DONT GET ME STARTED started to hear the words, “The honeymoon is over for Rex Ryan.”
Art Wander
All the hoopla, the euphoria before a play was ever run in early September is being hushed as the Bills don’t seem to show that they will be ending 15 years without getting into the playoffs. All said that the Bills touted defense would carry them to the promised land. Well – so far – that defense hasn’t closely mirrored the ones under previous defensive coordinators.
Consider this. Mike Pettine did an outstanding job putting together a great defense. Then Jim Schwartz came in and made the Bills defense the 4th best in the NFL last season. They led the league with 56 sacks last season.
In came Ryan with his New York Jets defensive guys and so far in the past 6 games, the Bills have only 9 sacks on the season. That’s a monstrous turnaround from the previous two years.
Ryan has been publicized as a defensive genius. To me, that’s been over-blown. I ask the question, “How many times did Andy Dalton hit the ground Sunday? He had time to look over the entire field to move the chains with his passes.
The one thing in the past – discipline was dictated by the coaches. Even mild-mannered Marv Levy got angry at his players if they performed poorly. The one thing today is that players want to play for Rex Ryan. Would not fans prefer players griping about the coaches who insist the players provide better results than what’s been seen?
Bills fans were told they would see a running team. Against Cincinnati Buffalo threw the ball 42 times while running it only 23 times. McCoy was back on the field and gained 90 yards on 17 carries. Manuel had 6 carries. That falls on offensive coordinator and play caller Greg Roman.
I won’t even get into the poor play of the special teams who gave up good return yardage to go with the growing number of penalties.
The loss to the Bengals evened the Bills record at 3-3. After they visit Jacksonville, they return for a game against Miami and then hit the road for 3 straight away games, including the Jets and New England. Both of these teams are winning. The Jets, without Ryan, are now 4 and 1 on the season.
The Bills had a great first drive and a great final drive, scoring touchdowns both times. The first was a scamper by EJ Manuel to give Buffalo the lead. The final score was a TD pass to Sammy Watkins, who was injured on the play.
Injuries hurt the Bills as Henderson, Watkins and Kyle Williams were transported to the locker room for tests after being injured.
“Mr. clean uniform” Dalton threw a trio of touchdown passes. Meanwhile, EJ Manuel – subbing for Tyrod Taylor had what could be termed a decent outing. He completed 28 of 42 passes for 263 yards with one TD and one interception.
What really hurt the Bills – again – was their penchant for taking penalties. 8 more penalties for almost 100 yards were added to the Bills total as they stay at #1 in yellow flags accepted. Again, dumb penalties – like the one for taunting – continue to be seen and it’s confusing why Ryan doesn’t do something about it. Belichik doesn’t mess around if someone doesn’t perform the way he wants. It’s called discipline,
After the opening drive, Buffalo did what they’ve been doing in the past couple of games – going 3 and out. This time after the score, the Bills went 3 and out four straight times.
More could be said…….but with a rougher schedule coming up, how long will the small number of people singing “The Honeymoon’s Over” increase to a full chorus on Don’t Get Me Started.
Filed under: Don't Get Me Started
Tagged with: Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Rex Ryan
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