Then we can be like the Bill’s a few years ago. Championship defense, championship running game and a QB holding back the entire show. How about we just build around what we’ve got?
Okay so let’s review. George signed as a backup with the Vikings in 1999 after being released by the Raiders. The Vikings were coming off a 1998 season that they were 15 and 1 and had scored the most points in NFL history that season. Just to name a few of the players that they had included Hall of Fame receivers Cris Carter and Randy Moss as well as an excellent running back in Robert Smith and an excellent defense. And during that playoff win with that team George managed to amass an amazing 212 yards passing which was barely more than 140 + yards rushing by Robert Smith in that game although I think that he did pass for two touchdowns memory serves. So in retrospect you’re absolutely right that was really an impressive feat by Jeff George. 
however if the only criteria being considered is the fact of winning a playoff game then you are correct that there are numerous quarterbacks using that specific criteria that have had more success than Stafford at this point so that specific point is not debatable
I prefer to think of the Jets with Mark Sanchez. 2 road playoff wins for the first 2 years.
Besides, championship defense? I don’t know about that. Championship defenses don’t give up 350+ points. At no point in the last 20 years have the Bills had a defense even as good as we had in 2014 in terms of points given up.
Their offensive output looks about like ours, so I’m not sure I see a difference. The only difference is that we’ve been humiliated in 1 or 2 more WC losses. And they play outside, in snow a lot more often than we do.
Try another example. This time with less wild guess snark.
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Because he’s a dude who wins tight games for you, and is literally as good as there is at 2 minute drill. Some games, the D just makes things easy for us. Other games are set up to be tight. I can’t remember the % of NFL games that are settled by less than a touchdown, but it is very high.
Matt is a guy who can get it done, and get it done well. Get this dude some protection, so he can actually go to his long ball (slower developing plays).
Linehan was smart! I remember seeing a stat, and Mathew had a nice span under Linehan where he had the 2nd fastest release in all of football (behind P. Manning). Those were designed to keep him from getting killed, because he’s never had an OL or a run game to lean on. It’s just easier to make decisions when you are not running for your life.
I saw a post a bit ago where you were referencing all of the sacks that Batch took. Same exact thing with Matt. If Stafford wasn’t Stafford, he’d be sacked a lot more than he is.
- no run game
- highly predictable system
3 atrocious OL
I think #1 & 2 will improve, this year.
#1 improves tremendously after another offseason of building the line up a bit more.
He’s the dude that caused them to be tight in a lot of ways. And not too many are against .500 teams or above.
I see it as if we weren’t living in shotgun and dinking and dunking, Stafford would still not be hit as much as Batch. Stafford’s had one of the lowest air yards per pass number for years. You’d think he was Alex Smith or something…
Are you saying Stafford would have killed it behind Batch’s OL (Semple, Brooks, Roberts, Compton, Hartings)? Stafford’s had worse?.. And Stafford never had run support like Greg Hill? Or the brilliant playcalling of Sylvester Croom?
There is no way Stafford survives that environment, IMO.
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Linehan was smart, but not smart enough to stop Stafford’s self destruct sequence in 2013.
After 5 years of the same system and finally an ascending defense, we didn’t bail on Stafford, but hired another coach who wowed Mayhew with the plan to “fix” Stafford.
5 years later, still a lot of excuses but no division title and no playoff win.
And we’re on OC #4 and HC #3.
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quick release, low yard/pass = timing routes to compensate for lack of protection/run game. You make the chicken/egg argument earlier, as it pertains to the run game. Why do you not employ the same strategy here?
To me, this is why watching the games matters. You can manipulate any stats to fit any argument. Same exact numbers to make 2 completely different points.
What I see when I look at the dude with my eyes…Leader of a person, tries his guts out, competitive, wants to win, generally maintains composure, b/b+ accuracy, big arm, smart, tough. I like him, and see him as EASILY top 10.
What is the upgrade from him (especially the upgrade that’s available)?
I don’t see one. Love the Lions. Love Matt. Can’t wait to see them get it on, tomorrow!
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Worse than average touch, locks on to targets, aims for tight windows on early reads instead of finding the open guy. For a long time he was getting faked out by pre-snap looks by good defenses.
It’s possible that it’s lack of protection, but it’s also possible that it was an intentional strategy. If you’re not going to run it, the other way to adhere to Caldwell philosophy (playing it safe and keeping score close until the 4th) is to make safer passes. Quick hitters and those to backs behind the LOS (one year I had scraped the stat together where over 25% of the total passes were to backs behind the LOS. And you can’t say they got all those petite backs by accident, can you? Seems to me a concerted effort.
Then this. 2 years since Stafford got here we tried to pass more from under center. 2014 and 2018. Both very bad years for the offense. Coincidence? Maybe. There are other factors one could point at, but there is also a reason they kept Stafford in shotgun and in my opinion, that reason is not flattering.
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In 2014 the Bill’s had a championship defense and running game, with a sketchy QB situation. They went 4-0 against the NFC North and 2-0 at Ford Field that year. I would love to go back in time and give that team a real QB.
OF course it’s by design. Because OL sucks. Use what you have the best you can. Matt’s worst years are still decent. His best years hav me been awesome. In the entire body of wok, he is pretty much always a top 10 guy. Maybe one or two years where that was not the case, which were entirely circumstantial, IMO. Never in the history of mankind is there a human that could have succeeded in the situation matt was in last year. By my best estimate, it’s ridiculous to takelastyearsnumbers as anything other than he had dudes fjromthegrocery store to block for him adndthrow to.
None of that is fact but makes for good opinion.
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QB Rating:
Kyle Orton - 87.8
Matt Stafford - 85.7
Lions Defense 282 PA
Bills Defense 289 PA
Lions Offense - 321 points
Bills Offense - 343 points
If we had a real QB, we’d have beaten them in 2014. Or if we drafted Donald instead of Ebron.
Our offense mustered 7 points at home. Our defense scored a pick 6. We lost by 3 and Stafford threw a pick at mid field setting up a FG.
Good old “clutch in the 4th” Stafford had zero points in the entire 2nd half of that game.
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Are you saying that labeling it “opinion” makes it less valid? And why didn’t you label Big Natty’s assertions as “opinion”?
Also, did I say it was “fact”?
Pick any QB you consider legit outside of the same tired ass hall of famers everyone else pulls out (Brady, Brees, Rodgers, etc). I would have loved to have seen the 2014 Bill’s with a legit signal caller.
For the Bills in 2014?
That were active in 2014 (I would take Brady, Brees or Rodgers, of course) and also Rivers, Romo, Wilson, Big Ben, Cam Newton… I’m certain all of those guys would have been better for Buffalo than Orton.
I’m not understanding Mr. Angry Driver being so caught up on the 321 points scored for that season. I don’t understand the significance.
Correct. They stumbled onto a unique year where they could have made a run…but they couldn’t because of their QB. The Jags from a few years ago also come to mind. That team should have a Super Bowl banner hanging from the rafters right now. But…Bortles.
It means the offense didn’t produce. It means the offense was bad. In 2007 we scored 346 points. And nobody thought that was a good offense, did they? Anyone?
Yeah, I say the same thing about our team.
We had a great defense, but instead of taking a killer DT, we took Ebron to help our struggling QB, who the new coach came in saying we had to “fix”.
We should have had a division win, playoff win, maybe even super bowl appearance. But…Stafford.
And of course Stafford.