Squandered opportunities - Coaching or Players?

[Oaf]

1. Fred Jackson fumble in the red zone - Dangit Fred, your fumbles have really cost us man. Don't forget your fumble at the goaline at home against NE, Spiller. Players

2. Gilmore INT - Gilmore picks it off, heading for 6, Kyle Moore touches an offensive lineman who pulls his best soccer impression and draws a foul. 6 off the board. Rams/Refs

3. Clock mismanagement at end of 1st half - Bills at Rams 34 with 1:00 and 3 TOs after the Gilmore INT. THREE screen passes and a RUN are called, burning all three timeouts plus 24 seconds and netting -1 yards. Bills settle for 3. Coaching

4. Rams muffed punt - 9 times of 10, the Bills would have recovered that ball or blocked the punt, but someone the guy makes an athletic play booting it 20 yards upfield. Unfortunately, that's a killshot for the Bills O. True to fashion, from the 37, Fred Jackson for -1, Ryan makes an ugly scramble for 1 yard, Ryan makes an ugly scramble for 2 yards (one of the most frustrating things is when he puts his head down and acts like a punt returner instead of keeping his eyes downfield). One of the side coaches tricks Gailey by saying it's a 50-ydr, so he trots Lindell out. Always one to second-guess his coaches, Gailey inquires and discovers its actually a fifty-TWO yard attempt (6 feet further!!) so calls a timeout to punt instead. There's something about Gailey and going for two-possession leads.. Players AND Coaching

5. two Wilson dropped INTs, final drive - Players


Players 3, Coaches 2. Plenty of blame to be shared on both sides.

- If we could keep Chan's offense without his decision-making, we'd be a lot better off
- If we had a more naturally-gifted QB, we'd be a lot better off
- If we had a secondary that didn't all suffer from Leodis-syndrome, we'd be a lot better off
+ front-seven is playing solid football, something to build on in '13

[BertSquirtgum]

1. Fred Jackson fumble in the red zone - Dangit Fred, your fumbles have really cost us man. Don't forget your fumble at the goaline at home against NE, Spiller. Players

2. Gilmore INT - Gilmore picks it off, heading for 6, Kyle Moore touches an offensive lineman who pulls his best soccer impression and draws a foul. 6 off the board. Rams/Refs

3. Clock mismanagement at end of 1st half - Bills at Rams 34 with 1:00 and 3 TOs after the Gilmore INT. THREE screen passes and a RUN are called, burning all three timeouts plus 24 seconds and netting -1 yards. Bills settle for 3. Coaching

4. Rams muffed punt - 9 times of 10, the Bills would have recovered that ball or blocked the punt, but someone the guy makes an athletic play booting it 20 yards upfield. Unfortunately, that's a killshot for the Bills O. True to fashion, from the 37, Fred Jackson for -1, Ryan makes an ugly scramble for 1 yard, Ryan makes an ugly scramble for 2 yards (one of the most frustrating things is when he puts his head down and acts like a punt returner instead of keeping his eyes downfield). One of the side coaches tricks Gailey by saying it's a 50-ydr, so he trots Lindell out. Always one to second-guess his coaches, Gailey inquires and discovers its actually a fifty-TWO yard attempt (6 feet further!!) so calls a timeout to punt instead. There's something about Gailey and going for two-possession leads.. Players AND Coaching

5. two Wilson dropped INTs, final drive - Players


Players 3, Coaches 2. Plenty of blame to be shared on both sides.

- If we could keep Chan's offense without his decision-making, we'd be a lot better off
- If we had a more naturally-gifted QB, we'd be a lot better off
- If we had a secondary that didn't all suffer from Leodis-syndrome, we'd be a lot better off
+ front-seven is playing solid football, something to build on in '13

Coaching lost this game. Plain and simple.

[gebobs]

Players 3, Coaches 2. Plenty of blame to be shared on both sides.
Nope. More like Gailey 327 - Fitzpatrick 10 - rest of the players 2.

Wilson might have had a shot at the first pass. The second he was lucky to get a hand on it.

[Owen DeBoard]

1. Fred Jackson fumble in the red zone - Dangit Fred, your fumbles have really cost us man. Don't forget your fumble at the goaline at home against NE, Spiller. Players

2. Gilmore INT - Gilmore picks it off, heading for 6, Kyle Moore touches an offensive lineman who pulls his best soccer impression and draws a foul. 6 off the board. Rams/Refs

3. Clock mismanagement at end of 1st half - Bills at Rams 34 with 1:00 and 3 TOs after the Gilmore INT. THREE screen passes and a RUN are called, burning all three timeouts plus 24 seconds and netting -1 yards. Bills settle for 3. Coaching

4. Rams muffed punt - 9 times of 10, the Bills would have recovered that ball or blocked the punt, but someone the guy makes an athletic play booting it 20 yards upfield. Unfortunately, that's a killshot for the Bills O. True to fashion, from the 37, Fred Jackson for -1, Ryan makes an ugly scramble for 1 yard, Ryan makes an ugly scramble for 2 yards (one of the most frustrating things is when he puts his head down and acts like a punt returner instead of keeping his eyes downfield). One of the side coaches tricks Gailey by saying it's a 50-ydr, so he trots Lindell out. Always one to second-guess his coaches, Gailey inquires and discovers its actually a fifty-TWO yard attempt (6 feet further!!) so calls a timeout to punt instead. There's something about Gailey and going for two-possession leads.. Players AND Coaching

5. two Wilson dropped INTs, final drive - Players


Players 3, Coaches 2. Plenty of blame to be shared on both sides.

- If we could keep Chan's offense without his decision-making, we'd be a lot better off
- If we had a more naturally-gifted QB, we'd be a lot better off
- If we had a secondary that didn't all suffer from Leodis-syndrome, we'd be a lot better off
+ front-seven is playing solid football, something to build on in '13
Dont forget when Fitz threw a ball that slipped out of his hand and his arm was going forward and should of been called the tuck rule but instead the refs called it a fumble on the field and costed us 6 yards and made it 2nd and 16. That should of been challenged by Gailey but it wasnt and made it a thougher to convert which they didnt and punted it away for another 3 and out. Coaches

[Oaf]

I thought we did convert that?

It definitely should have been challenged, and I would have counted that as Coaches, but I thought we converted.

[coastal]

Ralph - infinity

[YardRat]

Certainly can't blame anything but execution on Wilson's two opportunities to ice the game, but with better coaching it never would have come down to that.

[Owen DeBoard]

I thought we did convert that?

It definitely should have been challenged, and I would have counted that as Coaches, but I thought we converted.
Ok I probably am wrong I thought we didnt but still should have been challenged it just goes to show you in a close game they wont challenge a bad call that can be costly.

[Oaf]

Ok I probably am wrong I thought we didnt but still should have been challenged it just goes to show you in a close game they wont challenge a bad call that can be costly.

You're right, whether we converted or not, that should have been challenged.

[ParanoidAndroid]

I think a big reason for this loss is the o-line. Some year, I would like to see an o-line make it through the whole season without losing 3 or 4 or 5 guys to long term injuries.

[Goobylal]

It was mostly on the players. Fumbles, botched snaps, dropped passes and INT's. Hell George Wilson could have won the game singlehandedly not once, but twice. Gailey sucked, but the players are the ones who play.

[Buddo]

I think a big reason for this loss is the o-line. Some year, I would like to see an o-line make it through the whole season without losing 3 or 4 or 5 guys to long term injuries.

There's a lot in this. I'm surprised that people aren't looking at this more closely. The poor O-Line play screwed the Offense, as much as anything else did tbh.
Fingers get pointed at all sorts of people, players/coaches, yet the biggest reason for the loss, doesn't get mentioned.

[pmoon6]

Dont forget when Fitz threw a ball that slipped out of his hand and his arm was going forward and should of been called the tuck rule but instead the refs called it a fumble on the field and costed us 6 yards and made it 2nd and 16. That should of been challenged by Gailey but it wasnt and made it a thougher to convert which they didnt and punted it away for another 3 and out. CoachesWe did get a first down after that play, so no harm. That wasn't a tuck rule situation. It was a fumble or forward pass, depending on if his arm was going forward with the ball still in his hand. He was not bringing the ball back down (Tuck). Besides, the tuck rule is a joke.

[pmoon6]

There's a lot in this. I'm surprised that people aren't looking at this more closely. The poor O-Line play screwed the Offense, as much as anything else did tbh.
Fingers get pointed at all sorts of people, players/coaches, yet the biggest reason for the loss, doesn't get mentioned.Some people are going nuts about Spiller not touching the ball enough and they have a point, but I think Gailey had Fred in there because of his better pass protecting ability and you don't lose much with him as a runner. It's still a headscratcher calling so many pass plays in a close game and ****ty weather when you have arguably the best running back tandem in the NFL.

[GingerP]

Some people are going nuts about Spiller not touching the ball enough and they have a point, but I think Gailey had Fred in there because of his better pass protecting ability and you don't lose much with him as a runner.

1) I disagree you don't lose much as a runner with Fred compared to Spiller. I like Fred, but one guy is averaging 3.8 ypc and the other is averaging 6.6 ypc. So... you lose 2.8 ypc. Spiller is also the one explosive-play guy they have, he makes tons of chunk plays.

2) Pass protection wouldn't be much of an issue if you hand the ball off to Spiller. I'd argue that Spiller is a better receiver as well.

Bottom line is, if you have a guy who is a dynamic talent you get him the ball. Adrian Peterson probably isn't the best back in the NFL in pass protection either, but he gets the ball. The Bills have one guy on offense that truly scares teams, and that is Spiller. There is no excuse for him to be a role player.

[pmoon6]

Freddie was leading the league last year when he went down. He again has been hampered by injuries this year which has affected his production. I wasn't saying that CJ should have been relegated to the bench, I was attempting to guess Gailey's rational. I still don't think CJ can be a workhorse back carrying the ball 25 times a game. 15 to 18 is about right.

Bottom line is Gailey went away from the run game in total which I said in a previous post was a headscratcher. I don't know if it was because the Rams were playing run first or what. Sometimes I think coaches outsmart themselves by trying to do the unexpected. That said, you take what the defense gives you.

[Night Train]

No unit is without improvement but the biggest problems are QB and Coaching, without question.

Then you move on to the other units, once the major 2 are addressed.

[GingerP]

Freddie was leading the league last year when he went down. He again has been hampered by injuries this year which has affected his production. I wasn't saying that CJ should have been relegated to the bench, I was attempting to guess Gailey's rational. I still don't think CJ can be a workhorse back carrying the ball 25 times a game. 15 to 18 is about right.

How do you know he couldn't handle that load? He has never had the opportunity. Give him the ball and find out what he can handle.

The fact of the matter is Spiller is one guy on the Bills who defensive coordinators want to me sure they identify and try to defense. He is a guy who effects the defense, they are afraid of what he is capable of doing.

Yet, for half they game they don't need to worry about defending him, because his coach takes him out of the equation. There is not defense for that. I love Fred Jackson, but the guy is not the dynamic talent that Spiller is. He just isn't. Spiller is the biggest offensive threat the Bills have, and he plays half the game.

Again, this makes no sense and has no defense. I don't care about Fred Jackson, 8 man fronts, pass protection or anything of the like. That is crap. Does Adrian Peterson not face 8-man fronts? Do they insert Toby Gerhart because he is better in pass pro? No, because that would be assnine.

The only one happy about Spiller playing half the games are the teams the Bills are playing and, apparently, Chan Gailey. There is not reason he shouldn't be on the field in some capacity 90% of the time. You don't need to be a football genius to see that, it just is. If you can't see that, I'm not sure what to say.

[pmoon6]

How do you know he couldn't handle that load? He has never had the opportunity. Give him the ball and find out what he can handle.

The fact of the matter is Spiller is one guy on the Bills who defensive coordinators want to me sure they identify and try to defense. He is a guy who effects the defense, they are afraid of what he is capable of doing.

Yet, for half they game they don't need to worry about defending him, because his coach takes him out of the equation. There is not defense for that. I love Fred Jackson, but the guy is not the dynamic talent that Spiller is. He just isn't. Spiller is the biggest offensive threat the Bills have, and he plays half the game.

Again, this makes no sense and has no defense. I don't care about Fred Jackson, 8 man fronts, pass protection or anything of the like. That is crap. Does Adrian Peterson not face 8-man fronts? Do they insert Toby Gerhart because he is better in pass pro? No, because that would be assnine.

The only one happy about Spiller playing half the games are the teams the Bills are playing and, apparently, Chan Gailey. There is not reason he shouldn't be on the field in some capacity 90% of the time. You don't need to be a football genius to see that, it just is. If you can't see that, I'm not sure what to say.You sound like a Spiller fanboy/girl. Adrian Peterson has about 20 pounds on Spiller. Spiller is still a specialty back like Bush and Sproles. But go ahead Coach, give him the ball 25 to 30 times a game and see what happens. As far as not making sense, you would seriously pound the ball against an eight man front without trying to make some plays to get them out of that look?

No sense indeed.

[sam5767]

Question 1 I blame on coaching, not players.....CJ should have been in there, not Freddie....Freddie has had fumbling problem lately, plus Spiller is a better offensive threat...not sure what Gailey's fixation is with FJ...,,,Spiller is clearly the better back. It almost seems that gailey is doing this out of defiance against the fans and media....like he feels if he plays Spiller more, he will be seen as weak and caving into the fans/media's wishes.......he needs to go, that's for sure.

[GingerP]

You sound like a Spiller fanboy/girl. Adrian Peterson has about 20 pounds on Spiller. Spiller is still a specialty back like Bush and Sproles. But go ahead Coach, give him the ball 25 to 30 times a game and see what happens. As far as not making sense, you would seriously pound the ball against an eight man front without trying to make some plays to get them out of that look?

No sense indeed.

How big was Marshall Faulk? About the same size as Spiller. How big are Jamal Charles or Chris Johnson?

No back is going to carry it 25-30 times a game. There is no reason Spiller can't get 300 carries (19 a game). There is no reason Spiller can't play 90% of the snaps and get the ball in the passing game. He is a very good receiver, like Faulk was.

The bottom line is nobody knows what he can handle, because his coach won't give him the ball to find out. Any sane person would have him on the field as much as possible, because even if he isn't getting the ball he effects how defenses are going to play. They worry about him. All we know is he has held up well, never suffering a major injury as a pro, and that his coach won't even give him the ball as much as 200 times a season. It is asinine.

[pmoon6]

Damn, I thought I said he should carry the ball 15 to 18 times per game. The point is really moot now. Spiller will get most of the carries the rest of the year and I don't think Fred will be anything but a backup from here on out, if he comes back at all. A RB doesn't sustain that serious of a knee injury at his age and come back quickly or be what he once was. Like I said, I wasn't defending Gailey's decision, I was trying to guess why he did it.

As far as Faulk, he played on offenses with way more weapons than we have and therefore couldn't be keyed on as much. Charles got the ball an average of a little over 200 times a year as starter, except last year when he got hurt. You bring up a good example there, the Chefs and the Bills are similar as far as offensive personal, mediocre QB, one good receiver and a top flight RB.

[Buddo]

In the context of Sunday's game, how many touches Spiller got, was largely irrelevant - even though I think he should have got more - as we simply couldn't establish our running game. The amount of times either Fred or Spiller got stuffed around the LOS, was ridiculous. The O-Line was crap, not exactly unexpectedly, with all the injuries, and it was as much as we could do, to move the ball at all, tbh. There's no question in my mind, that the fundamental reason for the loss, was poor O-Line play. Pretty much everything else, is nit-picking.

Gailey's game management, doesn't help, but it's silly to blame so much on that. Most of the decisions he gets ripped for, are genuine 50-50 calls, that could easily result in a negative. My biggest problem with those calls, is that we always seem to burn a timeout unnecessarily, to make them. And that happens on a seemingly weekly basis.

[kishoph]

Foremost I'd have to say coaching, who knows where this team could be if Gailey would of used CJ Spiller to his full potential, not just running the ball but receiving, I can't imagine that there's a LB'er in the league than can match up with Spiller in coverage. I can not understand why Spiller wasn't given the 4-5 yard crossing routes that they kept throwing to Jackson in the Rams game or the wheel route that they've used in previous games, instead of the usual dumpoffs 3 yards behind scrimmage. Also there the empty backfield on 3rd downs, keeping Spiller in the backfield is going to draw the attention of the LB's and more than likely a safety also. I am not saying CJ has to run the ball 25-30 times, but he should be getting close that many touches, not 8. Then there's Stevie Johnson, when will they start using him like a #1 receiver, instead of going to the likes of TJ Graham or B. Smith in critical situations, a perfect example is from this past Sunday, where on 3rd and 9, the decision is made to go to Graham on a post (the pass not even close), instead of Stevie, who has said he was open at the sticks.

Players - This is on Fitz, I have lost count of how many times that a receiver has gotten well behind the coverage only to have the pass be not even close to have a chance of catching it. Then there's the weekly turnover near the end of the game where the Bills are within a tie or a lead. You can set your clocks to this.

Gailey and Fitzpatrick are bringing this team down, if they both remain, there's is no hope for success.

[jamze132]

1. Fred Jackson fumble in the red zone - Dangit Fred, your fumbles have really cost us man. Don't forget your fumble at the goaline at home against NE, Spiller. Players

2. Gilmore INT - Gilmore picks it off, heading for 6, Kyle Moore touches an offensive lineman who pulls his best soccer impression and draws a foul. 6 off the board. Rams/Refs

3. Clock mismanagement at end of 1st half - Bills at Rams 34 with 1:00 and 3 TOs after the Gilmore INT. THREE screen passes and a RUN are called, burning all three timeouts plus 24 seconds and netting -1 yards. Bills settle for 3. Coaching

4. Rams muffed punt - 9 times of 10, the Bills would have recovered that ball or blocked the punt, but someone the guy makes an athletic play booting it 20 yards upfield. Unfortunately, that's a killshot for the Bills O. True to fashion, from the 37, Fred Jackson for -1, Ryan makes an ugly scramble for 1 yard, Ryan makes an ugly scramble for 2 yards (one of the most frustrating things is when he puts his head down and acts like a punt returner instead of keeping his eyes downfield). One of the side coaches tricks Gailey by saying it's a 50-ydr, so he trots Lindell out. Always one to second-guess his coaches, Gailey inquires and discovers its actually a fifty-TWO yard attempt (6 feet further!!) so calls a timeout to punt instead. There's something about Gailey and going for two-possession leads.. Players AND Coaching

5. two Wilson dropped INTs, final drive - Players


Players 3, Coaches 2. Plenty of blame to be shared on both sides.

- If we could keep Chan's offense without his decision-making, we'd be a lot better off
- If we had a more naturally-gifted QB, we'd be a lot better off
- If we had a secondary that didn't all suffer from Leodis-syndrome, we'd be a lot better off
+ front-seven is playing solid football, something to build on in '13

All of your analyzing is pointless. It's thoughtful and I can appreciate that but we know why we lose every week and it's the exact same reasons you mentioned. Remove Gailey and Fitz from the equation and we start winning ball games.