Reasons for hope!

[alohabillsfan]

Here are my top 5 reasons for hope (when I say hope it's a Wild Card berth) this season.

1) JP- 1st season 1-7, 2nd 7-9 3rd? Can he get us 3 more wins?

2) Improved running game!! While I caution us fans on relying on a couple of rooks at RB, it is the easiest position to come into the NFL as a rook and make an impact! Plus the upgrade of Dockery over Gandy and the right side being improved with Walker/Butler etc... Should allow us to get more than 97 yards per game!

3) Improved passing game, how you may ask? Again with the (on paper) improved right side of the O-Line, it should allow us to deploy the TE's and RB's into the passing attack, which in turn will give JP the ability to dump off the ball! The dump off will get us positive yards vice a negative play in a sack!

4) Improved defense (look out homers, incoming!!). Yes, I said improved defense! How you may ask? With the loss of Clements, Spikes and Fletcher can this defense be improved? Well, it really is predicated by the production of the offense! If the offense can produce 26-28 points per game (Bills avg. 22.2 over the last 9 games, after the bye week changes), so I am not looking for a quantum leap only another drive or 2 that results in 6 points! This defense relies on the offenses ability to dictate what the other team does I.E. make them pass to catch up!

5) This is the second year running this offense and defense, the QB should be better at understanding the offense as well as our starting safeties on defense!

So, lets hope for this team to improve! We are the youngest team in our division and getting better!

[justasportsfan]

Re: Reasons for hope!

Duck!!!!

[Jan Reimers]

Re: Reasons for hope!

I agree, and would add that our D will improve, because our young players will improve - a concept that is somewhat foreign to the negmeisters.

[OpIv37]

Re: Reasons for hope!

4) Improved defense (look out homers, incoming!!). Yes, I said improved defense! How you may ask? With the loss of Clements, Spikes and Fletcher can this defense be improved? Well, it really is predicated by the production of the offense! If the offense can produce 26-28 points per game (Bills avg. 22.2 over the last 9 games, after the bye week changes), so I am not looking for a quantum leap only another drive or 2 that results in 6 points! This defense relies on the offenses ability to dictate what the other team does I.E. make them pass to catch up!

I'm sorry but this is just insanity. We lost three starters, we have the same DL plus maybe Darwin Walker, and we may still be without McCargo. No matter how good the O is, the D is going to have to be on the field at some point. If the other team starts with the ball and rattles off a 5 or 6 minute drive for a score, then the offense is under a lot of pressure. If they even sputter once, we're right back where we were last year. We play some tough D's over the course of the season, which will stifle the O.

Your other points can either be viewed with a "glass half full" or a "glass half empty" approach" so I won't bother with those because we're not going to agree. But this one is just so unreasonably optimistic that it borders on ridiculous.

[OpIv37]

Re: Reasons for hope!

I agree, and would add that our D will improve, because our young players will improve - a concept that is somewhat foreign to the negmeisters.

The young players will improve enough to compensate for their own defenciencies last year, compensate for the loss of 3 starters, compensate for the weak CB spot, compensate for the lack of LB depth, and compensate for the weak DL?

You're expecting WAY too much from one year's worth of improvement.

[patmoran2006]

Re: Reasons for hope!

I agree with points 1,2, 3 and 5.. Losman's experience should propel him to take the next step; the OL on paper is better; and Lynch will be an improvement in both the running and passing games- no doubt.

But you're crazy to call this an improved defense. THis defense is going to be horrible; possibly one of the worst 3-4 in the entire NFL; that's how bad it's going to be. Run stopping isn't about technique, its about ability, and the Bills DL lacks the ability to not get blown off the ball. McCargo's health concerns only expose that further.

Combine that with a rookie starting at MLB instead of Fletcher and possibly the worst CB tandem in the NFL and its going to be an ugly, long season for the Bills defense, period.

[justasportsfan]

Re: Reasons for hope!

[alohabillsfan]

Re: Reasons for hope!

But you're crazy to call this an improved defense. THis defense is going to be horrible; possibly one of the worst 3-4 in the entire NFL; that's how bad it's going to be. Run stopping isn't about technique, its about ability, and the Bills DL lacks the ability to not get blown off the ball. McCargo's health concerns only expose that further.

Please define 3-4 worst, Scoring, rushing, passing, or overall?

[ParanoidAndroid]

Re: Reasons for hope!

Our offense is still a long way away from taking enough pressure off the defense and allowing the cover-2 to do what it does best....take the ball away. It is true that even a mediocre cover-2 defense can look good when your offense is successful (Indy), but we have yet to see our offense sustain long drives on a consistent basis. That may very well improve this year, but I don't suspect it will be quite enough to push us over .500.
I think this team has a bright future with the young talent we are accumulating, but we are a year or two away from being serious contenders as long as our offseasons and drafts continue to be productive.
We are not going to be horrible this year, but we are not playoff bound just yet, unless several players suddenly break out on both sides of the ball.

[Jan Reimers]

Re: Reasons for hope!

But you're crazy to call this an improved defense. THis defense is going to be horrible; possibly one of the worst 3-4 in the entire NFL; that's how bad it's going to be. Run stopping isn't about technique, its about ability, and the Bills DL lacks the ability to not get blown off the ball. McCargo's health concerns only expose that further.

Please define 3-4 worst, Scoring, rushing, passing, or overall?

Don't try to reason with the negmeisters. They are omniscient.

[OpIv37]

Re: Reasons for hope!

Don't try to reason with the negmeisters. They are omniscient.

why is it you sarcasticaly refer to people who say the D won't improve as "omniscient" yet that label doesn't apply to the people saying the D WILL improve?

[justasportsfan]

Re: Reasons for hope!

Don't try to reason with the negmeisters. They are omniscient.

Jan, remember the young Bruce Smith and co. during MArv's first year? Did they ever improve under the same system in their second year, 3rd ,4th? If your answer is no, then you are expecting too much if you think playing in the system does not HELP your team get better. It's UNRESONABLE to think 1 years experience can help improve a player or group of players playing together as a unit.


BTW, before you misinterpret, I said HELP improve , not PROBOWL after 1 year. .

[OpIv37]

Re: Reasons for hope!

Jan, remember the young Bruce Smith and co. during MArv's first year? Did they ever improve under the same system in their second year, 3rd ,4th? If your answer is no, then you are expecting too much if you think playing in the system does not HELP your team get better. It's UNRESONABLE to think 1 years experience can help improve a player.


BTW, before you misinterpret, I said HELP improve , not PROBOWL after 1 year. .

it's not unreasonable to think a player can improve.

It is very unreasonable to expect one year of improvement to improve players enough to compensate for the 28th ranked run D, losing three starters, questionable CB's and a crappy DL.

[ParanoidAndroid]

Re: Reasons for hope!

Jan, remember the young Bruce Smith and co. during MArv's first year? Did they ever improve under the same system in their second year, 3rd ,4th? If your answer is no, then you are expecting too much if you think playing in the system does not HELP your team get better. It's UNRESONABLE to think 1 years experience can help improve a player.


BTW, before you misinterpret, I said HELP improve , not PROBOWL after 1 year. .

I agree that some players will improve, while the loss of those veterans will hurt. After all is said and done it could be a wash, but I suspect a temporary decline until later in the season, perhaps.
Anyone who knows my posts, knows that I am far from a negative fan. If anything, I am one of the optimists. I can't convince myself that the defense will be better just yet, however. The possibility exists, but my hopes remain grounded.

[justasportsfan]

Re: Reasons for hope!

BTW, before you reply JAN don't forget that the year before we replaced Vincent, Milloy, Sam Adams and Jeff Posey. That's 4 starters .

Granted that our run D stunk, as a whole the D that had 2 rookie starters at safety, Rookies at DT, rookies rotating at lb and a newly aqcuired DT from the colts (Tripplett) all learning a new system and playing together for the first time played better than when Sam Adams and co. were here.

So it's UNREASONABLE to think they can improve because we lost 3 starters one of which was a questionamark. Be careful what you answer.