Buffalo Bills 2017 Why do I put myself through this season thread

[BuffOrange]

NFL rules can usually be spun in a way that allows you to believe what you want. No idea if it's the right call but I know it's frequently not called and I'd be pissed if it happened to us. Other fans in this thread were calling us homers at the time but the Marrone/Orton team seriously got jobbed almost every God damn week, it was criminal - that was a playoff team. I can call a spade a spade - this team now has gotten two enormous breaks in ATL/Indy games which hasn't happened in my 27years of watching them. Which honestly makes me even more sour on McDermott that they're still going to come up short. Unless it's actually a sustainable thing and the refs just like him more (which honestly I don't rule out entirely).

 

[Toga]

NFL rules can usually be spun in a way that allows you to believe what you want. No idea if it's the right call but I know it's frequently not called and I'd be pissed if it happened to us. Other fans in this thread were calling us homers at the time but the Marrone/Orton team seriously got jobbed almost every God damn week, it was criminal - that was a playoff team. I can call a spade a spade - this team now has gotten two enormous breaks in ATL/Indy games which hasn't happened in my 27years of watching them. Which honestly makes me even more sour on McDermott that they're still going to come up short. Unless it's actually a sustainable thing and the refs just like him more (which honestly I don't rule out entirely).

We didn't have blinders on - we were seriously getting screwed by awful game changing calls that were good for like two losses a year. Not seeing that now.

 

[longislandcuse]

The refs made the right call on the 2 point play, the only thing I can really take from that game was McDermott freezing up going into a shell in OT and punting on 4th and 1, it was just a such a terrible call. Regardless of outcome, it was just a terrible call. Bills were beyond lucky to win that game, I am not blaming play calling etc because you are just so limited in conditions like that. McDermott got the right result but made the wrong choice. The pass completion that lead to the McCoy TD was a hale mary and the odds of that being completed far outweigh the shot of converting the 4th and 1. His prayers were answered for sure

The fumble by Tolbert was brutal as well, a game like that ball security is 10 times more important than any other game and he should have had both hands on it, no excuse there either. Maybe Tolbert thought he would outrun everyone. :rolling:

Bills need to root for somehow the Titans and Ravens to tank, the titans have a tougher schedule and seems to be playing worse. 9-7 probably wont get them in but seems to be the only chance they have. Cant see Ravens being any worse than 9-7 and that is pushing it. Titans looks like a 9-7 finish but not sure where that leaves Buffalo in a tie breaker.

I was not at the game and knew months ago I wasn't going, would have been a long ride home for sure.

Benjamin is obviously still hurt, nice to see him make a couple plays but have to assume he will be day to day at best

Titans schedule is pretty brutal. 49ers (who are playing well with Garropalo), Rams and Jags. Not sure if they drop all 3 though.. However, if they lose to SF, it's definitely possible.

Ravens have an easy schedule so I'm not exactly counting on them dropping 2 of 3

This is all factoring our auto-loss to NE

 

[MSOrange]

Titans schedule is pretty brutal. 49ers (who are playing well with Garropalo), Rams and Jags. Not sure if they drop all 3 though.. However, if they lose to SF, it's definitely possible.

Ravens have an easy schedule so I'm not exactly counting on them dropping 2 of 3

This is all factoring our auto-loss to NE

I could easily see the Titans dropping all 3 of those - as you said, SF is the key game. It's going to take some work for the Ravens to lose more than 1, and losing to the Bengals is a long shot.

Titans have the tiebreaker over us?

 

[longislandcuse]

I could easily see the Titans dropping all 3 of those - as you said, SF is the key game. It's going to take some work for the Ravens to lose more than 1, and losing to the Bengals is a long shot.

Titans have the tiebreaker over us?

I have no idea how the tiebreakers all work

 

[Alsacs]

Titans schedule is pretty brutal. 49ers (who are playing well with Garropalo), Rams and Jags. Not sure if they drop all 3 though.. However, if they lose to SF, it's definitely possible.

Ravens have an easy schedule so I'm not exactly counting on them dropping 2 of 3

This is all factoring our auto-loss to NE

If the Patriots beat Pittsburgh next week then Belichick should sit Gronk,Hogan,Flowers,Van Noy and anyone else.
Play Brady a half this helps get the Bills in over Kansas City/Chargers runnerup or Baltimore.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I have no idea how the tiebreakers all work

Yeah I don't know either, from reading a few things, it sounds like Bills fans need Chargers to win AFC West, KC to lose another game or two, ( Bills favorable in tie to KC) and for Titans to tank and that most likely the Ravens will get one wildcard spot because their schedule is easy and that the Bills would lose tiebreaker to Ravens from what it looks like.

I am looking at everything with the Bills finishing 9-7 which to me is best case scenario.

 

[shandeezy7]

I have no idea how the tiebreakers all work

I know that a two-way tie is head to head. Three-way tie is head to head, if all teams have played each other. If not, it goes to conference record. If two teams are tied and have no head-to-head and the same conference record, then it goes to strength of victory. So the Bills sit in the 6th spot now even though they are tied with Baltimore and LA because they have a better conference record than LA and a better strength of victory than Baltimore. Not sure what it would go to after that and not sure what it goes to if 4 or more teams are tied.

It's all pretty confusing, and just once I'd like to have a season where we don't need 47 things to go our way just to be able to sneak into the playoffs.

 

[longislandcuse]

Yeah I don't know either, from reading a few things, it sounds like Bills fans need Chargers to win AFC West, KC to lose another game or two, ( Bills favorable in tie to KC) and for Titans to tank and that most likely the Ravens will get one wildcard spot because their schedule is easy and that the Bills would lose tiebreaker to Ravens from what it looks like.

I am looking at everything with the Bills finishing 9-7 which to me is best case scenario.

I just ran:

Buffalo beating Miami 2x and losing to NE.

Ravens winning out.

Titans beating 49ers and losing to Rams/Jags

KC losing to SD and beating Miami and Denver.

That put Baltimore and 9-7 KC in?

If Titans lose out or KC finishes 8-8, we're in at 9-7.

I'll entertain the Ravens if they somehow drop a game before Cincy.

 

[HSPORANGE]

Just win baby and 10-6 should be good enough (hoping Patriots beat the Steelers so less to play for).

Shades of Marrone on that punt in OT from Indy's 41 on 4th and 1. Terrible and gutless call. We were lucky to win after that crap. Even if you don't make the 1st down, Indy has a ways to go. I felt like he was going for the tie.

Not much to take away from that game as those were whiteout conditions. Hopefully tyrod starts vs Miami as he gives the Bills the best chance to win.

 

[BuffOrange]

I just ran:

Buffalo beating Miami 2x and losing to NE.

Ravens winning out.

Titans beating 49ers and losing to Rams/Jags

KC losing to SD and beating Miami and Denver.

That put Baltimore and 9-7 KC in?

If Titans lose out or KC finishes 8-8, we're in at 9-7.

I'll entertain the Ravens if they somehow drop a game before Cincy.

Even though I don't think we're any better than these teams and we've gotten breaks mentioned above, the unfavorable tiebreaker stuff is maddening. We get the two auto-Ls every year nobody else gets plus the best division in the NFC while Tennessee and Baltimore are playing Cleveland and Syracuse every week. GMAFB.
I do think KC@Denver is basically a pick 'em. Turnovers & refs killed Denver in their 1st meeting and it was still a game.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

I just ran:

Buffalo beating Miami 2x and losing to NE.

Ravens winning out.

Titans beating 49ers and losing to Rams/Jags

KC losing to SD and beating Miami and Denver.

That put Baltimore and 9-7 KC in?

If Titans lose out or KC finishes 8-8, we're in at 9-7.

I'll entertain the Ravens if they somehow drop a game before Cincy.

Ok, have to root for Titans and KC to keep losing, I guess what I would like to know is do the bills get in at 9-7 over a Titans 9-7. I can see KC going 8-8

 

[shandeezy7]

Ok, have to root for Titans and KC to keep losing, I guess what I would like to know is do the bills get in at 9-7 over a Titans 9-7. I can see KC going 8-8

If the Bills and Titans were both at 9-7 with no other teams at that record, then I believe the Bills would need one of the Titans' two losses to be Jacksonville. That would put both teams at 7-5 in the conference. Then it comes down to strength of victory, which the Bills currently hold the edge in (.407 to .375), but is a volatile stat and I'm not sure how that would play out over the last three games. For example, the Bills getting to 9-7 with one win over the Pats and one over the Dolphins is a lot better for SOV than two wins over the Dolphins and a loss to the Pats. Similarly, the Titans getting to 9-7 with a win over the Rams is better than a win over the Niners.

 

[Stern]

I'm done with McDermott. He's a meathead coach with zero feel for the game. Talks a big talk and then backs nothing up. No accountability, doesn't learn from his mistakes. Nothing. The Pegulas are 0 for 2 in head coaching hires and both franchises they own are embarrassments.

There was a reason why Philly fired McDermott and it really wasn't that many years ago

 

[Chip]

I still can't believe that he called timeout and then still punted.

It's disheartening.

I'm just so glad they won for the fans that stuck around and are probably still stuck in the parking lot.

 

[longislandcuse]

I was legit losing my mind when I saw Haushka running onto the field before McCoy ran it in for the TD. I guess he was just sizing up the kick but after the punt I was in utter disbelief and truly thought we were kicking a FG there.

 

[HSPORANGE]

There was a reason why Philly fired McDermott and it really wasn't that many years ago

Ahhh time will tell and judge McDermott as a head coach. All coaches have been fired at one time or another.

Not a fan of some of his calls like the Marronesque punt from Indy's 41 on 4th and 1 or the week before his rediculous challenge on the Brady play.

I will say that he appears to have rid the Bills of some of the dead weight and cut down on the penalties. Time will be his judge as a HC in Buffalo.

 

[MSOrange]

We're in at #6 as of today!

NFL Playoff Picture: Updated seeds after Week 14

 

[MSOrange]

I still can't believe that he called timeout and then still punted.

It's disheartening.

I'm just so glad they won for the fans that stuck around and are probably still stuck in the parking lot.

They really should find something special to do for the fans who showed up and sat through the whole game yesterday. Not sure what - but seems like they should find something.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Ahhh time will tell and judge McDermott as a head coach. All coaches have been fired at one time or another.

Not a fan of some of his calls like the Marronesque punt from Indy's 41 on 4th and 1 or the week before his rediculous challenge on the Brady play.

I will say that he appears to have rid the Bills of some of the dead weight and cut down on the penalties. Time will be his judge as a HC in Buffalo.

Agreed, I hated the call yesterday for sure but he has actually done pretty good this year and people need to pump the brakes just a bit, he's 7-6 his first year with a 3rd choice OC and a roster that he has purged to build for the future, people forget that the outlook was that the Bills were tanking this year. I say get a new OC, try and find a QB and keep building through the draft. Sure he has made some mistakes ( Peterman starting versus SD and yesterday's punt call being two rather large ones) but if he gets the Bills to a 9-7 record this year, that is pretty damn good for a rookie HC with a roster with some serious holes. IMO, there are so very few GREAT head coaches anyway, really only one that I would call great anymore. The Rams coach may be the next GREAT HC, IMO but the rest other than Bill B? Show me a really good HC with NO QB? Marrone would probably be the only one.

I think McDermott will continue to get better as a HC, like I said if he keeps guys motivated and Bean makes good moves and eventually they get a QB things should be fine.

 

[Chip]

Agreed, I hated the call yesterday for sure but he has actually done pretty good this year and people need to pump the brakes just a bit, he's 7-6 his first year with a 3rd choice OC and a roster that he has purged to build for the future, people forget that the outlook was that the Bills were tanking this year. I say get a new OC, try and find a QB and keep building through the draft. Sure he has made some mistakes ( Peterman starting versus SD and yesterday's punt call being two rather large ones) but if he gets the Bills to a 9-7 record this year, that is pretty damn good for a rookie HC with a roster with some serious holes. IMO, there are so very few GREAT head coaches anyway, really only one that I would call great anymore. The Rams coach may be the next GREAT HC, IMO but the rest other than Bill B? Show me a really good HC with NO QB? Marrone would probably be the only one.

9-7 with this team is pretty crazy. I like to think coaches learn from the calls that they get the most heat from (instead of being stubborn and saying hey I still won yesterday so shut up everyone!). They won that in spite of the decision, not because of it.

I still like the future, 5 picks in the first 3 rounds, beef up the offense, and hope Brady's career ends before he's 50.

 

[HSPORANGE]

Agreed, I hated the call yesterday for sure but he has actually done pretty good this year and people need to pump the brakes just a bit, he's 7-6 his first year with a 3rd choice OC and a roster that he has purged to build for the future, people forget that the outlook was that the Bills were tanking this year. I say get a new OC, try and find a QB and keep building through the draft. Sure he has made some mistakes ( Peterman starting versus SD and yesterday's punt call being two rather large ones) but if he gets the Bills to a 9-7 record this year, that is pretty damn good for a rookie HC with a roster with some serious holes. IMO, there are so very few GREAT head coaches anyway, really only one that I would call great anymore. The Rams coach may be the next GREAT HC, IMO but the rest other than Bill B? Show me a really good HC with NO QB? Marrone would probably be the only one.

I think McDermott will continue to get better as a HC, like I said if he keeps guys motivated and Bean makes good moves and eventually they get a QB things should be fine.

His long term success in Buffalo will depend on the QB situation (as did Jauron/Gailey/Rex/Marrone/etc).

I would love to see Buffalo go out and sign Cousins in free agency but that seems like a pipe dream. I'm not sold on trading up for Darnold or Rosen (gonna cost at least our 2 1st rounders). Do they like Mayfield and will he be there in middle of 1st? Not sure.

 

[Toga]

His long term success in Buffalo will depend on the QB situation (as did Jauron/Gailey/Rex/Marrone/etc).

I would love to see Buffalo go out and sign Cousins in free agency but that seems like a pipe dream. I'm not sold on trading up for Darnold or Rosen (gonna cost at least our 2 1st rounders). Do they like Mayfield and will he be there in middle of 1st? Not sure.

Why is Cousins a pipe dream?

 

[IthacaBarrel]

His long term success in Buffalo will depend on the QB situation (as did Jauron/Gailey/Rex/Marrone/etc).

I would love to see Buffalo go out and sign Cousins in free agency but that seems like a pipe dream. I'm not sold on trading up for Darnold or Rosen (gonna cost at least our 2 1st rounders). Do they like Mayfield and will he be there in middle of 1st? Not sure.

The only two qb's that I find intriguing in this years draft are Jackson and Mayfield. I think Darnold is overrated because he's at USC and Rosen gets hurt all the time

 

[Melancer46]

His long term success in Buffalo will depend on the QB situation (as did Jauron/Gailey/Rex/Marrone/etc).

I would love to see Buffalo go out and sign Cousins in free agency but that seems like a pipe dream. I'm not sold on trading up for Darnold or Rosen (gonna cost at least our 2 1st rounders). Do they like Mayfield and will he be there in middle of 1st? Not sure.

Obviously things can change between now and then, but at the moment, it sounds like Mayfield is a fringe 1st round pick. He could potentially rise up during the draft process though.

Also sounds like Darnold is leaning towards returning to school, which would suck for Buffalo. Supposedly he's the one that Buffalo is highest on, not to mention it decreases the odds of one of the top QBs sliding to Buffalo.