Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

[The Juice Is Loose]

Listen, I'll be the first to admit that the Bills have some flaws. But I don't think it's as bad as you guys are all making it out to be. How many teams in the NFL are really a sure thing to go to the playoffs?

6? Maybe 8? New England, Indy, Pittsburgh. Tennessee lost Haynesworth, Indy lost Dungy, Pittsburgh has a bullseye on their backs.

My point is that I'm really getting worn out on all this negative garbage. We have a flawed team but frankly so does every other team in the darn league. You telling me you'd rather have Jack Del Rio? Would you rather be Tampa Bay?

The Saints defense is terrible and I don't what they added that would make them much better. There is no way to tell what's going to happen.

As Berman would say "That's why they play the games"

Every year, half the teams that are in the playoffs weren't expected to be there. Every year teams that were expected to be there, aren't.

We are due. Jauron is due. We have an awesome set of RB's and WR's not to mention CB's coming out of our rear end. We added a highly touted DE. Granted, I have my doubts about Maybin too, but he's a ROOKIE and there isn't a sure thing out of anybody that got drafted.

Tom Brady hasn't thrown a TD since the Super Bowl. He hasn't scored a fantasy point since the December before there. Sorry, but he's human, and we'll be in that game in the 4th quarter and have a chance to win it. Here, when I look at the schedule, I see some wins guys

New England - Brady's first game back. TO's first game in. Lots of emotion. I can't predict that we win because we never beat NE. But we will be in the game. 0-1

Tampa - 31 year old coach. Rookie QB (not that I'm afraid of Leftwich). Old defense. This is a win. 1-1

New Orleans - It's home. Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas are not elite backs. Our cover 2 will keep Brees sub 300 yds. It will be a close game and I say we win with a better defense and home field. 2-1

Miami - Ronnie Brown and Ricky aren't intimidating. They didn't really add much of anything from last year. Joey Porter is a year older and Jason Taylor is over a year removed from doing squat. 3-1

Cleveland - Mangini sucks and so does Cleveland. The Bills are gonna be edgier than a 3d octagon for this one after last season. 4-1

New York - Rookie head coach. Rookie QB who ain't no Matt Ryan. Didn't add any receivers, in fact lost one. Bart Scott was a product of only being able to handle Lewis and Suggs. They aren't going to be good t his year. I don't care. 5-1

Carolina - You never know how Delhomme will play but I'm gonna say that because this is in Carolina, it's going to be a tough game. 5-2.

Houston - Home against Houston. Based on Andre Johnson career history, there is a 75% chance he'll be injurred for this game. Who's gonna cover TO? 6-2

Tennessee - No Haynesworth. Kerry Collins isn't the real deal. They have jack for wide receivers. This isn't going to be the same Tennessee as last year. Its after our bye week. I say we win. 7-2

Jacksonville - This could be a lost game because of the game the week before, and its a 2nd road game in a row. So because I know the Bills are shaky on the road I'll give it to Jacksonville even though we beat them last year when we were worse and they were better.

Miami - Miami IN BUFFALO end of Nobember. Bills win. 8-3

New York - This game is in Toronto and therefore I'm going to say we lose. Maybe they'll have their stuff together by then. 8-4

Kansas City - Kansas City blows. LJ blows. No TG. Rookie hc. Cassel w/o BB. Bills win 9-4.

New England - Brady has his stuff togehter by now (unless he gets hurt again fingers crossed) Pats win. 9-5

Atlanta - This is a 50/50. Atlanta was good but not great last year. Horrible the year before. Which team shows up. QB's traditionally struggle the 2nd season.
But just to be unbiased and knowing its a road game Atlanta wins. 9-6.

Indy - Indy should have playoffs secured. Peyton will be on vacation. They aren't jack without him. Its home and a win will probably get us in, so we'll come to play. 10-6

10-6 this season. Those are reasonable predictions. If I'm off by a couple we go 7-9 again. We aren't going sub 7-9. No way.

We will be watching the Bills in January at least for one game.

My point is this, and I'm not exactly looking for a pizzing contest, but to be so bleed to say 3-6 wins is just ignorant. Peters wasn't the reason we won once last season. If anything he costs us a game or two. Walker can outplay Peters, IMO. So F the haters!!!!!!!!!!!

[trapezeus]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

i'm a 3-13 predictor and your game by game evaluation had me believing.

but the thing is:
1. Dick Jauron costs us at least 3 games that should be wins from his stupidity.
2. Rookie OL. This board is going to be flooded with "they need time to gel" during the first couple weeks. it's a long shot with their bad coach and being rookies that they'll be good. And if they are pourous, we have a shaky trent edwards in terms of injury. If he goes down, there goes the season. Not like last year because i like fitzy more than losman....but that isn't saying much of anything.
3. Where is the rush coming from? No upgrades on defense and expecting schobel to be healthy enough to command a double team. Maybin is already been explained to us as not an every down player. Mitchell-Poz-Ellison are still the leading LB core. And the secondary will still have to run with all the WR without any pressure to force QB's into bad throws. i personally think they've gotten worse.
4. No ML for the first 3 weeks. it is what it is. Jackson is good, but he's better with ML. That's my theory. i wouldn't be overly surprised if he's great, but i think our run game is that much weaker withoutML making an impact.


In the end, i think Jauron holds this team back way too much.His conservative play calling, the way he gets outcoached in second matchups against the AFC East, and the fact that he traditionally waits too long to pull/play players who should be out there, will have us slow bleeding these games away.

I don't think we are going to get blown out every game, but i do think he'll find a way to lose these games. As long as he is there, this team won't be able to move forward.

Good post though. i hope that's how it does play out during 2009.

[Philagape]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

You telling me you'd rather have Jack Del Rio?

Yes, that's exactly what we're saying. Jack Del Rio.

Jauron is due.

For a successful challenge?

We aren't going sub 7-9. No way.

Nobody raises the bar like the Buffalo Bills!

[psubills62]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

I agree with the Juice on his general point. Not sure about the game analysis, but he's absolutely right - every other team has its flaws.

In fact, has anyone mentioned the report I saw on rotoworld.com saying Miami was interested in a couple of free agent cornerbacks? They spent a first and second round pick each on CB's but they're interested in FA's still. That wouldn't give me much confidence in their secondary.

However, after three straight years of 7-9 under Jauron, I'm resigned to the fact that we'll be 7-9 again this year.

[justasportsfan]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

there is no sure thing but the chances of the bills being a sure thing are less compared to other teams.

"Jauron is due" is not valid.

[The Juice Is Loose]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

Look, all I'm saying is one good season doesn't annoint these coaches automatic slotting ahead of Dick Jauron. I'm not a Jauron advocate, I wanted him gone. Furthermore, I didn't want him in the first place.

BUT, the fact that he had a great record his first year could also be attributed to Miami, and Atlanta. Both of those teams are in for tough seasons, IMO. They are already rumbling about Chad getting benched in Miami for Chad Henne. And Chad Henne couldn't do anything in college on a superior team.

Also, Jauron, for all his errors, hasn't repeated them much. The guy isn't that stupid. Sorry. All I'm saying is based on history I'd rank Jauron somewhere in the middle of the pack. Jack Del Rio is absolute idiot. As evident by Jacksonville's record and Run/Pass ratio last year. Garrard isn't good and they would throw all the time.

We have tons of studs that are touted by the NFL world universally. Leodis was suppposed to go 7th overall last year but we got him. New England wanted Eric Wood but we got him. 80% of the people on this board were calling for Maybin before we drafted him. Those are facts. Dominic Rhodes can run and catch the football and he was darn near a Super Bowl MVP. Probably should have been.

If I'm not mistaken we have a couple new position coaches and that should help us. Schobel, whatever you say produced every season he played. He has respect of most coaches and NFL people and I am certain he will draw double teams. If he doesn't, then I am certain he will capitalize.

As far as health goes and potential injuries. Over the last 3 years Tom Brady missed more games than Trent Edwards. I'm sick of hearing that. Any player can go down on any play and factoring injury probability in July is idiotic.

I feel this team is more talented than last year. Poz was an inch away from plays on numerous occations last year and another year in the system will eliminate that inch. Mitchell is an animal and whether Ellison starts or not, the competition that is going to take place for the 3rd LB position will make us better at that position. Period.

Justasportsfan... Your comment about their chances being less than other teams. I agree. But not more than 10 teams in the league. Name 10 teams that have a clear cut better opportunity than Buffalo and I'll destroy at least 4 of your agruments. Easily.

Marshawn is appealing the suspension and based on prior appeals (Brandon Marshall) it is inevitable that it will be a 1 game suspension. Marshall repeated the same offense and got the same reprimand and the same suspension. Then only served one game. I agree Lynch is probably our top player although more pressure is on Trent.

Think about this: Last year when we completed a pass to Josh or the year before the Price, it would be a 7 yard gain. We complete 12 of those exact same patterns to TO and it will be 3 extra touch downs. We've lost countless games by less than 6 points. Meaning we were in almost every game. Sure, when its close one small error can mean the end of the world. But if one of those check downs get's converted into a 60 yrd TD by TO, then we have a 10 point lead instead of a 3 point lead and maybe one challenge isn't going to determine the outcome of the game.

I predict that Poz, Lynch, and either TO or Lee will make the pro bowl. I predict that Schobel, Mitchell, McKelvin and/or McGee have pro bowl alternate type seasons. I predict that Roscoe will continue his punt return dominance and our special teams will continue to dominate.

If you look at last season, there were 3 games that were close that could have been won. We now have TO, who is the 2nd best reciever to ever play the damn game. He will add an average of 4-6 points per game. Our defense becoming more experienced (Poz, Leodis, Whitner, K Williams, etc) they could easily improve their PPG allowed by 2 points. If we improved our point differential by 8 points per game, we would have been 10-6.

But go ahead and tell me how bad they will be.

[madness]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

Players are suppose to execute. If they did their job, it would never be on the coaching staff.

I was going over our roster two years ago compared to this year. Pretty pathetic.

[The Juice Is Loose]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

I mean countless games by less than 3 points over the last 3 years...I feel the 09 Bills are better than the prior 3. I feel Jauron inherited a mess and Levy didn't do anything positive to help. Brandon has been a breath of fresh air.

[sdbillsfan2]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

"My point is that I'm really getting worn out on all this negative garbage."


Will someone please clear up what's a fact of reality and what's a negative.
Does every FAN have to be a FANatic ?
People have been labeled as negative for years around here. We are told things are NOT are bad as they seem. Yet for far to many years now , the results have been the same. Year after year , we buy season tickets, spend money on team jerseys , caps etc. We pay extra to catch as many games a possible on cable or satellite. And yet people are still considered negative ?

I probably stand zero chance of ever getting Heidi Klum over the house for a sleep over ( wink) , but that's not being negative about myself , it more like a reality. So should I settle for Heidi's fugly cousins and just pretend I'm seeing Heidi?
I know this example is weak, but hopefully we'll find the line that separates truth from garbage. Reality from negativism .


P.S.
If anyone knows Heidi's ugly cousin's #, shot it this way...

[yordad]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

Is Jack Del Rio not due?

[justasportsfan]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

Justasportsfan... Your comment about their chances being less than other teams. I agree. But not more than 10 teams in the league. Name 10 teams that have a clear cut better opportunity than Buffalo and I'll destroy at least 4 of your agruments. Easily.

.

any of the top 15 teams that finish ahead of the bills. We have nothing but the past and especially the most recent past to go by. We have to go with whats been proven recently. Anything about the future is a guess. Neither right nor wrong but a guess.

Whatever Dick did in chicago has no bearing with what he did here in buffalo.

While I agree with you that we shouldn't just lay dead but play on sundays, I don't blame people who think that Dick could fail again because they have recent facts to support their argument.


We brought in great players and I hope the talent will overcome our lack of coaching deficiencies.

[yordad]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

I was going over our roster two years ago compared to this year. Pretty pathetic.

Which one? Why?

[yordad]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

Brandon has been a breath of fresh air.

All I am asking is he does everything he can to help this team win..... he can start with spending up to the cap, and not letting Ralph keep 20+ million every year. (How much are we under cash to cap as we speak?)

[Philagape]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

My point is that I'm really getting worn out on all this negative garbage.

Yup, 5-11, 7-9, 7-9, 7-9 is really wearing me out too.

[Typ0]

Re: Honestly how many "Sure Thing" Teams Are There?

we're still a season away from fixing the defense. If TE plays well the offense is good and will be next year too. The guys just gotta prepare and play the teams they play.