The weather was nowhere near as bad as I wanted, but...

[ScottDCP]

1. Fitz is getting drilled on every play. Chan may have outsmarted himself playing the rookie at center so as to have better communication on the line.

2. Neither team should throw the ball much, and yet both are doing it a lot.

3. Buffalo's coverage teams are average at best.

4. Martz doesn't talk much, but when he does, I have no idea what he is trying to say.

5. Super Dave has brought the safety on multiple plays. Shocked I am

6. The only time Fitz ends a pass play on his feet is a rollout. Hmmm. Might indicate something.

7. I hate when my favorite players do bad things.

8. The St. Louis punt coverage, which has sucked all year, statistically, has been outstanding so far today (early 2nd quarter.)

9. Can you tell I am watching it live, and alone?

10. Fake an end around into a screen against a team whose LBs don't turn around? Sweet.

11. The holding call on the interception return? Not a few of my favorite things.

12. Packing it in and going Martyball with 33 seconds and 23 yards at the end of the half? Worse.

13. Thrd quarter. When you need a first down what do you do? Find Justin Rogers.

14. Never seen a prettier flight than Freddie on third down.

15. First bad snap of his career, and the rookie can't handle it. Sweet.

16. One of the best punts I have ever seen just went for one yard.

17. Martz just gave away one of the secrets to The Ralph. Throws to the visitor sideline get away from you. The wind swirls weirdly, and the ball can take off on unexpected vectors.

18. Great cover play by the gunner, Mana Silva.

19. Or, try two run plays, Chan.

20. Freddie got hurt again. Dammit. This is getting old.

21. Seen that visitor sideline pass float four times in the fourth quarter.

22. Super Dave playing soft coverage late. What are the Rams doing with it now? Dave, this is a five point lead, not a ten point lead, ya dumbass.

23. On the last interception - Hayes hit his biceps. That ball was intended to go down the sideline, where Graham had an opening.

This blows. Gonna go play now.

[ScottDCP]

Some additional thoughts.

With six minutes to go, Chan decided to run Freddie into eight and nine man fronts, behind the replacement side of the line, repeatedly. I didn't understand it until I remembered that he is calling plays scared. This is the same guy who threw the ball all day against Houston because they were playing seven man fronts.

I don't get it. Every time Super Dave calls an aggressive game, the defense performs well. When he backs off in coverage, they do not. Calling plays scared.

Timidity loses.

Lindell would have been kicking into the wind on the fourth quarter field goal try, from the far hashmark. He could have made it, but it was probably less than fifty fifty. I prefer going for it at that time, if you trust your defense that much. Late in the game, up by five. Think about it. If you trust your defense to keep them out of the end zone, then you figure at most you give up three points, still up by two, getting the ball back with a couple minutes left. If your defense fails, they get eight,, and you still get the ball back WITH A COUPLE MINUTES LEFT. It isn't like this group has demonstrated an ability to close a game with the defense. I had no doubt St. Louis was going to score. If George catches either of those passes I am happily wrong. It took three highlight reel plays to get there, but teams make those highlight reel plays against Buffalo, because they KNOW they can. Confidence is king.

People are complaining that Siller touched the ball 8 times. That is skewed by two things. First, the Rams ate the first half of the third quarter. Diminished opportunity for the entire team. Second,, they threw the ball way too much in the first quarter.

I am going to put a hole in my bedroom wall now.

[Pruitt]

That last drive was more annoying for the fact that it was completely predictable. Twice this season the Bills have given up game winning touchdown drives at the end of the game to teams that are average at best.

Had a family lunch yesterday and had to explain to my 9 year old football fanatic nephew why his uncle the Bills fan had money on the Rams. With a few minutes left in the game I told him that the Bills were going to lose. His other uncle and father concurred.

I have decided for the sake of my own mental well being that I am not going down to the Rogers Centre this Sunday. I hate to say it, but this team is not worth the effort of getting on the subway.

[ScottDCP]

Yep.

[wxwax]

On the plus side, this should get Gailey fired in a year when some pretty good head coaches will be on the market.

[brauneyz]

Scott, I suggest you don't patch the hole yet. Maybe hang a picture over it for a year. At least till offseason when you see what direction your team is moving.

As an aside, let me say as a Pats fan who was rooting for more competition from you guys this year, I can only imagine your disappointment. Take heart in knowing you are not the laughingstock of the division though. Small comfort, but ...

[ScottDCP]

If it helps, the hole was planned, to buttress shoddy plumbing work done under the previous regime.

I am not allowed to fix the drywall, which is good for me. Someone else will be doing that later in the week. Don't have any pictures that would cover it, unfortunately.

As for the Bills, I find the retrograde work of Chan more frustrating than anything else. I understand their buying into good performances against bad teams as a vindication of Wannstedt (even though they're wrong,) but the increasing passivity has very predictably, gone the same way as the passivity employed under previous head coaches (Williams wasn't passive so much as stupid in his decision to throw out one of the top defenses in the league upon arrival and do nothing to address the stumbling offense, which I ultimately blame on Donohoe.)

The only time since Wade was run out of town that Buffalo had a competitive defense was the Year Of Lebeau. How he wasn't brought on full time is beyond me. Should be the second highest paid employee in the league, after Belichick. He has continued to mask talent deficiencies for a decade in Pittsburgh.

[mikesteelnation1]

The only time since Wade was run out of town that Buffalo had a competitive defense was the Year Of Lebeau. How he wasn't brought on full time is beyond me. Should be the second highest paid employee in the league, after Belichick. He has continued to mask talent deficiencies for a decade in Pittsburgh.

No offense Scott, but this comment officially screams you have no idea what you're talking about. Covering up talent deficiencies in Pittsburgh on defense? Are you on drugs? I know your hatred for the Steelers probably colored this comment, but really?? REALLY??!!

The likes of polamalu, Harrison, porter, smith, keisel, Hampton, Clark, Woodley, and farrior had 28 pro bowl selections in the last decade. That's nearly 3 a year!!! Wth are you talking about? Lebeau is a genius, but there's been no lack of talent on this defense. BTW polamalu and Harrison were dpoy too.
Sorry, but a defense that averages 3 pro bowlers a year, and has 20% of the dpoy's for a decade isn't lacking in talent. Especially considering they've been the #1 defense 50% of those years and in the top 9 all of them. I'd love to hear how you justify that stance..

[Pruitt]

Mike - those are really good players. But if they were playing under Wannstadt the 28 pro bowl selections would be halved.

[ScottDCP]

Polamalu is a Hall of Fame player. Smith was Phil Hansen part 2. Loved having him, and definitely gonna help you be dominant. Woodley has been very good, as was Hampton for a few years. Harrison had a brief period of excellence, but I will always exclude him from discussions of excellence the same way I do Suh and Marcus Vick. Also had it easy, as it occurred during the best period of Polamalu, Smith, and Hampton. Clark is good. Farrior wasn't so hot in Long Island or Detroit. Unlikely to be a coincidence.

There were three years where the bulk of them played together, and it made life wonderful, I'm sure. But the CBs have generally been below average at best, as a group.

Oh, and I don't give a hoot about Pro Bowls. Ruben Brown went to 9 of them, for heaven's sake.

The only thing I would take back is limiting the period of LeBeau excellence to one decade. He's been making defenses look better than they are for about thirty years.

And as Pruitt says, cut 'em in half with an average or poor coach. Polamalu probably the exception.