I hate to open up old wounds, but remember how much we hated Kevin Gilbride in 2003? Yes, it seems silly now since he's done wonders with Eli in NY, but during his time with the Bills, he was the most scrutinized coordinator l can remember since, um, Dave Wannstedt? His biggest problem was that he had a team that was built to run. He only had one WR (Eric Moulds), an average QB (Bledsoe) and a bunch of scrub WRs.
Yet, he had a big offensive line, a killer fullback (Sam Gash) and Travis Henry. So, what does football 101 tell you to do? You run the fricken football. What did Gilbride do? He passed the football. Constantly. The Bills were 5-1 in 2003 when they ran the ball more than they passed it. They ended up finishing the season 6-10. You do the math. It ended up costing Gilbride and Gregg Williams their jobs.
I've said this a few times over the summer that I felt Chan Gailey had some characteristics of the evil Kevin Gilbride of 2003. Whether it was parlay betting or office pools, everyone had the Bills as a underdog this week against Houston, but you would have gambled that Fred/CJ would be a big part of the game plan. It makes sense.
Again, for the 200th time, the Bills cannot put the game into Fitzpatrick's hands. It isn't just because Fitz is inconsistent, it is because the Bills have two superb running backs. This is their strength. Yet, they constantly decided to go away from it. Why? Why can't we thrive to have a 50/50 pass to run ratio? Gailey preaches about it, yet they don't make an effort on a consistent basis.
12 runs between Fred/CJ to 38 passes by Fitz is a joke.
I can understand if you are trailing by 30 points and you have to go pass happy, but not when you are down a score or two. The Bills had the ball to start the 2nd half and trailed by only a point. How do they open their drive? Three straight passes..which equaled the amount of runs they had in the 2nd half.
HUH?!
This isn't an isolated incident, kids. In Gailey's 38 games as head coach, the Bills have passed the ball more in 30 of those games; averaging 12 more passes than runs. Guess what their record is when they run the ball more than pass it? 6-2. When the opposite happens, they are 7-25.
What else do you need?
Forget the notion of the Bills becoming a running team. They aren't. Just like Gilbride, this factors into Gailey's ego. His GM keeps telling us how he's this great offensive minded coach. Stevie Johnson calls him Megamind. In Chan we trust is the motto. You keep saying that and guess what happens? You think you can do anything you want. Chan is the guy who said Fitz can be their QB. He said they can have WRs who aren't first or 2nd round picks. I had the stat at the start of the year that the Bills were one of two teams in the NFL that didn't have a 1st or 2nd round pick dedicated to a WR/TE.
Why?
Because Gailey thinks he can get the most out of everyone and that his way will always work. He once told Peter King he'd rather win without Babe Ruth…meaning he can make a nobody into a somebody. In his mind, he'll do that by passing the ball. He loves to pass, just like Gilbride did when he was here. What did we hear about Gilbride when he was here? He had a huge ego. He was determined to pass the ball down the field and into the HOF because that was his M.O. It is the same thing with Gailey. You don't believe ego is the problem or that Chan doesn't have one? Then why the hell does he continue to run the wildcat? It hasn't worked in two years. He wants to because the wildcat is something he brought in and loves.
E-G-O.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not Mr. Blue collar guy who wants 50 runs and power football. I want to pass. Hell, I love the deep ball, but this is NOT a passing team. Just like with Bledsoe and Josh Reed not being a #2 wide receiver or franchise QB, Donald Jones and Fitzpatrick are the equivalent.
Alas, these coaches want to outsmart themselves. The Bills had 58 yards rushing from Jackson/Spiller (Alright, Spiller got most of those) in the 1st half. They averaged 5 yards a carry, yet, they get away from it?
Yes, I get that the Texans were crowding the line, but maybe you should reverse tactics and have two tight ends or bring the fullback in and say "We are going to run the ball down your throat." Alas, we can't. We need to make sure we can run our 5-WR sets and get the "Ruvell Martin package" into the ballgame. Hmmm..Didn't Gilbride do the same thing? Bobby Shaw, anyone?
Ugh. The more coaches and players change, the more the game stays the same here in Buffalo.
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