Watching the Bills struggle all afternoon against a 2-4 Vikings team makes me wonder if they truly are playoff caliber? Offensively the Bills had serious issues and that was before losing both Fred Jackson and CJ Spiller. Now with a weak offensive line, a quarterback prone to turnovers and backups running the ball should fan’s expectations include postseason playoffs?
After the game Coach Doug Marrone wasn’t fooling anyone by talking about how great a win it was. Marrone knew full well his team had greatly under performed and to make matters worse, it again happened at home. If the Bills Defense hadn’t forced the Vikings to kick a field-goal instead of scoring a TD late in the fourth quarter Orton and Watkin’s last second heroics would have been for naught.
I have written before that the Bills problems start with the offensive line. Kyle Orton was unable to take a deep drop most of the game because of the intense pressure he was getting up front. Now losing Fred Jackson for four weeks as a blocker in the back-field will make matters worse.
The Jets have to be licking their chops when they review the Bills/Vikings game tape this week. Rex Ryan’s defense is aggressive week in and week out, but I imagine he’ll bring the kitchen sink against Orton come game fay in New Jersey.
Looking at the Bills roster I can’t imagine there are any real solutions to what Marrone and his staff are facing. The Bills thought they had addressed their offensive line problems when they signed Chris Williams and drafted Cyrus Kouandjio out of Alabama with their second pick. Williams has been injured and Kouandjio has struggled to the point he is not even considered a suitable back-up.
Plus Doug Marrone’s refusal to play guard Kraig Urbik has most observers scratching their heads. Urbik was not great by any means last season, but he was better than either Erik Pears or rookie Cyril Richardson. Whatever the issue is between Marrone and Urbik, it’s hurting the team.
Looking at the remaining schedule I can’t hope for better than a 3-5 finish, which would result in a 7-9 record and obviously out of the playoff hunt. That will make it easier for the Pegula ownership team to put their own stamp on the franchise and it won’t just include buying new furniture for the offices.
Filed under: Koshinski's Korner
Tagged with: Bills, Doug Marrone, NFL playoffs
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