo Mode. I think if they had, and still lost, then people would be complaining they were the same old Bills who lacked the nuts to "go after it".

 

Not being a football follower, I thought the glaring error was all of the stupid penalties. Stupid penalties, as we know from hockey, are a result of being undisciplined. With a young team, and a rookie NFL coach, I'm not sure what you can expect for the first game. They hung in there but the lack of experience, I think, is what did them in. It was certainly a good game, though, and I didn't sense it was all lost until the last three minutes or so - which is pretty good for a typical Bills game.

 

My thoughts exactly. And Marrone was quoted as saying that they went for the up tempo late because they knew they had to score to win. Running time down just wasn't going to be an option with Tom Brady on the other side of the ball.

 

i also feel obliged to tip my hat to that doosh-bag brady. he had 1 NFL caliber receiver who was playing without a functioning groin and he still found a way to win. if he hangs 11 or 12 wins with this roster (and/or wins a playoff game), i will be very, very impressed.

 

Amendola played stupid good. As did Edelman.