Next year's whipping boy?

[mypoorfriendme]

:pound:

assuming bledsoe isnt the obvious problem next season, who is next year's whipping boy giong to be? o-linemen, d-linemen? who?

[casdhf]

poor me for having to read this post.

[justasportsfan]

Wys.

[Turf]

Jerry Gray.

[Tatonka]

bledsoe... for sure.. bledsoe.

he is going to have a young guy behind him that is itching to go..

as soon as he starts to play like his normal self.. the fans will go ballistic.. it will be like rob johnson days... they will be cheering for him when he gets hurt..

he will be the goat.

[Tatonka]

mcgahee could easily be the goat.. if we dont see something out of him.. people are going to freak..

lets just say that he stays healthy, but looks like antwain smith..

wow.. there are gonna be some people going crrrrrraazy..

[The Spaz]

Trey Teague, Ryan Denney or Chris Kelsay.

[The Spaz]

Also could be our 1st round draft pick.

[John Doe]

Any high draft pick that does not immediately play like a hall of famer.

[Halbert]

The fans that predicted Bledsoe's demise.

[helmetguy]

Bledsoe. Unless we win it all, the QB (fill in any name here) is the lightning rod for criticism. It's the nature of the beast.

[The_Philster]

Helmetguy...he's been slacking off the last few years...not getting around the section as much as the old days. :cynic:

[The Natrix]

Originally posted by The Spaz
Also could be our 1st round draft pick.


I agree. I hear a lot of people calling for an "impact player" with the first pick. When was the last time our 1st rounder made a huge impact? The only one in recent memory that showed he was worth a first during his rookie year was Clements.

And BTW, how would a QB not be an impact player? What about the impact he would have on Bledsoe. Bledsoe never had to worry about being benched when the options were AVP and Travis Brown. Also, it is rare, but not unheard of that a Rookie could be thrown in there (Harrington, Ramsey, etc.).

If you think a WR will make an immediate impact, a wouldn't bet the farm on that one. When did Moulds and Price make their "impacts?" With all of the prospects at WR in this draft, there is bound to be another Anquan Boldin or two, but the majority will not make this "immediate impact" you speak of.

But seriously, I think Bledsoe is most likely to be the whipping boy. If he looks bad in his first game at the Ralph, it could get REALLY ugly, FAST. Last season, there were many in the stands who were not booing but clearly on the brink.

[mypoorfriendme]

if mcgahee isnt everything and more that hes supposed to be, there are going to be quite a few pissed off fans and all of those announcers are going to be right. of anyone on the team, i hope him and bledsoe have pro-bowl type years to silence all the critics. i can see perhaps both of them not producing though if our line still sucks. teague is going to be blamed i can see it now.

[mypoorfriendme]

i raelly hope mcnally can prevent our line being the problem though. i would like to see a whole lot more out of big mike, tahts for sure.

[mypoorfriendme]

i completely agree natrix. but the thing about an "impact" first year player is that he doesnt really have to put up a ton of stats at all, but to get descent line rotation and SOME stats would be great. the last two first round players we got was a so-far underacheiving mike williams (who is not fun to watch as opposed to qb, rb, or reciever or a skill position) and mcgahee who was out all last year. we just need someone who we can watch

[mypoorfriendme]

all of course, in my own humble opinion

[Demon]

Nate Clements. I think he's role will be bigger and if he allows a few home run passes, he could be the "whipping" boy.

Although i hope there is no whipping boy and we play like magic all season long. :)

[Fryin' The Fish]

Originally posted by helmetguy
Bledsoe. Unless we win it all, the QB (fill in any name here) is the lightning rod for criticism. It's the nature of the beast.

exactly right. it just seems so much easier to blame the QB for any problem a team has.

[helmetguy]

Originally posted by The Natrix
.

And BTW, how would a QB not be an impact player? What about the impact he would have on Bledsoe. Bledsoe never had to worry about being benched when the options were AVP and Travis Brown. Also, it is rare, but not unheard of that a Rookie could be thrown in there (Harrington, Ramsey, etc.).




Correct me if I've misinterpreted this part, but it sounds like you're impying that Bledsoe's struggles last season were, in part, due to complacency. That is, the comfort of knowing that he wouldn't be replaced dulled his competitive edge. I highly doubt Bledsoe would have approached the situation any differently had there been a situation akin to that in Cleveland going on in Buffalo. If anything, as things began to spiral continually downward, Bledsoe's biggest problems were frustration and trying to force a big play to break out of the funk. Of all the QB's I've watched over the years (LOTS of years) about the only one I would definitely accuse of complacency would be Billy Joe Hobert.

[mypoorfriendme]

wow demon, thats giong out on a limb. i like your style and think thats actually pretty likely. i think it will be a role player who doesnt play up to par kinda like ruben last season

[Mr. Cynical]

Originally posted by Tatonka
mcgahee could easily be the goat.. if we dont see something out of him.. people are going to freak..

lets just say that he stays healthy, but looks like antwain smith..

wow.. there are gonna be some people going crrrrrraazy..

Actually, if that happens, I think TD will be the whipping boy. Blowing a 1st round pick on a guy with a blown out knee was a huge risk. If Willis shines, TD is genius. If he doesn't, and if Drew bombs out again, TD is gone in '05. Save this post! :D

[Demon]

Originally posted by mypoorfriendme
wow demon, thats giong out on a limb. i like your style and think thats actually pretty likely. i think it will be a role player who doesnt play up to par kinda like ruben last season

lol you're right. But in a topic like this, some player has to be named out and to be honest, i couldn't think of any better. I like Clements alot and hope he plays well. I was trying to anwser the question lol.

[Captain gameboy]

I'm going to watching Big Mike very closely. I thought he would be one of the best in the NFL by his third year, and so far he's been not much better than adequate.
Any more whiffs on defensive ends in pass blocking and I'm going to be furious.

[BigZ]

:lol!:

I think John Murphy will be the whipping boy next year.

:lol!:

[Jan Reimers]

Tom Donahoe.

[Mr. Miyagi]

I can see Josh Reed being the whipping boy if he doesn't get any better this year.

[Philly Zoner]

Can it be Kevin Gillbride again? I'm not done with him yet

[Novacane]

Donahoe will be the whipping boy.........................if Bledsoe sucks again this year I'm not going to rip him. It's won't be his fault Donahoe kept him here.


TD has made quite a few questionable decisions that need to pan out this year.

[Ebenezer]

This is Buffalo...failure to go 8-8 will result in complete destruction of RWS and the public flogging of every player/coach on the roster...and TD.

[mikedd74]

whipping boy= Jerry Gray if the defense regresses

[Demon]

Originally posted by Fairway To Green
Donahoe will be the whipping boy.........................if Bledsoe sucks again this year I'm not going to rip him. It's won't be his fault Donahoe kept him here.


TD has made quite a few questionable decisions that need to pan out this year.

Amen to that!

[socalfan]

I think TD gets the brunt of the criticism this year. His only hope is

1) to land a first year wide receiver that will make an immediate impact.
2) bring in or draft a QB that will replace Bledsoe
3) hope that the QB he brings in shows better than Henson and Volek
4) lands a DE that will get at least 8 sacks this year with a real show of promise of replacing Scholbel if we can't resign him
5) getting a great DT to back up the two aging guys we got in the middle
6) get a kick returner that moves north south instead of east west and averages in the top 5 returners this coming season
7) hope Vincent pans out, otherwise the AW critics will chirp in
8) make sure we are under the salary cap so that we can bring in a last minute drop like Law


I think I've covered most of the expectations I've sen over the last 2 months, but feel free to add what I've missed.

[TheGhostofJimKelly]

1. Mike Williams
2. Josh Reed
3. Trey Teague
4. Drew Bledsoe

[The Natrix]

Originally posted by helmetguy


Correct me if I've misinterpreted this part, but it sounds like you're impying that Bledsoe's struggles last season were, in part, due to complacency. That is, the comfort of knowing that he wouldn't be replaced dulled his competitive edge. I highly doubt Bledsoe would have approached the situation any differently had there been a situation akin to that in Cleveland going on in Buffalo. If anything, as things began to spiral continually downward, Bledsoe's biggest problems were frustration and trying to force a big play to break out of the funk. Of all the QB's I've watched over the years (LOTS of years) about the only one I would definitely accuse of complacency would be Billy Joe Hobert.


I agree with you that he wouldn't have approached the situation any differently. However, I just think if there was a Volek type behind him, he would play better. It's not that he would conciously (sp) play better, he would inexplicably play better, in my opinion. AVP and Drew seem like really laid back guys. It is kind of like two pot heads. If you are trying to quit the herbesa but your best friend is smoking the ganga everyday, you are less likely to quit. I know that might be a terrible analogy, but it is just the way I feel. A competent, fiery backup would not only fire up Bledsoe, but he could step in if Drew faulters.

[The Spaz]

Volek doesn't seem fired up to me concidering it seems he would rather take money then get a chance to start IMO.

[The Natrix]

Originally posted by The Spaz
Volek doesn't seem fired up to me concidering it seems he would rather take money then get a chance to start IMO.


So I take it you think Bledsoe Blows?


Bledsoe is only slightly older than McNair and Vick is going to be hurt half his career.


The snake has never impressed me much.

[The Spaz]

Originally posted by The Natrix



So I take it you think Bledsoe Blows?


Bledsoe is only slightly older than McNair and Vick is going to be hurt half his career.


The snake has never impressed me much.

No I wouldn't say he blows I would just say he has problems and hope he can work them out. It just seems to me that a fiery competitor would rather want a chance to start then ride the pine just for money. That's just how I see it. So I am not a Bledsoe supporter or basher just hope the team including Bledsoe can get better and improve.:beers:

[The Natrix]

Originally posted by The Spaz


he (Bledose) has problems


:bf1:

[helmetguy]

I follow what you're saying, Nat. Perhaps a little "push" from an able backup might be in order. While he does have his faults (I never denied that), as I've watched the videotapes of last year's games, what faults he had were magnified by what we were trying to do with the offense. How much was Bledsoe himself and how much it was coaching not recognizing the reason for those problems is strictly a matter of opinion, at this point. While Bledsoe has never been given to "firey" historionics, he does tend to press when he's frustrated. That is, when things aren't working, he's given to trying to force the big play, particularly if the team is behind. That happens a lot to a lot of QB's. We just happen to be Bills fans who witnessed it week after week,; whereas we only get cameo looks at guys like Plummer or Garcia or even Manning. The difference here is that, unlike Gilbride, most other OC's make some kind of adjustment. In Gilbride's case, it's more like "We'll just have to keep doing it until we get it right." Again, that is not intended to make excuses for Bledsoe. As far as the historionics, by season's end, there was a palpable sense of resignation among the offensive players; having realized that, no matter what they did or said, nothing was going to change. That was no more evident than when they came out of the bye week as flat as they entered it; even after Williams' famed "self-scouting" exercise.

[The Natrix]

Good post.

I agree that Gilbride Blows. <b>But</b>, the guys offensive scheme is perfect for Bledsoe. It's kind of a fun n' gun type of deal. Bledsoe was the ideal QB to make it work, however Drew failed miserably. Now, do you really think that a new scheme oriented towards moving the chains and fully utilizing the talents of Moulds Reed and Shaw is suitable for Drew? I don't. That is exactly why so many are crying for a speed receiver. They want to build the offense around Drew. I think it is hilarious when people discount a WR prospect's ability because his 40 time was a tad bit slow for their taste. Since when has Moulds been slow? Hell, Antonio Brown is fast! He must be able to fill the void! :rolleyes:. The <b>fact</b> is, Bledsoe has always, and always will stink at the short game. The only way a speed WR is going to suddenly make this offense better is if he immedately becomes as good as Peerless Price. Simply "streching the field" isn't going to help Drew since he undeniably has one of the worst short games ever.

[The Natrix]

I just feel that a new offensive scheme, AND a QB to fit it, will elevate this team nicely.

I like the the D. I like the run game. While I think the O-line is salvagable, I fail to see how this QB is.

[helmetguy]

I disagree about the scheme fitting Bledsoe. Sure, he likes to "grip it and rip it." But what Gilbride was attempting to do was combine his "Rub and Shoot" with the West Coast" scheme. The one real success Gilbride ever had (and it was partial success, at best) was in Houston, when he had Warren Moon and the "Smurfs." Why that worked at all was that Moon WAS very mobile (which is why the more athletic, scrambling QB's became more desirable) in stark contrast to the very immobile, traditional drop back Bledsoe. What was probably the most glaring example of what Gilbride was thinking was when, in short yardage situations, he would send in a play requiring an empty backfield. With Bledsoe being a drop back, grip it and rip kinda guy, the whole thing gets screwed up if everyone on the field has to read and adjust on the fly. If each guy running a patter has say three route options and there are five guys running routes, that means the QB has 3x3x3x3x3 different reads to make on the fly. 243 reads in the space of, like three seconds? That's a lot. Trust me, I would have liked to see what Antonio Brown and Clarence Coleman could have done last year. Again, I have to question the judgement of the coaching staff on that one. They made it easy to second guess every move they made. Travis Henry had nearly 1400 yards, and how many TDs? One can only imagine what kind of production he could have had if he'd have been on the field in the situations in which he excels. It makes one wonder what would possess an OC to take his feature back off the field in the Red Zone in favor of a backup whose best asset is he's a little bit better blocker? Why not announce to the world, "HEY GUYS? Don't worry, we won't try to run it, okay?" Like I said, they made it easy to question their judgement.

[The Natrix]

Well, I am really tired of participating in this arguement. But I really hope that this is finally the right scheme to let Bledsoe excell and mask his many weaknesses, I really do. I trully want to drive to the ralph 3 1/2 hours on the boring thruway to watch the Bills win every game. I really hope that I get to eat crow. It is not like I hope that Bledsoe stinks AGAIN. For that would just be pathetic.