Time for fans to get out worry beads : Jerry Sullivan

Maybe I'm just too young, but... what's a "worry bead"? At any rate, Jerry Sullivan feeds those of you craving a discussion about all of Buffalo's shortcomings that they've displayed in a 4-1 start. It covers pretty much everything that we've discussed ad nauseum here.

Which of Jerry's points worries you most: Trent Edwards' concussion, the offensive line, the pass rush, coaching, or an improved AFC East? Discuss.

about 1 year ago Brian Galliford 24 comments 0 recs |

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How could they have been ill-prepared for AZ’s short passing game? Did they think that the Cards would let Warner sit back there in 5-7 step drops the whole game after watching the Jets crush him? Wow

I’m most concerned about the OL, DL/pass rush and coaching. Also, the lack of defensive playmakers is a concern. Basically, all the issues that we saw going into the season are starting to rear their ugly heads again after only showing up occasionally early on.

by Kurupt on Oct 7, 2008 12:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

LOL. I was looking for y’all to pick one… :)

by Brian Galliford on Oct 7, 2008 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well they are all major concerns

so it’s tough to pick one!

I guess the OL since we can’t run the ball and our QB just got concussed. The sacks keep piling up there too.

by Kurupt on Oct 7, 2008 1:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Aaron Schobel

was dominated on Sunday by Mike Gandy. Mike Gandy is not a very good football player. In fact, he is a well below average tackle. At one point they even moved Schobel over to the LE spot to try to get more production out of him.

For the money that Schobel is paid, I expect him to be a disruptive force almost every week. I don’t care if they were throwing short and quick passes, Schobel needs to make some plays. I think it’s time to start considering how overpaid he is…

by spavery on Oct 7, 2008 12:44 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Why should we expect him to become a disruptive force when he’s never been one his entire career? He has been a solid DE, but never much of a pass rushing force. That contract looks more ridiculous each and every game….

by Kurupt on Oct 7, 2008 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

2 Big Games

Schobel is good for like 2 games where he racks up 2-3 sacks in those games to inflate his numbers…

by Oaks77 on Oct 7, 2008 2:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We are 4-1

so the only thing that should really really concern us is the health of the QB who played during the 4 wins. I’m suprised there isn’t more concern on this blog about Trent’s health. ESPN ran a piece saying that it was uncertain if he’ll be ready to play against the Chargers, although Donte Whitner is basically guaranteeing Trent will play (hes doing that a lot these days).

That was a pretty ugly hit and I’m worried we could go again without Trent and that he won’t be able to practice during the bye week

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Oct 7, 2008 1:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

4-1 means nothing if we finish 3-8

I wonder if the Lions fans thought the same thing last season? They started 6-2 didn’t they? The fact is we have been playing worse each game since the Jags win. Why? Injuries…yes. Poor play of players….yes. Poor coaching…..it seems to be a big yes. I hope Bobby April is enjoying his special teams players we drafted instead of adding young talent and depth. If the Bills didn’t like Crowell, then where is his replacement? JP isn’t even a good backup QB, IMO. Where is our young talent to develop or our veteran mentor? All our DEs are underperforming. Where are the young studs to push the vets?

by Joe P. on Oct 7, 2008 1:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I’m not sure how you can have this many issues with a 4-1 football team and still enjoy the sport. :)

by Brian Galliford on Oct 7, 2008 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Have you ever heard the saying,"It is not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game"?

In enjoy football as a sport because I believe it is the best game on the planet. I am a Bills fan because I was born one and will die one. I am just that loyal (stupid?). I have both played in and coached games (not Pro of course) in which I lost but was happy because the team and the coaches did everything they could and gave everything they had. That is how!!!

Injuries are not anyone’s fault, but explain how Gandy was able to handle Schobel with ease? Explain how players are saying they were not ready to handle the short passing game? Explain how coaches can’t see how bad Fowler is and bring in a FA or at least draft a young C to push him (Preston is not the answer)? Explain why our O-line is struggling to pass protect and run block. IMO, they have gotten worse every game since Peters returned to the lineup. I am not saying it is all Peters fault, but he sure has not helped. These guys are huge!!!! And still they get pushed around like they are on roller skates.

I am not one to sit quietly and cheer stupidity. I give credit were credit is due and lay responsibility were I feel it should rest. I supported the stance the Bills took on Peters this off-season when many were giving them heat. But, many of the concerns we are facing now were raised before the draft, after the draft, and during our winning streak. You don’t have to be the Amazing Kreskin to have seen these problems coming. I know we are not a legitimate SuperBowl team this year, but I want to see progress to that end. I am tired of being in a perpetual rebuilding mode.

I try to be positive. I picked the Bills to win in a low scoring game if they could run the ball and get pressure on the QB. Where was the pressure from the front four? Where was press coverage to disrupt the short passing game? I know…you say Fewell doesn’t do that…well he better dam well do something because we are going to see a lot more of it. What we got could be far worse than just a road loss. It looked more like the culmination of poor play over the last three games and a detailed road map of how to beat the Bills. I realize it is only one loss, but if we are honest we know we should have lost to the Raiders and could have lost to the Rams if not for poor coaching on their part and spectacular play by Edwards. I have been down this road before. There is a light up a head. Is it the light at the end of the tunnel, or another Mack Truck coming to crush our dreams of a playoff contender again! Forgive me if I yell look out!!!!

by Joe P. on Oct 7, 2008 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Good post

As many would guess, I agree across the board on this.

There’s been so much positive talk about the front office the past 2-3 years, but I’m not one who would agree. Sure, they’ve made some good moves (drafting Williams, Lynch, Poz, Edwards, trading for Stroud, trading away McGahee, signing Mitchell), some bad moves (signing Tripplett, Price, Reyes, Fowler, Nall, trading up for McCargo, giving big bucks to Kelsay and Schobel), some questionable moves (signing Dockery to big $, drafting Whitner 8th, not addressing certain need positions more proactively: TE, DE) and some moves that we’ll have to wait and see (McKelvin 11th, Hardy as the future #2, Ko Simpson as a starter, not paying Peters in the offseason, giving major money to Evans). They’ve made a lot of mistakes and we still have major holes even though we’re in year 3 of rebuilding. Some of those holes can’t be fixed easily because of the money/picks tied up in the position (DE, OL), so we have to almost go with what we have and hope something good can happen. I hate that.

One thing that I’m sick of is seeing the same errors and weaknesses over and over and over. Why haven’t we addressed these problems, much of which you mentioned above Joe?

I’m like you, we’ve been here before. I’m far from ready to proclaim we’ve arrived, or are even close enough to truly competing for a championship. I hope this was one game and not indicative of what this team really is. Unfortunately, we’re seeing the same mistakes, errors and problems as before, so I’d have to believe we’re closer to last year’s team than anything….Hope not though!!!

by Kurupt on Oct 7, 2008 10:13 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks Kurupt

Maybe we just need some stronger Kool-Aid :-)

by Joe P. on Oct 8, 2008 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Stronger Kool-Aid or a bottle of vodka??

by Kurupt on Oct 8, 2008 10:29 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I find the combination works wonders.

by XtrmeCarnage82 on Oct 8, 2008 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i like our coaching joe

I like our offensive play calling a lot, even against the Cards we ran some nice plays to get something going offensively (or try) like that nice end around with Lee Evans. Defensively we may not have adapted our playcalling to counter Arizonas aerial attack but in the previous three games our defense started shutting opponents offenses down after the second half, proving we are making adaptations to the opposing team. I think it was a tough loss, a needed wake up call, and our coaches will get us back on track after the bye. But we need Trent to be 100%

McKelvin and Hardy - rookies of the year

by poz on Oct 7, 2008 2:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like certain aspects to all of our coaches

Correct me if I am wrong, but I don’t think I have ever called for any of our coaches to be fired. But, when you have players come out and say we were not prepared, a coach needs to take responsibility for that. What the Cards did to us was textbook film study, then game planning by the to exploit what they saw. The Bills coaches looked like they couldn’t get their locker open but still kept trying the same combination. It was a total collapse by Fewell who completely failed to react to what was happening on the field. I have liked for the most part what Turk has done with the offense. The lack of screen passes and short slants to help slow down the pass rush is a concern. But with JP under center, Turk gets somewhat of a pass this last game. I would have pulled JP and put in Hamdan. Why not give the kid some time and see what he can do? Lay that on Jauron?

by Joe P. on Oct 7, 2008 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hmmm, I would say Oline is #1

But Trents health and coaching come in at very very very dead heat at #2, almost #1b honestly.

Btw Bri, worry beads is the non-relegious term for Rosary beads for all ya non-Catholics out there.

Anyhow, we have a pile of money invested in the line, and I think the USC Oline could get more rushing yards against our 5 foes this year than ours has combined for so far. Also, the fact that Pass Blocking which was to be their strength this year has definetly not been it at all. TE has had way to many hands and pads in his face, gut and shoulders this year and we have another 11 games to go. I really hope his health policy, liabilty policy and Accidental Death and Dismemberment policy are all fully funded because he may them. He isn’t built like Big Ben and just can’t absorb that sort of pounding over a full schedule.

Lastly, the coaching was bad this game on the D side of the ball. How can a team be caught so off guard in that way? Did anyone actually pay attention to game tape this year and last year? Did Fewell take off early this entire past week because the Jets beat up the Cards? Did he forget that the Cards went to the long ball attack in that game because they were playing catchup and that they may use something else against a less explosive offensive team? These question beg for answers and I have a feeling they shall go unheard and unanswered.

Fear the mighty helmet wearing gopher, he is coming for your soul....

by WABillsfan on Oct 7, 2008 4:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Jerry

loves to complain and worry about the Bills when they lose, that’s nothing new. But even he has to admit that 4 – 1 feels a whole lot better than 1 – 4.

Our D seems to be vulnerable to the short passing game. I’m thinking a lot of that has to do with our CB’s not being up in WR’s faces at the snap, delaying their pass routes enough so that the pass rush has a better chance to make a difference. Not sure why the CB’s are being positioned off the line so often. Anyone have a guess?

Get the Bills back to the big game!

by Blitz on Oct 8, 2008 1:12 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Its due to Fewell's philospohy on coverage

He would prefer we have our guys 5-8 yards off the line of scrimmage to prevent the deep ball at all times, rather than take the gamble that someone with speed like McGee can keep up with a WR on a go/streak pattern (which is BS since McGee is one of the fastest guys on any team).

So instead of the big strike, we get to watch our team get bled out slowly by the quick pass instead of having a dagger or two thrust into us by a deep ball.

Fear the mighty helmet wearing gopher, he is coming for your soul....

by WABillsfan on Oct 8, 2008 2:56 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Basically the play not to lose mantra

by Kurupt on Oct 8, 2008 4:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I see what you mean

But I thought the idea behind having two athletic safeties was to be able to cover the deep ball in case the CB’s got burned. Sounds like the pass defense philosophy could use some fine-tuning…

Get the Bills back to the big game!

by Blitz on Oct 9, 2008 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes and No, we play Whitner up in the run box alot, meaning we usually only have Ko deep

Early in games Donte will play back, but if the opponent starts running the quick pass or having success on the ground, they bring Donte up then, and thus we only have one deep DB. That means in Fewell’s mind we MUST have the CBs deeper to prevent the long ball since Ko now has a lot more ground to cover.

Fear the mighty helmet wearing gopher, he is coming for your soul....

by WABillsfan on Oct 9, 2008 4:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs