Bills need to finally start winning early and often

[The Answer]

Couldn't agree more, we can't keep digging these early season holes and expect to go to the playoffs....

http://www.realfootball365.com/index.php/articles/bills/11653

Bills need to finally start winning early and often

Tuesday, June 17, 2008 | Posted by Anthony Bialy

All football fans should be looking forward to September in June, but Bills fans have cause to be apprehensive about the fall: For the past few seasons, their team has been commemorating autumn’s commencement with a thoroughly lousy start to the campaign. Making a quick jump an overwhelming priority during this offseason should be an obvious coaching emphasis, as previously flat nonchalance early in the schedule has doomed Buffalo to longshot status before the leaves hit the sidewalk.

It’s happened for enough consecutive seasons that it can be called a trend. Their last good start was in 2003, when they stomped New England on opening day and whooped Jacksonville the next week; unfortunately, they of course didn’t follow through, charging their way to a bitterly disappointing 4-10 record the rest of the way. Say what you want about this franchise since then, but at least they haven’t been teases..........

~The Answer

[justasportsfan]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

not gonna happen. We already missed one practice.

[Oaf]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

Barring several severe injuries I need to see .500+ or DJ should roll out.

[Romes]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

so Anthony Bialy is trying to say that we need to win more in order to get into the playoffs...interesting

[Captain gameboy]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

What I am going to look for as a harbinger of the early season is how the Bills starting O unit moves the ball during preseason.
The last time we had even reasonable success doing that was when Bledsoe first got here.
The last two seasons, our fist team offensive ability was horrible during preseason.

In my view, they have to look like they have their feet under them, and look crisp and moderately effective in both the running and passing games.

[jamze132]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

so Anthony Bialy is trying to say that we need to win more in order to get into the playoffs...interesting

Well the way I see if we can somehow score more points than the other team, we should be in a pretty good position to pick up a "W"... at least once or twice.

[Romes]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

Well the way I see if we can somehow score more points than the other team, we should be in a pretty good position to pick up a "W"... at least once or twice.

Brilliant!

I'm drafting a letter to Dick and I'll try to convince him to use your plan.

[jamze132]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

Brilliant!

I'm drafting a letter to Dick and I'll try to convince him to use your plan.

Well I don't want to take all the credit, but it SHOULD work... I'm not Einstein.

[raphael120]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

Knowing what’s gone on before is important, and even more crucial is that everyone connected to this team should be sick of it.

Preach the **** on, brother.

[OpIv37]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

What I am going to look for as a harbinger of the early season is how the Bills starting O unit moves the ball during preseason.
The last time we had even reasonable success doing that was when Bledsoe first got here.
The last two seasons, our fist team offensive ability was horrible during preseason.

In my view, they have to look like they have their feet under them, and look crisp and moderately effective in both the running and passing games.

don't bother.

Around here, if you criticize the team during preseason, you'll just get a bunch of people responding with excuses about how it's only preseason and there is no game planning and defenses always look better in preseason (except ours- if our D looks good in preseason, it means they will be good) etc. It happens to me every year.

Of course, like you said- every year, the season starts and the offense has the same problems moving the ball that the did in preseason because teams don't magically get better when the word "season" no longer has a prefix. But no one here sees it that way.

[Captain gameboy]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

don't bother.

Around here, if you criticize the team during preseason, you'll just get a bunch of people responding with excuses about how it's only preseason and there is no game planning and defenses always look better in preseason (except ours- if our D looks good in preseason, it means they will be good) etc. It happens to me every year.

Of course, like you said- every year, the season starts and the offense has the same problems moving the ball that the did in preseason because teams don't magically get better when the word "season" no longer has a prefix. But no one here sees it that way.

I have heard that same stuff for years.
Last year, it was Losman's quote every day about how "explosive" they were.

If the starting offensive line cannot win battles against the other team's starting defensive line, I will not care a whit about sound bites from camp.

Trent is getting plenty of work in OTA's, and will get much more in early training camp.

I expect the offense to look crisp and purposeful during the starting unit's time on the field.
I expect them to break the huddle quickly, line up correctly and look like a confident, assured unit.

I expect them to make third downs, and run with authority.

If they don't, I'm going to expect a troubled start.

I don't need to see four wide sets or an overly aggressive passing game, because there are things that are not worth showing.
But I do expect the passing game to look like a pro offense-not what we have seen the past few preseasons.

[mysticsoto]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

I have heard that same stuff for years.
Last year, it was Losman's quote every day about how "explosive" they were.

If the starting offensive line cannot win battles against the other team's starting defensive line, I will not care a whit about sound bites from camp.

Trent is getting plenty of work in OTA's, and will get much more in early training camp.

I expect the offense to look crisp and purposeful during the starting unit's time on the field.
I expect them to break the huddle quickly, line up correctly and look like a confident, assured unit.

I expect them to make third downs, and run with authority.

If they don't, I'm going to expect a troubled start.

I don't need to see four wide sets or an overly aggressive passing game, because there are things that are not worth showing.
But I do expect the passing game to look like a pro offense-not what we have seen the past few preseasons.

Me personally, I'll be looking at the Oline. I already know they can pass block. Has their run blocking improved? Does Lynch have holes to run through. If he doesn't, I'm expecting at best a mild improvement over last year. We need to be able to run consistently! If the Oline cannot make holes despite being one of the overall biggest Olines in the league, I think we will have, at best, a marginal improvement!

[trapezeus]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

my 2 cents. You always hear momentum as being one of the biggest keys in football. And consistantly we don't start with good momentum. We lose that opener in heartbreaking fashion and the second game is a bore fest. This team needs to take advantage of the easy 5 games and build some confidence. it's the only way we'll actually see progress.

another slow start ensures a 7-9 season.

[raphael120]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

people say preseason doesnt matter...well i tell you this much...if our team can't execute basic plays in the most "vanilla" of offenses, then its a sign that trouble is on the horizon.

like posters before, although it is preseason, your starters are still going up against the oppositions starters and how well they play against them, battles in the trenches, how well edwards reads the defenses, how well hardy gets separation, catches, runs routes, etc...

there are things to look at in preseason and its why coaches leave projected starters out there for evaluation..so if preseason is important enough to factor in to the depth chart positions, then i think it's important enough to show at least a LITTLE on how the team is going to play when the game means something.

BTW, JP fans...if JP is so good, we should win all of our preseason games since our REAL "starting QB" is going to be on the field for a good chunk of the time. j/k

[Captain gameboy]

Re: Bills need to finally start winning early and often

people say preseason doesnt matter...well i tell you this much...if our team can't execute basic plays in the most "vanilla" of offenses, then its a sign that trouble is on the horizon.

The scores don't matter.
The performance does, and this group's performance in preseason has been terrible, and it has extended into the early regular season.

They need to look good when the starters are on the field.