Mudflap1
12-26-2005, 10:45 PM
I find it interesting how the fans have gone through this season in terms of our overall process as a whole:
End of last season: Everyone was disappointed that we barely missed the playoffs. Most were convinced that we were pretty close, just needed a few minor tweaks. Many blamed Bledsoe for not reaching the playoffs, many defended him, saying we had no viable alternatives right now. Most thought Mularkey was a good coach, and Donahoe was a solid GM.
Offseason: Bledsoe gets released. Everyone rallies around J.P. Losman, as the coaches and general manager basically state that he is the answer, he may struggle a little bit, but he's ready to go, and will take this team farther than Bledsoe will. The methodology was that he would be treated like Roethlisberger -- power running game with only 15-25 passes per game. Just manage baby.
In addition, Donahoe failed to replace Pat Williams. Instead, the party line was the Ron Edwards and Tim Anderson would be able to step in with their youth and potential. The defense was billed as "all world" with Troy Vincent playing free safety fulltime. Donahoe also failed to significantly upgrade the offensive line. He brought in Mike Gandy, who is serviceable, but let Marques Sullivan go without a replacement. He drafted Duke Preston and Roscoe Parrish. The thinking of the fans was that we needed to get off to a good start, but Losman would have the weapons in place (including stud running back Willis McGahee) to expedite his learning curve. Most were in support of Mularkey. Most were in support of Donahoe, I was not.
Training camp/preseason: Losman looked pretty good overall. People were getting excited. Most were saying winning record to playoffs. To be honest, I said 6-10. Nothing against Losman, but I saw that there was no replacement for Pat Williams, and that worried me with the run defense. Even though the defense was good last year, we were vulnerable to the run at times. I was also very concerned about the offensive line. Donahoe decided to trade the first round pick again this year for Losman (last year), and took Parrish with the first pick (2nd round). He screwed around with Travis Henry until he traded him for a pick next year. There were no upgraded on the offensive line. It was a mish-mash unit going into the season, and it terrified me with a new, young quarterback at the helm. That, and there was no guarantee this quarterback would be that great. There were a lot of "ifs" going into the season that Mularkey and Donahoe were feeding us, and I think the fans as a whole were buying it. For instance, there were even a lot of accolades for Mike Williams floating around.
1st game vs. Houston: Everyone (including me) was ecstatic. The Bills fairly convincingly beat a Houston team that many believed was a playoff contender. The defense was dominant. Losman looked great. The running game started slow but finished strong. Everyone was thinking playoffs for sure. Peak of fan enthusiasm.
2nd game vs. Tampa Bay: Everyone (including me) came back to reality very quickly. Losman looked horrible. The defense was exposed against the run. Everyone (including me) was scaling back their expectations.
New Orleans game: Rock bottom for fan enthusiams. From everyone being excited in the offseason to the peak at the first game, everyone was depressed. Losman was getting worse. We lost against a New Orleans team that wouldn't play a true home game all season, and lost bad. The locker room revolted. Everyone wanted to give Holcomb a shot. It was around the Atlanta game (2nd or 3rd game in a row with the team struggling) that I accepted the fact that this team was not a playoff team, so I was prepared, and knew what was going to happen with the fans for the rest of the season.
Dolphins/Jets game: Some enthusiasm restored as Holcomb led two straight victories. Frankly, they were against two teams that weren't very good at the time. Holcombmania was in full swing.
Kansas City: By this time, people had already realized that the losses weren't Losman's fault as much as they were the team as a whole. Losman came back in this game and played hero. The fans as a whole had already written off the season, but at least there were some enthusiasm for Losman possibly coming around.
Miami: Losman played great in the first half, but the 2nd half the team blew the game. Not entirely Losman's fault. Mularkey and Donahoe were at all-time approval lows.
Now: Losman is out again, as he got injured, and now is mysteriously benched for Holcomb. The leaks suggest that the locker room wants to play for Holcomb, even if it's for a losing cause. The fans want Donahoe and Mularkey out, a total role reversal from preseason. A lot of veterans have fallen out of grace as well, such as Sam Adams, Mike Williams, and Eric Moulds.
What will Ralph Wilson do? There is a lot of dissention going on. The smart move would be to get rid of Donahoe asap. He either has to 1) force Donahoe to spend money this offseason if he keeps him, or 2) can his ass and bring in someone who will. The holes are obvious on this team. And for gosh sakes, we as the fans need something to cheer about that's not smoke-and-mirrors and propaganda!
Jon
End of last season: Everyone was disappointed that we barely missed the playoffs. Most were convinced that we were pretty close, just needed a few minor tweaks. Many blamed Bledsoe for not reaching the playoffs, many defended him, saying we had no viable alternatives right now. Most thought Mularkey was a good coach, and Donahoe was a solid GM.
Offseason: Bledsoe gets released. Everyone rallies around J.P. Losman, as the coaches and general manager basically state that he is the answer, he may struggle a little bit, but he's ready to go, and will take this team farther than Bledsoe will. The methodology was that he would be treated like Roethlisberger -- power running game with only 15-25 passes per game. Just manage baby.
In addition, Donahoe failed to replace Pat Williams. Instead, the party line was the Ron Edwards and Tim Anderson would be able to step in with their youth and potential. The defense was billed as "all world" with Troy Vincent playing free safety fulltime. Donahoe also failed to significantly upgrade the offensive line. He brought in Mike Gandy, who is serviceable, but let Marques Sullivan go without a replacement. He drafted Duke Preston and Roscoe Parrish. The thinking of the fans was that we needed to get off to a good start, but Losman would have the weapons in place (including stud running back Willis McGahee) to expedite his learning curve. Most were in support of Mularkey. Most were in support of Donahoe, I was not.
Training camp/preseason: Losman looked pretty good overall. People were getting excited. Most were saying winning record to playoffs. To be honest, I said 6-10. Nothing against Losman, but I saw that there was no replacement for Pat Williams, and that worried me with the run defense. Even though the defense was good last year, we were vulnerable to the run at times. I was also very concerned about the offensive line. Donahoe decided to trade the first round pick again this year for Losman (last year), and took Parrish with the first pick (2nd round). He screwed around with Travis Henry until he traded him for a pick next year. There were no upgraded on the offensive line. It was a mish-mash unit going into the season, and it terrified me with a new, young quarterback at the helm. That, and there was no guarantee this quarterback would be that great. There were a lot of "ifs" going into the season that Mularkey and Donahoe were feeding us, and I think the fans as a whole were buying it. For instance, there were even a lot of accolades for Mike Williams floating around.
1st game vs. Houston: Everyone (including me) was ecstatic. The Bills fairly convincingly beat a Houston team that many believed was a playoff contender. The defense was dominant. Losman looked great. The running game started slow but finished strong. Everyone was thinking playoffs for sure. Peak of fan enthusiasm.
2nd game vs. Tampa Bay: Everyone (including me) came back to reality very quickly. Losman looked horrible. The defense was exposed against the run. Everyone (including me) was scaling back their expectations.
New Orleans game: Rock bottom for fan enthusiams. From everyone being excited in the offseason to the peak at the first game, everyone was depressed. Losman was getting worse. We lost against a New Orleans team that wouldn't play a true home game all season, and lost bad. The locker room revolted. Everyone wanted to give Holcomb a shot. It was around the Atlanta game (2nd or 3rd game in a row with the team struggling) that I accepted the fact that this team was not a playoff team, so I was prepared, and knew what was going to happen with the fans for the rest of the season.
Dolphins/Jets game: Some enthusiasm restored as Holcomb led two straight victories. Frankly, they were against two teams that weren't very good at the time. Holcombmania was in full swing.
Kansas City: By this time, people had already realized that the losses weren't Losman's fault as much as they were the team as a whole. Losman came back in this game and played hero. The fans as a whole had already written off the season, but at least there were some enthusiasm for Losman possibly coming around.
Miami: Losman played great in the first half, but the 2nd half the team blew the game. Not entirely Losman's fault. Mularkey and Donahoe were at all-time approval lows.
Now: Losman is out again, as he got injured, and now is mysteriously benched for Holcomb. The leaks suggest that the locker room wants to play for Holcomb, even if it's for a losing cause. The fans want Donahoe and Mularkey out, a total role reversal from preseason. A lot of veterans have fallen out of grace as well, such as Sam Adams, Mike Williams, and Eric Moulds.
What will Ralph Wilson do? There is a lot of dissention going on. The smart move would be to get rid of Donahoe asap. He either has to 1) force Donahoe to spend money this offseason if he keeps him, or 2) can his ass and bring in someone who will. The holes are obvious on this team. And for gosh sakes, we as the fans need something to cheer about that's not smoke-and-mirrors and propaganda!
Jon