Theories On The Bills Woes/What We Need To Draft
by legendmaker53 on Dec 19, 2011 1:14 AM EST
Email
Print
After watching the game today, it is clear that the Bills are not the same team that they were in the first 7 games. However, pinpointing the issues and trying to figure out why they are doing so poorly is not necessarily a mystery. It boils down to a couple key issues and how they hurt the team and cause this spiral to continue.
Injuries Influencing Play Calling
Yes, every team has injuries, but Buffalo cannot overcome them because the injuries cause match-up problems. I would say that Chan Gailey has been so successful with this offense because he was able to take a single strength from each of his players and maximize that in his game planning. For example, Donald Jones was a good blocker, Scott Chandler is really tall and has good hands and Roscoe Parrish was a speedy slot guy. Each of these strengths created match-ups that are advantageous to the Bills. With these guys out, it becomes harder to create those match-ups and the play calling cannot be as creative.
I honestly feel like the lack of talent on the offense is contributing to the Bills calling screen passes and the Stevie slant 3-5 times a game even if it doesn't seem to be warranted. No one on that offense can create the match-ups needed to make plays work. It should be noted that with Chandler out, not a single throw went to the TE.
QB Play:
The team has to be able to execute, and Fitz hasn't been able to execute. I think he was a great story last season/first half of this season, but if the Bills want to be an elite team, we need an elite QB. Nothing against him, and I really do appreciate his bringing the offense to respectability for a time, but a better QB would make some of the throws that cost the Bills games and would be able to take advantage of the D stacking the box.
What We Need: Not Necessarily In Order
1. CB: You can say that the pass rush needs to be improved, but today showed that Florence getting owned was a bigger issue than the pass rush, and this was not the first time we have said that. A shutdown corner to go with Williams, Rogers and the safety duo of Byrd and Wilson would be amazing.
2 OLB: Say what you want about the pass rush, but the Bills played with a little fire today. Seeing Kelsay get a strip of Moore makes me think it could just be that play calling brings down the quality of play as much as lack of talent. However, Courtney Upshaw would be a sweet 1st round pick.
3. QB: Even if you are happy with Fitz, there are some good prospects in this draft and a better QB will give the offense more consistency and production for a full 16 games and can make our WR corp look better.
4. WR: This isn't a need so much as a want, as Stevie can get deep and beat CB's down the field. However, a really good second option would help. Hopefully Marcus Easely fills this role next season.
Just another great fan opinion shared on the pages of BuffaloRumblings.com.
59 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
QB: Even if you are happy with Fitz, there are some good prospects in this draft and a better QB …
Outside of Luck, which QB do you see stepping in as the starter for game 1 of the 2012 season? Because if you see none then it will be Fitz the starter again next season. Unless you see a QB coming in via FA.
.
When the job is finished no one remembers how long it took, just how well it was performed.
by Buffalo for Eternity on Dec 19, 2011 1:28 AM EST reply actions
RG3 will most likely be an immediate starter wherever he ends up.
I was just sayin’ that blah blah blah .. he should be a top pick………. blah blah blah …… he’s the heat ……… swear word, cuss word……. blah blah…. I want Tebow ………. blah blah….. Buddy sucks …….. Chan sucks …… blah blah……..
- SERGEANT MAJOR THOR
by CanadianBillsFan on Dec 19, 2011 10:37 AM EST up reply actions
Landry Jones
Matt Barkley
RGIII
Russel Wilson could be a 2nd-3rd round pick
There will be a lot of interesting prospects coming out
So, if I am interpreting your response correctly, you believe any of those have the ability to start over Fitz come September?
.
When the job is finished no one remembers how long it took, just how well it was performed.
by Buffalo for Eternity on Dec 19, 2011 1:50 AM EST up reply actions
Only all 4 of them....
Rookie QB’s in the NFL having success isn’t foreign. Wilson and Griffin are both big, mobile quarterbacks who have a nice deep ball. Barkley could have been the number 1 pick if not for Luck coming out this year.
by legendmaker53 on Dec 19, 2011 6:59 AM EST up reply actions
i think everyone would agree with you but honestly do you think the fans and media have the stomach to sit and watch a rookie qb struggle for potentially 2 or 3 years? especially if the coach is on a hot seat as everyone thinks he should (despite him having sh*t as a roster)?
by Air Compressor on Dec 19, 2011 7:07 AM EST up reply actions
I don’t know much about Jones, so I cannot say with him, but I think the other 3 QB’s I listed could start right away. The more I think about it, I would love to have Courtney Upshaw round 1 Russel Wilson round 2 and solve both issues right away
by legendmaker53 on Dec 19, 2011 8:14 AM EST up reply actions
yeah id be ok with that. or trade 1st round pick down to the late teens, pick up an additional 2nd or 3rd rounder and take someone more fitting of that spot i.e. mercilus or someone else.
by Air Compressor on Dec 19, 2011 11:13 AM EST up reply actions
None of them start in 2012
Buffalo as to coninue to look to the future. Unfortunately, the Bills may not have the ideal situation to let a QB carry he clip board for a couple of years, but that is what needs to happen. IMHO that is why QB’s like Rogers and Brady are as good as they are, they were able to learn and acclimate to the NFL. There are examples of QBs who have grown, but not as quickly
by popey on Dec 19, 2011 6:43 AM EST reply actions 1 recs
thats exactly the point. no qb can come to buffalo and sit for 2 or 3 years. that is why most qbs will fail in buffalo cuz they will be thrown in too early.
the two most important things to a qb are defense and o line. we have a terrible defense and an above avg o line not great. fix the defense and guaranteed the qb will play better whoever he is…and for the record i dont think its fiztpatrick. i believe he is serviceable but obviously hes not the guy to win a superbowl. unless we are the 2001 ravens or 2003 buccaneers
by Air Compressor on Dec 19, 2011 7:03 AM EST up reply actions
that is why most qbs will fail in buffalo cuz they will be thrown in too early.
College QB play has changed significantly over the last 10 years and these guys come in to the NFL more ready to play than ever – of course, like with any position, there will be hits and misses, but the top 3 QB’s in this draft are all starter-ready from day 1
by JustAskTheAxis on Dec 19, 2011 8:03 AM EST up reply actions
while i would agree with you i think the talent level at buffalo is too devoid to support any good qb short of manning, brady or rodgers. and even they wouldnt be able to perform miracles. i think its a tough situation…fixing qb while fixing so many other positions too
by Air Compressor on Dec 19, 2011 11:14 AM EST up reply actions
Agreed
You groom a pet, not your qb nowadays!
If you didn't like my last post wait till you read the next! :) Until we draft/acquire franchise QB we'll be setting records for losing soon!
by buffalobacker on Dec 19, 2011 12:38 PM EST up reply actions
QB QB QB QB – I know this is not our only issue but it is our biggest one – drafting a QB gives us a much better chance to win both in the short term and long term and is better from a marketing/financial perspective than any other position on the field.
yes the Bills need to SELL
The only way they do this is by drafting a big name QB this year either Barkley or RG3. We definitely need another WR, 2 OLBs and a CB. But we can address all of these needs in the draft.
You are now Watching The Throne.
I agree. That is our number 1 need, bar none. Get a franchise guy to lead the team for 10 years, then spend the rest of the draft on defense again (and maybe a WR), and I’ll be a happy man.
"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.
Our options
I personally think we need to get the wr out of ND ( Floyd) with the first round pick. he has size and great hands and his 3 years playing in college he has had over 700 recieving yards each year and this year he has 95 rec for about 1160 yards. then i think we got to draft a pass rushing OLB and then try to get russel wilson in the 3rd and have him sit a year or 2 and learn.
Ay Ay Ay Ayyyyyy
I personally think we need to get the wr out of ND ( Floyd) with the first round pick
why? no doubt he’s talented, but what good does it do if your QB can’t hit a guy consistently?
by JustAskTheAxis on Dec 19, 2011 2:20 PM EST up reply actions
precisely
what i was thinking. if fitz can’t throw to a wide open stevie who beat his guy deep by about 5yds then what good does having another wr do? fitz’ balls are either in the dirt, behind the wr’s or 3 ft above their reach. we need a new QB. unfortunately, extending fitz prematurely makes this complicated to do.
sad to say we are stuck for fitz for next year for sure and possibly the year after that! so we need to get a go to reciever! stievie is a good wr but we need a solid guy on the other side and a guy who can come down with the clutch catches in crunch time and stievie cant do that (pittsburg, and jets games)
Ay Ay Ay Ayyyyyy
What We Need
In order qb.
If you didn't like my last post wait till you read the next! :) Until we draft/acquire franchise QB we'll be setting records for losing soon!
Since Buffalo signed Fitzpatrick to the long term deal they did, even though I am not happy with him as the starter, I would not draft a quarterback in the first round of this draft, unless one absolutely fell into the teams lap. I would say they will be picking in the top ten obviously and with that pick, a WR such as Alshon Jeffrey from South Carolina would be a HUGE upgrade for the passing game. Yes Fitz lacks accuracy and a strong arm, but if you bring in a top tier receiver opposite Stevie and Fitz still struggles mightily, then at least you’ve given him a true chance. Round 2, the Bills should absolutely go after a pass rusher such as Melvin Ingram… also happens to attend South Carolina, which is ironic because I am not a fan of that team. Again, if Fitz struggles again next year, there will be quality qb’s available that the Bills can pursue, but at least you would know for a fact he isn’t even the short term answer.
With Fitz
At QB drafting a WR would be useless, might as well draft another RB. Unless WR throws to himself that is:)
If you didn't like my last post wait till you read the next! :) Until we draft/acquire franchise QB we'll be setting records for losing soon!
by buffalobacker on Dec 19, 2011 1:30 PM EST up reply actions
If
Not a qb than by all means get pass rusher please. But better be qb!
If you didn't like my last post wait till you read the next! :) Until we draft/acquire franchise QB we'll be setting records for losing soon!
by buffalobacker on Dec 19, 2011 1:31 PM EST up reply actions
Again, if Fitz struggles again next year
He struggled his first year with the team, he struggled last year, and he’s struggling this year – how long do we need to watch this guy struggle?
by JustAskTheAxis on Dec 19, 2011 2:21 PM EST up reply actions
yea
i was patient with him, but watching yesterdays game where he just misses open receivers and throws into triple coverage.. we need a QB badly
You are now Watching The Throne.
2 weeks in a row where he repeatedly threw into double & trip coverage. Im sure there was many other times, it just really stuck out like a sore thumb to me last 2 weeks.
wasnt triple coverage… thats a hole in the zone. I’m not defending the pass because he needs to throw it earlier with more zip, no doubt, but anytime a receiver sits in the hole there will be a back to the left and right of him on the screen. Safety made a play popping it up. But it was not triple coverage, what he saw was a throw many QBs should take and thats an open receiver between zone defenders.
I have low expectations. But high hopes.
by greysquirrel on Dec 19, 2011 7:29 PM EST up reply actions
oh yea I realize that
Just when he makes the throw there are 3 guys on the WR because they are following the ball. He is either not reading them correctly, fast enough, or throwing horribly inaccurate balls. it is probably a little of all 3 reasons.
You are now Watching The Throne.
Trust me, I’m not a Fitzpatrick fan by ANY stretch, but they invested a six year contract on him, so I just don’t know that Buffalo should use a first round pick on another quarterback, if that quarterback isn’t Luck, Barkley, or Robert Griffin III. I like Tannehill, but not before the second round because I think there are better players on the board come Buffalo’s first round pick… one of those players being Jeffrey. Pass rusher has to be huge for them this year and Melvin Ingram would be a STEAL in early round two.
Learn about how his contract is structured
And how the new rookie wage scale works before going on about “investing” in a 6 year contract
I am well aware of the new rookie wage scale in place and that rookies will be getting less money than in years past, but I think that if the Bills continue to surround this team with weapons such as Alshon Jeffrey (who has megatron 2 written all over him) and also a high quality rookie pass rusher in early round 2, I think large holes would start to be filled. As I said I am not a Fitzpatrick fan but I would give him one more year as a stop gap starter and make a run at Aaron Murray, Brock Osweiler, Bryn Renner, Tyler Bray, or whomever else shows up next year in the college ranks at quarterback. Trust me, I in no way think Fitz is the six year answer, but aside from Luck, Barkley, or RG3, I wouldn’t take a high first round young quarterback.
I still think...
linebacker is the Bills’ worst position. I think that Burnett is the only NFL starting caliber LB that the Bills have on their roster. Sheppard seems like a capable backup. I think Courtney Upshaw should be the pick. He could play so many positions. He’s a down lineman in a 4-3, and can stand up and play the Jack in a 3-4. He could also move inside (at LB). He has active hands, like Kyle Williams, which makes me think that he’ll be as hard to block in the NFL as he is in the NCAA. Probably not a 12 sack guy, maybe 8, but he’ll be a beast against the run and not a liability in coverage.
All of that said, Luck, Barkley and RGII all look like legitimate franchise QBs, and if the Bills have a shot at one this year, they should pull the trigger, if for not other reason than that if Fitzy is who the Bills’ brass think he is, they won’t be drafting this high again for a while.
Shep is a backup now?
After 1 season in the Pro’s? You have already determined him to be a backup?
hes been good for a rookie
and on most other teams with a solid cast around him he would be pretty good
by TheHesterEffect on Dec 19, 2011 4:30 PM EST up reply actions
There's no really theory here
The Bills need a franchise QB. That’s pretty much a fact at this point.
Right behind QB, they need multiple pass rushers, including a 10 sack a year guy. That’s also a fact at this point.
After that, it doesn’t really matter, IMO. Without those two positions at strengths, the Bills aren’t winning anything.
~K
"As the governor of Louisiana once said, the only way Chris Kelsay can lose his job is if he got caught in bed with a dead girl or a live boy."
by Kurupt on Dec 19, 2011 3:18 PM EST reply actions 1 recs
Bill Polian likes your plan. Thats basically all he does. Though he had to tank some seasons to get those QBs…
I have low expectations. But high hopes.
by greysquirrel on Dec 19, 2011 5:59 PM EST up reply actions
Upshaw/Kelsay
Man im am so tired of seeing this i dont think people watch film on draft picks they want
Upshaw is slow ,doesnt have a high motor ,stiff and lacks explosion
So hes a Chis Kelsay with a bit more speed and no high motor
Upshaw has the best Defense in college backing him and his production is ok
Put Curry on that team and he would beast of we need a player like Curry or Whitney M.
Wow, I couldn't disagree more
HIs motor runs high, and while he’s not explosive enough to be a dominant ROLB, he’s strong at the point of attack and I don’t think he ever looks stiff. He would play the Jack, and he’s a much better fit at that position than Kelsay. He redirects way better than Kelsay, and tackles can never keep their hands on him. And yes, I don’t watch ‘film’ because I don’t have access to ‘film’, but I do watch as many games as I can, and I do watch as much as I can find on youtube. Show me a video where Upshaw looks stiff, or without a motor. I agree that he won’t be stud pass rusher, but that guy isn’t in this draft. The only player in this draft that looks like he has the athletic ability to make an impact as a 3-4 rush LB is Bruce Irvin, and he isn’t anywhere near polished enough to be more than a situational pass rusher.
Upshaw has the best Defense in college backing him and his production is ok
Look at Alabama’s team sack totals and how they’ve been dispersed amongst the players during Nick Saban’s tenure there. For a Bama defender, Upshaw has been plenty productive. It’s not a defense designed to loosen up a player like Upshaw for big sack numbers. The Bama defense argument works both ways. Maybe Curry puts up bigger numbers with a defense like Bama’s or maybe he struggles with the advanced schemes and duties he’d get in an NFL style defense or maybe he’d struggle to beat the SEC blockers that will end up in the NFL and his sack numbers are inflated by CUSA OLs.
"You mean @TWHITNER. It’s how he prefers to be referenced." - Jon Harrington
Our draft spot somewhere in the top10
We are Guaranteed one onthe following
Luck bRkley griffin
Blackmon Floyd Jeffery
Malik upshaw and claiborne
by TheHesterEffect on Dec 19, 2011 3:34 PM EST via mobile reply actions
There is 3 touted LT that some are predicting top 10, Kalil, Reiff, the kid from Stanford…….if the Bills let Bell go, they may draft one of the LT, move Hairston to RT or have him be the swing tackle.
by PineWoodsBillsFan on Dec 19, 2011 4:00 PM EST up reply actions
they just signed Pears for a couple more years and he has played well so for us.
You are now Watching The Throne.
Yep, if Pears keeps the RT starting gig, Hairston would be the swing tackle in my scenario.
The Bills should have no problem drafting an immediate starter with their first pick, whether that player is a WR, QB, CB, or LT. I don’t think any of the LBs are worth our first round pick.
by PineWoodsBillsFan on Dec 19, 2011 5:11 PM EST up reply actions
I don't disagree with you on OL
its just that i think QB, CB, WR, and OLB are wayy more pressing needs than OT. Also i hope we re sign bell he has played well when not injured. But i agree if we have a top 10 pick we not draft a LB, but then draft one in the 2nd.
You are now Watching The Throne.
I was thinking of putting Martin and Reiff in there too
But i wasn’t sure.(Someone will probably take Richardson in the ttop 10 Also)
If anything that just adds to the idea that we will get an elite player with our first pick
by TheHesterEffect on Dec 19, 2011 4:32 PM EST reply actions
Why not Coples?
I have low expectations. But high hopes.
by greysquirrel on Dec 19, 2011 5:49 PM EST up reply actions
Is Coples fast enough to play in a 3-4 as an OLB?
if he is that he could be a great Mario Williams type player.
You are now Watching The Throne.
Not sure
But if Mario Williams can do it why not Coples? He’d be a great everydown OLB considering we spend so much time in a nickel package that looks like a 4-3. IF he can rush the passer and anchor against the run, it shouldnt be a problem getting this guy on the field. We got Kelsay and Johnson out there so much, we know they are slow, this has to be an upgrade in just about every facet. I liked Upshaw, but that was when we were going to be picking around 20. Now we can do better from a pass-rush prospect.
I have low expectations. But high hopes.
by greysquirrel on Dec 19, 2011 7:35 PM EST up reply actions
I agree with these needs.
The Bills have a definite need for talent at any and all of these positions (and probably need 2 OLB’s and an OT as well). In line with a BPA at a position of need philosophy, here’s the choices (depending on which one is available at the Bills pick). I’m expecting we’ll be picking somewhere in the 7-8 range.
Morris Claiborne -CB LSU
Justin Blackmon – WR Okla
RGIII – QB Baylor
Reilly Reiff – OT Iowa
Courtney Upshaw – LB Alabama / Zach Brown – LB North Carolina
by NoiseIsTheBestRevenge on Dec 19, 2011 9:14 PM EST reply actions
QB
Get a QB with a top-5 pick, and I will be happy.
"Slowly all the roles we act out become our identity. And in the end we are what we pretend to be." - Jerry Cantrell.
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Buffalo Rumblings
Related FanShots on Buffalo Rumblings
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recommended FanPosts
Recent FanPosts
SBNation.com Recent Stories
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Detroit Lions DT Nick Fairley arrested again; now has more NFL arrests than NFL sacks
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
