Is there anyone on here who still thinks we can salvage this season??

[Don't Panic]

I know this is a negative bunch, but wow... you'd think we just got eliminated from playoff contention. Am I the only one who thinks these problems are fixable (except for possibly Fitz) and that we just simply played about as bad as we could in the 1st half yesterday against a Jets team that was better than most thought they were going into the game?

[SabreEleven]

Thanks to a weak schedule...There is still hope, Obi Wan.

[THE END OF ALL DAYS]

After yesterday, I'm just not going to get worked up any more. This team is not worth spending every Sunday on the couch for. I'm going back to a life. 12 years of this crap is about 10 to many to waste.

[coastal]

The only thing this team is capable of is salvaging enough wins to remove off from contending for one of the top Qbs in the upcoming draft.

[ParanoidAndroid]

Fitz made almost the exact same mistake 3 times, throwing behind a receiver on an out route. They happened for two different reasons. Fitz either hesitated or the receiver was late out of his break. I think that is definitely fixable.
The defense was, despite the talent on the D-line, not very exciting to watch. Coverage in the middle of the field was almost non-existent after a mere 2 seconds. That is plenty of time for a QB to get rid of the ball. There was little pressure up the middle or anywhere for that matter. I expected at least 2 sacks today. It looked like the rush was predictable and they used RB's and TE's effectively to keep Sanchez clean.
There was a failure to execute all over the place, but is the season over? Of course not. It was only one game.

[NorthCarBills]

My fear and guess = they make it a "respectable" losing season @7-9 and once again we miss out on a franchise QB in the draft.

[OpIv37]

what does it take for some of you to realize that we suck?

We suck in OTA's/mini camp? Meh, wait til training camp.
We suck in training camp? Meh, wait til the preseason games start.
We suck in preseason? Meh, preseason doesn't matter- wait til the real game starts
We suck in a real game against a division opponent? Meh, it's just one game.

Seriously? I mean, this wasn't just a loss. It was an epic beat-down in all 3 phases of the game. And it was against a division opponent and the Pats won, so now we are a game behind the Pats and essentially 2 games behind the Jets because they have a tiebreaker on us. But ok, it's just one game :rolleyes:

[GingerP]

I agree the Bills can't be as bad as they looked yesterday. They had poor play in all three phases. The defense should be better than that, and they even had a buge ST breakdown.

Fitz's play is a real concern as he is continuing a trend from the 2nd half of last season. He has been figured out, teams have adjusted and he is coming back to earth. The offense lacks any explosive talent outside of Spiller. Those are real concerns.

That said, they will have games they play well and are competitive. I just think it is a real downer after the high hopes of the off-season. The Pats look good again and the Jets look better than the Bills. I guess there is still Miami, we can be thankful for them.

[zone]

While we got embarrassed and sucked bad you can always salvage the season, until you can't. It is only week 1. Maybe this is the year we get off to a slower start and actually get better and finish strong. I sure hope it is but if history is an indicator we could be in for a long year.

[Historian]

Fitz made almost the exact same mistake 3 times, throwing behind a receiver on an out route.

And even the completions, like the passes to Chandler, were either way over his head, (in which he made a great leaping catch) or behind him. (In which he looked like a gymnist reaching behind for it)

Same as in preseason.

I said it then...that he's going to get these receivers killed by making them lay their bodies out to make a catch.

[The King]

Im praying for it. But I didnt see a whole lot to inspire confidence.

[DraftBoy]

I think the next four games decide the season;

We go KC, Cleveland, New England, and San Francisco. You realistically have to win 2 to stay in contention, losing three or more and its going to be very tough to make the playoffs.

[OpIv37]

I think the next four games decide the season;

We go KC, Cleveland, New England, and San Francisco. You realistically have to win 2 to stay in contention, losing three or more and its going to be very tough to make the playoffs.
And the one after that is AZ, and while they're not a tough team, it's back-to-back WC road trips.

Realistically, we HAVE to beat KC and Cleveland to stay in it, because NE and SF are most likely losses. If we drop even 1 to KC or Cleveland, we're looking 1-4 and possibly 1-5 right in the face.

[Historian]

...or 0-5 and 0-6.

[ParanoidAndroid]

what does it take for some of you to realize that we suck?

We suck in OTA's/mini camp? Meh, wait til training camp.
We suck in training camp? Meh, wait til the preseason games start.
We suck in preseason? Meh, preseason doesn't matter- wait til the real game starts
We suck in a real game against a division opponent? Meh, it's just one game.

Seriously? I mean, this wasn't just a loss. It was an epic beat-down in all 3 phases of the game. And it was against a division opponent and the Pats won, so now we are a game behind the Pats and essentially 2 games behind the Jets because they have a tiebreaker on us. But ok, it's just one game :rolleyes:

Not everyone thinks like you or just don't want to think like you. Go start a riot.

[OpIv37]

Not everyone thinks like you or just don't want to think like you. Go start a riot.

It's not "thinking like me." It's acknowledging the reality. We suffered an epic beat-down in a real NFL game that counts in the standings, to a division opponent no less. This isn't me complaining. This isn't preseason speculation. It has nothing to do with me. IT'S WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

[Skooby]

What actually happened is we came out flat & the Jets wanted it more.

[ParanoidAndroid]

It's not "thinking like me." It's acknowledging the reality. We suffered an epic beat-down in a real NFL game that counts in the standings, to a division opponent no less. This isn't me complaining. This isn't preseason speculation. It has nothing to do with me. IT'S WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.

Keep hope alive, bro.

[jimmifli]

You can't judge the rest of the team when the QB loses the game in the first quarter.

Who knows what they can do? A safer offense with lots of running might keep us in a lot of games.

[Skooby]

You can't judge the rest of the team when the QB loses the game in the first quarter.

Who knows what they can do? A safer offense with lots of running might keep us in a lot of games.

This is accurate.

[don137]

Unless the secondary and Fitz drastically improve, which seems unlikely I say no. It is basically a playoff or bust season. Anything less than playoffs is unacceptable. The fact that Fitz seems to be only capable of a few good games a year I dont know how he will all of sudden be a good QB.
The fact the Jets WRs could get so wide open with such quick throws is a testament of how bad this secondary is currently. The DL did no pressure even on third and long. I think the D-line will get better but I am worried about McKelvin and Williams.
Yesterdays game was very deflating especially since the Jets are a .500 team. Without a franchise QB it appears that this team will be home in January.....again

[Historian]

what does it take for some of you to realize that we suck?

We suck in OTA's/mini camp? Meh, wait til training camp.
We suck in training camp? Meh, wait til the preseason games start.
We suck in preseason? Meh, preseason doesn't matter- wait til the real game starts
We suck in a real game against a division opponent? Meh, it's just one game.

Seriously? I mean, this wasn't just a loss. It was an epic beat-down in all 3 phases of the game. And it was against a division opponent and the Pats won, so now we are a game behind the Pats and essentially 2 games behind the Jets because they have a tiebreaker on us. But ok, it's just one game :rolleyes:

I nominate this post, for post of the year in this forum.

[jdaltroy5]

It's the NFL. A team can look like crap one week and then look dominant the next week.

Do I think we'll be dominant? No. But I don't expect a similar result every week.

For some reason, we just don't match up well against the Jets and haven't since Rex took over.

I expect this to be a wake up call.

If it's not, then Chan and Fitz are out.

Fitz is not really a guy that can come from behind. He rushes things and forces throws he shouldn't make because he thinks he has to. He has a gunslinger mentality, but unfortunately he only packs a derringer.

I know our D didn't play great, but I don't think they played as poor as the 48 points indicate.

Wanny might actually have to game plan. He probably expected to just put the guys on the field and let them do their thing. This is the NFL, that doesn't work. If you aren't getting to the QB, here's an idea - RUSH MORE PLAYERS. Even if you give up some big plays, if you can rock the QB he's going to hear footsteps in his head and make bad decisions. If he has all day to sit back there, he's going to gain confidence and pick you apart.

If we can limit the other team to around 15-20 points per game, I think we have a shot at the playoffs.

[jimmifli]

This is accurate.

Sorry. We have Ryan Fitzpatrick and Chan Gailey.

I don't think Ryan can play safe and I don't think Chan will.

[ParanoidAndroid]

Who wants to start a demonstration at 1 Bills Drive?

[Albany,n.y.]

Because of the schedule of tomato can teams in late November & December, this team will always be in playoff contention, even if the record is 3-6 after 9 games.
The problem is, winning 9 games this year and maybe getting into the playoffs to get trounced in the 1st wildcard round should mean nothing if they are still a lousy team that will 3-4 games next year when they get a normal schedule. Whether they win 6,7,8,9, or even 10 games this year, it doesn't change the fact that they are not a team anywhere close to winning a championship.
What does getting into the playoffs this year mean if they're still light years away from Super Bowl contention? The goal is to win a championship, not get into the playoffs because you have a fools gold schedule that inflates your record because you're the 10th worst team in the league and you get to play 5 of the 9 teams worse than you, one of them twice. All it does is keep your team from looking for a new coach and QB-2 things this team needs before just getting to the playoffs should be cause for excitement. There's the myth that anything can happen once you get into the playoffs. Sure you may be able to pull off a win in any one game, so you might even win a playoff game just like Denver did last year against Pittsburgh. Then they were quickly jettisoned from the playoffs when the playoffs got serious. Of course we all know what happened next-John Elway knew what a fools gold playoff win meant, upgraded his QB and sent the fools gold QB packing to be a gimmick backup on another team while upgrading his team to be a serious contender instead of a team that would win a playoff game one year and not have the ability to get anywhere near the playoffs the next. No QB =No serious Super Bowl threat.

[OpIv37]

Keep hope alive, bro.

where do you get hope from? Seriously, other than Spiller, what part of the team even looked adequate yesterday, let alone good? What's the basis for any sort of hope?

[ParanoidAndroid]

The O-line looked decent despite the rookie LT. The Jets had trouble running the ball early. I've seen this team play much better than this, so I actually do think it gets better. Thank you for asking...I really do appreciate the question.

[Beebe's Kid]

It's the NFL. A team can look like crap one week and then look dominant the next week.

Do I think we'll be dominant? No. But I don't expect a similar result every week.

For some reason, we just don't match up well against the Jets and haven't since Rex took over.

I expect this to be a wake up call.

If it's not, then Chan and Fitz are out.

Fitz is not really a guy that can come from behind. He rushes things and forces throws he shouldn't make because he thinks he has to. He has a gunslinger mentality, but unfortunately he only packs a derringer.

I know our D didn't play great, but I don't think they played as poor as the 48 points indicate.

Wanny might actually have to game plan. He probably expected to just put the guys on the field and let them do their thing. This is the NFL, that doesn't work. If you aren't getting to the QB, here's an idea - RUSH MORE PLAYERS. Even if you give up some big plays, if you can rock the QB he's going to hear footsteps in his head and make bad decisions. If he has all day to sit back there, he's going to gain confidence and pick you apart.

If we can limit the other team to around 15-20 points per game, I think we have a shot at the playoffs.

I don't mean to say he is going to do it every week, but I can't help but remember him doing it against the Patriots and the Raiders last year. We were riding high at the time, so maybe we just eliminate the good times from our memories.

As far as the season and hope? I will give it one more week. I have to admit though, that I wasn't aware they sucked at OTAs and camp, etc. I didn't know that was even really a possibility, but you learn something new every day.

[Ed]

I think for whatever reason the Jets just have our number. I don't know why Sanchez always seems to have his best games against us and why we always look flat and like crap, but we just can't seem to match up against the Jets. Yesterday sucked, but it's not going to define our season. I hope we bounce back and I expect the Bills to be 2-1 in a couple weeks. We have a 6 game stretch from Nov. 15 - Dec. 23 that's about as favorable as we could possibly get in any season, so if we can mange to stay around .500 through the first half of the year than there's definitely a chance.

[jdaltroy5]

I don't mean to say he is going to do it every week, but I can't help but remember him doing it against the Patriots and the Raiders last year. We were riding high at the time, so maybe we just eliminate the good times from our memories.

As far as the season and hope? I will give it one more week. I have to admit though, that I wasn't aware they sucked at OTAs and camp, etc. I didn't know that was even really a possibility, but you learn something new every day.
Yeah he did do it last year a couple of times. He went shot for shot with Oakland and came out on top. He played great vs. NE as well, but I think all those turnovers were a HUGE help. Without them, we would've gotten trounced again.

I just think those games were more of an anomaly. I would expect more games like Cincy, NYG, Tenn, or NYJ (second game) when the game is on the line.

[JoeMama]

We'll get better.

When your starting point is rock bottom, you figure there's got to be SOME upward movement.

The miserable-ass Dolphins started 0-7 last season, then played good ball down the stretch.

It happens.

[Extremebillsfan247]

I know this is a negative bunch, but wow... you'd think we just got eliminated from playoff contention. Am I the only one who thinks these problems are fixable (except for possibly Fitz) and that we just simply played about as bad as we could in the 1st half yesterday against a Jets team that was better than most thought they were going into the game? The Bills were their own worst enemy yesterday. We helped the Jets beat us by playing stupid football. It looked to me like the Bills were still in pre-season mode. There are 15 games left and plenty of time to clean up the mistakes. But the Bills essentially lost twice yesterday because they lost to a divisional opponent. The Jets schedule wont be much harder than ours is. The Bills chances of breaking that 12 year long streak of getting to a postseason instantly just got harder. JMO

[gebobs]

We suck in OTA's/mini camp? Meh, wait til training camp.
We suck in training camp? Meh, wait til the preseason games start.
We suck in preseason? Meh, preseason doesn't matter- wait til the real game starts
We suck in a real game against a division opponent? Meh, it's just one game.
Wait! That was regular season? I thought preseason ended in October. Or so I have been led to believe by this franchise.

[GingerP]

It's the NFL. A team can look like crap one week and then look dominant the next week.

This is true. Last year the Giants got beat by the Redskins by a score of 28-14, and the season ended differently for both teams.

That said, the decade of suckage and 1-9 record in last 10 games weighs heavily on yesterday's loss.

[Philagape]

I don't mean to say he is going to do it every week, but I can't help but remember him doing it against the Patriots and the Raiders last year. We were riding high at the time, so maybe we just eliminate the good times from our memories.

As far as the season and hope? I will give it one more week. I have to admit though, that I wasn't aware they sucked at OTAs and camp, etc. I didn't know that was even really a possibility, but you learn something new every day.

It doesn't matter how high his highs are when there are too many lows to keep the team from contending.

[Night Train]

T. Jackson may have to play from week 3 on, if Fitz doesn't correct his 1st game effort.

I have a feeling McKelvin may not be long for this roster.

It's still a marathon.

[Philagape]

We'll get better.

When your starting point is rock bottom, you figure there's got to be SOME upward movement.

The miserable-ass Dolphins started 0-7 last season, then played good ball down the stretch.

It happens.

Perhaps there's no worse indictment on this sorry franchise than having the bar lowered to playing "good ball down the stretch."
Yeah, good enough to get them yet another 9-to-11 overall draft pick, and the mediocrity train just keeps on chugging.

[Jan Reimers]

Not with Mario in an apparent coma, the secondary trying to find - or at least see - an opposing player close enough to touch, and Fitz not knowing which uniform to throw to.

We should have bought a QB with our $100 Mil, rather than a DE who thinks a sack is something you throw garbage into.

[CoolBreeze]

You all have your panties in a bunch! If we can go 3-0 look good and then completely destroy our season last year. We sure as hell can look terrible and go 0-1 and still revive the season. All is not lost, If not for Fitzpatrick making high school QB mistakes, and that punt return for a TD. That game was in striking distance, The Media is completely on the Sanchez bandwagon. I don't know why, he missed so many open passes. And I'd say 70% of his passes were thrown toward McKelvin, and he played god awful. We made Sanchez look good, and it's disgusting. So yes, i believe we can salvage this season but Chan's gonna have to light a few fires under a few asses(Williams, McKelvin, Wannstedt, Fitzpatrick), VERY QUICKLY... no no like right NOW!!!

[mikemac2001]

Jets match up vs us better then any team in the league

with no deep threat it makes it really obvious then freddy going down and fitz just throwing ducks early things got really bad

[OpIv37]

Jets match up vs us better then any team in the league

with no deep threat it makes it really obvious then freddy going down and fitz just throwing ducks early things got really bad

um, what about the other side of the ball?

On paper, they have a terrible RT who is new to the team going against our $100 million "star" DE and a QB who is just as bad as Fitz under pressure. That matchup should have favored us, but in reality it didn't. That does not bode well for the rest of the season.

[jdaltroy5]

This is true. Last year the Giants got beat by the Redskins by a score of 28-14, and the season ended differently for both teams.

That said, the decade of suckage and 1-9 record in last 10 games weighs heavily on yesterday's loss.

Oh yeah, I'm not saying the Bills are going to be good and the last game was meaningless.

Far from it.

Some teams (like the Giants) have earned the benefit of the doubt and can have a bad game without being questioned.

The Bills haven't.

The optimism I have is the only thing that brings me back every week though.

A couple more games like that before Halloween and I'll be finding something else to do on Sundays.

[imbondz]

well, if the season ended right now, without the games being played tonight, we'd be 7th in the playoff race, just missing the playoffs by 1 team. so...we still have hope

[Generalissimus Gibby]

Yes, my thread was thoroughly trashed where I said it and for those who say WRONG about what I said well I say you're wrong. We beat ourselves with four very stupid turnovers that allowed the Jets to put up 24 points and we uncharacteristically surrendered a TD on a punt return so thats 31 points there. Say what you want, but we don't turn the ball over like that and allow four drives to begin near midfield where the job of our D is made all that much more difficult and we don't allow that punt return the Jets don't score 31 points. Yes, I know that most of our points came during garbage time, but then again, that's when their seventeen points came from. I contend that we beat ourselves. Want to have your head in the dumpster? Go ahead I won't stop you. I still say we can fix these mistakes and have a nine win season.

[OpIv37]

Yes, my thread was thoroughly trashed where I said it and for those who say WRONG about what I said well I say you're wrong. We beat ourselves with four very stupid turnovers that allowed the Jets to put up 24 points and we uncharacteristically surrendered a TD on a punt return so thats 31 points there. Say what you want, but we don't turn the ball over like that and allow four drives to begin near midfield where the job of our D is made all that much more difficult and we don't allow that punt return the Jets don't score 31 points. Yes, I know that most of our points came during garbage time, but then again, that's when their seventeen points came from. I contend that we beat ourselves. Want to have your head in the dumpster? Go ahead I won't stop you. I still say we can fix these mistakes and have a nine win season.

You're wrong because your explanation solely focused on the O. What about the D getting manhandled in the passing game? You think that's just going to magically get better? Please.

Also, Fitz is our QB. 4 turnover games? They're going to happen- not every game but more often than we will like. And you can pretty much assume 2 per game.

The mistakes aren't just going to magically be corrected. They happened because of the limitation of our players and coaches.

[Generalissimus Gibby]

You're wrong because your explanation solely focused on the O. What about the D getting manhandled in the passing game? You think that's just going to magically get better? Please.

Also, Fitz is our QB. 4 turnover games? They're going to happen- not every game but more often than we will like. And you can pretty much assume 2 per game.

The mistakes aren't just going to magically be corrected. They happened because of the limitation of our players and coaches.

You tell me, what is easier to stop, a drive that begins on someone's 20 or a drive that begins between 40 and midfield? Does the D have problems? Absolutely, what was most discouraging was the complete absense of a pass rush and a pourous secondary, I'm looking at you Leodis McFumbles. That being said, when you lose the turnover battle like we did its very deflating and can deflate the whole team. I still contend that we are not nearly as bad as what we displayed yesterday. The passing game that beat us was Fitzpatrick throwing three interceptions one of which was returned for a TD and the others that led to TD drives starting between the forty and fifty yard line. Our D does need work and McKelvin (McFumbles) and some of our other DBs need a one way Megabus ticket out of town, but the most glaring thing I saw yesterday was those four turnovers and the punt return that made this game unwinable. Do I need to post the play by play? Is that the problem? Groan if you want, but you must keep in mind that all four turnovers we committed and the short fields and 24 points they caused and the special teams gaffe on punt coverage caused (a total of 31 points) were all allowed in the first half and early in the third. Again, we beat ourselves. Yes, the D did not help, but any of their faults other than say the absense of a pass rush and our horrible db play was completely overshadowed by the four turnovers we have. Ryan Fitzpatrick is in the main the one responsible for that dreadful loss.

[Philagape]

Fitz may be at the top of the list of things that went wrong in this game, but he's had games like this before. No one sees him as a franchise QB that can carry them on his back to the playoffs.

But it was the defense's no-show that was stunning and depressing. They poured over $100 million and their first-round pick into it. It was the reason the Bills were supposed to go from irrelevant to contenders.
But the pass rush looked as non-existant as it ever did. That is, by far, the most disturbing development from yesterday. I expect improvement because there's nowhere to go but up and just too much raw talent there, but opportunities like this was the reason so much was invested in them. They made Mark Sanchez look like Joe Montana, as one tweet put it. Epic fail.