WGR: The best individual seasons during the Bills playoff drought

[swiper]

The best individual seasons during the Bills playoff drought (http://www.wgr550.com/The-best-individual-seasons-during-the-Bills-playo/22794973)


5) QB Drew Bledsoe, 2002 (14)

Bledoe’s first year in Buffalo was an offensive explosion for the Bills at the start. Through the first six games the team averaged over 32 points per game, scoring less than 31 only once

Remember thinking "finally a decent replacement for Jim Kelly."

[Topas]

Yes, I remember it. Bellicheat not only beat us on the field, also in the management. What else is new ... :-(

[Mr. Pink]

Bledsoe is still the best QB this team has had since Kelly.

Don't understand the hate the guy gets around here from some people.

And, at that time, I was one who thought instead of trading for Bledsoe they should have just signed Jeff Blake.

[sukie]

Bledsoe is still the best QB this team has had since Kelly.

Don't understand the hate the guy gets around here from some people.

And, at that time, I was one who thought instead of trading for Bledsoe they should have just signed Jeff Blake.

The Pittsburgh 3rd stringers game

[Mr. Pink]

The Pittsburgh 3rd stringers game

The defense folded like a cheap suit in that game.

Third stringer Willie Parker ran for over 5 yards a carry that game.

[trapezeus]

Bledsoe turned the momentum of the game. at that point, we all kept saying he was a statue and held the ball too long. and he did it when we still had the game in our control. he got hit, fumbled and the play resulted in a TD for PITT. that's on Bledsoe and that had been his knock before buffalo and became painfully clear to us when he was on our team. he was a nice guy, but he didn't have it.

[Mr. Pink]

Bledsoe turned the momentum of the game. at that point, we all kept saying he was a statue and held the ball too long. and he did it when we still had the game in our control. he got hit, fumbled and the play resulted in a TD for PITT. that's on Bledsoe and that had been his knock before buffalo and became painfully clear to us when he was on our team. he was a nice guy, but he didn't have it.

I dunno if I'd say the game was in control, the Bills were losing at the time of that fumble.

Lindell missed a FG the previous drive.

What really iced that game for Pittsburgh was a 9 minute drive in the 4th quarter that ended with a FG.

[Ginger Vitis]

That game against the steelers.. I think the momentum changed when the bills were ahead 17-16 and Rian Lindell missed a 28 yard field goal with 2 minutes left in the 3rd quarter... I was at that game and you could feel the air being sucked out of the stadium when that happened

[Mr. Pink]

Don't tell Coastal what the number 1 is. :rofl:

[feldspar]

What can you say?

The best Buffalo Bills season in 16 years ended in one of the most heartbreaking ways imaginable, losing to the Steelers' scrubs and missing the playoffs that way. That was the "best season" this century. Then again, it might just have been the worst as well...depends on how you look at it, I suppose.

[Ginger Vitis]

This site is saying the 2004 bills were the greatest team not too make the playoffs between 2001 and the end of the 2010 season... the average score of the 6 game winning streak they went on was 38-15 but it was against one crappy team after another.. San Francisco..Miami... Cleveland were the 3 worst teams that year...
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/extra-points/2010/fo-mailbag-best-dvoa-miss-playoffs

[Zero]

Bledsoe is still the best QB this team has had since Kelly.

Don't understand the hate the guy gets around here from some people.

And, at that time, I was one who thought instead of trading for Bledsoe they should have just signed Jeff Blake.

x1000

Glad somebody said it. I've never understood why Bledsoe gets bashed as much as he does. Its a given that his game had plenty of warts (stood in the pocket too long, immobile, poor decision maker at times) but he had plenty of good games for us and would have got us into the playoffs were it not for a complete team collapse against the Steeler's B-team in the last game of the season. Correct me if I'm wrong but was that not the closest the Bills have been to sniffing playoffs during "the Drought"?

He was a class guy before, during and after his tenure with the Bills. Ultra competetive and tough as nails (played through a ruptued spleen)- they definitely don't make QB's like him anymore. Was active in the community to boot.

I know I'm coming across like I'm related to the guy (which I'm not) but I'm just genuinely perplexed by the hate.

[Ginger Vitis]

Correct me if I'm wrong but was that not the closest the Bills have been to sniffing playoffs during "the Drought"?





You 're correct

[Ginger Vitis]

x1000

Glad somebody said it. I've never understood why Bledsoe gets bashed as much as he does.




Because he wasn't that far removed from the Kelly years..... BIlls fans had very high standards in regards to a QB... And now we have lowered our standards... After watching the very mediocre and pedestrian QB play the last 12 years in hindsight like Mr Pink said Bledsoe was the best QB the bills have had since Kelly

[Joe Fo Sho]

Because he wasn't that far removed from the Kelly years..... BIlls fans had very high standards in regards to a QB... And now we have lowered our standards... After watching the very mediocre and pedestrian QB play the last 12 years in hindsight like Mr Pink said Bledsoe was the best QB the bills have had since Kelly

I've also heard people argue that the Bills shouldn't get credit for trading for him because he was too old (at 29) to be our long term QB. They don't think it was a valid attempt by the team to get a QB worth a darn.

The guy had probably his best career season in his first year with us, which no one remembers because of the collapse during week 17.

[Night Train]

Bledsoe gets bashed because he had a great first 7 games in 2002 and then was classic Fools Gold ( a favorite term here ) for the rest of his Bills tenure.

That 2004 Steelers game was the definition of classic failure. I sat in the stands and he tanked that day. Why he wasn't cut immediately after is baffling. Pats were right to rid of him.

[Mr. Pink]

I've also heard people argue that the Bills shouldn't get credit for trading for him because he was too old (at 29) to be our long term QB. They don't think it was a valid attempt by the team to get a QB worth a darn.

The guy had probably his best career season in his first year with us, which no one remembers because of the collapse during week 17.

Statistically, he might have had the best single season of any QB this franchise has ever had.

If not the best, it's the second best...Kelly's 1991 was quite impressive.

[Mace]

Bledsoe is still the best QB this team has had since Kelly.

Don't understand the hate the guy gets around here from some people.

And, at that time, I was one who thought instead of trading for Bledsoe they should have just signed Jeff Blake.

He probably was, but he was a statue and getting hit too much, and they couldn't get their o-line together well enough to protect him. So of course, they figured a mobile QB was the answer, got Losman to run & gun, then proceeded to break him of his footwork to try and make him more of a statue (I still remember reading the coaching comments back in the day). It becomes hard to not remember that without a line in front of him, Bledsoe was about as mobile as a wooly mammoth. He was sacked often and without pity or mercy in his 3 years with Buffalo (140 times), and took 49 more his last 16 game season when he left with Dallas.

And so began the era of the "mobile" QB if you can't build a line to protect him.

[Crisis]

The defense folded like a cheap suit in that game.

Third stringer Willie Parker ran for over 5 yards a carry that game.

And then he happened to turn into one of the better backs in the game for a couple years.

[cookie G]

Statistically, he might have had the best single season of any QB this franchise has ever had.

If not the best, it's the second best...Kelly's 1991 was quite impressive.

The problem is, he followed that up with a Trent Edwards-like season in 2003. They went like 7 games without an offensive TD drive. They went 3+ games in a row without an offensive TD. He had a whopping 11 TD passes.

After thumping NE in game 1 and a great Jacksonville game in week 2, the wheels came off the bus.

2003 could have been the most heartbreaking year, to me. After Donahue nabbed a bunch of Pro Bowlers, the D was back.

But your offense still has to score TD's on occasion.

[cookie G]

He probably was, but he was a statue and getting hit too much, and they couldn't get their o-line together well enough to protect him. So of course, they figured a mobile QB was the answer, got Losman to run & gun, then proceeded to break him of his footwork to try and make him more of a statue (I still remember reading the coaching comments back in the day). It becomes hard to not remember that without a line in front of him, Bledsoe was about as mobile as a wooly mammoth. He was sacked often and without pity or mercy in his 3 years with Buffalo (140 times), and took 49 more his last 16 game season when he left with Dallas.

And so began the era of the "mobile" QB if you can't build a line to protect him.

A statue of a QB behind a shaky O line...and yet, the 2015 Bills gave up more sacks than the 2004 Bledsoe-Bills, with about the same amount of pass attempts.

Someone made the comment that when Bledsoe played, we had a higher standard for our QB's. That could be.

I think that applies to the O line as well.

[Mace]

A statue of a QB behind a shaky O line...and yet, the 2015 Bills gave up more sacks than the 2004 Bledsoe-Bills, with about the same amount of pass attempts.

Someone made the comment that when Bledsoe played, we had a higher standard for our QB's. That could be.

I think that applies to the O line as well.

We didn't have a higher standard for the o-line though ? That was at the start of the period where they were flailing and ran through line combinations desperately, which didn't really end until they got Levitre & Wood though they tried badly. Villareal, Gandy, Dockery, Walker, Bennie Anderson, Pennington, Duke Preston, etc.

I also never said the age of the mobile QB worked real well without a line in front of one.

It's not a slam on Bledsoe to say if you remember the games he was getting hit terribly and often whether or not it was a sack at that stage of his career.

[coastal]

This is what were reduced to?

the best of the suck?

i want to move back there why exactly?

[Skooby]

This is what were reduced to?

the best of the suck?

i want to move back there why exactly?
Your desire to drive through Tonawanda and get that hometown smell.

[cookie G]

This is what were reduced to?

the best of the suck?

mmmhmm..

Next week's topic will be "Chris Kelsay's best game" followed by:

-Trent Edwards vs. Jeff Tuel, a statistical analysis.

-Who was the better bust, Aaron Maybin or Mike Williams?

-Which of the scheme changes during the drought was the best?

Sigh...the idea of December and January being the highlight of the season is becoming a faded memory.
When draft day is your team's season highlight...priorities are out of whack.



i want to move back there why exactly?

you miss the winters...and understand that a Buffalo winter is something that's missing in Sharon's life, something she shouldn't be denied.

I'm rather touched at your willingness to sacrifice.

[cookie G]

We didn't have a higher standard for the o-line though ? That was at the start of the period where they were flailing and ran through line combinations desperately, which didn't really end until they got Levitre & Wood though they tried badly. Villareal, Gandy, Dockery, Walker, Bennie Anderson, Pennington, Duke Preston, etc.

I also never said the age of the mobile QB worked real well without a line in front of one.

It's not a slam on Bledsoe to say if you remember the games he was getting hit terribly and often whether or not it was a sack at that stage of his career.

I probably should have gone back to the playoff years, because I cited the Donahoe era as the start of the trend.

Donahoe used to take a lot of crap for the way the oline looked back then. He used to do a weekly reader thingy where he answered questions. Nearly every week, there would be a question about the state of the O line. He had this canned, standard answer he used to provide and it used to drive people crazy.

And the thing was, Donahoe probably put more effort into the Oline than anyone since. I thought Whaley was going to be a bit of a change and actually finish the job, but then Rex came along and the D is now in rebuilding mode...yet again.

but I guess my main point is..back then...most weren't satisfied with a Trey Teague or a Bennie Anderson. Now...all people care is that someone actually started in the NFL before.

But I can say this...when the Bills were good...if their O line pass blocked as below average as this line, 1) they wouldn't have been nearly as good and 2) Kelly wouldn't have hung around. He would have been gone as soon as his contract was up, or demanded a trade sooner.

[Mr. Cynical]

Drew Bledslow.

Blew Dredsoe.

Take your pick. The guy had the deer in the headlights look every other play. He only knew how to throw bombs, and since that takes a lot of time, he sat there like a statue and got killed. Belicheat knew that, hence he traded him. I wonder now, with all the concussion data coming to light these, that maybe he suffered from some of that....

Anyway, the best QB since Kelly was definitely Flutie, and the decision to bench him was one of the Top 3 worst decisions in Bills' history, only to be outdone by the Rob Johnson deal (#2) and the firing of Bill Polian (#1)