Bills 24, Raiders 38 Recap and Tweet Bag!

carr
Derek Carr runs away from defensive pressure in the first half of Sunday’s game. The Raiders beat Buffalo 38-24 and are now 10-2. Photo: Brant Ward
Photo Credit: Brant Ward

(I had to squeeze a replay in after another engagement, which apparently the Bills also did – so please excuse the brevity – Rich)

29 Unanswered points. More than the ineffectiveness of Tyrod and the insane 214 yards rushing on the day, 29 unanswered points burns me up.

A team that has been built to the specifications of its head coach cannot stop 29 unanswered points.

A team that had been top ten in yardage, which wasn’t “high enough” for this head coach couldn’t stop 29 unanswered points.

I’m sure this week the post-mortem of the game will be the fact the Bills need a new quarterback, or that it stinks the Bills are thisclose to having, as Joe puts it – a playoff drought that can go to rated-R movies (#RatedRSuperstars), but I also wonder aloud at times, is it that the players are bad, or that the team makes them bad?

I also wonder about the construction. I think – which I’ll get into later this week – it’s time to blow the sucker up. You can’t in one hand demand greatness from your QB and sign his new number one receiver mid season and say “whoops he can’t play either” (see Harvin) or “he might catch the ball” (see any of the free agents) or “how long can he play” in your true #1, who’s playing with a broken foot that never healed? Why should you have a safety that is off the street play better than guys who’ve been in your system two years? Inquiring minds want, no need to know!

After a dumb December Bills loss these questions tend to come about. But say you, gentle reader of this blog?

Your tweets during my time away were quite entertaining – I hope my answers can match them.

Pre game was LIT thanks to Kyle Williams:

Post game? Not so much:

Rex is currently in “tail between legs” mode. Gone is the bravado – which will show back up as soon as they win again – and instead it’s the “woe is me” brigade. I commend him for trying to have Tyrod’s back and explain the situation wasn’t ideal, but at some point they have to admit this team was built to win now and the chickens are coming home to roost.

This is an answer far too many tweeted, or I’ve heard regarding the Bills. When you lose this much it becomes an old friend you welcome, instead of something you shouldn’t even consider. To go from 24 – 9 to 38 – 9 is more than a quarterback, more than a receiver or line. That’s the entire team failing each other. If you want to isolate a few folks sure, go ahead. But the names will change and the results will stay the same. The Bills need an ethos – and not one that is going to be thrown away when the fans demands it, or the media makes fun of it – and I don’t think the current crew can bring one without the other.

https://twitter.com/mjrusher/status/805575129644367873

I think the Pegulas are good owners long-term. I think they may be too loyal, which in the NFL isn’t a bad thing. Heck, the only thing I would ask for them to do is avoid using “family” when talking about the players, because this season has been an exercise in “if that’s family I’d hate to see enemies” with players and their maladies/situations.

I’m going to close with Joe’s tweet from a bit ago, which I amended:

The Bills need a lot going into next year. If they want to add QB onto the pile, fine. But be honest about it – don’t kick in the extension, find a QB and go from there. Don’t make it something that’s easy for us as fans to hear. If you need to rebuild, admit it!

But if you’re going to go mealy mouthed and get a rent-a-vet and pray he holds up – which allows for another great ticket sales campaign (#ThanksRuss) then I think I can speak for most when I say miss us on that noise.

From top to bottom, I’m more in line with the guy whose team they beat last week – Don’t confuse effort with results. The results are not here.

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