Future Is Finally Bright

[Upstater]

Obviously finishing 6-10 for most teams is a bad year.

For the Bills it was a success and there is a lot to look forward to in the next couple of years.

The defense was vastly improved by setting a new franchise record to sacks in a season.

Rookies played well and got me excited to see them next season.

EJ was decent and might be interesting to see him a full season without injuries.

 

[MrMoJoRisin63]

Obviously finishing 6-10 for most teams is a bad year.

For the Bills it was a success and there is a lot to look forward to in the next couple of years.

The defense was vastly improved by setting a new franchise record to sacks in a season.

Rookies played well and got me excited to see them next season.

EJ was decent and might be interesting to see him a full season without injuries.

Did Brady announce his retirement?

 

[Upstater]

I should say with the exception of having to play the Pats twice a year.

Seems like everything that can possibly go wrong in a game does when the Bills play the Pats.

They finished 3-3 in the division which is better than most seasons. I'll take it. Mainly because I have to.

 

[MrMoJoRisin63]

I should say with the exception of having to play the Pats twice a year.

Seems like everything that can possibly go wrong in a game does when the Bills play the Pats.

They finished 3-3 in the division which is better than most seasons. I'll take it. Mainly because I have to.

I agree the Bills are improving and after watching Jim Kelly kill us for years it's nice to have that role reversed. I do not think EJ is the answer in Buffalo or anywhere else. But the D is solid and the run game is good, if he can manage a game and take advantage of teams stacking the box to stop the run their is indeed hope.

 

[johnson]

Nonsense. The Bills were the Bills again this year. This wasn't a rebuilding year after a good run of success. This is like the 19th straight year in a row they've sucked. Here's how I see it:

1. They were last place in a bad division

2. They had ONE win over a team with an over .500 record (a one-point victory of Carolina in Week 2 on the last play of the game)

3. They had one of the easiest schedules in the NFL and still only mustered 6 wins. This is a team that played the Jets twice, Dolphins twice, Falcons, Jags, Bucs, and Browns.

4. They had a ton of sacks, but still had the 27th "best" Run Defense in the league.

The schedule will be tougher next year (it almost has to be). The D was definitely improved and I think there were bright spots there (hard not to improve the D from last year though). I think EJ Manuel is a bust, but he's mediocre enough that it will take a few years for the Bills to realize that. The running game was elite. The coaching staff is generally subpar (I like the DC well enough though so far).

I have zero hope for next year. The Bills will find a way to botch the draft as they usually do. This is Year 1 of Doug Marrone's 3-year cycle. Repeat, add new name.

 

[TKOSpikes]

Loss 1: 23-21. Pats win on final Brady drive... go figure.
Loss 2: 27-20. Jets handle us pretty well, so does Geno, embarrassing.
Loss 3: 37-24. Cleveland gets three punt returns (one for a TD) that changes the game.
Loss 4: 27-24. Comeback against the Bengals comes up short in OT.
Loss 5: 35-17. Saints whoop us in New Orleans, like that wasn't gonna happen.
Loss 6: 23-13. KC gets a 14 point swing pick-6 and another crucial turnover to win with a non-existent offense.
Loss 7: 23-10. Steelers beat us up, they finished strong so I don't care who says they suck.
Loss 8: 34-31. Our "home" game blows up when the terrible Falcons regain their charisma.
Loss 9: 27 - 6. TB takes advantage of a worn out team... another embarrassing one.
Loss 10: 34-20. Another Pats thrashing... I think Brady is now 23-1 against us.

So there it is, a handful of games could have easily been swung the other way and we could be traveling to Cincy today... but it's the same old story with the Bills... it is ALL about the quarterback position. The only thing I like about E.J. is his poise and calmness. I'd prefer to like his accuracy and pre-snap reads, but alas....

 

[johnson]

That's faulty logic for a number of reasons:

1. You don't get to argue "we almost won" against teams like the Browns, Bucs, Falcons, or Steelers. That's a loss and it's embarrassing and that's that.

You could do the same thing with their wins in saying they could have easily been losses. Here goes:

Win 1: 24-23: Escaped with a win against Carolina on a wacky, final play of the game
Win 2: 23-20: Last minute INT salvages a wild one against Baltimore who appeared to be driving for the win/tie
Win 3: 23-21: Blew a 14 point lead and rallied to barely beat the Dolpins wiht a FG with 33 seconds left in the game
Win 4: 37-14: Crushed the Jets
Win 5: 27-20: Beat the Jags pretty solid
Win 6: 19-0: Dominated Miami.

So they could easily have been 3-13.

This is a 6-10 team. They weren't a few bounces away from traveling to Cincy for the playoffs. THey were nowhere close.

 

[raptorlife4]

whats the longterm plan to keep the Bills in Buffalo?

 

[johnson]

Plan A: Bon Jovi.

Plan B: After Ralph dies, hope they sell the team to an owner that wants to keep them there. Winning and becoming relevant could help this. Okay, so that last part is unrealistic.

 

[TKOSpikes]

1. You don't get to argue "we almost won" against teams like the Browns, Bucs, Falcons, or Steelers. That's a loss and it's embarrassing and that's that.

I didn't. I said the Browns had three punt returns that changed the game on us and we blew a lead on the Falcons.

Plan B: After Ralph dies, hope they sell the team to an owner that wants to keep them there. Winning and becoming relevant could help this. Okay, so that last part is unrealistic.

It's people like you that drive me crazy and probably drive the likes of the NFL Network. Drives me when they don't even mention the Bills and just expect the Dolphins to come to Buffalo and beat us up?? If they ever watched a game, they would know and maybe be able to talk about a team not named the Patriots, Cowboys, or Jets.
Have you even watched a Bills game this year? There were four, count 'em 4 games that we were beat in handily.

The Jets dominated the game and we had a late score to make it look respectable at 27-20.
The Saints whooped us in the dome.
The Steelers dominated us the whole game.
The Bucs destroyed us.

That leaves 12 games in which we either won, or were in it until the end. I'm not saying we "should" be in the playoffs... we didn't make plays (QB) when we needed to most of the time. I'm saying we "could" have been in, even beyond the terrible QB play we got, we were still in 75% of the games we played, but could just never pull it out... sure it sometimes landed on our defense not being able to stop anyone late in games, but mostly, it was the play of the QB. And it's been this way for a long time... they are not Jacksonville bad.

We had a good O line, good receivers, good running backs, a so-so tight end, and although we could use a beef-up at linebacker, we led the league in sacks and have a very opportunistic secondary (probably lose Byrd this offseason, but still pretty good).

 

[TKOSpikes]

Win 1: 24-23: Escaped with a win against Carolina on a wacky, final play of the game

Don't know what you mean here??? A very nicely put together final drive to the goal line, and a play action pass to an open receiver in the end zone to win it. What is wacky about that?

This is a team that played the Jets twice, Dolphins twice, Falcons, Jags, Bucs, and Browns.

Yeah, we always play the Jets and Dolphins twice! And those Jets and Dolphins beat a pretty good Patriots team, so that means nothing. Divisional games are always tough.
Falcons have been a very, very good team since Smith took over and they had injuries and struggles this year, but the end of the season they were playing better.
Not our fault the Jags were on our schedule, at least we beat them soundly, unlike the Broncos who squeaked by them!
Yeah, no excuse for the Bucs.. except we just blew it against the Falcons in Toronto the week before, so maybe a mental lapse there... and E.J.'s worst game of the season.


So other than your pessimism and wise cracks, is there something else you'd like to say?

 

[johnson]

My "pessimism" has also ended up being very accurate for the past decade. So if reality for being a Bills fan has a negative vibe to it...blame that on the Bills...not me.

Why do you think the NFL Network and other media outlets rarely mention the Bills? This is a team that hasn't sniffed the playoffs in 15 YEARS. They are the most hapless organization this century. The define "consistently irrelevant". Winning is interesting. Winning is relevant. This why the Patriots are always in the spotlight. I hate them...but they win and do it often.

I do 100% agree with you on the Cowboys. That is one irrelevant team that gets way more attention than it deserves. They should be getting the same amount of attention the Bills get compared to other relevant teams...not much.

Keep in mind the NFL Network is not a local network and is appealing to a National Audience. You really think the average fans cares about the Jags, Bills, or Browns? They don't. If they started winning and being a factor in something though, they would.

 

[HammerDown]

I'd love to see a solid draft for the Bills this year. Now is the time to really put pressure on New England and try to beat them twice next season.

 

[TKOSpikes]

Keep in mind the NFL Network is not a local network and is appealing to a National Audience. You really think the average fans cares about the Jags, Bills, or Browns? They don't. If they started winning and being a factor in something though, they would.

I understand, but they do have a slogan about ALL 32 teams. Not a handful. And I don't think the "average" fan watches too much of NFL Network.

Again, I'm not disagreeing with you about the state of the Bills.. I have said "same old Bills", I have said we're in most games, but barely ever pull it out. I know they haven't been in the playoffs since the turn of the century. I know they can't draft worth a lick, but I'd just like someone in the media (or "fans" like you) to actually watch a Bills game before dismissing them as an easy game for a team like the fucking Dolphins!

I do 100% agree with you on the Cowboys. That is one irrelevant team that gets way more attention than it deserves.

How are the Cowboys irrelevant? They've played for the division title the last three years in a row. I hear what you're saying though, but it's more about the Jets for me... it's just pathetic when there is a panel of "Football Analysts" and NONE of them knew the Bills were leading the league in sacks... and call themselves the NFL Network? LOL

 

[TKOSpikes]

I'd love to see a solid draft for the Bills this year. Now is the time to really put pressure on New England and try to beat them twice next season.

I know I said I'm against pessimism, but that's a little too optimistic!

I'm prepared for Brady's retirement to be the year when we beat the Pats twice... and I'll have to see a good draft before I hope for one... (although we did well in the mid rounds last year, Woods, Kiko, Goodwin)

 

[MrNLM]

I hope Buffalo can put a good season together. I have always enjoyed watching their games. Basically the only team in the AFC East that I enjoy watching. I said they have a good thing going a couple of years ago and each season it gets a bit better.

I was one of those guys that was happy to see Fitzpatrick hold down a starting gig but, not so happy to see him fail at improving. I have learned my lesson... the guy is a cancer.

Spiller and Jackson is a nice combo but, it seems that one or the other always gets under-utilized from one game to the next.

Stevie Johnson is ok but, he needs help, and I think the Bills finally got him some. BTW, thanks for Da'Rick Rogers.

EJ Manuel was an intersting pick int he 1st round but, he has the tangibles. If he can avoid being injured I can see him putting together a nice sophmore season and working on some of his shortcomings.

Its a shame they will have to play the AFC West and the NFC North... wins wont come easy next year... moreso than usual?

 

[johnson]

Each season it gets a bit better? There is nothing to suppport that statement. If anything, they are simply the most consistently BAD TEAM in the NFL. They don't just keep getting a little better. Here are there records the past 5 years:

2009: 6-10
2010: 4-12
2011: 6-10
2012: 6-10
2013: 6-10

You see gradual improvement each year? They are the epitome of a terrible organization and a team that shows no signs of getting much better. 2014 will be a lot like 2013. Call me a pessimist if you will.

Fitzpatrick is better than Manuel. Would have rather had him this year than EJ. Or Jeff Tuel.

The one thing I agree with is that it's a shame they have to play the AFC West and NFC North. They should have taken advantage this year when they had like the easiest schedule anyone could ask for. Instead, they went 6-10 and lost to quite a few turds.

 

[MrNLM]

Each season it gets a bit better? There is nothing to suppport that statement. If anything, they are simply the most consistently BAD TEAM in the NFL. They don't just keep getting a little better. Here are there records the past 5 years:

2009: 6-10
2010: 4-12
2011: 6-10
2012: 6-10
2013: 6-10

You see gradual improvement each year? They are the epitome of a terrible organization and a team that shows no signs of getting much better. 2014 will be a lot like 2013. Call me a pessimist if you will.

Fitzpatrick is better than Manuel. Would have rather had him this year than EJ. Or Jeff Tuel.

The one thing I agree with is that it's a shame they have to play the AFC West and NFC North. They should have taken advantage this year when they had like the easiest schedule anyone could ask for. Instead, they went 6-10 and lost to quite a few turds.

I see that I could have made my statements more clearly. I did not say that each season things got a bit better. I was trying to say that the good thing they have going is getting better. Not to be directly tied to wins and loses. I am speaking purely about talent.

As much as I would like to defend Fitzpatrick... I just can't. the guy is a GREAT spot starting backup QB and nothing more.

Did you ever see the article talking about how each team he played for the current QB would get a nasty injury. He is a curse.