The BillsWin playoff thread.

[BillsWin]

I want to get people who are on or off the playoff bandwagon to post here, and tell why they think the Bills will make it or won't.

Here are my thoughts, thank OP with supplying me with talking points.

• This is a tough schedule. To think we are going to ride our offensive weapons to a playoff birth with these 16 games ahead of us is ignorant. Only those who are too naive and drinking the "T.O koolaid" will think that we don't have an up hill battle. That being said, its not a death sentence, just an obstacle. The Bills blew a golden opportunity last season when they had an easier road. They now have to pull out all the stops. Which may be a reason for a tough approach to the draft and a win-now mentality with the T.O signing. The Bills' front office is against the wall here. No-huddle is another clue that the Bills are about ready to do anything to help out the team as they face their tough schedule. They have depth out the ears in the secondary and at linebacker (assuming we sign Pisa Tino to start), so they should be able to handle some fatigue and injuries on defense. That will allow them to continue to push hard even as the tough season trudges along. And believe me, this may trudge slowly. It is that bad of a season. On offense, the Bills have the tools as we discuss here on a minute-by-minute basis, but I am worried about that o-line. I'll get to that in a minute.
• We have probably the most questions in the AFC East. Will our offense click? Is the no-huddle going to work? Who is Trent Edwards; franchise player or mistake? How are the rookies going to fare; we are starting at least 2, maybe 4? Who is going to start at OLB? Is our pass rush improved? Can we rely on Jackson while Lynch is out? Is T.O going to produce or just hurt the team? Where in the world is Donte Whitner? What are we going to do about Dick and his waste of timeouts and challenge flags? Is Turk a pro- signal caller? Will the o-line gell in time? blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.......... So how the hell are we going to fix these before the season? I hate to break it to everyone, but we are not as of yet a playoff team (please continue reading, you'll like what I have to say towards the end.)
• However, it is in my opinion that the rookies we drafted to make an immediate impact will do so. Eric Wood is an extremely intelligent individual. More than that he is a vicious football player. He has more than enough strength, attitude and athletism to come in from day one and anchor the right guard spot. Hangnarter is a question mark, but I think I am liking him more and more each and every day. The guy is a wonderlic test genious. The main thing a no-huddle center needs is smarts. They have to call schemes and notice blitzes and blocking assignments on the fly. They run the line. Hangnarter can do that. Levitre was the best pure guard in this year's draft. A man handler in the run-game and an able pass blocker. His transition to the NFL won't go as smoothly as Wood's, but you can imagine how good he will be after a few weeks in the position. As for the tackles, only time will tell how they gell and transition to their new bositions. Butler is an able tackle, having played their before. And Walker prooved last season he could fill in admirably at left tackle when he was called upon. The offensive line is not a guaranteed success, but it won't be the worst in the NFL. Even OP can see some talent on our line. I think what scares him and me, is that we ARE relying on rookies to pick up the game quickly.
• Nelson won't make a huge impact at first, but he has size and speed and that will help. He can catch on the fly, and a no-huddle 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 RB will most likely play out to his strengths and help slow the game speed for the guy. I know I'm pulling for him. Aaron Maybin just needs to apply some pressure when he is in and he has made some impact. I think alot of posters are expecting him to put up some good numbers but that just doesnt happen. Maybin is 21, and he is still filling out. He will see plenty of playtime and get his chance. If he can get a couple of sacks on the year and grow into a constant source of pressure, he will help tremendously. So the only rookies that are making or breaking our season are on the o-line, at least they are high talent players.
• The offense is solid, but the questions are so many, I dont think I will go into too much depth. In short, it all depends on Mr. Trent Edwards. This is sink or swim for the QB. As the great, OpIv37 said in another thread: Trent has 23 starts, that is inexperienced. Well OP, 23 games is enough experience where he can learn from his many mistakes. He doesnt need to "continue to grow" he needs to perform. Will he? No clue. But, our post season dreams depend on it.
• So what can we do to make the playoffs? Well, there is a couple players left out there that can help us out. Pisa, Jones are a place to start. Then we need to sit back and pray, because when it comes down to it. We have a playoff roster.
• But that means nothing if Trent stinks it up, Turk cant call plays and our o-line crumbles. Lets look at that awful schedule.

Judging by the strength of the AFC East and our schedule, 10-6 may not be enough, but lets just say that is what we need.

For the sake of argument, and this hurts, lets say that NE continues its domination over us and gets a sweep. So, we need to sweep either the Dolphins, Jets and split with one or sweep both. (This is all hypothetical ranting, bare with me.)

Im going to say we sweep the Jets because I hate them, and split with the Dolphins, because even though I loath them they aren't a bad football team.

So, in my little made up world, we are 3-3 in the division. I think that is a reasonable request, dont you?

Tam is a good team, but I didn't like their trashing of their defense, and relying on Freeman, a rookie. So, Lets pray the Bills can win this one. (W)
NO is also a good team and with Brees, I dont like our chances. (L)
Cle is "eh" they arent all-world, and they lost two big time offensive weapons, I want revenge, this is my fantasy. So I say we win. (W)
Car, I think is one of those teams that wont make it to the playoffs this year. Im going to guess the boys in blue will pull out a win. (W)
Hou, never liked them. The Bills need to start winning games against teams with inferior talent. (W)
Tenn- Tenn is awesome. I love watching them. I dont root for them, but I loved their team last year. Made me jealous. (L)
Jac, once again, I think we beat them at their house. (W)
KC- In my fantasy, the Bills will win because I will be there cheering them on. (W), most likely drunk out of my mind.
ATL- Matt Ryan is amazing. (L)
IND- We came close to beating them a few years ago with Losman at the helm and this will be an important game for the Bills. But, Peyton > Edwards (L)

So in my fantasy world and my quick ranting predictions have us at 9-7 and just out of the playoffs. Which right now, is about right. I may change my predictions later in camp when I see the rookies on the o-line, but for now I think 9-7 is respectable and only one game swing away from a playoff birth.

But, for the sake of my fan hood and me making a bold prediction I end with this.


The Bills o-line will take a couple weeks to gell, but will be tenacious enough to help the team and not hurt it.

Out rookies will make some sort of impact.

Trent will do very well given his no-huddle advantages.

Maybin will be a stud in the second half of the year.

Evans and T.O will make an awe inspiring show to watch.

and the Bills will make the playoffs.

There you have it. Logic says we arent ready yet, but **** logic. Ive been watching the Bills since before the glory days, and I would like to return to said days. I am not getting any younger or any more patient. So if you are on the band wagon add your name and insane reasoning to the list.




NOBODY circles the wagons like BillsWin and the Buffalo Bills.

[DrGraves]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

No Playoffs because:

-Extremely tough schedule
-Extremely tough division
-Incompetent coaching staff
-Still young QB
-Relying on way too many young guys
-Only 7 home games when the rest of the NFL has 8
-Best player suspended 4 games
-Good draft but they are still rookies
-Donte Whitner is a 13 year old girl

[jamze132]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

No playoffs because:

- We suck
- Our O-line is COMPLETELY new
- Dick Jauron wastes too many timeouts

[BillsWin]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

Thanks for your opinions

[elltrain22]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

We ARE going to the playoffs because:

-we actually will have a very legitimate offense this year. On paper, going into the season its easily a top 10 defense, w/ top 5 potential.
- Fred Jackson is a very, very capable backup; we also have Dee Rhodes (response to no Marshawn for 3 games-- not 4)
- Trent is going into his 2nd full season as our starter, which should spell more success b/c of progression, and experience
- Offensive line will have more depth, will be quicker off the ball, and COULD very well be just as good, and maybe better than last year's line
- Defensively, we should be much more sound. We'll have a revamped front 7, w/ Maybin, and possibly Pisa. Also, we'll have a ball hawking safety (whom I think is going to thrive w/ this team)
- We still have the best ST's unit in the NFL
- we have the best fans in the NFL

BTW, our schedule does look tough now, but doesn't it always?? Also, its def' not a guarantee that the teams we'll play this year, will be as good as they were last year. All it takes is one injury, coaching changes, and/or loss of confidence.

I love our chances this year to make the playoffs

Go Bills!!!!!!!!!!

Can I get an amen??

[billogic99]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

I don't think we make the playoffs because only six teams from each conference make the playoffs and I don't think this team is a top 6 team in the AFC. Now every year teams come out of nowhere and make the playoffs, that didn't make the playoffs the year before, but those teams usually have weak schedules or weak divisions or both, we have neither.

Not to mention the fact that we have DJ who's a great players coach, but isn't a great football coach. I think you add the fact that Trent has yet to have a winning season as a signal caller, our Defense hasn't been a top 5 defense in years and the fact that our entire Oline will be either new or playing a different position all points to a very unlikley road to the playoffs, I'm not trying to be negative, just trying to look at where we stand and what we have and of course this is JMO.

[OpIv37]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

We ARE going to the playoffs because:

-we actually will have a very legitimate offense this year. On paper, going into the season its easily a top 10 defense, w/ top 5 potential.
- Fred Jackson is a very, very capable backup; we also have Dee Rhodes (response to no Marshawn for 3 games-- not 4)
- Trent is going into his 2nd full season as our starter, which should spell more success b/c of progression, and experience
- Offensive line will have more depth, will be quicker off the ball, and COULD very well be just as good, and maybe better than last year's line
- Defensively, we should be much more sound. We'll have a revamped front 7, w/ Maybin, and possibly Pisa. Also, we'll have a ball hawking safety (whom I think is going to thrive w/ this team)
- We still have the best ST's unit in the NFL
- we have the best fans in the NFL

BTW, our schedule does look tough now, but doesn't it always?? Also, its def' not a guarantee that the teams we'll play this year, will be as good as they were last year. All it takes is one injury, coaching changes, and/or loss of confidence.

I love our chances this year to make the playoffs

Go Bills!!!!!!!!!!

Can I get an amen??

I just don't understand why people think we have a legit offense when we have two rookies starting on a completely reshuffled and unproven OL, an unproven QB, and our best back suspended for 3 games.

[kid mickey]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

Play-offs can be had for any team any year. I want to see how they are looking now before I tell you what I think. I definitely do want them though.

[jmb1099]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

We don't have a legit offense. We have the potential to have a legit offense. Lots of unknowns.

[HHURRICANE]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

The Bills have yet to figure out that the games are won on both lines.

The o-line, and the d-line, are not playoff caliber.

The Bills needed to address OLB at the end of the season and our DE,s and Center. Those were our absolute biggest needs.

We blew off OLB, we added one rookie DE, and a backup center who is now the starter. In addition we discarded our LT and LG in the process.

We put a one year bandaid on the WR corp. and replaced one of the worst backup QBs to ever play the game so I guess that's an improvement.

They can save money, sell tickets with Owens, and than blame Jauron for another 7 win season and all of you will be blaming the coach in agreement instead of the lack of talent which our owner said was the reason we weren't winning.

[Mudflap1]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

No playoffs:

1. Tough schedule
2. Worst coaching in the division
3. 0-6 in the division last year (relates to #2 above)

Next year, with a real coaching staff (Schottenheimer or someone equal or better) and more experience with the young offensive line, and playoffs are possible.

Jon

[patmoran2006]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

Pretty short and simple.

No Playoffs Because:
* Every Team in the division is better and more talented than us.
* Regardless of who we signed and drafted, we can't hide a brutal coaching staff on Sundays, and Wilson wasn't willing to admit the extension of Jauron was a huge mistake and decided to honor it (and now throw money away in the process)
* The OL at BEST is "iffy"-- at least for 2009.
* There is a lack of playmakers among the front seven. A lack of big plays defensively will cost them a few games.


I'd like to see the Bills win as much as anybody here. But the reality is this is not even close to a playoff team (at least from what I think). 4 wins minimum to 7 max is what I see from this team in 2009.

[patmoran2006]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

wow.. Now that I really think about it.

There really isn't a single OL member that you can put on that field in week one and have complete confidence that they're going to play great.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

I honestly don't know at this point. There are a number of questions that this team will have to answer positively in order to make the playoffs and I'm not confident that they can answer all of them as they will need to.

1.) The Bills as a team and their young core players in particular will have to mature and improve their performances for the team to even have a shot at making the playoffs. I think that they will, but am not sure that will be enough.

2.) If the Bills add Tinoisamoa (or some other veteran OLB) and McCargo gives them at least quality back-up play, the defense could be good enough as a unit to give the Bills a chance to win enough games IF the offense can put up more points and control the ball, even using the no-huddle, when they need to do so. I think that they will be better than last season, but worry about them getting worn down if the offense can't get the job done.

3.) The special teams will be good--likely close to being the best in the NFL again--but the rules changes for blocking could make it a lot harder for them to consistently give the offense a significant advantage in field position. On the other side of the coin, however, those changes could make them even better at defensing returns. Right now, though, no one knows how the rules changes are going to play out and are going to have to rely on consistently having an advantage in special teams play if they are going to make the playoffs.

4.) Trent Edwards isn't exactly inexperienced, but he is still learning and developing. He's going to have to show that he can carry the team when it needs him to and that he can be more consistent. With the weapons that he will have at the skilled positions this season, he should be able to do that--so long as he can stay healthy, which has been a problem in the past, and can stay upright--which brings me to what I consider the biggest question about the team...

5.) Can the offensive line get the job done? Statistically and to the naked eye, the Bills' offensive line was putrid last season. While it was by no means the worst offensive line in the league or that I have seen, it was not good enough to get a team into the playoffs. Even though it shouldn't take much for the offensive line to be better than it was last season, with two rookies likely to start and four of the five offensive linemen possibly playing in positions that, while they have played them before, are not the positions that they are accustomed to playing, it is hard to see how this offensive line will be good enough, particularly before the midseason bye week, to make the offense anywhere near effective enough for the team to win enough games. Is it possible that the offensive line could turn out to be good enough? Sure, it's possible--especially since the bar was set pretty low last season. But, is it likely that it will be good enough to keep T.Edwards upright and uninjured and to make the rest of the offense click? Hmmm...doubtful.

6.) The schedule looks absolutely brutal. Much tougher than last year. But, the schedule looked pretty brutal two years ago and half of the games ended up being against teams that finished 8-8 or worse. Right now I'm sure that a lot of teams' fans are looking at their schedule and counting the Bills as a sure win for their team. However, funny things happen in the NFL during the course of a season and there are always some teams that look like sure contenders that fade and/or fall apart unexpectedly. I can see this team being able to scratch out 7 or 8 wins, but can they win 10? And, will 10 wins be enough to make the playoffs in the tough AFC where there are a lot of teams that have as much or more potential to win 10 games or more?

7.) Dick Jauron and his coaching staff have cost the Bills at least two wins in each of the last two seasons. Jauron addressed this issue back in January and stated that he and his staff would have to work this offseason to do a better job. I believe that Jauron and his staff will try, but will they succeed? They will have to do so for the Bills to even have a shot at making the playoffs.

8.) For the most part Jauron has done a good job of motivating his players and getting them to play hard and play disciplined football. But, there have been some games when there were lapses in these areas. Jauron will have to make sure that his players don't tune him out this season and that they play hard and disciplined in every game. Even though some fans might not like the strategy that Jauron has employed in many games, Jauron has been able to keep a number of games very close against superior opposition. If he can do that without finding a way to blow the game at the end and the team matures, the Bills might be able to steal those 3 extra wins that they will need to be in a position to challenge for a playoff berth.

At this point there is no way to know how the Bills will respond to Jauron and his coaching staff or whether Jauron and his staff will be able to make the improvements necessary to put the Bills in a position to challenge for a playoff berth.

I think that the Bills have put together a squad that may be able to be a serious contender for the playoffs NEXT season. But, because they are relying so much on young players to be difference makers this season and, at least as of now, will be going with an entirely re-shuffled offensive line, it is hard to see how they will make the playoffs THIS season the way things stand. Is it possible that they could? Well, it's certainly not entirely out of the realm of possibility. But, is it likely? Probably not. Too many things would have to fall just right for them to do so--they would have to have a "magical" season.

I have said in the past that I thought that Dick Jauron was a coach who could build a young team to the point where they could be ready to challenge for a playoff berth, but that I really wasn't sure whether Jauron was a coach who could make a team into a serious title contender. I still don't know whether Jauron has what it takes to get a team "over the hump". He and his staff are going to have to show me that they can correct their all-too-obvious short-comings this season. If they can, maybe they can get this team to win enough games to have a shot at making the playoffs. If not, it may take another HC to take the core of this team to the next level. I won't rule out the possibility that an intelligent guy like Jauron can implement the changes that he and his staff need to make, but I will believe that they have when I see it.

So, call me wishy-washy or a fence-sitter if you want, but right now I don't have any idea of just how well this team is going to be able to do this season.

[Mr. Pink]

Re: The BillsWin playoff thread.

wow.. Now that I really think about it.

There really isn't a single OL member that you can put on that field in week one and have complete confidence that they're going to play great.

Great is a relative term man...

You don't have confidence that Langston will perform well at LT based on what he did there last year?

You don't have confidence that Ham will perform better at C than what we saw out of Fowler and Preston last year?

You don't have confidence that whoever lines up at RG will perform better than what Dock did last year?

Honestly?