TMQ takes BUF's coaching to task.

[stuckincincy]

..."Buck-Buck-Brawkkkkkk: Trailing by 10 points in the fourth quarter at Miami, the Bills faced fourth-and-6 in Dolphins territory -- and sent in the punt unit. Words fail me. One reason for Buffalo's league-worst, 15-year playoff drought -- the Bills haven't been to the postseason in this century -- is timorous coaches who play not to lose rather than play to win. The last three especially -- Dick Jauron, Chan Gailey and now Doug Marrone -- were wedded to conservative tactics, launching punt after punt in opposition territory and never seeming to realize this had anything to do with their combined 51-80 record. In a span of five days -- at home versus Kansas City, then the Miami road game -- the Bills lost two games while scoring just one touchdown. Not only did Marrone order punts in opposition territory versus both the Chiefs and Dolphins; not only did Marrone punt on fourth-and-1 near midfield when trailing Kansas City in the fourth quarter. Four times in five days the Bills had fourth-and-goal or fourth-and-short in the red zone, and all four times Marrone sent in the kicking unit. The Bills face yet another housecleaning in the offseason, but this time the entire front office should go, too. It's the front office that hires the timid coaches and makes the nutty draft-day decisions.

With Buffalo and Miami each 5-4 at kickoff, the game was essentially an elimination contest, since at least 10 wins will be required for an AFC wild card this season. Buffalo is now all but mathematically done, while at 6-4, Miami joins the postseason conversation coming off three consecutive strong performances -- emphatic home wins versus the Chargers and Bills and a close road loss at Detroit. Down the stretch, Miami has winnable dates against Minnesota and Jersey/B twice. The Dolphins' issue is their other final opponents are Baltimore, Denver and New England. Playing at Denver this coming Sunday, Miami has an opportunity to knock on the door of the league's elite."...

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/page/...ng-quarterback

[Night Train]

Easterbrook grew up in Buffalo and is a Bills fan. He understands the frustration.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

Easterbrook calls out cowardly punting and he's right to.

[Forward_Lateral]

While it's a long road ahead, at 5-5 they are far from "all but mathematically" eliminated.

[Albany,n.y.]

While it's a long road ahead, at 5-5 they are far from "all but mathematically" eliminated.

They are basically eliminated but not mathematically yet, "all but mathematically eliminated" perfectly sums up the Bills situation, especially when they are in 8th place for the 2 wild cards (1.5 games out of the final wild card) & have games coming up against Denver, Green Bay & New England.
The only way the Bills are seeing the playoffs is on TV.

[Fletch]

While it's a long road ahead, at 5-5 they are far from "all but mathematically" eliminated.

Your friendly wager with me that a 9-7 team will make the playoffs in the AFC is already in jeopardy. KC's a shoe-in for 10-6 now.

[Oaf]

KC is the most overrated team… We should of had them, twice.

[Forward_Lateral]

Your friendly wager with me that a 9-7 team will make the playoffs in the AFC is already in jeopardy. KC's a shoe-in for 10-6 now.

We will see. Denver lost to St. Louis, so that proves that anything can still happen really.

[GreedoII]

"It's the front office that hires the timid coaches and makes the nutty draft-day decisions"

Russ Brandon needs to go away. This turd has been skating by all this time. Why Isn't anyone holding him accountable? It's his coach..and his plan

[Fletch]

We will see. Denver lost to St. Louis, so that proves that anything can still happen really.

Maybe insofar as Denver goes, but it'll be odd if both Denver and KC lose 4 of their remaining 6 games, particularly since neither's schedule is that tough despite playing each other.

Anything can happen regarding teams getting in, but again, it would be odd for a 9-7 to make it in the AFC this season. The three of the four teams in the AFCN that are playing this weekend all have very winnable games. If two win them they'll be 3-2 away from 10-6.

[Fletch]

"It's the front office that hires the timid coaches and makes the nutty draft-day decisions"

Russ Brandon needs to go away. This turd has been skating by all this time. Why Isn't anyone holding him accountable? It's his coach..and his plan

To Brandon's credit he isn't a football guy, but that then raises the question why his responsibilities spill over into that arena. We can't blame him for pretending to be one since he's been put in a certain role. It's clearly because of the way Ralph ran the team by leaning more on friendships than on competence in the area of football knowledge, which is exactly why he fired Polian, which is clearly among the dumbest decisions of any owners ever in pro football.

My fear is that Pegula will be similar since he's all about "all things Buffalo." Don't get me wrong, happy that he bought the team and all, but he seems far more concerned with building a downtown sports and business complex than he does about building a winner for the Bills. I may be way off on that, but so far he hasn't done anything for the Sabres except take them down despite the differences in the opinions of Sabres fans as to how and why that is.

I really think we find out after this season. Again, he's got a golden opportunity to clean house now, it's a once in a lifetime thing. As a fan he'd have to be a fool not to realize what the problems are with this team, which stem directly from the FO, and as an owner, a new one, he'd be remiss in not taking the opportunity to simply say that it's time to turn a page in the way the organization is run, tell everyone that it's nothing personal, and if he feels bad pay them all for an extra year or 6 months or whatever, and then put some people in there without ties to NYS or Pittsburgh that are capable of producing a winning team.

It really is that simple.

[Fletch]

While it's a long road ahead, at 5-5 they are far from "all but mathematically" eliminated.

By the way, I give you credit for your optimism.

[better days]

"It's the front office that hires the timid coaches and makes the nutty draft-day decisions"

Russ Brandon needs to go away. This turd has been skating by all this time. Why Isn't anyone holding him accountable? It's his coach..and his plan

Russ will be restricted to marketing under Pegula which he is very good at.

[justasportsfan]

I would not say Gailey had a play not to lose offensive system/philosophy. So far, he's the only one who knew what to do with Spiller. Gailey's mistake was Fitz.

[Fletch]

I would not say Gailey had a play not to lose offensive system/philosophy. So far, he's the only one who knew what to do with Spiller. Gailey's mistake was Fitz.

That was a pretty big mistake though.

[GreedoII]

To Brandon's credit he isn't a football guy, but that then raises the question why his responsibilities spill over into that arena. We can't blame him for pretending to be one since he's been put in a certain role. It's clearly because of the way Ralph ran the team by leaning more on friendships than on competence in the area of football knowledge, which is exactly why he fired Polian, which is clearly among the dumbest decisions of any owners ever in pro football.

My fear is that Pegula will be similar since he's all about "all things Buffalo." Don't get me wrong, happy that he bought the team and all, but he seems far more concerned with building a downtown sports and business complex than he does about building a winner for the Bills. I may be way off on that, but so far he hasn't done anything for the Sabres except take them down despite the differences in the opinions of Sabres fans as to how and why that is.


I see you point sure but Pegula is a sucesfull busines man and he surely can see the disfunction in the FO. I mean this team has like 20 VP's for various erroneus depts. he can see the failfure over the yeasrs in decdision making and inner crcles and stupid allegiances and buddy buddy systems.

I really think we find out after this season. Again, he's got a golden opportunity to clean house now, it's a once in a lifetime thing. As a fan he'd have to be a fool not to realize what the problems are with this team, which stem directly from the FO, and as an owner, a new one, he'd be remiss in not taking the opportunity to simply say that it's time to turn a page in the way the organization is run, tell everyone that it's nothing personal, and if he feels bad pay them all for an extra year or 6 months or whatever, and then put some people in there without ties to NYS or Pittsburgh that are capable of producing a winning team.

It really is that simple.

I see you point sure but Pegula is a successful business man and he surely can see the dysfunction in the FO. I mean this team has like 20 VP's for various erroneous depts. he can see the failure over the years in decision making and inner circles and stupid allegiances and buddy buddy systems. Pegula is a renaissance man in Buf and will put the city back on the map but to say he may be like Ralph? No way. He wants to be successful in everything he does I’m sure. But we will see once the season is over. I’m more nervous that scuz ball Brandon is in his ear daily trying to save his sorry ass.

In terms of the Sabres, he's going about it the right way now. he tried to throw cash at it first but Darcy and Ruff still couldn't do it so he blew it up and is doing it the right way in my opinion. let's hope he learned his lesson this time around.

[Fletch]

I see you point sure but Pegula is a successful business man and he surely can see the dysfunction in the FO. I mean this team has like 20 VP's for various erroneous depts. he can see the failure over the years in decision making and inner circles and stupid allegiances and buddy buddy systems. Pegula is a renaissance man in Buf and will put the city back on the map but to say he may be like Ralph? No way. He wants to be successful in everything he does I’m sure. But we will see once the season is over. I’m more nervous that scuz ball Brandon is in his ear daily trying to save his sorry ass.

In terms of the Sabres, he's going about it the right way now. he tried to throw cash at it first but Darcy and Ruff still couldn't do it so he blew it up and is doing it the right way in my opinion. let's hope he learned his lesson this time around.

I wasn't passing judgement yet one way or the other, and I hope you're right. As you said, we'll see after the season, but if he doesn't clean house I won't view it as much different than under Wilson. And we will see after the season, within weeks of after the season, it won't take longer. The situation's going to make itself and all we'll be able to do is judge it.

As far as him being a renaissance man and putting Buffalo back on the map, it's going to take more than him to achieve that, but also, while that's all well and good, it's independent from making the Bills good which was my point. What's his first goal, to try to singlehandedly put Buffalo back on the map, something that's a longshot if you ask me as well as something that's going to take years if not a decade or more, or him turning the Bills once again into a contender as it was under Polian, something that should take anymore than 2-3 seasons to do with competent people in charge? We don't know the answer to that yet. Hopefully both, but I don't see a direct connection between the two. i.e., he could "put Buffalo back on the map" with the Bills still sucking every year, to the extent that it's possible for one man to put an entire city "back on the map" that is.

To fix the team he'll have to directly, not indirectly, address the root problems. It's blatant that those root problems are the FO including Whaley, Brandon, the scouting staff, and some leftover long-time friends of Ralph. What we really need, and no disrespect to Ralph intended, is to wash and rinse the organization clean from Ralph's influences. The only way that we're going to achieve that is by dismissing the entire personnel side of the FO, which again, based on Whaley's recent statements appear to be nothing but a bunch of yes-men.

[Albany,n.y.]

I would not say Gailey had a play not to lose offensive system/philosophy. So far, he's the only one who knew what to do with Spiller. Gailey's mistake was Fitz.

I remember Gailey, up 12-7 punting from the opponent's 34. How is that not playing not to lose? They lost that game 15-12.
This Chan Gailey love has to stop. The Gailey lovers are like a guy who wants to get back with a bad ex-wife, forgetting why they split up.

http://www.footballperspective.com/w...-no-mans-land/

On Sunday, with 12 minutes remaining and a 12-7 lead, Chan Gailey’s Bills faced a 4th-and-7 from the St. Louis 34-yard-line. It’s worth noting — in part because it was notable to Gailey — that minutes earlier, Buffalo scored a touchdown but Shawn Powell botched the extra point, preventing Buffalo from going up 13-7. I suppose we could dwell on the fact that up 5 with 20 minutes left in the game after scoring a touchdown is an obvious scenario that calls for going for two, but let’s not do that in this post.

In Tampa Bay, Schiano attempted a 56-yard field goal. In Buffalo, with rain but wind at his back, the Bills sent on the field goal unit but then changed their mind and chose to punt, with the botched snap from minutes earlier apparently being a factor in the decision.

[Fletch]

I remember Gailey, up 12-7 punting from the opponent's 34. How is that not playing not to lose? They lost that game 15-12.
This Chan Gailey love has to stop. The Gailey lovers are like a guy who wants to get back with a bad ex-wife, forgetting why they split up.

LOL

Good analogy.

Sadly that's what a good chunk of the fanbase has been reduced to here. Nearly two decades of extreme futility and a solid track record of second-half collapses will do that to some.

[better days]

Your friendly wager with me that a 9-7 team will make the playoffs in the AFC is already in jeopardy. KC's a shoe-in for 10-6 now.

Speaking of wagers, I had a bet with someone that Dareus would not be suspended this year.

I cant remember who, but you know who you are welcher.